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Bhagavadgita Pages, Chapters 1 to 18

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BALAJI MANDIR, BRIDGEWATER, NJ

Hindu Temple & Cultural Society of USA, Inc.
Sri Venkateswara Temple (Balaji Mandir) & Community Center
(Non-Profit Tax-Exempt Organization.)
1075 Route 202/206, Bridgewater, NJ-08807
Ph: (908) 725-4477

                      #1

Welcome to Balaji Temple, Bridgewater NJ

With this booklet, you may take a leisurely walk

Among gods, goddesses, people, priests, volunteers….

You may gawk at the gods and goddesses; you may point your fingers;

You can Ah and OO; you may admire their fake jewelry and the hairdos;

You may even dance in front of the Lord of Dance. No offence is taken by gods.

They are glad you are here.

The Floor Plan is the centerfold. Please make any comments or corrections.

I hope you like the tour guide and make all the stops, stoops, and peeks.

The custom forbids you to enter into the Sanctum Sanctorum.

If you have any suggestions, please do not hesitate to write me.

The email is in the pamphlet.

Veeraswamy Krishnaraj, M.D; F.R.C.P (Canada) 

Retired pediatrician.

http://www.lotussculpture.com

January 1, 2012: Happy New Year to all. Let the Grace of Balaji descend on you, your family, friends and acquaintances. As usual, I was drawn to the Balaji Temple by the inexorable magnetism of Lord of the Hills. The sky was cast in clouds, which was good in the sense that Krishna is of the color of dark blue clouds as described by the Alvars of Tamil Nadu. I wish I saw the images of Alvars in the temple who wrote 4000 songs (Divyaprabhandam) in praise of Vishnu in His Avatars.  These Alvars were realized Souls coming from all castes in Tamil Nadu. Of the Alvars, the leading one was Nammalvar, who described Vaikuntam (வைகுந்தம் = Vishnu's heaven) in a vivid account. The temple has carvings of some verses in English of Bhagavadgita on the Granite face.

The devotees, young and old and in-between, came to the humongous Sanofi-Aventis parking lot adjacent to the Temple. It was a great convenience that draws devotees from far and wide, apart from the obvious Lord of the Hills. Nowadays parking is at a premium in big cities. The elders of the temple were wise to have chosen such a convenient place for the temple with the adjacent parking on important dates. Their genius is showing and obvious in every step of the way outside and inside of the temple.

The young ladies full of moxie in their carriage, tender twelve year olds, the teens with Chiclet-white teeth and McClean smiles (Indian poets call the chiclet-white teeth a row of jasmine buds.) and the young married women wore what they regarded the fashion statement, the modern शलवार क़मीज़  Śalvār Qamīz. It is Persian for pants; It is Arabic (qamis) for shirt. Some men also wore the same outfit. No, I don't wear it; You have the god-given right to wear it. No one looked dishy in this dress. Śalvār climbs in a spiraling fashion from the ankles to the hips. Because the Śalvār  is tight at the ankle and wide at the hip, all that excess cloth above the ankles gives the baggy look. The shirt was hanging loose at its split ends, which would be scrapping the food on the tables as the wearer walks between tables in the restaurant. The preponderant favorite was still shirts and pants among men and boys. Forgive me, ladies. Śalvār Qamīz is not my favorite. Why should you care for what I say? The Hindu goddesses look great in Saris and blouses. Most of the ladies in Śalvār Qamīz appeared baggy and draggy and by no means jiggy and pretty wearing these culturally alien dresses. Blame me for wearing shirt and pants, culturally alien dress for an India-born naturalized US citizen. It is a three-piece outfit. Śalvār is a loose pajama, wide at the top and the waist, tight at the ankles and loose and baggy in-between; Qamīz a long shirt with long side splits reaching the knees; the scarf rests over the shoulders and the front of the upper body. They attest to the fact the outfit is convenient to put on and take off.  I am unable to say whether the ventilation is superior. With this alien dress, you are in with the crowd. The sari demands some basic knowledge of pleating, tucking, wrapping, wearing the end over the shoulder and walking with grace. I suggest that ladies don't walk on high heels wearing a sari. Have you seen the gracious Indian dancers walk the walk on the dance stage when they do the swan, the deer, the elephant...?  They have demonstrated the deftness in wrapping the sari from the ankles to the waist in a tight fashion so much so they appeared full of grace. Very few ladies passed the test of grace in this alien outfit; grace is the sine qua non of Indian womanhood. This outfit looked more like an expensively made pajama-shirt-shawl foisted on uncritical young people, who turn a blind eye to traditional dress and sport wide open eyes at superugly outfits. 

For it to look good on a person, one has to be a perfectly emaciated social X-ray living in a Statusphere. I borrowed these euphemisms from The Bonfire of the Vanities by Tom Wolfe.

There is style, grace and identity in wearing the Sari, which tells you are from South Asia. Now I am seventy five years of age, set in my ways, likes, dislikes.... Please forgive me for my views. Have you seen the learned ladies sent to Washington D.C as Indian Ambassadors? They wear the Indian signature saris. Any other wear would not represent India. Consider the umpteen ways one can wear it.

I am sorry to observe that some ladies (including girls) did not wear the Tilakam, an essential element in elegance. The days of dot busters are gone and forgotten. It is safe once again to wear the Tilakam.

The devotees parked the cars and lined up to board the school bus. Some chose to walk the distance. They appeared young and fit. The American bus drivers, both black and white, were all smiles to see the Hindus celebrate a Christian calendar holiday in an Indian temple, wearing Persian and Muslim outfits and carrying handbags made in China and bought in Costco. Such is the generosity and magnanimity of the Hindu mind. The Indians with their Sari-clad parents and in-laws make a pilgrimage to Costco every weekend to buy the provisions, electronic equipments and wide-screen TVs.  I found several times that the family descends to Costco soon after obtaining Darshan at the Balaji Temple.

Is there fun to have? Is it a holiday? Mention Holiday. The Indian is ready, willing and ardent to take advantage and make most of it any day, anywhere, anytime. The drivers and the devotees exchanged pleasantries. One entrepreneurial bus driver had a jerry-rigged gratuity box made out of cardboard stuffed with greenbacks and change strategically placed at the exit.

I have this talent for complaining. I am sure you noticed it. I put my nose where it does not belong. The school bus, as the name suggests, is for school children and not for adults with long legs, bad backs, arthritic knees and hips and a grouchy disposition. Really, I am not complaining; it is better to have a school bus, rather than no bus at all. Walking that distance would make my joints creak and complain; I might even croak, kick the bucket and buy a one-way ticket to Vaikuntam; of course, Vaikuntam is no guarantee for an old decrepit geezer like me. I saw a few people with derriere, the size of the back of an auto-rickshaw or the Nano. They were ill at ease on the bus. Again it is better to have a ride than no ride at all. Now you have an idea: I am a kvetching curmudgeon and a niggling nag.

The bus drove off the main road on to the temple property; it was a dizzying experience when the bus wound its way on a serpentine route on the right side of the temple even at slow speed and disgorged the grateful devotees near the entrance to the white tent. What were the temple authorities thinking?  I think they had Adisesha on their collective mind, when they laid the serpentine bus route to the back of the temple. That is when I noticed the temple has extended the parking lot all around the temple. Again, I must congratulate the temple officials for their forethought in erecting the tents. What if it rained or snowed? We were gently nudged by the volunteers to shed and deposit the shoes and the jackets on the floor and coat racks.  I had this suspicious thought dawn on my mind. Do I really want to put my coat on the rack? I was not afraid someone would swipe mine. I was more afraid that lice or bedbugs would jump from coat to coat and take a ride with me on my coat to my house and take up a residence rent-free. No, I ain't worried about lice and bedbugs living rent-free in my house. What if they start a  family and have their own babies. On second thought, I was happy to remember that I sport a bald pate. People call me by my other name: Bald Pate (short for Baldwin Pate = மொட்டைத்தலை moṭṭai-t-talai).  You can't tell I am bald; I wear a hairpiece (Hello Desis, a hairpiece is what you call a wig.) that conceals my baldness. I was watching for anyone scratching his scalp because of wandering and blood-sucking lice or bedbugs. I am glad to report no one was doing it. Phew, that was a relief for a hypochondriac like me. Now I could walk into the temple leaving my nitpicking worries aside.

