LoveroftheBhagavata

Is my English too advanced for you? Your defence of Muslims needing the Kaaba to orient themselves for namaaz is simply the Hindu position regarding praying to murtis put differently. It's just regrettable that you cannot see it this way. In any case, you can think whatever you wish to. I'm not here to convince you of anything.

How can you follow a tradition the meaning of which you are not able to properly grasp? What is this if not blind following?

This is of course, the Islamic version of the story. Much documentation has been carried out on the question of the Vedic past of Arabia, and if you were to study the evidence and analyse the points presented by the (admittedly) Vedic-centric researchers, you would find much of it pretty compelling. There is strong circumstantial proof of the Kaaba being what remains of a Lingam that was worshipped in the Middle East long ago.

The basic point remains the same, but you lack the wherewithal to adequately defend your viewpoint, hence this fall-back on another version of the same fundamental concept that we would utilise to justify murti-puja, not idol worship.

Yes, we are indeed fortunate to have accumulated sufficient punya to take birth in Bharata's dharmika samskriti. I totally concur with you on this and as it has been said, the length, breadth and depth of our religion is unfathomable indeed. The phenomenal diversity one sees in Indic tradition is what makes it so beautiful and strong. From Shaivism, Shaktism, Vaishnavism, and Smartism down to Tantra Yoga in all of its myriad manifestations without forgetting Buddhism and Jainism, India is not termed Deva-bhumi or Arya-varta (the land of the cultured and noble) for no good reason. In spite of the abject decadence that the land has no doubt witnessed in the last couple of millenia, who can deny the spiritual potency that still persists in our Motherland for those who really hanker for it? The astronomical sums of money that Western Vaishnava missions spend each year for conducting their annual parikramas of Vraja, Navadvipa, Nilachala and other tirthas certainly attest to that. Aum

That's what I said to him in my post, Shivaduta. Now what if we presented to him the well-documented evidence that Arabia was a large centre of Shiva worship in the distant past, and that the Kaaba is in fact a broken Linga? How about that?

My friend Mazhar, "circumcize" refers to the ritualistic removal of the prepuce from male genital organs, a tradition which has been inherited in modern Judaism and Islam from ancient Egypt, and as such, predates the Abrahamic religions. You actually mean "circumambulate" to describe the Muslim practice of walking around the Kaaba in anti-clockwise fashion. We Hindus do the same thing in clockwise direction in temples, and we know it by the appellation parikrama. As for the idol issue, why don't you go ask Christians whether or not they pray to "idols" of Jesus? You probably know what kind of a reply you would be served with. Hindus have been worshipping murtis as representations of the Divine for aeons, and there are many, many relics which testify to this, dating to millenia before the beginning of the common era. A well-known example of such is the form of Lord Shiva as Pashupatinath (the Lord of all beings or souls) - that was discovered at Mohenjodaro and is thus as old as the Harappan civilisation. Moreover, you also have the "Vasishtha's head" metal statue which has been dated to approximately 3,700 BCE, and was found near Delhi. Then again there is the Raghunath temple at Devprayag in the Himalayas which according to vernacular tradition, was originally erected as far back as 10,000 years ago. These are just the tip of the iceberg, and I could cite dozens of other examples of physical representations of various forms of the Deity in South Asia dating to the earliest times. So all these people, over the course of several thousands of years, were just idiots who were comically ignorant of their own religious commandments and foolishly went about "idol worshipping", right? The Vedic literature is infinite, literally, and what remains of it in 2008 as written texts is just a mere fragment of the original, undivided Veda. Still, there is enough evidence in the surviving Sanskrit writings to very much support the notion of calling upon the eternal forms of God whether as Vishnu, Shiva or Shakti as well as the lesser Devas through murtis, and elaborate details as to how archana, or worship, should be performed to these murtis is also contained in these extensive literatures. Even the greatest of impersonalists, such as Buddhists, Jains, and Shankarites, resort to praying to statues. Your faith differs from ours and that's fine, but don't initiate pointless arguments that are not going to serve any purpose at the end of the day. Regards

