Bhargavaa's first 'Marghazhi - Thiruppavai' Experience
Today, my nephew Bhargavaa was determined to join the elders at the temple for reciting Thiruppavai (He doesn't know a word of it though).
He said that he was growing up and has to be treated as a grown up (tweeking his non existing moustache).
So, his mother woke him up by 4.15 AM (least expecting him to wake up, but he did!!), gave him a cup of milk and his warm bath and got him ready for the temple.
I joined them today and we went walking to the nearest Vishnu temple by 4.45 AM where our elders were already waiting for us since 3.30 AM. The recital started exactly by 5.00 AM. He started getting restless. Then he shifted his seat next to me and tried to sleep on my lap. That too was very uncomfortable for him as we were quiet loud with our prayers.
Next attempt was to try to read the verses. But we were too fast for him. (He was still trying to spell each letter and read the word).
A little later, he couldn't stop his eyes from watering (poor sleepy kid :-(. But he couldn't just sleep). So I gestured him to go around the temple doing 12 pradakshinams. He finished it in no time but felt extremely tired by then.
Fortunately our recital ended simultaneously. The divine offering was then distributed to every one. To his dismay it was steaming hot Sweet Pongal. (He was expecting vadai or payasam or sundal). His mom and me managed to coax him to taste the prasaadam. But he wouldn't eat beyond 2 morsels. He thought we were going home next.
But, we stopped intermediary at the Ganesh temple. A lot of women were bathing the Ganesha seated below the Banyan tree with icy cold water. He was perplexed.
He came rushing to me to ask "chithi, why are they bathing Ganesh ummatchi* in cold water? Poor ummatchi" (*ummatchi - kiddish version of referring to God).
I wondered why he always had the most difficult questions to ask me alone and not to anyone else in the household. But my mind flashed an immediate answer (fortunately that he could accept as is) "It is difficult to fix a water heater in the temple, in such an open space. One, the current consumption will be more, Two, somebody might steal it. Coming to the electricity bill, who will pay? If you volunteer, we can tell the temple priest to take it from your piggy bank!".
He immediately beamed saying "Its ok that 'He' is bathed in cold water. Being a Ummatchi, very unlikely that he might catch a cold".
He was getting extremely restless and was nagging his mom for some milk in a low voice (because his friend Malan's mother was near by and it was a prestige issue for him to let her know about his nag). We tried to coax him to stay a little longer and have the prasadam.
Then he saw that the prasadam here was also Pongal. That was the last straw. He started off saying "All Ummatchi are Paavam (poor souls). All they get to eat this whole month is Pongal. They don't even get sambar or chutney along with it. Early morning they don't get milk or boost or horlicks or coffee to drink but they are forced to eat this Pongal every day".
My father in law was laughing real loud and he added "God is also forced to listen to some people's screaming attempt to sing, which even common mortals find it extremely difficult to hear".
We came home laughing over Bhargavaa's first experience. When we reached home by 6.30 AM, he was totally exhausted.
Before leaving to school, he said he was happy about getting up early today (earlier than his friend Malan who stays next door). But there was no commitment from him about tomorrow or the days to follow. :-)
He is a sweet kid!! Isn't he?
He said that he was growing up and has to be treated as a grown up (tweeking his non existing moustache).
So, his mother woke him up by 4.15 AM (least expecting him to wake up, but he did!!), gave him a cup of milk and his warm bath and got him ready for the temple.
I joined them today and we went walking to the nearest Vishnu temple by 4.45 AM where our elders were already waiting for us since 3.30 AM. The recital started exactly by 5.00 AM. He started getting restless. Then he shifted his seat next to me and tried to sleep on my lap. That too was very uncomfortable for him as we were quiet loud with our prayers.
Next attempt was to try to read the verses. But we were too fast for him. (He was still trying to spell each letter and read the word).
A little later, he couldn't stop his eyes from watering (poor sleepy kid :-(. But he couldn't just sleep). So I gestured him to go around the temple doing 12 pradakshinams. He finished it in no time but felt extremely tired by then.
Fortunately our recital ended simultaneously. The divine offering was then distributed to every one. To his dismay it was steaming hot Sweet Pongal. (He was expecting vadai or payasam or sundal). His mom and me managed to coax him to taste the prasaadam. But he wouldn't eat beyond 2 morsels. He thought we were going home next.
But, we stopped intermediary at the Ganesh temple. A lot of women were bathing the Ganesha seated below the Banyan tree with icy cold water. He was perplexed.
He came rushing to me to ask "chithi, why are they bathing Ganesh ummatchi* in cold water? Poor ummatchi" (*ummatchi - kiddish version of referring to God).
I wondered why he always had the most difficult questions to ask me alone and not to anyone else in the household. But my mind flashed an immediate answer (fortunately that he could accept as is) "It is difficult to fix a water heater in the temple, in such an open space. One, the current consumption will be more, Two, somebody might steal it. Coming to the electricity bill, who will pay? If you volunteer, we can tell the temple priest to take it from your piggy bank!".
He immediately beamed saying "Its ok that 'He' is bathed in cold water. Being a Ummatchi, very unlikely that he might catch a cold".
He was getting extremely restless and was nagging his mom for some milk in a low voice (because his friend Malan's mother was near by and it was a prestige issue for him to let her know about his nag). We tried to coax him to stay a little longer and have the prasadam.
Then he saw that the prasadam here was also Pongal. That was the last straw. He started off saying "All Ummatchi are Paavam (poor souls). All they get to eat this whole month is Pongal. They don't even get sambar or chutney along with it. Early morning they don't get milk or boost or horlicks or coffee to drink but they are forced to eat this Pongal every day".
My father in law was laughing real loud and he added "God is also forced to listen to some people's screaming attempt to sing, which even common mortals find it extremely difficult to hear".
We came home laughing over Bhargavaa's first experience. When we reached home by 6.30 AM, he was totally exhausted.
Before leaving to school, he said he was happy about getting up early today (earlier than his friend Malan who stays next door). But there was no commitment from him about tomorrow or the days to follow. :-)
He is a sweet kid!! Isn't he?
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