Hinduism

Miraculous power of Sri Maha Kaliamman

Temple at Armour Street:

Chelvatamby Maniccavasagar

The Sri Maha Kaliamman Thirukovil which is dedicated to Goddess Kali is situated at No. 59 Paradise Place, (Armour Street), Colombo 12. During the rule of the Britishers in Sri Lanka in the 19th century, they named this area as Paradise Place, which, in fact, was considered by the people of the area as a heaven and a place of paradise on account of three important trees namely Palmyrah, Bo-Tree and Margosa which grew closely together. This made them to realise that there was indeed a divine power pervading in this area.

It is very often said that “Divinity manifest from age to age in the human forms in order to re-establish Dharma (righteousness) and to guide all mankind back to the righteous path. Divinity over the ages has descended on the earth in many forms.

The manifestation in the form of mother over the ages has been recorded in the scriptures. The mother is the universal embodiment of compassion. She extends her grace to protect and bless her children. God appears in many forms, but to experience God in the form of a mother brings a great deal of peace and joy.

The creator of the universe Brahma resides in the Naval of Lord Vishnu. Similarly in the hearts of men reside the creative urge and faith. This faith prompted the devotees of this paradise place to place a “Chulam” underneath these trees and started worshipping.

During this period, certain sculptors who were brought down from India to do some restoration work at Captain’s Garden Sri Kailasanatha’s Temple were invited by the devotees of this Paradise Place to erect a Sakthi Peedam under the trees where Sri Maha Kali Amman, Sri Munneswaran and several statues of Gods were placed and consecration ceremony was successfully conducted. Therefore, daily poojas and annual ther festivals are conducted to the greatest satisfaction of the devotees. Besides, with the view to accommodate the devotees, a hall was constructed in 1990 in the adjoining area.

The compassion of the divine mother gives us the benevolence of five elements such as earth, water, fire, wind and space to help us to lead an excellent life. Pooja is a way of showing our love and affection for the divine which provides these resources in abundance to us.

When individuals perform poojas, it is done with the objective of gaining the blessings of the divine for betterment of their lives, but M. Nallathamby, who is the Chief Trustee of Sri Maha Kaliamman Thirukkovil and a devout devotee of this temple is rendering tremendous divine service and has taken all possible steps to make this temple a popular one in the city of Colombo.

Nallathamby blesses all human beings to lead a peaceful and prosperous life and prays for their well-being. He was instrumental in getting the support and co-operation of the devotees of this temple to get down several statues form Tamil Nadu along with the renowned Indian Sculptor V. Nagalingam to construct a beautiful temple at this place. On 10th February 1993 with the tremendous support of Bramasri Swami Visvantha Kurukal of Navaliyoor, the “Paalasthapanam” was conducted and on February 9, 1996 Maha Kumbabeshekam was held.

Several Hindu festivals are conducted regularly for the benefit of the devotees.

From time immemorial, it is said by great saints and sages that when there is prayer in the mind, there is purity in thought, when there is purity in thought, there is kindness in the heart, when there is kindness in the heart, there is service in action, when there is service in action, there is harmony in the community, when there is harmony in the community, there is unity in the nation, when there is unity in the nation, there is peace in the world.”

In this Sri Maha Kaliamman Temple, the Chief Trustee Nallathamby and several members in the Restoration Society, devotees and well-wishers held a special pooja recently to lay the foundation stone for the construction of a new building at this temple in which D. Eeswaran, Chief Trustee of Gintulpitiya Varatha Raja Vinayagar Temple, President of the Colombo Kamban Kalagam and Councillor for Mauritus in Sri Lanka also participated.

The poojas and all other ceremonies in connection with the foundation stone laying function was performed by Sri La Sri Vishva Venkada Subramaniya Kumbal and was attended by the Temple Restoration Society President S. Ramalingam and Assistant Secretary of the Restoration President S. Ramalingam and Assistant Secretary of the Restoration Society M. Vasudevan.

