Today’s A Journey
through Aesthetic Realms
will be presented
in Hindi and English,
with subtitles in Arabic,
Aulacese (Vietnamese),
Chinese, English,
French, German,
Hindi, Hungarian,
Indonesian, Italian,
Japanese, Korean,
Mongolian, Persian,
Portuguese, Russian
and Spanish.
A warm welcome
as we invite
our honorable viewers
to join us for the second
of our 2-part show
about the 3-day
Hindu prayer traditions.
In particular,
the Yaagam Prayer
is being conducted
at the Vinayagar
Ganesha Temple
in Klang, Malaysia.
Siva Sri Nandakumar
Gurukkal shares with us
the main and
most important prayer,
“Ukra Ratha Shanthi
Saubakya Maha Yaaga
Puja.”
Hindus consider this a
very auspicious occasion
and a sacred privilege
to be able to receive
the puja’s, or prayer’s,
benefits.
These particular prayers
are specially conducted
for the people who are
suffering from sickness,
marriage problems,
in their 9-planets problems,
and their karmas who are
disturbing their life.
They cannot grow
in the particular prayers
and pujas all the time,
and the mind disturbs,
and the work problem,
working-wise,
cannot grow.
So all together,
we did this big Yaagam
to get rid their main karmas,
and after this Yaagam,
follow the particular way
to reach God
and grow in their life.
In 60 years’ experience
in this temple history,
this is the first time
we conduct
this biggest prayer for
devotees around the area,
because this is a very heavy
and very big ceremony.
Very difficult thing also
to conduct
this type of prayers.
The puja performed
was very meaningful,
it has never been
performed in Klang,
and it is a grand puja
and is very meaningful
to the people.
My main reason
for coming here
is to receive blessings
from God
for all aspects of my life.
Besides that,
I’d like to know...
I got to learn about
the beliefs of our religion.
I am very happy
to have participated
in such a special puja.
I hope this kind of puja
can be performed
more often
in all parts of Malaysia.
Before the commencement
of the main
Yaagam Puja prayer,
the priests lead
the congregation
in reciting the daily
ritualistic prayers,
in reverence and worship
to various gods and deities.
Afterward,
the 9-Planet Puja
offers respect
and prayers of worship
to the nine planets
of the solar system.
Worshippers hope
for smooth sailing
in their daily lives.
The priest will sprinkle
water to the food
and offer to the gods
to get the blessing
from the nine planets.
The Balibida Puja
is going on at the moment
to get rid our bad karmas
before we enter the temple.
The notable
and auspicious prayer
for the memorable event,
“Ukra Ratha Shanthi
Saubakya Maha Yaagam
Puja,”
is paramount to the puja
being accomplished
successfully.
Favorable benefits are
imparted to all worshippers
who participate in it.
Now, the special puja’s
already started, this is
called Yaagam Kundam.
In the Yaagam Kundam,
or fire worship,
special mantras
are chanted, invoking
the presence of deities’
supernatural essence.
Eleven priests
continuously chant
the Sri Rudram prayer of
the sacred Vedic scriptures.
At the same time,
a combination
of herbs and spices
will be added into the fire
as an offering and entreating
the respective deities
to bless the devotees.
Special permission
to carry out
this particular prayer
must be obtained from
the head of the temple.
What you’re seeing now
is the temple’s president
and his wife
are leading the ceremony to
get Sangalpam.
Sangalpam means
we have to have a goal,
and why we are doing
these prayers
and what are the reasons
to get these prayers
done well.
The president’s permission
must we have,
so we call the particular
president’s blessing.
The priests proceed with
the Yaagam Kundam.
The fire worshipping
is almost complete.
This is Punjahareti,
referring to
the five decorated lamps.
While the prayer session
is being conducted,
the priests will call
the particular devas
to guide and oversee
the Agni Homam
or fire worshipping.
They call upon Intran,
Agni, Yeman, Niruthi,
Vayu, Varuna, Kuberan,
and Eesanan,
to ensure a smooth and
successful performance.
The Archana, which
means God’s names,
is a repetitive intonation
of the different names
of God.
Flowers are offered after
every name is chanted.
After the prayers
and chanting,
the devotees take the ashes
or darpei aasanam to
place on their foreheads,
it signifies
that the person’s soul
has been purified
through a puja.
