Hey guys. The 25th Aradhana Mahotsavam of His Holiness Pujyashri Chandrasekharendra Saraswathi Mahaswamigal - the 68th Pontiff of Shri Kanchi Kamakoti Peetam was celebrated at our residence on December 15, 2018. We celebrated this Aradhana as part of our monthly Satsangam. With the blessings of Sri Mahaperiyava, the celebration was done on a very grand scale. We commenced the Aradhana by performing Rudrabhishekam for the Padhuka of Sri Mahaperiyava. Lot of devotees attended the Rudhrabhishekam. It started with Mahaganapathi Pooja followed by the chanting of Rudhram and Chamakam by all the devotees. Then, the priest did Archanai followed by Aarthi and Thotakashtakam.
Afterwards, we conducted Nadha Samarpanam, in which my friend, Sashwat Mahalingam, sang few songs. I accompanied him on Mridangam. It was a very blessed occasion to perform in front of Mahaperiyava on his Aradhana day.
The concert started with the song Guruvarulal Thondriya Raagam composed by Neyveli Santhanagopalan in the Raagam Keervaana Panchamam.
Next, the song Vanajasana was sung in Shri Raagam.
Then, the song Meenakshi Me Mudham was sung in Purvikalyani Raagam, for which I played a small Thaniavarthanam that I composed.
The concert came to a close with the song Maitreem Bhajathe in Yamuna Kalyani Raagam composed by Sri Mahaperiyava himself.
The concert was stupendously performed with the blessings of Sri Mahaperiyava. The whole function was truly magnificent and all the devotees who attended felt very happy to participate in the Padhuka Pooja. Here are a few photos and the links to the video of the concert below. Enjoy!
Hey guys. This is the most recent Mahaperiyava Satsangam that my mom did. My mom started on the new topic of Sridhara Venkatesa Ayyaval & Marudhanallur Satguru Swamigal Charithram. They, including Sri Bhagavan Nama Bodhendral, are the trinities of Bhajan Sampradhayam.
She first spoke about Ayyaval, who was a contemporary of Bodhendral Swamigal. He established the Nama Siddhantham, like Bodhendral. He wrote lot of Granthams (books) including Bhagavan Nama Bhooshanam. Ayyaval was a great scholar who came from Mysore and settled in Thiruvisainallur. Because of his Bhakthi (devotion), Ayyaval was closely attached to the Lord. She narrated many incidents that showed how Ayyaval was merited by his faithfulness. One such incident was when Lord Mahalingam himself came to Ayyaval's house to give Prasadam (food) to him. Ayyaval's most exemplary work was bringing the Ganges River, from North India, to his house well. Even today, we can see the Ganges River flowing in the well in the month of Karthikai (November-December) on an Ammavasya (full moon) day. Finally, he emerged with the Lord Mahalingam himself at Thiruvidaimarudhur.
Afterwards, she spoke about Marudhanallur Sathguru Swamigal. He is the incarnation of Rama himself. Both Bodhendral and Ayyaval showed us the Nama Siddhantham's Mahimai, or the greatness of the chant of Rama's name. But, Sathguru Swamigal introduced the musical aspect of the recitation of the Namam. We call this way of expressing our worship Bhajana Sampradhayam. She narrated many incidents showing how Sathguru Swamigal achieved three of his main missions. One of these missions was to commence Bhajana Sampradhayam. Another mission was for him to find where Bodhendraal's Adhishtanam (place where Bodhendraal attained Siddhi) is and to spread the knowledge of this existence to the people. With the help of Tanjore Raja, he diverted the path of the river Kaveri, raised the platform, and built Bodhendraal Swamigal's Adhishtanam. His third mission was to restore and bring back the Granthams of Bodhendraal and Ayyaval. Sathguru Swamigal founded the Radhakrishna Matam where he found where the Granthams were kept and stored the lost treasures of Bodhendraal and Ayyaval. Finally, he emerged with Jagathrakshaka Perumal at Aadhudhurai.
