Subramanyam Yagya - Kanchipuram, August 2005

In the month of August, our priests travelled to a small temple outside Kanchipuram to perform a special yagya for Subramanyam, son of Shiva and brother to Ganesha. Subramanyam is a very popular deity in South India and is referred to as the "Divine Commander". He is also the personified form of the planet Mars. So a yagya for Subramanyam balances our agressive side and enhances the positive qualities of Mars; optimism, energy, enthusiasm, clear thinking, etc.



As usual our puja.net priests did an excellent job providing all the traditional yagya ingredients many of which are too expensive for these smaller temples to afford on a regular basis. So, our temple yagyas are as much a blessing to the temple and the local villagers as are they for us as sponsors. Certainly the local priest regards our support as a great service!



One of the advantages of performing yagyas in India is that we have access to (and can afford) spectacular malas to decorate the temple deities. In this photo you see the variety of malas that we bring made of beautiful carnations and fragrant jasmine. The longer malas are about 10-12 feet in length.

On the right side of the photo you can see 20 small plastic 1 quart bags of milk.



In Tamil Nadu, the murti is carved from a dark green granite which turn a deep black from the sesame oil that is poured over it during the abishekam. In this photo you see the priest pouring milk.



The white powder is called vibhuti which is a perfumed ash made from the remains of a special yagya fire.



After the abishekam, the murti is dressed in a fresh silk dhoti, his face is coated in sandalwood paste and kumkum (the red powder), and surrounded with the fresh flower malas.

Of course, we couldn't ignore Ganesha! He also received the abishekam bath, fresh dhoti and malas along with all the pujas.

Shiva Yagya - Kasi, July 2005

In July Seetharam travelled to Varanasi(Benares) to perform a series of yagyas for us. Varanasi is an ancient city and one that is supposed to be the favorite of Shiva.



The yagya series was focused on Mrytunjaya Yagya (for health) and Rudra Abishekam for enlightenment. Because these yagyas took place in Varanasi, they were also dedicated and directed to our families and particularly previous generations.

The yagyas took place in a beautiful Shiva temple with several local Vedic pundits.



It is interesting that the temple is open and airy in contrast to the more closed style that is found in Tamil Nadu.



Each day Seetharam and the priests would sit and perform the full yagya sequence starting with pujas and the homam (fire yagya).



The priests were interested in what our puja.net group has been doing. They were quite impressed with the long term dedication to this yagya program and asked (insisted!) that we do this again next year.



One of the great pleasures of performing yagyas in the various temples on India is that we are able to obtain such amazingly beautiful fresh flower garlands. Just look at these garlands with beautiful carnations, marigolds, and fragrant jasmine flowers.

In this photo you see 11 kalasha pots, one for each of the forms of Rudra (Shiva).



Following the pujas and homam, the priests moved into the temple sanctum and performed pujas and abishekam (ritual bathing) for the Shiva Lingam. In this photo you see the lingam decorated with Bilva Leaves and a few jasmine flowers.



In the evenings, Seetharam would go down to the banks of the Ganges River and watch the evening pujas.



One evening he rented a boat and watched from the middle of the river. The low light and movement of the boat made the images a little fuzzy.

Ganesha Temple Yagya, May 2005

This Ganesha temple is in the country outside Kanchipuram. It is rare that they would let anyone video the abishekam, so we are lucky to have permission to do this. The gopuram (tower) is nicely painted, although as you can see in the following photo, the Ganesha looks rather stern!

In the temple, the Ganesha sits back in the sanctum as is the style in Southern India. This photo was taken before the abishekam and you can see the garland of tulsi (basil) leaves around his neck.

In the foreground you can see the back of the Mushika; the small mouse that Ganesha rides on. The tradition is that the "vahana" or vehicle for each deity sits opposite the deity looking at him. In all temples, Ganesha has Mushika, Shiva has Nandi the bull, and Vishnu has Garuda the eagle.

During the abishekam, the murti is washed and bathed and offered his favorite fruits, flowers and foods. Afterwards the temple feels calm and smooth and energized. It is a very gentle yagya.

At the end of the event, the Ganesha is clothed in a fresh new dhoti and lots of new flower and tulsi garlands. Although the photo is a little out of focus, you can see where sandalwood paste has been applied with dots of dark red kumkum powder.

The three lines of gems on his forehead are called a tripundra and is associated with Shiva. The first line symbolizes relief from material life, the second symbolizes the relief from past karma, and the third symbolizes the desire for enlightenment.

The Rig Veda contains a mantra for Ganesha that is recited in all Ganesha pujas:

Om gananam twa ganapatigm havamahe
kavinka vina mupamas ravastamam
jyeshtharajam brahmanam brahmanaspata
anah srinvan nutibhih sidasadanam

OM shanti shanti shanti

We honor Ganapati, the protector of noble people, the best poet, the most honorable, the great ruler, and treasure of all knowledge. Oh Ganapati, listen to us and find a home in our heart. Peace, peace, peace.

Kanaka-Durga Yagya, June 2005

This is the second month that we have offered a "temple yagya" in which our priests have gone to a temple in the Kanchipuram area and performed a complete abishekam yagya there.

Kanchipuram is such an ancient powerfully spiritual place, that we wanted to take advantage of the presence of literally hundreds of smaller, more intimate temples as a site for our yagyas.

For June Seetharam selected a Kanaka Durga temple. There are many stories about the creation of Durga from the combined energies of all the gods. She is considered to be a form of the Divine Mother who is fiercely protective. She is usually depicted holding a trident and other weapons in her many arms. She usually is depicted as having fangs and stands on a lion or tiger.

What makes the temple that we selected for this month so unique, is that Durga is combined with a gentle form of Lakshmi (called Kanaka) and so if much more friendly than usual! So the efffects of the yagya are protective, purifying, and wealth giving.

In the photo that follows, you can see the priests preparing some of the traditional ingredients for the abishekam yagya. They are preparing various fruits which will be mixed with honey and yogurt to make "panchamrita" (five nectars).



In the background of the photo you can see coconuts, sesame oil, rose water, lemons and limes, silk saris, rice, turmeric, sandalwood powder, kumkum, melon, honey, betel leaves and nuts, bananas, grapes, pomegranites, mangos, milk, and yogurt.

Of course special flower garlands made with hundreds of small jasmine blossoms and carnations are prepared. Nothing reminds me of India so much as the sweet fragrance of fresh jasmine.



The image of the deity is carved in a dark granite common to South India. In its natural state the stone is a greyish green which turns a deep black when rubbed with sesame oil.




In the following view you see the oldest murti in the temple; the small one in front, and then a relatively new and larger form in the back. In typical Indian fashion, when I asked how old the small diety was, the reply was that " no one really knows", which (in my experience) usually means over 400 years old because generally temple records go back at least that far.



After the liquid offerings are poured over both the murti, they are dressed in the new saris that we brought and garlanded with the fresh flowers and long strings of lemons. Sandalwood and kumkum powders are mixed with water and used on the larger murti to decorate her eyebrows, and ears with yellow and red.



The smaller murti's face is coated completely with the sandal powder, giving her a friendly and smiling appearance.



Finally, the temple priest completes the yagya by performing aarti; an offering of light from the burning of camphor and offering fruit, coconuts, and fresh flowers.