Seventy per cent of India's population lives in villages, and a vast majority of people solely depend on agriculture. As a result, we find that most Hindu festivals are directly or indirectly linked to agriculture and related activities.
Pongal is one such big festival, celebrated every year in mid January - mostly in the south of India and especially in Tamil Nadu - to mark the harvest of crops and a special thanksgiving to God, the sun, the earth and the cattle.
What's Pongal?
'Pongal' comes from the word 'ponga' which literally means 'boil' and so 'pongal' connotes 'spillover' or that which is 'overflowing'. It's also the name of the special sweet dish cooked on the Pongal day. Pongal continues through the first four days of the 'Thai' month that starts on January 14 every year.
Seasonal Festivity
Pongal is directly associated with the annual cycle of seasons. It not only marks the reaping of the harvest, but also the withdrawal of the southeast monsoons in southern India. As the cycle of season rings out the old and ushers in the new, so is the advent of Pongal connected with cleaning up the old, burning down rubbish, and welcoming in new crops.
Cultural & Regional Variations
Pongal in the state of Tamil Nadu is celebrated during the same time as 'Bhogali Bihu' in the North Eastern State of Assam, Lohri in Punjab, 'Bhogi' in Andhra Pradesh and 'Makar Sankranti' in the rest of the country, including Karnataka, Maharashtra, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar and Bengal.
Assam's 'Bihu' involves the early morning worship of Agni, the god of fire followed by a nightlong feast with family and friends. Bengal's 'Makar Sankranti' entails the preparation of traditional rice-sweets called 'Pittha' and the holy fair - Ganga Sagar Mela at the Ganga Sagar beach. In Punjab, it's 'Lohri' - gathering around the sacred bonfire, feasting with family and friends, and exchanging greetings and pleasantries. And in Andhra Pradesh it is celebrated as 'Bhogi', when each household puts on display its collection of dolls.
Pongal follows the winter solstice and marks the favorable course of the sun. On the first day, the sun is worshipped, signifying its movement from Cancer to Capricorn. This is also why, in other parts of India, this harvest festival and thanksgiving is called 'Makar Sankranti'. [Sanskrit Makar = Capricorn]
Each day of the four-day festival has its own name and distinct fashion of celebration.
Day 1: Bhogi Pongal
Bhogi Pongal is a day for the family, for domestic activities and of being together with the members of the household. This day is celebrated in honor of Lord Indra, "the Ruler of Clouds and Giver of Rains".
On the first day of Pongal a huge bonfire is lit at dawn in front of the house and all old and useless items are set ablaze, symbolic of beginning a fresh new year. The bonfire burns through the night as young people beat little drums and dance around it. Homes are cleaned and decorated with "Kolam" - floor designs drawn in the white paste of newly harvested rice with outlines of red mud. Often pumpkin flowers are set into cow-dung balls and placed among the patterns. Fresh harvest of rice, turmeric and sugarcane is brought in from the field as preparation for the following day.
Day 2: Surya Pongal
The second day is dedicated to Lord Surya, the Sun God, who is offered boiled milk and jaggery. A plank is placed on the ground, a large image of the Sun God is sketched on it and Kolam designs are drawn around it. This icon of the Sun God is worshipped for divine benediction as the new month of 'Thai' begins.
Day 3: Mattu Pongal
This third day is meant for the cattle ('mattu') - the giver of milk and puller of the plough. The farmer's 'dumb friends' are given a good bath, their horns are polished, painted and covered with metal caps, and garlands are put around their necks. The pongal that has been offered to the gods is then given to the cattle to eat. They are then taken out to the racing tracks for cattle race and bullfight - an event full of festivity, fun, frolic and revelry.
Day 4: Kanya Pongal
The fourth and final day marks the Kanya Pongal, when birds are worshipped. Girls prepare colored balls of cooked rice and keep them in the open for birds and fowls to eat. On this day sisters also pray for their brothers' happiness.
