Guest guest Posted May 2, 2003 Report Share Posted May 2, 2003 Dear Sanjay, I add for the benefit of the list: The Khuntias are one of the largest sevayet families of the Jagannath Temple, Puri. They live in Khuntia Sahi, and are the bodyguards of the deities and that of the money, which is collected in front of them. They are in-charge of the flowers and the flower decorations of the deities and carry the flowers and offerings of the devotees to the Ratna Singhasana. They also do some chanting when the deities go to sleep. The Khuntias are divided in 5 categories: Palia Khuntia, Behera Khuntia, Bilai Jaga Khuntia, Godabharika Khuntia and Rukmini Harana Khuntia, The Palia Khuntias, perform the abovementioned duties. In addition the other Khuntias act as guards of the door of the inner temple, as the representatives who invites the King for the sweeping during the Ratha Yatra and leads him during the entire ceremony, as the movers of the bench upon which the deity decorators stand and as the only actors who are allowed to perform in the role of Krishna during the enactment of Krishna’s marriage to Rukmini. Best regards, Sarbani Sanjay Rath [srath] Thursday, May 01, 2003 9:51 PM Varahamihira (AT) (DOT) Cc: SJC; Robert A. Koch |Sri Varaha| Achyuta das ||Om brihaspataye namah|| Dear Robert Prabhu, The tentative chart of Sri Achyuta Das is enclosed. A brief to start working:You will need the URW Pallladio IT font to view this correctly. ------------------ Part-01© SJC 1. Çré Achyutänanda 1.1. Païca sakhä tumbha païca sakhäðku mo janme janme äça tumbhapäe avatära lélä abhiläña|[sünya saàhita] Aàçävatar Çré Caitanya Mahäprabhu had five Mahäpuruña (great men) disciples in Orissa called his Païca sakhä (five friends or witnesses of His activities and teachings). These five Mahäpuruña (disciples) were Yaçovanta Däsa, Acyuta Däsa, Ananta Däsa, Jagannätha Däsa and Balaräma Däsa. Çré Caitanya explains that the avatära lélä (by Him) is due to the desire of the sakhä. agamya bhäva jäëe yaçovanta gära kaöä yantra jäëa ananta| ägata nägata acyuta bhaëe balaräma däsa tatva bakhäëe| bhaktira bhäva jäëe jagannätha païca sakha e oòiä mahanta| Çré Jagannätha Das was the foremost having understood the teachings related to bhakti bhäva. Çré Balaräma Das understood the tatva. Çré Ananta Das was adept at mantra çastra and understood the complete knowledge associated with yantra. Çré Yaçovanta Das had complete knowledge of the rituals, procedures etc, associated with purity. Çré Acyuta Das was blessed to know about the past, present and future events as a part of destiny (Jyotiña). tumbhe mora païca ätmä aöa päïcajaëa| avatära çreëé jete tumbha päen puëa||[sünya saàhita] Çré Caitanya has commented that these five are like His païca ätma (five ätma-tatva) and deserve the status like that of an avatära. Çré Acyuta was the youngest of the païca sakhä. 1.2. Biographical sketch Lineage & family çuëa jähä pacärila hetukari mana| ämbhara hebära tilakaëä nagrasthäna|| citrotpalä nadéru labaëa dhära küla| dénabandhü pitäìka tahiàre je thala|| padmänäme mätämora se sthänare ghära| vidyä paòhäuëa thile vipra sujïänara|| [gurubhakti gétä: khanòa-3 paöala-10] Çré Acyuta Däsa was born to Çré Dinabandhu Khuntia[1][1] and Padmä devé in a village called Tilakaëä (north of Nemäla in Orissa). His paternal grandfather was Çré Gopinäth Mahänty and some claim that his mother was a princess of Raëapur. This is unlikely as the family is said to have been in considerable poverty with no food to eat[2][2], around the period of his birth. Caste & Karma Naturally, the question arises as to how the grandfather has a title of ‘Mahänty’ (caste: karaëa) as has also been confirmed by his chief disciple Vraja Rämacandra, and his father has a title ‘Khuntia’ (caste: çudra). The explanation to this has been clearly given by Çré Acyuta Das in his book titled Varëa saàhitä and is the most profound teaching related to karma and the caste system: karmaru varëa såjanä hoichi karmara chaòä äna nahià kicchi| Translation: Varëa (caste) has evolved from karma and other than karma, nothing else exists (or has any meaning). mora pitämaha se gopénätha mahänti täìkara aöe upädhéta| Translation: My grandfather (paternal) is Çré Gopénätha and his title ‘Mahänty’ has been conferred on him. çrékñetre chämu karaëa se thile chämu äjïäre se dina käöile| Translation: He (grandfather Gopénätha) was doing the work of a karaëa (sub-caste of kñatriya) at Çrékñetre (Püri, Orissa) and completed his days (life) serving Chämu. Notes: It is evident that the caste of the grandfather was decided based on the work he was doing and since he served Chämu as a karaëa, his caste was determined on that basis and the title Mahänty was conferred on him. That is why he was known as Çré Gopénätha Mahänty. täìkara putra mora pitä aöanti çrékñetre khuëöiyä käma karanti| Translation: His son happens to be my father. He (father) works at Çrékñetre (Püri, Orissa) as a khuëöiyä. pratäpa nåpati santoña honte khuëöiä pada dele mora täte| Translation: King Pratäpa (Çré Çré Pratäpa Rudra, the then Gajapati Mahäräja of Orissa, having his capital at Püri) was satisfied with his (father’s) work and posted him at Püri as a Khuëöiä {thereby conferring the title (and caste)}. tahià dénabandhü khuëöiä hele néläcalare se sebä khaöile| Translation: That is why he (father) is known as Çré Dénabandhü Khuëöiä. He