5.14.2007

The meaning of Jyotir Linga

















Jyotir Lingas, is a common household term, spoken by few with reverence and remembered by many in terms of geographical locations and associated temples. As we all know, there are 12 Jyotir Lingas in the Indian subcontinent. But what are Jyotir Linga? What makes up this Linga? Why are they so different from all the others?

Jyotir Lingas are associated with the vision of a column of fire. The only known sculpture of this kind is Shiva Lingodbhava. Yet these Lingas are of a different kind and are believed to be flame or the fiery form of the very Lord Himself.

When one begins to dwell into Jyotir lingas, the other symbolisms cease to exist. His association with the more obvious phallic symbol, the cults of tantriks and His connection to Devi and the miracle of birth depicted within the garbha griha do not seem to hold the same clout. We cannot associate Shiva with any one symbolism alone, He means different things to different people depending on their level of spiritual evolution at different times.

The presence of Jyotir lingas appears in many disconnected stories ranging from subduing ones vanity, to disconnection from the cycle of death and rebirth, to killing all demons but maintaining constant meditation to Lord Shiva for spiritual upliftment. Some of these stories have one underlying thread, and that is Shiva appearing as a column of fire or a flame or in a fiery form in each case. What appears in each temple is a simple unassuming stone Linga, like any other Linga found around the country, but with a difference.

When a devout person worships the Lord and rises up his spiritual ladder, he does not see the Linga anymore, but he witnesses a flame, or light in the place of a Linga. He witnesses the column of fire in his mind's eye. 12 jyotir lingas were brought into the Indian landscape as early as the Tretayuga, each temple built in a different era and therefore bringing with it a variety in architecture depending on the century and dynasty they were built under. The Jyotir Lingas are themselves far more ancient and didn't have an associated temple when they first came up.

Shiva stotras list out the names and locations of 12 Jyotir Lingas still in existence, and the belief goes as follows:














Yethaani Jyotir Lingaani shaayaam pratham pathenaram|
sapta janmaakritam paapam smaranine vinasthi|
Sri Shiva sharanam prabhatyey||

Meaning: These are the Jyothir Lingas of Lord Shiva, whose names if recited in the morning and evening every day with devotion destroys the accummulated sins of the aspirant over the last 7 births, and gives him all the Siddhis and brings the aspirant to rest at the feet of Lord Shiva Himself.

Having done this, and having lived as a devout Shaivite, there is then a possibility that the aspirant actually witnesses the flames of enlightenment within the Jyotir Linga.

35 comments:

Anonymous said...

The Hindu Philosophy revolves around Nirakar Brahma or Formless Creator, Nadbindu the point source of unlimited energy that believably is related with zero time and space. It believably used sound energy to create the entire infinite physical universe in four stages that now got related with time and three-dimensional space, as it is indicated in the popular story related with the ‘churning of the milky ocean’ utilizing Mandara Hills (located in Africa), duly supported on the hard back of Vishnu in the form of Turtle that yielded different matieral forms.

[In the human form the churning gets reflected in the belief of flow of energy upwards, like cream when milk is churned - along the spinal column that is named as ‘Merudand’ by ancient Hindus – with the help of Yogic exercises to make it reach the head (with Krishna believed as Yogiraja and Shiva the Yogeshwar), thus Meru being a town on the slopes of Mount Kenya relates it also with Africa, which the present day anthropologists also now indicate as the root of the Homo sapiens the world over today].

And, also the churning was believed to cover three aspects: of creation, sustenance and transformation in each stage, thus perhaps resulting in the number 12 that is adopted as that many months in one year, houses in the horoscope, ‘jyotirlingas’, etc!

Perhaps, a man–made pyramid, meaning ‘fire within’ (compare with ‘fiery lingas’ of Hindu Mythology, which also get reflected in natural volcanoes), a shape that has a large square base and four triangular sides, which taper to a point at the peak - some of which still exist in Egypt, in the African Continent for a few thousand years - could help in visualization of the development and eventual achievement of the apex as the true physical representation of the Formless Creator, that is, Nadbindu symbolically, starting from innumerable points or souls, that is, images of Nadbindu itself at the base, which also reflect the hierarchy in terms of knowledge rising from zero at the base to infinity at the apex only, or Bhootnath, as the witness of the drama from the peak that represents infinity.

