Shaivanism and Vaisnavism

Siddhi B. Ranjitkar

A large number of devotees pour in the Salinadi River in Sakhu to take a first dip in the holy waters of the Salinadi River on the full moon day of the month called Poush and last for a whole month called Magha (Jan-Feb). Devotees take a dip in the waters of holy rivers elsewhere for starting the month-long festival of Svosthani. On this full moon day, every Hindu household begins reading out the sacred Hindu story called Svosthani in the evening for a month. The story is about the battle between the Shaivists and Vaisnavists and their reconciliation. The story tells about how Lord Vishnu attempts for reconciling Lord Shiva with the protagonist of Vaisnavi, Daccheprajapati but it does not work and the battle begins between Lord Shiva and Daccheprajapati whereas as Lord Vishnu himself remains neutral. Ultimately, Daccheprajapati loses the head and Shaivists and Vaisnavists reconcile.

On the full moon day of Poush, devotees bring Changu Narayan: one of the names of Lord Vishnu from Changu to the old palace in Kathmandu. At the gate called Hanuman dhoka to the old palace, the palace priest makes offerings to Changu Narayan. Living Goddess Kumari presides over the ceremony of making offerings to Lord Changu Narayan. At one time of the Nepalese history, Kathmandu and Changu belonged to different principalities. So, the king of the Kathmandu could not visit Changu as and when he needed to make offerings to Changu Narayan. So, the tradition of bringing the deity to the palace once a year has been set for the then royalties to make offerings.

In Bhaktapur, a festival is held at the Hanuman ghat to honor Madhav Narayan. Madhav is one of the names of Lord Vishnu in the human incarnations, and Narayan is the initial name of Lord Vishnu. Devotees make offerings of thousands of water fountains to Madhav Narayan. Devotees immerse lower halves of their bodies in the waters of the Hanuman ghat and blow conch shells. After completing the ceremony at the Human ghat, they wear the crowns set with thousands of wheat straws that work as fountains for running water as the offerings to Madhav Narayan, and then every body goes around the Bhaktapur town blowing a conch shell.

At Salinadi in Sakhu about 20 km northeast of Kathmandu on the full moon day of Poush, a month-long festival begins to honor Madhav Narayan. Men and women devotees perform a month-long special solemn religious ceremony. They wear saffron clothes, stay together at the makeshift shelter and jointly make religious offerings following the instructions of the officiating priests every day. They take a dip in the holy waters of the Salinadhi Stream in the morning then make regular offerings to Madhav Narayan and listen to the Svosthani story. At noon they take a special vegetarian meal and have a rest for some time and thereafter listen to the Svosthani story thus devotees end the activities of a day. They eat only one meal a day for the month.

Devotees from all over Nepal visit the Salinadhi area to make offerings to demigods such as Navaraj, Chandravoti and porters that had carried Chandravoti, and certainly to Madhav Narayan and the deity called Svosthani. Some of them take a dip in the waters of the holy Salinadhi Stream. Devotees believe in earning merits and getting their wishes met visiting this area once during the month-long religious festival. For a month, this area becomes the commercial-cum-religious hub. Retailers, eating-place keepers and entertainers descend on this area to do a good business during the month-long religious festival.

Every household listens to the story of Svosthani every evening for a month. One of the family members reads out either a hand-written old book or a modern printed book a few chapters every night so that the reader can complete the reading out of the story during the month. A small basket full of tidbit is kept next to the Svosthani book while reading a portion of the story. After finishing the reading of the story for the evening, the reader offers the tidbit to the deity Svosthani and then distributes it to all the listeners as the blessing of the deity.

The Svosthani story is about Lord Vishnu tricking Daccheprajapati to give his most beloved daughter Satidevi to Lord Shiva in marriage with the intention of reconciling protagonist of Vaisnavists with Shaivists but it has rather provoked Daccheprajapati to the extent of non-reconciliation. Daccheprajapati even breaks the relationship with his most beloved daughter Satidevi because she is married to Lord Shiva that he hates so much.

The hatred between the Shaivists and Vaisnavists has sent them to a war that has ended with the death of Daccheprajapati. After the death of Daccheprajapati, Shaivists and Vaisnavists reconcile depicting Daccheprajapati as an animal-headed, as the story of Svosthani goes. So, during this month-long festival, Nepalis revere both Lord Shiva and Lord Vishnu.

Shaivanism and Vaisnavism are two forms of the so-called Hinduism. The origin of Shaivanism is the Himalaya and of Vaisnavism is the ocean. Shaivanism teaches the techniques of living a good life and Vaisnavism describes the evolution of life on this planet. So, you find that Lord Shiva the proponent of Shaivanism is always depicted as meditating sitting crossed legs and barely with any clothes on in the Himalaya means the snow-capped mountains whereas you find Lord Vishnu lying on the five serpents plaited together as a bed with a hood of the five heads protecting Lord Vishnu from the sun, and floating on the ocean.

Lord Shiva teaches the techniques of living the mundane life as good as possible. He teaches us that the earth planet has various lives. So we have to live harmoniously with all the living beings. So, he keeps a bull with him as a companion. He meditates days and nights. He keeps himself always equanimity even when poisonous serpents crawl around his body and wrap around his neck and arms. He teaches that the mundane life comes to ash one day no matter what you do and don’t on the planet earth. His message is to live this short life on earth as harmoniously as possible with all living beings together. This earth belongs to all the living beings. So, Lord Shiva’s message is you have to share the earth with all the living beings rather than enjoying it for yourselves. Lord Shiva keeps the companion of a bull to show that we need to live harmoniously with the animals.

Lord Vishnu’s various incantations are the depiction of life on earth starting on the ocean. Narayan is the initial name of Lord Vishnu. Narayan means originated from the water. The depiction of fourhanded Lord Vishnu lying on the bed of the five-plaited serpents and floating on an ocean is the life that has started on an ocean.

Then Narayan first incarnates as a fish to save the ascetic and pious people while destroying the corrupt people on earth by flood that has swept away everybody except for those Lord Vishnu has saved. The second incarnation is turtle that has held the huge load of Mount Mandara used as a churning stick by deities and demons for churning the ocean of milk for various precious things they believe lying in it. The third incarnation is a wild boar. The fourth incarnation is Narashimha means a half lion and a half human that Lord Vishnu has assumed to destroy the king called Hiranya kashyapu that has terrorized his son called Prahald for being the devotee of Lord Vishnu. The fifth incarnation is Parasuram: the human in the early stage. Thereafter, Narayan incarnates as Lord Ram the perfect human and then Krishna and so well versed in all sorts of wisdom. Thus, Lord Vishnu has been the evolution of life on earth.

Shaivanism has spread from the north to the south and Vaisnavism from south to the north of South Asia. Lord Shiva meditates in the Himalaya whereas Lord Vishnu floats on an ocean lying on the plaited bed of five serpents. Shaivanism must have gradually spread from the north to south and Vaisnavism from the south to north. Possibly, the meeting place of Shaivanism and Vaisnavism has been the Kathmandu Valley previously called Nepal Valley where Shaivanism and Vaisnavism have fused into the tradition of worshipping the Svosthani deity. So, Nepalis have dedicated a whole month for revering both Lord Shiva and Lord Vishnu reciting the story of Svosthani to the family members every year.

January 20, 2011

Note: the Svosthani festival has started off on January 19, 2011.