Special Ancestor Fortnight of Sep 2011 "Satya Hasta Shanta Mangala Mahalaya Paksha" of the Siddhas September 2011 Special Ancestor Ceremonies - Sep 13 to Sep 27, 2011 (Sep 12 to Sep 26, 2011 in some places) Mahalaya Paksham and Mahalaya Amavasya of the Kara varusham (year) Meikai AavikOttai is the Siddha Sacred Space for the 2011 Ancestor Fortnight.

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2011 Mahalaya Pitru Paksham (Ancestor Fortnight) Dates and Timings In 2011, this Pitri Paksha Ancestor Fortnight spans the following time period:
INDIA	begins at 1458 hours IST on Sep 12, 2011	lasts until 1639 hours IST on Sep 27, 2011
MALAYSIA / SINGAPORE	begins at 1728 hours GMT+8 on Sep 12, 2011	lasts until 1909 hours GMT+8 on Sep 27, 2011
LONDON	begins at 1028 hours BST on Sep 12, 2011	lasts until 1209 hours BST on Sep 27, 2011
NEW YORK	begins at 0528 hours EDT on Sep 12, 2011	lasts until 0709 hours EDT on Sep 27, 2011
CALIFORNIA	begins at 0228 hours PDT on Sep 12, 2011	lasts until 0409 hours PDT on Sep 27, 2011
For other timezones, refer to our free panchang calendar for your timezone.
2011 First Mahalaya Tharpanam Day The first Mahalaya tharpanam day of the 2011 ancestor fortnight is 13 Sep 2011 (12 Sep 2011 in some timezones). 2011 Mahalaya Amavasya (New Moon) Day Mahalaya AMAVASYA Day - 27 September 2011 (26 Sep in some places).

EASY Tharpanam Method of the Siddhas - "YOU" can do it. It is EASY. Doing tharpanam is easy. YOU CAN DO IT. Use the simple tharpanam method of the Siddhas given by Siddha Sathguru Venkataraman. Daily tharpanam is important, but offering tharpanam worship on all 15 thithis (days) of this annual ancestor fortnight is that much more important. To Learn More... To learn more about the Pitru Mahalaya Paksha Ancestor Fortnight, click on the links below. These articles have a lot of Siddha insights on the Ancestor Fortnight and its importance to us. Lots of info on Pitru Ancestors and the Tharpanam worship procedure. Pitru Moksha (ANCESTOR SALVATION) Sacred Spaces. 2008 - "Moolika Deepa Jyoti Shakti" Ancestor Fortnight. 2009 - "Anna Swathi Akshaya" Ancestor Fortnight. 2010 - "Kaivalya Gnana" Ancestor Fortnight. 2011 - "Sathya Hastha Shanta Mangala" Ancestor Fortnight. 2006. 1999.

Topic List for the Ancestor Fortnight known as the
"Satya Hasta Shanta Mangala Mahalaya Paksha" of the Siddhas
- Sep 2011 KARA Year

The special Siddha name for this 2011 Mahalaya Paksha (ancestor fortnight) is "Satya Hasta Shanta Mangala" Mahalaya Paksha. SOURCE: Here are some of the Siddha insights regarding the 2011 Ancestor Fortnight that were featured in the Aug 2011 and Sep 2011 issues of Sathguru Venkataraman's monthly Siddha magazine. Click here for the "Nedumbala" Ancestor Mandala of the Agasthiar Siddha Lineage. Do your tharpanam and other ancestor worship in front of this Pitru Ancestor Peetam. Click here for a "Short List" of Pitru Moksha (Ancestor Salvation) sacred spaces and temples. What should you do during the Ancestor Fortnight? Refer to the Appendix at the end of this article.

