PRACTICE, PRESERVE & PROMOTE

THE RELIGION, CULTURE & TRADITIONS

ANBE SIVAM, SATYAME PARAMASIVAM

சைவ ைித்தாந்த

மன்றம் மலேைியா

Advisor : Sanga Ratna, Thondar Thilagam N. Thiruvasagam

M. Counseling (Hons) UM, B.B.A (Hons) Bolton University, UK

Dip. in Psychology, IHCA, Chennai

Dip. in Saiva Siddhanta, Annamlai University, India

Prof. Cert. & Trg & Dev, Sheffield University, UK

Dip. In Counseling, UM, dip HRM, University New Castle, Australia

Certified Trainer for PBSM, Pranic Psychotherapist Healer

Editor : Kailai A. Tamilarasi

Published by : Saiva Siddhanta Mandram Malaysia

83A, Jalan Bangsar 59200 Kuala Lumpur Malaysia

Tel: 603 – 2283 5045 / 2201 1772 Fax: 603 – 2283 2406

Email: ssmmalaysia@gmail.com

SSM STRUCTURE

SAIVA SIDDHANTA

MANDRAM MALAYSIA

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HEAD QUARTERS

Saiva Siddhanta Mandram

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Tel: 012-2321727 (Bala)

Tel: 017-3636667 (Anumanthan)

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SUPREME COUNCIL MEMBERS

President : N. Thiruvasagam

Vice President : M. Tarmothran

Secretary : G.P. Uvaraj

Asst. Secretary : A. Tamilarasi

Treasurer : T. Murugan

Asst. Treasurer : R. Sundralingam

Committee Members : K. Sarkunamalar

: K.S Manickam

: Madam T. Vasantha

: Dr. S. Jaya Purany

: S. Mahaletchumy

: M. Jaya Sangker

: B. Murugaya

: R.K. Anumanthan

: V. Nithya Seelan

BRANCH

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CALENDAR

JANUARY 2018

(Markhali / Thai)

02 Pournami

05 Chaturthi Viradha

05 Sangatahara Sathurthi

14 Pradosham

14Thai Ponggal

15 Sivarathiri

16 Thai Amavasai

23 Sasthi Virdha

29 Pradosham

30 Kartigai Virdha

31 Pournami

31 Thaipusam

FEBRUARY 2018

(Thai / Maasi)

03 Sankatahara Chaturthi

11 Mukkoti Ekadashi

13 Sabarimala Nada Thurappu, Maha

Shivaratri, Kumbha Sankranti,

Pradosham, Masa Shivaratri

14 Thiruvona Vratham

15 Amavasai

19 Sri Somavara Vratam , Chaturthi

Vratham

21 Shashti Vratham

22 Karthikai Vratham

26 Amalaki Ekadashi

27 Pradosham

CONTENT 1. Calendar 2. Editorial 4. Events 5. Feature – Saiva Agamas (Part 2) 13. Insight – Saivism 16. Greetings 16. Recipes 17. Did You Know? 17. Activities

SSMM’S delegates

CONFERENCE WILL BE

HELD ON THE

January of 2018

Members are requested to renew

their membership before that to

be able to vote.

Membership Registration

(New Members) RM27.00

Membership Renewal RM24.00

Call SSMM at 03-22832406 (from

5.00 pm to 10.00 pm) or email your

details to: ssmmalaysia@gmail.com

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EDITORIAL

Greetings to all our members and their

families. As we begin the English New

Year we are already busy into our 1st

Hindu Festival for the year. On January

14th we will celebrate Thai Ponggal. There

has been a long time debate between the

Non believers of God and those who are

language fanatics against the Hindus. The

so called Tamil Community considers Thai

Ponggal as the beginning of the New Year

and as such they have declared that day

as the New Year for the Tamils. It can be a

new year for those who do not practice

Hinduism or Saivism. One thing is certain

the Hindus and the Tamils in particular

will never be united due to the various

ethnic backgrounds, languages, culture

and traditions. The South Indians are still

confused between religion and culture

and language. We can see hundreds of

articles in various Tamil medias both in

India and in Malaysia debating about the

New Year.

Being Hindus lets see how we understand

Thai poonggal and how it is celebrated.

This festival will be very meaningful to

those farmers, because it involves the

farmers’ life. The harvest festival Pongal

or Thai Pongal is also called Makara

Sankaranthi, since it is celebrated on the

first day of Thai when the Sun enters the

Makara Rasi (Capricorn). This signals the

end of winter and the onset of spring

throughout the northern hemisphere. For

the next six months, the days are longer

and warmer. The period is referred to as

Uttarayan Punyakalam and is considered

auspicious. Legend has it that the Devas

wake up after a six-month long slumber

during this period. And so it is believed

that those pass away during Uttarayana

attain salvation. In fact, Bheeshma is

believed to have waited for the dawn of

Uttarayana before he gave up his life.

