Chakratirth Baba

Chakratirth Baba

It is my experience that our Media are totally committed and dedicated to spread our Sanatanadharma on its dark side created by gullible Babas and Gurus and seldom tell about the two prominent religions whose commandments are par beyond logic. The pity is we the followers of this Dharma, blindly follow the scribes without any reason as sheep in the herd. Let us come to know about a great man who stuck at the behest of his Guru for 15 long years surviving with only a few wild herbs and touching no other food.

98 year old sadhu Brahma Chaitanya Das, who is known in Odisha as Chakratirtha Baba is a man of worth to know. Baba spent his entire life alone in the remote forests of Orissa doing sadhana as ordered by his guru.

One day his guru lit an akandha dhuni (sacred fire burning eternally) and told him to watch the fire as he went out. He told him he would be back in 15 days time.

This sadhu sat alone in the forest waiting for him to come back, with no food or possessions. At the time, this was one of the most remote places in India, deep in tiger infested forests of Odisha. Even today it is one of the largest tiger reserves in India.

He lived alone in this forest with no house, no food and no one else around to help him. He sustained himself by collecting wild roots in the forest, which he knew from his tribal background. He kept waiting for his guru to return, and finally one day his guru did return, but it was 15 years later.

He kept the sacred fire burning alone in this remote forest for 15 years without questioning why his guru had not returned on time.

There is a saying in Oria among sadhus, “bara varsha korile seva guru kohile kichi debha”. The meaning is that, “After performing service for 12 years, my guru said he will give me something.” This indicates that the guru first tests the disciple for twelve years to see if he is sincere. After passing all the tests of the guru, when the guru is convinced and pleased with the disciple, he gives him something that is the real guru diksha which leads to siddhi. Thus Chakratirtha Baba got what he wanted from Guru. He preaches the same to those who trust him.

His Guru before passing away permitted him to have Char Dham yatra viz. Puri, Dwaraka, Badrinath and Rameshwaram. He now at the age of 98 started to go round the shrines.

Swasti.

From Fiction to Fact

From Fiction to Fact

A team based in the UK spent the last four years seeking out cardiac arrest patients to analyse their experiences during their cardiac arrest, after they came back to life. The team's finding was: almost 40 per cent of the survivors recalled having some form of "awareness" during the time that they had been declared clinically dead. One man who had been clinically dead - then brought back to life - accurately described what had been happening in the room.

The popular notion among experts is that the brain shuts down within 20 to 30 seconds of the heart stopping beating – and that it is not possible to be aware of anything once that happens.

But scientists who participated in the new study, said they had found compelling evidence that patients experienced real events happening around them - for up to three minutes - after death happened – and could even recall them accurately once they had been resuscitated back to life.

Dr Sam Parnia, Assistant Professor at the State University of New York and former Research Fellow at the University of Southampton, who led the research, said he had previously held the belief that patients who described near-death experiences were only relating hallucinatory events.

However, based on evidence provided by the 57-year-old social worker from Southampton, Dr Parnia now admits: "We know the brain can’t function when the heart has stopped beating. But in this case, conscious awareness appears to have continued for up to three minutes."

The man had given a "very credible" account of what had been going on while doctors and nurses were trying to bring him back to life – and says that he felt he was observing his resuscitation from the corner of the room.

On being revived back to life, the man was able to describe everything that happened in the room in the intermittent period, but more importantly, he heard two bleeps from a machine that makes a noise at three-minute intervals. That was how doctors could time the experienced! Dr Parnia concludes, "He seemed very credible and everything that he said had happened to him, had actually happened."Dr Parnia’s study involved 2,060 patients from 15 hospitals in the UK, US and Austria. It has also been published in the "Resuscitation" journal.

About 46 per cent of those who survived had experienced a broad range of mental recollections, nine per cent had experiences that were compatible with traditional definitions of a near-death experience, and two per cent had exhibited full awareness with explicit recall of "seeing" and "hearing" events – or out-of-body experiences.

Dr Parnia said that the findings of the study as a whole had suggested that "the recalled experience surrounding death now merits further genuine investigation without prejudice."Dr Jerry Nolan, editor-in-chief of the journal which published the research, said: "The researchers are to be congratulated on the completion of a fascinating study that will open the door to more extensive research into what happens when we die."

