Vishnu related - Thirupathi temple's peculiarities

 This is an article to give some of the specialties of the Thirupathi Thirumala Temple. These specialties are only few of the several such specialties or peculiarities.

Thirupathi Thirumala Srinivasa/Balaji temple is the richest worship place in the world. After the recent discovery of the treasure of Sri Padmanabha Swamy Temple at Thiruvananthapuram in Kerala, there is a doubt as to whether Thirupathi or Thiruvnanthapuram is the richest. The Thirupathi temple wealth is from the offerings and hundi collections of the devotees from the below poverty common man to the emperors of ester years and the richest tycoons and politicians of the present day. Whereas the wealth of Sri Pdmanabhaswamy is to a great extent from the rulers of the erstwhile Travancore kings. Thirupathi Thirumala temple is in Andra Pradesh. Chennai is the nearest City. Next nearest City is Bangalore.

There are many peculiarities in or associated with Thirupathi Temple. Some of them are mentioned in this article.

There is a belief that this temple was originally a Devi temple of Bala Thripura Sundari and at a later period converted into the Srinivasa/Balaji (an aspect of Lord Vishnu). Some people believe that the idol of the deity is in feminine form.

The Hundi (offer boxes)of Thirupathi are famous. People put large offerings like bundles of currency notes of various denominations, gold/silver coins and biscuits, precious stones etc in large quantities. This temple utilizes large funds for religious and educational purposes. The temple trust maintains religious and educational institutions for public. It is trying to spread the Hindu religious concepts.

The archakas (Poojarees/priests) of the temple state that the idol of the deity of Thirupathi temple is hot to touch and they say that it will be around 43.5 degree Celsius (110.04 degree Fahrenheit) temperature in spite of the temple being at a height of about 3000 feet above sea level with breeze. They say that when the ornaments are removed from the idol in the mornings the same will be very hot.

Everyday morning during suprabhath the idol will be bathed with different items like milk, curd, ghee, honey, tender coconut water, fruits, water etc. The idol will have sweating immediately after the abhishekaas (sacred bathing) with the above items. The priests remove the sweat with the use of silk cloths.

The most famous naivedya (food offering) is curd rice. The curd rice is cooked and offered daily in new mud pots. The curd rice offered to the deity is offered as prasad to devotees. The devotees who get this consider it as an evidence of the lords blessings to them. The most famous offering of thirupathi temple is the famous thirupathi laadoo. It used to remain without damage for a week and the size used to be as much as a big coconut. Now the laadoos are made mechanically and will last only for 3 to 5 days without getting spoiled and the size also reduced to the half of original.

The silk clothing used to adorn the lord will be about 10 meters long and is specially made by a weaver family as their right. This cloth weighs about 6 kgs. People who want to buy this cloth have to pay a deposit amount to the trust and wait for about 5 years to have their turn. The cloths used on special days will cost about Rs 30,000/- and people may have to wait for more than 10 years after paying for the same. So much demand is there for these cloths.

The idol of the deity is made of a special type of rock found in one of the 7 hills about 2 km away from the hill where the temple is situated. It is believed that these rocks are 2500 million years old. According to some if camphor is used on the stone the stone will develop cracks. But in Thirupathi camphor is applied every day to the idol without any damage.

The pooja items for this temple come from different parts of the world daily by air flight. The saffron (kumkum) flower comes from Spain,  Kasthuri comes daily from Nepal, Gorochan and akil from China, Sandal oil and musk comes from Paris and Rose flowers from Amsterdam.

The idol at Thirupathi temple is decorated as Mahalakshmi on 4 days, as Lord Vishnu on 2 days and 1 day as lord Parameswar. On Sivarathri days the forehead of the idol will be smeared with diamond ashes. The temple's tree is Tamarind tree unlike the Banyan tree usually found as the temple tree of Vishnu temples. The temple is open for the maximum time comparing to any other place of worship. We will find almost all the deities with at least one weapon in the hand, but the idol at Thirupathi Thirumala Temple is without any weapon.

