Rituals and Why We Perform Them: Offering Hair at Tirumala Venkateshwara Temple

Thala Neelala Samarpamam or the offering of hair at Tirumala Venkateswara Temple

        
    Recently I had a friend who happens to have a significant following online visit Tirumala with his parents. As an offering to Venkateshwara, the ancient god on the hill, he performed Thala Neelala Samaramam; he shaved his head and offered the hair to Srinivasa. Upon posting pictures online, it surprised me how very quickly the pictures lost any spiritual significance, and people could only comment on how “cute” or how “hot” the individual looked after shaving his head.  
        

    In many cultures and religions, our hair is associated with either our pride or dignity; stories throughout history reveal this distinctly. Western audiences would be most aware of the biblical tale of Samson and Delilah; Samson, upon cutting his hair, would lose his great strength until he prayed to the biblical god to give him his strength back in one tremendous and terrible display that would destroy his enemy in completion. In Asia, and India in particular, the same can be true, but the loss of pride is viewed in a far more positive light. Buddhist monks shave their heads in a ritual of purity and loss of ego; Hindus of certain sects and specific communities keep only small tufts of hair on certain areas of their heads as marks of faith or tradition. 
           
  Why, then, has a particular temple become so famous for offering hair as a ritual? Two reasons can be given, the first being in imitation of the goddess of Neeladri hills actions. Neeladri Devi, who, upon discovering a sleeping Venkateshwara and seeing a balding patch on his head from a wound given when defending a cow, plucks her own beautiful locks of hair and fits them to Perumal’s head. The second, while still may be in imitation of the story told above, is also a personal rite to remove all pride, making us humble before climbing the hill visiting the sacred shrine of Venkateshwara. This is but one of several preparatory rituals that should be done before entering the temple.

     What happens to the hair offered and how it is used for the temple is a complex and political discussion that I will write a more detailed post on.
          

  Upon seeing my friend's online post, I realized how little the greater populace understands why we do these rituals and the deeper, more esoteric reasoning behind them. Many of the rituals we follow today have become only boxes to check off for either our older family members or the community at large. Over the next series of posts, I will try to cover the reasoning, both practical and esoteric, for why these practices are followed. I hope, knowing and understanding the meaning of each ritual will reinvigorate us to perform them. 

NOTE* Some pictures used from online and I cannot claim copyright. 

Lost- The Mercy of Sri Radha Gopinatha

Vrindavan Poem Series #1 


Sri Radha Gopinatha








Lost
Through dark and winding lanes I traveled.

In this place all roads led to you.

Lamps lit on stone stairways throwing shimmering rays on exquisite doorways.

Uncertainly I strode through mysterious alleyways.

Certain I was lost. I moved forward without knowing where my feet fell.

Suddenly a lantern appeared, and I was beckoned in.

Stumbling upon your courtyard your servants found me.

“Come to our temple.” She said.

A door was thrown open and blinding golden light filled my eyes.

I stepped barefoot into your sanctum.

My heart beating hard as I saw you there.

Flute in hand you were ready for your secret dance.

Showered with mercy, my eyes in tears.

Oh, Gopinath who cared for me and showed me the way home.

In moments it was done, and I was taken to the footpath.

Sent again into the material realm.

I left a piece of myself with him.

Oh Gopinatha.



 

The Apsara Has Come to Earth

Like pearls upon her neck the morning dew glistened.

With the waist and gait of Urvashi she enchanted all she passed.

Piercing eyes like arrows shooting from the quiver she quieted all in her path.

Enchanting even ascetics who have given up the world her complexion that of Maneka.

Silk dressings barely concealed her youthful breasts.

As she walked the tinkle of anklets danced just as Rambha who enchants Indra himself. 

The Apsara has come to Earth.

Who Is Jagannath? Why Is He So Special?

The famous Puri Jagannatha

Who is this god who is so beloved by the people of Odisha; with large, bright eyes and ever open arms? Who has become famous all around the world? In this post I will try to explain just that and how he has truly gone abroad.

Jagannatha is unique among gods, he lives a full life in Puri. He and his siblings Subhadra and Baladev are born during the Nabakalebara, keep court and visit with devotees and eventually even get sick and die, only to be reborn again. Jagannatha is special for being so attainable and relatable to every day people. After all, if we see god himself go through trials and tribulations, we gain strength to do the same in our own lives.

In India there are many Jagannatha temples but out of all of them the temple in Puri is undoubtedly the first to hold the ever smiling face. Since times long since past he has been the pride and joy of the Odiya peoples as well as their courage at certain points in history.

Jagannatha in Sanskrit literally means the lord of the universe (Jagan= Universe, Nath= Master or lord). There is a legend (that I will not cover in it's entirety here) that a king wanting to serve the lord after not being able to see the famous Nila Madhava deity of Krishna (a deity lost but supposedly made of solid sapphire) had Vishvakarma, the celestial architect agree to make deities of Krishna, his brother Balarama, and their sister Subhadra  as well as the Sudarshan chakra from a Neem tree or Daru that had floated onto the beach in Puri. Vishvakarma asks that the temple doors are left shut for 21 days and he is not bothered while he crafts the wooden deities. The King becomes curious and intrudes on Vishvakarma after just 18 days. Who becomes upset at the disturbance and leaves the deities half finished. The King and Lord Bramha, with no other alternative, then consecrate them to be worshiped.

