> In Nallur @ Panchavanmadevi chaturvedi mangalam ( 3Kms West of > Pazhayarai and Trhiruvalanchuzhi) Appar hymns that Siva has set his > foot on his head .. ! > That reminds me
in thiruvadhigai where appar got cured of his stoach ailment sundarar visits a couple of centuries later.
he spends the night in a public travellers building sleeping on the outside thinnai. half way thro the night he feels the foot of somebody touching his head. angry sundara wakes up, finds it is a oldman who is also sleeping in the same thinnai, rebukes him andmoves to the opposite thinnai. once again before dawn he finds a foot on his head and wakes up. the old man has followed him to the other thinnai as well. its then that sundara realises he has received a thiruvadi thikshai twice in the same night.
> Guru performs Upadesam and gives the disciple another name. > Such renaming also surmised to re-birth ! This renaming is known as > Dheeksha-naamam.and the process Siva-dheeksha.
Dear SPS / Ram
Intersting discussions
This process - though sounds a bit odd today - was a very common concept in ancient times. Almost all brahmins had to undergo this during their thread ceramony. They called themselves "dwija" which directly translates to "person of twin birth". Considering all classes of people became monks it is apparent all can become dwija
Why twin birth ? Osho beautifully explains
One is a physical birth. You are just born as a human being. That's all
Another birth happens when a proper initiation is given to you. Initiation is very much prevalant even today. When you join ISKON (Hare krishna movement) you are given initiation with the famous mantra "Hare rama..." in the second stage you are given deeksha
The mantra itself is not very significant but when it is given from a guru it becomes very powerful. Everyone knows gayathri mantra - then why it should be initiated ? it is because of guru.
Almost all monks of any mutt - for example ramakrishna mutt - had to change their name upon initiation.
There are two steps : One is the initiation and another is deeksha
With initiation you start. With deeksha you are all set for liberation
This is certainly religion. Not much of history though.
> > Guru performs Upadesam and gives the disciple another name.
> This process - though sounds a bit odd today - was a very common > concept in ancient times. Almost all brahmins had to undergo this > during their thread ceramony.
the nagarathar community undergoes a compulsory dhiksha ceremony on the eve of their shastitha purthy. they have two madams @ patharakudi and thulavur especially for this.