Sunday, 1 December 2013

FEW THINGS TO DO AND NOT TO DO

1. Obtain blessings from elders on birthday and marriage day. Make it a point to obtain the blessings from elders from one all in the family.

2. While combing your hair make it line to divide the hair. Combing hair without line will cause sweat and cause for diseases.

3. Use of methi (menthulu/vendiyam) in food will improve brain power.

4. Consume two bananas regularly will help to control the blood pressure. While cooking the carrot do not mix any vegetables. While doing so carrot will loose its properties.

5. Never give almns to poor on amaavasya and sradha day. Never sit on grinding stone, wooden stick used for grinding, and on the entrance. This will creat poverty. Never push the chair or sitting bench with your feet.

6. Never brush your hair with two hands simultaneously. Never go outside without combing the hair and tied in the end especially for ladies.

7. Never try to complain others also never discuss about your in laws, with others. Nothing is going to gain by sharing with others.

8. Always recite the god name while doing cooking and other household work.. This will make you to remember the god’s name at the death bed also.

9. Always know about the preciousness of the time and make use it appropriately.

10. Ladies have good capacity to assimilate with household problems and overcome it with ease.

11. Have lord venkateswara with padmavati photo adorn with gold jewals in the hall and pray to it. All the defects with regard to vaastu in the house will ward off.

12. Unbrushed mouth, wearing dirty clothes and also torn clothes, too much food intake, sleeping during the sandhya time (mothing and evening) will cause poverty as well as diseases also.

13. For indgestion have jeera, sonti and jaajkaya powder a spoon with warm water. This will subsidise the indigestion. If you have constipation take a spoon powder of karakkaya/kadukkai with warm water before going to sleep. You will have easy motion in the early morning. If you have cough due to heat, keep some clove along with taati kalakanda/panam kalakandu in the mouth and consume the juice regularly. This will subsidise the caugh
quickly.

14. Good or bad you have to take it equally. It is not permanent and will be in rotation for humanlife.

15. Spend according to your income and always keep some portion as savings. Always keep the savings reserved for children marriage and the amout you get towards retirement benefits only in nationalised banks. To get more interest never invest with private investors and suffer later.

16. Never obtain or give jewels on loan. This will beget lot of problems.

17. Have cordial relations with family and never have agressive ideas and adamant. A lady can easily change the drunkard, playing lotteries and horse races, and have with all other bad activities with her patience and persevearness.

18. Have drinking water facilities in the main hall itself. This will save you from intruders and thieves. Especially alone ladies and ealders should never allow any new comer into the house.

19. Never discuss about you household things before others.

20. Avoid viewing of stereotype serials in television. Your children’s progress is important to you and hece avoide viewing of television by you and your children.

Sundara Kanda

Sundara Kanda is a part of Srimath Ramayana Maha Kavyam which was written by Valmiki.


Valmiki named all the parts with relevant names like

"Ayodya Kanda" ==> explains when Rama was in Ayodya.
"Bala Kanda" ==> explains when Rama was a kid at Dasarada.
"Aranya Kanda" ==> Explains when Rama went to Aranya, the forest for 14 Yrs by following the words of his father.
"Kiskinda Kanda" ==> Explains about the time spent by Rama @ Kiskinda Rajyam
"Yuddha Kanda" ==> Explains the war between Rama and Ravana.

But Sundara Kanda has an irrelevant name ...

What is Sundaram, the beauty in Sundara Kanda?
Valmiki expalined sundara Kanda's beauty and the secret behind its name in one sloka

"sundare sundaro ramah sundare sundari katha
sundare sundari sita sundare sundaram vanam,
sundare sundaram kavyam sundare sundarah kapih
sundare sundaram mantram sundare kim na sundaram"

 In the Sundara Kanda, the beautiful chapter, beautiful is Rama, beautiful is the story; Beautiful is Sita Devi, beautiful is the Asoka Vanam; Beautiful is the poem; beautiful is the kapi Hanuman; Beautiful is the mantra; what is not beautiful in Sundara Kandam?

 Important sargas in Ramayana starts with the Sanskrit dhatu "TAT".
 As well Sundara Kanda also starts with TAT.
 "Tato ravana neetaya seetayaah satru karsanaha
 iyesha padamanvestum charana charite padihi "... is the first slokam in Sundara kanda.

 Here valmiki never explained about hanuma as satru samharaka, the destroyer of enemies.
 But here Valmiki calls Hanuma as Satru karshana, the destroyer of the enemies named "Arishadvargas"(Kama - Krodha - Lobha - Moha - Mada - Matsarya".