This article on the incredibly ancient sunken city recently found off the gulf of Cambay in India was published through courtesy of the author Linda Moulton Howe of www.earthfiles.com , an excellent site where this article and many others on relative topics can be found. Sunken City Off India Coast - 7500 B. C.? <CENTER>© 2002 by Linda Moulton Howe</CENTER><CENTER></CENTER><CENTER></CENTER><CENTER></CENTER><CENTER></CENTER><CENTER></CENTER><CENTER></CENTER><CENTER>The underwater archaeological site that could be more than 9,000 years old is about 30 miles west of Surat in the Gulf of Khambhat (Cambay) in northwestern India.</CENTER><CENTER></CENTER><CENTER></CENTER><CENTER></CENTER><CENTER></CENTER><CENTER></CENTER><CENTER></CENTER><CENTER></CENTER><CENTER></CENTER><CENTER></CENTER><CENTER></CENTER> February 16, 2002 Surat, India - A month ago in mid-January, marine scientists in India announced they had sonar images of square and rectangular shapes about 130 feet down off the northwestern coast of India in the Gulf of Khambhat (Cambay). Not only are their sonar shapes with 90-degree angles, the Indian Minister of Science and Technology ordered that the site be dredged. What was found has surprised archaeologists around the world and was the subject of a private meeting two weeks ago attended by the Indian Minister in charge of investigating the underwater site about thirty miles off the coast from Surat.An American who traveled to that private meeting was Michael Cremo, researcher in the history of archaeology for the Bhakti Vedanta Institute in India and author of the book Forbidden Archaeology. I talked with him today in India about the dredging operation, what the ocean engineers found and the implications of first carbon dating of artifacts at more than 9,000 years. Interview Michael Cremo, Researcher of Ancient Archaeology and Author, Forbidden Archaeology: "Within the past few months, the engineers began some dredging operations there and they pulled up human fossil bones, fossil wood, stone tools, pieces of pottery and many other things that indicated that it indeed was a human habitation site that they had. And they were able to do more intensive sonar work there and were able to identify more structures. They appeared to have been laid out on the bank of a river that had been flowing from the Indian subcontinent out into that area. <TABLE cellPadding=6 align=right border=0><TBODY><TR><TD><!--google_ad_client = "pub-8971155171845729";google_ad_width = 336;google_ad_height = 280;google_ad_format = "336x280_as";google_ad_type = "text";//2007-02-17: Articlesgoogle_ad_channel = "9336033605";google_color_border = "F6F6F6";google_color_bg = "F6F6F6";google_color_link = "0000FF";google_color_text = "333333";google_color_url = "666666";//--></TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE> According to the news releases, they have done a radiocarbon testing on a piece of wood from the underwater site that is now yielding an age of 9,500 years which would place it near the end of the last Ice Age. Yes, those are the indications that are coming. There were actually two radiocarbon dates: one about 7500 years old and another about 9500 years old. The 9500 year old one seems to be the strongest one. That's the one they are going with. This was announced by Minister Joshi (Murli Manohar Joshi is Indian Minister for Ocean Technology) at this meeting I attended in Hyderabad, India. He said there is going to be more work going on. It's difficult because it's very difficult to see down there. There is a very swift current. So, it's going to have to be a pretty massive effort, but he said the government of India is willing to put the resources behind it to do whatever it takes to further confirm these discoveries. I also spoke in Hyderabad with an independent archaeologist not connected with the Indian government, but who has a deep interest in these discoveries and he says they are still going to have to send divers down there. Up to this point, they have not sent divers down. The information they have is based on the sonar readings and the dredging they have done. Eventually, they are going to have to find a way to get people down there to take a closer look at this. I think this effort is going to go on. Now, another American archaeologist, Richard Meadows of Harvard University, is