Sivagiri Pilgrimage is a virtuous voyage to the memoirs of a Great Sage who descended himself into the level of common men to baptize them in the holy reservoirs of spirituality in terms of basic human existence. Says K.G.SURESH from the venue of the 78^th Sivagiri Theerthadana Mahamaham which recently concluded at Varkala, Trivandrum

“Let the pilgrims congregate at the beginning of the European New Year. It should be Dhanu 16-17 in Malayalam calendar. Let the pilgrims observe 10 days ‘self-purification according to Sri Buddha’s principles of five purities (Pancha Dharma) – body, food, mind, word, deed..”, so said Narayana Guru as the prologue to Sivagiri Theerthadanam (Sivagiri pilgrimage), which stands abreast of all the pilgrimages, honoured and adored in the Arsha Bharata Cultural heritage of India.

But we cannot deny that the highly eulogized heritage of India had a diplomatic phase of difference and dichotomy even in its exalted seat, until the intervention of a power of conductance, a ‘search unto oneself’ as Sivagiri pilgrimage and its Protagonist.

Sivagiri Pilgrimage

Beyond a thorough physical and spiritual clean-up, Sivagiri Pilgrimage signifies a smooth about turn which amazingly makes one geared up  to embrace modernism which helps him to live a life in the present. Bound by variegated turbulent  waves of life modern man seeks a strong support to go spiritual to get along at this slippery slope. Hence is this pilgrimage.

Sivagiri pilgrimage is a virtuous voyage to the memoirs of the majestic personality of Sree Narayana Guru, a great visionary who could foresee and perceive beyond the present. He inculcated the highest standards of hygiene one has to keep in his life. It includes the purity of word, mind, body, senses and of home. He defined the impact of keeping these five things pure as baptizing the mundane life which is prone to contamination. Guru’s visions and his very life he lived here are holy reservoirs for one who is bound by the material way of modern life. In that sense every commemoration of Guru becomes a turning back of the pages of our life for introspection.

While drowning into the holy reservoirs of this pilgrimage, each of us is being sanctified and exalted to the level of spirituality. Thus wading through the darkness we get at the enlightenment, the Ultimate Guru.

Sree Narayana Guru, a Karmayogi

Every civilization grows and gets significance on the basis of how far it could balance with the growing contemporary life style. Indians are proud of their cultural heritage and the super sensuous discoveries the sages attained through their spiritual journeys.  These are encoded in the Vedas and Upanishads which shape our pristine legacy, an epitome of knowledge.

Sree Narayana Guru’s visions stand upright rooted in the Upanishads. So, by experiencing Narayana Guru, one learns what our ancient tradition is. Besides, it calls for a legacy of a search within and self-purification.

Sree Narayana Guru stands apart from the intellectuals of our ancient times as a Karmayogi, who could bridge the pure brilliance of Advaita philosophy with the everyday life of common men.  Descending into the mass, he carried out his mission of leading the people who were intoxicated with the booze of mundane life, to the way of enlightenment. Thus he underlined the meaning of the word ‘Guru’ as one who removes the darkness for his disciples. His ‘kannadi prathishta’ (installation of mirror as deity) testifies his way of making the complex simple, by encapsulating all the highest Indian philosophical thoughts  — unity of the Infinite with the Finite.

Narayana Guru made Advaita a living experience in a worldly life from its exalted position of renunciation. Bringing it down from its celestial life of detachment, he made it a way of living and a proclamation of emancipation for an overwhelming majority who were left to live a life outside the ethnical bracket, until then. Guru redefined Advaita as the new hymns of freedom as Equality, Fraternity & Independence.

An idealist cum pragmatic, Narayana Guru re-structured the spiritual and philosophical thoughts of Indian origin as utilitarian principles breaking the conventional barriers of idealism so as to make it reach at the basic human existence.  His progressive concepts were implemented when the first Sivagiri Pilgrimage emerged as a different turn of reaching the Ultimate.

Windows to a green past

Narayana Guru emphasized the principles to be put into practice. Thus Sivagiri Pilgrimage’s goals acquired variant shades of practical life as Education, Devotion to God, Agriculture, Trading, Handicrafts, Organisation, Science and Technology etc.  Thus the first day of Sivagiri Pilgrimage has been dedicated to Health, Agriculture and Science and Technology.

Contemporary world carries all the stigma of being departed from the Nature. So the lectures and symposiums staged here showcased deep concern and anxiety over this devious go. When the depressing race of materialism influenced our lives at length, social consciousness has been put off from our daily agenda. Hence the Seminars based on Agriculture were worth mentioning as windows to our past of a glorifying agrarian community.

It was when the ancient man stopped hunting and turned to agriculture for the daily sustenance that they were exalted from animosity to humanity.  ‘Being human is human being’ is the theory evolved out of the emergence of agriculture which binds man with Nature and natural beings. Agri-Culture thus becomes the pioneer of all the cultures witnessing and accepting the labour and creativity of human beings. The symposium staged at the 78the Sivagiri Pilgrimage venue made us to walk to our magnificent memoirs of an all-green past.

A  call to be Human

Second day of the pilgrimage was honoured and blessed with the presence and scholarly talks of Dr. A.P.J.Abdul Kalam.  Dr.Kalam made us to take an oath on five basic principles of worthy living to welcome the New Year.

1.       Introduce the wonderful world of alphabets to at least 5 illiterates.

2.       Plant and nurture 10 different varieties of saplings

3.       Keep going with a well-mannered behavior at home and in the society

4.       Target  ‘success of life’ as the goal and move with self-confidence and steadfast will-power

5.       Get inspired by the visions and perspectives of Sree Narayana Guru and make sure his principles are practiced in your life.

It was followed by the Symposium on women which discussed over the problems faced by the women today and the significance of women empowerment.

Living on distorted ideologies

An exemplifier of social and spiritual reforms Sree Narayana Guru always emphasized on the need of education.  But right now it stands as a far cry from the ultimate goal and way of Education.  In the Vedic Culture, Guru is the one who removes the darkness inside and outside the disciples. Guru is spiritual teacher who sits on the peedhom (a high platform), chanting mantras (knowledge in capsular hymns) to the disciple who is seated below. This kind of passing knowledge unconditionally is what Upanishad meant to be. But unfortunately the general perception of education has changed tremendously making it a way to get a job and earn money.

It has been reminded and inculcated in umpteen gatherings that where there is the presence of liquor, there you can never see the Guru or his charisma.  A sharp intellect, Sree Narayana Guru strongly urged that liquor should be completely given up as it tends to weaken the intellect. But what we see today is the depressing fact of our young buds are being drowned and swept away in the influx of liquor, local and foreign. We see it is being adored and adorned as the symbol of either celebration or a mere show-off of manliness.

Spearheading a harmless revolt against the caste system, Sree Narayana Guru was apparently against even mentioning the word ‘caste’. Here also we see his intuitive visions are being derailed sarcastically, like the chain of ironies the life of this redeemer has been tethered to.

Hardly any pilgrimage gets the fulfillment sans an absolute understanding and acceptance of Guru’s ideologies. The realization of the significance of the being (the essence) over the panache and pizzazz is to be attained by every pilgrim in this search unto oneself. Otherwise, Sivagiri pilgrimage also would be another bighead of a world which dwells upon celebrations.

Vastu Sastra calls for a harmonious living of human being with the Nature by knowing all its cosmological considerations. It is closely twined with the Vedantic concepts of the existences in micro and macro levels… Says Sree Pathe

Like Astronomy and Mathematics, Vastu Sastra also is a great contribution of Vedic India to the whole world.  In the Indian concepts, life is considered to be much larger than death and is not merely the absence of death.  Likewise, home is also considered as a divine place (temple) and not simply a place to eat and rest. So to live a life in a home constructed in the universe which is abided by the unquestionable Cosmic Laws, it has to be balanced with the elements of Nature. Thus evolved the Science of Vastu Sastra, as a simple manifestation of the subtle and tenuous Vedantic facts, to bridge the Man with the Nature so as to lend him a life of peace and happiness.

Parallel to the thoughts of Tatwamasi ( That Thou Art), identifying the Consciousness inside the body with that of the all-pervading Universe, Chandogya Upanishad equates Prana(Life) with Aditya (Sun) in the sky of heart and the in the sky of space.  This explains the metaphysics with which Vastu Sastra is made upon as establishing an identity between the very existences at the micro and macro levels.

Vastu in the Vedas

“Vasanti praaninah yatra..”, meaning, the place where the living beings live and interact in communion with the Nature is termed as ‘Vastu’.  According to the Puranic scribble ‘Mayamata’, ‘vastu’ connotes the dwelling place or homestead of a being, living or dead. But in ‘Rigveda’ it implies the meaning of a construction or a construction site.

In the Indian philosophical background which sprouted in the harems of the enlightened seers, the base of Vastu Sastra is glued to the principle of ‘Aham Brahmasmi” (The highest philosophical thought that teaches one to see one’s Self in all and all in the Self and thus bringing in the harmony and balance with the Nature). The particular site where the construction has to be built up is being measured and defined as the miniature of the whole universe with its all cosmological considerations. The specified place is being brought into the exact geographical centre of the octagonal Brahmanda (the Universe) and befit into the square shaped symbolical figure of ‘vastu’. Vastu Purusha, the Cosmic Man is seen occupied the whole square as the presiding deity of the site, where the mathematical and geometrical diagrammatic representation is considered as integrates with the cosmic bodies in direct proportion.

