FW: [shaneeswara] BADRINATH and GURUKSHETHRAA my next Destination

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Vijayaraghavan V.L.

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Jun 20, 2015, 10:36:08 PM6/20/15
to Vangal Heritage Group, Retired Staff Syndicate Bank


From: shane...@yahoogroups.com
To: shane...@yahoogroups.com
Date: Tue, 16 Jun 2015 10:51:56 +0000
Subject: Re: [shaneeswara] BADRINATH and GURUKSHETHRAA my next Destination

 

You are blessed.  NAMASKARAM.
 
 

S.R.Kuppuswamy
 



On Monday, 15 June 2015 10:58 PM, "'Ayappan Ramamurthy' ayap...@yahoo.co.in [shaneeswara]" <shane...@yahoogroups.com> wrote:


 
Namaskarams. U are so lucky and blessed.

Ayappan Ramamurthy
Regards,

Ayappan Ramamurthy
From: "Subramaniam Lakshminarayanan siva2...@yahoo.com [shaneeswara]" <shane...@yahoogroups.com>
Date: Mon, 15 Jun 2015 03:36:57 +0000 (UTC)
Cc: SMART RUDRAM GROUP<smart...@yahoogroups.com>
Subject: [shaneeswara] BADRINATH and GURUKSHETHRAA my next Destination

 
Dear all my wellwishers
Namaskarams
Sivayanamaha.
Lord Shiva bestowed me with lots of fruits in my life and now I am before you to respectfully inform you that I am away from Chennai from 18/6/2015 to 26/7/2015 dharsaning the HolyBadri and Gurukshethra  on account of Athirudram @Badrinath,Maharudram@Gurukshethra respectively.
These  chances are poured on me out of His Grace.
The Badrinath Athirudram commences on 25th Jun and concludes on 6th Jul 15.
The Gurukshethra Maharudram is between 13/7 and 24/7.As I made my maiden attempts of going there I felt of informing my brethern to know about these two places and the importance these places  with my little knowledge: 

The temple shrine at Badrinath
The temple shrine at Badrinath
Source: aravindb1982
Of all the Himalayan shrines, Badrinath is very unique. This is because legend goes that the Himalayas belonged to King Himavan, the father of Parvati. The entire Himalayas were gifted to Lord Shiva during the marriage with Parvati. And so it is that the whole mountainous kingdom is pervaded by Shiva temples and shrines all over. Badrinath is the only shrine which has as its presiding deity, Lord Vishnu! 

How Lord Vishnu came to be worshipped in Badrinath is a story that has many accounts and versions. I will share in brief the version that I heard. This is important and it is called the sthala purana or “the special story of the place”. 

There is this demon named Sahasrakavacha (which translates into “one with thousand armors”). He had a special boon - it would take 1000 years of penance followed by 1000 years of fierce fighting to break one of his armors. The two heroes, Nara and Narayana, who are aspects of Lord Vishnu decided to end the tyrannical reign of Sahasrakavacha. They had a plan - while one of them would fight the demon, the other would do penance. 

It was at this time that Sage Narada, the celestial wanderer, came to the spot called Badrinath which was inhabited by Lord Shiva and Goddess Parvati. Even a day’s penance at this place was equivalent to penance for a thousand years. Thus, the sage suggested to Nara and Narayana that they do their penance at this spot as it would drastically reduce the time needed to kill the demon. 

Now came the next problem. How to get the place from Lord Shiva? 

Narayana donned the form of a baby wailing for milk. Parvati saw the baby and her heart melted for it. Lord Shiva said,
“Goddess! You know who this is and what his intention is. Why do you pick up the baby?”
“My Lord! My duty as a mother is foremost for me. I cannot forsake this baby”, was the reply.

The baby is taken home by the divine pair. However, when the pair left their home for their daily walk, Narayana assumed his true form and locked them out stating that he needed the place for penance! It was a 'funny' situation - to be locked out of one's own home! The divine pair had known that this would happen and they just played out the Divine drama. Thus, they shifted to Kedarnath about which I shall write soon. 