When I entered the walkway between the gift shop and basement assembly hall, there were only a few people. It was early in the day. There would be flash mobs later. The rule-bound volunteer gracefully asked us to walk up and down the empty aisles instead of giving us the shortcut. The walk was good for my heart and bad for my joints. As I approached the staircase, the Dvarapalaka (द्वारपालक = துவாரபாலகர் tuvāra-pālakar) guarding the entrance was a tall gentleman, a no-nonsense sergeant-at-arms, stern and study in his voice, and commanding in his presence. He barked orders: 'Keep To Your Left'--hey, the devotees had already worked up a sweat and an impatience to obtain Darshan--, knowing very well the devotees can sometimes be disobedient. His stern voice kept the flow up and down the staircase a cinch. In America, we are used to keeping to the right. This gentleman-sergeant must be from Old School, Keep-To-Your-Left.

The devotees walking up and down the staircase quickly made mid-course corrections on hearing the sergeant-at-arms. Another Dvarapalaka was at the entrance to the main hall of the temple. He was directing us to our left towards Ganesa, the Lord of New Beginnings. By this time, I saw the benign face and glittering Namam of the Lord of the Hills. The gatekeeper at the entrance to the main hall, had an eye on the humongous front doors. There were clear signs not to open the heavy Mahogany doors. Hey, the devotees open them for no good reason. The doors are there to be opened and closed: So why not open them. If one exits there, he had to walk around to reach the bus. One would certainly miss the dharsan (தரிசனம்), the main event of the day.

At this point in time, my wife deserted me (of course temporarily) and went on her own way. I was not ready for a wild-goose chase. She always manages to disappear in the temple and also in the house. I gave up and went on my way. I paid my obeisance to Lord Ganesa, cupped my palms over the flame of the standing lighted lamp and applied them on my eyes hoping I would get an iota of His Wisdom and Grace. I made a pre-arranged ambit around the main sanctum visiting Ambal; Lord Nataraja; Sivalingam;  Lingam; Lord Ayappa; Muruga, Devayanai and Valli; Satyanarayana; Sri Devi; Bhudevi; Durga; the sanctum of Durga, Lakshmi and Sarasvati; the sanctum of Laksmi-Narayana; the sanctum of Radha-Krishna; the sanctum of Ram Parivar; Hanuman; and the Navagrahas.

I joined the tail end of the queue to obtain Dharsan of the Lord of the Hills.  My wife gave the fruits to the priest and made ourselves known by our Gotra, stars and names. Within about 8 minutes, I was at the inner sanctum with my wife leading me. Every time, I see Him in His resplendent glory in this temple, I feel I am in the very presence of the Lord.

 The Lord of the Hills was in full divine regalia with his shining silver Kavachas (கவசம் = कवच = armor plates), brilliant eye-catching Namam, and the flowers, mostly white. His face reflected His inner peace, tranquility, self-assuredness and His willingness to stoop to our level to confer Grace. We were right in the Sanctum Sanctorum. I cupped my hands over the flame of the lighted lamp sitting on a stool and applied it to my eyes. By this time, my wife fell behind me, lingering in the sanctum to have a good and long look-see against the persistent verbal goading from the lady volunteers to move. I must have been in there in the Sanctum for about 8 seconds in all: Three seconds out of 8 seconds to walk up to the Lord, 2 seconds before him and 3 seconds to exit the sanctum.  How much can you take in two seconds, face to face?  In another 5 minutes, we received the sacred water, the Sadari, the Prasadam of Laddu.... The beauty about this temple is that the satellite shrines surround the main shrine of Balaji. The shrines of Sri and Bhu are behind the main shrine.

I recently visited Tirupati where in the sanctum a passel of devotees physically pushed me in to the sanctum and the young bouncers employed by the temple pushed me out. If the bouncers do it outside the temple premises, they could be arrested for assault and battery. If they do not do the pushing, the recalcitrant devotees will never leave the sanctum. I suggest they install Moving Platforms as in the Airports so there is no need for shoving people in and out. The devotees are not accommodating and disciplined enough even for that solution.

I came back to the front of the main hall to sit on a chair. The chairs were occupied by young men. I was standing by the chairs for about 8 minutes. No one would stir or stand to offer me (with grey hair and other signs of old age) a seat so I can rest my old weary bones. The chairs are meant for the infirm and the old people. There should be a sign stating that the old and the infirm have priority seating as posted in New York City buses. It just simply does not occur to them that the chairs are meant for the old people. An young buck got out of the chair, as soon as his spouse and child showed up. Before an agile youth could steal the seat, I hustled to the chair. That was the time I engaged in the pleasant pastime of watching people. In between, I stole a glance of the Lord of the Hills. I must admit that the devotees were very disciplined and appeared devout.  The ladies in Saris glided by unobtrusively with ease and grace. The young mothers were toting the tots, as they were doing it from the dawn of human civilization. They were all sitting in undefined family clusters. The children behaved and sat with legs in W position, the men and women sat cross-legged, some men sat  in lotus position and some with the knees up and supported by hands. Some men did Shastanga Namaskarams; ladies did the truncated form of the same, applying the toes, the knees and the forehead to the floor. An elderly but sprightly gentleman in his octogenarian look and stoop sauntered before me catching my eyes with the look and familiarity of brothers in arms. The unflappable priests were going from here to there with lighted lamps, fruit bags etc, dodging the errant and wayward devotees, who sometimes literally stood in the path of the priest in the perimeter of the hall and buttonholed them to take blessings from the lamp flame.

My wife took up on the invitation of the Sanctum Volunteers that the devotees are welcome for another round of Dharsan by joining again the tail end of the Dharsan queue. She could not get enough of the Lord of the Hills.

This year, the temple did not serve the rice Parasada free of charge: Tamarind rice, Yogurt Rice.... but gave about 50 to 100 Gms of free delectable Laddu in the cellophane packets in the Sadari (சடாரி)  line. With our economy on crutches, I assume the temple authorities decided they would dispense with free Prasada of rice. They decided to have catered food for a price inside the tent. That was really a good idea. The temple has many projects in the offing and needs every penny towards that goal.

I don't know whether the catered food came from a professional kitchen or from private homes or individuals. The devotees could afford to buy the fare.  Whenever I went to the temple on Saturdays, the Prasada of hot sweet Pongal glistening with clarified butter was out of this world, so delicious I sometimes partook my wife's portion.

Now the bad news. We joined others in the reception tent. The ladies at the chow table eagerly and vociferously led us to the food stall coupon counter. It did not occur to me that this overly officious invitation is a  disappointment in the making. The sample fares were laid bare on the table in the foam containers for the patrons to see. The Tamarind Rice caught my fancy. I always loved Tamarind Rice (புளியோதரை puḷi-y-ōtarai), that was made properly. We bought three items: Coffee, Tamarind Rice and Yogurt Rice for $1, $2, and $2 in all. The coffee was super-supreme. I loved it. A Tamil knows his coffee and rice preparations. I know the joke that is coming: You forgot to mention Iddli and Masala Dosai.  I noticed many times that people from the North ask me where I am from. I say, "From Chennai."  Immediately out comes the quip, "I love your Iddli and Sambar, Vada, Masala Dosai."  I took one spoonful of the Tamarind rice, hoping it will titillate my taste buds.  My taste buds felt violated because the tamarind Rice was a crude mixture of raw uncooked tamarind sauce without any necessary Vaishnava-approved condiments, cooked but dry rice and a few half cashew nuts.  I took a spoonful of Yogurt rice; it was passable. At once it occurred to me that the fare was  deftly but hastily prepared to violate the taste buds by a nincompoop, a professional or non-professional caterer (?) who had no regard for its quality, taste and the devotees. He was not eating it anyway. So what does it matter if he serves bad food as prasada in the temple premises? To serve that kind of abysmally inferior fare in a temple is regrettable indeed. Employ a food taster before you sell them. Keep the quality high and hygienic at a reasonable price.

The sweet Prasada prepared by the Balaji temple priests and given to devotees is consistently good and hygienic. It is a common occurrence on Saturdays that some devotees bring food from their own kitchen to the temple as part of  Vrata (விரதம் = व्रत = vow)  and distribute them to other devotees as they come down to the basement. Their quality and hygiene are suspect and so the outside food should not be allowed. Having eaten them, I can attest to their inferior or variable quality. I have seen food left on the table without any attendant present. Any diarrheal disorder resulting from such food would be an unwelcome outcome.  I came down with diarrhea after having eaten unhygienic food from outside sources in another temple.

The outside food is not made of good but cheap ingredients as a nominal accompaniment to the vow. The temple does not have the time and expertise to control quality and guarantee hygiene and safety of the distributed outside food in its premises.

