PITU Gotras KR IRS 22524 23524
>From where Gotras of a brahmin Rishis spread over? Concept of Bhakthi and
Murthy devotions. KULA DEIVAM was the chieftain as the main deity for all
varnas.
VILLAGE DEITIES KULADEIVAM
THE worship of the Village Deity, or grama-devata, as it is called in
Sanskrit and in Tamil, forms an important part of the conglomerate of
religious beliefs, customs, and ceremonies which are generally classed
together under the term Hinduism. In almost every village and town of South
India may be seen a shrine or symbol of the grama-devata, and in every
village the grama-devata is periodically worshipped and propitiated. As a
rule this shrine is far less imposing than the Brahmanical temples in the
neighbourhood ; very often it is nothing more than a small brick building
three are four feet high, or a small enclosure with a few rough stones in
the centre ; and often there is no shrine at all ; but still, when calamity
overtakes the village, when pestilence or famine or cattle disease makes
its appearance, it is to the village deity that the whole body of the
villagers turn for protection. Siva and Vishnu may be more dignified
beings, but the village deity is regarded as a more present help in
trouble, and is more intimately concerned with the happiness and prosperity
of the villagers. The village deities and their worship are widely
different from the popular Hindu deities, Siva and Vishnu, and the worship
that centres in the great Hindu temples.
1. Siva and Vishnu represent forces of nature: Siva symbolizes the power of
destruction and the idea of life through death, Vishnu the power of
preservation and the idea of salvation. Both these deities and the system
of religion connected with them are the outcome of philosophic reflection
on the universe as a whole. But the village deities, on the other hand,
have no relation to the universe. They symbolize only the facts of village
life. They are related, not to great world forces, but to such simple facts
as cholera, small-pox, and cattle disease.
2. Then, in the second place, village deities, with very few exceptions,
are female. Siva and Vishnu, and the principal deities of the Hindu
pantheon, are male. Their wives, it is true, play an important part in
Hindu religious life Kali especially, the "black one," the wife of Siva, is
the presiding deity of Calcutta, and is one of the chief deities of Bengal
but, speaking generally, in the Hindu pantheon the male deities are
predominant and the female deities occupy a subordinate position. This is
characteristic of the genius of the Aryan religion, but in the old
Dravidian cults a leading feature was the worship of the female principle
in nature. It is possible that this is due to the fact that the Aryan
deities were the gods of a race of warriors, whereas the Dravidian deities
were the goddesses of an agricultural people. All over the world, the gods
of war are mostly male, while the agricultural deities are, for the most
part, female; and this naturally arises from the fact that war is the
business of men, whereas, among primitive peoples, the cultivation of the
fields was largely left to the women, and also from the fact that the idea
of fertility is naturally connected with the female.
All over Southern India, therefore, the village deities are almost
exclusively female. In the Tamil country, it is true, most of them have
male attendants, who are supposed to guard the shrines and carry out the
commands of the goddesses; but their place is distinctly subordinate and
almost servile. One of these male deities, however, lyenar, has an
independent position. He generally has a shrine to himself, and is regarded
as the night-watchman of the village. The compound of his shrine is
generally crowded with clay figures of horses, great and small, on which he
is supposed to ride round the village during the watches of the night, to
keep off evil spirits. In the Telugu country, too, there is a being called
Potu-Razu, who figures sometimes as the brother, sometimes as the husband,
of the village goddess, and sometimes as merely an attendant; but I have
never met him as an independent deity and have always been told that
sacrifice is never offered to him alone, but only in conjunction with one
or more of the goddesses.
3. Then, in the third place, the village deities are almost universally
worshipped with animal sacrifices, Buffaloes, sheep, goats, pigs, and fowls
are freely offered to them, sometimes in thousands. In the Tamil country,
this custom is curiously modified by the influence of Brahmanism, which has
imbued the villagers with the idea that the shedding of blood is low and
irreligious, and it is remarkable that no animal sacrifices are ever
offered to lyenar. The male attendants accept them eagerly, and take toddy
and cheroots into the bargain; but lyenar is regarded as far too good a
being to be pleased by the sight of bloodshed.
4. Again, the pujaris, i.e. the priestly ministrants, the men who perform
the Puja, i.e. the worship, are not Brahmans? but are drawn from all the
other castes. 1 The whole Hindu people in North India may be likened to a
great step-pyramid, consisting of five stories. These are exclusive groups,
marked off from each other by deep distinctions in religious and social
standing and in ideal function: It is hardly ever possible to make any
general statement about any subject in India without at once being
confronted with facts which seem to prove that you are wrong; accordingly,
I may mention that I have found cases where Brahmans officiate as pujaris
at the shrines of village deities. I came across one such case at
Nagapattinam; while, at Bangalore, I actually found a case where a Brahman
widow was the ministrant. About three miles from Tanjore, too, there is a
temple of Mariamma served by Brahman priests. But no animal sacrifices are
offered at the central shrine where Brahmans minister. In one corner of the
temple area there is a separate shrine with an image of Mari amma where
animals are regularly sacrificed; but at this shrine no Brahmans officiate.