proposing there should be an international effort here. On the surface that sounds like a good idea, but it also may be an effort of American archaeologists and others to control the project. I don't think they want to see a civilization being as old as it appears to be according to these new finds at 9500 years ago. So, I would hope the Indian archaeologists and government would be very cautious about letting outsiders in there who might have a different agenda and who might try to control what gets let out about this very important discovery. It could be quite revolutionary. Cultural Background of People At Underwater Site? Even if we don't know what the cultural background of the people is, if it does happen to be a city that is 9500 years old, that is older than the Sumerian civilization by several thousand years. It is older than the Egyptian, older than the Chinese. So it would radically affect our whole picture of the development of urban civilization on this planet. Now, if it further happens that additional research is able to identify the culture of the people who lived in that city that's now underwater. If it turns out they are a Vedic people - which I think is quite probable given the location of this off the coast of India - I think that would radically change the whole picture of Indian history which has basically been written by western archaeologists. <!--google_ad_client = "pub-8971155171845729";google_ad_width = 728;google_ad_height = 90;google_ad_format = "728x90_as";google_ad_type = "text";//2007-01-04: Genelgoogle_ad_channel = "6615149193";google_color_border = "F6F6F6";google_color_bg = "F6F6F6";google_color_link = "0000FF";google_color_text = "333333";google_color_url = "666666";//--> India's Vedic Culture - Was It Really Older Than 3500 Years? <CENTER> The most archaic Sanskrit (Devanagari) is that of the Vedas, multiple books written in thousands of hymns and verses arranged in song cycles. The Vedas say that "God-men" brought Sanskrit to Earth men as a language of musical tones. Above on the left is a comparison of the numerals 1 through 10 in Devanagari Sanskrit compared to Arabic. On the right are some examples of Devanagari vowels and diphthongs. Sources: The New Encyclopaedia Britannica, 15th Edition © 1993 and Sanskrit Keys to the Wisdom Religion © 1968 by Judith Tyberg. </CENTER> Ever since the 19th Century, there has been a huge debate about the actual history of India. When the Europeans first came there, they noticed that the people in India who had the Sanskrit language as the main language of their literature - they noticed that the European languages were similar (in word concepts), so that meant the Europeans and East Indians had to be related. The 19th Century scientists also noticed that the Sanskrit culture or Vedic culture, as it is sometimes called after the ancient Indian literature, Vedas, which means knowledge. So sometimes the ancient Indian culture is called the Vedic culture or Vedic civilization. The literature is called the Vedic literature. So, the scientists noticed that it appeared to be older than the European cultures. Since the European languages were related to the Indian language Sanskrit of the Vedas that could only mean that the European peoples had to have come out of India somehow and then gone to Europe with their languages that differentiated into Russian, English, Spanish, German and the rest of them. The European investigators didn't like that idea because it would have given the Vedic culture a position superior to their own. So, these early cities in the Indus Valley like Harappa and Mohenjo-Daro have been identified by archaeologists such as Richard Meadows and others as being non-Vedic. They think the Vedic culture came into India maybe 3500 years ago. Isn't that inconsistent with the concept of the Vedas of the Krishna character who comes and says the universe is teeming with life and appears to have knowledge about other habitations in the cosmos and is talking from an age that would go back at least 9,500 years? Oh, absolutely, Linda. In these ancient Sanskrit writings, there is no hint at all that the culture came from anywhere else. And if they are the prime source and if the Vedic literature can be taken literally, then it implies that there were cities there inhabited at least several thousand years ago. Yes, and