20 Oct
Attached below are some videos I took in the evening of September 29th 2009. These videos were taken just a day before the temple was flooded. I watch them everyday, and seeing the silver and golden chariot brings tears in my eyes.
1. Mantralaya Chariot Seva Part 1
2. Mantralaya Chariot Seva Part 2
3. Mantralaya Chariot Seva Part 3
4. Mantralaya Swamigalu
5.Mantralaya Thotilu Seva Part 1
6.Mantralaya Thotilu Seva Part 2
18 Oct
As per Uttaradimatta Panchanga, this year in Virodhi Nama Samvatsara(ವಿರೋಧಿನಾಮ ಸಂವತ್ಸರ), Dhakshinayana(ದಕ್ಷಿಣಾಯನ), Sharad Ruthu, Karthika starts from October 19th and ends on November 16th 2009.
Tulasi Habba Procedure and Details can be found here.
16 Oct
This song called “Mane Varthe Haadu” is composed by Sri Vadiraja Gurugalu. Sri Vadiraja Gurugalu’s pen name as you all might be knowing was “Hayavadana”. If you sing this song or even listen to this song, as mentioned in the last paragraph, Lord Hayavadana will protect us.
My mother sings this song everyday in the morning. I recorded the same, and have converted the audio so that I could post it on youtube. For some reason I can’t post audio directly here in wordpress.
Listen to the song everyday and obtain the blessings of Lord Hayavadana.
15 Oct
My visit to Mantralaya was indeed a miracle. The first week of my visit to India was Paksha Masa. So, we didn’t want to travel. The second week was Dasara, and my Father was doing special pooje and hence he was not willing to break his pooje and come to mantralaya. My parents accompanied me to mantralaya.
So, we decided to go there on 28th September, the evening of Vijaya Dashami. It was raining heavily in Bangalore. The Volvo bus we had booked came almost 2 hours late, and we had no place to even wait. Finally, we reached Mantralaya on 29th around 7.30 a.m. We found a small cottage a few yeard away from the temple, near the State Bank. It was very close, so we didn’t have to walk too much.
September 29th also was Dashami. So, we gave for Panchamrutha Abhisheka. The temple wasn’t crowded at all. My co-sister Vasanthi knew the main priest in Mantralaya, and hence with her connection we were allowed in the main area where Sri Raghavendra Swamy Brindavana is there. We were asked to perform Aarathi to Rayaru as well. It was really a chilling experience seeing the Brindavana in such close proximity.
Later, we went to the place where Swamigalu was performing pooje. We saw the pooje for more than 2 hours. What an experience seeing Moola Rama Devarau and other idols. We were really blessed. All the time, it was constantly raining, and we were mostly wet all the time.
We had lunch in the Mutt, and came back to our cottage since the Mutt closes around 3.00 p.m. We later went back in the evening and saw all the evening pooje, the silver and golden chariot seva, Thottilu Seva and went back several times to see Rayaru as well.
We came back to the cottage around 8..30 p.m. and the rain was so heavy we asked for a taxi to come back to the Bus Station. We were completely drenched, and the bus again was late for almost 3 hours. We came back to Bangalore on 30th, and the very next day Mantralaya was flooded. I wanted to stay for one more day, but my Father kept insisting that he had to perform Saligrama pooje at his residence on Ekadashi and so we came back.
It looks like Rayaru was waiting for us to go and see him, I would have been very disappointed if I had come back here without being able to see Rayaru in Mantralaya. After this incident, my devotion towards Rayaru has doubled/tripled. Every time I saw the pictures of Mantralaya on TV, tears rolled down my eyes. We were really blessed to See rayaru and also perform Aarathi to him, which I or my parents had never done all these years.
Attached below is the pictures on Picasa, the last few in the album are the video I took of the Silver and Golden Chariots. You can also see Mantralaya Swamigalu in one of the videos.
May Sri Raghavendra Swamy Bless us all.
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| Mantralaya Pictures |
15 Oct
This stotra called “Madhvesharpanamasthu” is sung to offer everything we do during day and night to the Lord. It is sung by my Father. As I said earlier also, I failed to scan the lyrics.
Listen to the same on youtube.
P.S: The pictures you see in the video are of
14 Oct
This time when I visited India, I heard my mother this song everyday in the morning. I liked the song very much, and recorded the same. However, I forgot to write down the lyrics or even scan them. I will ask my mother to send it to me.
Today is my Mom’s b-day, and so I am dedicating this to her. Happy Birthday Mom.
The pictures are from 4th T block and 5th block Jaynagar Raghavendra Swamy Mutt.
13 Oct
Madhvacharya’s Lineage “GURU CHARITE” is written by Dr. H.K Vedavyasacharya www.srsmutt.org. I was sent the pdf of this document by Mr. Shivprasad Dinkar. Thanks so much for providing such a great document.
