Thus the Lord has preserved water
on three fourths of the globe and has made it salty to preserve it.
Salty water does not decompose, and that is the arrangement of
providence. The Lord has engaged the powerful sun to evaporate the water
of planets like earth and distill it into clear water
in the clouds and then stock it on the peaks of mountains, as we stock
water in overhead tanks for later distribution. part of the stock of
water is refrigerated into ice, so that it will not flood the earth for
no good purpose. The ice melts gradually throughout the year, flows down
through the great rivers, and glides down to the sea again for
preservation.
Tuesday 28 January 2014
Think Before You Eat
Every day, several times a day, every
living being, in whichever part of the world he may be, enjoys a
universal ritual - eating.
Most people decide what they eat based
mainly on taste, cost, habit, nutrition and convenience. But for those
who are a little more thoughtful, here are some other points worth
considering.
A Few Facts …
NutritionLet us compare the nutrition values of some common vegetarian foods and some common flesh foods:
Vegetarian foods (100 gm)
|
Name of food stuff
|
Medical calories
|
|
Cashewnut
|
596
|
|
Coconut
|
444
|
|
Groundnut
|
549
|
|
Cheese
|
348
|
|
Ghee
|
900
|
Flesh foods (100 gm)
|
Name of food stuff
|
Medical calories
|
|
Egg
|
173
|
|
Fish
|
91
|
|
Mutton
|
194
|
|
Pork
|
114
|
|
Beef
|
114
|
Anatomy
Let us compare some of the physiological features of flesh eaters, plant eaters and human beings:
|
Features of flesh eaters
|
Features of plant eaters
|
Features of human beings
|
|
Intestinal tract only 3 times body length, so rapidly decaying meat can pass out of body quickly
|
Intestinal tract 10-12 times body length, fruits do not decay as rapidly, so can pass more slowly through body
|
Intestinal tract 12 times body length
|
|
Small salivary glands in the mouth (not needed to predigest grains and fruits )
|
Well developed salivary glands, needed to predigest grains and fruits
|
Well developed salivary glands needed to predigest grains and fruits
|
|
Acid saliva; no enzyme ptyalin to predigest grains
|
Alkaline saliva; much ptyalin to predigest grains
|
Alkaline saliva;
Much ptyalin to predigest grains.
|
|
No flat back molar teeth to grind good
|
Flat back molar teeth to grind food
|
Flat back molar teeth to grind food
|
|
Features of flesh eaters
|
Features of Plant eaters
|
Features of human beings
|
Clearly the human body is not made for a non-vegetarian diet.
Health
Due to their unnatural diet meat-eating
human beings are far more susceptible to diseases and disorders as
compared to their vegetarian counterparts. Comprehensive investigations
by groups such as the National Academy of Sciences have linked meat
eating to cancer, and the Journal of American Medicine reports: "90-97%
of heart disease could be prevented by a vegetarian diet."
Environment
Meat eating also has hazardous effects
on the environment, such as forest destruction, agricultural
inefficiency, soil erosion and desertification, air pollution, water
depletion and water pollution.
World Hunger
Consider the following data. One
thousand acres of Soyabeans yield 1124 pound of usable protein. One
thousand acres of rice yield 938 pound of usable protein. One thousand
acres of corn yield 1009 pound of usable protein. One thousand acres of
wheat yield 1043 pound of usable protein. Now consider: this one
thousand acres of Soyabeans, corn, rice or wheat, when fed to a steer,
will yield only about 125 pounds of usable protein.
These and other findings point to a
disturbing conclusion: meat eating is directly related to world hunger.
Here are some more statistics establishing this:
- If all the Soyabeans and grains fed yearly to U. S. livestock were set aside for human consumption, it would feed 1.3 billion people.
- It takes 16 pounds of grains and Soyabeans to produce 1 pound of feedlot beef. Therefore about 20 vegetarians can be fed on the land that it takes to feed 1 meat eater.
- Feeding the average meat eater requires about 4,200 gallons of water per day, versus 1,200 gallons per day for lacto-vegetarian diet.
- While it takes only 25 gallons of water to produce a pound of wheat, it takes 2,500 gallons of water to produce a pound of meat.
- Harvard nutritionist Jean Mayer has estimated that reducing meat production by just 10 percent would release enough grain to feed 60 million people.
A Few Quotes …
"Truly man is the king of beasts, for his brutality exceeds them. We live by the death of others. We are burial places! I have since an early age abjured the use of meat."
- Leonardo Da Vinci
"When a man wants to murder a tiger, he calls it sport; when a tiger
wants to murder him, he calls him ferocity."
- George Bernard Shaw
"It is my view that the vegetarian manner of living, by its purely
physical effect on the human temperament, would most beneficially
influence the lot of mankind."
- Albert Einstein
"I do feel that spiritual progress does demand at some stage that we
should cease to kill our fellow creatures for the satisfaction of our
bodily wants. "
- M. K. Gandhi
"The flesh eating is simply immoral, as it involves the performance
of an act which is contrary to moral feeling- killing. By killing man
suppresses in himself, unnecessarily, the highest spiritual capacity-
that of sympathy and pity towards living creatures like himself and by
violating this his own feelings become cruel."
- Leo Tolstoy
"Flesh eating is unprovoked murder."
- Benjamin Franklin
"As long as man massacre animals, they will kill each other. Indeed,
he who sows the seeds of murder and pain cannot reap joy and love."
- Pythagoras
"A dead cow or sheep lying in a pasture is recognized as carrion. The
same sort of a carcass dressed and hung up in a butcher's stall passes
as food."
- J. H. Kellogg.
The Vedic Perspective
The Bhagavad Gita states that foods such
as milk products, grains, fruits, and vegetables increase the duration
of life and give strength, health, happiness, and satisfaction.
Conversely, foods such as, meat, fish and fowl are putrid, decomposed
and unclean. They cause numerous hazards to physical health.
The Srimad Bhagavatam, the summum bonum
of all Vedic literature, states that meat-eating is one of the four
pillars of sinful life. Apart from bringing severe sinful reactions,
meat-eating also dulls the human intellect thus rendering it incapable
of understanding the higher dimensions of life. Therefore real spiritual
life, nay real human life, cannot begin unless a human being stops
killing his younger brothers, innocent animals, just for the
satisfaction of his tongue.
Can robots be conscious?
Scientific advancement in fields like artificial intelligence promises
to produce conscious robots. When consciousness is thus produced by
robots, will the soul hypothesis – the theory that the soul is the
source of consciousness – be disproved?
The advances in artificial intelligence are proving, not disproving, the soul hypothesis. Let’s see how.
Most of us get our ideas of scientific advancement in artificial intelligence from science fiction movies depicting conscious robots. But such fictional robots can never be actualized, no matter how much science advances, because, as eminent authority John Searle of the University of California at Berkeley explains: “You can expand the power all you want, hooking up as many computers as you think you need, and they still won’t be conscious, because all they’ll ever do is shuffle symbols.” Despite all their technological wizardry, the most sophisticated computer at the level of digital circuitry does nothing more that change digital signals from zero to one or one to zero. Such processing, even if done at phenomenal, incredible speeds, can never produce consciousness because it does not even refer to consciousness.
