By Alagu Vairavan

Thai Poosam

Thai Poosam, an important religious festival that is celebrated for Lord Muruga, falls every year in the Tamil month of "Thai" (January/February). On this day the full moon is in transit through the brightest star "Pusam "in the zodiac sign Cancer and the planet Guru is said to be the presiding deity.

The significance of this day is that Lord Muruga was told by his parents Lord Shiva and Parvathi, to destroy a demon named Tharakasuran who was troubling the Rishis and Saints. He therefore set off with the blessings of his parents, to destroy the demon carrying twelve weapons, eleven of which were given by his father Lord Shiva and the 'Vel' given by his mother Parvathi. Lord Muruga destroyed Tharakasuran on the Pusam Nakshatra day in the month of Thai and hence, Thai Poosam is celebrated in all Murugan temples.

Lord Muruga‘s Vel is strong, straight and pointed, representing our spinal cord running through the spinal column, to the top most part of our brain, which is the highest point of knowledge. The Vel is the spear of wisdom, penetrating the intellect, seeking ultimate reality. Lord Muruga sitting on his vahana (vehicle), the peacock, represents symbolizing his conquest over ego, vanity, and pride.

To receive the Lord Muruga‘s blessings on Thai Poosam day, devotees offer prayers, or undertake to walk barefoot hundreds of miles from home to one of the shrines of Lord Muruga or pierce their bodies with spikes and lemon, pulling a chariot or carry Kavadis. The belief is that the more pain they inflict on themselves, the more sins will be washed away and awaken the inner spiritual being.

Saraswathi Pooja

Saraswathi, the goddess of wisdom, knowledge, art, and music is the daughter of Lord Shiva and Goddess Durga. It is believed that Goddess Saraswathi endows human beings with the powers of speech, wisdom, and learning. She has four hands representing four aspects of human personality in learning, mind, intellect, alertness, and ego. She has sacred scriptures in one hand and a lotus—the symbol of true knowledge—in the second. With her other two hands, she plays music of love and life on a string instrument called the Veena. She is dressed in white—the symbol of purity—and rides on a white swan that symbolizes sattwa guna or purity and discrimination. Saraswathi Pooja is also performed before the beginning of school, as it is considered an auspicious day to begin how to read and write in India. Schools and educational institutions organize special prayer for Goddess Saraswathi. During Navarathiri the last three days are very big celebrations for Goddess Saraswathi. To gain knowledge and wisdom one must pray to Goddess Saraswathi.

Hanuman Jayanthi

Hanuman Jayanthi is celebrated to commemorate the birth of Lord Hanuman. It is celebrated during the month of Chitthirai. Lord Hanuman was an ardent devotee of Lord Rama and is well known for his unflinching devotion to his Lord. Hanuman Jayanthi is an important festival of Hindus. Hanuman is the symbol of strength and energy. Hanuman is said to be able to assume any form at will, wield rocks, move mountains, dart through the air, seize the clouds and rival Garuda in swiftness of flight. He is worshipped in folk tradition as a deity with magical powers and has the ability to conquer evil spirits. Hanuman Jayanthi falls on a full moon day in the month of March and April. Hanuman is also an incarnation of Lord Shiva and was born of Vayu, the wind god. So Hanuman is a Chiranjivi---immortal, so if everyone prays to Lord hanuman your prayers will be answered immediately.

The Significance of Navagrahas

The nine planets, called Navagrahas have great importance in Hindu rituals. They are considered to play a major role in deciding the destiny of man. Navagrahas play a vital role in our life. According to the Hindu philosophy, every human being born is influenced by the vibrations of the Navagrahas. It is believed that all good and bad things are due to the effects of these nine planets. Each planet has its own vibration and has a separate place in each of their temples. When we visit these temples and pray to them, we are saved from bad things or incidents. By the blessings of these planets, hence, worshipping the Navagrahas are considered sacred and essential. All the planets, namely Sun, Moon, Mars, Mercury, Jupiter, Venus, Saturn, Rahu, Ketu have specific significance. Rahu for example, depicts the snake head and Ketu, the snake tail. All nine planets give us pleasure and serenity and removes obstacles from our way. If you performed a special pooja or homam to the Navagrahas, it is believed to nullify the ill effects of the misaligned planets.