Sauram & NavaGraha

Picture Credit: Amar D.Gupta

The Hinduism which we practice today is a consolidation of various matham (religion). Each matham has one primary God and it can be considered as monotheistic. 

The traditional 6 religion which were said to be grouped together by Adi Sankara are known as Shaivam, Shaktam, Vaishnavam, Ganapatyam, Kaumaram and Sauram. 

The primary God of Shaivam is Shiva, for Shaktam it is Shakti, for Vaishnavam it is Vishnu, for Ganapatyam it is Ganapathi, for Kaumaram it is Kumara (Muruga) and for Sauram it is Surya (Sun). 

These 6 religions are collectively called as ShanMatham. 
Shan is the Sanskrit word for the number 6. 

There is also a tradition known as Smartham. The Smarthas worship God as ParaBrahma and accept the forms of God in the other mathams. Smarthas can worship any one of the primary God from ShanMatham as their favourite deity or IsthaDeivam. The present form of mainstream Hinduism is influenced by the Smartham tradition.

There is a phrase in Tamil, "Emmathamum Sammathum" meaning "Any religion is accepted". Many Tamils use this phrase in reference to religious tolerance. This is actually wrong. 

The actual phrase is "En Mathamum ShanMatham" meaning "My Religion Is Also The 6 Religion". This means a person who use this phrase believe in one of the 6 traditional Hindu religions as stated above. So this phrase is only applicable for the 6 religions within Hinduism.

The worship of NavaGraha (9 planets/celestial objects) is part of the Sauram religion. In the NavaGraha worship, Surya takes the central position. He is the primary God. Surya is accompanied by Chandran (Moon), Chevvai (Mars), Budhan (Mercury), Viyalan or Guru (Jupiter), Shukran (Venus), Sani (Saturn), Rahu (North Lunar Node) and Ketu (South Lunar Node).

You would have been advised by some Gurukkal to offer lamp for Sani (Saturn) on Saturdays. Saturday is the day of Saturn, hence Saturn's Day became Saturday. In Tamil we call it as Sani Kilamai. Some devotees offer lamp for other purpose on Thursday for Guru (Jupiter). 

The followers of other religions such as Shaivam have their own ways of doing things.  A Shaiva would normally offer prayers to Shiva in the form of Dhakshinamoorthy on Thursdays instead of offering prayers to Guru (Jupiter). 

The Shaivas, Shaktas, Vaishnavas, Ganapatyas and Kaumaras also believe in total surrender to their respective primary forms of God. Surrendering to God and worshipping with sincerity is the ultimate form of Bhakthi in these religions.

NavaGraha worship of the Sauram religion is closely associated with Jyotisha (Astrology) as each graha plays a role in a person's birth chart. Astrology is based on the study of Astronomy and how it relates to a human's life. 

Although NavaGraha worship is part of Sauram, it is also practised by a large number of Hindus who follow the other remaining 5 religious schools.  

Jallikattu Is India's National Heritage

Jallikattu is a bull-taming or bull-embracing sport practised in the southern districts of Tamil Nadu. Although this sport is practiced mainly by people from the Mukkulathor community, it is participated by everyone irrespective of communal or religious background in Tamil Nadu. Jallikattu is the pride of the Tamil people. It has now become the symbol of Tamil unity.

This sport originated in the Indus Valley civilisation about 4,000 years ago. According to the famous ephigraphist, Iravatham Mahadevan, a well preserved seal was found at Mohenjodaro in the 1930s. This seal shows a Jallikattu scene with a charging bull and several men thrown in the air as they try to control it.

Even in Hindu scriptures, there has been mentions of Krishna taming bulls. Most of these bull tamers or as we call today, Jallikattu players, come from martial communities in southern Tamil Nadu. 

In ancient times, those who were capable of being bull tamers were selected in the army of the kings. This is because the courage and skills displayed in Jallikattu is what exactly the army needed for its military raids. The act of stealing the enemy's cattle is the first act of provocation during war in ancient India.  

Although today the sport is not needed by the Indian army, it still plays an important role in our culture. Since only native bulls are used in Jallikattu, it helps to ensure that the native breeds are preserved. 

