|
||||
|
SARASWATHI /AYUTHA POOJA/DUSSEHRA Saraswathi Pooja falls in "Purattasi" (September/October), 9th day after Mahalaya Amavasya. The Goddess Saraswathi is worshipped as the Goddess of Learning, the fountain of fine arts and science, and the symbol of supreme vedantic knowledge. Goddess Saraswathi is the consort of Lord Brahma (Lord of Creation) and is the Goddess of wisdom and learning. “Narada”, the celestial saint is their ‘maanasa putra”. Saraswati is the one who gives the essence (sara) of our own self (swa). She is considered as the personification of all knowledge - arts, sciences, crafts and other skills. She has a beautiful and elegant presence, clad in a white sari, seated on a white lotus, representing purity and brilliance. She has four hands representing four aspects of human personality in learning; mind, intellect, alertness and ego. She has the sacred scriptures in one hand and a lotus (a symbol of true knowledge) in the second. With her other two hands she plays the music of love and life on the veena. She is dressed in white (sign of purity) and rides on a white swan. The swan is known for its peculiar characteristic of being capable of separating water from milk, indicating that we should possess discrimination in separating the bad from the good. The seat being a lotus or peacock implies that the teacher is well-established in the subjective experience of truth. When sitting on a peacock she reminds us that wisdom suppresses ego. On this auspicious day, in the well-decorated Pooja Room or Main Hall, all Books, particularly Children's books, professional books are tastefully arranged, beautifully covered with pure-silk cloth, and a picture or an image of Goddess Saraswathi is placed on it. In some houses, Goddess Saraswathi Image is artistically made out of sandal-wood paste, pasted on silver vessel (Chembu/Tumbler). Garlic with small pepper pressed in the centre is used for representing eyes. Kumkum is used for marking lips. The Image is adorned with best of family jewels. At the deity's feet , all the accessories we use for our studies, and also in our profession like Pens, Pencils, tools etc. are neatly placed. It is popular belief that students are forbidden to read on that day. On the next day which is Vijaya Dashami, after offering Prayers and Aarthi, they should re-open their text books and read with the blessings of the Goddess of learning. In the olden days, children of school-going age are initiated into studies on this auspicious day. The Child, clad in new pure-silk garments and duly garlanded, is taken in procession to the School, where the Teacher, place the child on his lap, hold the child's hand and guide the child to write the first alphabet on a plate filled with turmeric coloured rice. Since now , the Schools are opened in June itself, we can do this ritual of initiating our children to studies by adopting similar customs, on the previous year's Saraswathi Pooja's day, with Father of the child playing the teacher role. The Puja is performed to Godess Saraswathi during which different fruits, Rice Payasam or Sakkarai Pongal, Vadai, beaten rice+ roasted channa+ jaggery+ coconut Mixure, Sundal etc, are offered to Her. Above offerings with Vermilion(kumkum), Vibhuthi , turmeric powder are given to family members, guests and also to our neighbours, friends and relatives, as “Prasadam”. (Detailed, step-by-step, Preparation methods (Recipes) of these dishes are given, in “Our Community Favourite Dishes Recipe” section of Thondai-mandala Mudaliars, web site’s home page.). While offering our Prayers (i.e. Aarthi), Bhajans and devotional songs on Goddess Saraswathi are jointly sung by all family members. (Devotional songs by great Tamil poets are available for ready reference and for reciting in our “Thuthi Paadalgal” section of our web-site’s Home-Page). Saraswathi. Pooja is performed both in the morning and in the evening. This day has special meaning for every one. To all the workers , the worship of their machineries and tools tools is a must, on this festival. This day is celebrated as Ayudha Pooja .People worship Vishwakarma who was the architect of the world . In all the factories, work-shops etc., all the machines, tools, vehicles etc are cleaned , and well polished after which they are smeared with sandalwood paste and vermilion with great care. Poojas are offered for these machineries, tools and vehicles also and tastefully garlanded. After the Pooja, all the machineries and tools are not used on that day. The next day closing poojas are offered and all the tools and Machineries are taken for use. In our Houses also, we clean our family vehicles like cars, motor cycles, scooters, cycles, play equipments etc. place Sandal-paste and Kumkum on them, decoratively garland them and offer Pooja (aarthi), in the presence of all family members. For traders and business people, this day marks a new beginning of their business. New account-books are opened, with the hope that the new year will bring growth and prosperity . Many of our Community families celebrate Navarathri or Dussehra festival by keeping "GOLU" (display of Dolls) from the second day after the Mahalaya Amavasya. This is an exhibition of various dolls in odd numbered tiers ("padis"). The golus vary in theme from house to house - from the elaborate, extravagant ones to the simple, traditional and artistic ones. Golu is adorned with dolls - predominantly with that of the Gods and Goddesses depicting mythology. Common ones being Dasavatharam, Ramar Pattabhishekam, Meenaakshi Thirukalyanam, Murugan and Valli, Krishna in Aayarpaadi etc., It is a traditional practice to have the wooden dolls (Marapaachi - a pair of a boy and girl) as these dolls indicate fertility. It is significant that the Navarathri Golu is set up with an odd number of steps (usually 5, 7, 9, or 11), and the placement of different idols of Gods on them. It commences with the keeping of a “Kalasam” . Kalasam is a brass or silver pot filled with water and adorned with either a coconut or a pomegranate (it will remain fresh for the whole of nine days) amidst mango leaves. This Kalasam is kept in the first step. In the evenings, "kuthuvilakku" is lit, in the middle of a decorated "kolam"(Rangoli), before the golu and devotional hymns and slokas are chanted while performing Pooja (aarti). Relatives, friends, colleagues and neighbours are invited to see the Golu and partake in the Pooja and Tamboolam including kumkum , and a small bag of gifts usually containing a mirror, a comb, a small box of kumkum, and fruits. These are only given to girls and married women. The Golu is kept for 10 days and each day, one of the above dishes are prepared as offering to the God and given as "prasadam" to invitees. On the 9th day (Saraswathi Pooja), special poojas are offered to Goddess Saraswathi. The 10th day - "Vijayadasami" - is the most auspicious day of all. It was the day on which evil was finally destroyed by good. It marks a new and prosperous beginning. New ventures started on this day are believed to flourish and bring prosperity. In the evening of Vijayadasami, any one doll from the doll exhibition is symbolically put to sleep and the Kalasam is moved a bit towards North. - to mark the end of that year's Navarathri - Golu. Prayers are offered to thank God for the successful completion of that year's Golu and with a hope of a successful one the next year ! Then the golu is dismantled and packed up for the next year!
-: - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -:-
|
||||
|
|
||||
|