January 28, 2008 at 5:38 pm (Hindu, India, Kolam, Kubera Kolam, Magic Square, Sudoku)
Addendum to Kolam
I came across this interesting piece of information when I was browsing the net for some related information. Thanks Karthik, for sharing this Sudoku-like kolam for prosperity in your website.
My mom draws this floor painting called Kubera Kolam everyday in the pooja altar. She 
draws a 3X3 square, writes some numbers on it, keeps one rupee coins on the number, puts vermilion on the coins and finally some flowers on them.
When I asked her about the significance of it, she told me it’s called Kubera Kolam and believes that the house will never be short of money. I am not interested in her belief but now more interested in the numbers. The numbers are from 20-28. When we sum the numbers across the rows and columns they always end up in 72, which again boils down to 9 which is considered a divine number.
There is a variation to this called “The Lo Shu Square”, originated from china. This is also a 3X3 matrix that has numbers from 1 to 9. The sum of numbers across the rows and columns is always 15. If you add 19 to every number in the Lo Shu Square you get Kubera Kolam. There is also a big story to it. You can read it here.
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January 24, 2008 at 7:23 pm (Hindu, Kolam, Middle Class, Rangoli, South India, Spirituality, Yoga)
Guests, Soul, Kolam……
Unlike in other parts of the world, guests often show up without advance notice in South Indian homes. So, one need to be prepared for guests anytime of the year, anytime of the day. It will be quite understandable if you think of it this way – When does God visit your house? Do you know ahead of time? We should always be prepared to let God in when He visits. Do you know what God looks like? Are you sure you will recognize him when He appears in front of you? He could come in the form of your friend or relative. That is why any guests who come to your house are treated with respect. In fact, it is expected that you enquire the wellness of your guest, get them seated comfortably, feed them if they are hungry before you ask them of the reason for their visit.
For the same reason, you would not keep the front door of your house shut. You do not want to keep God / Guest waiting at the door. They might get tired of waiting for you to open and leave. Old houses in South India were built in a linear structure – that is there will be room after room in a line. From the front of your house, you can see the backyard. For that reason, you need to keep the backdoor shut. You do not want the Godliness that has entred your house to escape through the back door before blessing you with health and wealth. This is true for your soul as well. Keep your soul pure and open for God. Be aware of the evil forces who do not dare to enter your soul through the heart.
Everyone in the household is expected to wake up early in the morning which is usually before the daybreak. The first thing to do in the morning would be to take a bath and cleanse your body of sins from the previous day. You are not supposed to eat or drink anything before your bath. My mother was very strict about this rule and made no exceptions even when we were feeling sick.
Water is considered to be holy and sacred in Hinduism. It could also be considered as analogous to Baptism in Christianity. Hindus travel to the River Ganges in Varanasi to take a dip in the holy waters and wash away all of their sins. Not everyone can travel to Varanasi in their lifetime. So the holy water is bottled in copper urns and brought back to those who are unable to travel. The urns are sealed and the water is sprayed on the head. The urns are also opened when someone in the household is nearing their death. The urn will be opened and the water will be offered as a drink. This is supposed to help the dying travel directly into heaven without any re-births. The ashes of the dead are also taken to the Ganges and drained into the river for salvation of the dead.
There will be a small verandah or something of that sort in front of most of the houses. This space will be dusted and washed with water everyday in the morning and evening. So, after the bath, the female folk of the house will decorate that space by drawing designs with a fine powder of rice. This is called ‘kolam’ in some of the South Indian languages – also known as ‘Rangoli’ in Hindi. Rangoli is colorful whereas kolam is just with white rice powder. There are some standard patterns that are used by people most of the time. The deisgn gets bigger on special days and occasions. Kolam is considered very auspicious. If a house verandah is not cleaned and does not sport a kolam then, that is probably due to a recent death in the household. So, that is probably not a good time for casual visits and an indication to the guests arriving without advance notice. Old folks say that you should always begin your day by doing a good deed. What is a better deed than feeding hungry? By putting kolam, ants in the earth get their food for the day since it is rice powder! Also, the posture you need to take to complete this design on the floor could be considered Yoga.
Check this website out for more details on Kolam: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kolam
Pooja, Chanting, Mantras, Prostrations……….in Part III
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January 18, 2008 at 5:50 pm (Hindu, Middle Class, South India, Spirituality, Yoga)
Yoga and Spirituality in typical middle class Hindu homes of South India
I was recently asked by a friend whether we (Indians) always practiced Yoga at home and whether we were taught this as young children. We discussed in great length about Yoga and Spirituality in India. I decided to make some random notes about my thoughts on this topic and spiritual practices we had in my home when I was growing up. I will be publishing tids and bits and decided to do it as a series.
My home in India was a typical South Indian Hindu home which belongs to the middle class tier of the society. Most of our neighbors, friends and relatives also fall into this category. My observations and understandings are based on the community that I have described above. There is also a huge difference in culture between the families in South India and other parts of India.
In South Indian Hindu homes, Spirituality and Yoga are instilled in the daily activities and they don’t stand separately from everyday lives. Most of the people do not sit down for a Yoga or meditation session. It should also be noted that most of the customs and rituals of everyday life is multi dimensional – it would have more than one meaning to it.
Someone asked Sri Sri Ravishankar, founder of the Art of Living Foundation about Yoga. He said we all do yoga everyday – we just don’t realize it – when a baby is in the womb, it curls up in mother’s tummy – that is yoga. When the baby is a few months old, it kicks up the legs in the air – that is yoga. When the baby is 6 months or so, it gets a hold of its feet and brings it to the mouth – that is yoga.
Guests, Soul, Kolam…….in Part II
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