 Yes, infact these are the enemies which always make everyone as a slave of them. But Swami Hanuma destroyed them.

The letter VA is taken from the 12th letter of Gayatri Maha Mantra.
Bharga, one of the astamurthy of Lord Siva is the adhistana daiva for VA in Gayatri Mantra.

Hanuma finds Seeta in the Ashoka Vanam of kanchana lanka on the top of Trikutaachalam.
As we all know, trikuta means " Vagbhava, Kamaraja and Sakthi" Kutamis.
Means Lalita Mata is the only one who resides on Trikuta.

Indirectly Valmiki indicates that Seeta is none other than Lalita.
There are many more hidden secrets in Sundara Kanda.
"Jaya Mantram, Hanuman raksha mantram(twamasmin..), all these mantras were embeded in Sundara Kanda.."

 Read Sundara Kanda...
Jaya Guru Datta... Sri Guru Datta
Om Namo Hanumate Namaha.

GAYATHRI AND ITS IMPORTANCE

Gayatri is Vedamatha, the mother of all Vedas. A person totally devoted to Gayatri recitation can achieve great success in the path of self advancement. Gayatri inspires man towards righteous wisdom. An astral, conscious electric current flows constantly in a person who is able to establish a relationship with Gayatri as it influences his mind, intellect, heart and inner self. No sooner the divine light of Gayatri dawns on the intellectual field of a person, the darkness of evil thoughts, false convictions, degrading vices start dispelling. Gayatri undoubtedly and miraculously transforms the mental framework of a person to a systematic, healthy, righteous and balanced personality. The well developed mind produces thoughts leading to action resulting in happiness. His work becomes excellent and his well intentioned thoughts radiate happiness, contentment and peace!

Gayatri worship results in extraordinary benefits to its devotees. Numerous persons over thousands of years have achieved material and spiritual benefits by worshipping Gayatri. The reason is that they get righteous wisdom as a divine boon in the light of which all infirmities, complications and difficulties which make people unhappy, poor, worried and miserable, are solved. Darkness has no independent existence as it is nothing but absence of light. In the same way unhappiness is nothing but absence of true knowledge. Otherwise, in this righteous creation of God, there is not a particle of sorrow or suffering. God is sat, chit, anand, embodiment of supreme truth, virtuousness, existence and divine bliss. Man remains unhappy on account of his internal weakness for want of true knowledge. Otherwise, having been endowed with a human body which is scarce even for divine beings and living on this earth which is greater than heaven, there should be nothing else than pleasure for him here.

The sadhana of Gayatri is worship of true knowledge. It has been repeatedly seen those who worship Gayatri will never be lacking in spiritual and worldly happiness.

Each limb of Gayatri has been distilled out from each Veda. It is said in Taittriya Brahamana of Yajur Veda “ The three fold knowledge was revealed: Rig to the heart of Agni; Yajur to the heart of Vayu and Sama to the heart of Aditya. Thus the All Pervading Lord revealed the three fold knowledge, the three worlds were thus illumined. The earth (Bhu Lok, Prithvi) by the Rig, the Antariksha (Bhuva Lok) by the Yajur and Dev Lok (Svah Lok) by the Sama Veda”.

Swami Daya Nand Saraswathi (Arya Samaj founder) has also said that this word AUM is the most glorious name for God as the on word AUM, composed of the letters of A U M constitutes many names of God. At the same time it connotes all the names of God. The Brahman loves this name even as a father loves his child.

It is reported, once, addressing a huge gathering, Dayananda thundered: "Your ancestors were not uncivilized men living in forests. They were great men who enlightened this world. Your history is not a bundle of defeats. It is the eulogy of the conquerors of the world. Your Vedic Scriptures are not the songs of cowherds. They are the immortal truths which shaped mighty souls like Sri Rama and Sri Krishna. Awake! Arise! Be proud of your glorious history. Take inspiration from it to mould the present. Shame upon the modern education which fills you with contempt for your ancestors!"

Gayatri, what is it?
The performance of Gayatri Japa serves as a preliminary rite for self purification, bestows on individuals Atma Shakti and protects them from the malefic effects of sins and expiation. Gayatri mantra is supercharged with power and has been prescribed to mankind under Vedic sanctions. A fresh order of life begins to blossom for all persons from the moment of initiation into upanayana, the sacred thread ceremony. The most cardinal part of upanayana is Brahmaopadesa, which is initiation into uttering of the sacred Gayatri Mantra. Enriched with divine energy, Gayatri mantra serves as a faithful protector for all those who silently utter the mantra to themselves with sincerity. This mantra is a dynamic force and enjoins the brahmachari (bachelor), the grahasthas (house holder) and the vanaprastha (forest dweller), all to repeat this sanctified mantra at least 108 times a day.