I believe that it is the only temple or shrine of Mariamma in South India
where there are Brahman priests. But then, in these cases the Brahman
pujari never has anything to do with animal sacrifices. These are always
conducted entirely by men of lower castes, and, even so, it is a
degradation for a Brahmin to be connected as pujari with a shrine where
such abominations take place." Setting aside these exceptional cases, it
may be stated generally NO UNQUALIFIED PERSONS WERE ADMOITTED AS PRIESTS
FOR KULA DEIVAM PARIPALANAM. As the main Kula deivams had the Sivan/Vishnu,
reflecting the worship of that village, there were in the outer lands,
certain deities, which are demi-gods, worshipped by others also. Hence
there were Pujaris to maintain the demigods too.
The word ‘Kuladeivam/Kuladevatha’ is derived from two words –
‘Kula’ meaning Clan and ‘Deivam/Devatha’ meaning God or Deity. Every
different clan in India has their own Kuladeivam and they call it by
different names. For example, in Kerala, Kuladeivam is addressed as ‘Adima
Kavu’ where ‘Adima’ means a slave to the ‘Kavu’ which means deity.
The Kuladeivam-s are deities that the Father’s side ancestors (forefathers)
worshiped. In fact, each clan has a separate Kuladeivam. The Kuladeivam can
be a male, or a female and these deities are consecrated in a manner to
protect and nurture people belonging to a particular clan.
A person cannot choose a Kuladeivam at any point in time. When a person is
born, his/her parents introduce the Kuladeivam to him/her. Usually, a just
born baby experiences the first tonsure and ear piercing in his/her
Kuladeivam temple. He/she keeps visiting the Kuladeivam temple for all
occasions and other important moments throughout his/her life. Thus, the
Kuladeivam plays a significant role from one’s birth till the last days of
life.
Our ancestors started worshipping the Kuladeivam from time immemorial and
it has become a family tradition. Different clans have various deities of
worship. They also have different ways of worshipping the deity. Every clan
has a unique way of offering prayers. It is believed that when one prays in
the Kuladeivam temple, he not only gets the blessing from the deity but
also from one’s ancestors as well. This is the main reason why one should
not neglect visiting the Kuladeivam. In many places The Gotras determine
the Kula deivam too which is detected from the Jadaga from the position of
the Main planets depicting the Kutumbam.
The Kuladeivam can be a male or a female and it is usually found in one’s
ancestral village (on the father’s side). People who have migrated to new
cities, visit their Kuladeivam at least once a year and offer prayers and
special poojas to receive the blessings. The Kuladeivam-s are so powerful
that they protect the entire clan. It is said that without a Kuladeivam’s
blessing, nothing can be done. Even our Ishta Deivam or our Gurus cannot
help us. Hence, it is absolutely necessary to visit our Kuladeivam at least
once a year to seek the blessings.
“Staying away from worshipping Kuladeivam is like keeping a vessel with a
hole. Nothing will stay on the vessel with a hole. Likewise, no good thing
will dawn on the person who does not worship his Kuladeivam.”– Kanchi
Periyava.
So, every person born has a Kuladeivam. In case of boy child/male, he is
introduced to the Kuladeivam by his parents, and he remains under the same
clan throughout his life. All the important moments in life are celebrated
going to the same Kuladeivam temple. But in the case of a girl
child/female, when they are born, they are introduced to the father’s
Kuladeivam. The girl prays to the Kuladeivam from birth till the time she
gets married. Then, after marriage, the girls/ female continues to worship
her husband’s Kuladeivam. So, there is a change of Kuladeivam for a girl.
Otherwise, a person cannot have more than one Kuladeivam at one point in
time. They cannot choose or change according to their wishes.
Difference between a Kuladeivam and a Ishta Deivam
Generally, the Kuladeivam is the deity that one’s family worships
traditionally through generations. The male child of the family will carry
on the tradition and pass it on to their next generations. Ishta Deivam on
the other hand, is the deity one worships with their own will and wish. One
can choose their own Ishta Deivam based on the level of comfort,
satisfaction, or guidance from Gurus. One can also change the Ishta Deivam
after a time. Different family members can worship different Ishta
Deivam-s. But Kuladeivam remains the same for all in the family.
Science and Kuladeivam
One of the main reasons for creating a Kuladeivam is to maintain a genetic
track in a spiritual way. Our ancestors did not wish would disturb or mix
this ancient system based on genetics. Thus, ancestors established an
energy form of deities (Kuladeivam) that for a particular set of DNA
/genes, the energy source gives a positive effect. This energy source gives
out positive vibrations for a particular clan. It is a known fact that DNA
of an Asian is different from that of a European or an American. Our
ancestors knew about this fact and established powerful energy centres to
help people of a particular DNA set.