Having obtained the holy place, Narayana began meditating while Nara fought the demon. 1000 years passed in a day due to the specialty of Badrinath. The next day, Nara and Narayana interchanged roles and this continued till the demon lost 999 armors. After losing all but one armour, the Rakshasa feared his end was near and prayed to Sun God for his safety. Sun God took pity on him and promised to help him. The demon was transported into the womb of Kunti to be born as Karna (a hero of the Mahabharata). 

Nara and Narayana were surprised at the sudden disappearance of the Rakshasa. Narayana through this yogic power could figure out all that had happened and decided that they, Narayana and Nara would also take birth as Krishna and Arjuna and vanquish Karna. At last, in the battlefield of Kurukshetra, Arjuna killed Karna. Thus Narayana and Nara put an end to the demon, Shasrakavacha. The Badrinath shrine is where one finds Nara and Narayana engaged in penance, forever, for the benefit of humanity. Anyone who does penance here is said to gain great merit.
Nara and Narayana worshiped at the shrine in Badrinath. (This is not the picture of the Badri shrine where photography is not allowed)
Nara and Narayana worshiped at the shrine in Badrinath. (This is not the picture of the Badri shrine where photography is not allowed)
Now that we know the story of Badrinath, let me assure you that one does not need the story to realize that there is something very special about the place. We landed there late in the evening and were housed in the GMVN dormitories. ( Garhwal Mandal Vikas Nigam or GMVNis a convenient and economical way to book the travels and accommodation to all these Himalayan shrines.)

When you stay overnight at Badrinath, you must wake up at least by 5:30am. Sunrise happens quite early in these places and along with the sunrise, some unforgettable scenes open out. Badrinath is surrounded by many peaks - the Neelakanth peak, the Nara peak, the Narayana peak, the Kuber peak, Urvashi peak and so on. 

The striking one among them all is the Neelakant peak. The first rays of the sun hit this peak and slowly uncover its snowy slopes. And even as you are thinking that the Neelakant peak has been fully uncovered, clouds fly in from nowhere and completely mask the mountain. And the mountain remains masked by clouds throughout the day! Even I did not believe this legend till I saw it for myself. This is a spectacle that nobody should ever miss. You will stand transfixed with the beauty of this natural wonder.
The Neelakant Parvat as the first golden rays of the sun strike it at 5:30am.
The Neelakant Parvat as the first golden rays of the sun strike it at 5:30am.
Source: aravindb1982
Within 2 hours (by 7:30am), it is bright and sunny and clouds start appearing from nowhere to cover up Neelakant. (I had to go to the temple and did not stay to shoot the fully covered peak)
Within 2 hours (by 7:30am), it is bright and sunny and clouds start appearing from nowhere to cover up Neelakant. (I had to go to the temple and did not stay to shoot the fully covered peak)
Source: aravindb1982
The next thing to be done is to wake up from this ethereal beauty to complete the morning’s ablutions. The temperatures here in the peak of summer will be around 4-5 degrees Centigrade. Hot water comes at a premium - Rs. 40 per bucket! But as they say, the best things in life are for free. Pick your belongings and go straight to the temple. At its base is the marvel of nature - the Tapt Kund.

Water from a natural hot-water spring has been led into this little bathing spot and it will be bustling with people. One is not allowed to brush one's teeth or use soap for bathing at the bathing spot. But as I said, the spot is fed by an eternal spring. The inlet is at one end and the outlet at another. The outlet leads to another bathing spot where the water temperature is cooler - about 55 degrees Centigrade. The primary bathing spot has water at almost 75-80 degrees centigrade! The authorities have intelligently diverted some of the spring water to taps where one can brush and have bath with soap!