Interestingly, 'human pyramids' are used in India since time immemorial during Krishna Janmashtami that is Krishna’s birthday, as it is seen more popularized in the present in Mumbai city particularly!

Dr.Anil Joshi said...

Kavitha,A neat write up as usual! Would like you to comment on "Nagesham Darukawane" as I don't know the exact location of "Darukawan"
Joshi Uncle,Am planning to visit Nainital in the first week of June.Any suggested reading to know the history & mythology of the region?Kavitha sorry for the distraction due to lack of email id of Joshi Uncle

Anonymous said...

Hi Dr Anilji,

You would perhaps be able to get sufficient information on the internet through Google's site, say by entering with 'Almora, Uttarakhand', one of the imortant districts in the Kumaon Hill region.

Kavitha Kalyan said...

Hi Anilji,

सेतुबंधे तु रामेशं नागेशं दारूकावने ।

Many believes Jageshwar is the place of Nagesh among the forest of Deodar(देवदारू वन), 8th among the Dwadasa Jyotirlingas i.e. twelve resplendent lingas of Lord Shiva established by Lord Vishnu

* Nageshwar in Darukavanam, is near Dwarka in Gujarat.But many strongly consider Nagesh as stated above.

Joshi Uncle,
I tried finding out more about those temples as your niece has requested and just understood this much that there are aprox 120 odd temples there, most of them dedicated to Lord Shiva. There is also a temple tank that looks particularly superb. It is a lotus pond.

Historically i am trying to find out more about those remote temples, as they are not covered in Indian art books and other websites barely give enough information. Religious sites have more to speak on them.

Jageshwar Nagesh is considered a jyotir Linga apart from the Dwaraka counterpart. I hope you have a good trip Anilji, i will try to find more stuff for you to see there... :D

Rgds
Kavitha

Kavitha Kalyan said...

This should interest you

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jageshwar#Nagesh_Jyotirlinga

regds
Kavitha

Kavitha Kalyan said...

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jageshwar
#Nagesh_Jyotirlinga

its all one single url.

Anonymous said...

Thank you, Kavitha! Like Anilji and you, I am also a ‘foreigner’ to the Kumaon region, because I have visited only a few places there – that too for small periods, a little more frequently as a young boy - like a ‘tourist’, and can’t speak the dialect, though I can understand it. However, now the region makes me conscious of ‘Kurmavatar’, the second evolved form of Lord Vishnu, the tortoise that bears the entire weight of earth, or Shiva the Jageshwar, on its back!

Perhaps because of my ‘natural inclination’ believably developed over time since time immemorial, I have believed in one unseen God who is taking care of the whole universe. And, it is only during the last few decades that my attention was apparently attracted to the ‘spiritual’ aspect of life. And hence all apparent ‘research’, the findings of which I have keyed mostly into your blog, besides some reactions to some ‘media’ people as a formality only, for they are naturally inclined to sell ‘lies’ only and, therefore, have ‘deaf’ ears for the ‘truth’!

Anonymous said...

Another reaction to an rticle in 'my' newspaper is given below.

"The example of elephants killing their mahouts - who care the most for their welfare - in blind rage cited by Shri R Edwin Sudhir in Devil's Advocate article, entitled 'Get Mad' (May 15), could perhaps find a parallel in the similar acts by certain patients of Schizophrenia, and also in the whole human race that blindly acts against its one and only provider, MOTHER EARTH, due to lack of emphasis given on attaining 'siddhi' or all-round knowledge by the 'concerned administrators'.

Of course, delinquency in man was understood by the 'wise' ancients to reflect the characteristic property of 'Time' - 'Mahakal' Shiva, or EARTH, believably being the controller of Time! And, 'Hindus' further believed Shiva-Parvati son, Ganesha the controller of earth, to have had elephant's head!

Similarly, a 'scientist' could tell that the apparent weight of the glass of water lifted by man or table, and so on - as cited in the example in Sacred Space - is actually passed on to EARTH only. Thus only earth can perhaps bear all the weight on it for all times!

