8.13.2007

Jyotir Linga - Grishneshwar near Ellora

View geographical location of this temple

Grishneswar, 11kms from Daulatabad and Aurangabad, is the last of the 12 Jyotir Lingas in the Indian subcontinent. This is the last known residence of the Lord in the flaming form. This ancient spot has had its temple built and rebuilt several times.

The Sthala Purana goes as follows. On a mountain called Devagiri lived a Brahmin by the name of Brahmavetta Sudharm with his wife Sudeha. They were a childless couple for a very long time which made Sudharm very unhappy. Sudeha tried every remedy and failed. Finally she had her sister Ghushma married to her husband. On her sister's advice, Ghushma used to make 108 Shiva Lingas and worship them and perform Abhishekam near a lake.

In due course of time Ghushma was blessed with a son. She in turn became very proud and this got Sudeha very jealous of her. In due course of time Ghushma got her son married as well and continue to worship Lord Shiva. One night in this fit of jealousy Sudeha went and killed Ghushma's son. Her daughter-in-law went to inform her about this terrible mishap while she was worshiping the Lord. Ghushma stayed calm, as if nothing had gone wrong. She continued to worship the Lord near the lake when her son came back alive. Ghushma was neither happy nor sad. This pleased Lord Shiva and he gave her a boon. She requested the Lord to emancipate Sudeha. The Lord was very pleased and granted her another boon. She prayed that the Lord should descend there in Jyotir Linga form and reside there for ever with her name. Hence this shrine is known by the name of Ghushmeswar Shiva Jyotir Linga.

View geographical location of this temple tank

We have come a long way since those times. The depth of faith has not changed in all these years or neither has the pinnacle for higher evolved living. The Jyotir Lingas pulled out events from time to teach us, that every thing can change around us, but it is the ever constant truth of devotion and faith that continues to ring in these temples. The Lord continues to get bathed in the milk and waters of life, purifying the world with potent syllables of devotion that have since then come down these centuries.


Photo courtesy: Liveindia.com

18 comments:

Anonymous said...

There are lessons for the ‘common man’ communicated through such stories/ legends.

As we have earlier also seen and therefore not being gone into detail now, the particular story cited by Kavitha could perhaps indicate many apparent ‘Truths’ of human life continued through time immemorial that is cyclic and believably runs through eternity - as it is being made apparent to humans all through the apparent time - although the real time and space is zero, which is applicable to the Creator, for it is formless - as it was realized as a ‘bindu’ or dot and, therefore, believably called ‘Nadbindu’ or a point source of indestructible infinite energy...

The Creator was concluded by the wise characters in the apparent human life drama (Shiva Purana, Ramleela, Krishnaleela etc. as heroes indicated in the title as its various best images of the whole lot in human forms that represent it with varying capacities ranging from 100% in Satyuga to near 0% at the end of Kaliyuga – the turning point or the starting point in the drama from surface of the earth (Adi Shiva) that acts as the stage for the drama, which was rendered immortal by ‘Amrit’ or ‘Somrus’, the drink of the ‘devtas’ at the end of the ‘churning in four stages’) to be unborn and unending and lying in a super conscious state within each form as the real witness of His Own creation. Thus it believably acts as a spectator within each form to watch its own History - the successes and failures in its Past, with its purpose in the creation of the drama not made known by it even to the wisest man of all times...

And, therefore, suspense is believably being continuously maintained through the various cycles of time and space that cover the 360 degrees of space through 1080 cycles of Mahayugas in one day in the life of Brahma the perfect Formless Creator with its apparent physical form represented by Shiva in human form, as the model of the three-in-one Mahesha that is earth…

Anonymous said...

Yes, it is the faith in the Formless Creator and the belief in all physical forms as His Own Images, and thus the hope that any visitor could possibly be His ‘superior’ form, or Guru, the one who could help wipe out ignorance and take us from its darkness to the light of knowledge, that saw ‘Indians’ welcome every Tom, Dick and Harry to come over to the country and teach something new to the inhabitants of this part of the globe – and also get taught in their turn!

