Navratri

Om !!!!!

 The Holy Nine Nights.

The Behind.

First we start up with Paksha .

The maaha navaratri, why it is falling in Shukla Paksha instead of Krishna paksha? In fact the festivals primarily celebrated on earth will come in the Shukla Paksha (No moon toward full moon). In case a festival is primarily celebrated in other lokas will come in Krishna paksha (No moon toward full moon for other lokas, where for us Full moon toward No moon).

Second we move to Ayanam/Ayana.   

Why the Sharada Navaratri is much important/popular than Vasanta Navaratri ?  The simple logic is Ayanam/Ayana. Well we know (As per Sanatan Dharm) that Day is for masculine gender and the Night is for feminine.

1. All male god worship in day times and female god in evening times.
2. Like wise divide the year in to two part as Uttarayana and Dakshinayana.
3. Uttarayana for male and Dakshinayana for female.
4. Dakshinayana is time for worshiping female gods and the navaratri come in this period celebrated as maha navaratri.

Festival.

In the Dakshinayana - Month of Ashwin(Tamil - Purattasi/ Iypasi) - Shukla Paksha on Ekam (first Day) to Navmi (9th day).

These nine days are called Sharadeeya Navratri.

In this nine day’s Night, we pray goddess Durga – Lakshmi – Saraswati.

1^st three days for Durga – 2^nd three days for Lakshmi –last for Saraswati.

*On the eight day of this Navratri, Goddess Saraswati’s Birth day.

These nine days also have a special significance for unmarried girls.

Navratri Pujan Vidhi – Navratri Puja Procedure

From the words of Goddess – “In Ashwin month (Ashwayuja masam), from Shukla Paksha Pratipada (Padyami) to Navami thithi, Navaratri vrata is observed. Those who are not able to observe fasting can also take meal one time a day.

Ghatasthapana / Kalasha Sthapana is performed on Pratipada tithi. Grow seeds of grains in a clay pot or bowl. Install Mahakali, Mahalakshmi, and Maha Saraswati and worship the Goddesses. Offer Arghyam with flowers, fruits, and other puja material. On the day of culmination of Navratri vrat, offer ‘dakshina’ to the Brahmin. Peforming Homa or Yagna during Navratri is highly meritorious. Those who perform Navratri vrat will be blessed with the similar merits of ‘Ashwamedha Yaga’.

Happy Navaratri !!!

Rama Navami

The festival of Ram Navami is celebrated as the birthday of the Hindu God Rama, who is believed to be one of the incarnations of Lord Vishnu.

Calendar

Rama Navami falls on the ninth day (Navami) of the shukla paksha (Toward Full Moon), or bright phase of the moon, in the lunar month of Panguni - Chaitra (March - April). 

Maha Shivratri –The Great Night of shiva

OM NAMA SIVAYA

Maha Shivratri –The Great Night of shiva

In the tamil month of “Maasi” towards no moon (ammavasai) chaturthisi night is called Maha Shivratri - Source: Uttara Kamika Agamam.

This sivaratri:
Saali - 1932

Kali – 5111 – VIKRUTHI – Maasi – 18,19.
2011 – March – 02,03

This Time chaturthisi comes on 03 March's midnight 12.51 AM

But as per our logic next day begins after sun rise only maasi 19(Mar 3) starts

So this time we are considering festival on Mar 2' Night where the chaturthisi starts after 2 Kaalams.
Last Year

Saali – 1931
Kali – 5110 – Virodhi – Maasi – 29.
2010 – March – 13

Legends of Mahashivratri

Some legends said that it was on the auspicious night of Shivaratri that Lord Shiva performed the ‘Tandava’, the dance of the primal creation, preservation and destruction. Another popular Shivratri legend stated in Linga Purana states that it was on Shivaratri that Lord Shiva manifested himself in the form of a Linga. Hence the day is considered to be extremely auspicious by Shiva devotees and they celebrate it as Mahashivaratri - the grand night of Shiva.

Men’s Ratri

Sivaratri a men’s fest.
Navaratri is for women like the sivaratri for men.

Worship Ways on sivaratri.

Date - Time - Duties

01.3.11 - 8.30 PM - Take good amount of food.