The Gayatri mantra, the most mighty of the Vedic mantras, is a prayer to the Sun god to alleviate one from all human sins, physical dissipation and to bestow knowledge, health and longevity. Gayatri is the mantra to be repeatedly recited in the morning before the Sun begins to rise, at noon when the Sun is in the apex and in the evening as the Sun sets, three times a day. Gayatri mantra is a vandana prayer to everlasting light of lights and extols the Almighty Suryanaryana as the soul and spirit of the moving and static objects, with a supplication for proper application and direction one’s buddhi or intellect in all matters.

The Gayatri Mantra forms a part of the Rg Veda Samhita, Mandala III, 62 – 10.

Maithrayani Upanisad explains beautifully the meaning and significance of Gayatri mantra.
‘Om’ represents Brahma Swaroopam which is all the three genders of male, female and napumsaka. It represents the three luminaries of Agni, Vayu and Adityan. It represents the three Gods, Brahma, Vishnu and Rudra. It represents the three agnis of Garhapadhyam, Dakshinagni and Ahavaneeyam. It represents the three Vedas Rg, Yajur and Sama; the three worlds, Bhuloka, Bhuvarloka and Suvarloka; the three times, the present, past and future; the three heat sources, prana, agni and Surya; the three sources of sustenance of the body – food, water and moon; the three ways of thinking – buddhi, mind and ahankara; the three dwelling points of life –prana, Apana and Vyana. It is also Aksharam, Parma and Aparam.
‘Tat Savitur Varenyam’ means Lord Surya who is the creator also called Savita is to be prayed as the best representation of Atman.

‘Bargo Devasya Dheemahi’ means we meditate on the wonderful brilliance of Lord Surya.

‘Dhiyoyonaha Prachodhayat’ – In this ‘na:’ and ‘diya: are our buddhis aand our shaktis. (We pray to) That Paramatma which residing in Lord Surya who excites or direct our buddhis and shaktis.

Bharga is explained as the brilliance of Surya and the stars. Bharrjadhi means destroying by fire and hence Bharga represents Rudra. Or bhaga means ghacchati i.e. all the life are from Paramatma and hence he is called ‘bharga’. The name Surya is from the word “suyamanathvath” meaning destroyer of all opponents. Savitha means the creator. Since Surya attracts everything he is called Adityan from the word ‘adhanath’. This Aditya is the imperishable Atman.


Word by word meaning of Gayatri
Om – the primeval sound
Bhur – the physical world, this earth
Bhuva – the mental world
Svaha – the spiritual world
Thath – That (the Paramatma)
Savitur – The Sun, Creator
Varenyam – the most adorable, highest
Bhargo – Luster, Effulgence, tejas
Devasya - Supreme Lord
Dhimahi – we meditae upon
Dhiyo – intellect, understanding
Yo – who
Naha – our
Prachodhayat – enlightens, guides
We meditate on the most adorable and effulgent Supreme Spirit (The Sun) who directs and inspires our intellect and understanding!

Marriage according to Hindu DHARMA

హిందూ వివాహంక్రింద నివ్వబడిన సమాచారము విశ్వ ధర్మ పరిషత్ వారు ప్రచురించిన 'పాణిగ్రహణము' అను పుస్తకము నుండి సేకరించబడినది.

హిందూ ధర్మంసంస్కృతి - హిందూ వివాహం

మన ధర్మం సనాతనము, సార్వ దేశికము, సార్వ కాలికము, సార్వ జనీనము, మహిమాన్వితము, సర్వోత్తమము, ఆచరణలో నిగ్గు తేలినది. ఈనాటికీ మనదేశం సంస్కృతి,ధర్మం, ఆధ్యాత్మికత, నీతి మొదలగు విషయాలలో ప్రపంచానికి గురు స్థానం లోనే ఉన్నది. శాంతి, సౌభ్రాతృత్వముల కొరకు ప్రపంచం భారత దేశం వైపు చూస్తున్నది. విజ్ఞానంలో కూడా గొప్పదే. అనేక మంది విదేశీయులు మన ప్రాచీన విశ్వ విద్యాలయాలలో శిక్షణ పొందారు. కానీ నేటి మన స్థితి ఏమిటి ? పరాయి పాలనలో మన జాతి ఆత్మ విస్మృతి చెందినaది. తన గొప్పతనాన్ని, తన వారసత్వాన్ని మరచి పోయింది. పరాయి వాళ్లు రాసిన రాతలను నమ్మి తన అస్థిత్వాన్నే కోల్పోవు చున్నది. మన ఆచారాలు మూఢాచారాలని, మనవి గుడ్డి నమ్మకాలనీ, మనము అనాగరికులమనీ విదేశీయులు మనకు అన్నీ నేర్పారని పాఠ్య పుస్తకాలలో రాసి మన పిల్లల చేత చదివించుచున్నారు. స్వాతంత్ర్యం వచ్చిన తరువాత కూడా మనలో చైతన్యం కనిపించుట లేదు. విదేశీయులు మన ఆచారాలను అధ్యయనం చేసి వాటి లోని గొప్పదనాన్ని వారు మనకు చెపితే గాని నమ్మలేని స్థితిలో ఉన్నాము. వారు చెపితే అది మనకు వేదం. ఆత్మవిస్మృతి లో నున్న జాతిని జాగృతం చేయాలి. ఆత్మ ప్రబోధం కలిగించాలి. మన ఆచారాలలోని అంతరార్ధాన్ని తెలియజేయాలి.