Pongal is a four-day affair. The first day,

Bhogi, is celebrated on the last day of the

month of Margazhi. On this day, people

decorate their homes. New vessels are

bought and old and unwanted things

burnt. Scholars have often compared

Bhogi to the Indra Vizha celebrated by the

Chola kings at Kaveripattinam, also known

as Poompuhar. IndraVizha was celebrated

in honour of Lord Indra, also called Bhogi,

the God of thunder and rain. On the first

day, a sweet rice meal is made, dedicated

to the sun god, and then consumed by

families in festive meals. The rice is boiled

in milk, along with spices, raisins,

cashews, and various other ingredients.

The cooking must be done outside in the

sunlight, and is normally done on a porch

or in a courtyard. The cooking pot is made

of clay and is decorated with colorful

patterns. The final product is served up on

banana leaves and can be either very

sweet or very savory.

Also note that, when the rice first begins

to boil, a horn called a “sanggu” is blown

while other participants shout out “Pongal

O Pongal!” to indicate the pot is

“overflowing.” They also will chant the

words “Thai pirandhal vazhipirakkum,”

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meaning “The beginning of the month of

Thai makes way for new opportunities.”

The second day is Perum Pongal, the most

important. It is also called Surya Pongal

because people worship Surya, the Sun

God and his consorts, Chaya and

Samgnya. Women decorate the central

courtyard of their homes with beautiful

kolams, done with rice flour and bordered

with red clay. The Pongal dish is cooked

exactly at the moment when the new

month is born. There are several legends

associated with Perum Pongal. A sage

named Hema prayed to Lord Vishnu on

the banks of the Pottramarai tank in

Kumbakonam. On Perum Pongal day, the

lord is believed to have taken the form of

Sarangapani and blessed the sage. Yet

another legend has it that Lord Shiva

performed a miracle where a stone image

of an elephant ate a piece of sugarcane.

The third day is Mattu Pongal, celebrated

to glorify cattle that help farmers in a

myriad ways. On this day, the cows are

bathed and decorated with vermilion and

garlands and fed. In certain villages in

southern Tamil Nadu, a bullfight called

manji-virattu is held in the evening. Bags

of coins are tied to the sharpened horns

of ferocious bulls that are let loose in an

open ground. The young men of the

village vie with each other to subdue the

bull and grab the bags tied to the horns. In

fact, in ancient Tamil literature, men had

to subdue the bull in order to win the

hand of a fair maiden. Unlike in the

Spanish bullfights, in manji-virattu, the

bull is never killed.

Mattu Pongal has little significance to city

folks. In most urban homes, the day is

celebrated as Kannu Pongal. Special

prayers are offered by women for the

well-being of their brothers. This is also

one of the reasons why India has banned

the killing of cows due to its great

contribution by way of service to the

farmers.

The Tamils also remember the poet

Tiruvalluvar, who was born on this. The

last day is Kaanum Pongal. It is that part of

the festival when families used to gather

on the riverbanks and have a sumptuous

meal (kootanchoru). It is also time for

some traditional dances such as kummi

and kolattam. In recent years, that day is

celebrated as UzhavarTirunal in honor of

farmers. This is also one of the reason the

Tamils consider their calendar as

“Valluvar Calendar “

As Hindus we celebrate as a thanksgiving

to Lord Suriya for all the wonderful

harvest God has provided for mankind

through the hard sweat and blood of the

farmers and their families. If not for them

we will not be able to survive, though we

might have all the money. So on this day,

it’s our duty to pay respect and homage to

all our farmers so that they will continue

to produce abundance of food for the

people.

Thai Pongal is an occasion for family re-

unions and get-together. Old enmities,

personal animosities and rivalries are

forgotten. Estrangements are healed and

reconciliation effected. Indeed, Thai

Pongal is a festival of freedom, peace,

unity and compassion crystallized the

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Indian spiritual text the Rig Veda. Thus,

love and peace are the central theme of

Thai Pongal.

EVENTS

Keep yourself free for the following

activities/ events organized by SSMM.

SIVARATHIRI

Monday, 15-1-2018

7.30pm

VENUE

(1) SSMM HQ, Bangsar (2) SSMM Klang Branch, Klang

Puja, Ritualistic Worship, is an effective

sadhana (Spiritual practice) to purify our

mind. Employing our body, speech and

mind, we perform puja for inner

development. Physical action like offering

flowers and ringing the bell, vocal actions

like chanting mantras and singing hymns

and mental actions like feeling the

presence of God, constitute the procedure

of ritual. As we sincerely do it day after

day, our devotion to the Lord further

increases and flows as an undercurrent all

through the day's activities. We shall in

fact find that God is with us at all times.

All members, family and friends are

invited to participate in this very

auspicious pooja.

For those wish to partake ubayams or

donate items are welcomed to contact:

SSMM (HQ) Bangsar at: 03-22835045

or SSMM Klang at: 03-55144121.