Like all Hindu festivals, Pongal too has some interesting legends attached to it. But surprisingly, this festival has little or no mention in the Puranas, which are usually bristled with tales and legends related with festivals. This is perhaps because Pongal is preeminently a Dravidian harvest festival and has somehow managed to keep itself away from the preponderance of Indo-Aryan influences.
The Mt. Govardhan Tale
The most popular Pongal legend is the one associated with the first day of the celebrations when Lord Indra is worshipped. The story behind it is, on this day Indra being honored by all, became proud and arrogant. To teach him a lesson, Lord Krishna asked his cowherd friends to worship Mount Govardhan instead of Indra on the Bhogi Pongal day.
Awfully infuriated, Indra sent forth the clouds to generate thunder, lightning and heavy rains and flood the land. But, as the tale goes, Lord Krishna lifted up the Govardhan Mountain on his little finger and sheltered the farmers, cowherd and their cattle. Indra then begged Shri Krishna's forgiveness and the latter re-permitted Bhogi celebrations in honor of Indra.
The Nandi Bull Story
According to another legend associated with Mattu Pongal, the third day of celebrations, Lord Shiva once asked his Nandi bull to go to earth and deliver a special message to his disciples: "Have an oil bath everyday, and food once a month."
But the baffled bovine failed to deliver the correct message. He told the people that Shiva asked them to "have an oil bath once a month, and food everyday." The enraged Shiva then ordered Nandi to stay back on earth and help the people plough the fields, since they would now need to grow more grains.
Wednesday, January 14, 2009
Monday, January 12, 2009
Human relationship
Sometimes we spend time asking who is responsible or who to blame, whether in a relationship, in a job or with the people we know. We miss out some warmth in human relationship to give each
other support. Treasure what you have. Just a little story for you...
A boy was born to a couple after eleven years of marriage. They were a loving couple and the boy was the apple of their eyes. When the boy was around two years old, one morning the husband saw a medicine bottle open. He was late for work so he asked the wife to cap the bottle and keep it in the cupboard. The mother, pre occupied in the kitchen totally forgot the matter.
The boy playfully went to the medicine bottle and, fascinated with its color, drank it all. It happened to be a poisonous medicine meant for adults in small dosages. When the child showed signs of poisoning the mother took him to the hospital, where he died.
The mother was stunned. She was terrified how to face her husband. When the distraught father came to the hospital and saw the dead child, he looked at his wife and uttered just four words.
QUESTIONS :
1. What were the four words?
2. What is the implication of this story?
Check with the answers only after you have tried to come up with your own.
ANSWER:
- The husband just said 'I Love You Darling”...
- The husband's totally unexpected reaction is proactive behavior. He is indeed a genius in human relationships.
The child is dead. He can never be brought back to life. There is no point in finding fault with the mother. She had also lost her only child. What she needed at that moment was consolation and sympathy from the husband.
That is what he gave her. If everyone can look at life with this kind of perspective, there would be much fewer problems in the world. To be happy with a man you must understand him a lot and love him a little. To be happy with a woman you must understand her a lot and love her with all your heart.
'A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step.' Take off all your envies, jealousies, unforgiveness, selfishness, and fears & you will find things are actually not as difficult as you think.'
other support. Treasure what you have. Just a little story for you...
A boy was born to a couple after eleven years of marriage. They were a loving couple and the boy was the apple of their eyes. When the boy was around two years old, one morning the husband saw a medicine bottle open. He was late for work so he asked the wife to cap the bottle and keep it in the cupboard. The mother, pre occupied in the kitchen totally forgot the matter.
The boy playfully went to the medicine bottle and, fascinated with its color, drank it all. It happened to be a poisonous medicine meant for adults in small dosages. When the child showed signs of poisoning the mother took him to the hospital, where he died.
The mother was stunned. She was terrified how to face her husband. When the distraught father came to the hospital and saw the dead child, he looked at his wife and uttered just four words.
QUESTIONS :
1. What were the four words?
2. What is the implication of this story?
Check with the answers only after you have tried to come up with your own.
ANSWER:
- The husband just said 'I Love You Darling”...