One of the most dramatic successes of the artificial intelligence program was the victory of the chess-playing computer Deep Blue over the then world chess champion, Gary Kasparov. After the match, Kasparov was disgusted and C.J. Tan, the scientist who led the team that made Deep Blue, was delighted. But what were the feelings of Deep Blue which had actually “won” the match? No feelings. Deep Blue had simply done number processing as per the sophisticated program that had been written with the guidance of several chess masters. Thus, it had “played” chess and “won” the match without experiencing any of the essential emotions of playing and winning: the excitement of confrontation, the thrill of victory. In other words, its artificial intelligence didn’t make it conscious. Consciousness was not present in the digital circuitry of Deep Blue, but in its maker Tan. Taking this analysis further, where was the consciousness of Tan present? In his brain? But his brain, like Deep Blue, is merely an information processing structure; all it does is change the electrochemical signals in its neuronal cells. Just as the changing of digital signals cannot produce consciousness, nor can the changing of electrochemical signals. The logical inference is that his consciousness comes from the non-mechanistic, irreducible source of consciousness, the soul.
This indeed was the conclusion of Noble Laureate neurophysiologist John C Eccles, who after four decades of brain research dismissed the promise that consciousness can be mechanistically explained or produced as “extravagant and unfulfillable” and asserted that each person has a "divinely created psyche,” or, in other words, a soul.
The advances in artificial intelligence are proving, not disproving, the soul hypothesis. Let’s see how.
Most of us get our ideas of scientific advancement in artificial intelligence from science fiction movies depicting conscious robots. But such fictional robots can never be actualized, no matter how much science advances, because, as eminent authority John Searle of the University of California at Berkeley explains: “You can expand the power all you want, hooking up as many computers as you think you need, and they still won’t be conscious, because all they’ll ever do is shuffle symbols.” Despite all their technological wizardry, the most sophisticated computer at the level of digital circuitry does nothing more that change digital signals from zero to one or one to zero. Such processing, even if done at phenomenal, incredible speeds, can never produce consciousness because it does not even refer to consciousness.
One of the most dramatic successes of the artificial intelligence program was the victory of the chess-playing computer Deep Blue over the then world chess champion, Gary Kasparov. After the match, Kasparov was disgusted and C.J. Tan, the scientist who led the team that made Deep Blue, was delighted. But what were the feelings of Deep Blue which had actually “won” the match? No feelings. Deep Blue had simply done number processing as per the sophisticated program that had been written with the guidance of several chess masters. Thus, it had “played” chess and “won” the match without experiencing any of the essential emotions of playing and winning: the excitement of confrontation, the thrill of victory. In other words, its artificial intelligence didn’t make it conscious. Consciousness was not present in the digital circuitry of Deep Blue, but in its maker Tan. Taking this analysis further, where was the consciousness of Tan present? In his brain? But his brain, like Deep Blue, is merely an information processing structure; all it does is change the electrochemical signals in its neuronal cells. Just as the changing of digital signals cannot produce consciousness, nor can the changing of electrochemical signals. The logical inference is that his consciousness comes from the non-mechanistic, irreducible source of consciousness, the soul.
This indeed was the conclusion of Noble Laureate neurophysiologist John C Eccles, who after four decades of brain research dismissed the promise that consciousness can be mechanistically explained or produced as “extravagant and unfulfillable” and asserted that each person has a "divinely created psyche,” or, in other words, a soul.
Isn’t science better than religion because science is objective whereas religion is subjective?
How do we respond to rational atheist’s claim that science is never
wrong because it is objective, and religion is purely subjective?
First of all, no honest scientist will say that science is never wrong. What they will say is that science has a self-correcting mechanism by which it detects wrongs. Whenever it goes wrong, then tries to correct it.
So, in fact, the whole history of what is called scientific progress is a correction of past wrongs. So, Newton proposed the classical mechanics, the classical Physics, and then Einstein primarily was the singular developer of relativity, but then, quantum theory was developed by various scientists, like Plank and others. So, they developed the other theories, which explained the universal phenomenon much better. And they found that Newton’s theory was a limited application over a limited range, in terms of objects that were not moving in the speed of light, and objects that were not microscopic. So, in many ways Newton was wrong when he said that the laws of motion were universal.
So now, first of all, it is not that science is never wrong; it has a self-correcting mechanism. Now, is it objective? Again, quantum physics is definitely not objective. It is dependent on the observer’s presence and perception, for the reality to be observed in quantum physics. Because consciousness plays an indispensible role in quantum physics, it is definitely not objective in the sense of it being an object out there, which can be observed, measured and tested. So, in that way, science is not necessarily always objective. But it is true that many of the observations and findings and experiments and processes of science are repeatable, and when different scientists repeat them, they give the same result. In that sense, they can be called objective.
But, the converse that religion is purely subjective is wrong; it’s based on a particular conception of religion. Many religions, especially Abrahamic religions, they have simply the three point formulae of pray, pay, and obey. Come to the place of worship, pray over there, give some donation, and obey whatever commandments or rules are told over there. Now, this is very dogmatic and ritualistic, but the eastern or the Dharmic religious traditions focus on inner transformation and there is a pathway given for that inner transformation, and there is a process of sadhana bhakti that brings about the transformation.
In many lecture, tapping the Power of Faith, It has explained the nine stages. It starts from Shraddha, and then moves towards Prema. So there is an inner transformation that is repeatable, verifiable, in that sense it is objective. Lust, anger, greed, envy, pride, illusion will decrease for anyone who practices the process of Krishna Consciousness, be that person in India, America, or Africa or even Antartica, or anywhere else. So, in that sense of it being repeatable, it is also objective. It’s subjective in the sense that it is an experience within one’s consciousness. So in that sense, it is experiential, and not experimental, as in modern science, but at the same time, because the experience also has outer expressions, which can be objectively verified. If a person is an addict, and the person becomes free from addiction, now the sense of freedom from addiction is internal, but the fact that the person has become free is also an externally observable reality. So the changes that happen in a devotee’s life, the spiritual happiness that a devotee experiences will be an internal experience. “Bhakti pareshanubhava, viraktiranyatraca”. So there is inner experience of God, para isha anubhava, that may be subjective, but there are external effects of that, which are objective, Viraktiranyatraca; one is no longer infatuated with by material things. So, in this sense, religion is at least not the process of spirituality that is taught in the Vedic tradition, and especially within that, Bhakti yoga, it is not purely subjective. There is objectivity in it, and that objectivity is the clarity of the pathway of the inner transformation, the cleardelineation for the process of transformation, and the repeatability and verifiability of that process.
But, it suffices to say that science being objective and religion being subjective is a division that is based on a very limited conception of science and a limited conception of religion. The deeper we go into science, in terms of quantum physics, we realize that science is not all that objective as it often made out, and when we explore alternatives to the conventionally known forms of religion in the West, the Abhramic religions, then we see that religion which offers pathways and processes for inner transformation and verifiable characteristics for inner transformation, then that religion no longer remains subjective.
