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Issue 1 |
Maha Sivarathri - Feb/14/99
Click here for details on Pramaadhi Maha Sivarathri - March 4, 2ØØØ
While every minute of every day is good for worship and selfless service,
there are in fact certain time periods which are particularly spiritually charged.
We have pointed this out in the article on
timing
in this issue of AUMzine.
We have also pointed out how the Siddhas carefully craft worship procedures
for these spiritually potent time periods
so that they can neutralize our karma with surgical precision.
You can read about this in the article on
the sickness that ails humanity.
One such spiritually potent time period is Maha Sivarathri which occurs on Feb/14/99.
Maha = great; rathri = night.
So Sivarathri means night of Siva
and Maha Sivarathri means the great night of Siva.
Just like there are 24 or 25 Ekadasis (refer to the information on tithis in the article on timing)
which occur each year,
24 or 25 Sivarathris occur each year.
And just like only one of these Ekadasis is the very special Vaikunta Ekadasi,
only one of the Sivarathris is known as Maha Sivarathri.
As you can probably guess by now, Maha Sivarathri is a very special time period in the spiritual world.
It occurs just once every year.
Sathguru Venkataraman has spoken extensively on the subject of Sivarathri under the title
Sivarathri Mahimai. We'll provide these details at a later date on this Website.
In this article, we'll concentrate on Bagudhaanya Maha Sivararthri.
Why is Maha Sivarathri special? There are many reasons just like those enumerated in the aticle on Vishnupathi in this issue of AUMzine.
| - | It's special because in this time period God as Siva performed many miraculous deeds for the benefit of the universe. |
| - | It's a time period when Siva continues to perform many many miraculous deeds out of his compassion for the universe and the souls that abide in it. |
| - | In this time period many great devotees reached the abode of Siva and merged with Siva. |
| - | It's a time period when Siva's already boundless compassion flows freer than usual. |
| - | It's a time when Siva works harder than usual for the upliftment of humankind. |
| - | It's a time when the Siddhas work harder than usual in elevating souls towards Siva. |
| - | It's a time when spiritual progress is a lot easier to achieve than usual. |
Maha Sivarathri is a time period which no spiritual aspirant should miss.
Does a savvy shopper ever miss a sale?
Missing Maha Sivarathri is like missing a sale in the spiritual world.
It's a time when spiritual goodies are available at bargain prices!
A savvy spiritualist wouldn't miss it for anything.
If you miss a sale in the world of matter, you can always wait for the next one.
But if you miss this Maha Sivarathri, it's pretty much gone for life.
Why? Because each Maha Sivarathri is unique in the spiritual good it brings with it.
Next year's Maha Sivarathri is not the same as this year's Maha Sivarathri.
We have explained this elsewhere.
So spiritual aspirants can't afford to miss even one of these special observances.
In the article on timing, we commented on how combinations of days, tithis, paksham, maasam, varusham and so on
can create spiritually charged time periods. Maha Sivarathri is such a potent combination;
it is that night when the Chathurdasi tithi occurs in the Krishna paksham of the Maasi maasam.
Now let's add the varusham parameter to this already potent combo!
As we pointed out in the article on timing, years repeat in a 60 year cycle and the present year (Apr/98 - Apr/99) is known as Bagudhaanya varusham.
So the Maha Sivarathri which occurs in this year is known as Bagudhaanya Maha Sivarathri.
The next Bagudhaanya Maha Sivarathri will occur only in 2058-59 A.D.
Thus if you miss this Maha Sivarathri, you will have to wait 60 years before the same unique set of spiritual circumstances will present themselves to you again.
Who knows if we'll be around at that time. So make sure you don't miss this Maha Sivarathri.
What was the unique miraculous deed performed by Siva during the Bagudhaanya Maha Sivarathri?
Well, wouldn't it be nice if we can first observe this Maha Sivarathri and then read about it?
You can read about it in the next issue of AUMzine after you have celebrated this Maha Sivarathri.
| Bagudhaanya Maha Sivarathri Worship Procedures |
Now let's learn how to celebrate the Bagudhaanya Maha Sivarathri as ordained by the Siddhas and communicated to us by Sathguru Venkataraman.
The Bagudhaanya Maha Sivarathri time period starts at 8:06 a.m. GMT on Feb/14/99 and lasts until 7:40 a.m. GMT on Feb/15/99.
While it's excellent to observe it through out this period, it's absolutely essential that we observe it
between sunset on Feb/14/99 and sunrise on Feb/15/99, that is, through out the great night of Siva.
Night time worship is a special feature of Maha Sivarathri.
In the Kali Yuga (the present age), the forces of evil rule the night
and thus many atrocities are committed under the cover of dark.
The evil tendencies that make one commit these atrocities are the demons of Kali Yuga.
These demons of the Kali Yuga favor the night to materialize in action.
