The tale of two Sharada Peeth(s)
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Sucheta Ghosh
Jan 24, 2015, 9:09:36 AM1/24/15
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Jai Ma!
The curiosity started with the mantras of Sri Sri Durga puja, while watching the puja through web. Tantradharak Maharaj chanted mantra with arghya KashmiraVasini Saraswati. Wished to know about the Saraswati in Kashmir. Internet gave the opportunity to know.
In the area of Pakistan, nearby the current border there is a small village called Shardi, still it is called with the name, and this temple is called Sharada peetha. An wonderful river passes by this temple, now they call her as Neelam but it was actually called as Krishnaganga. This temple is also a shaktipeeth where the right hand of Sati had fallen. It is situated at the 11000ft altitude. Only 70 miles away from Srinagar.
This was an ancient center of learning as well. Chinese Buddhist traveller Xuanzang wrote a description about that center in 632CE. He stayed and studied here for two years.
It seems that there were a good collection of scriptures, because Swami Ramanuja visited here to study Brahmasutra. AdiGuru received the throne of wisdom here. The sandalwood idol at Sringeri math is either the idol from this temple carried by AdiGuru or this is a replica of that.
The deity here is generally called Sharada, alternatively Bhagavathy. Following Her name there was a special writing system as well following Brahmic family script. Kashmir had an alternative name as well called Sharada desha.
Interesting points are as follows that the pilgrim/devotees used to feel some ethereal experiences on each Shukla Asthami tithi here in the temple; there is also a mention of the Devi peeth or main place of the temple, that is used to be like a huge rectangular stone. The destroyers of the temple also tried to destroy that stone, but they could not destroy because at that time a large group of honey bee attacked them. Therefore it seems that the Devi peetha is still there. The Muslim dwellers observed that if they offer something like grain etc to the temple they receive more fortune, there is also a story that in case a Hindu traveller reaches to the temple any day and wishes to use milk etc to worship in the temple, the village dwellers do not charge any money for that.
After reading and watching the photos of the destroyed temple and wonderful nature around the temple my heart was full of pain. It was all about the devilish Muslim invaders, and feeling so shameful about them. At the end remembered the incident of Kheer Bhawani temple and Swamiji's realization that Ma told Him that "who protects whom? I protect you, I like to stay like this so I stay, otherwise I can make many storied temple here".
Now the question is why Ma wished to stay like this in a destroyed temple without proper worship and all? I do not know for sure. May be She is in pain to see the poverty and the situation of the poor people who cannot eat even onetime a day properly. So may be She wished to live like them.
The second point came in mind that so many people enters temple not even without proper cleansing themselves but they use the God to clean themselves. For example, a brother kills another brother then travels numerous important temples of the country offering puja and hefty amount donation. Does Ma accept all these puja ? She knows only, but for sure they make the temple dirty enough for the Mother to stay there.
Thakur had an interesting view during His Kalighat temple visit, He saw that the Mother Kali was not inside the temple, She was actually playing nearby a waterbody beside temple with butterflies.
We are very very lucky that we also have the Sharada peetha at Belur beside the river Ganges. We should be very careful to visit this temple so that it does not become like the ancient one.
Muslims are also devotees of God. May be their concept differs from the Hindus, but there is no distinction between two God lovers. Kaji Nazrul Islam was one of such devotees. He wrote a wonderful lyrics on Saraswati, "jaya Brahmavidya jaya Saraswati".
On this auspicious day we pray to Ma that She fills our all existence with Her ecstatic light and She ruins our inertia completely, to lead from mortality to immortality.
Jai Ma!
Satwik Joglekar
Jan 24, 2015, 9:13:56 AM1/24/15
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Thanks for the wonderful post Sucheta... quite informative n enlightening... Swamiji's dialogue with the Mother is unique in its meaning.
Jai Maa!!!
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May we follow the spiritual path shown by Sri Ramakrishna, Sri Sarada Devi and Swami Vivekananda to reach God, the goal of our lives, and by His power help others also in their struggle to reach Him.
Satwik..........
+91 98809-18153
Skype: satwikj
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Tirtha Mitra
Jan 24, 2015, 11:24:41 AM1/24/15
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Thanks for this enlightening post.
On 24 Jan 2015 19:39, "Sucheta Ghosh" <gsuc...@gmail.com> wrote:
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