The Vedic principle of Prakriti-Purusha cult is also incorporated here. Prakruti represents the ‘woman’ of the Nature and the ‘Purusha’ connotes the construction. According to Vedic principles, human body is the culmination of the five basic elements (Water, Earth, Space, Air and Fire) of the Universe and it is visible as well as corpulent. But the soul, the immortal being inside the body is finite, subtle and invisible. As per this thought the Vastu Purusha, the Cosmic Man resembles with the invisible soul and the proposed site, with the material body which is liable to change under circumstances.

So, as we preserve and protect our body with the pre-determined routines in food, exercise and like things, the rhythms and expressions and of course the images of the construction are also to be keep up with the pace of the Nature. It takes the systematic steps of prayer, meditation, chanting and life-disciplines prescribed by the Seers for the common man to find solace, to find god.  Likewise, by properly designing the buildings by understanding the effectiveness of the basic elements of the Universe taking into consideration the cited measurements in Vastu Sastra, make the structure harmonious to the Nature. Eventually, both reach the Ultimate Reality as to every search unto oneself.

“Kshetrakshetrajneyorevamantharam jnaana chakshusa

Bhoota prakriti moksham cha ye viduryanthi the param”..Bhagavt Gita (13-35) (Human body is a temple and one who knows it gets at the consciousness and becomes the immortal).

But it needs a lot of strategic and systematic disciplinary re-scheduling in life. Controlling the natural instincts is the prime fact in it and this controlling extends to the purification of one’s body through several time-bound customs and rituals. As the Vastu Purusha ideology directly proportionate with the finite and infinite lives , such prescribed measurements inside the customary practices have to be experienced  in order to purify the construction site, so as to bring in maximum positivity to the inhabitants. In fact, by implementing the vastu measurements into the site, we take advantage of the benefits bestowed by the five basic elements of the Universe to create a congenial living ambiance. What we are attributed to do is to bring in a harmony between the construction and the environment around it through a systematic procedure that tells all about Vastu Sastra.

Influence of planets

“Annad bhavanti bhootani parjanyadanna sombhavah

Yajnad bhavathi parjanyo  yajnah karma samudbhavah”.. Bhagavat Gita (3-14)(Every living being depends on food which is a product of rain and the Rain comes from the clouds which are born out of worship.)

“Aadityajaayathe vrishty vrishterana samudhbhaveah”..Manu Smriti (Sun is the cause of Rain which gives birth to living things)

Modern Science also narrates the same concept of Sun as the energy-mine of the world and Water where the first life happened. Water is nothing but the output of Sun in the process of steaming. In brief, Sun is the basic of all Creations and Existence. As per the Adharva Veda, the most influential cosmic body on man is the Sun. In the Astrology, we see the 21 types of Solar and Lunar impacts which affect all the living things in the Universe. Similar impacts are obvious in Vastu Sastra also.

Vastumandala, the frame work of Vastu measurements of the site is diagrammatically represented with the help of geometrical figures inside a square field. Vastu Purusha is seen embedded in it by the force of 45 Devatas in the form of a human being. Vastu Purusha has been illustrated as having 6 bones, one heart and 4 vital spots. ‘Mayamata’ interprets Vastu Purusha as having 4 corner-to-corner contours representing the nervous and vascular systems of the human body.

The five basic elements (Pancha mahaabhoota) are incorporated inside this geometrical figure precisely at definite points. For Water, North-East has been prescribed while South-East direction has been attributed to Fire. Earth takes the South-West direction, Air, North-West and the most significant ‘Brahmasthana’ is ascribed to the Space.

The step-by-step development of the construction of a structure symbolically resembles the birth and developmental stages of an embryo inside the mother’s womb. If we believe cosmic bodies have any impact or influence in the life of a baby in its growth, we can assume the part played by the same cosmic elements in the developmental stages of a building structure being constructed, rather created in the Vastumandala, the miniature universe bound by the Cosmic Laws and magnetic fields. Like the formation of an embryo and its entry into the world as a human being, construction also has two well-defined stages as the ‘laying of the foundation stone’ and the ‘first entry into the structure’. In both these auspicious occasions people go for the astrologer to get the ‘exactly propitious moments’ that is the zodiac constellations at that time, in the belief of the influence of cosmic bodies upon it.

When turn back

Fossil studies in the Indus Valleys tell us that even before the Vedic Age there had been the practice of the Vastu Satra. In Rig as well as Adharva Vedas there are a lot of mentioning about it. There we come across with ViswaKarma as the Architect of Gods and Mayan as the Architect of the Demons. Buddhist scribbles, epics, and the Artha Sastra by Koutilya also bear the tints of Vastu Sastra. ‘Matsya Purana’ encoded in the 4^th Century and Brihat Samhita in the 6^th Century also has the episodes of this Science of Architrecture.

‘Mayamata’, “Manasara Silpa Sastra’ etc are some of the authentic on-paper works regarding this science. Both of these are assumed to be written in the time span of A.D. 400-1500. Most of the modern works on Vastu Sastra are based on the principles cited in these books. Vastu has also made inroads in Western esotericism where architecture and environmental metaphysics have traditionally been dominated by Chinese Feng Chui.

But as an easily misunderstood and misinterpreted science by the common people, Vastu Sastra has constructed an unbreakable structure across the world with its much -complicated makeup and vastness of dimensions.

For Sajeesh Kuttanellur a trip to Kudajadri is a mystic mission to be with the Nature plus a belief accepted from the soul. Narrations of the interesting episodes of his first Kudajadri trek……..

“Belief consists in accepting the affirmations of the soul; Unbelief, in denying them.”

So, accepting the affirmations of my soul, I planned a trip to Kollur Mookaambika Temple. I have been hearing of Devi Mookambika considered to be the crystallization of creative power which motivates poets, speakers and indeed, all those who use the spoken word.  The Divine Mother is also considered as bestowing her blessings on all forms of visual and creative art. In a moment of gleam, I too longed for Her blessings as a person who used to toss the words up and up on the stages..

But I couldn’t. Likewise, whenever I planned for a trip to Kollur, something or someone would be there to pull me back. But I was consoled by my friends saying, one cannot simply go and see Her, what you want is Her personal invitation. So, accepting again my soul’s affirmations I waited till She called me.

At Mookambika Temple

But it was in the month of June that I got that Divine call. While floating as one among the crowd around that unpretentious and small temple I threw my mind free to perambulate along the energy waves which breeze over there. I could see the Mother who blessed many with her ‘abhaya’ and ‘abheeshta mudras’. Even after returning, the energy I experienced from there adhered to me with another crack thought of an ‘incomplete feel’.

Thence forth, I was being habituated with a seasonal recharging from there in every year. But only in my fourth visit that I had that good fortune to visit Kudajadri the original abode of Goddess Mookambika. That is too with a man of ample experience having ascended the Kudajadri Hills more than 80 times. Unni, a police officer from Kerala, who came over there resigning his job to be with Amma, was thus became my guide-cum-companion.

Malayalam vibes

It is somewhat an amazing thing in Kollur, a remote village in Karnataka where we see people speaking Malayalam, shops having their name boards written in Malayalam, the sages and most of the inmates of the lodgings are born Keralites… But if we move hardly 5 Kilometres from there the things get changed, no one can understand if we speak in Malayalam. They will revert in Kannada which at any cost can be assimilated with a Malayali lingo!!!

This phenomenon is seen only around the Mookambika Temple, where the kundalini energy of the earth is considered to be centered upon. It starts from the epics of Sankaracharya, the great sage from Kerala, who installed the idol of the Mookambika at Kollur. You can see the mammoth gatherings inside the temple chat and chant in Malayalam, and the temple authorities including the priests understand it with hardly any ambiguity. Myths say that when the festival season begins, when the Goddess starts her royal procession in the Golden Chariot, it needs a Malayali to pull the chariot, otherwise it won’t move! I proudly watched the idol of the dynamics Shakti aspect of creative energy sits, facing to my Kerala.

Trekking the Kudajadri

Yes, along with Unni, thus in my fourth trip to Kollur, I started to Kudajadri hills, the real abode of Goddess. It was heavy downpour at Kollur when we reached on the banks of Souparnika which is a confluence of the main streams Kaasi Theertham and Agni Theertham originated in the Kudajadri Hills and perambulating the temple with its jingling chants. Leaving our limbs to purify in the divine medicinal water of Souparnika, we started our journey in a bus up to Nagodi. Unni told me that we had to walk about more than 8 Kilometres through the dense forest if not opted a jeep, the only other choice. Rain was still drenching us to shiver but we walked over the dried up leaves carpeted on the narrow muddy way up.

“Walk fast, otherwise you will have to fight with leeches..”, Unni reminded me. When I looked down to my feet I saw two or three black rubber-bands like things glued to my ankles. I started pulling them one by one; by that time leeches would creep from other sides on to the legs. Unni gave me a bottle of ‘Amritanjan’ balm and asked me to apply it on the legs, so did we continued climbing the hills.

After walking for about 3 kilometers we reached a terrain where we could see a small tea-shop, belonged to one Thankappan, yes, a Malayali. Like thousands of tenants in Kollur, Thankappan has been here for the last 30 years, witnessing the change of monsoon and mind-scapes.

“Earlier, it was pure devotion that led people to trek on this beaten track to the top. But now they come as if in an excursion mood. But some are still hold the unabated devotion towards the Devi.  But it lessens…”., observed Thankappan whose tea-shop serves an inn for the tired trekkers to the cloud-capped heights.

