Wednesday, 27 January 2016
Tuesday, 26 January 2016
Thursday, 21 January 2016
The mystery of immortal beings in the Himalayas
This is an incident of 1942 when the king of Kumaon invited an army officer of Western Command, LP. Farrel for a picnic trip to the hills. There was a special reason for inviting Mr. Farrel; in spite of his being a Britisher he was very much interested in Indian religion, philosophy and culture. He had a few opportunities of witnessing demonstration of miraculous feats of some Indian yogis. He had become a pure vegetarian. That is why he always welcomed any opportunity to go towards the Himalayan wilderness, with the hope of meeting some saint or yogi who could initiate him into spiritual sadhana.
Mr. Farrel, the king and the queen and their entourage reached a place near Nainital full of natural beauty. It so enchanted them that they decided to camp overnight there. So, the dozens of tents were pitched and the lonely place got filled with the hustle and bustle of servants. Gossip, merriment, eating and drinking went on till midnight. Everyone went to bed and due to exhaustion of the whole day’s exertions, immediately slipped into deep sleep. The first phase of the sleep was hardly over when Mr. Farrel felt that there was someone near his cot. He waked up and clearly listened-"We need the place where your tents have been pitched. You vacate this place. If you are unable to understand, then you should come to that northwestern hill in front of you. I will explain you everything." "But who are you?" – saying this Mr. Farrel got up from the bed and lit his torch. But there was no one. He came out of the tent but there too no one could be seen nor heard anyone’s footsteps. After a momentary fear he became normal and then went back to his bed again for sleeping. It was 3.30 AM by his watch.
Despite his best efforts he could not sleep. Somehow he was keeping his eyes shut. Again he felt someone’s presence. Still lying on the bed he opened the eyes and he saw a shadow of a person standing in front of him. This time again he uttered the same words. In order to identify that person, as soon as Mr. Farrel lit the torch, even the shadow vanished. His body started shaking and perspiring. This army officer who did not get frightened even by watching the horrible bloodshed in the war, momentarily got un-nerved and dumbfounded by mere imagination of a supernatural being. He lay awake in his bed with his eyes closed till the morning but heard nothing. A strange attraction was arousing within him to see the hill mentioned by the shadowy presence. He put on his clothes and shoes and silently came out of the tent and walked towards that hill.
Describing this incident Mr. Farrel has himself written: "The way to the place where I was directed to reach was very difficult, narrow and dangerous. I was not at all able to climb up by myself but I was constantly feeling that somebody was showing me the way and was providing me the energy to climb up. After a hard effort of three and a half hours I could climb up. It seemed difficult to go ahead due to heavy breathing and perspiration. So I sat down on a square stone, lying down on it to take some rest. Hardly two minutes had passed and the same voice awakened me. ‘Mr. Farrel! Now you put off your shoes and slowly climb down the stone and come to me. With these words in the ears, I looked around and saw that a saint, with very weak constitution but brilliant splendor on the forehead, was standing in front of me. Leave aside the acquaintance, I had never met or seen him earlier. Then how could he know my name? He was here, then how did his shadow reach in my tent in the night? There was no communication link like a radio or a microphone etc between us. Then how could his voice reach me? Several such questions arose in my mind. Putting a stop to the unending trail of questions the sadhu said-whatever you have heard and seen cannot be understood by ordinary human mind. For this purpose one has to do long sadhana and the practice of yoga, abandoning the worldly pleasures and attraction of the senses. There is a specific purpose for which you have been called here."
Farrel could not make out whether the saintly person was a human being or a god. The thoughts arising in his mind were being constantly read by that person like an open book. Mr. Farrel climbed down the rock and in a short time reached the place where the Sadhu was sitting. The place was so small that only one person could take rest there. There was nothing except the fire burning in the Dhooni (firepit).
Farrel further writes- "The Sadhu patted me on the back with his weak hand and I was stunned how could this electricity like power be there in that old body. My body that was almost breaking with pain due to exhaustion - now seemed light like a flower. As an humble gesture of respect for him I knelt down and touched his feet. I had seen many sadhus; but I have always felt that sahdus and saints who had influenced Indian philosophy and increased its dignity were not those who were roaming around on the roads but they were truly such secluded and devoted persons only. Their physical bodies might weigh 80-90 pounds but intensity of their energy and power was more than that of thousand bombs and they were the storehouses of knowledge."
