Wesak Festival

Wesak Valley, North India

Full moon during Karthigai Deepam is regarded as the most powerful Arunachala poornima of the year. However the upcoming Wesak Festival (Taurus full moon) is globally considered to be the most powerful full moon of the yearly cycle. It is the time of the Buddha's Blessings. In this respect it is also considered to be a particularly auspicious time to perform Arunachala giripradakshina. This year (2008) we actually have two dates for Wesak; Sunday, April 20 10:27 GMT, the Theosophical Wesak and Tuesday, May 20 02:13 GMT the Buddhist Wesak which celebrates the true sideral or cosmic date. An ancient legend (see below) says it is during Wesak, i.e., the Taurus Full Moon that the Buddha leaves the High place where He works and dwells to return to the earth and BLESS the WORLD. This festival is not only celebrated at Wesak, North India, but also at spiritual centres throughout the world.

The three major spiritual Festivals which form a high point in the annual cycle: Festival of Easter (at the Aries full moon) Festival of Wesak (at the Taurus full moon) Festival of Goodwill (at the Gemini full moon)



Wesak and the Moon -- Part One

Wesak and the Moon -- Part Two

The Wesak Legend
[Alice A. Bailey]

"There is a valley, lying at a rather high altitude in the foothills of the Himalayan-Tibet ranges. It is surrounded by high mountains on all sides except towards the northeast, where there is a narrow opening in the mountain ranges. The valley is bottle-shaped in contour, with the neck of the bottle to the northeast, and it widens very considerably towards the south. Up towards the northern end, close to the neck of the bottle, there a huge flat rock. There are no trees or shrubs in the valley, which is covered with a kind of coarse grass.

Approaching the time of the full moon of Taurus, pilgrims from the surrounding districts begin to gather. The holy men and the lamas find their way into the valley and fill the southern and the middle parts, leaving the northeastern end relatively free. There, so the legend runs, gathers a group of those great Beings Who are the Custodians on Earth of God's Plan for our planet and for humanity.

This group of knowers of divinity are the main participants in The Wesak Festival. They arrange Themselves in the northeastern end of the valley, in concentric circles, and prepare for a great act of service. In front of the rock, looking towards the northeast, stand Those Beings Who are called by Their disciples The Three Great Lords. These are The Christ, Who stands in the center; the Lord of living forms, The Manu, Who stands at His right; and The Lord of Civilization, who stands to His left. These three face the rock upon which rests a great crystal bowl, full of water.

Behind the grouped Masters, adepts, initiates and senior workers under God's Plan are to be found the world disciples and aspirants in their various grades and groups (either "in the body" or "out of the body"), who at this time constitute the New Group of World Servers. Those present in their physical bodies have found their way there by ordinary means. Others are present in their spiritual bodies, and in the dream state. The "dream", which they later relate, has been uniformly registered by people throughout the world, and bears the testimony to the recollection of an inner spiritual happening.

As the hour of the full moon approaches, a stillness settles down upon the crowd, and all look towards the northeast. Certain ritualistic movements take place, in which the grouped Masters and Their disciples of all ranks take up symbolic positions, and form on the floor of the valley such significant symbols as the five-pointed star, with The Christ standing at the highest point; of a triangle, with The Christ at the apex; or a cross, and other well known formations, all of which have a deep and potent meaning. This is all done to the sound of certain chanted words and esoteric phrases, called mantrams.

The expectancy in the waiting, onlooking crowd becomes very great, and the tension is real and increasing. Through the entire body of people there seems to be felt a stimulation or potent vibration which has the effect of awakening the souls of those present, fusing and blending the group into one united whole, and lifting all into a great act of spiritual demand, readiness, and expectancy. It is the climax of the world's aspiration focussed in this waiting group. These three words; demand, readiness and expectancy, best describe the atmosphere surrounding those present in this secret valley.

The chanting and the rhythmic weaving grows stronger, and all the participants and the watching crowd raise their eyes towards the sky in the direction of the narrow part of the valley. Just a few minutes before the exact time of the full moon, in the far distance, a tiny speck can be seen in the sky. It comes nearer and nearer, and grows in clarity and definiteness of outline, until the form of The Buddha can be seen, seated in the cross-legged Buddha position, clad in his saffron-colored robe, bathed in light and color, and with his hand extended in blessing.

When The Buddha arrives at a point exactly over the great rock, hovering there in the air over the heads of The Three Great Lords, a great mantram, used only once a year, at The Festival, is intoned by The Christ, and the entire group of people in the valley fall upon their faces. This Invocation sets up a great vibration or thought current which is of such potency that it reaches up from the group of aspirants, disciples and initiates who employ it, to the Being we know as God. It marks the supreme moment of intensive spiritual effort throughout the entire year, and the spiritual vitalization of humanity and the spiritual effects last throughout the succeeding months.

