Sie sind auf Seite 1von 6

05/07/2016 RaguKalamDurgaPooja

RaguKalamDurgaPooja

Vijay
All ways of knowledge are your aspects, O Devi; so are all women in the world, endowed
with various attributes. By you alone, O Mother, this world is filled Chandi, II, 6

One of the fast growing pooja in Malaysia and Singapore is the Ragu Kalam Durga pooja.
Held weekly on every Tuesdays, Fridays and Sundays, this pooja attracts many people
Young people who perform this Pooja will excel in studies while the unmarried will be
able to find a good life partner, married ladies will have a happy married life and their
families will proper, the childless will have children and have a happy and prosperous life.
Of all the days, Tuesday is the most auspicious day. The time is fixed viz: 3.00 pm and
4.30 pm on Tuesdays, 10.30 am and 12.00 pm on Fridays and 4.30 pm and 6.00 pm on
Sundays. All the times that I mentioned are the Ragu Neeram ( the time of the Ragu ). Of
all the Devi`s Pooja ( Varalakshmi Pooja, Pournami Pooja, Thiruvilaku Pooja ), Ragu
Kalam Durga Pooja is the most simplest one. Utensils and sundries needed for the pooja
are Limes ( lime cut into a bit more than half and invert it )( odd numbers ( a maximum
of 9 ), wick, ghee and turmeric rice ,a tambalam ( silver plate ) and prasadam ( fruits,
betel leaves and Areca nut ).

The pooja is normally conducted in Amman temples and procedures are quite different
from one temple to another, but it follows exactly the same way of offering
mavuvilaku. There are no specific mantras but in temples devotees will conduct banjans
and chant the name of Durga Matha. At the end of the pooja, one is required to do
Sangkalpam . Lime is always been used in medication because of its acidity that can cure
many diseases. One who wants to perform this pooja needs to invert the lime after it has
been cut into half. Remember , this is the most difficult part, if you cut a unripe lime, U
cant invert it and the same goes to a ripen lime. So the selection of the lime is very much
needed. The main purpose is to bring out the dermis part of the lime which is usually
white in colour. The lime is resembling us and we need show the inner part of us to God.
Garment of illusion, greedy, lust and angriness need to throw away before God. The white
dermis of the lime shows our pure conscious and the darker part ( green in colour which is
hidden inside ) is our Maya. One can use any type of wicks in this pooja and I have listed
out some of the wicks and its significance. Wick made of banana stem fibre removes
offences before God and ancestral curse, cotton wick obtains all good fortune, lotus stem
fibre ( wick ) removes karma from pervious birth and establishes a happy and prosperous
life, white madder plant pulp of the bark increase wealth and dispels misfortunes, new
yellow cotton cloth obtains the grace of Goddess Parasakti and frees one from
entanglements and will not be affected by further misfortunes and New Red cotton cloth
removes any marriage obstacles and child bearing obstacles, keep on free from spells,
mantras and tantras. The wick is a symbol of energy and light where alight emits
brightness. The point of the wick tells us that God is everywhere. The tambalam ( silver
plates) reflect Brahma ( creator ) and the Turmeric rice ( uncooked rice ) resemble Maha
Vishnu. The turmeric rice stabilise the lime and it acts exactly as God Vishnu who is a
preserver and stabilise between born ( Brahma ) and death ( Rudra ). The top of the half
cut inverted lime signifies Shiva. As the oil ( ghee ) is contained, just like Lords Shiva
contained Ganga ( the river ) in His hair. The ghee and the flame signifies Goddess Laxmi
who blessed us with her wealth, the brightness of the flame resemble Goddess Saraswathy
who blessed us with education and knowledge and the heat from the flame signifies
Mother Durga.

