Voices of the Elders
Sivasri
Sadguru Dr. Kandukuri Sivananda Murthy Garu, 86, Peethadhipati, Saiva Maha
Peetham. “We are known as Srouta Saiva. Srouta means in accordance with shruti,
which are the Vedas. We adhere
strictly to the Vedas and allied
scriptures. We can call this Vedic Saivism. There is non-Vedic Saivism as well.
The Lingayats and present-day Virasaivites of Karnataka, for example, also wear
the Sivalingam, but they do not accept the authority of the Vedas. The Saivism of
Karnataka rejects the caste system of the Vedas. They make no differences between castes.
Members of our community respect and observe differences between the castes,
varna dharma, as described in the Vedas. We will give Siva mantra diksha and the
Sivalingam to anyone, even Dalits and so-called untouchables. But when we
initiate someone of a different caste, they receive a different ceremony and a
different kind of Sivalingam. Similarly, with vegetarianism, it goes with the
caste. A sudra who is initiated may wear the Linga and be non-vegetarian. If
you are a brahmin Lingadhari, you must be a vegetarian.
“We
are not followers of any person. We follow the shastras, our scriptures. There
are many other paths leading to salvation, like rivers going towards the sea.
The goal is the same—Siva—and that is why we pray to Siva. But Srouta Saiva
does say that your liberation is guaranteed in this path, while you are not
necessarily guaranteed salvation in the other paths. We are not proselytizing
Srouta Saivism. We do not call people and say, ‘Take to Saivism, it is so great
and others are bad.’ We never talk like that. Our path is different. It is all
voluntary acceptance. One American couple came. We did not invite them or
proselytize them. It was their choice and we gave them initiation.
“My
message to all those who take initiation is to keep the panchakshara
maha-mantra, Aum Namah Sivaya, in your mind all the time. That is the only
teaching I give. Every human being really knows what is good and what is bad.
To tell a lie, to harm somebody is bad. Do we need to tell this to anybody?
Everyone knows what the general, essential good conduct of human beings should
be. But though dharma is known, they may not follow it. Human beings are free.
Everything is ordained by God.”
Sivasri Dr. Attaluri Mrutyumjaya Sharma Garu, 68, Upa Peethadhipati,
Saiva Maha Peetham: “Without the blessings of Lord Siva, nothing is possible.
Even with initiation, if the grace of Lord Siva is not there, Siva puja is not
possible. The Lingadhari Diksha can be given only after the boy has received
the upanayana samskara (sacred thread ceremony). As prescribed by the Vedas, for brahmins the
age is eight years, vaishyas eleven years and for kshatriyas it is twelve
years. The Vedas do not prescribe
upanayana samskara for a sudra. But if Lord Siva’s grace is there, a sudra can
also receive the Lingadharana Diksha after receiving upanayana samskara, Gayatri
Mantra Diksha and the necessary purification. Agamas clearly say that a
girl must first be married to a Lingadhari. Only then can she receive
Lingadharana Diksha.
“Once
you are a Lingadhari, you are a Lingadhari at all times. The Linga can never be
separated from our body. You cannot keep it somewhere else. Virasaivas of
ancient times who lost their Linga would commit suicide. It was taken as if the
existence of that person was over. They were that drunk with Siva bhakti.
“Modern
Virasaivism and the Lingayats of Karnataka are the branches, Srouta Saiva
Sampradaya is the tree. We follow the Vedas; they do not. But the caste system
practiced today in India is not the old varnashrama system given in the Vedas. All these four
varnas or types of people are necessary for the well-being of society. Brahmins
guide society and kshatriyas defend it. These are essential occupations for a
vibrant, thriving, living society. According to Manu, all the four types of
people were equal. There is no greatness or smallness. If in the course of time
the brahmins started looking down upon the workers/sudras, that was an
aberration.
