Coriander Chutney

Hi everyone Its me Shakthi Sathyanarayana.
Im going to give a simple recipe of Coriander Chutney. You maybe wondering why Coriander Chutney??
During any vegetarian days or even everyday it is good if you have Coriander chutney added to diet because it cools down your body.

All you need is :

• 5 cups of grated coconut
• 1 and 1/2 cups of chopped fresh coriander
• 4 green chillies. sliced into 1cm lengths
• 4 tablespoons lime juice
• 3 slices of ginger
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 water

Place all the ingredients in a food processors and blend until smooth.
Serve it with thosai, idli or ant savoury snacks.

Please do try it during this navarathri.

With lots of love,
Shakthi Sathyanarayana

Introduction About Goddess Laxmi

Hi Im Shakthi Sathyanarayana
Well it seems that there is only faithful follower in my blog that is Sooria. Anyway my mission and service to god is to go on giving information. OM SAKTHI.

Goddess Laxmi is personified as not only the goddess of fortune and wealth but also as an embodiment of loveliness, grace and charm. She is normally seated on a Lotus with gold coins dropping down from her palms of this goddess of prosperity. She is the consort of Mahavishnu. In this state she is known as LakshmiNarayanan .This conjoined deity denotes that in his supreme state Vishnu is one with his consort, who represents his power and energy.  She is worshipped by everyone. So next i will update you with from where did she come and a few special pottri and also manthras as well.

With lots of love,
Shakthi Sathyanarayana.

Brahma Muhurtham

Namaskar everyone I am Shakthi Sathyanarayana.
Sooria posted me a question about Brahma Muhurtham.
Well, brahma muhurtham means The grace of early morning "Meaning Time of God".
This is a favorable time for sadhana when the whole world is in deep sleep.
The Brahma Muhurtham is considered to be the best time to perform pooja. 1 to 2 hours before sunrise.
Why Brahma Muhurtham?
Let me tell you in very simple way.
In a very simple way of saying is that Brahma Muhurtham does not have rahu kalam, yemma kandham, marana yogam and all the other negative timing. Brahma Muhurtham is the time where God is wide awake listening to his or her children. So that is why it is said that Brahma Muhurtham is the best time for Wedding, house warming, prayers, meditation and all the good things. Brahma Muhurtham has all the positive vibes.
Just to add up spice, Brahma Muhurtham is also the time Mahalaxmi was churned from the milk ocean.
So try once a month at least to do prayers at brahma muhurtham. Pournami would be perfect.

So sooria I hope I have given you the answer.

With lots of love,
Shakthi Sathyanarayana

Special Prasadham

Hi Namaskar Im Shakthi Sathyanarayana.
It is the first day of Mahalaxmi and I hope you enjoyed reading some of my views.
Well today I am going to share a special prasadham with you. If you ask your friends what prasadham are they going to prepare on a special day and the answer will be Ponggal the popular answer.
Let's try something new or infact it has been prepared 100 years back. Believe me it fast and saves a lot of time and it is a special prasadham for Lord Siva and Shakthi as well as Maha Vishnu and Mahalaxmi.

All you need is :

• 2 tablespoon of rice flour
• 1 tablespoon of brown sugar
• 1/2 tablespoon of sugar
• Raisins and Cashewnuts
• 1/2 or 1 tablespoon of ghee.

Method :

1. You mix the rice flour into alf cup of hot water. ( Stir until no lumps)
2. Mix the brown sugar into the rice flour mixture. (add little water if necesssary)
3. Fry the raisins and cashewnuts in the ghee until it is golden brown.
4. Now pour the mixture into the ghee and keep on mixing non-stop for about 3 to 5 minutes. The mixture will be like halwa.

Then serve it for ammbal.She loves it very much. Believe me.
You also save a lot of time compared to making ponggal.
Try it.
Tomorrow you will know more about Mahalaxmi and her Potri and Asthagam.

