Topic: Karthigai Deepam

[nichi]

NITHYASREE MAHADEVAN singing
<span data-s9e-mediaembed="youtube" style="display:inline-block;width:100%;max-width:640px"><span style="display:block;overflow:hidden;position:relative;padding-bottom:56.25%"><iframe allowfullscreen="" loading="lazy" scrolling="no" style="background:url(https://i.ytimg.com/vi/8mQfwTY7AUQ/hqdefault.jpg) 50% 50% / cover;border:0;height:100%;left:0;position:absolute;width:100%" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/8mQfwTY7AUQ"></iframe></span></span><br /><a href="http://www.youtube.com/v/8mQfwTY7AUQ&amp;hl=en&amp;fs=1" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" class="bbc_link bbc_flash_disabled new_win">http://www.youtube.com/v/8mQfwTY7AUQ&amp;hl=en&amp;fs=1</a>


http://au.youtube.com/watch?v=8mQfwTY7AUQ

Once Vishnu and Brahma fell to disputing which of them was the greater. Their quarreling brought chaos on earth, so the Devas approached Siva and besought him to settle the dispute. Siva thereupon manifested himself as a column of light from which a voice issued declaring that whoever could find its upper or lower end was greater.

Vishnu took the form of a boar and burrowed down into the earth to find the base, while Brahma took the form of a swan and soared upwards to seek its summit.

Vishnu failed to reach the base of the column but "beginning to see within himself the Supreme Light which dwells in the heart of all, he became lost in meditation, oblivious to the physical body and even unaware of himself, the one who sought".

Brahma saw the flower on a mountain tree falling through the air and, thinking to win by deception, returned with it and declared he had plucked it from the summit.

Vishnu admitted his failure and turned to the Lord in praise and prayer:
"You are Self-knowledge. You are OM. You are the beginning and the middle and the end of everything. You are everything and illuminate everything."

He was pronounced great while Brahma was abashed and confessed his fault. In this legend Vishnu represents the ego or individuality and Brahma the mentality, while Siva is Atma, the Spirit.

The story continues that, because the lingam or column of light was too dazzling to behold, Siva manifested himself instead as the hill Arunachala, declaring: "As the moon derives its light from the sun, so other holy places shall derive their sanctity from Arunachala. This is the only place where I have taken this form for the benefit of those who wish to worship me and obtain illumination. Arunachala is OM itself. I will appear on the summit of this hill every year at Kartikai in the form of a peace-giving beacon."

This refers not only to the sanctity of Arunachala itself but also to the pre-eminence of the doctrine of Advaita and the path of Self-enquiry of which Arunachala is the centre. One can understand this meaning in Sri Bhagavan's sayings, "In the end every one must come to Arunachala.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
A. Osborne: Ramana Maharshi and the Path of Self-Knowledge

[tangerine dream]

Mesmerizing....

[nichi]

That second fire, from 2002, looked about out of control. I wonder if folks get hurt up there on that hill.

[nichi]

The Deepam festival or the Karthigai Deepam of Thiruvannamali is the most popular festival celebrated in Thiruvannamalai, a Panchabootha Sthalam of Lord Shiva. It is to commemorate the emergence of Shiva in the form of a column of fire to banish the ignorance of Brahma and Vishnu who tried in vain to locate the origin and the end of the glowing brilliance.
 
Karthikai Deepam festival falls on the tenth day of the Brahmotsava in the month of Karthikai (Nov 15th to Dec 15th). It is a celebration for ten long days with the Bharani Deepam preceding it. On the day of the Bharani Deepam, a lamp is lit in the sanctum of the temple followed by a sacrifice of fire in front of the shrine of the Sun God, Surya. The flame from the sacrificial fire is used to light five other lamps while a group of fishermen guard a portion of this flame in a earthen container to the hill top where the beacon is lit.

It is indeed too much even for an ardent heart to quell the out pour of grace that overflows and overwhelms during the the long session of the devotional celebrations. The Pancha Murthys which constitute Annamalaiyar, Unnamulai amman, Ganesh, Subhramanya and Chadikeshwar except Annamalayar or Arunachaleshwara, make their appearance from the third prakaram of the temple.
 
 The Deepam consisting of a huge cauldron, capable of holding about 2000 litres of ghee and several meters of cloth used for the wick is then lit. 
 
The crowd await the emergence of the Ardhanaareeshwara, the form of Lord Shiva conjoined with Parvati with anticipating eagerness. The form that speaks the highest Vedic truth in silence of the merging of the Prakriti, the creative energy with Purusha, the energy from even which the creative energy sprang forth. In short, losing the individual identity with the infinite.

The cosmic dancer as Ardhanareeshwara comes dancing gaily engulfing the crowd with waves of bliss. The flame from the arati that is swayed up and down the deity increases the devotional fervour of the devotees announcing soonest possibility of the occurrence of the forthcoming climax, the lighting of the beacon atop the hill.

The Deepam consisting of a huge cauldron which is capable of holding about 2000 litres of ghee and several meters of cloth used for the wick is then lit with the unanimous outburst of devotion from the heart escapes through the lips in a cry of praise to the Lord. The sanctum is then closed reminding one of the Lord's presence in the form of the burning flame on top of the hill until the next day.The crowd disperses in different directions, yet carrying the essence of the same blissful experience.


I can't explain, really, why this festival is so interesting to me. Had a strong glimmer of recognition when I saw this video, though.