We
initiate Dalits and untouchables if they want Lingadharana Diksha. The concept
of untouchability is being misused by present-day politicians. Untouchability
is nothing but an individual’s perception. If a woman has bathed but her
children have not, she will treat her children as untouchable. We even accept
converts to Hinduism. Srinath Mahadevan and his wife are examples (see page
32). If someone joins us midstream, we first perform the requisite sixteen
samskaras in a nutshell form, and then a shuddhi (purification). Then the process is the
same, upanayanam and Lingadharana initiation. Now, Srinath is not just a Hindu;
among the Hindus he is an aradhya, a Srouta Saiva.
The
requisite qualification for a person like Srinath—our expectation for any Lingadhari—is
that he must be committed to perform Siva puja daily. There is laghu, or small
puja, which can be done in fifteen minutes; and there is maha puja, that takes
three hours. One chooses whatever suits one’s lifestyle. But whatever you do,
you must do consistently. As one grows older, one should devote more and more
time to puja. Gradually, one has to realize that wearing the Linga is only a means
and not an end in itself. Once you are accustomed to worshiping the Linga on
your body, you have to realize that the same Lord is in your heart, too. It is
through the Lord in one’s heart that one can reach the Brahmanadi that is there
in one’s head. The moment one is connected to Brahmanadi, salvation is assured.
“We
encourage arranged marriages. In our community 99 percent of marriages are
arranged. Our youth accept this system. Love marriages also take place, but
rarely. Inter-caste marriages are not approved. A brahmin should not marry a
vaishya or a sudra or a kshatriya. But if a brahmin marries a sudra girl, on
principle we would not approve, however there is no thought of making them
outcasts. Once it is done, we cannot undo it, so it has to be accepted. We
provide her Lingadharana and take her into our fold.
Lingadharis talk about their initiation, daily worship and life
as a devotee
Nagendra Nath, 29, chartered
accountant: “We face a problem of conversion to Christianity and Islam, so we
need to educate our people about our traditions. I took Lingadharana Diksha at
the age of 16. Even as a child I did puja and memorized all 185 verses of
Lalita Sahasranama. By the age of ten I could also chant many other shlokas. I
studied in Saraswati Vidyalayam, which was run by the Theosophical Society and
RSS. All this had an impact on me.”
Raga Ranjita, 24, MBA graduate,
Nagendra’s wife, homemaker and mother: “Today I will be given Lingadharana
Diksha. It is nice to see so many young people here to get Lingadharana Diksha.
Some kind of divine spirit enters inside one if one does the abhishekam of the
Lingam every day. ”
Vasantha Kumar, software engineer:
“I have been a Lingadhari for twelve years. Before initiation my life was
undisciplined. With my initiation, a new power came to me. I started getting up
early and performing puja before sunrise. All the young people who have taken
the Lingadharana Diksha experience changes in their lives.”
Sharda, 70, educated to tenth
standard, full-time mother and housewife: “I have been doing normal pujas till
now. My son took Lingadharana Diksha when my husband passed away. Now, late in
life, I have developed interest in the tradition. I want to merge into Siva
when I pass away. Therefore I have taken the path of Lingadharana today.”
Uma Kasinathini, 40, postgraduate in
Public Administration, exams trainer: “I do Siva puja every morning for half an
hour. I have never missed my puja since my initiation after marriage in 2000.
“The
mother’s role in spreading our tradition is more important than the father’s,
because she has the most contact with the child. Without her, the tradition
cannot endure. I have seen families of aradhyas who are living like ordinary
people, not wearing and worshiping the Linga. In such cases, I feel it is the
women who are not doing their jobs. If the father is very busy, the mother must
play a leading role. Some people say they will perform their religious duties
once they get older. But my father taught us Siva puja is an integral part of
your life, just like eating.
“I
carry Lord Siva on my body. He is the guiding force, helps me lead a
disciplined life and He does not let me do anything wrong. The Lingam gives me
solace, and I converse with God when I am down.”
