Reflecting yesterday for a better tomorrow

Digging my previous Facebook inbox messages, I was amused to see myself debating various topics with variety of people. From cute bakery to magical sorcery, from evil onions to cute minions, my fingers typed words beyond imagination throughout the years.

Scrolling and reading such conversations, my eyes and mind were glued to a topic I had recently debated with several people:

Simple question but complicated answer, that's what most of us think. How true is it? 

Watch your thoughts, they become words.

Watch your words, they become actions.

Watch your actions, they become habits.

Watch your habits, they become your character.

Watch your character, it becomes your destiny.

Well, this quote explains itself quite well, so I am not going to spend my time elaborating it. What I would like to point out here is the power of thought. Yes you are right, I am indeed referring to our very own thought.

With my mind, I can control my life- is it a fact or fiction? Is it an accepted reality or busted myth? Ladies and gentlemen, the truth is, we can indeed control our life using our mind. All it takes is the consistency of our thought in sending the correct message to the universe. At this point, the main question is how?

There are many skills to be mastered and conquered in the gaining full control of this power. However, every journey begins with a single step. Let's get down to the basic skill for the power of thought- Positive Thinking. 

Are you thinking positively today?

Let me share to you, a simple technique that promises victory who those who practise it Here it goes:

Believe in this, and witness the wonder yourself. Let's us look at an example to make this clear. As time passes by, we may have encountered many situations in life. We may have wished for many things, ranging from a toy, to a cloth, money, relationship and many more. Sometimes, what we wished for may didn't come true, but people, do realize that we are in reality, not in a fairy tale. Every single thing happens for a reason, and that is how the world works. 

So the next time when we are not granted what we wish for, never ever feel sad or have any negative thoughts on it. Remind yourself, it didn't happen either because there are better things waiting for you, or God simply have other plans for you. Either ways, believe me, you won't get disappointed at the end of the journey. If you fix your mind on something, and in between problems and challenges arise, keep calm and face them! Don't think "What if I don't get it?" or "I will fail if this continues!". In contrast, keep thinking "This is just another challenge on the way, I will get what I want soon."

For a start off, let us train ourselves to keep thinking positive and accomplish our aims in life. Remember that God help those who help themselves. Stay positive and realize the power of thoughts, the greatest power of all time.

I am capable of facing any challenges that are destined for me!

Thaipusam - Are we choosing the right path?

Vetrivel Muruganukku Arogara!

The time has finally come, calling Hindus from all over Malaysia for a divine time of the year- Thaipusam. I wonder, what comes to your mind when you hear the word Thaipusam?

A sea of divine-looking men and women in yellow clothes, flooding temples with milk-filled pots? 

Lines of daring and possessed-like devotees, pierced with sharp hooks and spears?

Tons of merrily-decorated grand looking kavadis along the streets?

The charm of urumi melams, blasting off devotional songs in maximum aplitude?

Why do hindus carry paal kudam all the way to Lord Muruga?

Why on earth did this man pierced a spear through his face?

Why does this man willing to endure the pain of carrying this majestic kavadi?

Speaking of Thaipusam, I bet there are many questions wandering off in your mind. This article may not be able to answer all your questions, but at least I could solve some of the mysteries:)

The word Thaipusam is actually a combination of the words Thai and Pusam, simple isn't it? Wait, what does that even mean? Thai is a month in Tamil calendar (15 January- 14 February) and Pusam is the name of a star, where it is said that this star is at its highest point during the festival.

This was exactly the question that was running in my mind, when I planned to write this article. Okay, I get the point that it's name is a combination of a month and a star. So what? What is the whole idea of celebrating Thaipusam? A little research enlightened me about this.

Speaking of the origin of this festival, I have seen and heard many related theories and stories. According to Kanda Puranam (a Sanskrit epic), there is little story behind all this, and here how it goes :

Once there was a sage (a wise man) named Agasthiyar, and he had a follower named Idumban. One day, Agasthiyar asked Idumban to bring him two hills, named Sakhti Giri and Siva Giri respectively. Idumban tied the two hills at both ends of a  huge pole, which he carried on his shoulder. 

A statue resembling Idumban carrying the two hills, at Palani Temple.

As the journey continued, Idumban felt thirsty, so he put down the hills and went to get some water. When he eventually came back and tried to carry back the hills, but failed. There stood the hills, not even moving a bit. According to the puranam, there was a boy, standing on top of one of the hills, and Idumban saw him. Idumban asked him to get down, but the boy refused and gave a fight. As both of the forces clashed, Idumban eventually got killed. As the truth revealed, the boy was actually a disguise of Lord Murugan. Lord Murugan restored Idumban's life and from that day on, Idumban became a faithful devotee to Lord Murugan.

