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Sri Sathya Sai Baba Teachings

 

The Goal and the Guide
 By Bombai Srinivasan

Petal 5

The orthodox Hindu families follows several rituals based on traditions at every stage of the life. From the time a baby was born, nay even by the time a mother-to-be conceives, and after the delivery of the child and during its upbringing, till the last rites on the way to graveyard, there are several rituals, which are meticulously followed.

I do not remember exactly what all functions were celebrated, while I was growing up as an infant. I was brought up in an ‘agraharam’, cluster of houses where the orthodox Brahmin families lived. As such I had plenty of chances to witness and observe several functions in many of our neighboring homes.

The parents take their daughter to their place of living for the delivery of the first child. The second or further deliveries would be arranged in the husband’s home or any other safe places.

The news of the newborn child is greeted in the house, by drawing kolams in the front courtyards. This is done in houses of both the father and the girl.

What is this kolam??  This is a familiar sight in front of any house in the southern parts of India. Various designs are drawn up daily  on the floor early morning,  using primarily the fine rice-flours (Rice pulverized in very fine grade). The kolams will be of many geometrical designs, connecting up innumerable tiny dots, or circling them.

During one of the intimate talks, Swami had mentioned about ‘kolams’. In old days, people used to wake up in the morning and it was their habit to feed various insects, birds and animals, before they themselves had any food. Swami used to mention about “ASHTA PUSHPAM”  (Eight types of flowers) as offering to God. Not the ones, which we pluck from the trees and plants and which fade away the next day.  Ashta Pushpam, comprises of eight divine qualities, which we should offer to Lord.  One particular Pushpam, which Swami mentions, is “Sarva Bhootha Daya Pushpam”. (Daya or compassion towards all living creatures). The best way to show compassion is to feed them sumptuously. Those days, people, as they woke up in the morning, used to throw handful of rice or rice flours in front of their homes so that tiny ants and other insects could eat them. Gradually the rice flour was carefully placed in front of the houses, and this practice slowly developed into certain designs. These designs are known as kolams. Kolams indicates, mark of auspiciousness in a family.  In case of any death in a family, this kolam is not displayed for one full year thereafter. So if we find kolams in front of any house, we can assume that all is well in that family!

Almost every home will have a couple of cows in their homes. So the next agenda for the ladies after waking up in the morning is to provide food for the cows. Likewise, when the food is cooked, a big scoop of rice or a piece of ‘Roti’ is offered to crows first.  “Athithi Devo Bhava” (Treat guests as God!) So in case any guest, known to family or an unknown passer by who takes shelter in the verandah of their homes, are also provided with sumptuous food, before the family members eat their food.  These rich traditions are still practiced in most of the villages.

I was mentioning earlier, that the news of arrival of a baby in a house is greeted by drawing kolams in front of their homes. The newborn child brings cheer and joy to the household, and friends and relatives arrive to look at the newborn and to congratulate the parents.

The first important day for the child is its 7th day after arriving in the world. This day the sisters of the father, (we call them Athai of the child) arrives in the house of the girl. They bring sweets and tiny ornaments. The child, 7 day old, is adorned for the first time with gold ornaments. There will be a couple of tiny gold bangles for the hands and for the legs, few rings for those tiny fingers, and some times even nice chains.

On the tenth day of its arrival the child is given a holy bath by the water sanctified by chanting some “Mantras” by the pundit. This is also  an important and auspicious day for the child, being “Naming ceremony”. The child is called by its personal name for the first time. After elaborate religious rituals, by the purohits, (priests), the child is given a name. Yes, the child gets a NAME!. All relatives and friends attend the naming ceremony. Those days we had no right to choose the name for the child. There is a strict pattern, which has to be followed. The first boy gets its personal name of its father’s father. The second male child gets the maternal grandfather. (The father of it’s the mother). Like wise in case girl child, the first girl gets the name of it’s father’s mother, and the second girl child gets the name of maternal grand mother (It’s mother’s mother).  If there are more than two sons or two daughters, then you can have your own choice!

Those were the days, when no body thought about the norms of small family. Any family will have more than five children. To be exact I was the fifth son for my parents. The first two got the names of our grand fathers, and for the rest of us, our parents chose names of their own liking. My mother had made some special prayers to Sri Venkatachalapathy (The presiding deity in Thirupathi), that I should come out of the womb as a boy and not as a girl, and had promised that the fifth child if born as a boy, would be given that Lord’s name. Answering  her prayers Lord Venkatachalapathi had made me a boy! Now on that naming ceremony, it seems there was some confusion! Venkatachalam happens to be the name of my father. Father and son cannot have the same personal name! Since the Lord has many names, an alias for Venkatachalapathi was chosen and given to me! Yes, ‘Srinivasan’ is another name for Lord Venkatachalapathi of Thirupathi.

It might interest my dear readers to know, that my eldest son bears the name of my father with some modification “Venkatesh” and my second son bears the name of my wife’s father, Ramesh (an abbreviated version of “Paramesh)! 

On this tenth day of arrival, after naming ceremony is done one more important thing happen. An astrologer is brought to the house; and he is requested to draw up a detailed horoscope of the child. The pundit chants special “mantras” of the particular star in which the child was born. 

The horoscope will show, the place of birth, exact date and time of birth, the star on ascendance on that day, the planetary positions at the time of birth etc. Important information is also inserted in the horoscope. It is the name of the “Gothram” to which the child belongs. Of course, the Gorthram is taken down from the father’s lineage. My father is born in “Baradwaaja Gothram” , and myself, and  my children and my grand children and great grand children  are all of the same Gothram. I read Swami’s declaration that Bhagavan has taken Avatar in Aapasthamba Soothra,  Baradwaaja Gothra”. It gave me immense joy to know that I too belonged to the same Gothra that of Bhagavan Baba.   

This document of horoscope normally plays an important role while choosing a spouse for wedlock. It will come handy while matching horoscopes while choosing their life partner.  If we see the same Gothram name in the horoscopes of the boy and the girl, it will be disqualified immediately. Because, the off springs of the same gothras are supposed to belong to the same family lineage and they are supposed to be cousin brother and sister.

This horoscope is an important document as the child grows up. This is useful for forecasting the future, and also to know in advance if there is going to be any bad days in the near future. If it is so, then the astrologers will also suggest some methods to overcome the ill effects of the planets.

The days pass on bringing joy and happiness to everybody in the house. All along, the child is laid on a small mattress kept spread on the floor. But on the 28th day after its birth, another function is celebrated. This day a cradle is set up in the center place of the home. At an auspicious time, amid clapping and singing, the child is for the first time, put inside the flower-decked cradle. The elders from the house, the neighbors and lots of children join the celebrations.  They all take turns in singing lullabies, and other songs and they individually or collectively push the cradle for gentle swinging. Sweets are distributed

The child is growing day by day. I am sure that I too would have  enjoyed all those loving care and affection when I too was an infant!

Petal 1 - Petal 2 - Petal 3 - Petal 4 - Petal 5 - Petal 6 - Petal 7
 

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