It is an amazing sight to behold - 2 degrees Centigrade water and 80 degrees centigrade water within meters of each other! The 2 degrees Centigrade water is from the river Alakananda that emerges in the peaks behind Badrinath.
The Tapt Kund at the base of the temple
The Tapt Kund at the base of the temple
Source: aravindb1982
The bathing spot has many taps too for those that want a complete bath. The marked area is called Brahma Kapaal - a spot from which Swami fetched water for the Abhisheka of the Jyotir-Linga He materialized. (read about it further)
The bathing spot has many taps too for those that want a complete bath. The marked area is called Brahma Kapaal - a spot from which Swami fetched water for the Abhisheka of the Jyotir-Linga He materialized. (read about it further)
Source: aravindb1982

The association of the shrine with Swami...

Once the bath was done, excitement filled me. I was about to enter the temple which had been blessed by Bhagawan Sri Sathya Sai Baba in 1961! I had read an amazing account from theSathyam Shivam Sundaram (Part 2 of the biography of Baba). I quote it here:

“At Badrinath, Baba drew from under the present Narayana image, a Nethra-linga(symbolic representation of Lord Shiva as an oval globule) which according to Him was brought from Mount Kailasa (!) and ceremonially installed there, by no less a person than Sankaracharya about twelve hundred years ago! This Nethralingawhen it emerged at the call of Baba, created a chapter in history; a Linga as the basis of the celebrated Vaishnava shrine was a welcome reminder of the basic harmony of Saivites and Vaishnavites.”

Swami spoke of the Linga which He had brought out as being one of the Five Lingas which Adi Sankaracharya brought from Kailas and installed in India. When Swami said this, the wonder grew and there was earnestness among the members of His entourage to know more of this divine mission of Sankara. 

Remember, this was 1961 when there were many skeptics! Those who knew Him accepted the accuracy of this exalted origin of the Linga which they were privileged to see for some precious minutes on that never-to-be forgotten day. However, there was one certain Saligrama Srikantha Sastry. He was afflicted by an earnestness to discover the authenticity of what Swami had said. He had studied the Sankara-vijaya, the classical biography of Adi Sankaracharya and he sought to know the origins of the Lingas that had been installed by Sankaracharya in the monasteries which he had founded. 

He wrote to the nucleus of Sankaracharya’s establishments - the Sringeri Mutt. In the reply he received from the Sringeri Mutt, the monastery established by Sankaracharya amidst the mountains of western Mysore, he was told that mention was made of these Lingas in the Sivarahasya Mahethihasa, a book which he was able to get after elaborate search from the library of a Vedic College at Varanasi. 

In the XVI chapter of the IX Section of this book, it is said that Lord Siva welcomed Sankara at Kailas and blessed him with the words, 

"You are marked out for the establishment in the world of the true teaching of the Vedas, viz., Adwaitha (non-dualism). Spend 32 years of your earthly existence spreading this faith and overwhelming those who decry or deny it. Accept these five Lingas that I am giving you now. Worship them with the Panchakshari and with Satharudrabhisheka. Offer the sacred Bilva leaf and Vibhuti and recite the holy Pranava (Aumkaaram). Complete your three Tours of Victory dispelling the darkness of Dwaitha (dualism) and then, install these Lingas from this thrice-holy Kailasa, marked by the effulgence of the Crescent, named Yoga Bhoga Vara Mukthi and Moksha, in sacred sites chosen by you, before you shed this mortal frame at Kanchipuram."

Thus it was that the great scholar and follower of Adi Sankaracharya was convinced through research, the authenticity of Swami’s manifestation. Swami had then materialized Thumme flowers and golden leaves of the Bilva. He re-charged the Jyotir-Linga before sending it back to its resting spot under the main deity. And now, it was this very temple precincts that I was about to enter. About 30-50 steps separated me from the shrine.: Copyscape
The view from the town of Badrinath on the way to Mana
The view from the town of Badrinath on the way to Mana
Source: aravindb1982
Please read this after going throughPart 1 of the article. Then the experience will be complete
The queue for darshan however extended to almost a kilometer from where I was standing! The shrine was so close and yet so far! 