While I was relishing the unrelishable, I heard a gentleman say, "They (meaning the Temple authorities) have organized this event very well." Obviously, this must be his first time. That is a well-deserved comment on the temple officials. I pray Balaji continues to bless them in their endeavor.

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Jan 1, 2011: Happy New Year to one and all. The grace of Lakshmi Narayana be upon you. This year, the New Year Celebrations in the Balaji Temple went very well. The devotees came in droves, bunches, packs and lone hands. There were clouds hiding the sun and mercifully no rains. The ambient temperature in high 40s and low 50s with no dreaded wind chill factor was almost balmy to encourage the young devotees come in short sleeves. Some mature women and men (including me) on pension, Social Security or on a visit from India came in wearing caps, long sleeves, handy head scarves, and heavy outerwear with pockets bulging with gloves just in case the weather turned inclement, the temperature plunged and the wind turned frigid. The heavy accouterments gave them a ten degree stoop so much so they wore reverence in every ponderous step they took. Some had devotion, reverence, anticipation and age etched on their faces, adorned with horizontal Saivite white tri-stripes right along the forehead creases, eye-catching red Kumkums, ascending Namams.... Some wear these sectarian marks over the trunk and upper limbs; that gives them an air of divinity, as they invoke god with Mantras, Yantras, Pranapratishtha, Mudras and Nyasa.

Some wore Saris in typical Iyengar style. Every time I see a Sari-clad women in America, my imagination runs amuck trying to figure out the place of origin, the caste and other particulars of the gracious wearer. Every style is distinct and full of grace; it is a wonder what they can do with a nine yard miracle of a sari. The women from different castes, the north, the south, the east, the west and every place and state in between have their own way of wrapping the sari in myriad styles so much so it brings out every time the unconscious, unintended, irrepressible spontaneous grace to the wearer, be she a jaunty tribal or a coquettish Bollywood star. There is no way you can wrap this thing wrong in the hands of an Indian women. Even the white women wearing Sari and Bindi (பொட்டு) suddenly undergoes an enhanced gracious transformation. Of course, the pale hands need the expertise of trained, delicate and dexterous South Asian hands to pleat, tuck, wrap and arrange that marvelous whole nine yards of a Sari with immaculate precision so as to enhance the sinuous lines.

The arrangements in the temple complex was superb. The officials, the priests and the volunteers made it all happen. That is the grace of the Lord of the Hill, who stands in the main shrine with irrepressible mirth, ready, willing and going out of his way to confer His blessings.

The devotees landed at the humongous Sanofi-Aventis parking lot adjacent to the Temple. A caravan of buses-I counted five of them- carried the devotees to and from the temple. The first indication of auspiciousness was seen at the spontaneous reciprocal greetings of Happy New Year by the bus drivers and the devotees, who wore  a million bright smiles on their faces,-which compensated for the sunless day- though the drivers were working on the New Year instead of spending time with family and friends. The West always called us Indians the dour people. Today, I saw no sign of it. Judging by the registration plates on the cars, the devotees came from far and wide. The tri-state area had a dominant say in its attendance. New Jersey, home of Little India claimed its first and foremost place.

The ride was under five minutes. I saw one humongous tarpaulin tent and a small adjacent sister tent to the left of the temple. The devotees as if drawn by a suction machine or the magnetism of the Lord of the Hills hurried their steps into the big tent. There were freestanding coat racks. The earthen floor outside the temple building and inside the tents was carpeted with bright leaf-green artificial turf to protect the bare or the socked feet of devotees and the cold marble floors of the temple from goo, grime and dirt. This was a good idea. The devotees, after they shed their shoes and heavy outer garments, entered the basement of the temple, climbed up the staircase and entered the main hall. It was a serpentine ascent to the main hall. The queue starts in the basement. The devotees bought fruits for Archana.  Before the main event (Dharsan of Lord of the Hills), the devotees made devotional rounds on all smaller satellite shrines and joined the queue to obtain Dharsan (to see and to be seen).

Thank God, the officials dispensed with coconuts. My recommendation is to give up coconuts for good. Breaking them is a big hassle. They don't break the way you want: two nice hemispheres with white endosperm or meat--two halves of hairy brown shells, one with a tuft (குடுமி). Of course, the usual Caribbean coconuts sold in the temples were given a slipshod global shave exposing the three wink-not open eyes starring at you without the tuft. Some wholesale merchants have machine-carved a groove in the coconut's equator, so a symmetric even breaking is promised but not guaranteed. What is a coconut without a tuft? Not a ceremonial coconut. Let me tell you what the tuft means. It is not just coconut fiber. It stands for the tuft of hair on the head. It means many things to many sects. You have seen Brahmanas, Hare Krishnas and others wear tufts on their heads sitting exactly over the posterior fontanel area.  The tuft is symbolic of knowledge (Jnana); the sacred triple-thread (yajñōpavīta = பூணூல்) worn over the shoulder is Vedanta (Vedas) in one such tradition. In Saiva tradition, hair-tuft is the corporeal equivalent of Tirodhana or Veiling Power of Siva, wherein Siva conceals Divine Knowledge and Grace until the soul sheds its impurities (Mala = மலம்).  Lokadharmini (உலோகதருமினி) is a mode of initiation in which the hair tuft is left in place for the worldly minded Siva disciple. Sivadarmini (சிவதருமினி) is a mode of initiation wherein the tuft is removed indicating acquisition of spiritual knowledge. This does not mean all those souls sporting bald pates (fashion statement) on New York City streets are spiritually accomplished Sadhakas and Siddhas (சாதகர், சித்தர் =  साधक, सिड्ध ). The slanted tuft with a floppy tail prevents penetration of Divine Light into the worldly aspirant--Lokadharmini. Removal of the tuft (as in a  pate) allows spiritual knowledge to descend into the soul of the aspirant.

The area of the tuft on the head corresponds to Bindu center inside the head. For more details go to Tuft.

Imagine the unpleasant surprise as the coconut breaks with a discharge of foul-smelling heavy slurry. Some devotees in their forgetfulness present a whole coconut to the officiating priest, who sends the devotee back to the coconut breaking area. The whole coconut represents your ego. Breaking it means you are breaking your ego before your god. God's Ego is Supreme; Supreme does it remain eternally; temple is not the place for two egos to come head to head. You know who wins in this jostling of the egos. So much for the coconuts.

Once you enter the hall of shrines, you see Sri Venkatesvara occupies the biggest and the most central shrine. You wind your way to the inner sanctum and obtain Dharsan. You see him in His full resplendent glory all decked out in scintillating jewels, armors, weapons, flowers, clothes. His effulgent face, gracious feet and everything in between are feast to the eyes. These external markers are indicative of his auspicious qualities: Jnana¹ (Knowledge), Sakti² (Absolute Power), Bala³ (strength), Tejas⁴ (splendor), Virya⁵ (Energy), Aisvarya⁶ (sovereignty, opulence), Saulabhya⁷ (Easy Accessibility), Sausilya⁸　(Gracious Condescension), Vatsalya⁹ (parental love), Krpa¹⁰ (Compassion), Audarya¹¹ ( Generosity), and Bandhuttva¹² (Friendship). No wonder, He is a happy God and keeps everyone happy. A contrarian comes along (not in the temple; an outsider) and says, "What do you mean? Look at the misery, the war, the famine.... What is He doing standing there and letting all these things happen under His watch? God is NOT great." I am reminded of Christopher Hitchens, the unapologetic, intelligent, articulate atheist of our times. Go to Wikipedia and enter his name in the box and see him pop up on the screen. It is our Karma that keeps us in misery and bondage. Vishnu is endowed with such good qualities so that we may emulate him, thus accumulate good Karma, eventually become Karma-free (Good Karma and bad karma must become Null Karma for salvation.) and obtain Moksa. In Hindu religion, even atheists get liberation, once he or she espouses honesty, integrity, kindness, compassion, charity (all Sattvic qualities) to fellow beings. Sattva (सत्त्व = சத்துவம்) is God and God is Sattva. The Sattvic qualities become the god of the good  atheist, whether he acknowledges it or not. An undeclared, undocumented or self-professed atheist of Sattvic nature has better chances of getting liberation than a Tamasic self-described devotee.

