gokulkr

How close we can have darshan at Srirangam ? I heard only iyengars & madhva brahmins are allowed to have a very close darshan of Lord Sri Ranganatha. I am a sourashtra brahmin. I am not a Iyengar or Madhva Brahmin. So how close will i be allowed to have a darshan of "Lord Sri Ranganatha" in Srirangam ? please tell. /images/graemlins/smile.gif Om Namah Shivaya /images/graemlins/smile.gif Om Namo Venkatesaya

How close we can have darshan at Srirangam ? I heard only iyengars & madhva brahmins are allowed to have a very close darshan of Lord Sri Ranganatha. I am a sourashtra brahmin. I am not a Iyengar or Madhva Brahmin. So how close will i be allowed to have a darshan of "Lord Sri Ranganatha" in Srirangam ? please tell. of course, i had visited "Srirangam" many times. at that time, i was a kid & didnt observed the above fact. /images/graemlins/smile.gif Om Namah Shivaya /images/graemlins/smile.gif Om Namo Venkatesaya

I am going to Ahobilam, Sri Sailam, MANTRALYAM & Katari. I am happy as i gonna have darshan of "Lord Narashima, Lord Rangantha,Lord Shiva & SRI SRI GURU RAGHAVENDRA SWAMY". I am starting at today nite 9:00 pm (26-03-2004) and i will be back at (30-03-2004) nite. So i am going to Ahobilam-mantralayam pilgrimage. May Krishna & Raghavendraswamy bless you all /images/graemlins/smile.gif Om Namah Shivaya /images/graemlins/smile.gif Om Namo Venkatesaya

10.38 mukta api lilaya vigraham krtva bhagavantam bhajante The liberated souls have divine forms with which they worship the Supreme Lord by taking part in his transcendental pastimes. (Sridhara Swami's sarvajna-bhasya commentary on Srimad-Bhagavatam 10.87.21) Text 21 : Dhuravamagaathma-tattva-nigmaay tavaakth-thanooshu Charitha-mahaamrthuaabthi-parivartha-parikshamanaah: Na parilakpranthi kechithu apavargamu apikshar they Charan-saroj-hansa-kula-chadang-vishushrada-gruhaa: (Srimad-Bhagavatam 10.87.21) The opinion of suddhadvaita-vada on the distinct position of the eternally liberated souls. My Lord, some fortunate souls have gotten relief from the fatigue of material life by diving into the vast nectar ocean of Your pastimes, which You enact when You manifest Your personal forms to propagate the unfathomable science of the self. These rare souls, indifferent even to liberation, renounce the happiness of home and family because of their association with devotees who are like flocks of swans enjoying at the lotus of Your feet. /images/graemlins/smile.gif Om Namah Shivaya /images/graemlins/smile.gif Om Namo Venkatesaya

Bhagavatam Is the Answer to All Questions 1. Sri Sukadeva Gosvami said: In the Srimad-Bhagavatam there are ten divisions of statements regarding the following: the creation of the universe, subcreation, planetary systems, protection by the Lord, the creative impetus, the change of Manus, the science of God, returning home, back to Godhead, liberation, and the summum bonum. 2. To isolate the transcendence of the summum bonum, the symptoms of the rest are described sometimes by Vedic inference, sometimes by direct explanation, and sometimes by summary explanations given by the great sages. 3. The elementary creation of sixteen items of matter--namely the five elements [fire, water, land, air and sky], sound, form, taste, smell, touch, and the eyes, ears, nose, tongue, skin and mind--is known as sarga, whereas subsequent resultant interaction of the modes of material nature is called visarga. 4. The right situation for the living entities is to obey the laws of the Lord and thus be in perfect peace of mind under the protection of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. The Manus and their laws are meant to give right direction in life. The impetus for activity is the desire for fruitive work. 5. The science of God describes the incarnations of the Personality of Godhead and His different activities together with the activities of His great devotees. 6. The merging of the living entity, along with his conditional living tendency, with the mystic lying down of the Maha-Visnu is called the winding up of the cosmic manifestation. Liberation is the permanent situation of the form of the living entity after he gives up the changeable gross and subtle material bodies. 7. The supreme one who is celebrated as the Supreme Being or the Supreme Soul is the supreme source of the cosmic manifestation as well as its reservoir and winding up. Thus He is the Supreme Fountainhead, the Absolute Truth. 8. The individual person possessing different instruments of senses is called the adhyatmic person, and the individual controlling deity of the senses is called adhidaivic. The embodiment seen on the eyeballs is called the adhibhautic person. 9. All three of the above-mentioned stages of different living entities are interdependent. In the absence of one, another is not understood. But the Supreme Being who sees every one of them as the shelter of the shelter is independent of all, and therefore He is the supreme shelter. 10. After separating the different universes, the gigantic universal form of the Lord [Maha-Visnu], which came out of the causal ocean, the place of appearance for the first purusa-avatara, entered into each of the separate universes, desiring to lie on the created transcendental water [Garbhodaka]. 11. That Supreme Person is not impersonal and therefore is distinctively a nara, or person. Therefore the transcendental water created from the Supreme Nara is known as nara. And because He lies down on that water, He is known as Narayana. 12. One should definitely know that all material ingredients, activities, time and modes, and the living entities who are meant to enjoy them all, exist by His mercy only, and as soon as He does not care for them, everything becomes nonexistent. 13. The Lord, while lying on His bed of mystic slumber, generated the seminal symbol, golden in hue, through external energy out of His desire to manifest varieties of living entities from Himself alone. 14. Just hear from me how the potency of His Lordship divides one into three, called the controlling entities, the controlled entities and the material bodies, in the manner mentioned above. 15. From the sky situated within the transcendental body of the manifesting Maha-Visnu, sense energy, mental force and bodily strength are all generated, as well as the sum total of the fountainhead of the total living force. 16. As the followers of a king follow their lord, similarly when the total energy is in motion, all other living entities move, and when the total energy stops endeavoring, all other living entities stop sensual activities. 17. The living force, being agitated by the virat-purusa, generated hunger and thirst, and when He desired to drink and eat, the mouth opened. 18. From the mouth the palate became manifested, and thereupon the tongue was also generated. After this all the different tastes came into existence so that the tongue can relish them. 19. When the Supreme desired to speak, speeches were vibrated from the mouth. Then the controlling deity Fire was generated from the mouth. But when He was lying in the water, all these functions remained suspended. 20. Thereafter, when the supreme purusa desired to smell odors, the nostrils and respiration were generated, the nasal instrument and odors came into existence, and the controlling deity of air, carrying smell, also became manifested. 21. Thus when everything existed in darkness, the Lord desired to see Himself and all that was created. Then the eyes, the illuminating god Sun, the power of vision and the object of sight all became manifested. 22. By development of the desire of the great sages to know, the ears, the power of hearing, the controlling deity of hearing, and the objects of hearing became manifested. The great sages desired to hear about the Self. 23. When there was a desire to perceive the physical characteristics of matter, such as softness, hardness, warmth, cold, lightness and heaviness, the background of sensation, the skin, the skin pores, the hairs on the body and their controlling deities (the trees) were generated. Within and outside the skin is a covering of air through which sense perception became prominent. 24. Thereafter when the Supreme Person desired to perform varieties of work, the two hands and their controlling strength, and Indra, the demigod in heaven, became manifested, as also the acts dependent on both the hands and the demigod. 25. Thereupon, because of His desiring to control movement, His legs became manifested, and from the legs the controlling deity named Visnu was generated. By His personal supervision of this act, all varieties of human being are busily engaged in dutiful occupational sacrifice. 26. Thereupon, for sexual pleasure, begetting offspring and tasting heavenly nectar, the Lord developed the genitals, and thus there is the genital organ and its controlling deity, the Prajapati. The object of sexual pleasure and the controlling deity are under the control of the genitals of the Lord. 27. Thereafter, when He desired to evacuate the refuse of eatables, the evacuating hole, anus, and the sensory organ thereof developed along with the controlling deity Mitra. The sensory organ and the evacuating substance are both under the shelter of the controlling deity. 28. Thereafter, when He desired to move from one body to another, the navel and the air of departure and death were combinedly created. The navel is the shelter for both, namely death and the separating force. 29. When there was a desire to have food and drink, the abdomen and the intestines and also the arteries became manifested. The rivers and seas are the source of their sustenance and metabolism. 30. When there was a desire to think about the activities of His own energy, then the heart (the seat of the mind), the mind, the moon, determination and all desire became manifested. 31. The seven elements of the body, namely the thin layer on the skin, the skin itself, the flesh, blood, fat, marrow and bone, are all made of earth, water and fire, whereas the life breath is produced by the sky, water and air. 32. The sense organs are attached to the modes of material nature, and the modes of material nature are products of the false ego. The mind is subjected to all kinds of material experiences (happiness and distress), and the intelligence is the feature of the mind's deliberation. 33. Thus by all this, the external feature of the Personality of Godhead is covered by gross forms such as those of planets, which were explained to you by me. 34. Therefore beyond this [gross manifestation] is a transcendental manifestation finer than the finest form. It has no beginning, no intermediate stage and no end; therefore it is beyond the limits of expression or mental speculation and is distinct from the material conception. 35. Neither of the above forms of the Lord, as just described unto you from the material angle of vision, is accepted by the pure devotees of the Lord who know Him well. 36. He, the Personality of Godhead, manifests Himself in a transcendental form, being the subject of His transcendental name, quality, pastimes, entourage and transcendental variegatedness. Although He is unaffected by all such activities, He appears to be so engaged. 37-40. O King, know from me that all living entities are created by the Supreme Lord according to their past deeds. This includes Brahma and his sons like Daksa, the periodical heads like Vaivasvata Manu, the demigods like Indra, Candra and Varuna, the great sages like Bhrgu, Vyasa and Vasistha, the inhabitants of Pitrloka and Siddhaloka, the Caranas, Gandharvas, Vidyadharas, Asuras, Yaksas, Kinnaras and angels, the serpentines, the monkey-shaped Kimpurusas, the human beings, the inhabitants of Matrloka, the demons, Pisacas, ghosts, spirits, lunatics and evil spirits, the good and evil stars, the goblins, the animals in the forest, the birds, the household animals, the reptiles, the mountains, the moving and standing living entities, the living entities born from embryos, from eggs, from perspiration and from seeds, and all others, whether they be in the water, land or sky, in happiness, in distress or in mixed happiness and distress. All of them, according to their past deeds, are created by the Supreme Lord. 41. According to the different modes of material nature--the mode of goodness, the mode of passion and the mode of darkness--there are different living creatures, who are known as demigods, human beings and hellish living entities. O King, even a particular mode of nature, being mixed with the other two, is divided into three, and thus each kind of living creature is influenced by the other modes and acquires its habits also. 42. He, the Personality of Godhead, as the maintainer of all in the universe, appears in different incarnations after establishing the creation, and thus He reclaims all kinds of conditioned souls amongst the humans, the nonhumans and the demigods. 43. Thereafter, at the end of the millennium, the Lord Himself in the form of Rudra, the destroyer, will annihilate the complete creation as the wind displaces the clouds. 44. The great transcendentalists thus describe the activities of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, but the pure devotees deserve to see more glorious things in transcendence, beyond these features. 45. There is no direct engineering by the Lord for the creation and destruction of the material world. What is described in the Vedas about His direct interference is simply to counteract the idea that material nature is the creator. 46. This process of creation and annihilation described in summary herein is the regulative principle during the duration of Brahma's one day. It is also the regulative principle in the creation of mahat, in which the material nature is dispersed. 47. O King, I shall in due course explain the measurement of time in its gross and subtle features with the specific symptoms of each, but for the present let me explain unto you the Padma-kalpa. 48. Saunaka Rsi, after hearing all about the creation, inquired from Suta Gosvami about Vidura, for Suta Gosvami had previously informed him how Vidura left home, leaving aside all his relatives, who were very difficult to leave. 49-50. Saunaka Rsi said: Let us know, please, what topics were discussed between Vidura and Maitreya, who talked on transcendental subjects, and what was inquired by Vidura and replied by Maitreya. Also please let us know the reason for Vidura's giving up the connection of his family members, and why he again came home. Please also let us know the activities of Vidura while he was in the places of pilgrimage. 51. Sri Suta Gosvami explained: I shall now explain to you the very subjects explained by the great sage in answer to King Pariksit's inquiries. Please hear them attentively.

Its Rudra-Gita . You have to search as Rudra gita instead of 'Shiva Gita'. Yes there is Rudra-Gita. Even in this Rudra tells Lord Vishnu as supreme & asks him to worship. Rudra gita is told by Rudra to pracetas. I learnt core of "Rudra-Gita" from a Book called 'Guruvaurapan Mahima'. But i dont know from which purana carries Rudra-Gita . Anywy Rudra-Gita tells vishnu as supreme (just like in Bhagavath-gita). so why bother about Rudra-Gita ? read "Bhagavath-Gita" instead. /images/graemlins/smile.gif Om Namah Sivaya /images/graemlins/smile.gif Om Namo Venkatesaya.

All gods are same. we have gita directly given by krishna. whatever good essence ur kuran has gita is having it. but kuran doesnt contain everything that gita tells. so i am satisified with gita. gita has more good qualities than quran. i dont need quran for guidance. no genuine hindu scripture tells not to worship idols. idols are archa-rupa of god. god presents himself in five forms. one such form is arch-rupa, as arch-rupa he resides in idol. if u want better insight on archa-rupa (idol worship) then visit www.srivaishnava.org , www.srivaishnavam.org, www.srivaishnavan.org i have already replied all your queries & doubts. but ure adamantly clinging on to your point wearing the mask of innocence. i am telling that hindu scriptures has told to kill our animal instincts, not to kill animals. you are asking to point out the word "not to kill animals" in the scriptures. each word in the scriptures has a deep meaning hidden under it. god had send gurus. they are the instruction manual. only thru guru u can understand it. dont think hindu scriptures as easy to learn just by asking some explanation of scriptures. if i begin to explain it will never end. the knowledge is soo vast. i havent told that scriptures are for particular people. its for all. only u people treat us as kafirs. not we. even if i explain some quote, you will pick another quote & ask for explanation. so it will never end. anyway u want to be clarified your doubts, then u should convert yourself into hindu & try to lead a pure non-violent life for some years & apprach a guru to learn scriptures. then only u can understand wat scriptures really teach. till that u will always see in a ignorant way. moreover, im sure ure not reading original sanskrit scriptures, just by reading some english translations, you are quoting it. if u wanna know really whats written in the scripture u first know sanskrit & find a guru as i told above. if u are not ready to do that, u can mind ur work without disturbing us, as we have many good work to do rather than arguing with you.