With Lots of Love from,
Shakthi Sathyanarayana.

The Nine Goddess Of Navarathri

Hi and Namaskar everyone. Im Shakthi and I hope this would be really interesting as today you will know who are the 9 Goddess of Navarathri. All we know or told is that the first 3 days is for Durga, then the next 3 days is for Laxmi and the last 3 days is for Saraswathi. Yes it is true but today I am going to tell you what are 3 shakthis that came from Durga and the 3 shaktis from Laxmi and the 3 shakthis from Saraswathi. Well they are the Dasamahavidhyas.

The first form from Durga.

Yes it is Mother ShailaPutri.
Shail’ means mountains and ‘Putri’ means daughter. She is also known as Parvati or Hemavati.

Shailaputri is believed to be the rebirth of Sati, the daughter of Daksha and the wife of Lord Shiva. In her second birth she is Parvati, the daughter of Himalaya and later she became the consort of Shiva. This is one of the very first forms of Shakti and is closely associated with Lord Shiva.

The second form is Mother Brahmacharini.

Here Brahma means ‘one who constantly meditates on the Supreme Being’. Brahmacharini is highly pious and is a peaceful form or is in meditation. She is also known as Tapashcharini, Aparna and Uma.

This form of Durga is related to the severe penance undertaken by Sati and Parvati in their respective births to attain Lord Shiva as husband. Some of the most important Vratas observed in different parts of India by women is based on the strict austerities followed by Brahmacharini.

 The third form is Mother Chandraghanta.

Her name Chandraghanta comes from the crescent moon worn by her on the head. This is a terrible aspect of Goddess Shakti and is roaring in anger. This form of Durga is completely different from earlier forms and shows when provoked she can be the terrible or malevolent.

The fourth form is Mother Kushmandha.

The name Kushmanda consists of three words. ‘Ku’ means ‘a little’, ‘Usma’ means ‘energy’ and ‘Anda’ means ‘the cosmic egg or universe.’ She is also known as Ashtabhuja. Goddess Shakti is very happy in this incarnation and it is believed that the eternal darkness ended when she smiled. And this led to the beginning of creation.

 The fifth form is Mother Skandha Mata.

Skanda is one of the names of Subrahmanya or Lord Muruga or Kartikeya – the General of the Army of the Devas and the most handsome God. Skanda Mata is the mother of Kartik. She is also known as Padmasana. This the motherly form of Durga and she is benevolent.

The sixth form is Mother Katyayani.

She is called Katyayani because she was born as the daughter of Sage Katya of Katya clan.

This is the daughter form of Durga. Here is she a loving daughter. She is epitome of love but won’t hesitate to rise up in anger to defend righteousness and Dharma.

 

 

 

 

The seventh form is Kalaratri.

Kalaratri is the one who destroys ignorance and removes darkness. She is also known as Shubhamkari.

In this form she is believed to have licked the blood of demon Rakta Beeja who had the capacity to bring out thousand demons from a drop of blood spilt from his body.

This is the most violent form of Durga. This form primarily depicts that life also has dark side – the violent Mother Nature and creates havoc and removes all dirt.

 

 

 

The eight form is Mahagauri. Mahagauri means one clean and bright like a ray of lightning.

This is the form of Mata Parvati when she did penance to get Shiva as her husband. It is believed that due to the intense Tapas performed by her without moving caused soil and dust to collect on her body. Lord Shiva cleaned her with water from Ganga. Purity is depicted in this form of Durga.

 

 

The Nineth form is Mother Siddhidatri.

In this form Mother Goddess provides ‘Siddhi’ or knowledge.

In this form Durga removes ignorance and she provides the knowledge to realize That or Brahman. She is surrounded by Siddhas, Gandharvas, Yakshas, Demons and Gods who are worshipping her. The Siddhi that she provides is the realization that everything is Supreme Being or Brahman.

