QUES ANSWER DIVINE 4
Dear friends,
The introductory note is discontinued from this posting.Kindly note it is a
compilation
R.Gopala Krishnan
Q1 What way the SriVilwadri Mahatmya explain the importance of Tiruvilvamalai?
A1 It is a Sanskrit text with 18 chapters, describes theorigin of this ancient
temple. It is in the form of a conversation between Uma(Parvati) and Maheswara
(Siva).
Q2 Which are the famous Sree rama temples inKerala?
A2 Among the three famous temples dedicated to SriRama in Kerala,
Tiruvilwamala is the foremost, the image here being self-born.The other two
temples are Triprayar near Trichur and Tiruvangad in North Kerala
Similarly there are only a few temples for Lakshmana in India not alonein
Kerala. There is one temple at Vennimala some 8 km. away from Kottayam.
Theother is at Tiruvilvamala.
Q3 What arethe specialities of Tiruvilvamala temple? What is Punarajini there ?
A3 There is no well inside the temple, which isanother peculiarity.
Punarjanani and is believed to have been built byViswakarma, the celestial
builder at the behest of Parasurama Passing throughthis cave is believed to
relieve devotee of one such birth
It is on GuruvayurEkadasi day (November- December) that devotees undertake the
ritual. On other days it is supposed to behaunted by spirits. It is full of ups
and downs, stones, bouldersand pits.
At some places onehas to kneel down and crawl. There are spots where it is
pitch dark with no airand therefore suffocating.
Yet hundreds ofdevotees cheerfully go through this ordeal, chanting the Lord's
names. Aftercoming out of the cave they take bath in several holy
tirthas-Papanasini,Patala tirtha, Ambu tirtha and Kombu tirtha.
After the Kurukshetra battle the Pandavas, on theadvice of Sage Vyasa, came
down here and performed oblations for those who werekilled in the battle so
that their souls might attain sadgati. Thereafter the Pandavas prayed atthe
temple and went through Punarjanani
Q4 What are thesimilarities of Ganga and Bharatha puzha?
A4 The story goes that it was Parasurama who brought theGanges to Kerala, which
is known as Bharatapuzha. What is Manikarnika ghat in Varanasi is
Tiruvilwamalato Bharatapuzha.
Q5 Which were the holiest citiesin Ancient India?
A5 Dwaraka, in fact, isconsidered one of the seven holiest and most ancient
Indian cities. The othersare Ayodhya, Mathura, Haridwar, Varanasi, Kanchi and
Ujjain, whichtogether are known as Mokshada-that which leads to salvation
Q6 Which river was by the side of Dwaraka?
A6 Dwaraka wasa planned city, on the banks of the river Gomati It is now
generally accepted thatthe earlier cities have been, at various times,
swallowed by the sea.Interestingly, the onlyancient temple for Matsya, Vishnu's
incarnation at the time of the great flood,is to be found at Sankhodhara in Bet
Dwarak.)
Q7 What is said to be the originof Chettikulangara Devi temple?
A7 Manyfollowers of the theory of Kerala’s genesis by Parasurama firmly
believe thathe had established 108 Durga temples, 108 Siva temples, numerous
Sastha templesBesides he had established five Ambalayas. Jagadambika of
Chettikulangara, the Goddess of Oodanadu,is among the five Ambalayams.
Q8 What are the specialities ofChettikulangara temple?
A8 Thereis a firm argument that the goddess here was a family deity, and later
emergedas the village and regional deity.
ThePrathishta here is said to be in Rurujith style, and has Thamogunaalong with
Sathva and RajoGunas.
In orderto reduce the intensity of the Prathishta’s mounting fierce powers, an
imaginaryMahavishnu prathishta is believed to be in placenear the Prathishta .
On the Bharani day of every month, theKshethram Thanthri performs Poojas to
reduce the mounting powers of theprathishita.
Q9 What are the similarities of Chettikulangara temple and Chottanikkaratemple?