Not only did the visitors come over here from the rest of the globe one after another, because of our uniqueness and therefore even appearing foolish! Some of them thus even ruled over us, each physically powerful one in its turn, until the last visitor in the form of the ruler, the British.

Thankfully perhaps, they helped unite the different provinces of the country that were governed by various small kings in the living memory of the people - perhaps as it stood under Ashoka at a certain point of time in the historical past - as we have come to know it in the present as ‘India that is Bharat’. However, we are unable to accept that the whole world once, in Satyuga, could be ‘Mahabharata’, or Shiva, who is a born ‘Indian’, a simple one, Bholanath, but understood also as Mahesha!

When we regained freedom and received political independence from the British during this very month in 1947, we couldn’t believe that because of the rapid changes on account of external forces, or thanks to God’s design, just in sixty years we would perhaps be again back to the square one, to the darkness of ignorance of the basic ‘Hindu thought’ of one Formless God that had apparently got rekindled when we had remained slaves for centuries – thanks to the ‘slavery of Time’ as part of the grand design of the immortal Mahakal Shiva the controller of Time, who itself alone is absolute detached from the wheel of time and hence the only ‘truly liberated one’!

HAPPY INDEPENDENCE DAY TO ALL!

Anonymous said...

As far as the exterior appearance is concerned, on the eve of the ‘Indepenence Day’, we Indians prepare ourselves to watch personally, or on the TV, the Prime Minister of the country hoist ritually the Tricolour from the ramparts of the ‘Red Fort’, that is, ‘Lal Kila’ (‘Durga’ in Hindi) every year with hope in everyone’s heart to receive some inkling of the precious gift (Moksha or liberation) that every soul has perhaps expected to receive since time immemorial…

Seen with detachment, the flag could be seen to reflect some colours that are seen also in the rainbow: Saffron on top, which believably is a symbol of detachment – reflected by garments of this colour worn by Jogis (Yogis), since the long lost past, who only believably realized man as a model of the composite earth, reflected also in the thought of 'unity in diversity'; White in the middle, representing sunlight/ Sun as the heavenly body responsible for the required energy for sustenance of all life forms and for generation of the apparent time, for it has the wheel of time also in its middle; Green at the bottom, representing our evolved planet earth (starting from a red ball of fire) that sustains plant life that provide most of the basic needs, of generations of man for their sustenance on earth for all times...

And, in the background we have Red, the colour that represents the centre of our earth reflected by the ‘Red Fort’ built from stone masonry supplied by earth, which is duly plastered and painted red. And lastly the blue colour of the sky (in the background of the fluttering flag as a symbol of independence of the nation, or Bharat, that is only a part of the globe, or Mahabharata) that also gets reflected in the wheel of time in the middle, that is, the ‘kalchakra’…

Interestingly, 60 years in the life of man, in ancient India was considered the turning point when man generally started forgetting naturally even simple things - and thus the term ‘sathiya jana’; ‘sath’, meaning ‘sixty’, expressed that forgetful state in man that is related with the wheel of time, perhaps as the average age. For, in the present the majority retires in 'India' from active service at that age today, or even at a much earlier stage. However, as Krishna also says that He works every second, incessantly, the politicians and business men particularly, however, appear to retire only when there arises the need for them to be carried on four shoulders, thus perhaps presenting symbolically a picture similar to that of a pyramid, a structure generally related today with ancient Egyptians by the present day Historians...

However, the ‘vimanas’ of Hindu temples, apparently carried forth since the long lost past, perhaps indicates the thought also to conform to the thought of life forms on earth to represent the four points, or the four directions of earth and the apex represented symbolically by the mysterious Moon as the Nirakar or Formless Creator, the Supreme soul!

Anonymous said...

I would like to reproduce ‘A Thought of the day’ that has appeared in ‘my’ newspaper today credited to a Hollywood actor, Harrison Ford, that is, “Life begins at sixty.”