During my travel to India, I read this document several times. It has detailed information about all the great saints from our Acharaya Sri Madhvacharya, to our beloved Guru Sri Raghavendra Swamy and also other saints like Sri Vadeendra Thertharu, Sri Sushameendra Theertharu to the current Guru of Sri Raghavendra Swamy Mutt.
I had tears rolling my eyes while reading through the miracles of Sri Raghavendra Swamy, and also the places he visited.
This is a treasure document if you want to learn and know more about all the great saints/Gurus. The document also has songs and slokas, books written by these saints and the places they visited.
All credit of this document goes to the author Dr. H.K Vedavyasacharya and SRS MUTT. I am just providing the pdf to help people know about the great Gurus.
Below is the link to download the document.
9 Oct
I came back on Wednesday early morning from my amazing visit to India. I am completely tired, and had to work from Wednesday itself. I will be writing about my visit to Mantralaya as well, which was amazing and a miracle by itself. You might know that Mantralaya was flooded last week.
Anyway, my two little nieces have an amazing video of the Dasara function. As you all know, I was in India for the Dasara Festival. The Bombe habba at my Sisters place is just amazing. Watch the video. I will post again about my trip to Mantralaya soon.
9 Oct
The first day of Diwali celebrations i.e. on Thrayodasi ತ್ರಯೋದಶಿ is called as Neeru Thumbuva Habba ನೀರು ತುಂಬುವ ಹಬ್ಬ in Kannada. This day all the vessels which are used to fill or collect water are cleaned in the evening, decorated with mango leaves, flowers, and rangoli. I remember all the water geysers and boilers were washed, filled with fresh water and rangoli drawn on them this day.
The rangoli prepared is by soaking rice in water for a few hours and grinding the same into a smooth paste. My Mom used to take a piece of cloth, dip it into this rice paste and draw Rangoli every where from the front door to the kitchen. All corners of the house used to have rangoli, which used to be as white as milk. Just amazing.
Naraka Chaturdashi is celebrated on the second day of diwali celebrations. People wake up early in the morning apply the kumkum (ladies in the household do the arathi), on their foreheads and then take bath.
We used to all sit on a platform, usually called a Mane which is decorated with Rangoli designs, lamps lit on both sides. Everyone is applied Kumkum on the forehead, given betel leaf, nut, and arathi is done by elderly ladies in the house. They will take the oil cup and dip a flower in it and apply it on everyones head. And the man are supposed to give money for the ladies doing the Aarathi. Such a nice tradition, isn’t it?
The story goes that Narakasura the daemon ruler of Pragjyotishpur after defeating Lord Indra had snatched away the magnificent earrings of Aditi, the Mother Goddess and imprisoned 16,000 daughters of the gods and saints in his harem. On the day previous to Naraka-chaturdashi, Lord Krishna killed the demon and liberated the imprisoned daughters and also recovered those precious earrings of Aditi. As a symbol of that victory Lord Krishna smeared his forehead with the demon’s blood and returned home in the very early morning of the Naraka-chaturdashi day. The womenfolk massaged scented oil to his body and gave him a good bath to wash away the filth from his body. Since then the custom of taking bath before sunrise on this day has become a traditional practice.
Another legend is about King Bali. His power and increasing influence posed a threat to the security of all ‘Devatas’ so they prayed Lord Vishnu to help them out. To help Devatas and to curb King Bali’s powers Lord Vishnu went to King Bali in the guise of a short-height ‘Brahmin’, and begged to give him only that much area of land that he could cover with in three steps because King Bali was well known for his philanthropy. King Bali saw just a short-height ‘Brahmin’ asking for a little piece of land so he proudly granted him his wish. That very moment that short-height ‘Brahmin’ disappeared and there was almighty Lord Vishnu in place of him. In his first step Lord Vishnu covered the heaven and in the second step the earth and asked King Bali where to put his third step. Then King Bali offered his head to Lord Vishnu. Lord Vishnu put his third step on his head and pushed him deep into the underground. But at the same time being impressed by his generosity Lord Vishnu gave King Bali the lamp of knowledge and allowed him to return to earth once a year to light millions of lamps.
The third day of Diwali is the most important day during which we perform Lakshmi Pooje; to the Goddess Lakshmi. Lakshmi Pooje falls on the dark night of Amavasya. Lakshmi Puja is performed in the evening to seek blessings of Goddess of Wealth.
I am sure you all will do the Lakshmi Pooje, and get her blessings. The most important song we sing while performing Lakshmi Pooje is Bhagyada Lakshmi Baramma song.
The fourth day of Diwali is called “Bali Padyami“. Bali would come out of Pathala Loka and rule Bhuloka as per the boon given by Lord Vishnu. Hence, it is known as ‘Bali Padyami’.
P.S: Diwali dates – 2009
This year Diwali is celebrated from October 16th – October 20th. The 3 rd day, October 18th is Lakshmi Pooje day, and it falls on Sunday.
October 16th – Neeru Thumbuva Habba
October 17th – Naraka Chaturdasi
October 18th – Lakshmi Pooja
October 19th – Bali Padyami
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