Light show: albeit a small one...karthigai

I was browsing for some stories about Karthigai, and found a very nice blog. Unfortunately I cant seem to leave comments on blogs which have disabled author verification. Can anyone tell me why and what I must do for that?
Here is the link

Here is another blog, that shares the story of Karthigai

So to my understanding the general consensus is that Shiva took the form of a fire column, in order to show Brahma and Vishnu that God is limitless.

Ok...
Here is my question...
Then Why do Vaishnavaites( followers of the Protector God/ Vishnu) celebrate this event as well?

This is purely an academic question and does not reflect my religious or spiritual standing. I want to know the stories that Vaishnavaites are telling. All I know is that Shaivites and Vaishnavites light the lamp on 2 different days, and the first is called Annamalai Deepam and the second is Vishnu Deepam.

If any body has a link/ story please do tell.

Interestingly this festival is not only unique to Tamilnadu, where people light lamps on the the first full moon day which falls in the month of Karthigai, there are other communities that celebrate the most holy of all months( apparently)
* Bengali/Oriya do the Kartik puja, a five day celebration to Lord Shiva
* The Pushkar Mela ends on Karthik purnima
* Killing of Tripurasura by Lord Shiva
* Birth of Karthikeya or Murugan ( not quick gun, but the worshipped God!)
* Birth of the Matsya Avatar ( a new story for me!)
* Birth day of Vrinda, a form of Tulsi ( elsewhere a story associates this day with the marriage of Tulsi with the Shaligrama( ammonite fossil stone) form of Vishnu!
* This day also marks the day when Lord Krishna danced the rasa with Radha.
* The sikhs celebrate Guru Purab in this month ( Guru Nanak Jayanthi)
* Jains too consider this a holy month and go on a tirth yatra to Palitana( in Gujarat)

Finally what I liked best was that one link told me the first day is called "Appa Karthigai) because Appams ( the sweet round varieties) are made on that day, and the second day is called "Vadai karthigai" ( Vadai's are crispy deep fried lentil preparations). That so appeals to the foodie in me!!

Since I made appams yesterday, I am contemplating the vadai angle today!!

But one thing is apparent to me after all this research,Humans are such seekers of celebrations, nothing derogatory please...just that we can and do find reasons to make our lives a big festivity!!

here are some pictures from my light show:


 
Posted by Picasa

Comments

  1. AshaNovember 23, 2010 at 12:02 AM

    read details about vishnudeepam here. http://www.hindu-blog.com/2008/12/vishnu-deepam.html

    though kartik purnima is observed across various regions, I think lighting agal vilakkus is unique to TN, the rest of the country lights them during diwali.

    Good facts collated, but the scientific reasoning is attributed to the planetary positions which was told on Tv by a scientist. I switched on the TV when he almost concluded and said the reason was told in ancient days to the general public and when the general public refused to light the diyas (perhaps to warm up the cool atmosphere and has got something to do with the transition of planets),when the general public did'nt heed, the scientists( of yore) told the same to the king and the king ordered and proclaimed it as a festival to be celebrated by lighting diyas.

    And yup, a lovely light show you presented.

    ReplyDelete
  2. AnonymousNovember 23, 2010 at 2:56 AM

    Aah!This was the exact question I had, but no good answers yet. A friend mentioned something like 'paanchaathradeepam'but Google has not heard of it and so am rejecting it:) Nice compilation!

    Like you said, does not matter as long as it involves good food and celebration. I wanted to do a karthigai post t'day, but holding it as am yet to transfer the pics:)

    ReplyDelete
  3. Anuradha ShankarNovember 23, 2010 at 6:09 AM

    nice pics... have to upload mine too... as to the story, well, like u, when i tried to find out the reason, read so many that i gave up! incidentally, it is not karthikai which is the birth day of Muruga, but vaikasi visakam....and tulsi puja is held a few days before the full moon... dwadasi, actually.. so these are all just people speculating about it.... I like asha's view though... i always wondered if it had something to do with the fact that this is probably the coldest month of the year in the south... so shorter days. and thus, lamps were lit to light up the place.... i remember my mom lit lamps for the entire karthikai month. also, the story of shiva appearing as a light is the reason for annamalai deepam. from a version i read somewhere, bharani deepam on the day before is a sort of preparation for this, and sarvalaya deepam on the next day is when all the other temples commemorate the occasion by lighting lamps... so these three days are the important ones....

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Integrity - The 3 Diamonds - Tamil folktale

Image
Integrity - Is being true to ourselves. Only if we are true with ourselves can we aim to be true to others. So there is  a big element of Self Awareness and Self Respect involved in this. Only if we have this character strength will others trust us. Integrity is about walking the talk! http://www.wisdomcommons.org/virtue/76-integrity/parables Folktales have handled Integrity in many ways - cautionary tales that tell you what happens when Integrity is lost. Some tales use sacrifice to illustrate Integrity, where the Hero/ Heroine have to give up something in order to keep their word. Some wonderful tales such as Punyakoti the Cow and Arputha the Tiger. Though the original version tells us that the tiger jumped off a cliff and sacrificed himself, in order to atone for his sin of desiring such a  virtuous cow as Punyakoti, others have adapted this tale (called as disordered narrative), to have the tiger let go of the cow, in peace. Another tale is the Boiled Seeds ( Empty Pot stor
Read more

Perspective - The Rose Bush and the Snail (HCAnderson)

Image
The Rose Bush & the Snail - by Hans Christian Anderson A hedge of hazel-nut bushes encircled the garden;  but in the centre of the garden stood a rose-tree, and under it sat a snail--she had much within her, she had herself. "Wait, until my time comes," said she, "I shall accomplish something more than putting forth roses, bearing nuts, or giving milk, like the cows and sheep!" "I expect something fearfully grand," said the rose-tree, "may I ask when it will take place?" "I shall take my time," said the snail, "you are in too great a hurry, and when that is the case, how can one's expectations be fulfilled?" The next year the snail lay in about the same spot under the rose-tree, which put forth buds and developed roses, ever fresh, ever new. The snail half crept forth, stretched out its feelers and drew itself in again. "Everything looks as it did a year ago! No progress has been made; the r
Read more

Just another day for you and me in Paradise - poem

Image
    Pic - Fishes in a lake - they stay away from the sides fearing birds, all cramped together. Suddenly one fish flips to it's back and dies! - Oh just an ordinary day in our LIFE!   Greed arrives in many forms, bearing gifts of clothes, jewels and food. I fail to resist and welcome them with eager desire. Ill will is a hazy person occupying my nether worlds, showing up at places and at times, that doesn't justify their presence. Sloth and Torpor are twins who live with me, I feed them everyday with procrastination. Restlessness and Remorse are cousins who visit me at times, inviting me to their games. I join them without thinking and regret in silence. Doubt, Oh Dithering as we may also call them, comes uninvited and occupies my mind. I don't know why I allow them to stay, even when I know that they are not wanted. Struggling with all these Unwanted Guests to my abode, I finally decided to invite Meditation and Mindfulness and they as guides are sending my unwanted guests
Read more