P.J.
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AAYUDHA POOJA, VISWAKAKARMA POOJA AND SRAMIK DIN POOJA
AAYUDHA POOJA
Ayudha Puja is popular only in South India mainly in Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh and Kerala. Most of the times, it falls on Mahaa Navami during Navratri. Ayudha Pooja is also known as Shastra Pooja and Astra Pooja.
Historically Ayudha Pooja was meant to worship weapons but in its present form all sort of instruments are worshiped on the very same day.
You come across in Puraanas many instances where warriors are trained in Astras and Sastras, named after different deities like Brahmaastra, Naaraayanaastra, by administering mantras by Gurus like Drona, Viswamitra etc. This in turn warrants worship of weapons by the warrior.
In South India it is a day when craftsmen worship their tools and instruments similar to Vishwakarma Pooja in Northern parts of India. In its modern form Ayudha Pooja has extended even to Vaahana Puja. All sorts of vehicles, which are in use, are decorated with vermilion, garlands, mango leaves and banana sapling and worshipped.
During Aayudha Pooja and Vaahana Pooja a white pumpkin is decorated with vermilion and turmeric and smashed in front before the worship starts as a custom to get rid of all sorts of evils, symbolic of an animal sacrifice, an ancient tradition.
With modern science making a lasting impact on the scientific knowledge and industrial base in India, the ethos of the old religious order is retained extending it to the most recent powerful information scientific tool, the worship of computers which has revolutionized the modern industry, a cross cultural development, during the Aayudha Pooja, in the same manner as practiced in the past for weapons of warfare.
In South India most calendars mark Saraswati Pooja along with Ayudha Pooja on Navami Day. However according to most Dharma Saastras, Saraswati Pooja during Navratri on Poorva Aashaadha Nakshatra day is considered sacred.
All tools and implements of vocation are first cleaned. All the tools, machines, vehicles and other devices are then painted or well-polished after which they are smeared with turmeric paste, sandalwood paste in the form of a tilak (insignia or sacred mark) and Kumkum (vermillion). Then, in the evening, previous to the pooja day, they are placed on an earmarked platform and decorated with flowers. In the case of weapons of war, they are also cleaned, bedecked with flowers and tilak and placed in a line, adjacent to a wall.
On the morning of the puja that is on the Navami day, they are all worshipped along with the images of Saraswati, Lakshmi and Durga. Books and musical instruments are also placed on the pedestal for worship. On the day of the pooja, these are not to be disturbed. The day is spent in worship and Bhajans.
In Kerala this Pooja is known asPujaveppu, meaning the start of the worship. The closing day festival on Vijaya Dasmi Day is called poojae-eduppu or close of the worship. Tools are not disturbed after the commencement Pooja till the closing Pooja is completed.
Aayudha poojaa also starts with the breaking of a white pumpkin decorated with vermilion, turmeric and burning camphor after invoking the presiding deity or Ganesha for the success of the worship warding off all sorts of evils. Cocoanut is also similarly broken. After the closing Pooja machines are started crushing a lemon between any running part or gear system in the machine again to ward off evil.
Kalasa pooja and special prayer to tools and machines are the essential part of the worship, usually conducted by the priest or the establishment owner or a senior-most worker. In Kerala Aayudha pooja is observed with great reverence and several martial art forms and folk dances are also performed that day being an industrial holiday with all round participation of labor and management.
Karnataka is known for its Dasara Procession on Vijayadasami Day. In the erstwhile Mysore state of the Maharajas of Mysore, the ancient Dussehara festival started as a family tradition within the precincts of the palace. The Royal family performs the Aayudh Pooja as a part of the Dussehara Rituals and Festivals, inside the palace grounds. The rituals observed are first to worship the weapons on the Mahaanavami day (9th day), followed by the tradition of breaking a pumpkin (Kooshmaanda) in the palace grounds. After this, weapons are carried in a golden palanquin to the Bhuvaneshwari temple for worship. The tradition of the festival is traced to the Vijayanagara Empire (1336 A.D. to 1565 A.D.), when it became a Naada Habba (or people's festival). Raja Wodeyar I (1578–1617) who was viceroy to the Vijayanagar ruler, with his seat of power in Mysore, reintroduced the Vijayanagar practice of celebrating the Dasara festival, in 1610 A.D. He set standards on how to celebrate the Navaratri with devotion and grandeur.