“Although an act of help done timely might be small in nature, it is truly larger than the world itself.” “The only gift is giving to the poor, all else is exchange.”

― Thiruvalluvar, Thirukkural

INSIGHT

- The Law of Karma

The law of karma underpins the

process of transmigration of the soul.

Karma literally means "action," but

more often refers to the accumulated

reactions to activities. Thus we talk of

"good karma" and "bad karma," which

are stored reactions that gradually

unfold to determine our unique

destiny.

The self-determination and

accountability of the individual soul

rests on its capacity for free choice.

This is exercised only in the human

form. Whilst in lower species, the

atman takes no moral decisions but is

instead bound by instinct. Therefore,

although all species of life are subject

to the reactions of past activities, such

karma is generated only while in the

human form. Human life alone is a life

of responsibility.

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FEATURE

Saiva Agamas

(Part 2 continue from last issue) Source:

http://saivaphilosophy.blogspot.my/2010/01/saiva-agamas.html-

1. The Vedas and The Agamas The following agamic passages may be seen to affirm the origin of the Agamas from the Vedas: “The Siddhanta consists of the essence of the Vedas” (Suprabhedagama)...this tantra is of the essence of Veda’, this siddhanta knowledge which is the significance of Vedanta is supremely good” – Sivadvaita of Srikantha by S.S. Suryanaranyana Sastri 1972 (page 3). “It has been suggested that the agamic systems were developed out of the Brahmanas in the same way as the Upanishads, though at a much later stage and that some of the Upanishads like Svetasvatara which address the Supreme Being by a sectarian title and not as Para Brahman, long time ago, probably

grew up under the shadow of the Agamas” – P.T Srinivasa Iyengar. “The agamic cult which was that of the generality of the people and Vedic cult which was of only the priestly classes, officiating for themselves or for others. They existed and grew up side by side from the earliest times.” – Quote from Sivadvaita of Sastri Perasiriyar, (13th Century A.D.), a commentator on the Tamil book Tolkappiyam, referring to the subject matter of the scriptures, mentions the Vedas and the Agamas separately, thereby implying that their contents are different and that they stand for two different bodies of doctrines. Swami Prajananananda, quoted by Sir John Woodroffe, has clearly established that the agamic texts, as we know them today, had for the most part preceded Buddhism, and only the agamic cult had been able gradually to swallow up Buddhism on the Indian sub-continent and ultimately to banish it altogether from the Indian soil. It was not Upanishadic philosophy but the Agamic cult that was responsible for this. This is a very important observation deserving the careful attention of all scholars. The four parts of the Agamas are likened to the four parts of Vedas – namely the mantra part or stotras comparable to Sariya of the agamas; the Brahmanas dealing with rituals comparable to kriya; the Aranyaka part to Yoga and the Upanishad or philosophy part equivalent to Njanapada of the agamas.

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Exponents of the Agamas would go further and say that the Supreme of Saivism, Siva, is mentioned in the Vedic terms such as the following: Isa vasyam idam sarvam Yah parah sa mahesvarah Sarve vai Rudrah. Ambika pataye Umapataye Yo vai Rudras sa Bhagavan Bhurbhuvas suvah Tasmai namas tasmai tva jushtam niyurajmi yasmai namas tat Sivah. Haraya Rudraya Sarvaya Sivaya Bhavaya Maha Devaya Ugraya All the names mentioned in the last lines are the specific mantra names of Siva. The Bharga Sabda in the Gayatri mantra (Bhargo dhevasya dhimahi ) is considered to refer to Siva. Besides, the introduction of Sri Uma in Kenoupanishad clearly explains the Saiva Siddhantha doctrine that ignorance can be dispelled only with the bestowal of Siva’s Grace which is personified as Sakthi or Uma. The Kaivalyopanishad, one of the early Upanishads, claimed by many to be of the Advaitic or Vedanta school, has the following lines (sloka 7): Tam Aadi madhyanta vihinam Ekam Vibhum Chidanandam Arupam Adbhutam Uma sahayam Paramesvaram Prabhum Trilochanam Nilakantham Prasaantam

Here the description of Siva in so many words, as the consort of Uma, Parameswara, the Three eyed, the Blue Throated are the significant as pointing to the Supreme Being as Siva. In the Devi ashtottra namas used by different Sivacharyas in temple worship today, one of the following names is “Aum Agamarupinyai Namah”, meaning that Devi is of the form of the Agamas. Siva and Sakthi are not separate and so this term is also significant. Nama 290 in Lalitha Sahasranamam: “Sakalagama sandhoha sukthi samputa mauktika” meaning, “She wears the pearl in the nose ring enclosed in a shell composed of all the agamas” 2. Age of the Agamas Saint Thirumular mentions nine agamas by name, we may assume that the more important agamas were written long time before him. Even some later day Buddhist scriptures call themselves as agamas – Ekottaragama, Madhyamagama etc. Sakhya dynasty of Kapilavasthu in which great Siddharta was born were worshippers of Siva. The city is considered to be in the state of Nepal which continues to be a Saiva state to this day. We may not be sure that the present versions of the agama are those which existed at that ancient past. As sruthis, they were handed down by

