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Tag: Vibhuti

  • What Is Vibhuti,The Holy Sacred Ash

    Hindus wear their sect’s religious symbol on their foreheads.

    The symbol is of two types.

    One is ‘Vibhuti, also called ‘Thiruneeru’ and another is’ Nama’ (Thiruman).

    Vibhuti is applied to the forehead by those who worship Shiva and Nama or Thiruman by the worshipers of Vishnu, .

    The Smritis insist on one wearing either of these; failure will result in spiritual non development.

    Vedic scriptures say,

    “Lalaata Shoonyam Smashaana Tulyam”,which means that “an empty forehead is comparable to a cemetery.

    The great saint Thiru Gyaana Sambandar did many wonders with Vibhuthi and he expounds the greatness of Vibhuti in one of his Pathigams called “Thiruneetru Pathigam” as follows,

    Mandhira maavadhu neeru| Vaanavar meeladhu neeru ||

    Sundhara maavadhu neeru |Thudhikkap paduvadhu neeru ||

    Thandhira maavadhu neeru| Chamayaththil ullaadhu neeru ||

    Senthuvar vaayumai pangan|Thiruaalavaayaan Thiruneerae ||

    Vibhuti.

    The term Vibhuti means , in general, greatness, and here it means the Sacred Ash as well.

    The Bhagavad Gita has a Chapter called The Vibhuti Yoga(Chapter 10) where Lord Krishna speaks of His various manifestations, including His Universal Form, Virat Roopa’

    Therefore the Chapter is called the Vibhuti Yoga.

    How come this Sacred Ash is  reckoned to be Great?

    In Life, Hinduism asserts, that one should be humble and remember his status, that is of his Mortality.

    Accepting Mortality wholeheartedly calls for great effort, and once you accept this, you would not behave in such a way that hurts others.

    Because the Vibhuti represents the Ashes one’s Body is turned into after death, the applying of Vibhuti reminds one constantly of his mortality.

    The acceptance of this fact and consequent sober behavior speaks of greatness.

    Hence Vibhuti is called as such.

    In Sanskrit, Bhoothi means Aishwaryam, meaning wealth, treasure, precious. Vi-bhoothi with an Upasarga (preposition “vi”) means very or more valuable. The synonyms of Vibhuhti in Sanskrit as said in the Amara-kosha is “Vibhuthi: bhoothi: Aishwaryam”.Vibhuhti can also be called as Bhoothi,Aishwaryam,Basma.

    Legends and Purana have it that Lord Rudra( as distinct from Lord Shiva) Resides in the Smasana, where the bodies are cremated.

    The Hindu custom is that once one dies, the body must be kept at Home for a period of ,minimum 3 nazhikais or approximately one and a half hours before the Death ceremonies begin(One Nazhikai-24 minutes, Two and a Half Nazhikais, one hour).

    The ceremonies at Home shall take about an hour and a half.

    Travel to burning Ghat an hour,ceremony at the Ghat an hour, that makes about five hours from the time of Death to lighting the Pyre.

    The chances of the Death not being final is guaranteed during this period , as the body is not to be set afire before this period.

    Rudra is the Deity of Destruction, destroys only to enable for its reappearance -Thirodhana (Concealment), an Attribute of Lord Shiva, the others being,Srusti as Brahma, Stithi as Vishnu,Samhara, as Rudra,Thirodhana and Anugraha as Shiva.(Concealment and Grace).

    As Rudra is the ruling Deity of Death,Vibhuti is applied.

    Thiruman or Nama is used by the Srivaishnavas, for Lord Govinda, a Name of Lord Krishna, is the ruling Deity after Death.

    Blog on Nama, Thiruman, follows.

    There are eleven Rudras, the Rudra we have for Death is the Chief among them.

    The Eleven Rudras, Ekadasa Rudras and Their Consorts,

    The 11 Rudras are as follows:

    1. Mahadeva, 2. Shiva , 3. Maha Rudra, 4. Shankara, 5. Neelalohita, 6. Eshana Rudra, 7. Vijaya Rudra, 8. Bheema Rudra, 9. Devadeva, 10. Bhavodbhava and 11. Adityatmaka Srirudra.