A9 Pooja styles include Thrimadhuram,Cherupayasam and Malar (Corn rice) in the
morning withprayers for Bhagavathi conceived as Maha Saraswathi, Uchapooja or
lunch withKoottupayasam, Palpayasam and prayers offered as MahaLakshmi,
Atthazha Pooja or dinner with Neyyappam and Neypayasamwith prayers for the
deity conceived as Sri Durga orBhadrakali. This is similar to chottanikkara
conceivedprayer to devi
Q10 What is chanthattam?
A10 Chanthattam(advance booking is necessary for this very special Abhishekam
of bathing thediety) performed with a distilledblack coloured liquid that oozes
from burnt teak wood.),
Q11 Why itis preferred to use gingely oil for lighting Nilavilakku?
A11 Sesame (gingelly) oil is proved to have more positive energy thanother
oils. Hence, best for lighting the lamp.
Q12 What isaurura?
A12 Many of us had the experience of meeting someoneand feeling quite affected
by their personality. We meet them for just a fewminutes but we remember them
for life. This is because of their powerful aura. Beautiful girls are having
muchaura!!!
Q13 What is the meaning of the sloka werecite during lighting the lamp during
evening sandhya?
A13 we pray as follows:
Deepajyothi parabrahma
Deepa sarva tamopahaha
Deepena saadhyate saram
Sandhyaa deepo namostute
I prostrate to the dawn/dusk lamp; whose light isthe Knowledge Principle (the
Supreme Lord), which removes the darkness ofignorance and by which all can be
achieved in life
Q14 What arethe different forms of showing respect ?
A14 The different forms of showing respect are :
Pratuthana - rising to welcome a person.
Namaskaara - paying homage in the form of namaste.
Upasangrahan - touching the feet of elders or teachers.
Shaashtaanga - prostrating fully with the feet, knees, stomach, chest,forehead
and arms touching the ground in front of the elder.
Q15 What is the meaning of thefollowing sloka addressed to Godesses Saraswathi
?
Saraswatinamasthubhyam
Varade kaama roopini
Vidyaarambham karishyaami
Sidhirbhavatu me sadaa
A15 Goddess Saraswati, the giver of Boons and fulfiller of wishes, I
prostrateto You before Starting my studies. May You always fulfil me
Q16 What were the ChathurVarnas marks during old days?
A16 In earlier times, the fourcastes (based on varna or colour) -
Brahmana,Kshatriya, Vaishya and Sudra -applied marks differently.
The brahmin applied a whitechandan mark signifying purity, as his profession
was of a priestly oracademic nature.
The kshatriya applied a red kumkum mark signifying valour as he belonged to
warrior races.
The vaishya wore a yellowkesar or turmeric mark signifying prosperity as he was
a businessman ortrader devoted to creation of wealth.
The sudra applied a blackbhasma, kasturi or charcoal mark signifying service as
he supported thework of the other three divisions
Q17 What is Bhasma?
A17 The ash of any burnt object is not regarded as holy ash. Bhasma (the holy
ash) is the ashfrom the homa (sacrificial fire) where special wood along with
ghee and other herbsis offered as worship of the Lord.
Or the deity is worshipped by pouring ash as abhisheka and is thendistributed
as bhasma. Bhasma is generally applied on the forehead. Some applyit on certain
parts of the body like the upper arms, chest etc. Some asceticsrub it all over
the body. Many consume a pinch of it each time they receive it.
The word bhasma means "thatby which our sins are destroyed and the Lord is
remembered". Bha implied bhartsanam ("to destroy")and sma implies smaranam ("to
remember").
The application of bhasmatherefore signifies destruction of the evil and
remembrance of the divine.
Q18 Why Bhasma is also called asVibhuti ?
A18 Bhasma is called vibhuti (which means "glory") as itgives glory to one who
applies it and raksha (which means a source ofprotection) as it protects the
wearer from ill health and evil, by purifyinghim or her.