మనం పెళ్ళిళ్లు చేస్తున్నాం ఆడంబరంగా. డబ్బు ఖర్చు పెడుతున్నాం విరివిగా. అప్పుల పాలవుతున్నాం తరచుగా. కట్నాలు, మర్యాదలు, లాంఛనాలు కావాలంటున్నాం అధికంగా. వాటి కొరకు అలకలు, తగాదాలు, వేధింపులు చూస్తున్నాం ఎక్కువగా. ఎందుకీ మంత్రాలు ? ఏమిటి వీటి అర్ధాలు ? అని తెలుసు కుందామనే కోరిక ఉంది తక్కువగా. ప్రయత్నం, కృషి జరగటల్లేదు బొత్తిగా. అందుకే మన ఆవేదన ఇంతగా.

వివాహ మహోత్సవ ఆహ్వానం అని అందరికీ పంపుతాం. కానీ వివాహం ఉత్సవం కాదు. అది మానవుని వికాసానికి ఏర్పరచిన షోడశ సంస్కారాలలో ప్రధాన మైనదని మనకు తెలియదు.సాన పెట్టుట వలన వజ్రం ప్రకాశించి నట్లు సంస్కారాల వల్ల ఆత్మ ప్రకాశిస్తుంది. జీవితం సార్థకం, సుఖవంతం, ఆనందమయం అవుతుంది. వివాహం లోని మంత్రాల అర్థం పరమార్థం తెలియక, ఏదో విధంగా త్వరగా పూర్తి చేయండని పురోహితుని తొందర పెడుతూ ఉంటాం. దాని వల్ల మనమే నష్ట పోతామని గ్రహించం. ఫోటోలు, వీడియోలు, విందులకు ప్రాధాన్యం ఇస్తూ ముఖ్యమైన సంస్కారాన్ని విడిచిపెడుతున్నాం. ఫలితం బాగా లేదని బాధపదుతున్నాం.

మన ప్రాచీనమైన ఆచారాలలోని అంతరార్థాన్ని తెలియజెప్పి, అధునాతన శాస్త్ర విజ్ఞానంతో సమన్వయించి, వాటిని సరియైన పద్ధతిలో చక్కగా ఆచరింప జేయాలనే మా తపన.

II. వివాహ శబ్దార్ధం 

శ్లో|| ఇయం సీతా మమ సుతా సహధర్మచరీ తన!

వ్రతీచ్చ చైనాం భద్రం తే పాణిం గృహ్ణీష్వ పాణినా||

శ్రీమద్రామాయణంలో జనక మహారాజు అంటారు. ఓ రామచంద్రా! ఈ సీత నా కుమార్తె. నీకు సహధర్మ చారిణిగా ఈమెను అర్పించుచున్నాను. ఈమె చేతిని పట్టుకొని ఈమెను స్వీకరింపుము. నీకు శుభమగు గాక!

పరస్పర తపస్సంప త్ఫలాయిత పరస్పరౌ |

ప్రపంచ మాతాపితరౌ ప్రాంచౌ జాయావతీ స్తుమః ||

పార్వతీ పరమేశ్వరులు సనాతన దంపతులు. వారి దాంపత్యము తపస్సంపద యొక్క ఫలితము. ప్రపంచానికి తల్లితండ్రులైన ఆ దంపతులకు నమస్కారములు.