As Sarah Knapton, Science Correspondent of The Telegraph, put it: Death is a depressingly inevitable consequence of life. But with scientists believing that they may have found some light at the end of the tunnel, also sheds light on a controversial subject which has, until recently, been treated with widespread skepticism. Although many patients could not recall specific details later, some common themes did emerge. One in five apparently recalled feeling an unusual sense of peace...Another one-third of the patients recalled having a sense of time slowing down or speeding up.

Yet others recalled seeing a bright light - like a golden flash - or the sun shining...

Others recounted drowning or being dragged through deep water...13 per cent said they felt a heightened sense of being...

The same 13 per cent of course, stated the obvious: that they had felt separated from their bodies...

Maha Nandi

Maha Nandi

https://ramamohanraocheruku.blogspot.com/2019/10/maha-nandi.html

Maha Nandi is the name of the place and the Temple there at is known as Mahanandiswara Temple. Maha Nandi is located in the east of Nallamala Hills near Nandyal town in Kurnool district of Andhra Pradesh, positioned at the foot of the hills of Srisailam.

Theerthas and Kshetras are divine places which wash out our all sorts of ailments by a dip and by moving round in the place Kshethra respectively. The third one is the Murthy or the Deity (in English) by having just a glance all our ailments ll be destroyed. Concrete examples for all the three is 1. Prayaga 2. Gaya 3. Tirumala Ahobilam and all the three put together is Kasi and Shrisailam.

Maha Nandi is bestowed with kshetra Mahima. Even the Murthy is Swayambhu Murthy. Hence the deity is powerful. More over Mahanandi kolanulu (Gundams) get perennial water from sources unknown. Hence it satisfies all the three qualities stated above.The supervising deity here is Lord Shiva who is worshiped by the name of Mahanandiswara Swami which is in the form of a sanctified Shivalingam. The famous water source is also believed to have been evolved from beneath the self – manifested Shivalingam which is present in the sanctum sanctorum. The incredible trait of the temple is that the sanctified water gushing out of the sanctum assists in irrigating 2000 acres of fertile land around the village. According to Mahanandi Temple history, the 7th-century temple is devoted to Lord Shiva. Mahanandiswara is one of the ancient temples of India and it dates back over 1,500 years and the inscriptions of the 10th-century tablets portray the fact that this temple has been restored and rebuilt quite a lot of times. The initial structure of the temple was erected by the Chalukyas in the 7th century and, later on, numerous additions were made to the temple in the 10th and 15th centuries. 

A copper plate by Krishna Devaraya confirms that Mahanandi belongs to one of the most blessed places. Narasimha Devaraya, the king of the same Vijayanagara offered most precious gifts.

The kings of the area who were addressed as Nandas and they constructed a mammoth of temples and adored their ancestral deity, Nandishwara.

According to the legend of the temple, in the beginning of Kritayuga, once there lived a Rishi in the Nallamala forest named Silada.  He built a small cottage and lived in it with his wife.  He was always interested in Tapas.  He was eating Silas (stones) as his usual food.  So, he was named ‘Silada’.  He had no children.  So, his wife requested him for children.  He wanted to fulfil her request and so meditated on Sarveswara for a long time.

After a few years, Lord Shiva appeared before him and asked him what boon he wanted.  Silada forgetting his wife’s desire.  Requested Parama Siva to allow him to serve him forever.  But the Omniscient Lord knew that he had forgotten his wife’s desire. Lord Siva told him that he would fulfil the desires of both wife and husband. He blessed the Rishi and disappeared.

Immediately a male child appeared in the hole or cave.  Both of them felt extremely happy. They named him ‘Mahananda’.  Day by day the child was growing up and received a good education spiritual education from Gurus.  After upanayana, Mahananda asked his parents to allow him to do Tapas about Siva.  They felt very happy and blessed him.

In a short time Parameswara appeared before him. The boy did Pranams to Siva in joy and praised him in many hymns.  Parameswara was pleased and ready to give him boon.  The boy requested Lord to allow him to be his Vahana (Vehicle).  Parameswara agreed to it and fulfilled his desire.

Lord Siva told him. “My dear son! This place will soon be changed into a powerful and holy river which flows forever.  This holy place will become a sacred and famous Kshethra on your name (Mahanandi Kshethra).  It is true.”  Saying those words Parameswara transformed him as his Vahana (bull) and went to Kailasagiri.

