Fwd: Newsletter Arunachala; Information and News of Shiva sacred power mountain, South India for February, 2008

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Arunachala Tidbits Arunachala Grace Network We invite financial sponsors to join with us in helping to create an Arunachala Network to inform and inspire. In this respect we welcome enquiries from parties interested in supporting the further development of this Arunachala Grace Network. Local Employment A total of 3,731 works estimated at Rs.101.16 crore (U.S.$25.6 million) are currently underway under the National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme in 860 village panchayats in Tiruvannamalai District. Works totalling Rs.36 crore (U.S.$9.13 million) were completed during 2006-2007, with an additional Rs.65 crore (U.S.$16.5 million) works currently in progress. Yoga and Swimming A free yoga training centre on the premises of the District Sports Complex was recently opened in Tiruvannamalai. Rs.1.32 crore (U.S.$335,000) has been sanctioned for the establishment of a swimming pool in Tiruvannamalai,

which is currently in progress. In addition Sports Centres are to be established in all Tiruvannamalai District Village Panchayats. Sparsa, Tiruvannamalai Almost all facilities are up and running at the new Sparsa Hotel at Tiruvannamalai. The landscaped gardens look good, and all amenities, except the Ayurveda Centre and Health Club have opened. Small minor works are also being completed at the Hotel. BSNL Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited (BSNL) employees demonstrated in Tamil Nadu on January 21. They were opposing the Indian government’s plan to sell 10% of its stake in the public sector communication giant, a move workers believe will lead eventually to total privatisation. The workers also demand the company cease using a voluntary retirement scheme to downsize the workforce. Handloom A Handloom Export Zone is to be set up at Tiruvannamalai. Sri Vidya Havan

This year Sri Vidya Havan took place at Ramanashram on January 30th. As always the 10-hour worship programme consisted of: Navavarana Puja, Lalita Sahasranama Homa, Lalita Trisati Homa, Kanya Puja and Suvasini Puja. To read more click link below. Sri Vidya Havan Thiruvoodal Festival Thiruvoodal Festival is celebrated on January 16th during Pongal (which has to do with the movement of the sun from the southern to the northern hemisphere). Legend has it that the Lord in answer to a promise given to Parvati appears on this holy day (Uttarayana) to dance on one foot. He says; ‘On Uttarayana holy day, I will do the dance when the sun rises.’ The word 'Thiru' signifies; deity, sacred, holy and wealth and the word 'Voodal' actually means 'tiff' or 'petty quarrel', and represents the friction between the male and female of a love relationship which is consciously exacerbated (encouraged, fanned). The distinguishing mark of Voodal is that it should arise and stay only for a brief period and not be prolonged as its focus is the bliss when the Voodal is withdrawn. The poem Thirukkural says in the

chapters dedicated to 'kama' which is concentrated on the relationship between man and woman and the establishment of household and children, that; 'The way to amplify bliss through desire/relationship is through voodal. That ever present bliss you can only see when the tension comes and is withdrawn. It is like salt to food – beyond a certain limit it is lost completely.' Thirukurral explains the tiff as 'creation of a tension, which when released you have a bliss that is always present. It is the Voodal that helps one focus upon that.' Thus Thiruvoodal is ennacted by Shiva and Parvati to convey social truths to their devotees and the following reasons are given explaining the reason for their 'petty quarrel'; Shiva having the Goddess Ganga in his matted hair, His liking for wearing bones and dried skin, the carrying of skull and strange behaviour, appearing in the minimal clothing of a Kaupina (loincloth) in front of the Rishi’s wives t whom he gives mouna

darshan, performing Arunachala pradakshina to give grace to Sage Bringi. So it is on this day of Thiruvoodal, an iconic representation of Lord Arunachaleswarar (and Parvati) is carried by attendants on a palanquin with sunshade. The palanquin first visits the Kodi Kampathu Nandi and gives darshan as Viratswarupa and afterwards separates into three parts representing; Brahma, Siva and Vishnu before leaving the compound of Arunachaleswar and circuits the Temple three times during which the actual staging of the Divine Quarrel is reenacted in the streets; the first time as Brahma, second as Vishnu and the third round as Rudra. As night approaches, the Lord in procession begins a circumbulation around Arunachala. To support the enactment of the 'tiff' between Shiva and the Goddess, emissaries are employed by both to convey messages between the deities and thereby participate in 'brokering a deal' between the feuding couple. The emissary used by Shiva on his

