You are the Guards of Your Sanatana Dharma

You are the Guards of Your Sanatana Dharma

https://ramamohanraocheruku.blogspot.com/2020/04/you-are-guards-of-your-sanatana-dharma.html

Article 25 of the Indian Constitution guarantees its citizen the right to practice and propagate his religion. It doesn’t mean, total destruction of the other man’s religion or non-hierarchical unorganized religions. This right is not conferred only to a particular religion; it is applicable every religion irrespective of a particular religion and the religious practices thereof. It is not a constitutional provision for one-way traffic or a non-return valve.

In no way with the said article did the founding fathers think of any sort of conversion. The law-makers intention was the healthy coexistence of all cultures and religious groups. Conversion by brainwashing, coercion, allurement, incentives, etc. is cruel in cultural terms. So it doesn’t come under the purview of Article 25. Such subversive practices seem just under the law of the wild, that is, might is right, or matsya nyaya (law of the fish viz. the bigger fish    swallows the smaller one).

The architects of our Constitution were well aware of the fact that the death of a religion is the death of a particular culture or sub-culture or a civilization associated with that. As observed by Arnold J Toynbee, every civilization has a universal Church (religion). Hence, religion and human civilization have an umbilical link. Each civilization, whether small or large or extra-large, has its own knowledge system. For instance, today our alleged socialized social orders are pursuing the pharmaceuticals of our tribal social orders. These have a substantial, objective, and observationally demonstrated information framework, obtained through generations. We, as an enlightened society, are bound to secure all societies and their commitments. This idea made the present day ‘Body Care’ companies to tag Aurveda for each of their product.

With the death of the Inca, Maya (From the Knowledge I gained from books on this topic in my 30's, I think, Mayans have reference in Maha Bharata Where they accompany their leader Who reciprocates his gratitude to Srikrishna and Arjuna for saving his life from Khandava Dahana disaster, by constructing a grand unmatched fantastic palace along with courtyard in memory of his name as ‘Maya Sabha’. After that he obtains leave from Dharmaraja and disappears from there. Probably he would have migrated with all his kin to Mexico. Their knowledge in various faculties of Sastra enabled them to construct Maya Sabha. To justify this fact we find from various texts that the Maya civilization was noted for its logo syllabic script—the most sophisticated and highly developed writing system in pre-Columbian Americas—as well as for its art, architecture, mathematics, calendar, and astronomical system.), ancient Greek or Roman civilizations, mankind lost an immense knowledge system. However it is not still discovered by the Historians as to how the entire race was disappeared. The technology behind the ‘Golden Raft’ (people interested can search for the same in Google.) of the Mexicans, may be a race after Mayans, was buried along with the European massacre and

en masse conversion to European religions of the remains lot that too ladies for their sexual pleasures.    

      The above mentioned lost civilizations had their own religious practices. They were all naturally evolved religions, that is, they had no founders. So they never discussed the spread of their religious frontiers. Almost all these civilizations died of the wild and brutal interference of founder-oriented religions. The devastating efforts made by Muslim intruders never yielded to their expectations more so the westerners.

The Muslims indiscriminately destroyed whatever they found in their targeted (prey) societies or religions which they found indigestible. In India, Muhammad Bin Bakhtiyar Khilji burnt the library of Nalanda University on the ground that the contents of the books there were not in conformity with the message of his religious book and founder of his faith. His savagious desire created a disastrous conflagration for a continuous period of three months. The destruction of Nalanda is not the loss to only Hindus; it is a loss to mankind. The great Akbar married to so many Hindu princesses but never gave his sisters in reciprocity to any Hindu ruler. As I read from India today Akbar did marry a Rajput princess, says Akbarnama but the book never referred to her as Jodha Bai. Akbar was married to Princess Hira Kunvari, the eldest daughter of Raja Biharimal the ruler of Amer. After she gave birth to Jahangir, Akbar titled Hira Mariam-Uz-Zamani.

Less said the better about Aurangzeb. Let us not go into his atrocities to our dharma, as it will become a big book. The township adjoining the Kutub Minar is known as Mehrauli. That is a Sanskrit word Mihira-awali. It signifies the town- ship where the

Well-known astronomer Varaha Mihira of Vikramaditya's court lived along with his friends, relatives, followers, mathematicians and technicians. They used the so-called Kutub Minar as an observation post for astronomical study. Around the tower were pavilions dedicated to the 27 constellations of the Hindu Zodiac.

