Me,my Shiv and the month of Kartik

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ltelidevara

@ltelidevara

Sparkler

+ 8

Posted: 8 years ago

Chidananda Rupa Sivoham Sivoham

The melody and devotion in the voice vied with each other. It still is too dark with only silence enveloping the surroundings.. I washed my face and reached the place where I would meet the owner of the voice..my grand mother.

I was Eight year old who doted on my grand mother for various reasons.

Firstly I loved the stories she will tell in between her prayers ,secondly I along with my brother relished the butter she would offer us to eat while churning the curd.

By the time me and my brother reached there she is churning asusual and started another of my favourite songs.

Alokaye Sri Bala Krishnam Sakhi ananda Sundara tandava Krishnam

The month is Karthik which is very special to my grand mother. She got up to light up Diya in the back yard at the Tulasi plant ..the Diya is shining so well but I am more attracted towards the Shiv ling placed under the plant ..it is too small but it is too imposing..

I looked at the Shiv ling and asked." Why is Shiv not without his body? Why do you worship this ...Kanha has body. He is cute..but this Shiv ling.. Strange.. Why?

My grand mother smiled at me and narrated the story of the emergence of Shiv ling,Brahma and Vishnu's attempt to reach the end..

Shiv should be worshipped as Shiv ling..He will be pleased.

I asked another question " whom do you like ? Kanha or Shiv? Who is great?

Grandmother placed her hand on my head and said." Sivasya Hridayam Vishnu..Vishnoh Hridayam Shivah.. Shiva's heart is Vishnu Visnu's heart is Shiva. Both are not different..

Like always I was so influenced by her words. I still remember her tone,her smiling face,the silent environment that looked charged up by her words.

I again looked at the Shiv ling..I felt a strange connection to that formless God.

My grand mother told me" Karthik month is very special..If we light up Diya the whole month Shiv will grace us...the darkness disappeared making way for Usha kanya in my Grand mother's language. Usha will invite Sungod to grace us with his lustre.. She is there .. She showed the orange blue sky..with golden hue.

By then my mother got up and became busy with her first job.. take the milk from our good old cowherd who used to bring fresh milk ,

My father who is a nature lover and Shiva devotee already took bath and is reciting his verses from Bheeshma Stuti..praise of Krishna by Bheeshma..

It Is only after I grew up I understood how right my elders are in worshipping both the gods equally.

Me and my brother still there with grand mother who is now plucking so many flowers from our back garden.' Go and drink milk.. She told us.

No.. We won't go till you narrate the story..

She knew what it is.. The story of Pandavas.. She completed the Draupadi swayamvar and she is too good that she adopts a simplelanguage to make us understand.

I still remember my question.." She married all the five? She felt bad?

She stared at me and stammered.." May be.. Who knows?

That was the moment I stuck a connect with the valiant prince and the beautiful princess. It continued still..in the journey of my life..

Nothing is permanent in this world. My grand mother also had gone..to unknown destinations may be to sing before my Sankar Shiv..

I grew up.. Many Karthika months passed away..My fascination for Shiv continued.. Read everything that I found out on the blue necked God..

Learnt Namakam chamakam.. By heart..

Again Karthika month ... Difference is I am seeing myself in place of my grand mother.. Taking early morning bath lighting up Diya before Shiv..

The legacy continues..hopefully ...with my daughter in my place

I poured water on the Shiv ling chanting.. Namastestu bhagawan visweswaraya mahadevaya triyambakaya tripurantakaya trikagnikalaya kalagni rudraya nilakanthaya Mrityunjayaya Sarveswaraya Sadasivaya Sri manmahadevaya namah...

But what is so special about Kartika month? I will share here.

(A tribute to my grandmother who planted the seeds of devotion for my shiv in my heart.)

Edited by ltelidevara - 8 years ago

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ltelidevara

@ltelidevara

Sparkler

+ 8

Posted: 8 years ago

It is said that Parvati after her marriage with Siva arrived at Kailasa on the first day of Kartika month. She then lighted the diya first time and Siva was pleased.He said that whoever lights up diya through out Kartika month will get their desires fulfilled.

karthika masam is very auspicious and sacred for both saiva and vaishnava devotees and the devotees indulge in month long prayers to the gods apart from various rituals and customs. The devotees observe karthika masa vratham also and get good life and moksha. It is celebrated on the full moon day of the karthika month which coincides with krithika star.

