Martand Sun Temple Jammu & Kashmir

Martand Sun Temple








Located on a plateau in Anantnag, Jammu & Kashmir, Martand Sun Temple is dedicated to the Sun god built by the King of Karkota Dynasty in the early 8th century AD. The temple was destroyed by Islamic ruler Sikandar Butshikan in the early 15th century, and it has stood in ruins ever since. The placement of the Temple enables a panoramic view of the beautiful Kashmir Valley. The Shrine is situated in the centre while the remains of the other structures are scattered around the premise. The Martand Sun Temple is one of the important archaeological sites in India.

According to local legend, Surya, the Sun God of Hindu Mythology was born of Aditi from a lifeless egg called Martand. Aditi was the wife of Kashyap, the saint from whom Kashmir probably takes its name. Surya was her 13th child, the spring of Mattan is attributed to this legend. Lord Vishnu Surya has been worshipped in his Martand manisfestation. The modern name of the village Mattan seems to has evolved from the Sanskrit Martand (mart = dead / and <— anda = egg) with the passage of time.

This temple was Martand. Though Kalhana, Kashmir Historian, has given contradictory references regarding the founder of Martand. For example at one place, he has mentioned that King Randitya founded Martand. And in another book he has mentioned the name of famous warrior King Lalita Ditya Mukta Pida. The construction of the world famous Martand is usually ascribed to Lalita Ditya Mukta Pida. The king appeared to be a worshiper of Sun as an all pervading phenomenon. He also offered to the Diety “the territory of Kanyakubja (Kanauj) together with the villages.” The fact was that Kanauj King Yasho Varman had suffered defeat at his hands and this had made his task easier to march on to the bay of Bengal on Turning back, he passed through Mysore and Konkan territory where he met with little or no resistance. So his power and valour naturally would have made him 'Lalita Ditya Mukta Pida' (swelled with pride). And he paid homage to the fierce luminary by founding Martand (Sun Temple). It is now in ruins. Only some parts have survived but its pictures have been preserved in most of the books written on Kashmir.

This is another pricess Indian heritage destroyed by the Mughals.

Krishnamachari Santhanam

Manthras and Mind power

Imagine that you are standing on the bank of a river and you hear the current as it flows. If you follow 

the river upstream, you will come to its origin. There, you will find that there is no sound. In the same way, a mantra leads the mind to the silence within. That state is called “soundless sound.” Each mantra will make a different form. You have to go to the source within, from which that sound comes.


Manthras and the mind are closely related. Many Manthras mould the mind in its subtle form. The sound vibrations the Manthras generate mould the subtle aspects of the Mind. Many forms of God are mind forms too. No wonder the originator of a manthra the sage is called Manthra Drishta. The seer of the Manthra. So he is not the hearer of the Manthra but the seer. This explains a lot. Even Prophet Mohammad is said to have seen the visual descent of the Quran.


Sanathana Dharma had known this truth for ages and has utilised it effectively to condition mankind towards perfection. In Hinduism many forms of worship can be substituted by mental worship. Snanam( Ritual Bath), poojanam ( Worship by flowers etc) , Vandhanam ( Bowing) etc can take mental forms. So in Hinduism there is no excuse to skip a worship or prayer even if water or flowers are not physically available. Remembrance is most important.


For instance, take Ganga Snanam during Deepavali. Ganga is verily said to penetrate into all waterbodies on Deepavali , so all believers do take a Ganges dip! Plus, there is a sloka which verily has the power to bring all the holy waters verily into your shower! Beat That!


" Gange ca Yamune devi

Godavari Sarasvathi

Narmadhe Sindhu Kaveri

Jalesmin Sannidhim Kuru"


Just reciting this before Bath verily makes your physical Bath a Divine one. What a way to infuse Desh Bakthi also. Constant remembrance of your countries holy water bodies does increase your love for your mother land.





Even taking the Ganapathi pooja which is verily the shub Arambh ( Auspicious beginning ) of all rituals. Ganapathy , the auspicious divine form is the most easy to draw or Sculpt. Priests do not wait for a moorthy ( Image ) of a Ganesha. He just Rolls a some Turmeric paste in his palm and makes an image of Ganesha, which normally is only a clump or pyramidical in shape and recites the following Manthra:


" Asmin Bhimbe Maha Ganapathim Avahayami"


By this he is infusing energy into the pyramid or invoking Ganesha in it. Such a simple Prana Prathishta!