there has been other research going on in that area. For example, the Rg Veda, which is one of the earliest Vedic literatures, talks about a mighty river called the Saraswati that flowed from the Himalayan mountains down to the Arabian Sea, down in that area of northwestern India. And such a river doesn't exist there today. So, what happened is that people thought therefore the Rg Veda cannot be talking about India. It has to be talking about some other place outside of India where there was some kind of river. But what happened that is quite interesting a few years ago is that archaeologists in India started studying the satellite photographs from American satellites like LANDSAT had been providing and they noticed there was a dry river channel that began up in the Himalayas, a huge river that went down almost to that Bay of Khambaht (Cambay) we are talking about (the location of the underwater city site). And then later, they found that on the banks of that river there were 800 to 1000 urban sites, archaeological sites. So, it does appear that what the Rg Veda was talking about, a mighty river lined with cities in India over 5,000 years ago - that has to be true. The last time that river had water in it was over 5,000 years ago? Is there a possibility that there could have been some sort of non-human co-habitation on the continent of India let's say 50,000 years ago that could explain all of the Vedas? Yes. In Kashmir, the valley of Kashmir, it appears it was many years ago a lake. Now, there is an ancient Sanskrit manuscript that tells of a lake that existed in that area, so that account is there in some ancient writings. Now, according to modern geological reporting, about 40,000 years ago Kashmir was indeed a lake in the valley of Kashmir in northern India. It was covered by a huge lake and it was blocked on the southern end by a little range of mountains. And at a certain point, something happened and it broke open and the lake drained out. That happened about 40,000 to 50,000 years ago. So, it is interesting that you've got this ancient historical record that talks about this lake. And if it is to be taken literally, then it means that somebody must have seen this lake as it existed 50,000 years ago and wrote about it." More Information Harappan Civilization (ca. 3000 - 1500 B.C.) Until the recent Bay of Khambaht discovery, one of the oldest, advanced urban centers in India investigated by archaeologists is Harappa and Mohenjo-Daro in present day Pakistan along the Indus River. Will anything in the Bay of Khambaht discovery resemble the structures of the very ancient and mysterious Harappan Civilization? <CENTER> Harappa archaeology dig in Indus River valley showing heights and depths of structures, many built on mounds 3500 years ago. Source: North Park University, Chicago, Illinois. </CENTER> <CENTER></CENTER> <CENTER>Excavated walls of a Harappan urban city, one of the most mysterious cultures of the ancient Indian world more than 3,000 years ago. The people were literate and used the Dravidian Sanskrit language, only part of which has been deciphered today. The artifacts from Harappa and Mohenjo-Daro in the Indus Valley of Pakistan are extraordinary in beauty and detail. Source: North Park University, Chicago, Illinois. </CENTER>Some Details from Harappan Urban Sites: <CENTER> Mysterious white rings made of brick dot the landscape where Harappan people lived, but archaeologists do not know the function. One guess is platforms for spreading and drying of grains. Source: North Park University, Chicago, Illinois. </CENTER> <CENTER> The first objects unearthed from Harappa and Mohenjo-Daro were small stone seals inscribed with elegant depictions of animals, including a unicorn-like figure in upper left, and marked with Indus script writing which still baffles scholars. These seals are dated back to 2500 B. C. Source: North Park University, Chicago, Illinois. </CENTER> <CENTER> This seal is a close-up of the unicorn-like animal found in Mohenjo-daro, measures 29mm (1.14 inches) on each side and is made of heated Steatite. "Steatite is an easily carved soft stone that becomes hard after firing. On the top are four pictographs of an as yet undeciphered Indus script, one of the first writing systems in history." Image source Dept. of Archaeology and Museums, Govt. of Pakistan.. </CENTER>