10. 37 vastuno'mso jivam vastunam saktirmaya ca vastunam karyam jagac-ca tat sarvam vastveva The Supreme Lord alone is the Substance of all reality; a particle of his substance is the jiva; the energy of that substance is maya and the effect of that substance is this material world. Therefore everything having emanated from that supreme substance, all things may be said to be "nondifferent" from it. In this way the conclusion of nonduality may be applied to the Absolute Substance. (Bhavartha-dipika 1.1.1) A liberated soul attains a spiritually perfect body in the service of Krsna /images/graemlins/smile.gif Om Namah Shivaya /images/graemlins/smile.gif Om Namo Venkatesaya

Skanda Upanishad http://lavanya.aros.net/sanskrit/all_pdf/skanda.pdf Jai Shri Krishna

10. 36 hladinya samvidaslistham sac-cidnananda isvaram sva-vidya-samvrto jivam samklesani-karakam The nature of the Supreme Lord is sat-citnananda: He is the ultimate embodiment of eternity, knowledge and bliss, and is richly endowed with the hladini and samvit saktis. But the jivas, the souls of this world are covered by ignorance, which is the cause of their suffering the threefold miseries. (Bhagavat-Sandarbha, Sarvajna-sukta-vakya commentary of Sridhara Swami on Srimad-Bhagavatam 1.7.5-6) Text 5: Yaya Sammohitho Jeev Aathmanann Rigunaathmakamm Paroyapi Manutheyanarthe Thathkruthang Chaabipathathe (Srimad-Bhagavatam 1.7.5) The living entities conditioned to the modes of nature take in spite of the transcendental the unwanted for granted and undergo the reactions thereof. Due to this external energy, the living entity, although transcendental to the three modes of material nature, thinks of himself as a material product and thus undergoes the reactions of material miseries. Text 6: Yasyang why Shruyamanaayaan Krishne Paramapurushe Bakthiruthpadathe Pungsaha Sokhamohabayaapaha (Srimad-Bhagavatam 1.7.6) By means of devotional service in yoga one can find in transcendence the mitigation of the unwanted. For the masses unaware of this Vyâsadeva compiled the vedic literatures relating to this truth. The material miseries of the living entity, which are superfluous to him, can be directly mitigated by the linking process of devotional service. But the mass of people do not know this, and therefore the learned Vyâsadeva compiled this Vedic literature, which is in relation to the Supreme Truth. /images/graemlins/smile.gif Om Namah Sivaya /images/graemlins/smile.gif Om Namo Venkatesaya

anyway you can answer again . is muhammed vegetarian ? is vegeterianism supported by quaran ? if suported why dont u people follow it . Why cant u people answer it again. of course you know that ur religion doesnt respect animals. thats why you are not answering again. i feel pity for you as you have chosen a asuric path.

Sree Vigyneshwara Ashtotra Shuklambaradharam vishnum Shasi varnam chaturbhujam Prasannavadanam dhyayet Sarva-vighnopashan-taye || Om Vinayakaya namah Om Vignna-rajaya namah Om Gouri-putraya namah Om Ganeshwa-raya namah Om Skanda-grajaya namah Om Avyayaya namah Om Putaya namah Om Dakshaya namah Om Adhya-kshaya namah Om Dvija-priyaya namah Om Agni-garbha-chide namah Om Indhra-sri-pradaya namah Om Vaani-pradaya namah Om Avyayaya namah Om Sarwa sidhi-pradaya namah Om Sharwa-tanayaya namah Om Sharwa-priyaya namah Om Sarwat-makaya namah Om Srusti-karte namah Om Devaya namah Om Anekar-chitaya namah Om Shivaya namah Om Shudhaya namah Om Bhudhi-priyaya namah Om Shantaya namah Om Bramha-charine namah Om Gajana-naya namah Om Dvaimatu-raya namah Om Munistut-yaya namah Om Bhakta-vigna-vinasha-naya namah Om Ykadhantaya namah Om Chatur-bhahave namah Om Chatu-raya namah Om Shakti-samyu-taya namah Om Lambha-daraya namah Om Shurpa-karnaya namah Om Haraye namah Om Bramha-viduttamaya namah Om Kalaya namah Om Graha-pataye namah Om Kamine namah Om Soma-suryag-nilo-chanaya namah Om Pashajku-shadha-raya namah Om Chandaya namah Om Guna-titaya namah Om Nirajanaya namah Om Akalmashaya namah Om Swayamsidhiya namah Om Sidharchita-padambu-jaya namah Om Bhijapura-phala-saktaya namah Om Vara-daya namah Om Shashwa-taya namah Om Krutine namah Om Vidwat priyaya namah Om Vita-bhayaya namah Om Gadine namah Om Chakrine namah Om Ikshu-chapa-dhrute namah Om Sridaya namah Om Ajaya namah Om Utpala-karaya namah Om Sripataye namah Om Stuti-harshi-taya namah Om Kuladri-betre namah Om Jati-laya namah Om Kali-kalmasha-nasha-naya namah Om Chandhra-chuda-manaye namah Om Kantaya namah Om Papaharine namah Om Sama-hitaya namah Om Aashri-taya namah Om Srikaraya namah Om Soumyaya namah Om Bhaktha-vamchita-daya-kaya namah Om Shantaya namah Om Kaivalya-sukha-daya namah Om Sachida-nanda-vigrahaya namah Om Gynanine namah Om Daya-yutaya namah Om Dantaya namah Om Bramha-dvesha-vivarji-taya namah Om Pramatta-daitya-bhaya-daya namah Om Srikantaya namah Om Vibhude-shwaraya namah Om Ramar-chitaya namah Om Nidhaye namah Om Nagaraja-yagyno-pavitaye namah Om Sthula-kantaya namah Om Swayamkarte namah Om Sama-gosha-priyaya namah Om Parsmai namah Om Stula-tundaya namah Om Agranye namah Om Dhiraya namah Om Vagishaya namah Om Sidhi-daya-kaya namah Om Dhurwa-bilwa-priyaya namah Om Avya-ktamurthaye namah Om Adbhuta-murthi-mate namah Om Shailendhra-tanu-jotsajga-khelanotsuka-manasaya namah Om Swalavanya-sudha-sarajita-manmadha-vigrahaya namah Om Samstha-jagada-dharaya namah Om Maeine namah Om Mushaka-vahanaya namah Om Hrustaya namah Om Trustaya namah Om Prasannatmane namah Om Sarwa-sidhi-pradaya-kaya namah Sree Vigyneshwara Ashtotra samapatham

Sree Vigyneshwara Ashtotra Shuklambaradharam vishnum Shasi varnam chaturbhujam Prasannavadanam dhyayet Sarva-vighnopashan-taye || Om Vinayakaya namah Om Vignna-rajaya namah Om Gouri-putraya namah Om Ganeshwa-raya namah Om Skanda-grajaya namah Om Avyayaya namah Om Putaya namah Om Dakshaya namah Om Adhya-kshaya namah Om Dvija-priyaya namah Om Agni-garbha-chide namah Om Indhra-sri-pradaya namah Om Vaani-pradaya namah Om Avyayaya namah Om Sarwa sidhi-pradaya namah Om Sharwa-tanayaya namah Om Sharwa-priyaya namah Om Sarwat-makaya namah Om Srusti-karte namah Om Devaya namah Om Anekar-chitaya namah Om Shivaya namah Om Shudhaya namah Om Bhudhi-priyaya namah Om Shantaya namah Om Bramha-charine namah Om Gajana-naya namah Om Dvaimatu-raya namah Om Munistut-yaya namah Om Bhakta-vigna-vinasha-naya namah Om Ykadhantaya namah Om Chatur-bhahave namah Om Chatu-raya namah Om Shakti-samyu-taya namah Om Lambha-daraya namah Om Shurpa-karnaya namah Om Haraye namah Om Bramha-viduttamaya namah Om Kalaya namah Om Graha-pataye namah Om Kamine namah Om Soma-suryag-nilo-chanaya namah Om Pashajku-shadha-raya namah Om Chandaya namah Om Guna-titaya namah Om Nirajanaya namah Om Akalmashaya namah Om Swayamsidhiya namah Om Sidharchita-padambu-jaya namah Om Bhijapura-phala-saktaya namah Om Vara-daya namah Om Shashwa-taya namah Om Krutine namah Om Vidwat priyaya namah Om Vita-bhayaya namah Om Gadine namah Om Chakrine namah Om Ikshu-chapa-dhrute namah Om Sridaya namah Om Ajaya namah Om Utpala-karaya namah Om Sripataye namah Om Stuti-harshi-taya namah Om Kuladri-betre namah Om Jati-laya namah Om Kali-kalmasha-nasha-naya namah Om Chandhra-chuda-manaye namah Om Kantaya namah Om Papaharine namah Om Sama-hitaya namah Om Aashri-taya namah Om Srikaraya namah Om Soumyaya namah Om Bhaktha-vamchita-daya-kaya namah Om Shantaya namah Om Kaivalya-sukha-daya namah Om Sachida-nanda-vigrahaya namah Om Gynanine namah Om Daya-yutaya namah Om Dantaya namah Om Bramha-dvesha-vivarji-taya namah Om Pramatta-daitya-bhaya-daya namah Om Srikantaya namah Om Vibhude-shwaraya namah Om Ramar-chitaya namah Om Nidhaye namah Om Nagaraja-yagyno-pavitaye namah Om Sthula-kantaya namah Om Swayamkarte namah Om Sama-gosha-priyaya namah Om Parsmai namah Om Stula-tundaya namah Om Agranye namah Om Dhiraya namah Om Vagishaya namah Om Sidhi-daya-kaya namah Om Dhurwa-bilwa-priyaya namah Om Avya-ktamurthaye namah Om Adbhuta-murthi-mate namah Om Shailendhra-tanu-jotsajga-khelanotsuka-manasaya namah Om Swalavanya-sudha-sarajita-manmadha-vigrahaya namah Om Samstha-jagada-dharaya namah Om Maeine namah Om Mushaka-vahanaya namah Om Hrustaya namah Om Trustaya namah Om Prasannatmane namah Om Sarwa-sidhi-pradaya-kaya namah Sree Vigyneshwara Ashtotra samapatham

In your prev thread i had explained that "Jesus was a vaishnava" & so called "Bible" of today doesnt carry any teachings of Jesus. it just carries interpretations made by secretarial christians. but unfortunately, ur prev thread got deleted by moderator. i dunno why. Moreover, sometimes Krishna uses Maya & Indira to test his devotees. so we should not consider indira as evil force. In gita , krishna says that Among demigods, he is indira. so Indra ia Amsa of krishna. Moreover, ayyanar is a manifestation of a rudra force on order to protect the crops in the village field. ayyanar is not ayyappan. of course, rudras appear fearsome in appearance due to their tamasic nature. but that doesnt mean that they are evil/satan. According to Bhagavatham : Once shiva wanted to know about illusion (maya) & approached vaikundam for it . At that time, he saw a beautiful mohini & shiva ran after her. At that time, some semenic energy spilled from shiva.(Mohini is none other than vishnu himself). immediately mohini disappeard & vishnu showed his true form & told him that mohini he saw was a illusion. So shiva later made penance & conquered maya. the semenic energy took the form of a child. the child is none other than ayyappan. since he was born out of haran(shiva) on seeing hari(mohini), he was called "hariharan". devotees respectfully call him "ayyappan". Ayyappan like his father (shiva) was also a great devotee of vishnu. /images/graemlins/smile.gif Om Namah Shivaya /images/graemlins/smile.gif Om Namo Venkatesaya

In Valmiki Ramayana, it is clearly mentioned : Ramayan says that a bhramin's son died in a young age.That bhramin went and complained to ram.Ram thought that in a vedic ruled country every body has 100 year life. So some unvedic thing has happened.And he found out that sambuk doing some penance. Lord Rama approached him and asked why are u doing penance ? He replied that he had commiteed the great "seven" sins (such as murder, robbery, raping ...) and he didnt want to be punsished by God for the sins he comitted. so in order to escape the punishment, hes doing penance to purify his sons. According to vedic dharma, if a person committes "grave" sins, then he should either repent for it by pure heart before God or he should approach a guru for advise. Hes not permitted to do penance to purify the sins. this rule applies to all varnas. So since as a God & a king, its duty of Lord Rama to punish him acoordingly. His appropriate punishment is death. So Rama killed him. (NOTE : the sambhu was given moksha just because he died in hands of God. isnt it merciful. suppose ih he wasnt killed by Rama, then he would have born again & lead a drastic life due to his karma. So Actually Rama saved him from that. I WISH THAT I WERE A SAMBHU AT THAT TIME, SO THAT I WOULD HAVE GOT MOKSHA THRU RAMA. ) Moreover, both Ram & Krsna lilas are complex to understand. if we cant we should approach a guru for explanation. but most people dont do that & they cook their own views committing blasphemy against God. <-- Also how do you justify Lord Ram asking sitha to jump into fire and purify herself? --> Lord Rama wanted to show greatness of Goddess Sita to all three worlds. Only Goddess Sita have calibre to merge & emerge from Panch buthas since Goddess Sita is Creative Energy of Lord Rama. Lord Narayana always wanted his devotees to be praised & respected much rather than him. So he always commits many lilas making his devotees to be praised & respected than him. How Merciful Lord Narayana is. By comitting above two lilas, Lord Rama had made Sita devi & Sambhuk to be praised/respected & allowing (ignorant)people even to make negative comments on him. Lord Rama is Nirguna & rama doesnt like meaningless respect/fame. Rama just needed his devotees to respected more than him. No other God do like this. I Salute the MERCY OF NARAYANA. NOTE : lord rama also wanted hanuman to be loved/respected more than him. so lord rama allowed hanuman to perform more heroic feats rather than himself. So We salute Greatness & Mercy of Lord Rama. JAI SHRI RAM