During the Mughal period, mostly between the 15th and 18th centuries, attacks on the temple in Puri forced the deities of the temple to be taken and hidden away a minimum of ten times and at least 18 times.

There are some legends that inside the deity of Jagannatha is a treasure from days past. Some say it is the preserved heart of Lord Krishna from his time on earth, some say a shalagram but no one is certain. The deities, being wooden, are replaced ever 12-19 years during the Nabakalebara rituals. During this time by law in Puri the entire city is put into blackness while the head priest of the Puri temple, who's eyes are covered and hands wrapped in clothe remove the "soul of Jagannatha" and places it inside the new deity. The last Nabakalebara in 2015 caused quite an uproar with corrupt officials and dayapati's not doing their jobs, rituals that have been done on time for hundreds of years being held up due to confusion and people clambering trying to see things no one is meant to intrude on. Thankfully the deities were not harmed in the process... but I fear we may have a price to pay for doing anything in the temple with corruption involved.

The Ratha Yatra (Literally Pilgramage of the Carts) is the most famous festival of Puri and has now began to be celebrated all over the world. Two months in advance craftsman build from scratch the beautiful 4 story Ratha's that will carry the holy trinity. I will do a post separately about only the Ratha Yatra and it's specific rituals.

The most famous festival of Jagannatha is the Ratha Yatra (Literally Pilgramage of Carts).

The Dance of Eternity

I look as the moon, both bright and full on the clear night shines over the wooded landscape. The golden reflection can be seen arcing over a calm lake. A heavy fog rolls in giving the landscape an ethereal feel. This is the time of magic, a time where legends and myth take form and where reality blurs into possibility.

From among the fog, shadowy shapes, swaying this way and that emerge. Girls in long skirts from a time long ago. Forlorn and pining they seem to search the endless mist covered landscape. One, with a bright and luminous hue to her skin as if kissed by the moon, sits in the grass awaiting her dark diviner.

The notes of a lone flute echo hauntingly over the scene. All at once he appears from nowhere and everywhere.  Wearing a crown of peacock feathers and holding the bansuri flute from which the enchanting notes in the deep of the night sing from. He  moves to stand next to his beloved Radha sitting in the grass. Krishna, his skin the dark hue of a storm cloud ready to burst with rain and wearing a yellow dhoti, he begins to play his magical song as the gopi’s begin to dance in this dreamscape. As he plays he dances with Radha, two souls merged as one. Dark and light, love and loved, earthly and heavenly they form a perfect balance. 

From the darkness of the night emerge forms to match each of the gopi. Knowing the hearts of the gopi’s sweet Madhava expands himself to be with each and everyone one. They dance ecstatically to the tones of the flutes. Each couple a perfect form of love. For hours this enchanting scene lasts until the moon begins to descend below the lake and the darkness of the night envelopes the clearing. Slowly the dancing couples disappear into the mists of time and history until only that original couple stands alone in the clearing. Eventually, even they fade into the mists of the mind and I am left alone again. Left alone with the sweet memories of the raasa leela. Left alone with the sight of Radha and Krishna in their most intimate past time. I see my Keshava everywhere but this is my most savored and cherished thought.

Who Am I?

Who am I?

A question so often asked by each of us. On this page I will attempt to give a short explanation as to who I am and how I became so involved in India, Indic culture and Hinduism.

I was born in Southern Ohio and adopted at birth to a family in a rural community. We were always well traveled for where we were from. As a child it was not uncommon for us to go to Puerto Rico, the middle east, etc etc during the summer holidays as my father was an electrical engineer for a company based in Cincinnati. Still, I spent most of my life on my families rather large farm. Roaming forests, hill and glen and having free reign in my natural world gave me a very interesting childhood.

My grandfather had lived in India before her partition and he, as well as other family members related stories to me about his life there. Stories of traveling through the seven sisters into Burma to stop advancing Japanese soldiers, and of him meeting tribal peoples and trading stories. These tales always intrigued me, He died when I was 14 years old and when I was old enough (sometime around 18 years old) I decided to go see the places where these stories took place.



Having a few friends in India already I decided to take a months trip and explore a few common tourists sites. The Taj Mahal, Red Fort.. nothing very far off the beaten path for my first trip. I ended up falling in love with India and her many cultures on that trip. On my way home I did become stranded in Bombay, now Mumbai, for about a week and a half. With very little money to my name and relying on the kindness of strangers I got to see a side of India that most never get to see. Though, to be honest I would not enjoy the experience if I were forced to repeat it.