She then talked about the significance of this trinity and how they impacted the culture of Bhajana Sampradhaya. She also talked about the importance of attending these Bhajans and chanting or singing the name of the Lord to display our affection towards them. Whenever we attend Bhajans, we should think about this trinity and their history as they are the producers of this art form and we should bow our heads to these gurus.
This story was particularly interesting for me because these Mahaans (greats) lived only a few centuries back and they have such a great influence on our tradition. Also, they have defined a way for us to be close with God and their works exhibit truths which we should follow in order to attain God. Here is the video below for Sridhara Venkatesa Ayyaval & Marudhanallur Satguru Swamigal Charithram (நம்முடன் வாழ்ந்த மஹான்கள் - ஸ்ரீதர வேங்கடேச அய்யாவாள் & மருதாநல்லூர் ஸத்குரு சரிதம்). Enjoy!
Hey guys. This is the most recent Mahaperiyava Satsangam that my mom did. My mom started on the new topic of Sri Bhagavan Nama Bodhendraal Charithram. For the last whole year, we were listening to Ramayanam, but this topic started with the greatness of Rama Namam (the word "Rama"). For the last whole year, we were listening to Rama's glory, but now she talked about Rama Namam's glory. This Rama Namam's glory was established by Bodhendraal. Sri Bhagavan Nama Bodhendraal is the 60th Peetathipathi (pontiff) of Kanchi Kamakoti Peetam. She first talked about how the Rama Namam's glory happened in the Ramayana itself and how the Kali Yugam has brought so many saints to this world to show the glory of Rama Namam. She then talked about Bodhendraal's life story. In the Charithram of Bodhendraal, we can see how Bodhendraal proved that Rama Namam transformed a lady, who was held captive by Muslims, back to a Hindu lady by taking a holy dip in a pond. Another evidence she talked about is that Bodhendraal made a dumb boy speak Rama Namam with the help of Rama Namam. She also talked about how these miracles only happened in the 17th century. Bodhendraal attained Samadhi at Govindapuram, which is near Kumbakonam. Even now, one can take a trip to Govindapuram to take a darshan of Sri Bodhendraal Swamigal and can hear Rama Namam from his Samadhi. All the people are encouraged to write Rama Namam as much as possible. So, towards the end of the Satsangam, we handed out a sheet of paper and everyone in attendance, including myself, wrote Rama Namam. This story was particularly interesting for me because I found it fascinating how just chanting the name of Rama could provide you with eternal happiness. Here is the video below for Sri Bhagavan Nama Bodhendraal Charitham (நம்முடன் வாழ்ந்த மஹான்கள் - பகவந் நாம போதேந்திராள் சரிதம்). Enjoy!
Hey guys. This is the most recent Mahaperiyava Satsangam that my mom did. My mom continued on the topic of Sri Rama Charitham and Sri Rama Pattabhishekam in a grand fashion.
In this Satsangam, Sita was united with Rama. Hanuman plays a vital role in informing about Rama's arrival to Ayodhya to Bharatha. Finally, with the presence of many Devas and sages, Sage Vashishta does Sri Rama Pattabhisekam in an auspicious manner.
After the discourse on Sri Rama Pattabhishekam, we heard the audio recording of the Pattabhisheka Sargam in Valmiki Ramayanam, bhajans and keerthanams were sung by the audience, we did Rama ashtothram, and finally we did Mangala Aarthi. Hearing this Rama Pattabhishekam will give us all kinds of peace and prosperity and Sri Rama will bless us with whatever wishes we have.
Here is the video below for Sri Rama Charitham - Part 13 (Sri Rama Pattabhishekam). Enjoy!
Hey guys. This is the most recent Mahaperiyava Satsangam that my mom did. My mom continued on the topic of Sri Rama Charithram. In this Satsangam, my mom continued on the topic of Yuddha Kandam (War between Rama and Ravana). She first talked about Hanuman bringing Sanjeevi Parvatham (mountain) and giving life to everybody including Rama. She described Hanuman as a Praana Shakthi. Then, she showed how Vibhishana fully displayed Bhagavata Dharmam and showed how Kumbakarnan (Ravana's brother) lacks Bhagavata Dharmam. She described how the war took place between Indrajit and Lakshmana, Kumbakarnan and Rama, and at last between Ravana and Shri Rama. Rama fulfilled the promise given to Devas by killing Ravana and his men. She also explained the Darshan of Vishnu to Mandodhari (Wife of Ravana). At last, the Satsangam ended with Vibhishana's Pattabhishekam. Here is the video below for Sri Rama Charithram Part 12. Enjoy!
