2011 "KARA" Year Arunachala KARTHIGAI DEEPAM Festival "Ayur Devi Nava Kara Nava Ganga Theertha Pravaaha Arunachala Karthigai Deepam" of the Siddhas during which the sacred waters of 9 Gangas from the 9 divine hands of Adi Arunachaleswari AYUR DEVI do abishekam of the Arunachala Hill - a most wonderful event in the Siddha world of the Agasthiar Lineage. The Great Karthigai Deepam Festival in Arunachala (Thiru Annamalai) in the 2011 "Kara" Year. 29 Nov 2011 to 10 Dec 2011. The Most Blessed Event! The Most Potent, Most Auspicious, Most Spiritual Time of the entire year! Bharani Deepam. Karthikai Deepam Lighting at 6 p.m. IST (1230 p.m. GMT) on December 8, 2011. Vishnu Deepam - December 9, 2011. Maha Brahma Deepam - December 10, 2011.

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45 pages in the Dec 2011 issue of our monthly magazine SOURCE of this Siddha wisdom : Around 45 pages of the Dec 2011 issue of Sri Agasthia Vijayam (Sathguru Venkataraman's monthly Siddha magazine) are devoted to Siddha insights into the 2011 Arunachala Karthigai Deepam Festival. This issue was released on 6 Nov 2011. See the cover of the Dec 2011 issue below. Just a few of the Siddha insights mentioned in these 45 pages of the Dec 2011 issue are covered in this article below.

Arunachala Shiva, Arunachala Shivaaa, Arunachala Shivani, Arunachala Shivanee :

12 Days of the 2011 Arunachala Karthigai Deepam Festival = 12 MOST POTENT Days for Spiritual Progress during all of 2011 = 12 Days of Divine Grace.

The fundamental Siddha secret of the 2011 "Kara Year" Karthigai Deepam Festival -- "abishekam" of the most holy Arunachala Hill with the sacred waters of 9 Gangas from the 9 divine hands of the primordial Empress of Arunachala (Adi Arunachaleswari) AYUR DEVI - a unique spiritual event in the world of the Siddhas of the Agasthiar Sathguru Lineage. In our Siddha system, this sacred event is referred to as "Ayur Devi Nava Kara Nava Ganga Theertha Pravaha Arunachala Karthigai Deepa Brahmotsavam" - the Great Arunachala Karthigai Deepam Festival of the Kara Year (2011) during which the sacred Ganga waters from the nine hands of Mother Ayur Devi are used to do abishekam of the Arunachala Hill by legions of deities, siddhas and rishis.

Day 1 November 29, 2011 "GO GANGA" Day. Day 2 November 30, 2011 "VEDA GANGA" Day. Day 3 December 1, 2011 "GNANA GANGA" Day. Day 4 December 2, 2011 "AMRITA GANGA" Day. Day 5 December 3, 2011 "PATALA GANGA" Day. Day 6 December 4, 2011 "AKASHA GANGA" Day. Day 7 December 5, 2011 "RUDRA GANGA" Day. Day 8 December 6, 2011 "SIVA GANGA" Day. Day 9 December 7, 2011 "ABIMUKTA GANGA" Day. Day 10 December 8, 2011 "ADI ARUNA GANGA" Karthigai Deepam Lighting Day. Day 11 December 9, 2011 "VISHNU GANGA" Vishnu Deepam Day. Day 12 December 10, 2011 "Maha Brahma Deepam" Day. "Arunachala Siva Arunachala Sivaaa Arunachala Sivam Arunachala Sivaaayam Arunachala Sivaanee Arunachala Sivaaanee: Arunachala Sivaneeyam Arunachala Sivaaaneeyam" -- Sathguru Venkataraman.

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The Most Potent Hour of Year 2011 - Immerse and Dissolve Your Mind in Divine Grace!