Applying ‘Amrutanjan’ balm again on the feet, we set out to the heavenly route. As we move on, we could see the way narrows to hardly one feet breadth, twined around like the arteries of the hillock. Rain becomes stronger that nudges a mini-land slide blocking our way forward. We trekked with much effort through the twiners and creepers, balancing upon the rain-slicked rocks. At one point we saw a tall tree fallen uprooted. I walked on that fallen trunk with nostalgic memories of my childhood when I used to cross the small streams upon the bridging coconut trunks put across.

Being with Nature

As we walk on, we hardly had a chat, rather loved to listen to the background score of the natural forest – the sizzling sounds of the crickets and chafers, micro phonic sounds of some ‘unheard’ creatures, singing in different modulations of various kinds of birds, the rustling sounds of the leaves, whistling of the wind passing through the dense trees, the murmuring of rain drops when it rub the tree leaves….I thought of being taken to the other side of this very world! It was totally a different feel to indulge in this ambience as a get-away from the horns and booms of the motor vehicles by which I have been habituated with.

Leaving an 8 Kilometre wild way behind, we reached Kudajadri – the hillock where one can see the abundance of the medicinal plant ‘kudacha’ among the cluster of various other types of therapeutic flora. Myths tell that when Sree Hanuman was passing by, with the hillock containing the ‘mritasanjeevani’ leaves, one portion had been fallen here from atop. In the ‘Skandapurana’ also we see such a mythical mentioning of Kudajadri.

It is from here, the four streams (Theertha) Agni, Agasthya, Kaashi etc originates to form the Divine Souparnika that perambulates the temple in all seasons. For the devotees, a bath in theses streams is bliss, for the trekkers, it is rejuvenating, for the sages it is ritual, for the peace-searchers, it is serene.

When walked forwards we saw two small shrines in distant and Unni told me that one is for Brahmins and the other is for non-Brahmins. He also said, in one of the shrines the Goddess is being worshipped in her fierce form and in the other in her serene form. Vedic rituals are being performed here to sustain the energy that wields over there.

While moving with folded hands close to heart, wandering eye balls sent to the abundance of Nature amalgamating with the infiniteness, I saw a trident plugged into one rock. It is said that Goddess has killed the Mookasura with this trident.  We cannot identify the material with which this sharp  weapon is made of, it has been standing erect there for centuries receiving all the seasons of rain and heat—receiving the amazing and dubious minds alike.

In the Divine Heights

After having lunch from a lonely hut on the hillock, we proceeded to the ‘Sarvajnapeedam’. It was visible from far away. This is the highest place in Kudajadri. It was here that Adi Sankara has been encountered with the goddess after a long penance. Sankara is still considered to be one of the greatest scholars in the whole world. To attain such a highest knowledge, the enlightenment, is not possible for the common man of mundane life. So we consider it as a high esteem and when sitting on the monolithic floor of the ‘Sarvajnapeedom’ I felt downcast and proud at the same time. I told myself, “I too achieved that position, sarvajna (means with wholesome knowledge) and I am sitting on this ‘peedhom’(seat)” and relieved myself. I bowed to the idol of that intellect installed inside and whispered “ I am coming from your locale..Bless me with your wisdom”.

Unni told me “See, now we are standing at a height of 4500 feet from the sea level”. I didn’t listen to it. I was far above that level, then.

Pilgrim’s Progress

Rain began to lash out with more vigor. The lush green canopy challenged the cloud-capped blue, leaving some human beings to the mercy of Nature. We started to descend towards Ganapati cave. Mist wrapped the whole ambit there. But an experienced Unni led me through the slippery slopes of the rocks that open to a cave where I saw an ancient but graceful stone idol of lord Ganapati. I had some plantains with me in a plastic bag. I took it out and gave it to Him, as He is known to be a gourmand, though I like to believe that his pot-belly is a home of wisdom.

The Ganapati cave top slopes down to a small crevice at the far end which has a mysterious tunnel. It is said that it ends at the premises of the Mookambika Temple. We sat down there for a while immersed and drenched in the vastness of infinity.

Rain has almost stopped its nuts. But drizzling was there. Then we began to the walk towards the end of Kudajadri voyage – Chitramoola. After a one kilometer walk I saw a deep chasm between the gigantic rocks. With utmost care in each step, we descended into it. When looked up, saw a cave at a height of 10 kilometers from there. There was a small iron ladder to get in to the cave. The cave is a big rift of a giant rock pushed towards the sky from the hillock.

It is the place where Goddess incarnated before the Sage Kola and Adi Sankara. I overviewed the place and breathed deep to get any nuance of the energy with which the sages were enlightened. There was a sivalinga installed in the middle of the Cave. On the left side of the cave two little rivulets flowing down without making any sound as if not to disturb the meditating sages there. Unni told me that it won’t dry up even in the hottest season. People believe that these are created by the Goddess herself for Sankaracharya to perform his daily rituals when he was meditating there. I looked around and found hardly any symptom of a water source there. On the walls of the cave I saw somebody had drawn beautiful pictures of Babaji and Ganapati with color chalks.

I walked towards those rivulets that flow down and stood under it for a while. Doused in the chilled stream all my fatigues got vanished. I could see the Ambavanam the garden of Mookambika far away. No one else was there as it was off-season. So we left ourselves roam around those ‘lovely dark and deep woods’.

Yogi – the ascetic

It is a belief that one must visit Kudajadri in order to complete the ‘darshan’ of Mookambika. So, with a contended heart I descended with Unni but amazed to see Chanthukkutti Swamy, who has been at the feet of Mookambika for the last 61 years. Swamy is now 105, but still healthy and self reliant at the Ramananda Ashram.

Earlier it was Swamy who was the sole guide to the Kudajadri trekkers.

“ there was hardly any way to the hillock then. I used to comb the shrubs and small plants with a long stick to pave way for the pilgrims…I don’t know for how many persons I served as a guide, by holding their hands tight inside mine..”, Swamy remembered.

“How many times you must have trekked to Kudajadri then”. I couldn’t help asking.

“Can you say how many Asuras were killed by Lord Rama..?”, he retorted. A lot of great personalities climbed Kudajadri for the first time, holding Swamy’s hands. He then stayed atop the Kudajadri for a long 12 years.

By birth Swamy is a Keralite. He came to Kollur in 1949 and later embraced Sannyasa and transformed to Swamy Ramananda Saraswathy. “Sometimes Devi is like that. If impressed with, She won’t allow a few to return and compel them to stay with Her”, Swamy explained of his life at the hermitage near the Agni Theertham. He is proud to say that he is the eldest living son of Mookambika.

When asked about the great men whom he had led to Kudajadri, he recalled a few names of some famous poets and artists. It was Mohan Lal, the Malayalam actor who has impressed Swamy the most among them. “Mohan Lal is not an ordinary person as you people think. He possesses some ascetic signs of a Yogi. One day, not so late, he will turn to be a known Sanyasi…”., Swamy uttered as a sigh.

Jeeps were growling along in the first gear to trek to the top where Yogis are being formed and created to be with Nature and the Energy (Purusha & Prakriti). Clouds set ready to give them a bath, the affirmations from the soul, yet to be received…

(The author is a known stage performer across Kerala)

Ashok Kumar Kartha shares his apprehensions over a matter concerning Religion and Science in the present social scenario of a plural India, after the vernacular media of Kerala published a recent speech of Dr.A.P.J.Abdul Kalam.

 Inaugurating the valedictory function of the bicentennial celebrations of St.George’s Forane Church in Alppuzha recently Dr.A.P.J.Abdul Kalam, the unabated People’s President of India spoke to the mammoth gathering there:

“Friends as you know, every religion has two components, theology and spirituality. Even though theology is unique to every religion, the spiritual component spreads the value to be inculcated by human beings for promoting a good human life and welfare of the society, while pursuing the material life…… Economic development synchronized with education with value system and bridging of spirituality among religions can lead to enlightened citizenship….both Science and spirituality seek God’s blessings for human prosperity….”.

The next day, most of the vernacular dailies hold the headline – ‘Religions and Science should go hand in hand: Kalam”

Those who were hard-pressed to put trust on these words by the eminent news makers were got beaten up thinking, what would have prompted such a man to speak like this standing upon the dais of a Catholic church.

Brooding over the chemistry between religion and science is somewhat a sleep-jerker for many.

Dr. Kalam must have spoken it out of his affection towards his people and the virtue he keeps on glued to his voyage….Whether would he have recalled of Giordano Bruno who conceptualized universe as a continuum contrary to what the Roman Empire thought and made all believe.

Science and Religion in ancient India

Nevertheless, to think of Religion wedded to Science in the present Indian scenario is like a square peg in a round hole. Even if the religions of today can accept Science, for the true Religion it will not be possible as we stay far remote from the religious paths of the ancient India.

We can proudly say that we had a number of scientists and researchers in the primeval times – in Medicine, Astronomy, Mathematics and like all the branches of Science Indians had contributed a lot with its unique talents like Aryabhatan, Kanaadan, Madhavacharyar, Nagarjuna, Charaka et al. But we have cornered them all marginalizing into any of the many religious compartments even if some of them were utter atheists or rationalists.

Still nothing marred their voyages through the Science. None of them had to be burned at the stake like Giordano Bruno. They were bonhomie to the people..their civic stance was transparent. They lived up to the conditions of bringing peace and joy to the humanity through their find outs of their scientific cruise. They took extreme care not to exploit a single human in the name of Science. That may be the reason why we proudly remember those researchers even today.