వివాహ శబ్దార్ధం:

సంస్కృతంలో 'వహ్' అనే ధాతువుకు 'వి' అనే ఉపసర్గను 'ఘఞ్' అనే ప్రత్యయాన్ని చేరిస్తే వి+వహ్+ఘఞ్ = వివాహః అనే పదం ఏర్పడింది. దీనికి అర్ధం విశేష ప్రావణం అనగా విశేషమైన (ప్రత్యేకమైన) సమర్పణం. ఈ పదానికి అనేక పర్యాయ పదాలున్నాయి. పరిణయం, ఉద్వాహం, కల్యాణం, పాణిగ్రహణం, పాణిపీడనం, పాణిబంభం, దారోప సంగ్రహణం, దార పరిగ్రాహం, దారకర్మ, దారక్రియ మొదలైనవి.

వివాహ భేదములు:

మనువు వివాహ పద్ధతులను 8గా విభజించాడు.

బ్రాహ్మోదైవ స్తధైవార్షః ప్రాజాపత్యస్తధాసురః |

గాంధర్వో రాక్షసశ్చైవ పైశాచ శ్చాష్టమోథమః ||

1. బ్రాహ్మం, 2. దైవం, 3. ఆర్షం, 4. ప్రాజాపత్యం, 5. అసురం, 6. గాంధర్వం, 7. రాక్షసం, 8. పైశాచం అని వివాహాలు ఎనిమిది రకాలు.

1. బ్రాహ్మం: అలంకరించిన కన్యను పండితుడు, శీలవంతుడు అయిన వరుని ఆహ్వానించి దానం చేస్తే బ్రాహ్మ వివాహమౌతుంది. (ఉదా: శాంతా ఋష్యశృంగుల వివాహం)

2. దైవం: యజ్ఞంలో ఋత్విక్కుగా వున్న వారికి - దక్షిణగా కన్యను ఇచ్చి వివాహం చేస్తే అది దైవ వివాహమౌతుంది.

3. ఆర్షం: వరుని నుండి గోవుల జంటను తీసుకొని కన్యను ఇవ్వటం ఆర్ష వివాహం. ఇది ఋషులలో ఎక్కువగా వుండేది గనుక ఆర్షం అయింది.

4. ప్రాజాపత్యం: వధూవరులిద్దరు కలిసి ధర్మాన్ని ఆచరించండి అని చెప్పి కన్యాదానం చేయటం ప్రాజాపత్యం అవుతుంది. (సీతారాములు)

5. అసురం: వరుని వద్ద డబ్బు తీసుకుని కన్యను యిస్తే అది అసుర వివాహం. (ఉదా: కైకేయీ దశరథులు)

6. గాంధర్వం: పరస్పరం అనురాగంతో (మంత్ర విధానం లేకుండా) చేసుకునేది గాంధర్వ వివాహం. (ఉదా: శకుంతలా దుష్యంతులు)

7. రాక్షసం: యుద్ధం చేసి, కన్యను అపహరించి, ఎక్కడికో తీసుకువెళ్ళి చేసుకొనే వివాహం రాక్షసం అంటారు. (ఉదా: మండోదరి రావణులు)

8. పైశాచం: కన్యను నిద్రావస్థలో అపహరించి చేసుకున్నది పైశాచం. వీటిలో బ్రాహ్మం శ్రేష్ఠం, ప్రాజాపత్యం ధర్మబద్ధం, రాక్షసం, పైశాచం నిషిద్దం.



వివాహమెందుకు?:



ఈ ప్రశ్న చాలా ముఖ్యమైనది. దీనికి సమాధానం ప్రతివారూ తెలుసుకోవాలి. ప్రతీ మనిషీ మూడు ఋణాలతో పుడతాడు.

1. ఋషిఋణం, 2. దేవఋణం, 3. పితౄణం.

ఈ ఋణాలను తీర్చడం ప్రతి వ్యక్తి యొక్క విధి. ఈ ఋణాలు తీర్చకపోతే మరల జన్మ ఎత్తవలసి వస్తంది. మానవజన్మకు సార్థకత జన్మరాహిత్యం. కావున ప్రతివాడు ఋణ విముక్తుడు కావాలి. దానికి ఏంటి మార్గం? మన పెద్దలు చెప్పారు - "బ్రహ్మచర్యేణ ఋషిభ్యః" " యజ్ఞేన దేవేభ్యః" "ప్రజయా పితృభ్యః" అని.

1. ఋషి ఋణం: బ్రహ్మచర్యం ద్వారా ఋషి ఋణం తీర్చాలి. అంటే బ్రహ్మచర్యంలో చేయవలసిన వేదాధ్యయనం చేయాలి. అలాగే పురాణాలు మొదలైన వాగ్మయాన్ని అధ్యయనం చేసి తరువాత తరం వారికి వాటిని అందించడం ద్వారా ఈ ఋణాన్ని తీర్చుకోవాలి.