The siddhanta of the acarya of suddhadvaita-vada (Visnuswami, represented by Sridhara Swami) 10. 36 hladinya samvidaslistham sac-cidnananda isvaram sva-vidya-samvrto jivam samklesani-karakam The nature of the Supreme Lord is sat-citnananda: He is the ultimate embodiment of eternity, knowledge and bliss, and is richly endowed with the hladini and samvit saktis. But the jivas, the souls of this world are covered by ignorance, which is the cause of their suffering the threefold miseries. (Bhagavat-Sandarbha, Sarvajna-sukta-vakya commentary of Sridhara Swami on Srimad-Bhagavatam 1.7.5-6) 10. 37 vastuno'mso jivam vastunam saktirmaya ca vastunam karyam jagac-ca tat sarvam vastveva The Supreme Lord alone is the Substance of all reality; a particle of his substance is the jiva; the energy of that substance is maya and the effect of that substance is this material world. Therefore everything having emanated from that supreme substance, all things may be said to be "nondifferent" from it. In this way the conclusion of nonduality may be applied to the Absolute Substance. (Bhavartha-dipika 1.1.1) A liberated soul attains a spiritually perfect body in the service of Krsna 10. 38 mukta api lilaya vigraham krtva bhagavantam bhajante The liberated souls have divine forms with which they worship the Supreme Lord by taking part in his transcendental pastimes. (Sridhara Swami's sarvajna-bhasya commentary on Srimad-Bhagavatam 10.87.21) The opinion of suddhadvaita-vada on the distinct position of the eternally liberated souls. 10. 39 parsada-tanu-nama-karmarabdam nityatvam suddhatvams ca The eternal associates of the Lord are free from the cycle of karma. They are eternally pure, transcendental, and free from all material qualities. They never suffer birth and death within this material world. (Bhavartha-Dipika 1.6.21) One who equates the individual soul with the Supreme Lord is an infidel, an atheist. 10. 40 aparimita dhruvas-tanu-bhrto yadi sarvagata- starhina sasyateti niyamo dhruva netaratha ajani ca yan mayam tada vimucya niyastr-bhavet sama-manujanatam yadamatam mata-dusthataya O Lord, although the living entities who have accepted material bodies are spiritual and unlimited in number, if they were all-pervading there would be no question of their being under your control. If they are accepted, however, as particles of the eternally existing spiritual entity - as part of You, who are the Supreme Spirit Whole - we must conclude that they are always under Your control. If the living entities are simply satisfied with being identified with You as spiritual particles, then they will be happy being controllers of so many things. The conclusion that the living entities and the Supreme Personality of Godhead are one and the same is a faulty conclusion. It is not a fact.(Srimad-Bhagavatam 10.87.30) 10. 41 yei mudha kahe - "jivaisvara" haya sama sei ta' "pasandi" haya, dande tare yama A foolish person who says that the Supreme Lord and the individual soul or jiva are the same is an infidel, an offender, and an atheist; after death he is punished by the Lord of death, Yamaraja. (Caitanya-Caritamrta Madhya 18.115) This post is submitted with thanks from "Dhaa ji". /images/graemlins/smile.gif Om Namah Sivaya /images/graemlins/smile.gif Om Namo Venkatesaya

Answers by Citing the Lord's Version 1. Sri Sukadeva Gosvami said: O King, unless one is influenced by the energy of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, there is no meaning to the relationship of the pure soul in pure consciousness with the material body. That relationship is just like a dreamer's seeing his own body working. 2. The illusioned living entity appears in so many forms offered by the external energy of the Lord. While enjoying in the modes of material nature, the encaged living entity misconceives, thinking in terms of "I" and "mine." 3. As soon as the living entity becomes situated in his constitutional glory and begins to enjoy the transcendence beyond time and material energy, he at once gives up the two misconceptions of life [i and mine] and thus becomes fully manifested as the pure self. 4. O King, the Personality of Godhead, being very much pleased with Lord Brahma because of his nondeceptive penance in bhakti-yoga, presented His eternal and transcendental form before Brahma. And that is the objective goal for purifying the conditioned soul. 5. Lord Brahma, the first spiritual master, supreme in the universe, could not trace out the source of his lotus seat, and while thinking of creating the material world, he could not understand the proper direction for such creative work, nor could he find out the process for such creation. 6. While thus engaged in thinking, in the water, Brahmaji heard twice from nearby two syllables joined together. One of the syllables was taken from the sixteenth and the other from the twenty-first of the sparsa alphabets, and both joined to become the wealth of the renounced order of life. 7. When he heard the sound, he tried to find the speaker, searching on all sides. But when he was unable to find anyone besides himself, he thought it wise to sit down on his lotus seat firmly and give his attention to the execution of penance, as he was instructed. 8. Lord Brahma underwent penances for one thousand years by the calculations of the demigods. He heard this transcendental vibration from the sky, and he accepted it as divine. Thus he controlled his mind and senses, and the penances he executed were a great lesson for the living entities. Thus he is known as the greatest of all ascetics. 9. The Personality of Godhead, being thus very much satisfied with the penance of Lord Brahma, was pleased to manifest His personal abode, Vaikuntha, the supreme planet above all others. This transcendental abode of the Lord is adored by all self-realized persons freed from all kinds of miseries and fear of illusory existence. 10. In that personal abode of the Lord, the material modes of ignorance and passion do not prevail, nor is there any of their influence in goodness. There is no predominance of the influence of time, so what to speak of the illusory, external energy; it cannot enter that region. Without discrimination, both the demigods and the demons worship the Lord as devotees. 11. The inhabitants of the Vaikuntha planets are described as having a glowing sky-bluish complexion. Their eyes resemble lotus flowers, their dress is of yellowish color, and their bodily features very attractive. They are just the age of growing youths, they all have four hands, they are all nicely decorated with pearl necklaces with ornamental medallions, and they all appear to be effulgent. 12. Some of them are effulgent like coral and diamonds in complexion and have garlands on their heads, blooming like lotus flowers, and some wear earrings. 13. The Vaikuntha planets are also surrounded by various airplanes, all glowing and brilliantly situated. These airplanes belong to the great mahatmas or devotees of the Lord. The ladies are as beautiful as lightning because of their celestial complexions, and all these combined together appear just like the sky decorated with both clouds and lightning. 14. The goddess of fortune in her transcendental form is engaged in the loving service of the Lord's lotus feet, and being moved by the black bees, followers of spring, she is not only engaged in variegated pleasure--service to the Lord, along with her constant companions--but is also engaged in singing the glories of the Lord's activities. 15. Lord Brahma saw in the Vaikuntha planets the Personality of Godhead, who is the Lord of the entire devotee community, the Lord of the goddess of fortune, the Lord of all sacrifices, and the Lord of the universe, and who is served by the foremost servitors like Nanda, Sunanda, Prabala and Arhana, His immediate associates. 16. The Personality of Godhead, seen leaning favorably towards His loving servitors, His very sight intoxicating and attractive, appeared to be very much satisfied. He had a smiling face decorated with an enchanting reddish hue. He was dressed in yellow robes and wore earrings and a helmet on his head. He had four hands, and His chest was marked with the lines of the goddess of fortune. 17. The Lord was seated on His throne and was surrounded by different energies like the four, the sixteen, the five, and the six natural opulences, along with other insignificant energies of the temporary character. But He was the factual Supreme Lord, enjoying His own abode. 18. Lord Brahma, thus seeing the Personality of Godhead in His fullness, was overwhelmed with joy within his heart, and thus in full transcendental love and ecstasy, his eyes filled with tears of love. He thus bowed down before the Lord. That is the way of the highest perfection for the living being [paramahamsa]. 19. And seeing Brahma present before Him, the Lord accepted him as worthy to create living beings, to be controlled as He desired, and thus being much satisfied with him, the Lord shook hands with Brahma and, slightly smiling, addressed him thus. 20. The beautiful Personality of Godhead addressed Lord Brahma: O Brahma, impregnated with the Vedas, I am very much pleased with your long accumulated penance with the desire for creation. Hardly am I pleased with the pseudo mystics. 21. I wish you good luck. O Brahma, you may ask from Me, the giver of all benediction, all that you may desire. You may know that the ultimate benediction, as the result of all penances, is to see Me by realization. 22. The highest perfectional ingenuity is the personal perception of My abodes, and this has been possible because of your submissive attitude in the performance of severe penance according to My order. 23. O sinless Brahma, you may know from Me that it was I who first ordered you to undergo penance when you were perplexed in your duty. Such penance is My heart and soul, and therefore penance and I are nondifferent. 24. I create this cosmos by such penance, I maintain it by the same energy, and I withdraw it all by the same energy. Therefore the potential power is penance only. 25. Lord Brahma said: O Personality of Godhead, You are situated in every living entity's heart as the supreme director, and therefore You are aware of all endeavors by Your superior intelligence, without any hindrance whatsoever. 26. In spite of that, my Lord, I am praying to You to kindly fulfill my desire. May I please be informed how, in spite of Your transcendental form, You assume the mundane form, although You have no such form at all. 27. And [please inform me] how You, by Your own Self, manifest different energies for annihilation, generation, acceptance and maintenance by combination and permutation. 28. O master of all energies, please tell me philosophically all about them. You play like a spider that covers itself by its own energy, and Your determination is infallible. 29. Please tell me so that I may be taught in the matter by the instruction of the Personality of Godhead and may thus act instrumentally to generate living entities, without being conditioned by such activities. 30. O my Lord, the unborn, You have shaken hands with me just as a friend does with a friend [as if equal in position]. I shall be engaged in the creation of different types of living entities, and I shall be occupied in Your service. I shall have no perturbation, but I pray that all this may not give rise to pride, as if I were the Supreme. 31. The Personality of Godhead said: Knowledge about Me as described in the scriptures is very confidential, and it has to be realized in conjunction with devotional service. The necessary paraphernalia for that process is being explained by Me. You may take it up carefully. 32. All of Me, namely My actual eternal form and My transcendental existence, color, qualities and activities--let all be awakened within you by factual realization, out of My causeless mercy. 33. Brahma, it is I, the Personality of Godhead, who was existing before the creation, when there was nothing but Myself. Nor was there the material nature, the cause of this creation. That which you see now is also I, the Personality of Godhead, and after annihilation what remains will also be I, the Personality of Godhead. 34. O Brahma, whatever appears to be of any value, if it is without relation to Me, has no reality. Know it as My illusory energy, that reflection which appears to be in darkness. 35. O Brahma, please know that the universal elements enter into the cosmos and at the same time do not enter into the cosmos; similarly, I Myself also exist within everything created, and at the same time I am outside of everything. 36. A person who is searching after the Supreme Absolute Truth, the Personality of Godhead, most certainly search for it up to this, in all circumstances, in all space and time, and both directly and indirectly. 37. O Brahma, just follow this conclusion by fixed concentration of mind, and no pride will disturb you, neither in the partial nor in the final devastation. 38. Sukadeva Gosvami said to Maharaja Pariksit: The Supreme Personality of Godhead, Hari, after being seen in His transcendental form, instructing Brahmaji, the leader of the living entities, disappeared. 39. On the disappearance of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Hari, who is the object of transcendental enjoyment for the senses of devotees, Brahma, with folded hands, began to re-create the universe, full with living entities, as it was previously. 40. Thus once upon a time the forefather of living entities and the father of religiousness, Lord Brahma, situated himself in acts of regulative principles, desiring self-interest for the welfare of all living entities. 41. Narada, the most dear of the inheritor sons of Brahma, always ready to serve his father, strictly follows the instructions of his father by his mannerly behavior, meekness and sense control. 42. Narada very much pleased his father and desired to know all about the energies of Visnu, the master of all energies, for Narada was the greatest of all sages and greatest of all devotees, O King. 43. The great sage Narada also inquired in detail from his father, Brahma, the great-grandfather of all the universe, after seeing him well satisfied. 44. Thereupon the supplementary Vedic literature, Srimad-Bhagavatam, which was described by the Personality of Godhead and which contains ten characteristics, was told with satisfaction by the father [brahma] to his son Narada. 45. In succession, O King, the great sage Narada instructed Srimad-Bhagavatam unto the unlimitedly powerful Vyasadeva, who meditated in devotional service upon the Supreme Personality of Godhead, the Absolute Truth, on the bank of the River Sarasvati. 46. O King, your questions as to how the universe became manifested from the gigantic form of the Personality of Godhead, as well as other questions, I shall answer in detail by explanation of the four verses already mentioned.

