QUES ANSW DIVINE 52 Q1 What is theimportance of kalaketti in the Sabarimala route?
A1 It is said that Leela, daughter of Kavalan , a Karamban, with a face ofMahishi and freed herself from the curse and obtained moksha by the grace of Shri Dharma Sastha, which is described in Sabarimala Temple legend and installed as as Malikapurathu Amma, by which name she has a temple there Q2 Did Ayyappa methis father Lord siva in the forest? A2 Yes Yes After killing Mahishi, Manikandan went to the forest for the tigressmilk, when Lord Shivaappeared before him and told him that though he had done good forthe Devas, still there was one main task and that was to give comfort to the KingRajasekara who was very concerned about him and also to cure the Queen’s ailment Lord Shiva further told him that he could go tothe Palace with the tigeresses and Lord Indran wouldhelp him. Q3 Who were actuallythe tigers and tigress brought by Ayyappa to Pandalam palace? A3Asstated by Lord Shiva, allfemale devas in the disguise of a tigeresses and maleDevas, as tigers with Lord Devendran as the tiger on whom Manikandan rode, theystarted their journey to the Palace. Q4 Who told thedivinity of Manikanta to King Rajasekhara? A4The Sanyasi who appeared at the forest at the time of King Rajasekara’s visit there when he heard a child’s cries, again appeared at the palace and told KingRajasekara the Identity of Manikandan King Rajasekara, fell at his feet and asked to forgive him for whatever happened without his knowledge, and asked him to send back the tigers asthe Queens ailment had been cured the moment Manikandan wentto the forest. Q5 How did Ayyappadisappeared? A5Ayyappa told further that time had comefor him to go to Devaloka since the task for which he created himself in theEarth is completed and asked the King what boon he wanted from him and he wasready to give it as he was much pleased by his devotion. Immediately, King Rajasekara told him that they wantedto raise a temple in his memory and suggest a suitableplace for the temple. Manikandanaimed an arrow which fell at a place called Shabari, where in Sri Rama’s era aSanyasini called Shabari observed Dhavam Lord Manikandan told the King to build the temple in that place and then he disappeared. At the advice of Saint Agasthya, King Rajasekara laid the foundation stone for thebuilding Shabarimala Temple BhagwanManikandan, had made it clear that he would grace only those devotees who offer Dharshan after performing Virtha(fasting) for fortyone dayskeeping themselves isolated from familydesires and tastes and leading a life like Brahmacharys . Asgraced by the Bhagwan King Rajasekara completed building of the temple with eighteen stairs to reach it. When the King was thinking how to putDharmasastha’s figure in the temple for darshan to devotees, he recalled the words of the Bhagwan, the River Pampa was a holy riveras River Ganga, Sabarimala was a holy place as Kasi. Dharmasasthasent Parasuraman to Sabarimala whocarved the figure of Lord Ayyappa and installed it on the day of Makarasankranthi. AGaruda, the Brahaman kite, follows this ornaments-carrying procession, hoveringabout in the sky, After these ornaments are worn on the Lord the birdcircles the temple in the sky three times and disappears. A Star never seen before in the sky appears onthe day of Makarajyothi day before the sighting of the Jyoti. A Jyoti is seenfor a little time on the hilltop showing the presence of Swamy Ayyappan gracinghis devotees. The mostimportant festival during the Mandalam period, lasting for a month This Story is Compiled by : Mr.P.D. BHASI, PADMAVILASAM ,KILIKOLIOOR QUILON - 4 Q6When did Krishna revealed Geetha to Arjuna? A6 It was on the Guruvayur Ekadasi day that Lord Krishna revealedthe Gita to Arjuna. Q7 What is the storyabout the origin of Guruvayur temple? A7 Youmust be curious now to know about the origin of the shrine at Guruvayur. The“Narada Purana” in the chapter Gurupavanapura Mahatmya alludes to this story: King Janamejaya, in order to avenge thedeath of his father Pareekshit, brought about by the Naga chief Takshaka, performed the “Sarpayajna”(snake sacrifice) in which thousands of innocent reptiles perished. As a result of their cursethat befell him, he was afflicted with leprosy, which left him in utterdespair. Sensing this, sage Dattatreya appeared before him with a remedy -Propitiation of Lord Krishna at Guruvayur. The sagerecounted, how the holy idol was blessed because Narayana Himself was the firstto worship it. At the beginning of the Padma Kalpa, he gave the deity to Brahma(the Lord of Creation) who could execute his task of Creation only by itsgrace. At thebeginning of the Varaha Kalpa, the childless couple, Sutepa & Prisna prayedin earnest to Brahma for the gift of a son. Brahma gave them this deityassuring them of their wish if they worshipped the deity with sincere devotionThis they did with excellence, so much so that the Lord Mahavishnu himselfappeared before them. As a boon, they prayed Him three times, for a son. Hepacified them that he himself would be born to them as their son in threesuccessive births. 