Sathguru Venkataraman's Siddha Insights into the Ancestor Fortnight What is the Ancestor Fortnight? For a simple "time-based" definition, refer to the Appendix at the end of this article. But there is much more to the Ancestor Fortnight than a simple definition. Find below a few of the many Siddha insights into this two-week time period given by Siddha Sathguru Venkataraman. Brahma & Vishnu Maal + Ayan Paksha is Maalaya Paksha, said Sathguru Venkataraman. Maal is Lord Narayana Maha Vishnu. Ayan is Lord Brahma. Thus, the (Maalaya Paksha) Ancestor Fortnight is a special two-week time period during which Lord Narayana and Lord Brahma shower Their blessings on the Pitru Exalted Ancestral Beings, said Sathguru Venkataraman. Make Good Use of the Ancestor Fortnight The Ancestor Fortnight is a two week period of special visits by exalted pitru ancestral beings to our world. Ancestor Fortnight = a two week period during which exalted pitru ancestral beings do special worship particularly in the pitru mukti (ancestor salvation) sacred spaces of our planet earth. Ancestor Fortnight = a time of special blessings from exalted pitru ancestors. Make good use of it. Most Important The most important day of the 15 days of the Ancestor Fortnight is the "Mahalaya Amavasya" New Moon Day which is the last day of this fortnight. There are 12 New Moon Days each year. The Mahalaya Amavasya New Day is the first of the 12 Amavasya New Moon Days created in Kala Bhairava Loka. In our current times, it is arranged to occur in the "Purattaasi" month (September) by the Kala Bhairava Loka. The two-week time period BEFORE this Amavasya of the Purataasi month is the Ancestor Fortnight. The 9 days AFTER this Amavasya of the Puratasi month is NAVARATRI, the nine nights of the Universal Mother Goddess. Spiritual Lessons & Understanding One's Destiny The Ancestor Fortnight is a time period of worship during which one can understand one's destiny in a spiritually proper way and structure one's life accordingly. Many events and experiences occur every day in our human lives. But of these experiences, how many are able to teach us life lessons that give us CLARITY and shape our lives profoundly? And even if these experiences can teach us, how much do we actually learn from them and how much do we internalize in ourselves and our lives? Ancestor Fortnight = a time period when one can receive and imbibe special (spiritual) lessons that can influence one's life in profoundly important ways. Why is this so? This is so because of the (subtle and concrete) presence of millions of exalted Pitru ancestors during these two weeks all over our world who want to bless us through profound happenings and experiences. But to assimilate these lessons, one must do tharpanam and other pitru ancestor worship procedures during every day of this 15 day period. Two-Pronged Worship Note that tharpanam is one part of this pitru ancestor worship. Along with this daily pitru worship, one must also give food to poor people (every day of this 15 day period) - at least one packet of food to some poor person. But keep in mind that the more people you feed, the better. KARMA Reduction during the Ancestor Fortnight This two pronged worship procedure - tharpanam + feeding the poor - on each of the 15 days of this fortnight - can seriously help reduce one's karma burden. The Ancestor Fortnight is one of the special times of the year when one's karmic burden can be reduced in significant ways through the above mentioned two-pronged worship procedure. So, if you want this benefit, you have to do this two-pronged worship yourself. Others cannot do it for you. Karma Burden What is karma burden? The crystallized result of one's actions, words and thoughts = one's karmic burden. One's karma burden determines one's future births and the nature of those births. Unless karmic burden is reduced, one's problems cannot be reduced. Karma vs. Moksha -- Talk is Cheap, Action is Hard. Many say that they want moksha (salvation). This is easy to say, but hard to get. To get moksha, the first step is the complete eradication of one's karma burden, i.e., the nullification of all of one's karma accumulated over billions of births! Imagine the enormity of this task. Deception in the name of Karma Removal This is the Kali Yuga, the age of deception and falsehood. So, there will be frauds who will claim to remove your karma if only you would give them your credit card! They will clean your bank account, not your karma! Karma Removal REALITY "Karma Removal" happens through hard work that WE have to do. Refer to Sathguru Venkataraman's "Nitya Karma Nivarini" 1000 day daily blog. The key lesson is this: "It is YOUR karma. YOU have to get rid of it by YOUR own hard work." The Siddha Sathguru gives us Siddha insights into karma removal, but EACH ONE OF US has to invest OUR time and effort to implement them