Konark, well known as the black Pagoda strangely captures the mind for only its association with being the chariot temple to Lord Surya. With every stone falling apart, with every piece of evidence hitting the dust, the secret mystical world of Konark is fast disappearing.
Taking a closer look at this gorgeous structure echoes a lot more than the iconography of Surya. Its sheer size makes the experience all the more overwhelming. Konark presents a grand entrance, against the cloudy sky and wet floor, history slowly unfolds. As we rise towards each step of this mysterious world the power of the ancients welcomes us with much song and dance as each kanya dances her way into our world. With drums and musical instruments, they gracefully dance into existence.
The sheer structure of Konark is mammoth, but what’s even more intriguing is the depth of philosophy into its architecture buried in every stone. It not just covers the ancient Surya cult but also has traces of the roots of deep Tantricism as well as Naga cult in its form. Buried in the rocks that build up the platform of the temple are scenes from life in Orissa as it was among the nobles, and the people with royal screens scattered across the walls. Inter-spaced with this world is the stark presence of the netherworld where the Nagas ruled. Naga lords endowed with the 7 hooded serpent are inter-spaced with nobles and maithuna couples all across the platform. These worlds of manushas and the Nagas are occasionally broken by the great Konark wheels that draw the great chariot of Lord Surya.
The presence of the Naga cult draws our attention to this strange world which is otherwise not as obvious on the sculptural panels of other temples around India. Could these snake hooded mystical beings belong to the netherworld of the Nagas or is it representations of Rahu and Ketu of the Navagraha pantheon of stars associated with Surya?
The sheer structure of Konark is mammoth, but what’s even more intriguing is the depth of philosophy into its architecture buried in every stone. It not just covers the ancient Surya cult but also has traces of the roots of deep Tantricism as well as Naga cult in its form. Buried in the rocks that build up the platform of the temple are scenes from life in Orissa as it was among the nobles, and the people with royal screens scattered across the walls. Inter-spaced with this world is the stark presence of the netherworld where the Nagas ruled. Naga lords endowed with the 7 hooded serpent are inter-spaced with nobles and maithuna couples all across the platform. These worlds of manushas and the Nagas are occasionally broken by the great Konark wheels that draw the great chariot of Lord Surya.
The presence of the Naga cult draws our attention to this strange world which is otherwise not as obvious on the sculptural panels of other temples around India. Could these snake hooded mystical beings belong to the netherworld of the Nagas or is it representations of Rahu and Ketu of the Navagraha pantheon of stars associated with Surya?
The mystery gets even deeper as we walk onto the main platform of the temple and are faced with explicit poses of maithuna visually describing the Kamasutra. It amazes me that while the maithuna depictions of Konark are yelling, yet the erotic sculptures of Khajuraho seem to grab the delight of the average tourist when they can hardly be found on the walls.
These sculptural panels depict the deep philosophy of Vama Marga embedded in them of the Tantrik origin. They bear their roots in the Panchamakara ritual of the ancient left path. referred to as the 5Ms of this esoteric ritual, maithuna is one of 5 parts to the ritual where all the gross elements of existence and channelized to a higher spiritual existence. These loud echoes of the esoteric cult practices of Orissa, which belonged to the silent mystical worlds of the Tantriks and Nagas have been profusely depicted on the walls of the temple associated with the Sun God, the epitome of brilliance and divine light. In a strange way, this contradiction to approach life, this dualism in the belief systems with every school following its own path lends itself to our minds to realize just how vast this spiritual ocean is and how difficult it would be to cross it.
Truly this is a contradiction in the mind as much as it’s depicted in mammoth canvases of stone.