Kutubuddin had left us an inscription that he destroyed these pavilions. But he had not said that he raised any tower. The ravaged temple was renamed as Kuwat-ul-Islam mosque. The corrosion free iron pillar was the Garud Dhwaj alias Garud Stambh, i.e., the sentinel post of the Vishnu temple which is very adjacent to the so-called Kutub Minar has an inscription on it telling the victories of Vikramaditya of Ujjain. Under several speculations one such is, it is said to have moved from Ujjain. It was the capital of great Vikram, in whose name Vikram Samvat came into existence. There are also tales that Vikram went to Swargaloka in human form. He was proved to have ruled this country during the transition period from B.C. to A.C. More over Mihiravali, mentioned above, is adjacent to the place of the pillar erected.

Nadirshaw another invader tried to blast the pillar but it was futile. The pillar is famous for it's for the rust-resistant composition of the metals used in its construction. So far nobody could judge the age of the pillar with authenticity. Even today the scientists are stuck with exclamation as to how thousands of years back the then great scientists for the rust-resistant composition of the metals used in its construction.

How much disheartening these deeds of the invaders. Europeans were in no way less than the Islamic rulers. They ruined the entire culture, the tongue or the mother of all the universal languages, I mean Sanskrit, the education system along with obliterating our culture customs and habits and we have fallen prey to them. They made us feel shy for adopting our traditions. They influenced even great scholars like Bal Gangadhar Tilak were carried away by the Western theory of Aryan Invasion. However an eminent person, who deserves all the prostrations of us, Brahmasri Kota Venkatachalam garu disproved this with all authenticity and did not hesitate to advise the same to Tilak.

I write these articles for the youth. I am worried about our mother land and the traditions, culture, they have set without having an iota of interest for their name and fame.. It is for you people to search google, acquire more knowledge and enlighten your own youth.It is an undisputed fact that followers of organised religions killed every one who opposed them, where they could not kill they encouraged conversions through a campaign. For example in Africa. IT is said, the followers of Christianity in both North and South America killed more than 2.8 crore people. Now there are only 2.5 lakh native red Indians.

I want you to read the article in Indian perspective.

The youth are the torch bearers of tomorrow for the nation. Take care of it with all dedication and devotion. Unless you know about the past you cannot pave path for the future.

Express your gratitude to our selfless elders by contributing your mite to the grandeur of this nation.

Here under I submit the suggestion of a Facebook reader for your perusal. Nobody can destroy our dharma. We are Independent now and can safeguard ourselves. Nothing to fear by seeing or hearing something happened somewhere. Let us have confidence in ourselves. Accidents happen on the road do we stop driving. No those things give us confidence to be more careful.  VIOLENCE CAN KILL THE BODY NOT THE SOUL. Let us take care of our dharma, Dharma takes care of us. Let us concentrate on learning what our dharma says. Let the people who know it, propagate it properly. Make people understand each and every Solka of our Vedas. Let us increase the Hindu Dharma classes in our areas. I try to so. Let all of us try it honestly and move forward without looking at the back, without fear or favour. Follow it. This is my sincere opinion. Not a critical comment, a positive thought.

I honestly feel such suggestions are like empty vessels. We have to act according to the need of the hour. Cautioning does not tantamount to killing. To know History is not a crime. The suggestion given to make every Veda sloka to be understood by everybody is humanly impossible vis-à-vis conducting classes on Sanathana dharma. Leaving the discussion here   I conclude the article with the patriotic song written by Kavi-Pundt and Padmavibhushan Sri Pradeep for the Hindi Movie Jagrity, which is the essence of what I have written. With a big Namaskaram to that great personality I take leave at this point.

  Ham laaye hain toofaan se kashti nikaal ke

Iss deshko rakhana mere bachchon sambhaal ke

Tum hi bhavishhya ho mere bhaarat vishaal ke

Is deshko rakhana mere bachchon sambhaal ke

Swasti.

Bactria once a part of India

Bactria once a part of India

https://ramamohanraocheruku.blogspot.com/2020/03/bactria-once-part-of-india-about-5000.html

About 5,000 years back India was a very big piece of land under the control of a Soma Clan (Chandra Vamsha). After the emergence of Kaliyuga. Parishit and Janamejaya also ruled the country with the same length and breadth. Gradually the rulers of the vast empire started becoming independent duly  detaching themselves from the empire. As per Ramayana the Ithihasa Sri Rama was the only Sarvabhouma meaning the sole emperor of the entire Globe. There after all the other rulers were emperors of partial pieces of the undecided earth.