 

 

 

Then on the 10th day which is Vijayadhasami, all the 3 shakthis merged and took the form of Mahishasuramardhini or athi Parashakthi and killed the demon Mahishasura.

 

Well another important point or fact to know is that amman sitting on a tiger is the form of Durga and amman sitting on a lion is aathi Parashakthi.

 

 

Well Sooria I hope that I have answered your question.Hope to get more feedback from you soon.

 

With lots of love from

 

Shakthi Sathyanarayana.

 

What is Navarathri?

Namaskar everyone I am Shakthi Sathyanarayana.
I would like to wish all of you a Happy Navarathri. Thank you Sooria for asking me the the question.
Here is your reply. Well of course navarathri is celebrated for amman. I will elaborate to you as you read this article of mine. You are also right about the 500 forms of amman. All the 500 forms comes from Aathi Parasakhti. Yes all of them are celebrated during Navarathri as she is the Parasakhti.The navarathri festival season is associated with the worship of the mother Goddess conceived in the form of Durga, Lakshmi and Saraswati.

Like what I said What is Navarathri?
Well Nava means nine and rathri means nights.So what does this Nine nights means ? Let me tell you a story..........
There was once a Munivar who was cursed by Agathiyar Munivar for not respecting him and being very arrogant. Then Agathiyar Munivar cursed him of being so rude and had the character of a buffalo. So at once he turned into a buffalo a very poweful buffalo as the Munivar was a devotee of Lord Siva. And He also got his wish from Lord Brahma that he should be killed or die in the hands of the 3 male god which are Siva, Vishnu or Brahma. So finally when the buffalo headed demon or known as Mahishasuran was causing disaster. Everyone appealed to Lord Vishnu and nothing could be done but only the sakthis could bring him to an end. So for the first 3 days Durga tried killing him but it was not possible, then followed by Laxmi which was also a failure then Saraswathi tried but nothing was possible. Then on the 10th day the 3 Sakthis merged and became Parashakthi and killed the Mahishasuran. Then Parashakthi was also known as MahishasuraMardhini. So the thats why we celebrate Navarathri to praise god and as well as kill our own bad thoughts and Ego. That is what Navarathri really means.

The above picture is ThiripuraSundhari or Parashakthi.
This is a very short introduction of Navarathri and I hope it answered your question Sooria.

With Lots Of Love From

Shakthi Sathyanarayana

The Special Prasatham For Navarathri

Hi there Namaskar, I am Shakthi Sathyanarayana.
Navarathri is just around the corner and everyone is busy preparing for the ten day prayers.
I really hope that you read my preparation for navarathri.
Well as for today I am giving some special information on the 10 days of Navarathri.

First day                   : Ven Ponggal
Second day              : Puliyotharai or PuliSatham
Third day                 : Sakarai Ponggal
Fourth day               : Kathamba Satham (Mixed Vegetables of 3,5,7,9 types)
Fifth day                  : Thayir Satham or Curd Rice
Sixth day                 : Thenggai Satham or Coconut Rice
Seventh day            :  Lemon Satham or Lemon Rice
Eighth day              :  Payasam or Payasam with Vadai
Nineth day             :  Karumbu Satham or Sugar Cane Rice
Tenth day              :  White Rice with Vattal Curry or venthiyam Curry.

Well these are the 10 types of Prasadham during Navarathri. Please serve these for amman and get her blessings. Just remember if you can't make any of the items just don't feel bad because amman loves anything that is given with full of love. I will update from time to time for this Navarathri so please post me questions and share with me your knowledge and experience as well.
Happy Navarathri.

With lots of love,

Shakthi

Preparation For Navarathri

Hi I am Shakthi Sathyanarayana.

Welcome Again. Navarathri is just around the corner. Some places it begins on the 7th October and in some places it begins on the 8th October 2010. Here I am going to give you some tips on how to prepare for this special 9 days for your prayers at home.