The Mundaka Upanishad [The sage must distinguish between knowledge and Wisdom. Knowledge is of things, acts and relations. But Wisdom is of Brahman (Supreme Reality) alone; and beyond all things, acts, and relations, He abides forever. To become one with Him is the only Wisdom. - Swami Prabhavananda]. From The Mundaka Upanishad Translations and explanations by Swami Nikhilananda Sri Ramakrishna-Vivekananda Center, New York Saunaka, the great householder, approached Angirasa in the proper manner and said: Revered Sir, What is that by the knowing of which all this becomes known? (I.i.3) Angirasa answered to Saunaka: To him he said: Two kinds of knowledge must be known – that is what the knowers of Brahman tell us. They are the Higher Knowledge and the lower knowledge. -Mundaka Upanishad (I.i.4) [Note: The Hindu philosophers observed that by knowing the nature of clay one knows the nature of everything made of clay, by knowing the nature of iron or gold one knows the nature of everything made of iron or gold. Is there not likewise, they asked, something that is the basic material of the universe, by the knowing of which everything in the universe will be known? Similarly, there should be one cause of the multiple objects of the world, by the knowing of which its effects could be known. According to Non-dualistic Vedanta an effect has no real existence apart from its cause. Therefore when a man knows the cause, he also should know that the effect has no reality independent of it. Brahman is the ultimate cause of the universe. When one knows Brahman, one also knows that the universe has no reality independent of Brahman. "Higher Knowledge": The Knowledge of the Supreme Self, which is beyond duality. "lower knowledge": The lower knowledge is the knowledge of the phenomenal world. In reality it is ignorance, for it does not lead to the Highest Good. The seer of the Upanishad asks the aspirant to acquire both the knowledge of the relative world and the Knowledge of Ultimate Reality. When by the pursuit of the former he fails to attain true freedom and immortality, he cultivates the latter. The lower knowledge includes the knowledge of righteous actions (dharma) and unrighteous action (adharma) and their results.] The two kinds of knowledge: Of these two, the lower knowledge is the Rig-Veda, the Yajur-Veda, the Sama-Veda, the Atharva-Veda, siksha (phonetics), kalpa (rituals), vyakaranam (grammar), nirukta (etymology), chhandas (metre) and jyotis (astronomy); and the Higher Knowledge is that by which the Imperishable Brahman is attained. -Mundaka Upanishad (I.i.5) [Note: Sri Shankaracharya explains that the Higher Knowledge refers to the actual realisation of the subject matter taught in the Sruti (Vedas). It primarily means the experience of the Imperishable Brahman taught in the Upanishads, and not the mere words contained in them. "Siksha, kalpa…." : These six, known as the Vedangas, are ancillary to the Vedas. Without the knowledge of them a proper understanding of the Vedas is impossible. "Is attained": In the case of the Higher Truth, attainment and knowledge are identical. This attainment is the same as the destruction of ignorance. The knower of Brahman becomes Brahman.] EDUCATION FOR HUMAN EXCELLENCE EDUCATION AS TRAINING OF THE MIND AND NOT STUFFING OF THE BRAIN -Swami Ranganathananda (Belur Math) The first aim and function of all education should be to bring enlightenment to the students. Stuffing the student`s mind with facts and formulae is not education, because it does not bring enlightenment nor confer energy. TRAINING THE MIND, and NOT STUFFING THE BRAIN, is what we need.Thus alone will the student be able to acquire a luminous mind and increased energy of personality. This is what our ancient Upanisads proclaim as the objective of education.This is conveyed to us in one of the famous verses known as SHANTI PAATH or `Peace chant' occuring in the Katha and some other Upanisads. Sir Julian Huxley, the British biologist, wrote to Swami Ranganathananda: "Swami, you have given a splendid definition of what education ought to be, and sometimes is. But my visits to India showed me that the aim of a large number of Indian undergraduates was not to enjoy an education of this sort, but to pass examinations and obtain a degree, which is useful in getting jobs." EDUCATIONAL SIGNIFICANCE OF THE SHANTI PAATH OF THE UPANISADS The `Peace chant ' reads: Om, Sahanavavatu; sah nau bhunaktu; saha viryam karavavahai; Tejaswinavadhitamastu; ma vidvisavahai. Om shantih, shantih, shantih. `Om. May Brahman (the one divine Self in all) protect us both (student and teacher); may Brahman nourish us both; may we both acquire energy (by this education); may we not hate each other. Om. Peace, Peace, Peace.' This peace invocation contains many beautiful sentiments which have inspired Indian education - secular and religious- for a few thousand years. TEACHER AND STUDENT ENGAGED IN THE PURSUIT OF KNOWLEDGE AND EXCELLENCE OF CHARACTER IS EDUCATION. The invocation expresses the idea of education as the achievement of knowledge and excellence of character in the context of a harmonious relationship between teacher and student. The giving and receiving of knowledge, leading to the making of man, depends on the stimulus of such teacher-student relationship. The teacher gives and the student receives, not only ideas and information, but inspiration as well. In all the true education, teacher and student are not mere individuals, but personalities. Education, according to the Indian sages, is the lighting of one lamp from another lamp. `MAY WE ACQUIRE ENERGY' says the verse. Every step in education helps man to reach out to newer and newer energy resources within him. All energy is within man, says Vedanta. But they lie in deeper and deeper layers. 'Atmana vindate viryam'- `By the knowledge of the Atman, man gets infinite energy,' says the Kena Upanisad. Education helps man to secure access to the greater and greater energy resources within him. An uneducated rustic youth, timid and helpless, changes, through a few years in school, into a youth with a measure of fearlessness and self-confidence. His education continued further, helps that youth to develop a sense of his own individual identity. It is this RISING TO THE STATUS OF THE INDIVIDUALITY FROM THE STATE OF THE PRE-INDIVIDUAL MASS MAN that gives man the capacity to take independent decisions, the courage to stand by them and take the consequences, and the ability to deal with the world, and his position in it, as a mature human being. THIS PSYCHIC MATURITY IS ONE OF THE IMPORTANT CRITERIA OF EDUCATION; and it comes only from an education THAT TRAINS THE MIND AND NOT MERELY STUFFS THE BRAIN. The mental immaturity of a large number of people world-wide is a big problem. It is here that the failure of many education systems is writ large. It does not impart that psychological maturity to many.Swami Vivekananda referred to all such as MOUSTACHED BABIES! They are physically very mature, but mentally they are like babies- dependent, weak, demanding, and bereft of the sense of personal dignity and responsibility. . They have not developed that human energy resource that can identify human problems and rise above them themselves and take their society also with them. Behind these immature traits in all such people lies the lack of that luminosity or enlightenment which the Upanisads present as the second fruit of true education as mentioned in the peace chant.: TEJASVINAU ADHITAM ASTU- `may we be enlightened by this study, by this education'. This is the significance of knowledge being compared to light. The logo or the emblem of our society depicts books plus JNANA-DIPA, the light of knowledge. The Upanisads describe the Atman, the Self, as JNANA-SVARUPA or CHIT-SVARUP, of the very nature of knowledge, of the very nature of consciousness. All awakening to knowledge, to consciousness, is, therefore, the manifestation of the Atman, in varying degrees. This spiritual growth into personality is what twentieth-century biology calls the psycho-social evolution of man. It is man rising above organic evolution, to the spiritual and cultural levels. This is what Swami Vivekananda calls MAN-MAKING EDUCATION. From Chhandogya Upanishad Translations and comments by Swami Nikhilananda Sri Ramakrishna-Vivekananda Center, New York Narada approached Sanatkumara (as a pupil) and said: Venerable Sir, please teach me. Sanatkumara said to him: Please tell me what you already know. Then I shall tell you what is beyond. Narada said: Venerable Sir, I know the Rig-Veda, the Yajur-Veda, the Sama-Veda, the Atharva-Veda as the fourth, the epics (Puranas) and ancient lore (Itihasa or history) as the fifth, the Veda of the Vedas (i.e. grammar), the rules of the sacrifices by which the Manes are gratified, the science of numbers, the science of portents, the science of time, logic, ethics, etymology, Brahma0vidya (i.e. the science of pronunciation, ceremonials, prosody, etc.), the science of elemental spirits, the science of weapons, astronomy, the science of serpents, and the fine arts. All this I know, venerable Sir. But, venerable Sir, with all these I know words only; I do not know the Self. I have heard from men like you that he who knows the Self overcomes sorrow. I am one afflicted with sorrow. Do you, venerable Sir, help me to cross over to the other side of sorrow. Sanatkumara said: Whatever you have read is only a name. Verily, a name is the Rig-Veda; (so also) are the Yajur-Veda, the Sama-Veda, the Atharva-Veda as the fourth (Veda), the epics and the ancient lore as the fifth, the Veda of the Vedas (i.e. grammar), the rules of the sacrifices by which the manes are gratified, the science of numbers, the science of portents, the science of time, logic, ethics, etymology, Brahma-vidya, the science of elemental spirits, the science of weapons, astronomy, the science of serpents, and the fine arts. Meditate on the name. He who meditates on a name as Brahman can, of his own free will, reach as far as the name reaches- he who meditates on a name as Brahman. Narada said: Venerable Sir, is there anything greater than a name? Sanatkumara said: Of course there is something greater than a name. Narada said: Please tell that to me, venerable Sir. Speech as Brahman Sanatkumar said: Speech is, verily, greater than a name. Speech makes one understand the Rig-Veda, the Yajur-Veda, the Sama-Veda, the Atharva-Veda as the fourth, the epics…the science of serpents, and the fine arts, as well as heaven, earth, air, space, water, fire, gods, men, cattle, birds, herbs, trees, animals, together with worms, flies and ants as also righteousness and unrighteousness, the true and the false, the good and the bad, the pleasant and the unpleasant. Verily, if there were no speech, neither righteousness nor unrighteousness would be known, neither the true nor the false, neither the pleasant nor the unpleasant. Speech, verily, makes us know all these. Meditate upon speech. He who meditates on speech as Brahman can, of his own free will, reach as far as speech reaches- he who meditates on speech as Brahman. Narada said: Venerable Sir, is there anything greater than speech? Mind as Brahman Sanatkumara said: Of course there is something greater than speech. Mind is verily greater than speech. Just as the closed fist holds two amalakas, or two plums, or two aksha fruits, so does the mind hold speech and a name. For when a man thinks in his mind that he would read the sacred hymns, then he reads them. When he thinks in his mind that he would perform actions, then he performs them. When he thinks in his mind that he would have sons and cattle, then he desires them. When he thinks in his mind that he would have this world and the other, then he desires them. Mind, indeed, is the Self; mind is the world; mind is Brahman. Meditate on the mind. He who meditates on mind as Brahman can, of his own free will, reach as far as mind reaches- he who meditates on Brahman. Will as Brahman Will (samkalpa) is verily, greater than mind. For when a man wills, then he thinks in his mind, then he utters speech, and then he employs speech in (the recital of) a name. The sacred hymns are included in a name, and all sacrifices are included in the sacred hymns. Will, indeed, is the goal of all these (beginning with mind and ending in sacrifice); from will they arise and in will they all abide. Heaven and earth willed, air and space willed, water and fire willed. Through the will (of heaven and earth etc.) the rain wills; through the will of the rain, food wills; through the will of food, the pranas will; through the will of the pranas, the sacred hymns will; through the will of the sacred hymns, the sacrifices will; through the will of the sacrifices, the world wills; through the will of the world, everything wills. Such is will. Meditate on will. He who meditates on will as Brahman can, of his own free will, reach as far as will reaches- he who meditates on will as Brahman. Consideration as Brahman Consideration (chitta) is, verily, greater than will. For when a man considers, then he wills, then he thinks in his mind, then he utters speech, then he engages speech in (the recitation of) a name. The sacred hymns are included in a name, and all sacrifices are included in the sacred hymns. Consideration is, indeed, the goal of all these (beginning with mind and ending in sacrifice); from consideration they arise and in consideration they all abide. Therefore if a person is without consideration, even though he possesses much knowledge, people say of him that he is nothing, and whatever he knows (is useless); for if he were really learned, he would not be so inconsiderate. But if a person is considerate, though he knows but little, to him people are eager to listen. Consideration, indeed, is the goal of all these; consideration is the Self; consideration is the support. Meditate on consideration. He who meditates on consideration as Brahman, He, being permanent, firm, and undistressed, obtains the worlds which are permanent, firm and undistressed; he can, of his own free will, reach as far as consideration reaches- he who meditates on consideration as Brahman. Meditation as Brahman Meditation (Dhyana) is, verily, greater than consideration. Earth meditates, as it were. The mid-region meditates as it were. Heaven meditates, as it were. The waters meditate, as it were. The mountains meditate, as it were. The gods meditate, as it were. Men meditate, as it were. Therefore he who, among men, attains greatness here on earth seems to have obtained a share of meditation. Thus while small people are quarrelsome, abusive, and slandering, great men appear to have obtained a share of meditation. Meditate on meditation. He who meditates on meditation as Brahman, can, of his own free will, reach as far as meditation reaches- he who meditates on meditation as Brahman. Understanding as Brahman Understanding is, verily, greater than meditation. Understanding makes one understand the Rig-Veda, the Yajur-Veda, the Sama-Veda, the Atharva-Veda as the fourth, the epics……and the fine arts; heaven, earth, air, space, water, fire, gods, men, cattle, birds, herbs, trees; animals, together with worms, flies and ants; and also righteousness and unrighteousness, the true and the false, the good and the bad, the pleasant and the unpleasant, food and taste, this world and yonder (world). Meditate on understanding. He who meditates on understanding as Brahman attains the worlds of understanding and knowledge and can, of his own free will, reach as far as understanding reaches- he who meditates on understanding as Brahman. Strength as Brahman [Note: Strength: the power of the mind produced from food.] Strength is, verily, greater than understanding. One strong man causes a hundred men of understanding to tremble. When a man is strong he can rise. If he rises he can attend (on the teachers). If he attends on them he can become their intimate companion (as a pupil). If he is their intimate companion he can watch (their conduct), listen to their instructions, reflect on what he hears, become convinced of what he reflects on, act, and enjoy the result of action. By strength the earth stands firm, by strength the mid-region, heaven, mountains, the gods and men, cattle and birds, herbs and trees and animals, together with worms, flies and ants, by strength the world stands firm. Meditate upon strength. He who meditates on strength as Brahman can, of his own free will, reach as far as strength reaches- he who meditates on strength as Brahman. Food as Brahman Food is, verily, greater than strength. Therefore, if a man abstains from food for ten days (or longer periods), even though he might live, yet he would not be able to see, hear, reflect, become convinced, act or enjoy the result. But when he obtains food, he is able to see, hear, reflect, become convinced, act, and enjoy the result. He who meditates on food as Brahman obtains the world rich in food and drink; he can, of his own free will, reach as far as food reaches- he who meditates on food as Brahman. Water as Brahman Water is, verily, greater than food. Therefore if there is not sufficient rain, then living creatures are afflicted with the thought that there will be less food. But if there is sufficient rain, then living creatures rejoice in the thought that there will be much food. It is water that assumes the form of this earth, this mid-region, this heaven, these mountains, these gods and men, cattle and birds, herbs and trees, and animals, together with worms, flies and ants. Water indeed is all these forms. Meditate on water. He who meditates on water as Brahman obtains all his desires and becomes satisfied; he can, of his own free will, reach as far as water reaches- he who meditates on water as Brahman. Fire as Brahman Fire is, verily, greater than water. For, having seized the air, it warms the space9Akasa). Then people say: ‘It is hot, it burns; it will rain,’ Thus does fire first manifest itself and then create water. Furthermore, thunderclaps roll with lightning upward and across the sky. Then people say: ‘there is lightning, there is thunder; it will rain.’ Here also does fire first manifest itself and then create water. Meditate on fire. He who meditates on fire as Brahman becomes radiant himself and obtains radiant worlds, full of light and free from darkness; he can of his own free will, reach as far as fire reaches- he who meditates on fire as Brahman. Akasa (space) as Brahman The akasa (space) is, verily, greater than fire. For in the akasa exist both the sun and the moon, lightning, stars, and fire. It is through the akasa that a person calls another; it is through the akasa that that the others hears; it is through the akasa that the person hears back. In the akasa we rejoice (when we are together), and in the akasa we rejoice not (when we are separated). In the akasa everything is born, and toward the akasa all things grow. Meditate upon the akasa. He who meditates on the akasa as Brahman obtains the worlds extending far and wide, luminous, free from pain, and spacious; he can, of his own free will, reach as far as the akasa reaches- he who meditates on the akasa as Brahman. Memory as Brahman Memory is,verily, greater than the akasa. Therefore, even when many people assemble, if they had no memory they would not hear anyone at all, they would not think, they would not understand. But surely, if they had memory, they would hear, think, and understand. Through memory, one knows one’s sons, through memory one’s cattle. Meditate on memory. He who meditates on memory as Brahman can, of his own free will, reach as far as memory reaches- he who meditates on memory as Brahman. Hope as Brahman Hope is, verily, greater than memory. Kindled by hope, (a person endowed with ) memory reads the sacred hymns, performs sacrifices, desires sons and cattle, desires this world and the other. Meditate on hope. He who meditates on hope as Brahman- all his desires are fulfilled through hope, his prayers are not in vain; he can, of his own free will, reach as far as hope reaches- he who meditates on hope as Brahman. Prana (vital force) as Brahman The prana is, verily greater than hope. As the spokes of a wheel are fastened to the nave, so are all these (beginning with the name and ending with hope) fastened to the prana. The prana moves by the prana. The prana gives prana to the prana. The prana is the father, the prana is the mother, the prana is the brother, the prana is the sister, the prana is the teacher, the prana is the brahmin (priest). [Note: The prana is the self of all, and includes action, the agent, and the result of action. It manifests itself in three principal forms: the body of Hiranyagarbha, the external air, and the principal vital breath in a living creature. The self (atman) dwells in the body with the support of the prana. When the prana departs from the body, the Self, too, gives it up. The Self, of which the prana forms an upadhi (limiting adjunct), and the consciousness which is behind the body of Hiranyagarbha are both non-different from the Supreme Self. All entities- beginning with names and ending in hope- are fastened to the prana. Of these, the name is the effect and speech the cause; speech is the effect and mind the cause. The cause is greater than the effect. All these entities, bound by the chain of hope, are fastened to the all-pervading prana, which is greater than hope.] If one says something unbecoming to a father, mother, brother, sister, teacher, or brahmin (priest), then people say: ‘Shame on you! Verily, you are a slayer of your father, a slayer of your mother, a slayer of your brother, a slayer of your sister, a slayer of your teacher, a slayer of a brahmin.’ But if, when the prana has departed from them, one shoves them together with a poker and burns every bit of them, no one would say: ‘You are slayer of your father, a slayer of your mother, a slayer of your brother, a slayer of your sister, a slayer of your teacher, a slayer of a brahmin’. The prana, verily, is all these. He (i.e. the knower of the prana) who sees this, reflects on this, is convinced of this, becomes an ativadi (superior speaker). If people say to such a man: ‘You are an ativadi,’ he may say: ‘Yes, I am an ativadi’; he need not deny it. [Note: The word ‘ativadi’ means, literally, superior speaker. It refers to a person who knows not only all the entities that should be known- that is to say, from names to hope- but also the prana, or conscious Self, which is beyond them.] The knowledge of the Truth But in reality he is an ativadi who has become an ativadi by the knowledge of the True. Narada said: May I, venerable Sir, become an ativadi by the knowledge of the True? Sanatkumara said: But one should desire to know the True. Narada said: Venerable Sir, I desire to know theTrue. [Note: ‘True’ means that which transcends all phenomena and is infinite.] Truth depends upon Understanding Sanatkumara said: When one understands the True, only then does one declare the True. One who does not understand the true does not declare It. Only one who understands It declares the True. One must desire to understand this understanding. Narada said: Venerable Sir, I desire to understand. Understanding depends upon reflection Sanatkumara said: When one reflects, only then does one understand. One who does not reflect does not understand. Only one who reflects understands. One must desire to understand this reflection. Narada said: Venerable Sir, I desire to understand reflection. [Note: Reflection includes reasoning about the object on which one reflects.] Reflection depends upon Faith Sanatkumara said: When one has faith, only then does one reflect. One who does not have faith does not reflect. Only one who has faith reflects. One must desire to understand faith. Narada said: Venerable Sir, I desire to understand faith. Faith depends upon single-mindedness Sanatkumara said: When one is single-minded (in one’s devotion to the teacher), only then does one have faith. One who does not have single-mindedness does not have faith. Only one who has single-mindedness has faith. One must desire to understand single-mindedness. Narada said: Venerable Sir, I desire to understand single-mindedness. Single-mindedness depends upon concentration Sanatkumara said: when one performs one’s duties (i.e. practises concentration), only then does one have single-mindedness. One who does not perform his duties does not have single-mindedness. Only one who performs his duties has single-mindedness. One must desire to understand the performance of duties. Narada said: Venerable Sir, I desire to understand the performance of duties. Concentration depends upon bliss Sanatkumara said: When one obtains bliss, only then does one perform one’s duties. One who does not obtain bliss does not perform his duties. Only one who obtains bliss performs his duties. One must desire to understand bliss. Narada said; Venerable Sir, I desire to understand bliss. The Infinite is bliss Sanatkumara said: The Infinite is bliss. There is no bliss in anything finite. Only the Infinite is bliss. One must desire to understand the Infinite. Narada said: Venerable Sir, I desire to understand the Infinite. The Infinite and the finite Sanatkumara said: Where one sees nothing else, hears nothing else, understands nothing else- that is the Infinite. Where one sees something else, hears something else, understands something else- that is the Infinite. The Infinite is immortal, the finite (is) mortal. Narada said: Venerable Sir, in what does the Infinite find Its support? Sanatkumara said: In Its own greatness- or not even in greatness. [Note: ‘Where one sees…’ There exists no seer or organ of seeing other than the non-dual Infinite, or Brahman. All empirical differentiations are absent in the experience of the Infinite. ‘Immortal’ means changeless. ‘In Its own …’ If one wishes to know the support of the Infinite, then it may be said to rest in its own greatness. But the fact is that the Infinite is without support; It is non-dual.] [it is said that the Infinite rests on Its own greatness. How then can It be without a support?] Sanatkumara said: Here on earth people describe cows and horses, elephants and gold, slaves and wives, fields and houses, as ‘greatness’. I do not mean this, for in such cases one thing finds its support in another. But what I say is: Instruction about the Infinite That Infinite, indeed, is below. It is above. It is behind. It is before. It is to the south. It is to the north The Infinite, indeed, is all this. Next follows the instruction about the Infinite with reference to ‘I’: I, indeed, am below. I am above. I am behind. I am before. I am to the south. I am to the north. I am. indeed, all this. [Note: ‘That Infinite…’ Now is explained why the Infinite does not rest upon anything. It is because there is nothing apart from the Infinite on which It could rest. The Infinite Itself is everything. Therefore It does not rest upon anything. ‘ ‘Next follows..’ The purpose of the text is to show the oneness of the Infinite and the Jiva (individual soul). [To the ignorant the word ‘I’ signifies the body. But here it signifies the Atman, or Self.] Next follows the instruction about the Infinite with reference to the Self: The Self, indeed, is below. It is above. It is behind. It is before. It is to the south. It is to the north. The Self, indeed, is all this. Verily, he who sees this, reflects on this, and understands this delights in the Self, sports with the self, rejoices in the self, revels in the Self. (Even while living in the body) he becomes a self-ruler. He wields unlimited freedom in all the worlds. But those who think differently from this have others for their rulers; they live in perishable worlds. They have no freedom in all the worlds. [Note: ‘He who sees this:’ That is to say, who knows the Self to be unborn, all-pervading, and free. ‘Delights in the Self’: All his love is centred in the Self alone. ‘Rejoices in the Self’: The pleasure which ordinary people derive from the company of others is enjoyed by the wise from the Knowledge of the Self. ‘Revels in the Self’: He does not derive any joy from the objects of the senses. ‘He… self-ruler’: His freedom is unlimited. ‘Perishable worlds’: Worlds of diversity.] Self-knowledge For Him who sees this, reflects on this, and understands this, the prana springs from the Self, hope springs from the Self, memory springs from the self, the akasa (space) springs from the Self, fire springs from the Self, water springs from the Self, appearance and disappearance spring from the Self, food springs from the Self, strength springs from the Self, understanding springs from the Self, meditation springs from the Self, consideration springs from the Self, will springs from the Self, mind springs from the Self, speech springs from the Self, the name springs from the Self, the sacred hymns spring from the Self, the sacrifices spring from the Self- ay, all this springs from the Self. [Note; ‘All this’: All things perceived to exist.] [Prior to obtaining the Knowledge of the true Self, one believes that all entities, from the name to the prana, spring from and disappear into something other than the Self. But when one has realised the Self, one knows that all things appear from and disappear into the Self alone.] On this there is the following verse: "The knower of Truth does not see death or disease or sorrow. The knower of Truth sees everything and obtains everything everywhere. He (the knower) is one (before the creation), becomes three, becomes five, becomes seven, becomes nine; then again he is called eleven, one hundred and ten, and one thousand and twenty. [Now is described the discipline for inner purification by which Self-Knowledge is attained]: When food is pure, the mind becomes pure. When the mind is pure the memory becomes firm. When the memory is firm all ties are loosened. The venerable Sanatkumara showed Narada, after his blemishes had been wiped out, the other side of darkness. They call Sanatkumara Skanda, yea, Skanda they call him. [Note: ‘The knower of Truth’: That is to say, he who sees all things in the Self. ’Becomes three’: That is to say, fire, water and earth. ‘Becomes seven etc’: The various numbers are intended to show the endless variety of forms the Self assumes after the creation. Again, at the time of dissolution, the self returns to Its pristine unity. ‘Food’: The Sanskrit word dhara in the text means anything that is taken in (ahriyate) by the senses, that is to say, sounds, sights, smells, etc. ‘Mind…pure’: Free from aversion, attachment, or delusion. ‘Memory’: That is to say, the memory that He is the Infinite Self. ‘All ties etc’: Ties created by ignorance, which have accumulated through numerous births and which reside in the heart. ‘Darkness’; Ignorance. ‘Venerable Sanatkumara’: He who knows the origin, the end, the birth and death (of all beings), and also ignorance and Knowledge- such a one is called venerable (bhagavan). (As explained by Sri Sankaracharya). ‘Skanda’: The dictionary meaning of this word is "wise man"]