The Sadhu told me-"I have inspired a youth to reach the place where your tents have been pitched. He was my disciple in his previous birth. His sadhana is half-completed. Now I want to guide him again to undertake his sadhana and penance for the universal welfare. But the memories of his previous birth are dormant. The impressions and circumstances of this birth are attracting him. Therefore he is unable to take up the sadhana again. I have called him through subtle inspiration. If he comes here and is unable to locate the directed place, then he will get confused. In that event, whatever I want will not become possible, Therefore, please vacate that place immediately."
Mr. Farrel said – "Lord! Please tell me also a few things about my previous birth "? The Sadhu replied-"My son! These siddhis (accomplishments) are not for demonstration. They are meant for some special purposes and it is better they are utilized for that only. Of course, if you wish you can be present at the time when I show him the events of his previous birth. Now you go. People are searching for you in the camp. I too am in a hurry."
Mr. Farrel returned to the camp. Indeed, people had been searching for him. Mr. Farrel narrated the incident to the king. They then left that place and pitched the camp some 200 yards away.
By the evening of that day a young man did indeed come searching for that place. After satisfying himself in all respects, he sat down there. In the meantime, Mr. Farrel also reached there. His curiosity was getting more and more intense as the time passed. In a short while sadhu too reached there. Mr. Farel and the young man touched his feet and stood waiting for his instructions. That place was in the centre of a grove of trees.. After lighting the fire sadhu did some puja, recited some mantras and told us to sit down in a meditating posture. A ray of light emanated from his forehead and a circular spot of light appeared on the trunk of a thick tree. Then whatever was seen in the spot was just like a cinema where they saw the characters actually walking and talking. Like a movie, they saw the events of the previous birth of that youth with their own naked eyes. In between that youth used to get excited and would say – ‘Yes-yes I had done that’.
At the end, that youth touched the feet of that sadhu and said "Lord! Now my attachment with the mundane world is broken. I am ready to take up the unfinished sadhana of my previous life. Please guide me so that I can complete the unfinished task."
The Sadhu said – "My son! Today you take rest here. In the morning, you return to your home. At an appropriate time, I will call you." After that Mr Farrel did not know when that youth was called again? What he became later and with what name he became popular? But he became a staunch devotee of Indian religion and spirituality. This incident has been narrated by Mr. Farrel himself in an article in the May 17, 1959 issue of Saptahik Hindustan (a weekly Hindi magazine).
A similar incident is narrated to have happened in the life of a famous Indian yogi Sri Shyama Charan Lahiri, popularly known as Lahiri Mahashay, in the book "An autobiography of a Yogi", by Swami Yogananda. Lahiri Mahashay happened to be Yoganand’s Dada Guru. He too was called by Babaji, an immortal siddha of Himalayas, who taught him the science of kriya yoga so that this knowledge does not become extinct.
Indian scriptures are filled with descriptions of immortal souls like Shiva, Bhairav, Hanuman, Ashwatthama and many siddhas. There is a story in Kalki Purana, which goes like this. When Lord Kalki saw that the entire world has sunk neck-deep in perversities like sex indulgence, anger, greed, attachment, ego, laziness, etc. and the light of the souls had been extinguished, he decided to guide the masses groping in the darkness of ignorance. The darkness was dense. The entire world was badly trapped in the materialistic pursuits and the pleasures of the senses. Lord Kalki felt that he lacked the power required for this awakening of the masses. Then his spiritual mentor Parashuram called him to the Himalayas and made him undertake a penance at a place where he (Parashuram) had himself done it. This penance awakened the enormous power, which was needed for the transformation of the era, within Kalki. Lord Parshuram was born in Vedic Yuga, which came much earlier than the Kaliyuga. His presence in Kaliyuga too is an indication of his immortality and a testimony of the fact that immortal souls like him are still present in the Himalayas. Dr. Hari Dutta Bhatta, Shailesh has given an interesting description of his mountaineering experience of Janwali (Garhwal) hill, which is 22000 feet above the sea level, in Dharmayuga (Hindi weekly, 23 rd August 1964 issue). He was convinced that some supernormal power saved him and his group from getting buried under a landslide. All these incidents prove the fact that immortal souls possessing fierce supernatural power are still present in the Himalayas and they will remain there for an infinite time.