It is a worship place where maximum number of devotees visit every day comparing to any other place of worship in the whole world. On normal days the average number of devotees visiting is estimated at about a lakh. The temple provide free lunch for any number of devotees if they take free token (to avoid wastage) for the same. Tens of thousands of people take food here considering it as prasad.

While most of the people go to the temple at the top of the hill in vehicles, a large number of devotees climb the hill (as a wow) which will take about 2 to 3 hours depending on the health and age of the devotees.

Before visiting the Thirupathi Srinivas/Balaji temple one is supposed to have Darsan (worship) of the Varaha Swamy (god with the head of boar an incarnation of Lord Vishnu to rescue the earth from going to the bottom of the milky ocean). After this the Lord Srinivasa is to be worshiped and then have darsan/worship of the Lord's consort Padmavathi at her temple at Thiruchanur about 8 km from the Thirupathi temple. After this darsan, the devotee is to  visit the Kalahasthi Siva Temple about 45 km away from Thirupathi towards Chennai. Only with these the worship of Thirupathi is supposed to be complete and fruitful. The Kalahasthi temple is a famous Siva temple where people go to offer prayers to ward of Sarpa Dosha (parihara or relief from the bad effect due to unfavorable positions of the shadow planets Rahu and Kethu).

General - Procedures of worship in temples

We are to observe certain procedures while worship the deity/s of the temple. First thing is to take bath. If bath is already taken, then wash the feet, face and hands and sprinkle a little water on the body. Every temple will be having a tank/pond near to it. However, if one is entering after praying at another nearby  temple, this procedure need not be followed.

 Why remove upper clothing of men inside temples?

Gents should remove shirts for better benefits. In some places mainly in all temples of Kerala this procedure is compulsory.  There may be a doubt as to why men should remove shirt while ladies have no such restriction. It is mainly because of the fact that the positive energy from the sanctum sanctorum travels in the shape of lightning or like snake. This energy enters through the face and neck of the women who may wear gold ornaments which easily absorb and transmit the energy to the wearer. As far as the men are concerned the energy passes through the heart area. Inside the temple, first pray at the flag post. While standing in front of the sanctum men should stand at the left side of the sanctum and women at the right side of sanctum. Standing should be slightly sideways. If there are already devotees standing we should stand behind them. It is the belief that if we try to overtake those who are in front of us we not only do not get the positive energy but will attract negative energy and effect of the darsan. No one should stand directly in front of the entrance and not to cross the nada (entrance) of the sanctum. All devotees should take care to see that no hair, nail piece, blood or balance of 'prasad' falls from us.

Praying or requesting favor

Look at the deity and pray or make the request to the god then slowly close your eyes and concentrate the image of the deity in the mind. It is a belief if one experience warmth or see a flower from the deity falling are expected to be good. The 'theertha' and 'prasad' should be taken only after our praying to the deity. In addition to depositing our offerings in hundi, dakshina (offering) to the priest is OK.


Namaskars - Prostrations

After the worship in the temple, come back to the flag post (Dwaja Stamb) or Bali Peetam (stones for offering sacrificial food)  and do the prostation to the deity on the side. Now in many temples the place for prostation is marked. Wherever the marking is there do the prostation at that place only. Where it is not marked, do the prostation on the left side of the flag post or bali peetam by men and on the right by women. Men can do the full body prostation (like lying on stomach with hands in the namasthe posture above head. Ladies are not supposed to do the full body prostation.

 Aalms - Danas - Donations

Whenever possible offer Anna Dana (supply of free food). At least try to make it once a year. Every religion believes that 'Anna Dana is maha Dana' (food distributions is the greatest gift one can think of).  If we want to give alms to the beggars, first give the alms to them and then enter the temple to pray.

Excepting worship or chanting stotras, or songs praising the deity no talk or gossip are to be done inside.

While offering 'neivedya' (food offerings) to the deity we are not to pray or worship. This is just like somebody disturbing us while taking food.

When attending discourses we should not stand up or disturb those who are behind us by obstructing their vision or diverting their attentions. If they are disturbed it will invite the unpleasantness of the deity or god.