Anonymous said...

The name of the ‘jyotirlinga’ in the Kumaon hills amidst the elegant deodars, that is, ‘Nagesham darukavane’ at Jageshwar, is derived from one who is ‘awake’ (and not sleeping) and perhaps the word ‘awakening’, that is, ‘enlightenment’ was also derived from it. It is popular for this jyotirlinga that in the beginning it had originally projected more out of the ground and it was so ‘alive’ that it used to fulfill every devotee’s wish immediately. Legend has it that Adi Shankaracharya visited the temple at some stage and it shrunk lower into the ground when he touched it. (Compare it with the activated 'kundalini' or the serpent standing on its tail with its hood raised high, slinking back to its normal coiled state at the 'Mooladhar'!)

Dr.Anil Joshi said...

Kavitha,As per my knowledge,Vaijnath is situated at Parali/Maharashtra & not in Bihar as the link suggests.Interestingly 4/5 Jyotirlingas are in Maharashtra.

Anonymous said...

Also from the ‘shloka’ Kavitha has posted, Dr Anil could be right in saying that Vaidyanath Jyotirlinga is located alongwith Bhimashankara in Maharashtra too. However, at another internet cite also Vaidyanath Jyotirlinga’s location is indicated at Deoghar, in the Santhal Parganas region of Jharkhand, the State that was carved out of the Bihar State in the recent past.
I will check up from my younger brother who claims to have visited all the 12 ‘jyotirlingas’, and let you know the ‘truth’.

Anilji, as we have seen earlier also, the annual S-W monsoon indicates the important role that Mumbai, on the Arabian Sea coast and the commercial capital of the country, and therefore Maharashtra plays in the material development of the whole country that is ‘Bharat’, and perhaps once was ‘Mahabharat’ the whole world!

Of course, one can’t overlook the role of the Himalayas in the N-E, particularly Mount Kailash the believable abode of Shiva-Parvati and the source of Rivers Ganga, Yamuna, and Brahmaputra!

Anonymous said...

Kavitha, there is a saying in Hindi, “Mano tau bhagwan/ Nahin tau patthar”, that is, ‘if you don’t believe, (the stone lingas/ idols) are stones/ Otherwise they are (different forms of the one and only) God!’ It is believably the essence of the belief that each and every form in the infinite universe is an 'image' of God.

In view of the above, perhaps, one could visualize how the colourful gemstones could also be considered as ‘jyotirlingas’ as these appear to have come in use since time immemorial to exploit the energy absorbed in those, which gets reflected in the form of some particularl colour. Thus, Dr Anilji, perhaps Astrology/ Palmistry etc. were developed by some ‘wise’ ancients as parts of a therapeutical system, like it is said about Ayurveda too, which attempted to reach the ‘root cause of the ailment’. Of course, one might like to keep in mind that eventually all these believably were the innumerable ‘truths’ related with ‘apparent time and space’ only while the ‘Absolute Truth’ is related with zero time and space!

Kavitha Kalyan said...

Hi Anilji and Joshi Uncle,

I am yet to find authentic information on th Jyotir lingas. The information given on various sites is not constant for a few of the jyotir lingas.

I would not trust an internet site, even Wikipedia for that matter. But for now I have not been able to get a book that talks exclusively on them and which can be trusted.

I have just started looking around on them... this will be a journey in itself.

Regds
Kavitha

Anonymous said...

Hi Kavitha, I checked up with my brother, he too confirmed the one at Deoghar, Jharkhand as the original Baidyanath Jyotirlinga. According to him also there are only three original jyotirlingas in Maharashtra, out of the 12 in the country, as per Shiva Puran. However, at certain stage - as it is purely a matter of faith and belief - for the benefit of the people who could not travel all the way to distant places, local people constructed similar temples and named them after the original. Thus in Maharashtra in all 5 numbers jyotirlingas are believed to be located, three of which are original.

Dr.Anil Joshi said...

Kavitha.A look at the life & times of Adi Shankaracharya might yield the desired results

Anonymous said...