It can perhaps be seen as the hand of mischievous Krishna, a believable reincarnation or model of 'sudershanchakra-dhari' Vishnu (reflected by Saturn, the planet with beautiful rings, the believable controller of the direction west) who apparently mischievously misguides humans through characters in the ‘west’ by advising man all over the world to continue living foolishly, because of lack of overall knowledge, as indicated in the Gita…

Thus, being over sixty years of age, as I had indicated above, I had forgotten to mention the basic Hindu belief of ‘Maya’ that is illusion represented by the make believe field of cinema as the model of the universe, i.e., real God as Formless and all physical forms as His different images playing different roles...

The Hindus believed 60 years in a man’s life as the beginning of ‘sanyas,’ that is, after having chased the shadows all those years man was now supposed to seek the ‘Truth’ [understood by ‘wise’ ancients as physical Shiva that is earth/ Vishnu that is Saturn/ Vishnu on Ananta that holds the earth on its hood while forming Vishnu’s bed in the middle of the milky ocean that is our Milky Way Galaxy) vis-à-vis the ‘Absolute Truth’ (formless Shiva represented by His Jyotirlingam/ volcano, or Nirakar Nadbindu.]

Anonymous said...

Kavitha,

I give below my thought in ‘Roman Hindi’ as reaction to some thoughts expressed by a friend based on the famous poem in Urdu –

“KHUD HI KO KAR BULAND ITNA
KI HAR TABDEEL SE PAHLE KHUDA BANDE SE POOCHE
BATA TERI RAZA KYA HAI”

‘KHUDA EK HI HAI
HAM SAB USKI HAIN PARCHHAIYAN
PANI KI BOODON SE BANE BADAL SE
URD RAHE HEIN JO AASMAN MEIN
KABHI IDHAR TAU KABHI UDHAR
AAWARA JAISE SADIYON SE

RAZA SAB USIKI HI HAIN
KHAYAL WO HI DETA HAI SABKO
JAISE HER AADMI KE DIMAG MEIN
UTHTE HEIN KAI SAWAL EK SAATH
EK HI SAMAYA MEIN ALAG ALAG
BAHA LE JAATE HEIN JO KISI EK ORE
JAISE HAWA LE JATI HAI BADAL KO

AISE HI BANA LETE HEIN LEADER
HUM SAB KISI EK KO BHIRD MEIN SE
CHAL PARDTE HEIN KISI EK TARAF
JIDHAR LE JAYE WO
JAISE CHARAGAR LE JATA HAI
APNI MIMIYATI BHERD BAKRIYON KO

YA US PATANG KI TARAH
JAANE BINA KI DORE HAATH MEIN HAI
KISI EK KE JO PATANGBAAZ BHI HAI
WOHI JAANTA HAI HAWA KA RUKH
THORDI MITTI HAWA MEIN URDA KE

AUR MAZA YE HAI
KI USI MITTI SE BANE HEIN
HAM SAB BHI
JAANTE HUE KI MILNA HAI
SABKO BHI EK DIN USI SE
KHO-KER HER EK HASTI
CHHOTI HO YA BARDI

LAGTA HAI NAHIN SUDHEREIN HUM KABHI
JAAN NAHIN PAYENGE RAZA USKI KABHI
KYUN KI SHAYAD YAHI RAZA HAI USKI!’

Enjoy!

Anonymous said...

Translation of the thought in English perhaps would help those who do not know Hindustani.

The poet asks everyone to elevate oneself to such a level that when the human system is to undergo change, the Creator should personally ask one’s desire.

Based on essence of ancient Hindu thoughts, I replied, as follows.
God is one and we are his images
Like clouds made up of drops of water
Loiter in the sky like a vagabond
Sometimes in one direction
And another time in the other
For centuries

Desires are all His
For He alone gives thoughts to all
Like thought on different subjects
Arise at the same time
Within the head of the same person
To move one in some direction
Like the wind carries the clouds

Similarly we choose
Someone in the crowd as our leader
And follow him wherever he goes
Like a shepherd drives
His bleating sheep
To some particular destination

Or like a kite
Unaware that it is connected
To the kite-flier
That alone comes to know
The direction of the wind
By letting some dust fly in the air

And the funny part is
That we are made of the same dust
And are aware that we are destined
One day to lose our existence
From high to the low
By merging with the same dust

It appears we won’t ever learn
What His desire is
For that alone
Perhaps is what He desires!