Vijay Prakasham, retired mining
engineer: “I am so happy that my grandson Shreyas has got his Lingadharana
Diksha today. I was initiated 52 years ago, in 1962. Lingadharana protects you
in every respect. Someone Whom we cannot see but is the power behind us,
protects us. In my life, the days when I could not do abhishekam of my Linga
were days with problems. But whenever I performed my abhishekam, my days were
trouble free.”
Sasidhar Mudigonda,
36,
computer
professional: “The community is changing.We are more focused on our religion. Youth
are getting attracted to our culture and temples. My message to the Hindu
youth, based on my personal experience is: after a morning bath, just spending
ten to fifteen minutes on Siva abhishekam will give you relaxation and many
other positive results.
“Much
is said about the negatives of IT, bad work hours and time challenges, etc. But
there are now so many divine websites and positives in the Internet culture. If
we do our Siva puja and meditate for fifteen minutes when we get home from
work, that will give us a lot of self-confidence. If we cannot even spend 15
minutes, even two minutes’ chanting Aum Namah Sivaya will give us relief from
stress. We must also reserve more time for our families.”
Shreyas, 11, student, fifth
standard: “I got my upanayanam samskara at age eight, and today I got the
Lingadharana Diksha. My father and grandfather have been doing Siva puja every
day, and now I will also for ten or fifteen minutes daily. Linga puja every day
will make me a better student.”
S. Ramchandra Prasad, 47, advocate: “We do
abhishekam to the Linga with the sacred water. Water becomes sacred when it is
mixed with holy ash. We are always elated that the omnipotent Lord Siva is
there in the Linga we wear on our body and He safeguards us. I would like to
tell Hindus all over the world to have a firm belief in the existence of God.
To Hindus, Lord Siva is omnipotent, the ultimate power. I am not making any
distinctions between Lord Siva and other Gods, as all other forms are also the
manifestations of Lord Siva only.”
Janahvi, 13, daughter of
Chandrasekhar, student, ninth standard: “My grandparents were Lingadharis and
so are my parents. When I was a small child, my grandfather would tell me
stories of Lord Siva. I recite Siva Panchakshari every day and chant the names
of Lord Siva. I dream of being initiated as a Lingadhari when I marry. Aradhya
families train their children from childhood so we are prepared for
Lingadharana when we reach that stage.
“My friends at
school are very interested in the traditions of my community. They tell about
their traditions and I share mine. I tell my friends about Panchakshari, Siva
puja, holy ash and rudraksha. My message for the youth is: obey your parents
and follow the traditions of the community. Go for Lingadharana and upanayanam.
Tell everybody about the importance of wearing the Sivalingam.”
Sivalenka Anuradha, 43, practicing
chartered accountant: “As children we would help our father in the daily puja
however we could. Immediately after getting up we would wash our face and apply
vibhuti, pluck flowers, clean the puja room and put out the mat, then bath and
attend the puja. I do my Siva puja daily with my husband at almost the same
time each day. I provide everything he needs so that we do not have to interrupt
the puja for anything. We spend roughly ten to fifteen minutes on the puja.
Women have a short Siva puja format. Men do a longer puja and also chant the
Gayatri.
“My
father introduced me to Namah Sivaya even before I could read or write. This
mantra always rings in our mind. Anything we do or start, we do it chanting
Namah Sivaya. No matter where we roam, we have Lord Siva with us on our chest
all day and all night. I have no worries and no depression at all.”
Sri
Mulugu Hanumanth Rao, 76, Secretary, Saiva Maha Peetham: “About five
thousand families practice the Srouta Saiva traditions. Globally it might be
about thirty thousand people. The majority are in Andhra Pradesh; only a very
few are outside India. If you include those who only took rudraksha or mantra
diksha, there could be a few thousand more. As far as activities go, besides
the annual festivals, ceremonies and initiations, we recently initiated some
social projects to provide financial and medical assistance to help those in
our community who are having economic difficulties. We have started an ashram
at the ancient Siva temple of Srisailam and hope to develop a branch there.
Each month we publish the Saiva Mataha Prabodhini
magazine to keep everyone informed. Also we are printing and distributing books
on our system and theology.