Siva related - Psychic cure by Puzhal Eswara temple Prasada

There is a temple near Chennai City famous for cure of persons affected by mental (psychological) problems. The name of the temple is Puzhal Eswar Temple.It is about 125 km from Chennai City. It is connected by bus and the bus stop name is Puzhal Jail stop. It is the belief that those who are having mental problems get relief from their disease by offering worship in this temple at Puzhal.

Puzhal temple is dedicated to Lord Siva (Maheswar). If the mentally affected people come here and offer worship they will get cured. The best time for the cure is the Pournami (full moon) day of the Mithuna masa (Gemini zodiac - normally falling in the 2nd half of May month of English calendar). On this day the idol of the deity will be having special abhisheka (sacred bathing of the idol). The abhishek is done with a mixture of extracts (juices) of 64 medicinal plants. People with mental trouble should visit on these occasions and witness the abhishek and take the prasad (a material substance that is first offered to a deity and then consumed). The prasad is the juice used for the abhishek of the idol.

Vishnu related - Salagrama

 Salagrama stones

Salagrama are special granite stones found only in Nepal. Even in Nepal it may not be available all over. It is available in the River Gantaki which originates from a place called Salagram in Nepal. The Salagram stones which move at a very slow pace in the current of the water. Most of them are of thousands of years old. During the slow movement in the water, some water borne creatures makes patterns or holes in these stones. The patterns in many cases will be wonderful resembling to the sudrsana chakra, conch (sea shells) or other signs.

 Salagramas and Lord Vishnu

Salagram is associated with Lord Vishnu, Just as Linga is associated with Lord Siva. It is believed that if the Salagrams are kept in the pooja rooms at home or temples; treated as auspicious holy items and offer worship the same will bring prosperity, peace and health. Similarly it is believed that if Salagrams are not treated with reverence it will result in miseries in the families.

Nepal, Salagramas and Sri Anantha Padmanabha Swamy of Thiruvananthapuram

Incidentally it will not be out of place to mention that the idol of Sri Anantha Padmanabha Swamy Temple is made of about 12,000 Salagramas joined and shaped with the aid of a special paste of Kadu Sarkara Yoga. Kadu Sarkara means raw jaggery (a raw sweetener made out of sugar cane juice). The paste is made by preparation of special mixture of the raw jaggery and 64 Ayurvedic medicinal plants. This paste will prevent the worms and insects damaging the Salagramas used in the idol of the Lord. As per records the Travancore Maharaja requested the king of Nepal for the Salagrama  stones. The Nepal King sent about 50,000 Salagram stones with the accompaniment of elephants, solders of the kingdom and thousands of devotees upto Trivandrum (present Thiruvananthapuram - the name of the city is after the lord of the city). Out of the stones so received only around 12,000 are supposed to have been used and as per a belief the balance stones are deposited in the holy pond of the Sri Padmanabha Swamy temple known as the Padma (lotus) theertha (pond - tank).

General - Namaskar or prstration and the codes

What is Prostration or namaskar?

Prostration or namaskar means submission, compliance or surrender to another person/s, doctrine or power (Sakti). It can be mental (emotional) submission or surrender or a body posture. In religious practice it is a combination of both the mental and body submission. Most of the religions suggest the practice of prostration or namaskar with certain modifications suiting to the environments. Hindu philosophy has a much elaborated codes to observe while doing the namaskar or prostrations. The act is the submission or surrender of the self to another, mainly to the noble, divine or elderly persons, or to the god or to the Supreme Being. It involves not only the surrender emotionally but also bodily. It is also done to respect the civil authorities like the kings or princes in the olden days and now the Government officials. It is a part of our religious, traditional and civil rituals.

How are namaskar to be performed?

First the persons have to join the palms and keep it in front of the chest and bow the head to the front. The eyes are to be closed. The closing of the eye is done to visualize the god within ourselves.

Why foot wears should not be worn?