As we have said before in several articles on Karthigai Deepam, the moment when the Arunachala Jyoti flame is lit is the most potent, most auspicious, most spiritual time of the year. So we request everyone everywhere, wherever you may be, to immerse and dissolve your mind in the Lord's divine grace during the one hour centered around this time, that is, 5:30 p.m. IST to 6:30 p.m. IST on 8 December 2011. The Most Blessed Event! The Lighting of the Most Divine Karthigai Deepam Jyoti Flame at the peak of the Arunachala Hill! The Most Potent, Most Auspicious, Most Spiritual Time of the entire year! December 8, 2011 India (IST): 5:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. Malaysia (MST): 8:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. Singapore (SST): 8:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. London (GMT): 12:00 noon to 1:00 p.m. New York (EST): 7:00 a.m. to 8:00 a.m. California (PST): 4:00 a.m. to 5:00 a.m. (Similarly for other timezones.) Immerse and dissolve your mind in the boundless ocean that is Lord Arunachala's Divine Grace during this hour on December 8, 2011. www.Agasthiar.Org

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Ganges River and Adi Aruna Ganga Sathguru Venkataraman used to say that the sacred Gangas are many. These include Netra Ganga, Nakshatra Ganga, Vetra Ganga, Saraswati Ganga, Swara Ganga (from the veena of Mother Saraswathi), Kanaka Golden Ganga, Odhana Ganga (from Mother Annapoorani of ThiruChotruthurai), Gokarna Ganga and so on. The foundational basis of all these Gangas is Adi Aruna Ganga of Arunachala. A droplet of this Adi Aruna Ganga is the origin of the great Ganges River of India, said Sathguru Venkataraman. The 630 million rivers of the celestial lokas, our terrestial world and Patala lokas all have their origin in the Adi Aruna Ganga of Arunachala.

Ganga and Ayur Devi In Mother Ayur Devi's "dhyana sloka" hymn, we refer to Her as Arunachaleswari - the Empress of Arunachala. Mother Ayur Devi is the Empress of Arunachala and thus the Empress of the Universe. (Refer to Sathguru Venkataraman's book on Ayur Devi for the connection between Mother Ayur Devi and Arunachala.) The sacred waters of the various Gangas flow from the 9 divine hands of Mother Ayur Devi at the peak of the Arunachala Hill. These sacred waters are delighted to be used in the sacred abishekam ceremony of the Arunachala Hill. Legions of deities, siddhas and rishis participate in this sacred "sookshma" subtle worship procedure including the 9 great siddhas seated in the hands of Mother Ayur Devi, viz., Gayasura Maharishi, Ani Mandavya Maharishi, Atri Maharishi, Kundalini Maharishi, Ahirbudhnya Maharishi, Sarama Munivar, Astheeka Siddhar, Gargini Maharishini and Samvartha Maharishi. "Arunachala Siva Arunachala Sivaa Arunachala Sivam Arunachala Sivaayam Arunachala Sivaanee Arunachala Sivaanee: Arunachala Sivaneeyam Arunachala Sivaaneeyam" -- Sathguru Venkataraman.