Q19 What is the meaning of the follwingsloka addressed to Lord Siva?
Tryambakamyajaamahe
Sugandhim pushtivardhanam
Urvaa rukamiva bhandhanaan
Mrytyor muksheeyamaa amrutaat
A19 "We worship the three-eyed Lord Shiva who nourishes and spreadfragrance in
our lives. May He free us from the shackles of sorrow, change anddeath -
effortlessly, like the fall of a rip brinjal from its stem."
My note- Manyrecite the mantra 5,18 or 108 times before going to bed. Thosein
sick bed with serious ailments are specially advised to recite themanthra,for
recovery
Q20 Why pradakshina is performed in a clockwise manner?
A20 As we do pradakshina, theLord is always on our right. In India the right
side symbolises auspiciousness.So as we circumambulate the sanctum we remind
ourselves to lead an auspiciouslife of righteousness, with the Lord who is the
indispensable source of helpand strength, as our guide
Q21 What is the reason behind worshipping certain plants and trees?
A21 Certain trees and plants like tulasi, peepal etc., which havetremendous
beneficial qualities, are worshipped till today. It is believed that divine
beingsmanifest as trees and plants, and many people worship them to fulfiltheir
desires or to please the Lord
Q22 What is the meaning of the sloka
Aagamaarthamtudevaanaam
gamanaarthamtu rakshasaam
Kurve ghantaaravam tatra
devataahvaahna lakshanam?
A22 I ring this bell indicating the invocation of divinity, So that virtuousand
noble forces enter (my home and heart); And the demonic and evil forces
fromwithin and without, depart
Q23 Why do we worship the kalasha?
A23 Before the creation came into being, Lord Vishnu was reclining onHis
snake-bed in the milky ocean. From His navel emerged a lotus from whichappeared
Lord Brahma, the creator, who thereafter created this world. The water in the
kalasha symbolisesthe primordial water from which the entire creation emerged
Q24 Why dowe worship tulasi?
A24 In Sanskrit, tulanaa naasti athaiva tulasi - that which isincomparable (in
its qualities) is the tulasi.
For Indians it is one of the most sacred plants. In fact it is known to be the
only thing used in worshipwhich, once used, can be washed and reused in pooja -
as it is regardedso self-purifying.
As one story goes, Tulasi was the devoted wife of Shankhachuda, a
celestialbeing. She believed that Lord Krishna tricked her into sinning. So she
cursedHim to become a stone (shaaligraama).
Seeing her devotion and adhered to righteousness, the Lord blessed her saying
that shewould become the worshipped plant, tulasi that would adorn His
head.Also that all offerings would be incomplete without the tulasi leaf -
hence theworship of tulasi.
My note- The only flower used forsrardha is Tulsi
Q25 What is the sacredness oftulasi?
A25 The tulasi leaf has greatmedicinal value and is used to cure various
ailments, including the commoncold.
Yanmule sarvatirhaani
Yannagre sarvadevataa
Yanmadhye sarvavedaascha
Tulasi taam namaamyaham
I bow down to the tulasi, At whose base are all the holy places, At whose
topreside all the deities and In whose middle are all the Vedas
Q26 Why do we say Om santhisanthi santhihi three times santhi?
A26 It is believed that trivaramsatyam - that which is saidthrice comes
true.For emphasising a point we repeat a thing thrice. In the court of law
also, onewho takes the witness stands says, "I shall speak the truth, the whole
truth and nothing butthe truth".
We chant shaanti thrice to emphasise our intense desire for peace.
Q27 What is the importance of coconut offerings in thetemple?
A27 The marks on the coconut make it look likethe head of a human being. The
coconut is broken, symbolising the breakingof the ego. The juice within,
representing the inner tendencies (vaasanas) isoffered along with the white
kernel - the mind, to the Lord.
Tender coconut water is used in abhisheka rituals since it is believedto bestow
spiritual growth onthe seeker
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