History, an English word, is a combination of ‘He/His and Story’. It says only about a particular person his abilities, battles, his conquests and demise. Itihasa is that which says about all the main people involved in the total happening. The very meaning of Itihasa is ‘Yes, this had occurred’. Ithihasa involves invariably the characters of those persons who are the personifications of Chaturvidha Purshaartha viz.  Dharma Artha Kama and Moksha. Here in this article The Author brings about the historical facts of, as to how once, Bactria belonged to India.

This is an article published by Bhakthi Vedanta Ashram and nothing of my own. I wholeheartedly thank them for their in depth research and presentation.

Mazar-i-Sharif will probably be familiar to those who are old enough to remember the US invasion of Afghanistan in 2001. It was the first Taliban city to fall to the US army, and subsequently became famous for a prison uprising in which a CIA officer was killed and an American named John Walker Lindh was found fighting with the Taliban.

While many know about this recent history of the place and have heard it mentioned in the news, probably few will know about its ancient history and its somewhat indirect connection to the Bhagavad Gita, which is what I would like to discuss here.

Mazar-i-Sharif is the capital of the Balkh province in Afghanistan. It is located at the extreme north of Afghanistan, on the border with Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan. This location will be important because it will show how vast the ancient Hindu kingdom of Bharata was.

Balkh is the slightly modified Persian version of the Sanskrit word Bahlika, which referred both to a kingdom (a region) as well as the king who founded that kingdom. King Bahlika was the brother of the great Maharaja Shantanu, and is mentioned throughout the Puranas and Mahabharata. He, along with his sons and grandsons, fought on the side of the Kauravas in the Kurukshetra war.

To be continued.....

2.

The Bhagavata Purana describes his lineage as follows:

devāpiḥ śāntanus tasya

bāhlīka iti cātmajāḥ

pitṛ-rājyaṁ parityajya

devāpis tu vanaṁ gataḥ

abhavac chāntanū rājā

prāṅ mahābhiṣa-saṁjñitaḥ

yaṁ yaṁ karābhyāṁ spṛśati

jīrṇaṁ yauvanam eti saḥ

“The sons of Pratīpa were Devāpi, Śāntanu and Bāhlīka. Devāpi left the kingdom of his father and went to the forest, and therefore Śāntanu became the king. Śāntanu, who in his previous birth was known as Mahābhiṣa, had the ability to transform anyone from old age to youth simply by touching that person with his hands.” – Bhagavata Purana 9.22.12-13

soma-vaṁśe kalau naṣṭe

kṛtādau sthāpayiṣyati

bāhlīkāt somadatto ’bhūd

bhūrir bhūriśravās tataḥ

śalaś ca śāntanor āsīd

gaṅgāyāṁ bhīṣma ātmavān

sarva-dharma-vidāṁ śreṣṭho

mahā-bhāgavataḥ kaviḥ

“After the dynasty of the moon-god comes to an end in this age of Kali, Devāpi, in the beginning of the next Satya-yuga, will reestablish the Soma dynasty in this world. From Bāhlīka [the brother of Śāntanu] came a son named Somadatta, who had three sons, named Bhūri, Bhūriśravā and Śala. From Śāntanu, through the womb of his wife named Gaṅgā, came Bhīṣma, the exalted, self-realized devotee and learned scholar.” – Bhagavata Purana 9.22.18-19

The first thing to note is that King Bahlika was a Vedic king belonging to  the Soma Vamsha (moon dynasty), and was also a descendant of Kuru, just as the Pandavas and Kauravas were. He was the brother of Maharaja Shantanu, who is a central character in the Mahabharata. Bahlika’s son was named Somadatta, and he was also a great king who participated in the battle of Kurukshetra. Somadatta’s son was Bhurishrava, a great warrior general who commanded one akshauhini of soldiers, or around 10% of the Kaurava’s entire army.

The Mahabharata states the following:

tathā bhūriśravāḥ śūraḥ śalyaś ca kurunandana

duryodhanam upāyātāv akṣauhiṇyā pṛthak pṛthak

“And so the valiant Bhurisravas, and Salya, O son of Kuru, came to Duryodhana, with an akshauhini of soldiers each.” – Mahabharata, Udyoga Parva 19.16

An akshauhini is a military unit said to have been comprised of 21,870 chariots, 21,870 elephants, 109,350 infantry and 65,610 cavalry. Thus Bhurishrava’s contribution towards the Kaurava’s army, along with his father’s (Somadatta) and grandfather’s (Bahlika), played a major role in the Kurukshetra war.