Jallikattu's connection with Indus Valley civilisation, Krishna and ancient Indian warfare shows that this sport is the identity of not just Tamil Nadu but the whole of India which sees the Indus Valley civilisation as its mother civilisation. 

The people of Tamil Nadu are the last society in India to preserve this sport. It has either been abandoned or forgotten by other Indians but continued to survive because of the Tamil people's determination. 

Jallikattu should be revived all over India. It must become a national sport conducted in a professional manner. Let there be arenas built all over India for the purpose of conducting Jallikattu. If that happens, it will create opportunities for tournaments or leagues to be held just like for cricket.

For this to happen, the ban on Jallikattu must be lifted immediately. Every Indian must stand in solidarity with the people of Tamil Nadu. They are the last guardians of this ancient sport.

This is India's national heritage. Not just Tamil Nadu heritage. 
Lets not kill it. Lets save Jallikattu!

PETA and its sympathisers can keep their opinion to themselves.

Does God Only Understand Sanskrit?

Picture credit :mariaparaffina

I had an interesting discussion with a few people this week. One of the question which I came across was if God only understands Sanskrit.

You can actually pray in any language including English. You can even pray by heart without any sound. How do you think the deaf and mute pray? God is beyond linguistic boundaries.

Sanskrit is a formulated language used mainly for mantric purpose. Although it can also be structured for daily conversation, it is not used as a mother tongue even by the Tamil Brahmins at home. They speak Tamil at home and many Brahmins can speak better Tamil than most of us.

Because of its mantric values, Sanskrit is considered as a more suitable language for chanting. Tamil prayers are poetic and not mantric. You can sing Tamil prayers but you can't chant Tamil prayers. Tirumurai is sung in Pann Isai and not chanted in metres unlike the Sanskrit mantras from Vedas or Agamas.

Singing prayers creates devotional attachment which is good. But chanting mantras repeatedly helps to condition the mind. Such conditioning is helpful for those who wish to elevate themselves spiritually especially those who are into meditation.

Even the Tamil Othuvars chant the Sanskrit panchakshra NaMaSiVaYa. If prayers can be done in Tamil alone, why are the Othuvars still using Sanskrit mantras like this? Why not make it exclusively Tamil without a single Sanskrit word?

Many beeja mantras such as hreem, glaum, phat, sauh etc cannot be written in Tamil because it will cause the pronunciation to go wrong. 

Sanskrit is classified as an Indo-European language by the linguists. It is used in certain villages such as in Mattur but nobody claimed Sanskrit as their mother tongue. Not even the Brahmins of India.

To think of it, it is actually good to use Sanskrit in Hindu temples because it is a language common to all Hindus. Whether your mother tongue is Tamil, Telugu, Hindi, Malayalam, Gujerati, Thai, Balinese, Javanese, English, German etc etc, using Sanskrit gives it a neutral position in every Hindu temple. 

Unlike Islam which emphasise on Arabic, mother tongue of the Arab people, Hinduism does not emphasise on a particular tribe's mother tongue. Devotional songs or poems can be in any language but the mantras are only in Sanskrit.

God is not human. God has no ethnic identity. God is not a property of the Tamil people alone. Hinduism gives an opportunity for both Tamils and non-Tamils to use Sanskrit as a neutral language. 

Today there are many opportunity for Hindus to learn Sanskrit or at least learn the meaning of the mantras which they recite. There are many reliable sources available. It is not an impossible thing. 

So why complain about it? 

Be happy that we have Sanskrit as it creates a sense of unity among Hindus when everyone use the same neutral language to recite the mantras instead of another person's mother tongue. 

Hinduism Did Not Originate From Islam

Recently, a Malaysian author has published a book as shown in the first image above. The book is in Malay language. The author's opinion can also be accessed at http://pts.com.my/berita/Bukti-ISLAM-Agama-tertua-dan-Sebab-Muncul-Pelbagai-Agama/ 

According to this author, the major religions like Judaism, Christianity, Hinduism, Buddhism and even Sikhism originated from Islam. The author has a theory that the founding father of these religions is Abraham who is also revered as a prophet by the Jews and Christians. 