First of all, no honest scientist will say that science is never wrong. What they will say is that science has a self-correcting mechanism by which it detects wrongs. Whenever it goes wrong, then tries to correct it.
So, in fact, the whole history of what is called scientific progress is a correction of past wrongs. So, Newton proposed the classical mechanics, the classical Physics, and then Einstein primarily was the singular developer of relativity, but then, quantum theory was developed by various scientists, like Plank and others. So, they developed the other theories, which explained the universal phenomenon much better. And they found that Newton’s theory was a limited application over a limited range, in terms of objects that were not moving in the speed of light, and objects that were not microscopic. So, in many ways Newton was wrong when he said that the laws of motion were universal.
So now, first of all, it is not that science is never wrong; it has a self-correcting mechanism. Now, is it objective? Again, quantum physics is definitely not objective. It is dependent on the observer’s presence and perception, for the reality to be observed in quantum physics. Because consciousness plays an indispensible role in quantum physics, it is definitely not objective in the sense of it being an object out there, which can be observed, measured and tested. So, in that way, science is not necessarily always objective. But it is true that many of the observations and findings and experiments and processes of science are repeatable, and when different scientists repeat them, they give the same result. In that sense, they can be called objective.
But, the converse that religion is purely subjective is wrong; it’s based on a particular conception of religion. Many religions, especially Abrahamic religions, they have simply the three point formulae of pray, pay, and obey. Come to the place of worship, pray over there, give some donation, and obey whatever commandments or rules are told over there. Now, this is very dogmatic and ritualistic, but the eastern or the Dharmic religious traditions focus on inner transformation and there is a pathway given for that inner transformation, and there is a process of sadhana bhakti that brings about the transformation.
In many lecture, tapping the Power of Faith, It has explained the nine stages. It starts from Shraddha, and then moves towards Prema. So there is an inner transformation that is repeatable, verifiable, in that sense it is objective. Lust, anger, greed, envy, pride, illusion will decrease for anyone who practices the process of Krishna Consciousness, be that person in India, America, or Africa or even Antartica, or anywhere else. So, in that sense of it being repeatable, it is also objective. It’s subjective in the sense that it is an experience within one’s consciousness. So in that sense, it is experiential, and not experimental, as in modern science, but at the same time, because the experience also has outer expressions, which can be objectively verified. If a person is an addict, and the person becomes free from addiction, now the sense of freedom from addiction is internal, but the fact that the person has become free is also an externally observable reality. So the changes that happen in a devotee’s life, the spiritual happiness that a devotee experiences will be an internal experience. “Bhakti pareshanubhava, viraktiranyatraca”. So there is inner experience of God, para isha anubhava, that may be subjective, but there are external effects of that, which are objective, Viraktiranyatraca; one is no longer infatuated with by material things. So, in this sense, religion is at least not the process of spirituality that is taught in the Vedic tradition, and especially within that, Bhakti yoga, it is not purely subjective. There is objectivity in it, and that objectivity is the clarity of the pathway of the inner transformation, the cleardelineation for the process of transformation, and the repeatability and verifiability of that process.
But, it suffices to say that science being objective and religion being subjective is a division that is based on a very limited conception of science and a limited conception of religion. The deeper we go into science, in terms of quantum physics, we realize that science is not all that objective as it often made out, and when we explore alternatives to the conventionally known forms of religion in the West, the Abhramic religions, then we see that religion which offers pathways and processes for inner transformation and verifiable characteristics for inner transformation, then that religion no longer remains subjective.
Saturday 25 January 2014
Sat-tila Ekadasi
Sri Daalbhya Rishi said to Palastya Muni, “When the spirit soul comes
in contact with the material energy, he immediately begins to perform
sinful activities, such as stealing, killing, and illicit sex. He may
even perform many other terrible deeds, such as killing a brahmin. Oh
purest of personalities, please tell me how these unfortunate souls may
escape the punishment of being sent to hellish regions of creation.
Kindly inform me how, by giving even a little in charity, one may be
easily released from the reactions of his sins.”
Pulastya Muni replied, “Oh fortunate one, you have asked me an important and confidential question, which not even Brahmaa, Vishnu, Shiva or Indra has ever asked. Please listen very carefully to my answer.
“With the arrival of the month of Magh (January – February), one should bathe, carefully control his senses by giving up lust, anger, pride, jealousy, faultfinding, and greed, and meditate on the Supreme Personality of Godhead Lord Sri Krishna. One should then gather up some cow dung before it touches the ground and, after mixing it with sesame seeds and cotton, form 108 balls. This should be done on the day when the constellation of Purva-ashadha nakshatra arrives. then one should follow the rules and regulations of Sri Ekaadasii, which I shall now explain to you.
“After bathing, the person who intends to observe Ekaadasii should worship the Supreme Lord. While praying to Lord Sri Krishna by chanting His holy name, he should promise to observe the Ekaadasii fast. He should remain awake overnight and perform a homa (fire sacrifice). Then the devotee should perform an Arati ceremony for the pleasure of the Lord – Who holds a conch, disk, club, and so on in His hands – offering Him sandalwood paste to his feet, incense, camphor, a bright ghee lamp, and delicious food preparations. Next the devotee should offer the 108 balls of cow dung, sesame seeds, and cotton wool into the sacred fire whilst chanting such holy names of the Lord as Purusha sukta, and other names. Throughout the whole day and night he should also observe the standard Ekaadasii vrata (fast, which in this case is a fast from all kinds of grains and beans). On this occasion one should offer the Lord pumpkin, coconut, and guava. If these items are unavailable, betel nut may be substituted.
“The devotee should pray to Lord Sri Janardana, the benefactor of all living beings, in this way; ‘Oh Lord Sri Krishna, You are the most merciful Personality of Godhead and the giver of liberation to all fallen souls. Oh Lord, we have fallen into the ocean of material existence. Please be kind to us. Oh lotus-eyed divinity, please accept our most humble, affectionate and respectful obeisances. Oh protector of the entire world, we offer You our humble respects again and again. Oh Supreme Spirit, Oh Supreme One, Oh source of all our forefathers, may You and Your eternal consort, Srimati Laxmi-devi, please accept these humble offerings.’
“The devotee should then try to please a qualified brahmin with a warm welcome, a pot full of water (purna kumbha), an umbrella, a pair of shoes, and clothes (cloth – dhoti, and anga vaastra), requesting him at the same time to bestow his blessings, by which one may develop unalloyed love for Lord Sri Krishna. According to one’s ability, one may also donate a black cow to such a brahmin, particularly to one who is very well versed in all the injunctions of the Vedic scriptures. One should also offer him a pot full of sesame seeds.
“Oh exalted Daalbhya Muni, black sesame seeds are especially suitable for formal worship and fire sacrifices while white or brown ones are meant to be eaten by a qualified brahmin. One who can arrange to give both kinds of sesame seeds (black and white or brown) especially on this Sat-tilaa Ekaadasii day will be promoted to at least the heavenly planets after leaving this present body, for as many thousands of years as the number of seeds that would be produced if the seeds he donated were sown in the ground and grew into mature, seed bearing plants.