25 comments:
Every 'present day Indian' apparently becomes conscious of one's 'glorious past' only when some discovery, or invention, is made in the 'west', let us say, such as man's recently landing on moon and thus the 'scientific world' feeling encouraged to think of space travel in 'future' might have brought to our minds the belief that the ancient Yogis had already done so comfortably in the past! As indicated in our mythology related to Narada who travelled between earth and other planets etc ('lok, parlok'), using just sound energy expressed in his utterance of 'Narayan, Narayan', while having a stringed instrument Veena in his hand as, simiarly, Goddess of Knowledge Saraswati is also depicted in images carried forward since time immemorial (to be read with the background belief that Lord Vishnu created the physical universe with sound energy, 'OM'!! And also the present day knowledge of sound emanating from Sun found similar to the sound emitted by a stringed instrument Harp!)
The ancient 'Hindus' indicated earth as Vishnu in the beginning during the process of its evolution, reclining W-E along the Himalayan Ranges and having energy centres, 'Chakras', as they are believed existing in human forms also along the spinal column or 'Merudand', as its models, on the whole to reflect the evolution of Vishnu from zero to infinity, or Gangadhar Shiva, the immortal,,,the 23.5 degree tilt in earth's axis (Ekpada Shiva) understood as modified Vishnu/ Shiva reclining NW-SE with the Sun Temple at Konark indicating the present solar plexus, or the Manipuraka Chakra where essence of Sun is housed in the coastal region and thus Swadhisthan and Mooladhaar bandhas located under the sea (the 'patal;, the abode of serpents)...The mythology indicates celestial serpents Shesh Nag (related with energy, o white light, emitted by Sun) and Vasuki Nag (related with super energy housed at the centre of our glaxy) that is believably responsible for the rotation of grahas along their own individual axes, besides energising of Sun- Moon etc also...
Regarding depiction of couples, the present day scientists also indicate stars also to exist in pairs (although the partner of our Sun is not known)...Perhaps this might help visualise the thought in the minds of wise ancients at some point in time in the past...
Best Wishes on the occasion of MAHASHIVARATRI to all!!!
very well written i would like you to read the excellent book from cover to cover 'THE SEVEN MYSTERIES OF LIFE ' BY GUY MURCHIE WHEREIN IN A CHAPTER TITLED ESSENCE OF LIFE HE WRITES'POLARITY OFTHE LODESTOEN CALLED THE 'THE STONE THAT LOVES' INDICATES WISDOM IN THE INWARD PARTS" THEN IN HIS CHAPTER ON STEPS IN SPIRITUAL EVOLUTION HE SAYS STONES ARE MORE HONEST AS THEY DO NOT HAVE THE NECESSITY LIKE THE ORGANIC MATTER TO EVOLVE FREEDOM TO CHEAT OR BE TRUE. IN THE CHAPTER TITLED MINERALS THAT WANT TO LIVE "VERY HARD STONES CALLED WHEWELLITE[FOUND IN COAL BEDS]DOISCOVERED IN ANTARTICA AND ALSO THE STONE STRUVITE ALL COMMONLY GROW FROM SEEDS IN HUMAN KIDNEYS AND BLADDERS BUILDING THEMSLEVES LAYER BY LAYER LIKE CRYSTL COUNTERPARTS OUTSIDE, NAD THIS IS FURTHER EVIDENCE THAT ROCKS ARE VERY INTIMATE PART OF LIFE-EVEN YOUR LIFE"
LIFE OF STONES AND ROCKS ARE AS MUCH A MYSTERY AS THAT OF WATER ,FOR ,WATER IS NOT JUST MADE OF H2O
IF IT WERE SO THEN WE CAN MANUFACTURE IT UNDER SPECIFIC HEAT AND PRESSURE THAT'S WHY I HAVE THIS BLOG OF MINE.
http://waterthesupremeenergy-balayogi.blogspot.com/
Hi Balayogi, 'I' cursorily saw your blog. Thanks!