After Many years, a Nanda King the son of Uttungabhoja of Pandava Race ruled this place residing at Nandyal town.  There was a village named Gopavaram (then named Gopitavaram, Gopana means Secret).  A Shepherd had a herd of cows.  The cows used to graze in the forest every day.

One of the cows in the cattle used to enter a bush and ooze (discharge slowly) the milk from her udder on the grass and return home with its empty udder every day.  The shepherd wanted to know the reason and followed the cow carefully on the next day.  The cow entered the bush as usual.  The shepherds were observing its movements hiding behind the bush.  The cow stood on the grass which covered the hole (ant hill).  A child came out of the hole and drank the milk of the cow.  The cow returned and came home with cattle.

The shepherds were talking about the event here and there.  The spies heard the matter and told the same to the king.  The king felt very happy and decided to see this in person.  The next day he went to the forest and followed the cattle of the cows observing the movements with special attention.  The cow entered the bush, stood on the hole and oozed (discharged-slowly) the milk from her udder.  The king wanted to see the same clearly and walked towards the cow slowly.  The cow was frightened and ran away.  Its hoof was sunk in the hole while running in a hurry.  The child was vanished.  The king went home with a great surprise.

In the night he felt a dream, Parameswara appeared before him and told him in the dream, “I myself drank the milk from the hole.  Construct a temple there, I would stay in the places called Navanandis (Navanandulu) within a circle of 80 Kms. Ganga Devi also would serve me with her brightness. Your glory will be eternal.”

On the next day the king went to the ant hill.  It was turned into Rock Linga.  He was very surprised and saw the Siva Linga deeply.  It was clear that the hoof of the cow was sunk in the hole.  The same can be seen even now.

The king constructed a temple there and dug a pond in its opposite direction.  Within a short time, it became the endless flow with clear water.  He named it Rudra Gunda (Kunda).

He also dug two ponds in both northern and eastern sides and named the ponds Brahma Gunda and Vishnu Gunda.

This is one of the most momentous features of the Mahananadi temple, the pure holy water of Pushkarani which flows throughout the year. The water is so gemstone clear that even a particle dropped in the water looks visible, which is key factor of magnetism for all the visitors. Vishwakarma Sthapathis designed the tanks such a way that water level remains at 5 ft.

The water is considered to come from five springs which are named ‘Srisailadhara,’ ‘Narasimhadhara,’ ‘Daivodhinidhara,’ ‘Nanditirtha’ and ‘Kailasatirtha’ respectively.

This water possesses healing properties. The water during the winter season will be very hot and vice versa during the summer. Water at Temple tanks will be warm at early hours of the days and water gets cooler as the day progress. Irrespective of the seasons, water here flows at a constant pace. Temple inscriptions state that this flow never stopped right from 6th Century.

Next to the central sanctum is a shrine devoted to the Goddess Kameshwari Devi, the companion of Mahanadeeshwara. The Srichkara in front of the deity is said to have been established by Adi Sankaracharya.

One of the world’s biggest man-made Nandi of 15 ft. x 27 ft is present near the Mahanandi temple.

Nine Nandi temples present in this Nallmala Hill Region are as follows. Mahanandi, Prathama Nandi, Naga Nandi, Soma Nandi, Surya Nandi, Krishna Nandi or Vishnu Nandi, Vinayaka Nandi, Shiva Nandi, Garuda Nandi. All these Nine Nandi’s are famous, but Mahanandi receives the highest fame among all of them.

The unique thing about this temple is, one can touch the water near the Shiva Linga. The devotees can offer prayers and touch the Shiva Linga. This is unusual, because traditionally at temples, the main deity is kept away from the touch of the devotees.

Recently added two big mandapas in front of the temple provides nice shade to the devotees.

Within the same complex of the temple, one can see an arched marble shrine of ‘Lord Kodanda Rama,’ the seventh incarnation of Lord Vishnu that was supplemented with the compound in 1953. Images of Sri Rama, Sita and Lakshmana are strikingly carved and the devotees find it complicated to progress away from them. There is a separate shrine for Hanuman in same complex. A giant granite Nandi has been installed in front of the temple which is costed 35 lacks and weighs 50 tons approximately. There are even 5 separate Shivalingas which are installed by Pandavas themselves while they were in exile period.