After many more trips to India and much more studying I decided I wanted to take up Upanayana (the sacred thread) so that I could properly study the Vedas. An Iyengar family in Bangalore kindly allowed me to take their gothra (lineage) so that I could study traditionally. After several more years I took the final steps to complete my pancha samaskar (the 5 initiative rights) to become fully involved in Sri Vaishnavism (Vadagalai).

At this time, I am completing my training as a panchratric bhattaracharya under Sri U. Ve. Madhava Bhattar of Andavan Ashramam who studied under the Ashtalakshmi Kovil in Besant Nagar, Chennai. I also have a degree in Cultural Anthropology and Linguistics from the University of Cincinnati.

I still have much to learn, as do we all, but I am happy to share what knowledge I have gained so that everyone can have a greater understanding and appreciation of Hinduism and Indic culture as a whole.

Adiyen

Hinduism: A Primer (Part 2)

L-R Adi Shankara, Ramanuja, Madhava, and Basava

 Hinduism; A Primer (Part 2)

The Great Philosophies

This is part 2 of my Hinduism primer series. This series is meant for those who are new to Hinduism or want to understand Hinduism in a larger context. In these posts I attempt to boil down the most important aspects to understanding Hinduism in a religious and historical context so as to not overburden the reader. I will go into greater detail on all subjects in subsequent blog posts. If you have yet to read part 1 please click the link below.

Hinduism: A Primer (Part 1)

Over the millenia India has fostered many philosophies and beliefs. Of these great ideas only a few have survived into the modern age. Most Hindu's will follow one philosophy or another even without realizing they are doing so. Traditionally there are six astika (orthodox; belief in Veda and in god as therein defined) philosophies of the Hindu religion though today only a few are still actively practiced by any large number of people. There are also several philosophies called nastika, or unorthodox philosophies. These nastika philosophies consist of today's Buddhism, Jainism, etc etc. Any philosophy that denounces the Vedas and the idea of a supreme soul or god is considered nastika.

For the ease of understanding, in this post I will only cover the philosophies of Vedanta (Adwaita, Dwaitism and Vishishtadwaitism) as well as touch upon Achintya Bheda Abheda as these are the ones most who are new to Hinduism will come into contact with. Yoga is also considered an Astik philosophy but I will write a separate post to understand the traditional view of yoga.

Adwaitism or Adwaita Vedanta was heavily propagated by Sri Adi Shankaracharya in the 8th-9th centuries during a period when Buddhism and Jainism had supplanted the traditional Vedic religions of India. This caused a reforming and Shankara is still seen as a savior of classical Hinduism. Adwaitism itself deals with the idea of Brahman (A cosmic primordial spirit that can be associated with all of creation and the vital life force of the universe) and the soul (called Jeevatma) and the connectedness of them both as a single entity. In Adwaita philosophy, simply put, the differences between ourselves and god and each other is an illusion (maya) and our goal in life is to realize this illusion. Adwaita is true non-dualism.

Dwaitism, propagated by Sri Madhavacharya in the 12th and 13th centuries followed quite the opposite path. Dwaitism is absolute dualism. It view is that man and god are two separate entities existing independently and while brahman may make up creation we are separate from each other in this ocean of Samsara (rebirth) and the only way to escape is to have faith and believe that god (in whatever form) will pull us out of this ocean. Dwaitism is important for many because even if it seems limiting to some it teaches the importance of love and devotion on which things like the bhakti cults (to be explained in a later chapter) are founded on.

Vishishtadwaitism was heavily propagated by Sri Ramanujacharya in the 11th century. Vishishtadwaitism bridged the gap between Adwaitism and Dwaitism (Non-dualism and dualism) by forming a philosophy on conditional non-dualism. In Vishishtadwaitism, god (Lakshmi and Narayana) are seen as being both aspects of brahman and are interconnected as noted in Adwaitic philosophy but all things are real and are not illusion and following the path of devotion (as in Dwaitism) you can eventually reach moksha (liberation from bondage). The Sri Vaishnava sect are the direct descendants of Ramanuja's original teachings and will most commonly follow Vishishtadwaitan philosophy.

There are several smaller schools of philosophy that exist that have borrowed parts of the larger philosophies. Such as Chaitanya Mahaprabhu's bhakthi (Devotional) movement who follows a philosophy called Achintya bheda abheda which is a varied version of Vishishtadwaita.  

Chaitanya Mahaprabhu

Once again I would like to point out that this is just a quick introduction to the general philosophies. In no way have I come close to fully explaining any of the philosophies named above to their deserving exactness. Whole books have been written on each one; indeed many books. I have written this to be a simple and quick introduction so that those wanting to delve deeper may understand better where to look.

I would also like to point out that faith and philosophy are not interdependent. While it is true that most Vaishnava's will follow either Dwaitism or Vishishtadwaitism this not always true just as how not all Shiva or Devi worshipers follow pure Adwaitic Vedanta. Indeed, many people of faith may follow varieties of each of these or synthesis of them in their own personal faiths and philosophies. The wonderful plurality of Hinduism allows these variations freely.