Times were when, just after Saraswati Yamam1, one could see the scantily clad Pattar2 in a hurry to get to the Puzha Kadavu3, for his morning bath. Smearing of holy ash over his forehead, chest, hands and neck and off to the Gramam temple for a darshanam4 of his Ishta Devata5. Hours of pooja, before he could have his first morsel of food. The chanting of mantras reverberated through out the Agraharams.
No one adjective fits the Palakkad Iyer perfectly. He is a combination of various elements, has varied interests, which …
हिरण्यशृङ्गं वरुणम् प्रपद्ये तीर्थं मे देहि याचितः।
यन्मया भुक्तमसाधूनाम् पापेभ्यश्च प्रतिग्रहः॥५५॥
यन्मे मनसा वाचा कर्मणा वा दुष्कृतम् कृतं
तन्न इन्द्रो वरुणो बृहस्पतिः सविता च् पुनन्तु पुनः पुनः॥५६॥
नमोऽग्नयेऽप्सुमते नम इन्द्राय नमो वरुणाय नमो वारुण्यै नमोऽद्भ्यः॥५७॥
यदपां क्रूरम् यदमेध्यं यदशान्तं तदपगच्छतां॥५८॥
अत्याशनादतीपानात् यच्च उग्रात् प्रतिग्रहात्।
तन्मे वरुणो राजा पाणिना ह्यवमर्शतु॥५९॥
सोऽहमप्यपापो विरजो निर्मुक्तो मुक्तकिल्बिषः
नाकस्य पृष्टमारुह्य गच्चेद् ब्रह्मसलोकतां॥६०॥
यश्चप्सु वरुणः स पुर्त्व्घमर्षनः॥६१॥
इमम् मे गङ्गे यमुने सरस्वती शतुद्रि स्तोमग्ँ सचता परुष्णिया
असिक्निया मरुद्दृधे वितस्तयार्जीकीये शृणुह्या सुषोमया॥६२॥
तैत्तरीयारण्यके महानारायणोपनिषत्सु प्रथमभागः
hiraNyashR^i~NgaM varuNam prapadye tiirthaM me dehi yaachitaH.
yanmayaa bhuktamasaadhuunaam paapebhyashcha pratigrahaH..55..
yanme manasaa vaachaa karmaNaa vaa duSkR^itam kR^itaM
tanna indro varuNo bR^ihaspatiH savitaa ch punantu punaH punaH..56..
namo.agnaye.apsumate nama indraaya …
प्रणवे नित्ययुक्तस्य व्याहृतीषु च सप्तसु
त्रिपादायां च गायत्र्यां न भयं विद्यते क्वचित्।
परिहाप्यापि वेदांस्त्रीन् कर्माणि विविधानि च
सावित्रीमात्रमाश्रित्य द्विजो भवति निर्भयः॥
पूर्वां सन्ध्यां जपंस्तिष्ठन् नैशमेनो व्यपोहति
पश्चिमां तु समासीनो मलं हन्ति दिवाकृतं।
ऋषयो दीर्घसन्ध्यत्वात् दीर्घमायुरवाप्नुयुः
प्रज्ञां यशस्च कीर्तिम् च ब्रह्मवर्चसमेव च॥
praṇave nityayuktasya vyāhṛtīṣu ca saptasu
tripādāyāṁ ca gāyatryāṁ na bhayaṁ vidyate kvacit|
parihāpyāpi vedāṁstrīn karmāṇi vividhāni ca
sāvitrīmātramāśritya dvijo bhavati nirbhayaḥ||
pūrvāṁ sandhyāṁ japaṁstiṣṭhan naiśameno vyapohati
paścimāṁ tu samāsīno malaṁ hanti divākṛtaṁ|
ṛṣayo dīrghasandhyatvāt dīrghamāyuravāpnuyuḥ
prajñāṁ yaśasca kīrtim ca brahmavarcasameva ca||
(Source: The Dharmasaastraas)
One who is always in meditation of OM the pranavam, the seven vyahritis namely bhuuH …
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Times were when, just after Saraswati Yamam1, one could see the scantily clad Pattar2 in a hurry to get to the Puzha Kadavu3, for his morning bath. Smearing of holy ash over his forehead, chest, hands and neck and off to the Gramam temple for a darshanam4 of his Ishta Devata5. Hours of pooja, before he could have his first morsel of food. The chanting of mantras reverberated through out the Agraharams.
No one adjective fits the Palakkad Iyer perfectly. He is a combination of various elements, has varied interests, which …
A typical arrangment of idols/dolls in a ‘kollu’
It is Navarathi time and among Palakkad Iyers the keeping of ‘kollu’ is considered an essential part of the festival.
Here is an interesting legend on the kollu contributed by one of our members.
Significance of Bomma Kollu
As per Padma Purana, Sun God (Surya) is the father of Saturn (Sani). They do not get along well and Sani fights with his father, complaining that his father has no love for him and that his father does not visit him often.
Sani is the lord of Makar …