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Ganga and Shiva Jata (matted hair of Lord Shiva) The grace of Shiva and the Shiva "leela" that protected our terrestrial world and Patala lokas from the phenomenal force of Ganga. Lord Shiva holds Ganga in His "jataa" (matted hair) Ganga-jataa-dhara, Gangadhara, Gangadheeswara - Divine names of Lord Shiva in honor of this act of compassion. "Shiva Jataa Shakti" Sacred Spaces Some of the sacred spaces that highlight this Shiva "Jataa Shakti" and the Ganga-jataa-dhara "leela" include: 1. Thiruvaiyaru, where the Siddhas tell us that the matted hair of Lord Shiva is spread all over the first enclosure surrounding the sanctum. Thus, the customary practice of circling the sanctum is disallowed here in the first enclosure. (Also see the brief note on Sadayappa Maha Muni Siddha below.) 2. Sadayarkovil (Thanjavur - Saliyamangalam route). 3. Oomathanadu near Peravurani - Pataleeswara Shiva. 4. Kathiraaniruppu near Sirkali. Ganga Avatar - "Gangothpatthi" Adi Aruna Ganga and Mother Ayur Devi. The flow of Ganga from the 9 divine hands of Mother Ayur Devi. Ganga in Shiva Jataa. Lord Rama's Kodanda bow and Ganga avatar. Arjuna's arrow and Ganga avatar. Many more instances of Ganga avatar. Bhishma and Ganga. Sridhara Ayyaval and Ganga avatar Ganga avatar in the well in the house of the great saint Sridhara Ayyaval of Thiruvisanallur. Lord Shiva made the sacred Ganga waters gush out of the well in this saint's house on the "Amavasya" New Moon day of the Karthigai month. Yearly "Gangotsavam" festival in honor of this great Shiva "leela" that blessed the saint Sridhara Ayyaval. 24 Nov 2011 was the blessed day of "Karthigai Amavasya" in 2011. Over the past many years, Sridhara Ayyaval has been written about several times in our monthly magazine, most recently in the October 2011 and November 2011 issues. Refer to these back issues for Siddha insights on this great saint. Bhishma, the son of Ganga Bhishma and the Pandava princes got "Gangadheeswara Shiva Darshan" during their Arunachala Girivalam and Bhishma got a special blessing from his mother Ganga that he will be present during all "Gangothpatthi" sacred events. Since the 2011 Karthigai Deepam Festival is closeley connected with Ganga Darshan and the sacred waters of Ganga flowing from the divine hands of Mother Ayur Devi, Sri Bhishmacharya will certainly circle the Arunachala Hill on all 12 days of the 2011 Deepam Festival in Arunachala. Offer water as "argyam" in honor of Bhishma on all 12 days of the 2011 Karthigai Deepam Festival. Those who are blessed will get the darshan of Bhishma in Arunachala during the 2011 Karthigai Deepam Festival, but see the cautionary notes below. CAUTION 1 Beware of those who claim to be an incarnation of Bhishma or some siddha or rishi. These are wolves in sheep's clothing. Pray to Arunachala (sincerely) that you shouldn't get fooled by such people. CAUTION 2 Beware of the desire to talk about one's sadhana, the darshans one got, the "visions" one got, etc. Such talk = EGO. So beware of this tendency. Pray to Arunachala and monitor yourself so that you don't fall into this ego trap.

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Ayur Devi Shrine in HariMangai Ayur Devi shrine in the temple of Mother Gnanambika and Lord HariMukteeswara Shiva of Harimangai, one of the seven SapthaMangai sacred spaces in the Thanjavur area. This is the first physical shrine housing the divine form of Mother Ayur Devi. The consecration ceremony of this shrine was done in October 2010. Oct 1992 - Ayur Devi avatar, divine form, mantras and worship procedure given to the world. Oct 1999 - Ayur Devi avatar and mantras placed on the Internet. Oct 2010 - Ayur Devi shrine given to the world. Oct 2011 - Learning Aid for the 1000 names of the Universal Mother placed on the Internet - to assist devotees in their worship of the Universal Mother Goddess.