    Their 11 consorts of these 11 Rudras are:- 1. Dhee devi, 2. Dhritti devi, 3. Ushna (Rasala) devi, 4. Uma devi, 5. Neeyut devi, 5. Sarpi devi, 7. Eela devi, 8. Ambika devi, 9. Ieravati devi, 10. Sudha devi and 11. Deeksha devi respectively.

    Vibhuti is applied in Eleven places in the body.

    1.Forehead.

    2.Chest Two , one over the Center  of the Chest, the other just above the Navel.

    3.Right Arm Three, starting from right below the shoulder-blade up to the point where the wrist joins the Palm.( one just below the shoulder-blade, one just above the elbow joint and the other one at the wrist)

    4.Left Arm;Same as the Right Arm.

    5.Shoulder Blades, one each on each  shoulder Blade.

    There  is also a school . especially the Saiva, following Saiva Siddhanta, to wear more,.

    How to wear Vibhuti.

    Vibhuti is to be worn in a paste from only if one takes bath;other wise it has to be worn in its dry form only.

    It is a practice to wear Bhasma,Dry,in the evenings.

    Bhasma should not have lines, it has to be smeared.

    No Karma is to be performed without Vibhuti.

    Wearing Vibhuti , while performing Srardha, till a particular point is not allowed, so id the case during Tharpanam.

    However it is allowed for Tharpana, depending on Family Traditions, I wear Vibhuti for Tharpana, as it is my Family practice.

    Greatness of Vibuti.

    Vibhuti may refer to glorious attributes of the divine, and in this context is translated as ‘all pervading’, ‘superhuman power’, ‘wealth’ and so on.

    The ash of any burnt object is not regarded as holy ash.Vibhuti (AKA Bhasma,Thiruneeru,the holy ash) is the ash from the Homa (consecrated fire) where wood is used to perform the ritual. Or the deity is worshipped by pouring ash as abhisheka and is then distributed as Prassad to devotees. Bhasma is generally applied on the forehead,neck,chest,arms,stomach elbow,wrists etc.,. Some apply it on other parts of the body, like the knees,toes,scalp etc.,.It is considered very auspicious for the hindus especially shaiva sect of people to smear vibhuthi all over the body.

    Sri Adi Shankaracharya praises the greatness of Vibhuthi Of Lord Murugan in his “Sri Subramnaya Bhujanga Stotra” as follows ,

    ApasmAra kushta kshayArsha prameha|

    JvaronmAdha gulmAdhi rogA mahAntha||

    PishAchAshcha sarve bhavatpatra bhoothim|

    Vilokya kshanAth tArakAre dravanthe|| (Shloka no.25)

    Meaning:
    Oh Conqueror of Taraka! Severe epilepsy, leprosy, consumption, lung diseases, venereal diseases, fevers, mental diseases of all types, they run away the moment they see Thy Vibhuti contained in a leaf.

    This information is based on the Smriti and Vaidyanatha Dikshiteeyam.

    Variation, for example is here below.

     

     

     

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  • Mourning Death Theetu Rituals Hinduism Details

    There are forty Samskaras to be performed by a Hindu.

    Death is an important Samskara,

    I will provide some guidelines with Links.

    However, the suggestions of the Purohit is to be taken for consideration as some customs vary for each Caste and even in a Caste for a particular Family/Group.

    General.

    Those who become Untouchable during the period of Mourning-Theetu

    The following link is very useful.

    http://stotraratna.awardspace.com/sruthi/Samkshepa%20dharma%20sastram/vd4.pdf

    Check list.

    1.Inform Family priest, Sastrigal.

    2.Keep the body lying head facing South.

    3.Light an Oil lamp near the  Head;apply Vibhuti(basmam, not as a paste)

    3.Light some Agarbathis to ward off smell.

    4.As one is not to cook at Home till the body is taken out,inform relatives for arrangement of food for the day.

    5.Inform people who are to be informed.

    6.At best the body can be kept for about 10 hours;under special circumstances, it may be kept for 24 hours in an air-conditioned casket.

    7.Those who go to the burning ghat must go the next day for the collection of Ashes.

    8.Ensure that a Doctor visits and give you a certificate.

    9.In the case of Death in a hospital, make sure that the necessary formalities are complied with and a certificate is obtained.