The Chief Trustee of this temple and all other members of this Temple Restoration Society generously request the devotees, well-wishers and philanthropists to donate for the construction of this temple successfully and to receive the Divine Blessings of Goddess Kali Amman.

Krishna Avatharam

Thilaka V. Wijeyaratnam

Mythology states that once when Indra was riding his white elephant Iravatham, Sage Durvasar was coming along the road. He had a garland and flowers which were offered to God during a religious ceremony.

Wishing Indra well, the Sage gave the floral offerings to Indra who kept it on the elephant’s head. The elephant took the garland and flowers and throwing them down trampled them.

The Sage was wild with anger because due to the wealth possessed Indra had dared to insult him by keeping the flowers and garland with such indifference on the elephant’s head. He cursed Indra saying he would lose his riches and kingdom too.

So, Indra was down in life and the Asuras took the upperhand. Impoverished Indra sought the help of Vishnu.

He told them, “If the Devas want to defeat the Asuras they should churn the milky ocean from which will arise Amudam (Manna). But they cannot do it alone. Asuras too should help. So the Devas approached Suchrachariyar the guru of the Asuras to get the Asuras to help churn the milky ocean.

They took a mountain (Mantharamalai) as the churning pole and wrapped the snake Vasugi (as the rope) around the mountain.

The Devas and Asuras started turning the mountain, on either side, with the snake as the rope. During this process, the mountain leaned on one side and made it difficult to churn. Immediately, Lord Vishnu took the form of a giant tortoise and went under the ocean and lifted the mountain on his back to steady it. This is the Avatharam of Lord Vishnu-Kurnam (Tortoise).

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Avatar III Varaha Avatharam (wild boar)

On another occasion, king Iraniyadchan and his brother Iraniyakasipu asked Sage Narada whether there was anyone as strong as they were. Sage Narada replied, “Not now.” “Then when,” queried the brothers. Sage Narada said, “A grandson will be born to you on earth who will be stronger than you. Lord Vishnu will take the earth from him.” At this Iraniyan was angered.

He said, “If the earth is here only will Vishnu do such a thing.” Saying this he rolled up the earth like a mat and keeping it under arm went into the under world and returned to destroy the Devas. He beat them all. Lord Brahma was deeply sad about the absence of the earth. He and the Devas pleaded with Lord Vishnu to help.

Lord Vishnu took the form of a wild boar which grew to a gigantic size and went underworld and bearing the earth on his snout brought it back. This was the third incarnation of Lord Vishnu.

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Avatharam IV Vamanan (dwarf)

There was a king called Mahabali who was the son of Prahalatha, son of Iraniyan. He prayed to Lord Brahma and performed Tapas. Pleased with him, Brahma appeared before him and asked him what he wanted. Bali said he wanted to own all the worlds including Amaravati Kingdom of Indra. Brahma granted him his wish.

He sent Sage Suchrachariyar, the guru of the Asuras to tell Indra that Brahma had granted him a boon to own all the worlds and so without fighting to handover Amaravati to him. Indra had no alternative but to handover his kingdom. He then went to live with his father Sage Kasipar. The Devas went to Lord Siva and complained. Lord Siva referred them to Lord Vishnu.

At first Vishnu said he would not harm Mahabali because he was his devotee. Later, after Kasipar and Indra performed a tapas for a very long period praying to Lord Vishnu to help Lord Vishnu relented. He entered the womb of Sage Kasipar’s spouse Athithi and was born to her. He grew up to be of dwarf size. So he was named Vamanan. At that time Mahabali had organised a Yaga and vowed to give whatever anyone asked for.

Lord Vishnu as Vamanan went to Mahabali and begged for a boon. However, Suchrachariyar the guru of the Asuras recognised him as Lord Vishnu. He warned Mahabali not to grant him anything he asked for. But Mahabali said he had to keep his word. When a boon is granted, the oath is sanctified by pouring water through the spout of a brass jug called Kamandalam. When Vamana asked only for three feet of land, Mahabali agreed and to solemnise it he took the Kamandalam of water. Suchrachariyar took the form of a beetle and blocked the mouth of the spout. Vamana took an ekel and pushed it into the spout. This pierced one of the eyes of the beetle. Mahabali performed the rites and offered three feet of land. Lord Vishnu then took His real form and grew to massive dimension, with one foot he covered the entire earth. With another He covered the sky.

