Starting my essays etc, with some vichiism gives me a high!! Here is one:
Silence is "golden" is a saying. Then when do you speak? Don't. start writing.
Jignyaasaa is over 5 year old...... Long live the blog, and more writing preferably from others too.
The recent exchange of mails on the significance of traditional samskaaraas (Purificationary rites or just ceremonies) - which are not so new by the way -- has prompted me to dwell a bit more on both Shasti Abda Poorthi, & Shatha Abhishekam which found mention during my SAP, & my Mother-in-law's SA, & which are attractive enough for me to re-visit them & blog a modified version for posterity!!! Hope it will not be considered impudent if I were to add that the recent exchanges do not satisfy me greatly & so this attempt.
First the SAP:
In astrological terms, the sum total of periods allotted to planets having influence on one's life cycle (termed Dasas) comes to 120 years. In effect possibly the wise R'shis of yore opined that life cycle just repeats itself every 120 years.
It was later found that at the exact mid point of this cycle namely 60 years, the planets tend to take a similar position as at the birth. Well almost -- the major slow planets,namely the Saturn & Jupiter, at least, are found to occupy the same places in the astrological chart in the sixtieth year as they were at birth & with Sun & moon automatically being there, one had a quorum !!!
120 being a long period, and having regard to our scriptures laying a huge emphasis on transcending to higher levels of evolution to get back to where we originated from, R'shis gave importance to this 60 and it came about that one needs to re-look ones outlook, as a kind of second innings to try & devote more to an inward-looking regime, slowly detaching from the temporal world's affairs to be able to get to that krithakrithya stage ( to have done what you were born to do)
"Oh Lord Rudra posited in my heart at that meeting point - the knot - of Jivatma & paramaathma, to Him, I offer the "anna" as aahuthi to protect me from this birth-death-re birth cycle" is a poignant cry to Him, which comes at the end of an eulogy to Lord Rudra. A kalasham (a Vessel filled with water) is sanctified by the invocation of this eulogy repeated 108 times. The one who has crossed the sixty years is then bathed in this holy water , symbolizing a beginning of a new chapter of getting to do things that one was brought forth to do and become a Krithakrithya.
Very clearly, this is a purificationary ritual to prepare one for higher levels of spiritual evolution. But anything so profound being beyond the psyche of a huge mass of mankind, there is also this appealingly romantic significance which is attached to the ritual.
Children - who cannot obviously witness their own parent's wedding, do so by re-enacting those rituals on this day, So after the profoundly spiritual resolve, the magnetic pull of the temporal takes over & there is this all round rejoicing !!!! There is of course no gainsaying that if this appealing alternative is not part of the narrative, the sole purificationary one, simply loses out ; There will be no takers. And alas it's also valid only when both the parents are alive.
So depending on who doles out what & which one of these observations, one is either over or under whelmed. (My little girl's baba black sheep invariably appeals more than my neighbor child's brilliant rendering of Vande mataram for instance) We owe it to our elders who have ingeniously ensured that the custom prevails after all by satisfying everyone. .
Now to Shathaabhishekam. : The common observations.
The term shatham can be interpreted as a "thousand" and this is performed when one has witnessed a thousand Full moons.
There are 12 FMs in a year. Every 4 years there is one additional full moon. So in 80 years one would have seen 960+ 20 FMs. in another 20 months one sees the final 20 to make it 81 years & 8 months by when, one sees a thousand FMs.
It's said that Lord Krishna comes and blesses those who have seen a thousand full moons.
Now to my observations. The word Abhishekam is one which is more often used for a kind of Coronation Ceremony. This is not therefore a purificationary ritual. That leaves the Shatham part which really means "hundred".
Even God perhaps understands that reaching "hundred" milestone is a very rare distinction. So He introduced a 1000 full moon criteria which is more appealing and comparatively easier to reach. The "shatham" can be explained in two ways.
1. There is this practice of treating a fortnight (called Paksham) as a full month. Take the case of Chatur maasya vratham.It is not 4 months but 4 pakshams or two months.
2. Applying this logic, eighty viz 20 years after 60, will actually be 40 years after 60 making it a 100 years.(shatham) (I will just ignore the next obvious & trivial query as to why the first sixty is not treated similarly!!)
3. The other explanation is that the shatham probably refers to 100 rudrams, meaning that one is Coronated with a 100 rudra abhishekam, when he/she sees a thousand full moons. Even the Lord is pleased & so comes & witnesses the event.
To the argument that this is done even during SAP, the answer is simple. In SAP it is a purificationary ritual to get to the next stage. And after going this path, when you have seen a thousand FMs, in SA you are Coronated with the same 100 Abhisheks of Rudram ( Perhaps you are now really ONE with HIM) .
That's the bhaav. If you have not reached that stage, it will remain a ritual with tantalizing explanations of significance etc, becoming merely debating points. And very possibly enjoyable kaala kshepam (time pass).
May God bless us all.