Modern scientists are also actively engaged in the research for finding the elixir of life. Zoologists of Russia, France, Britain, Germany, USA, etc. have been investigating for a long time the process of aging and death. On the basis of the results obtained so far, they have concluded that death is not an inevitable phenomenon. Aging is a kind of disease. If it be possible to find a cure for it, a person could live for a thousand years. The modes and methods of kayakalpa (rejuvenation) mentioned in Ayurveda also prove this fact.
In fact death is the result of collapse of life sustaining mechanism in the body. The gradual reduction in the efficiency of the body organs is the cause of senility, leading to death. If the life sustaining mechanisms are kept healthy and if the process of cell renewal is kept intact, a human being could be kept alive for an infinite time. Genes are immortal so there is no inevitability of bodily death.
After studying Ayurveda, one can easily conclude that ancient seers and scholars had identified several herbs, fruits and chemicals, which help in the rejuvenation of the body. There is a popular phrase. "A person does not eat food; it is the food that eats up a person." Our physical body is nourished by blood. The latter provides oxygen to the entire body. Oxygen and other nerve fluids sustain consciousness in the body. All this is accomplished through emotions. It is the thoughts and emotions that give rise to secretions of hormones. These hormones control the metabolic processes within the body. Therefore, it appears that the responsibility of keeping the body healthy rests with our emotions and thoughts which are the real essence of life. There is a bird called ‘Salyon’, which gets sick after laying eggs. After investigation it has been found that after laying the eggs, her pituitary gland (which is centre of thoughts and emotions), gets excited and it starts secreting a hormone called A.C.T.H in huge quantities, which leads to her sickness. This has been found in the case of some other creatures as well. This shows that, if a person makes his thought process robustly positive and keeps his food light, he can keep himself alive and active for a long time.
Modern science has no knowledge of the thought control mechanism. Is there any power in the sentiments, which can catch in its purest form the life (genes) floating in the sky? This vidya (knowledge) is known only to Indian yogis. But now scientists too are agreeing with this. For example in 1975 some zoologists of Strasberg carried out an experiment for changing the genes of a duck. Two ducks, one of Campbell variety and the other of Pekish variety, were chosen. The DNA of the first were injected in the second and that of the second one were injected in the first. This gave rise to change in the color of both. Within a few days the dust colour of Campbell started appearing in the Pekish variety and the neck of Campbell variety started getting white.
Science can perform only a few experiments of this type. Changing one or two chromosomes is the first step towards success. The reproductive cells of a human being contain about 10 billions pairs of nucleotides and every pair has 46 chromosomes. It is difficult to change the behavior of a person without changing them. Then there are several cells in the body, which after being formed never change. The question of keeping them healthy is much a more daunting task. It will take a long time for science to search the solution for this. But that knowledge already exists in the science of yoga and Indian chemical methods. This needs unbiased scientific research of a different type. This depends on appropriate environment in addition to difficult sadhanas. For this purpose scientists have suggested that atmospheric temperature should be subzero. Mr Clark in his book ‘Space Odyssey’ has written that in order to undertake space voyage lasting for 200 to 400 yrs, it will be essential to keep the space voyager in the sleeping state at sub zero temperatures. Looked at from this scientific finding, the existence of immortal beings in the perennially frozen regions of the Himalayas cannot be considered as a myth.
In fact, Himalayan region has been a special haven of true Yogis and Mahatmas from times immemorial. The likes of great yogis who have lived in this sacred region cannot be found elsewhere. It is said that there is Gyangaj Yogashram in Tibet, which is a training institute for yogis. Hundreds of such yogis are reported to be living and researching into the mysteries of the inner realms. This Siddhashram isolate in the subtle-physical realm is not accessible or visible to ordinary persons. Only psychically awakened and gifted Sadhaks have the privilege of entry into this Siddhashram.
-Courtesy: Blog by Pravin Agrawal in Speaking Tree Dated March 25, 2013
Wednesday, 20 January 2016
Sunday, 17 January 2016
Saturday, 16 January 2016
Talk by Prof C.A.Shinde, National Lecturer at Delhi Theosophical Federation
Prof C.A.Shinde, National Lecturer, will be delivering a talk on Monday 18th April 2016 at 11.00 A.M.on the subject "Altruism"at Delhi Theosophical Federation premises, located at 24, East Patel Nagar, New Delhi-110008.
All are requested to attend the talk with family & friends.