Generally speaking, as it is the believable characteristic property of 'kal' or time, human efficiency naturally decreases with time.

The ancients made temples at certain locations based on personal realization of 'elevated souls' or experience of 'miracles' by a large percentage of people.

Maybe, it is the belief or thought power that did the trick. For, as Dr Anil would also know there are a large percentage of ailments that are psychosomatic, that is have bodily symptoms of mental or emotional origin!

Jesus Christ believably cured blinds and lepers just by merely touching them!

Anonymous said...

Here is wishing A Very Happy Birthday or Shani Jayanti to planet Saturn of beautiful rings, the 'sudershan-chakra-dhari Vishnu of the Hindu mythology, the super conscious witness of the human life drama on earth who believably continues to recline eternally on the bed formed by Ananta or Sheshanag in the middle of the Milky ocean!

Kavitha Kalyan said...

Hi Anilji,

I am now scouting around for books on Adi Shankara. Am hoping to get more on Jyotir lingas than his life per say.

Hopefully I will succeed.

Rgds
Kavitha

Anonymous said...

Hi Kavitha, Wish you all the best in your research! However, continuing with Saturn, as we have seen earlier also, planet Saturn, or ‘suryaputra’ Shani, the son of Sun, was visualized by the ‘wise’ ancients as the ‘cold’ (represented by blue colour, like that of the ‘sky’) image of the ‘hot’ Sun, that is opposite end of the imaginary pendulum that swings between these two extreme boundary limits - with neutral earth, representing the Formless Creator or Shiva, at its centre.

One might like to call it a coincidence, however, on the New Moon day believed as ‘Shani Jayanti’ or planet Saturn’s birthday by ‘Hindus’, on 16th May ’07, it rained in New Delhi that is ‘Indraprastha’, and the weather turned pleasantly cool from the unbearable heat New Delhi had been experiencing till the afternoon for some days!

Anonymous said...

Somebody has cited the popular story related with Adi Shankaracharya. It is believed that once when he was passing through a forest, an elephant came rushing towards him. To save himself, he too started running. Seeing this from a distance, one of his disciples mockingly said, to the effect, "Why are you running? The elephant also is ilusory!" He alluded to Sankara's famous precept, to the effect, "The Supreme Being alone is real while the world is illusory or 'mithya'."

The seer believably replied humourously, "My running also is an illusion!"

And, Krishna believably is mischievous!

Kavitha Kalyan said...

Good one Joshi Uncle. :D

In this case nothing is real then. Then what would we define real? Nothing? void?

Dunno...

USNARAYANAN said...

Kadalassery Pisharikkal Temple-The Kanchi Kamakshi of Kerala
___________________________________