Hey guys. This is the most recent Mahaperiyava Satsangam that my mom did. My mom continued on the topic of Sri Rama Charithram. In this Satsangam, my mom continued on the topic of Yuddha Kandam (War Between Rama and Ravana). She first talked about the Rama Sethu Bridge between India and Sri Lanka. The Rama Sethu Bridge was built in order for crossing the ocean. Rama engineered the building of this bridge with the help of Vanaras (monkeys). So, with the help of Rama's grace, they built Sethubandhanam (Rama Sethu Bridge). Even after arriving in Sri Lanka, Rama wishes peace between Ravana and him. He sends Angathan (Vali's son) for a peace talk between them. But, Ravana didn't want to give Sita to Rama. So, the war begins. Initially in the war, Indrajith (Ravana's son) was successful in throwing the Nagastram, which fainted everyone in Rama's side including Rama. So, Indrajith thought that he was succesful in killing those people. But, with the sudden appearance of Garuda from Vaikunda, everybody was revived as if they've just woke up from a deep sleep. The next day, Ravana himself came to war. But this time, he was totally defeated and he even lost his crown. Rama showed mercy and he told Ravana to come back again tomorrow. At this time, Ravana felt very ashamed of his state. Here is the video below for Sri Rama Charithram Part 11. Enjoy!
Hey guys. Recently, our family started a group called Deivathin Kural Reading Circle. The point of this group is for people to read one topic of Deivathin Kural each week. Deivathin Kural is a compilation of talks given by Sri Mahaperiyava himself. It's available in book form as well as pdf form. We have created a Google Sheet where people could record the weekly goal of one chapter like a reading log. Personally, I think this will benefit further generations as the talks given by Sri Mahaperiyava displays significance about Hindu Dharma and also relates to current philosophical aspects. It is also interesting to acquire more knowledge about something that we don't know about our Hindu philosophies. Coming from one of the greatest minds, the Deivathin Kural is a very important book filled with innuendos that relate to everyday spiritual life and it showcases a pathway to attain success in life. It is definitely a must read book, and that is why we have created this reading circle, for people to gain knowledge of the profound philosophies spoken in a simple enough language for us to understand and to gain a better understanding of our Hindu culture and tradition. We have only started this reading circle a couple of weeks back. If anyone is interested in joining, please let us know so we could add your name in the reading circle. You could give your email address through this blog or the comment section below so that we could give you the access to the Google Sheet. If you have any questions or suggestions leave it in the comment section below. Thank you for the support. Tune in for more content.
Hey guys. This is the most recent Mahaperiyava Satsangam that my mom did. My mom continued on the topic of Sri Rama Charithram. In this Satsangam, my mom started on the topic of Vibhishana Charanagathi (total surrender to the Almighty). She first explained about the qualities of Charanagathi as well as the qualities of the person who surrenders. We have seen how Devas surrendered in Bala Khandam, Bharatha surrender in Ayodhya Khandam, and all the sages surrender in Aranya Khandam, etc. But what makes Vibhishana Charanagathi different from the rest is that Vibhishana had all the qualities of Charanagathi. In this Satsangam, she talked about how Vibhishana tries to give good advices to his brother, Ravana, to give back Sita to Rama. Ravana refuses to listen to Vibhishana and he kicked Vibhishana out of his kingdom. Vibhishana took this as a boon and totally surrendered to Rama. Here is the video below for Sri Rama Charithram Part 10. Enjoy!
