Paramahamsa Nithyananda Inaugurates Guru Pooja Festival
Performs first formal worship today as pontiff of Madurai Aadheenam
Madurai, 01 June 2012: Paramahamsa Nithyananda today performed his first formal ‘Paraartha Pooja’ after taking over as the 293rd pontiff of Madurai Aadheenam on 27 April this year.
The Paraartha pooja at Madurai Aadheenam is the privilege of the pontiff who personally performs the pooja every morning. Paramahamsa Nithyananda now carries on this tradition, starting on the auspicious inaugural day of the 5-day Thiru Jnana Sambandar Guru Pooja festival to be held from 01-05 June this year. The 6th century saint, child incarnation, Thiru Jnana Sambandar is the patron saint of Madurai Aadheenam, who revived the Aadheenam after it had fallen into ruin at the hands of certain corrupt monks.
Paramahamsa Nithyananda performed the 40-minute Parartha pooja to the ancient deities of Meenakshi & Sundareshwara (Shiva and Devi) at the Golu Mandapam (main sanctum) of Madurai Aadheenam to the accompaniment of mantra chanting from the Rudram. The pooja was performed with 64 items, culminating in a grand arati with 21 upacharas.
Pooja was also performed to Ganesha, saint Thiru Jnana Sambandar and the ancient Shaivite saints. The morning’s ceremony ended with Paramahamsa Nithyaananda personally giving blessings and ‘Thiru Neeru’ (sacred ash) to all those gathered. As the Guru Pooja festival started today with a Ganesha pooja,’ ‘modaka’ (sweet dumplings), considered the favorite sweetmeat of Lord Ganesha , was also distributed to the faithful after the pooja as prasad (consecrated food offering).
The Guru Pooja festival will feature various religious ceremonies, social services and spiritual activities. On 05 June, it will culminate in a full-day program, with the two pontiffs visiting Meenakshi Temple, followed by a public procession, Guru Homam, worship of Tiru Jnanasambandhar, Rudra Homam, kanakabhishekam (showering with gold) performed for the 292nd pontiff Srila Sri Arunagirinatha Sri Jnanasambanda Desika Paramacharya Swamigal, evening darshan at Meenakshi Temple and Maha Deepaaraadhana (grand lamp ceremony).