As usual a few days ealier you should clean your house inside and outside. Which means washing and cleaning your house is a must. Then you clean your alter. For those who have only pictures than you can start by wiping the pictures with "Punitha Neer" which means holy or purified water. It does not mean that you have to go to India to get the above mentioned water. You can prepare it yourself and it is equal to the holy water gangga. All you have to do is add 1 tablespoon of tumeric powder and then add 1 tablespoon of cuka.
Then mix with water. By doing so you can prevent evil or bad from entering your house and god to visit you. Wipe the pictures with this water.*You can also wash outside your house for Laxmi Devi to walk in.
After that wash your main light at your alter.
As usual hang mango leaves in the entrance. For those who wishes to have Kumbam then you can set up one during the brahma muhurtham on the first day of Navarathri.

These are some few points and detailed information you can get a few days before Navarathri.
May Karumariamman Be Always There For Us.

With lots of love,

Shakthi Sathyanarayana.

Navarathi's Highlight

Hi Everyone Im Shakthi Sathyanarayana.
For this upcoming Navarathri there will be many kinds of write up about amman and also the happenings in temples in Malaysia. Please be prepared. If you have any questions kindly share with me.
Thank you.

Shakthi Sathyanarayana

Tips on how to make the Maa Vilakku or the Rice flour lights.

Hi there It's me Shakthi Sathyanarayana.
Im going to teach you a very simple way to make the Maa Vilakku.
The original way is by using rice and grinding it then you add a little bit of Ghee to the flour and make it like a dough by adding a bit of hot water and brown sugar.
This is offered to Ambal then after the light is no longer burning then they offer this as a prasadham to people and it is very special as it can cure diseases and people with no children will have and all your sorrows will vanish.

The second method is by using the ready made rice flour and by adding a bit of ghee and also a bit of tumeric powder or even kungumam for its colour. Then make it in the shape of a light. You can either burn it like that or steam the vilakku.

The yellow maa vilakku is usually for men and the red is for women and it is said that plain white is for widows but nowadays its not the colour that matters but the colour of your heart that ammbal see.

Try it out this Month of Aadi.

With lots of love.
Shakthi Sathyanarayana

Thevi Karumariamman Parashakthi

Hi There everyone It's me Shakthi Sathyanarayana.
Sorry for the delay. I have got this beautiful information about Thevi Karumariamman. She is the ultimate mother of all Parashakthi.
Her famous temple is in Thriverkadu 18km from Chennai.
This particular place is where Parashakthi first came or emerged after creating all the planets and Earth. She took the first form as a Cobra that circled the suyambu and blessed everyone.
That is why Thiruverkadu is a very special place.
Before I tell you more about her history I am going to explain why Karumari is so special and let me describe her to you.
Om Shakthi may Karumariamman give me the knowledge to describe her.
Well as I told you she is Aathi Parakshakthi. Aathi means the first and the creator as well. The five snakes represents the 5 Panjaboothas. This shows that everything is from her. The snake also protects her Kungumam that she wears which means she is NithyaSumanggali.
The moon at the back of her shows that she is pournami or full moon also Laxmi because Laxmi Thevi came out of the milk ocean as bright as full moon. Then the Crescent on her head which also shows that she is also the creator, protector and destroyer. Lord Shiva the half of her or ArthaNadeswarar. Then followed by the Udukai and Snake which shows the movement of the sound by the snake which shows that everything created by her is moving according to her Udukai when it stops we are no longer in earth. On the other hand the Thrisoolam or the Trident that shows Laxmi. Durga and Saraswathi. The Moogambigai or Parasakthi. The 3 are all her and not different. The knife she holds represent the truth and sincerity and help you to lift if you are in the right path and punish if you are in the wrong path. Karumari has always given her children many opportunities.Of course the Kungumam shows that she is Nithya Kalyani, Nithya Sumangali and Parasakthi. The Renuka Thevi on the bottom shows that She is Mari and She is also Kali. And also other stories that I have given below.