“On this Ekaadasii a faithful person should (1) bathe in the water mixed with sesame seeds, (2) rub sesame seed paste on his body, (3) offer sesame seeds into the fire in sacrifice, (4) eat sesame seeds, (5) give sesame seeds away in charity, (6) accept charitable gifts of sesame seeds. These are the six (sat) ways in which sesame seeds (tilaa) are utilised for spiritual purification on this Ekaadasii. Therefore it is called Sat-tilaa Ekaadasii.
“The great Devarishi Naarad Muni once asked the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Sri Krishna, ‘Oh mighty armed Lord, Oh You who are so affectionate to Your loving devotees, please accept my most humble obeisances. Oh Yaadava, kindly tell me the result one obtains by observing Sat-tilaa Ekaadasii.’
“Lord Sri Krishna replied, ‘Oh best of the twice born brahmins, I shall narrate to you an account of an incident I personally witnessed. Long ago on earth there lived an old female brahmini who worshipped Me every day with controlled senses. She very faithfully observed many a fast, especially on special days honouring Me (My various appearance days Janmaasthami, Rama-navami, Vaman Dwadasi, Nrisimha Chaturdasi, Varaha Dwadasi, Gaura Purnima, etc. – Calendar) and served Me with full devotion, devoid of any personal motive. Her rigorous fasting made her quite weak and thin. She gave charity to brahmanas and to young maidens (kanyas), and even planned to give away her house in charity. Oh best of the brahmanas although this spiritually minded woman gave charitable donations to worthy people, the odd feature of her austerity was that she never gave food to brahmanas or the devas (demigods).
“‘I began to reflect on this curious omission: “This fine woman has purified herself by fasting on all the auspicious occasions and by offering Me strict devotional worship. Therefore she certainly has become eligible to enter My personal abode, which is unattainable by ordinary persons.” So I came down to this planet to examine her, disguising Myself as a follower of Lord Shiva’s, complete with a garland of skulls draped around My neck and a begging pot (kumandalu) in My hand.
“‘As I approached her, she said toMe, “Oh respectful one, tell me truthfully why You have come before me.”
“‘I replied, “Oh beautiful one, I have come to get some sacred alms from you” – whereupon she angrily threw a dense lump of mud into My begging pot! Oh Naarada Muni I simply turned around and went back to My personal abode, astonished at this fine brahmani’s peculiar mixture of great magnanimity and stinginess.
“‘At last this austere lady reached the spiritual world in her self-same body, so great were her efforts at fasting and charity. And because she had indeed offered Me a lump of mud, I transformed that mud into a beautiful home. However, Oh Naradaji, this particular house was just like that mud completely devoid of any edible grains, as well as any furniture or ornamentation, and when she entered it she found only an empty structure. She therefore approached Me and said with great anger, “I have fasted repeatedly on so many auspicious occasions, making my body weak and thin. I have worshipped You and prayed to You in so many different ways for You are truly the master and protector of all the universes. Yet despite all this there is no food or wealth to be seen in my new home, Oh Janardana, please tell me. Why is this?”
“‘I replied, “Please return to your house. Sometime later the wives of the devas (demigods) will pay you a visit out of curiosity to see the new arrival, but do not open your door until they have described to you the glories and importance of Sat-tilaa Ekaadasii.”
“‘Hearing this, she returned to her house. Eventually the devas’ wives arrived there and in unison said, “Oh beautiful one, we have come to have your darshan. Oh auspicious one, please open the doorto your house and let us see you.
“‘The lady replied, “Oh most dear ones, if you want me to open this door, you will have to describe to me the merit one obtains by observing the sacred fast of Sat-tilaa Ekaadasii.” But to this request, not even one of the wives responded.
“‘Later, however, they returned to the house, and one of the wives nicely explained the sublime nature of this sacred Ekaadasii. And when the lady at last opened her door, they saw that she was neither a demigoddess, a Gandharvi, a she-demon, nor even a Naga-patni. She was simply an ordinary human lady.
“‘From then on the lady observed Sat-tilaa Ekaadasii, which awards ALL material enjoyment and liberation at the same time, as it has been described to her. And she finally received the beautiful furnishings and grains she had expected for her home. Moreover, her once ordinary material body was transformed into a beautiful spiritual form made of sac-cid-ananda (eternality, knowledge,and bliss), with a fine complexion. So, by the mercy and grace of Sat-tilaa Ekaadasii, both the lady and her new home in the spiritual world were at last radiantly splendid and lustrous with gold, silver, jewels, and diamonds.
“‘Oh Naradaji, a person should not ostentatiously observe Ekaadasii out of greed, with the hope of attaining wealth dishonestly. Selflessly, he should simply donate sesame seed, clothes, and food according to his capacity, for by doing so he will achieve good health and exalted spiritual consciousness, birth after birth. Ultimately, he will begiven release from the bonds of this world (liberation) and admittance into the Lord’s supreme abode will be his to enjoy. That is my opinion, Oh best of the demigods deva-rishis).’
“Oh Daalbhya Muni,” Pulastya Rishi concluded, “one who properly observes this wonderful Sat-tilaa Ekaadasii with great faith become free from all kinds of poverty – spiritual, mental, physical, social, and intellectual – as well as all kinds of ill luck and evil omens (sakuna). Indeed, following this Ekaadasii fast by donating, sacrificing, or eating sesame seeds frees one of all past sin, without a doubt. One need not wonder how this happens. The rare soul who properly performs these acts of charity in the right devotional mood, following the Vedic injunctions, will become utterly free of all sinful reactions and go back to Godhead, back home to the spiritual world.”
Thus ends the narration of the glories of Magh-krishna Ekaadasii, or Sat-tilaa Ekaadasii,
from the sacred Bhavishya-uttara Purana of Srila Krishna Dwaipayana Vyaasa.
Pulastya Muni replied, “Oh fortunate one, you have asked me an important and confidential question, which not even Brahmaa, Vishnu, Shiva or Indra has ever asked. Please listen very carefully to my answer.
“With the arrival of the month of Magh (January – February), one should bathe, carefully control his senses by giving up lust, anger, pride, jealousy, faultfinding, and greed, and meditate on the Supreme Personality of Godhead Lord Sri Krishna. One should then gather up some cow dung before it touches the ground and, after mixing it with sesame seeds and cotton, form 108 balls. This should be done on the day when the constellation of Purva-ashadha nakshatra arrives. then one should follow the rules and regulations of Sri Ekaadasii, which I shall now explain to you.