The most prominent temples in the 108 Durgalayas are Oorakathammathiruvadi temple and Kadalassery Pisharikkal Temple.The first mentioning in the 108 durgaalayas is'valayaalayamaa dikkum thaikkadum kadalayilum'
valayaalayam-Urakam
kadalayil-Kadalassery Pisharikkal
History
When the 28 days 'Utsavam' of the 'Peruvanam Gramam' was stopped the 'gramam' was suffered with many bad incidents and scarcity.Two prominent Brahmins in the gramam,Kadalaayil Namboothiri and Valayannoor Bhattathiri,with 'Pallissery Komaram' went Kaancheepuram for 'bhajanam'.The Kanchi Kamakshi was pleased and offered to come to 'Peruvanam Gramam'.
Kadalayil Namboothiri got an 'Ashareeri' that I will reach you on the Pooram nakshatram of the month Meenam,midnight when the star 'chothi' reaches the summit(uchcham)at a river bank!(mandaram kadavu ,arattpuzha).He was then instructed to build a temple and do the 'Prathistha'.He bulilt a temple near his house and did the Prathista of Kanchi Kamakshi with all ritual procedures.This temple is known as Kadalayil which later refered as Pisharikkal.The village nearby is known as 'kadalayil cheri' and later 'kadalassery'
The curing effect of snake poison
There was a famous vishavaidyan in the 'Deshamangalathu mana'at Kadalassery. He dedicated his 'siddhi'to 'Kadalayil amma'and then the diety was known as 'visha harikkal amma'(meaning ,curing snake poison)This 'visha harikkal was converted to visharikkal and then Pisharikkal.Even now the prasadam here is used as a medicine for any type of poisons.The Amavasi of Thulam is the most important day here to have 'darsanam'and take part in th holybath at noon, called 'Vaavaaraattu'.
This diety is purifying the holy bahing places of all the dieties in the famous Peruvanam Araatupuzha Pooram.
Almost in all the rituals of the Arattupuzha pooram Kadalassery Pisharikkal Bhagavathi has the starting role.Wherever this bhagavathy has an 'araatu' that should be the first 'araattu ' there!For Oorakathammathiruvady to start the pooram,Pisharikkal Amma should reach there!And Ammathiruvady will take the holy bath only in the 'ghats' were Pisharikkal Amma had 'Arattu'!
The first Pooram Purappad in the Peruvanam Arattupuzha Pooram is here!(Karthika Purappad)
The first ritual 'kodikayattam',first arattu,first pooram all belongs to this diety in the famous Arattupuzha Peruvanam Pooram.
The famous 'Araattu' at the 'mandaram kadavu'on the day of Arattupuzha pooram is in the holy 'muhoortham'when the 'chothy nakshathram'reaches the summit!
All the dieties including Kashi Viswanathan,Ganga etc are believed to be take part in this holy 'arattu'.To take part on this arattu the'athazha pooja'at many temples including Kaashi,Vadakkumnadhan etc are done in the daytime itself!
It is believed that there is no holiness in Ganga on the Pooram Night since Ganga is coming to take part in the holy arattu of Kadalassery Pisharikkal Bhagavathy at Arattupuzha.
How to reach
The temple is at Kadalassery which is 2.5 kms east of Urakam junction in the Thrissur Kodungalloor state highway.
It can also be reached from Puthukkad Junction in NH47 ,by travelling 4 kms westward through the Puthukkad Urakam Road.
The main vazhipadu here is the 'prathima' of snake and snake eggs made of gold or silver.
Address:KADALASSERY PISHARIKKAL BHAGAVATHY KSETHRAM,
KADALASSERY,VALLACHIRA.P.O,THRISSUR-680562

Anonymous said...

The whole yogic exercise is believably related with ‘Mahakal’, literally ‘Time’ , the Formless Creator, ‘Bhootnath’, literally the Lord of the Past, or Yogeshwar Shiva, believably reflected by the Mahakaleshwar Jyotirlinga located at Ujjain, Madhya Pradesh, near Bhopal, literally the ‘sustainer of earth’.

However, as we all know, regulation of time in India today is indirectly related with Longitude 82.5 dgrees East, according to which the Indian Standard Time (IST) is determined with reference to +5h: 30m added to the GMT. Varanasi therefore happens to be the closest to it at location 83 degree East Longitude, where Vishwanath Jyotirlinga (literally the Lord of earth) also is located. And, it’s a fact that Kashi that is Varanasi is considered as the original abode of Shiva in the beginning when He was ‘Ardhanarishwar’ or Androgynous God, who later shifted His abode to Mount Kailash after His marriage with Parvati the daughter of ‘Himalaya’!

Whereas, Man is indicated as ‘Apsmara Purush’, that is the one who is related with the past, but who is unable to recall his past. In the Gita, Krishna told Arjuna that while Arjuna knew about his past in the present form only, He on the other hand knew his past from the very beginning, for He had always been with him – the believable relationship between the soul and the physical forms from the beginning of Brahma’s day through which a particular soul is obliged to pass to attain human form, and thereafter upwards or downwards till it is the end of Brahma’s day!

Anonymous said...

In an attempt to understand teh 'real being', continuing from the last comment, humans appear to have been considered related with the past in terms of time and space. The word, however, also means ‘bhoot’ or ‘ghost’, which conveys thus the animal life to be believed as ‘ghosts with physical forms’ while soul or the energy that believably entered in the animal form at the time of its birth, containing a certain information it had acquired in the past, or when it left the body at the time of death with the added information, was considered as the spirit or ‘ghost without form’.