Once there were 2 sisters by the name of Sarathai and Sundari in the Snake world. They were so beautiful but could not get bridegroom. Narathar came and told them to pray to Thevi Karumariamman. They prayed hard and Karumariamman appeared before them and told them to bath in the Sambar Poigai and drink Tumeric water. They did as told. Then came Prince Sambhu and Balan and got married to them.
Even today the tumeric from her temple cures sickness, gets girls married and also child for couples with no children.
She also appeared under a Neem tree or known as Veppalai tree. This tree is well known not only to cure chicken pox but it is also capable of putting a fight against God of Death or Yaman.Neem also cures sickness and drives away evils. Karumari said that I am living in the neem leaves and it will give life.
Karumari also said that If you pray to a snake Idol kept under a neem tree, Karumari will bless you. If you pour milk into an anthill or Puthu all your sorrows , jenma pavam, effect of raghu and kethu removed and you will get an uplift in life. And during the month of Aadi, pouring milk in a puthu is very auspicious. Thats when Karumariamman gave a boon for the 5 elements or the Panjaboothas and wore them as five headed snake.

The Special 8 Direction Lingam in Verkadu. The Lingam with 8 directions is found only in Thiruverkadu. Lord Shiva with his 8 characters looked at 8 directions through his 3rd eye. This made Karumariamman special and powerful as sha sits in 8 directions.The Lingam having 8 faces and facing 8 directions are.

1. Parvathi Lingam
2. Navamani Lingam
3. Bairavi Lingam
4. Sivanilai Lingam
5. Poorna Lingam
6. Sathyama Lingam
7. Karani Lingam
8. Varani Lingam

Karumari is a very special person. You can begin by saying Om Karumariyae Namaha.
She comes within a flash of light when her children needs her.
I hope this would give you a little Information.
Thank you.

My next issue will be about Aadhi Month and a little tips on making the flour light or the maa vilakku.

With lots of love


Shakthi Sathyanarayana.

Thaipussam and Kavadi

What is Thaipussam?

A special worship day for lord Muruga,Thandhayuthabani, Subramaniam, Karthigeya and the list goes on.Thaipussam is celebrated in the month of Thai during Pourmani (full moon). He is the son of Lord Siva and Parvathi Devi. Thaipussam is celebrated in the 'Aaru Padai Veedu ' the main 6 homes of Lord Karthigeya.




There are 2 versions which leads to Thaipussam.
The first version is when Sain Agasthiyar ordered his faithful student, Idumban to uproot 2 hills called Sivagiri and Sakthigiri. The hills belong to Lord Muruga. To test Idumban, Lord Muruga stood inbetween the 2 hills and this made Idumban angry and attack him. Then Lord Muruga revealed himself and told him that he is pleased with Idumban's courage and faithfullness to his guru Saint Agasthiyar. Lord Muruga gave Idumban the honour of beinghis guardian.That's why till today we usually have Idumban statue in Murugan temples. Since the incident happened during the month of thai and on a full moon it is called Thaipussam. And the kavadi's symbolizes the 2 hills of burden that Idumban shouldered.

The second version is that there was a day where a demon named Tharakasuran was killed by Lord Subramaniya. The demon was troubling the Rishis and the Saints. That's when Lord Siva and Parvathi Devi instructed Lord Subramaniya to kill the demon. That was when Parvathi Devi gave a Vel (spear) to Lord Subramaniya. He also carried 12 weapons along with him. The day he received the Vel from his mother and the death of the demon was another reason for Thaipussam as it happened in the month of Thai and during the full moon.

I think it's the combination of both the incident that happened on the very same day that brought us to Thaipussam.

About Kavadis

There are various types of kavadis. They are in various forms, shapes and sizes. We have pall kavadi, matcha kavadi, paneer kavadi, puspha kavadi, mayil kavadi and many more.But the main purpose is to offer milk to Lord Subramaniya for various individual reasons.

How one should be?