The devotees tumbled down like falling trees on the floor before Sri Venkatesvara,  their whole being biting the dust from under the feet of fellow devotees. That is a kind of Atma Samarpanam, the dedication of the soul (the body, the soul, and the mind). This is humility in its stark naked form. You cannot get to be any more of a humbler tumbler. It is a public demonstration of abrogation of hubris and haughtiness in plain view of other devotees and the Lord. In Srivaishnava tradition,  serving the devotee obtains more merit and is of greater value than serving the Lord of the Hill Himself. This is where service before self becomes the Mantra. The devotee-servitor is Adiyen of the Lord (அடியேன் = humble slave, servant; We the people); serving the devotee-servitor makes you the servitor of the servitor (அடியேனுக்கும் அடியேன்). Thus, all those volunteers are the servitors of the servitors and are bound to go to heaven (பரமபதம், வைகுண்டம்) upon severance and departure from the body (Videha Mukti = विदेह मुक्ति). SriVaishnavites do not believe in Saivite Jivan Mukti, that is liberation (Moksa) while alive with a body--Corporeal Liberation. The deserving Saivites once they attain Jivan Mukti continue to live so as to bring the residual Karma to a Null Entity; once Karma comes to a zero sum, they can choose when and where they depart from the body. This is like an Early Admission of a High Schooler to an Ivy League college, while he or she has not completed the studies yet, (has not) passed the exams and (has not) graduated from High School. Students with highest grades only can obtain early admission. So is the case with Jivan Muktas.

The men do the prostration with eight limbs biting the dust: the head, chest, body, hands, knees, feet, mind and speech. You have to submit and sacrifice these eight entities (which make man) to the Will of God.

The ladies do it in a prone, elegant, graceful and compact way: The toes, the knees, the head and the opposing palms held close to the head come in to contact with the floor. It appears the female of the species are long on devotion and short on ego. That is why they with the short ego are not long on prostration (unauthorized, unofficial, possibly inaccurate tidbit).

 After you exit the inner sanctum you have to fall in to another queue to receive the Holy Water, Sadari, and Prasada of raisins. (Thank god, they served raisins and not the broken cashew nuts which are invariably infested with little white worms. All nuts are susceptible to worm infestation. Before you eat the nuts, look for the telltale boreholes usually at the poles of the nuts.) The devotees who presented the fruits for Archana pick them up here. Don't expect your own fruits come back to you. After this pleasant gracious encounter with Nedumal (நெடுமால் = Vishnu), I saw the devotees go down the steps to the cafeteria to receive a free prasada of rice and yogurt with pickle, Tamarind rice  and Kesari. The fare was good. The long exit led to the coat racks. The sister tent was the waiting area for boarding the bus back to the parking lot.

 நெடுமால் = நெடு + மால் = Long or Tall + Great Man (God) = Vishnu.  Mal also means wind, mountain, plenty, cloud, palace, illusion, blackness.... He has all the elements of Nature (Achit) in Him; He is the Lord of the Hills; He is plenitude; He is of the color of the dark nimbus clouds; His shrine is the palace; He casts Maya or illusion on ignoramuses; He is Black like collyrium (colly = black, soot).

After the extraordinary Dharsan and rounds of other deities, I sat on a chair. If I sit on the floor, I need a crane to lift me up or a Bobcat (Bobcat utility vehicle) to scoop me up. My body is fading faster than my brain. I know it is the old age: the joints creak; the bones hurt; the muscles do not obey the cortical commands; the ears go silent; the eyes go blurry; the hair goes thin and grey, if any are left; there is a disconnect between brain and speech and all other functions; my mind proposes..., my body disposes; my body wants, my chemistry defies; memory fades; the metabolism goes wacky; the prostate grows; the brain shrinks; Lichen, fungi, tags... grow on the skin; nails become brittle and grey; dehydrating skin changes colors faster than a discarded banana peel; the head goes nodding as I watch TV; TV dramas and the likes with knotty plots are too complicated to follow; Clint Eastwood (Dirty Harry-fame), Governor Schwarzenegger, Jackie Chan, Chuck Norris, Steven Seagal, Jean-Claude Van Damme, Van Diesel, Jason Statham, Matt Damon... are easier to follow; animals on TV draw more attention than people; even the city sirens both the wailing kind and the seductive kind go unheard and unnoticed; your family wonders and worries about your Alzheimer-like symptoms....

A lady professor, volunteer and fellow devotee took a break and sat by my side on another chair. Her youthfulness and mental sharpness were telling. We had a nice illuminating conversation about deities in Bhoga, Yoga and Ugra forms, Antahkarana....

July 25 2009: 10th ANNUAL INDIAN-AMERICAN FESTIVAL as held on July 25th & 26th 2009 at Garden State Exhibit Center Somerset NJ 08873 USA and organized by The Hindu Temple and Cultural Society of USA, Inc. 780 Old Farm Road, Bridgewater NJ 08807.  The admission to the events was free.  The temple staff brought out a snazzy All Color Festival Souvenir given away free to the attendees.              

The Festival Logo, the temple staff declared, is 'United We Stand' with Indian and American flags.

This was a real big event for the organizers, the temple and the community. It was held in a humongous hall with a ton of vendors participating in the festival.  There were stalls for arts and crafts, jewelry, clothes, dress, insurance....  There was one stall selling freshly pressed and filtered sugarcane juice.  Behind the entertainment area was the food court. The performance stage was huge with lighting and sound systems.  

The stage performance kickoff started with National Anthems (US and Indian).  At one point there was a presentation of local elected officials, office holders and aspirants on the stage. Henal Shaw and Matthew Young from Bridgewater High School received HTCS Bridgewater Educational Scholarship 2009 awards.  The entertainment was by far the best geared up for the occasion. Tots just out of diapers staged their dance performance to the glee and glow of parents and audience.  It was all dance, dance and dance by tots, teens and in-betweens. In the past years, the dancers bravely and patiently danced on the stage in the temple grounds with the sun beating down on them and beads of perspiration mixed with mascara running down their tender faces. The members of the audience tried to dodge the sun by shifting from one chair to the next under the tent. Now it is all changed. It was AC through and through. The sun decided to stay out.

Balaji temple Logos.

The stage and the performers were adroitly managed by the emcees. The judges were assiduous in watching and scoring the performance. There was a good mix of Bharatanatyam, Kuchipudi, Kathak, Bhangra, Rajasthani, Hindi and Garba performed by individuals and groups.  The get-up-and-go of the participants was palpable. The quality of performances was extraordinary and the credit goes to the organizers, the Dance Schools and choreographers.  Bharatanatyam dominated and claimed its preeminent place on the stage. The stories from timeless Indian mythology were a delight to watch as they unfolded before your eyes.  The dance schools, teachers and the performers seem to have a fascination in portraying Lord Krishna in their presentations.  His presence is easily recognized by His perennial youth, hairdo and flute.   

The audience seemed to have enjoyed the presentations, remaining very disciplined and appreciative. Their appreciation remained muted sometimes when it came to hand clapping and encouragement of tots, teens and in-betweens. There were very little Ahs and Oohs and yet the small fry deserved them.  We ( me included) are to a certain extent dour and sour dough not willing to rise to utter exclamations. My eyeball estimate was that there were about a thousand or more in the audience and the shopping stalls. As the day went by, the crowd was waxing. The ladies clustered around jewelry and clothing stalls. I saw a few clusters of whites in the front and right watching the performance. There was of course a constant influx and efflux of patrons. The parking was free. There were acres of cars parked all over the grounds in the parking lots.

There was a play area for the children. I didn't see any clowns walking on stilts. It was a welcome pleasant evening at the festival.                     

The Temple has received approval for construction of The Cultural Center which will sit on 20,500 sq.ft and have state of the art Theater/Auditorium with 470 to 643 seats, a mechanical platform, green rooms, sound systems, lighting, class rooms, library, kitchen, dining room and the whole nine yards.

The main feature is the Temple expansion towards the flagpole, besides the priest housing, and direct entrance from and exit to Route 202/206.