Today

But the method by which the scientists approach the society had undergone a sea change today. Contrary to what Dr. Kalam has called for, religions of today lacks its most significant component, the spirituality. Science is now synonymous with religions sans spirituality. Science and the Religion converge at a single point — exploitation. Modus operandi of both is also the same. Science do take extreme care to hide the facts and factual from the people. By covering the real face of God, religions also hood wink the people and get the share with Science.

Researches in the field of Science are hogging at its amateurish wastes. It becomes a sponsored program of the industrialists who fix their eyes through the narrow cracks to spot a point of exploitation. Likewise religions are also in the same route showcasing festivals, rituals and celebrations gliding as if in a collage. Manifestation of God, the people yearns for, always being kept aside as a veiled climax.

At this context, toying with an idea of bring the both together is apprehensive and undoubtedly destructive.

 When emotion over rules..

Religion, at any form is lenient towards sentimentalism. It is often emotional than logical and hence is highly inflammable at any time. India has an anecdote for its illustration.

It is an accepted fact that Surgery had longer history than treatment using medicines in Ayurveda. Salya Tantra or the technique of surgery is one of the eight branches of (asthanga) Ayurveda. Ayurvedic surgeons were traditionally known as Dhanwantareeyas. “Although Egyptians performed plastic surgery as early as 3400 B.C., but it was actually in India, sometime between the sixth century B.C. and the sixth century A.D. when the ancient Ayurvedic compendium Susruta Samhita was written, that the skill evolved.” says Thomas V. DiBacco, a historian at American University.

It was during such a surgery that Lord Budhha had his tragic end. This incident instigated an emotional fury among the Budhhists that made the surgery, the ‘bloody healing’ a sin. It was later interpreted as ‘ahimsa’ and got popularity among all walks of life and it later became the byline of a religious propaganda.

Tradition slips to Industry

It nipped the bud of a growing scientific branch that rooted in India. Then the researchers turned to the alternative medicine without ‘a knife’ for healing. It targeted the medicinal plants more and it percolated into generations as a branch pf medicine sans a patent. Aurveda has been marginalizing thus, barring its way to spread out its canopy.

At the onset of British colonization, it gradually gave way for the torrents of modern medicine and we learned to forget what we earned from our heritage. The noble mission of healing became a regal industry within the hands of unjust industrialists. We were gradually being pushed into the onrush of a medicinal branch without any ethics for human life or value.

As the Science forgot the entity of human beings, the religion has divided into institutions where individual value became a naught. Each segment competed to purchase hi-tech arms to uproot the others.

Tell us..

Certain religious segments shout from the roof that most of the new inventions of Science are already invented by their religion. What is the logic behind reinventing a thing that has already invented once? Then what is the literary meaning of the word ‘invention’? Where did they lose the already revealed facts to pave way for the Science to rediscover it? If Religion is superior to Science why do they seek the support of Science to underline its confirmation? Why do they emotionalize the Religion to get big hands in social gatherings?

Whether the people in their hasty runs are leaving the Science for alternative paths? Can we call it a spiritual quest?

If so, the compartmentalized religions and modern science are apparently vulnerable as nothing to do further except merging into each other. This will be not only for their existence but also for the integrated operation of exploiting the human entity having no organizational back-up.

Redeemers

The king-pins upon whom the Religions revolve round are not ashamed of embracing the Modern Science for their daily sustenance. They never uphold the various spiritual assets of Ancient India like Ayurveda, Vedic Mathematics or Astronomy but assume the teeming pageantry of modern science peeping to the overseas universities and cultures, hi-tech hospitals and other such institutions where Ancient Indian values have no space at all.

These guised redeemers guide the people to the seductive paths of modernization leaving hardly any scar of Indian mystics. They never take any initiative to resuscitate our dying values, even when the people put their whole trust upon them. Keeping a straight face they pull the wool over the eyes of the followers even when they themselves have zero belief in it.

This quasi-religious majority are either exploiters or the exploited. Making use of the Science, Religion takes the whip-hand of the spiritual dimensions they shout for. At this juncture, when the most adored person of the country Dr.Kalam calls for the blend of such two risky factors (as being misinterpreted by the vernacular dailies) with only the spiritual dimension of the Religion in his mind, can the laymen understand its depth?

If not, there is chance for it being fall into the hands of vicious freaks of the society. If so, wouldn’t it plot for an ignition of the whole universe with its wings of desires..?

Originated in India, Yoga, a mystical experience and mental discipline, is now prevalent all over the world as an understanding of how to live to the optimum. We find yoga to bridge the gap between ourselves and anyone who looks for happiness and fulfillment. Yogacharya  D.Sreekantan Nair, Director of the Integral Psycho-Yoga and Health Association, tracks back the journey of this scientific methodology from a time primitive unto the modern.

(Illustrations — Paintings in acrylic by N.B.Lathadevi)

Yoga is an ancient art based on a harmonizing system of development for the body, mind and spirit. The word ‘yoga’ comes from the Sanskrit root “yuj” which means “to join” or “to yoke”.  If the word is considered to be taken from the root ‘Yujir’, then it means Samadhi.

Yoga is one of the six systems, Shat Darshans of Indian philosophy where other five are Nyaya,  Vaiseshika,  Samkhya,  Purva  Mimamsa and  Utthara Mimamsa. (‘Darshan’ connotes vision).

A true Indian

The origin and development of yoga mark back to historical and spiritual tracks of Indianism. Even umpteen theories have been put forth to envisage its existing entity so far.

Some are of the opinion that the history of yoga can be divided into four broad categories viz. Vedic Yoga, Pre- Classical Yoga,  Classical Yoga, and Post-Classical Yoga while some others suggest that the  development  of  yoga  can  be  classified  under  Pre-Vedic  period,  Vedic  period, Upanishadic period, Epic Period, Sutra Period,  Smrithi Period, Medieval period, and Modern Period.

Pre-Vedic Yoga:

The excavation of the Indus Valley Civilization unearths the signs of practice of yoga by the people of that time. Some of the seals mined out from there depict the picture of a deity sitting in a cross-legged position (similar to lotus posture) with a triad and surrounded by animals.

Vedic Yoga:

The yogic teachings found in the Rig-veda (Collection of hymns in praise of a higher power) and the other three ancient hymnodies are known as Vedic Yoga. The Sanskrit word veda means “Knowledge”, while the Sanskrit word Rig means “Praise”. Thus the sacred Rig-Veda is the collection of hymns that are in praise of a higher power.

The other three Vedic hymnodies Yajur Veda ( Knowledge of Sacrifice), Sama Veda ( Knowledge of Chants), Atharva Veda (Knowledge of Rituals) also connote something illuminating the wisdom of a person acquires and to be acquired.

In Vedas, we find the exotic descriptions of numerous mystic experiences.  Certain concepts of Yoga developed later are seen in their rudimentary form in Vedas.  But it is surprising to note that the words Yoga or Yogin are not seen in their technical sense in Vedas.

Upanishadic Yoga:

Real basis for the Yoga system can be found in the Upanishad texts.  Various Upanishads mention the concept of Yoga in detail.    Some of the Upanishads which describes Yoga are Amritha Bindu Upanishad, Yoga Sikhopanishad, Kaivalyopanishad and so on.

Epic Period and Yoga:

The two great Indian epics viz. Ramayana and Maha Bharatha are the rich source of information about various kinds of Yogic practices.  It is evident that during the periods of Ramayana and Maha Bharatha, Yoga was a popular system of practice.

Bhagavad Gita, the soul of Maha Bharatha has mentions over the four important varieties of yoga — Raja Yoga, Karma Yoga, Bhakthi Yoga, and Jnana Yoga.

Sutra Period and Yoga:

This period is also called the Classical period of Yoga.   During the classical period, the first systematic presentation of yoga was made in the Patanjali’s Yoga Sutras. This label applies to the eight-fold yoga also known as Astanga-yoga or Raja-yoga taught by Patanjali in his Yoga-Sutra. This Sanskrit text consisted of 196 sutras or aphorisms, which are being commented on over and over through the centuries.

The great saint Patanjali believed that each individual is a composite of matter (prakriti) and spirit (Purusha). He understood the process of yoga to bring about their separation and thereby restoring the spirit in its absolute purity.  These yoga sutras were written in the second century  and  describes  the  path  of  Raja  Yoga,  which  is  known  as  ”classical  yoga”. Patanjali is often considered as the father of yoga and his yoga-sutras still strongly influence all styles of modern yoga. According to Patanjali, the art of yoga is divided into an “eight limbed path” that contain the steps to obtain the enlightenment.

There is a strong opinion among the scholars that Budhism and Jainism have been very much influenced by the yoga concepts.   There are striking similarities of concepts and terms in early Budhist scriptures and Yogasutras of Patanjali.

Smrithi Period

The period of Smrithi starts from the times of Patanjali i.e., around 500 B.C. and lasted almost until 1000 A.D.  The Smrithis tried to combine Yoga with the daily rituals.  Thus we find Pranayama and certain purification techniques occupying a significant space in daily rituals.

Medieval Period

This period witnessed the classification of yogic practice according to some stipulated cults — Tantra Cult, Natha Cult, and Bhakthi Cult.

Tantra Cult: A vast literature on Tantra inclusive of Buddhist andJain Tantras was produced during this period.    Hindu tantra was also developed with new horizons.  The period from 7th to 12th witnessed progress in tantra literature.  Many of the Yoga practices seem to have their origin in Tantrism.