Karthika masam starts just the day after Deepavali Amavasya. Karthika month is the favourite month for Lord Shiva amongst all 12 months.During Karthika Masa, devotees execute various rituals and customs. They observe karthika Masa Vratam. One really should stick to the rituals to direct a good life and to get Moksha. Danams like swarna, Vastra, Cow will give good results. Upavasams to be performed on Mondays.

Sivasya Hrudayum Vishnuhu, VIshnusya Hrudaygaum Shiva

Yatha Shivamayor Vishnu, EEvam Vishnu Maya Shivaha

During Karthika Masam it helps the devotee to understand and embrace within himself that there is no difference between Lord Vishnu and Lord Shiva and that both are one.

Karthika masam / Karthika masam is the most auspicious month to our hindus. . Kartika masam is very auspicious and gets us spiritual bliss when we worship Lord vishnu/Shiva. There are many important pooja procedures to be done during this period like Ksheerabdhi dwadasi pooja/ Kartika deepam or Kartika pournami pooja, lighting the lamps near Tulasi plant and doing nitya poojas to Goddess Tulasi,

Chanting vishnu sahsranamam or shiva sahasranamam, atleast daily chanting of shiva stotras, fasting on mondays and meditating on Lord shiva are to be done .According to kalidharma and kaladharmam we are not able to follow each and every ritual according to Kartika puranam, but atleast we can adapt some rituals and do simple pooja with scuchi and subratha. (Cleanliness )

Lord Vishnu goes to sleep on Ashadha suddha ekadashi and wakes-up on Karthika suddha ekadashi.
Lord Shiva klled Tripurasuras on Karthika pournami and protected the world.

In this month Ganga (Godess of river Ganges) enters in to all rivers, canals, ponds and wells and makes them as pious as Ganga.
Ayyappa deeksha is also taken in Karthika masam and is continued up to Makara Sankranthi (Jan 15th).

River Bath ( Nadi Snanam)and Shiva worship is important in Kartik Maas . As per the Science, in Kaarthika Masam Water enrich with more Magnetic Power from the Earth and will be stored in water before the Sunrise this may be the one of the reason for taking a Kartika Snanam before Sunrise.

As in Magnetic Therapy, taking bath on Kaarhika Somavaram (Monday) in any Flowing Water for 15mts. that Human being will get relief from STOMACH DISORDERS, LEVER DISORDERS, and GENERAL Health Problems.

Kartik Maas is also known as Damodar Maas.

Kartika masa is the most auspicious and holiest month for Hindus.
Pujas are to be performed for the whole month. Those who cannot perform for 30 days (full month) they can do minimum for 10 days.

These 10 (ten) days are "initial starting five days of karthik masam and 5 days before pournima". These 10 days are important days in this month.

As per puranas, there is no sacred month like karthik, there is no God similar to Lord Vishnu, there is no scripture like Vedas and there no river like Ganga.

Karthik month is the favorite month to both of the supreme Gods Lord Vishnu and Lord Siva. Water in rivers, lakes and ponds get holy power to destroy ill effects during the month hence karthik snaan is one of the most popular Hindu rituals.

The pujas, all other rituals, rules and code during the month are called as Kartika Masa Vratam. There are certain rules and codes to perform Kartika Masa vrata. The Karthika Purana provides details of the rituals and customs to be performed during the month of Karthik. Various Hindu sacred texts have mentioned the list of basic rituals and customs of Kartika masam.Kartik is the holiest month in the Hindu lunar calendar. It usually overlaps with the months October & November in the English calendar. Kartik Maas is described in the scriptures as the best among months for performing austerities.

Sutaji said to the great sages: "The sin-destroying month of Kartik is said to be endowed with divine influence. It is ever so dear to Lord Vishnu and is the bestower of both worldly pleasures and moksha (salvation)."

The rituals associated with the Kartik month are as follows:-

Japa:-
chanting the holy names of the Lord. As per our scriptures, if somebody performs even a little worship of Lord Shri Hari or Shiva in this month, He offers that devotee His own abode.

Deep Daan (offering lamps): -

Worship the Lord by offering lamps (diyas), flowers, incense, food, etc. Lighting a diya before the Lord is called as "deep-daan" and affords immense religious merits when performed during the Kartik month.