Spiritual aspirants too can be swayed by these evil forces of the dark and they need to seek protection
from these evil influences. The Siddhas say that night time worship procedures are the very armour that protects devotees from the
the dark forces that rule the night.
In fact the Universal Mother chose the Maha Sivarathri night to give us the Rathri Sooktham prayer
as an armour against the evil forces of the night.
The Siddhas tell us that full fledged night time worship on Maha Sivarathri produces a spiritual armour that protects the devotee
from the forces of dark till the next Maha Sivarathri.
The Siddhas say that those who are married must observe the Bagudhaanya Maha Sivarathri together with their spouse and children.
Bagudhaanya Maha Sivarathri marks the night when the 64 manifestations of Siva became complete.
The Nataraja (Cosmic Dancer) form of Siva represents the sum total of these 64 manifestations and
thus Sri Nataraja is the Lord of Honor during Bagudhaanya Maha Sivarathri.
Generally Nataraja deities are made out of metal alloys.
It's quite rare to see Nataraja deities sculpted in stone.
These rare deities are very potent and the Siddhas say that the Bagudhaanya Maha Sivarathri
should be observed in temples that house Nataraja deities sculpted in stone.
Since Sri Nataraja is the Lord of Honor during Bagudhaanya Maha Sivarathri and since he
represents the sum total of the 64 Siva manifestations,
the 64 names of the 64 manifestations of Siva should be used
in honoring Sri Nataraja during Bagudhaanya Maha Sivarathri worship. We have provided these 64 names below.
Moreover, along with the 64 names used in archana, 64 different sacred offerings should be made to Sri Nataraja as part of the archana and worship.
These include pushpam (flowers), nava dhaanyam (the nine grains), cloth, darbha, etc.
Full fledged worship including abishekam, alankaram, archana must be performed in honor of
Sri Nataraja. Needless to say, no worship is complete without charity to the poor and the needy.
Such full fledged Nataraja worship during Bagudhaanya Maha Sivarathri yields a lot of spiritual and material good.
The Siddhas have enumerated the following:
| - | This worship will help couples who have separated to reunite. |
| - | It will promote unity among couples. |
| - | If these worship procedures are observed by farmers and businessmen who have sustained severe losses, they will get an opportunity to regain their lost assets through proper channels. |
| - | The Siddhas say that we should start new activities only after figuring out an appropriate and auspicious time. But many of us don't follow this advice. We jump into something in haste and thus end up with enterprises that don't bear fruit, that cause harm or both. There are also many of us who are angry at ourselves for not having followed the advice of the Siddhas. What's the fix? Perform full fledged worship for Sri Nataraja (sculpted in stone) during Maha Sivarathri every year (not just Bagudhaanya Maha Sivarathri, but every Maha Sivarathri), offer chakkarai pongal (sweet rice) to Sri Nataraja and distribute it to the poor. This worship done over the course of years will neutralize the harm caused by our hasty actions. |
| - | Marriages, the start of house construction, starting a new job - the Siddhas say that these are some of the activities that must be done only after figuring out an appropriate and auspicious time. Not doing so results in bad karma and the only way to neutralize that is through full fledged Bagudhaanya Maha Sivarathri worship. |
| - | There are those who lie through their teeth to make marriages happen. Now what about the bad karma resulting out of these bald faced lies? Well, the mouth that lied must feed other mouths! This is the fix. Observe full fledged Bagudhaanya Maha Sivarathri worship, offer dishes made using honey to Sri Nataraja and then distribute them to the poor. This worship coupled with heartfelt entreaties to Sri Nataraja for forgiveness will help neutralize the karma accumulated through lies. |
| Pancha Nathana Nataraja and Bagudhaanya Maha Sivarathri |
We have pointed out that the Bagudhaanya Maha Sivarathri should be observed in temples that house Nataraja deities sculpted in stone.
But the Siddhas have actually been much more specific.
They say that the ideal place to observe the Bagudhaanya Maha Sivarathri
is at the sanctum of the Pancha Nathana Nataraja in the
Suttha Rathnagireesvarar Temple in the town of Ootathoor near the city of Trichy
in the state of Tamil Nadu in south India.
This temple is about 30 kilometers north of Trichy.
It's near the Trichy-Perambaloor Road at a distance of 5 kilometers from the town of Padaloor.
Why is this the ideal place, you may ask. We'll describe that in the next issue of AUMzine.
Sri Suttha Rathnagireesvarar is that manifestation of Siva who specializes in looking after the welfare
of jewelers, self employed folks, those who want and deserve promotions to important posts
and those who want and deserve important awards.
It's in his temple that our Lord of honor, Sri Pancha Nathana Nataraja, appears sculpted in stone.
The Siddhas say that Sri Pancha Nathana Nataraja is the compassionate Lord who ensures the welfare of
those suffering from the uncertainty of impermanent work and those burdened by unpredictable business fluctuations.
