Experiencing Kalasaabishegam

It was the Sri Kandaswamy Kovil’s 105^th year anniversary and this occasion was celebrated with a grand Kalasaabishegam. Kalasaaabishegam consist of 2 words Kalasam – meaning metallic pot, and Abishegam – meaning ceremonial bath. It was the 4^th time that a Kalasaaabishegam was being done in the temple and I wasn’t going to miss it.

Before the pre-Kalasaabishegam physical work started, the youths were bustling away about the event and encouraged their family and friends to participate. The pre- Kalasaaabishegam work started with the shaving of a 1000-plus coconut for the event! Even though all of us had no experience in this field, we did fairly well.

The Yagasalai (sacred altar where the grand Kalasam was place) was decorated beautifully. The kolam at the Yagasalai gave it a nice finishing touch.

In the morning, the devotees started pouring into the temple, eagerly waiting to participate and wear the Tharppai. After the morning prayer, the Kalasa pooja started. It was an elaborate pooja. The priest had to chant the name of devotees and their natchathiram. The pooja was conducted in a structured manner. To conclude the pooja, there were several musical items performed by the temple musicians. To start off, the Nadaswaram player performed several tunes as instructed by the priest, followed by the Thavil player who drummed several “sets”. Later, the Othuvar sung the Thirumurai and it ended with a Barathanatyam performance. After these, the Grand “Maha Kalasam” was taken into procession.

The ceremonial procession of the Maha Kalasam was a very grand. Accompanied by a beautiful parasol, the Maha Kalasam was carried by the junior priest while the chief priest was guiding him. In the front, volunteers carried majestic banners and flags that lead the way. The Nadaswaram and Thavil players played the “Mallari” tune, with the conch shell being blown and Vedic mantrams being chanted. It was a magnificent sight to behold. The ceremonial bath for Lord Sri Sakthi Vale Peruman followed shortly after the ceremonial procession

The highlight of the event was the Maha Kalasam abisgeham followed by the abishegam from the 1009 small kalasams. All those present, especially the aunties, didn’t lose this moment to gaze upon the Lord Sri Sakthi Vale Peruman during the abishegam.

There was a lot of work to be done in the temple and the food serving hall and there was an outpour of volunteers. Most of them were new volunteers, who just “jumped in, rolled up their sleeves and started work”. For me, it was overwhelming to see youngsters just coming to lend a hand. With all the young hands on duty and chatting with new friends, the heavy job was made light. All of us volunteers were having fun amidst helping in temple. Whoever said there’s no fun in volunteering in the temple should have been there to experience the ambience and camaraderie.

The day was truly enjoyed by all present. Yes, enjoyed. Whether it was the priests, temple musicians, volunteers or devotees, all of us enjoyed our experience during the Kalasaabishegam. To top it all, the end of the rituals and ceremonies was “celebrated” with heavy rain. It was as if the blessings were pouring straight from the inner world onto Sri Kandaswamy Kovil. It was an auspicious sign indeed, and it made our hearts drenched with happiness.

That’s your God??!......Oh My God!!

The form of our Hindu Gods and Goddesses at times make us wonder why they appear in such forms. It unusual for a non-Hindu to be flabbergasted at the appearance of some of our Hindu deities.

To see a God/Goddess with an animal head or several heads, multiple hands, strange skin color, wearing odd ornaments or clothes, paints a very different picture when defining the appearance of God for some. A popular Hindu Goddess that has attracted many Hindus and non-Hindus is Goddess Kali also known as Kali Ma, Kaliamman, Kaliamma. All the names I speak of combines the name of Goddess Kali together with the word ma.. or mother. As a Tamil, I feel the sweetest word in Tamil language is “amma”(mother).

The exterior form of Kali, would project different views from different people, so lets take a closer look at Goddess Kali to have an insight of her symbols.

In one hand she carries a sword, and in another the head of the slained demon Raktabija. With the other two She is raising the spirits of Her worshippers. She wears a necklace of skulls and Her tongue protrudes from Her mouth. She is depicted standing with one foot on chest of Her husband, Lord Shiva.