In the Padma Purana, Kartik Mahatmya, there is a very famous story of a mouse.

In a temple of Lord Vishnu, there was a mouse who used to eat the ghee from the extinguished ghee lamps which had been offered by devotees to Him. One day when she felt hungry to eat ghee, she tried to eat the ghee from a lamp which was not yet extinguished. While eating ghee from the lamp, the cotton wick got stuck in her teeth.

Since the ghee wick had a flame, the mouse started jumping in front of the Lord's Deity form and thus died due to fire. But Lord Sri Vishnu accepted the jumping of that mouse with a lit ghee wick in her mouth as His aarti. In the end, He gave her liberation, the highest destination.

If somebody burns a lamp in the temple of Lord Shri Hari even for a short time (in the month of Kartik), then whatever sins, he has acquired for millions of kalpas (one kalpa equals 1000 yugas) are all destroyed."

Of all gifts, the gift of a lamp during the month of Kartik is the best. No gift is its equal."

The Pushkar Puran states, "The person who lights the lamp of sesame (til) oil in the name of Lord Shri Hari in the month of Kartik (during Sandhya) gets unlimited prosperity, beauty, blessedness and wealth."

Above all if any person just chants Om Namah Sivaya in Kartik month will get his grace.

On the full moon day of the month of Kartika (November-December) which falls on the ascension of the Kritika star, the Hindus celebrate the Kartika Deepam. It is on this day that the huge beacon is lit on the holy hill Arunachala, in South India.

Tiruvannamalai Deepam:-( Arunachalam)

It is celebrated in a special manner in Thiruvannamalai. Lord Shiva asks Lord Brahma and Lord Vishnu to find out the exact location of his head and his feet. Since Lord Shiva takes a gigantic form, they are not able to find out anywhere.

Then Lord Shiva takes the form of a jyothi (light of fire) on the hill of Thiruvannamali. Therefore, this festival is also known as Annamalai Deepam. Here, a special torch is lighted on the zenith of the hill and it is believed that Lord Shiva's jothi will be visible on this day.

Edited by ltelidevara - 8 years ago

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Briti Sengupta

@mrsasfandyarali

Dazzler

Posted: 8 years ago

Wow... Thanks For Enlighting Us... I am also Shiv Devotee. Thanks for sharing your childhood experience and devotion to us. In this era we are getting more and more technology dependant, scientific. Devotion will surely help us to remove the dark ignorance with purity and light. Om Namah Shivaay. I shared my POV. Sorry if I disturbed you with my banters. 😊. Have A Good Day...

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ltelidevara

@ltelidevara

Sparkler

+ 8

Posted: 8 years ago

Originally posted by: Briti1721
Wow... Thanks For Enlighting Us... I am also Shiv Devotee. Thanks for sharing your childhood experience and devotion to us. In this era we are getting more and more technology dependant, scientific. Devotion will surely help us to remove the dark ignorance with purity and light. Om Namah Shivaay. I shared my POV. Sorry if I disturbed you with my banters. 😊. Have A Good Day...

please don't say sorry. I am highly pleased to come across a Siva devotee like you. Even if very few like you understood the significance of Kartik month... It is enough for me. Thank you so much for liking the effort. Om namah Sivaya.

Lakshmi

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Briti Sengupta

@mrsasfandyarali

Dazzler

Posted: 8 years ago

Okay... Thanks... Have A Good Day...

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Rudrasa999

@Rudrasa999

Explorer

Posted: 8 years ago

Hi Lakshmi ❤️

Very beautiful post ! Thank you so much . Loved reading every bits of it !

Here we too celebrate Karthika Deepam in our house . Just like Diwali we lit lamps , make sweets and do pooja . We celebrate it for 3 days .

Also on the first day of Karthika Deepam my mom watches the live telecast of Thiruvannamalai jyoti on tv and does pooja after that .

My mother too is such an ardent hardcore Shiv devotee.

Just like how Lord Vishnu is everything to me , Lord Shiva is everything to my mother .

Myself and my mom love both Shiva and Vishnu equally and we share each other's devotion ❤️ . She too often says that HariHara is one and inseparable .

She's too devoted to Shiv-Parvati since her childhood and consider them as her father and mother.