Sadayappa Maha Muni Siddha and Millions of Shiva Lingas in Arunachala Sathguru Venkataraman used to say that in one step taken by a Girivalam pilgrim, there are 1008 Shiva Lingas and that wherever the dust from a Girivalam pilgrim's feet fall, there are millions and millions of Shiva Lingas. Such is the greatness of Arunachala Girivalam and the approx 15 km. stretch of the Girivalam Path. In recognition of this, a great Siddha by name Sadayappa Maha Muni spread his matted hair throughout the girivalam path so that the dust from the pilgrim's feet would fall on his head. Sathguru Venkataraman talked about this Siddha often. You can listen to the Sathguru's words on this Siddha in his speeches on Arunachala and the Siddhas of Arunachala. "Arunachala Shiva Arunachala Shivaa Arunachala Shivam Arunachala Shivaayam Arunachala Shivaanee Arunachala Shivaanee: Arunachala Shivaneeyam Arunachala Shivaaneeyam" -- Sathguru Venkataraman. Do not climb the Arunachala Hill As we have said before, the Arunachala Hill is the Viswaroopa form of Lord Shiva. Thus setting one's foot on the Arunachala Hill is the sin of placing one's feet on Lord Shiva. So do NOT climb the Arunachala Hill. The Siddha asks: "endru nee midhitha paavam, endru nee azhiyumo, indru nee midhithidal aagumo?" So do NOT climb the Arunachala Hill. Follow the time honored and foremost way of worshipping Arunachala, i.e., Girivalam. Circling the Arunachala Hill is the fundamental way of worshipping Arunachala followed by deities, siddhas and rishis. So, do girivalam and worship Arunachala thus, rather than wanting to climb the Arunachala Hill. The one exception to this rule is when people climb the hill to light the Deepam Jothi so that millions may see it. Since this is done so that others may get the benefit of seeing the Arunachala Jyoti, such people are allowed to climb the Arunachala Hill for the purpose of lighting the jothi. Everyone else should get darshan of the Arunachala Jothi Light from ground level.

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Do not remove anything from Arunachala Sathguru Venkataraman used to say that every little stone in Arunachala is a Shiva Linga that belongs in Arunachala. Thus, the strict Siddha rule that no natural object in Arunachala should be moved away from Arunachala. (This has been mentioned in our magazine before.) What happens if one violates this Siddha rule or helps others violate this rule? The result of this violation is the sin of forcibly moving a Siddha from his chosen place of tapasya and disrupting his spiritual work. Would anyone in their right mind want to accumulate such mind boggling bad karma??

Do 21 days of Arunachala Girivalam - 29 Nov 2011 to 18 Dec 2011 Do Arunachala Girivalam on (1) all 12 days of the 2011 Karthigai Deepam Festival and also on (2) all days when the Karthigai Deepam Jyoti flame is visible at the peak of the Arunachala Hill. Generally, the Arunachala Jyoti flame will be visible for around 10 nights following the Deepam Day. The exact number of days depends upon the availability of ghee and (wick)cloth. Since the Arunachala Jothi is the ultimate symbol of Divine Grace, doing Arunachala Girivalam when the jyoti flame is visible to human eyes is a great blessing. Sathguru Venkataraman stressed the importance of this girivalam sadhana practice in the visible presence of the Arunachala Jyothi. So circle the Arunachala Hill (Girivalam) not only on the 10 days before the lighting of the Karthigai Deepam but also on the 10 days/nights after, making for 21 days of Arunachala Girivalam during this sacred time of the year. This is the Siddha way of Sathguru Venkataraman and the Agasthiar Guru Parampara. "Arunachala Shiva Arunachala Shivaaa Arunachala Shivam Arunachala Shivaaayam Arunachala Shivaanee Arunachala Shivaaanee: Arunachala Shivaneeyam Arunachala Shivaaaneeyam" -- Sathguru Venkataraman.

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2011 Karthigai Deepam Lighting on 8 December 2011. Click here for the Karthigai Deepam Page.

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* Ohm Salutations to Arunachala, the Lord and Master of the Universe. * Ohm Salutations to Arunachala's Karthigai Deepam, the Ultimate Symbol of Divine Grace. * Ohm Salutations to the "Ayur Devi Nava Kara Nava Ganga Theertha Pravaaha Arunachala Karthikai Deepam" of 2011. * Ohm Salutations to Lord Shiva and Mother Shakti. * Ohm Salutations to Maha Devi Lobhamatha and Maha Guru Agasthiar, the first and foremost Peetam of the Siddhas. * Ohm Salutations to the Agasthiar Siddha Guru Parampara Lineage --- * Ohm Salutations to Sathguru Venkatarama Siddhar. * Ohm Salutations to Paramaguru Astheeka Siddhar. * Ohm Salutations to Parameshtiguru Sadhaathapa Siddhar. * Ohm Salutations to Paraaparaguru Idiyaappa Eesa Siddhar, the Siddha teacher of Sathguru Venkataraman.

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