Kali's blackness symbolizes Her all-embracing nature, as all colors disappear in black, so all things disappear in Her. It is also said that black represents the total absence of color, again signifying the nature of Kali as ultimate reality, transcendence of all form. Kali's bloody tongue, symbolizing rajas (the color red, activity), and is held by Her teeth, symbolizing sattva (the color white, spirituality).

In Her nakedness She is free from all hidden illusion. Kali is the bright fire of truth, which cannot be hidden by the clothes of ignorance. Such truth simply burns them away.

“…as all colors disappear in black, so all things disappear in Her. “

Her necklace of fifty human heads represent the fifty letters of the Sanskrit alphabet, some say 50 sounds in the Vedas and wearing them, She is the repository of all knowledge and wisdom.

Her sword is the sword of knowledge that slices through ignorance and destroys false consciousness. She is said to open the gates of freedom with this sword, having cut the bonds that bind human beings.

The image of Shiva laying under the feet of Kali, from a scientific point of view it represents Shiva as the static energy and Kali as kinetic energy.

Kali's human and maternal qualities continue to define the Goddess for most of Her devotees to this day. In human relationships, the love between mother and child is usually considered the purest and strongest. In the same way, the love between the Goddess Kali and Her human children is considered the closest and most tender of relationships. Kali may be frightening, but She is, after all, the Mother of All. As such, She is accepted by Her children- accepted in wonder and awe.

When you come across an image of a God or Goddess that you aren’t familiar about, take your time to research it, cause your findings might give you a completely different perspective.

An hour with His Holiness Satguru Bodinatha Velanswami Part 1 2 & 3

This interview came out in the 2nd and 3rd article of yuvan.
One thing I can say about Satguru Bodhinatha is that He lives in the moment and laughs like a child.

In our religion there are many practices. Some we may understand, others we may not. Many of us ask our elders to give us an explanation on the some of these practices. We get answers for some; the rest we are just told to follow without asking questions. Even for those which have answers, we may not be satisfied with the explanation. There is an old saying that, one can study and master a million shastras, but can only realize God only through a enlighten Guru. So I thought, why not ask a Guru. I learnt that a Guru was on his annual visit to Malaysia. I mailed Him and requested for a session. My request was immediately granted. As I approached to interview Him, I noticed that even though he looked a bit aged, he had a little child-like smile. He greeted me politely and answered my questions in a calm manner. The answers that were given are acceptable and have helped clear my doubts. The Satguru I am speaking about is none other than the successor of His Holiness Satguru Sivaya Subramuniyaswami, 163^rd Jagadguru of the Nandinatha Sampradaya's Kailasa Parampara, the Guru Mahasanidhanam of Kauai Adheenam, His Holiness Satguru Bodinatha Velanswami.

Sashi: Vanakam Swami, thank you very much for having me on behalf of the MCSA Youth Section and the Yuvan newsletter.

Satguru: You’re very welcome.

Sashi: Let’s proceed with the interview. What is the way of life for youths/teenagers according to Hinduism?

Satguru: According to Hindusism there is 4 ashramas. Every youth and teenager are in the bramacharya ashrama and the primary duty of that ashrama is to study, to go to school, learn and prepare for adult life. But such studies need to be balanced with religious activities. Sometimes because of the competitive pressure for exams, parents are reluctant to let their children participate in these activities. They think they will not do as well in their exams. Well that’s not necessarily the case. We need a balanced life which includes relaxation and having fun, studying and religious practices as well. A balanced life makes us a happy person and does better in exams.

Sashi: Due to socio-economic changes and cross-cultural influence, most youths these days are less inclined to be vegetarians. What are Swamiji’s views on this?

Satguru: Well, most Hindus aren’t strictly vegetarian. An example of that, order a Hindu meal on a plane, its chicken. That shows the basic restraint is not eating beef. Being vegetarian is ideal, but not required. I would say it’s more for advanced Hinduism. When you try to make serious spiritual progress, by following some discipline then vegetarian is required. For example an athlete, if you want to be an athlete wanted to do really well, you have to control your diet right? You can’t be overweight. Lot’s of disciplines requires being on a special diet to do well. In Hinduism vegetarianism is required to maximize spiritual progress, but it’s for the very serious Hindu. We’re not concern about Hindu youths aren’t being vegetarian, it’s a concern that is premature. We are more concern about being nonviolent- not hurting other people, being generous, going to the temple those are more crucial practices. Vegetarianism would come along if someone wants to make major progress in Hinduism, then it’s required.

