Kalahasti Special Poojas

Kalahasti and Sarpa Dosham

By K N Rao Journal of Astrology

Kalahasti in Andhra Pradesh in south India has been well known for centuries for the shanti sarpa dosham represented by Rahu and Ketu in a horoscope. There was a very informative article in the Oct-Dec issue of the Journal of Astrology of 1999 which is reproduced here. On 26 December 2006, I visited Kalahasti with eight others. Everywhere in the temple we saw boards showing poojas offered to Rahu Ketu and for Sarpa Dosham. NO WHERE WAS THERE ANY MENTION OF KAAL SARPA YOGA. Three couples among nine of us wanted poojas to be done for Rahu Ketu and sarpa dosham and the remaining three of us joined as passive participants. In the pooja there was no mention of Kaal Sarpa Yoga at all. All that was said was SARPA DOSHAM. I asked the poojari performing it where was Kaal Sarpa Yoga mentioned in any astrology book. The conversation between us was like the following. ‘’ Nowhere’’he said. ‘’Then why do people refer to Kalahasti as the place for the shanti of the so called Kaal Sarpa Yoga?’’ I asked him. ‘’It is their mistake’’ he said. I was happy and pleased with the answer of the poojari. He has a musical voice and beautiful pronounciation of Sanskrit. He underwent training in Karmakanda in many places including Kanchi Kamkoti. IT IS NECESSARY TO REMEMBER THAT SAYING THAT KALAHASTI IS ASSOCIATED WITH KAAL SARPA YOGA is a mistake. In course of time, some people may have done so because the shantis of Rahu and Ketu are done here because Kalahasti is referred to as Rahu-Ketu Kheshram. Now read the article of Vikrumaditya Singh Rahu Ketu Kheshtram Vikrumaditya Singh In Tamil sources of the second century BC there is a reference to the south Indian pilgrimage, Kalahasti, a small town on the Gudur-Renigunta section of the South Central Railway, in the Chittor district Andhra Pradesh.Referred to as Dakshina Kailasam, where all human beings attain salvation or mukti. The artistic excellence in the Pallava, Chola and Vijaynagar traditions makes Kalahasti one of the important Shiva khestras in south India. Adjacent to the temple, the Swarnamukhi river flows uttarmukhi (in northward direction) as in Kashi (Varanasi). It is why Kalahasti is referred to as Dakshina Kashi or Kashi of the south. In this unique temple, unlike other Indian temples, Gods and Goddesses are placed in four directions, which signify: 1) Dharma (the enjoined duty one has to perform) symbolised Lord Ganapati facing North. 2) Artha (earning wealth) symbolised by Goddess Gnanprasoonammba (Umadevi) facing East. 3) Kaama (desires one pursues) symbolized by Lord Shiva facing South. 4) Moksha (salvation) symbolised by Lord Kalahasteeswara facing West and reminding us all that like the setting Sun death is inevitable for us all, mortals. Spider, Snake and Elephant The Kalahasti temple is associated with three of God ís creatures, a spider, a Rahu Ketu Kheshtram cobra and an elephant. The name of the spider was Sri, the snake is referred to as Kaal (here it is referred to as Kala) and Hasti refers to the elephant. The Spider In Krita yuga, as the story goes, there was a spider by the name Sri who worshipped Lord Shiva in a very artistic way by weaving its webs in the form of temples and towers. If some threads of its web got snapped by strong gusts of winds, it repaired by reconnecting those threads. To test Sri once Lord Shiva caused all those webs to be burnt by a flame. Angered, the spider ran to gulp those flames, a risk which was bound to cost it, its life. On the verge of death, the spider had the supreme fortune of seeing Lord Shiva appear before who, after saving its life, asked it to ask for a boon. The spider requested the Lord to grant it that eternal bliss which a true devotee wants. Lord Shiva granted that boon, allowed the spider to become one with Him, giving it, thus, Sayujya Mukti. Cobra and the Elephant In Treta Yuga, a cobra worshipped Lord Shiva with rare gems which it brought from Nagaloka (the world of snakes). In the next Yuga, Dwapara, came an elephant who offered its prayers to Lord Shiva at the same place after taking its bath in the river Swarnamukhi. The elephant brought in its tusk water with which he washed the temple after removing the offerings of the cobra. The elephant decorated the idol of Lord Shiva with flowers and bilva leaves. Next day, the cobra suffered an agony when it found that its offerings had been removed. Blowing off the leaves and flowers offered by the elephant, the cobra performed its pooja in its own way. For the elephant, the gems offered by the cobra were mere stones while for the cobra the leaves offered by the elephant were full of thorns. It went on, as though it was a game of hide and seek, each worshipping in its own way after removing otherís offerings. One day, the cobra wanting to know how it was happening, hid itself behind the leaves.Finding the elephant doing what it had done every day, the angered cobra entered the nostrils of the elephant, choking it to death. In agony,and facing its death, the elephant dashed its head on the Shiva Linga. It caused the death of the elephant and the cobra, now dashed to the ground with a mighty jerk, found it difficult to survive itself. Pleased with their devotion, Lord Shiva restored them to life and returned to them their original form which was of Rudras. They too merged in the form of the Lord as the spider had earlier, in a different Yuga, Krita. To immortalize his devotees, Lord Shiva assumed the name of SriKalahasti. As said earlier, the name of the spider was Sri, the snake is referred to as Kaal (here it is referred to as Kala) and Hasti refers to the elephant. In this famous pilgrimage, one can see how the three got immortalised in the Shiva Linga here. At the foot of the Linga is ìSriî the spider in a recognizable form. In the middle there are two tusks of the elephant while on the top one can see a five headed cobra, which Lord Shiva, as is known, wears as a garland round His neck. Rahu-Ketu The form of the Linga at Kalahasti, has the shape of a cobra. In Hindu jyotisha Rahu has been referred to as the snake. It is well known that no snake bite can take place unless there is Rahu combining with the Sun, Moon or Gulika with the aspect of Mars. It is for this reason that Kalahasti is also referred to as Rahu-Ketu khestram Some of the malefic influences associated with Rahu, in traditional Hindu astrology and in folk belief are the well known Sarpa dosha which causes a woman to have enormous difficulties in bearing children. It is more so in south India where astrologers refer to Naga dosha and have women worship a snake made of gold or silver which they are asked to donate to someone after the completion of their worship. One can notice here that the nine planets are not installed separately but all the nine are combined in kavacha (shield) placed above the Shiva Linga . The priests of the temple decorate the Kavacha and not the Shiva Linga. In this great pilgrimage, it is through the worship of the Kavacha that devotees overcome the afflictions caused in their horoscopes. It is in this great belief that devotees throng to the temple. It is the depth of their devotion that gives to them what they pray for. The great tradition has existed for thousands of years which is why Kalahasti is referred to as a rare pilgrimage which one must visit to enjoy the blessings of the Lord and get relief from worldly agonies.