Anonymous said...

If a physician prescribes 2 capsules of some medicine, say, every three hours for five days, an average man doesn’t ask from the doc why 2? Perhaps only one could do the job for 2 days, and it would be economical too for the patient. Or, maybe some other cheaper medicine could be prescribed by him.

The question that arises is: Why does one ‘blindly’ follow the advice? The obvious reply would be that he/ she doesn't have time nor teh aptitude to read medicine oneself, thus one has faith on the particular doctor, for there always is a big queue in front of his clinic, which indicates his popularity and perhaps a proof of his success rate in curing patients – just as there are big queues in cinema halls when the film is rated five stars, and so on!

Similarly, at some stage in the past also, certain ‘spiritual’ personalities or ‘elevated souls’, say like Jesus Christ, demonstrated how knowledge or wisdom is not restricted to the apparent expertise acquired by a particular human being in the present form only, during just the last 30-40 years since his birth.

Of course, ther are examples of child prodigies also who reflect certain characteristics which aren’t normally possessed by majority of children of their age…

The ancient Hindus, therefore, based on experience, realized/ concluded that a component of ‘Supreme knowledge’ - perhaps in some energy form - resides within each exterior physical form, out of which Earth among ‘planets’/ human form among all animal forms was realized as the most evolved…

However, it is common knowledge that Teachers do not release the entire information related to a particular field of expertise at one time, but only in steps or classes, till the student is mature enough and also one’s capability tested at each step and the student duly found fit…

Similar process was found applicable to the ‘spiritual field’ also, expertise therefore perhaps not to be judged only from the crowd a spiritual leader attracts. For today, due perhaps to population explosion, one finds big crowd anywhere and everywhere due to compulsion…

And, the average person generally reflects what was called ‘smashan vairag,’ that is, one falls into the rut of day-to-day life as soon as one returns home (perhaps as part of a grand design by the ‘eight-handed Durga’ who spider-like spins the web of material world to test humans, that is whether one can reflect the characteristic property of spider or not – detachment while maintaining attachement because of compulsion due to the basic needs incorporated in the design!)…

The legends and mythological stories thus perhaps helped in developing and maintaining consciousness of the existence of one and only Formless Creator despite the apparent chaos in the apparent exterior world - particularly in Kaliyuga, the age of confusion...

Dr.Anil Joshi said...

Good morning Joshi Uncle,
The original Hindi version & the translation are wonderful!
It is heartening to know that people still blindly believe in Doctors but from what I observe around me a big queue infront of a clinic may not always be an indicator of the integrity & professional excellence of the person sitting inside!
Kavitha,the word "Grushan" means churning "manthan".It adds new meaning to "grushneswar"

Anonymous said...

Good morning doc, Thanks!

Regarding 'Grushneshwar', my guess is that the word perhaps also refers to 'ghisna' that is 'grinding' or repetitive exercise also...

Maybe one could also cite in its support an oft repeated saying, "Practice makes perfect," or in Hindi, "Karat karat abhyas ke jardmati hote sujan/ Rasri awat jat per sil per pardat nishan," drawing attention to the common observation that even a soft rope by constant grinding on the hard rock leaves a groove on it...

Anonymous said...

Anilji,

About ‘blind belief’ in doctors today (even in the ‘jholachhap’), perhaps the major cause is the cost of treatment of any ailment, particularly if it is chronic in nature, in allopathic treatment - that has become now more fashionable - has become prohibitive for the common man or “aam aadmi”, with costly tests recommended before medicines are prescribed, and during the course of treatment also, leave aside the problem of commutation to and fro between the residence and the hospitlal/ clinic from time to time, as required. And, yet the patient might not find any relief...That was my experience with respect to my wife’s treatment for Rheumatoid Arthritis that stretched over 23 years…

Second instant, regarding crowd and efficiency of the physician, my personal experience relates to the seventies when my the then one-year-old daughter had loose motions, about twenty per day for 5 days, with no relief after treatment - by MDs perhaps - in the Govt. Dispensary as per my entitlement, when I was advised by my experienced elder brother to see a RMP (Registered Medical Practitioner)…

There was a big crowd, in his ‘Children’s Hospital’, being attended by him, whereas his own son and daughter-in-law, both MDs, didn’t attract any crowd, and sat idle in their respective chambers within the same building...