Sashi: There is an old saying “Religion is matter between me and my maker”. With regards to temple worship, some parties say that one can still be a non-veg and go to temple as long as one goes with a pure and clean heart to solely worship Him and seek His blessings. What are Swamiji’s thoughts on this?

Satguru: Each temple can have its own rules as in who can come and who cannot. From one point, there is no one body that governs all temples. Some temples might require it, some might not. As to being required it’s up to the temple. Does it make a difference? Yes it does. Lots of things make difference when you go to a temple not only being vegetarian; whether you’re worshipping or gossiping, whether you bring an offering or don’t bring an offering. Lot’s of things makes a difference, not just being vegetarian.

Sashi: If a vegetarian and a non vegetarian were to be put in the same scenario of temple worship, is there any difference between them?

Satguru: Well, being non vegetarian means consuming animals. One of the problems is it can stimulate the animal within us which is anger. We can be an angrier person by being a non veg than being a veg. Anger is one of the hardest things to control. It’s a serious issue. Making progress in Hinduism is controlling anger. Being non veg ties into other things as well, some total of that difference can seriously lessen what we can get from temple worship.

Sashi: Some of our youths, who are not vegetarian, attend temple worship, but do not participate in pooja and help in rituals because they are not vegetarian. What are your views on this?

Satguru: That’s good, because they realize it would be better if they were veg.

Sashi: Today, some elders still believe that traditional attire is still compulsory as far as temple worship is concern but most youths think otherwise. Does Swamiji beg to differ on this matter?

Satguru: Well traditional attire, meaning veshti?

Sashi: Yes, veshti for men.

Satguru: Well some youths never wear veshti, they are afraid, it might fall off. But there are many forms of traditional attire, a simple kurta shirt, something that looks nice. We don’t want a baseball cap backwards, a t-shirt that says something, jeans and tennis shoes. We want something Hindu, in fact we suggest that every have a special outfit that you wear only to temple. When you wear this outfit, it puts you in a special religious mood, because it’s special. Something Hindu definitely.

Sashi: There is an anonymous quote that goes “We may seek God by our intellect, but we can only find Him with our heart”. Some people say we can find Him through temple worship and prayers, others say He is everywhere. Is temple worship and prayers the only way of finding Him?

Satguru: No, but it’s one of the easiest and its good to do that. A more advanced discipline required vegetarianism, yoga and so on. Practically speaking, it makes experiencing god possible by coming to the temple. Well how many of us can see God inside of us, how many of us can see God permeating the room, very few, it’s hard because God’s very subtle. We go to the temple and through the murthi in the temple we experience God.

Sashi: Why can’t girls enter the temple during their monthly cycle?

Satguru: Well, that’s always a hot topic! The way my guru would explain this is that even boys can’t enter the temple if they have cut themselves. Someone with a surgical wound is not allowed to go to the temple either. The problem is blood or an open wound. The presence of blood may attract lower beings in the inner world, asuras. As the temple is a doorway to the inner worlds, beings from the lower part and beings from the upper part can come. We don’t want beings from lower part to come. When doing ceremonies you also have to protect the different directions. A lot of effort is put in to keep negative forces away. Also kumkuma and melon are used in some ceremonies to attract the negative forces and dissipate them outside the temple.

Sashi: In Hinduism, it is a common belief that only men are allowed in temple rituals. Why?

Satguru: This is because priests are men.

Sashi: If there were women priests, can woman participate?

Satguru: I’ve been told that there are temples like that. Generally priests are men and having only men help them is part of keeping men and women separate in the temple.

Sashi: In the temple, men and women are kept separate? Why do they worship separately?

