Shivaratri - 12 February 2010 night "Sri Idichapuli STHAMBANA YOGA Siddhar" - Arunachala Sivaratri Girivalam The Sivarathri Night of the 'Thai' Maasam (month) of the Virodhi Varusham (Year) The Glory of Thiru Annamalai Sivarathiri Siddhas

Shivaratri Dates and Timings

Ohm. The Greatest Sivaratri Devotee Here is a quiz question for you: Who is the greatest Sivaratri Devotee in the entire universe? Think about it. Who could it be? Scroll down for the answer. The greatest Sivaratri Devotee in the entire universe is the Universal Mother Sri Adi Parasakthi Herself! Who else can it be! It is in the blissful leadership of the Universal Mother Parashakti that Sivaratri is celebrated everywhere. Everyone who celebrates Sivaratri gets the benefit of participating in the worship done by the Divine Mother Herself automatically - a blessing so great that no human will ever be able to describe it. People should realize this singular importance of observing Sivaratri and put it to use in their life for their spiritual upliftment. Circling the Arunachala Hill on Sivaratri Night One of the most important worship procedures during the night of Sivaratri is Arunachala Girivalam - circling the Arunachala Hill. The Universal Mother Herself does this and thus circling the Arunachala Hill on that night becomes a very powerful worship procedure for the spiritual aspirant. At the Mother's and the Lord's bidding, one of Their great Siddhas also does Arunachala Girivalam on that Shivaratri night and blesses the people with his (or her) spiritual shakti. This is yet another reason why devotees should not miss out on Arunachala Sivaratri Girivalam. One of the heartfelt wishes and prayers of the blessed Arunachala Siddha, Sathguru Venkataraman, was that Sivaratri Girivalam should become as popular as Pournami Full Moon Girivalam. Sathguru Venkataraman said that a few people know of Ramana Maharishi and a few know of Sesahdri Swamigal and they think that that's all there's to Arunachala. (Watch our clip "Why Arunachala is SO SPECIAL.") But the Sathguru pointed out the Siddha Secret that just on the Arunachala Girivalam path alone there are a minimum of 32 Mayana Bhoomis each with a minimum of 60 Siddha Samadhis. That is a minimum of 32 x 60 = 1920 Siddha Samadhis just adjoining the Girivalam Path alone. So, apart from getting blessings from the infinity of Arunachala darshans during girivalam, one also gets blessings from 1920 Siddha Samadhi Shrines without even knowing about them! This is why the Sathguru said that Arunachala Girivalam is the most potent spiritual practice known to man. Doing Arunachala Girivalam on Sivaratri nights is that much more potent! So don't miss out on Arunachala SIVARATRI GIRIVALAM. When is Sivaratri? When does Shivaratri occur? Depending upon your devotion, Sivaratri occurs every night or once per fortnight or once per month or once per year! These are called Nitya Sivaratri, Paksha Shivaratri, Maasa Sivarathri and Maha Sivarathiri respectively. There are more Siddha Secrets regarding Sivaratri occurrences and to learn those, please refer to Sathguru Venkataraman's Siddha writings. NITYA Sivaratri - Daily Sivaratri For a true devotee of Lord Shiva, every night is Shivaratri. This must be the attitude of every true Siva devotee. Millions of Siddhas stand ready to support that Shiva devotee who sincerely enshrines this thought in him (or her) and lives by it. This daily Sivaratri is known as Nitya Shivarathri. PAKSHA Sivaratri - Fortnightly Shivaratri The next level is the "once per fortnight" Sivaratri. This occurs on the night of Chathurdasi (the 14-th thithi) of every moon phase (both waxing and waning). Since each moon phase is known as a paksham, this "once per fortnight" Sivaratri is known as Paksha Sivaratri. MAASA Sivaratri - Monthly Shivaratri The next level is the "once per month" Sivaratri. This occurs on the night of Chathurdasi (the 14-th thithi) of the waning moon phase of each month. Since the waning phase occurs once per maasam (month), this "once per month" Sivaratri is known as Maasa Sivaratri. MAHA Sivaratri - Yearly Shivaratri The next level is the "once per year" Sivaratri. This occurs on the night of Chathurdasi (the 14-th thithi) of the waning moon phase of the month of Maasi (generally