behalf is Sundaramurthi Nayanar – a saint feted as a great devotee of Lord Siva and one of the Tamil Samaya Acharyas (four Tamil religious Teachers). His story is included in the famous book entitled Periapuranam (The Lives of the 63 Saivite Saints). Thiruvoodal Sagas and Photographs The Coconut A common tree found throughout Tiruvannamalai District is the Coconut Palm (Cocos nucifera, in Tamil - Tengai) which is a member of the Family Arecaceae (palm family). It is the only species in the genus Cocos, and is a large palm, growing to 30m in height. The term coconut refers to the fruit of the coconut palm, and the word Coconut is derived from the Spanish coco "spectre, goblin", with reference to the three marks on each coconut which make it look like an eerie face. Coconut palms require warm conditions for successful growth, and are intolerant of cold weather. Optimum growth is with a mean annual temperature of 27c degrees. Nearly all parts of the coconut palm are useful, and the palms have a yield of up to 75 fruits per year. The name for the coconut palm in Sanskrit is kalpa vriksha, which translates as "the tree which

provides all the necessities of life". In Ayurvedic texts the coconut is actually divided into three types of coconuts: Baal: tender or baby coconut (90% water), Madhyam: half-mature coconut (has some soft pulp), Pavkva: fully mature coconut (firm meat, little water). Tender coconuts strengthen muscle, cardiovascular system, and the seven body tissues and middle-aged coconuts are said to also possess similar healing properties. Both kinds of coconut cleanse the urinary tract. Ayurveda considers coconut cools emotions, and when combined with spices; heals the digestive system and promotes better metabolism and promotes sleep. With external application; coconut oil improves both hair and skin quality, and applied topically heals wounds. The coconut helps; digestive, liver and urinary problems and gives relief to menopausal women, helps detoxify and flush toxins out of the body, burns fat and lowers cholesterol. The Coconut Colours In India colours play an important role and have a deep significance, transcending purely decorative values. Colour on deities and their dress signify their qualities. Some of the main colours used in religious ceremonies are red, yellow

(turmeric), green from leaves and white from wheat flour. Red: Red is the colour most frequently used for auspicious occasions like marriages, birth of a child, festival etc. A red mark is put on the forehead during ceremonies and important occasions. As a sign of marriage, women put red powder on the hair parting and often wear a red sari during the marriage ceremony. It is also the colour of Shakti (prowess) and when used on Deities signifies that the God is; charitable, brave, protective and yet has the capacity to destroy evil. On the death of woman, her body is wrapped in a red cloth for cremation. Saffron: Represents fire and as impurities are burnt by fire, the colour symbolizes purity. It represents religious abstinence and is the colour of holy men and ascetics who have renounced the world. Wearing the colour symbolizes the question for light. Green: Symbolizes peace and happiness and stabilizes

the mind. The colour is cool and represents nature. Yellow: Colour of knowledge and learning which symbolizes happiness, peace, meditation, competence and mental development. It is the colour of spring and activates the mind. Lord Vishnu’s dress is yellow symbolizing knowledge. Lord Kirshna and Ganesha often wear yellow dresses. White: Represents purity, cleanliness, peace and knowledge. The Goddess of knowledge, Saraswati wears white and sits on a white lotus. Widows wear white. Blue: Colour of the blue of nature; sky, oceans, rivers and lakes. Lord Rama and Krishna are blue coloured and represent qualities of; bravery, manliness, determination and the ability to deal with difficult situations. Life Purpose I think that is a very important component, to have passion, to have a dream, to have a purpose in life. And there are three components to that purpose, one is to find out who you really are, to discover God, the second is to serve other human beings, because we are here to do that and the third is to express your unique talents, and when you are expressing your unique talents, you lose track of time . . . There is a part of yourself

that is not subject to change, it is the silent witness behind the scenes. That is essentially your spirit, the spirit being an abstract but real force. It is as real as gravity. It is as real as time. It is incomprehensible. It is mysterious but it is powerful and it is eternal. It is without beginning, without ending. It has no dimensionality, it's spaceless, timeless, dimensionless, eternal, forever. When you can get in touch with that part of yourself, then you will in fact see that present moment existence, even an entire lifetime is nothing other than a flicker in eternity, a parenthesis in eternity, a little flash of a firefly in the middle of the night in the context of eternity. What happens with that knowledge, with that experience, is that you begin to experience mortality as quantified immortality, you begin to see time as quantified eternity and when you see it against the backdrop of who you really are, then the anxiety of daily existence disappears.

