Guest guest Posted July 31, 2008 Report Share Posted July 31, 2008 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. Subscriptions to Arunachala Grace News are completely free. However we invite sponsorship for the continual development of this Network which now comprises: arunachalasamudra.org arunachalagrace.blogspot.com arunachalabirds.blogspot.com arunachalaland.blogspot.com Arunachala Grace News (monthly newsletter) The above is part of a developing Network located at Tiruvannamalai and committed to documenting, developing, investigating, circulating and archiving information about Arunachala. This Network exists not only to provide information to devotees, but also to make the Hill accessible to the general public and also to help towards the ecological and animal welfare of the area. We welcome your participation and invite you to get in touch at arunachalana at fastmail dot fm to discuss how we can work together in this venture 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 Surya Navagraha Graha (from the Sanskrit 'seizing, laying hold of'), is a 'cosmic influencer' on the living beings of earth. In Hindu Astrology, the Navagrahas (i.e. nine realms) are some of these major influencers and are living energies which put out waves of energy that affect our awareness. They are personified as celestial beings and worshipped as deities and are addressed personally in order to gain their help in their respective areas of influence.Surya is the chief solar deity i.e. the Sun and worshipped as the visible form of God that one can see every day. In Shaivite theology, Surya is said to be one of eight forms of Shiva (Astamurti). He is said to be of Sattwa Guna and represents the Soul, King, highly placed persons or Father. The Sun God is considered as the life-giver, (Pranadata) of the entire Universe. Surya is essential for life and the witness (Sakshi) of all actions. The Sun is the 'indicator of the soul,' and the indicator of our ego, honour, status, fame, heart, eyes, general vitality, respect and power. He has hair and arms of gold. Surya's chariot is pulled by seven horses, which represent the seven chakras. Sometimes Surya has two hands with a lotus in each of them; sometimes four with a lotus, chakra, a conch and the fourth hand making the gesture of protection. In Vedic astrology Surya is considered a mild malefic, on account of his hot, dry nature. He has the following associations: day Sunday, number One, food grain Wheat, colours Copper or Red, metals Gold or Brass, gemstone Ruby, direction East and the season Summer. Worship of the Sun, which is all power, strength and glory, is beneficial for people in difficulties or who aspire for sound health, prosperity, good eyesight, strength, courage and success. A well-located Sun provides intelligence, perception, strength of will and character. It creates endurance, stamina, vitality, positive spirit, direction, courage, conviction, confidence, leadership, independence and straight-forwardness. Arunachala Surya Mythology Hymn to the Sun Behold the rays of dawn, like heralds lead on high The sun, that men may see the great all-knowing God. The stars slink off like thieves, in company with Night, Before the all-seeing eye, whose beams reveal his presence, Gleaming like brilliant flames, to nation after nation. With speed beyond the ken of mortals, thou, O Sun, Dost ever travel on, conspicuous to all. Thou dost create the light, and with it does illumine The Universe entire; thou rises in the sight Of all the race of men, and all the host of heaven. Light-giving Varuna! Thy piercing glance doth scan In quick succession all this stirring, active world, And penetrateth, too, the broad ethereal space, Measuring our days and nights and spying out all creatures. Surya with flaming locks, clear-sighted, God of day, Thy seven ruddy mares bear on thy rushing car. With these thy self-yoked steeds, seven daughters of thy chariot. Onward thou dost advance. To thy refulgent orb Beyond this lower gloom and upward to the light Would we ascend, O Sun thou God among the Gods. [Trans. Sir Monier Monier-Williams] Surya Arunachala Mythology Sun God at Arunachala On the advice of Brahma, Bhaskara (i.e. the Sun-God) who is a mass of refulgence but who was harassed by Asuras, devoutly worshipped the Lord of Arunachala. After plunging into the sanctifying pure Tirtha created by Brahma, he circumbulated Arunachala, the Lord himself. After gaining victory over all the Daityas and (the privilege of) circumambulating Meru, he gained supreme refulgence that destroys the brilliance of enemies. [Page 34, Verses 32-34] Aditya whose shape was formed by Tvastr blazed with brilliance. The Lord of Planets attempted to cross Sonadri. The horses of his chariot lost their power and became tired. Due to the refulgence of Sonadri he became devoid of glory. Even with all the attempted motion of the possessor of cluster of rays (i.e. Sun), he became unable to go to the heaven. On the advice of Brahma he propitiated Arunachala. When the Lord was pleased, he obtained the path of the sky and splendid horses. Ever since then the Sun never crosses the mountain named Sona but goes circumambulating him. [Page 35, Verses 45-49a] Sun God's Charioteer When he obstructed the