“Women are as
important as males in our community. The family traditions are passed on
primarily by the women in the home while raising the children. In a way, they
are more important than the men for us to keep our dharma alive and pass it on
to the future generations.”
(Secretary: Mulugu Hanumanth
Rao, Secretary of Saiva Maha Peetham, Hyderabad)
T. Viramallayya, 65, environmental journalist, Vice
President, Saiva Maha Peetham, Twin Cities Branch: “Ours is a rational Vedic
culture. Our scriptures state that Rudra, or Siva, is the most ancient God.
Siva is the only God. There is no other God than Siva. We liberalized all our
rituals and systems. Our system is very easy to adopt. I say we are liberal
because we do not have so many rituals. Siva is Abhishek Priya, one who loves
to be bathed; water would suffice. For Siva, you do not have to perform so many
rituals. If you can do puja with flowers and fruits, then that is good. But if
you cannot, you can even just do puja mentally. That is called manas puja, puja in the
mind.
“Scriptures
say a Lingadhari is always purified. This means a man who wears Linga is
himself an embodiment of Siva. I believe only in Lord Siva, considering Him the
supreme power. In my house I only allow pictures of Lord Siva and Mother
Parvati and of no other Deities or Gods. Though I am cosmopolitan in my
approach, at the same time I observe all the rituals meticulously. In the
morning I get up around 5 and spend two hours doing my Siva puja. Even on an
airplane flight I do not miss my puja; I do manas puja.”
Mudigonda Amarnatha Sharma 44, Sanskrit scholar
and lecturer, Agama expert, Asthana
Pandith and matrimonial priest: “The proof of Lingadharana is there in four Vedas. The Narayana Upanishad states, ‘May I
wear the Lingam on my body for salvation from rebirth.’ There are 28 Agamas. Srouta Saiva
Siddhanta is based primary on the Chandragyana, Karanottara and Makatottara Agamas. Chandragyana Agama states that you have to wear the
Lingam on your body. The Mahabharata states that all the Pandavas, Sri Krishna
and Arjuna were Lingadharis. Upamanu Maharishi gave diksha to the son of Lord
Krishna. Pashupati Diksha, Shambhava Diksha, Shiro Diksha—these are all
synonyms of Lingadharana. The Siva Gita says that even Lord Rama was a Lingadhari
and had taken the Pashupati Vratam (Vow).
“The
Agamas followed by
Sivacharyas of Tamil Nadu and Srouta Saiva are one and the same. They take the
rudraksha dharana, bhasma dharana and mantra upadesha. But they do not follow
Lingadharana.
“There
were twelve revered aradhyas who propagated our Srouta Saivism, and 63 Nayanars
propagated Saivism in Tamil Nadu. However, to the best of my knowledge, there
is no link between the two lineages.”
(Srouta Saiva scholar and priest: Mudigonda Amarnatha
Sharma)
Dedicated to Siva’s Message
BY LAKSHMI SINGARAJU
MY
FATHER, SIVA SRI ANNADEVARA SUBBARAO Garu, was born in an orthodox brahmin
family in a small hamlet in West Godavari district of AP. He underwent the
Lingadharana initiation and devoted his entire life to the worship of Lord
Siva, diligently performing all his duties as a family man and as a Siva
devotee. His life was an example of one who strived for kaivalyam, liberation.
All his conversations revolved around Srouta Saivam and the worship of Siva. He
often compared himself with Nandi, Lord Siva’s vehicle, saying his duty was to
serve the Lord just as Nandi did.
Our
parents raised six children with strict discipline. Each of us had daily
chores. The day began with house cleaning, picking flowers and preparing puja
articles. My mother cooked the food offerings. My father had to finish his Siva
puja, eat and leave for work by 9:30am. By then my brothers had to finish their
Sandhyavandanam and Gayatri, and my three sisters and I had to finish reciting
our Lalita Sahasranama. This was a strict rule, and we followed it regularly.