Study Classes at Delhi Theosophical Federation during March 2016
Delhi Theosophical Federation is conducting 2 Study Classes during the month of March 2016. First Study Class will be conducted by Bro U.S.Pandey, Secretary, U.P.Federation on Saturday 5th March & Sunday 6th March 16, based on Clara M Codd’s book titled “Mystery of Life & How Theosophy Unveils It”. The second Study Class will be conducted by National Lecturer Bro B.D.Tendulkar on Saturday 12th March & Sunday 13th March 16, based on the book “Self Culture in the Light of Ancient Wisdom” authored by I.K.Taimini.
The timings of both these classes will be as below:
Saturday: 5.00 P.M to 7.00 P.M.
Sunday: 10.30 A.M to 4.00 P.M.
Lunch Break on both Sundays will be from 1.00 P.M. to 2.00 P.M & Tea Break will be at 11.30 A.M & 3.00 P.M.
All are requested to attend with family & friends.
Thursday, 14 January 2016
DUDHNATH TIWARI
DUDHNATH TIWARI, a Sepoy with 14 Regiment of Bengal Native Infantry in British India, was convicted of mutiny & desertion during 1st war of Indian Independence in 1857 & was sentenced on 27th September 1857 by the Commissioner at Jhelum, to be deported to Andaman for life with labor in fetters. He reached Port Blair by Roman Emperor from Karanchi on 6th April 1858 & was allotted convict no 276.His name appears at S.Nos 7 in Andaman Cellular Jail document.
On 23rd April 1858 he escaped from Ross Island with 90 others, upon rafts built from felled trees bound together with tent ropes, into the jungle around Port Blair. The group wandered aimlessly, suffering from lack of food and water. After thirteen days of this, they suddenly found themselves encircled by a war party of about 100 native men (aborigines known as Andamanese) who immediately set about massacring the defenseless crowd. Dudhnath had been seriously wounded by three arrows when he managed to escape and hide. Two others had also done likewise. The next morning the three survivors tried to resume their wanderings but were spotted by a new group of 60 natives including women and children. They, too, attacked at once and again Dudhnath survived, by feigning death. The natives pulled him out of his hiding place and despite piteous pleading shot more arrows at him from a short distance. Again he survived. After playing dead yet again and then by pleading for mercy when the natives came up to him, to pull their arrows out of his body, his assailants finally relented. They looked after his wounds and took him to their camp. The incident is extreme but seems characteristic of the unpredictable Andamanese behavior. Dudhnath stayed with his group and moved all over southern Great Andaman and the Labyrinth islands with them, never staying long in one place. He adapted to his new circumstances, learnt the language, wore no clothes, shaved his head and apart from his slowly-healing wounds enjoyed the best of health despite the unhygienic conditions of traditional Andamanese life, we can only marvel at such resilience. The natives remained suspicious of Dudhnath, however, and never allowed him near a weapon. After about four months of this, the chief of the group suddenly and without discussion made over his daughter aged 20 as wife along with a much younger girl which Dudhnath mistakenly thought of as a second wife. The bridegroom later complained movingly about the lack of fuss surrounding his marriage.
During the following months of wandering, Dudhnath found out about a native plan to attack and loot Port Blair. He traveled with his group towards Port Blair until he could break away and warn the British. This he managed to do at the last possible moment on 17th May 1859, deserting his wives, at a time when, one of whom was expectant. The Andamanese attack is known rather melodramatically as the "Battle of Aberdeen." No one had thought the natives capable of organizing an attack on such a scale. Just as surprising to the British was the fact that the Andamanese could distinguish not only between convicts and jailers but also between the different ranks of convicts. Unless actively opposed, they left the ordinary convicts alone and concentrated their attacks on supervising convicts and British officers. It was to be the only such large-scale attack.This 'Battle of Aberdeen' of May 1859 was probably the worst case of genocide in the British colonial history of tribal encounters, a veritable slaughter causing a sudden decline in the number of young male Great Andamanese and thus threatening the genes and future survival of the tribe. The deaths of the young Great Andamanese resulted in a decline of population as they constituted the core of the reproductive age group. The consequence was a long lasting impact on the entire population, who could never make up the loss.Till last survey only one family of this tribe was surviving.
Dudhnath received an unconditional pardon from the British for his (heroic or cowardice?) part in the battle and was freed on 5th October 1860. He spent the rest of his life telling tall stories about his adventures among the savages.