Islam, Christianity and Judaism have its roots in Abraham, hence they are collectively called as the Abrahamic Religions. But I disagree that Hinduism and its offshoots came from Abraham. The author claims that the Vedas were created as a result of Abraham's teachings. He also mentioned that Abraham lived in 2080 BC. 

Is this true?

The Abrahamic religions have several text. The book known as Torah, predates the Old Testament of the Christians and the Quran of the Muslims. The story of prophets before Muhammad or Jesus was mentioned in Judaism before Christianity or Islam was founded.

Till date, there is no historical evidence to confirm if Abraham or Moses really existed but we can make some assumptions on the years they would have existed. According to the author of this book, Moses existed in 1446 BC and Abraham in 2080 BC. That means there is a wide gap of 634 years between Abraham and Moses.

Abraham's son is Isaac and Isaac's son is Jacob. One of Jacob's sons is Levi. 

The Book of Exodus is part of the Torah. The genealogy of Moses being a direct descendant of Abraham through Levi was mentioned in Chapter 6 of the Exodus.

The lineage of Moses from Abraham will look like this:

Abraham -> Isaac -> Jacob -> Levi -> Kohath -> Amram -> Moses

The description of ages in the Torah is questionable. These are their lifespan:

Abraham, 175 years
Isaac, 180 years
Jacob, 147 years
Levi, 137 years
Kohath, 133 years
Amram, 137 years
Moses, 120 years

So probably this is how the author calculated an age gap of 634 years between Abraham and Moses. Meaning, each generation beginning from Abraham would have become a father only at the ripe age of 100+.  But this is again is debatable for obvious rational reasons. 

The ancient society had the habit of early marriage. Meaning a man would get married at 20 years and probably become a grandfather by 40 years. Even if a man becomes a grandfather at 60-70 years, it only takes 200 years to cover 5 generations.

The Torah also mentioned that Amran (Moses's father) married Jochebed (Kohath's sister) who happened to be his own aunt. Jochebed is the mother of Moses who is also his paternal grandfather's sister. 

If Moses had an age gap of 100 with his father Amram, then the marriage of Amram and Jochebed would have happened when both were very old because Amram and Jochebed's brother Kohath would have had an age gap of 100 years. 

One will then wonder how old was Kohath when his sister Jochebed was born and what is the age gap between her and her husband Amram who happened to also be her nephew.

Based on this, we cannot take the dates given by the author as true. A date based on any religious text can only be confirmed if it is validated properly and it should not be based on assumption that it took 634 years to cover 5 generations.

In his book, the author used the Aryan Invasion Theory to support his claim that Siva was never mentioned in the Vedas.

TRANSLATION: Siva was never mentioned and was unknown to the Brahmans of the Vedic period. This is because the word Siva does not exist in the Vedas. Siva was only introduced during the Puranic period......

According to the author, the Puranic period began in 300 BC and Siva was only introduced during period. 

In Rig Veda, Siva was identified in his fearsome aspect known as Rudra. The word Rudra means terrific. It is also used in association with fierce deities known as Maruts. 

Please refer to Rig Veda hymn XXXIII and CXIV. 

Then in Yajur Veda, the supreme God is requested to put away his terrific form known as Rudra and show his auspicious form known as Siva. Both Siva (auspicious) and Rudra (terrific) are different aspects of the same God proving that God is both the giver and also the annihilator . 

This proves that Siva existed even in the Vedas and what the author mentioned in his book is not true. I have attached some screenshots from the Vedas to support what I mentioned here.

The Mysterious European Statue In Brihadeeswara Temple

Please view the video above before reading further. Turn on the audio. You can also click on Ancient Indian Sculptures show International Connections - Brihadeeswarar Temple 

There is a sculpture of a European man carved on the gopuram (tower)  of Thanjavur's Brihadeeswara temple. Some people believe that king Rajaraja Chola had international contact with Europe and this is why there is such sculpture on the temple. I don't know if Rajaraja had any European contact but I doubt this was made by the Cholas.

If you look at the sculpture it is flanked by a pair of female attendants. Usually, female attendants are used for female deities and male attendants for male deities. So it is quite odd that the Cholas considered to use female attendants for a male European figure. This is the first hint we get indicating that the European image was not made by the Chola sculptors of the 11th century AD. 