2. దేవఋణం: యజ్ఞ యాగాది క్రతువులు చేయడం, చేయించడం ద్వారా ఈ ఋణాన్ని తీర్చుకోవాలి. యజ్ఞం అంటే త్యాగం. యజ్ఞాలవల్ల దేవతలు తృప్తి చెందుతారు. సకాలంలో వర్షాలు కురుస్తాయి. పాడిపంటలు వృద్ధి చెందుతాయి. కరువు కాటకాలు తొలగిపోతాయి. నీరు, గాలి, వెలుతురు, ఆహారాన్ని ప్రసాదిస్తున్న వారందరికి మనమెంతో ఋణపడివున్నాం. కనుక ఆ ఋణాన్ని తీర్చకపోతే మనం కృతఘ్నలం అవుతాం.

3. పితౄణం: సత్సంతానాన్ని కనడం ద్వారా ఈ ఋణాన్ని తీర్చుకోవాలి. తల్లిదండ్రులు ప్రత్యక్ష దైవాలు, మనకు జన్మనిచ్చి పెంచి పోషించినవారు. వంశాన్ని అవిచ్చిన్నంగా కొనసాగించడం ద్వారా, పితృ దేవతలకు తర్పణాది క్రియలు నిర్వహించే యోగ్యులైన సంతానాన్ని కనడం ద్వారా పితౄణం తీర్చుకోవాలి. సంతానం కనాలంటే వివాహం చేసుకోవాలి గదా! "ప్రజాతంతుం మావ్యవత్సేత్సీః" అంటుంది వేదం. అంటే వంశపరంపరను త్రెంచవద్దు. వేదాధ్యయనం, యజ్ఞం చేయడం, సంతానము కనడం ఇవి మానవుడు తప్పని సరిగా చేయవలసిన విధులుగా వేదం చెపుతున్నది. యజ్ఞాలలో పంచ యజ్ఞాలు విధిగా ప్రతి మనిషీ చేయాలి. అవి దేవ, మనుష్య, భూత, పితృ, బ్రహ్మ యజ్ఞాలు.


SIVA VISHNU EQUALITY

Although Shiva and Vishnu are one and the same, we tend to distinguish. It is wrong to do so. The great sage of Kanchi, Sri Chandrasekarendra Saraswati Swamiji proclaimed this all through His life.

Just like famous actors and politicians are friends and its only their followers and fans who clash amongst each other, Shiva and Vishnu are truly one and the same. Its only their followers that nurture enmity.

Once Parvathi had a doubt as to who was greater – Shiva or Vishnu. She approached Shiva with this question, and Shiva asked her to go to South India and mediate on the Lord and would find out herself. Goddess Parvathi came down to a place near Tirunelveli and performed penance during the month of ‘Aadi’, popularly known as ‘Aadi Tapas’.

She found the Lord as ‘Shankara Narayana’ – the right hand side being Lord Shiva and the hand side being Lord Narayana, thus telling her that both were one and the same. This place is popularly known as ‘Sankaran Koil’.
Shiva chants the Rama Nama all the time. He also says to his wife Parvati that the sum and substance of all the 1000 Names of Lord Vishnu (Vishnu Sahasranama) is verily Rama Nama:


Srirama rama rameti rame raame manorame Sahasranama tattulyam ramanama varanane


Similarly, Lord Rama worships Shiva at Rameswaram, while planning for the strategy to conquer Ravana. Even today, the Shiva Linga that was worshipped by Sri Rama is being worshipped in Rameswaram.

Great Mahans never distinguish whether one is a Vaishnavite or a Shaivite. They see the true love and devotion in the heart.Here are some interesting details about the oneness of Shiva and Vishnu:
  • Sri Krishna asks Arjuna to meditate on Lord Shiva to obtain Pasupatastra
  • The Nataraja temple in Chidambaram has Lord Govindaraja Perumal sannadhi
  • The Ekamreswara temple in Kanchipuram has a sanctum for Lord Vishnu
  • In Tirukkurungudi, a divya desam of Sri Vaishnavas, there are temples of Mantragirishwara and Kalabairava.
All the great Mahans have said that the Divine Name of Shiva and the Divine Name of Vishnu are one and the same. ‘Om Namo Narayanaya’ the Ashtakshara is the primary mantra of the Vaishnavites. ‘Ra’is the key syllable in this Mantra. ‘Om Nama Shivaya’ the Panchakshara is the chief Mantra of the Shaivites. ‘ma’ is the key syllable of this Mantra.