In the first canto of the Bhagavata Purana, both Bhurishrava and Bahlika are mentioned as being amongst the great generals who led the Kaurava side in the Kurukshetra war. Arjuna says:

yad-doḥṣu mā praṇihitaṁ guru-bhīṣma-karṇa-

naptṛ-trigarta-śalya-saindhava-bāhlikādyaiḥ

astrāṇy amogha-mahimāni nirūpitāni

nopaspṛśur nṛhari-dāsam ivāsurāṇi

“Great generals like Bhīṣma, Droṇa, Karṇa, Bhūriśravā, Suśarmā, Śalya, Jayadratha and Bāhlika all directed their invincible weapons against me. But by His [Lord Krishna’s] grace they could not even touch a hair on my head. Similarly, Prahlāda Mahārāja, the supreme devotee of Lord Nṛsiṁhadeva, was unaffected by the weapons the demons used against him.” – Bhagavata Purana 1.15.16

Finally, we come to the Bhagavad Gita, where in the first chapter Duryodhana approaches his general Bhishma and says the following:

bhavān bhīṣmaś ca karṇaś ca

kṛpaś ca samitiṁ-jayaḥ

aśvatthāmā vikarṇaś ca

saumadattis tathaiva ca

“There are personalities like you, Bhīṣma, Karṇa, Kṛpa, Aśvatthāmā, Vikarṇa and the son of Somadatta called Bhūriśravā, who are always victorious in battle.”

Here we have Duryodhana specifically pointing out Bhurishrava, the son of Somadatta and grandson of Bahlika, and saying he is samitim-jayah, always victorious in battle.

Thus all three of these great Vedic kings were unconquearable heroes, and all three of them ruled from the kingdom of “Bahlika”, which was centered around the present day district of Balkh in Afghanistan.

There are many archaeological sites in Balkh, as you can see in the following photographs, though due to various wars and conflicts, there is no interest or effort to excavate the historical treasures that lie beneath the soil. We are left with only the fleeting and meaningless news stories of modern times, such as the invasion of Mazar-i-Sharif by the US forces, or the prison revolt in which a CIA officer died, which are nothing but coverings of the true priceless history of this region recorded in the Mahabharata and the Puranas.

3.

If we look at a map we can see how far north this district is located. We must understand that once upon a time this was one of the Kuru kingdoms of Bharata, stretching into modern Turkmenistan, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan. This was all Bharata, and all ruled by Kuru kings of the moon dynasty.

One may ask, “What happened to this once great empire, and why don’t we hear more about it?” The Mahabharata tells us the stories of how the three great kings of the empire (Bahlika, Somadatta and Bhurishrava) died in the battle of Kurukshetra, as did most of the great kings of that time. With the loss of their rulers and the onset of the Kali Yuga, everything in general decayed and became corrupted. Subsequently the region became subjected to various invasions from other cultures, such as the Greeks, Persians, Turks and Arabs, with each new invasion adding to the cultural dilution.

The Bahlika empire latter came to be known as Balkh, which was again morphed by the Greeks into Baktriani, and today is known as the Bactrian empire. We should remember this was simply the remnants of the Vedic Bahlikas, after thousands of years had passed, after they had been conquered by the Greeks and also after they had their culture diluted. Yet still we find so many archaeological artifacts from the Bactrian empire showing Hindu Gods such as Krishna, Vishnu, Balarama, Shiva, etc. The following photos of Bactrian coins and seals, show clearly the Hindu Gods whom their forefathers worshipped. These items are more than 2,000 years old.

The capital city, Bactra/Balkh, was situated on the ancient “silk road” trade route and was one of the major commerce points linking China, India and the West. When Arab invaders finally conquered the region, they called the capital city of Balkh as “Umm-al-belad” or “the mother of cities”, indicating how large and wealthy the city was.

In 1220 AD Genghis Khan sent 100,000 horsemen to loot and destroy the city of Balkh, killing all residents, and razing all buildings to the ground. Though the people had surrendered without a fight, the entire population was marched away and massacred. Again in the 14th century, Timur looted and killed the remaining population.

The famous explorer, Marco Polo, had visited this city around the end of the 13th century. He wrote the following about this empire:

“Balkh is a great and noble city, though it was much greater in former days. But the Tartars and other nations have greatly ravaged and destroyed it. There were formerly many fine palaces and buildings of marble, and the ruins of them still remain. The people of the city tell that it was here that Alexander the Great took as a wife the daughter of king Darius.”