in the February/March timeframe). This "once per year" Sivaratri is known as Maha Sivaratri and is very important. Arunachala Sivaratri Siddhas Sathguru Venkataraman wrote about numerous Arunachala Shivaratri Siddhas in his monthly magazine. These are Siddhas who circle the Arunachala Hill on Sivaratri nights (at the bidding of the Lord and the Universal Mother) and bless girivalam pilgrims. Click here for the sacred names of some of these Arunachala Sivaratri Siddhas. The Arunachala Sivaratri Siddha for the night of Feb 12, 2010 is Sri Idichapuli Sthambana Yoga Siddhar. Nameless Siddhas and the Names people give them Siddhas are Nameless, Origin-less and Endless. But how can humans, who are very much limited by this world of name and form, comprehend this? So they want to name the Nameless Great Ones too. Thus we have the very very great Kuppai Siddha of the Agasthiar Lineage. The word "kuppai" means garbage. Since this Siddha would be seen sitting on mounds of garbage, people called him Kuppai Siddhar! The Siddha's message was for man to do atma vichar (self enquiry) of the garbage in his mind and heart and how the Lord will clean man's mind and heart if only he would humbly clean the Lord's shrines. And there was Sathguru Venkataraman's Siddha teacher known as Sri La Sri Idiyappa Eesa Siddha - the beginnigless, endless Siddha; Hurricane Lamp Siddha who was named so because he always had a hurricane lamp with him and so on. Idichapuli, a Derogatory Term! Idichapuli refers to sticky chunks of tamarind that are hard to move around. Thus this term is used in a derogatory way to refer to lazy people who don't move around and who are found sitting in the same spot for a long time! But how did this derogatory term get applied to a Siddha? The Siddha would be perfectly still and motionless in perfect Sthambana Yoga. Looking at this, people called him Idichapuli Siddhar! The Siddha Process of making sacred Kumkumam The Siddha process of making the Universal Mother's MOST SACRED Kumkuma vermillion from turmeric roots is rather arduous. In this process, hard turmeric roots are soaked in lime juice for a long time. They are then placed in a mortar and mashed with a pestle. (The mortar used for this process is around 2 feet tall and 3 feet in diameter. The pestle is around 5 feet long.) During this process, the breath is regulated with pranayama and mantra meditation. The body is controlled with Idichapuli Yoga to ensure economy of movement. Only the hands move and the rest of the body stays still. The fragrance is taken in and the mind is placed completely at the lotus feet of the Divine Mother using special mantras of the Agasthiar Lineage. Every man and woman must make the Universal Mother's sacred kumkuma using this Siddha process at least once in their lives. Sathguru Venkataraman himself did this regularly over decades. For women, this is a great blessing. Making kumkuma using this Siddha process and gifting it away will get them the blessings of happiness in their family lives and dheerga sumangalithvam. Idichapuli STHAMBANA YOGA and Kumbha Yoga [ Idichapuli Yaakkai Yoga and the more difficult Varapuli Yoga are elements of Kumbha Yoga, the greatest exponent of which is Kumbha Muni Agasthiar. How Maha Guru Agasthiar got Yoga Prakasa Shakti blessings from the Sacred Space of Varapuli (near Ramanathapuram). Idichapuli Sthambana Yoga and the purifying of the environment from negative, evil thoughts - KUMBHA YOGA SUDDHI. How Maha Guru Agasthiar got Idipuli Yoga Marthaanda Shakti from Lord Kumbha Lingeswara of MelaMaaniKuzhi, a Kumbha Yoga Shakti Temple. Vasuki became the mortar and pestle for Maha Guru Agasthiar who made Ashta Bandhana Marundhu paste while maintaining Idichapuli Yaakka Yoga Bhavana. The Maha Guru did the Kumbhabishekam re-consecration ceremony for Lord Kumbha Lingeswara of MelaMaaniKuzhi. ] Siddha Secret: What to do about obstacles encountered in organizing Kumbhabishekam Yet another Siddha Secret of Sathguru Venkataraman: When obstacles are encountered in arranging for the Kumbhabhishekam re-consecration ceremony in any temple, these obstacles can be overcome if the organizers implement this Siddha solution: the organizers should mash enough turmeric roots using the traditional mortar-pestle process