01.3.11 - 9.30 PM - Go to bed
02.3.11 - 4.45 AM - Wake Up (Fasting Starts)
02.3.11 - To – 5.25 AM - Morning duties and Ritual Bath
02.3.11 - 5.30 AM - 1st Ushakkala Pooja
02.3.11 - 9.00 AM - 2nd Kalasandhi Pooja
02.3.11 - 12.00 NOON - 3rd Uchikala Pooja
02.3.11 - 5.30 PM - 4th Sayaratchai Pooja
02.3.11 - 7.30 PM - 5th Irandam Kala Pooja
02.3.11 - 9.00 PM - 6th Arthajama Pooja / Ratri 1st Pooja with payasam
02.3.11 - 12.00 Midnight - 2nd Pooja with Sesame, Jaggery,Ghee Rice.
03.3.11 - 3.00 AM - 3rd Pooja with sakkarai pongal
03.3.11 - 6.00 AM - 4th Pooja white rice.
03.3.11 - 6.15 AM - Finish the Fasting.

On Shivaratri, worship of Lord Shiva continues all through the day and night. Every three hours priests perform ritual pooja of Shivalingam by bathing it with milk, yoghurt, honey, ghee, sugar and water amidst the chanting of “Om Namah Shivaya’ and ringing of temple bells. Nightlong vigil or jaagran is also observed in Shiva temples where large number of devotees spend the night singing hymns and devotional songs in praise of Lord Shiva. It is only on the following morning that devotee break their fast by partaking prasad offered to the deity.

In this day chanting 1 time "OM NAMA SIVAYA" is equal to 1000 times of lord shiva’s name.

RATH SAPTAMI [Surya Jayanthi] - 22 January 2010

Ratha Saptami marks the seventh day following the Sun’s northerly movement (Uttarayana) of vernal equinox starting from Capricorn (Makara).
It is symbolically represented in the form of the Sun God Surya turning his Ratha (Chariot) drawn by seven horses, with Aruna as the charioteer, towards the northern hemisphere, in a north-easterly direction.
The symbolic significance of the ratha and the seven horses reigned to it is that it represents the seven colours of the rainbow. The seven horses are also said to represent the seven days of a week starting with Sunday, the day of Sun god Surya. The chariot has 12 wheels, which represents the 12 signs (each of 30 degrees) of the Zodiac (360 degrees) and constituting a full year, named Samvatsara.
The Sun’s own house is Leo (Simha) and he moves from one house to the next every month and the total cycle takes 365 days to complete. The Ratha Saptami festival seeks the benevolent cosmic spread of energy and light from the Sun God.

The Suryanar koil, is located 22 kilometres from Kumbakonam(Tamilnadu). This temple pre-dates even the great Sun God temple in Konarak. It was built by Kulottungan [I]. The temple has a fifty feet gopuram (tower) and at the entrance the image of horses and the chariot of Surya appear. Around the Sun’s main sanctum, which is central to the temple, there are shrines for all the other planets in the galaxy of nine planets. It is noted for its Navagraha kshetra (Nine plants place). The Sun God (Chief of the planets in Indian astrology). Ratha Sapthami is celebrated as a festival day here. It is stated in one of the inscriptions found in the temple that it was built in the reign of Kulottunga Choladeva (AD 1060-1118) and was then called Kulottungachola-Marttandalaya.

God Vishnu in his form as Surya (the Sun-God) is usually worshipped on this day. Usually, Rathasapthami begins in households with a purification bath by holding 2/7 Ekka (Calotropis Gigantea) leaves[Ekka leaves (in Kannada), are also known as Arka (in Sanskrit, meaning a ray or flash of lightning) leaves, Jilledu in Telugu, Erukku in Tamil and Calotropis Gigantea (bowstring hemp) in English] on their head with holy ash (vibhuti) for men and Kunkumam (Red Powder) for women while bathing and chanting a verse which is supposed to invoke the benevolence of the Lord in all that one indulges in during the rest of the year. Argyam or (Tharpanam) (water held in the palms) is offered to the Sun God on this day while chanting hymns are performed to the Sun God. It also involves doing a puja with the ritual Naivedhya (food offering to God), and offering of flowers and fruits. Important prayers offered to the Sun god on this occasion are the Aditya Hradayam, Gayathri, Suryashtakam, Surya Sahasram namam. The preferred time for the pooja is within one hour after sunrise.