Mahasamadhi of Bench Swami and Comet

 

Probably as a result of making a posting on this Blog and Website about Tinnai Swami, I received two emails (reproduced below) from an Arunachala devotee from Australia regarding an experience he and a friend had on the day of the Mahasamadhi of Sri Tinnai Swami on December 7, 2003.

 

Mahasamadhi of Bench Swami and Comet

"I was camped up on the mountain the day before Deepam in 2003. The next day people came up in the afternoon to join us. They told us that in the morning, Bench Swami had Mahasamadhi.

We watched from a ridge on the mountain as the fire was lit on the summit. About 5 to 10 minutes after the Flame was lit myself and my Israeli friend saw a large comet come down out of the sky and into the mountain.

It had a tail that was very long and was breaking off the back of it, the tail went through different colours, red blue, green yellow − immediately I looked at my friend and said 'Bench Swami'.

Since then, I never met anyone else apart from myself and my friend that saw the comet .... I now recently met a German man who had also witnessed the comet from the roof of Sadhu Om".

 

When I responded to the Arunachala devotee from Australia, he sent the below additional information. 

 

"The comet that we saw was nothing like a normal shooting star. It was so much bigger − about 50% the size of a full moon in the mid sky.

As it came down, it had a long tail that would break off the main section and it went through a display of colours as it came down − like through the rainbow. Red, yellow, white, blue, green.

We were camped near the cave that Omkar Amma spent time in back in 2002. From looking at the summit of the mountain and the Deepam flame, the comet came down just to our left and disappeared behind the ridge to our left.

It all happened very quick, but at the same time, strangely, very slow, maybe around a second or two at the most.

It happened 10 to 20 minutes after they had lit the flame. Both myself and my Israeli friend saw it from the ridge, and like I said, I recently talked to a friend, who saw it from the top of Sadhu Om’s place.

 

To those unfamiliar with Sri Tinnai Swami, I am posting below part of a moving narrative by Michael James on the life of this great sadhaka.

 

"Early in the morning on Deepam Day, 7th December 2003, a little-known devotee left his physical body in Tiruvannamalai, where he had lived for more than 54 years in the supreme state of atma-jnana bestowed upon him by the Grace of Sri Bhagavan.

The reason that he was so little-known, even among fellow devotees, can only be attributed to the divine Will of Sri Bhagavan, which can never be fathomed or explained by our limited human intellects. If at all any semblance of individual will could be attributed to this self-effacing devotee, he appeared to have chosen to live in such circumstances as would shield him from all but the barest minimum of public attention. Those who knew him respected that seeming choice and avoided publicising him in any way. But now that the human form has been cast off, I believe it is not inappropriate that I share with fellow devotees a little of what I know about him.

 

Sri Tinnai Swami

The devotee I am writing about was in his former life named Ramaswami, but for more than 40 years past he has been known as Sri Tinnai Swami, because he lived on and seldom moved away from the tinnai (masonry bench) in the verandah of the house of the family of the last Sri C.P. Nathan, who gave him food and shelter and attended to his few physical needs.

Sri Tinnai Swami was born in Coimbatore on the 12th December 1912, in a family of lawyers and doctors belonging to the small Telugu Brahmin community of that town. As a young man he was employed for many years as a biochemist in Madras Medical College, during which time he married and had four sons. Until his mid-thirties there was no indication in his outward life of the great inner and outer transformation that was to happen later."

 

To continue reading about the life of Sri Tinnai Swami, follow this link here:

https://www.arunachalasamudra.org/tinnaiswami.html

Arunachala Blessings 2022

 

With thoughts of Love and Grace for a Blessed 2022

"In the Dravidian region of South India, there is the greatest place called Arunachala, dearest to Chandrasekara. It is the abode of Shiva and yogis. Arunachala is to this world what the heart is to the whole body. It is everything for Shiva. For the benefit of the world, Shiva took the form of a mountain and settled himself as Arunachala. 

 

There is no sacred place like Arunachala, there is no better discipline than devotion. There is no better protection than that afforded by vibhuti. There is no happiness superior to detachment. There is no position superior to salvation. If other kshetras are abodes of Shiva, Arunachala is the absolute form of Shiva himself." 