The pooja is nothing if we dont understand the truth of this pooja. Ragu Kalam Durga
Pooja is a typical South Indian way of worshiping Mother Durga. Mother Durga is well
known to the Northern Indian through their Durga Pooja or Navarathiri which held 4 times
a year. There is a verbal story that somehow connects to this Pooja. Navagrahas the planet
deities of which the first seven are Sun ( Surya ), Moon ( Soma ), Mars ( Mangal), Mercury (
Budha ), Jupiter ( Brishpati ), Venus( Sukra), Saturn ( Shani ) give names to the days of the
week: Sunday to Saturday respectively. The other two Ragu (Ascending node) and Ketu
(Descending node) are also fabled as planets, the former as a planet with a head and no
body and the latter as a planet with a body and no head. In the Puranas, they are all
represented as deities borne in cars. The planet Sun travels in some zodiac point each
month. Similarly, the other planets have their times of travel through the zodiac assigned
to them. As the planets travel through a particular zodiac signs, their relative positions
with respect to each other changes and is supposed to determine the fate of the human
affairs. An astrologer can draw up a horoscope of a person based on his time of birth and
calculate the relative positions of the planets relative to this horoscope. The planets are

http://shaktisadhana.50megs.com/Newhomepage/Frames/messageboard/Ragukalamdurgapooja.html 1/6
05/07/2016 RaguKalamDurgaPooja

also believed to influence the outcomes of historical events of entire nations and the
Earth. Each planet has its own mode of circumambulation clockwise or anticlockwise.
Each planet faces a different direction. In religious rites, beetle nuts represent the planets
and the priest invites each planet to be present there and witness and bless the pooja.

So the story goes like this A couple blessed with a child after their continuous prayers to
Divine Mother. The child reached her puberty age and the parents decided to seek an
astrologer to ask the fate of the child in future. The couple was shocked to get to know
that their daughter has Ragu Thosam ( very bad time Ragu is controlling her time ) and
the ninth day from her birthday, a black serpent will bite her to death. Hearing this, the
couple rushed to get the protection and remedies from Mother Durga. At this moment,
Goddess Parvathy who wander as a saint in earth to help her devotees and Parvathy took
the vow to save the child. The time comes and as predicted before , Ragu ( the serpent
head ) changes himself as a serpent and try his very best to kill the girl. Each of his
attempt been blocked by Sakti and at last Sakti herself reincarnate as the girl and Ragu
mistakenly bite Sakti thus made a sinful act. Ragu beg for forgiveness and as a reward he
let go the girl. In forgiving his mistakes, Durga Matha remind him that Ragu thosam and
Ragu`s influences will ease for those who are performing Pooja for her at Ragu Neeram (
a bad time ) and those who are conducting the pooja will be blessed by Mother Durga.

Why Ragu Neeram, why cant Emakandam neeram ( the time of Semigod Yama )? Both as
been accepted as inauspicious time. It seems The North Node of the Moon is called Ragu in
Vedic astrology and the South Node is called ketu. They are called dark or shadow planets,
because of the Nodes' association the phenomena of eclipses. They have no sign ruler ships,
although they are said to favour Mercury and Jupiter's signs according to some authorities,
while others claim that Ragu favours the sign of Aquarius and Ketu sign of Scorpio. Ragu,
the North Node of the Moon means to conceal, engulf or hide in Sanskrit. This Graha is
associated with the world of material manifestation and worldly desire. Ragu is associated
with the spiritual process of involution, or the engrossing of spirit in materialization. Ragu
is a karaka, or indicator, of worldly desire, fame, greed, high intelligence, manipulation,
obsessive behaviour, foreigners, mass disease, dementia and inertia. The nature of this
Graha is Vata, or Airy. These qualities of Ragu are with us. The Ken Upanishad, part three
known as Yaksha Prashna says that The Supreme power of God is manifested as
knowledge, activity and strength. The BhagavadGita describes the same in different
words ( Ch 17, Verse 5 Purity, passion and inertia these qualities , born of nature bind
fast in the body. Purity known as Sattwa , passion known as Rajas and the inertia known as
Tamas. Each of these three gunas represented by colour, Sattwa is white ( colour of purity
) represented by that aspect of mother Durga we worship as Goddess Saraswati. The
colour of Rajas is red represented by that aspect of mother Durga we worship as Goddess
Lakshmi and Tamas is black, represented by the aspect of mother Durga we worship as
Goddess Kali. Ragu attribute Tamas to our life. Tamas is born of ignorance , deluding all
embodied beings. Tamas binds fast in heedlessness , sleep, and indolence, laziness
(BhagavadGita , Ch 14 verse 8 ). Tamas is that binding force with a tendency to lethargy (
lack of energy, vitality ), sloth and foolish actions. It causes nondiscrimination or
delusion. It binds one who is associates with self with the Body. A tasmasic person act
under the compulsion of the body. He has no power of judgement. His actions are not
guided by reasons. His senses are dull. These are all baser animal qualities ( Ragu serpent
head ( half human and half animal form ), the lower diabolical nature in man. We pray to
mother Kali as Durga as the supreme force and power to destroy all our impurities, our
vices, and our defects. She is to fight and annihilate these demons. This is the strength
aspect of Sakti as mentioned in the Upanishad .