Vedic context of Revathi : Rg Vedam ********************************************** The word Revathi is seen in every one of the four VedAs . In the oldest of Vedams , Rg Vedam , at the very beginning ( Rg I.30.13 ) , an appeal is made to Him : rEvathir na: sadhamadha IndrE santhu tuvivAjA: kshamanthO yAbhir madhEma (Meaning): Oh resplendent Lord of immeasurable wealth ! May Thou share Your spirtiual joy ( BrahmAnandham) with us ! May we in this world have abundant (spiritual) nourishment ! May our intellect be clear and sharp( dhiyO na: prachOdayAth) and in a state of parama bhakthi to enable us to have perfect communion with You ! Revathi and Yajur Vedam ****************************** MahAnAmnyO rEvathyO visvA aasA: prabhUvaree maigIrvidhyuthO vaacha:soocheebhi: samyanthu ThvA --Yajur Vedam: XXIII Here the reference to the singing of Raivatha Saaman arising from Revathi . This manthram prays for the directions and far spread regions of earth and sky to resonate with with Raivatha Saamans and MahAnAmni Saamans . May the Lord ( of SrIrangam ) be pleased with those Saama ghAnams ! Yajur Veda Manthram ( X.14) talks about the Revathi Saamans and Pankthi Sakvaari Saamans to ascend to zenith to please the Lord ( UrdhvamArOha pankthisthvaavathu Saakvara-RaivathE SaamAni---) The third place where Yajur Vedam appeals to Revathi Saaman as Vedic speech to reamin at the altar of the YajamAnan during the Yaj~nam in progress . This manthram ( Yajur Vedam III.21) requests the Lord not to stay at the consecrated spot and not to move from the house of Yaj~na Kruth .This manthram appeals to the Lord not to move away and to remain right there : Revathee ramadhvamasminyOnaavasmin ghOshtEasmimlOkEasmin kshayE, ihaiva stha maapaghAtha -----Yajur Vedam III.21 Sathapatha BrAhmaNam echoes the very same prayer and appeals to the Lord to " Stay right here and go not thence " ( Vaagvai Revathee ). Atharva Vedam's visualization of Revathi ************************************************* Revathi is viewed here as a star in the lunAr mansion as well as an integral part of the cosmic scheme of the Universe : vidhyujjihvA maruthO dhanthA Revathee-greevA : KrutthikA skandhaa gharmO vaha: ( Atharva Vedam: IX Canto: Hymn VII.3) (Meaning): Lightning is the tongue ; the winds are the teeth ; Revathee is the neck , the KrittikAs (Third of the lunar mansions) are the shoulders and the Summer is the shoulder-bar . The 26 manthrams of this hymn view the Universe as a homogenous entity made up of every entity and Tatthvam created by SarvEswaran . The 23rd , 24th and the 25th Manthrams celebrate SrI RanganAthan as the Lord of the animate and inanimate universe and invokes Him as a freind , who looks upon the created universe with eyes filled with Mercy. He is invoked as One with joy (aanandham) , when He pervades all objects created by Him .He is recognized as our friend in dhyAnam and a protector of human kind in SamAdhi ( deep state of union with Him). He is adored as an Omnipotent Lord free of all karmAs. He is saluted as the One behind this Naama-Roopa prapancham (Universe with many names and forms). He blesses all those who surrender to Him with Joy . According to the last manthram of this hymn , BhaagavathAs , who know this Lord of many auspicious attributes are described as being the fittest objects of worship by all . Such is the glory of Revathee Nakshathram , the birth star of the Lord of SrIrangam .