[Skanda Purana]

Order in Madras Courts regarding captive elephants—September 3, 2021

'Religious Sentiments Must At Times Yield To Reason And Animal's Point Of View':

To learn of progress in the Madras Court regarding captive elephants in Tamil Nadu, please follow the narrative below:-

"The Madras High Court on Friday (September 3, 2021) directed the Principal Chief Conservator of Forests to prepare a catalogue of all captive elephants in the State. The Court further directed a video recording to be made of all elephants containing a complete profile of each elephant including its age, sex and also lineage including the manner in which the elephants came to be domesticated.

A Bench comprising Chief Justice Sanjib Banerjee and Justice PD Audikesavalu was adjuciating upon a plea filed by activist Rangarjan Narasimhan over the alleged inhumane treatment of captive elephants kept in temples across the State. It further directed the concerned forest officials to ascertain the current practice of capturing elephants and accordingly observed.

The appropriate departments of the State Government such as the Animal Welfare or Animal Husbandry were instructed to extend all cooperation. The matter is slated to be heard next on September 24, 2021".

To read this Order from the Madras High Court in full and accompanying new journal narrative, go to this link here

Rukku (deceased) Arunachaleswarar Temple 

Isakki Swamigal Girivalam

 

Isakki Swamigal Girivalam

May 2, 1917—January 9, 1991

 

Devotees are not yet allowed to perform Arunachala girivalam (during full moon) but as soon as restrictions are lifted and public transportation fully reinstated, I will make a posting with girivalam details here on Arunachala Grace.

In the meanwhile, I reproduce below a wonderful narrative of the great Arunachala devotee Isakki Swamigal who ever sang the praises and benefits to all of performing Arunachala girivalam. To read more of Isakki Swamigal and about his Arunachala experiences, visit this link here.

For several years Isakki Swamigal daily undertook Arunachala girivalam and started to become famous amongst locals. Groups of people started to follow him around the hill chanting 'Om Namah Shivaya,' and 'Arogahara! Arogahara! Annamalaiku Arogahara!' Increasingly more locals began to follow him during his giripradakshina. On every circumambulation, when reaching Panchamukha Point, Swamigal would stop and engage in meditation. During his days, Swamigal met and saw a number of siddhars and yogis who went round the hill on giripradakshina.

During his life, it is reported Isakki Swamigal performed Arunachala angapradakshina (pradakshina by rolling the body in a clockwise movement on the ground) 1008 times. Even today, it is thought that Swamigal in his astral form performs girivalam twice daily. Close to the statue at the Panchamukha Shrine it is believed Swamigal performs meditation each day at noon. Near that place there is a well which he created specifically in order to supply drinking water for devotees.

The below narrative on Isakki Swamigal, is from a book by Howard Murphet. Murphet was one of the first Western devotees of Sri Sathya Sai Baba and his books were important in introducing Sai Baba to the West, much in the same way Brunton's book "In Search of Secret India," introduced Sri Ramana Maharshi to the World.

Isakki Swamigal at Panchamukha Point

Meeting Isakki Swamigal by Howard Murphet

One man we met on our first visit to Arunachala had done the circular sacred journey round the mountain in an extraordinary way and had a truly remarkable boon. This was Isakki Swamigal of Tiruvannamalai. We met him one evening as we stood by the side of a road coming out of the town. Along the road towards us, with the beat of drum, sounding brass, and tinkling cymbals, came a group of men. There must have been a dozen of them, some carrying a canopy under which walked a man. Surely a prince must be approaching, we thought. And when the group came in front of us and stopped, we could see that he was truly a prince of the spirit. His eyes were shining, a smile lit up his radiant face and around him was the unmistakable vibration of one who has reached a high level of attainment. My wife was so overcome that she pushed in through the crowd of men around him and touched his feet. Then she stood up and moved to join our friend and myself by the side of the road. Then the procession moved on with its joyous marching music.

Our friend, Ma Tallyarkan, who was residing at Tiruvannamalai, told us that it was Isakki Swamigal with a group of his devotees. From her, and from other people, we heard the story of his journey around the mountain and his boon. It seems that, lying horizontally on the ground, he rolled the whole eight miles along the circular route. When he stood up at the end of it, Lord Siva with his consort Parvati, were standing before him. With this boon of the Siva-Shakti darshan, came the gift of healing.