Mother Durga is the power that guides and protects the devotees spiritual practice form
its many danger and pitfalls. So, by performing this Ragu Kalam Durga Pooja, Mother
Durga will bestow peace and prosperity in our life.

mm Kala abhraham kata akshair, arikula bhaya dam, mauli baddhendu rekham
shankam chakram kripanan trishikha mapi karair, udvahantim trinetram, Simha
skanda adhirudham tribuvanam akhilam purayanthim, Dhyayed Durga jaya akhyam
Tridasha pati nutam sevitam seddhi kamaih"

which means I pray to thee O Mother Durga, with my folded hands and head on your lotus
feet. You are , O Mother, known as Jaya ( victorious ), honoured and saluted by Lord of
heaven name Indra and served by the devotees, wishing their success. You beam like thick
and black clouds. You could terrify enemies even with a flash of your look. You are
adorned with crown set of cresent moon on your head. You hold the conch, the chakra (
wheel ).the sword and the spear . You have three eyes, O Mother and on the back of the
lion, your vahana. The whole world is filled with your great splendour , I pray thee, O
mother Durga.

http://shaktisadhana.50megs.com/Newhomepage/Frames/messageboard/Ragukalamdurgapooja.html 2/6
05/07/2016 RaguKalamDurgaPooja

Gita
Several weeks back there was a post describing a simple Durga puja to be performed using
limes turned insideout. I immediately got together with some South Indian friends to try
this. Even though they were pretty sure they had seen how one turns limes inside out, we
were utterly unable to do so and ended up consulting the priest of the local Balaji temple.
Here is his method: The lime has to be thin skinned. It should be rolled around a little bit
to make it more flexible. The lime should be cut in half horizontally, not vertically. The
juice should be squeezed out. Then the half lime should be turned insideout and the
"fruit" removed, leaving a nice bowl. Then that bowl should be filled with ghee or oil, a
wick put in the ghee/oil and lit. The rest as has already been described. Perhaps there is
more than one way to turn a lime insideout, but that is what they do at this particular
temple. Jai Ma, Gita

Prainbow
"Why should this not be performed at home?"

Nora
"Here is his method: The lime has to be thin skinned. It should be rolled around a little bit
to make it more flexible. The lime should be cut in half horizontally, not vertically. The
juice should be squeezed out. Then the half lime should be turned insideout and the
"fruit" removed, leaving a nice bowl. Then that bowl should be filled with ghee or oil, a
wick put in the ghee/oil and lit. The rest as has already been described. Perhaps there is
more than one way to turn a lime insideout, but that is what they do at this particular
temple."

The method describe here is almost the same way as how I would usually do. I would
choose a bigger type of lime ( neither too green nor too yellow ) and yes! I would rolled
around because it will make the skin of the lime softer and cut it horizontally. Removed
the inner contents of the lime first, then turn it inside out. I know not of other way.