Souls were considered as different components of the one and only Supreme Soul or ‘Paramatma’, the ‘real being’, to start with. But, each soul believably continued to contain information according to the actions, and reactions resulting therefrom, with the passage of time from the beginning of Brahma’s day. Thus, the apparent hierarchy in behaviours of human beings at any given time, which must be on account of a grand design by the Supreme Being for His Own purpose, which believably wasn’t made known even to the ‘wisest among thewise ancients in the past!

Anonymous said...

Illusory ‘make-believe world of cinema’ perhaps is the best example for visualisation of ‘Maya’ or illusion, i.e. actions performed in the ‘past’ appearing to be happening in the future of the past, that is, ‘present’, which incidently also happens to be the ‘past’ of the ‘future’. And, hence teh relevance of Bhootnath or the Lord of the Past in the words of the 'wise' ancients.

A film is apparently a man-made creation in the ‘past’ that can be reviewed any numbers of time in ‘future’ by projecting it on the ‘silver screen’ that virtually freezes the time for the spectators as long as the film is being projected. They get lost in the fictitious story and characters playing their roles, depending on how good the combined effect of a large number of ‘experts’ in different fields of human activity is.

In ‘Nature’, although some ancient elevated souls or Yogis believably could similarly view the projections in their ‘mind’s eye’, however, as a rule, that is beyond an average man, who has to satisfy himself with ‘day-dreaming’, although in sleep he/ she too could view symbolic images in one’s dreams that are termed as ‘unreal’, but these engage the attention of experts to interpret those eternally.

Yogis believed the immortal and immovable Supreme Soul responsible for all those projections and the apparent animation in the entire universe- after all He is ‘sarvaguna sampanna’ that is He has believably achieved ‘siddhi’ or ‘all round perfection’ and therefore nothing is impossible for Him!

In view of the above, all humans at all times are results of ‘Maya’ or illusion and, therefore, in the popular example cited earlier, Adi Sankara saying that his running also was an illusion could perhaps be called the ‘Absolute Truth’!

Anonymous said...

Kavitha, with the above background, maybe one could attempt realizing the significance of the eternal question asked: Who am I? And, the already realized answer thereof: “Shivoham” that is I am Him, Bhootnath’s ‘Gangadhara-earth’-like ‘true imge’ irrespective of my temporal or spatial location!

Anonymous said...

Let’s come back to the subject of ‘jyotirlinga’, the storehouse of energy or Shiva Himself in the form of stone, which could in fact be parts of volcanic or igneous rocks, viz. granite.

The mythological story of Ardhanarishwar Shiva’s consort Sati’s suicide in ‘sacred’ fire and Shiva’s ‘Tandava Nritya’ with her dead body on His shoulder - obliging Lord Vishnu to cut it in the interest of continuity of life such that around 52 pieces of her body fell on the earth along the Himalayan range - and thereafter His remarriage with Parvati the ‘daughter of Himalaya’ and thereafter having two sons, Kartikeya and Ganesha (perhaps indicating addition of planets Venus, for absorption of poison from the system, and planet Mars respectively to the solar system), perhaps cryptically indicate separation of moon from original inert earth that was a fire-ball lying inert centrally between Sun and Saturn in the beginning, as a result of a volcanic eruption on it as part of a grand design.

The stories perhaps thus indicate the process of creation of an independent system within the solar system, i.e., Earth-Moon, to render it conducive to the creation and sustenance of the variety of ‘life forms’ that one finds on earth since time immemorial - with life-giving energy believably provided by Moon the source of life-giving water, or Parvati or Durga in human form, as the stories believably indicate Her to be the brain behind the design, rendering immortality to Mahashiva or solar system by holding poison in His throat or planet Venus, and He therefore called ‘Neelkantha’, and to His functioning continuously, eternally, with the help of planet Mars acting as the tail-end of His hour-glass-like ‘dumroo’ that reverses to act as His head in place of Moon! It is also symbolically reflected in the functioning of a two-mouthed serpent! And, Shiva is depicted with serpents around His neck!