It is a known fact that each child receives 23 chromosomes from the father
and 23 from the mother. Mother carries xx chromosomes, and the father
carries xy chromosomes. The x (chromosome) from the mother and the y
(chromosome) from the Father leads to the birth of a male child. Whereas x
(chromosome) from the mother and the x (chromosome) from the father leads
to the birth of a female child. In short, the sex of the child is decided
by the chromosomes that are contributed by the father.
Since a girl child does not receive the y chromosome from the father, she
is not able to pass on that particular gene to the next generation. This is
reason why a girl changes her Kuladeivam after her marriage. A son on the
other hand receives the y chromosome from the father and ensures the
passing on the gene for the next generation.
It is also widely believed that when the y chromosomes are passed down to
generations, it loses its potency (weakens) after about 13 generations. Our
ancestors had an exceptionally good knowledge about genetics and the this
is the reason why they insisted that marriage should not take place within
the same Gothra or a family.
So, the Kuladeivam and the systems followed by our ancestors are very
scientific and reliable but sometimes, in rare cases, people do not know
about their Kuladeivam. Then,
How to find One’s Kuladeivam?
Usually, every household will know and worship their own Kuladeivam, but in
exceedingly rare cases, a family might not know about their Kuladeivam.
This happens when a particular family migrates to a different country/city
and lose contact with their ancestral village, or sometimes the children
are not informed about their family deity and as a result, a generation
remains ignorant, and they have no idea of their Kuladeivam. In such cases,
the family members can contact their native village and enquire the elders
living in that village. They can also use their ancestor’s names –
sometimes they are named after the Kuladeivam deity itself. Also, there
might be distant relatives still living in their ancestral village who
knows about the Kuladeivam of a particular family. By reaching out to their
ancestral hometown, one can find out the whereabouts and the names of the
Kuladeivam and its places of worship. Another way to find out about ones
Kuladeivam is through one’s horoscope. The date and time of birth is given
to an astrologer and through a ‘Prashnam’, a person’s Kuladeivam can be
rediscovered.
Each little system or a custom that our ancestors created was not only
based on scientific reason, but also had economic and spiritual reasons as
well. The deities were created in a certain way, and then the culture was
created understanding the various dimensions of life. This was then passed
on through various generations, sometimes through word of mouth and
sometimes through written texts. So, let us learn about these customs and
traditions and follow it and also not to forget to pass it on to our next
generation so that our Sanatana Dharma and its traditions live on for many
years to come.
{Maha Periyava}: The man did not even know who his Kuladeivam was as
one of his ancestors broke from the path of worshiping Kuladeivam and his
descendants followed him including himself. So, he did not know anything
about his Kuladeivam.
Periyava said that staying away from worshiping Kuladeivam is like keeping
a vessel with a hole. Nothing will stay on the vessel with a hole.
Likewise, no good thing will dawn on the person who does not worship his
Kuladeivam.
He also raised a question -why Periyava was so particular about the
Kuladeivam when there are various other deities to worship in different
temples?
The Mahan did not answer his query. He just asked the man whether any of
his ancestors was still surviving.
He replied positively that one of his ancestors was living in the village.
Periyava asked him to contact the old man and gather details about his
Kuladeivam. He advised the man to visit the place of his Kuladeivam, do
pooja and come back to him after that.
The farmer came after 10 days and was looking happy. He rendered his
salutations and said that he did as per the advice of the Mahan. He
contacted the old man in the village, came to know about his Kuladeivam,
went to the place and worshiped the deity.
His Kuladeivam was Pechiyamman and the place was covered by a bush when he
went to worship his Kuladeivam. He and his sons removed all the bush and
found a stone in the place and offered their prayers through anointing the
stone with water, milk and performing camphor arathi.
Periyava said to the farmer that he should build a temple for his
Kuladeivam in that place. He should take care that the lamp should be
lighted in his Kuladeivam temple every day and he should visit the temple
regularly. On doing so, he would be blessed by the deity and get all good
benefits in life.
The happy man now asked Periyava why he did not answer his question - why
one should worship Kuladeivam in particular when there are various other
gods for worship?
Periyava asked him to come back after one year on exactly the same date.
The man came and looked happy. He offered fruits and money to Periyava. Now
Periyava answered his query about Kuladeivam. The answer given by Periyava
is worth thinking and following.
The ancestors of a man form a lineage called Gothram and their worship of a
particular deity brings prosperity to them as the deity showers all His
blessing upon the family for generations after generations and makes them
prosperous and happy in life. All these members of this gotra are united by
a sense of brotherhood though they may differ in personality, complexion
and other such traits. Our ancestors are the starters of our Kuladeivam
worship and our generation continues that. Our worship of Kuladeivam
becomes our family tradition. That is why worshipping Kuladeivam is
important and it should not be neglected by any man.
TO BE CONTD Pitu Gotra K Rajaram IRS 22524 23524
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