Vedic context of Revathi : Rg Vedam ********************************************** The word Revathi is seen in every one of the four VedAs . In the oldest of Vedams , Rg Vedam , at the very beginning ( Rg I.30.13 ) , an appeal is made to Him : rEvathir na: sadhamadha IndrE santhu tuvivAjA: kshamanthO yAbhir madhEma (Meaning): Oh resplendent Lord of immeasurable wealth ! May Thou share Your spirtiual joy ( BrahmAnandham) with us ! May we in this world have abundant (spiritual) nourishment ! May our intellect be clear and sharp( dhiyO na: prachOdayAth) and in a state of parama bhakthi to enable us to have perfect communion with You ! Revathi and Yajur Vedam ****************************** MahAnAmnyO rEvathyO visvA aasA: prabhUvaree maigIrvidhyuthO vaacha:soocheebhi: samyanthu ThvA --Yajur Vedam: XXIII Here the reference to the singing of Raivatha Saaman arising from Revathi . This manthram prays for the directions and far spread regions of earth and sky to resonate with with Raivatha Saamans and MahAnAmni Saamans . May the Lord ( of SrIrangam ) be pleased with those Saama ghAnams ! Yajur Veda Manthram ( X.14) talks about the Revathi Saamans and Pankthi Sakvaari Saamans to ascend to zenith to please the Lord ( UrdhvamArOha pankthisthvaavathu Saakvara-RaivathE SaamAni---) The third place where Yajur Vedam appeals to Revathi Saaman as Vedic speech to reamin at the altar of the YajamAnan during the Yaj~nam in progress . This manthram ( Yajur Vedam III.21) requests the Lord not to stay at the consecrated spot and not to move from the house of Yaj~na Kruth .This manthram appeals to the Lord not to move away and to remain right there : Revathee ramadhvamasminyOnaavasmin ghOshtEasmimlOkEasmin kshayE, ihaiva stha maapaghAtha -----Yajur Vedam III.21 Sathapatha BrAhmaNam echoes the very same prayer and appeals to the Lord to " Stay right here and go not thence " ( Vaagvai Revathee ). Atharva Vedam's visualization of Revathi ************************************************* Revathi is viewed here as a star in the lunAr mansion as well as an integral part of the cosmic scheme of the Universe : vidhyujjihvA maruthO dhanthA Revathee-greevA : KrutthikA skandhaa gharmO vaha: ( Atharva Vedam: IX Canto: Hymn VII.3) (Meaning): Lightning is the tongue ; the winds are the teeth ; Revathee is the neck , the KrittikAs (Third of the lunar mansions) are the shoulders and the Summer is the shoulder-bar . The 26 manthrams of this hymn view the Universe as a homogenous entity made up of every entity and Tatthvam created by SarvEswaran . The 23rd , 24th and the 25th Manthrams celebrate SrI RanganAthan as the Lord of the animate and inanimate universe and invokes Him as a freind , who looks upon the created universe with eyes filled with Mercy. He is invoked as One with joy (aanandham) , when He pervades all objects created by Him .He is recognized as our friend in dhyAnam and a protector of human kind in SamAdhi ( deep state of union with Him). He is adored as an Omnipotent Lord free of all karmAs. He is saluted as the One behind this Naama-Roopa prapancham (Universe with many names and forms). He blesses all those who surrender to Him with Joy . According to the last manthram of this hymn , BhaagavathAs , who know this Lord of many auspicious attributes are described as being the fittest objects of worship by all . Such is the glory of Revathee Nakshathram , the birth star of the Lord of SrIrangam .

Salutations to Revathi NaaTan, SrI RanganAtha ********************************************************* Today is the blessed day of Panguni Revathi .We celebrate the birth day of Lord RanganAtha on this day. In a few days time , in Panguni , we will celebrate SrI RanganAyaki's avathAra dinam . The word Revathi has many meanings . Wealthy or Splendid is the meaning that is given by the VedAs. Lord RanganAtha is ubhaya VibhUthi Naathan. He is the Master/owner of this leela vibhUthi and SrI Vaikuntam, His eternal VibhUthi (Nithya VibhUdhi) . Therefore , there is no one equal to or greater than Him in splenderous wealth in all the fourteen worlds . He is thus the embodiment of Revathi or splenderous wealth ! Vedic context of Revathi : Rg Vedam ********************************************** The word Revathi is seen in every one of the four VedAs . In the oldest of Vedams , Rg Vedam , at the very beginning ( Rg I.30.13 ) , an appeal is made to Him : rEvathir na: sadhamadha IndrE santhu tuvivAjA: kshamanthO yAbhir madhEma (Meaning): Oh resplendent Lord of immeasurable wealth ! May Thou share Your spirtiual joy ( BrahmAnandham) with us ! May we in this world have abundant (spiritual) nourishment ! May our intellect be clear and sharp( dhiyO na: prachOdayAth) and in a state of parama bhakthi to enable us to have perfect communion with You ! Revathi and Yajur Vedam ****************************** MahAnAmnyO rEvathyO visvA aasA: prabhUvaree maigIrvidhyuthO vaacha:soocheebhi: samyanthu ThvA --Yajur Vedam: XXIII Here the reference to the singing of Raivatha Saaman arising from Revathi . This manthram prays for the directions and far spread regions of earth and sky to resonate with with Raivatha Saamans and MahAnAmni Saamans . May the Lord ( of SrIrangam ) be pleased with those Saama ghAnams ! Yajur Veda Manthram ( X.14) talks about the Revathi Saamans and Pankthi Sakvaari Saamans to ascend to zenith to please the Lord ( UrdhvamArOha pankthisthvaavathu Saakvara-RaivathE SaamAni---) The third place where Yajur Vedam appeals to Revathi Saaman as Vedic speech to reamin at the altar of the YajamAnan during the Yaj~nam in progress . This manthram ( Yajur Vedam III.21) requests the Lord not to stay at the consecrated spot and not to move from the house of Yaj~na Kruth .This manthram appeals to the Lord not to move away and to remain right there : Revathee ramadhvamasminyOnaavasmin ghOshtEasmimlOkEasmin kshayE, ihaiva stha maapaghAtha -----Yajur Vedam III.21 Sathapatha BrAhmaNam echoes the very same prayer and appeals to the Lord to " Stay right here and go not thence " ( Vaagvai Revathee ). Atharva Vedam's visualization of Revathi ************************************************* Revathi is viewed here as a star in the lunAr mansion as well as an integral part of the cosmic scheme of the Universe : vidhyujjihvA maruthO dhanthA Revathee-greevA : KrutthikA skandhaa gharmO vaha: ( Atharva Vedam: IX Canto: Hymn VII.3) (Meaning): Lightning is the tongue ; the winds are the teeth ; Revathee is the neck , the KrittikAs (Third of the lunar mansions) are the shoulders and the Summer is the shoulder-bar . The 26 manthrams of this hymn view the Universe as a homogenous entity made up of every entity and Tatthvam created by SarvEswaran . The 23rd , 24th and the 25th Manthrams celebrate SrI RanganAthan as the Lord of the animate and inanimate universe and invokes Him as a freind , who looks upon the created universe with eyes filled with Mercy. He is invoked as One with joy (aanandham) , when He pervades all objects created by Him .He is recognized as our friend in dhyAnam and a protector of human kind in SamAdhi ( deep state of union with Him). He is adored as an Omnipotent Lord free of all karmAs. He is saluted as the One behind this Naama-Roopa prapancham (Universe with many names and forms). He blesses all those who surrender to Him with Joy . According to the last manthram of this hymn , BhaagavathAs , who know this Lord of many auspicious attributes are described as being the fittest objects of worship by all . Such is the glory of Revathee Nakshathram , the birth star of the Lord of SrIrangam . Let us reflect on Him today and seek His anugraham !

Salutations to Revathi NaaTan, SrI RanganAtha ********************************************************* Today is the blessed day of Panguni Revathi .We celebrate the birth day of Lord RanganAtha on this day. In a few days time , in Panguni , we will celebrate SrI RanganAyaki's avathAra dinam . The word Revathi has many meanings . Wealthy or Splendid is the meaning that is given by the VedAs. Lord RanganAtha is ubhaya VibhUthi Naathan. He is the Master/owner of this leela vibhUthi and SrI Vaikuntam, His eternal VibhUthi (Nithya VibhUdhi) . Therefore , there is no one equal to or greater than Him in splenderous wealth in all the fourteen worlds . He is thus the embodiment of Revathi or splenderous wealth ! Vedic context of Revathi : Rg Vedam ********************************************** The word Revathi is seen in every one of the four VedAs . In the oldest of Vedams , Rg Vedam , at the very beginning ( Rg I.30.13 ) , an appeal is made to Him : rEvathir na: sadhamadha IndrE santhu tuvivAjA: kshamanthO yAbhir madhEma (Meaning): Oh resplendent Lord of immeasurable wealth ! May Thou share Your spirtiual joy ( BrahmAnandham) with us ! May we in this world have abundant (spiritual) nourishment ! May our intellect be clear and sharp( dhiyO na: prachOdayAth) and in a state of parama bhakthi to enable us to have perfect communion with You ! Revathi and Yajur Vedam ****************************** MahAnAmnyO rEvathyO visvA aasA: prabhUvaree maigIrvidhyuthO vaacha:soocheebhi: samyanthu ThvA --Yajur Vedam: XXIII Here the reference to the singing of Raivatha Saaman arising from Revathi . This manthram prays for the directions and far spread regions of earth and sky to resonate with with Raivatha Saamans and MahAnAmni Saamans . May the Lord ( of SrIrangam ) be pleased with those Saama ghAnams ! Yajur Veda Manthram ( X.14) talks about the Revathi Saamans and Pankthi Sakvaari Saamans to ascend to zenith to please the Lord ( UrdhvamArOha pankthisthvaavathu Saakvara-RaivathE SaamAni---) The third place where Yajur Vedam appeals to Revathi Saaman as Vedic speech to reamin at the altar of the YajamAnan during the Yaj~nam in progress . This manthram ( Yajur Vedam III.21) requests the Lord not to stay at the consecrated spot and not to move from the house of Yaj~na Kruth .This manthram appeals to the Lord not to move away and to remain right there : Revathee ramadhvamasminyOnaavasmin ghOshtEasmimlOkEasmin kshayE, ihaiva stha maapaghAtha -----Yajur Vedam III.21 Sathapatha BrAhmaNam echoes the very same prayer and appeals to the Lord to " Stay right here and go not thence " ( Vaagvai Revathee ). Atharva Vedam's visualization of Revathi ************************************************* Revathi is viewed here as a star in the lunAr mansion as well as an integral part of the cosmic scheme of the Universe : vidhyujjihvA maruthO dhanthA Revathee-greevA : KrutthikA skandhaa gharmO vaha: ( Atharva Vedam: IX Canto: Hymn VII.3) (Meaning): Lightning is the tongue ; the winds are the teeth ; Revathee is the neck , the KrittikAs (Third of the lunar mansions) are the shoulders and the Summer is the shoulder-bar . The 26 manthrams of this hymn view the Universe as a homogenous entity made up of every entity and Tatthvam created by SarvEswaran . The 23rd , 24th and the 25th Manthrams celebrate SrI RanganAthan as the Lord of the animate and inanimate universe and invokes Him as a freind , who looks upon the created universe with eyes filled with Mercy. He is invoked as One with joy (aanandham) , when He pervades all objects created by Him .He is recognized as our friend in dhyAnam and a protector of human kind in SamAdhi ( deep state of union with Him). He is adored as an Omnipotent Lord free of all karmAs. He is saluted as the One behind this Naama-Roopa prapancham (Universe with many names and forms). He blesses all those who surrender to Him with Joy . According to the last manthram of this hymn , BhaagavathAs , who know this Lord of many auspicious attributes are described as being the fittest objects of worship by all . Such is the glory of Revathee Nakshathram , the birth star of the Lord of SrIrangam . Let us reflect on Him today and seek His anugraham !