In view of the above, although the solar system members were apparently rendered immortal or unending, human life on earth remains temporary with man apparently trying from time immemorial to find cure for the ‘poison’, the eventual cause of human death, in different ways as shri USNARAYANAN also has indicated with the blessings granted by Ma Durga with the help of a certain ritualistic process peformed at a certain location in the State of Kerala!

The 'Hindu' mythological stories therefore indicate highest pedestal given to Ma Durga or Parvati as the reflection of Moon or 'Indu'!

Anonymous said...

‘Maya’ that is Illusion is perhaps a phenomenon or a thought similar to a person viewing his own image in one single plain mirror as well as innumerable confusing images in innumerable mirrors at times as we have earlier seen in case of ‘magical mirrors’.

Perhaps, for the sake of simplicity one could also imagine a big mirror first. If it is plain all over you will see your face appear the same, irrespective of which part of it you are using. Even a slight flaw in the glass, however, might make your image appear crooked, and therefore different.

Now, let us imagine that the mirror gets broken, or/ rather shatterred into innumerable small pieces by some agency, viz. generally the wind. And, imagine your attempt at sticking them all up together again, with a view to bringing it to the original form.

Had it broken into two or three pieces only, say, you would have found it a bit easier and maybe you would still be able to find sufficient plain area, which might reflect your true image. However, the number tending to infinity itself would confound you and, also because of limited time at your disposal, you would attempt doing it haphazardly as you won’t be able to judge correctly, unless or until you are ‘perfect’. But, perhaps now you won’t find one single piece large enough and, therefore, you would be obliged to see only your crooked image because of those innumerable joints wherever you try it…

Perhaps the ancients similarly imagined repeated appearance of the different ‘imperfect souls’ till each one of it realized the ‘Absolute Truth’ - that is, part of the ‘perfect being’ within all physical forms imagined joined together to reach the original Supreme soul!

Anonymous said...

Kavitha, another reaction to 'my' newspaper!

"This refers to ‘The wonder that was Harappan India’ by Shri Shashi Tharoor (STOI, May 20).

Although, it is like traveling in a one-way lane against the oncoming traffic, or swimming against the current, it is perhaps pitiable, or natural, that a ‘born Hindu’ today fails to realize that the word ‘Hindu’ as well as River Indus evolved from ‘Indu’ the moon, or la lune, the cause of both, madness as well as ‘bodh’ the realization in animals as it is popularly related with the ‘Buddha’!

'India' starts with the letter ‘I’ (pronounced as ‘eye’, and reflects ego in humans) and thus the Hindu Philosophy is all about Lord Vishnu in Yoganidra who is viewing the drama of deterioration of ‘humans’ - through His mind’s eye in a state of super consciousness - through illusion caused by imperfect or inefficient ‘western eyes’ in the present. And, therefore, need for a ‘seeker’ to activate the dormant ‘third-eye’ in the middle of the existing physical eyes, like the ancient Yogis, to realize the ‘Absolute Truth’, or be doomed (in the words of the ancients)!

“Tamso ma jyotirgamaya…etc.” that is “Lead the kindly light,” toi. You have reduced ‘I’ to ‘i’ but don’t see eye to eye with the ‘truth’! One can, therefore, only pray to God to give ‘sanmati’ or ‘good thoughts’ to all - in the field of journalism particularly (as in the prayer popularized by Mahatma Gandhi, “Raghupati Raghava Raja Ram…”)!"

Anonymous said...

Some of the visitors to your blog expressed that they didn't comprehend me. For their sake I might say that when I was in school/ even college, my weakness was spoken english, because, from the beginning we had been exposed to Hindi only, and also at home Kumaoni spoken by our parents, or various other regional languages spoken by other friends with their parents - at times.

Of course then we were slaves of English or WEST (Controller of direction - mischievous Shani; colour blue; metal iron or steel) in person, and continue to remain so through the language now too.