The effect of this great Invocation is universal or cosmic, and serves to link us up with that cosmic center of spiritual force from which all created beings have come. The blessing is poured forth, and The Christ, as the representative of humanity, receives it in trust, for distribution.

Thus, so the legend runs, The Buddha returns once a year to bless the world, transmitting renewed spiritual life, through The Christ. Slowly then The Buddha recedes into the distance, until again only a faint speck can be seen in the sky, and this eventually disappears. The whole ceremonial blessing, from the time of the first appearance in the distance until the moment The Buddha fades out of view, takes just eight minutes.

The Buddha's annual sacrifice for humanity (for He comes back only at great cost) is over, and He returns again to that high place where He works and waits. Year after year He comes back in blessing; year after year, He and His great brother, The Christ, work in the closest cooperation for the spiritual benefit of humanity. In these two great Sons of God have been focussed two aspects of divine life, and They act together as Custodians of the highest type of spiritual force to which our humanity can respond. Through The Buddha, the wisdom of God is poured forth. Through The Christ, the love of God is manifested in humanity, and it is this wisdom and love which pour forth upon humanity each Wesak full moon.

When The Buddha has again disappeared, the crowd rise to their feet; the water in the bowl is distributed in tiny portions to the Masters, initiates and disciples, and they then go their way to their place of service. The crowd, who have all brought their little cups and vessels of water, drink of them and share with others. In this beautiful "water ceremony of communion" is portrayed the symbol of the new age which is upon us, the Aquarian Age, the age of the Water Carrier.

In this ceremony is perpetuated for us the story of the universality of God's love, the need for our individual purification, and the opportunity to share with each other that which belongs to all. The water, which has been magnetized by the presence of The Buddha and of The Christ, carries certain properties and virtues of a healing and helpful nature.

Thus blessed, the crowd silently disperses.”

India Food Production

I think the below extract, taken from an article by an Indian agricultural scientist, most interesting in light of the current crisis in food prices throughout the world. In this respect even with over a billion people to feed, India is totally committed to ensuring internal food production is sufficient to meet the needs of domestic consumption instead of relying upon imports.

“India is in a precarious position with food grain production stagnating. Wheat and rice yields are either stagnating or plummeting, thanks to the combined effect of the environmental fallout from monoculture, degraded soils, escalating soil salinity and drying aquifers and a combination of the mindless use of chemical fertilizers, pesticides and inefficent use of water. Cereal availability is down to 400 gm per capita per day compared to 475 gms in 1976. And in the cases of pulses, the per rate capita is 33 gms a day compared to 61 rams a day in 1951.

Instead of despairing about the gloomy situation on the food front, India needs to gear up and:

1. Expand wheat area.
2. Put in place a National Grain Policy. On no account should it allow the acreage under food grains, currently at 69 per cent of total arable land, to shrink.
3. Abolish the concept of the MSP and put in place a market driver price mechanism where Indian wheat farmers get the best price that will help the Government buy enough grains for public distribution and domestic consumption.
4. Put in place a wheat consortium where private millers and government join hands.
5. Throw ay the ‘text book’ knowledge of soil management as India’s fatigued soil is crying out for real attention.
6. Examine crop distribution in the case of sugarcane where a huge surplus is grown for export and thereby depriving land for growth of food for domestic consumption.
7. Extend the wheat area into South India.
8. Redesign the entire fertiliser subsidy programme and make it farmer oriented.”

[With thanks to KP Prabhakaran Nair]

Dhyanapeetam Inauguration

So this morning made my arrangements to visit the function held at the new three acre Nithyananda facility around the Hill.

Obviously a lot of folk had done very dedicated service in getting the facility ready in time for the function. I got there myself around 9.45 a.m. (the programme will extend throughout this day) because I was curious to be there for the arrival of Nithyananda.

I recognised alot of familiar faces - well after all Tiruvannamalai is a very small town! Even though it was a blazing hot morning, we were comfortable in our nice shady spots. And around 10.30 a.m. Swami Nithyananda arrived and duly took his seat on the dais.

I hope to post more about the function in the next day or so.

Sri Rajarajeshwari's new jewels

The Rajarajeshwari Shrine on the Hillround Roadway is absolutely one of my favourite places at Arunachala. This Goddess is held as the first God of the Devi Mahatmyam, in which all others are centred, and what is now the Rajarajeshwari Temple has been located at the same .25 acre site, in some form or another, for the last 100 years.

The small and exquisite Temple is located at Parvati Hill, which itself has a very curious association, to read more about it, go to this link here.