Okay, the story is cool, but am I missing something here? I still don't get it, what's the connection of this story and Thaipusam? Yeah, you may ask this question right now. Here comes the most epic part of the story.

Being a loyal and faithful devotee, everyday Idumban would go all the way up to the hill and give abishegam (appreciation to God) to Lord Murugan. Idumban would bring milk and water, both in different containers, to the top of the hill. How he did it? The same way as he carried the hills, Idumban tied the two containers at both edges of a stick, and carried it on his shoulder. Okay, here comes the grand piece that completes the puzzle. One fine day, on the month of Thai, during the rise of Pusam star, Lord Murugan gave Mukthi (blessings) to Idumban for his pure dedication and faithfulness. 

Seeing this wonderful sight, people around his village began to follow Idumban's footsteps. They would bring milk, lemon juice, tairu, and karumbu chaaru to do abishegam for Lord Murugan - each of them hoping that they will get Lord Murugan's blessings as well.

So here you have it, the origin of Thaipusam.

Bringing paal kudams signifies the act of doing abishegam for Lord Murugan on Thaipusam, there's no doubt on it. But how about the kavadi? If we are following the act of Idumban, bringing milks and some other stuffs to Lord Murugan, on what sense are some of us doing all these? : 

I don't think Lord Murugan is a fan of Manchester United.

Just look at those piercings, dahsyat! But the question remains, why?

I admit it's kinda awesome and cool, but is it really necessary?

As years and decaded pass by, so does the manipulation of the tradition. The concept of Thaipusam is obviously misleaded, causing some of us to divert from the real divine meaning of the festival. 

For those who have been wondering, the idea of taking kavadi originated from the act of Idumban carrying the hills using a pole, placed on his shoulder. Some say that it is originated by the act of Idumban, bringing the milk and water to Lord Murugan, using the same technique too. One thing is clear- in both stories, no piercings or exaggerating acts are mentioned.

I was playing with Google recently, when I ended up on a Hinduism site- velmuruga.com. It was not long after I started scrolling down the page when a statement caught my eyes:

Actually, on Thaipusam, we can go to any Murugan temple, not only Batu Caves, bring any abishegam items, witness the thirumanjanam(abishegam), then listen to His songs, sing along, and get His prasadham to home. Thats all!

At the moment it hit me. It is, in fact, true.

The scenario of Thaipusam is indeed stunning. The awesome moment when the speakers blast off maximum volume Thaipusam songs. The relieving moment after one have finished their spiritual journey of taking paal kudam. The mesmerizing moment when one dances to the trance of urumi melam with kavadis on their back. The mouth-watering food and drinks, served in thaneer panthals along the streets. The indescribable moment when beautiful tamizhachis and handsome tamizhans flood the street, rising the so-called spirit of Thaipusam.

Just ask ourselves:

Why are we celebrating thaipusam?
What is our aim in celebrating Thaipusam? 
Are we celebrating it the correct way? 

And I will pray to God that you will find the answers to your questions.

with whatsapp and thaipusam:)

Vanakkam vanthanam, valga vazhamudan, valarga tamizhudan.

It's a breathtaking moment in the history of mankind, as this is the first time I'm writing a blog. Lame, isn't it? I've seen a lot of blogs before, but never before was I inspired to write something of my own. So, why the sudden interest? - you may ask.

It all started when i was lying on bed, facing my Galaxy Y's screen, with my fingers playing on it, wondering what on earth can I do to kill the time. It was not long before I decided to check on my friends in Whatsapp. So, now the title is making some sense, right?

Why on earth does it have a phone symbol? =='

As I was scrolling down the chat list, my eyes caught a friend of mine. There was her name, right in front of my eyes- Kausalya Mohana Selvam. It have been quite some time since I last chatted with her. So I decided to buzz her, and what I got was a immediate reply. Little did I know that the conversation we were having will lead to something bigger.

We chatted about a lot of stuffs, and then it finally came to this topic. Yeah you may have guessed it - Thaipusam. I'm going to take "paal kudam" this year (again, a breathtaking moment in the history of mankind), so I was discussing about it with her. That is when she told me "Actually got one reason why we take paal kudam, but many people don't realise it."

Why do hindus take paal kudam?

As curiosity hit me, I asked her more and more. In return, she answered me more and more. Our conversation lead to many other related topics, and that is the moment we decided to get into a mission - to share the real beauty of Thaipusam with others:)

Why do we see these kind of things in thaipusam? What does it mean?

 Together- me, Kausalya, Shanmugam and a proud resident of Batu Caves, Elanchelian -are digging up facts and fictions. Coming up soon, you will know what is the real meaning of Thaipusam. Some of you guys out there may have known about Thaipusam clearly, but I'm pretty sure there are some of us who will find these discoveries quite new to them. So, stay tuned guys!

#coming soon: thaipusam- are we choosing the right path?