Language per se isn't bad, or/ rather it is beautiful. But, being one of the youngest languages, like a youth, it isn't that mature as Sanskrit, say. And as time is moving backwards, because of the evolutionary processes that would have taken place in some remote past to reach the peak or perfection, one is therefore reviewing apparent deteriorated conditions in all aspects of life with the passage of time from Satyuga the stage of 'perfection' reached by Shiva alone and hence no need of any langauge for Him after having reached the goal! [One of my relatives told me how New Delhi used to appear neat and clean to him when he used to come from Patratu in Bihar, where he was posted...but it appeared dirty when later, having travelled in the west, he returned!]

Earlier to that, when imperfect Shiva would have been closer to the peak, maybe 'elevated souls' or advanced people in India, or Kashi, the original abode of Shiva, spoke in 'Sanskrit' , and other advanced languages, viz. Latin & Greek in Europe. Thus one can't expect English the simplest langauge to start with, in Kaliyuga, as evolution began when all were 'outward bound' to have contained the Supreme Knowledge that with time naturally grew to infinity when Satyuga was reached. Hence the importance of Yoga, as an attempt to recall Supreme Knowledge by 'Apsmara purush' that is man who naturally is forgetful!

Anonymous said...

Insightlful..Joshi. Thank you.

Anonymous said...

Shri Swaminathan, you are welcome! I am glad you liked it.

Anonymous said...

Kavitha, one more reaction to an article sent merely for the sake of formality to 'my' newspapre.

"Searching for a cure by Shri TN Chapekar, an ex 'cancer biologist' with AIIMS (May 21), perhaps unconsciously says, “Science is the highest level of consciousness…” which, in essence, points towards God, for He believably is super consciousness, the believable Lord Vishnu in ‘Yoganidra’, that is, a ‘Nirakar’ or Formless Being in super conscious state although appearing to be asleep to the uninitiated ‘demons’, that is, the selfish person!

The apparently poor status of research, particularly related with finding of cure for cancer, in India perhaps shows how God didn’t want us in the East to copy the present day West, which in reality reflects the intermediate, or/ rather the early stage of advancement in India in the past!

Maybe, one would better understand the ‘truth’ of the ‘past’, and the ‘believable illusory present’, if one could engage in in-depth research in the believable use of sound energy that is ‘Mantras’ for cure, even through ‘tele-therapy’, by elevated souls in the believably ‘highly advanced past’ of Mahabharata that was 'India'!

“What can’t be cured/ Must be endured.”

Anonymous said...

Man has apparently advanced from ‘Cave Age’ in the past to Atomic Age’ in the present thanks to his natural inclination to observation of ‘Nature’, apparently in order to exploit the available natural resources to his immediate advantage, and so also certain disadvantage(s) that come to light only with the passage of time and, therefore, realization of lack of overall knowledge of ‘Nature’ and perhaps, therefore, the mischievous nature of its believable Formless and yet powerful Creator that is pure Energy or ‘jyoti’ that is light!

The ‘primitive man’ was a nomad who, copying animals, viz. the ‘Siberian birds’, would have shunted between hot and cold places, through thick and thin, avoiding extreme conditions at any one place. The evolved man at a certain stage realized these as reflections of hot Sun and cold Saturn, besides other hot/ cold members of the solar system for the apparent variety, the essences of which were realized have also gone in to the formation of different components of the human structure.

The ’wise’ ancients appear to have communicated the knowledge of ‘Creation of physical universe’, the heavenly bodies and humans as the most evolved animal based on similar principles, through Mythological stories for the benefit of the common man, which with time are read as pure fiction, and not as possibilities at some remote past, called Satyuga.

Anonymous said...

With the present rate of advancement in ‘science’, it is perhaps virtually impossible in the ‘present’ to ‘scientifically’ arrive at the apparent realization of the ancient Yogis in their selection of eight planets, each associated with some particular colour and/ or energy associated with those observed in the visible/ invisible part of the spectrum when sunlight gets refracted.

Not only did they realize these as essences concentrated at different locations in the human body - from tail-bone end to head - but each also to be responsible for some particular component, viz. white colour related with blood, green with muscles, blue with nerves, yellow with the fat, red with bone, orange with bone marrow, and so on! And, then think of the ‘three-pronged’ Yogic exercise to 'activate the kundalini’ to realize the Absolute Truth or attain 'moksha'!