An important tip for those that want to enjoy a good darshan of the shrine:

There are different worships that one can offer at the shrine - almost 18 of them and they cost different prices. What we did was the best - we bought ‘tickets’ for the Sahasranaama Pooja. (worship with the 1000 names of the Lord). The idea was that since it would take at least 20-25 minutes for the priest to complete the 1000 names, we would get maximum time in the sanctum sanctorum. (All the other worship types were grander maybe, but they would be completed within 3-5 minutes.) Nice idea right?

And so, for Rs.250 per head, we could skip all the lines and also sit in the sanctum sanctorum. As I sat in the sanctorum, I strained to see the idols. They were so decked in ornaments and flowers that I could not see them at all. Sitting there, I realized of our great fortune of having easy darshan at the shrine of our master - Swami! Everything is free and we get so much time to sit in peace and absorb the vibrations. We often do not realize the value of things we have till we lose them!

Anyway, before getting into the sanctum, we were all made to wait in a courtyard. Was I thrilled here! This was exactly the place where Swami had sat 50 years ago, in 1961 and had charged the Netra-Linga! He had miraculously procured the Thumme flowers, golden bilva leaves and the holy water of the Ganges to performAbhisheka (worship). Closing the eyes, one can feel the Divine Presence here. 

As you exit the sanctum sanctorum, there is a temple of Ghantakarna.Ghantakarna’s statue is on the right side of the gate at the Badrinarayan sanctum. He is the door-keeper. Ghanta means bell and karna means ear. He is also known as Ghantyaal or Ghantawala. Ghantakarna was a ferocious demon who used to wear bells on his ears so that he does not have to hear the name of Vishnu. This demon caused death and destruction wherever he went. Although he hated Vishnu, he was a devout follower of Shiva and spent thousands of years in worshipping and meditating on him. How a hater of Vishnu came to become the door-keeper at a Vishnu shrine is an awesome story in itself. 

Badrinath also forms the boundary of India in a way. The last Indian village along the northern front is located just 3 kms from Badrinath. After this village, the territory belongs to erstwhile Tibet which has now been usurped by China. The Mana village is not only historically significant, but has some astounding spots of mythological and spiritual significance. I welcome you all to tour this awesome village with me.
You can easily reach this ‘last village’ by road and you will be greeted by a host of crows or ravens. But hey! Wait a minute - These crows have yellow bills instead of black ones! It was only later that I came to know these birds belonged to the crow family but were actually Alpine Choughs.
The Alpine Choughs are birds that will greet you in large numbers at Mana Village - they look like normal crows till you see their beaks
The Alpine Choughs are birds that will greet you in large numbers at Mana Village - they look like normal crows till you see their beaks
Source: aravindb1982
The Pittu carrying a grandmother...
The Pittu carrying a grandmother...
Source: aravindb1982
Receiving their welcome, as one proceeds further, there is a 2 kilometer trek to be made and it can get a bit tiring for those that are bit elderly or have problems with the leg.
The Lord’s abode however always presents solutions along with the problems. Welcome thePittus who carry you on their backs for a sum of Rs.200! These are real heroes with great stamina. One's heart melts at the way they work.
The point is that these people have only 6 months in the summer to work and make up earnings for the whole year. So at times, when one has to pay Rs.50 more also, it does not make one feel so bad - after all, it is going for a good cause and real hard work!
Thanks to my age, I needed none of that! Proceeding into the village you come across two caves separated from each other by a distance of about 300 meters. The first of them is called the Ganesha cave and the second is the Vyasa cave. It is believed that the peerless Veda Vyasa dictated the great Mahabharata from this cave and Lord Ganesha sat in the other cave writing it down. 

We visited the Ganesh Gufa (cave) as it is called and knowing the history of the place made me feel a kind of thrill. But the best experience was at the Vyasa Gufa (cave). It was dark ( I know all caves are but Ganesha Gufa was not so dark!) and at the end of the cave was a small oil lamp burning steadily. A modern door had been installed at the entrance and we moved in.
The swayambhu (of natural origin) Ganesha idol in Ganesh Gufa
The swayambhu (of natural origin) Ganesha idol in Ganesh Gufa
Source: aravindb1982
The priest there was welcoming people in batches and narrating the story of how sage Veda Vyasa began to compose and write the Mahabharata. Once my eyes adjusted to the dark, I saw an extremely beautiful statue of the sage. Instinctively, I took the camera and was about to take a picture when the stentorian voice of the priest boomed,
“No photos sir! NO PHOTOS. Please put your camera away.