OURSELVES. This is how karma is removed - by YOUR hard work implementing Siddha advice, NOT by giving your credit card to some fraud. Are there actions that don't result in karma? We know that every one of our actions, words and thoughts leads to the accumulation of karma, but is there a way out of this swirl? Are there actions that DON'T result in karma being added to us? When one performs actions not for oneself but for the welfare of others, such actions are not taken into karma accounting. This is the simple secret within the inexorable law of karma. But for this to work, one must not want even an iota of benefit for oneself. Some want monetary benefit, some want fame, some want position, some want power - all in the name of helping people! But even the minutest idea of personal benefit (tucked away in the remotest corner of oneself) will negate selflessness and result in karma creation. However, if one works for the welfare of others and sincerely does not want any personal benefit in any shape or form, then those actions do not result in karma accumulation. Karma Accounting -- Chitragupta cannot be tricked The deity Chitragupta, sitting at the Feet of Mother Sri Ayur Devi dutifully catalogs the karma of all beings. It is not possible to fool Chitragupta. If there is the smallest feeling for personal benefit, Chitragupta will know that and do the karma accounting accordingly. TYAGA - Selfless Action - One of the most important requirements for Spiritual Upliftment Giving up all desire for personal benefit and acting selflessly - solely for the welfare of others - is TYAGA, a cornerstone of spiritual progress. Without TYAGA, there can be no spiritual upliftment. (One of the special names of the Lord is TYAGAraja.) TYAGA ==> No Karma When one does "dhaana dharma" charitable giving" and performs worship procedures and seva (service) activities totally for the welfare of others (and not oneself), karma will certainly not be accumulated. In such actions, one's body, mind, heart and soul are completley engaged in the service of other beings without regard to oneself and thus karma is not generated. TYAGA ==> Spiritual Learning But enormous "punniya shakti" is generated and profound spiritual learning is imparted. Thus, true spiritual learning is built on the bedrock of TYAGA selfless action. The Ancestor Fortnight is one of the special times when such profound spiritual education is imparted to truly selfless ones. So, make good use of this two-week time period by working selflessly for the welfare of others. The Pitru Exalted Ancestral Beings who visit planet earth in the millions during this sacred time period work tirelessly to ensure that truly selfless ones are given this spiritual education and that they receive and internalize it. This is yet another reason for the importance of the Mahalaya Paksha Ancestor Fortnight. How we benefit (materially) from Pitru Ancestral Beings "Poorva punya" is the shakti that results from one's good deeds in past births. Such "punniyam" is one of the reasons one "gets" assets and happy relationships in one's life. But there is another component to this that one must know. Ancestor Fortnight = a good time to assimilate the important lesson that one's wealth, position, comforts, spouse, children, happiness, etc. are not just because of one's "poorvapunya" but also because of the "poorvapunya" resulting from the good deeds of one's pitru ancestors. Learn this lesson. Digest this lesson. When life overflows with problems For some people, life is one problem after another, minute after minute, with no end in sight. When one's daily life overflows with problems, what is the underlying reason? The underlying reason is that proper Pitru Ancestor Worship has not been done in their family for a very long time. TYAGA of Pitrus helps even those with very little "poorva punya" If "poorva punya" is the reason behind one's comforts, position and happiness, how about those with very little poorva punya? Well, the conclusion should be obvious. BUT... Ancestor fortnight = a time when the exalted pitru ancestral beings give some of their "punniya shakti" positive energy to those with very little "punniyam" so that even these ones can be nudged forward with at least some material and spiritual improvement. This is one of the important reasons that very advanced pitru beings visit planet earth and worship at the "pitru mukti" ancestor salvation sacred spaces during this two-week period -- to pray to the Lord Almighty (at these kshetras) to help nudge such hapless people forward too. Such is the TYAGA selflessness of the exalted pitru ancestral beings. ILL Gotten Wealth cannot generate "punniya shakti" (for oneself) Earlier we said that "poorva punya" is the result of one's good deeds done in the past. This leads to the question: What if Mr. Thief steals from Mr. Guy and uses that to do a