Natha Cult:

It is through the Natha cult that Hatha Yoga has evolved as an aid to Raja Yoga and became very popular. Yoga in the lineage of Nath Munis laid a great emphasis on preparing the body as a great vehicle for the higher spiritual experiences.  The great masters of Hatha Yoga in the Nath cult are Ghorakh Nath, Matsyendra Nath etc.

Bhakthi Cult; Yoga also had its impact on Bhakthi literature.  The saints have profusely written on Bhakthi and depending on their study and background they refer yoga practices now and then.

Modern Period and Yoga:

The transition of Yoga continues even today without any break.  In modern times Swamy Vivekananda made yoga popular world-wide. His speech in the world religions congregation at Chicago opened the eyes of the West with a new knowledge of Indian spiritual wisdom especially of Vedanta and Yoga.  Swami Ramtirtha, Paramhamsa Yogananda spread the message of Yoga out of India.  Ramana Maharshi, Sri Aurobindo, Swami Shivananda of Rishikesh, Swamy of Rama of Himalaya, Swamy Kuvalayanada, Swamy Vishnu Devananda, Swamy Sathyananda of Bihar, etc. are the pioneers and flag- hoisters of Yoga in Modern India.

Pottan Theyyam makes every one stand at their toe. Its prologue, Thottam paattu shoots questions towards the bosom of a State divided into irrational fragments of a void caste system. Rubina Shagin talks with a veteran Theyyam artist narrating the interesting incidents of ‘becoming’ and the ‘one-step-above-human activity’ involved in the performance.

Shrieks and roars quivered the dusky ambit of the pompous Bhagavathy temple. The crowd gathered around stood breathless, their hands folded in reverence and fear…the red flames radiated from the pyre nearby flushed their cheeks more, the numb mass tighten their legs in the dark. Suddenly with a piercing shrill of alarm the God came out of the temple in a frenzied spell, dressed in ribbons of tender coconut leaves tied around the whole body, his anklets jingled in an alarming rhythm, He threw himself into the scarlet fiery heap of burning logs.. Lying on the red cinders he laughed and laughed, then put his folded leg on the other lay there as the mightiest, again laughing at the whole world ..then rolled on the flames..again laughed. People around were spell bound, speechless..

It was Theyyattam.. the time-honored religious ritual still alive in Malabar. It was not a showcase piece exhibited in order to lure the foreigners. It is all about Theyyam, the crude tongue of Daivam, meaning God. It was their God whom the people around revered in fear and piety.

In Kannur and Kazargodu Districts of the Kerala State Theyyam performance is a religious ritual and is being performed in many temples annually. As for the Landlords and the rulers, the Theyyam was expected to bring prosperity to their domain. People believe that Theyyam can do away with all their troubles and bring them riches. So everyone regardless of caste and cult, make oneself prepared for this practice of ritual in their homes or near by temples.

.The God  talks

Risen from the pyre of beliefs and penances, the man who was impersonated the deity came out, after the blessing ceremony, raw as the old Kallen Damodaran and began to narrate the other sides of this highly perilous and breath-taking performance.

“I ve been performing this ritual since my early youth stage, at about 21 years..it is a privilege to put on the attire of Thaivam, I take it in its pious sense, nothing whimsical or fancy about it. It is the game of God..”

As for any religious ritual, Theyyattam is also being performed with a lot of ritualistic activities prior to the performance. After getting the Adayalam, an honor from the chief of the temple authority the performer lives under rigorous abstinence and self-restrictions unto the day of performance. “Only because of this intense ‘vrataa’ (penance) we are able to perform such an adventurous act.. if some one happened to  deviate from that strict observance, he and his family would have to undergo severe wrath of  God, besides the burns from the pyre”, says Damodaran firmly.

Pottan Theyyam— a call behind

Theyyam Kaliyattam, the sacred dance performance of Gods and Goddesses carry umpteen myths that strengthen its impact even in this era of Chandrayan. Significantly two myths uphold this ancient religious ceremony. Narration of this pull-back gives a grant depiction of the social order prevailed at that time, which unfasten a thoroughfare to know about the history also. In the various Theyyam forms, Pottan Theyyam that Damodaran has been performed for the last 60 years, stands apart with its unique tapestry of truth in its essence.

Thottam Pattu, the opening song of the performance in old Malayalam jargon tells you the satirical story of a domain that was and is bound to the cast and creed cult.

“Vazhi thetty vazhy thetty po pulapotta..

Enthina chovvare vazhi thettunnathu?

Ningale kothiyaalum chora onnalle…

Ningal pale perum mannathu koodumbol..

Naangal pale perum kaavil kuudunnu..

Nhangale kuppayile poovanu chovvare..

Ningale deevane poojikkunnathu chovvare…

…”

When Damodaran stops singing this song in its particular slang and rhythm, it silently asks us for introspection.

When Sankaracharya, the preceptor of Advaita theory (All are one along with God), on his way to sarvagnapeedhom (the  Ultimate Knowledge) meets the lower caste Pulaya Pottan accompanied by his wife and his dog, he asked them to clear off the way in order not to ‘pollute’ him. It mirrors the stinking stories that once existed here when the lower castes were considered to be untouchable to the privileged ones. At this context, the Pulaya Pottan asks the scholar monk, “If there is a cut on the body, the blood will come out and the blood of mine and yours will have the same color. So, what is the difference between us?” Like this he points out a lot of similarities in both and makes the scholar ‘enlightened’ so as to attain his pinnacle of knowledge. Sankaracharya realizes the Lord Siva inside that Pulaya Pottan and the other two, Goddess Parvathy and Nandikeswara.

The rational discourse of the Pulaya Pottan became the Thottam Pattu in the slang of amateurish Malayalam. Those who give an ear to the lines keeping off his eyes from the hypnotizing visions can understand what Sankaraacharya had realized out of it.

Kallen Damodaran narrates another tear-stained story of Pottan Pulayan’s origin. He began to talk of the Alankaran also a Pulayan (one of the many lower castes in Kerala). Even though born to Pulaya parents Alankaran was a whiz kid. He grew in a society which always treated him and his community with disgust. But he mastered the Vedas, forbidden to the lower castes. Once he had a debate with a Brahmin (the higher caste) as in the other story. He ordered Alankara who came across him to move away from his path. He didn’t move instead he retorted, “If the problem is with the way, I shall divide the way into two to travel for both of us”, Then Alankaran split that path using his wooden wand. The angry Brahmins later caught him and tied up his limbs threw him into a heap of fire. Being intellectual and gifted with divine knowledge, Alankaran laughed and laughed in the fire and finally succumbed to the fate, scribbled by the privileged ones.

“That is why the Theyyam laughs lying upon the fire…” for a moment Damaodaran goes back to the memories never marked in history.

Thottm paattu—a social satire

It is said that Pottan Theyyam is performed to spread the message against the cast and creed system that still exists in the society. The song and the ritual uphold the values of knowledge as mightier than the alms that rendered on birth. Theyyam being performed amidst the audience which consists of all religions and castes roars this basic fact from the roofs.

“ I m belonging to Pulaya family. Only such lower castes are chosen to guise as Theyyams. So this is a time of honor for us. Members of the privileged castes take away their pre-eminence in this context and they even seeks blessings from us..”, says a proud Damodaran. “ but we should call the higher castes first in he blessing ceremony at the end of the session..”, he added.

More over, in Literature also Thottam paatu has its own contribution. In fact, the THOTTAM PAATTU of POTTAN Theyyam is considered to be the first lyrical form in Malayaalam that retorted against the caste discrimination.

Pottan Theyyam – performance

“ I used to perform this ritual only in Mundayattu Bhagavathy Kavu, Pappinissery, Kannur. But I get a lot of requests from near by homes to play the same there….and I go there often.” said Damodaran.

Earlier, lower castes were not permitted to enter into temples where the chief-in-charge will be a Brahmin. So since the remote Dynasty times this art form has been performed in courts, royal houses and in Kavu where lower castes meet no hurdles. While temples are having Brahminical authority and idol-worship, Kavu is ‘attainable’ to lower castes, where they can guise and worship Theyyam, along with serpent and tree-worship.

Theyyam is performed from thulam to edavam (October – May) excluding the monsoon season. The art is performed at the last ‘yaamas’(last 3 hours of night), normally till 6:00 in the morning. However, the arrangements start right from the previous afternoon

“The same performer is transforming into three Godly forms, first as Pulamaruthan(Lord Nandi), then as Pulakkaali (Goddess) and finally as Pula Pottan (Lord Siva), by changing the face-masks. Thottam paattu gears up the performance which will be followed by the traditional temple orchestra.

Nivedyams (food for the deity) are bestowed first to the pulamaruthan. These include all the pulses, coconut, groundnut, raisins, jaggery, pappadam, plaintains, and even the blood of a cock, and a pot of toddy.

Costumes makes the common man the much adored deity and thus costumes and face masks have a significant role in this ritual. After make-up, the performer looks on into the mirror and transforms himself in a frenzied manner into the deity form. Then in a frantic move he comes out of the Palliyara to perform in front of the mammoth gathering.

Pula pottan is the one who jumps into the burning embers making the spectators awestruck. But we can see that his assistants pulling him from the fire, but he never yields. When asked about the ploy of this seemingly adventurous act, Kallen Damodaran replied “ It’s Lord Siva who plays there and He is there to protect me. I ve been performing for the last 60 years and I don’t remember of any burns..” Some are of the opinion that the tender coconut leaves tied around the body help them combating the heat. But if scrutinized, we can see that it is only a thinner covering when compared to the red-hot ambers.