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word of mouth from master to disciple, through several centuries, before they came to be written down on palm leaf. Naturally many changes would have taken place into texts, both consciously and unconsciously, as times changed and as needs and aims of society underwent considerable change. Hence it is possible the original texts became elastic and new ideas were incorporated into the texts. Dr. Surendranath Gupta says “ The date of the Agamas cannot be definitely fixed. It maybe suggested that the earliest of them were written sometime in the second or third century A.D. and these must have been continued till the thirteenth or fourteenth century” Some Jain writings of a much later date were called the Jinagama. There were also the Sakthagamas, in praise of Sakthi, Vaikhanasa and Pancharatra are the agamas of two Vaishnava schools. The numbers of Saivagamas is very large and most of them proceeded the books of the other schools in point of time. From the remote past, from the very early days when the agamas were just written, there existed only Saivagamas. The term agama signified only the Saivagama. The agamas of the other schools of Hinduism were not written at that time. The Vedas are called Apaurusheya, not made by man. The Vedas are considered to have born from the four faces of Brahman. But this has to be understood as signifying that the

Vedas were revealed to enlightened spiritual seekers who taught them to their disciples and were being continuously handed down from master to disciples and hence the name Sruthi until they were written down at a later stage on palm leaf. The Agamas were revealed from the 5 faces of Lord Siva – Eesanam, Tatpurusham, Aghoram, Vamadevam and Satyojatham. The Agamas did not come into existence simultaneously, but did certainly have a gradual evolution even in the pre-B.C and in the first millenium A.D. Many of the Saivagamas had been quite ancient, besides some of the Agama systems are referred to by Badarayana and so those systems at least must have been earlier than the compilations of Brahma Sutras. The Brahma sutras, also known as Vedanta Sutras, constitute the Nyaya prasthana, the logical starting point of the Vedanta philosophy (Nyāya = logic/order). No study of Vedanta is considered complete without a close examination of the Prasthana Traya, the texts that stand as the three starting points. The Brahma Sutras are attributed to Badarayana. The compilations of these sutras is considered to have taken place earlier than the Buddha and Mahavira. All these naturally certify to the antiquity of the early Agamas. Parimelalahar of the 13th Century, the great commentator of kural and an ardent

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Vaishnavite, interpreting the phrase Engutattan occurring in a verse of the Kural, he lists the eight attributes of Siva and says that these are taken from the Saivagamas and there are no such attributes to Vishnu in any Vaishnava books. The age of the agamas is based solely on theories by various scholars. The exact period of the agama’s origin is yet to be identified. The excavations of Mohenjodaro Harappa gives evidences that practices of Saivism existed few centuries before the Christian era and the agamas would have certainly existed before the said period which goes beyond time. 3. The term AGAMA Several explanations have been offered for the term agama. One of it that because it existed from God, it is called the Agama, that which came (from God), a-gama. Another is that the three letters a-ga-ma respectively denote pati, pasu and pasam; and that the agamas deals with these three entities and their relationship, and hence this name. A Sanskrit verse gives an interesting meaning for the three syllables a, ga, and ma: Agatam Siva valtrenhyah gatan ca girija mukhe Matam ca Siva bhaktanam agamam cheti katyate “ The agamas originated from the faces of Lord Siva, fell on the ears of

Parasakti and spread in the world as the Matha (Religion), of the Siva bhaktas”, the agamas are mostly in the form of instructions from Siva to Sakthi. They take their name from the first letters, of the words agatam (originated), gatam (fell) and matam (religion) as mentioned in this sloka. Although the special scriptures of Saivism, Vaishnavism and Saktism are generally known as agamas; this term has, however, come to have a specialised significance in later days. Only the Saivagamas are referred to as the agamas; the Vaishnava agamas are mostly referred to as Samhitas and the Sakta agamas are mostly referred to as the Tantras. 4. The number of the Agamas The agamas are said to be infinite in number. The aspects of Siva are five in number – Sadyojata, Vamadeva, Aghora, Tatpurusha and Isana. Each of these has five faces and from these twenty five faces were revealed numberless agamas, according to one tradition. One tradition says that Sadasiva revealed the four agamas to Garuda, Vama, Bhutatantra and Bairava from the four faces and the well known 28 agamas from the fifth face Isanam. The 28 Saiva agamas are said to have been revealed from all the five faces of Siva, the first four taught five agamas each, while the last, Isanam gave rise to eight. The first ten agamas were taught by Sadasiva to the Vidyesvaras, so they are called the