'I' would like to point out that earth, water, fire (energy), air, and sky (space), are indicated by ancient 'Hindus' as the five basic elements (panchatatva, or panchbhoota) that necessarily go into the formation of a physical body,,,and realisation of the Truth is posible only in human form, that receives images when in 'ardhmrit awastha' (or half-dead state) in sleep, though inferior animals similarly receive those, but being in an intermediatge stage of evolution are incapable of analysing the data received through ither one or all of the five different physical apparatuses (for vision, hearing, touch, taste and smell)...for only in human form, the most evolved one, a model of the creator itself, ESP is provided, but in a dormant state, which therefore necessitates activaton of kundalni, making available energy that apparentl remains coiled up at the mooladhar the basic 'bandha' or lock in human body...
The ancient wise Yogis or siddhas (all rounders) realised man as model of the universe, which in reality, or (in view of the use of the word 'maya' or illusion) apparently is a dark ('Krishna'/ 'Kali', meaning black in Sanskrit) infinite size void that continues to expand indefinitely since time immemorial such that the variety of infinite numbers of galaxies of stars and planets, including our own Milky Way Galaxy, also similarly continue to expand,,, it believaby having started from a point, called 'Nadbindu', ie, a point source of loud sound energy,,, which is indicated to exist at the centre of our earth ('Gangadhar' Shiva, the Neelkanth who held poison in His throat, with the background that the said original point is alo called 'Vishnu', literally the 'poisonous atom'!)...
Shri Balayogi, reading between lines the Hindu Mythology, 'I' would add that the element 'water' also is a versatile tool, in the form of a natural geyser or man-made fountain that has a choked nozzle and just needs removal of debris collected at the outlet point, to indicate the said 'kundalini jagaran' or activation of a large chunk of energy believaby locked up at the 'mooladhar chakra', at the tail-point end, in human form to make it rise to the head, at the 'sahasrara chakra' for the said 'enlightenment'...
Of course, it's also indicated that for achieving that clearance, one must surrender in Krishna (vide Gita), or the Big Zero of the universe,,, with centre of earth, the small zero as its model or origin, through a (near) thoughtless state, achieved through regular exercises for control of mind, starting from minimum thoughts (meditation)...
(Yogis indicated the only purpose of man was to reach the formless god as well as His physical forms)...
Regarding stones used in construction of temples, or large edifices, such as Pyramids in Egypt, say, or in 'vimanas' in Indian Temples since ages, meaning 'fire within' (and thus indicating generation of some special energy within the structure), perhaps what is important is the orientation of the structure and the altitude of the location, which naturally, relatively, is higher in the Himalayas and perhaps thus smaller heights of temples serve the desired purpose. Of course, harder the construction material skillfully used, longer could be the expected age under normal conditions...The pyramids are observed to have been oriented such that the triangular surfaces, one each on the four sides of a square base, face one of the Cardinal directions, while ancient advanced Hindu yogis suggested one to pray facing East or North even in open spaces, in front of man-made idols, or maybe either Sun at the sunrise time or Pole Star after sunset, or even nothing! Being conscious of the formless as the VIP and all forms only as its images, relatively infeior though because of the heirarchy in 'Nature'...Basically thus the Hindus understood it as a matter of taining of mind, for happiness or eternal bliss is a state of mind...
Maybe 'I' could add that it's generaly known that existence of man on earth (like all other 'wild animals') sarted from the so-called Cave Age and, as a result of natural evolution of different specis, has since then reached the so called Atomic Age. And, as a race, man is proud of its all round superior achievement: Virtual control of all the three worlds: space, above the ground and underground also, which could be noted as sounding similar to the description of Shiva the Tripurari, and sounds like humans beings in the present' being seen as models of Shiva! (though still evolving and individually appearing at different lvels of capabilities)...
One thus naturally finds overall heirarchy, or teams of people having different capabilities formed, which are engaged in various activities (apparently helpful or harmful to the society) at different locations at any given point in time. And in the 'present' lot more apparently remains to be done to acheive the ultimate potential capacity of humans...