1stjanma, to Sutepa and Prisna was born as their son, Prisigarbha. In their 2ndjanma, as Kasyapa & Adita, the couple worshipped the same image and gottheir son Vamana. In their 3rd and most auspicious janma as Vasudevaand Devaki, Sri Krishna was born to them. After slaying Kamsa , Krishna moved toDwaraka where he built a temple, installed that image the supreme himself and worshipped it after the death of his parents.When the time come of his ‘Swargarohana’( ascent to Vaikundha), Lord Krishnaentrusted his devoted disciple Uddhava, to take good care of the idol. When thelatter intimated him, his fears regarding the fate that would befall mankind inKaliyuga during His absence. Krishna pacified Udhava that he would manifestHimself in and infuse His glory into the idol; He would also shield Hisdevotees from the ill-effects of Kaliyuga and bless the mankind. He appraisedUdhava that a subsequence of Dwaraka was impending and that he should install the image in an equallyholy spot in consultation with Brihaspati (Guru), the preceptor of the Gods. AccordinglyGuru along with Vayu (the God of Winds) set forth to Dwaraka where they intensed the image being tossed about in the sea by the surging waves. The God ofwinds (Vayu) carried the image of his lead and both set part in search of asacred place for its installation In their quest, they came upon a lake of lotuses., none otherthan the Rudratheerthawhere Lord Siva & Parvathi were waiting to receive them. Sivatold them that that spot was etched out for Narayana long ago; hence he andParvathi would move to Mammiyur, the opposite bank. It is for this reason that a visit to Guruvayur isconsidered incomplete without visiting mammiyoor temple. Guru and Vayu installed theimage in the temple built by Viswakarma, the architect of the God. As Guru and Vayu together founded the temple, theplace came to be known as Guruvayurpura in accordance with Shiva’s wish. Thename was later shortened to Guruvayur. Moved bythis story, Janamejaya proceeded to Guruvayur temple where he observed austeredevotion for four months. In the night he would go to Mammiyur and bow beforeShiva. One night while asleep hefelt the lord’s healing touch over his body and his pain was no more! Hereturned to his kingdom elated singing praises for the Lord. Well, as the legendsays the deity in Guruvayur is more than 5000 years old.The central shrine is believed to have been rebuilt in 1638 A.D. In 1716AD. The Dutch plundered and set fire to the temple. It was rebuilt in 1747 AD. In 1766 AD. Haider Ali captured Calicut and Guruvayur, but spared the templefor a reason of 10000 Ferams which was paid by Vatakkepat Variyar. HaiderAli however gave a ‘Devadaya’ (free gift) to the temple in 1780 AD., on therecommendation of the Governer of Malabar, Srinivasa Rao and thus saved thetemple from total extinction. Fearing destructionof the image, the Mulavigraha (Main deity) was hidden underground and theUtsavavigraha (processional deity) was taken to Ambalapuzha Tipuattack From 1875 to 1900, the Ullanad Panikars came in and offered their freesecures to the lord apart from contributing from their family estates. In 1841,the Govt. of Madras restored the Devadaya appropriated by Tipu Sultan. Slowly& steadily the temple became prosperous. All the portions were rebuiltrenovated and ornamented. At the turn of the 20thcentury various reforms have seen in the temple under the administration of itsmanager Sri Konti Menon. In 1928, the Zamorinonce again became responsible for the administration of the temple. >From 1st Jan 1982,the Devaswam itself feeds 500 – 1000 pilgrims, with Prasadam >(Prasada Oottu). On 30thNovember 1970, after the 6th day of the annual Ekadasi festival, adisastrous fire broke out in the temple Hindus, Muslims & Christians foughtthe fire shoulder to shoulder. Despite 5 hours of the raging fire, theSrikovil, the vigraha of Guruvayurappan, and the subshrines of Ganesha, Ayyappaand Devi, and the flag staff remained intact – a miracle indeed of recenttimes!! Q8 What is thespeciality of Guruyayur Sreekovil? A8 The square shapedSree Kovil has two stairs and three rooms inside. The inner most room is known as Garbhagriha (Theidol of Lord Krishna is placed here). Here, the two doors and the roof arecovered by Gold. All the articles inside the Garbhagriha are in Gold. In thenorth-eastern side of the Sree Kovil is the temple well called Manikinar. Inthe North side of the temple, a sub shrine of Devi, ‘Edathirithi Kavu’ issituated. Next toit is the temple tank Rudratheertha which is located near the north side of thetemple. Q9 What are all thespecial conditions in the Guruyaur temple? A9 1) One should be careful not to spit or vomitin the temple. Very small childrenshould not be taken inside. Thosewho are dirtying the temple will have to pay for the ‘Punyaha’ or purificationceremony 2) Newly married couples are not allowed inside the Chuttambalam