Goddess Meenakshi Amman is my mother's kuldevi and my maternal grandfather was having a sacred vikraham of Goddess Meenakshi and does abishekam every year during dusserah time. After my grandfather's passing the vikraham was passed onto my mom as she's very much devoted to her.

But due to some reasons my mother couldn't take care of the idol in our house and so she handed it over to a temple in our street and took all the responsibility for that vikraham .

Later my parents didn't like the fact that how Meenakshi Amman is kept alone . So they went to Madurai and brought a Lord Sundareswar vikraham for Meenakshi amman and married them both 😊 .

So each year my parents perform marriage for Meenakshi-sundareshwar on the same day when the similar marriage ceremony is done in Madurai Meenakshi Amman temple .

It'll be very grandly celebrated and temple will be crowded with lots of people. Some of my mom's friends from the streets too join along with her in making prasadams and decorating the temple for marriage .

As a hardcore Bhakt my mother is very committed to her rituals and traditions. She doesn't give those up for anyone. She fully gives herself in service and participates in every religious activities like VaraLakshmi vratam, Navratri festival, Sashti vratam , Shivratri pooja, Vaikunda ekathasi etc etc etc ... She also never misses visiting Lord NaraSimha , Lord Parthasarthy & Perumal temples on days that are auspicious for Lord Vishnu .

She has this deep longing for wearing Rudraksh mala . Though some people say that married women shouldn't wear Rudraksh mala, she doesn't pay heed to any of them as her Shiva is much more important to her than anything.

I'm different from my mother. I don't participate in any rituals or don't join any crowds as my devotion is much personalized. The relationship between me and my Bhagavan is quiet personal and I don't like anyone interfering in my faith, devotion and my personal relationship with God.

I have my own sacred space where I lit deepam, burn incense while I meditate or chant .

Especially on full moon days I like to lit ghee deepams and burn Chandan incenses as it brings so much of light and positive energies in our houses .

Although me and mom are quiet different in our way of worshiping we still respect and value each other's devotion and sentiments 😊 . We both share with each other our feelings for our deities & highly encourage and support each other in our spiritual activities.

Thank you so much for sharing your beautiful childhood story and the significance of Kartika month dear Lakshmi.

Reading your posts and getting to know some facts from such a pure Devotee like you is always a great feeling !

In fact this much more enlightening and satisfying than watching the tv shows that are confusing people .

THANK YOU ❤️

- Nivi

Edited by Rudrasa999 - 8 years ago

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ltelidevara

@ltelidevara

Sparkler

+ 8

Posted: 8 years ago

Hi Rudrasa...nivi may I call you so?

Thanks for liking my post and your post is a delight to read.. I really felt happy on reading about the way your mother dedicated herself towards Siva worship... Minakshi Sundareswar part really brought a smile on my face. Your mother brought Sundareswar for Minakshi.. So satisfying since Shiv and Sakti are incomplete without each other.

I admire the way you chose your way of worship...devotion is important not the method of worship.

Shiv or Vishnu ,Abhishek or puja, Vibhuti or sandal paste, Shiv ling or Salagram...it works with ultimate devotion and implicit faith.

Yes Annamalai Jyothi is an important event for all devotees. I have special regard for Arunachaleswarar. I visited once but I want to do giri Pradakshina. Waiting for Siva's nod.

Immensely pleased to know the details of your family worship. Good to know that you also light up Kartika deepam

Thanks again for your heartfelt response.

Om namah Sivaya..

Lakshmi

As different streams having different sources all mingle their waters in the sea, so different tendencies, various though they appear, crooked or straight, all lead to God.

Swami Vivekananda said thus..

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Rudrasa999

@Rudrasa999

Explorer

Posted: 8 years ago

Originally posted by: ltelidevara
Hi Rudrasa...nivi may I call you so?
Thanks for liking my post and your post is a delight to read.. I really felt happy on reading about the way your mother dedicated herself towards Siva worship... Minakshi Sundareswar part really brought a smile on my face. Your mother brought Sundareswar for Minakshi.. So satisfying since Shiv and Sakti are incomplete without each other.

I admire the way you chose your way of worship...devotion is important not the method of worship.
Shiv or Vishnu ,Abhishek or puja, Vibhuti or sandal paste, Shiv ling or Salagram...it works with ultimate devotion and implicit faith.