The doctor just placed two fingers of his left hand on the infant’s belly and tapped with his right hand, and said that we had given her ‘Coca Cola’. Both of us instantaneously said No! He asked us to keep quiet! And, prescribed some medicine for three days that was dispensed in his clinic…

On our way back I realized how we had visited some family in the hot summer day when the lady served the soft drink to us. And, as the infant also demanded it, so I gave a sip to it also as it lay in my lap…

She showed sign of recovery just after the first dose itself…

Anonymous said...

“Health is wealth.” And, “Prevention is better than cure.”

I was perhaps influenced by all Gods because of my birth in India when the country was ruled by the British, and Hindus then generally were god-fearing. And, a line in Mirabai bhajan impressed me, “Rogi ander baid basat hai/ Baid hi aushadh jane hai…” That is, “The Doctor resides within the patient/ And, He alone knows what medicine is needed.”

My personal experience regarding His presence within me (because all humans at all times are imperfect – in other words ‘sick’ that is ‘rogi’) was perhaps realized when the same daughter didn’t learn to walk by herself even when she was 2 and I didn’t have time to worry and take her to an expert (in the words of my wife!). My wife constantly nagged me and, therefore, one day we took her to a ‘child specialist’. After thorough examination, the doctor concluded that there was no clinical problem, and that some children walk even at the age of 3. Thus one more year went by and she hadn’t started walking. She used to move from one place to another in a room seated on the floor and pushing herself forward using her hands…

Panic button was again pressed by my wife. Thus, one Sunday, I told my wife that I would make her walk, because I felt logically that it was fear of height that constrained her, as she had grown taller compared to the expected normal height at the age children generally walked.

I made her stand on her own two feet while I continued to hold her, under her arm-pits. She was mortally afraid – she was crying with her eyes closed while tears dropped from her eyes! All the while I repeatedly said, “Nahin guiregi,” that is, “You won’t fall.”

I kept on holding her like that and didn’t allow her to sit down as she wanted to. After some time she surrendered and was perhaps convinced that I wouldn’t allow her to fall. Then I just lowered my palms a few inches. She grew panicky and wanted to sit down, but she couldn’t, as my palms arrested her downward movement...

I made her stand erect again. I repeated this a few times, and at some stage I slid backwards a foot or so, leaving her on her own. She was scared and ran towards me and held me…

Self confidence developed, since that day, with God’s grace’ she has walked thousands of miles, perhaps!

Perhaps that's why the prayer in praise of God, “…Jaki kripa pangu giri langahai…etc” that is, “With His grace a disabled (even) can climb a mountain…”

Anonymous said...

Talking of the unknown, this very girl, when she was just over 10 years of age, as I have earler also in detail narrated the incident elsewhere, had enquired from me before I had left for the airport at Gauhati in the northeast India (believably having Mars as its control) if my flight to Imphal was cancelled!! I was surprised by the question then, but it turned out to be true!

I have wondered often about the phenomenon: How could a child come to know in advance an event that is likely to occur in ‘future’?
Today, someone would call it ‘intuition’ or ‘sixth sense’. Maybe, however, the answer could be found in the Hindu belief of the reality of the apparent drama or illusion: Bhootnath Shiva, the Spirit’ reviewing His Own past incidents when He was yet to achieve ‘perfection’ through His various material forms or ‘images’, that is, representation of the immortal/ unending ’spirit’ or energy (Paramatma or Supersoul) in material form(s) of the evolved earth/ solar system, achieved in four stages of evolution represented in terms of apparent duration of time through Kaliyuga, Dwaperyuga, Tretayuga, and Satyuga in the long lost past…

Anonymous said...

In so far as ‘I’ am concerned, although having had different experiences related with the unknown in my short life from time to time right from the childhood days, She (Ma Kamakhya) apparently attracted my attention - as if inviting me to seek Her - only when I was in the northeast India with the incident as cited above...