All eight of us always sat together for dinner, sharing our experiences of the
day. Weekends were more relaxed, and Dad spent more time with us. He cherished
analyzing the great texts, linking them to his devotion to Lord Siva. He would
get so enthused talking to us of Siva that my mother had to remind him to
complete his puja.
My
father was a voracious reader, especially of works about Saiva Siddhanta and
the works of Siva Sri Nagalingasastry Garu. He once took me on a two-hour ride
to an old library in Chennai. Why, I did not know. Later, after going through
his life work, I came to understand his zealous striving for a broad
comprehension of Saiva Siddhanta from different sources. He used to say that
only with Lord Siva’s grace could one eventually understand the texts.
(Father & guru: Siva Sri Annadevara
Subbarao garu; his daughter Lakshmi, author of this article)
After
retirement he devoted himself to translating the works of Sivasri
Nagalingasastry Garu into English. Despite his meager finances, he established
a trust called Sivajnanalahari, published books on Srouta Saiva Siddhanta and
created a website, www.sroutasaivasiddhanta.com, putting the
tenets of our faith into simple, plain English to make it accessible to seekers
all over the world. He said future generations will not have the time to read
complex books, especially not in Sanskrit or old Telegu. He felt that even if a
single person was influenced by his effort, his purpose would be fulfilled. His
two sons are devotedly carrying on his work. Within weeks after my father
passed, one Mr. Sriram called from Chennai. To our family’s delight, he said
that having gone through the website, he wanted to receive Sambhava Diksha.
Then in 2011 Mr. Srinatha Mahadevan and his wife, Shankari, discovered the site
and later became the first Westerners to convert to Srouta Saivism.
My
dad is my guru; he bestowed me with the Sambhava Diksha. The aradhya community
is so small that many of our young ladies have to marry outside the faith, but
Dad was determined to marry all four of his daughters into aradhya families so
we could continue to practice our religion. I live in the US and perform puja
to my Sivalingam every day. I am fortunate to have been born as his daughter. I
am forever indebted to him, as he gave me a chance to practice Srouta Saivam.
Two Americans Find Truth
MARK
SAUNDERS, BORN IN 1978, WAS RAISED IN TEXAS. BUT his thirst for truth could not
be quenched in America. He started a business importing goods from India. That
nation became his home. Out of love for Lord Siva he took the name Srinath
Mahadevan. He and his wife, Shankari, were the initial spark for this feature
story. “Though US born,” he says, “I grew up from the age of nine in Sanatana
Dharma, originally as a Smarta. I studied Shankaracharya’s work. As I delved
deeper, I could not ignore the overlaying message of Siva Manasa Puja and
Sivananda Lahiri and so many more things in the Shastras, in all the
Itihasas. All these things pointed with no doubt directly to the greatness of
the Saiva path. When I first came to India 14 years ago, I left the Smarta
Sampradaya and joined the Gorakhnath Sampradaya. A year ago I made the decision
to leave the Gorakhnath tradition, due to the current decline in orthodoxy, the
high rate of illiteracy of most members and the lack of knowledge of Agama Shastra and shruti. I prayed very hard
to Lord Shankar to guide me on the correct path. With great astonishment I came
to find a community in Andhra that Indologists have said no longer exists. The
followers of Lakulisa Acharya, the Aradhya Brahmins, are alive and well in
Andhra, and by the blessing of Mahadev I and my wife are the first non-Indians
given Lingadhara initiation in this community. I feel it is my duty and a seva
to my guru and lineage to help bring our tradition to the global readers of your
esteemed magazine.”
(Initiates: Srinatha Mahadevan
and Shankari in Rajasthan)
Om Tat Sat
(Continued...)
(Continued...)
(My humble salutations to Sadguru Sri Sivaya Subramuniyaswami
ji, Satguru Bodhianatha Velayanswami ji, Hinduism
Today for the collection)
(The Blog is reverently for all the seekers of truth,
lovers of wisdom and to share the Hindu Dharma with others on the
spiritual path and also this is purely a non-commercial blog)
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