flow of water at the time of the gift of the earth by Bali (to Vamana), Bhargava (i.e. Sukra) lost his eye on being prickled with the top of the Darbha grass held in his hand by Vishnu (i.e. Vamana). He went to Sonacala and performed a very difficult penance. With his soul purified, he regained his eye. He (i.e. Aruna, Garuda's brother) was stationed on the mountain named Bhaskara. By serving the Lord of Arunachala, he became the charioteer of the Sun-God. [Page 35, Verses 51b-53] Circumbulation of Arunachala One who circumambulates on Sunday becomes liberated. Piercing through the solar disc, he shall go to Siva's city. [Page 59, 57b-64a] One shall attain innumerable benefits by circumambulating Sonagiri on equinoctical days, days on which the Sun takes another transit, the transit from one Zodiac to another, on Vyatipata days and other Parvan days [Page 186, Verse 51] Holy Rites for Special Attainments If anyone worships the Lord of Sonadri on a Sunday with red lotuses, he will surely acquire great imperial magnificence. [Page 120, Verse 1] During the Solar and Lunar eclipses a devotee should piously bathe the Lord with Pancantra repeating the five-syllable Mantra of Sonanatha. During the two Ayanas (i.e. transits of the Sun) the deity should be bathed with Pancagavya. The rite of bathing with Gavya shall be performed along with the recitation of the six-syllabled Mantra During the two equinoxes the bathing rite of the Lord of Arunachala should be devoutly performed with milk repeating Pranava (Om). [Page 123, Verses 32-34] Sri Siva said: Ether, wind, fire, water, earth, the sun, the moon and Puman (man i.e. Hotr) – these are my physical forms, and through these the Universe consisting of mobile and immobile beings shines. [Page 185, Verse 39] Parvati's Devotion to Arunachaleswara She herself installed a Linga of Sankara. Parvati worshipped it in accordance with the injunction laid down in the Agamas. She propitiated the Sun-god by offering seat, making idols and reciting Mula Mantras. She performed the various ancillary rites. In the different quarters she worshipped (the attendants) the chiefs of whom were Dandin and Pingala, Saktis beginning with Dipta, the planets beginning with the Moon in the different quarters. She showed the mystic gestures of Dhenus (cows) etc. The Nirmalya (remnants of the worship) was dedicated to the fierce splendour (of the Sun). She then offered the foodstuffs prepared. .. . . Assuming the lotus-posture in her heart she worshipped Jnana (knowledge), Dharma (Virtue) and others in due serial order. She assigned Vama and other Saktis (power-deities) on the petals (of the heart-lotus). The Sun and god Brahma were posted at the tip of the Petal . . . [Page 159-160, Verses 59-67] [All quotes from Skanda Purana] Links: Arunachala Website Arunachala News Arunachala Birds Arunachala Land Arunachala Surya Mythology Shikra Photographs Paul Brunton Website Tiruvannamalai Rail and Photographs Regional Rail Museum, Chennai Indian Railways Fan Club Arunachala Tidbits Plastic Ban Sought NGOs are currently requesting Tiruvannamalai Municipality to impose a ban on sale of food items and other things on plastic containers and in disposable cups along the 14 km-long Girivalam path around Tiruvannamalai hills. They assert that the Municipality is not segregating waste, instead, it has been dumping garbage near Esanyam graveyard and other places situated in the Girivalam path. Moreover, burning waste in the area can be hazardous to the general health of people, as the dioxin discharged in to the environment while burning plastic waste, is carcinogenic. ARS Arunachala Reforestation Society has two projects for 2008 that they wish to bring to public attention. The first project involves planting 10,000 saplings on the slope of Arunachala. The second is named 'On the Path of the Peak,' and entails planting 2,000 saplings designed to eventually give shade and shelter to pilgrims who visit the peak of Arunachala during Deepam. The ARS propose implementing the two projects simultaneously. The organisation's email contact information: ars.tiru Railway Work Ongoing gauge conversion works from Vellore cantonment to Tiruvannamalai, aimed to increase railway traffic, has hit a speed-breaker after Southern Railway terminated the Rs.40 crore contract with Nagarjuna Construction Company Ltd citing lack of performance and default. Sand Mining In other places in Tamil Nadu, local Governments are alive to the serious consequence of water depletion due to sand mining on the beds of rivers and reservoirs. A wakeup call is needed here at Tiruvannamalai where construction Companies and local figures are becoming increasingly brazen in injudicious sand quarrying. The Shikra The Shikra species shows a good deal of regional variation, generally represented as distinct races. In India the species is Accipiter Badius. A plump, solidly built little Hawk, smaller than the European Sparrowhawk and larger than the Besra Sparrowhawk. It is a small bird of prey in the family Accipitridae which also includes many other diurnal raptors such as Eagles, Buzzards and Harriers. This bird which prefers open wooded country and avoids heavy forest, is fond of groves of large trees in the neighbourhood of villages and