Veeraswamy Krishnaraj

Jan 1, 2007: The New Year Celebration started with the invocation of all deities including the principal and central Deity Lord Venkatesvara for the welfare of the people of the world. The devotees of South Asian Origin, some non-Asian spouses, and other celebrants came by the busloads. The administration of the Temple arranged a 5-minute short bus trip for the devotees from the Sanofi-Aventis parking lot adjacent to the Temple. The magnetic Lord Venkatesvara, the adjacent main Highway, the convenient humongous rented Sanofi-Aventis parking lots, convenient bus trips, the genial nature of the priests, volunteers, administration, and the in-house eatery contributed to the mega-turnout of swelling throngs of devotees. The constant drizzle seemed to have had no effect on the turnout, which was actually greater than previous years. The wait in line was sweet and short (10-20 minutes). The highlight of the day was the privilege of receiving Dharsan of Lord Venkatesvara in the Sanctum Sanctorum. This was no ordinary Dharsan. Lord Venkatesvara was an exhilarating, spine-tingling, awe-inspiring, benignant and supremely satisfied divine Being dispensing grace to His devotees. The accouterments, the floral arrangements, the wonderful Maalas, the weapons, the discus, the conch and the rest vied with each other to look their best; they all sparkled only because He was wearing them. The Lord made the priests look good at what they do. That Face, that Supreme Face shone like a million suns with self-assured radiance and a distinct irrepressible gracious smile because of ever-present Sri abiding on His chest. There were many Archana Sponsors for Lord Venkatesvara and other deities. The line snaked from the basement of the temple to the first floor like coils of Adisesha and ended up at the Sanctum Sanctorum. It looked like the Empyreal Highway to Heaven (Vaikuntham, Paramapatham-- வைகுந்தம்). The young, the old, the infirm, men and women on crutches and wheelchairs, and moms with babes in arms came into the sanctum with devotion etched on their faces. Many, young and old, scraped the dust off the sill of the doorway to the Sanctum and applied it to the forehead as a mark of humility, respect and devotion. The dust of the devotees' feet is sacred in Vaishnava tradition.  Of course the devotees performed stick-like eight-limb prostration (Ashta-Anga-namaskaram) that made them look that much taller from the toes to fingertips. Humility expressed by prostration makes the devotees look taller than while standing. Taller did they look before the Divine EGO (AHAM), when their ego was down on the floor in eight-limb prostration. The children even without prompting from parents performed Sashtanga Namaskaram before the Lord. After Dharsan, the never-ending 70-people long Sesha-serpentine queue slithered to the tables of priests and volunteers who dispensed Tirtham, Sadari, and Prasadam of raisins. That is where the devotees picked up the Archana coconuts and apples.  As far as I know, there were no untoward incidents, all because of grace of the Presiding Deity, Lord Venkatesvara. End of  report.

Nammalvar, the Srivaishnavas believe, was the incarnation of Visvaksena,  the Commander in chief of Vishnu. At various times he was regarded the incarnation of Kaustabha jewel of Vishnu or Vishnu Himself. Srivaishnava devotees receive the feet of Vishnu in the form of Sadari. Nammalvar is  the premier Srivaishnava saint-poet who had visions of Sriman Narayana and in whom Sriman Narayana revealed Himself as the devoted poet-singer. Sadari is the corpus of  his devotional work (Tiruvaymoli) and Nammalvar holding the feet of Narayana on his head. Receiving Sadari with bowed head and humility is getting the essence of His devotional poetry, attaining and holding onto the feet of Sriman Narayana for the express purpose of Mukti (liberation). 

The lay out of the floor plan is at the end of the article. Print this article and take it with you to the temple for your use. Your suggestions are welcome.

Here is an article giving you some basic information about Balaji Temple, Bridgewater, NJ. This material is intended for the use of all visitors, both Hindus and Non-Hindus. The pictures except for the Temple Tower are not photos of temple sculptures.

This material is neither official nor unofficial  but my own presentation of the Temple. Welcome to the Bridgewater, NJ Balaji Temple, whose presiding deity is Venkatesvara, the Lord of the Hills, one of the many names of Vishnu. The temple celebrated Kumbhabishekam in 1998 (installation, purification, consecration ceremony). The flagpole (Dhvajastambham) near the entrance to the temple is in line with the main deity. The Hindu Holy Trinity consists of Brahma, the Lord of creation, Vishnu, the Lord of preservation and Siva, the Lord of destruction; these correspond to birth, life and death in an individual or the cosmos. Inside the temple there are shrines housing many deities clustered around the Central Deity. The Bridgewater Balaji Temple is truly a multi-denominational temple within Pan-Hinduism celebrating most deities: Ganesa, Mother Goddess, Siva, Vishnu besides syncretic Ayyappa, regional Murugan and His consorts, Satyanarayana, a personification of Tapas and austerity, the giver of prosperity to individual, family, friends, relatives, and community, and one of many manifestations of Vishnu. Satyanarayana Viratam (religious vow, fasting...) observance invites and invokes Ganesa for removal of obstacles, Lakshmi for prosperity, Vishnu, Siva and Parvati, the Sun god, grantor of good health, Indra, the nine planets and Ashtadikpalas, the eight guardian angels of directions. If you want to observe Satyanarayana Viratam, make enquiries within the temple. Lord Venkatesvara is worshipped in his youthful form and splendor; thus He is Balaji (Bala + Ji = youth, child, infant + honorific way of addressing god or an elder). The original Venkatesvara Temple is in Tirupati, Andhra Pradesh, India and serves as the prototype of the deity in the Central Shrine. The eponym Venkata means many things. Vem + Kata = Dire sins + redeeming power = destroyer of sins of those who worship Him. Vem + Kata = Ambrosia + plenitude = Giver of wealth. Ven + Kadan = Burn + debts = Paying off debts. The temple is built according to traditional South Indian style. The tower is a pyramid facing the rising sun (East) and housing at its base is the entrance door. You may notice a tall flag-staff (Dhvaja-stambha) in front of the main entrance and the central shrine. This is where the devotees relinquish and abandon their ego and the negative thoughts.  There is only one EGO in the universe and that is HIS.

The temple entrance is guarded by Dikpalas, the guardians of the four quarters. The tower, its many stories, and the inner shrines are an example of recursive pattern of self-same fractals. The Chola-style tower is decorated with semi-divine beings, sometimes holding weapons. You may notice an elevated broad walkway (Prakaram) around the temple complex; this is meant for circumambulation of the temple starting on your left. Don't be overwhelmed by the thronging gods, goddesses, priests, volunteers, and devotees in the temple. Even the children appear very disciplined inside the temple. I never saw children running around and playing hide-and-seek inside the temple. They seem to sense the holiness and sacral ambience of the temple. It is a festive day everyday here when family and friends come to worship. You may not find a holier and nicer place than this on this day. Here you will find even nicer priests. You will see obeisant devotees bend their heads receiving the Sadari on their heads.  Don't be afraid to take the holy water from the dispensing priest, drink it and apply the remains on your head, and be suffused with divine grace. Don't forget to relish the Prasada (rice, butter and brown raw sugar cooked and served to the Lord). You will invariably notice the devotees apply their flat palms to the flame in the tall standing oil lamps and apply the palms to their eyes. The Deity is the Light of lights. Light is knowledge. You certainly want that light in your eyes, so you can see the truth with your eyes. The Lord is the Light in the sun, the fire, the moon, the stars, the heart and the eye.

Take a look at fig. 1a.  It is Garuda, the mount of Vishnu, the larger one in silver and the smaller one in stone. Let me tell you the less known story of how Garuda saved his mother Vinata held as a hostage and slave by his step mother, Kadru, who demanded that if Garuda delivered the Nectar of Immorality, she would release his mother Vinata. Kadru knew it was impossible to bring The Nectar because it was in heaven heavily protected by guardians, two fire-breathing serpents and a spinning wheel with razor-sharp spokes. Garuda destroyed the guardians and disabled the serpents by flinging dust in their eyes,  flying between the spokes, retrieved the Nectar and rescued his mother.

Take a look at the fig.17a the thousand-headed Sesa. It is the theriomorphic serpent form of Vishnu. Garuda, the snake-eating bird and Sesa are friends and serve Vishnu. Sesa is the humongous serpent that supports the whole universe on its hood. Sometimes the earth feels the tremors, when Sesa moves its hood. The longitudinal body of Sesa and its coils are symbolic of endless revolutions of time. A commonly held belief is that Sesa is the theriomorphic form of Balarama, the brother of Krishna (Vishnu's incarnation). Sesa, meaning Remainder, in an act of renewal, destroys the universe by its fiery breath, all under the supervision of Vishnu.

 A verse to live by:  Bhagavan Says, "Abandoning all duties, surrender unto Me only. I shall deliver you from all sins. Do not lament." --Bhagavad Gita. Sarama Slokam C18.V66

Don't be confused when you look at the different sectarian marks on the forehead and other parts of the body of the priests and visiting votaries. Just an important note: The Catholic Rituals are imports from India. Watch what the priests do and you will know what I mean. Go to  TILAKAM http://www.bhagavadgitausa.com/tilakam.htm for more information on the sectarian marks. These are the external marks of their affiliation to a particular sect. There is one God, Brahman who is Pure Consciousness and manifests as gods and goddesses or Ishta Devata, deity of your liking. He is One and many are His manifestations. Take a Broadway play; you may see one actor playing many roles; you know in your mind that he is one person playing many roles. The same is true of Brahman and the subsidiary gods. Would you be satisfied with a nameless, formless generic god (Brahman)? Would you buy a generic car with no name and with only wheels, roof, steering wheel and an engine? Certainly not. You want a brand name car loaded with options. The same is true of gods: a brand name god with great benevolence. You may choose one god from among many gods for worship. This where Henotheism comes in: believing in one god without disbelieving in the existence of others. You may even worship all deities who emerged from that nameless and formless Brahman.  Lord Venkatesvara is the Central Deity. This is not the picture of the deity in the temple. See the Floor plan. He is #1.