So let us take a little time to educate our youngsters on these powerful tools of positivity. The current youngsters are enamoured by Power of positive thinking books available in the market. Little do they know that these are available at their doorsteps, only needs little effort to know the treasure they are missing out on.




Krishnamachari Santhanam

Ujjian

Ujjain, city, western Madhya Pradesh state, central India. It is located just east of the Sipra River. Ujjain, one of seven sacred Hindu cities, is the site of the Kumbh Mela (Hindu festival) every 12 years. The city derived its name from the Sanskrit jai (“victory”).

Lying on the first meridian of the ancient Hindu geographers, it was the capital (as Ujjayini) of the Aryan Avanti kingdom (6th–4th century bce). In the 2nd century bce, Ujjain was the seat of the emperor Ashoka, the last of the Mauryan rulers and one of the most influential early Buddhists. The city was known to the Greek geographer Ptolemy in the 2nd century ce as Ozene, the capital of the western satraps—i.e., the Greek, Scythian, and Parthian rulers of western India. An important trade centre in ancient times, it passed in 400 ce to Chandra Gupta II of Magadha. In 1235 Iltutmish of Delhi sacked Ujjain, and it remained in Muslim hands until its capture in 1750 by the Sindhias, who made it their capital. With the transfer of the capital to Lashkar in Gwalior (1810) and the rise of Indore, Ujjain declined in importance. It was constituted a municipality in 1887.

Near the Sindhia palace is the Mahakala (Shiva) temple, one of the most sacred in India, which was destroyed in 1235 but subsequently restored. Just southeast is the observatory built by Maharaja Jai Singh of Jaipur, governor of Malwa (1728–34) under the Mughals. Just north lies Bharathari Cave, an 11th-century temple.

Krishnamachari Santhanam

Amarnath Caves

 

Amarnath Temple Pilgrimage is an annual pilgrimage being made to the shrine Amarnath Temple by thousands of Hindu devotees on challenging mountainous terrain.

Located in the Indian state of Jammu and Kashmir and situated on Mount Amarnath, the Amarnath caves  are one of the most famous shrines in Hinduism. Dedicated to the god Shiva, the shrine is said to be over 5,000 years old. The shrine forms an important part of Hinduism. The cave is surrounded by snowy mountains. The cave itself is covered with snow most time of the year except for a short period of time in summer when it is open for pilgrims.

Inside the 130 feet high, south facing Amarnath cave is the Shiva Linga, which waxes during May to August and gradually wanes thereafter. This lingam is said to grow and shrink with the phases of the moon, reaching its height during the summer festival

According a Hindu legend, this is the cave where Shiva explained the secret of life and eternity to his divine consort Parvati. Two other ice formations represent Parvati and Shiva's son, Ganesha.

The cave is situated at an altitude of 3,888 m (12,756 ft) about 141 km (88 mi) from Srinagar, the capital of Jammu and Kashmir.

The main purpose of this pilgrimage is the sight of Lingam representing the Lord Shiva himself. According to an unproven theory the formation is an ice stalagmite which resembles the Lingam, however this theory is challenged by the fact that the substance of the lingam is not the same as stalagmites found elsewhere. Additionally, the cave being existed for few thousand years, have not filled itself from the sedimentary material. The water thawing from the roof does not fall on the lingam itself which brings in doubt the stalagmite theory.

Krishnamachari Santhanam

Dip in the Ganges

As per the scriptures we are to take the scriptual bath before any ritual. But say we are in a flight where this may not be possible. Scripture provides for the ritual bath by invoking the manasa ganga and by mindfully bathing in it can proceed with the rituals. The ida and the pingala act as the carrier for the yamuna and the Ganga and the unseen saraswathi is in the sahasradhara. When you dip in this ganges, or you dip in the ganges of the guru or dip in the mother ganges physically.. it is upto each...But dip we must.. No use in floating on the surface.

Namasthe.



Krishnamachari Santhanam

Humility

Saint Narada is most known for creating mischief and quarrels between people (although the quarrels always lead to good things and makes everyone happy). Apart from his mischief making, however, Narada is also well known for his supreme musical talents - according to Hindu mythology, he introduced people to the gift of music. Narada always appears with a Veena in his hands and constantly chants the name of Lord Narayana. Even today, In India, when a religious discourse or a Yakshagana (a type of dance-drama or an opera) is held, the programs begin after invoking the name of Narada.