Mourning  over the  missing

“This is my way of living..” says Damodaran. “ Earlier, people used to give some food items as rewards for this performance. But now we get a decent income from this.” Passing the days of poverty, they began to come forward to fix the rates for each performance and get a handsome way of earning. More over the Folklore Academy arranges a pension of about Rs 550 per month for each performer. Though seemed to be little, he says he is happy with it.

But Damodaran and his fellow performers are brooding over this art in another way. They complain that no one in this generation is ready to take up this ritual as an inherited art as it was. They hardly give care to learn the basics of this art. These grey haired artists are deeply concerned about this divine ritual, and they fear about the prospected extinction of this art form in the near future.

“Now, only a few is left here to perform, most of my co-performers are no more..”. , sighed Kallen Damodaran

Is there any festival which has born out of jealousy? Indeed, it is here right in India. It is nothing but Holi, which is being celebrated today wherever an Indian community lives…Rajshri Iyer talks about the symbolic and transgressing aspects of the festival of colors celebrated in different parts of India.

Every festival will have its own roots in myths along with its traditional tracks. Thus Holi has its long and sturdy taproots extended from Kashmir to Kanyakumari, with its thinner branches spread to different parts of the country in an asymmetrical manner. Various parts of India celebrate Holi in different ways and based on different myths. But on the whole we can trace back to Lord Krishna’ mischievous pranks in his childhood.

A jealous myth

When it comes to Krishna, the phenomenon ‘love’ takes its various dimensions to the amazement of those who perceive it. His love towards Radha made the poets to sing infinite melodies of immortality. But it is said that Krishna was a bit of jealousy towards his love, Radha over her fair complexion!!! (“No true love there can be without its dread penalty–jealousy”)So in His usual pranks with His ever obedient Gopikas, he used to smear Radha with dark paints or powders to make her ugly. Legends say that he used to do this mischievous act upon other Gopis also. Anyways, as to anything from Krishna, Radha was said to be enjoyed in this game of colors, even though it makes her unrecognizable.

As the time passes, the game of colors also got transformed gradually. And now, it became a rare chance for wet and wild fun for the youths and teens to mingle in the public with the mute consent of the community. Small and big screens compete with vigor over projecting the wet and wild funs in the streets and in the discotheques. At some times, more than simply a fun, or a festivity, it becomes the trenching ground of a virtuous tradition.

Romantic Holi

Holi rememorize Krishna’s pranks and as such, in Mathura (Krishna’s birth place), Barsona (Radha’s birth place) and in Vrindavan (the play ground of Krishna) the holi celebration reaches the pinnacle of devotion, reverence, festivity, enjoyment and everything positive. It becomes a resurgence of an era romantic to the chore.

When holi comes in the full moon day of Phalgun month of Hindu Calender, it becomes the mark of the kick start of spring season leaving behind the nullity of an ennui winter. Full moon is there, bonfire in memory of the Holika,(portraying the triumph of virtue over the evil), is there, the stage is all set to play the game of romance once again, in Vrindavan, Barsona and Mathura (Nandagaoan).

Men from Nandagaon come to play holi with the girls of Barsona. Sri Radhikaji Temple proclaims the solemn coming, raising flags of celebration upon the mast. Unlike in other places, instead of colors the Barsona girls greet the boys of Nandagaon with sticks and the boys defend the beats with shields (laath maar holi). Anyways, an unfortunate fellow is getting captured by the girls and they thrash him as if in a mock play. But at the end he has to adorn himself in a woman’s apparel and dance before the public to their amusement. The natives tell the story of Krishna, who once when had been captured and forced by the ladies had to do such a dance in a quixotic time. Then the women folk of Nandagaoan reciprocate to this when the Barsona men invade into their land, with dousing colors upon them.

In Sur Das’s hymns we can see the glimpses of such an amusing episode when he narrates about the pranks of Krishna and his friends.

Colors of Myths

Another hefty myth about holi festival is related with Hiranyakashipu. Hiranyakashipu was an atheist King who had his son Prahlada, an ardent believer of Lord Vishnu. Even after repeated warning, Prahlada never gave up chanting Vishnu hymns. So the father decided to kill the son. The King then, called out his sister Holika, who had acquired a special boon that she would not be affected by fire. As per the advice of her brother, she along with Prahlada walked into the burning fire. But the boon had a clause that the fire would not affect her only if she is alone. Thus she was succumbed to death and Prahlada was rescued by Lord Vishnu. This legendary episode claims the victory of evil over the piety or virtue. Thus the festival Holi has been named after Holika and in every part of India the festival starts with a bonfire that is Holika dahana.

Another version tells the story of Kamadeva, the Lord of Love. When Lord Shiva was under a long meditation without any caring of worldly affairs, Kamadeva has been delegated to awaken Him. When Kamadeva shot his arrows to call Shiva’s attention towards the turmoil going on in the universe,

Shiva got enraged and opening His Third Eye, firing, made Kamadeva into ashes. So for the remembrance of Kamadeva’s tremendous sacrifice for the sake of universal peace and prosperity, people celebrate holi with a bonfire, which is Kama dahana. Anyway, after the pleading of Kamadeva’s wife, Lord Shiva has restored him, but as a mental image, representing the true emotional aspect of love beyond the physical lust.

However, In India, Holi commemorates the upcoming spring season and hence termed as Vasanthotsav.  In West Bengal, Tagore has traditionally reintroduced this festival in his university, Shantiniketan. In Bengal and Orissa it is a festival of Phalguna Poornima or full moon and the birthday of Chaitanya Mahaprabhu who had penned a lot of hymns about Krishna.

Celebrations

Holy is the festival of colors. Smearing each other with color powders, paints, and water color people sing and dance along the streets in ecstasy. Even in the Prime Minister’s and President’s official residences, these kinds of celebrations are being staged with all the din and bustle of a festivity.

Among the Bhil Tribes in Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh, youths are allowed to form liaisons in this medley which may lead to marriages at times. Anyways, Holi is a celebration without tethers.

In the Western parts of India it is celebrated in an enchanting traditional way. A pot of butter milk is tied up high and the boys making a pyramid among them try to catch the pot, meanwhile the girls standing around throw colors at the boys. This also is in remembrance of an episode of Krishna’s childhood pranks.

Go Organic

Be it in Kashmir or in Kanyakumari, Holi connotes the vibrancy of colors. No one bothers if his white shirt turned to be a collage or his very face unidentifiable at the time of Holi. Colors ideally represent various hues of spring season to which the mass welcome in a frenzied mood.

Earlier the colors used were made out of parijat, neem, kumkum, bilwa and like medicinal herbs in order to prevent the body from being affected by viral fever and common cold at the onset of a climate change. In the name of urbanization we lost our plants and trees and hence a natural switch over to artificial dyes happened in Holy season. In the year 2001 some environmental groups like Vatavaran, Toxic Link etc. conducted a study on the chemical materials used as gulal, abeer etc. and found out that these artificial colors would cause hazardous effect in human body. Their study on the three materials that is, pastes, dry color, and water color revealed that they contain chemicals which induce skin cancer, temporary blindness, dermatitis and renal failure. Perhaps, the gulal traders appear even one week before Holi at the road sides might be unaware of this harmful effect, though the cartons in which it comes packed is labeled as ‘for industrial purpose only’.

Besides, as bonfire makes significant part of the festival, it is said that each bonfire would cost 100 Kg wood. About 30,000 bonfires will be there in the State of Gujarath only. So it is advised that one symbolic community bonfire can be have at one place instead of many in different places so that  we can cut down the wastage of wood. More over, it is common to douse each other with buckets of colored water or pumping it with big syringes. When India faces an acute water scarcity is it better to switch over to dry colors only?

Whatever happens to the style of living and the living ambience, religious festivals will be in accordance with its usual tracks. This year Holy was on March 1^st. As usual, it reminded once more about the love without lust, Holi Milan, color plays and mouth watering sweets. Above all, the radiance traversed in various colors nourished and complemented the ethereal elements of love and jealousy harmoniously compiled.

Kerala is a State, where the celebration statement is equated with caparisoned elephants, conveniently brushing aside their basic rights to live.  At the same time, a ritualistic temple festival is being celebrated in Kerala annually without the participation of elephants and adoring the lower caste people as a custom of the tradition. Get on with the palpable episodes of the festival Machad Mamankam through the photographic and narrative experiences of Arun Das.

Is there any temple festival in Kerala, with absolutely no participation of caparisoned elephants? All on a sudden, you may answer it with an abrupt ‘no’. But there are! Some presiding deities come to the rescue of the hapless Jumbo which carries their idols on its back and perambulating along with the human whims and wants. Recently, the ruling deity of Kanichukulangara temple, Alappuzha could successfully implement it, thanks to the temple authorities.

But Kanichukulangara temple is not the first one to conduct a temple festival without an elephant. One among them, significant to note is Machhadu Thiruvanikkavu temple, in the district of Trichur which is known for its craze for elephants. Instead of elephants, the 5 day long festival is celebrated with motif horses made of bamboos. Thus without besieging any living being’s rights to live, Machhad Pooram is being celebrated annually with the equal panache and pizzazz that of any other temple festival in Kerala.

Machhad Mamankam

Machhadu Mamankam better known as Thiruvanikkavu Kuthira vela is also based on the traditional rituals and customs that had been followed since 800 years. The festival is conducted by five desams (local areas) in a competitive but complacent way, compiling their processions harmoniously.