It was perhaps done under the orders of a British officer who cared less about temple sculpture rules.

We can get some answer if we look at British records. There is something written by Clements R.Markham in his book A Memoir on the Indian Surveys which was published in 1871. He mentioned about an accident which happened at the Brihadeeswarar temple involving Colonel William Lambton.

The Colonel who was back then a Major, was given the task to measure and map British India. Measurement was done using an instrument called the theodolite.

The theodolite used by Lambton weighed over 1000 pounds. It was made by William Cary for the Great Survey of India. Lambton brought it to India in 1802 when he was a Captain.

The 3 foot theodolite made by William Cary for the Great Survey of India in 1802. It was later revised by Barrow, photographed on the gallery during the exhibition 'Science in India' at the Science Museum, London in 1982. Weighing over 1000 pounds, the theodolite was taken to India by Captain Lambton in 1802 and later used by Colonel Sir George Everest (1790-1866), Surveyor General of India, in the Great Trigonometrical Survey of India (1830-1843). The equipment's extreme solidity was needed to ensure that the readings were of the highest accuracy. In 1849, survey officer James Nicolson also used this theodolite to establish that a peak on Mount Everest, then known as peak 'b', was the highest in the world. In 1865, the mountain was named after George Everest by the Royal Geographical Society as a tribute to his pioneering work in mapping India. This tribute came in spite of Everest's own belief that mountains should be known by their local names. Source: Science Museum Photo Studio

Lambton made some workers to carry the theodolite up the Brihadeeswara gopuram. This was done so that he can get better readings. The theodolite broke away and fell to the ground dislodging a statue on the wall as it plunged down. 

This means the original statue was broken and the wall was damaged. Lambton probably then asked a local sculptor to repair the damaged portion of the wall with the image of himself. Even the hat on this image does not look like it belonged to the 11th century AD.

So now you know that the story in the video above about the European connection is after all a myth created in recent times.

Lambton. Photo: Wikimedia Commons

Why Tamil Barbers Don't Work on Tuesdays?

Picture Credit Malaysia Daily

The Tamil barbers are called Ambattar, Navidar or even Pariyari. They are also called Maruthuvar which carries the same meaning as "doctor" or "medical practitioner". 

This is because the Tamil barbers also served as surgeons during ancient times. Some are still involved with native medicinal practices especially massages. If you have a bad sprain or a stiff neck, the Tamil barber is probably the best person who can fix it for you.

In the past, the Tamil barbers will not work on Tuesdays. Their shops will be closed. But nowadays they no longer do this. The shops will be opened every day.

Why was there a tradition of not working on Tuesdays?

Tuesday is the day of Mars (Chevvai). As per Hindu tradition (also Greeks & Romans) Mars is associated with fights, quarrels, wars and anything aggressive. This is why the God of War, Muruga and his mother Durga are worshipped on this day. 

It is believed that anything associated with Mars is suitable for violent purpose. This also includes injuries whether wanted or unwanted. So as per Hindu astrological belief, it is best to avoid sharp weapons or objects on Tuesdays as it can cause injuries. 

So the Tamil barbers of the past don't use their scissors and shaving blades on Tuesdays and it became their off day.

Kabali - What Malaysians Need to Know

SPOILER ALERT: DO NOT READ THIS IF YOU HAVE NOT WATCHED THE MOVIE. ALSO, IF YOU ARE GOING TO GET EMOTIONAL AND NOT THINK OUT OF THE BOX, DON'T BOTHER READING THIS. THERE ARE OTHER ARTICLES IN THIS BLOG WHICH MAY INTEREST YOU.

As expected, Kabali was received well worldwide. Rajini fans particularly those in Malaysia are very excited about this movie. They believe that PA Ranjith did an excellent work by telling the story of the Indians in Malaysia.

On a personal note, I think Rajini should do more films which shows him as an aged man. It suits him better. Just like what Amitabh Bachan is doing. An aged don Rajini certainly looks better than the young Rajini in Kuselan or Lingga.

Many reviewers from India have stated that Kabali is a Dalit story and not just about the Indians in general. However, the reviewers in Malaysia seem to disagree with it as they believe that there is no caste stereotype in the movie.