After a gala nine days of durbar, the Maharaja performs a pooja in a temple in the palace precincts, which is followed by a grand procession through the main thoroughfares of the Mysore city to the Bannimantap on a caparisoned elephant. The Banni-mantap is the place where the Maharaja worships the traditional Shami or Banni Tree (Prosopis spicigera); the legend of this tree is traced to the Mahabharata legend of Arjuna (where he had hidden his weapons of war).
The significance of the Shami tree worship is to seek blessings of the tree (where Lord Rama is also said to have worshipped) for success in the desired avocations (including war campaigns).
This festival is also celebrated with lot of fanfare throughout the state including all villages. In the rural areas, every village and community observes this festival with fervor but there have been conflicts on several occasions as to which community has the first right to perform the Pujas.
Generally, the Aayudha pooja in villages begins with sacrifice of sheep and smearing the bullock carts with sheep blood. Maharajas have vanished but the grandeur of Dasara celebrations continues. Durga idol has replaced Maharaja on the caparisoned elephant.
The principal Shakti goddesses worshipped during the Aayudha pooja are Saraswati (the Goddess of wisdom, arts and literature), Lakshmi (the goddess of wealth) and Durga, the Formidable (the divine mother), apart from various types of equipment. It is on this occasion soldiers worship their weapons and artisans revere the tools on which they depend.
The Pooja is considered a meaningful custom, which focuses specific attention to one’s profession. The presiding deity for Aayudhapooja during Navaratri is Goddess Durga. The presiding Deity for the worship of musical instruments, tools employed in arts and crafts is Saraswati.
Aayudhapooja on Viswakarma Day is presided over by Lord Viswakarma who is none other than the Creator. The Pooja is considered significant which focuses specific attention to one’s profession and related tools and connotes that a divine force is working behind it to perform well and to reap the best benefit.
The idea in worshiping a vehicle on this day is the divine force behind it ensures safety and best performance behind the wheels. In fact a vehicle pooja is conducted whenever a new vehicle is bought praying for road safety and efficient service. The social fabric in India, more so in the South and specifically in Kerala, is so knitted that no celebration or work or even activity ever starts without invoking the divine.
All Hindu religious festivals are associated with Hindu mythology and Puraanic stories. The demons have extra-ordinary strength during nights. So the Divine Mother fought with Bhandasura for nine nights and killed him. After his annihilation Devi had no use for these formidable weapons and so bid Farewell to Arms bringing peace and tranquility. This incidence of farewell to arms is celebrated as Aaayudha Pooja.
In Karnataka this is associated with the battle of Chamundeswari against Mahishaasura that culminated in his death after whom the City of Mysore is named as per his death wish.
Mysore is the corrupted version of Mahishapura or Buffalo city. We are all familiar how the ending of World War II was celebrated as a Great Day of Farewell to Arms.
Sri Rama before fighting Ravana invoked Goddess Durga to get Her blessings for the success of his powerful weapons in the war fought against the formidable enemy.
Ravana had boons granted by Brahma with extra-ordinary immunity against weapons and powerful enemies. Rama worshiped Durga on the Aayudhapoojaa Day.
It is said that Arjuna, third of the five Pandava brothers, retrieved his weapons of war from the hole in the Samee tree where he had hidden them including Gandeeva in a dead corpse to scare away thieves from stealing, before proceeding on to the forced exile. After completing his exile period of 13 years which included one year of Ajnyaatavaasa (living incognito) before embarking on the war path against the Kauravas he retrieved his weapons. In the Kurukshetra war that ensued, Arjuna was victorious. Pandavas returned on Vijayadasami day to their normal lives after being victorious by vanquishing Kaurava and his formidable army.