If you click on any of these images of this Goddess, they will all enlarge to a nice size. I actually visited the Shrine today as I was in that part of the world on my way to a function hosted by the Nithyananda group, at their new facility located at the foot of Parvati Hill.

Happily on my visit to the Goddess shrine I was able to view her beautiful new jewels and golden dress.

Inside the Mother's Shrine is a Sri Meru Yantra, a 3-Dimensional multi-Pyramid Cosmic Grid signifying unlimited abundance and positive powers. The Sri Yantra is the worshipping place of the form of the Mahatripura Sundari (Rajarajeshwari).

Also located at this beautiful Shakti Shrine are statues of the Dasa Mahavidyas, The Ten Forms of the Goddess representing knowledge (wisdom) and also what is hidden, secret, subtle and sensitive, what has to be searched out and discovered.

If you love the Divine Mother, you will undoubtedly very much appreciate this beautiful Shrine.

Tamil New Year

The month of Chittrai (April - May) embarks the time of festivities in Tamil Nadu and starts off the Tamil year running through to Panguni (March - April), 2009. Tamil's New Year Day “Puthandu” (according to the Gregorian Calendar) is celebrated on April 13 or 14 every year. People greet each other “Puthandu Vazthukal” which means Happy New Year. This auspicious day is also known as “Varusha Pirappuv”, a time upon which, Lord Brahma is believed to have started the creation of the Universe.

The day starts with viewing the “kanni” (the auspicious sight) at dawn, in the expectation that beginning the New Year by looking at auspicious or favourable things will bring good fortune throughout the year. Such auspicious items includes; old and silver jewellery, betel leaves, nuts, fruits and vegetables, flowers, raw rice and coconuts. “Kanni” is followed by a bath and visit to the Temple to pray for a prosperous and happy New Year. After which, the Panchangam (almanac) is read. Ladies adorn the entrances of their houses with “Kolam” (design made with rice flour) and deck the doorway with mango leaves.

It is during the month of Chittirai the marriage of Goddess Meenakshi to Lord Sundareswarar is celebrated as “Chitthirai Festival”.

Nithyananda Dhyanapeetam Inauguration

On April 19th, 2008, there will be a Grand inauguration ceremony of the installation of 'Ananda Linga' By Paramahamsa Nithyananda (who hails from Tiruvannamalai) at Nithyananda Puri (opposite Rajarajeswari Temple, Girivalam Roadway, Tiruvannamalai.

The Schedule for the day starts at 10.00 a.m. and includes:
Inauguration of Nithyananda Dhyanapeetam
Preliminary puja ceremony, as preparation for the installation of Ananda Linga.
Installation of the first set of Shiva Lingas in a series of one crore Shiva Lingas.
Installation of Navagraha deities (deities associated with the nine planets) along with Navagraha trees (trees associated with the nine planets).
Installation of 108 live energy Shiva Lingas.
Preliminary puja ceremony for installation of 108 live energy Shiva Lingas, being made of gold, silver, crystal, and other precious stones.

Koti Lingas Kshetra
The Koti Linga Kshetra is the consecration of 10,000 Shiva Lingas, on each of which will be etched 1000 Shiva Linga forms, thus making it one crore Shiva Lingas or Koti Lingas. (koti - crore and linga - Shiva Linga).

Ananda Linga
In the centre of these one crore Lingas, will be consecrated Ananda Linga - a 21 feet tall Shiva Linga – tallest in the world. This unique Linga is being made completely with Navabhashanam, (an amalgamation of nine rare herbs) and other 1008 different herbs. This Linga will continuously radiate healing energy that can cure all mental and physical illnesses.

Navagraha deities and Navagraha trees
This energy field will also have Navagraha deities (deities associated with the nine planets) along with Navagraha trees (trees associated with the nine planets).

108 live energy Shiva Lingas
Further, 108 live and living Shiva Lingas made of gold, silver, crystal, and other precious stones, and radiating tremendous energy, will also be consecrated here.

For more information and photographs go to this link. And to read earlier postings of Swami Nithyananda on this site go here and here

Visitor Graph

Thought it might be interesting to post a current Visitor's Graph showing Country percentage information of visitors to Arunachala Grace. Unsurprisingly 38% of visitors come from India, but the large percentage of 31% hail from the U.S. I didn't realise there were so many Arunachala devotees in the United States. Great news.

Occasionally we even get visitors from China - now thats really global!

Lord Shiva at Arunachala

Although Shiva is primarily worshipped in the form of the lingam (Lingodbhava) at Arunachala, this God also has a particular connection to the Hill, in the forms of: Bhikshtana, ‘the enchanting mendicant’, Ardhanisvara ‘the androgynous deity’, and Dakshinamurti, ‘the one facing south’.