Generally 'we' tend to take for granted and, therefore, overlook some basic phenomena for which there is no normal explanation(s) provided by the 'present day experts' in different fields of activity, for example, as 'I' said earlier also, appearance of dreams in sleep and random thoughts when one is awake, particularly when a common man would like to attempt reaching a thoughtless state due to, say, being involved in some tragical happening. Perhaps thus indicating the source of thoughts to be within each animal form, as believed by 'elevated souls', or 'images of formless Shiva', or Yogis, (just as it doesn't surprise us today when we watch a film recorded in a small DVD) the entire information is recorded in 'asht chakra' or 'eight wheels', ie, eight points along the spinal column where energy/ information is concentrated (as essences of eight galaxies) just as a super gravity Black Hole is believed to be housed at the centre of our galaxy and, therefore, in all galaxies, maybe with varying intensities...
Thus, the ancients believed in human form also as instruments for use by the formless Creator for its own purpose, which remains unknown to humans the time believably being Kaliyuga or Dark Age, and thus events related to the beginning stage of evolution are bein projected, of course, 'naturally' and not understood by the masses due to lack of knowledge of the 'Absolute Truth', ie, existence of the one and only formless being in the whole universe!...
The basic 'Hindu' concept regarding man being realised as 'model of the universe' (or the 'Christian' belief of man as an image of God, which also incorporates the Hindu concept of illusory world/ universe) seems to have got translated through the development of art or science of Astrology, Palmistry etc. where essences of 9 members of the solar system, or 'grahas' from Sun to Saturn believably are used in the structure of human forms concentrated at different points along the spinal column (that hold parts of total energy/ information within them tightly, with a large chunk at the 'mooladhar' that normally remains unavailable, as indicated in the story related to a crocodile (Magarmachchha as the first avatar of Vishnu) that held the leg of a powerful animal, an elephant, that could only be saved by the creator sudershan-chakra-dhari Vishnu Himself, represented by ring-planet Saturn, or/ rather its essence at the base, which believably remains coiled up an therefore need for Sound energy, ie, Mantra (OM) etc; Yantra, such as gemstones, say; or Tantra, ie, utilising special energy such as generated within pyramids or vimanas in temples, or even through control of inferior animal/ dissatisfied human souls?)...
And thus the role of Konark-like grand temples that were also considered to hold a soul each (the special energy or 'fire within') just as individual animals with eight energy centres; or heavenly bodies having energy concentrated at their respective centres that are esponsible for the particular form, for a limited period, billions of years in case of members of solar system, say,,,and in the human form as their models limited to a duration near 100 (+/-)...And Hindus believed this period sufficient for reaching the Absolute Truth...
In view of the above-stated, and also having the background knowledge that in the 'present' even the 'most intelligent' person is able to tap only a negligible fraction of the billions of cells that are naturally available in the human brain, one could perhaps visualise why Yogis stressed on exercises (physical, mental and spiritual in view of the three axes along which a 3D form is believed naturally developed), with a view to lifting up of the total energy available in eight chakras to the level of the brain - to concentrate it at one point, just as it is in case of heavenly bodies at their centres that apparently results in their life-span naturally being over billions of years...(As it is projected in the eyes of Shiva the immortal, who is related with time and space zero, just as it isreflected in humans reviewing 'action replays' of events that happen in no time, within a fraction of a second, as in case of, say, the game of Cricket,,,and, interestingly, the oval-shaped ampitheaters of yesteryears and present day stadia, having numerous steps, could also be visualised as models of our galaxy)...
Konark Temple, dedicated to Sun, as the charioteer of the members of the planetary system, conveys to the common man, the Homo sapien, the knowledge acquired by the then scientists cum artists, graphically, regarding our Sun (together with our planet earth) as the central driving force, and the creator of 'time' as we reckon it at least since over 4 billion years in so far as the animal world on it at any given point in time was concerned (immaterial of the expcted life-span of the construction material used for its construction vis-a-vis the many other unknown elements of Nature, a fact related to the material world that naurally undergoes change with the passage of time)...