Satguru: Men and women are kept separate to increase their religiousness. Husband and wife are attached via a psychic bond, so if they’re physically separated for that time, this lessens the emotion that flows between them and increases their spirituality. Being separate also lessens the tendency for unmarried men and women to be attracted to one another, which again increases spirituality.

Sashi: The temple is said to be a human body, there is a side for men and women to stand and worship. Which side is the men’s side and which side is the women’s side?

Satguru: In the South Indian tradition, when facing the Deity men stand on the right and women stand on the left. In some other traditions, it’s the opposite.

Sashi: Many people today are confused as there are many schools/sects in Hinduism (E.g.: Vaishnavism, Saivism, Shaktism, etc.). Why are there many schools of thought and what impact does this have on faith worship today?

Satguru: Well, part of the problem here is the misunderstanding that other religions have only one sect and why can’t Hinduism be that simple. People who say that don’t really know, for example, that Christianity has 36 major denominations in the USA and a total of 33,830 denominations major and minor worldwide according to the “World Christian Encyclopedia.” When this is known, that fact that Hinduism has four denominations does not look that unusual! The existence of multiple denominations in Hinduism is because of its historical development. It developed in India before global communication, before the internet. People in one part of India had no clue what was going on in the other part. Now the world is getting more similar because of global communication. In terms of confusion, it’s only confusing if you do not choose one denomination. A study of a little of Vaishnavism, a little of Saivism--that can be very confusing. Our point is that if someone is serious about studying Hinduism, there is a need to choose one of its denominations.

Sashi: Hinduism says there is only one God, yet Hinduism has many Deities and Avatars. Some people even say that some Deities are even more powerful than the others. What is Satguruji’s view on this?

Satguru: Hindus know that there is only one Supreme Being or Supreme God. We all agree on that. However, there are many traditions and each tradition has a different name for the Supreme God and a different concept about the Supreme God. To say one God is more powerful than another is a way to convince people to follow your tradition. For example Vaishnavism, is different from Saivism. It is more devotional. If you’re more attracted to Vaishnavism, that is fine. However, it’s unnecessary to say that Vishnu is more powerful than Siva. They are simply different traditions. One may seek a tradition which one is comfortable with without saying one’s tradition is better than another’s.

Sashi: It is said that only Brahmins can enter the “Garbagriha”. Why?

Satguru: The “garbagriha” is a very sensitive place. There’s a very special sanctity there. Brahmins have been trained how to go in to the sanctum and not disturb its sanctity. Others have not and might disturb its sanctity, make it less sacred. Brahmins go to priest school and learn how to function in the sanctum to make it more sacred and not make it less sacred.

Sashi: If a non-Brahmin were to study the same knowledge, can he enter the “Garbagriha” and perform the same duties?

Satguru: Well, there’s a disagreement on that. A temple can have its own rules as no one authority governs all temples. If a temple wants a non-Brahmin to do it’s ceremonies, they can do so but, ideally the non-Brahmin has had proper training. The key is the training; whoever does the ceremonies should be properly trained.

Sashi: Some murthis (Deities) are made of granite, others are made of five different metals. What is the difference Satguruji?

Satguru: Granite is designed to not move, to be permanently in the shrine for abishegam. The murthi of five different metals is designed to travel, to take around in parade.

Sashi: In Christianity, there is a practice called “the confession of sins” where one essentially admits one’s own guilt. Is there a similar practice in Hinduism?

Satguru: Yes, but it’s not so formalized. You can do the same practice by standing in front of the Deity in the temple and talking to the Deity in your mind. It’s also part of the deeper meaning of practices such as “kavadi”. If you feel guilty about something, you go through this process of showing penitence, showing that you’re sorry for what you did. Some people criticize kavadi as unnecessary, but if it’s done in the right spirit it’s good. The right spirit is that you have done something wrong and feel sorry about it and you are promising the Deity you’re not going to do it again.

Sashi: Promising the deity?

Satguru: Yes, promising the Deity you’re not going to do this again. It’s a deeper meaning of kavadi. Kavadi is very prevalent in Malaysia and sometimes it can be more of an outer “show” as the inner spirit is not necessarily understood. The inner spirit is the idea of confessing of sins.

