[Srividya-Tantra] Basara Kshetra Mahatmyam---Part-1

February 19, 2009

Hari Om,

You can write an article or two hinting at some exciting and very great mystic revelations to follow

and lure the people who copy to attempt eager copying again; meantime you spur up their interest,

set up a decoy, stopping in your tracks and then announce in the new website exposing their ignomity.

Contrarily, the great person that you are, you may not want to hurt them. Am I correct Sir?

Hari Om

Group Owner <para_anulomaSrividya-Tantra Sent: Thursday, February 19, 2009 11:46:29 AM[srividya-Tantra] Basara Kshetra Mahatmyam---Part-1

Dear Anand,

Oflate, I see lot of people online copying my postings and claiming it as their own, this is acting to my detriment too.Especially in Sulekha.com and other blogs.I was surprised to see even an old lady from Bangalore copying my posts with her photo at the side.Such is the lure for fame and name, even if it small and concentrated, Ha!

To prevent all this rigmarole, Im planning to start my own PHP webpage and associated forum soon.So, when a google search is placed for any article, the Php page comes up first.

Knowledge is free, my own information comes from books,official websites, my experiences and my Gurunathar's wise counsel, not to mention the divine inspiration of Srichakravasini Rajarajeshwari Devi.I possess nothing.

(Gnana Saraswathy in Chandana mixed with turmeric alankaram for face, with silver eyes and Kumkuma adornments)

Basara is a Teertha Kshetra in Andhrapradesh. The Saraswathy Devi idol was installed here by Maharshi Vyasa.Thus, the original name of the place was "Vyasapuram" . In due course of time this became "Basapura".This in turn became "Basara"

(Saraswathi temple complex in Basara)

Shakthi-Trayam of the Vedic religion are : Maha Saraswathi, Maha Kali and Maha Lakshmi. Basara is a Kshetra for Maha Saraswathi Devi.

Maha Saraswathi Devi is in the form of Gnana Saraswathi.The Temple lies 1/2 mile away from the sacred Godavari river.Many saints and seers stay in the place in subtle forms, though the temple looks quite simple without any artistic embelishments. The place is invested with divine powers from the Satyalokam of Goddess Saraswathy.

(North tower of the temple)

Basara Kshetra is Gnana(Knowledge) ,Sampatthi( Prosperity) and Samhara(decimation) Pradhana Shakthi Peetham.

Gnana Saraswathi is the primordial cause for all branches of knowledge.

When the deity is worshipped, a nama is chanted thus:

Om aIm kApUjApuravAsinyAi namahA

Here, kA refers to kAmarUpa pEtam

pU refers to pUrvagiri pEtam

jA refers to jalandhara pEtam

Sri gnAna-saraswatI was installed by vyAsamaharshI in a nearby hill called kumArachalam. vyAsapuradevI pEtam became vyAsarapEtam and this in turn is now known as bAsarApEtam. This same pEtam was called pUrvagiri pEtam of yore too synonymously.

Basara Gnana Saraswathy Devi with Veena Alankara

Once upon time, Sage Veda Vyasa was caught in the famine in the Kashi (Varanasi), one of the most sacred place for Indians. Unable to control his appetite, he was about to curse Kashi City. Then, Goddess Annapoorna appeared and sought to mitigate his hunger, provided he would not curse Kashi, which was the abode of Shiva and all the deities. Vyasa relented and went for ablutions in Ganga before lunch along with thousands of disciples. After the lunch, Annapoorna forbid him from staying in Kashi, as he erred in his decision to curse this sacred place.

Basara Saraswathi Devi temple

Banished by the Goddess, he shifted to the other bank of Ganga to set up Vyasa Kashi. Later, in his quest to ward off the effect of his blunder, he came down to southern India, and searched for a suitable place to perform repentant penance to absolve karmic implications of his curse.

Devotees throng this temple for Aksharabhyasam for their kids

In his search, he found a powerful place where a great centre of pure shaktha-power was found near Godavari River. When he completed penance in Dandaka Aranya on the banks of Godavari, he could not locate it. After locating the place, when he went again for his daily rituals to the river, he could find it again. Then finally, he realized that it was the great Saraswati Devi, who is the power of knowledge innate in him and all creatures. Then with the sands of Godavari River banks, he made an idol of Saraswati and installed at the place.The idol is called "Saikatha Vigraha"(meaning an idol made out of sand).The original idol is not there as it had been ravished by Rohillas(Islamic people) in the 17th century and what exists is an idol installed by Vidyaranya Swamy of Sringeri Peetham

(Saraswati Statue atop the rock on Vyasa Guha, the cave famed as the the place of Sage Veda Vyasa's penance)

He did his penance at the same place in a cave, near Saraswati. (This cave is called Vyasa Guha).

(To be continued... )

Shreeram Balijepalli

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