- The husband's totally unexpected reaction is proactive behavior. He is indeed a genius in human relationships.
The child is dead. He can never be brought back to life. There is no point in finding fault with the mother. She had also lost her only child. What she needed at that moment was consolation and sympathy from the husband.
That is what he gave her. If everyone can look at life with this kind of perspective, there would be much fewer problems in the world. To be happy with a man you must understand him a lot and love him a little. To be happy with a woman you must understand her a lot and love her with all your heart.
'A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step.' Take off all your envies, jealousies, unforgiveness, selfishness, and fears & you will find things are actually not as difficult as you think.'
Tuesday, January 6, 2009
The Carrot
One of the most excellent stories told at the Chicago Parliament of Religions was given by a Russian representative.
A woman, who was a thief, a cheat and of generally evil repute, was lying on her death bed, and was now frightened at the prospect of what awaited her after death.
Though she had had, during a long life of evil doing, no thought of religion or of God, yet now she began to cry loudly and more vociferously to God to have mercy on her. So much did she cry that at last she attracted the attention of the angel Gabriel, who came to see what the matter might be.
'Oh Sir,' said the woman, 'what am I to do?'
'What is the matter?' asked the angel.
'Sir, all my life I have done not one good thing, and now, I am about to die. What will become of me?'
'Is there not one good act of which you can remember? Think,' replied the angel.
After much thought the woman remembered that when she was a young woman one day she was almost starving, and then she found a carrot, which was the only food she had had for two days. As she was about to eat it, another woman, as badly off as herself, came to her, begging.
Though it was contrary to her usual nature, the carrot was divided between them. This incident the dying woman apologetically related to the angel, who replied: 'Hold on to that carrot and it will save you.'
The woman held on to the carrot when she died. And as she was being drawn up to heaven by the carrot, many others, who had died after leading a life as evil as her own began to cling to her, in the hope of sharing her escape.
At that, she got jealous and cried out: 'Get off; the carrot is mine.' No sooner after she had said this the carrot broke, and she fell back into the place of torment.
One small deed of unselfishness had been sufficient to outweigh her bad Karma, but her selfishness had undone, in a moment, the previous good.
Bhagavan Baba says, “The worst disease to which one is subject to is selfishness. Only when one has been able to rid oneself of selfishness will one be able to understand the true meaning of life and experience true happiness… Only when one becomes animated by the spirit of sacrifice will one become sublime.”
A woman, who was a thief, a cheat and of generally evil repute, was lying on her death bed, and was now frightened at the prospect of what awaited her after death.
Though she had had, during a long life of evil doing, no thought of religion or of God, yet now she began to cry loudly and more vociferously to God to have mercy on her. So much did she cry that at last she attracted the attention of the angel Gabriel, who came to see what the matter might be.
'Oh Sir,' said the woman, 'what am I to do?'
'What is the matter?' asked the angel.
'Sir, all my life I have done not one good thing, and now, I am about to die. What will become of me?'
'Is there not one good act of which you can remember? Think,' replied the angel.
After much thought the woman remembered that when she was a young woman one day she was almost starving, and then she found a carrot, which was the only food she had had for two days. As she was about to eat it, another woman, as badly off as herself, came to her, begging.
Though it was contrary to her usual nature, the carrot was divided between them. This incident the dying woman apologetically related to the angel, who replied: 'Hold on to that carrot and it will save you.'
The woman held on to the carrot when she died. And as she was being drawn up to heaven by the carrot, many others, who had died after leading a life as evil as her own began to cling to her, in the hope of sharing her escape.
At that, she got jealous and cried out: 'Get off; the carrot is mine.' No sooner after she had said this the carrot broke, and she fell back into the place of torment.
One small deed of unselfishness had been sufficient to outweigh her bad Karma, but her selfishness had undone, in a moment, the previous good.
Bhagavan Baba says, “The worst disease to which one is subject to is selfishness. Only when one has been able to rid oneself of selfishness will one be able to understand the true meaning of life and experience true happiness… Only when one becomes animated by the spirit of sacrifice will one become sublime.”
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