Duryodhana earlier suspecting Pandavas to be hiding in Viraata Nagara launched on a provocative war by stealing away the entire cow wealth of Virata. He never realized that Pandavas by then had fulfilled their promise a day before. It was his wrong calculation; probably being poor in math but strong in muscles.
Since then it is believed that Vijayadasmi day is auspicious to begin any new venture. This successful culmination of Ajnyaatavasa and recovery of weapons from the hiding and their worship by Arjuna is commemorated as Aayudhapooja celebration by Hindus, a day prior to the festival day of Vijayadasami.
Another legend speaks of a pre-battle ritual involving human sacrifice as part of the Aayudha Pooja (considered a sub-rite of Dussehra festival that starts after the rainy season and is propitiated before launching military campaigns).
This practice is no more prevalent. Now, instead of a human sacrifice, buffalo or sheep sacrifice is in vogue, in some Hindu lower communities. The past practice is narrated in the Tamil version of Mahabharata epic. In this ritual, prevalent then in Tamil Nadu, ‘Kalapalli’ was a “sacrifice to the battlefield”, which involved human sacrifice before and after battles.
Duryodhana, the Kaurava chief was advised by his astrologer, Sahadeva that the propitious time for performing Kalapalli was on Amavasya day (New Moon day), one day before the start of Kurukshetra war.
Iravan (son of Arjuna), also called Aravan, had agreed to be sacrificed. But Krishna, the benefactor of Pandavas smelt trouble and he devised a plan to persuade Iravan to be the representative of the Pandavas and also of the Kauravas. Krishna stuck at a compromise that Yudhishtira being the eldest among both the parties, to perform the sacrifice of Aravan to goddess Kali as part of Aayudha Pooja. The outcome of this sacrifice was Kaali blessed Pandavas alone for the victory in the Kurukshetra war.
This practice continued for long in Karnataka but came to an end when human sacrifice was altogether abolished like Sati.
Typical Mantras used for Aaayudhapooja and Kalas pooja read as follows;
.Aayudha prārthana -
sarvāyudhānāṁ prathamaṁ nirmitāsi pinākinā |
śūlāyudhān viniṣkr̥tya kr̥tvā muṣṭhigrahaṁ śubhaṁ |
churike rakṣamāṁ nityaṁ śāṁtiṁ yacca namōstu tē |
Svasankalpakalaa-kalair-aayudhaesvarah |
Jushtah shoedasabhir-divyair-jushatam vah parah pumaan ||
[May that Supreme Person, Lord of all weapons, associated with sixteen divine weapons which are comparable to his thoughts, bless you! ]
Astragraamyasya kritsnasya prasootimyam prachakshatae |
Soe-avyaat Sudarsanoe viswam aayudhaih Shodasaayudhah ||
[May the sixteen-weaponed Sudarsana, who is said to be the source of all kinds of weapons, protect the world! ]
Kalaśa prārthana -
dēvadānavasaṁvādē madhyamānāṁ mahōdadhau |
utpannōsi tadā kuṁbha vidhr̥tō viṣṇu svayaṁ |
tvayi tiṣṭaṁti bhūtāni tvayi prāṇā: pratiṣṭitā: |
tvatprasādāt imaṁ yajñaṁ kartumihē jalōd ||
Gange cha yamune chaiva godaavari sarsvati |
Narmade sindhu kaaveri jale-asmin sannidhim kuru ||
Imam may gange yamune sarsvati sutudristoemagam sachataa purishniyaa |
Asakniyaa marudvridhe vitasyarjikeeye srinuhaa sushoemayaa ||
[Oh Ganga, Yamuna, Sarasvati, Shutudri, Marud-vriddhaa along with the river Parushni, Aarjikeeye along with Asikni, do come here along with Vitasta and Sushoema river. Having come upon here, please listen to this prayer in praise offered by me!]