Isakki Swamigal was reported to be able to heal with spiritual power. Miraculous healings were the result and people came to him in great crowds. His consulting rooms could not cope with this huge influx, so he took up a position near the road on the other side of Arunachala from Tiruvannamalai. It was a quiet, pleasant spot. He went there at about three o'clock each morning and droves of people surrounded him at that time. Drawn by his elevated spiritual level, people began to gather around him, treat him at their guru, and move about with him—as we saw that evening by the roadside.

[Abridged from Howard Murphet narrative 1971]

Eternity: A Description

”Eternity! What mind of man can understand it?

You have often seen the sand on the seashore. How fine are its tiny grains!

And how many of those tiny little grains go to make up the small handful which a child grasps in its play. Now imagine a mountain of that sand, a million miles high, reaching from the earth to the farthest heavens, and a million miles broad, extending to remotest space, and a million miles in thickness: and imagine such an enormous mass of countless particles of sand multiplied as often as there are leaves in the forest, drops of water in the mighty ocean, feathers on birds, scales on fish, hair on animals, atoms in the vast expanse of the air: and imagine that at the end of every million years a little bird came to that mountain and carried away in its beak a tiny grain of that sand. How many millions upon millions of centuries would pass before that bird had carried away even a square foot of that mountain, how many eons upon eons of ages before it had carried away all.

Yet at the end of that immense stretch of time not even one instant of eternity could be said to have ended. At the end of all those billions and trillions of years eternity would have scarcely begun. And if that mountain rose again after it had all been carried away and if that bird came again and carried it all away again grain by grain: and if it so rose and sank as many times as there are stars in the sky, atoms in the air, drops of water in the sea, leaves on the trees, feathers upon birds, scales upon fish, hairs upon animals, at the end of all those innumerable risings and sinkings of that immeasurably vast mountain not even one instant of eternity could be said to have ended; even then at the end of such a period, after that eon of time the mere thought of which makes our very brain reel dizzily, eternity would have scarcely begun.”

A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man

[By James Joyce]

2021 Vasantha Utsavam at Arunachaleswarar Temple

When the photographs of each day of this Festival are uploaded to the Arunachala Samudra website, I will provide a link here on Arunachala Grace.

Vasantha Utsavam is a ten day Festival observed at Arunachaleswarar Temple, Tiruvannamalai which celebrates the arrival of the spring season and depicts the blossoming of love. It also re-enacts the famed legend of the burning into ashes of Kama, the God of Love and the resurrection of Kama out of the burnt ashes. The festival generally occurs between the end of March and during part of April. In 2021 the date of this festival ran from Saturday April 17 to Monday April 26.

The deity of this festival is Lord Somaskanda, a form of Shiva and Parvathi, whose shrine is located in the south-west corner, second prakaram of the Siva Sannidhi Temple. Traditionally during this Festival, the Gods are gorgeously decorated and with great ceremony taken upon Mahapradakshina i.e. round the sacred Mahila Maram (trees) within the Third Prakaram—ten times every night for ten days = 100 times. The significance of the "Makila Maram" comes from the Tamil verb which means to enjoy and denotes joy and exultation. In addition the word makila is often pronounced makuta which means crown and refers to the coronation of Lord Shiva as the sovereign of the universe.

The third day of Vasantha Utsavam is designated as the day of the birth of Manmatha, also known as Kama the God of love. At 9 p.m. on the fifth and eighth days the Temple lights are switched off so that the procession is in the dark. After going around the sacred Mahila Maram ten times the lights are switched back on to great rejoicing.

During this sacred Festival the Jumbo Keswara Lingam, that is set in stone on the raised platform in the midst of the sacred trees is filled to capacity with water. Plants and flowers are placed to float inside the recess of the Lingam, appearing to make the Lingam levitate and blossom.

   

Kamdev and Rati interrupt Shiva's meditation

Kama, The God of Love

When Lord Siva saddened by the death of his wife Sati decided to renounce the world, the Devas became afraid for the fate of the universe. The Gods went to Brahma and said, "Our foes, the Asuras have once again become powerful. It has been foretold that only the son of Siva can lead us to victory. The Lord has lost his wife and has become a hermit, forsaking us all. We dare not approach him, but it is absolutely essential that he wed again, and beget a son who will be our savior. What should we do?"

Brahma replied that Sati had reincarnated as the daughter of the Himavan king of the mountains and that she had resolved to obtain Siva for a husband and for this purpose had been performing severe penance. To ensure a meeting between the two, the Gods arranged for Parvati to serve Siva while he was performing his austerities.