“After bathing, the person who intends to observe Ekaadasii should worship the Supreme Lord. While praying to Lord Sri Krishna by chanting His holy name, he should promise to observe the Ekaadasii fast. He should remain awake overnight and perform a homa (fire sacrifice). Then the devotee should perform an Arati ceremony for the pleasure of the Lord – Who holds a conch, disk, club, and so on in His hands – offering Him sandalwood paste to his feet, incense, camphor, a bright ghee lamp, and delicious food preparations. Next the devotee should offer the 108 balls of cow dung, sesame seeds, and cotton wool into the sacred fire whilst chanting such holy names of the Lord as Purusha sukta, and other names. Throughout the whole day and night he should also observe the standard Ekaadasii vrata (fast, which in this case is a fast from all kinds of grains and beans). On this occasion one should offer the Lord pumpkin, coconut, and guava. If these items are unavailable, betel nut may be substituted.
“The devotee should pray to Lord Sri Janardana, the benefactor of all living beings, in this way; ‘Oh Lord Sri Krishna, You are the most merciful Personality of Godhead and the giver of liberation to all fallen souls. Oh Lord, we have fallen into the ocean of material existence. Please be kind to us. Oh lotus-eyed divinity, please accept our most humble, affectionate and respectful obeisances. Oh protector of the entire world, we offer You our humble respects again and again. Oh Supreme Spirit, Oh Supreme One, Oh source of all our forefathers, may You and Your eternal consort, Srimati Laxmi-devi, please accept these humble offerings.’
“The devotee should then try to please a qualified brahmin with a warm welcome, a pot full of water (purna kumbha), an umbrella, a pair of shoes, and clothes (cloth – dhoti, and anga vaastra), requesting him at the same time to bestow his blessings, by which one may develop unalloyed love for Lord Sri Krishna. According to one’s ability, one may also donate a black cow to such a brahmin, particularly to one who is very well versed in all the injunctions of the Vedic scriptures. One should also offer him a pot full of sesame seeds.
“Oh exalted Daalbhya Muni, black sesame seeds are especially suitable for formal worship and fire sacrifices while white or brown ones are meant to be eaten by a qualified brahmin. One who can arrange to give both kinds of sesame seeds (black and white or brown) especially on this Sat-tilaa Ekaadasii day will be promoted to at least the heavenly planets after leaving this present body, for as many thousands of years as the number of seeds that would be produced if the seeds he donated were sown in the ground and grew into mature, seed bearing plants.
“On this Ekaadasii a faithful person should (1) bathe in the water mixed with sesame seeds, (2) rub sesame seed paste on his body, (3) offer sesame seeds into the fire in sacrifice, (4) eat sesame seeds, (5) give sesame seeds away in charity, (6) accept charitable gifts of sesame seeds. These are the six (sat) ways in which sesame seeds (tilaa) are utilised for spiritual purification on this Ekaadasii. Therefore it is called Sat-tilaa Ekaadasii.
“The great Devarishi Naarad Muni once asked the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Sri Krishna, ‘Oh mighty armed Lord, Oh You who are so affectionate to Your loving devotees, please accept my most humble obeisances. Oh Yaadava, kindly tell me the result one obtains by observing Sat-tilaa Ekaadasii.’
“Lord Sri Krishna replied, ‘Oh best of the twice born brahmins, I shall narrate to you an account of an incident I personally witnessed. Long ago on earth there lived an old female brahmini who worshipped Me every day with controlled senses. She very faithfully observed many a fast, especially on special days honouring Me (My various appearance days Janmaasthami, Rama-navami, Vaman Dwadasi, Nrisimha Chaturdasi, Varaha Dwadasi, Gaura Purnima, etc. – Calendar) and served Me with full devotion, devoid of any personal motive. Her rigorous fasting made her quite weak and thin. She gave charity to brahmanas and to young maidens (kanyas), and even planned to give away her house in charity. Oh best of the brahmanas although this spiritually minded woman gave charitable donations to worthy people, the odd feature of her austerity was that she never gave food to brahmanas or the devas (demigods).
“‘I began to reflect on this curious omission: “This fine woman has purified herself by fasting on all the auspicious occasions and by offering Me strict devotional worship. Therefore she certainly has become eligible to enter My personal abode, which is unattainable by ordinary persons.” So I came down to this planet to examine her, disguising Myself as a follower of Lord Shiva’s, complete with a garland of skulls draped around My neck and a begging pot (kumandalu) in My hand.
“‘As I approached her, she said toMe, “Oh respectful one, tell me truthfully why You have come before me.”
“‘I replied, “Oh beautiful one, I have come to get some sacred alms from you” – whereupon she angrily threw a dense lump of mud into My begging pot! Oh Naarada Muni I simply turned around and went back to My personal abode, astonished at this fine brahmani’s peculiar mixture of great magnanimity and stinginess.
“‘At last this austere lady reached the spiritual world in her self-same body, so great were her efforts at fasting and charity. And because she had indeed offered Me a lump of mud, I transformed that mud into a beautiful home. However, Oh Naradaji, this particular house was just like that mud completely devoid of any edible grains, as well as any furniture or ornamentation, and when she entered it she found only an empty structure. She therefore approached Me and said with great anger, “I have fasted repeatedly on so many auspicious occasions, making my body weak and thin. I have worshipped You and prayed to You in so many different ways for You are truly the master and protector of all the universes. Yet despite all this there is no food or wealth to be seen in my new home, Oh Janardana, please tell me. Why is this?”
“‘I replied, “Please return to your house. Sometime later the wives of the devas (demigods) will pay you a visit out of curiosity to see the new arrival, but do not open your door until they have described to you the glories and importance of Sat-tilaa Ekaadasii.”
“‘Hearing this, she returned to her house. Eventually the devas’ wives arrived there and in unison said, “Oh beautiful one, we have come to have your darshan. Oh auspicious one, please open the doorto your house and let us see you.
“‘The lady replied, “Oh most dear ones, if you want me to open this door, you will have to describe to me the merit one obtains by observing the sacred fast of Sat-tilaa Ekaadasii.” But to this request, not even one of the wives responded.
“‘Later, however, they returned to the house, and one of the wives nicely explained the sublime nature of this sacred Ekaadasii. And when the lady at last opened her door, they saw that she was neither a demigoddess, a Gandharvi, a she-demon, nor even a Naga-patni. She was simply an ordinary human lady.
“‘From then on the lady observed Sat-tilaa Ekaadasii, which awards ALL material enjoyment and liberation at the same time, as it has been described to her. And she finally received the beautiful furnishings and grains she had expected for her home. Moreover, her once ordinary material body was transformed into a beautiful spiritual form made of sac-cid-ananda (eternality, knowledge,and bliss), with a fine complexion. So, by the mercy and grace of Sat-tilaa Ekaadasii, both the lady and her new home in the spiritual world were at last radiantly splendid and lustrous with gold, silver, jewels, and diamonds.
“‘Oh Naradaji, a person should not ostentatiously observe Ekaadasii out of greed, with the hope of attaining wealth dishonestly. Selflessly, he should simply donate sesame seed, clothes, and food according to his capacity, for by doing so he will achieve good health and exalted spiritual consciousness, birth after birth. Ultimately, he will begiven release from the bonds of this world (liberation) and admittance into the Lord’s supreme abode will be his to enjoy. That is my opinion, Oh best of the demigods deva-rishis).’