As you enter the temple, you see the largest shrine wherein abides Balaji. The Presiding central deity is carved out of black granite or red igneous rock standing on a lotus pedestal. The first thing that strikes is the white sectarian mark on His forehead. It is called Namam or Tiruman. He sees intently at His devotee; His physiognomy is one of joy, comely smile, inner tranquility and outer happiness.

He has wavy curly hair. He has four arms, two posterior and two anterior. The posterior upper arms are held up, the right one holding the Discus and the left one holding the Conch. The right anterior lower hand is bent at the elbow and held in a supine position with the open palm pointing to His feet; the hand position is known as Varada Mudra Hasta pose (Boon-giving hand). The left anterior lower hand is straight down, prone, bent at the wrist and resting lightly just below the left hip in Katya Vilambita Hasta which signifies that the Lord protects and blesses His devotees. (Katya = panegyric; Vilambita = hanging; Hasta = related to hand) = Hand that protects the devotees who sing His panegyric or pay homage. Note that the left thumb is parallel to His hip. His divine consort Lakshmi rests on His right anterior chest, indicating Her special status. You heard the expression, "I hold you in my (spiritual) heart." Now you know His consort's place. Holding of the weapons is not for His protection but for the protection and reassurance of the votaries. He is God ; He does not need any protection. WYSIWYG principle (What You See Is What You Get) applies here. When the devotees see the weapons, they are reassured that He does the fighting for them to kill the demons in us. He is the armed SuperCop keeping peace in this unruly world. Then you may ask with justification, "Why all this suffering, wars, unrest....?" Suffering results from Karma. He dons the Yagnopavitra (sacred thread), necklaces, waist girdle, snake-shaped armlets and anklets. The Surya Katari (golden sun-sword) stands in front of His legs in the middle, hanging from His belt. He sports Kavachas (Cuirass or armor; gold or silver plates) on various parts of His body. He loves to wear Vanamala, garland of wild flowers and Tulasi seed Mala (Sacred Basil garland). The devotees express their Bhakti (devotion) to Vishnu in many ways. They chant His many names, fall prostrate at His feet, sit and meditate, do small services around and inside the temples. The priests do the ablutions, and put the robes, decorations, garlands on Him; after waving the lights before Him, the priest brings out the light on a plate. People cup their hands on the flame and apply the Light to their eyes and head, invoking the Spiritual Light of Wisdom to descend on them. This is followed by Thirtham / Tirtha / nIr (தீர்த்தம் = நீர் = sacred water used in worship) which is dispensed from the silver spoon for sipping and application over the head. Then comes SadAri, which is made of silver, looks like a crown and has the emblematic footwear of Vishnu at the top. The priest applies the Sadari on the head of the devotee who takes it with bent head and humility. Receiving the dust of His feet on the head is a mark of submission to the will of Vishnu and a sign of devotion and Prapatti (taking refuge in God). Would you be afraid to receive and consume the consecrated Host from the Catholic priest? In like manner don't be afraid to consume Prasadam given by the priest. The Prasadam comes in two forms: 1) cooked rice, butter and unrefined raw sugar, 2) raisins, nuts…. Let me explain the meaning of Prasadam. It is like Host and yet is different. Prasadam is Divine Grace or favor. Prasadam is the remnants of food served to deity and later distributed to the devotees. By eating Prasadam, one is infused with His Grace and favor, which is receiving divine wisdom and spiritual consciousness, weakening the materialistic existence, expunging the sins, going to His kingdom, heaven, Vaikuntham or Paramapadam (Vaishnava heaven) and attaining eternal life in close proximity to Bhagavan.

OM NAMO NARAYANAYA. OM NAMO BHAGAVATE VASUDEVAYA. HARI OM. OM SRI RAMAYA NAMA.

#2 Ganesa in the Floor Plan.  Lord Ganesa: As you go past the second door into the main hall of shrines, you see on your immediate left, a shrine housing Lord Ganesa, who is the god of wisdom and has an elephant face, a pot belly, a broken tusk…. He is the Lord of beginnings and Siddhidatta, the Giver of success. Ganesa means the Lord of Ganas, the heavenly hosts. He appeared like any other anthropomorphic baby at birth. Things happened; the elephant head took the place of the human head by transplantation, performed by Vishnu under extenuating circumstances to bring him to the present form. Please go to  Ganesa http://www.bhagavadgitausa.com/GANESA.htm  to learn why He has an elephant face. OM SRI MAHAGANAPATAYE NAMAH

Mother Goddess Ambika: Ambika = Mother. Right behind Lord Ganesa you will see another shrine housing Ambika (#3), who is the Mother of Ganesa. She is the divine consort of Siva. She goes by many names: Parvati, Gauri, Uma, Sati, Kali, Durga…. Ambika's birth is out of this world. Find out how and why. There once was a buffalo-demon who was more powerful than gods and so was always attacking them. He is appropriately called a buffalo-demon. Have you seen an angry, testosterone-charged buffalo bull-dozing its way in a rough-and-tumble ram-through? (Recently on TV, I saw a few buffalos in the African plains running helter-skelter from charging ambush of tigers on the hunt. (Ambush or streak of tigers and pride of lions) One calf accidentally fell in to the near-by river, chock-full of crocodiles. One tiger was pulling the calf by its front foot and a croc was pulling the calf into the river by a hind foot. As this tug of death was going on for the calf, buffalos by the hundreds appeared from out of nowhere and hedged the tigers between them and the river of crocs. The calf was pulled out of the water by the tiger from the deathly mouth of the croc. In the mean time in a show of strength by numbers, a testosterone-charged angry buffalo charged one tiger with its horns and threw him in the air. Landing hard, the humiliated tiger and the rest of the ambush of tigers with their tails tucked in humiliation between the hind legs simply streaked away like pussycats. The rescued calf joined the herd) The demon had a boon that conferred guarantee against death from god or man. The gods had to come up with a solution. They assembled, put their heads together and created a Force from their Tejas (power, splendor, male energy). (What a sight to see when all these gods, some having four heads, doing the head bunt to come up with a solution.) The splendor emanating from the gods coalesced, congealed and created a divine woman who had amassed all the power of all the gods. The demon and the boon stipulated that the demon was immune from death in the hands of god or man (and NOT a woman); now you know his attitude towards woman. Ambika was her name, who could vanquish any man, god or demon. Eventually, She did defeat and kill the demon and the enemies of gods. The Jains (an offshoot from Hindu religion, just like Christianity is an offshoot from Judaism) adopted Ambika as their own deity. One should remember that these demons (Passion, Anger, Greed…) afflict us and the goddess helps us vanquish these demons.

Siva in the Form of Lingam (#5): As you go past Ambika, you will see a bigger shrine housing Lingam (an Obelisk) and a miniature sitting bull statue (#4) in front of the shrine facing the Lingam and having its ears cocked up. Nandi (happy one, bull) is His Vahana (transport); Coomaraswamy suggests that Nandi is the theriomorphic form of Siva. Linga means sign, symbol. Lingam = Li + gam = to dissolve + to go out. He is the ultimate Reality into whom the living beings dissolve and out of whom they emerge again. It is the recycling of the soul with a body.  

The question comes up why Lingam is the way it looks. Let me explain. If there is smoke, there is fire. The smoke is the sign that fire is present. When you see Washington Monument, you think of Washington, though the monument does not look anything like Washington. The monument, everyone decided, should be stupendous and elegant to honor the First President of the young nation. Just like Washington Monument is an abstract form of President Washington, Linga is an abstract form of Siva and a generative principle. Siva, according to Saivites, is the First God; He is the Father of all beings; He is the First One to say, "Aham" meaning I, the First I in the Universe. There was no one else in the universe except His Sakti (Power by His side). Thus, 'Siva and Sakti' is a unitary force from which the First I  (through Sakti) became He, She, and It, which cover everything in the Universe; I or One became many.  Lingam is an obelisk well grounded in a labial vestibular pedestal and the aniconic form (Niskala) of Siva. The three white stripes, sandalwood, red dots, and the serpent at the base of the lingam have significance. Go to http://www.bhagavadgitausa.com/lord of dance.htm         LORD OF DANCE

#5a depicts Lord Nataraja, the Lord of Dance.  #5b depicts Siva and Parvati in anthropomorphic form mounted on a silver bull. Take a look at the table. Sivalingam is present in all the elements; there is one temple for each element celebrating Lingam in its elemental form.

