QUES ANSW DIVINE 58 Dearfriends,
These areinformation posted by members compiled as QA by me in 1998’s-2004’s and storedin my computer. At this date I have no information of the members posted. BEING COMPILATION THERE MAY BE ERRORS. Sincerely, R.Gopalakrishnan, 78, Former AGM TelecomTrivandrum dated 26 -11-2021 Q1 What do the orange robe of the sanyasiindicate? A1 ASanyasi, usually, wears an orange robe to symbolize the self-less service to humanity. Theorangecolour is a symbolicrepresentative of blood. Q2 Who were the ancestors of king Srirama? A2 ProfessorSubhash Kak of Lousiana University, in his book, The Astronomical Code of theRig Veda, has also listed 63 ancestors of Shri Ram who ruled over Ayodhya SriRam's ancestors have been traced out as: Shri Ram, King Dashratha, King Aja, King Raghu, King Dilip and so on During RamRajya, the evils of caste system based on birth were non-existent. In fact, Maharishi Valmiki is stated to be ofshudra class (scheduled caste), still Sita lived with him as his adopteddaughter after she was banished from Ayodhya. Luv and Kush grew inhis ashram as his disciples. We need tobe proud of the fact that Valmiki was perhaps the first great astronomer andthat his study of planetary configurations has stood the test of times Q3 Do any mention is there in Bhagavathaabout the manner in which we should behave with lower creatures? A3 Yes. In fact, cruelty toanimals is severely frowned upon in the Indian tradition. Skandha Five, Chapter 26 ofSrimad Bhagavat or Bhagavat Puran has apassage that reads, "God has given different forms of livelihood to different creatures. Some ofthese may go against the interest ofman. But man should notretaliate against these creatures fortwo reasons.They are not endowed withthe capacity to know that they aredoing injury to man; and next, man knows that they will be injured if he retaliates. A person who injures lower animals for selfish purposes goes to thepurgatory called Andhakupa and there he will have to live in a lowtype of body, attacked by the creatures he had injured. In darkness, withoutsleep and restless, he will have todrag out a wretched existence." (Srimad Bhagavat, Volume II, translated by Swami Tapasyananda, Ramakrishna Math, Chennai). Q4 Do the chidambaram temple was aperumal temple earlier?Where do we have Ganapathi with human face? A4 There is athought like that. In Chidambaram, itwas GovindarAjaPerumAL sannidhi that was the foremost( Adi sannidhi ). NatarAja sannidhi came later. This conversion occurred during the rule of a king who was a Siva bhakta The South Car Street houses a Ganapathi Temple. The speciality of this temple is that the Ganesha does not have an elephant face! The Ganesha has a human face! This is a very rare idol of Ganesha,known as Nara Mukha Ganapathy The Chidambara Kshetra denotes the hrudaya pradesa (heart) of Bhoomi and that is the reason thatLord Nataraja (the Lord ofChidambaram) is ever dancing (theheart is ever pulsating). Q5 DO there is athought that Gurukkals of Chidambaram temples are from Kerala and thechidambaram temple was established by Parasurama? A5 Yes. There are lots of pramAna (proof) in the view that Chidambaram NatarAja has come from Kerala desa. The Dikshitarsof Chidambaram keep poorva shika (the tuft worn on the forehead). This is aKerala tradition. ParasurAma establishedthis Kshetra (Holy place on the west coast) and shifted someBrahmins, from what is now known asTamizh Nadu, to this region. Here, it rainsalmost all through the year. It is not very easy to live under such acondition. The difference in climaticconditions was not found suitable for their living. ParasurAma,however, made them wear poorva shika . Abasthamba rishi says, One should never change his shika (tuft), pundram (religious mark on theforehead) and sutram . This issmriti vAkya (the words of the Smriti). Dharma forbids aperson belonging to one class of sutrataking up the performance of anothersutra. Amongst these Brahmins who were shifted to the west coast byParasurAma, some returned to Tamizh Nadu region while some stayed back. These people with poorvashika are called sozhiyAL . Some parts of TamizhNadu are filled with these Brahmins. Since NatarAja has come from Kerala, the NatarAja Dishitars keep poorva shika . The words, Ponnambalam , Chitrambalam are words from the region of Kerala. Ambalam is a word from this region. The dish KaLi is from this region. This dish is prepared for ThiruvAdirai festival. Lots of Kerala sampradaya (tradition) can be found here. Q6 What is said to be the reason that thosewho worship Goddess Lakshmi on this day would be bestowed with all the richesduring Deepavali. A6 Everybodyknows the Mahabali story. He was sent to nether world by measuring the thirdfeet by Vamana . Later, pleased by his generosity, Lord