cultivation. I recently spotted a Shikra in a tree in the Ramana Ashram Compound. The adult Shikra has pale grey upperparts, and is white, finely barred reddish below. Sexes are similar except that the female is larger than the male. The juvenile is brown above and white, spotted with brown below. It has a barred tail. The Shikra prefers to hunt from cover, perching in a leafy tree and making a quick dash to acquire prey. When hunting through bush it makes a series of short flights (from tree to tree), descending near to the ground with a few flaps followed by short glides, flicking upwards almost vertically to a branch. It eats lizards, mice, squirrels and birds. When feeding its nest-young it sometimes lifts domestic chickens from yards. In some parts of the world the Shikra has been trained to falconry for such birds as quail or crow. Although other species of this bird are migratory, the India Shikra is resident where it occurs. The Shikra's call is variously described as 'ti-tu, titu' or 'kewick'. This is a noisy species, drawing attention to itself by frequent calling and its call is loud, harsh, rather like Black Drongos Nesting season is usually March to June. Two pairs may be found breeding within 30 acres. The nest (similar to a crow's nest) is a small structure of thin sticks, eight to twelve inches across and three to six inches deep. A new nest is built each year usually in the same general area. The nest which is lined with green leaves, is generally placed twenty to forty feet above ground, well out on a lateral branch. Only the female builds, while the male stays nearby. From two to four eggs are laid on consecutive days. The eggs are greenish white or pale bluish, normally unmarked. The female takes sole responsibility for incubation; she is called off the nest to feed by the male and eats the prey very quickly. The incubation period is between 30 and 35 days. Both sexes bring food to the nest, but the female stays with the young in the early stages and collects most of the prey from the male, who does not normally feed the young. The fledging period is a little over 30 days. Shikra Photographs Own Destiny A Samurai who was known for his nobility and honesty, went to visit a Zen monk to ask advice. However, the moment he entered the Temple where the master was praying, he felt inferior and concluded that, in spite of having fought for justice and peace all his life, he hadn't even come near the state of grace achieved by the man before him. "Why do I feel so inferior?" he asked, as soon as the monk finished his prayers. "I have faced death many times, have defended those who are weak, I know I have nothing to be ashamed of. Nevertheless, upon seeing you meditating, I felt that my life had absolutely no importance whatsoever.Wait. Once I have attended to all those who come to see me today, I shall answer you." The samurai spent the whole day sitting in the Temple gardens, watching the people go in and out in search of advice. He saw how the monk received them all with the same patience and the same illuminated smile on his face. But his enthusiasm soon began to wane, since he had been born to act, and not to wait. At nightfall, when everyone had gone, he asked, "Now can you teach me?" The master invited him in and lead him to his room. The full moon shone in the sky, and the atmosphere was one of profound tranquility. "Do you see the moon, how beautiful it is? It will cross the entire firmament, and tomorrow the sun will shine once again. But sunlight is much brighter, and can show the details of the landscape around us: trees, mountains, clouds. I have contemplated the two for years, and have never heard the moon say: 'why do I not shine like the sun? Is it because I am inferior'?Of course not," answered the samurai, "The moon and the sun are different things, each has its own beauty. You cannot compare the two.So you know the answer. We are two different people, each fighting in his own way for that which he believes, and making it possible to make the world a better place; the rest are mere appearances."[Paulo Coelho] Terminalia Chebula The Botanical name of this tree is Terminalia Chebula, family Combretacae, native to South Asia and India, and commonly found through Tiruvannamalai District. Its name in English is Chebulic Myrobalan, Haritaki in Sanskrit and Aralu in Tamil. Haritaki means the 'remover of diseases'. 'Hara' is also the name of Lord Shiva, thus reflecting the sacred nature and exalted position of the plant. It is said to have originated when a drop of immortal nectar (amrita) fell from heaven to earth. Terminalia Chebula is a large evergreen tree with rounded crown and spreading branches growing to thirty metres tall with a trunk up to one metre in diameter. The tree bears flowers of a dull white or yellow, (with a strong offensive smell) that blossom in April, May. The ellipsoidal drupe-like fruits form in November to January. The fruit contains astringent substances such as tannic, chebulinic and gallic acids with the nature of anthraquinone and sennoside also present. The fruit is sometimes picked when still green and pickled with a little added sugar in their own syrup or used in preserves. The fruit contains a constituent which has a wide antibacterial