Somvar Vrath Katha and my vrath routine

Successfully completed my Solah Somvar Vrath ! Blogging the modalities I followed for friends who would be interested.

I was advised in India to follow somvar vrath but was not sure what exactly to follow - the one where they eat fruits at the end of the day or just refrain from rice ....Thanks to my friend who was observing the sixteen weeks fast which starts with a puja in the morning, allows eating any fruits, nuts and milk  through the day and one meal without salt at the end of the day. I decided to follow that picking some more details from the web and customized a little :) .

I have created a video of the puja reciting mrithyunjaya manthram and reading the story as a dedication - Somvar Vrath Katha Video.

Somvar Puja

When to start

Any Monday in the waxing period of moon is good preferably in the month of Shravan . I started on August 12 2012. 

Puja needs

A small shivalingam for abhishekam and Puja.

Water, Milk, sandal powder, vibhoothi, flowers, fruits, rice, agarbatthi, ghee lamp.

The vrath story to read or listen to. I followed this link Somvar Vrath Katha in English to read.

Puja Needs

Puja Procedure

I would take a shower in the morning, arrange everything, light the lamp and agarbathi. Would play Anuradha Paudwal's shiv arthi while doing abhishekam - first with milk, then water, then sandal, again water and then finally vibhoothi and let that stay. Then would read the vrath katha and then done. If time permitted I recited the "mrithyunjaya mantram" in the evening.

What to eat

Fruits, Nuts, Milk, yogurt, Tea, Coffee but only one meal with no salt, no pulses. My friend told you can eat saboodana any time during the day. I do not know what kind of meal exactly. I started my day with tea, breakfast was mostly banana, lunch was apple or something and milk. And then early dinner around 6 PM.  Luckily my mom was here.  So she made wheat puttu with sugar and coconut with banana for dinner  and that was the best option. Chapathi without salt , wheat dosa etc., ragi semiya are other options I tried.

Udhyapan

This is the consummation of the vratha on the 17th week when you do the puja with family and friends making a prasad. It seems you make it with wheat, ghee and jaggery.

I enquired with the local temple, the Durga Mandir in Route 27 and Somvar Vrath Udhyapan was one of the services offered. So chose to do that. Paid the service dakshina to the temple and as intructed took 1/2 gallon milk, white vasthram 1.5 yards ( a white towel is accepted), 16 white flowers ( a bunch would do also) and 16 fruits (not necessarily)  and a white sweet ( I took kheer but dry sweets like kaju katli is good since it is easy to distribute). 

The priests did a wonderful puja with all the devotees who joined that day for this vratha. In the end all devotees did abhishekam to the Shivalingam at the temple while all shiva sthothras were chanted by the priests. I followed the same diet for this day also.

Benefits

It seems whatever you wish for when you take the pledge to do this vratha comes true. In my case, I do not really long or wish for whatever I wished for  anymore...isn't that even better :) . Thanking God for that little transformation.  

Note: Both men and women can do this puja. Women can continue to fast during their periods skipping the puja.

Oruneramengilum ....

Happy Janmashtami, Krishna Jayanthi everyone !!

ഒരു നേരമെങ്കിലും കാണാന്‍ കഴിഞ്ഞത് എന്റെ ഭാഗ്യം  !

Sheeveli, Guruvayurappan temple

It was for the day we had planned to leave Palakkad, we had planned to visit the Guruvayurappan temple - our train back home was from Thrissur and at 11 PM.
But alas, just as it often happens in Kerala, the previous evening a '6 AM to 6 PM All Kerala Hartal' was declared...
I remembered that the first time I had visited Guruvayur, we had waited in the queue for  a couple of hours...I said to myself  "even if we started as soon as the hartal was over...we might reach at the closing time ...." but somewhere deep inside, I had a strong hope that we will get a darshan of guruvayurappan!!
However we had cut so close...we were one of the last ten visitors or so to be let in; there was queue only after entering into the temple. Within ten minutes after a quick darshan, the shree kovil was closed. But to my greatest satisfaction and a pleasant surprise, got to light the chuttu vilakku and walk with the sheeveli !! :)  Even  a well planned visit could not have guaranteed that !
In fond rememberance of that wonderful experience,  have attempted singing 'oru neramengilum kaanathe', my favorite devotional song on Guruvayurappan sung by K.S. Chithra from the album Thulasi Theertham
(Music Director: Radhakrishnan TS
Lyrics: Chovallur Krishnankutty
Original singers: KJ Yesudas, KS Chitra)

Lyrics in Malayalam

ഒരു നേരമെങ്കിലും കാണാതെ വയ്യെന്റെ

ഗുരുവായൂരപ്പാ നിൻ ദിവ്യ രൂപം  

ഒരു മാത്രയെങ്കിലും കേൾക്കാതെ വയ്യ നിൻ 

മുരളി പൊഴിക്കുന്ന ഗാനാലാപം (2)

(ഒരു...) 