For Hindus wearing of foot wears is prohibited. The reason given in the holy scriptures of Hindu philosophy is that wearing foot wear will increase the rajo and thamo gunaas (the worldly or animal instinct) in us which is contrary to the principle of submission. The prostration or namaskar is intended to increase the kundalini energy (a core of the spiritual energy system in the body). As the foot wears increases the rajo and thamo gunaas namaskar (paying obeisance or respect) will not activate the kundalini. However in cold countries like the Europe, Russia etc it will not be wise and practical to avoid wearing footwear (shoes) to prevent catching cold and cold related illnesses. So they have to wear footwear. If the rajo or thamo gunaas are increased correspondingly the satva guna will reduce. So one of the benefits of doing namaskar is nullified or marginalized as the satva guna is not derived from the act of prostration (namaskar). If the namaskar with the footwear on is done to a deity, the deity may get annoyed. Besides wearing foot wear may not bring in the mental part of submission as the ego do not get reduced.

Do not hold anything while doing namaskar

When we hold something in the hand the fingers will be bent or curled. But while doing namaskar fingers should be straight to get the benefit of prostration. The bent of curled position is believed to prevent the satva energy from entering into us through the tips of the fingers. The satva energy coming towards the persons prostrating will be deflected by the object held in the hands. One more reason is that the object held in the hands may be with rajo or tamo energies and if the person touches the chest or forehead as required in the act of namaskar, the rajo or thamo energies enter into us which is contrary to the desired effect of getting the satva energy through the prostration.

Should the head be covered during namaskar?

According to the ‘Aapasthamba Dharma sutra’ persons doing namaskar is not to wear footwear, hold things in the hands or cover their heads. We have already seen the effects of wearing foot wears and holding things. Let us see the effect of the covering of head. When one do namaskar his/her kundalini gets activated when the folded hands touch the portion where the kundalini is situated. This will facilitate the satva energy is to be absorbed in the body. Many a times when kundalini is activated satva energy enters through the head also. But at the same time there is also a possibility of the negative energies getting mixed with the satva energies. Men are more susceptible to get the negative energies mixed with the satva energies. But the women get distressed by some of the negative energies more. Therefore the rule is that the men should not cover the heads and the women should cover their heads with the end of the saris they are wearing to prevent the negative energies entering through the heads. The saris act as an obstacle for the negative energies from entering the body. Just as the cloth is obstacle to the negative energies, it is also a barrier to the positive energies (satva gunaas) and hence the benefit of the positive energies is also reduced. However the satva gunaas are more subtle than the negative ones and hence to some extent they enter the bodies due o their suitableness. The difference between men and women in this respect is due to the energies beneficial to them due to their respective nature and constitution and functions. This is to indicate to us that the god takes care of all of us in spite of the differences. If the devotee or the person prostrating with full involvement of the spiritual emotion or deep devotion the restrictions need not be followed as the mental attitude will take care of the rajo/tamo or the satva gunaas.

Vishnu related - Real Devotion to the deity

When Sri Krishna was going to Hastinapur as the ambassador of Pandvas to talk compromise to avoid a battle, he had to pass the houses of valiant and courageous officers of the Kaurava kingdom the Maharathees like Bhishma, Drona, Kripa, Aswathama and others. When Sri Krishna was passing by the gates of their houses, each of them invited the lord to enter their house and have refreshments, take rest and then proceed to the Palace of Hastinapur of king Dhritharastra. Bhishma, Drona, Aswathama etc called the lord and lord this is my house. Please come inside take refreshment, rest and then proceed to the palace. Sri Krishna gave all of them his charming smile without going into any of their houses. Further on when he was just about to pass the house of Vidhura, Vidhura went to the street to greet Sri Krishna. He told Sri Krishna oh! Lord this is your house. Pleas come inside have some refreshment, take rest and then proceed to the Palace for the compromise talk.

Sri Krishna went to the house had fruits and milk took rest for a while and proceeded to the Palace of Dhrithrashtr for the talk. While every other person requested the lord to their houses, Vidhura invited the lord telling the house to be of the lord indicating that he had no ego at all while all others though were admirers and devotees of the lord had their ego. Vidura's attitude of real devotion or surrender to the lord was the reason why Sri Krishna preferred to go to Vidura's house instead of the others.