It then became the basis for my recalling (knowingly or unknowingly) many such incidents from time to time that had virtually been lost in the ‘unconscious’ part of the brain - which couldn’t normally be explained with the ‘western education’ that I had received since ‘our country’ attained ‘Independence’ - because of the believable ‘slavery of time’…

The ancient ‘wise’ Hindus, however, apparently realized the ‘Absolute Truth’ of existence of one and only Formless Creator, which believably is like a precious gem/ metal at the centre/ core of ‘our’ planet earth that ever remains covered with huge amount of rocks - in molten or solid state - and a covering of top-soil over those, out of which man is perhaps allowed access only to certain semi-precious ‘gems’/ ‘gold’ near the surface – generations after generations till She believably reveals the essence of different Truths when it is right time, that is, the Absolute Truth, as it is also reflected in the hint in the fact that for finding a pearl one has to dive deeper - mentally!

Anonymous said...

My Shivaganga-like thoughts continue to flow - unhindered by questions/ or other reactions!!

It is interesting to learn that the ‘present day scientists’ indicate presence of iron in the core of earth – and not gold or some precious gem as I had indicated above that was related with the centre of earth, where the gravitational force is concentrated as the precious essence of the material form…

And, as we have seen earlier also elsewhere, the ancients related iron, and blue colour, with planet Saturn, that is, Shani the son of Sun, (or one of the members of the Solar system that is Mahashiva in which earth the Gangadhar Shiva is the most evolved – that is, its ‘essence’ or ‘satva’ or satya’ that is ‘Truth’), which as per indirect indication in mythological stories is the physical representation of sudershan-chakra dhari Vishnu who in the energy form remains in Yoganidra or a super conscious state reclining in the middle of the Milky Ocean on the bed formed by celestial serpent Sheshanag...

And Vishnu’s representative in Dwaperyuga believably is Krishna the Yogiraja and the ‘neelamber’, that is the one that wears a blue garment, and whose supreme form is Shiva the green earth for Krishna is Peetamber also that he wears yellow garment and he is a yogi too...

And during Satyuga (before perfection achieved by three-in-one Shiva, the blue colour is associated with Kartikeya the physically powerful son of Shiva, associated with the poisonous planet Venus as the ‘throat’ of Mahashiva, and as the solid rocks in the composite earth that contains iron ore…

In human form, Shani and blue colour is associated with (steel) nerves…

Anonymous said...

It has been generally expressed by many wise people in the present that (as per some grand design, according to the ancients) man comes to know everything about different materials available on earth, but fails to know much about the (real) self…like there is darkness under the earthen lamp, also expressed in the saying, “Chirag taley andhera”.

The (wise) Owl perhaps symbolically acts as a pointer to the presence of the capacity to see in the dark in humans also, (man believably being the most among animals and thus having properties of all animals incorporated in the design), although in a dormant form, thus needing ‘activation of kundalini’ within one’s dark interior - in the words of the ‘wise’ ancint ‘Hindus’…

The (foolish) owl, otherwise for an average man attached with the material earth only, generally reflected humans as vehicles for Goddess of Wealth, Laxmi, who rules outwardly to keep the 'seekers' away from the 'Absolute Truth', i.e., Formless Shiva/ Vishnu…

Anonymous said...

Kavitha, I give below my original letter, in reply to which I have promptly received another computerised reply as before for your perusal too :o)

Dear Editor(s),

This has reference to ARE WE AFRAID OF TAKING RISKS? by ST in STOI.

In view of the computerized e-mail, copy given below, ‘I’ had thought of leaving you alone with your generally ‘anti-Hindu’ stance, for 'I' believe you are not really interested in the "Truth"…but ‘I’ couldn’t resist saying that Captain Dravid was perhaps advised by some still more aged advisor(s), because of ‘fear of unknown’, guided by the saying, “A bird in hand is better than two in the bush!” Srisanth, only being a tail-ender and therefore not being answerable, could act the way he acted. And interestingly, a Yogi also knows that ‘Mooladhar’ the dormant source of infinite energy is located at the tail-bone end!