Poor Andamanese had to pay such a huge price for trusting & sheltering an outsider.
Wednesday, 13 January 2016
Real Story of Battle of Aberdeen
Sitting by the stairs of Port Blair's Cellular jail many thoughts cross your mind... what kind of men were they who left their lands and spent their lives in those tiny cells... behind bars.. locked for life... But there is a story of man that goes beyond the times of the Cellular jail...the story of Dudhnath Tewari. And history has been indecisive about judging him.... whether he was a savior.. a patriot... or a traitor who led a whole race to its annihilation..
Dudhnath.... convict number 286 was transported for life to the penal settlement of Andamans in 1857 on charges of mutiny during the First war of Indian Independence. In 1858.. Dudhnath along with 90 fellow prisoners escaped from Port Blair.... with hopes of crossing over to Burma... oblivious of the fact that Andamans was a island group with no land connectivity to Burma...
The short-lived freedom soon gave way to desperation as they found nothing but endless sea and hostile wilderness and Burma was no where in sight....
During those days the islands were the home of this fearsome Negrito tribe.. called the Andamanese. They were known to kill at sight any stranger intruding their territory... Dudhnath and his mates were attacked repeatedly by them.... and finally one day it was Dudhnath's turn...shot by poisonous arrows.. Dudhnath was near dead... Then the unexpected happened...
For some reason the tribals did not kill him. Instead carried him with them, nursed his wounds and took him as their own. Having fled the jail...( where a possible execution awaited him) and the prospects of finding his way to India bleak.. Dudhnath decided to stay on with the Andamanese. He married two Andamanese women and had children..
All went well with him and his tribal friends till Dudhnath noticed something unusual among the Andamanese in 1859...he spied on them and found out that the tribal braves were planning an attack on the British settlement in Port Blair .. an attack that would wipe out the Colonialists from the Islands forever...They planned to kill all outsiders......
"Horrified to hilt" (as he described his state of mind in his statement to the British)...and apparently concerned about the lives of fellow countrymen in Port Blair..He deserted the Andamanese and fled to Port Blair to forewarn the British about the impending attack...
On may 17 1859 the Andamanese attacked Port Blair...and a fierce battle took place... known as the battle of Aberdeen.... But the tribals were no match for the well equipped British soldiers who were prepared for the attack ( thanks to Dudhnath's warning) ..Almost the entire tribal army was annihilated by the British that day..
The Andamanese retreated.. never to attack again.... That was the beginning of the end of their entire race from earth.. Slowly more of them were hunted down...
And today only one family of this magnificent race lives in Andamans. As for Dudhnath Tiwari.. he was rewarded by the British for this act of 'bravery'. He was freed and left for his native village in India soon after. No one heard of Dudhnath Tiwari .. thereafter...
All that remains of the Battle of Aberdeen today is a memorial by the sea side in Port Blair's Marina Park.
The Abandoned Islands of Andaman & Nicobar
The red brick walls, darkened and aged, rise into the blue sky. They are broken in parts, with gaping holes in the middle; bricks lie strewn around near foot of the walls. Many of the walls are encircled and even constricted by thick roots of trees growing through and between. Some seem to have succumbed to this stranglehold. The roof of the building is missing and sunlight filters down through the leaves and branches. An eerie atmosphere prevails. It meditates in silence, as a contrast to the song of the distant sea. Sometimes bits of conversation suddenly intrude, breaking its contemplation, or the horn of a passing boat pierces the air. It’s only then that the mind is shaken out of the surreal atmosphere that has settled for decades around Ross Island, just a few minutes by boat across the sea from Port Blair, Andamans.
The island, visible across from Port Blair’s Aberdeen jetty, is a timeless testimony to its colonial past. Stepping off the boat on to the island and wandering around the ruined buildings inevitably brings to mind the Angkor temple complex ruins in Cambodia,where the thick roots and ancient trees grow encompassing stone walls. Settled once in the mid 18th century and subsequently abandoned, Ross Island was re-settled and turned into a penal colony soon after the first war of independence in 1857. A severe quake in 1941 and the Japanese capture of the islands in 1942 resulted in people fleeing the island; the abandonment was complete soon after the end of World War II. Today, it is like a ghost town, without any inhabitants, save for the relics of British and Japanese occupation. The ruins make the place seem haunted.