Unknown to the Malaysian fans, the Indian reviewers were not wrong. They were right about the review. There are certain elements in Tamil cinema which is understood by those in India but not by those in Malaysia.

Whether we like it or not, caste is a big thing in Tamil cinema. Gone are the days where caste is mentioned openly like in Thevar Magan, Chinna Gounder or Vedham Puthithu. There are many indirect references to caste in present day Tamil movies.

Let me give you some examples:

Sillunu Oru Kathal - Surya is the Thevar boy who falls in love with Bhoomika the Gounder girl of Coimbatore. The father rejects their love and takes Bhoomika away. This movie is inspired by actual love stories which happened in Coimbatore. During the last century, there were migration of Thevar people particularly Maravars from Ramnad and Tirunelveli into Coimbatore which is predominantly a Kongu Vellala Gounder area. After the migration, there has been instances of Thevar-Gounder love story. This is what they showed in the movie. During Surya's arranged marriage with Jothika in the movie, there will be a song. In the song, there is mention of Alagu Thevar, Ambasamudram (an area in Tirunelveli) and Sudalai Madan, the tutelary God of the Maravars in Tirunelveli.

Ejamaan - The movie is about the feud between the Gounder Pattakarar families. The names Vallavarayan and Vanavarayan are titles used by Kongu zamins. In the movie, there will be a dispute between Rajinikanth and Napolean over who should marry Meena. For this, the father of Meena, played by Vijaykumar suggest they compete in their traditional sport which is Rekhla. This bullock cart race is the traditional sport of the Gounders in the western region of Tamil Nadu. 

Rajini Murugan - It is about love stories and wealth dispute among Kallars in Madurai. The panchayat scene involving Raj Kiran and Samuthrakanni is referring to the traditional panchayat of the Kallar feudal lords in Madurai. Not any ordinary Tamil movie panchayat. Parts of Madurai forms the traditional Nadu system known as Kallar Nadu.

In Tamil cinema, references to Madurai, Jallikattu is associated with the Mukkulathor.
Coimbatore, Pollachi, Rekhla refers to Gounders.
Karaikudi refers to Chettiars
Words like Annachi refers to Nadars

There is also color symbolism used in reference to castes or social groups

Red & Yellow or Green & Yellow for the Mukkulathor (Thevar)
Yellow or Yellow, Blue and Red for Vanniyars (Palli. In Malaysia called as Vanniya Gounder)
Black & Light Blue for Dalits

Black or Black & Red for Dravidian supporters
Red for Marxist and Naxalites
Orange for Hindutva
Green & White for Muslims

This is how they insert the caste theme into their movies. It also has a regional flavour and goes well with the movie viewers back in Tamil Nadu because the people understand these symbolisms.

Along this line, we have PA Ranjith who brings in the culture of northern Chennai with the intention of highlighting the Dalit community, especially the Paraiyar community. He is a very creative film maker and tries to be realistic in his approach.

His movie Madras is about the politics involving Dalit youths in Chennai. The song "Yengga Oor Madras, Ingga Nangga Thaan Address" is about them. In the song, you can even see Karthi reading a book entitled Theendatha Vasantham. It is a book about Dalits. 

During the song "Agayam Thee Pidithal Nila Kayuma", you can see a quick glimpse of a couple behind Karthi. It resembles Ilavarasan the Dalit youth and his Vanniyar girlfriend Divya. The girl's churidar in this song clip resembles the flag of Pattali Makkal Katchi (PMK), a political party for the Vanniyars. Do a quick search in Google about the Ilavarasan case. I don't wish to elaborate further.

Kabali is no exceptional. There are Dalit elements in this movie which some Malaysians refuse to acknowledge.

The movie Kabali is about a Malaysian man from the rubber estates. He fights for the estate workers and rise to become a don. He also runs a foundation to rehabilitate troubled youths. This idea of foundation was taken from our very own Myskills foundation.

To the general Malaysian public, Kabali is the story of Indian plight in Malaysia. Therefore, our local reviewers rejected the caste tag which the Indian reviewers mentioned.

This is what most of us didn't notice about Kabali.