Then He asked Mahabali where he was to keep the third foot. Mahabali offered only his head. Lord Vishnu kept His massive foot on his head and pushed him down into the earth thus destroying him.

Thus the purpose of Lord Vishnu’s fourth Avatharam of Vamana was completed.

An exponent of quintessence of Hinduism

K. S. SIVAKUMARAN
 

Hinduism as we all know is the oldest religion in the world. It is basically an unrestricted religion in that it is not an orthodox or dogmatic philosophy. Its liberal in many ways. The sages have interpreted the Hindu philosophy in various ways but the basics are the same. Among them are few who preach and guide innumerable believers in God and the religion.

Shri Sathya Sai Baaba is one noble saint living in this century as well. To me he represents God or the Almighty visibly, although God resides in us.

Since God is Love. God is within us. We see everything as the manifestation of God. God speaks to us through our fellow beings. Only thing is we don’t realize that, nor does the speaker know that he or she is being directed by God.

Everything is predetermined. Well this is how I have perceived the abstract entity as ‘God’. The poets and the seers and the saints and the rishis have realized this as ‘felt experiences’.

Whenever my mind, spirit and body is incapable of perceiving things I voluntarily think and meditate and pray to God. In Hinduism there is a pantheon of gods representing specialized functions, but they are all One. Having been to Puttaparthi several times first out of curiosity and then as a devotee I came to know and realize who this Sai Baaba is of whom everybody talks about.

I came to realize that he was not a mere ‘magician’ as the uninitiated understood, but indeed he was a real social animal in the form of a visible human doing a great service to the people at large especially in the field of education and health.

No wonder then the ‘realized souls’ from all parts of the world converge in his Prasanthi Nilayam which is in the border of the Andhra and Karnataka states in India.

Of course there are many who condemn, criticize and disrespect him without an attempt to search within themselves the attributes of a divine being.

There are several volumes in English, and world languages including Thamil and Sinhala exploring their own visions as they felt and interpreted the Being Sri Sathya Sai Baaba.

For the benefit of our readers who would like to know something about Hinduism as expounded by the Saint, let me quote just a few sayings culled out from a booklet titled ‘Honey Drops’ by a former Lankan politician, C. Rajadurai.

- Every atom of nature is creation of god and they are devoted to Him with gratitude. True devotion is total surrender to God.

- God is in the very heart of every being. Gemstones have to be sought deep underground. They do not float in mid air. Seek God in the depths of yourself.

- The Truth proclaimed by all religions is one and the same. All religions aim at promoting righteous conduct by transforming the mental attitude of the humankind, thereby bringing about harmony of body, mind and intellect. The foundation of all religions is morality, which is equated to selfless love.

- A true ‘Bhakthi’ finds God in everything and everything in God. It should inspire every act, every word, and every thought.

There are more wise and down to earth sayings by Bhagawan Sai Baaba which brings high plane philosophy to more practical operation.

sivakumarank@yahoo.com

The flag hoisting ceremony of Arulmigu Kailasanathar Swamy Devastanam, Captain’s Garden, Maradana, took place under the patronage of Ven. Gurumani Sivashri Sarvesvara Kurukkal recently. The event was organised to mark the Masi Maga Mahotchava festival. Picture: A. Maduraveeran

Large number of devotees participated in the Chariot festival of Vavuniya Rambaikulam Sri Kumari Nagapoosanai Amman temple. It was celebrated in a grand scale. Picture by T. Vivekarasa, Vavuniya Spl. Corr.

The 174 birth anniversary of the Bhagawan Sri Ramakrishna was celebrated at the Ramakrishna Mission Ashrama, Wellawatte recently. Here, head of Ramakrishna Mission (Sri Lanka) Swamy Sarvarupananda Maharaj, and Swamy Rajesh Vernananda performing special prayer. Picture: A. Maduraweeran