Ross Island is not big, but wandering around the debris of the times past takes a couple of hours. Buildings that have given up the ghost include the chief commissioner’s house, the government house, a church, the remains of an old house with a ballroom, a hospital without patients or doctors, a bakery without bread or cakes, a press, barracks, an abandoned market, a water treatment plant,a cemetery and some other structures without signposts.
Many of these were probably too huge to be removed and transported out. Almost at one of the island is a tiny museum managed by the Indian Navy which displays numerous records from the time when the island was the administrative headquarters of the British. Parts of the place are home to thick forests and foliage, which have gradually expanded and claimed the buildings, while coconut plantations take up a different section of Ross Island.
Less than a half hour’s boat ride away is the rather ominous sounding Viper Island. It forms a dark extension to the Indian Independence story that started at Ross Island. Viper Island is a scenic place, with thick greenery, tall trees and patches of grasslands that makes it look idyllic, though overgrown. But amid all this squats a partially ruined two-storey red-brick building which served as a prison. Set up as an ancillary to Cellular Jail, the British are supposed to have sent the more stubborn and audacious prisoners from India here, especially many freedom fighters. They were subjected to harsh torture, including solitary confinement, and suffered at whipping stands. They would be chained together at night leading to the origin of the epithet Viper Jail Chain Gang. Now its grim glory is just a dark memory. The walls are dilapidated but a flight of stairs to the upper floor leads visitors to an ominous structure—the gallows where the prisoners of Viper Jail were hanged. But nature has its quirks: at dusk, the chirruping of birds which have built nests in the ruins are at odds with the general solemn mood that cloaks the building.
Together Ross Island and Viper Island are a half day trip, close to Port Blair. Both are ghost towns, frozen in time, and yet, they manage to transport visitors to a significant part of India’s history. It is a rare visitor who isn’t deluged by somber thoughts and reflections as the outlines of the two islands fade away in the frothy wake of the boat returning home.
Tuesday, 12 January 2016
Mehandipur Balaji Temple is a very popular religious destination in India. Located in the Karauli district of Rajasthan State, the chief deity of this temple is Lord Hanuman. In several parts of India, Hanuman is also fondly called as Balaji (meaning venerable boy) as the childhood form is highly desired by the devotees. The central feature of the temple is the ritualistic healing and exorcism of evil spirits that is done here.As a highly sought after destination for casting magic spells, black magic activities, ritualistic healing of ailments and exorcism of evil spirits, Mehendipur Balaji temple is renowned through the world. In the year 2013, a team of scientists, intellectuals and psychiatrists from Germany and Netherlands and AIIMS and University of Delhi began a research study to evaluate the activities of the temple in detail.Mehandipur is no more a village. It is a small town with a heavy inflow of visitors, devotees and the affected. Upon entering Mehandipur, a visitor would find small shops lining up and the people busy with their regular daily chores. Once the visitors near the temple complex, they see a long line of devotees waiting to have a darshan of the Lord in the sanctum sanctorum. The shopkeepers sell materials for worship to those lined up in the queues. The most popular items they sell are black coloured balls (some eatable) that are not to be consumed, but only thrown into fire in atoning for sins.The temple atmosphere of the temple is very well reflected in its architecture too. The temple complex is divided into four chambers. Loud and scary squeaking, yelling and shouting of the so called possessed victims fill the entire atmosphere inside the temple. The affected groups consist of children, men and women of all ages. In the first two chambers, the deities of Lord Hanuman and Bhairon are found. In the ceremonial fire, the devotees are expected to throw the black balls they purchased from outside. It is said the chief deity Hanuman is so powerful that it can ward off any kind of evil forces.Several ritualistic healings and exorcism of evil spirits go on in the temple round the year. The possessed are found screaming and banging their heads on the pillars inside. The temple priests are found chaining people to the rocks and whipping them as a mark of driving the evil spirits. It is said every day several evil spirits are driven from the bodies of the possessed here.If people are ever curious to visit the temple sometime in their lives, they are given the following instructions for their own good. It is not advisable to eat or drink anything immediately after entering the village. Inside the temple, one must be cautious not to touch anyone or talk to them. While leaving the temple for their homes, carrying Prasad or eatables is not advised.The water bottles and food packets are to be fully emptied in the village before leaving. Since it is most likely that several evil spirits might be watching you, you must not turn back to glance at the source of any weird sound.