Yeah I'm familiar with the work of Hatcher Childress. And Sadaputa uses the examples given by Shivaduta and many others in his book Alien Identities. It is one of the best I've ever read. Regards

This list was jotted down by Krishnadasa Kaviraja - it therefore bears authority for Bengali Vaishnavas primarily. I doubt that Guliaditya will find it acceptable if he's a Ramanuja Vaishnava. Neither would a Madhvaite, Nimbarki, Vallabhaite, Radha Vallabhi or Ramanandi assign much importance to it. This is why I keep saying that our dogmas and creeds stand good for us. We shouldn't expect the rest of the world to conform to our belief systems. Even the great Vedic rishis of yore weren't privy to the complete truth. It is GOD only who can judge the purity and sincerity of a sadhaka. No human being, no matter how advanced, can claim to be eligible for that task. As for the authorized sampradaya thing, you'd be surprised to know what Madhva Vaishnavas think of Gaudiya Vaishnavism. They totally reject the Chaitanyaite claim to a connection with their line. Take a look at their websites if you feel like it. Once again, it is not for us or any "advanced" Vaishnava to state who is bona fide and who isn't. Let Hari take care of that.

Such arrogant self-righteousness is sickening to the core. Give people a break.

It's not a problem. You can message me privately if you wish to discuss anything special. It's better to keep certain things private. Regards

http://www.srimadbhagavatam.org/ is a very good site. Check it out. Pranam

By the way, I cannot answer for someone else's assessments and pronouncements. I am only responsible for what I state. I hope that this replies to your query.

As I said, it is for God to decide who is worthy of His grace and who isn't. As for Ramakrishna Paramhamsa, he had the direct vision of Kaali Maa. Now you reason whether the Mother Goddess would manifest Herself to a rogue of Kali-yuga if the person truly was a "fool and rascal." And this terminates my participation in this particular discussion. I have already expressed myself in crystal clear terms in my previous posts. There is no need for you to keep asking me questions since you are cognizant of my take on the matter. Om tat sat

http://www.indiantemples.com/ The Ultimate Source of Information on Indian Temples About Templenet Templenet is a premier site conceived and published with the objective of showcasing India - The Land of Temples in cyberspace. Indeed, India is rightfully The Land of Temples, as Egypt is The Land of Pyramids. Thousands of temples dot the landscape of the entire sub continent - bringing to focus, a vibrant - live art gallery, showcasing achievements in art and architecture over a two thousand year period, in a manner never seen in any other part of the world. Regional variations lend dramatic contrasts to lifestyles across the subcontinent, and the stunning variations reflective of this diversity - as seen in temple styles across the region can be an enthralling experience even to a mildy interested tourist. In the arena of cyberspace, Templenet presents to the world a world of temples, reflecting the grandeur and the stunning diversity of temple styles across the nation. At the geographical level, it provides an index to temples by region, where temples are described in detail with approprite illustrations. Sifting legend from history, these descriptions throw complete light on the origin, religious significance, history, architectural and sculptural grandeur, beliefs and legends, worship protocols, festivals and tourism related information. In addition, the various sections on architecture, festivals, beliefs provide a whole range of descriptive articles on related subjects. A glossary of terms acquaints readers with terminology related to temples. Templenet is an ongoing selective presentation on an extensive research project on Indian temples - sourced, authored and directed by Kanniks Kannikeswaran.

<TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=3 width=425 border=0><TBODY><TR><TD vAlign=top width="30%"><TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=3 width=425 border=0><TBODY><TR><TD vAlign=top width="30%"><TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=3 width=425 border=0><TBODY><TR><TD vAlign=top width="30%"></TD><TD vAlign=top width="70%">Message from the city of temples From the chat with Srila B.A. Paramadvaiti Swami 2008-01-13, Jammu in Kashmir, India. Guru maharaj is in Jammu city in northern India. He is hosting in a house of a friend, Rasa Bihari prabhu, disciple of Srila Bhakti Ballaba Tirtha Maharaj. </TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE></TD><TD vAlign=top width="70%"> </TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE> </TD><TD vAlign=top width="70%"> </TD></TR><TR><TD vAlign=top colSpan=2><TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 width=135 align=left border=0><TBODY><TR><TD><TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=3 border=0><TBODY></TBODY></TABLE></TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE> Guru maharaj is in Jammu city in northern India. Today he has a television interviw and later a program in a temple. Guru Maharaj is hosting in a house of a friend, a disciple of Srila Bhakti Ballaba Tirtha Maharaj: Rasa Bihari prabhu. There is a project of establishing a university of the WVA in Mayapurd inspired by Srila Bhakti Ballabha Tirtha Maharaj. Guru maharaj went to Kashmir to visit this devotee and talk to him about the project. He is in company of Swami Maharaj, Govinda Jnana and mother Yasoda. We have heard from Swami Maharaj that these days there have been very intense; many programs in different temples and various missions. Tomorrow theyplan to visit the famous university of Jammu. Some days before, Guru maharaj visited the famous temple Askhara Dham in Delhi, which is considerd as the biggest temple in the world. Tomorrow at night Guru Maharaj will return to Vrindavan and then to Puri to asist to the vyasapuja of Srila Bhakti Vaibhava Puri Maharaj. In www.vrindablog.org you can see photographs of the presentation of Guru Maharaj in the world congress in Phycology and Spirituality that took place in Delhi. Thanks to mother gopakumara that she has been capturing all the events of Guru maharaj. Guru Maharaj: I am writing from Aashimas computer in Jammuh, top of the world, Himalayas. Special invited guest on our chat is Rasa Bihari prabhu, president of Gokul Jammuh and general secretary of WVA for India. Rasa Bihari prabhu: It gives me immese pleasure to meet worldwide Vrinda family! All Glories to Srila Bhakti Balabha Tirtha Goswami Maharaj. Srila BA Paramadvaiti Maharaj ki jaya! From Jammu, Kashmir, India, I offer my obeisances to all the devotees. I am enjoying the company of the most wonderful vaisnava, our paramadvaiti swami maharaja and his encourage. I am taking all pleasure in showing different temples, forts, museums of this Himalayan city. Ttoday we had a festival of winter coming to an end and beginning of spring, which is called lohry. People dance around the fire and offer sesam sweets to fire and exchange sweets and gifts. This time we celebrated this festival three times. Srila Paramadvaiti Maharaja, in his typical mood, was delighted to see this festival and played his charango and chanted Hare Krsna in tunes unfamiliar to us. We tried to follow, but could not match his pitch. We circambulated the lit fire dancing and chanting behind Maharaji. Now Swami maharaj is typing for me, and I am speaking in the room of a very beautiful devotional singer of jammu, Ashima. Tomorrow we have a class in Gokul at 10 am, followed by a lecture on perennial psychology in the university, management departament. Then I will take everyone to a very ancient balaram mandir on the bank of river Tawi. Then at 9.30 pm, when maharaja leaves, it will be a tough time. I can only pray, if my Gurudva is pleased with any little service of myself, I only desire that I get divine association of Srila B.A. Paramadvaiti Maharaja again and again. You are all very blessed to have him as your spiritual master and guide, because, it is very rare in this material chaotic world, to have a sat-guru, who is so understanding, friendly and humble, and who is so accesible. Hare krsna! Today we had a television interview with Maharaja, together with myself and Govinda Jnana. It was a 30 min interaction about the spiritual culture of india, how it has a hope for the whole world, and it was very nicely explained by Maharaja. He gave the message to the people of Jammu, the city of temples, that we should try to take seriously our roots of vedic civilization. Jammu has its origin from the time of Lord Vamana, when He took the universal form in the court of Bali Maharaja, in the yajna of bali maharaja. Lord Vamana and the origin of Jammu At that time Jambavan circumbulated that huge form seven times, and the same Jambavan was present in treta yuga, during the fight between Lord Rama and Ravana, where he