ഹരി നാമ കീർത്തനം ഉണരും പുലരിയിൽ 

തിരുവാഗച്ചാർത്തു ഞാൻ ഓർത്തു പോകും (2)

ഒരു പീലി എങ്ങാനും കാണുമ്പോൾ അവിടുത്തെ (2)

തിരുമുടി കണ്മുന്നിൽ മിന്നി മായും  (2)

(ഒരു...) 

അകതാരിലാഴ്തുവാൻ എത്തിടും ഓർമഗൾ

അവതരിപ്പിക്കിന്നു കൃഷ്ണനാട്ടം (2)

അടിയെന്റെ മുന്നിലുണ്ടെപ്പോഴും മായാതെ (2) 

അവതാര കൃഷ്ണാ നിൻ കള്ള നോട്ടം (2)

(ഒരു..) 

Lyrics in English

oru neramengilum kaanaathe vayyende
guruvaayoorappa nin divya roopam

oru maathra engilum kelkaathe vayyanin
murali pozhikkunna gaanaalaapam (2)

(oru...)

hari naama keerthanam unarum pulariyil
thiruvaaga chaarthu njaan orthu pogum (2)

oru peeli engaanum kaanumbol aviduthe(2)
thirumudi kanmunnil minnimaayum (2)

(oru...)

agathaarilaarthuvaan eththidum ormagal
avatharippikkinnu krishnanaattam (2)

adiyente manasilundeppozhum maayaathe(2)
avathaara krishna nin kalla nottam (2)

(oru ....)

Annamayya Sankeerthanam - Anthayu Neeve

Thanks to Nithya Santhoshini's some song that I stumbled upon - a world of Annamayya Keerthanams has opened up for me ! Had no clue Nithya was an established playback singer in Telugu - but loved the voice immediately- it was like Chithra's. On more search, found a lot more Annamacharya keerthanams by her...it seems  she actually started her career with Annamayya Albums !

I have fallen in love with Annamacharya Keerthanams. They are really simple in tune and words, have a range of emotions from the folk pidikita thallambraala to the heart touching, melancholic, profound naanaatti bathuku to this very devotional anthayu neeve that I have attempted. On listening to them more and more of them, one is reminded of a lot of movie songs.
In fact, anthayu neeve sounds so similar to 'margazhi poove' from May Maadham  ('manasa veena' in Telugu) that I tend to sing anthayu neeeve like margazhi poove. They are both based on the same ragam - indolam. Isn't it amazing that anthayu neeve was from the 15th century ? Music is the same - only the packaging has changed ....And this speaks for itself that Annamayya has mastered the packaging so wonderfully that his words and tunes could be followed by the common man and reach Lord Venkateshwara!
Enjoy this  youtube playlist that I have created with a few Annamacharya Sankeerthanams in the voices I liked them the best.

For those who do not know
Sri Tallapaka Annamacharya (Telugu: శ్రీ తాళ్ళపాక అన్నమాచార్య)  (May 9, 1408 – February 23, 1503) is a vaggeyakara (meaning a composer who pens the lyrics as well as sets the tune and the rhythm) . He is believed to have composed more than 32000 sankirthanams in praise of Tirupathi Lord Vekateshwara. If you would like, watch 1997 Nagarjuna starrer  'Annamyya'  with English subtitles.

I learnt this song from these wonderful posts with the music lessons to this song :
Part1, Part 2 , Part 3
Hope you find them useful and hope they post more of these :) .

Anthayu Neeve Lyrics & Meaning

అంతయు నీవే హరి పుండరీకాక్ష - చెంతనాకు నీవే శ్రీరఘురామ
కులమును నీవే గోవిందుడా నా - కలిమియు నీవే కరుణానిధి
తలపును నీవే ధరణీధర నా - నెలవును (or నెరవులు) నీవే నీరజనాభ
తనువును నీవే దామోదర నా - మనికియు నీవే మధుసూదన
వినికియు నీవే విఠ్ఠలుడా నా - వెనకముందు నీవే విష్ణు దేవుడా
పుట్టుగు నీవే పురుషోత్త మ - కొన నట్టనడుము నీవే నారాయణ
ఇట్టే శ్రీవేంకటేశ్వరుడా నాకు - నెట్టన గతి ఇంక నీవే నీవే