    10.Inform the Crematorium about the expected time of the arrival of the body after consulting the Sastrigal.

    11.At the Crematorium show the certificate and get a receipt. Some times it will be issued the next day.

    12.Get the Death registered .

    Clarifications on some aspects.

    1,One can perform the ceremonies for the first twelve days at specified places,

    However it is correct to perform all the Rites at Home and it will bring prosperity.

    2.The rites for the first ten days may be done from the seventh day , performing the cumulative rites for six days.

    3.There is still a custom in the Hindu communities. especially among Brahmins for a  Widow.

    That of removing the Mangal Sutra or Thaali and breaking of Bangles in Public.

    This does not have the sanction of the Sastras.

    The wearing of Thaali is a later custom developed and it does not find a place in Vedic Marriage,

    The removal of Mangal Sutra may be done some one who is widowed already(preferably elder to the one in question) quietly on the morning of the Eleventh Day,;have the bangles removed and have the Mangal Sutra removed and dropped in a vessel containing  milk.

    One can perform all functions in the Family including Marriage after the Thirteenth Day, Subasweekara,Gruha Yajnam, except in the case of Spouse. Wife and children.

    The Gruha Yajna means you are  permitted to do Yajna.

    Subasweekaara means you invite Auspiciousness.

    Suggestions, questions are welcome.

    Additional Link.

    http://indiansamourai.hautetfort.com/media/01/02/1850732936.pdf

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  • Nanjangud- How a Temple should not be,could do with some Puja.

    Recently I visited the famous  Srikanteswara Temple in Nanjangud ,25 km from Mysore Karnataka.

    The Srikanteshwara Temple at Nanjangud is dedicated to the Hindu God Shiva, also called Sri Nanjundeshwara, “The God who drank poison” to save the earth. In Hindu mythology, the Gods and demons churned the ocean in search of the ambrosia. During this churning, poison emanated first, followed by ambrosia. To prevent the poison from spreading across the universe and to destroy it, Shiva came to the rescue and drank it up. His wifeParvati then held his throat tightly to prevent the poison from spreading to the rest of his body and killing him. Narada held his mouth so that he did not vomit it out. The poison remained in his throat, making it blue in colour. For this reason, Shiva is also called Neelakantha, or “the blue-throated one”. Nanjanagud literally means “the place where Nanjundeshwara resides.”

    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nanjangud

    Nanjangud temple gopuram.
    Nanjangud Temple.Hinduism

    Lord Siva, who is the presiding Deity here is believed to cure diseases.

    Tippu Sultan is reported to have prayed Lord Siva to cure his horse going blind and his horse was cured and as a token of his respect he is repoted to have gifted the temple with a necklace of Sapphire with a pendant,

    The Lord here is worshiped as ‘Hakim Nanjunda’

    I was pained to note that the pujas are not being performed properly, if at all they are performed.

    I chose an Ekadasi(11th day of the waxing/waning Moon),which is auspicious for Lord Siva for Siva is associated with Ekadasa Rudras and Rudra chanted on this day gives best results.

    During my visit, I noticed that no archanas being performed neither to the Deity at the sanctum sanctorum nor to the Utsava murthy.

    No naivedyas, no offering whatsoever, including vertrilai paaku thengai(Coconut) .

    For the noon abisheka, the screen was drawn for about five minutes before being opened.

    No abisheka with Sri Rudra,.

    People were breaking the coconuts outside the temple and carrying them inside and it was not even shown to the Deity.

    Worse is that no Vibhuti prasadam was distributed.

    This is being distributed, along with naivedyam in packets(which does not seem to have been offered to the Lord) outside the sanctum sanctorum by people who do not e seem to have taken bath.

    Bilva leaves were strewn all over the place.

    However  huge buildings are coming up  to make the pilgrims stay comfortable.

    But the very essence of temple, that of Mantras and naivedyams,Abishekas are absent.

    The Brahmins who are supposedly in the temple  should know that they should discharge their duty as Brahmins and should not bring disrepute to the community.

    May be they should visit temples in Kerala and Tamil Nadu to know how poojas are to be performed.

    I am sad to say this,Nanjangud temple is an example of how a temple should not be.