What is advaita vedAnta? Literally, "non-dualism," advaita is the name of the oldest extant school of vedAnta. Advaita bases itself upon the Upanishads, the Brahma-sutras and the Bhagavad-gita. Advaita asserts that the real, essential identity of the jIva, the individual self, is nothing other than brahman Itself. The teaching follows from upanishadic statements (mahAvAkyas) like tat tvam asi and aham brahmAsmi. It is in this cardinal doctrine that Advaita differs from all other schools of vedAnta. The main tenets of Advaita are detailed in commentaries written by SankarAcArya, the famous philosopher who lived in the 7th - 8th centuries A.D. Read http://www.advaita-vedanta.org/avhp for a website dedicated to Advaita vedAnta. Who is the founder of Advaita? There is no single founder of Advaita Since the philosophy of Advaita is rooted in the Upanishads, which are part of the eternal vedas, the advaita tradition does not trace itself to a historical personality. However, SankarAcArya is venerated as the most important teacher of advaita vedAnta, as he wrote commentaries to the basic scriptural texts, and placed the living advaita tradition on a firm footing. Before SankarAcArya's time, the tradition was passed down mainly through oral instruction. Even today, the traditional way to learn advaita is to sit at the feet of an accomplished guru. Mere reading of the texts is insufficient. More details about the guru paramparA of advaita are at http://www.advaita-vedanta.org/avhp/advaita-parampara.html. There is a description of pre-Sankaran vedAnta at http://www.advaita-vedanta.org/avhp/pre-sankara.html. What are the basic tenets of advaita? The essential identity of the Atman and brahman is the most important tenet of advaita. Brahman is the substratum on which all phenomena are experienced, and also the antaryAmin, the One Lord who dwells in all beings. The innermost Atman, the real Self, is the same as this antaryAmin, and identical to brahman. Liberation (moksha) consists in realizing this identity, not just as a matter of literal or intellectual understanding, but as something that is to be grasped by the individual in his/her own personal experience. Yogic practices help in the road towards such realization, because they help the seeker in practising control of the senses, and in directing the antahkaraNa (the 'internal organ' - consisting of the mind, intellect, awareness and I-ness) inwards. The practice of ashTAnga-yoga is recommended to seekers by teachers of advaita. The seeker has to be equipped with requisite qualifications - qualities such as patience, forbearance, ability to focus one's concentration in an intense manner, an ability to discriminate between the Real and the non-Real, dispassion, and a desire for liberation. However, it is important to remember that moksha is not a result of mere ritualistic practice. Being identical to brahman, moksha always exists. Ritualistic practices help only to the extent of achieving citta-Suddhi, and in developing the above-mentioned qualities. Advaita is a non-dual teaching. When asked why duality is perceived in this world, advaita has a multi-pronged answer to the question. The world of multiplicity can be explained as due to mAyA, the power of creation wielded by the Creator, who is therefore also called the mAyin. From the point of view of the individual, the perception of duality/multiplicity is attributed to avidyA (ignorance) due to which the unity of brahman is not known, and multiplicity is seen instead. This is akin to the false perception of a snake in a rope. When the rope is known, the snake vanishes. Similarly, on brahman-realization, the world of multiplicity vanishes. This does not mean that the individual's ignorance creates the external world. However, the perception of multiplicity in the world, instead of the One brahman, is due to avidyA, i.e. ignorance. When avidyA is removed, the individual knows his own Self (Atman) to be brahman, so that there is no more world and paradoxically, no more individual. Here, the Self alone IS. Removal of avidyA is synonymous with brahman-realization, i.e. moksha. Read http://www.advaita-vedanta.org/avhp/ad-phil.html for a more detailed description. What is the relationship between advaita and buddhism? Is advaita a mere copy of buddhism? No, advaita is not a mere copy of buddhism. For a few centuries now, advaita has been criticized as being "pracanna bauddham" - buddhism in disguise. This criticism stems mainly from some of the vaishNava schools of vedAnta, but it is misplaced. Firstly, there is no one "buddhism" and for the criticism to be valid, it must be specified which school of buddhism is being referred to. SankarAcArya expends a lot of effort criticizing many of the philosophical positions taken by various schools of buddhism in his commentaries. Among modern academic scholars, advaita vedAnta is most often compared with the madhyamaka and yogAcAra schools of buddhism. This has been inspired mainly by the fact that the mANDUkya kArikAs, written by gauDapAda, Sankara's paramaguru, exhibit a great familiarity with this school of buddhism. However, if it is held that advaita vedAnta is essentially the same as madhyamaka buddhism, it must be pointed out that such a view stems from a misunderstanding of the important tenets of both advaita vedAnta and madhyamaka buddhism. There are many key details in which advaita differs from the madhyamaka school of buddhism. As for yogAcAra, the points of similarity arise from the fact that both advaita vedAnta and yogAcAra buddhism have a place for yogic practice, as do other schools of Indian philosophy. For further details, consult http://www.advaita-vedanta.org/avhp/gaudapada.html. Why is advaita sometimes referred to as mAyAvAda? The word mAyAvAda serves many purposes. Since advaita upholds the identity of the individual Atman with brahman, a doubt naturally arises about the origin of the variegated universe. The appearance of difference in the universe is attributed to mAyA. In popular parlance, mAyA means illusion, and a magician or a juggler is called a mAyAvI. Within advaita, mAyA has a technical significance as the creative power (Sakti) of brahman, which also serves to occlude, due to which the universe is perceived to be full of difference, and the unity of brahman is not known. See fuller details in response to Q. 3 above. Some vaishNava schools use the word mAyAvAda in a derogatory sense. However, this criticism interprets mAyA solely as illusion and criticizes advaita for dismissing the world as an illusion that is nothing more than a dream. Such a criticism neglects the philosophical subtlety of the concept of mAyA in advaita. Isn't advaita falsified by everyday experience? No. In fact, advaita acknowledges that everyday experience leads one to infer plurality, but it maintains emphatically that the transcendental experience of brahmAnubhava sublates the ordinary everyday experience that is based on perception through one's senses. The tradition holds that it is not correct to make one's conclusions on issues of metaphysics based only on normal everyday experience. All schools of vedAnta rely on scripture, i.e. the Vedas, as a valid source of knowledge. As advaita vedAnta is learnt only from the upanishads, it is not falsified by everyday experience. On the other hand, the knowledge of brahman's identity sublates normal perception. It is also pointed out there would be no need for scripture if one's conclusions were based only on everyday experience. Read more at http://www.advaita-vedanta.org/avhp/creation.html. An account of the post-Sankaran development in thinking about the One brahman vis-a-vis the manifold universe can be found at http://www.advaita-vedanta.org/avhp/one-many.html. What is the concept of scripture, according to advaita? Advaita's concept of scripture is very similar to that of the pUrva mImAm.sA school, but with two important exceptions. Thus, The vedas, arranged into the Rk, yajus, sAma and atharva vedas are valid scripture. The vedas are considered apaurusheya (unauthored), and eternally valid texts. They constitute Sruti, i.e. the "heard" revelation. A number of other texts, admittedly of human authorship, are also given scriptural status, but they are subordinate to the vedas in their authority, and are valid where they do not conflict with vedic precepts. These other texts are called smRti, i.e. remembered tradition. Each veda has a karmakANDa, consisting of mantras and ritual injunctions (vidhis) and a jnAnakANDa, consisting of the upanishads and brAhmaNas. The first exception that advaita takes to pUrva mImAmsA is in the role of the jnAnakANDa. The upanishads are not merely arthavAda, as maintained by the pUrva mImAmsA schools. The upanishads teach the knowledge of brahman, and are not meant to eulogize the fruits of ritual action. A second, more subtle philosophical difference with pUrva mImAm.sA is that advaita vedAnta accepts that brahman is the source of the veda, in the same way as brahman is the source of the entire universe. This acceptance of a "source" of the veda would not be acceptable to the true pUrva mImAm.sakas who follow the thought of kumArila bhaTTa or prabhAkara. The upanishads, which constitute the jnAnakANDa of the vedas, are therefore called Sruti prasthAna, and form one of the three sources of advaita vedAnta. The most important smRti prasthAna of advaita tradition is the bhagavad-gItA, which is perhaps the best known Indian religious text in modern times. The third text is the collection of brahmasUtras, by the sage bAdarAyaNa. The brahmasUtras establish the logical principles of orthodox vedAntic interpretation of Sruti, and are therefore called the nyAya prasthAna. The truth of advaita vedAnta is therefore said to be established on the tripartite foundation (prasthAna trayI)of revealed scripture (Sruti), remembered tradition (smRti) and logic (nyAya). How does worship by advaitins differ from worship in other schools of vedAnta? Very markedly. The orthoprax advaita tradition is closely allied to the smArta tradition, which follows the system of pancAyatana pUjA, where vishNu, Siva, Sakti, gaNapati and sUrya are worshipped as forms of saguNa brahman. In some sources, the concept of the pancAyatana is replaced by the notion of shaNmata, which adds skanda to the above set of five deities. The worship is done both on a daily basis and on specific festival occasions. Questions of who is superior, vishNu or Siva, which are very popular among many groups of Hindus, are not relished by advaitins. In the words of Sri Chandrasekhara Bharati (1892 - 1954), the accomplished jIvanmukta, "you cannot see the feet of the Lord, why do you waste your time debating about the nature of His face?" That said, vishNu and Siva, the Great Gods of Hinduism, are both very important within the advaita tradition. The sannyAsIs of the advaita order always sign their correspondence with the words "iti nArAyaNasmaraNam ". In worship, advaitins do not insist on exclusive worship of one devatA alone. As brahman is essentially attribute-less (nirguNa), all attributes (guNas) equally belong to It, within empirical reality. The particular form that the devotee prefers to worship is called the ishTa-devatA. The ishTa-devatAs worshipped by advaitins include vishNu as kRshNa, the jagadguru, and as rAma, Siva as dakshiNAmUrti, the guru who teaches in silence, and as candramaulISvara, and the Mother Goddess as pArvatI, lakshmI and sarasvatI. Especially popular are the representations of vishNu as a sAlagrAma, Siva as a linga, and Sakti as the SrI-yantra. gaNapati is always worshipped at the beginning of any human endeavor, including the pUjA of other Gods. The daily sandhyAvandana ritual is addressed to sUrya. The sannyAsis of the advaita sampradAya recite both the vishNu sahasranAmam and the SatarudrIya portion of the yajurveda as part of their daily worship. In addition, "hybrid" forms of the Deities, such as hari-hara or Sankara-nArAyaNa and ardhanArISvara are also worshipped. There is another significant distinction between worship in the advaita tradition and other kinds of Hindu worship. advaita insists that the distinction between the worshipper and God, the object of worship, is ultimately transcended, and that the act of worship itself points to this identity. This should not be confused with the doctrine of dualistic Saiva siddhAnta schools, which call for a ritual identification of the worshipper with Siva, for the duration of the worship. The identity of Atman and Brahman is a matter of absolute truth, not just a temporary ritual identification. Most vaishNava schools of vedAnta hold that the distinction between the worshipper and God, the object of worship, is eternally maintained. What is the advaita concept of liberation? In the advaita analysis, human life and behavior is explained on the basis of the theory of karma, which sets the cycle of rebirths into motion. All actions, good or bad, create their own karmic residues called vAsanas , which exhibit their results over a period of time. The karma which has already started taking fruit is called prArabdha karma. This is the karma that is responsible for the current birth. The accumulated karma which is yet to take fruit is called sancita karma. As long as the cycle of rebirths continues, more karma will be done in the future, and this is called Agamin karma. Liberation (moksha) is the way out of this endless cycle. In advaita, moksha is synonymous with brahman. Sruti says "brahmavit brahmaiva bhavati" - He who knows brahman becomes brahman Itself. In the advaita understanding of this statement, the "becoming" is only metaphorical. It is not as if something that was not brahman suddenly becomes brahman. Rather, "knowing brahman" means a removal of the ignorance about one's own essential nature as brahman. Thus, to "know brahman" is to "be brahman". The one who has realized the identity of his own Atman with the brahman is the jIvanmukta, one who is liberated even while embodied. Such realization should not and cannot just be a literal understanding of upanishadic mahAvAkyas. The jIvanmukta is one who has experienced the truth of the identity himself. Thus, moksha can only indirectly be called a result of ritual action (karma mArga) or of devotional service (bhakti mArga ). These paths lead along the way, and constitute the "how" but not the "why" of liberation. In fact, moksha is not a result of anything, for it always exists. All that is required is the removal of ignorance. For this reason, the way of advaita vedAnta is also called the path of knowledge (jnAna-mArga). What is the significance of jIvanmukti? Advaita holds that realization of brahman is possible on this earth itself. The highly evolved seeker, who approaches vedAntic study with a pure mind, and a strong tendency of mumukshutva, is fit to really experience brahman. One who has actually realized brahman, is a jIvanmukta - he is liberated while still living. He continues to live in a material body, because of the momentum of the prArabha karma that has already started taking fruit. But he accumulates no further karma, because all Agamin karma and sancita karma are "burnt" in the knowledge of brahmajnAna. The body eventually dies, and the jIvanmukta is said to have attained videhamukti. In accordance with the Sruti, "na sa punarAvartate," he does not enter into the cycle of rebirths any more. Who are the leading writers in the advaita tradition? The earliest advaitins whose writings are available today are gauDapAda (6th or 7th cent. CE - mANDUKya kArikas) and SankarAcArya (8th cent. CE - brahmasUtra bhAshyas, bhagavadgItA bhAshya and various upanishad bhAshyas ). Four disciples of SankarAcArya are known in the tradition - sureSvara, padmapAda, toTaka and hastAmalaka. An elder contemporary of SankarAcArya was maNDana miSra, who is traditionally identified with sureSvara. In the post-Sankaran period, some of the leading authors are vAcaspati miSra (9th cent. CE), sarvajnAtman (9th - 10th cent. CE), prakASAtman (10th cent. CE), SrIharsha (12th cent. CE), citsukha (13th cent. CE), Anandagiri, bhAratI tIrtha, vidyAraNya (13th - 14th cent. CE), madhusUdana sarasvatI, nRsimhASrama, appayya dIkshita (16th cent. CE), sadASiva brahmendra and upanishad brahmendra (17th - 18th cent. CE), are notable figures in the tradition. In the 20th century, candraSekhara bhAratI and saccidAnandendra sarasvatI have written scholarly treatises on advaita vedAnta. Other than these, there have been many other equally illustrious scholars who have not written texts, but who have taught their disciples through oral instruction. These post-Sankaran authors are discussed at http://www.advaita-vedanta.org/avhp/advaita.html#philosophers. What are the advaita institutions of the present day? All present day advaitins trace their guru-parampara through the four disciples of SrI SankarAcArya. These disciples were the first leaders of the four AmnAya maThas (monasteries) at Puri (Govardhan Math, Puri 752 001, Orissa) Sringeri (Sri Sarada Peetham, Sringeri 577 139, Karnataka), Dvaraka (Dvaraka Peeth, Dvaraka 361 335, Gujarat ) and Badrinath (Sri Sankaracharya Math, Joshimath, Badri 246 443, Uttar Pradesh). All four maThas are functioning today. Other well-known maThas are based in Kaladi, Bangalore, Kudali, Ujjain, Rameswaram, Sivaganga, Kolhapur, Kancipuram (Srimatham Samsthanam No. 1, Salai Street, Kanchipuram 631 502, Tamil Nadu), Varanasi, Bodhgaya and other holy places in India. And there are a number of other institutions in India that are also active in disseminating advaita philosophy and religion, like the various daSanAmI akhADas all over north India, Kankhal Asrama in Hardwar and its branches, the Advaita Asrama in Pune, etc. In addition to these traditional advaita lineages, various other Indian religious traditions, especially those relating to kuNDalinI yoga, siddha yoga, various tAntric lineages and numerous Saiva and SAkta traditions trace some connection to the guru-paramparA of SankarAcArya and his successors. The ramaNASramam (Tiruvannamalai 606 603, Tamil Nadu) is another important center, asscociated with the memory of SrI ramaNa mahaRshi, a celebrated sage of the 20th century. In recent times, a large number of institutions have been set up all over the world by teachers like Swami Vivekananda, Paramahamsa Yogananda, Swami Sivananda and others. These institutions also draw inspiration from advaita. See http://www.advaita-vedanta.org/avhp/ad-today.html, and the answer to question 13 below, for further details. Online Resources: Mailing list for advaita vedAnta - There is a mailing list, called ADVAITA-L, for discussing advaita vedAnta. You can to this list is to go to the list archives page (http://lists.advaita-vedanta.org/archives/advaita-l.html), and to follow the appropriate link. Else, send an email to listserv@lists.advaita-vedanta.org, with a blank subject line and the following message: SUBSCRIBE ADVAITA-L Your_full_name Example: SUBSCRIBE ADVAITA-L Devadatta Once you , you will get a welcome message explaining how to set the other mailing options. If you have any questions about the mailing list, please send an email to listmaster@advaita-vedanta.org, which reaches the list administrators, Sri Ravisankar Mayavaram, Sri Jaldhar Vyas and Sri Vaidya Sundaram. This forum is operated with minimal moderation, in the hope that the members will use self moderation and discuss advaita vedAnta with reverence. Archives of the mailing list are available in web browsable form and can be read from http://lists.advaita-vedanta.org/archives/advaita-l.html. Movie on Adi SankarAcArya - A Sanskrit movie on the life of SankarAcArya was made in 1984, by G. V. Iyer. This was the first Sanskrit language movie ever made, and is available from the National Film Development Corporation (NFDC) of India. Details about the movie are available at http://www.nfdcindia.com/mipcom2.html (NFDC website). Information about obtaining a copy of the movie can be found at the NFDC site, at http://www.nfdcindia.com/international.html. Also read a discussion about this movie, at the archives of the advaita mailing list. Image of Adi SankarAcArya - A clay image of Adi SankarAcArya can be obtained online from JBL Statues (http://jblstatue.com/pages/sankaracharya.html). Websites related to advaita vedAnta and vedAntins - The number of online resources relating to contemporary masters from the ancient advaita tradition and the modern neo-vedAnta schools is growing rapidly. Here is a collection of links you might be interested in visiting: http://www.erols.com/ramakris/sringeri/sringeri.html - The Sringeri maTha, currently headed by Swami Bharati Tirtha, is the first advaita monastery, established by Adi Sankara. The Sringeri lineage is directly or indirectly the source of most contemporary institutions associated with advaita vedAnta. In addition, there is now an official extension of the Sringeri Peetham in the USA, called the Sringeri Vidya Bharati Foundation (http://www.asanet.com/sringeri). The Peetham's bimonthly magazine, titled Tattvaloka, can also be obtained online in English and Italian versions (http://www.vidya.org/tattvaloka). http://www.kamakoti.org/ - The Kancipuram maTha, under Swami Jayendra Sarasvati. http://www.chitrapurmath.org/about.htm - The Chitrapur maTha of one group of sArasvata brAhmaNas, under Swami Sadyojata Sankarasrama. This maTha maintains its centuries old traditional links with the Sringeri maTha. http://www.koviloor-madalayam.org/ - The Koviloor maTha, a dynamic vedAnta maTha of the Nagarattar community, under Srilasri Nachiappa Gnanadesikan. Since its inception, this maTha has maintained traditional links with Sringeri maTha. This maTha is also one of the few institutions that preserve an old tradition of teaching advaita vedAnta through Tamil texts (including original texts and translations from Sanskrit). http://www.culturalindia.com/karyalaya.htm - Adhyatma Prakasha Karyalaya, founded by Swami Saccidanandendra Sarasvati. http://www.vedanta.org/ - Vedanta Society of Southern California, in the lineage of Ramakrishna Paramahamsa and Swami Vivekananda. Also see http://www.ramakrishna.org/ and http://www.vivekananda.org/. http://www.rsl.ukans.edu/~pkanagar/divineThe Divine Life Society, Rishikesh, established by Swami Sivananda, now headed by Swami Chidananda. http://www.sivananda.org/- Yoga Vedanta Center, established by Swami Vishnudevananda, a disciple of Swami Sivananda. http://www.chinmaya.org/ - Chinmaya Mission, established by Swami Chinmayananda, a disciple of Swami Sivananda and Tapovan Maharaj. http://www.arshavidya.org/- Arsha Vidya Gurukulam, established by Swami Dayananda Saraswati. Some very good lectures are available online, at http://www.yogamalika.org/reading-room.htm, maintained by Swami Paramarthananda. http://www.yogananda-srf.org/ - Self Realization Fellowship, established by Swami Paramahamsa Yogananda, maintains traditional links with the Puri and Bodhgaya maThas. http://www.ramana-maharshi.org/ - About Sri Ramana Maharishi. http://www.satramana.org/- Master Nome, at Society for Abidance in Truth, Santa Cruz, California. http://www.vidya.org/ - Vidya Bharata, founded by Raphael, Asram Vidya Order, Italy. http://www.geocities.com/~omkara - Swami Omkarananda Ashram, Rishikesh, established by Swami Omkarananda. http://www.ayurvedahc.com/ashlinge.htm - A Siddha Mahayoga lineage associated with SrI bhAratI kRshNa tIrtha of the Puri maTha. http://ddi.digital.net/~egodust - Egodust's Pathways to Metaphysics page. http://www.geocities.com/RodeoDrive/1415/veda.html - An introduction to Vedanta, by Giridhar Madras. OnlineBookstores/Publishers: http://www.tamilcinema.com/samata/page1.html - Samata Books, Madras: A comprehensive collection of SrI SankarAcArya's works may be obtained from here. Alternatively, see http://www.nesmabooksindia.com/samata.htm. http://www.mlbd.com/ - Motilal Banarsidass, a premier Indian publishing house. http://www.ucl.ac.uk/~ucgadkw/indnet-publishers.html - A collection of Indological publishers and bookshops, including Indian resources like Chetana (Mumbai), DK Agencies (New Delhi), Vedamsbooks (New Delhi) and The India Club. http://www.vedanta.com/ - Online catalog of the Vedanta Press, Los Angeles. http://www.sunypress.edu/- The State University of New York Press. http://www.bookshop.co.uk/- The Internet Bookshop, UK. http://www.amazon.com/ - Amazon Books, largest online booksellers. http://www.demon.co.uk/keganpaul - Kegan Paul International, London, UK. http://www.leggett.co.uk/- Trevor Leggett's books. Related sites: http://www.philo.demon.co.uk/Darshana.htm - A well designed site on the six darSanas of Indian Philosophy. http://vedavid.org/port.html - Collection of Vedic texts, a highly interesting graduate dissertation, presented online. ftp://jaguar.cs.utah.edu/private/sanskrit/sanskrit.html - General things of interest for Sanskrit lovers. If you wish to add any site to this list, please inform the author of this FAQ at vsundaresan@hotmail.com.