Sashi: During festival day the youths enter the “Vasantha Mandapam” and carry the Deity out and bring Him around the temple. Why can we (youths) enter the “Vasantha Mandapam” but not the Garbagriha?

Satguru: This is because the “Vasantha Mandapam” is not as sacred as the Garbagriha. Festivals are designed to involve the devotees. Everyone gets to participate, to carry the Deity, to dance with the Deity, to sing. The Deity also goes outside and blesses the whole neighborhood.

Sashi: It’s a tradition to fast on religious days. Did God ask us to sacrifice by fasting?

Swami: No, but fasting can make you more spiritual. That’s the idea. The process of digesting food uses a great deal of energy. If you refrain from eating, the energies can be used to make you more spiritual. Fasting is also a good discipline. My guru would say that controlling our appetite helps us control all our other instincts such as the tendency to become angry.

Sashi: Why can’t we enter the temple within the retreat period of passing away or birth of a family member?

Satguru: The traditional practice is to not go to the temple, to not visit swamis and gurus, and to put white cloth over the Deities in the shrine room. An understanding of the esoterics behind traditions is very important in order to fulfill them. When someone is born or dies, a door, to either the higher or lower inner worlds, is opened for all who share a psychic bond, depending on where the soul has come from or has gone. For thirty-one days a psychic passageway of vulnerability persists, which is particularly magnetic in instances of death.... We want to help that door close, not keep it open by worshiping in the shrine or going to the temple. Spiritual practice is curtailed to avoid the pitfalls that could result in inadvertently drawing forth the energies of beings of the lower worlds rather than the higher.

Sashi: Can a person eat in the house of a deceased or new born before the 31 days and go to temple?

Satguru: The idea behind this practice is that by taking a meal in the house you may become psychically part of the family and thus the same restriction about not going to the temple or home shrine needs to apply to you.

Sashi: In abishega a lot of items are used, sometimes excessively. If the cost of these items were to be channeled for charity, wouldn’t it better?

Satguru: Well, you can take it further. Why spend money building a temple? An older youth in Perth asked me why are we spending millions of dollars to build the temple and maintain it. Wouldn’t it be better to use the money for something else? Such questions are raised by unreligious people, by those who feel that God is unimportant, or by someone who really doesn’t understand how the temple works. The idea relates to “prana” or energy. When we offer food, the deity does not need food. Then what are we offering? We are offering the prana, the energy in the food. The prana from the offerings is used by the priest to help the Deity manifest, help the Deity bless the devotees in a powerful way.

Sashi: Thank you Satguru for your time and the opportunity.

Satguru: You’re welcome.

Kathirgama – Kathir, MANA kodiyetram ? - Yuvan 1

I am starting to post my articles from Yuvan here. This is my first article in yuvan. Each of the articles that have been on Yuvan would have " Yuvan - 1" denoting that it's from yuvan the number showing the editions its from.


ZERO was the number youths attending the first day of the Katirgama Kodiyetram festival. Apart from the temple staff, ubayakarar, committee members and our regular aunties in temple, none of the youths were present to celebrate the Kodiyetram of Katirgamam.
Katirgamam is the most sacred spot of Saivites in Sri Lanka. It’s said that Katirgama was Lord Muruga’s base camp during his war with Sooran. Many devotees went through life-changing experiences while journeying towards Katirgamam.
When our temple was established, our fore fathers held a special pooja in remembrance of their dear Kathirgamam during its Kodiyetram Festival. They made this an annual affair and are continuing to do so. This ensures that the future generation feels the sacredness and the blessings of Katirgamam. They had great visions, but our generation seems to have their minds blurred on religious events.
Why is it that none of us ever has the time to drop by the temple during this event? Have YOU ever thought why the night clubs are getting more packed but the temples are getting empty? How easy it is to spend time with friends than spend time with God in the temple. My advice: Rethink, REALIZE.

Blogger, a first timer

I always wanted to put down my thoughts in a journal. The idea interest me. So I'm starting now.

Having gone thru a wonderful journey called life, and still goin, it's interesting to record a moment in time, for experiencing it again latter.