Vishnu grants him aboon and he in turn requests the Lord to guard his palace at Pathal Loka. Meanwhile, the Goddess Lakshmi, the consort of Lord Vishnu, is unable to bearthe separation and her grief affects the functioning of the entire universe. Brahma and Lord Shiva offerthemselves as guards and plead with Bali to relieve Vishnu. It is on this day of Amavasya Lord Vishnu returns to his abode and GoddessLakshmi is delighted. That is the reason it is believedthat those who worship Goddess Lakshmi on this day would be bestowed with allthe riches. Q7 What are the details of the five daycelebration of Deepavali? A7 1stday - Yam: Generally people place one lamp out in the Southerndirection. Pray to Yamaraj to request the shakti to complete all your tasks,fulfill your life and then safely return home. 2nd day-Lord Krishna killedNarakasura (the son of Hiranyaksha and Bhumi Devi) he stole the 16000princesses and did generally all manner of bad things. Bhumi requested Krishnato come and kill the demon. This is the day when Sathyabhama rode with the Lordto the battle at PrakjyOthisha puram, the capital of Naraka-asuran and helpedher Lord to put an end to the adharmic - sinful acts of that Asuran Thetradition is that she mother earth mother of narakasura prayed for the pristinewaters of Ganga, which arose from the Lord’s feet from TrivikramAvathamtime to enter into the oil and waters at the home of pious devotees on thisday, when they take the oil bath in hotwater during the early morning ( before sunrise ) of this Naraka Chathurthiday. She alsoprayed for all people to celebrate her son’s moksham as a pandigai wearing newclothes and eat special sweets and nourishments. Lord KrishNA granted her wishand thus we celebrate this day of DipAvaLi 3rd Day - Bhaktasiroman Hanuman - this iswhere Hanuman is worshipped. Dhanteras: 4th Day - Sri Laxmi Puja:Lord Vishnufor the first time worhipped Laxmi on this day. What happens is described inthe next section on Diwali (Deepawali). Laxmi Puja. 5th Day - Amavasya, Dipavali - Dipanvita -Damodhar lila happened The 14 year period of exile of Lord Rama, Sita andRama’s brother Laxman was completed, and Rama returns to Ayodhya on theAmavasya night Q8 What is choti deepavali? A8 The day before Deepawali is Chhoti Deepawali, aminor Deepawali, when after puja (worship) five lamps are litat five strategic places in the house: the gateway, the barn, the well, thepeeal tree, and the kitchen. Traditionally, these lamps are of earthenware,filled with clariefied butter (ghee) into which cotton wicks are immersed Deepawali iscelebrated on Amavasya, the darkest night of the month, and houses, shops,places of work, etc., are lit all through the night, least Lakshmi turn herback on a house that is dark. Since she will not enter a dirty place, the residence or the place of workis thoroughly washed and cleaned. Lakshmi has an elder sister calledJyesthaa Devi, who loves squalor and dark and dingy corners. The understanding between the two sisters is that either will not enter ahouse if the other is present. This customof cleaning the house may have started in ancient times when it was realisedthat the hot summer followed by rains made the house musty and encouraged theprevalence of germs (fungal infections, allergies due to mites, etc) By washingthe houses with lime water, the germs were killed. It is , till today, aperfect method of disinfecting a house. Q9 Do there a school of thought that row oflights lit are meant to welcome the souls of the departed ancestors who visitthe family on Deepawali night ? A9 Yes. Therows of light apart from making this dark bright and gay, are also meant towelcome the souls of the departed ancestors who visit the family on Deepawalinight. In Bengal, lighted torches are fixed onlong poles to guide the souls of the departed ancestors. The lighting of lamps on Deepawali nightis so important that even when a family is in mourning and no festivities takeplace, five lamps are always lit at strategic places in the house Q10 Do Govardhan Puja - Annakut: is a partof deepavali? A10Govardhan Puja - Annakut: New Grains offered as Annadan at this time -Theworship of Giri-Govardhan Hill and the cows. The day after Deepawali is celebrated as GovadhanPuja when Mount Govardhan, near Mathura, is worshipped. Pious people keep awakethe whole night and cook fifty-four (or 108) different types of food for thebhog (the offering of food) to Krishna. This ceremony is called ankut which means amountain of food. Various types of food - cereals, pulses, fruit, vegetables,chutneys, pickles, and salads - are offered to the Deity and then distributedas prasada to devotees. This festival is in commemoration of the lifting of Mount Govardhan byKrishna Q11 What is the legend of Laxmi plays trickon Bali and getting back