Questions by King Pariksit 1. King Pariksit inquired from Sukadeva Gosvami: How did Narada Muni, whose hearers are as fortunate as those instructed by Lord Brahma, explain the transcendental qualities of the Lord, who is without material qualities, and before whom did he speak? 2. The King said: I wish to know. Narrations concerning the Lord, who possesses wonderful potencies, are certainly auspicious for living beings in all planets. 3. O greatly fortunate Sukadeva Gosvami, please continue narrating Srimad-Bhagavatam so that I can place my mind upon the Supreme Soul, Lord Krsna, and, being completely freed from material qualities, thus relinquish this body. 4. Persons who hear Srimad-Bhagavatam regularly and are always taking the matter very seriously will have the Personality of Godhead Sri Krsna manifested in their hearts within a short time. 5. The sound incarnation of Lord Krsna, the Supreme Soul [i.e. Srimad-Bhagavatam], enters into the heart of a self-realized devotee, sits on the lotus flower of his loving relationship, and thus cleanses the dust of material association, such as lust, anger and hankering. Thus it acts like autumnal rains upon pools of muddy water. 6. A pure devotee of the Lord whose heart has once been cleansed by the process of devotional service never relinquishes the lotus feet of Lord Krsna, for they fully satisfy him, as a traveler is satisfied at home after a troubled journey. 7. O learned brahmana, the transcendental spirit soul is different from the material body. Does he acquire the body accidentally or by some cause? Will you kindly explain this, for it is known to you. 8. If the Supreme Personality of Godhead, from whose abdomen the lotus stem sprouted, is possessed of a gigantic body according to His own caliber and measurement, then what is the specific difference between the body of the Lord and those of common living entities? 9. Brahma, who was not born of a material source but of the lotus flower coming out of the navel abdomen of the Lord, is the creator of all those who are materially born. Of course, by the grace of the Lord, Brahma was able to see the form of the Lord. 10. Please also explain the Personality of Godhead, who lies in every heart as the Supersoul, and as the Lord of all energies, but is untouched by His external energy. 11. O learned brahmana, it was formerly explained that all the planets of the universe with their respective governors are situated in the different parts of the gigantic body of the virat-purusa. I have also heard that the different planetary systems are supposed to be in the gigantic body of the virat-purusa. But what is their actual position? Will you please explain that? 12. Also please explain the duration of time between creation and annihilation, and that of other subsidiary creations, as well as the nature of time, indicated by the sound of past, present and future. Also, please explain the duration and measurement of life of the different living beings known as the demigods, the human beings, etc., in different planets of the universe. 13. O purest of the brahmanas, please also explain the cause of the different durations of time, both short and long, as well as the beginning of time, following the course of action. 14. Then again, kindly describe how the proportionate accumulation of the reactions resulting from the different modes of material nature act upon the desiring living being, promoting or degrading him among the different species of life, beginning from the demigods down to the most insignificant creatures. 15. O best of the brahmanas, please also describe how the creation of the globes throughout the universe, the four directions of the heavens, the sky, the planets, the stars, the mountains, the rivers, the seas and the islands, as well as their different kinds of inhabitants, takes place. 16. Also, please describe the inner and outer space of the universe by specific divisions, as well as the character and activities of the great souls, and also the characteristics of the different classifications of the castes and orders of social life. 17. Please explain all the different ages in the duration of the creation, and also the duration of such ages. Also tell me about the different activities of the different incarnations of the Lord in different ages. 18. Please also explain what may generally be the common religious affiliations of human society, as well as their specific occupational duties in religion, the classification of the social orders as well as the administrative royal orders, and the religious principles for one who may be in distress. 19. Kindly explain all about the elementary principles of creation, the number of such elementary principles, their causes, and their development, and also the process of devotional service and the method of mystic powers. 20. What are the opulences of the great mystics, and what is their ultimate realization? How does the perfect mystic become detached from the subtle astral body? What is the basic knowledge of the Vedic literatures, including the branches of history and the supplementary Puranas? 21. Please explain unto me how the living beings are generated, how they are maintained, and how they are annihilated. Tell me also of the advantages and disadvantages of discharging devotional service unto the Lord. What are the Vedic rituals and injunctions of the supplementary Vedic rites, and what are the procedures of religion, economic development and sense satisfaction? 22. Please also explain how, merged in the body of the Lord, living beings are created, and how the infidels appear in the world. Also please explain how the unconditioned living entities exist. 23. The independent Personality of Godhead enjoys His pastimes by His internal potency and at the time of annihilation gives them up to the external potency, and He remains a witness to it all. 24. O great sage, representative of the Lord, kindly satisfy my inquisitiveness in all that I have inquired from you and all that I may not have inquired from you from the very beginning of my questionings. Since I am a soul surrendered unto you, please impart full knowledge in this connection. 25. O great sage, you are as good as Brahma, the original living being. Others follow custom only, as followed by the previous philosophical speculators. 26. O learned brahmana, because of my drinking the nectar of the message of the infallible Personality of Godhead, which is flowing down from the ocean of your speeches, I do not feel any sort of exhaustion due to my fasting. 27. Suta Gosvami said: Thus Sukadeva Gosvami, being invited by Maharaja Pariksit to speak on topics of the Lord Sri Krsna with the devotees, was very much pleased. 28. He began to reply to the inquiries of Maharaja Pariksit by saying that the science of the Personality of Godhead was spoken first by the Lord Himself to Brahma when he was first born. Srimad-Bhagavatam is the supplementary Vedic literature, and it is just in pursuance of the Vedas. 29. He also prepared himself to reply to all that King Pariksit had inquired from him. Maharaja Pariksit was the best in the dynasty of the Pandus, and thus he was able to ask the right questions from the right person.

Shri Veerabhadra, Shantha Durga, Mahaganapathi Temple Udupi is an important holy pilgrim town in the undivided Dakshina Kannada District in the old Madras province, presently divided as Kasargod District (in Kerala) Dakshina Kannada and Udupi District ( in Karnataka). Udupi is famous for the Lord Krishna Temple established by the famous Dwaitha philosoper Sri Madhwacharya. There are several other temples situated in and arround Udupi. It is believed that the Padmashali’s in Dakshina Kannada originated from coastal Andhra Pradesh and migrated via Chennai, Kanchi and Madurai areas of Tamilnadu and settled in Dakshina Kannada about five to six centuries back. There are 16 Veerabhadra Temples in Dakshina Kannada spread from Kanhangad in the South to Barkur in the North. The Padmashali’s of the District remain members of one of the 16 Temples of the District. During the year 2904 Padmashali’s of Udupi and surrounding areas like Bannanje, Shirva, Karandadi, Athradi, Parika, Mattu, Udyavara, Heribettu, Alevoor, built at Temple of their diety Sri Veerabhadra, in Kinnimulky. On the main road, very near to Swagatha Gopuram. The southern entrance to the Udupi Town. During the last 100 years the Kinnimulky Veerabhadra Temple developed as a religious, social and cultural centre of the Padmashali’s living in Udupi and surrounding areas. About 350 householders are the members and worship in Sri Veerabhadra Temple, Kinnimulky as their Kuladevatha. The main diety worshipped in the temple is Sri Veerabhadra. During the year 1997-1998 the Temple was renovated by the liberal contributions made the members of the temple and Public. Two more idols of Mahaganapathi and Shantadurga were installed during the renovation in 1998 and Temple has now developed as Shiva-Shakthi Kendra in Udupi. In addition to these idols there is a Naga Sannidhi in front of the Temple and Daivasthana of Dharmadevathas by the southern side of the Temple. A sabha bhavana named Veerabhadra Kalabhavana was built during the year 1980-1987 by the Sabha Nirmana Samithi headed by Dr. S. Vysaraya Shettigar Mundkur, President Sri K. Mahabalesh Padmashali, secretary and Sri B. L. Padmashali treasurer and 15 other members. The Religious functions of the temple and other social and cultural functions are held regularly in the Veerabhadra Kalabhavana, which has a capacity of 500 seats. Every year during Pournami day of Suggi (Meena) month the annual Mahothsava is held for 3 days. In addition special functions/poojas are held on Nagara Panchami, Rugupakarma, Ganesh Chathurthi, Deepavali, Karthika Amavasya and Mahashivarathri. During Navarathri, special poojas are held on all the 9 days with Chandika Parayana and on Durgashtami, Chandika Mahayaga is performed.