The place Machad is about 25 Kms away from Trichur city, dwells in the midst of dense forest (Machhad range) with scenic beauties of green fields and blue hills, a rare vision in the present Kerala. The adjacent places, Thekkumkara, Karumatra, Punnamparambu, Panangattukara and Manalithara are the 5 main participants of the festival which begins on the first Friday of the month Kumbham(February). Each day is dedicated to each desam and the fifth day, that is, on the next Tuesday falls to be the Pooram day.

The festival starts with the ‘parayeduppu’ (offering rice to the deity in a specific measurement from every house in the locality). The representative of the Goddess, ‘Elayathu’ or ‘Velichappadu’ receives the offering and gives blessings on behalf of the diety. Unlike other velichappadus of the Kerala temples, this man is being taken on the shoulders of four youths, who also like the velichapad, would have undergone fasting and penance for the virtuous ceremony to be carried out. This procession will be accompanied by the kombu and kuzhal (traditional musical instruments which sound the royal coming) and never followed by drums as in other festivals.

The Pooram day is the grand finale of a harmonious participation of the 5 desams, each from their domain comes to the temple with their own huge dummy horses embellished with silk clothes and twinkling ornaments. This is similar to the ezhunnellippu  of caparisoned elephants in other temple festivals. These horses are considered to be the offerings of the locals to their preserving Goddess. These horses are carried by the youths of the respective villages after the ceremonial ‘kumbhakkudam’, a spectacular and significant part of Machhad mamankam. When they reach from the five sides to the premises of the temple, Panchavadyam(the traditional temple music with five instruments including chenda), begins to thrill the mammoth gathering. Along with the din and bustle of the rhythm, Kuthirakali (dance of the horses) starts to the elation of the zealous crowd. The five teams with the motif horses reach the temple at about 2.30 p.m. that is the hottest hour of the day in the scorching February. But that doesn’t seem to debase the fervor of the people as the drum beats and the hoots of joy merge with family reunions and social tryst in the divine premises. Thundering crackers add thrills to the fervent spectators.

Another unique feature of Machadu Mamankam is the staging of ‘harijan vela’ along with the ‘kuthirakali’ the highlight of the festival. This is the arty performances of the lower caste people of the domain bringing in the ritualistic folk art forms of ancient Kerala. Earlier, these art forms were performed only by the Mannan caste of the Hindus. Now, as the educational and social developments affected Kerala, better than any other States, certain segments started to think of following the traditional things as menial and as such, some ancient heritages bad been lost for ever in this soil. But to certain aspect, these particular sector ‘harijan vela’ has somewhat survived the ravages of time, as it is an honor given by the whole village to their particular community. Thus with the enchanting ‘kuthirakali’, these folk art forms (poothan, thira, aandi, naayadi) also contribute richness to the celebrations.

On the 6^th day, by lifting and throwing the dummy horses up the ecstatic youths demolish the ‘panthal’(the crafted temporary shed to stage the festival) in a ceremonious track. After this solemn finale, ‘paavakoothu’(puppet play) narrating the epic stories, is being staged for 7 consecutive days along with ‘kalampaattu’. Kalampaattu also tells certain episodes of the Hindu classics, through ritualistic music sitting around the portrait of a deity, drawn using multi colored powders.

Unique and traditional

Machadu Mamankam, thus bridges the new generation of the domain to the traditional richness they possessed once. All the procedures during the 6 days of the festival are in concordant with solid lineage under the stringent measures of administration. The rituals practiced during these days unfold the myth behind this rich festivity. It brings us back to 800 years when there was no motor vehicle to travel. The story goes like this:

Once, an aged devotee from a distant place walked to Kodungallur to worship Goddess Kali. Impressed with his devotion the Goddess accompanied him sitting on his umbrella. (When narrating something about the myths of Trichur Pooram, we find a similar incident in which the Goddess came to Trichur on a devotees’ umbrella, and this event became the quintessential for the famous Ilanjitharamelam, an integral part of the enthralling Trichur Pooram.). Walking such a long distance, in the midway, the aged devotee sat somewhere near Machad, putting his umbrella there. Then a lower caste man (Gandhiji termed them as Harijans) guided him to a near by house to pass the night. Next morning to start his walking again when he tried to take the umbrella, to his astonishment, it did not move.

Finding something ethereal in the incident, the locals around conducted a ‘devaprasnam’ (an astrological calculation) and found out that the Goddess was wished to stay there. Thus the idol of Godess Kali (Durga) has been installed there auspiciously as Thiruvanikkavu Bhagavathi in Machadu.

The rituals of the festival are closely twined to the chore of this narration. Thus the curtain raiser of the Mamankam festival begins with the parapurappadu, in which the first para to be taken is that of a harijan in memory of the harijan who guided the old devotee to the sojourn. Also there is a specific niche for them to stage their folk arts in the festival arena. Anyways, in a rustic village like Machad, they are being treated as equal or more at this event, when the discriminations on caste and creed is high even at the metros in the State.

Whether due to the protest against elephant abuse or due to the fear of the gigantic beast, Thiruvanikkavu Bhagavathi does not wish to mount her idol upon an elephant’s back. Thanks to the Goddess and the temple authorities and of course to the zealous public of Machadu, no living thing is being tortured for the enjoyment of humans here.

Another special feature of Machadu Mamankam is the solemn coming of the representative of the Goddess, ‘velichappadu’. The youths who take the ‘elayathu’ on the shoulders are running from home to home, radiating some kind of energy vibrations among the devotees. Myths differ here in various ways in which one narration is that once when an ‘elayathu’ was visiting homes on foot he was poisoned by a snake and succumbed to death. That ‘elayathu’ is still being worshipped in the temple premises along with the sub-deities.

This year Machad Mamankam is celebrated on 22^nd of February.

Most of the festivals in India are either directly or indirectly related to the cultural past of the country. As the generation changes, it undergoes various evolutionary processes which sometimes may subject to immense changes from the original version and make it trail off the heritage track. Rajashri Iyer, brings out the evolutionary graph of such a crippled version of a traditional Tamil festival ‘manju viratuu’, now famous all over the world as ‘Jallikkattu’.

‘Thai pirandal vazhi pirakkum’ (birth of the Thai month will pave way for new opportunities) is a common saying among the Tamils when referring Pongal, the harvest festival being named after a dish. For the Tamils, Pongal is not only a harvest festival but a delicious dish prepared on and off the festival also. Like Onam for Kerala, Lohri for Punjab and Haryana, Pongal is also a harvest festival, commemorating the once rich agrarian community existed here.

Every harvest festival is meant to pay gratitude and homage to the Nature and the natural beings which supported the humans for their gross harvest. Pongal also, celebrated in 4 consecutive days, each day dedicated to different energies. First day is dedicated to Lord Indra, who provided rain for their farming (Bhogi Pongal). The second day is dedicated to praying to Sun God, by cooking pongal. (pongal means ‘boiling over’ which points out the ‘state of being auspiciously full’)in the name Surya pongal.. The third day is ‘Maattu pongal’, on which, the cattle are being decorated and worshipped, as they were also a part of their farming and labor. Fourth day is ‘Kaanum Pongal’. Family members visit each other; youngsters pay homage to the elders and like a kind of remembrance of the old values once glued to our cultural heritage. As usual, every living festival brings in the lost vigor and recharges the community, with the energy of a strong background to enliven the rest life.

Third day, that is, the ‘mattu pongal’ day is the real celebration among the villagers. On that day, ironically, cattle are being greeted as well as teased to the enjoyment of the onlookers.  That is Jallikkattu, the fierce bullfighting which attracts even foreigners to the hot and dusty streets of the Tamil villages. In spite of the urbanization, the tradition and custom related has not diminished here. Though Pongal is a time to discard the old and welcome the new, certain old traits are still clung to the chore of their life style. At times, it reaches the brim of wilderness with which we lived in the Stone Age.

Jallikkatt- Traditional turn back

According to Art Historians, this is an age old practice in Tamil Nadu. Certain rock paintings found in Karikkiyur village, in the Nilgiri district show pictures depicting men chasing the bulls. Another such painting has been found out in a cave at Mattuppetti, a small rural area in the Madurai-Dindigul route. That shows a single man trying to control a raged bull. As per the Art Historians, these paintings had been done with red ochre and white kaolin in the style of x-ray painting. Hence they calculate an approximate age of 3500 years to these paintings.

Since the art tells the culture of the time and space, this lead us 3500 years back, when there was a custom, chasing the bulls, which may or may not be the practice of the time. There have been a number of folklores regarding such sport all through Tamil Nadu, as popular warriors used to practice this game as a part of their training and exhibition. Legends tell that women of royal families chose their grooms, by conducting such bull fights, in which the successful ‘matadors’ get the royal brides. This is somewhat similar to the ‘swayamvara’method (choosing the groom out of the invited many by the bride) practiced in ancient imperial palaces.

In the ancient Tamil tradition, there is the mentioning of a custom practiced at the time of pongal, a sportive game called ‘manju virattu’, meaning ‘chasing the bull’. Another version spotted is ‘eruthu kattsu’, denoting ‘lassoing the bulls’. During the harvest festival, the decorated bulls would be let loose in the roads and the village youths would take pride in chasing them and out running them. Women, children and others watched this fun game from the side lines. Nobody was got injured. The youths would take delight in lassoing the sprinting bulls with rope.