To Be Continued
http://nrsrini.blogspot.in/2013/10/hindu-worship-of-weapons-tools.html
AAYUDHA POOJA
Ayudha Puja is popular only in South India mainly in Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh and Kerala. Most of the times, it falls on Mahaa Navami during Navratri. Ayudha Pooja is also known as Shastra Pooja and Astra Pooja.
Historically Ayudha Pooja was meant to worship weapons but in its present form all sort of instruments are worshiped on the very same day.
You come across in Puraanas many instances where warriors are trained in Astras and Sastras, named after different deities like Brahmaastra, Naaraayanaastra, by administering mantras by Gurus like Drona, Viswamitra etc. This in turn warrants worship of weapons by the warrior.
In South India it is a day when craftsmen worship their tools and instruments similar to Vishwakarma Pooja in Northern parts of India. In its modern form Ayudha Pooja has extended even to Vaahana Puja. All sorts of vehicles, which are in use, are decorated with vermilion, garlands, mango leaves and banana sapling and worshipped.
During Aayudha Pooja and Vaahana Pooja a white pumpkin is decorated with vermilion and turmeric and smashed in front before the worship starts as a custom to get rid of all sorts of evils, symbolic of an animal sacrifice, an ancient tradition.
With modern science making a lasting impact on the scientific knowledge and industrial base in India, the ethos of the old religious order is retained extending it to the most recent powerful information scientific tool, the worship of computers which has revolutionized the modern industry, a cross cultural development, during the Aayudha Pooja, in the same manner as practiced in the past for weapons of warfare.
In South India most calendars mark Saraswati Pooja along with Ayudha Pooja on Navami Day. However according to most Dharma Saastras, Saraswati Pooja during Navratri on Poorva Aashaadha Nakshatra day is considered sacred.
All tools and implements of vocation are first cleaned. All the tools, machines, vehicles and other devices are then painted or well-polished after which they are smeared with turmeric paste, sandalwood paste in the form of a tilak (insignia or sacred mark) and Kumkum (vermillion). Then, in the evening, previous to the pooja day, they are placed on an earmarked platform and decorated with flowers. In the case of weapons of war, they are also cleaned, bedecked with flowers and tilak and placed in a line, adjacent to a wall.
On the morning of the puja that is on the Navami day, they are all worshipped along with the images of Saraswati, Lakshmi and Durga. Books and musical instruments are also placed on the pedestal for worship. On the day of the pooja, these are not to be disturbed. The day is spent in worship and Bhajans.
In Kerala this Pooja is known asPujaveppu, meaning the start of the worship. The closing day festival on Vijaya Dasmi Day is called poojae-eduppu or close of the worship. Tools are not disturbed after the commencement Pooja till the closing Pooja is completed.
Aayudha poojaa also starts with the breaking of a white pumpkin decorated with vermilion, turmeric and burning camphor after invoking the presiding deity or Ganesha for the success of the worship warding off all sorts of evils. Cocoanut is also similarly broken. After the closing Pooja machines are started crushing a lemon between any running part or gear system in the machine again to ward off evil.
Kalasa pooja and special prayer to tools and machines are the essential part of the worship, usually conducted by the priest or the establishment owner or a senior-most worker. In Kerala Aayudha pooja is observed with great reverence and several martial art forms and folk dances are also performed that day being an industrial holiday with all round participation of labor and management.
Karnataka is known for its Dasara Procession on Vijayadasami Day. In the erstwhile Mysore state of the Maharajas of Mysore, the ancient Dussehara festival started as a family tradition within the precincts of the palace. The Royal family performs the Aayudh Pooja as a part of the Dussehara Rituals and Festivals, inside the palace grounds. The rituals observed are first to worship the weapons on the Mahaanavami day (9th day), followed by the tradition of breaking a pumpkin (Kooshmaanda) in the palace grounds. After this, weapons are carried in a golden palanquin to the Bhuvaneshwari temple for worship. The tradition of the festival is traced to the Vijayanagara Empire (1336 A.D. to 1565 A.D.), when it became a Naada Habba (or people's festival). Raja Wodeyar I (1578–1617) who was viceroy to the Vijayanagar ruler, with his seat of power in Mysore, reintroduced the Vijayanagar practice of celebrating the Dasara festival, in 1610 A.D. He set standards on how to celebrate the Navaratri with devotion and grandeur.
