Hindu Samskriti - Festivals
Skanda
Sashti
Approaching the Lord of Illumination
Skanda Sashti is a
six-day South Indian festival to Skanda, the
Lord of Religious Striving, also known
as Murugan or Karttikeya.
It begins on the day after the new moon
in the month of Karttika
(October/November) with chariot
processions and pujas invoking His
protection and grace. The festival
honors Skanda’s receiving His lance,
or vel, of spiritual illumination, and
culminates in a victory celebration
of spiritual light over darkness on the
fi nal day. Penance, austerity, fasting
and devout worship are especially fruitful during
this sacred time
Who is Skanda?
Skanda is a God of many attributes,
often
depicted as six-faced and twelve-armed.
Saivite Hindus hail this supreme
warrior, the
commander-in-chief of the great army of
devas, or beings of light, a fearless
defender of
righteousness. They honor Him as the
mystic
healer of ailments and master of yoga,
guiding
those who persevere on enlightenment’s
path.
Legends say He was the fi rst to
renounce the
world and step onto the path of
kundalini
yoga. God Siva bestowed upon His son
Skanda
dominion over the chakras of willpower,
direct cognition, and the purest,
child-like
divine love. Murugan is the tutelary
Deity of
the Tamil community.
How is Skanda
Sashti celebrated?
It is considered meritorious to
undertake
a six-day fast, known as the Skanda
Sashti
Vrata, or vow, in empathy for Skanda’s
titanic struggle. Many abstain from all
foods, while some permit themselves fruits and
simple, unsalted foods. Following immediately
after Diwali, the fast is an ideal
antidote to that festival s feasting, revelry
and overindulging. On the day the fast is
broken, families enjoy a sweet pudding called
payasam along with fried
delicacies. A sixpart
prayer for protection, called the
Skanda
Sashti Kavacham, is chanted. Six is a
number
associated with this God. Another
discipline
is to stand in a river, facing
upstream, draw a
six-pointed star and write
“Saravanabhava,”
His supreme mantra, on the water before
doing
ablutions. Special decorations adorn
home
shrines, featuring images of the
peacock and the fi ghting rooster. Devotees pilgrimage to
Murugan’s temples, especially the
temple in
Lanham, Maryland, and the seaside
sanctuary
at Tiru chendur in South India.
What is the legend
of Skanda Sashti?
It is said that eons ago, Skanda fought
a powerful
asura, or demon, named Surapadman, who
embodied the forces of selfi shness,
ignorance,
greed and chaos. Skanda defeated and
mastered
those lower forces, which He uses, to
this
day, to the greater good. The subdued
demon
became his faithful servant, the proud
and
beautiful peacock on which Skanda
rides.
What happens on
the sixth day?
In Murugan temples, the Deity is
worshiped
with oblations of special unguents,
milk and
other offerings. Crowds gather to watch
a
dramatic play depicting the conquest of
Surapadman.
Millions fl ock to see this drama
performed
on the beaches of Tiruchendur, where
the legendary battle occurred
Tidbits About Skanda and His Festival
What else occurs
on these holy days?
This festival is associated with a
unique tradition
of giving, dana. A young, unmarried
male
student, brahmachari, is invited to the home,
served a sumptuous meal with special
sweets and honored with gifts
of new clothing (usually a traditional
unstitched cotton veshti), betel
leaf, betel nut and fruits. This boy
represents the youthful Murugan,
and service to one is service to both.
Why does Skanda
bear
weapons?
Hindu iconography
is rife with fi ghting implements.
Skanda, general of the heavenly
army, wields weapons which symbolize
His manifold powers. These
battle arms represent forces He uses
in the subtle realms of the mind,
piercing the veils of ignorance,
rescuing those in distress and
defending righteousness. He is called the Great
Protector.
What does Skanda’s
lance signify?
The lance, or vel, embodies
discrimination and spiritual insight. It stands for release from
ignorance into knowledge, from
sinfulness into
purity through spiritual austerities
Kesari
This quick and easy sweet semolinabased
dish gets its name from kesar, or
saffron, which gives it a bright orange
hue.
Preparation time: 10 minutes
Cooking time: 10 minutes
Serves: 4
Cooking equipment: a wok, a large
spoon and a plate.
Ingredients
1 cup semolina, 2½ cups hot water,
5 tbsp ghee, ½ to 1½ cups sugar,
½ tsp cardamom powder
(or fresh ground), a pinch of
saffron or kesari powder,
2 tbsp raisins, 2 tbsp cashews
Preparation
1. Heat the water and add the saffron,
cardamom and sugar to steep.
2. Heat 2 tbsp of ghee, fry cashews and
raisins, drain and set aside.
3. Mix semolina with remaining ghee.
Cook, stirring until light brown.
Remove from heat.
4. Slowly add the semolina to the
hot water, mixing continuously to
prevent lumps.
5. Return to very low heat and cook for
fi ve minutes, still stirring until the
whole mass comes together like a
ball and does not stick to the spoon.
6. Transfer to a serving dish.
7. Garnish with fried raisins, cashew
nuts and a sprinkle of saffron.