with their own hands (not through laborers) and mix it with enough water to fill 108 or 1008 pots. They should carry these pots to MelaMaaniKuzhi (near Meensurutti, 13 km from KaattuMannargudi near Chidambaram) and do abishekam with these for Lord Kumbha Lingeswarar. They should offer puliyodharai as neivedyam and distribute it to poor people and also to crows, cows and dogs. This regular worship results in Kumbha Muni Yoga Shakti that will resolve obstacles and ensure that the Kumbhabishekam ceremony happens. Siddha Secret: Pranayama Shakti Sathguru Venkataraman Siddha Secret: MelaMaaniKuzhi - one of the great PRANAYAMA Shakti temples. This, like most Sathguru Siddha Secrets, is unknown to most people. By the grace of Idichapuli Sthambana Yoga Siddha, Sathguru Venkataraman himself practised the arduous process of making the divine Mother's kumkuma vermillion for many years and gave the kumkuma to many temples. Amongst the sacred spaces where the Sathguru offered pranayama yoga worship are MelaMaaniKuzhi Kumbha Lingeswara Temple and the Jeeva Samadhi Shrine of Echil Porukki Arumuga Siddhar in Kottaiyur near Karaikudi. Siddha Secret: For a sharp brain Sathguru Venkataraman Siddha Secret: Those who are not sharp but who would like to develop a sharp brain should worship Mother Mangalambika and Lord Sri Kumbha Lingeswara by offering turmeric water made by mashing turmeric roots by themselves. (More details on this process in the Sathguru's monthly magazine.) Idichapuli Siddha's Birth and Merger with Arunachala Idichapuli Siddhar was born in MelaMaaniKuzhi. From a young age, he did the hard work of making the Universal Mother's kumkuma vermillion for the temple. He would also grind the nava dhaanya (nine grains) and feed animals with it. When he was 12 he made the trek to Arunachala and continued his seva of making the Divine Mother's kumkuma and finally merged with Arunachala. Idichapuli Yoga Siddha would be engaged in this arduous process of making the Divine Mother's kumkuma for many hours without a break. His hands alone would move and not any other part of the body. Such was his perfection in Sthambana Yoga. People thought it a great blessing to received the sacred kumkuma from his hands and it sure was. Siddha's Blessings for People and Society Idichapuli Yoga Siddha would sit motionless in Sthambana Yoga and gaze at Arunachala for hours. The result: yoga blessings for the welfare of people and society. To be able to do this, one must be a Sthambana Yoga expert filled with Yoga Marthanda Shakti. Such Siddhas are very rare. Of 3 millions Siddhas, one will become such an expert capable of bestowing such blessings on society. Only those who have practised proper svaasa bandhana (breath control) for a minimum of 30 years will be able to stay motionless in one spot for a length of time. Even though this Siddha would be motionless in Sthambana Yoga, he would answer people's questions immediately, but without even moving his lips. The answer would be heard but there would be no perceptible movement in the face. Idichapuli Siddha feeds the poor There would be five bags in front of the Siddha, one each for rice, dal (lentils), salt, tamarind and chillies. People would come with these five items and leave them in these 5 bags, mention their problems, get solutions and go away. After the Siddha came out of his Sthambana Yoga state, he would give away these five items to poor people while repeating, "Lord Arunachala gave this to this beggar." On Pournami Full Moon days, he would himself cook these food items and feed poor people. People would bring fruits, grains, vegetables, etc. He would cook it all, irrespective of how much it was, and feed the poor. Testing the Siddha - NOT a good idea A man wanted to test the Siddha. He brought five huge bags of salt and asked the Siddha to use it all. Right in front of him, the Siddha emptied the five bags of salt into the sweet rice he was cooking. But the sweet rice tasted just as sweet! The man realized that he had been too smart for his own good. Later he was laid low by disease and came to the Siddha for help. The Siddha asked him to give the 5 items (rice, dal, salt, tamarind and chillies) to 25000 families. The man did as he was told and was cured. Offering with Love - A