Maha Shivrathri is one of the most popular events where numerous devotees gather to pay homage and worship Lord Shiva. The festival is celebrated for seven long days initiating from ‘Magha Bahula Chaturdasi’ which is the 14th day after full moon in February- March.

Grand Ratha yatra celebrated in this temple attracts large number of devotees from several states.

Mahanandi is about 21 km from Nandyal. The nearest airport is at Hyderabad, which is about 215 km from Kurnool, and the nearest railway station is at Nandyal. There are 2 routes to reach Mahanandi from Nandyal town. One route via Thimmapuram and is the shortest, around 17 km from bus stand. Kurnool is connected by road and rails from all directions.

Swasti.

TRANSPARENCY (poem)

TRANSPARENCY

When I look in the mirror

To see myself there in

I found somebody heckling me

How can it be? I queried

My conscious replied

This is what you seem to me

It's what you look to the world

I can show what you appear to be

Said the mirror immediately

Concurring with the conscious

You are covered by egotism and pietism*

(* Stress on the emotional and personal aspects of religion.)

Several disguises round you

I can't penetrate them to show you

Tear the veils, come out with true colors

I'll expose you what you are as it is

This will make you to be the

Even when you are laid to rest

A window lets light shine through

And allows us to see what might

Otherwise be hidden this is what

Transparency is all about

Letting that real self to be seen

YAGANTI THE SACRED SHRINE OF EVER GROWING NANDI

YAGANTI 

THE SACRED SHRINE OF EVER GROWING NANDI

https://ramamohanraocheruku.blogspot.com/2019/09/yaganti-sacred-shrine-of-ever.html

Our sages, Rishis, called our sacred land as Aryavartha. Here everything is divine and any place, idol, animal etc. are attached to divinity. When it comes to temples an ordinary man like me cannot explain, or to say even express about their power, sacredness or the super natural power of that sacred place. There are some temples that have wonderful legends attached to them. Some are rich in architectural splendor, others in the divinity and vibration that they generate. Very few have all these things intact even after several hundreds of years. One such temple is the Yaganti Sri Uma Maheswara Swamy temple situated in ‘Erramala’ hills of Rayalaseema area.  The Yerramala hills have numerous natural caves around the temple which have been the abode of many saints over the years.

Yaganti Temple is dedicated to Lord Siva, located in Yagnti near Babanganipalle of Kurnool district in the state of Andhra Pradesh. Yeganti is the actual name of this place, which means, yenu+ kanti which interprets ‘I Saw’ in English. In Telugu Enu = Nenu and Kanti = choochithini, representing ‘I Saw’. As time passed by it assumed the name Yaganti.

This magnificent temple commands high respect, reverence and devotion not only due to it being a temple of Lord Siva but also due to several other unusual features. It is very rare to find Lord Siva in the form of an idol that too along with his consort Devi Uma on the same stone where we find lord Siva. We don’t find Siva Linga there as we see in all other such sacred places.

This temple of Lord Shiva was patronized in the 5th and 6th centuries by various Pallava and Chola rulers but completed in the 15th century by Emperor Harihara and his brother Bukka Raya of Sanga Dynasty of the Vijayanagara Empire. This temple had glorious time during that period.

The temple lends an extraordinary setting and extreme scenic beauty owing to which it is often considered as one of the most popular attractions in Andhra Pradesh.

The three famous caves situated around the temple are the Agastya Cave, the Venkateswara Cave and the Veera Brahmam Cave.

It is believed that Sage Agastya did penance here for Lord Siva. One should climb up 120 steps to reach the cave entrance. Shrine for Goddess Parvathi is located here.

According to the legends, while returning from The North, Sage Agastya came across Yaganti and impressed with the natural beauty around and thought of installing Lord Venkateswara Idol here. However my inquiries with scholars reveal that Agastya Maharshi did not take his rout this way as per the Puranas like Skanda Purana, Vishnu Purana and Linga Purana etc.  Moreover the word Venkata is not from Sanskrit but from Tamil and came into existence in 12^th century. As such I doubt this idol would have been situated after 12^th century. However the beauty of the cave and idol therein will not allow our site to tilt.

