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Nivedyam offering in Nithya poojaa.

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Pranams to all respected members,

I am a smartha, settled in Kerala for long time(Yajurda follower, Kundanya Gothra). It is said that our ancestors are from Thanjore.

We are having shiva pooja, which is being continued from Great Grandfather of my father. My ancestors were all sastrikals and my Grandfather was also a Ghanapadikal.

My father, is a retired college professor, and is continuing the rituals associated with the Nithya Pooja, and when ever he is out of town, I am stepping in his shoes, with same devotion and reverence.

We have a small miniature stone bhimbha of Ganesha, Cylindrical salagramam considered as Shiva, and other salagramams as Vishnu, Sudharshana Maha Vishnu, spadika sphere considered as Adithya, all together 9 deities. In due course, some 90 or 100 years back, one of the families, where my forefather was having upadhyayam, entrusted their Bhuvaneswari deity (A bhimbha made out of bronze) to our family, as there were no one to continue the traditional nithya pooja in their family at that time. That has been added to the already nithya pooja in our family.

After the avahanam, abhishekam reciting RUDRAM and Chamakam, archana, doopam, deepam, and all, the traditional Nivedhyam is offerd, to all the Devas and Devathas.

Of late, I happen to discuss my personal business matters, with my friends, and one among them is a learned Namboothiri, who is also a thanthri for many temples. During discussion, asked about the pooja offered in detail. While explaining, he observed that we are offering the nivedham in one single URULI to all the deities, and objected to that practice, and suggested that each deity be offered Nivadhyam in separate Uruli or vessel.

As my father, who is already 86 years of age, is very staunch follower of my grandfather's and his grandfather's practices, he is not readily accepting what my namboothiri friend suggested. I too, cannot over rule the practices of my ancestors.

But the present hard time, puts me in a dilemma.

Is that offerings in the same vessel or Uruli, against the actual pooja vidhi? Or is it that the Namboothiri practice of separate vessel is not followed in our tradition?

Was my ancestors wrong in their practice of offering in the same vessel or Uruli? Or do we have to change the age old practice of offering in the same vessel, and introduce separate vessels for each deity?

I request the learned among you to solve my dilemma and also help me to convince my father, if at all our practice was against the traditional norms. If any one who is an authority in the followings of Kanchi and Srungeri Mutts, I shall feel that advice as real blessings.

Pranams.

Sreedhar, Thrissur.
[email protected]
 
you are following Our thanjavur tradition which is correct. kerala tradition is a different one. you should not follow kerala tradition. All gods are one. you can do neivedhyam in the same way as your Grand fathers had done which is correct for our tanjore brahmins.
 
Hello Sir,

Though nothing new is added in this reply from what others have answered, but still might help in getting a clarity when the answer is not opinionated but taken or referred from our shastras.

To answer your question, Apastambar, one of the great sutrakara had suggested a way to prioritize shastra rules in case of confusion. In that list, he himself says, wherever one gets confusion, family tradition is precedes all in the famous 'smritimukta phalam'.
Also it is said that if we get a situation when an apastamba sutra person is not able to follow according to his sutra, he can follow bodhayana sutra, as apastamba is a follower of bodhayana. Even here family tradition precedes.

Sarvam Krishnarpanam.
Venkat.
 
A vaishnavite's view on this based on religious literature:

God is one.

There are several Devathas at the next level and they all serve God.

We pray to God and also to Devathas for various reasons.

God can not be explained or fixed within our known coordinates/parameters. Similarly Devathas too.

God never physically eat or drink what we offer as nivedhyam in our daily puja.

What happens is that God makes what we offer eminently consumable by us because he is pleased with our Puja and offering and the mental processes involved.

In vaishnavite tradition this is called அமுது செய்தல். We say பெருமாள் அமுதுசெய்துவிட்டார்.

When God has made the offering into Amudhu it means it has become purer and has become a sAtvik food suitable for our consumption.

A food item which has been made amudhu by God becomes suitable for not only us but also for the Devathas.

So it is just logical that you offer the same food to God first and then to the Devathas so that the Devathas are also pleased that you offered them amudhu.

Hope this helps.

I have used "he" to represent God in several places here as I have no other word. God remains an indeterminate entity and language is inadequate to explain that entity.
 
In a recent visit to Kancheepuram, I noted that the SAME vessels of neivEdhyams were taken to all the sannadhis,

after offering them to the main deity. :)
 
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