desired to have an opportunity to have a wrestiling match with Lord Rama. The Lord granted him the boon, that he will fulfill his desire when he comes next time to this world. Then Jambavana asked: How will I recongize you? So to remove this charge against him, the Lord investigated, who stole the syamantaka. So he came across a dead lion and he followed the blood droplead, which brought him to Jammu into a hughe cave. There a beautiful girl, jambavati, was playing with the syamantaka mani when Lord Krsna wanted to talk to the girl. Suddenly a roar came, and there came jambavan, ready to fight, so they started fighting. The fight continued for 28 days, after which all the bones in the body of jambavana started cracking. Then he realized that â€Oh, he is my lord !!!†He fell flat on the feet of Sri Krsna and Krsna showed him his Rama form and pacified him. Then Jambavana married his daughter Jambavanti to Krishna and gifted the syamantaka. When Krsna returned with Jambavati, who was most beautiful of all his queens, to dvaraka, all were very very happy. Then Satrajita, tha accuser, was very guilty. Later he also married his daughter Satyabama to Lord Krsna. So that cave, where all this lila took place, is on the bank of river Tawi in Jammu, where I had the privilege of sitting in the association of Sri Paramanadvaiti Maharaja and his encourage. We remembered this lila and chanted the maha mantra, all the pujaris and babajis of that cave temple, Peer Kho, where we have a self manifested rudraksa, Siva linga, and a nava Durga temple with Hanuman, Rama, Laksman, Janaki, Mahadeva, Parvati, Vrinda devi and the eternal Dhuni - a lit fire which is going on 24 hours for thousands of years. The young babaji of the cave smeared our forehead with the ash of the dhuni. This is considered holy by the sevaites. All were very exited to see Krsna bhaktas coming from different parts of the world to Jammu. The Raghunatha Mandir After that, we visited the largest Rama temple in India; the Raghunatha mandir in the downtown of Jammu, just near the place where Maharaj is staying. The Raghunatha mandir is very special. There is a big security check-up, and they do not let any cameras or mobiles in. We gave everything to Gopini and Gopa, and the rest of us entered the temple. They checked Maharaja thouroguhly, but nicely, and then we entered the temple. It has nice bakula trees, beautiful flowers and three circambulations around the sanctum sanctorum. First we offer obeiscances to the main deity, Lord Rama, Laksman and Sita. The altar is all made of gold, and we have vijaya vigraha of the Lord in gold, which is taken out on chariot every year on Rama Navami. On the right of the main deity, there are Radha Krsna golden deities which are also taken out on the chariot on every Janmastami. This temple was made about 130 years back by Maharaja Ranbir Singh of Jammu (50 years after Vrinda Kunja). There are 365 deites in this temple. The whole penitum of Ramayana and Bhagavatam are present in the temple. There are 120.000 salagrama silas, placed all over the temple in different halls; there is a 400 kg 8 feet high siva linga in this temple; the whole temple complex is made in the form of a rama yantra; all the salagramas sila are situated, so that they can be properly bathed and the caranamrta is running in propper ways. The temple is very clean, nicely maintaind and Maharaja was delighted to notice clean chandliers. There is a crystal siva linga ,5 feet high, which is transparent and which is brought from Germany, crystal from Germany. The pujari, on behaf of Maharaja, offerd milk, Ganga jal and lamp with beautiful vedic mantras. All the pujaris were very exited to see devotees coming all the way from the west in beautiful ascetic attire. Everyone wanted to talk to them and participate in the arati. There were other devotees were interacting, and everyone was asking different questions to maharaja, and maharaja was gladly answering. The temple is very big and it took 2 hours to have a quick tour. The most attractive part of the temple is that the deites are beauitfully made by Jaipur artist. Maharaja was very much attracted to an 8 feet high jetblack deity of lord Bharata, the younger brother of Lord Rama. We have three very big Hanumana deites in the temple, in the first gater, the second and in the sanctum sanctorum. Five years back this temple was the scene of a terrorist attack by Pakistan based terrorists, who tried to desicrate the temple, but were killed by the security forces. Many tourists, visiting Jammu, visit this place. The whole state is ruled by the prime deity of this temple. Then next morning again Maharaji visited the temple and spent three hours there. I hope to get your darsan one day. Jaya, Paramadvaiti Maharaja, ki jaya! Vrinda kunja ki jaya! WVA ki jaya! All glories to the assambled devotees! </I></EM> <!-- /text --> </TD></TR><TR><TD colSpan=2 nbgcolor="#efefef">Copyright 2008 Vrindanews. This material may be published or redistributed.</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>