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Lingodbhava

Lingodbhava murthi is an iconic representation of Shiva, installed in the rear niche (devakoshta) of the sanctum (garbagriha) enshrining a Shiva Lingam. Since most Temples face east, Lingodhava faces West.

The story of Lingodbhava is that of the attempts of Vishnu and Brahma to discover the origins of Shiva as a column of fire. Brahma assumed the form of a swan and flew upwards, while Vishnu assumed the form of a boar, and burrowed down into the earth. Days of search in either direction proved futile, and hence the duo surrendered to Shiva.

The non-anthropomorphic form Shiva Lingam is a representation of this infinite cosmic column of fire, whose origins were not traceable by Brahma or Vishnu. The Shiva lingam is the centre of reverence and worship in all Saivite temples. This legend has particular resonance at Arunachala, as it is held that Arunachala Hill itself, is a manifestation of the cosmic column of fire. (Tiruvannamalai, is one of the Pancha Bhuta Stalas, representing the primordial element fire).

There is another interesting aspect to this legend. While Brahma was flying upwards in the guise of a swan, he saw the petals of a ketaki flower drifting down. Tired by the futility of his efforts to reach the top of the mysterious column of fire, Brahma requested the flower to acquiesce to his lie that he had seen the top of the column where the flower had previously resided. Accompanied by his accomplice, Brahma confronted Vishnu and asserted that he had indeed discovered the origin of the cosmic column. An enraged Shiva appeared out of the fiery column and cursed Brahma so that he would not be worshipped in Temples on earth. Thus there are no Temples dedicated to this God of any significance in India.

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Bhikshatana

Bhikshatana is a form of Lord Shiva, when he manifested as an ‘enchanting mendicant,’ a wandering ascetic. The Rishis in Darukavana had become convinced that action was supreme and that there was no need to worship God. To teach them the value of worshipping God, Shiva manifested as a naked mendicant, begging for alms. The wives of the Rishis were enchanted with the naked beggar and followed him. The Rishis quarrelled with Shiva but the matter was resolved when the Rishis were made aware that they were fighting with the Supreme God. As Bhikshatana, the Lord is depicted as naked, with a snake around the hips and sandals on his feet.

Check this link to read about ‘Mohini and the Sages’ (under Thiruvoodal Sagas) as one of the causes for a tiff (i.e. tiruvoodal) between Lord Shiva and Parvati.

Still another version of the legend is that Lord Shiva had to wander as a mendicant in order to expiate the sin of having severed the head of Brahma, till he reached the Himalayas, where he was relieved of his sin.

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Shiva as Ardhanarishvara

In Hinduism, Ardhanari or Ardhanarishvara, is an androgynous deity composed of Shiva and his consort Shakti, representing the synthesis of masculine and feminine energies. The Ardhanari form also illustrates how the female principle of God, Shakti is inseparable from the male principle of God, Shiva. Ardhanari in iconography is depicted as half-male and half-female, split down the middle.

The term 'Ardhanarishvara' is a combination of three words- 'ardha', 'nari' and 'ishvara', meaning respectively, 'half', 'woman' and 'Lord' or 'God', that is, Ardhanarishvara is the Lord whose half is woman, or who is half woman.

Go to this link to read about Arunachala and the legend of Ardhanarishvara and this link to read about Deepam Ardhanarishvara.

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Dakshinamurthi

Is an aspect of Shiva as a guru (teacher) of all type of knowledge, particularly jnana. This aspect of Shiva is his personification as the supreme or the ultimate awareness, understanding and knowledge and also represents Shiva in his aspect as a teacher of yoga, music, wisdom and giving exposition on the shastras.

Dakshinamurti literally means 'one who is facing south'. South is the direction of Death, hence change. In every Siva temple the stone image of Dakshinamurthi is installed, facing south, on the southern circumambulatory path around the sanctum sanctorum. Perhaps, of all Hindu Gods, he is the only one sitting facing south.

In his aspect as Jnana Dakshinamurti, Shiva is seated upon a deer-throne and surrounded by sages who are receiving his instruction. He is shown as seated with his right foot on a demon (which represents ignorance) and his left foot lies folded on his lap. In his upper arms, he holds a snake or rosary or both in one hand and a flame in the other; while in his lower right hand is shown in vyakhyanamudra, his lower left hand holds a bundle of kusha grass or the scriptures. Dakshinamurthi is portrayed as being in the yogic state of abstract meditation - and as a powerful form brimming with ever flowing bliss and supreme joy.