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Sivabheda agamas ( Saiva or God-taught). The remaining 18 were taught to 36 Rudras beginning from Anadirudra, and hence these were called the Rudrabheda agamas ( Raudric or man-realized ). The first ten were taught again in turn to three celestial beings each, which the other eighteen were taught to two each, thus making a total of 66 celestials ( 30+36 ) who learned the agamas. Ananthesvara taught the agamas to Srikanda Rudra, who in turn taught them to the sages. The sages initiated the disciples into the mysteries of the agamas and thus the books came to have value among the mortals. The Kamikagama shows all the 28 agamas in serial order, their origin, the number of verses therein, the organ of Siva which they represent and persons to whom they were revealed. 5. Content of the Agamas Sadasiva revealed to spiritually advanced souls, the agamas, which embodied the path of such salvation to the mortals who are caught up in the cycle of births and deaths. The four paths towards this end have been developed by Tamil Siddhanta sastra writers in the evolutionary order of Sariya, Kriya , Yoga and Jnanam. Jnana is the part of philosophy of the agamas ( Saiva Siddhanta), while the other three may be taken as dealing with sadhana or practice. Of the agamas that is available in print today, only

Suprabheda, Mrgendra and the Kirana contain all four parts. From the volume of writing under each head, it can be clearly seen that the emphasis of the agamas was equally on the jnana and kriya parts, that is both the philosophical and the ritualistic aspects. Among the 28 Sivagamas, the first 10 are called Sivabheda and the next 18 are called Rudrabheda. The Sivabheda agamas are 5 each from 2 faces; Sadyojata and Vamadeva while Rudrabheda agama are 5 from each face of Aghora, 5 from face of Tatpurusha, and 8 from face of Isanam. There are 5 kinds of Guru Shisya relationship in Rudrabheda. The relationship between Sadasiva and Anadhirudra is Param; relationship between Anadhirudrar and Parameswarar is Maham; relationship between Parameswarar and Devas is Divyam; relationship between Devas and Rishis is Divyadivyam and relationship between Rishis and people is Adivyam The Jnana Part The Jnana pada is the part dealing with the metaphysical basis of the agama system. It provides the philosophical truths underlying the system and expounds the origin, the rationale and the goal. The Supreme is one and All is He, SIVA. The emphasis of Vedanta on the soul and mind is now shifted so as to encompass a larger part of man or

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rather the complete man. This is of course because of Agamic teaching embraces the complex personality of man, his emotions and heart, and his will as well. This is the knowledge of Jnana pada. The Yoga Part The agamas were not the first to speak of the Yoga pada nor even Patanjali. Vedic writers would say that the yoga path is as old as the Vedas. They would claim that the Yajnas, sacrifices, were themselves a sort of yoga practice where the vedic seer tried to unite himself with the particular celestial who was invoked. The agamic yoga part goes beyond the Patanjali’s raja yoga and lays down an inner discipline. The aim of yoga is of course Jnana. Hence this yoga seeks to purify, elevate and equip the disciple for a life which will explain the Truths realised through Jnana. It is usual in the modern day to speak of raja yoga, bhakthi yoga, karma yoga and jnana yoga in treating of religious practices. Different sects evolve their own terminology and this terminology cannot be expected to be there in the same form in Saiva Siddhanta. The Yoga pada however seems to be a scantiest or ‘minor’ part in the agamas. Only the Suprabheda, the Kirana and the Mrgendra texts are available on this pada. Patanjali’s raja yoga takes one through eight steps and these are known as the Ashtanga Yoga. These

eight steps – Yama, Niyama, Asana, Pranayama, Pratyahara, Dharana, Dhyana and Samadhi. It is only a course of spiritual discipline leading to a higher purpose, only steps leading to an altogether higher goal. The last three steps are said to comprise the true raja yoga. Dharana is concentration; helps to perfect mind control. Dhyana is meditation which helps the uninterrupted flow of thought to the object of devotion. This finally leads to state of Samadhi where the mind initially functions in the contemplation, but finally it ceases to exist. The initial state here confers siddhis or powers on the practiser of yoga but he is not to be lured by them. He ignores these and goes to the higher state of Samadhi which is the mystic union. Yoga is union, the union of the conscious individual self with the Universal Self. The term yoga is used in common term as a form of personal discipline: this yoga is just a means towards the attainment of higher purpose. In the religious language it is the union of the mind at the feet of the Master. This eight fold ashtanga yoga is taken as a step to a higher yoga in Saiva Siddhanta which seeks a spiritual union beyond the mental discipline and it is called the Prasaadaa Yoga, one which confers supreme realisation. It is a process of spiritual evolution where the souls goes through a sixteen fold process of inward perception withdrawing the spirit from all outward activities and rising higher and higher in the

