Sashti in Tirumala

24)Manmadhonyaha Pumaan Puthraha Pouthraputhraha Shadaananaha!
Jagathpraano Jyeshtaputhraha Snushaa They Bhaarathee Harey!!

Meaning:Lord Manmatha is your son! Lord Kumaraswami is your great grandson!!Lord Vayu is your elder son and Goddess Saraswathi is your daughter-in-law!...

The 24th sloka in Sri Venkatachala Mahathyam's wedding chapter clearly mentions the relationship between Lord Subrahmanya Swami and Lord Venkateswara. Not only that, Sri Venkatachala Mahathyam is a branch of Skanda Puranam in which Lord Subrahmanya Swami is stated to have played the key role in organising Lord Venkateswara's wedding. One of the seven sacred 'theerthas' on the seven hills is Sri Kumaradhara, named after Sri Karthikeya. Vamana Purana states that Lord Karthikeya performed penance on Lord Venkateswara as per the advice of His Father, Lord Shiva. There is also a certain belief that Lord Subrahmanya is automatically invoked through prayers to Lord Venkateswara in Tirumala. I firmly believe that "Kuja dosham" is nullified by prayers to Lord Venkateswara. For any malefic influence of Mars in a horoscope, Lord Venkateswara is to be propitiated and for moon's malefic influence Lord Karthikeya could be invoked.
"Nethra darshanam" of Lord Venkateswara on Thursdays and general darshan of Lord Venkateswara on Mondays mitigate the evil effects of badly placed moon in one's natal chart.When I looked up the 'panchangam' to check out the thithi and nakshatram of the day of my concert in Tirumala for SVBC Channel's Nada Neerajanam on 23/02/2011 at 6.oo PM, I was simply thrilled! The 'panchangam' revealed that the day of my concert happened to be 'Sashti' thithi and the divine birth star of Lord Karthikeya, Visakha nakshatram!
I felt it was a message from Lord Venkateswara, re-emphasizing and deepening my fascination for the relation between Lord Venkateswara and Lord Karthikeya!

Tantra in daily life (Part 1)

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Flowers adorning midnight dark and velvety hair of Indian women, swaying gently to the movements of their gait may present a delightful sight, but they represent a deeper significance. More than the attractive sight they present, the fragrance they emanate holds richer promise. If incense sticks or 'sambrani' are lit in houses to attract great prosperity, equally or more exotic results are assured for the wearer of flowers containing heavenly fragrance. Jasmines attract love and guarantees spiritual elevation ( a mixture of jasmine flowers and vermillion used as offering to Goddess Mahalakshmi for the ashtothara shathanamavali pooja for 41 days is said to materialize wedlock) and roses attract love as well as material prosperity. The 'Kadambam' flowers which is a mixture of jaaji (jaadi), malli, chamanthi. mogali (thazampoo), davanam, etc. are intensely fragrant, their intoxicating fragrance instantly warming the heart as it skips many a beat with unknown excitement. We can imagine the results of the combination of all these exotic flowers!!
Fragrance is also related to the kitchen! The auspicious sweets such as payasam, chakkara pongal etc., demand the usage of camphor (pachcha karpooram) and cardamom. Their rich and divine fragrance are powerful magnets for attracting peace and prosperity into houses. That is also one reason why the stove in the kitchen is considered to be the seat of Goddess Mahalakshmi. In orthodox houses stoves are cleaned and designs with streaks of vermillion (kolam) are drawn on them. On auspicious days such as Fridays, Pournami, general festivals and birthdays of kith and kin, traditional sweets are prepared by using camphor and cardamom powders liberally. Their strong scents invoke positive energies into the lives of the household members thereby promoting peace and harmony in the environment to a great extent.
Even images of flowers known as "Centaury", "Mimulus" and "Rockrose" when hung on walls of the house act as powerful protectors, warding off negativity and enemies!
Famous 'attars' like aragaja, javvadu, punugu (civet oil), sandal paste etc. are potent fragrances meant to attract and fulfill heart's desires. A common tantra is to apply these ingredients on the 'agna chakra' ( in the region middle of the eyebrows). "Agna" means to command and also represents one's conscience. Application of any substance on this vital point yields suitable results. It is therefore recommended that one should at all times apply only auspicious things like vermillion, vibhuthi, sandal paste, raksha of a homam (havan)etc. for all round prosperity and grace of God. Application of attars on agna chakra yields material prosperity and success in heart-related matters.
Usage of meaningless 'sticker' bindis abuse the power and potency of agna chakra.
(To be continued......)