alsoknown as Nalambalam, soon after the marriage ceremony. Q10 How manysubshrines are there in Guruvayur temple? A10 In Guruvayur Temple, thereare sub-shrines for Ganapathy, Bhagavathy and Ayyappa also. TheGanapathy shrine is located inside the Nalambalam. That is at the south-westcorner of Nalambalam. At the south side of the Nalambalam, there is a subshrine of Sastha or Lord Ayyappa. In theNorth side of the temple, a sub shrine of Devi,’Edathirithi kavu’ issituated. Thalapoli being offered to Edathariyathukavil Bhagavathy, on behalfof Guruvayur Devaswom. Q11 What is the mythreg Angadippuram? A11 long time ago, RajaMandhata, a scion of Surya Vamsam, renounced the throne of Ayodhya and started roaming about the entire Bharathvarshaas a Sanyasin. When he reached a village called Angadipuram, in the presentDistrict of Malappuram in Kerala, he felt attracted by the beauty of the place.In those days it was a deep forest full of wild animals and thick wildvegetation He went up on a small hillock in the middle of the verdant scene andsettled there to do Tapas, thus enhancing the divinity of the place. Q12. what is the orgin of Tirumandan kunnutemple at Angadippuram? A12 After a number of years of penance, Lord Shiva appeared in front ofhim and asked Mandhata Maharishi what was his wish perhaps he could give himthe best Shivalingam of the world so that he could do daily puja in front ofit. Shiva replied, flustered, “The best Shivalingam is with Parvathi (Durga),so how can I give it to you?” But Mandhata Maharishi insisted that he wantednothing else. So, without the knowledge of Parvathi,he gave the same Linga to Mandhata Maharishi. With extreme devotion, theMaharishi installed the lingam on the hill. Shri Parvathi immediately ordered Bhadrakali to go and retrieve theLingam Then Bhadrakalicame to the Maharishi and started pulling at the Lingam. The Maharishiheld it very tight with both of his hands. In the tug-of-war, the Lingam broke into two. All the three gods (Vishnu,Brahma and Shiva) appeared in front of Mandhata Maharishi and blessed him. Thebroken Shivalinga is still there and even now a ritual is enacted on theparticular day (mid-October) when two groups, one at the bottom and another atthe top of the hillock, throw a fruit (Attanga) at each other. Daily puja thereand entrusted the work to two Brahmin families. These families were Panthalakode andKattilamittam. When the temple (Thirumandham kunnu) was erected later, thesetwo families were made the Thanthris of the Temple. They had all the powers todecide about the pujas and the ways of Worship. Q13 What is the speciality of idol ofThirumandham Kunnilamma? A13 idol of Thirumandham Kunnilamma in Mathrusalais of Daru (wood). Eventhough idols of deities made of Daru can be found in a number of Devi templesin Kerala, the one at Thirumandhamkunnu excels them all in size andworkmanship. In most temples the Deity is placed in frontof the entrance so that devotees can have a clear view. However, atThirumandhamkunnu, the Deity sits slightly to the left of the entrance Q14What isMahamrityunjaya mantra ?How to pracise it? A14Mahamrityunjaya mantra is one of the Two Great mantras explained in the Vedas.The other being the Gayatri. It isbasically chanted when one is having physical and mental ailments. It alsohelps in bringing about peace and tranquility to the mind. Daityaguru Shukra acharya(Thepreceptor of the Asuras used the Amrit Sanjeevni Vidya) to bring life to thedemons who had been slayed in war using this mantra Mrityunjay is another name ofLord Shiva. Saturn worships Lord Shiva. Besides this mantra is also verypowerful in overcoming healthproblems. Even seemingly impossible to cure health problems have been curedwith this mantra. The mantra is: 'Om triayambakam yaja mahesugandhim pusthi vardhanam.Urvarukamiva bhandhanat mrutyhor mukshiya maamritat" Meaning: I worship the three eyed lordShiva, who is full of fragrance and who nourishes everybody with health andvitality. May he liberate me from Death and not from immortality: Just as thesame way a pumpkin is severed from it's bondage from the creeper. How to practice the mantra: Themantra should be chanted while facing the east or the north direction. Youshould use a Rudraksha Rosary and use the middle finger and the thumb to movethe beads. Keep a copper vessel full of water in front of you. When youcomplete chanting the mantra i.e,repeating the mantra for 108 times then drinkthe water. This practice can be started on a Monday. Also sprinkle some wateraround some house while chanting the mantra. This will ensure that the negativeenergy around your house is destroyed bringing you much calm and peace.Narbhavi means good has to happen. -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "Thatha_Patty" group. To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to [email protected]. To view this discussion on the web visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/thatha_patty/1716396019.2164205.1637410341931%40mail.yahoo.com.