So, one ceases to be troubled by, as well as influenced by, the trivial things of daily existence, the little hassles that create stress in most people. So, it becomes much more joyful and you realize that the present moment is as it should be, there is no other way. It is the culmination of all other moments and it is the centre point of eternity. So, you pay attention to what is in every moment. And when you do that, then you realize that the presence of God is everywhere. You have only to consciously embrace it in your attention. And that's what creates joyfulness. You have to know the reality and the reality is that we are eternal. Official Site Brahminy Kite This bird (Tamil: Krishna Parunthu) is found at Tiruvannamalai, and there are a number of Brahminy Kite nests by Samudram Lake. Where the nests are known, the birds are worshipped as representative of Garuda (the sacred Eagle), but it is actually a Kite. The bird (Haliastur indus) is also known as the Red Backed Sea Eagle and Singapore Bald Eagle. It is a medium-sized bird of prey in the family Accipitridae, which also includes other diurnal raptors such as eagles, buzzards

and harriers. The Brahminy Kite has long broad rounded wings; short and rounded tail when fanned. Its head, neck and breast are white with rest of its body bright chestnut and primaries tipped black and feet yellow. In flight it exhibits slow, deep flapping and displays long, broadly angled wings. Brahminy Kites are sedentary and do not migrate. They are more scavengers but also hunt for small prey (fish, crabs, shellfish, frogs, rodents, reptiles, even insects). They forage both over water and land, soaring 20-50m above the surface. Prey on the water surface is snatched with their talons but this bird doesn’t actually dive into water. This bird also scavenges from food scraps and garbage and flushes birds roosting on mudflats into flight to identify the weak. They are attracted to fires to catch fleeing animals. Their catch is eaten on the wing, to prevent theft. When several quarrel over a meal, they squeal. Habitats best suited to Brahminy

Kites are broad mudflat and freshwater wetlands such as rice fields and marshes and even in cultivated areas. The Brahminy Kite is a bird which prefers to be near water. It is especially common in coastal areas, by lakes or near large areas of rice fields. It is commonly found near human habitation and near rice fields it is the most common bird of prey. Brahminy Kites mate (November-December) on or near the nest which is generally located in tall trees. Although they do not share nesting trees, pairs may nest less than 100 m apart. The nest is compact and made of twigs and sticks and often lined with dried mud. A first-time nest is usually thin, but as the pair reuse the site, the nest thickens. 2 eggs are laid, white with sparse red-brown blotches. Both parents raise the young. The call of the Brahminy Kite is a thin mewing scream 'kweeaa' or 'kyeeer' usually while soaring. This bird which is very tolerant of humans, is an unfussy scavengers that can survive in a

wide range of habitats. Although it is described as generally quiet, individuals which have been in constant or regular contact with humans tend to be noisier. Local Garuda Function East-West Jazz Fusion Over Pongal, Tiruvannamalai welcomed the performance of some rather special musical evenings. The first performance Ramana Rocks was held at Ramana Ashram on January 15th, the second performance, Arunai Rocks was held on January 16th at Arunai Anantha Hotel. The evenings featured rather unusual musical fusion by a group of contemporary musicians. One of the members of the musical ensemble is; J. Jayaraman who has been a resident of Ramana Ashram since 1985. Currently he heads the Ramanashram Library and handles the Book Review column of the Ashram’s, ‘Mountain Path,’ magazine of which he has also served on its editorial board. He is an editorial advisor to the Tamil Journal, Ramanadhayam. J. Jayaram’s interests range from afforestation and modern science to metrical chanting, mantras and movies.Mantra Jam "A month ago I left for Bangalore for a recording of 3 mantras for