Saint Narada, wasn't without flaws, however. He was proud of his musical skills, but looked down on others who were less skilled than he was. Once he went to the kingdom of Lord Krishna. Krishna knew of Narada's arrogance and wanted to teach him a lesson on modesty and respect for others. Krishna asked Narada to play his Veena before an assembled audience in his court. Narada played the Veena brilliantly and delighted the audience with his music. At the end of his performance, Narada turned to Krishna and waited for the God to express his appreciation of Narada's music. Krishna, instead, turned to Hanuman, the monkey God, who was sitting in the audience, and asked him what he thought of Narada's music. Narada, unaware of Hanuman's divine status, was very unhappy that Krishna, instead of expressing his appreciation, sought the opinion of a mere monkey. "What does a monkey know about music?" Narada thought.


Krishna reading the mind of Narada said, "Oh Narada, I understand your concern, but first, let us find out if this monkey really knows anything about music. Give him your Veena and let him play it." Narada became even angrier because musicians consider their musical instruments sacred. Narada didn't want to share his Veena with anyone, especially not a monkey. He couldn't refuse Krishna's request however, and reluctantly handed the Veena to Hanuman. Hanuman began to play the Veena and sang beautiful hymns in praise of Lord Rama. The Monkey God's singing and playing was so sincere and so devoted that the entire audience was mesmerized. Even the great musical genius Narada was compelled to appreciate Hanuman's music. Being a person of enormous wisdom, Narada began to realize the lesson that Krishna was teaching him. Narada asked Krishna's forgiveness for not respecting the greatness of Hanuman and for underestimating Hanuman because he was a monkey.

Anger Management

The teachings of great masters help one to rise from base behaviours to become a balanced individual. Ramakrishna Paramahamsa, the great Indian master illustrated an event to his disciples to handle anger.


Once the great master was standing by a river in the company of His disciples. As they stood there, the master pointed out to a boat that was advancing upstream. The boatman was shouting out to another boat that was moving down stream in the opposite direction to avoid collision. When the boat in the opposite direction rushed closer, the boatman realised that it was an empty boat with no one to monitor its movements. Hence he just changed his course of movement and avoided the danger.


Ramakrishna Paramahamsa then explained to the devotees that the boat man neither tried to change the course of the other boat nor did he continue to yell. All that he did was to steer around the on rushing boat. Ramakrishna compared, the boat without a boatman to a person who is angry. Hence when one is confronted with the anger of another person it is wise to move away like the boatman who avoided the onrushing boat. He taught not to indulge in flinging abusive words in return. When when retorts back in anger, his case is also like that of a boat without a steerer