As such the following that floats around, I consider, to be a myth. However I give the story here under for sake of the readers who are interested to know.

At the time of installation of the Vishnu’s idol, Sage Agastya noticed that the Idol’s toe nail was broken and stopped the installation. Agastya Rishi was upset and did a penance to know the reason. Lord Siva appeared before him and told him that this place resembles Mount Kailas so it suits for a Saiva Kshetra and that is why he was not able to install the Idol. Some say Lord Siva appeared in the dream of the Raja of that province as above. However happy on hearing that, Agasthya sought a boon from the Lord that he should ever remain there, along with his consort Parvathi, granting blessings to all those who prayed to him. Pleased with his devotion, Lord Shiva appeared along with Parvathi Devi in a single stone as a Swayambu with Siva and Parvathi side by side on the same stone. It is indeed an amazing scene to see the distinct roopas of both Lord Shiva and Parvathi Devi as Swayambumoorthies in the Sanctum Sanctorum. The two distinct images are also smeared with Vibhooti (Sacred Ash) and Turmeric to distinguish Lord Shiva and Parvathi. It is absolutely an electrifying experience to stand before this magnificent Murthis and pray. But the name of the place during that period is not known.

Another version of the story is, there lived a Siva’s ardent devotee by name Chitteppa. For whom Lord appeared in the form of a Tiger, knowing this, he started shouting as ‘Eganti Sivuni’ meaning  ‘Neganti Shivuni’  which means ‘I saw Siva’ in English as I have already explained earlier .

This Venkateswara Cave as they call it,  is relatively easier to climb as compared to the Agastya Cave.

The Veera Brahmam Cave is much lower in height and requires one to bend over to enter into the cave. Saint Sree Potuluri Veera Brahmendra Swamy had exhorted prophecies (Kala Gnyanam) while staying in this cave.

All these caves are open for worship throughout the day. Artificial lights are provided as there is hardly any natural light available inside.

A very significant and remarkable feature of this temple is that the temple tank consists of sacred holy water flowing from the tank.

The water flows into the pond from the mouth of Nandi (Bull) and the source, even today, is not found.

There is another small fresh water pond next to the main temple in which there will be fresh water throughout the year.

A very bizarre fact about the place is that crows are forbidden to fly in Yaganti. It is said when sage Agastya was meditating here, Kakasura, the king of crows continuously distracting his penance and in rage sage Agastya cursed and they were\are forbidden to be seen even in the vicinity of the shrine. As such people believe, since crow is the vahana (vehicle) of Shani Graha, Shani will not bother anyone who worship Uma Maheswara Swamy. Hence people come and worship here to get rid of Shani dosha.

Now we come to the most interesting part of Yaganti. It is a monolithic Nandi statue which is growing by an inch every 20 years. Moreover it is   not situated before the deity as is seen in any other Siva Temple by and large. It is said people used to perform circumambulations (Pradakshinas), around the idol of Nandi years ago. Due to the increasing size of the idol enough space is not available to go round. This fact of growing Nandi has been confirmed by Archeological Survey of India also.

Sri Potuluri Veera Brahmendra Swamy mentioned in his prophecy that the idol of Nandi would come alive at the end of the Kaliyuga and the bellow of that bull (roar) with such a rage that a weak hearted person will die instantly. It is also said that, Millions of horses will come from the caves of Yaganti, to serve the Army of Lord Kalki.

In Yaganti, on top of a hill, which looks so steep and narrow, an Akasa Deepam is lit every evening and the normal size of the wick is 2 meters and the oil used to burn from morning 6am to evening 6pm is 4 liters.  At such a height and in open air on top of the hill, it is indeed amazing to note as to how the lamp burns against the strong winds.

The festival of Maha Siva Ratri which falls around February each year is celebrated with great pomp and show at the temple. Tourists and especially devotees of Lord Shiva flock to the temple in huge numbers during this time. Shravana Masa (Around July) the influx will be more to see Umamaheshwara. Free food is provided for the pilgrims.

Swasthi.