However Indra became impatient and sent for Kama, the God of love and said, "O Kama, only you can save the Devas. For our welfare, it is required that Siva marry Parvati. She is at present waiting on Siva, but the Lord has not even noticed her presence. Go immediately and make him fall in love with her."

Kama went to the desolate forest where Siva was deep in meditation. He was accompanied by spring, and in an instant the entire forest was transformed into a beautiful garden. The time was ripe and Kama fitted one of his flower-arrows into his bow of sugarcane and let the arrow fly, aiming at the heart of Lord Siva. The arrow struck its target and Siva opened his eyes. He instantly fell in love with Parvati. However, his anger rose when he realized that Kama had interfered. Siva then opened his third-eye, and gazed with blazing anger at Kama, the God of love. Such was the potent power of Siva's gaze that Kama was instantly reduced to ashes.

Seeing her husband's death, Rati fell at the feet of Siva and beseeched him to spare her husband. At last, moved by her desperate pleas, Siva relented and brought Kama back to life but declared that Kama would thereafter be formless.

From that day on, Manmatha has not had a physical form. Neither Gods nor mortals can perceive him. He does his work unobserved, aided by his flower tipped arrows of love.

The death and resurrection of Kama represent the spiritual truth of how after the ego is destroyed, one is reborn as pure eternal Being. The fact that the flames from the third eye of Shiva burn Kama signifies that the third eye of Jnana (knowledge) in one’s heart  must be opened in order for the ego (ignorance) to be destroyed for no darkness can prevail when the light of knowledge shines.

Kama the God of Love

Kama the God of Love is also known as Manmatha, one of the mind-born son of Lord Brahma Dev. Some accounts say he was the mind-born son of Lord Vishnu. Rati was his consort.

Kama directing arrow at Lord Siva

Kamadeva is represented as a young, handsome winged man with green skin who wields a  bow and arrows with a parrot as his vehicle. His bow is made of sugarcane with a string of honeybees, and his arrows are decorated with five kinds of fragrant flowers.

The flowers on his arrows are: Aravinda (White Lotus), Ashoka, Cuta (Mango Flower), Navamalika (Jasmine) and Nilotpala (Blue Lotus). Also known as Unmada, Tapana, Shoshana, Stambhana and Sammohana.

Kamadeva has five arrows which are sometimes associated with five effects that desire has on one afflicted by it. Kamadeva's five arrows are said to be fascination, disturbance, burning, desiccation and destruction.

White Lotus

Ashoka Flower

Mango Flower

Jasmine Flower

Blue Lotus

The Great conjunction: Christmas Star

 

Below is a beautiful photograph taken in the USA yesterday night which shows a herd of camels underneath the Great Conjunction of Jupiter and Saturn, which is also known as the Bethlehem Star. 

Very approriate that we can view this conjunction after 800 years during this Christmas Season. 

 

HAPPY CHRISTMAS TO ONE AND ALL

 

 

ARUNACHALA 2018

ARUNACHALA LIGHT AND BLESSINGS FOR 2018

Pictorial Report Ganesh Chaturthi 2017: Eco-Friendly Ganesh

How an Eco-Friendly Seed Ganesh is Made

Ecologically-centric NGOs have been distributing and/or selling Ganesh statues (with embedded seeds) in an effort to direct Ganesh devotees to celebrating a more eco-friendly statue immersion.

A seed embedded Ganesh statue made of clay is placed in a container filled with organic soil and other ingredients required for plant growth. In place of statue immersion, water is poured directly onto the Ganesh idol causing the clay of the statue to melt—which results in the embedded seeds being released into the soul and sprouting after a number of days.

A version of Seed Ganesh at Tiruvannamalai 2017

A version of a seeded eco-friendly Ganesh was sold for the first time at Tiruvannamalai during the 2017 Ganesh Chaturthi Festival

2014 Karthigai Temple -- Arunachaleswarar Temple Illumination

The Arunachaleswarar Temple lights were switched on and will remain brilliantly lighting up the Temple until after the completion of the 2014 Karthigai Arunachala Deepam Festival. 

Arunachala Google Earth

With thanks to Google Earth for this amazing satellite photograph of Arunachala. Right click to view an enlarged version

God's Perfection