And, on the other hand, ‘Bush’ has become a thorn in the neck of ‘M’, because he was prepared to take the risk without consulting ‘the traffic on the Left and Right’ and thus likely to be hit by a ‘Blue-line bus’ (Saturn, that is Shani the son of Sun the source of nuclear energy, being related with iron and blue colour)…God’s images are innumerable and He believably is mischievous, besides being mysterious too…

However, all said and done, a ‘Hindu by thought’ would perhaps have called it “God’s will”…as reflected in the age-old time-tested belief in ‘pralaya’ or ‘great inundation’ - like drawing of the curtain at the end of a drama - about which its approach is being heard even by Dhritrashtra-like ‘blind mediamen’ in the all round melting glaciers/ arctic region being reported these days almost everyday, repeatedly…

And, Krishna in the Gita says, “Surrender in Me, if you want to reach Me, the Creator of illusion that is ‘Maya’!!!!”

Best Wishes.

JC Joshi
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Anonymous said...

Imagine if a devotee were to have total 1080 beads in the rosary for prayer - to represent each Mahayuga in the day of actions in the life of Brahma to cover the entire globe!

Man being realized as a model of the universe was therefore advised to have only 108 beads – perhaps to be used ten times at one sitting, to carve out some time during the day when detachment from the material world could be practiced, like friction created by a soft rope on hard rock, to eventually have firmness of belief and thus apparent control over one’s thoughts…

The message contained in the Gita for the benefit of the ‘educated persons’, about illusion and animal forms as untrue and, therefore, man to remain unmoved under all circumstances - surrendered in the Formless Creator with unwavered faith - is communicated to the common man through the character of Ghushma, who remained unmoved even after hearing of her son’s reported death…and thus blessed with reappearance of the son, alive, and so on, despite expression of pride as a minor fault, because of ‘time’, on the other hand! For, Krishna too is depicted as one who used to steal butter during his childhood because he was born in Dwapreyuga!

Anonymous said...

Once someone is aware that human brain is an analogous computer and, therefore - as those are reflected in dreams - one could ever remain conscious that thoughts appear in the form of images, which then are translated into different languages using alphanumeric symbols, and understood according to the inherent capacity of the individual concerned…

With the above background, the numerals used in ‘108’, besides representing the Mahayugas in Brahma’s day, can communicate different things to different people…

For example, ‘1’ could be imagined as teh apparntly inert ‘0’, formed of innumerable points, cut at a point and straightened to represent a line; or a lean and thin person; or the first person, I; or Hydrogen as the element number one; or Aditi/ Aditya the ‘first person’ that is our Sun/ Sun-god; and so on…

Similarly, ‘8’ also could be imagined as inert ‘0’ twisted in the middle to result into two zeros, one above the other; or represent Hydrogen element that is formed of one proton and one electron in the outer shell; or as two independent vessels to serve as pitchers, say, to hold some liquid(s); or the image at a particular given moment of a parent planet and its satellite, for example earth-moon, that revolve around each other; ‘Yogiraja’ Krishna the physical form of Nadbindu theFormless Creator, the eighth son of Devki-Vasudeva in Dwaperyuga, who, although born in a prison, miraculously escaped from the clutches of his maternal uncle, Kansa, while seven siblings before him couldn’t. And he therefore was called God or ‘Bhagwan’, as the misnomer of ‘Bhagyawan’ that is ‘lucky’…

To cut the story of Mahabharata short, the numeral ‘8’ could thus bring to one’s mind Earth or Shiva (supported by Moon or Parvati) as Mahabharata literally the ‘Greater India’, that started from Kashi that was Varanasi just as the centre of ‘0’ to expand to infinite zero and eventually with the evolution of Moon from it to attain perfection or infinity represented by numeral ‘8’ - written horizontally, reflected in the reclining position of Vishnu, and many other copies thereof at different points of time, viz. Hanuman, Buddha, and so on - perhaps each human being!

And, Stephen Hawking desires to enter the mind of GOD! It shows that God is mischievous and presents innumerable teasers to man – His superior most creation!