Significance

Indian tradition accords a special reverence to the Guru or the teacher. Dakshinamurthi, is regarded as the ultimate Guru - the embodiment of knowledge and the destroyer of ignorance (as represented by the demon being crushed under the feet of the deity). The Jnana Mudra is interpreted in this way:- The thumb denotes God and the index finger man. The other three fingers stand for the three congenital impurities of man; arrogance, illusion and bad deeds of past births. When man detaches himself from these impurities, he reaches God. The Abhaya Mudra, a gesture with the hand lifted above thigh with palm facing out, fingers pointing, is interpreted as His grace upon His students. The rosary or the snake signifies Tantric knowledge. The fire represents illumination, removing the darkness of ignorance.

Go to this link to read some words by Sri Ramana Maharshi about Dakshinamurti.

Shiva - Lord of the Earth

Rudra-Shiva is the ultimate symbol of the environment. In which is combined the forces of nature and Pancha Bhutas: air, water, earth, fire and space. The five elements or Pancha Bhutas are represented by five Shiva lingas, which are famous Temples and pilgrimage centres.

Many natural forces are imprisoned in Shiva's person: his flowing tresses represent the forests themselves, trapping within them the mighty river Ganga, the source of perennial water and life. His vibhuti or sacred ash is the symbol of fertility, a gift of the earth.

Lord Shiva is Pashupati, Lord of Animals. He is accompanied by Nandi the bull and viewed generally beneath the Bilva Tree. He is Bhupati, Bhuteshvara or Bhutanatha, Lord of the Earth. Bhuta is the spirit of the earth worshipped in rural India.

As the ascetic Rishi meditating on a hill, the mountains become the sacred home of Shiva. Several Shiva temples are found on hills. From Kailasha in the Northern Himalayas to Tiruvannamalai in the South.

By sanctifying them, important watersheds were conserved, preserving forests and providing water for existence.

Shiva holds Agni or fire on the palm of his hand. It symbolises the energy released during creation. The drum represents the sound Om, the origin of creation. The Trishula or Trident in his hand represents the feminine half of creation. Every aspect of this deity invokes nature.

[Thanks to N. Krishna]

History of Money

In Indian National papers there have been articles discussing whether Gold is a safe haven for investors. With western countries undergoing serious financial meltdowns and banks failing – people are seriously questioning the intrinsic value of money in the form of currency. I recall about fifteen years ago Sri Sathya Sai Baba is reported to have advised students that: “In the future there will be a world financial crisis, so don’t leave your money in Banks or Trusts, decide where you want to be and make yourself as self sufficient as possible.’

In this respect Land and Property are the two items with the most intrinsic value – because with them you have a place to live and where to grow food. It certainly would be grand to have that safe haven situated here at Arunachala! Anyhow curious as to the history of gold and the financial underpinning of ‘society’, I decided to do some research:-

The history of money consists of three phases:

(1) Commodity money, in which actual valuable objects are bartered
(2) Representative money, in which paper notes (often called 'certificates') are used to represent real commodities stored elsewhere; and finally
(3) Fiat money, in which paper notes are backed only by the traders' "full faith and credit" in the government, in particular by its acceptability for payments of debts to the government (usually taxes).

To continue reading go here.

April 13 - Auspicious Transit

On April 13th at 1.50 p.m., GMT, a rare astronomical event will occur that happens once every 1,000 years. The happening takes place as the Sun moves into the sign of Aries and simultaneously, the moon will be in the Pushya star constellation (in Cancer).

Yogis say that during this celestial conjunction, the left and right hemispheres of the brain will undergo a radical change and will be able to receive greater intelligence. In Yoga, the left brain is associated with the Sun and the right brain with the Moon. Astrologers predict that this rate astronomical event with affect the subtle body as well as the physical brain. It is believed to be an auspicious time for change.

In Indian mythology it was at the auspicious time that the moon was in Pushya that Dasartha appointed his son Rama to be ruler of Dasaratha:

“In the morning, when the moon traverses Pushya, I shall appoint my son, Rama, who is the supreme support of religion, as successor to the throne.”[Ayodhya Kanda-- Canto II]

Dedicated to Arthur C. Clarke

On March 19, 2008 at the age of 90 years at his home in Sri Lanka, the great Science Fiction writer, Sir Arthur C Clarke died. As a young child I read many of his books and short stories and he (and other Science Fiction writers) powerfully influenced my spiritual impetus. In this respect the transformational movie, ‘2001: A Space Odyssey’, a 1968 science fiction film written by Stanley Kubrick and Arthur C. Clarke and dealing with human evolution has been hugely influential to many in a very similar way.

The reason why ‘2001: A Space Odyssey’, is a particularly fascinating subject in relation to Arunachala, is because of the use of a ‘monolith’ as the transformative tool throughout the movie.

The word Monolith comes from the Greek; "Mon" means 'one' and "lith" means 'stone'. It can be a large block of stone or something such as a column or monument or something suggestive of a large block of stone, as in immovability, massiveness, or uniformity. Monolith can also be a geological feature such as a mountain, consisting of a single massive stone or rock, or a single piece of rock placed as, or within, a monument.