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realisation of the Self inwardly and finally attaining non-dual union with it. The Praasadaa yoga is a sort of training for the power of the Sushumna Nadi called Kundalini Sakthi, which is like a coiled serpent and for taking it through sixteen stages called kalas, bindu, ardhachandra, nirodhi, nadam, nadantam, sakthi, vyapini, vyomarupai, anantai, anata, anasritai, samanai and unmanai. Beyond unmana is the brahma randra, the dvadasanta centre. The aspirant in his yogic practice, takes the Sakthi to each stage and there, has the corresponding vision. This process is the Shodasakala Praashadaa yoga, this last stage is the merger or union. The Kriya Part This pada considers not the individual man alone but considers man in the society. It has a concern and involvement in the community around. The temple is an outward expression of this concern. The Kriya aspect so far as temple parartha worship is concerned is in three divisions – i. Prathisthanam that is from clearing the ground for examining its suitability for temple construction, to consecration; ii. Pratishtha to Utsavantham that is from consecration uo to the conduct of all types of festivals and iii. Prayascitta kriyas – kriya rites combined with other purificatory rituals. The Kriya part is generally the largest part in all the available

agamas. This part is concerned with worship, both individual and temple worship. All the aspects of worship are elaborately described here. The details of temple construction for example; details which are given here are far beyond what an excellent modern architect can dream of. Other allied subjects dealt with here are sculpture, iconography, construction of temple car or Theer, geology, horticulture, astronomy, town planning, home science, water supply, health and hygiene, food and many others. In short we may say, no area of human activity of the period about 2000 years back has been left out. Agamas speak of 64 kinds of Siva forms ( Asthasta forms) and in brief 25 Maheswara muhurtam are as per Karana agama for worship. The Sariyai Part The seeker after TRUTH, the Siddhantin, has to equip himself intellectually for the philosophy of Jnana Pada. The spiritual effort is augmented and supported by the many kriyas, temple worship and festivals. For these efforts an external aid both in himself and in the environment is essential. This is the code of personal conduct and discipline, the way of behavior or functioning and this is Sariyai. The Sariya part is not a difficult one nor it is very complicated either for understanding or for following. It is a sort of rigid preparation, intended to purify and equip the Sadhaka in body, mind and spirit, a personal training or

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discipline. The path marked out for him is the Godward path, because as a Sadhaka, he practises the means for attaining oneness with Siva. He has in a limited sense to begin with, to lead others. Society looks up to him and by his personal life, affiliations, behaviour and progress and attainments, he sets the model. The Sariya part deals with daily observance and the personal discipline of the worshippers. The Suprabhedagama deals elaborately with this. The purificatory ceremonies for the individual from the time of his birth, the deekshas (initiation), the ultimate funeral rites and similar other ceremonies are described here. 6. Agamas quoted by Samayacharyars and Sekkilar in Periyapuranam The Thevaram hyms of Saint Sambanthar, Appar and Sundarar make several references to the Agamas. Saint Sambanthar says “ Lord Siva revealed the Veda, the Vedanta and the Agama” – 3;23;6 Saint Appar says “ Daksha no doubt performed his Yajna as laid down by the Vedas; but he should have done it in the manner laid down in the Agamas ( which automatically will give importance to Lord Siva) and that implied as the reason for the destruction of the Yajna by Lord Siva through Veerabatra.” – 4;65;6 Saint Manikkavasagar says “ Lord Siva

disclosed the agamas from the Mahendra Hill out of his five faces” 2;20 Saint Sekkilar makes many references to the agama in Periyapuranam: “The agamas were revealed by Lord Siva, temples are built according to the rules laid down in the agamas. Siva puja is performed according to the agamas and he is please with such worship” In Saint Kannappar’s story, the Sivagochariyar, the saintly priest arrives at the temple, bringing flowers and water as laid down in the agama -784 The traitor Muthanathan, bent upon killing the saintly ruler Meyporul, says to teh Queen, “ I have brought here a rare agama revealed by your Master, not to be found anywhere on earth” – 478 Saint Pusalar built the temple mentally and laid the foundation according to the agamic rules – 4181 Narrating the greatness of the city of Kanchipuram, Sekkilar says that Umadevi worshipped Siva in this place; in this context he specifically mentions several times that Umadevi performed Sivapuja as laid down in the agamas. – 1132, 1133, 1134, 1136, 1141, 1142 7. Relevance of the Agamas Rules were laid down for the building of the temples and for the installation

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of images therein. Temples had been growing in importance since the days of the Saiva Samayacharyas. It is well known that most temples follow the Kamika or the Karana agama for practices of day to day worship, while the Nataraja temple in Chidambaram follows Makutagama; the Thiruvengadu temple follows three agamas, Kamika, Makuta and Karana agamas, Thirueengoimalai follows Vatulagama; Thirunallam temple follows Karana agama and Sukshuma agama; Thirunallar temple follows Makudagama. The Makutagama seem to occupy a unique place among the agamas. It is quoted as the authority in temples where Lord Nadaraja is said to perform one of His Cosmic dances, In such shrines His Ardha Darisanam (Thiruvathirai) festival is considered to be of special significance. They have special dance halls called Pancha sabha which is Kanakasabha (Gold-Chidambaram); Rajata sabha ( Silver – Madurai ); Tambira sabha ( Copper- Thirunelveli); Ratna sabha ( Ruby- Thiruvalangadu) and Chitra sabha ( Art –Thirukkutralam)