"This is because it is conducted in an inauspicious time. You can'tprovoke your aura at this
time. Your environent is full of bad energy and it's very hard to for you to concentrate ( at
home ). A new poojai should not be start in this time. In temples , we have "Balipeedam" .
"Balipeedam" is a place of sacrifice but not oflives. In this your negative thoughts that you
have to sacrifice. When you are in a temple, and start to worship God, it seems your bad
aura ( energy ) will be absorbed by "Balipeedam" and enable you toworship God with
singleminded devotion. "Poojai" itself is a declaration of faith to God and making your
wish. In order to make a wish in an inauspicious time, you need to have the right place to
ask for it."

I tends to disagree on this statement because I personally believe the home is the best
place for one to conduct any pooja. If you cannot concentrate at home what makes you
think that you can concentrate better in the temple. I find there are more distraction in
the temple then at home.

swam_15

Namaste Noraji,
The durga pooja can be done at home and it will be very effective if its done during the
rahu kalam. But lighting of lemon lamps at house during the pooja is not permittable as
per shastra...and it has got some reasoning also...

Normally durga pooja during rahu kalam is suggested to overcome ill effects of rahu and
saturn. The Lemon is believed to be an attracting medium of energies and hence when we
are doing pooja to overcome our ill effects, the lighting of lemon lamps is
suggested...which will absorb all the ill effects and burn away the same. But since it is
burning away the ill effects created by rahu and saturn..it is better to be done at temple
wherein the bad energy released will be neutralised in the power of the divinity. That is
the basic reason for not permitting the same at home...I hope this clarifies and clears.

Nora
Thank you swam_15 for your response, but I have one question thou'
you said : "But lighting of lemon lamps at house during the pooja is not permittable as per
shastra"
You like to quote for me which shastra you are refering to?

swam_15
Dear Noraji,

http://shaktisadhana.50megs.com/Newhomepage/Frames/messageboard/Ragukalamdurgapooja.html 3/6
05/07/2016 RaguKalamDurgaPooja

I am not exactly sure about it...because I am very young and yet to learn all the shastras.
But these things have been told to us by our mother when ever we ask them why we should
not do this and then in the process i use to search for scientific reasoning to get correct
response either through my own self or through various teachers.

Cutting personal history...coming to your question...I think there is pooja vidhi book which
prescribes how to do poojas according to rules (vidhi)..may be pooja vidhanam or
so...sometimes you get clarifications from Kanchi Sankaracharya also when u put across
questions to him...u can try...there are infinite collections of his works wherein you may
get exact answers...I hope me clarified your doubts.

Please note that there is no such thing called thin or thick skinned lime...u can use any
lime for this purpose because all limes are same and one can easily make diva out of it...

Nora
Vanakkam Swam
"I am not exactly sure about it...because i am very young and yet to learn all the shastras.
But these things have been told to us by our mother when ..."

Thank you, you have clarify my doubts.

Indeed our mothers are our first guru. We learn a lot from our mothers. I too learn from
other Mothers too who have been kind enough to guide and be with me when I do the
Pooja at my own home. The most important thing is that you must have an understanding
of what you are doing, do them appropriately according to the ** Shastras ** as you
mention and not just do things blindly. I have nothing against temple but I believe if you
cant find divinity in your own Home Temple, what makes you think you can find one in the
other temple. Everything begins at home.

So becareful when you use certain terms like "the research says" because next somebody
will be asking : state this research claim in detail ( the researcher, the methodology used
in this research, the outcome etc )Many a times people like to used bombastic terms they
have no understanding just to impress others.

prainbow61
With great respect to you, I beg to differ about the limes. Like all citrus fruits some have
thick skins and some have thinner skins, even within the same variety. I carefully held the
limes available at the local market and the lime I selected seemed to have a thinner skin,
one that would be less likely to crack or pull apart when being turned inside out.

Vijay
Dear Friends, The reason why Rahu Kalam Durga Poojai shouldn't be conducted at home
because a new poojai should not begin at home at an inauspicious time. Please not that
Indian believes in good and bad time. People usually will go start something before this
time, example you want to go out or visit someone , everything that we do, we should
not start at Rahu or Emakandam neeram. This thing is understood by everyone.