The mantra chanting, or
Sri Rudram in the Vedas,
have to be conducted
11 times and is called
“Ega Dasha Rudram.”
Toward the completion
of the ceremony,
devotional songs are sung
by the priests to the deities.
After the ceremony,
the big kalasam is carried
around the temple.
The priest who carrying
the holy water pot,
kumbam, we call it,
they have to
wrap their head
and their garland.
Now, the kalasam
is being brought down
by the priest.
They have to
carry at the head
and chanting particular
mantras continuously.
And the classical music
must be played
and the bell must be rung.
The kalasam is going
around the temple following
the classical music.
We’re going around
the temple clockwise.
The holy water
is being brought down
by the priest,
who will get ready to
enter the temple to pour it
over the deities
as a purification ritual.
The 5-wick brass ghee
lamp has a special place
in Hindu worship
and signifies
the dispelling of darkness,
thus leading devotees to
spiritual energy and light.
The 5-wick ghee lamp
represents our
5 physical senses which
must be pure and bright
all the time
to merit God’s blessings.
Holy water is also
sprinkled on the devotees
and is part of the ritualistic
purification process.
Now after the ceremony
is complete,
whoever participates
in these prayers,
the priest is going
to bathe them
by the holy water, and
get rid their bad karmas.
Now, a new dress
is given by the priest.
Not only the clothes
have been changed,
also our mind
needs to be changed.
The old things,
negativities,
all are thrown away
and get the fresh,
positive mind towards God.
The participants
who participate
in this special prayer
(with the) garland
by the priest, that shows
that a particular blessing
is already given to them,
to respect them.
And their body, their soul
has already cleaned,
and they have to
continue their life
in a clean manner.
After these prayers,
they have to
change a certain
particular character,
and body, mind and soul
towards God,
and what is taught
by the priest.
The garland,
another meaning, that is,
there is God
inside our body, so we need
to respect the inner God
who is handling us
until our end of the life,
so we need
to respect the inner soul.
At the end
of the main prayer,
another set of prayers
are specially conducted
to bless
different age groups.
This prayer reminds us
of the circle of life from
birth, youth, marriage,
and finally to old age.
A small boy, a young girl,
a married couple,
and an old sanyasi
(Hindu ascetic) represent
these four age groups.
After this prayer, they
would circle the temple
to bless the vegetarian food
prepared for everyone
at the end of the event.
Along with
the main prayer,
there is also the prayer to
the cow god, or Goo Puja,
reminding us
to learn the good qualities
from the cow.
Cow is as our mother
to give milk
to live in this world
while we’re a baby,
and he also never expect
anything from us in return.
So that is the main point
why we pray to the cow.
Like the cow, there are
no other thoughts coming,
bad thoughts like
this man is good,
that man is bad.
He never gives
that kind of thought.
Good thinking like this
must come to us always
and we get
the cow’s blessing.
This is horse prayer.
Ashwam means success.
All the success must
come to these devotees.
The mantra is chanted
by the priest…
and put flower to get the
particular horse blessing.
The elephant god –
the face is elephant face,
and the body is Asura.
Asura means is
against devas, the people
who doing violence.
And below the hip,
normal human’s legs.
That means,
in human’s mind,
sometimes we become
acting like an animal,
sometimes we act
like a normal person,
sometimes we act
like an asura.
So we (do) special prayers
for the elephant
to show Asuragunam,
that means
the bad thoughts will
need to go away from us,
and we get blessing
from the god Ganesh.
At the temple,
vegetarian food is served
after the prayer.
In Hinduism,
we call (it) Saivam.
Saivam means vegetarian.
Vegetarian is the food
which can bring you
to the peace.
Your body, your mind
and soul
only become at peace by
taking the vegetarian food,
to keep our mind
very free and more calm.
Then, next step (is) to God.
These meticulously
planned and detailed
Puja prayers display
the devotion and sincerity
of Hindu devotees to God.
We thank Siva Sri
Nandakumar Gurukkal,
the Vinayagar
Ganesha Temple, temple
personnel and devotees
for sharing
these sacred ways
they come nearer to God.
Thank you for your
sincere company today.
Please stay tuned
to Supreme Master
Television
for Our Noble Lineage,
after Noteworthy News.
May your life be blessed
with God’s love and peace.