After a gala nine days of durbar, the Maharaja performs a pooja in a temple in the palace precincts, which is followed by a grand procession through the main thoroughfares of the Mysore city to the Bannimantap on a caparisoned elephant. The Banni-mantap is the place where the Maharaja worships the traditional Shami or Banni Tree (Prosopis spicigera); the legend of this tree is traced to the Mahabharata legend of Arjuna (where he had hidden his weapons of war).
The significance of the Shami tree worship is to seek blessings of the tree (where Lord Rama is also said to have worshipped) for success in the desired avocations (including war campaigns).
This festival is also celebrated with lot of fanfare throughout the state including all villages. In the rural areas, every village and community observes this festival with fervor but there have been conflicts on several occasions as to which community has the first right to perform the Pujas.
Generally, the Aayudha pooja in villages begins with sacrifice of sheep and smearing the bullock carts with sheep blood. Maharajas have vanished but the grandeur of Dasara celebrations continues. Durga idol has replaced Maharaja on the caparisoned elephant.
The principal Shakti goddesses worshipped during the Aayudha pooja are Saraswati (the Goddess of wisdom, arts and literature), Lakshmi (the goddess of wealth) and Durga, the Formidable (the divine mother), apart from various types of equipment. It is on this occasion soldiers worship their weapons and artisans revere the tools on which they depend.
The Pooja is considered a meaningful custom, which focuses specific attention to one’s profession. The presiding deity for Aayudhapooja during Navaratri is Goddess Durga. The presiding Deity for the worship of musical instruments, tools employed in arts and crafts is Saraswati.
Aayudhapooja on Viswakarma Day is presided over by Lord Viswakarma who is none other than the Creator. The Pooja is considered significant which focuses specific attention to one’s profession and related tools and connotes that a divine force is working behind it to perform well and to reap the best benefit.
The idea in worshiping a vehicle on this day is the divine force behind it ensures safety and best performance behind the wheels. In fact a vehicle pooja is conducted whenever a new vehicle is bought praying for road safety and efficient service. The social fabric in India, more so in the South and specifically in Kerala, is so knitted that no celebration or work or even activity ever starts without invoking the divine.
All Hindu religious festivals are associated with Hindu mythology and Puraanic stories. The demons have extra-ordinary strength during nights. So the Divine Mother fought with Bhandasura for nine nights and killed him. After his annihilation Devi had no use for these formidable weapons and so bid Farewell to Arms bringing peace and tranquility. This incidence of farewell to arms is celebrated as Aaayudha Pooja.
In Karnataka this is associated with the battle of Chamundeswari against Mahishaasura that culminated in his death after whom the City of Mysore is named as per his death wish.
Mysore is the corrupted version of Mahishapura or Buffalo city. We are all familiar how the ending of World War II was celebrated as a Great Day of Farewell to Arms.
Sri Rama before fighting Ravana invoked Goddess Durga to get Her blessings for the success of his powerful weapons in the war fought against the formidable enemy.
Ravana had boons granted by Brahma with extra-ordinary immunity against weapons and powerful enemies. Rama worshiped Durga on the Aayudhapoojaa Day.
It is said that Arjuna, third of the five Pandava brothers, retrieved his weapons of war from the hole in the Samee tree where he had hidden them including Gandeeva in a dead corpse to scare away thieves from stealing, before proceeding on to the forced exile. After completing his exile period of 13 years which included one year of Ajnyaatavaasa (living incognito) before embarking on the war path against the Kauravas he retrieved his weapons. In the Kurukshetra war that ensued, Arjuna was victorious. Pandavas returned on Vijayadasami day to their normal lives after being victorious by vanquishing Kaurava and his formidable army.