“Oh Daalbhya Muni,” Pulastya Rishi concluded, “one who properly observes this wonderful Sat-tilaa Ekaadasii with great faith become free from all kinds of poverty – spiritual, mental, physical, social, and intellectual – as well as all kinds of ill luck and evil omens (sakuna). Indeed, following this Ekaadasii fast by donating, sacrificing, or eating sesame seeds frees one of all past sin, without a doubt. One need not wonder how this happens. The rare soul who properly performs these acts of charity in the right devotional mood, following the Vedic injunctions, will become utterly free of all sinful reactions and go back to Godhead, back home to the spiritual world.”
Thus ends the narration of the glories of Magh-krishna Ekaadasii, or Sat-tilaa Ekaadasii,
from the sacred Bhavishya-uttara Purana of Srila Krishna Dwaipayana Vyaasa.
Friday 24 January 2014
Supreme Godhead-Śrī Brahma-saḿhitā
Śrī Brahma-saḿhitā 5.1
Kṛṣṇa who is known as Govinda
is the Supreme Godhead. He has an eternal blissful spiritual body. He
is the origin of all. He has no other origin and He is the prime cause
of all causes.
The very intensely blended entity of eternal presence of felicitous cognition is the charming targeted holding or transcendental icon. It follows that the conception of the indistinguishable formless magnitude (Brahman) which is an indolent, lax, presentment of cognitive bliss, is merely a penumbra of intensely blended glow of the three concomitants, viz., the blissful, the substantive and the cognitive. This transcendental manifestive icon Kṛṣṇa in His original face is primordial background of magnitudinal infinite Brahman and of the all-pervasive oversoul. Kṛṣṇa as truly visioned in His variegated pastimes, such as owner of transcendental cows, chief of cowherds, consort of milk-maids, ruler of the terrestrial abode Gokula and object of worship by transcendental residents of Goloka beauties, is Govinda. He is the root cause of all causes who are the predominating and predominated agents of the universe. The glance of His projected fractional portion in the sacred originating water viz., the personal oversoul or Paramātmā, gives rise to a secondary potency — nature who creates this mundane universe. This oversoul's intermediate energy brings forth the individual souls analogously to the emanated rays of the sun.
This is treatise of Kṛṣṇa; so the preamble is enacted by chanting His name in the beginning.
anādir ādir govindaḥ
SYNONYMS
īśvaraḥ — the controller; paramaḥ — supreme; kṛṣṇaḥ — Lord Kṛṣṇa; sat — comprising eternal existence; cit — absolute knowledge; ānanda — and absolute bliss; vigrahaḥ — whose form; anādiḥ — without beginning; ādiḥ — the origin; govindaḥ — Lord Govinda; sarva-kāraṇa-kāraṇam — the cause of all causes.
TRANSLATION
PURPORT
Kṛṣṇa is the exalted Supreme entity having His eternal name, eternal form, eternal attribution and eternal pastimes. The very name "Kṛṣṇa" implies His love-attracting designation, expressing by His eternal nomenclature the acme of entity. His eternal beautiful heavenly blue-tinged body glowing with the intensity of ever-existing knowledge has a flute in both His hands. As His inconceivable spiritual energy is all-extending, still He maintains His all-charming medium size by His qualifying spiritual instrumentals. His all-accommodating supreme subjectivity is nicely manifested in His eternal form. The concentrated all-time presence, uncovered knowledge and inebriating felicity have their beauty in Him. The mundane manifestive portion of His own Self is known as all-pervading Paramātmā, Īśvara (Superior Lord) or Viṣṇu (All-fostering). Hence it is evident that Kṛṣṇa is sole Supreme Godhead. His unrivaled or unique spiritual body of superexcellent charm is eternally unveiled with innumerable spiritual instrumentals (senses) and unreckonable attributes keeping their signifying location properly, adjusting at the same time by His inconceivable conciliative powers. This beautiful spiritual figure is identical with Kṛṣṇa and the spiritual entity of Kṛṣṇa is identical with His own figure.The very intensely blended entity of eternal presence of felicitous cognition is the charming targeted holding or transcendental icon. It follows that the conception of the indistinguishable formless magnitude (Brahman) which is an indolent, lax, presentment of cognitive bliss, is merely a penumbra of intensely blended glow of the three concomitants, viz., the blissful, the substantive and the cognitive. This transcendental manifestive icon Kṛṣṇa in His original face is primordial background of magnitudinal infinite Brahman and of the all-pervasive oversoul. Kṛṣṇa as truly visioned in His variegated pastimes, such as owner of transcendental cows, chief of cowherds, consort of milk-maids, ruler of the terrestrial abode Gokula and object of worship by transcendental residents of Goloka beauties, is Govinda. He is the root cause of all causes who are the predominating and predominated agents of the universe. The glance of His projected fractional portion in the sacred originating water viz., the personal oversoul or Paramātmā, gives rise to a secondary potency — nature who creates this mundane universe. This oversoul's intermediate energy brings forth the individual souls analogously to the emanated rays of the sun.
This is treatise of Kṛṣṇa; so the preamble is enacted by chanting His name in the beginning.
What is Ekadashi?
Many devotees are very inquisitive about the appearance of Sri Ekadashi and about her special characteristics. Therefore I am presenting this description from the fourteenth chapter of the Padma Purana, from the section entitled “Kriya-sagara-sara.”
Once
the great sage Jaimini Rishi said to his spiritual master Srila
Vyasadeva, “Oh Gurudeva ! Previously, by your mercy, you described to me
the history of the glories of the Ganga river, the benefits of
worshipping Vishnu, the giving of grains in charity, the giving of water
in charity, and the magnanimity of drinking the water that has washed
the feet of the brahmanas. O best of the sages, Sri Gurudeva, now, with
great enthusiasm, I desire to hear the benefits of fasting on Ekadashi
and the appearance of Ekadashi.kasmad Ekadashi jata tasyah ko va vidhir dvija
kada va kriyate kim va phalam kim va vadasva me
ka va pujyatama tatra deva ta sad-gunarnava
akurvatah syat ko dosa etan me vaktum arhasi
“Oh Gurudeva! When did Ekadashi take birth and from whom did she appear? What are the rules of fasting on the Ekadashi? Please describe the benefits of following this vow and when it should be followed. Who is the utmost worshippable presiding deity of Sri Ekadashi? What are the faults in not following Ekadashi properly? Please bestow your mercy upon me and tell about these subjects, as you are the only personality able to do so.”
Srila
Vyasadeva, upon hearing this enquiry of Jaimini Rishi, became situated
in transcendental bliss. “Oh! brahmana sage Jaimini! The results of
following Ekadashi can only be perfectly described by the Supreme Lord,
Narayana, because Sri Narayana is the only personality capable of
describing them in full. But I will give a very brief description in
answer to your question.”“At the beginning of the material creation, the Supreme Lord created the moving and nonmoving living entities within this world made of five gross material elements. Simultaneously, for the purpose of punishing the human beings, He created a personality whose form was the embodiment of sin (Papa-purusha). The different limbs of this personality were constructed of the various sinful activities. A horrible personality embodying all the sinful activities and vices was created. His bodily colour is black, and his eyes are yellow. He inflicts extreme misery upon sinful persons.”