I meekly obeyed and sat down, listening to the story he was narrating. At the end of the 10-minute narrative, we made a request to him,
“Sir. Can we chant the Purushasuktam here?”
“Oh! You know Purushasuktam? Definitely, go on...”

Thus it was that the four of us, Swami’s students in the group, began to chant this mantra and soon were joined in by the other members of our group. The next ten minutes were simply awesome and the chants resounded and echoes in the small cave. At the end of the chant, as we opened our eyes, we saw that the priest was in tears. After a minute of silence, the priest spoke,
“Sirs! This is so beautiful. I pray that somewhere in my lineage, I get a child that can chant the Vedas so well. Vedas are everything and you are all blessed to chant this way.”

He called us aside and gave us special prasad (offering made to the Lord and partaken by the devotee as a token of blessings). Then he turned to me and said,
“I stopped you from taking a photograph. I have no right to do so. Please take the photograph as you desire.”

I was stunned. I was touched. With prayers of gratitude to the Lord and His instrument, the priest, I post this photograph. 

(Please, treat it with the greatest reverence and do not use the picture as Facebook profile image, G+ image etc. It has been given to me in trust and I am sharing it with all in the same trust.)
The priest next to the beautiful statue of Sage Ved Vyasa in the Vyasa Gufa
The priest next to the beautiful statue of Sage Ved Vyasa in the Vyasa Gufa
Source: aravindb1982
The river steeped in mythology, history and scriptural glory - Saraswati
The river steeped in mythology, history and scriptural glory - Saraswati
Source: aravindb1982
At the far end of the Mana Village is the Bheem Pull (literally means, ‘the bridge of Bheema’.) It is believed that the Pandavas moved through this spot on their final journey towards heaven (Swargarohini). The river Saraswati makes its only external appearance here.

A brief about river Saraswati. The Saraswati River (Sanskrit: सरस्वती नदी) is one of the chief Rigvedic rivers mentioned in ancient Sanskrit texts. The Nadistuti hymn in the Rigveda mentions the Saraswati between the Yamuna in the east and the Sutlej in the west, and later Vedic texts like Tandya and Jaiminiya Brahmanas as well as the Mahabharata mention about the same Saraswati. The goddess of learning, Saraswati was originally a personification of this river, but later developed an independent identity and gained meaning. It is believed that the river Saraswati flows underground, emerging again at Triveni Sangam (in Allahabad) where it meets the Ganga and Yamuna. 

It is near Mana that the river Saraswati makes its brief appearance above the ground. And Bheem Pull is the bridge that Bheema made over this river!

The magnificence of the river Saraswati as she gushes down

Seeing the river Saraswati as she gushes down rocks into a steep waterfall is an amazingly thrilling experience. Some of us, in our devotional bravery ventured across the bridge to go as close as possible to the falls. We sat there and briefly meditated as the river thundered down. It is amazing how one is able to tune into the depths of silence in an environment of such crashing sounds! Adding color to that beautiful scene was a rainbow that formed at the bottom of the falls! Beyond the rainbow, the river entered the realms of the underground worlds.

A small clip of River Saraswati entering the underground via a waterfall at Mana Village

The Alakananda river with its freezing but pristinely pure waters can be seen gushing down the mountains. It is believed to originate at Alakapuri, the abode of the Lord of Wealth - Kubera. From Mana there is also a 5-kilometer trek to Vasudhara Falls. The waterfalls is almost like a spray and it feeds a glacier. It is very difficult to go close to the falls. Legend has it that the water from this falls will touch the bodies of only those that have led a Dharmic life (righteous life). The best one can hope for is to go as close to it as possible and hope that the breeze or wind carries the spray to oneself.
Anyway, I did not get to check that out because we did not have enough time to trek to the falls. It is a hard trek of 3-4 hours of continuous walk. Please carry water bottles with you if you decide to do this beautiful trek because in the snow-clad mountains, it will be a case of ‘water water everywhere and not a drop to drink.’! Doing this trek is the reason why I said in the previous part that one must stay at Badrinath for at least 48 hours. 