Mahavishnu? A11 Laxmi plays trick on Bali - she goesto Bali as a poor woman seeking help - with her she takes raksha bandan.She says to Bali that she doesn’t have a brother - and would dearly like one.When the raksha bandan is tied the brother has to offer her something. Bali askedLaxmi what he can give her, Laxmi replied that you have my everything in your service - please releaseLord Vishnu. Q12 What is Tikka of Punjab? A12 The lastfestival associated with Deepawali is Bhaya Dhuja, popularly called Tikka inPunjab. In Vedic times, it was called Bhartri-dwitiya. Two days after Deepawali, women and girlsapply saffron and rice grains to the foreheads of their brothers to protectthem from evil and to wish them long life and prosperity. The brothers inturn give the sisters presents. In Uttara Pradesh and Harayana, the tikka isusually a paste of vermilion with rice grains in it. A red markon the forehead is reminiscent of Shiva’s third eye and is believed to keep theevil away and thus protect the wearer. With constant wars in North India, the custom ofapplying a tilak to the forehead of men going to war assumed an aidedsignificance. Mothers, wives and sisters applied tilak to the men to protectthem from harm. (Shakti M Gupta. 1991. Festvals, Fairs and Fasts of India. Page146.) Q13 Every body know about the limbing ofYama. The incident made Sun god realize one thing.What is it? A13Yama andYami, goddess spirit of the river Yamuna, were twins born to Surya, the Sun godand his wife Samjna. One day Yamakicked his step-mother Chhaaya for being partial to her own children. At thisChhaaya cursed him and said that the leg that kicked her would be full of worms.Surya heardthe curse and, realising that a mother would never curse her own children,suspected the identity of Chhaaya and went in search of his real wife, Samjna Q14 A fast observed during the period ofDeepavali was advised by Krishna to perform by Droupadi.What is the fast? A14 Narrating this story, Karva Chauthfast Krishna consoled Draupadi and advised her to observe Karva Chauth fast andassured her about theultimate victory of Pandavas. Q 15 What is the mythologybehind holi? A15 Holi is now a symbolic commemmoration of alegend from Hindu Mythology. The story centres around an arrogant king who resents hisson Prahlada worshipping Lord Vishnu. He attempts to kill his son butfails each time. Finally,the king’s sister Holika who is said to be immune to burning, sits with the boyin a huge fire. However, the prince Prahlada emerges unscathed, while his aunt burns to death.Holi commemorates this event from mythology, and huge bonfires are burnt on theeve of Holi as its symbolic representation. Q16 Do holi is celebrated 16 days inBrindavan and mathura? A16 Yes. This exuberant festival is alsoassociated with the immortal loveof Krishna and Radha, and hence, Holi is spread over 16 days inVrindavan as well as Mathura - the two cities with which Lord Krishna shared adeep affiliation Q17 What is the form siva manifest on Mahasivarathri day? A17 Accordingto ancient scriptures, Shiva manifests himself in the form of a huge flaminglingam known as Jyotirlingaon Shivratri. It is the duty of every worshipper to worship this lingamwith at least one bilwa leaf. Q18 Name the river in the east India largelyassociated with makarasankrathi.What are the different names for it inTamilandu.Andhra and Punjab? A18 MakarSankranti means the beginning of the sun’s journey into the Northern Hemisphereand is celebrated all over the country in one form or the other. People take adip in the holy rivers and ponds and offer prayer to the sun. The river Hooghly,near Calcutta, is a major centre for this festival, as people come from different partsof the country for a ceremonial cleansing in the river. This is known as theGangasagar Mela In Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh, it iscelebrated as a three-day harvest festival Pongal. In Assam, the festival iscelebrated as Bhogali Bihu, and in Punjab it is called Lohri. The festivities go on for three days andare different each day. Bhogi Pongal is the first day of celebrations andthe whole family gets together to celebrate it. Surya Pongal is the second day of festivities and the peopleworship Surya, the sun god on this day. Boiled milk and jaggery are offered tothe Sun God, and friends greet each other asking, “Is it boiled?” The answer:“Yes, it is.” The third day is Mattu Pongal, and cattle areworshipped on this day (cattle known as matu). Cattle are bathed, their hornspolished and painted in bright colours, and garlands of flowers are placedaround their necks. The pongal that has been offered to the Gods is then givento cattle and birds to eat -- 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/1633591510.3532096.1637892779099%40mail.yahoo.com.