The kavadi bearer is required to observe various rules. My simple suggestions are as below:

• He should be clean at heart and mind.
• Be vegetarian and eat simple food and do not over eat.
• Prayers offered twice or thrice a day depending on your work schedule.
• No drinks, non veg, smoking and other restricted activities.
• Wear simple yellow or orange clean clothes when at home.
• If it is a man you are not allowed to shave or even cut or trim your hair.There is not a big reason for this but it is just to prevent from getting a cut on your body.
• Use a rudraksham or tulasi beads throughout the process.
• You can be a vegetarian for 3 days, 5 days, 7days, 9 days, 18 days, 21 days, 27 days or even 48 days. It is all in your heart and mind.
• Always have something light food before you pray. This is to avoid hunger during prayers. It makes your mind to divert during prayers.
• Make sure the 3rd day after Thaipussam, just make an archanai for Idumban and thanking him for his guidance throughout the preparation for Thaipussam.

So I hope you gathered some simple information from what I have provided.
Thank you very much to Sooriaraja Chinniah for posting me this question. Hope you have got some info and please share this with your friends.

With lots of Love,

Shakthi Sathyanarayana

Vinayagar Chaturthi

Happy Birthday to you, Happy Birthday to you......
Hi there I'm Shakthi Sathyanarayana and by my opening itself I am sure that you know what Vinayagar Chatuthi is all about. Yes, It's the birthday of Lord Vinayaga. Many may say that there are other reasons????
Well, before I start telling you about his birthday, let me give you a little intro about Lord Vinayaga...

The first prayer of a hindu is always to Vinayagar ( The elephant headed god ).
Vinayagar is invoked at the beginning of all ritualistic worships. New house, work, marriage and so on.
That is why it sais that Vinayagar is the paramporul ( The Supreme )
There are many temples for lord vinayaga throughout the world. Everything starts with a
pillayar sulli which means they are handing all their burdens to the lord of obstacles. He prevents
people from doing evil or sin.

Other names of Vinayagar.
He has many names. A few that you can know are as below.

• Vinayagar                         ( The leader )
• Ganapathi                         ( Lord of siva's attendance, the bootha gaanas )
• Vigneswaran                     ( Remover of obstacles or vignam )
• Gajamugha                       ( Elephant face )
• Narthana Ganapathi          ( Dancing Ganapathi )
• Panja Mugha Ganapathi    ( 5 faced ganapathi )

 Vinayagar + Chaturthi means Birth of Vinayagar

 Sivagami ( Parvathi ) the wife of lord siva was taking her bath but her attendance were not there.
So, she created a boy from sandal paste that she was using to bath. Then she gave him sakthi
which means life and told him not to allow anyone into the home. Then at that time, Lord siva was
returning home as he noticed a boy standing infront of his house.

The boy did not allow Lord Siva to enter and this made Lord Siva to be angry and he cut off his head.
Then, Parvati Devi heard about this and was angry and upset. At once, Lord Siva ordered his bootha
gaanas to bring back the first living creature's head found in the east. The gaanas found an elephant. So, they chopped the head and brought it back. Lord Siva gave him back his life and the little boy with the elephant head was alive again.

That is when Parvati Devi asked Pillai Yaar ?? Which means Who is that boy?
And ever since then he was pillayar, ganesha, ganapathi and so on.
That's the history of Vinayagar Chaturthi.

I hope you got some info about Vinayagar Chaturthi. I would like to thank Sooriaraja Chinniah for asking on the above mentioned topic . I hope your doubts are clear.
Thank you.

With lots of Love,

                                                                                     Shakthi Sathyanarayana

Namaskar and Welcome to Shakthi Sooria Skandha

Namaskar and welcome

Hi There Im Shakthi Sathyanarayana.
You are welcome to share your thoughts and opinions with me.
Wish you could share your ideas as well.
I have so far given information on Vinayagar Chaturthi and Thaipussam and Kavadi.

With Lots Of Love,

Shakthi Sathyanarayana...