The essence of the Hindu concept of evolution is conveed through the story related to Kshirsagar manthan (churning of the Milky ocean), from Halahal (poison, or mortality) to attaining in four stages (for Yugas) 'amrit' (immortality) by devtas, ie, our solar system, as the essence (cream) of our 'Milky Way Galaxy',,, but the story repeated through various physical characters, seen repeatedly through its projection from the stage of attaining immortality to the beginning stage, ie, like reviewing a film backwards, in reverse order in which it is shot!
Perhaps thus conveying an effort by the formless to learn about its own origin through any of the innumerable characters in human forms, particularly the apparently meek and poor ones, they believably being its own images related with the beginning of evolution...
With the background knowledge of the facilities available in the 'present' to review at any givn point of time one's own numerous images (in one's exclusive album), say from birth till the 'present' stage, or even of the apparently dead and gone relatives and friends; or even reviewing many images of oneself in some 'magical mirrors' at the same given instant (in a fete say), a person might be able to visualise the Hindu concept of, say Krishna being considered as 'bahurupiya', ie, an individual who is believed t play various roles, in innumerabe physical forms,,, or/ rather all physical forms in the universe being considered as manifestation of, or 'images' of, the one and only formless being who in reality exists alone in the entire universe! That is, the infinite void or blank space that's dark (Krishna/ Kali) and appears filled with infinite numbers of infinite sized galaxies of stars, in which each star appears to act as a source of light (for vision) as well as in any solar system acts as source of direct and indirect energy for control and sustenance of planets and life forms upon them... believably as a component of the one and only super energy residing at the centre of our planet earth, though illusory (Gangadhar, or Chandrashekhar, or Neelkanth Shiva (the vishdhar, literally a serpent who as Shesha acts as Vishnu's bed and as Vasuki acts as the churner's rope, while acting as th controller of the nether world, or 'patal')!)...
Hi Kavitha, you asked, "...Could these snake hooded mystical beings belong to the netherworld of the Nagas or is it representations of Rahu and Ketu of the Navagraha pantheon of stars associated with Surya?..."
Primarily a seeker needs to undrstand that Hindu mythology is all about 'Shakti' that is Energy (that can neither be created nor destroyed by any known means)... Thus our Sun, and earth etc., as one of the members of our solar system, are manifestations of a part of super energy converted into material form and attached to another component concentrted at their respective centres,,,to reflect hierarchy, which apparently exists in all aspects of Nature...
Thus one coould visualise that Rahu & Ketu are names given to what 'we' today call as Ultraviolet and Infrared rays that are necessarily associated with our Sun,,,and which could perhaps also be visualised as associated, respectively, with planets Mercury (closest to it and thus "it runs with fire in its mouth"), and Jupiter, the eighth member (reflection of Krishna the 8th avatar of Vishnu), an inner ring planet that is closest to
planet Saturn ('suryaputra' or 'son of Sun' as the evolved one, 'sudershan-chakra-dhari Vishnu', evolved from original Nadbindu!), the superior most ring planet,,, and Jupiter could perhaps be visualised also as the original supplier of Hydrogen gas to our Sun as it is formed of liquid Hydrogen at high atmospheric pressure (a reflection seen in a mdern day cooking gas cylinder!)...
Earth was indicated at the centre of our universe by ancient astronomers... Balance of Energy at the centre of our evolved, and thus modified planet in the present, the supplier of all our material needs at all times, Earth, could also perhaps be visualised as the original 'Nadbindu' (formless, like a point) Vishnu who sleeps on the celestial serpent, 'Sheshnag' (and 'shesh', in Sanskrit, means balance!)...The material component of earth, soil and rocks, besides air and water, absorb poison, and thus could also be seen as 'Vishdhar', the name associated with Shiva as well as serpents or nagas...(in India we have a community in the northeast that is called Naga...Interestingly, wih the background of the legend that Cobra is believed to have a gem on its hood that it uses to eat insects attracted to light emitted by it, a friend from north India posted there related with census work, told me how when he worked with his regional boss, sitting in a veranda, his boss would pick up in a box insects that got attracted to light and got them fried and later offered to him also with the evening tea!