Nachiar Kovil – Kal Garudan

Nachiar Kovil – Kal Garudan

(నాచ్చియార్ దేవాలయ శిలా గరుత్మంతుడు)

  https://ramamohanraocheruku.blogspot.com/2019/09/nachiar-kovil-kal-garudan-nachiar-kovil.html

Nachiar Kovil or Thirunarayur Nambi Temple, is situated in Thirunarayur, a village in the outskirts of Kumbakonam in the South Indian state of Tamil Nadu. It is constructed in Dravidian style of architecture. It is one of the 108 divyadesams dedicated to Vishnu, who is worshipped as Srinivasa Perumal and his consort Lakshmi as Nachiyar or Vanjulavalli Thayar. Here Mahalakshmi is given prominence and all rituals are conducted to her first and then to Lord Srinivasa.

When Goddess Lakshmi departs Vaikutha after a scuffle with the lord, it is said that Garuda was the one to trace Mahalakshmi to this place and led Mahavishnu here. As a mark of gratitude, Lord Vishnu has blessed Garudan to receive equal status at this temple. Sri Garuda Bhagwan graces the devotees from His shrine holding 9 snakes.

As per local legend, the sculptor who sculpted the idol of Garuda got frustrated as the bird flew away each time, and he sculpted a new murthy.  The frustrated sculptor due to recurrence of the event, he threw a stone at Garuda, who got injured. Then he decided to stay as Kal Garuda (రాతి గరుత్మంతుడు). The murthy of Kal Garuda is made of Saligrama and is housed in the shrine outside the main sanctum.

The most astounding factor at this temple which is yet to be discovered by the present day Scientists is that, during festive procession in the Tamil months of Margazhi(మార్గశిర మాసము) (December–January) and Panguni (ఫాల్గుణ మాసము) (April – May), the festive images are carried out in procession in Kal Garudar. While only four people are needed to carry the idol of Garuda to bring out of the shrine, it multiples to 8, 16, 32, 64 and 128 people when the murthy is taken outside for circumambulation round the temple.

The staggering fact is that the weight of the Garuda murthy remaining the same when carried by 4 people and there on in multiples of 4 up to 128, it becomes imminent on the people who offered their shoulders to add on in multiples of four at every pre-identified point, up to a peak of 128 and there from the number will reduce to 4 in the same descending order of multiples in the same way. The devotees believe it to be a supernatural force is acting on that murthy. If we replicate the same murthy somewhere else, 128 people are required to lift. On the way back only 4 people are required to carry the float in the decreasing order 128, 64, 32, 16, 8, 4. Another incredible fact is that is treated as magical is, drops of sweat are observed on the image of Kal Garuda during the six hour long procession. These are all bare facts beyond the reach of Modern Science.

Kal Garudan is the Vara Prasadhi at this temple and answers all the wishes of the devotees are fulfilled by praying to Him on nine consecutive Thursdays. He removes the naga doshams, blesses childless couples with progeny, removes obstacle in marriage etc.

Swasthi.

Caring woman and a crack pot

Caring woman and a crack pot

https://ramamohanraocheruku.blogspot.com/2019/08/caring-woman-and-crack-pot.html

Please take out some time to read this story.

 An elderly Chinese woman had two large pots, each hung on the ends of a pole, which she carried across her neck.

One of the pots had a crack in it while the other pot was perfect and always delivered a full portion of water, at the end of the long walk from the stream to the house, the cracked pot arrived only half full.

For a full two years this went on daily, with the woman bringing home only one and a half pots of water. Of course, the perfect pot was proud of its accomplishments. But the poor cracked pot was ashamed of its own imperfection, and miserable that it could only do half of what it had been made to do.

After 2 years of what it perceived to be bitter failure, it spoke to the woman one day by the stream. “I am ashamed of myself, because this crack in my side causes water to leak out all the way back to your house.”

The old woman smiled, “Did you notice that there are flowers on your side of the path, but not on the other pot’s side?” “That’s because I have always known about your flaw, so I planted flower seeds on your side of the path, and every day while we walk back, you water them. For two years I have been able to pick these beautiful flowers to decorate the table. Without you being just the way you are, there would not be this beauty to grace the house.”

~~~ Thinking Time ~~~

Each of us has our own unique flaw. But it’s the cracks and flaws we each have that make our lives together so very interesting and rewarding. You’ve just got to take each person for what they are and look for the good in them. Flaw is natures law.It is like a knife. It cuts vegetables may also cut the fingers. It all depends on how we make use of it.