Source: http://saivaphilosophy.blogspot.my/2010/01/saiva-agamas.html- (posted

by Siva Paramasivam)

INSIGHT

SAIVISM

With body as the temple, with mind ever subject to Him, with truthfulness as purity, with the light of the mind as his Linga, with love as melted butter and milk together with the holy water, let us offer sacrifice to the Lord. Tirumurai, Appar. LG, 152

Shaivism or Saivism is the name given to a group of religious traditions which regard Lord Siva, also spelled as Shiva, as the highest Supreme Self or Brahman and worship Him accordingly. It is considered to be one of the oldest, if not the oldest, sect of Hinduism, whose antiquity is said to be rooted in the prehistoric traditions of ancient India, dating back to the Indus Valley civilization (5000 BC) or even earlier. Followers of Saivism are popularly known as Saivas or Saivites. The early Vedic Indians worshipped an aspect of Lord Siva, known as Rudra,

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whom they both feared and revered. In the later Vedic period some Upanishads emerged, such as the Svetasvatara Upanishad and the Katha Upanishad, in which Lord Siva was depicted as the highest Supreme Brahman. It was also the period during which the Vedic religion underwent a radical transformation where by Vaishnavism, Saivism and Shaktism rose to prominence and the ancient Vedic deities such as Brahma, Indra, Agni and Varuna yielded their place to Vishnu, Siva and Shakti.

By the time the Puranas were composed, Lord Siva was recognized as a part of Hindu Trinity and His worship became popular in many parts of the Indian subcontinent. Both the Ramayana and the Mahabharata mention Lord Siva as a prominent Hindu god. Credit goes to the Saiva Puranas, which were composed mostly in the early Christian era, in making Saivism a popular religious sect. Of the 18 Puranas originally composed, six were Shaiva Puranas, namely Siva Purana, Linga Purana, Matsya Purana, Kurma Purana, Skanda Purana and Agni Purana. The Agamas are the most authoritative works on Saivism. They deal with the methods of ritual worship and contemplation of Lord Siva.

Many prominent rulers of ancient India such as the Kushanas, the Guptas, the Barasivas, the Satavahanas and the Cholas were ardent worshippers of Siva. The Barasivas played an important role in preserving many ancient traditions of Saivism, at a time when Buddhism was on the rise. Apart from the Indian subcontinent, Siva was also worshipped in other parts of the world such as Nepal, Sri Lanka, Malaysia, Singapore, Cambodia and Indonesia

Lord Siva's connection with ancient fertility cults is well documented. Followers of Siva regard Him as the Father God and Shakti as the Mother Goddess. There are indications that the Indus people probably used fertility symbols resembling a prototype of the present day Sivalingam in their religious rituals. But we do not know whom they actually worshipped using the fertility symbols. The earliest archaeological evidence of Sivalingam dates back to 2nd Century BC. But we have reasons to believe that the practice was prevalent in ancient India centuries before that. Outwardly, the Sivalingam is a sexual symbol depicting the union of male and female genital organs. Symbolically it represents the involvement of the Soul and the Supreme Self with Nature or Prakriti.

There are many subsects with in Saivism. While they all acknowledge Lord Siva as the Supreme Deity, they differ from one another in respect of other details such as the modes of worship, nature of Brahman, the nature of individual soul, the relationship between the two, the nature of reality and the means to liberation. These schools of Saivism primarily fall under one of the three schools of Hindu philosophy, namely Advaita (monism), Vishishtadvaita (qualified monism) and Dvaita (dualism). Of the few sects that survived the vicissitudes of time, the following five are the most prominent

1. Pasupata Saivism 2. Kashmiri Saivism 3. Siddha Saivism 4. Gorakhnatha Saivism 5. Vira Saivism

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The temples of Siva are located all over the world, but the most prominent among them which house the 12 Jyotirlingas are located in India. The 12 Jyotirlinga temples mentioned in the Sivapurana are:

1. Tthe Somnath temple, 2. The Mallikarjuna temple at

Srisailam, 3. The Mahakaleswar temple at

Ujjain, 4. The Omkareshwar temple at

Omkareshwar, 5. The Kedarnath temple in the

Himalayas, 6. The Bhimashankar temple in

Maharashtra, 7. The Kashivishwanath temple at

Varanasi, 8. The Triambakeshwar temple at

Naski, 9. The Baidyanath temple at

Deogarh, 10. The Nageshwar temple in

Dwaraka, 11. The Ramalingeshwar temple at

Rameswaram and 12. Grishneshwar temple near

Ellora caves

The Nayanars of southern India were poet saints who played an instrumental role between 6th and 8th century AD in popularizing the devotional worship of Siva among the rural people. Through devotional singing and public display of religious fervor, they preached the path of devotion (bhaktimarg) to Siva as an effective means to spread their message of divine love and surrender to God and inculcate among people the habit of religious worship and ethical living. Their activities also helped in containing the influence of Jainism and Buddhism in southern India and reviving the Vedic tradition. The Saiva tradition lists 63