In the movie 2001, the stone is black and in alchemy all things that exist come from the black stone, or the 'prima materia'. The black stone is the stone of transformation and the stone of projection. The Philosopher's Stone. This is the object that can change or transmute mankind, according to alchemical lore. It is rare and, when it makes an appearance, it transforms the seeker.

The movie, ‘2001: A Space Odyssey’, has as its theme, man’s evolution, from ape through earthman to astral being. It starts in prehistoric times where mankind's ancestors are struck by inspiration after a silent black monolith appears in their midst. When the primitive ape-like species is presented with the monolith their curiosity and courage overcomes their fear; and when the innate characteristics of the ape interfaces with the monolithic slab, the species take a dramatic step in their advancement.

***The sun and the crescent moon aligned with each other is a symbol of Zoroastrianism, the ancient Persian religion which predates Buddhism and Christianity and is based on the teachings of the prophet Zoroaster (also known as Zarathustra). This particular alignment symbolises the eternal struggle between light and darkness.***

The evolutionary theme of ‘A Space Odyssey’, from ape through Earthman to astral being, continues millions of years later, when a similar-looking monolith dug up on the moon in 2001, starts to blast a strong radio signal to Jupiter. The culmination of the evolutionary theme occurs when the lone surviving astronaut of a space mission seeking the source of the radio signal has a rendezvous with another monolith and a hallucinogenic journey to the infinite beyond.

With his rasping, dying breath, the Earthman reaches out to the monolith, at last, with deep understanding and wisdom. The body -- container of man's spirit for millions of years, is cast aside forever. And the next evolutionary leap occurs -- the Starchild is born.

'The cyclical evolution from ape to man to spaceman to angel-starchild-superman is complete. Evolution has also been outwardly directed toward another level of existence - from isolated cave dwellings to the entire Earth to the Moon to the Solar System to the Universe. Humankind's unfathomed potential for the future is hopeful and optimistic. What is the next stage in man's cosmic evolution beyond this powerful, immense, immortal, space-journeying creature? "Then he (i.e. the Starchild) waited, marshalling his thoughts and brooding over his still untested powers. For though he was master of the world, he was not quite sure what to do next. But he would think of something"'
[2001 - The Novel]

Throughout the world there are representations of monoliths many of which have spiritual and transformative powers. The opinion of many is that Arunachala is the definitive, transformative monolith, but throughout the world there are other special, sacred monolithic places. For instance Uluru (previously called Ayers Rock) in Australia is a sandstone monolith; 1,143 feet high and 6 miles in circumference.





"This is the working of the ceremony to save the green ants, the aboriginal people and the dreamtime that holds the world together. The white people are too young to know this and too old to understand. Yet, you must listen to these words now and hear with your hearts, the singing of the mountain. The mountain sings. It sings like it has never sung before...it is singing now for you...for us...for every living creature on this beautiful Earth. The mountain sings its first and last song. The music comes from far, far away yet it is inside you...inside the mountain...inside the trees...inside the rising sun...inside the stars...inside the little pebbles in the river... inside the kangaroo...inside the green ants...inside your mother...inside your father...the song is singing by itself inside every living thing. Now, the mountain sings to keep the world alive. When you hear the song inside your hearts, sing back to the mountain. Sing back to the mountain...sing back to the mountain..."
[Invocation of a Chief Uluru Aboriginal Elder]

Thank you Arthur. Take rest now.
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Pranic Healing

Pranic Healer, K. Mahesh from Chennai, will be conducting Pranic Healing Classes in Arunachala, based upon GMCKS (Grand Master Choa Kok Sui) for the whole of April. For further information please conduct K. Mahesh direct at his mobile number +91-9940075161

Sacred Shrine

"In this word though sacred shrines may be in all the four directions yet can they be equal to Arunachala? For a good deed done in this Arunachala will yield benefit a thousand times. Similarly although there might be thousands of sins they will be reduced to one in this place."

[By Guhai Namashivaya]

To read about the life of this Saint who lived at Arunachala in ancient times, see this link here.

Starchild

Check out the new videopod at the bottom left margin of this page. The pod is entitled from Science to God and contains four videos. The first being a montage of beautiful pictures of Lord Shiva accompanied by lovely singing by Alisha Chinoy. The next video is a composite of archival photographs and short movie clips of Sri Ramana Maharshi, interlaced with very nice Arunachala photographs and good background chanting. The third video is of Peter Russell talking about the mystery of consciousness from both scientific and mystical points of view -- the clipping is based upon his DVD 'Science to God'.

The last video of this pod series is of the Starchild sequence at the end of the absolutely transformational movie of the 60's -- '2001: A Space Odyssey'. But more about that in later postings.