Pehowa
One of the most sacred place among the "Hindus", the "Pehowa" lies at a distance of 27 kilometer from "Thanesar". The ancient town of Pehowa has a religious importance. The town of "Pehowa" was named after the famous King "Prithu". The historicity of the place coupled with its religious significance makes Pehowa one of the most sought after tourist destination.

The ancient town of "Pehowa", is endowed with many Hindu temples which draws several devotees through out the year. According to a historical legend the famous and mighty King Prithu, on the death of his father was giving water to all the people. Sitting on the banks of the sacred River Yamuna, the King carried on with this humble activity so that the soul of his father rests in peace. From that time onwards, the place came to be known as "Prithudaka". With the passage of time, the original name of "Prithudaka" was altered to "Pehowa".
Many "Hindus" flock to the holy land of "Pehowa" to worship their death ancestors and offer "Pind Daan" in order to release the soul of the deceased from the cycle of birth and re- birth. One can experience death from a very close quarters in the holy land of "Pehowa", where most of the tourist come to pay their last religious offerings to their near and dear ones.

The town of "Pehowa" is blessed with a renowned and unique temple of "Lord Shiva" and his eldest son "Lord Kartikkya". This ancient temple of Lord Shiva is dedicated to a "five faced" beautiful statue of the "Supreme Being". The temple is thronged by the visitors who offer prayer to seek divine blessings of "God".
Mythic History
This site was called 'Prithudaka' in the epics of Mahabharat named after the King Prithu who prayed for the salvation of his fathers soul here. This site is where the tradition of Shraddha to fathers is offered. It is located 27 km west of Thanesar. The place boasts of existence from AD 882 but an inscription written on it states that it was actually built in AD 895. Legend has it that when the father of King Prithu was nearing his death, he wanted his son to fulfill just one wish of his. He wanted to breathe his last near the river Yamuna Prithudak.
The obedient son arranged for the same, where his father departed the world of the mortals. Filled with remorse, Prithu sat staring at the river for many days at a stretch and made innumerable offerings to God and observed fast too. The place where he is believed to have observed the fast for several days has been named Prithudak Teertha. Many ghats and temples have now been constructed in respect to the honour of the king's sacrifice.
The Lord Kartikay temple at the ghat is built at the site (as quoted by the temple priest) where Lord kartikay upon reaching back after going around the universe as per directions from Lord Shiva and Parvati removed his skin and left it with Maa Parvati. The temple has 2 rock blocks and an image of Lord Kartikay in marble flanked by 2 oil lamps. Shri Krishna made Yudhishtir light those two lamps for the 18,00,000 people who perished in mahabharat. the said lamps have been burning since the day. Oil is offered to the stone blocks, the marble image and the lamps for relieving pain of Lord Kartikay and of the souls of ancestors. If the story is true then by the most conservative estimates, the temple would be at least 4500 years old.
The most interesting thing to be observed at the place is the record of families kept since mahabharat. The purohits(priest) who sit around the place in small shops have been keeping records of families visiting the place since mahabharat (as per my family purohit). I quote " the records were being maintained since mahabharat of all the people visiting to get the rites performed. These were partly burnt by the islamic rulers, when massive conversions were made forcibly, to remove any track of the family tree". Still one can find records of at least past 400 years and get the entire family tree.
Cited from:
http://www.indianmirror.com/ tourism/kurukshetra.html


 
The simple yet beautiful Badri temple at night...Pin It
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The simple yet beautiful Badri temple at night..
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சிவாய நம
லக்ஷ்மிநாராயணன்.சு 
 

http://templedeepam.hpage.in/



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