It should be noted that Alexander the Great had married a Bactrian/Bahlika princess from this region named Roxana, which is the Greek version of the Sanskrit name Rochana, meaning “radiant, charming, and bright”. This Sanskrit name has even entered into the English language as Roxanne, and is still used today.

4

Marco Polo further wrote:

“When you have left the city of which I have been speaking, you ride some 12 days between north-east and east, without finding any human habitation, for the people have all taken refuge in fastnesses among the mountains, on account of the bandits and armies that harassed them. There is plenty of water on the road, and abundance of game; there are lions too. You can get no provisions on the road, and must carry with you all that you require for these 12 days.”

Ever since, this great region has been ravaged by wars one after another, leaving all of its ancient history hidden under layers of ruins and sediment. In 1998 the Taliban conquered Mazar-i-Sharif, which was then followed by the U.S invasion of Afghanistan, which continues till the present times.

The next time you hear about these places in the news, remember the great kings Bahlika, Somadatta and Bhurishrava, and their central role in the Kurukshetra war, which ultimately brought us the priceless treasure of the Bhagavad Gita.

This is the hidden history which modern academics do not want us to dig deeper into. They do not want the people to know that Bharata, or what we call today as India, extended throughout the world, and was the center of civilization in times that predate known history. The Kuru kings of the moon dynasty ruled vast lands that touched even to the borders of Russia, and for this reason all the world’s cultures have traces of Vedic elements present within them.

 Swasthi. 

SHAKUNTALADEVI

SHAKUNTALADEVI

https://ramamohanraocheruku.blogspot.com/2020/02/shakuntaladevi.html

Shakuntala Devi was born on 4th Nov 1929 in Bangalore. Her father was a circus artiste who worked as a trapeze and tightrope performer. She started displaying her genius while she was 3 and would assist her father in circus shows to do card tricks. By the age of 6, she had proved that she was a prodigy in mathematics by displaying her excellent memory and mental calculation skills in Mysore University. What followed that is history.

Amongst her varied achievements and awards, a few are:

* 'Distinguished Woman of the Year Award' in 1969, from the University of Philippines along with a gold medal.

* In 1988, she was honored with the 'Ramanujan Mathematical Genius Award' in Washington D.C., conferred to her by the-then Indian Ambassador to US.

* Her name was listed in the '1995 Guinness Book of World Records' edition for her outstanding mathematical feat where she beat the world's fastest computer at multiplying two thirteen digit numbers.

* A month before her death, she was honored with the 'Lifetime Achievement Award' in Mumbai, in 2013.

Shakuntala Devi amazed the whole world through her amazing mental calculation skills and has given performances world-wide. Her books like 'Fun with Numbers', 'Puzzles to Puzzle You', are a delight for both children and grown ups. She was rated as one in 58 million for her stupendous mathematical feats by one of the fastest super-computers ever invented —the Univac — 1108. In the year 1977, Shakuntala Devi mentally solved the 23rd root of a 201-digit number. In 1980, she again solved the multiplication of two 13-digit numbers 7,686,369,774,870 x 2,465,099,745,779 that were randomly picked by the computer department of Imperial College in London. And this, she did in just 28 seconds. Her correct answer to this multiplication sum was 18,947,668,177,995,426,462,773,730. This incident has been included on the 26th page of the famous 1995 Guinness Book of Records.

She has set her foot on every country in the world and made India look upon her with pride. She faded away into infinity on 21st April 2013 leaving behind her legendary and inspiring life.

Om Bharatagauravaaya Namah - Salutations to the one who is the pride of India!

Mystical Temple of Speaking Goddesses

Mystical Temple of Speaking Goddesses

https://ramamohanraocheruku.blogspot.com/2020/02/mystical-temple-of-speaking-goddesses.html

The famous Raj Rajeshwari Tripura Sundari temple in Bastar, Bihar, attracts hundreds of thousands of devotees from across the nation. This temple is dedicated to Goddess Durga.

Historians say that the temple was built 400 years ago to perform tantric worship and obtain tantric powers.

In this temple there are several deities of Goddess Durga in various avatars like Tripura, Dhumavati, Bagalamukhi, Tara, Kali, Chinnamasta, Shodasi, Matangi, Kamala, Ugrah Tara, Bhuvaneshwari, etc.