Hey guys. This is the most recent Mahaperiyava Satsangam that my mom did. My mom continued on the topic of Sri Rama Charithram. In this Satsangam, my mom started on the topic of Sundara Kandam, the most sacred portion of the Ramayana. This whole Kandam is so beautifully explained and is filled with pivotal events. In this Kandam, Hanuman bravely crosses over the ocean, vanquishes any obstacle or Asura that he encounters during his journey, and reaches Sri Lanka. There, he sees Sita and is filled with joy. Initially, Hanuman talks about Rama and his relation with him. Then, Hanuman gives Rama's ring to Sita to declare him as a devotee and a messenger of Rama. The ring carries the name Rama. Hanuman eagerly wanted to see Ravana and what he was about. So, he devises a plan of making a mess in Ashokavanam (Ravana's private place) and being taken to Ravana's court. So, he goes as per the plan and is taken away by Indrajit (Ravana's son). At Ravana's court, Hanuman warns him about the consequences if Rama comes to Sri Lanka. He also warns that Sita is not an ordinary lady as well, as she is capable of destroying Ravana herself. Ravana doesn't believe Hanuman and he orders his ministers to kill Hanuman. Vibhishana, Ravana's younger brother, tells that Hanuman is just a messenger and he should be spared. Ravana disagrees with Vibhishana and orders his men to set fire to Hanuman's tail. Hanuman, without fear or pain, flies around Sri Lanka with his tail on fire and destroys every place in Sri Lanka, except Sita's spot, by setting fire to it. Hanuman, then victoriously flies back to Kishkinda, with Sita's Chudamani in hand. As he arrives, he gleefully declares that he has seen Sita. Those very words makes everyone in Kishkinda happy. The Sundara Kandam ends with Hanuman successfully handing over Sita's Chudamani to Rama. Overall, the Sundara Kandam serves as an important part of the Ramayana because Hanuman's impeccable talents are displayed and magnified in this very Kandam. Hanuman also is shown as a great devotee of Rama. If Ramayana is considered as a Veda, then Sundara Kandam is considered as a Upanishad. The Sundara Kandam, as a whole, shows that a great Guru can unite us all with the Lord easily. As a procedure, the Sundara Kandam will end with Rama's Pattabhishekam (coronation) even though that Sargam (chapter) occurs in the next Kandam i.e Yuddha Kandam. Listening and reading of Sundara Kandam relieves one of many ailments or problems and protects one from any mishap. Here is the video below for Sri Rama Charithram Part 9. Enjoy!
Hey guys. This is the most recent Mahaperiyava Satsangam that my mom did. My mom continued on the topic of Sri Rama Charithram. In this Satsangam, my mom continued and ended the topic of Kishkindha Kandam. She talked about how Sugriva totally accepted the friendship of Rama and how he got bravery to fight his evil brother Vali, who stole Sugriva's wife, Ruma. Then Vali Vadham (killing/death of Vali) occurs and Rama gives a good justification as to why Vali Vadham has occurred. Vali satisfyingly lets his life go on Rama's own hands and Sugriva is crowned king of Kishkindha. Thus, the search for Sita starts with the help of Sampathi (Jatayu's brother), Jambhavan (an old aged bear), Hanuman, Nalan, Neelan, etc. Here is the video below for Sri Rama Charithram Part 8. Enjoy!
Hey guys. This is the most recent Mahaperiyava Satsangam that my mom did. My mom continued on the topic of Sri Rama Charithram. This Satsangam started off with Shraddhanjali to Pudu Periyava. In this Satsangam, my mom started on the topic of Kishkindha Kandam. She talked about Rama's friendship with Sugriva and she talked about how essential Satsangam is in life. She elaborated on how one can get elevated in a very high position even near to God if they have Satsangam (good acquaintance). This is how Sugriva got elevated into a kingly stature and became Rama's friend from Hanuman's acquaintance. On the other hand, Ravana, without having any Satsangam, lost everything that he had.
In the month of January, my mom was in India. At the time, Mahaperiyava's devotees asked her to share her experiences with Mahaperiyava. With Mahaperiyava's grace and permission, she has shared her experiences in front of a small group. The video in which she shared her experiences and encounters with Mahaperiyava will be given below.
The first video is my mom sharing her Experiences with Mahaperiyava and the second video is the video for Sri Rama Charithram Part 7. Enjoy!