For this reason Rahu Kalam Poojai should not be conducted at home. Temples are different
because they have "arrakaalam poojai" They have continuous poojai 3.30 am ( bathing
the idols ), 6.30 am. poojai ( dawn ), 12.00 pm ( uchi Poojai ), 3.30 pm, ( bathing the
idols ) , 6.30 pm. ( dusk ) and then 9.00 pm ( the last poojai of the day ). So Rahu kalam
Durga poojai always But one thing about this poojai is that it is there is no proper way to
conduct this poojai. In many Amman temples ( Malaysia ), women will light up the lamp
made of limes and then they sing devotional songs while the priest will conduct the
bathing ceremony, decorate the idols and at about 4.30 pm, the priest will conduct
Karpoora Aarathy and then Prasadam will be given out. So, usually in temples this poojai
usually joins together with other daily poojai.

But one can conduct Durga Poojai at home. You can conduct this poojai every Fridays (
during dusk ). Durgai Poojai has a proper way to perform it. You start the Poojai with
Ganapathy Stothram, Maha Durga Devi Sangkalpam, Dhyaanam Avaahanam, Jabam(
meditation upon Durga Devi ), Recite Devi Sthuthi slokas, recite Durga Ashtotra Satha
Namavali, Bhajans and end your poojai with Mantra Pushpam,Karpoora Aarthy,
Samarppanan and Mangalam. And you can light up the lights ( made of limes ). The peak
of this poojai will be the syamala navathiri (Navarathiri SeptemberOctober)where 2 things
are added to this poojai Chant the Devi Mahatmyamgita and conduct Lectumi and
Saraswathy poojai. So, you still can conduct Durga Poojai at home is matter of time,
that's all. Besides that, temples are the place for Indians to reunite especially people like

http://shaktisadhana.50megs.com/Newhomepage/Frames/messageboard/Ragukalamdurgapooja.html 4/6
05/07/2016 RaguKalamDurgaPooja

me , a Diaspora. There are not many Indians in my country and poojas are the gateway for
us to unite and so on. So, this may be one of the reasons why it should not be conducted at
home.

But frankly speak, my mother won't follow all this, sometimes she does it at home and
sometimes at temple. Normally people will do this poojai for nine weeks continuously and
my mother done the first nine weeks at home and then she continously conducting it for
the past 6 years. I asked what she got from this, she told me " look at yourself", and so I
came to know she was praying for me. My sister got married just after my mother finished
her 9th poojai at home. So, this poojai really has something worth. So, I think Devi is
there for us, no matter what time we are praying to Her, She is the time and she is beyond
Good and Bad. Mother will help us in any time, she won't select.. "okay you are in bad time
or praying at bad time .. I shall not help you" That's ridiculous isn't it. So, it is all in our
own perception. We have the reasons why we should not conduct it at home but we have
to think and judge the information that been forwarded to us.

At this juncture I would like to repeat a scripturalstanza in which a Guru told his
inquisitive disciple Nobody knows what is right or what is wrong, Nobody knows what is
good or what is bad, There is a deity residing within you, Find it out and obey its
commands.

What I would to stress is that, it is our own perception just like Nora told me, it is up to
you whether you want to conduct the poojai at home or at temple. I hope I am neither
discouraging nor encouraging anyone to conduct this poojai at home. Home Temple is your
first temple and I would like to add my opinion in this. I think our heart is the very first
temple of God. The poojai room or even temples are showing our dirt, a dirt of ignorance.
Everything need to start from us, we need to install a good environment within ourselves.
God's first abode is our heart.

Yeshe
Hello Prainbow

I have been in the same place as yourself wishing to celebrate Maa and call upon her as she
has so obviously called upon you and I, within a ritual. Then of course the question arises
in the mind, how can I do this in a way that is real, authentic, meaningful and relating to
your and my situation, where you live and who you are. What is meaningful? Maa called
you within the karma you have now, where you are now and within what means you have
now at this time to celebrate and express your devotion to her. Obviously too Maa was not
concerned with who your are or where you are or with what you know about official
practices toward her from within the many Dharma based practices within Mother India. So
there you are with the need to do ritual and wishing to fulfill this. Then you ask those
around you within this Shakta community what is best to do.