Pallavi:
antayu neevae hari punDareekaaksha
chenta naaku neevae shri raghu raamaa ||

Meaning: Oh lotus eyed Hari, you are everything. Oh Sri Raghu Rama, you alone are close to me ||

Charanam 1
kulamunu neevae govinduDa naa
kalimiyu neevae karuNA nidhee
thalapunu neevae dharaNeedharaa naa
nelavunu (or neravulu) neevae neeraja naabhaa ||

Meaning: Oh Govinda, you are my origin and prosperity (Kulam means caste but I guess the intended meaning is that God is our source) . You are ocean of Compassion. Oh bearer of this earth, you are my abode and thought. ||

Charanam 2
thanuvunu neevae daamOdaraa naa
maniki yu neevae madhusoodanaa
vinikiyu neevae vithhaluDaanaa
venaka mundu neevae vishNu daevuDa ||

Meaning: Oh Damodara, you are my body and my prosperity. Oh Madhusudana, you are my listener. Oh Vitthala, oh Vishnu, you are in front of me and behind me (all around me) ||

Charanam 3
Puttugu neevae purushOtthamaa kona
nattanadDumu neevae naaraayaNaa
ittae Sree venkataeshwaruDaa naaku
nettana gati inka neevae neevae ||

Meaning: Oh Purushottama, you are the origin, the middle and the end. Oh Sri Venkateswara, you and only are my ultimate destination.||

A tribute to my beloved paattu maami

Baalaambaal maami (08-20-1931 to 12-12-12)

Baalaambaal maami  was not just  my music teacher but a role model, a family friend and almost like a grandma with her tales of rich experience as a mom, teacher, radio (aakaashavaani) artist and a devoted wife.  She was a wonderful instrumentalist too. She always played the violin or the harmonium when giving music lessons.

She was a conservative, extremely disciplined person yet a forward thinking personality, always full of modern thoughts - that is she could accept and appreciate the change and understand people. She was strict but flexible. She started her day with a bath in the cold water, visit to the temple  in the agraharam, never skipped her daily newspaper read, did all the household work herself and made sure she gave food and medicines to her husband on time. Both her wonderful daughters and grandchildren lived  close by and visited her almost everyday  yet, she preferred to live  in her own house with her husband and later on her own after he passed away.

My sister and I started taking lessons from her after she had retired as a Government school teacher from  SSLPS (Shankara Subbaiyer Lower Primary School) in Karamana. Incidentally, since the legendary singer K.S. Chithra studied in SSLPS, she happens to be our paatu maami's student too! And the humble, modest person that K.S.Chithra, paattu maami used to tell us that Chithra came to visit paattu maami and get her blessings quite often even after she became super famous.

She has taken music tuition to hundreds of children many of whom became kalathilakams and kalaprathibhaas in the Kerala State Youth Festivals. It goes without saying that I was not one of  her top students ...but was definitely one of her favorites - we had a special bond. She herself would ask me to concentrate on my studies especially because we had school on Saturdays unlike her other students.  She would say "nanna padichu jolikku poganam. Pinne paattu padichirintha kacheri nnu pannaattalum, aavishyam varumbo naalu kozhanthelkku tuition edukkalaame ". (You should study well and go to work ...If you learn music even if you do not do kacheris you can at least take music tuition to kids later if you need to stay home). Hope some day I can teach as she always insisted but have to learn and pursue more to gain the confidence and have to remember her cute advice  "odathaedi konthai" :) (Do not increase the tempo while singing) .  Actually my first music teacher had told I can never sing...so, whatever little music I have,  I totally owe it to Bala mami's music and more importantly her Blessings.

I have never failed to visit her whenever I went to Trivandrum - it is really disheartening when I realize that I cannot see her when I go next time...
Here is a song tribute to her - my humble attempt at 'Shreeman narayana' which she had taught me when I had been to TVM five years back - she herself had learned just by listening from an 'M.S.S.  amma program ' on Asianet TV.

New Year 2013 - Quick and Easy Payasam

Decided to make this paayaasam (or paayasam as I am used to calling it) for this new year as it is simple and my family likes it. And my daughter wanted to help me! So thought of making a video with her cooking.
Here is the my video on youtube - Quick and Easy Payasam .

Quick & Easy Payasam

While making I realized making it for home is so different from making it for writing a recipe. I have always cooked only by rough measurements ...so had a tough time guessing number of cups, spoons of the ingredients. And in the end sugar was more so had to increase the quantity of milk when writing the recipe. Hence the ingredients' photo taken at the beginning may show a little distorted picture of the quantities of milk and almonds! MAy be from next time I have to make it twice to get it right !!