the Dances of Universal Peace's workshop at Sao Paulo, March 15-22nd. I am hoping to have at least one of them, if not all eventually, to be incorporated in a Dance designed around the sacred meaning exuding off each mantra. My maternal cousin, is the founder and Lead guitarist of a trio, progrock band, which was rated the Best Band by World Space Radio for 2007. I had jammed with his group [Thermal and a Quarter] at some varied venues, and it had sounded and felt good on every occasion . . . " For more click here Shantivanam Land A large 10 acre parcel of land up for sale, is located on the northside of Arunachala near Devanandal Village. This land is 2 kms from the base of the Hill and part of a fenced secure environment known as Shantivanam (i.e. forest of peace). The owner of the land is willing to sell the entire parcel to one buyer or sell customised pieces of the land [from 1/4 acre upwards] to individual buyers. For information and photographs of the land, please visit the link posted below. Shantivanam photographs and details Balaji at Tiruvannamalai Next month we will have a report on progress of the new Balaji (Vishnu) Temple currently under construction at Tiruvannamalai. The Balaji

statue in the Temple's inner shrine is identical in all aspects to the famous Lord Venkateshwara Temple at Tirupati. To see a nice photograph of the Tiruvannamalai Balaji. Click below link. Balaji Arunachala Grace Network I prostrate to Sri Vigneshwara, the personification of auspiciousness for the whole world, eliminator of the whole race of demons, big bellied, elephant-faced, Eternal, Shining and Supreme, bestower of Grace, Happiness, Fame and Intelligence on those who worship Him, and who forgives. ************************* Arunachala Grace Network Arunachala Grace Newsletter www.arunachalasamudra.org http://arunachalagrace.blogspot.com http://arunachalabirds.blogspot.com http://arunachalaland.blogspot.com contact:

arunachalana We are including a facility on this newsletter for readers who do not yet have their own subscription. [Please remember to adjust your 'spam' recognition to facilitate acceptance of the Newsletter]:Click Here to Subscribe Inspiration and Poems "A warrior must always keep in mind that a path is only a path; if he feels that he should not follow it, he must not stay with it under any conditions. His decision to keep on that path or to leave it must be free of fear or ambition. He must look at every path closely and deliberately. There is a question that a warrior has to ask, mandatorily: 'Does this path have a heart?'" [Carlos Castaneda] "People travel to wonder at the height of the mountains, at the huge waves of the seas, at the long course of the rivers, at the vast compass of the ocean, at the circular motion of the stars, and yet they pass by themselves without wondering."[st. Augustine] "Every blade of grass has its angel that bends over it and whispers, 'Grow, grow'." [The Talmud] A Priest Who Worshipped Luck Once upon a time, the Enlightenment Being was born into a high class family in north-western India. When he grew up, he realized his ordinary life could not give him lasting happiness. So he left everything behind

and went to live in the Himalayas as a forest monk. He meditated and gained knowledge and peace of mind. One day he decided to come down from the forests to the city. When he arrived he stayed overnight in the king's pleasure garden. The next morning he went into the city to beg for food. The king saw him and was pleased with his humble and dignified attitude. So he invited him to the palace. He offered him a seat and gave him the best foods to eat. Then he invited him to live in the garden for good. The holy man agreed, and from then on he lived in the king's pleasure garden and had his meals in the king's palace. At that time there was a priest in the city who was known as 'Lucky Cloth'. He used to predict good or bad luck by examining a piece of cloth. It just so happened that he had a new suit of clothes. One day, after his bath, he asked his servant to bring the suit to him. The servant saw that it had been chewed slightly by mice, so he told the priest. Lucky

Cloth thought, "It is dangerous to keep in the house these clothes that have been chewed by mice. This is a sure sign of a curse that could destroy my home. Therefore, I can't even give them to my children or servants. The curse would still be in my house! "In fact, I can't give these unlucky clothes to anyone. The only safe thing to do is to get rid of them once and for all. The best way to do that is to throw them in the corpse grounds, the place where dead bodies are put for wild animals to eat. But how can I do that? If I tell a servant to do it, desire will make him keep the clothes, and the curse will remain in my household. Therefore, I can trust this task only to my son." He called his son to him and told all about the curse of the clothes that were slightly chewed by mice. He told him not even to touch them with his hand. The boy was to carry them on a stick and go throw them in the corpse grounds. Then he must bathe from head to foot before returning