The Siddhas have spoken volumes about Pancha Nathana Nataraja.
They say that this deity is such a rarity in the universe that even the Devas would give anything just
for the chance of worshipping him. They say that on the Nataraja Abisheka days which occur in the Chitra,
Aani, Aavani, Purattaasi, Margazhi and Maasi maasams (months), the Devas perform their worship to this deity in sookshma (subtle) form
to this day. This kind of sookshma worship is similar to the sookshma worship done by the Devas at the peak of the
Arunachala Hill and in the Parvathamalai Hill.
Observing these sookshma worship procedures is not easy, but as we approach spiritual perfection, we will be granted the ability to observe these worship practices.
The Siddhas have pointed out another important characteristic of this temple.
There are those who want to do good deeds and who put in the time, but for some reason their efforts just don't seem
to take concrete form. What can they do?
The Siddhas suggest that they should perform full fledged worship in this temple including abishekam, alankaaram and archana.
They should offer lime rice which is the appropriate offering for Guru and distribute it to the poor.
If they do this continually, their efforts will bear fruit.
Near this temple flows the sacred Nandhiyaaru river. During Bagudhaanya Maha Sivarathri,
first bathe in the sacred waters of this river.
Then observing vrata vows, perform
abishekam for Sri Pancha Nathana Nataraja using 64 sacred substances like pushpam (flowers),
vastram (cloth), pancha amirtham (a mix of five fruits), cow's milk, honey, water from sacred rivers like Ganga or Kaveri,
oil, extracts from moolika herbs, nava dhaanyam (nine grains), fruits, sandalwood paste, ghee (clarified butter from cow's milk),
butter from cow's milk, etc.
Apply kaapu (coat of oil) using many different oils, including coconut oil
and extracts from many moolika herbs like maruthani (henna, Lawsonia inermis), hibiscus,
ponnaanganni (Illecebrum sessile) and karisalaanganni (Eclipta prostrata).
Perform archana using 64 different flowers (e.g., vilvam, thulasi, etc.) while reciting the
64 names of the 64 manifestations of Siva.
Chant and sing the name of Siva as a group accompanied by sacred musical instruments
like nadhasvaram, thavil, mridangam, veena and others.
Feed the poor and perform selfless service to them.
This marks the successful completion of Bagudhaanya Maha Sivarathri worship procedures
in the most ideal way as prescribed by the Siddhas.
According to the Siddhas, Pancha Nathana Nataraja worship during Bagudhaanya Maha Sivarathri can neutralize many types of bad karma.
| - | The ego is the stumbling block in spirituality. It arises primarily out of wealth, health, position, education and the presence of a large number of supporters. Because of this ego, there are those who commit many atrocities. There are those who even obstruct worship practices in temples. This results in their accumulating very serious bad karma which can affect their progeny. What's the fix? First they need to repent for their sins. Then they need to observe the Bagudhaanya Maha Sivarathri worship procedures and embark on a program to enable all those worship practices that they obstructed in the first place. If they do this continually, the Siddhas say they will get an opportunity to neutralize their bad karma. |
| - | Have you ever thought about the karma you accumulate if you are the cause of roadkill? He who knowingly or unknowingly kills an animal on the road with a vehicle is responsible for causing a death. How to neutralize the bad karma resulting from this? The Siddhas say that during Bagudhaanya Maha Sivarathri, one should perform kaarunya tharpanam rites on the banks of the Nandhiyaaru river for animals killed on the road, friends, relatives and others. Those who do this will be able to neutralize the bad karma resulting from their having caused the death of an animal with a vehicle. |
Now comes the key question. "No one in my family has the above mentioned problems. So why do I care?"
Well, even if you or your loved ones do not have the above problems, observe the Bagudhaanya Maha Sivarathri for the many who may be burdened with these troubles.
Spirituality is about selfless service. What better selfless divine service than to observe this
Bagudhaanya Maha Sivarathri
and dedicate the good that comes from it to those who need it the most? After all, isn't that why we were born
in the first place? To serve till the very end, right?
| 64 Names of Siva for Bagudhaanya Maha Sivarathri Worship |
As we remarked earlier, the Siddhas have prescribed the following 64 names of Siva to be used in all facets of
the Bagudhaanya Maha Sivarathri worship procedure. These 64 names are given below.
(Note: Pronounce the uppercase "E" in the following like "ay" in "bay", "say", "may").
| More Info on Bagudhaanya Maha Sivarathri |
Please perform the worship procedures described here on Feb/14/99.
We'll provide more information on the Bagudhaanya Maha Sivarathri and Sri Pancha Nathana Nataraja
in the next issue of AUMzine.
May we be ready to receive the blessings of Siva and the Siddhas during this Bagudhaanya Maha Sivarathri.
To be continued...