Brahma, Vishnu, and Siva form the Holy Triad. In most of the temples, Siva is portrayed as Lingam, His abstract Form. Only in pictures, he has anthropomorphic features.  www.bhagavadgitausa.com/primer_in_Saiva_siddhanta.htm

Here is a pictorial depiction of Lord of Dance with its symbolic meanings of various features of dance frozen in metal. Enlarge image to read the fine print.

Just behind the Linga Shrine in the corner, you will see syncretic Ayyappan, divine being born of Hara and Hari also called Hariharan or Harihara Putra (Hari-Hara son). He has all the spiritual qualities of both Vishnu and Siva. He was divine by birth, royal by upbringing and spiritual in pursuit. He was found by king Rajasekhara during a hunt; since the king had no son, he took him and raised him as his own. The king belonged to Pandalam Dynasty which ruled parts of South India between 1200-1500 CE. He was known for his bravery, asceticism and spiritual enlightenment. He disappeared near Sabarimala and a temple exists now in His name. Ayyappan #6 in the floor plan; #7 another Lingam behind the main shrine of Lingam; #8 Lord Murugan and His Consorts (Powers). #9 Murugan and consorts mounted on Silver Peacock.

The image next to Lord Ayyappan is that of Lord Murugan with His consorts Valli and Devayanai, who are in the shrine behind the Lingam Shrine. Murugan or Skanda is the brother of Ganesa with the elephant face. In North India He is known as Skanda, Kanthan in Tamil. He carries a spear, thus Vel Murugan. Vel = spear; Murugan = youth. He has six faces; there are many legends associated with the six faces. In Palani Temple, He is portrayed as shaven with a staff and bears the name, Dandayuthapani, the bearer of the staff. The spear is the piercing spear of spiritual wisdom. The spear destroys the demons in our mind and gives liberation to the virtuous and the devoted. Murugan's mount is a peacock and He is seen here sitting on it  with His consorts. Shanmuga's (Murugan) six heads are symbolic of divine power, wealth, fame, strength, detachment from passion, and knowledge. 

(Next to the shrine, you will see huge silver bull on which are mounted Siva and Parvati, on your way out of the corridor behind Linga Shrine. This is #5b in the floor plan. Here you see elephant-headed Ganesa, Siva, Parvati and Murugan from your left to right. The ever-present bull is sitting below them. Aru padai Veedu: There are six holy temples in six places in Tamil Nadu for Murugan. The most famous composition on Murugan (Kanthan) is Kantha Puranam by Sivachariyar.

Lord Satyanarayana  (#10) is another form of Lord Vishnu who is commonly worshiped by Hindus in their homes along with family and friends. The worship is performed usually on a full moon (purnima) day of the month. People worship by reciting the gracious story of the Lord which was once told by Lord Vishnu himself to sage Narada for the benefit of mankind. The Lord's grace is described in a Hindu book called Skanda Purana. He has four hands like Lord Vishnu; however, his fourth hand does not hold a lotus rather it is extended upward to bless people. By Hindunet.org

#11 and #12 are Sri Devi and Bhu Devi, the consorts of Sri Venkatesvara of Balaji Temple.

Take a stroll past all deities until you go behind the Central Shrine in the hall. When you face the smaller shrines, they are behind the back wall of the Central Shrine. On your left is the shrine of Lakshmi, also known as Sri Devi; on your right is the shrine of Bhudevi. Both are the consorts of Lord Vishnu residing behind the Central shrine. Sri Devi is the goddess of wealth (Goddess of El Dorado) and prosperity and Bhudevi is the goddess of earth. Look at the elaborate hairdo of Bhudevi.

Durga #13: Go past Sri Devi and Bhudevi, you will see a white statue of Durga (warrior goddess) sitting on a lion and holding many weapons in Her many hands. She and Kali are the other manifestations of Ambika, the consort of Siva.  Mantra: Om Sri Durgayai Namah http://www.bhagavadgitausa.com/durga.htm. for more details. http://www.bhagavadgitausa.com/Kali.htm. Next to the Coconut breaking station, you will see three metallic statues in a small shrine. The central one in the higher pedestal is Durga, the warrior goddess with Lakshmi to her right and Sarasvati to her left. Sarasvati is the goddess of learning, arts and sciences and holds Veena, a stringed instrument.  

These three goddesses form a configuration which helps the human soul get rid of the Malas (impurities), gain spiritual knowledge and attain liberation or Moksa. Durga is a demon killer (Kriya Sakti). Demons are the Tamasic (Dark) demons in our mind: Kama, Krodha, Lobha, Moha, Mada, Matsarya (desire, anger, greed, delusion, pride, and envy). Once Durga kills these demons, Lakshmi (Ichcha Sakti) takes over the mind and helps us get rid of Rajasic Vikshepa (False perception; distraction; to and fro oscillations of the mind; gales of desire blowing in the mind) which are hard to remove from the mind. Lakshmi helps man acquire the Will Power (Ichcha Sakti) and get rid of remnants of desire and false perception by Upasana (worship). What is left is ignorance meaning spiritual ignorance. Spiritual enlightenment is infused by Sarasvati (Jnana Sakti). The eradication of impurities, desires and ignorance with the help of these three deities is celebrated for nine days and nine nights, 3 days and 3 nights for each deity (Navaratri = nine nights). It takes nine days and nine nights to defeat these demons. Nine manifestation of Mother Goddess (Durga, Bhadrakali, Amba, Annapurna, Sarvamangala, Bhairavi, Chandika, Lalita, and Bhavani) are celebrated over nine nights. The tenth day is Vijayadasami, meaning victory (over the demons of the mind; realization and emancipation) on the 10th day. It is celebrated in the beginning of summer and winter. In Puranas, the demons are described as living beings. Mantras: Om Sri MahaLakshmyai Namah. Om Sri Durgayai Namah. Om Aim Sarasvatyai Namah. 

Read more on the desires of the mind and spiritual ignorance and their personification as the buffalo demon morphing into an elephant or vice versa etc; desire is compared to an animal.  DEVI MAHATMYAM.  www.bhagavadgitausa.com/devi_mahatmyam 

3.38: As the smoke envelops the fire, as the dust covers the mirror, as the womb covers the fetus, so passion (desire) obscures the wisdom.  Bhagavad Gita C3V38.

Removal of Avarana and Vikshepa. Avarana = Veiling caused by spiritual ignorance. Vikshepa = oscillating mind of desires, scattering, tossing, throwing, discharging. Spiritual Ajnana, Avarana and Vikshepa are linear elements. Ignorance and Avarana are like a cataract in the eye preventing Light (of Wisdom) reaching the eye and brain (soul).  This veil or cataract prevents the Light of Sat and Cit of Brahman from reaching the soul. They are impediments to spiritual progress. In the absence of spiritual wisdom (Saktinipatam = descent of Wisdom as in Saiva Siddhanta) coming into the soul, the mind jumps from one desire to the next illustrated by the morphing of the desire-demon from an elephant to a buffalo. When one desire is killed, another desire pops up in its place in an endless fashion. It is the whipping gale of desire, its many variants, permutations and effects.  On a philosophical note, Vikshepa Sakti is driven by Ajnana (ignorance) and desire. Mind is the stage wherein the Vikshepa demon jumps from one desire to the next in an endless fashion. One desire morphs into another one when you kill the preceding desire. It is removed by Nishkama karma, action without expectation of rewards or desireless action. As in cataract extraction, you remove this ignorance by Avarana Bhanga (removal of the veil [cataract] by Upasana, worship).  To illustrate this concept of eradication of  the clonal colony of desires, Mahalakshmi sucks the marrow dry and drinks the last drop of blood of the demon (of desires) so he does not shed any more blood and make more clones of himself (desires) arising from the dripping blood.  Mahalakshmi presides over this stage and overcomes Rajasic Avarana and Vikshepa. The end result is enlightenment. Note: Ancient Indian seers had an idea of cloning. Whenever the demon shed a drop of blood, that drop of blood became another demon (desire).