The movie starts with a description of gang activities in Malaysia. It then shows Kabali in prison reading a book entitled My Father Baliah. What is this book about? The book is about a Dalit family from Telangana which goes through hardship. By showing this scene, Ranjith made things clear just like how he did in Madras. The opening scene establishes that the hero of the movie is a Dalit. 

Then throughout the entire movie, there are references to Ambedkar, the famed Indian leader who struggled for Dalit uprising in India. There are also scenes which shows portraits of Ambedkar and Buddha. 

Usually, in the Indian political sense, Buddha-Ambedkar combination is an expression of Dalit uprising. Even today, you can see this form of expression used by Dalit political outfits in India.

Then during the session with students in the foundation, Kabali's friend Ameer explains that Tamils will take their caste and religion wherever they migrate to. He also tells that Kabali was rejected by Valli's family. In the movie, we know that both Kabali and wife were Hindu Tamils. So the rejection mentioned here is intercaste marriage. 

Then during the scene in the gang gathering, Tamilmaran mentions that it was a mistake by his family to even allow Kabali enter his house. Another reference to caste stigma practised during that era.

There is a direct provocation found in Kabali's song Ulagam Oruvanukka (Is The World Only For One). This song was written by lyricist Kabilan.

Mettukudiyin koopadu ini naatukulle kekkadhu 
(The voice of the upper caste won’t be heard in the country anymore)

Kalagam Seidhu Aandaiyarin Kadhai Mudippan 
(End the story of the upper caste by creating chaos)

The word Mettukudi and Aandaiyar refers to the traditional upper castes of the Tamil society, the non-Dalits like the Thevars, Pillais, Mudaliars, Gounders and Chettiars. 

Even in the caste themed movie Thevar Magan, we can't find offensive lyrics. The movie only focused on  caste pride, internal feud and honour. 

In Thevar Magan, there were phrases like "Thekku Thisai Aanda Mannar Inam" (The Royal race which ruled southern land).  But Thevar Magan or even movies like MadhaYanai Kootam did not provoke the Thevars (Mukkulathor) to attack the Dalits. Because those movies were about internal fighting within the same community.

But the lyrics in Kabali is about Dalits vs Non-Dalits. 

These elements in the movie only confirms the first scene in prison involving the book, that Kabali is a Dalit and it is about Dalit uprising.

There are some truth in Kabali about the Malaysian Indian plight such as discrimination in education, estate fragmentation, gangsterism though not accurately described. 

For example, unequal wage between Chinese and Indians didn't happen in the 90s, it happened in the 40s and earlier. But those are probably just minor errors in his movie. 

He did well in showing how some words like sareke, ponne, semme, gaadi, lah, are used by Malaysians. The gang ritual involving guardian deities and the funeral scene were fantastic. Ranjith did his homework well to understand local culture.

Although we would like to see the movie as a Malaysian Indian story, we need to accept the bitter truth that it was made by a non-Malaysian influenced by Ambedkarism and Dalit politics. PA Ranjith inserted caste elements which are irrelevant.

The Malaysian Indian plight is a class struggle involving all Indians in this country irrespective of caste. Therefore, it was not necessary to show My Father Baliah or Ambedkar-Buddha in Kabali as those things are about Dalit politics in India and not about us in Malaysia. 

One movie which showed the Malaysian Indian plight well was Jagat. There is a difference between Jagat and Kabali. Jagat's movie makers are Malaysians and they understood the local class struggle better.

PA Ranjith should have used elements which are more general in nature and one that reflects struggle from a class perspective and not a caste perspective. He could have used books or portraits which are more relevant to Malaysians.

It is for these reasons reviewers from India has labelled Kabali as a Dalit story instead of a typical Malaysian Indian story. Of course we Malaysians do not realise it because most of us are not even aware of casteist themes and Dalit elements in cinema which I explained here.

So we can't blame those reviewers because that is how Ranjith has made the movie look like for them.

Indian reviews:

http://www.newindianexpress.com/cities/hyderabad/Kabali-will-bring-My-father-Baliah-from-libraries-to-drawing-rooms-Author/2016/07/24/article3544613.ece 

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/In-Kabali-Dalits-see-a-natty-redeemer/articleshow/53347858.cms

http://indianexpress.com/article/entertainment/regional/kabali-rajinikanth-movie-review-radhika-apte-dalit-script-2928624/