The answer will be hard to get since each person in this community is representing a
different culture with differing ways of expressing ritual. Each culture has certain "official"
ways of doing these rituals or poojas. Each has a traditional approach and one that each
tradition feels is correct and handed down to them from Maa herself through the
examination of scriptures. So some will say only a temple is good, or some will say only a
certain time is acceptable, or some will say only a priest can do such and so. But what is
lost in this rush to do things right is that Maa called you where you are and as who you are.
Maa did not call you to change your heritage, or beliefs or gender or place of origin there
where you are. She called to you to do celebration and devotion to her and with her. She
called you into her arms and to sit in her lap and learn of her. So in light of all this careful
official approach to Maa Maa is doing a silly thing by calling you as you are and where
you are and within the culture you are in. No really it is not silly, she has called you to
herself Maa does not expect you to respond as or like anyone else just as yourself.
She is delighted you are wishing to do a pooja like that of her daughters and sons in
Mother India but she does not expect it to be just like that group of children. So in light
of who your are and where you are and the fact that Maa is calling YOU. Then do what she
places in your heart and from what she places in your hands. Some will say this is
delusional no it is a calling to each heart from Maa and has to do with her and the soul
where it is, at this time.

I say, do the lime candle and pooja as you have it now. I say yes it would be good to call
the Hindu Temple near you and find our more about them even if they are not Shakta
oriented. I myself was able to be in, my one and only official pooja, last year at a temple
miles from here, to hear my Swamiji speak upon his visit here from India and it was a

http://shaktisadhana.50megs.com/Newhomepage/Frames/messageboard/Ragukalamdurgapooja.html 5/6
05/07/2016 RaguKalamDurgaPooja

Vishnu pooja. I was asked at the door why I was here and who I was devoted too I said
Maa Kali and the priest said you are most welcome here in our temple. Now no one talked
to me after that since it was obvious I did not quite fit in due to my dress and cultural
difference and not having family there, but I was welcome and my Swamiji blessed me and
spoke to me. Maa was with me too. It was a blessing. But I "felt" outside the situation the
whole time I was there except for when I sat at the feet of my Swamiji at his teachings.

Some will say oh you are ignoring the Dharma and creating dangers. Or you are ignorant
and unworthy and not appropriate in your devotions to Maa. But call me what you may
it was Maa who called me where I am at and within this form I am in now, with the tools
at hand now and the knowledge at hand now and the thing is, she does not obviously
wish to wait for me to learn the proper way as it is called. She is grabbing me and pulling
me up into her lap and calling me her own. So I celebrate her here in my home with my
children in my lap, with flowers from my yard and food from my kitchen and incense and
candles lite by my hands and words of devotion from my lips to her. She called me. So I say
answer her call learn what you can and from what others feel they are allowed to say
then celebrate and show devotion to your Mother Durga. She is the silly one who called you
and stirs her heart with her pooja and with the need to light lime lamps. It is she who
walks with us who live far from lands where the Dharma is taught it is she who is being
silly or ignorant by calling to us sisters far from the shores of Mother India. I am so glad
she did.

So go girl, light those lime lamps and have a pooja.

I wanted to answer your request for information and give you my two cents worth because
in reality that is all they are and all I have in my hands as I sit in my Mother's lap.

********************************************
Please note :
Opinion express here is of the writers themselves [ Reflected in Bold].
If you have any comments with regard to this message,
please email the moderators

Pictures on Ragu Kalam Durga Pooja


Click

[ Back to The Forum Main Index ]

http://shaktisadhana.50megs.com/Newhomepage/Frames/messageboard/Ragukalamdurgapooja.html 6/6

Das könnte Ihnen auch gefallen