Yes Annamalai Jyothi is an important event for all devotees. I have special regard for Arunachaleswarar. I visited once but I want to do giri Pradakshina. Waiting for Siva's nod.

Immensely pleased to know the details of your family worship. Good to know that you also light up Kartika deepam

Thanks again for your heartfelt response.

Om namah Sivaya..

Lakshmi

As different streams having different sources all mingle their waters in the sea, so different tendencies, various though they appear, crooked or straight, all lead to God.
Swami Vivekananda said thus..

Dear Lakshmi ,

Yes you may call me Nivi 😊

Thank you for your kind words .

I've visted Thiruvannamalai few times & once did giri-pradakshina along with my family when I was a teenager .

And yes I hope that very soon with Lord Shiva's calling and blessing you too shall go for giri-pradakshina 😊

You're so right about devotion .

We and God are never separate at all .

My bhakti towards Lord Vishnu is of pure unconditional love. My heart is filled with his name and i keep thinking about him all the time . He's the life force in me . I love and value him more than anything . He's like all in one (mother, father, brother , guru and best friend) for me . I often got mocked and teased for being so crazy about him 😆 but it never bothered me at all .

Coincidentally my name is also Niveditha which means " offering to God, belonging to God , dedicated to the almighty etc etc " . I asked my dad what made him name me "Niveditha" & he replied like , "I don't know , when you were born I somehow felt like you belonged to the God. Hence I felt this name much suitable for you." Initially he was about to choose some other name for me but fatefully ended up with this one 😆 .

And Lord Shiva is a huge inspiration to me on so many levels . I love him so much in his dhyan roop. I think it's called Muneeshwar. Mom often calls him as Muneeshwar .

Thank you for sharing a very meaningful wise quote from Swami Vivekananda . I admire his spiritual wisdom a lot .

I joined India forums only few months ago and this is the frst forum where I started posting.

My good friend here called Panchali told me about "Mythological Masti Forum" & I recently checked it out .

Got to read wonderful posts by you & some people there .

I'm very much interested in reading such stuffs but I wonder why it was named as "mythological" and I'd prefer mentioning it as historical or may be devotional forum . Because I don't believe our ancient history to be a myth 😊.

So grateful that I joined the forum and came across few genuine souls like you who actively share all the knowledge and wisdom known to you .

THANK YOU ❤️

- Nivi

Edited by Rudrasa999 - 8 years ago

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RisingPhoenix

@RisingPhoenix

Sparkler

+ 3

Posted: 8 years ago

Hello Lakshmi di.

It was a beautiful read. Thanks for sharing your personal experience with us.

I live in Mumbai and down south I've only travelled only upto Karnataka, but I do wish to visit the Pancha Bhoot sthalas at least once.

I also want to visit the Meenakshi Amman Temple.

I had a similar query about ShivLinga which my dad resolved. I was a non believer for a brief period but since I've started worshipping ShivParvati I've got the inner peace I always wanted. I have a devotional adoration to LakshmiNarayan in the BalajiSrideviBhudevi form.

And HariHara keep fascinating me with all the stories I get to read about them. Keep making more such posts.

Coincidentally, today is a Kartik somvar.

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ltelidevara

@ltelidevara

Sparkler

+ 8

Posted: 8 years ago

#10

Originally posted by: -RisingPhoenix-
Hello Lakshmi di.
It was a beautiful read. Thanks for sharing your personal experience with us.
I live in Mumbai and down south I've only travelled only upto Karnataka, but I do wish to visit the Pancha Bhoot sthalas at least once.
I also want to visit the Meenakshi Amman Temple.
I had a similar query about ShivLinga which my dad resolved. I was a non believer for a brief period but since I've started worshipping ShivParvati I've got the inner peace I always wanted. I have a devotional adoration to LakshmiNarayan in the BalajiSrideviBhudevi form.
And HariHara keep fascinating me with all the stories I get to read about them. Keep making more such posts.
Coincidentally, today is a Kartik somvar.

Thank you .. Really nice to hear your thoughts...Yes today is Kartika Somavar... On fast and charged up in Siva consciousness.We are fortunate to realise the abhinnatv ( no difference) of Hari and Har. Thanks for responding instantly...

Lakshmi

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Me,my Shiv and the month of Kartik

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