Allah is Vishnu

Allah is Al-Ahad or The One and Vishnu is called Eka, The One. It’s curious
but there are striking similarities between the many names of Vishnu and
those of Allah.
The Vishnu Sahasranamam (the thousand names of Vishnu) was composed by
Ved Vyas and incorporated in the Mahabharata. The sahasra here is not meant
to be a finite digit; it is in fact the opposite. ‘Thousand’ is meant to
suggest infinitude. The poem is a tool for meditating on God, the Formless
One, avyakta, of multifarious forms, anekamurti. Names connoting these two
opposite aspects follow one another in the poem: first the name, then the
counter-name. Because, the intention is not to define, but rather to convey
the futility of definition through a surfeit of definitions. The names
listed in the Sahasranamam are not all nouns: they are mostly adjectives.
They are attributes of God, juxtaposed to create a dhvani or suggestion of
the all-inclusive, all-surpassing, definition-defying Being.
The countername does not cancel the name; rather, it illustrates that
every name, every murti, is equally correct and incorrect: it is both iti
(so) and neti (not so). It is futile, likewise, to think of adding up the
names to arrive at any algebraic ‘finality’. Among the thousand names of
Vishnu are also Shoonya (zero) and Ananta (infinity). The movement of a
seeker after truth, as Swami Vivekanand put it, is not from error to truth,
but rather from one truth to another, until he reaches the end of all
knowledge, vedanta, to arrive at a consciousness of truth and bliss. This is
sat-chit-ananda: the state of truth-consciousness-bliss. This is Godhood.
One who realises it cannot define it; he can only point towards it or
suggest it — through sahasranama.
The Gracious Names Of Allah lists the various names of Allah occurring in
the holy Qu’ran. It is interesting how similar the names or appellations of
Allah are to those of Vishnu in the Vishnu Sahasranamam. Allah, as the
Paramatma, is Al-Ahad, The One or Eka. He is Al-Quddus, the Holy One
(Pavitram), Ar-Rahman, The Beneficent (Varadaya), Al’Maalik, The Lord
(Prabhu), Al’Aziz, The Mighty One (Mahaveera), Al’Alim, The All-knowing
(Sarvagya). He is Al’Khaliq, The Creator (Srishta) and Al’Musawwir, One who
fashions all things (Vishwakarma). He is Al’Hakam, The Judge (Vidhatre), who
is Al’Adl, The Just (Nyaya). Al’Latif, The Subtle One (Sookshma), Al’Kabir,
The Great (Mahaan).
Allah is also Al’Matin, The Firm One (Sthir), and As-Samad, The Eternal
One, The Absolute (Achyuta, Sthavar). He sends down distress as Ad-Daarr
(Bhayakrat), and deals death as Al’-Mumit (Yama). Himself is Al-Muhaymin,
The Protector (Rakshan). God is An-Nur, The Luminous One (Prakash), and
Al-Hakim, The Wise One (Mahabuddhi). He is An-Nafi, The Propitious One
(Mangala). He is Dhul-Jalal-Wal-Ikram, The Bountiful (Srinidhi). As in the
case of Vishnu, contradictory names apply equally perfectly to Allah. For
example, He is Al’Muqaddim (The Expediter) and also Al’- Mu’akhkhir (The
Delayer).
What is the significance of reciting all these names? The Sahasranamam
uplifts; it expands thought to include everything and every nonthing. If all
is the One, where is room for malice? The Phalshruti (Fruits of Recitation)
of Vishnu Sahasranamam promises to rid the devoted reciter of anger, malice,
greed and evil thoughts. One is also rid of the fear of birth, death, old
age and disease (janma-mrityu-jara-vyadhi). All these are the results that
follow the highest form of positive thinking. Similarly, reciting the names
of Allah, too, is bound to bring lasting benefit to the devout.

Remembrance

Once Arjuna was walking with Krishna by his side. Sri Krishna wanted to teach humility to his great devotee. As they were walking by Krishna showed to Arjuna a mound of flowers and mentioned casully that is from my greatest devotee! Arjuna immediately interjected-me? A question expecting an asuured answer of affirmation.

Krishna feigned surprise-You? No No. The flowers you have offered to me are over there and showed a small mound. Arjuna was miffed- then who is this devotee who had offered you so many flowers? He maybe is doing laksharchana everyday and not be riddled with protecting a nation like me. Now you can see Arjuna going on the defence.
Krishna says No on the contratry He is also a kshatriya Involved in governance just like you.

Arjuna could not take the suspense anymore. asked Krishna Who is he?
Krishna smiled sweetly and said your own brother Bhima.
Now Arjuna was even more intrigued- what Bhima? If you had mentioned Dharmaraja i could beleive but Bhima?the guy with the eternal apetite? NO way...
But still Krishna would not lie...
So as a last face saving device he asked-Krishna you mean it?
Krishna says-absolutely,every word of it..If you want go and ask Bhima.
Arjuna went to Bhima and explained the situation and asked him when you have offered these flowers to Krishna.
Bhima said in all simplicity- Oh these flowers? Whenever I pass by the hillside and see these flowers I used to be lost in its beauty and grandeure and think of Krishna and his myraid taste in creating these flowers. So i used to offer it to Krishna in my mind-as a trbute-offering what was and is originally His. Apart from this where is the time to do Pooja and all the stuff? He laughed and went off.

Now Arjna had learnt his lesson and so have we- God is not looking at the number of times we have perambualated or the number of flowers or incense we have offered or the number of mala we have rotated. What is not His which we can offer to him
Remebrance is everything.
Krishnamachari Santhanam.

We worship female Godesses but do not want female children?