Duryodhana earlier suspecting Pandavas to be hiding in Viraata Nagara launched on a provocative war by stealing away the entire cow wealth of Virata. He never realized that Pandavas by then had fulfilled their promise a day before. It was his wrong calculation; probably being poor in math but strong in muscles.
Since then it is believed that Vijayadasmi day is auspicious to begin any new venture. This successful culmination of Ajnyaatavasa and recovery of weapons from the hiding and their worship by Arjuna is commemorated as Aayudhapooja celebration by Hindus, a day prior to the festival day of Vijayadasami.
Another legend speaks of a pre-battle ritual involving human sacrifice as part of the Aayudha Pooja (considered a sub-rite of Dussehra festival that starts after the rainy season and is propitiated before launching military campaigns).
This practice is no more prevalent. Now, instead of a human sacrifice, buffalo or sheep sacrifice is in vogue, in some Hindu lower communities. The past practice is narrated in the Tamil version of Mahabharata epic. In this ritual, prevalent then in Tamil Nadu, ‘Kalapalli’ was a “sacrifice to the battlefield”, which involved human sacrifice before and after battles.
Duryodhana, the Kaurava chief was advised by his astrologer, Sahadeva that the propitious time for performing Kalapalli was on Amavasya day (New Moon day), one day before the start of Kurukshetra war.
Iravan (son of Arjuna), also called Aravan, had agreed to be sacrificed. But Krishna, the benefactor of Pandavas smelt trouble and he devised a plan to persuade Iravan to be the representative of the Pandavas and also of the Kauravas. Krishna stuck at a compromise that Yudhishtira being the eldest among both the parties, to perform the sacrifice of Aravan to goddess Kali as part of Aayudha Pooja. The outcome of this sacrifice was Kaali blessed Pandavas alone for the victory in the Kurukshetra war.
This practice continued for long in Karnataka but came to an end when human sacrifice was altogether abolished like Sati.
Typical Mantras used for Aaayudhapooja and Kalas pooja read as follows;
.Aayudha prārthana -
sarvāyudhānāṁ prathamaṁ nirmitāsi pinākinā |
śūlāyudhān viniṣkr̥tya kr̥tvā muṣṭhigrahaṁ śubhaṁ |
churike rakṣamāṁ nityaṁ śāṁtiṁ yacca namōstu tē |
Svasankalpakalaa-kalair-aayudhaesvarah |
Jushtah shoedasabhir-divyair-jushatam vah parah pumaan ||
[May that Supreme Person, Lord of all weapons, associated with sixteen divine weapons which are comparable to his thoughts, bless you! ]
Astragraamyasya kritsnasya prasootimyam prachakshatae |
Soe-avyaat Sudarsanoe viswam aayudhaih Shodasaayudhah ||
[May the sixteen-weaponed Sudarsana, who is said to be the source of all kinds of weapons, protect the world! ]
Kalaśa prārthana -
dēvadānavasaṁvādē madhyamānāṁ mahōdadhau |
utpannōsi tadā kuṁbha vidhr̥tō viṣṇu svayaṁ |
tvayi tiṣṭaṁti bhūtāni tvayi prāṇā: pratiṣṭitā: |
tvatprasādāt imaṁ yajñaṁ kartumihē jalōd ||
Gange cha yamune chaiva godaavari sarsvati |
Narmade sindhu kaaveri jale-asmin sannidhim kuru ||
Imam may gange yamune sarsvati sutudristoemagam sachataa purishniyaa |
Asakniyaa marudvridhe vitasyarjikeeye srinuhaa sushoemayaa ||
[Oh Ganga, Yamuna, Sarasvati, Shutudri, Marud-vriddhaa along with the river Parushni, Aarjikeeye along with Asikni, do come here along with Vitasta and Sushoema river. Having come upon here, please listen to this prayer in praise offered by me!]
To Be Continued
http://nrsrini.blogspot.in/2013/10/hindu-worship-of-weapons-tools.html