good deed? What happens then? The answer is simple. The money belonged to Mr. Guy and so the result of the good deed goes to Mr. Guy. Furthermore, since Mr. Thief caused Mr. Guy pain by depriving Mr. Guy of what was his, Mr. Thief will get the opposite of "punniyam" for his "efforts". Pretty stupid of Mr. Thief, isn't it? Someday or the other, Mr. Thief will be deprived of money (that was actually his) and he will have to experience the pain that he caused Mr. Guy to go through. Make no mistake about it -- There is NO escape from the invincible hand of inexorable karma. As we said, Chitragupta cannot be tricked. The karma accounting will happen correctly. Whether money (or any other form of wealth) is stolen outright or gotten through bribes, it is ill gotten and the end result of such ill gotten wealth is the same. The good effects of good deeds done with (stolen) ill gotten wealth goes to those to whom that money belonged in the first place. But how is this related to the Ancestor Fortnight? It is related to the Ancestor Fortnight in the following way. Many people get frustrated with the following thought: "Evil and unrighteous people are doing very well, but we aren't doing so well even though we live dharmic lives." The two pronged ancestor worship procedure (described earlier in this article) during the Ancestor Fortnight can give people spiritual CLARITY into this problem and relieve their frustration by making them realize that every one of such evil, unrighteous folks will have to face up to their evil deeds and pay the price one day or the other. Such spiritual clarity is hard to come by, but it can be gotten during the Ancestor Fortnight. Questions that gnaw at people and frustrate them There are several questions that frustrate people, such as: "We lead dharmic lives, but we suffer. WHY?" "We have material comforts, but there is no peace in the family. WHY?" "We don't mess with others, but others mess with us and destroy our peace. WHY?" "We don't have any peace of mind. WHY?" Siddha Answer The main reason for such problems is that these people have not properly performed the two-pronged ancestor worship procedure described earlier. Siddha Solution Such people should do tharpanam at the pitru moksha sacred spaces and also worship at the (pitru mukti) temple there on Saturdays, on Amavasya thithi days and on at least 48 of the 96 "shannavadhi" special tharpanam days of each year. This regular worship will lead them to a solution for these problems that are eating away at them. Two Kinds of Worship -- Worship by Pitrus and Worship by Humans Ancestor fortnight = a time period when two kinds of worship happen: (i) the exalted pitru ancestral beings come to earth to worship at the pitru mukti ancestor salvation sacred spaces and (ii) Humans do tharpanam and other worship procedures for the exalted pitru ancestral beings. The Reality of Our Times -- Far Far Removed from Exalted Pitru Beings True bhakti (devotion), Satya (truth), Dharma (virtue and righteousness) are on a steady decline in the current age (Kali Yuga) - the age of falsehood and deception. RESULT = not even one in a billion qualifies for mukti (salvation). IMPLICATION: Few of one's ancestors have the spiritual shakti to reach the state of exalted pitru beings. This in turn means that many Kali Yuga families are far far removed from exalted pitrus beings. How does one become an Exalted Pitru Being? What is the process by which one attains the level of an exalted pitru ancestral being? The state of being an exalted pitru is given as a reward to those who lead lives (i) strictly according to the rules of dharma (righteousness) without doing anything immoral and (ii) who toil selflessly for the welfare of others (without wanting anything for themselves). Such people do not ask to be an exalted pitru, but it is given to them as a spiritual reward so that they can continue their selfless work towards the welfare of people by uplifting them to higher and higher spiritual states. So, two things are important here: the RIGHT LIFE and SELFLESS LIFE. These are the requirements for getting elevated to the level of an exalted pitru being. But it should be obvious that to satisfy these twin requirements in the current age of falsehood (Kali Yuga) when humankind is in the asphyxiating grip of maya delusion, one needs the guidance of a Sathguru. Without guidance from a True Guru (and sticking to such guidance assiduosly), it will be pretty much impossible to stay true to either dharma or tyaga in the Kali Yuga. But how does this square up with the reality of our times... that of being far far away from exalted pitrus? Good question. Since there is little righteousness and selflessness in the present time, not even one or two get elevated to the status of exalted pitrus. Is there anything that can be done about this? Indeed there is. Solution - Helping