Putting these two key syllables, together, we get ‘Rama’. By chanting Rama Nama, we verily get all the benefits of chanting the Shiva Nama and the Vishnu Nama.

Chain of linked names in Vishnu-sahasranAmam

'nishThA shAntiH parAyaNaM' comes in Vishnu-sahasranAmaM. Some names occur here in a chain, relating to each other beautifully on the same concept. There are nine names (of God) strung together like flowers in a garland, on the idea of SannyAsa.

'…. nirvANaM bheshhajaM bhishhak |
sannyAsakRt shamaH shAnto nishThA shAntiH parAyaNaM '||

'nirvANaM' is the end of jnAna-yoga. He is the same as the saguNa-mUrti VishNu.

*bheshhajaM* means medicine. He is the medicine in the form of jnAnaM for the disease of samsAra.
Muthut-tANDavar was a devotee of God Nataraja. He lived before the age of the musical trinity of Tamilnadu. When a snake bit him he considered Lord Nataraja as the only medicine and sang an extempore Tamil composition beginning with 'aru-marundoru tani marundu' (meaning: the rare medicine, the unique medicine) on Lord Nataraja. He was relieved from the snake poison..

When the poison of karma invades the system the medicine of jnAnaM that is the antidote for the poison is only the Lord.

He is not only the medicine; but He is also the Doctor who gives the medicine! So He is 'bhishak' (Doctor). Here in Tiruvanmiyur (in Chennai, India) the Lord presents Himself as “marundIshvara” (the Lord who is the medicine). In the town called Vaideesvaran Koil he is called “Bhava-roga-vaidyanatha swami’ meaning the JnAna-Acharya who cures the disease of samsAra. In his commentary on Vishnu Sahasranama, the Acharya says “the Doctor who gave the medicine of the Gita for all the world”.

In the Gita the Lord gave his final diagnosis and the curing medicine, which is SannyAsa. He leads us on through the path of karma yoga ultimately to the SannyAsa in jnAna yoga. In the science of Ayurveda, they first give you a laxative-type of medicine and then only they give you the medicine that is needed for the illness. So also the Lord gives first the laxative of karma yoga so that all our karma-garbage may be exhausted and then finally when he gives the medicine of jnAna, he prescribes sannyAsa. In the beginning it was he who created the four Ashramas and made Sannyasa the fourth Ashrama. So He is 'sannyAsa-kRt', the maker of SannyAsa.

We saw a lot about 'shama'. That is also the form of the Lord. When the mind stills to rest that is shamaM. That is in fact the heart of jnAna yoga, its life. Right now it is unbridled in us and from this through the various stages of its control little by little, we have to go through several steps. Finally when nothing of the mind is left, it rests in the Atman; that is the destination point. That is the goal of a SannyAsi. At this place the Acharya gives a quotation which pinpoints a unique dharma for each Ashrama. It says: “For the SannyAsi his dharma is shamaM; for the Vana-prastha, his dharma is the conglomerate of tapas and vratas, all together called niyama; for the householder the dharma is charity; and for the brahmachari it is serving the guru.

*yatInAM prashamo dharmo
niyamo vanavAsinAM |
dAnameva gRhastAnAM
shushrUshhA brahma-chAriNAM ||

Next comes the name 'shAntaH'. He who has shama is shAntaH.

Only next to this, the word 'nishThA' appears. Having become a sannyAsi, and then also a shAnta for whom the mind is totally at rest, he establishes himself firmly in the nishThA of the experience of jnAna, that state is also the Lord. This is The SaguNa Brahman who is our Lord with attributes, in His nirguNa state.

And in that state there is a total peace. Therefore 'shAntiH'. And that is the supreme goal; therefore 'parAyaNaM'.

The Vedas and Ancient Egypt

:: The Vedas as the Pyramids of the Mind ::

The Vedas represent a monumental spiritual literature, by far the largest that remains from the ancient world. We could therefore call the Vedas, ‘the pyramids of the ancient mind’. The Vedas are the oldest record of the great dharmic traditions of the East, with not only the Hindu but also Buddhist, Jain, Sikh and Zoroastrian traditions part of the same greater stream of spiritual striving. Apart from the Biblical tradition, this dharmic or Indic tradition is one of the two dominant streams of world spirituality that has endured throughout the centuries and remains vital to the present day, as the global popularity of Yoga, Vedanta and Buddhism clearly reveals.

If we look at the Vedic tradition, we see that it was based upon an ancient priestly order that was extensive and sophisticated, comparable to the priestly orders of ancient Egypt or Babylonia. This priestly order was concerned not merely with rituals but also with spirituality, yoga, philosophy, medicine, astronomy and architecture that form the basis of the various Upavedas and Vedangas.