The next shrine shows Lakshmi-Narayana, the manifestation of the Central deity Vishnu and the goddess of fortune. This conjoined form of Lakshmi and Narayana (Vishnu) depicts that in the Supreme State, Vishnu is one with His Sakti (power) Lakshmi. They are one Supreme Being without distinction. Narayana means He in whom abide the waters (of creation). Remember the amniotic fluid surrounding the unborn fetus. Similarly, His waters of Creation are called the Causal Ocean. Universes emerge from His sweat pores. Narayana is no other than Vishnu, the Presiding Deity of the Temple. Just a note: Vishnu has at least 1008 names. The priests chant His 1008 names (Sahasranama). I bet your parents, friends and family have special endearing names for you; thus you have many names. Because He is the Supreme God, the devotees chant His Mantra to invoke Him: "Om Namo Narayanaya." It means, Om, Prostrations to Lord Vishnu or Narayana. See Lakshmi-Narayana #16: the couple with crowns.

The next shrine is that of Radha-Krishna (#17). Here Krishna is the Supreme Soul of the universe and Radha is the individual soul. The love that the individual soul has for the World Soul and their interrelationship is portrayed here as that between Krishna and Radha. All individual souls (Monads) emerged from the World Soul; we are related to him every which way you can think of. The individual soul pines for the Greater Soul and wants to merge with Him-liberation from the world of misery. In its highest form, it is called Krishna Prema--Love of Krishna.  #17a is the Sesa the humongous cosmic serpent in silver, described in the beginning.

We are in one way pulled by the forces of material world and in another way pulled by the spiritual force of the Great Soul. This is like love. The magnetism between man and god is compared to love between man and woman; in this instance it is called Krishna Prema (love of Krishna). Gitagovindam glorifies this relationship in songs which can be compared to the Hebrew Song of Songs. The Christian Church says the sensual imagery of the Biblical "Song of Songs" symbolizes Christ's love for His Bride, the Church. Ref: Woodroffe, Garland of Letters, page 182- 183. Krishna is one of the Avatars of Vishnu. Go to  http://www.bhagavadgitausa.com/Gitagovindam

Rama is the central persona of the Great Epic, Ramayana. Rama (#18) is an incarnation of Vishnu and this scene shows from left to right Hanuman on his knee with both hands held together in homage and reverence, Lakshmana the brother of Rama and his constant companion, Rama in the middle and Sita, Ramah's wife. Ramachandra = Rama beautiful like the moon. Rama was a prince ready to ascend the throne; palace intrigue by his step-mother deprived him of his kingdom, and He was banished to the forest. During his stay in the forest in South India his wife Sita was abducted and taken to Ceylon, the modern Sri Lanka. Hanumat, the leader of ape-like beings joined Rama with his troops and helped Rama locate and recover Sita from the demon-king Ravana. If you have seen the movie, Planet of the Apes, you will have an idea of who Hanumat looked like. In the battle, Ravana died; Rama rejoins His wife. Hanumat or metronymic Anjaneya (named after his mother) became the most revered devotee of Rama. The foursome are called Ram Parivaar (Rama's family). The meditation Maha Mantra of Rama and Krishna is as follows: Hare Rama Hare Rama, Rama Rama Hare Hare; Hare Krishna Hare Krishna, Krishna Krishna Hare Hare.  #18a = The Silver elephant, the mount of Rama.

 The next shrine that you see is the Shrine of Hanumat or Anjaneya (#19) right across from the Rama's Shrine to the right. You can recognize Him by His physiognomy as described earlier. He is heavy-jawed and so named Hanumat. You see him carrying a mountain peak in His hand and is poised on a flight to see Rama in the battle field. Ramah during the battle was exhausted and so needed a tonic to fight battle fatigue. Anjaneya flew to Himalayas and not knowing the herb needed for recuperation, broke the mountain top where it grew and brought it to Rama, who recovered from eating the herbal medicine. There is no devotee as sincere as Hanumat is. He is the epitome of devotion to Rama and thus, has a place in the House of Worship and in our hearts. His Mantra is Om Sri Hanumate Namah.

 Swami Vishnu Devananda says: Hanumat is the perfection of devotion. He is the greatest and the most selfless devotee of Lord Rama. In the Hindu tradition, he is considered to be a semi-deity, for he is the son of the wind-god and an Apsara, Anjana. He possess strength and courage.

You will see a raised platform with a cluster of figurines in the north-east corner of the temple premises. These are the Navagrahas-nine planets, which are under the purview of the Mother Goddess and other deities. It is the Hindu belief that the planets have an impact on an individual's life, the community and the nation. They are clustered around the Sun and all of them are facing in the four directions, not seeing each other. Here in the picture the configuration appears different.

Their configuration and relative positions are according to Agamas. The Sun is in the Center. #20 to the right

The following figures are not in the temple. This is the famous dance of Siva. His right ear ring fell on the floor while He was dancing. In a fluid movement, he picked up His earring with His right toe from the dance floor and put it on his right ear. See the ring on the right big toe. See the grace, fluidity, the dynamic pose and the still head in all his movements. The dwarf under His foot is Apasmara Purusha, an embodiment of spiritual ignorance. He is the Yogi of all Yogis. He has a third eye of wisdom in the middle of the forehead. Sometimes, fire emits from his third eye. His eyes are the Sun, the Moon and the Fire. Saiva Siddhanta philosophy is one of the most celebrated one in the world of religions.  Primer in Saiva Siddhanta

He is white as snow and His wife is black like eye-lash liner (Mother Goddess Kali). Mahakali is the one who swallows Time, and the Mother of all beings and gods. Daksina means "south, gift, right." Yama is the Lord of death and lives in the south. He is afraid of taking Kali's devotees to Yama Loka, the abode of death, so She is called Daksina Kali. The other explanation says that She offers the gift that guarantees liberation. The third explanation says that She is Daksina Kali because she plants her benign right foot on Siva over his chest where the heart is. She places her dangerous left foot on the demons and the wicked who succumb to Her wrath. Kali in the cremation grounds (Smasana Kali) has Her left foot forward in the company of ghosts, ghouls, jackals, and fearsome companion Mothers. (Mothers: Think of Charlie's Angels with skills like deathly Martial Arts.) Another plausible explanation suggests that south-facing Daksina-Siva or -Bhairava adulates and worships Kali. The town where there is Kali temple is called Daksinesvar. When you ask devotees which Kali they prefer, the informed ones prefer Kali with left foot forward (Vama Kali), because a devotee rises above the good and the bad, renounces the world and achieves liberation quickly. Her third eye strikes terror in the demons and the wicked. The three eyes represent triads: the sun, moon and fire; the past, present, and future. Third eye stands also for eternal wisdom.  The demons are the demons of the mind as said before.  By this time, you would have noticed that there is a lot of symbolism in Hindu imagery.

Balimaharaja usurped the kingdoms of Heaven and earth., thus angering gods. No one could vanquish him. Gods complained to Lord Vishnu that Bali vanquished them, took and ruled the heavens. Vishnu is the God of gods. He listened and devised a plan to conquer him without blood-shed, because Bali was His devotee. He took birth (incarnation) in a Brahmana family; He was a dwarf and his name was Vamana, who most likely suffered from Growth Hormone Deficiency. In this case, Vishnu willed that He became a dwarf to dupe, whoop and scoop. His size fooled the king. Lord Vishnu knew that Bali was a generous King. He asked the king for a piece of land equal to three strides of His feet. Little did Bali know the trick up the sleeve of Vishnu. Bali's Chief priest Sukra warned the king not to accede to His request. Bali being a generous and magnanimous king, agreed to donate land equal to three strides to the dwarf. Immediately, Lord Vishnu expanded to High Heavens and beyond, measured the earth in one stride, the heavens in the 2nd stride and had no land for the third stride. He demanded Bali for the third stride of land. He had no land and pointed to his head as the land. Immediately Vamana put his foot on Bali's head and pushed him down to the Nether world. (See the inset: Vishnu measured the earth and heavens and Bali ready to offer his head as the third piece of land.) Bali was not killed and the Lord made him the king of the nether world and restored the Heavens to the gods. This is one of the most celebrated Avatars (Incarnation) of Vishnu, because there was no violence. When you go around the main shrine, you will see little statues depicting the Avatars of Vishnu. By the way, Vishnu is a strict Lacto-Vegetarian. He does not accept animal sacrifice. He is a thoroughly benign God of Vaishnavites and all humanity.

Here are the important Vaishnava Mantras. Please go to Srivaishnava mantras for more details.

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