Similarly, the 'suryavanshi' kings believably performed Ashwamedh yagya using a white horse, to enlarge their empire,,,and 'dashashvamedh ghats' in Varanasi on the banks of Ganga perhaps thus conveys evolution of influence range of Sun...
JC, am not sure about the starts existing in pairs, but the sub atomic particles do exist in pairs. Bringing together of these particles releases a lot of energy akin to energy released by copulating couples.
Thanks Anuradha! Yes, in the present also the behaviour of the macrocosm and the microcosm have been found similar ('yatha pinde, tatha brahmande', said the ancient Hindus!) Like in the solar system our Sun apparently takes around in different orbits its members, in an atom, electrons move around, in different shells, Neutron (except in case of Hydrogen) and Protons...If the electrons in the outermost orbit jump out of their shells energy is released due to fission (as in atom bomb) and if two atoms of Hydrogen are made to join together, greater amount of energy is produced due to fusion (as in Hydrgen bomb, as it was apparently triggered in the Sun (by some agency yet unknown!) where innumerable hydrogen bombs are continuing to explode as a chain reaction every second in its nucleus while the inert gas, Helium, produced due to the reaction joins its outer protective layer, perhaps as part of a grand design!)...
Nice article..well written..
The History Of Hinduism is the religion followed by the Hindus. The Hindu philosophy has a very strong influence on the people governing various aspects of their lives including their spiritual life. The Hindu temples apart from being religious also play the role of a social, cultural and economic center influencing the lives of the people both in the cities and villages. for further information visit:http://www.bharattemples.in/
Thanks! Sonia ji, for pointing at the characteristic property of 'Hindus' in Kaliyuga: of giving more importance to the mortal exterior material form, the 'saakar'! And forgetting the one and only 'niraakar' or formless Supreme Being, whose material images in infinite numbers 'we' also are!
Temples are made from materials provided by EARTH itself (That is, Gangadhar Shiva Himself, who exists, along with Indu the Moon as its ardhangini, at least since over 4 billion years, and is considered as part of one day in the life of immortal Brahma, ie SUN to which the Konark Temple is dedicated!)...
'Om'!
During a recent visit to Odisha, I found it interesting that much of the iconography there - manifest not just in monuments but also in living heritage in then form of handicrafts - reflects the battle between Hinduism and Buddhism. At Konark, lions are depicted as crushing elephants. This particular form of expressing Hindu superiority is found even in temples of recent origin. Could the incorporation of the Buddha as the ninth incarnation of Vishnu have also begun in this region?
Hi Shri Arjun Kumar, In so far as Historians are concerned, the Vedic Era ended by the 6th century BC. Buddhism and Jainism evolved thereafter.
However, at a certain stage, Hinduism apparently got revived because peace cannot last for long, because of the essentially cyclic design of 'Nature', of ups and downs, and thus the apparent constant struggle between the 'Devtas'(selfless, planets, such as SUN, help sustain the physical world) and 'Rakshasas' (selfish, such as Venus to Mars that absorb energy and release it gradually). And, therefore the apparent battle between 'Lion' (model of Sun) and Elephant (model of Mars)...
There is no struggle between Hinduism and Buddhism as such... All material forms are playing their own roles that are assigned to them from time to time, as per the design of the formless God...
'We' apparently make instruments and use them as mediums for various goals in view... But, due to Time being Kaliyug, the starting stage of evolution, we are unable to visualise that being models, ie, machines, 'we' ourselves are being used by the Creator for its own purpose not made known even to the wisest of the wise humans, except in Satyug :D
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