ancestors who may not have led good lives This is why the holy land of Bharata (India) and Tamil Nadu in particular have been blessed with so many great Pitru Moksha sacred spaces that can bless even exalted pitru beings with moksha salvation. When one worships at such "ancestor salvation sacred spaces" and performs ancestor worship also there, the benefits of such worship can help elevate one's ancestors too. One may have had ancestors who led pretty bad lives. Some of them may not even have the spiritual shakti to merit a birth in any form, which means they have to loiter around in disembodied form. Such souls can be helped by us through our worship at these "ancestor salvation sacred spaces". Everyone is descended from a Maharishi Sathguru Venkataraman used to reiterate the point that regardless of race, religion or nationality, every human is descended from a great maharishi. Sathguru Venkataraman made this point all the time. But what does this point really mean? In the world of spirituality, plain old talk means nothing. Just saying that one is descended from a maharishi doesn't mean a thing IF ONE DOESN'T ACT ON IT positively. So how should one act on this point? What does this point really mean? It means that everyone (the world over) should do tharpanam and other pitru ancestor worship procedures; this is the way to be true to their maharishi lineage. Doing our bit for our departed ancestors Not only does the two-week ancestor worship help people who perform them, it also helps those of their ancestors (i) who have not yet reached the level of exalted pitru beings, (ii) who may be much worse off taking birth in the form of animals and creatures, and (iii) those who are even worse off, i.e., without the spiritual shakti to take any birth at all and who are loitering around in disembodied form. All such classes of one's ancestors can be helped by the two-pronged ancestor worship procedure (described before). Thus, the Ancestor Fortnight is also a time when every human is given an opportunity to actually do something positive for their own ancestors. Some of the following topics will be elaborated upon in this article. Stay tuned... 5 What is DEATH? Siddha Insights. 8 The Tyaga (selflessness) of Pitru Ancestral Beings. The ceaseless TOIL of Pitru Ancestral Beings. The effect of tharpanam and other pitru worship on one's (1) past generations (2) present generation and (3) future generations. Every human being needs the blessings of exalted pitru beings. How to get them? 8b Vasu, Rudra, Aditya Pitru Beings. How to purify the Physical (sthoola), Subtle (sookshma) and Causal (kaarana) Bodies. The Kalamrutha "Time Medicine" of the Siddhas of the Agasthiar Lineage. 2 2 Unless one merges with God, one has to take birth again. Which means that most of one's ancestors have taken rebirths in some shape or form (human or animal or plant). How to help such reincarnated ancestors. How tharpanam and other ancestor worship procedures help such ancestors. 2 3 The special day for doing something to help those who died unnatural and untimely deaths. Meikai AavikOttai and Siddha Insights into Atma (Soul) 1 1 The Meikai AavikOttai Sacred Space and the Vamsapaari Banyan Tree therein - PITRU MOKSHA SACRED SPACE - the Siddha sacred space for Mahalaya Paksha (ancestor fortnight) 2011. The "KaduveLi" subtle divine light of the Meikai sacred space and the amazing way in which people actually saw this "subtle KaduveLi Prakasa" divine light. There is a time and place for everything... 1 3 Meikai AavikOttai - What is AavikOttam? What is the spiritual meaning? The fortress that guards the atma is AavikOttai. Longevity. Long life. "Full life" = 120 years. The great spiritual teacher Ramanuja Acharya. Meikai - important for Pitru Ancestor worship and also for Ganesh worship and Sri Vidya worship. The "sheaths" around the atma. The different ways in which saints, rishis and siddhas give up their physical body and merge with God. 1 9 The Vamsabaari Banyan Tree of Meikai - sacred area with the shakti of "KaduveLi" divine light. Coconut - Why is it broken into two halves? What do the two halves mean? 1 6 What is the Siddha insight into breaking a coconut into two halves during worship? Siddha Insight: The two halves of a coconut - what do the two halves mean? Unseen Air/Space Mandala inside a Coconut and the unseen Atma Mandala inside Man The unseen "air/space mandalam" inside a coconut and the "atma mandalam" inside a human - Siddha Insight. ATMA JOTHI and Jeeva Shakti. Waxing Phase, Waning Phase and Humans 1 7 The Waxing phase (valar pirai, sukla paksham) and the waning phase (thei pirai, krishna paksham) of every month - how they mark transformations in man. Mantras Pitru Gayatri Mantras and Pitru 108 Divine Name Mantras given by Sathguru Venkataraman. Some of the above topics will be elaborated upon in this article. Stay tuned...