GOOD IDEA One day, after all the cooking was over, a man came with a cart load of homegrown vegetables. Sri Idichapuli Siddha had gone for his ritual bath before feeding the poor. In his absence, the people there told him that cooking was over for that day and asked him to go away. The man felt sad since his offering was not accepted. But just then, the Siddha returned and asked what was going on. He was told what had happened. He asked the man to unload his cart and asked the people to cut the vegetables. Then he asked them to drop these raw vegetables into the cooked food. Raw + cooked?? He told his people, "This man has travelled a long distance and has brought this offering with so much love. All these vegetables are from his own garden. They are the result of much hard labor. It is not right to refuse to accept his offering and send him away like you were trying to do. See, you people are not able to figure out whose heart is pure and whose heart isn't. You need to gain much experiential wisdom," said the Siddha. Wonder Working Siddha But how about the food wherein the Siddha had mixed raw vegetables with cooked food? The Siddha went into Sthambana Yoga and focussed his eyes on the food for 3 naazhikais (3 x 24 = 72 minutes). By the fire of his yoga, the raw vegetables got cooked and blended in nicely with the already cooked food. This was one of the many wonders that happened in the presence of the Siddha. People would come to him with the usual list of problems: not enough money, family problems and such. But over and beyond this was another significant problem. That of renovating temples. This problem existed in olden days too. Siddhas offer worship when man doesn't In our times, there are thousands of dilapidated temples where there is no worship or worship is offered only once in a day or once in a few days. Devotees should know that the Siddhas and Maharishis offer worship in these temples in their sookshma (subtle) form to make up for the human error of omission. They continue this till humans show some initiative in renovating such temples and offering proper worship. As proof of this sookshma worship, in the hill temple at the top of Parvathamalai, one sees flowers offered in worship at night by the Devas and Siddhas. Idichapuli Yoga Siddha's Advice for Renovation and Re-Consecration (Kumbhabishekam) For people who came to him with temple renovation problems, Idichapuli Yoga Siddha would speak about the glory of Lord Kumbha Lingeswara of MelaMaaniKuzhi, tell them that this is the Lord who will help them make the Kumbhabishekam re-consecration ceremony happen and ask them to offer worship there. Those interested in renovating temples and organizing kumbhabishekam ceremonies would do well to heed this advice of Sri Idichapuli Sthmabana Yoga Siddhar. Feb 12, 2010 Sivaratri Girivalam The Arunachala Sivaratri Girivalam of Feb 12, 2010 will help those involved in organizing Kumbabishekam re-consecration ceremonies for old temples. Such people should finish their girivalam and also worship MelaMaaniKuzhi Kumbha Lingeswara and Mangalambika. Carry the 5 food items (rice, dal, salt, tamarind and chillies) during your Feb 12, 2010 girivalam and gift them to poor people at the completion of your girivalam. Tell people about MelaMaaniKuzhi Kumbha Lingeswara and how He helps people renovate old temples and perform the Kumbhabishekam ceremony. Sharing this knowledge of Idichapuli Yoga Siddha and the Agasthiar Guru Parampara is a divine seva too. Special BENEFIT of the Feb 12, 2010 Sivaratri Girivalam: People who don't have a sense of family responsibility, people who don't seem to care for family and who go through life like automatons will be helped by Lord Arunachala. What you have read above are Siddha Secrets regarding the Sivaratri of Feb 12, 2010 published in the February 2010 issue of Sathguru Venkataraman's monthly magazine. Ohm.

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Ohm Sri Ayur Devi, Angala Parameswari, Unnamulai Amman, Thiru Annamalaiyaarukku Arohara. Ohm Salutations to Mother Sri Ayur Devi, Mother Angala Parameswari, Mother Unnamulai Amman and Lord Sri Arunachala Annamalaiyar. Ohm Salutations to Maha Guru Sri Agasthiar. Ohm Salutations to the Agasthiar Lineage of Siddha Sathgurus.