and antifungal spectrum and also inhibits growth of E.coli. The fruit pulp exhibits laxative, stomachic, tonic properties, is an effective purgative and helps in removing toxins and fats from the body, resulting in their reduced absorption. It increases the digestive 'fire' and clears undigested residues. Useful in hiccups piles and also ulcers. Potential benefit in intestinal permeability and 'leaky gut syndrome'. The seed of the fruit, which is an abrasive seed enveloped by a fleshy and firm pulp, is regarded as a universal panacea in Ayurvedic Medicine. It is believed to inhibit the growth of malignant tumours and used as a wash in all sorts of eye disorders like inflammation and conjunctivitis. The dry nut's peel is used to cure cold-related nagging cough. The peel of the nut is placed inside the mouth-cheek. Although the material does not dissolve, the resulting saliva, bitter in taste, is believed to have medicinal qualities to cure cold related cough. Wet, Kapha-type coughs are cleared. It astringes all leakages from the body. It sends accumulated Vata downwards and helps to clear wheezing, weak voice and asthma. Haritaki is also known as an adaptogen, and hepatoprotective drug. It corrects the flow of Vata downwards, is purgative, anti-tussive, improves intellect, increases longevity and detoxifies and nourishes body tissues. Haritaki is considered good for constipation and diarrhoea (high dose for the former and low dose for the latter) and is antioxidant in proper amount. It has positive effects on the hair, skin eyes and liver. Because of its laxative and descending nature, Haritaki is NOT recommended at times of pregnancy. Nasruddin and the Nail Mullah Nasruddin's neighbour was a crooked man with a large, bushy moustache who thought he could take advantage of Nasruddin's bad financial situation. "I want to help you, good neighbour. I will buy your house from you, even though I don't really have any interest in it." The man offered a pitiful price. Mullah Nasruddin looked delighted and drew a small piece of paper from the folds of his clothing and promised to sell the house if they agreed to a little clause in the contract. "What clause?" asked the neighbour, suspiciously. "Only a very small thing. This house was built by my father and you see here on the wall of the living room, there is one nail sticking out. My father never had the chance to finish hammering it in. He had a heart attack and died. I therefore request that I be allowed to keep ownership of that nail, and do whatever I want with it." The neighbour and his wife agreed as they were getting the house for half its value, and thus felt that they could give one small nail to Mullah Nasruddin. The contract was signed. A month went by. One evening they heard a knock on the door. It was Nasruddin, with head bowed. Nasruddin explained that he had come to worship his nail. Mullah humbly walked behind the man, bowed in front of the nail, and put his hat on it. Two weeks passed before Mullah Nasruddin's next visit. "Ah, good morning Mullah. You have come to take back your hat, I presume?No thank you, my dear friend. I have come to worship my nail." Once again he bowed before the nail and his worship finished, he hung a scarf with this hat and turned to leave. The crooked man was not amused but there was nothing he could do when Nasruddin claimed he was worshipping his dead fathe's nail. He slammed the door behind the departing pilgrim and hoped his wife wouldn't be too angry. A week after Mullah Nasruddin returned and bowed towards the nail. Before turning to leave he took off his coat and hung it on the nail along with the hat and the scarf. The wife was furious and she upbraided her husband, "Now look what he's done. He is taking advantage of our kindness. No, advantage of your weakness!But what can I do? We agreed that he can do whatever he wants with his nail. But fear not, pumpkin, now the nail is full." The next day, Mullah Nasruddin showed up again. The man tried to shut the door in his face when he saw who it was, but Nasruddin had already placed his foot inside, nothing was going to stop him worshipping his nail. He entered, dragging behind him the carcass of a sheep and as he proceeded to hang it on his nail, the wife went mad with rage, and screamed at her husband. The husband protested vehemently, "Mullah Nasruddin, this is going too far. We cannot have that.But you signed the contract, good neighbour.Well, we will see about that. Let us have the council of elders make a ruling." Soon an assembly of all the wise men of the village had been convened, and the neighbour explained the situation while smearing the few wisps of his once bristling moustache across his upper lip. Mullah simply presented the contract, without uttering a word in his defense. The wise men studied it carefully, and eventually pronounced that the Mullah was perfectly entitled to do as he wished with his nail. There is nothing in the contract that restricted how the nail should be worshipped. The case was therefore dismissed, and the neighbour went home dejected. After long arguments with his wife and a sleepless night, he begged Mullah to buy his house back at a bargain price. Nasruddin agreed and they moved out as quickly as possible. Mullah