We would indeed be lucky if there were more saints like Siddhi Kali Baba alive today.

Only God can decide that, not a particular guru or Goswami or any other human for that matter. And Vaishnavism is certainly not the only way to attain the Supreme. If any open-minded individual studies Shaivism, Shaktism, Smartism or even Buddhism carefully, he will find extraordinary teachings and siddhantas in these philosophies as well. As they say, the proof lies in the pudding, and each of these traditions has enough sants and mystics to attest to their validity and veracity.

Yes, Sadaputa dasa has written a book on the subject, entitled "Alien Identities: Ancient Insights into Modern UFO Phenomenon." There is a Vedic treatise called Vaimanika-shastra on aerial vehicles. It was revealed to Subbaraya Sastry in trance about a century ago. Vimanas are ubiquitous in the old Sanskrit texts.

Try one of the websites of the Sri Sampradaya such as www.ramanuja.org and www.srivaishnavasri.org and they should be able to point you in the right direction.

Now let us get on with rendering the main mantra itself. Introduction to Maha Mrityunjaya Mantra The great mantra dedicated to Shiva as Mrityunjaya is found in the Rig Veda. It is called the Maha Mrityunjaya mantra, the Great Death-Conquering mantra. It is a mantra that has many names and forms. It is called the Rudra mantra, referring to the furious aspect of Shiva; the Tryambakam mantra, alluding to Shiva's three eyes; and its is sometimes known as the Mrita-Sanjivini mantra because it is a component of the "life-restoring" practice given to the primordial sage Shukra after he had completed an exhausting period of austerity. The Maha Mrityunjaya mantra is hailed by the sages as the heart of the Veda. Along with the Gayatri mantra it holds the highest place among the many mantras used for contemplation and meditation. aum tryambakaṁ yajāmahe sugandhiṁ puṣṭi vardhanam urvārukamiva bandhanān mṛtyormukṣīya māmṛtāt OM. We worship and adore you, O three-eyed one, O Shiva. You are sweet gladness, the fragrance of life, who nourishes us, restores our health, and causes us to thrive. As, in due time, the stem of the cucumber weakens, and the gourd is freed from the vine, so free us from attachment and death, and do not withhold immortality.

You're absolutely correct. And Narayana Maharaja did a terrific job in defending Gosvami Tulasidasaji Maharaja and his superexcellent Shri Ramacharitamanasa above. I hope you had the patience to go through the entire article. It is worth a read. And I shall quote my post above as reply to your question. In fact, I no longer solely confine myself to Gaudiya Vaishnavism so as to fulfill my spiritual aspirations. There is truth and beauty in every Vedic path that is based on shastra, whether that is Vaishnavism, Shaivism, Shaktism, or Smartism. The number of souls in existence is infinite, and each being also has it own, specific nature. As they say, to each his own, and sameness in religion is neither possible nor desirable in any event. Personally I derive the same peace and satisfaction whether I worship Bhagavan Rama, Bhagavan Shiva or Maa Durga. And I am also drawn to some Devatas and Devis not for any material reward, but simply out of attraction to Them. Sri Hanumanji and Ganga-maiya are examples of such. I certainly present no apologies to anybody for that.

True, Kulapavanaji. In fact, it has been said that Vedanta refers to the masculine part of Dharma, with Tantra being its feminine counterpart. A careful study of these two systems would probably reveal that they are, indeed, complementary to one another and different methodologies to approach the spiritual.

It is indeed possible, and I myself find the BS to be quite intriguing, with its overt use of tantric imagery to develop its Krishna-centred theology. The depiction of lotus-petaled realms and so forth (even if metaphorical) is explicitly tantric in nature. Scholars tend to date it to the late medieval period, even though they have no way to be certain of the exact period of its composition. But it is an interesting writing, that's for certain. Sure, most of shastra has been lost today, and the original, undivided Purana as well as Ramayana are said to still exist in Devaloka in one billion verses each. It is also well known that the majority of Upanishads and other secondary books have been lost. Perhaps (I think) only the four Vedas have been kept more or less intact because of the purpose that they were meant to serve. Presumably, all these scriptures are still present in the akashic record of the sky, and occasionally can be revealed to chosen mediums in trance, just like in the case of Subbaraya Sastry who, in the early 20th century, dictated the Vaimanika-shastra in this way. The Vaimanika-shastra, by the way, is an ancient Sanskrit technical treatise which is ascribed to Maharishi Bharadvaja, and concerns itself with various aspects of Vedic vimanas, or flying vehicles, the flying patterns of which, upon a close read, are found to be startlingly similar to reported accounts of the modern UFO phenomenon.