home. The son obeyed his father. When he arrived at the corpse grounds, carrying the clothes on a stick, he found the holy man sitting by the gate. When Lucky Cloth's son threw away the cursed suit, the holy man picked it up. He examined it and saw the tiny teeth marks made by the mice. But since they could hardly be noticed, he took the suit with him back to the pleasure garden. After bathing thoroughly, his son told Priest Lucky Cloth what had happened. He thought, "This cursed suit of clothes will bring great harm to the king's favorite holy man. I must warn him." So he went to the pleasure garden and said. "Holy one, the unlucky cloth you have taken, please throw it away! It is cursed and will bring harm to you!" But the holy man replied, "No no, what others throw away in the corpse grounds is a blessing to me! We forest meditators are not seers of good and bad luck. All kinds of Buddhas and Enlightenment Beings have given up superstitions about luck. Anyone

who is wise should do the same. No one knows the future!" Hearing about the truly wise and enlightened ones made Priest Lucky Cloth see how foolish he had been. From then on he gave up his many superstitions and. followed the teachings of the humble holy man.The moral is: A fool's curse can be a wise man's blessing. Sri Seshadri Swamigal One who is Awake, in the spiritual sense, is expressing Light, is Rapture itself, ecstatic, blissful. Such a one is like a pulsating moment or event of Radiance, filling all corners and all directions with light, even unto the darkest place in all of the Universes . . . [Lee Lozowick] Sri Seshadri Swamigal "He loved music, delighting his devotees with songs. If one asked, he would break forth into melodious song often drumming rhythms on nearby surfaces. Sometimes he would place his hands on his hips and dance. He was often taken to be a lunatic and at times purposely simulated madness. It was difficult to explain his general behaviour and impossible to account for the course of his conduct. He was always original and free,

an ascetic who maintained a thorough control of his mind and senses up to the end of his life. He was always playing pranks. Suddenly he would laugh without stopping and those who witnessed his fun would be reduced to hilarity." Sri Seshadri Swamigal Biography Dakshinamurthi

Stotram The name Dakshinamurti - can be understood thus: Dakshina = He who is facing the South, in the posture of Silence, Murti = with form, conversely, Amurti = without form. Dakshinamurti is one of the five aspects of Siva, represents the spiritual pole and is the primordial Guru, teaching through silence. Dakshinamurti literally means 'one who is facing south' (daksina in Sanskrit). In every Siva temple the stone image of Dakshinamurti is installed, facing south, on the southern circumambulatory path around the sanctum sanctorum. One of the early traditions, is Shiva in the form of Dakshinamurti; the South-Facing Guru. In this form, seated on a low platform, with one leg hanging down in front, he communicated the Sanatana Dharma (or Eternal Wisdom) to the four Kumaras who appeared early in creation. The Guru spoke no words but

taught them by the transmission of mind-to-mind, and its purpose was to show that man can realise the Absolute when the human mind is in complete equipoise with the Cosmic Mind. Bhagavan Sri Ramana Maharshi said of Dakshinamurti: “Silence is the true upadesa. It is the perfect upadesa . . . Truth is beyond words. It does not admit of explanation. All that is possible to do is only to indicate it. How is that to be done? . . . Sri Sankara, being the avatar of Siva, was full of compassion for fallen beings. He wanted all of them to realise their blissful Self. He could not reach them all with His Silence. So he composed the Dakshinamurti stotra in the form of a hymn so that people might read it and understand the Truth.†[Talks with Sri Ramana Maharshi, #569]Dakshinamurti Stotram "I worship that south facing god, who revels in his own self the prime-preceptor, who sports the symbol of consciousness and is the very

personification of bliss, surrounded by groups of sages and seers established in the Ultimate Reality, who is of tender age and expounding the concepts of philosophy by silence, so eloquent although. Seated on the floor and under the banyan tree, purveyor of the valid knowledge to all the groups of sages and seers directly, the lord of all the three worlds and the south facing god, the one who cuts asunder the cycle of births and deaths, I bow down in supplication. What a wonderful picture it is that is there under the banyan tree, where the preceptor is young and the disciples are old, the explanation of the preceptor is silence but yet the disciples have their doubts shattered." To be contd next month - including Dakshinamurti's connection with Arunachala Links: Arunachala WebsiteArunachala NewsArunachala LandArunachala BirdsArunachala Grace ArchivesThe CoconutThiruvoodal Sagas and PhotographsDeepak Chopra SiteLocal Garuda FunctionMantra JamSri Seshadri SwamigalLord Venkateshwara PhotographShantivanam LandSri Vidya Havan Arunachala Grace • Perumbakkam Road, Annamalai Nagar, • Tiruvannamalai • Tamil Nadu •

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