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(1) HOW TO DO THARPANAM - EASY Siddha method. (2) Links to articles on pitrus (exalted ancestral beings) and tharpanam ceremonies. (3) Pitru Moksha (Ancestor Salvation) Sacred Spaces.

Elaborate coverage of Siddha insights into each Mahalaya Ancestor Fortnight of each year of the past few decades in Sri Agasthia Vijayam, Sathguru Venkataraman's Siddha Monthly Magazine. Just a few links below: 2008 Ancestor Fortnight. 2009 Ancestor Fortnight. 2010 Ancestor Fortnight. 2006. 1999.

Appendix 1:

What YOU should do during the Mahalaya Ancestor Fortnight Do tharpanam at dawn on all 15 days of the Ancestor Fortnight from the first day onwards. Use the tharpanam procedures given before for each of the 15 days. You should do Karunya Tharpanam also along with your Pitru (Ancestor) Tharpanam. Do lots of charitable giving during the ancestor fortnight: Feed poor people and pilgrims. GIVE clothes, footwear, cooking utensils, foodstuff, etc. to poor people. Feeding animals, birds, insects and other creatures is a daily duty, but it is particularly important during the ancestor fortnight: Feed animals; COWS especially. Feed birds; CROWS especially. http://www.Agasthiar.Org/a/mpma-to-do.htm. To share with your friends, please copy-paste only the link given below (and not the text of this article). The link is as follows: http://www.Agasthiar.Org/a/mpma-to-do.htm Ancestor Worship is two pronged: (1) Tharpanam, Divasam, etc. and (2) Annadhaanam, i.e., feeding the poor. Your Pitru Ancestor worship is complete only when both are done. So, give at least one packet of food to a poor person on each day of the Ancestor Fortnight. Of course, the more people you give food to, the better. Do tharpanam with poor people and THUS teach them how to do tharpanam by example. Each one has to do tharpanam by himself or herself. But you can teach poor people how to do tharpanam. So, do it along with poor people and thus teach them by example and for free. Visit lots of Pitru Mukti (ancestor salvation) sacred spaces... particularly the Siddha sacred space specified for each Mahalaya Ancestor Fortnight. Click here to find out the Siddha sacred space for each specific Ancestor Fortnight. Water the "sthala vriksha" Temple Trees in these sacred spaces. Do tharpanam in these Pitru Moksha sacred spaces. Do "dhaana-dharma" (charitable giving) in these Pitru Mukti sacred spaces. Chant the special (1) Pitru Gayatri Mantras and (2) Pitru 108 Divine Name Mantras given by Sathguru Venkataraman. Chant these all the time, especially during the Ancestor Fortnight. Note that you have to do all this by yourself. Others cannot do it for you, just like others cannot eat for you. You have to put in your time and effort yourself if you want the reward from the exalted Pitru ancestral beings and the rewards are plenty for those who do regular pitru ancestor worship with sincerity. Click here for more info. To be continued...

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Appendix 2:

Appendix 3:

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* Ohm Salutations to the Exalted Pitru Ancestral Beings. * Ohm Salutations to Maha Devi Lobhamatha and Maha Guru Agasthiar. * Ohm Salutations to the Agasthiar Siddha Guru Parampara Lineage --- * Ohm Salutations to Sathguru Venkatarama Siddhar. * Ohm Salutations to Paramaguru Astheeka Siddhar. * Ohm Salutations to Parameshtiguru Sadhaathapa Siddhar. * Ohm Salutations to Paraaparaguru Idiyaappa Eesa Siddhar, the Siddha teacher of Sathguru Venkataraman.