Monday, 11 January 2016
The Story of Angulimaala
According to the sutta and commentarial texts, omens seen at the time of Angulimala's birth (the flashing of weapons and the appearance of the 'constellation of thieves' in the sky) indicated that Angulimala would become a robber. Angulimala's father, the Brahmin chaplain to the king of Kosala, named him Ahimsaka ("the harmless one" - derived from the Sanskritand Pali word Ahimsa), as an attempt to deter the dark fate predicted at his birth (Pad indicates that he was initially named Himsaka ("the harmful one"), but that the name was later changed).
Ahimsaka was sent to Taxila to study under a well-known Brahmin guru. There he excelled in his studies and became the teacher's favourite student, enjoying special privileges in his teacher's house. However, the other students grew jealous of Ahimsaka's speedy progress and sought to turn his master against him. To that end, they made it seem as though Ahimsaka had seduced the master's wife and boasted that he was wiser than the guru. Unwilling or unable to attack Ahimsaka directly (Pad states that Ahimsaka was as "strong as seven elephants", while Ps states that the teacher worried that his business would suffer if he was found to have murdered a student), the teacher said that Ahimsaka's training was complete, but that he must provide the traditional final gift offered to a guru before the teacher would grant his approval. As his payment, the teacher demanded 1,000 fingers, each taken from a different victim, thinking that Angulimala would be killed in the course of seeking this grisly prize (Pad states that Angulimala was required to fetch 1,000 fingers from right hands, seemingly unaware that this could be achieved by killing 200 people. Ps states, even more strangely, that he was told to "kill a thousand legs", and gathered fingers only as an aid to keeping an accurate count).
Sources indicate that one of his motivations may have been the unquestioning obedience to the guru - an echo of the higher principles governing his earlier life. But tradition reports that it was probably his innate disposition to violence. In his previous life, he was a Yakkha - a man-eating spirit with superhuman strength. The guru's instructions may have also aroused a strange attraction for killing, or could be seen as a challenge to his manly prowess. It was reported that in all his past lives, two traits were prominent: his physical strength and his lack of compassion. It is also suggested that he was in fact cast out of his Guru's house, branding him an outcast among Brahmins. Being unable to find acceptance anywhere, he turned to brigandry, murdering pilgrims and traders passing through the wilderness, and collecting a finger each from their right hands.
Sunday, 10 January 2016
Thursday, 7 January 2016
9 signs that Kaliyuga is coming to an end
What are the signs of
Kaliyuga?
The signs of Kali-Yuga described in
Srimad-Bhagavatam are already prevalent in many countries of the world and have
gradually spread to other places engulfed by impiety and materialism. Other
religions too have made prophecies regarding the end of the world. So, what are
the signs that its the Kaliyug and is it about to end?
SB 12.2.1
tataś cānu-dinaṁ dharmaḥ satyaṁ śaucaṁ kṣamā
dayā kālena balinā rājan naṅkṣyaty āyur balaṁ smṛtiḥ ----- Religion,
truthfulness, cleanliness, tolerance, mercy, duration of life, physical
strength and memory will all diminish day by day because of the powerful
influence of the Age of Kali.
SB 12.2.2
vittam eva kalau nṝṇāṁ janmācāra-guṇodayaḥ
dharma-nyāya-vyavasthāyāṁ kāraṇaṁ balam eva hi ------- In Kali-yuga, wealth
alone will be considered the sign of a man’s good birth, proper behavior and
fine qualities. And law and justice will be applied only on the basis of one’s
power.
SB 12.2.3
dāmpatye ’bhirucir hetur māyaiva
vyāvahārike strītve puṁstve ca hi ratir vipratve sūtram eva hi --------- Men
and women will live together merely because of superficial attraction, and
success in business will depend on deceit. Womanliness and manliness will be
judged according to one’s expertise in sex, and a man will be known as a brāhmaṇa
just by his wearing a thread.
SB 12.2.4
liṅgam
evāśrama-khyātāv anyonyāpatti-kāraṇam avṛttyā nyāya-daurbalyaṁ pāṇḍitye cāpalaṁ
vacaḥ -------- A person’s spiritual position will be ascertained merely
according to external symbols, and on that same basis people will change from
one spiritual order to the next. A person’s propriety will be seriously
questioned if he does not earn a good living. And one who is very clever at
juggling words will be considered a learned scholar.