Love
Ekalavya alias Vichu
Silence is "golden" is a saying. Then when do you speak? Don't. start writing.
Jignyaasaa is over 5 year old...... Long live the blog, and more writing preferably from others too.
The recent exchange of mails on the significance of traditional samskaaraas (Purificationary rites or just ceremonies) - which are not so new by the way -- has prompted me to dwell a bit more on both Shasti Abda Poorthi, & Shatha Abhishekam which found mention during my SAP, & my Mother-in-law's SA, & which are attractive enough for me to re-visit them & blog a modified version for posterity!!! Hope it will not be considered impudent if I were to add that the recent exchanges do not satisfy me greatly & so this attempt.
First the SAP:
In astrological terms, the sum total of periods allotted to planets having influence on one's life cycle (termed Dasas) comes to 120 years. In effect possibly the wise R'shis of yore opined that life cycle just repeats itself every 120 years.
It was later found that at the exact mid point of this cycle namely 60 years, the planets tend to take a similar position as at the birth. Well almost -- the major slow planets,namely the Saturn & Jupiter, at least, are found to occupy the same places in the astrological chart in the sixtieth year as they were at birth & with Sun & moon automatically being there, one had a quorum !!!
120 being a long period, and having regard to our scriptures laying a huge emphasis on transcending to higher levels of evolution to get back to where we originated from, R'shis gave importance to this 60 and it came about that one needs to re-look ones outlook, as a kind of second innings to try & devote more to an inward-looking regime, slowly detaching from the temporal world's affairs to be able to get to that krithakrithya stage ( to have done what you were born to do)
"Oh Lord Rudra posited in my heart at that meeting point - the knot - of Jivatma & paramaathma, to Him, I offer the "anna" as aahuthi to protect me from this birth-death-re birth cycle" is a poignant cry to Him, which comes at the end of an eulogy to Lord Rudra. A kalasham (a Vessel filled with water) is sanctified by the invocation of this eulogy repeated 108 times. The one who has crossed the sixty years is then bathed in this holy water , symbolizing a beginning of a new chapter of getting to do things that one was brought forth to do and become a Krithakrithya.
Very clearly, this is a purificationary ritual to prepare one for higher levels of spiritual evolution. But anything so profound being beyond the psyche of a huge mass of mankind, there is also this appealingly romantic significance which is attached to the ritual.
Children - who cannot obviously witness their own parent's wedding, do so by re-enacting those rituals on this day, So after the profoundly spiritual resolve, the magnetic pull of the temporal takes over & there is this all round rejoicing !!!! There is of course no gainsaying that if this appealing alternative is not part of the narrative, the sole purificationary one, simply loses out ; There will be no takers. And alas it's also valid only when both the parents are alive.
So depending on who doles out what & which one of these observations, one is either over or under whelmed. (My little girl's baba black sheep invariably appeals more than my neighbor child's brilliant rendering of Vande mataram for instance) We owe it to our elders who have ingeniously ensured that the custom prevails after all by satisfying everyone. .
Now to Shathaabhishekam. : The common observations.
The term shatham can be interpreted as a "thousand" and this is performed when one has witnessed a thousand Full moons.
There are 12 FMs in a year. Every 4 years there is one additional full moon. So in 80 years one would have seen 960+ 20 FMs. in another 20 months one sees the final 20 to make it 81 years & 8 months by when, one sees a thousand FMs.
It's said that Lord Krishna comes and blesses those who have seen a thousand full moons.
Now to my observations. The word Abhishekam is one which is more often used for a kind of Coronation Ceremony. This is not therefore a purificationary ritual. That leaves the Shatham part which really means "hundred".
Even God perhaps understands that reaching "hundred" milestone is a very rare distinction. So He introduced a 1000 full moon criteria which is more appealing and comparatively easier to reach. The "shatham" can be explained in two ways.
1. There is this practice of treating a fortnight (called Paksham) as a full month. Take the case of Chatur maasya vratham.It is not 4 months but 4 pakshams or two months.
2. Applying this logic, eighty viz 20 years after 60, will actually be 40 years after 60 making it a 100 years.(shatham) (I will just ignore the next obvious & trivial query as to why the first sixty is not treated similarly!!)
3. The other explanation is that the shatham probably refers to 100 rudrams, meaning that one is Coronated with a 100 rudra abhishekam, when he/she sees a thousand full moons. Even the Lord is pleased & so comes & witnesses the event.
To the argument that this is done even during SAP, the answer is simple. In SAP it is a purificationary ritual to get to the next stage. And after going this path, when you have seen a thousand FMs, in SA you are Coronated with the same 100 Abhisheks of Rudram ( Perhaps you are now really ONE with HIM) .
That's the bhaav. If you have not reached that stage, it will remain a ritual with tantalizing explanations of significance etc, becoming merely debating points. And very possibly enjoyable kaala kshepam (time pass).
May God bless us all.
Love
Ekalavya alias Vichu
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