was once again able to enjoy his house and his nail, having made a tidy sum of money. Indian Railways Indian Railways, a Department of the Government of India, under the Ministry of Railways, operates the Indian rail network which is one of the largest and busiest rail networks in the world. Each day it transports 17 million passengers and 2 million tonnes of freight. It is also one of the largest employers in the world with a workforce of 1.6 million employees. Railways were first introduced to India in 1853. By 1985, steam locomotives were phased out in favour of diesel and electric locomotives. In 1951 the diverse railway systems were nationalized and became one unit with six zonal divisions, which for administrative purposes, were subsequently divided into seventeen zones. One of those zones is Southern Railways, which in its present form, came into existence on 14th April 1951 through the merger of three state railways; Madras and Southern Mahratta Railway, South Indian Railway, and Mysore State Railway. Southern Railway's present network covers 5,235 kms of track and extends over a large area of India's Southern Peninsula. Headquartered at Chennai, the Southern Railway comprises six divisions; Chennai, Tiruchirapalli, Madurai, Palghat, Trivandrum and Salem, and has a total staff strength of approximately 105,000. The work currently being undertaken at Tiruvannamalai is the conversion of Metre Gauge tracks to Broad Gauge and the development of Tiruvannamalai Station and its surrounds. Metre gauge is still found on about 17,000 km of the Indian Rail network. It is said that metre gauge was chosen by Lord Mayo (then Viceroy of India) based on calculations to allow four persons to sit comfortably abreast; it would have been 3'3" except that there was a push (at that time) to move to the metric system and so the gauge became one metre. However, the metric system was not adopted until nearly a century later, so the railway track gauge was the only thing in India that was 'metric' for a long time. Another reason for narrow gauge railways is that it was substantially cheaper to build, equip, and operate than standard gauge or broad gauge railways, particularly in difficult terrain. However the problem with narrow gauge railroads is they lack room to grow and their cheap construction is bought at the price of being engineered only for initial traffic demands. While a standard or broad gauge railroad could more easily be upgraded to handle heavier, faster traffic, many narrow gauge railroads are impractical to improve. Speeds and loads cannot increase, so traffic density is significantly limited. Another reason for the conversion of rail tracks to broad gauge is also to ensure stability in the face of Indian weather and the perceived threat of cyclonic winds. Tiruvannamalai Rail and Photographs Hill of the Holy Beacon "At the Madras terminus of the South Indian Railway, Subramanya and I board a carriage on the Ceylon boat train. For several hours we roll onwards through the most variegated scenes. Green Stretches of growing rice alternate with gaunt red hills, shady plantations of stately coconut trees are followed by scattered peasants toiling in the paddy fields. As I sit at the window, the swift Indian dusk begins to blot out the the landscape and I turn my head to muse of other things. I begin to wonder at the strange things which have happened . . . Although I endeavour to keep an open mind, it is difficult for any Westerner of scientifically trained mind to credit the idea. I dismiss the speculation from my mind, but do not succeed in driving away the uncertainty which lurks at the back of my thoughts. Why is it that my footsteps have been so strangely guided to the mountain hermitage whither I am travelling? . . . We leave the train, and with it the main line, forty miles from Pondicherry, that pathetic little remnant of France’s territorial possessions in India. We go over to a quiet, little-used branch railroad which runs into the interior, and wait for nearly two hours in the semi-gloom of a bleak waiting–room . . . At last the ill-timed train, which puffs infrequently up and down the line, carries us away. There are but few other passengers. I fall into a fitful, dream-broken sleep which continues for some hours until my companion awakens me. We descend at a wayside station (i.e. Tiruvannamalai) and the train screeches and grinds away into the silent darkness. Night’s life has not quite run out and so we sit in a bare and comfortless little waiting-room, whose small kerosene lamp we light ourselves. We wait patiently while day fights with darkness for supremacy. When a pale dawn emerges at last, creeping bit by bit through a small barred window in the back of our room, I peer out at such portion of our surroundings as becomes visible. Out of the morning haze there rises the faint outline of a solitary hill, apparently some few miles distant. The base is of impressive extent and the body of ample girth, but the head is not to be seen, being yet thick-shrouded in the dawn mists . . ." [A Search in Secret India -- Paul Brunton] Paul Brunton Website Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You are posting as a guest. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.