Animated Videos

Check out this great link here to watch many beautiful, animated videos on the mythology of India. The videos do not have an embed facility so you have to go to Rajshri site direct to watch them for free. You can also download them for a small charge.

I have no idea whether the videos are specifically targetted to children, but I can tell you they are absolutely great. Most of the animated videos are in English with a couple in Hindi. Just watched a very sweet video on the life of Shiva - check it out at this link or at this You Tube link.

Agriculture and Water, Tiruvannamalai

Really interesting information about a new rice cultivation method (SRI) being tested in selected Districts in Tamil Nadu (including Tiruvannanamali District). However instead of trying to be more successful with intensive farming, I think what needs to be considered is crop suitability for water stressed areas. In this respect Tamil Nadu depending on the severity of the summer, often suffers from scarity of water supply. To read more about the water problem in Tamil Nadu go to this previous posting and to an indepth article entitled ‘Tamil Nadu Will Face Crisis, Warn Experts’ at this link.

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System Rice Intensification
Farmers are beginning to reap benefits of System Rice Intensification (SRI), a rice cultivation method that requires less nursery area, water and labour and fewer seeds and tests show that the yield is more than with conventional systems.

Alternate wetting and drying of fields, use of rolling markers and mechanical weeders and transplanting seedlings less than 15 days old are some of the characteristics of SRI. Currently farmers using the paddy variety BPT5204, achieve a yield of 7.6 tonnes per hectare using compared to 5.6 tonnes per hectare through conventional methods.
Current test areas covered by the Irrigated Agriculture Modernisation and Water Bodies Restoration and Management Project include Mathur Thirukkai near Gingee in Tiruvannamalai District.

About 1,250 hectares (one hectare = 2.27 acres) have been marked out as SRI demonstration area which motivated farmers to adopt SRI for a total of 2,595 hectares, for which there is no financial support. The Government is providing a subsidy of Rs.10,000 a hectare for the demonstration area to raise paddy and pulses. The administration plans to follow the success of rice tests by following the broad principles of SRI for cultivating pulses and oilseeds.

Further local government seeks to bring the roles of agriculture, agricultural engineering, horticulture, fisheries and animal husbandry departments under the Water Resources Organisation of the Public Works Department. TNAU’s Water Technology Centre is the nodal agency for dissemination and implementation of better farm technologies.

The six-year project, estimated to cost Rs.2,547 crore, covers 63 sub-basins. Of the total cost, Rs.1,500 crore is meant for the Water Resources Organisation to improve irrigation infrastructure and revive 5,760 tanks, and Rs.300 crore for enhancing agricultural productivity through better seeds, production technology and high-value crops and providing marketing support.

The Agricultural Engineering Department has been charged with increasing farm water use efficiency, and Rs.350 crore has been allocated for this purpose.

Five Faced Shiva

After recently reading about Five Faced Shiva I tried to find a photograph or picture of this aspect of the Divine. It must be very rare because wasn't able to get a good representation of the different colours of the Five Faces of the Deity. However did find this really brilliant copy of a painting of about 1830 from Calcutta.

 
Shiva is Yogi Raja, the Lord of Yoga, the perfect ascetic. The five aspects of Shiva represent: 

Ishana - Skyward Face: 
The word Ishvara is form the root “Aisha – Aishwarye”. Total wealth means the total control and ownership of all the fourteen worlds. Such form of Shiva, who is the total owner of the fourteen worlds, is called as Ishana. This face is skywards. Which means it is on top of the other four faces which face the four directions. This fifth face of Shiva represents the creation; balance, annihilation energies and control and chaos energies. It is represented by pure crystal and signifies the top. 

Tatpurasha - East Face: 
The word “Tat” represents Paramatma. Tatpurusha means Saguna filled Para Brahma form. This represents the form of Shiva that is in meditation and Blessing the world. Hence this eastern face is considered as the first face. The word “Tatpurusha” means “his person”. One who is always behind a person to protect is Tatpurusha. It is represented by yellow and signifies the face. 

Vama Deva – North Face: 
The term Vama means Left or innocent. If we stand facing east, the north is to our left. Hence the north facing Shiva is worshipped as “Vaama Deva”. The left of a person is representative of the Shakti aspect. It represents “Maya and the feminine strength and beauty”, Hence in Ardha Nareeshwara aspect, we find the goddess on the left side. Represented by red and signifies the navel. 

Sadyojata - West Face: 
West is called as “Paschima or Pratyak”. The soul is called as “Pratyagaatma”. “Sadyaha” which means just now and “Jataha” means now born. Shiva makes his presence felt through the countless souls being born. Hence the apt name “Sadyosata”. This shows the creative aspect of Parameshvara. Since the very existence of any being starts from its birth, the Sadyosata aspect of Lord Shiva is prayed first. Represented by white and signifies the foot. 