“The
Supreme Personality of Godhead, Lord Vishnu, upon seeing this
personality of sin, began to think to Himself as follows: ‘I am the
creator of the miseries and happiness for the living entities. I am
their master because I have created this personality of sin, who gives
distress to all dishonest, deceitful, and sinful persons. Now I must
create someone who will control this personality.’ At this time Sri
Bhagavan created the personality known as Yamaraj and the different
hellish planetary systems. Those living entities who are very sinful
will be sent after death to Yamaraj, who will in turn, according to
their sins, send them tom a hellish region to suffer.“After these adjustments had been made, the Supreme Lord, who is the giver of distress and happiness to the living entities, went to the house of Yamaraj, with the help of Garuda, the king of birds. When Yamaraj saw that Lord Vishnu had arrived, he immediately washed His feet and made an offering unto Him. He then had Him sit upon a golden throne. The Supreme Lord, Vishnu, became seated on the throne, whereupon He heard very loud crying sounds coming from the southern direction. He became surprised by this and thus enquired from Yamaraj, ‘From where is this loud crying coming?’
“Yamaraj
in reply said, ‘Oh Deva! The different living entities of the earthly
planetary systems have fallen into the hellish regions. They are
suffering extremely for their misdeeds. The horrible crying is because
of suffering from the inflictions of their past bad karma (actions).’“After hearing this, the Supreme Lord, Vishnu, went to the hellish region to the south. When the inhabitants saw who had come they began to cry even louder. The heart of the Supreme Lord, Vishnu, became filled with compassion. Lord Vishnu thought to Himself, ‘I have created all this progeny, and it is because of Me that they are suffering.’“
Srila Vyasadeva continued: “Oh Jaimini, just listen to what the Supreme Lord did next. ‘After the merciful Supreme Lord thought over what He had previously considered, He suddenly manifested from His own form the deity of the lunar day Ekadashi. Afterwards the different sinful living entities began to follow the vow of Ekadashi and were then elevated quickly to the abode of Vaikuntha. Oh my child Jaimini, therefore the lunar day of Ekadashi is the selfsame form of the Supreme Lord, Vishnu, and the Supersoul within the heart of the living entities. Sri Ekadashi is the utmost pious activity and is situated as the head among all vows.
“Following the ascension of Sri Ekadashi, that personality who is the form of the sinful activity gradually saw the influence she had. He approached Lord Vishnu with doubts in his heart and began offering many prayers, whereupon Lord Vishnu became very pleased and said, ‘I have become very pleased by your nice offerings. What boon is it that you want?’
“The
Papa-purusha replied, ‘I am your created progeny, and it is through me
that you wanted distress given to the living entities who are very
sinful. But now, by the influence of Sri Ekadashi, I have become all but
destroyed. Oh Prabhu! After I die all of Your parts and parcels who
have accepted material bodies will become liberated and therefore return
to the abode of Vaikuntha. If this liberation of all living entities
takes place, then who will carry on Your activities? There will be no
one to enact the pastimes in the earthly planetary systems! Oh Keshava!
If You want these eternal pastimes to carry on, then You please save me
from the fear of Ekadashi. No type of pious activity can bind me. But
Ekadashi only, being Your own manifested form, can impede me. Out of
fear of Sri Ekadashi I have fled and taken shelter of men; animals;
insects; hills; trees; moving and nonmoving living entities; rivers;
oceans; forests; heavenly, earthly, and hellish planetary systems;
demigods; and the Gandarvas. I cannot find a place where I can be free
from fear of Sri Ekadashi. Oh my Master! I am a product of Your
creation, so therefore very mercifully direct me to a place where I can
reside fearlessly.’“Srila Vyasadeva then said to Jaimini, “After saying this, the embodiment of all sinful activities (Papa-purusha) fell down at the feet of the Supreme Lord, Vishnu, who is the destroyer of all miseries and began to cry. “After this, Lord Vishnu, observing the condition of the Papa-purusha with laughter, began to speak thus: ‘Oh Papa-purusha! Rise up! Don’t lament any longer. Just listen and I’ll tell you where you can stay on the auspicious lunar day of Ekadashi. On the day of Ekadashi, which is the benefactor of the three worlds, you can take shelter of foodstuff in the form of grains. There is no reason to worry about this any more, because My form as Sri Ekadashi Devi will no longer impede you.’ After giving direction to the Papa-purusha, the Supreme Lord, Vishnu, disappeared and the Papa-purusha returned to the performance of his own activities.
“Therefore those persons who are serious about the ultimate benefit for the soul will never eat grains on the Ekadashi tithi. According to the instructions of Lord Vishnu, every kind of sinful activity that can be found in the material world takes its residence in this place of foodstuff (grain). Whoever follows Ekadashi is freed from all sins and never enters into hellish regions. If one doesn’t follow Ekadashi because of illusion, he is still considered the utmost sinner. For every mouthful of grain that is eaten by a resident of the earthly region, one receives the effect of killing millions of brahmanas. It is definitely necessary that one give up eating grains on Ekadashi. I very strongly say again and again, ‘On Ekadashi, don’t eat grains, don’t eat grains, don’t eat grains!’ Whether one be a kshatriya, vaishya, shudra, or of any family, he should follow the lunar day of Ekadashi. From this the perfection of varna and ashram will be attained. Especially since even if one by trickery follows Ekadashi, all of his sin become destroyed and he very easily attains the supreme goal, the abode of Vaikuntha.”
Significance of Ekadashi
Srila Prabhupada explained that Ekadashi
means “the eleventh” and it refers to the eleventh day of both the
waxing and the waning moon. So Ekadashi falls twice a month.
The shastra explains that the
papa-purusha (sin personified) takes shelter in grains on Ekadashi, and
therefore we avoid grains at all cost on that day.
Benefits of observing Ekadashi
Although Ekadashi is not difficult to follow, the results, materially and spiritually, are most beneficial.
-
In
the Brahma-vaivarta Purana it is said that one who observes fasting on
Ekadashi day is freed from all kinds of reactions to sinful activities
and advances in pious life. -
The basic principle is not just to fast, but to increase one’s faith and love for Govinda, or Krishna. The real reason for observing fasting on Ekadashi is to minimize the demands of the body and to engage our time in the service of the Lord by chanting or performing similar service.
-
The best thing to do on fasting days is to remember the pastimes of Govinda and to hear His holy name constantly. (Chapter 7, Evidence Regarding Devotional Principles, Nectar of Devotion). It gives one a taste for renunciation, and thus helps one to give up sense gratification.
-
Fasting gives the system a rest: The physiological system may become overworked
due to a little overeating or indiscrimination in diet. Fasting gives the system a chance to catch up. -
Fasting helps us practice self-discipline in eating and concentrate more on pleasing God.Ekadashi literally means "the eleventh day." There are two Ekadashis in a month : on the eleventh day after the new moon, and on the eleventh day after the full moon.