As John-Thor Dahlburg points out, "in rural India, the centuries-old practice of female infanticide can still be considered a wise course of action." (Dahlburg, "Where killing baby girls 'is no big sin'," The Los Angeles Times [in The Toronto Star, February 28, 1994.]) According to census statistics, "From 972 females for every 1,000 males in 1901 ... the gender imbalance has tilted to 929 females per 1,000 males. ... In the nearly 300 poor hamlets of the Usilampatti area of Tamil Nadu [state], as many as 196 girls died under suspicious circumstances [in 1993] ... Some were fed dry, unhulled rice that punctured their windpipes, or were made to swallow poisonous powdered fertilizer. Others were smothered with a wet towel, strangled or allowed to starve to death." Dahlburg profiles one disturbing case from Tamil Nadu:


Lakshmi already had one daughter, so when she gave birth to a second girl, she killed her. For the three days of her second child's short life, Lakshmi admits, she refused to nurse her. To silence the infant's famished cries, the impoverished village woman squeezed the milky sap from an oleander shrub, mixed it with castor oil, and forced the poisonous potion down the newborn's throat. The baby bled from the nose, then died soon afterward. Female neighbors buried her in a small hole near Lakshmi's square thatched hut of sunbaked mud. They sympathized with Lakshmi, and in the same circumstances, some would probably have done what she did. For despite the risk of execution by hanging and about 16 months of a much-ballyhooed government scheme to assist families with daughters, in some hamlets of ... Tamil Nadu, murdering girls is still sometimes believed to be a wiser course than raising them. "A daughter is always liabilities. How can I bring up a second?" Lakshmi, 28, answered firmly when asked by a visitor how she could have taken her own child's life eight years ago. "Instead of her suffering the way I do, I thought it was better to get rid of her." (All quotes from Dahlburg, "Where killing baby girls 'is no big sin'.")
A study of Tamil Nadu by the Community Service Guild of Madras similarly found that "female infanticide is rampant" in the state, . "Of the 1,250 families covered by the study, 740 had only one girl child and 249 agreed directly that they had done away with the unwanted girl child. More than 213 of the families had more than one male child whereas half the respondents had only one daughter." (Malavika Karlekar, "The girl child in India: does she have any rights?," Canadian Woman Studies, March 1995.)

The bias against females in India is related to the fact that "Sons are called upon to provide the income; they are the ones who do most of the work in the fields. In this way sons are looked to as a type of insurance. With this perspective, it becomes clearer that the high value given to males decreases the value given to females." (Marina Porras, "Female Infanticide and Foeticide".) The problem is also intimately tied to the institution of dowry, in which the family of a prospective bride must pay enormous sums of money to the family in which the woman will live after marriage. Though formally outlawed, the institution is still pervasive. "The combination of dowry and wedding expenses usually add up to more than a million rupees ([US] $35,000). In India the average civil servant earns about 100,000 rupees ($3,500) a year. Given these figures combined with the low status of women, it seems not so illogical that the poorer Indian families would want only male children." (Porras, "Female Infanticide and Foeticide".) Murders of women whose families are deemed to have paid insufficient dowry have become increasingly common, and receive separate case-study treatment on this site.

India is also the heartland of sex-selective abortion. Amniocentesis was introduced in 1974 "to ascertain birth defects in a sample population," but "was quickly appropriated by medical entrepreneurs. A spate of sex-selective abortions followed." (Karlekar, "The girl child in India.") Karlekar points out that "those women who undergo sex determination tests and abort on knowing that the foetus is female are actively taking a decision against equality and the right to life for girls. In many cases, of course, the women are not independent agents but merely victims of a dominant family ideology based on preference for male children."

Dahlburg notes that "In Jaipur, capital of the western state of Rajasthan, prenatal sex determination tests result in an estimated 3,500 abortions of female fetuses annually," according to a medical-college study. (Dahlburg, "Where killing baby girls 'is no big sin'.") Most strikingly, according to UNICEF, "A report from Bombay in 1984 on abortions after prenatal sex determination stated that 7,999 out of 8,000 of the aborted fetuses were females. Sex determination has become a lucrative business." (Zeng Yi et al., "Causes and Implications of the Recent Increase in the Reported Sex Ratio at Birth in China," Population and Development Review, 19: 2 [June 1993], p. 297.)

Deficits in nutrition and health-care also overwhelmingly target female children. Karlekar cites research


indicat[ing] a definite bias in feeding boys milk and milk products and eggs ... In Rajasthan and Uttar Pradesh [states], it is usual for girls and women to eat less than men and boys and to have their meal after the men and boys had finished eating. Greater mobility outside the home provides boys with the opportunity to eat sweets and fruit from saved-up pocket money or from money given to buy articles for food consumption. In case of illness, it is usually boys who have preference in health care. ... More is spent on clothing for boys than for girls[,] which also affects morbidity. (Karlekar, "The girl child in India.")

Krishnamachari Santhanam