Aghora - South Face: 
If we stand facing east, south is our right. Hence right side is called as “Bala”. As important as right hand is for humans, the South face is important to Lord Shiva. This is also famously known as “Dakshina Murthy”. Those who worshipped the Aghora form of Shiva were called as “Aghoris”. Aghoris generally live in graveyards and are naked, use things which the world has branded as “inauspicious”, and perform harsh penance; because their main belief is that there is no such thing called “inauspicious” in the world because all that exists if Shiva himself. Represented by black and signifies the heart. 

Siharam

In last month’s Arunachala Grace News, the monthly newsletter sent direct to subscribers email inbox, there was a very interesting narrative about the Salesians of Don Bosco's IT programme at their Institute in Tiruvannamalai, to promote personal, cultural, social and economic self assurance to rural youth. The name of the Institute is Siharam - Salesian Institute for the Holistic Advancement of the Rural and the Marginalized. The meaning of this Tamil word ‘Siharam’ is ‘Peak’ and the reason behind the acronym is; ‘to inspire even the most backward and marginalized youth to attain peak achievements and subsequently act as template for disadvantaged youth in rural communities.’

The Co-ordinator of the programme, Fr. Edwin Vasanthan, kindly gave our small group a tour of their facility. For this month’s Newsletter I asked Fr. Edwin Vasanthan to explain the difference the IT programme will make in the lives of the Dalit students. So, if you want to read more about the pain of living a marginalised life in rural India, please check out the upcoming Arunachala Grace News, April 2008.

I have huge admiration for those of the Dalit community who have not only broken out of the limitations of their caste bound life but are also making a ladder for others to climb up after them. For people who have had a good education and been brought up with all the fine advantages of life, it is sometimes difficult to remain positive, upbeat and summon up the confidence to ‘reach for your dream’. Can you imagine the immense weight of ‘negative thinking’ imposed upon Dalits over thousands of years through the caste bound system? To live a condemned life, be told one was only fit for dirty degrading work and be denied all opportunity to improve and uplift oneself through education? Bless their courage to be now moving upward.

Fr. Edwin Vasanthan SDB
Don Bosco SIHARAM,
P.B. 3, Kanchi Road,
Adaiyur Village, Vengikkal,
Thiruvannamalai, Tamil Nadu 6060 604
India

E-mail: vasanthsdb at gmail dot com

Travelling to Shirdi Sai Baba

What started for me as just an ordinary day, became quite an adventure after someone casually mentioned that a large Shirdi Sai Baba statue had been delivered and was waiting installation at the side of the girivalam roadway. Even though Shirdi Sai Baba, as far as I know, has not been recorded as ever mentioning Arunachala, or in anyway connected to it, still I've always missed there being a Shirdi Sai Baba Temple here at the Hill.

It was about 7.30 a.m. and immediately on hearing the news, decided to go and find the statue myself. So, off I go. It was a pretty day and the sun was already high up in the sky. Normal life going on all around. By the time I reached the Parvati Hill (which is the only spot on the 14 km circumference of the Hill that you cannot see the Deepam light on top of Arunachala during the yearly Karthigai Festival) it was beginning to get nice and toasty. Below a young lad is ploughing his fields for his rice crop.

In a roadside cafe, a lady is making idlis and customers in the background are eating their tiffin breakfast.

A young stone worker is hewing out holy carvings for temples, shrines or independent sales.

By the time I have reached this spot, it is later in the morning and all the school kids are off on their way. Below a very cheerful young 'un smiling at the camera, with his proud Mum looking on.

The birds are scouting around for their breakfast and below an Indian Roller (Blue Jay) is skimming the top of the pond for some nice succulent insects.

Surprisingly some of the roadside lamps have now become solar - see just how modern Tiruvannamalai is becoming! Well there is certainly plenty of sun to make solar the intelligent energy system of choice. In Pondicherry, solar appliances are hugely popular.

A small Hindu cemetry right by the side of the hillround roadway and close by to Adiannamalai Village.

Lots more kids on their way to school. Took lots of snaps of them - and they were so happy. Great to have started their day off so well.

Finally I reach the Shirdi Sai Baba site. On the right side there is rather an ornate statue of the great saint - but this is not what I have come to see.

I've been told that the special statue is lying in a packaging crate close by. So, off I go again! And Finally I find him!

And the huge crate.

Luckily the top of the crate is open, so I pop my camera in and voila! A very, very nice statue of Shirdi Sai, sitting peacefully in his roomy crate, awaiting his installation on the Arunachala Hillround Roadway.

This is definitely going to be a favourite spot of mine!