Of all vratas (vows of austerity), Vishnu is most pleased with those who observe the Ekadashi vrata.
Therefore anyone who does not observe the vrata and eats grains on Ekadashi is said to eat sin, for he disobeys the Lord's order and thus displeases Him.
Thus, although Ekadashi fasting is good for health, it should be undertaken principally for the sake of pleasing Krishna. To observe Ekadashi vrata and Dvadashi vrata means to please the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Those interested in advancing in Krishna consciousness must observe Ekadashi regularly.(SB 9.4.29)
Prohibited food- What to eat and what not to eat?
There are different ways to observe Ekadashi.
You
may fast the entire day; you may eat only fruit, milk, milk products,
and root vegetables (such as potatoes, beets, white radishes, and
peanuts) that are very simply spiced, can also eat varai and sabudana. - But most commonly, devotees observe Ekadashi by abstaining from all grains and beans. In other words, they avoid rice, wheat, corn, string beans, peas, mustard, dals, sesame.
- Do not use any cooking ingredients that might be mixed with grains, such as ghee that has been used to fry puris, or spices touched by hands dusted with chapatti flour.
- Ekadasi fasting ends with parana, i.e., breaking the fast the next day (Dvadashi) by taking grain prasada.
Thursday 23 January 2014
Gajendra's Prayers of Surrender
SB 8.3.7
didṛkṣavo yasya padaṁ sumaṅgalaṁ
vimukta-saṅgā munayaḥ susādhavaḥ
caranty aloka-vratam avraṇaṁ vane
bhūtātma-bhūtāḥ suhṛdaḥ sa me gatiḥ
vimukta-saṅgā munayaḥ susādhavaḥ
caranty aloka-vratam avraṇaṁ vane
bhūtātma-bhūtāḥ suhṛdaḥ sa me gatiḥ
Saturday 11 January 2014
Thursday 9 January 2014
Significance of Vaikuntha Ekadashi
Vaishnavas (devotees of Lord Vishnu)
observe Ekadashi Vrata and engage in remembering the Supreme Lord by
chanting His Holy Names and singing His glories. Ekadashi is the
eleventh day of the fortnight of waxing or waning moon and occurs twice a
month. But the Ekadashi that occurs in the month of Margasirsa
(December - January) during the fortnight of waxing moon is of special
significance, and is glorified as Vaikuntha Ekadashi. This is a major
festival of South India celebrated in all the temples of Lord Vishnu.
Significance of Vaikuntha Ekadashi
Nammalwar,
one of the great devotees in the Sri Sampradaya (the disciplic
succession descending from Lakshmi Devi) went back to Godhead on this
day. To commemorate this event, in all the Vishnu temples, the Vaikuntha
Dwara (the gate to Vaikuntha) a special entrance in the north side of
the temple is opened once in a year on this particular day. It is
believed that anyone who enters the Vaikuntha Dwara on this day is
guaranteed to attain the spiritual abode.
Sunday 5 January 2014
WHY TO VISIT TEMPLES
There are thousands of temples all over India in different size, shape and locations but not all of them are considered to be built the Vedic way. Generally, a temple should be located at a place where earth's magnetic wave path passes through densely. It can be in the outskirts of a town/village or city, or in middle of the dwelling place, or on a hilltop. The essence of visiting a temple is discussed here.
Now, these temples are located strategically at a place where the positive energy is abundantly available from the magnetic and electric wave distributions of north/south pole thrust. The main idol is placed in the core center of the temple, known as "*Garbhagriha*" or *Moolasthanam*. In fact, the temple structure is built after the idol has been placed. This *Moolasthanam* is where earth’s magnetic waves are found to be maximum. We know that there are some copper plates, inscribed with Vedic scripts, buried beneath the Main Idol. What are they really? No, they are not God’s / priests’ flash cards when they forget the *shlokas*. The copper plate absorbs earth’s magnetic waves and radiates it to the surroundings. Thus a person regularly visiting a temple and walking clockwise around the Main Idol receives the beamed magnetic waves and his body absorbs it. This is a very slow process and a regular visit will let him absorb more of this positive energy. Scientifically, it is the positive energy that we all require to have a healthy life.
Further, the Sanctum is closed on three sides. This increases the effect of all energies. The lamp that is lit radiates heat energy and also provides light inside the sanctum to the priests or *poojaris* performing the pooja. The ringing of the bells and the chanting of prayers takes a worshipper into trance, thus not letting his mind waver. When done in groups, this helps people forget personal problems for a while and relieve their stress. The fragrance from the flowers, the burning of camphor give out the chemical energy further aiding in a different good aura. The effect of all these energies is supplemented by the positive energy from the idol, the copper plates and utensils in the *Moolasthan*am / *Garbagraham*. *Theertham*, the “holy” water used during the pooja to wash the idol is not
plain water cleaning the dust off an idol. It is a concoction of Cardamom,*Karpura* (Benzoin), zaffron / saffron, *Tulsi* (Holy Basil), Clove, etc...Washing the idol is to charge the water with the magnetic radiations thus increasing its medicinal values. Three spoons of this holy water is distributed to devotees. Again, this water is mainly a source of magneto-therapy. Besides, the clove essence protects one from tooth decay, the saffron & *Tulsi* leafs protects one from common cold and cough, cardamom and *Pachha Karpuram* (benzoin), act as mouth fresheners. It is proved that *Theertham* is a very good blood purifier, as it is highly energized. Hence it is given as *prasadam* to the devotees. This way, one can claim to remain healthy by regularly visiting the Temples. This is why our elders used to suggest us to offer prayers at the temple so that you will be cured of many ailments. They were not always superstitious. Yes, in a few cases they did go overboard when due to ignorance they hoped many serious diseases could be cured at temples by deities. When people go to a temple for the *Deepaaraadhana*, and when the doors open up, the positive energy gushes out onto the persons who are there. The water that is sprinkled onto the assemblages passes on the energy to all. This also explains why men are not allowed to wear shirts at a few temples and women are requested to wear more ornaments during temple visits. It is through these jewels (metal) that positive energy is absorbed by the women. Also, it is a practice to leave newly purchased jewels at an idol’s feet and then wear them with the idol’s blessings. This act is now justified after reading this article. This act of “seeking divine blessings” before using any new article, like books or pens or automobiles may have stemmed from this through mere observation.
Energy lost in a day’s work is regained through a temple visit and one is refreshed slightly. The positive energy that is spread out in the entire temple and especially around where the main idol is placed, are simply absorbed by one's body and mind. Did you know, every Vaishnava(Vishnu devotees), “must” visit a Vishnu temple twice every day in their location. Our practices are NOT some hard and fast rules framed by 1 man and his followers or God’s words in somebody’s dreams. All the rituals, all the practices are, in reality, well researched, studied and scientifically backed thesis which form the ways of nature to lead a good healthy life.
The scientific and research part of the practices are well camouflaged as “elder’s instructions” or “granny’s teaching’s” which should be obeyed as a mark of respect so as to once again, avoid stress to the mediocre brains
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