This spiritual culture of ancient India can easily be compared with that of ancient Egypt, which was similarly guided by extensive priestly orders, their sophisticated rituals and an emphasis of mysticism and magic. As ancient Egypt was arguably the spiritual center of the West in the ancient world, so India can be said to be the spiritual center of the ancient East.

:: The Greek Bias ::

One of the main mistakes that western scholars have made is to approach Vedic civilization using ancient Greece as their starting off point. They look at the Vedas like the works of Homer, reflecting traditions like the Greeks who only came on the scene during the late ancient period (after 1500 BCE). They view the Vedic people like the ancient Greeks as mainly a warrior people, on the move, as part of various proposed Aryan invasions/migrations of the time. They place Vedic culture in the mold of the type of primitive tribal Indo-European culture much like what they propose was at the roots of Greek civilization. The Western date of 1500 BCE for the Vedas was made to parallel their 1500 BCE date for the early Greeks (though Biblical constraints also entered into the picture).

However, Homer and the oldest Greek literature of the Iliad and the Odyssey at best resemble Hindu epics like the Mahabharata that came at the end of the Vedic period (but without the same depth of Vedantic thought or a dominant guru figure like Krishna). The Homeric model was of a less spiritual and more recent culture to which the materialistic western civilization could comfortably trace itself. It did not reflect a mystic, rishi or yogi culture like that of the Vedas or that of ancient Egypt.

Along with this mistake, western scholars have tried to use language as the determinative factor for judging ancient cultures—as if groups that spoke languages belonging to the same language family must possess a similar or contemporaneous culture as well. However, we should note that language families have persisted through various historical ages and different types of cultures. For example, we cannot make medieval Russian and ancient Persian contemporaneous or similar in civilization because of some linguistic affinities. On the other hand, cultures of the same time period have similar civilizations in spite of language differences. The ancient Romans, for example, had much in common culturally with the Carthaginians who had a similar life-style and lived in the same part of the world, in spite of speaking languages that did not belong to the same family.

Therefore, we must look at the Vedas according to the cultural affinities of ancient civilizations, not mere according to linguistic affinities. As a type of spiritual/priestly culture, Vedic civilization resembles more that of earlier Egypt or Babylonia than that of Greece.

The Greeks, though speaking a language with affinities with Vedic Sanskrit, represented a later ancient culture already moving away from the spiritual and hieratic civilizations of the early ancient world.

:: A Reevaluation ::

Western scholars invented the term ‘henotheism’ to describe how any one of the many Vedic Gods could represent all the Gods (a situation that prevails among the Puranic Gods as well). We should note that they used the same term for the ancient Egyptian religion which had a similar view of multiplicity in unity among its many Gods. The Vedic and Egyptian Sun Gods follow the same model of henotheism, being both the One God in essence and many different Gods in function.

Many symbols are common to ancient Egypt and India including the worship of the Sun and Sun kings, the sacred bull, the hawk or falcon, and the seeking of immortality as the main goal of life. Indeed the Vedic ritual of the Yajur Veda reflects a similar spirit to the Egyptian Book of the Dead. Like the Vedic, the Egyptians not only had a love of magic and the occult, but with their symbols like the cobra at the crown of the head, suggest a knowledge of Yoga as well. Yet such connections have been ignored because they are cultural rather than linguistic in basis.

Egyptian culture endured from before 3000 BCE down to the early Christian era. Isis and Osiris were worshipped in Rome as well as in the Old Kingdom of Egypt. Similarly, Vedic deities need not be limited to the later eras in which they are still mentioned. Their worship could easily extend back to the 3000 BCE date that we commonly find in Puranic texts as marking the beginning of the Kali Yuga.

The archaeological record of India is of a monumental civilization that persisted from 3000 BCE, if not earlier, not only into the late ancient era, like Egypt, but with a modified continuity up to the present day. In India today we find the same types of rituals and temple worship still being practiced as once occurred in ancient Egypt and Babylonia. That this type of spiritual ancient civilization has survived only in India suggests how deep seated and original it must have been in the country.

While ancient India did not leave monuments like the pyramids of Egypt, it did leave extensive urban remains and its great Vedic literature, its pyramids of the mind. Connecting the monumental spiritual literature of the Vedas, not only with the great urban civilization of ancient India, but with a similar spiritual civilizational model as ancient Egypt, will provide us with a better approach to the Vedas that can help unravel their spiritual secrets. Through the Vedas we can reclaim the spiritual heritage of the entire ancient world that can help take us beyond the current materialistic culture and the many problems it continues to bring us.