Festival is verbally and practically equated always with celebrations and celebration always ties up with revels. Thus while letting loose the tethered animals, they enjoyed the freedom to run apart from the stipulated path without a plough upon their shoulder. The youths also enjoyed playing with them in a sportsman spirit. Others reveled on watching it passively as well as actively. Teeming and bombastic rhapsody reverberated all along. This is what is called a celebration, the relaxation period after a long and tiresome labor.

Jallikkatt through evolutions

We can put the curse upon the landlordism; the seigniorial custom existed in India before the colonial invasion. The landlords aided this practice by promoting it into a gallery sport.  They associated this game with the village deities in order to have the cent percent take part of the villagers. They established their power always upon their tenants. But they never let their own bulls for the game. They feared to loose their face, if a tenant could win over their bull.

As there are no murals or sculptures depicting the present form of jallikkattu, we can assume that, this is a highly evolved game, the background of which might have some sort of kinship with the ancient ‘manju virattu’. The landlordism intervened may be the root cause of the present ferocious form it availed during the evolution, while being a part of a colorful festival.

When it became a gallery sport, a narrow gate was built to let the bulls one by one into the open air and the contesting youths would be about 100 feet away to control it. The ferocious bulls charge towards the mob around (inside the bamboo fence), and the youths try to wrest the bounty tied to its horns.

All for a T-shirt

Anything laced with valor, adventure and vigor or any one who is virile and macho is an obsession to the Tamils. That is why we see the silver screen heart throbs of Tamil, are always depicted as super humans in the movies. It is particular about the Tamils to adore those who exhibit scrupulous audacity.

Even a film bannered as “jallikkattu” was a box office hit here starring none other than Superstar Rajanikanth.  In another Tamil movie ‘virumandi’, it was Ulaga nayagan Kamal Hassan who has essayed the role of a jallikkattu contestant. Kamal Hassan, known for his innovative experiments in acting, has done the risky scenes with the bull without a screen dupe.

During the event, thousands of villagers crowded at the site encircled with bamboo fences. The specially nurtured bulls of the Auroch trait having more vigor and power than the ordinary bulls, decorated with marigold garlands and turmeric powder, are being released for the ‘fight or flight’ game. Youths try to cling onto its hump, the bull kicks them off by shaking its body, sometimes it tramples them and runs in a rage, another one comes by sometimes get on with. The crowd including the foreigners howls and shrieks in revelry. If there is a winner, he gets a T-shirt or a film CD.

Often it becomes a bloody sport, killing and mauling the contestants. Sometimes the raged bull with its razor sharp horns bursts into the spectators and many hurt in the stampede. People, sometimes jostled to have a closer look at the bull, then the barricades become useless.

Tamil veeram(valour)

Even though a close relative was killed in this bloody event, no one bothers it. Instead they boast ‘this is our tradition…this is in our blood’.

In 2008, when such a stampede occurred, a 14 year boy died, after the bull plowed into the spectators. Then the Supreme Court banned this game connoting it as ‘violent and wild’ in nature. But they had to bow before the mammoth protests of the villagers who threatened to surrender their ration cards if the government did not take action against the ban. They even resolved to observe January 15^th (the day of jallikkatt) as ‘black day’.

The same gory things repeated in various venues after lifting the ban. Meanwhile, the Animal Welfare Board petitioned to the court as the sport is the violation of the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act. They alleged that, these beasts are being pushed forward after sprinkling chilly powder and lemon juice into their eyes. To make them more ferocious, they are made to drink alcohol and the already alcoholic contestants hurt them by pulling their tails etc. But the organizing committee and the public countered these arguments by pointing out that; the contestants were unarmed while the animal’s horns were sharpened. Unlike the similar Spanish bull fighting, these animals were let loose and never get assaulted.

Again the Supreme Court had to lift the ban but they advocated the government to conduct the event “only under sufficient precautionary and safety measures”. Still what was the outcome? – More than 20 casualties.

But deaths never deter the spirit of Tamils. In spite of the protests and verdicts, the bloody tradition continues here guising as a part of the rich Tamil culture. They believe and boast that “ithu than da Tamil veeram’. (This is the real Tamil valour).

Belief and Disbelief

“I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the ending” saith the Lord. He also consoled his disciples “Let thy belief save thee”. Conflicts within were there, even before the ages have been divided as, before and after Christ. But in all the ages man was the same having a true self as his own, but not aware of its presence or absence. He is still in pursuit of its very existence and for that he needs support, physically as well as spiritually.

There had been a chain of conflicts regarding belief since its origin. The conflicts are both internal and external. The latter is nothing but the conflict between theism and atheism. Elsewhere Osho said, ‘it is difficult to change or convince an atheist or a theist….. in one way both are true. So don’t try to change their mindset’. Christ has already told to trust in one’s own believes. The only way left is to edify the whole mankind, irrespective of their religion and belief, the three folded experience of the human mind existing as the pinnacle of Truth.

Vedantic interpretations

We were talking about ‘aum’ and its capacity to heal the wounds of sufferings that humans bear. India is a country that destined to lead the world spiritually, as thought and dreamt by our great fore-fathers. All those virtuous leaders whom the world adores and reveres irrespective of their nativity, were lured and led by the ‘vedanta’ principles, taught by the enlightened Indian gurus. The word ‘vedanta’ means ‘the end of Vedas’, where the Upanishads start, where the enlightenment sparkles, and where the intellect works out.

When talking about the philosophy of ‘aum’ one can never rule out its vedantic elucidations. According to Vedanta, the sound ‘A’ in ‘AUM’ represents the so-called material universe, which we observe in our walking state, that is the awakened state. The ‘U” signifies our whimsical world, the world of dreams, spirits, heaven, hell and like. Finally, ‘M’ stands for the unknown, deep-sleep state and all those things which are beyond the comprehension of intellect.

It is worthy to note at this juncture that, the philosophy of the West is based only on the experiences in the walking state and takes barely a little notice of the experience of the dream or the deep sleep state. Vedanta says that in order to find out the ultimate reality, (that is the query of a life) or truth, one must analyze these three states of experiences; otherwise it will be an incomplete quest. Vedanta takes into account, the three fold experiences to the investigations and discoveries of the spiritual journey – man’s endless pursuit for solace, happiness and peace.

There is no need of an explanation even to an ordinary man who survives on mundane pleasures, of what is happening in his walking state. In the second state, that is, in his dreams, even though there is a breach between him and his outer world, the same ‘I’ who existed in the walking state remains. And that ‘I’ itself perceives by and through the dreams that pivot his senses. In the third state, he loses all his personal consciousness, all his intellects and voluntary and involuntary thinking capacities. Still we can see that an aota of ‘I”, that is his self remains as such. That ‘I’ goes to the fathoms of nothingness to merge with the vacuum to be synthesized with the world of realization.

Thus the ‘I’ or self is the same in all these three states. This is the unchangeable and immutable principle of reality, which cannot be denied by any counter point unless undergoing such an experience. This constant reality that remains through the three fold world is the true self or ‘atman’. And this is ‘AUM’.

Who am I?

A doctor can tell the anxious persons outside the ICU that their beloved inside was ‘clinically dead.’ Clinical death cannot reveal anything, any mass lost from the body. But something had gone out of the body leaving it helpless to own a self. That something was beyond our susceptibility and visibility. So, now, where is it? And where was it?

For an average person who thrives upon daily sustenance this is not an easy job. But glimpses of such thoughts are seen sprouting here and there, in the mess of life, struggles to achieve targets. That may be the reason why meditation and yoga centers are shooting out across the county like never before. Still remains certain segments who throw dubious eyes towards the verity of such acts. In a world of fake ethics and duplicate theisms, it is natural to have a second thought against any thing which trails off normalcy.

To understand something, we need a perception which in turn is possible only through our sense organs. Thus we see and feel a world around us. But we have another world inside us. In the world of fast-paced life giving out only stress and strain, no one gets time to look into one’s own inside. But ultimately they reach a point where they start to search for solace, happiness and peace. These queries paved the ways to human gods, who were already there before. Some people call them living gods. (So, were we worshipping dead ones?)

Need a human-god?

Deception in this field is common in India, now a day. It is the ruthless exploitation of the agonized hearts goring through its drenched and weak fractions. But to have an enlightened one to extend hands towards those who are really needed is a blissful thing. The steps to the goal are not easy to climb. While we all were busy plying to and fro after the mundane pleasures, they were wandering through the wilderness of these three dimensioned states of being. They come back enlightened, not to tell the people what they experienced, but what the people actually need. Because, even if we go for the meditation program we do not know why we are going and what we are going to get out of it. Here, the enlightened ones play as interpreters to dissect your own self to show you ‘you are this and you need this’.

We became Babbitts and gadget-junkies and we need intellectual evidence to trust in anything with which we come across. We are even dubious of the undefiled love of our mothers. So it is natural to have two segments on the basis of belief and non-belief. But a truly enlightened one can lead you where you do want to reach.(Otherwise, you can opt the way of a lonely journey.). But just realize that they know who you are as they have already known that who they are. That is why they chant ‘aum’ in a salubrious pitch, which imparts the electric waves of solace touching your skin, sometimes deep inside.

Still not getting solace, the fault is within. Try hard to unravel the three-folds. You need not go for a mediator person in your dealings with your own self or God. And, if you are suspicious of the existence of such a power, at least trust in yourself. As Jesus said, that would also help you to find out the “I” in the three-fold states as A – U – M……Vedanta says.

Continues…………..