Pancha Ganapati
The Family Festival of Giving
Think of this as the
Hindu Christmas, a modern winter holiday full of
family-centered happenings, but with fi
ve days of gifts for the kids,
not one. From December 21 to 25 Hindus
worship Lord Ganesha,
the elephant-headed Lord of culture and
new beginnings. Family
members work to mend past mistakes and
bring Ganesha’s blessings of
joy and harmony into fi ve realms of
their life, a wider circle each day:
family, friends, associates, culture and religion.
What is the nature
of the festival?
Pancha Ganapati includes outings,
picnics,
feasts and exchange of cards and gifts
with
relatives, friends and business
associates. A
shrine is created in the main living
room
of the home and decorated in the spirit
of
this festive occasion. At the center is
placed
a large wooden or bronze statue of Lord
Panchamukha (“fi ve-faced”) Ganapati, a
form
of Ganesha. Any large picture or statue
of
Ganesha will also do. Each morning the
children decorate and dress Him in the
color of that day, representing one of
His
fi ve rays of energy, or shaktis.
What happens on
each of the fi ve days?
Each day a tray of sweets, fruits and
incense is prepared and offered to Lord
Ganapati, ideally by the children.
Chants
and songs are sung in His praise. After
the worship, diverse sweets are shared
by
one and all. Each day colorfully
wrapped
gifts are given to the children, who
place
them before Pancha Ganapati to open on
the fi fth day. The adults receive
gifts, too!
On each day one of the fi ve faces of Pancha
Ganapati is worshiped.
December 21,
yellow: The
family discipline for
this day is to create a vibration of
love and harmony
among all members. Rising early, they
decorate the shrine, then perform a
grand puja
invoking Ganesha’s blessings. Sitting
together,
they make amends for past misdeeds,
insults,
mental pain and injuries caused and
suffered.
They conclude by extolling one
another’s best
qualities.
December 22, blue:
Day
two is devoted to creating
or restoring a vibration of love and
harmony
among neighbors, relatives and close
friends. This is done by presenting
heartfelt
gifts and offering apologies to clear
up any
ill-will that may exist. Relatives and
friends in
far-off places are written to or
called, forgiveness
is sought, apologies made and tensions
released.
December 23, red: Today’s discipline is
to establish
love and harmony among business
associates
and the public. It is the day for
presenting
gifts to fellow workers and customers
and to
honor employers and employees with
gifts and
appreciation. It is a time for settling
all debts
and disputes.
December 24,
green: The
spiritual discipline
of day four is to draw forth the
vibration of
joy and harmony that comes from music,
art,
drama and dance. Family, relatives
and friends gather before
Ganesha to share their artistic
gifts, discuss Hindu Dharma and
make plans to bring more cultural
refi nements into the home.
December 25,
orange: The
discipline
for this day is to bring
forth love and harmony that
comes from charity and religiousness.
As the gifts are
opened, one and all experience
Ganesha’s abundant, loving
presence fi lling their home and
hearts, inspiring them anew for
the coming year
Tidbits About Pancha Ganapati
How did this
festival begin?
In 1985, Satguru Sivaya
Subramuniyaswami,
founder of HINDUISM TODAY magazine,
conceived of and introduced
Pancha Ganapati during the thirty days
of the Markali Pillaiyar home festival.
With fi ve days of gift giving at the
time of year when Christmas is widely
celebrated, it offers Hindu families,
especially in the West, a meaningful way
to participate in the holiday season without
compromising their Hindu values.
Their children receive and give gifts
just as do their non-Hindu friends.
Adults can fulfi ll the season’s social
custom of sharing gifts and greeting
cards, as well as accepting them from
relatives, neighbors, friends and business
associates.
How is the Hindu tone maintained?
While the festival occurs at
Christmas time, Hindus celebrate Pancha
Ganapati in a distinctly Hindu way,
without Christmas trees, Santa Claus or
symbols of other religions. Greeting
cards are Indian in design and content,
conveying Hindu wisdom from scripture.
Hindu music and bhajans take the place
of Christmas carols.
How is the home decorated?
Lord Ganesha is depicted as coming
from the forest; therefore, pine
boughs, bamboo, palm fronds or banana
leaves may be used. Durva grass,
sugarcane, garlands of limes, vadai or sweet
modaka enhance the home
shrine. Flashing lights, oil lamps and colorful
hanging ornaments are often added.
After each puja, the sweets prepared for
the day are given to the children.
Making Vadai
Spicy donuts to enjoy as a snack
or with a festive meal
Preparation time: 4 hours
Cooking time: 40 minutes
Serves: 6-8
Equipment: A small wok or roundbottomed
pan, a ladle and a serving dish.
Ingredients
1 cup urad dal, 1 onion, 2 green
chilies,
curry leaves, ghee, salt
Method
1. Soak the dal in water for 4 hours.
2. Drain and grind to a coarse paste.
3. Mince the onion and chilies.
4. Add to the dal with salt and curry
leaves. Stir well.
5. To make each vadai, roll a small piece
of dough into a ball and fl atten it.
Vadais are usually about 2
1/2” in
diameter and may have a hole in the
middle like a donut.
6. Deep fry the vadai in
ghee until
golden (about 5 minutes).
Om
Tat Sat
(Continued...)
(My humble salutations to Sadguru Sri Sivaya Subramuniyaswami ji, Hinduism
Today dot com 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
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