SB 12.2.5
anāḍhyataivāsādhutve sādhutve
dambha eva tu svīkāra eva codvāhe snānam eva prasādhanam -------- A person will
be judged unholy if he does not have money, and hypocrisy will be accepted as
virtue. Marriage will be arranged simply by verbal agreement, and a person will
think he is fit to appear in public if he has merely taken a bath.
SB 12.2.6
dūre vāry-ayanaṁ tīrthaṁ
lāvaṇyaṁ keśa-dhāraṇam udaraṁ-bharatā svārthaḥ satyatve dhārṣṭyam eva hi
dākṣyaṁ kuṭumba-bharaṇaṁ yaśo ’rthe dharma-sevanam ---------- A sacred place
will be taken to consist of no more than a reservoir of water located at a
distance, and beauty will be thought to depend on one’s hairstyle. Filling the
belly will become the goal of life, and one who is audacious will be accepted
as truthful. He who can maintain a family will be regarded as an expert man,
and the principles of religion will be observed only for the sake of
reputation.
SB 12.2.7
evaṁ prajābhir duṣṭābhir
ākīrṇe kṣiti-maṇḍale brahma-viṭ-kṣatra-śūdrāṇāṁ yo balī bhavitā nṛpaḥ ---------
As the earth thus becomes crowded with a corrupt population, whoever among any
of the social classes shows himself to be the strongest will gain political
power.
SB 12.2.9
śāka-mūlāmiṣa-kṣaudra-
phala-puṣpāṣṭi-bhojanāḥ anāvṛṣṭyā vinaṅkṣyanti durbhikṣa-kara-pīḍitāḥ
---------- Harassed by famine and excessive taxes, people will resort to eating
leaves, roots, flesh, wild honey, fruits, flowers and seeds. Struck by drought,
they will become completely ruined.
SB 12.2.10
śīta-vātātapa-prāvṛḍ- himair
anyonyataḥ prajāḥ kṣut-tṛḍbhyāṁ vyādhibhiś caiva santapsyante ca cintayā
------- The citizens will suffer greatly from cold, wind, heat, rain and snow.
They will be further tormented by quarrels, hunger, thirst, disease and severe
anxiety.
SB 12.2.12-16
By the time the Kaliyuga ends,
the bodies of all creatures will be greatly reduced in size. The path of the
Vedas will be completely forgotten in human society, and so-called religion
will be mostly atheistic. The occupations of men will be stealing, lying and
needless violence, and all the social classes will be reduced to the lowest
level of śūdras. Cows will be like goats, spiritual hermitages will be no
different from mundane houses, and family ties will extend no further than the
immediate bonds of marriage. Homes will be devoid of piety.
SB 12.2.16-17
carācara-guror viṣṇor
īśvarasyākhilātmanaḥ dharma-trāṇāya sādhūnāṁ janma karmāpanuttaye -------- At
that time, the Supreme Personality of Godhead will appear on the earth. Acting
with the power of pure spiritual goodness, He will rescue eternal religion.
Lord Viṣṇu — the Supreme Personality of Godhead, the spiritual master of all
moving and nonmoving living beings, and the Supreme Soul of all — takes birth
to protect the principles of religion and to relieve His saintly devotees from
the reactions of material work.
SB 12.2.18 - 20
śambhala-grāma-mukhyasya
brāhmaṇasya mahātmanaḥ bhavane viṣṇuyaśasaḥ kalkiḥ prādurbhaviṣyati --------
Lord Kalki will appear in the home of the most eminent brāhmaṇa of Śambhala village,
the great soul Viṣṇuyaśā. Lord Kalki, the Lord of the universe, will mount His
swift horse Devadatta and, sword in hand, travel over the earth exhibiting His
eight mystic opulences and eight special qualities of Godhead. Displaying His
unequaled effulgence and riding with great speed, He will kill by the millions
those thieves who have dared dress as kings.
SB 12.2.21 - 23
After all the impostor kings
have been killed, the residents of the cities and towns will feel the breezes
carrying the most sacred fragrance of the sandalwood paste and other
decorations of Lord Vāsudeva, and their minds will thereby become
transcendentally pure. When Lord Vāsudeva, the Supreme Personality of Godhead,
appears in their hearts in His transcendental form of goodness, the remaining
citizens will abundantly repopulate the earth.Satya-yuga will begin, and human
society will bring forth progeny in the mode of goodness. --- Source
http://www.vedabase.com/
Subscribe to:
Comments (Atom)