The temple looks very beautiful in the daytime, but what is more interesting is what happens at night. This temple has various mystical happenings every night.

From the first day of this temple being built, the royal family and the local people who built the temple were able to hear various sounds at night.

No one could understand those words even though the sound is very clear. Also, they were unable to find the source from where the sounds are coming from.

A team of scientists visited the place and confirmed that after dusk one can hear voices coming from the temple even when there is no human in sight. Locals believe that at midnight one can hear the deities talk to each other and scientists say that it is unknown why words keep echoing in the main temple.

Believe it or not, this mystical phenomenon remains unsolved and no one knows why one can hear sounds coming out of the temple. Maybe it is the Goddess speaking to mankind or something that we may not know yet, but the fact that many devotees stand in long queues to seek blessing from the Goddess is a symbol of ultimate devotion.

(Courtesy  Bhakthi Vedanta Ashram)

Swathi 

WHY TO VISIT TEMPLES? (Scientific Reason)

WHY TO VISIT TEMPLES? (Scientific Reason)

https://ramamohanraocheruku.blogspot.com/2020/02/why-to-visit-temples-scientific-reason.html

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, a hilltop, in a town/village, city, or in middle of the dwelling places.  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 or Garbhagudi. 

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 positive energies. The lamp that is lit radiates heat energy and also provides light inside the sanctum to the (priests) 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.

I would like to say a few words about ringing of a bell as to how we can say it is scientific. Making temple bells is a whole science. The bell is made up of a mixture of five metals – lead, copper, zinc, iron, and tin – to which it is measured based on ratio and specification.

The proportion at which each one of them mixed is the real science behind making a bell. Each of these bells is made to produce such a distinct sound that it can create a harmony between your left and right brains. The moment you ring that bell, it produces sharp but lasting sound vibration which lasts for minimum of seven seconds in echo mode — long enough to touch your seven healing centers (or chakras) in your body.

The moment bell sound happens your brain is emptied of all thoughts. Invariably, you will enter a state of trance where you are very receptive. This trance state is the one with inner awareness. The bell works as antidote to the chaos of your mind. Before you enter a temple it prepares you for the calming taste of spiritual awareness you are going to experience.

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 Dhoopsticks camphor give out the chemical energy further aiding in a different good aura. During olden days Dhoopsticks were made of, processing cow dung and treating it with extracts of natural perfumes. The effect of all these energies is supplemented by the positive energy from the idol, the copper plates and utensils in the Moolasthanam/ Garb graham. 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, pachha Karpuram (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 Trikarana Shuddhi namely Manas, vachas (speech), Karma (With special reference to Good Deeds).

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.

A trusted Pujari will have one forth of divinity within him where as the other three being in the sanctum-sanctorum, the Idol, and the precincts. Hence Preparation of Prasad is prerogative and nobody should have a say on that. 

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 were present 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 in temples strictly in olden days but ladies with traditional attire. This is for the males to receive the energy through the skin into his body, for ladies their anatomy allows to wear relevant dress code to keep up the dignity of the serene atmosphere and still the left over body what so ever will receive the energy for their whole body.

Added to this Women were wearing more ornaments during temple visits during olden days.  It was through these jewels (Gold 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. Any machine is an Ayudham that is an instrument made for a specific purpose. It contains Energy and Energy is Shakthi and the Deity is   Shakthi Swarupam. It is a strong belief of the devotees that the energy prevailing in the temple may pass to the vicinity also where the vehicles are kept for Puja. This may be a modern addition but still contains some logic.

Energy lost in a day’s work is regained through a temple visit and one is refreshed according to his concentrating ability on the Daity.

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 Shiva and Vaishnava temples were being visited twice every day in their location. Both Pujas in those timings are called Pratah Kala puja and Pradosha Kala Puja.

After Darshan one should sit in the premises of the temple for a while. It is good to chant the following Sloka:

Anayasena maranam Vina dainyena Jeevitham

 Dehanthe tava sayujyam Dehime Parvathee pathe

As Siva is layakara the shloka is dedicated to him.

  

Our practices are NOT some hard and fast rules framed by one man said to have received by God or his son or agent. All the rituals and all the practices are, in reality, well researched, studied and scientifically backed. The thesis, which form the ways of nature to lead a good healthy life. Of course some rituals might have been introduced by some selfish or narcissistic persons in the guise of self-made or narcissist Godmen\Women and it is here we should use our logic to avoid such practices.

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.

Swasti.