Nayanars. Prominent among them were Kannappa, Karaikkal, Sundarar, Manikkavachakar, Nambi Andar Nambi, Sekkilar, Appar and Sundarar. Their compositions are preserved in such works as Tirumurai and Tevaram. Apart from them, Lakulisa, Vasugupta, Gorakshanath and Basavanna were some of the religious teachers, who played a prominent role in ensuring the continuation of Saivism as a major religious sect in the Indian subcontinent.

Saivism.net is wholly dedicated to bring you information on various aspects of Saivism and worship of Lord Siva, without aligning ourselves to any particular sect or religious teacher. We hope we will be able to accomplish this goal to your satisfaction.

(Source: http://www.saivism.net/)

“How to overcome your

problems”

Thirumurai books with CD

available at SSMM. Get your

copies now & reap the benefits

16

GREETINGS

Birthday Wishes to all Members who are celebrating their

Birthdays this

JANUARY

May Lord Siva grant his loving, unfailing

protection and may your heart be filled only with

pure thoughts. Wish you a very

“HAPPY BIRTHDAY”

RECIPE

Vegetarian Nasi Lemak

Ingredients

3 cups of rice (washed)

300ml of Kara coconut milk

One tablespoon of salt

Pandan leaves (about 8 pieces and washed and tie a knot)

Lemon Grass (4 stalks)

Ginger (8 slices)

How to Make It

1. Wash the rice and pour in the coconut milk, salt, lemon grass, pandan leaves and ginger. Add the water to level 3 of the rice cooker and cook it.

2. Once it is done, mixed the rice in the cooker so that the coconut milk is evenly mixed around.

3. For the side dishes, it is optional for individual to cook whatever they like.

Source: (http://www.kindmeal.my/MayNg/recipe-1000011.htm)

17

Did you know?

1. Hinduism is the oldest known

religion in the world. In fact, it goes back as far as 5,000-10,000 B.C.

2. There is no known founder or governing body of Hinduism.

3. “Hinduism” is not the real word for the religion. That was made up by Greeks and Arabs to those living by the Sindhu river. The real name for Hinduism is Sanātana Dharma. This means “eternal dharma”, or eternal truth.

4. Hindus believe the purpose of life is to attain self-realization, or enlightenment.

5. Hinduism is the 3rd largest religion in the world, with over a billion followers.

6. Hindus believe there is only one unmanifested, eternal reality that can be found through enlightenment. This one reality has taken on the form of everything we see today- including gods and goddesses. So even though they worship many gods, in reality it’s a monotheistic religion.

7. Dharma (righteousness), Artha

(means of money), Kama (right desire), and Moksha (salvation), make up the 4 main life-goals of Hinduism.

8. The major books of Hinduism are: the Vedas, Ramayana, Bhagavad Gita, 18 Puranas, and Mahabharata.

9. The most common language for Hindu scriptures is Sanskrit- the oldest language in the world.

10. Hinduism strongly encourages a vegetarian diet- something that many Hindus follow. However, many practitioners in India simply omit beef and pork from their diet, and follow vegetarian guidelines on auspicious days.

ACTIVITIES

SIVARATHRI POOJA The Monthly Sivarathri Pooja was held

on Thursday 16th December 2017.

Following the recital of Thirumurai,

Malar Vazhlipadu and Deepa Aarathanai,

Prasadam was served to all devotees.

May God Siva’s divine blessings enrich

our lives.

Basic Hinduism Course

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Home’s residents

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and activities

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SAIVITE CREEDS

Lord Siva is God, whose Absolute Being, Parasiva, transcends time, form

and space.

God, whose immanent nature of love, Parashakti, is the substratum,

primal substance or pure consciousness flowing through all form as

energy, existence, knowledge and bliss.

Lord Siva is God, whose immanent nature is the Primal Soul, Supreme

Mahadeva, Paramesvara, author of Vedas and Agamas, the creator,

preserver and destroyer of all that exists.

Three worlds: the gross plane, where souls take on physical bodies; the

subtle plane, where souls take on astral bodies; and the causal plane,

where souls exist in their self-effulgent form.

The law of karma that one must reap the effects of all actions he has

caused and that each soul continues to reincarnate until all karmas are

resolved and moksha, liberation, is attained.

Religion is the harmonious working together of the three worlds and

that this harmony can be created through temple worship, wherein the

beings of all three worlds can communicate.

The Panchakshara mantra, the five sacred syllables “Namasivaya,” as

Saivism’s foremost and essential mantra. The secret of Namasivaya is to

hear it from the right lips at the right time.