spent his working life at néläcala (Puri city, Orissa). aho karaëaìka vaàça yogare bistära varëa saàhitä granthare| Translation: I have explained in detail my (Çré Acyuta) karaëa lineage (from grandfather Çré Gopénätha) in this book titled Varëa Saàhitä. Notes: - 1. Çré Acyuta has clearly explained that the varëa (caste) of any person is determined based on his/her karma (work). If a person is working as a priest or as a teacher, then he is a brahmaëa or if he makes a living as a businessman, then he is a vaiçya. Government servants are generally kñatriya (warriors like in defense or police) or sub-caste like karaëa (clerks, book keepers). In this manner, the caste system was flexible and the king (Sun[3][3] represents the king) would decide what work would suit someone unless he was privately employed. 2. Since the father of Çré Acyuta was a Khuëöiä in the service of King Pratäpa Rudra, and was known Çré Dénabandhü Khuëöiä, it is natural that the caste of Çré Achyuta at the time of his birth is that of a çudra. However, since Çré Acyuta went on to become a teacher and Jyotiña, his caste would be reckoned as a brahmaëa. That is why, after becoming a Jyotiña, he married a princess (caste: kñatriya) and this was perfectly acceptable and would be considered as an anuloma viväha. In this case, since the girl was not employed or connected with any profession, her caste would be determined by that of her father as kñatriya. 3. It is clear that there was considerable caste mobility in the society and there was dignity of labour. The dream of birth emanta niyata pürbara våttänta äjïädele bhagaväna| janama hoiëa keteka dineça nohila sutä nandana||33 labhatu bälaka kicci je kälaka manara kalpanä päa| käli prabhätare pahaòa dhüpare garuòa pachaku cahaà||34 hoibaje suta tote prapta taku je äjïä hoila svapna catiëa se aìga ghani khuëöiä bege dhaiàla||35 garuòa ägare prabhäta dhüpare loka gahala hoichi dibya kalebara hoiëa kumara prabhuìkäage kheluci||36 dekhante bälaka hoigala gopya äjïä hoithila jähä| çrékåñëa nirbäëapadaku ke abä meëöaëa kariba tähä||37 [sünya saàhitä| adhyäya-1] His parents were childless for a long time. One night his father dreamt Çré Jagannätha directing him to go to the Garuòa stambha (pillar) in the temple and pray behind it early in the morning (prabhäta) during the nirmalya darshan (pahaòa dhüpa). Waking up from the dream, Çré Dénabandhü cleansed his body and rushed to the temple. There was a small crowd of devotees around the Garuòa stambha, who had gathered for the maëgala ärati (early morning prayers). As he stood in front of the pillar offering his prayers to Jagannätha, he saw a small boy[4][4] playing in front of the deities within the sanctum of the shrine. Suddenly the boy moved away and became invisible. Çré Dénabandhü realized that Jagannätha had shown him the son who was yet to be born[5][5]. After all, the paraà padaà or mokña pada (nirbäëapada) of Çré Kåñëa is beyond the comprehension or explanation of mortals. Soon afterwards Padmä devé conceived and in ten months ten days Çré Acyuta was born on magha sukla ekadaçi. He was the only child of his parents and they called him with various names like Agaëi, Agäòi and Ananta, but the name most liked by his mother was Acyuta as a memory of the promise fulfilled by Jagannätha. The date of his birth coincides with the sanyäsa (renunciation) of Çré Caitanya. It is also noteworthy that Garuòa is the chief of all birds and flying creatures and is associated with the Sun in the kälacakra that rules agni tatva and the power of sight. Another name of the Sun is Jyotiña[6][6]. Horoscope The horoscope of Çré Acyutänanda Das is given below. Jyotiña Gurus will appreciate the two mahäpuruña yogas formed by Venus the ninth lord in exaltation in the seventh house (mälavya yoga) and that of Jupiter in Sagittarius in the fourth house (haàsa yoga). The time has been noted as the 39th daëòa (ghäöi) range 9:51-10:15’ PM LMT and will need a more comprehensive rectification to the exact moment. With best wishes & regards, I remain Sanjay Rath -------- Mail: H-5 B.J.B Nagar, Bhubaneswar 751014, India Tel:+91-674-2436871, Webpages: http://srath.com -------- [1][1] others say that his last/family name was Mohanty due to a statement made by one of his disciples called Vraja Rämacandra. He writes: citrotpalä uttara labaëa dhära küla pabitra tilakaëä gräma| dénabandhüìka ghare padmävatéìka garbhare tahià çré karaëa vaàçeça| he mahäprabhu sukala pakña mägha mäsa tithi ekäsaçé pramäëa| pitäìka äradhane jagannätha prasanne labhila tahià tumbhe janma he| However, this is not correct, as the following has been clearly stated by Çré Acyuta that he was born in a çudra family having the title ‘Khuëöiä’. This goes to prove that the caste at birth was not as important as the caste one acquired due to karma in the present birth. dénabandhü näme khuëöiä çudrara kulare hoibu jäta| bäïccilära phala nohiba biphala prati aàçe läbha suta||32 [sünya saàhitä. adhyäya-1] [2][2] Çré Acyuta Daçä writes in the sünya saàhitä: tilakaëäre mu janama labhili kehi na cinhile more| agaëita boli mätä òäkuthänti anna namilai ghare|| [3][3] This is an important principle in Jyotiña as either the king (Sun) decides the profession or work the native does, of if the native works in private capacity, his destiny/luck take him towards his work. These two options are shown by the two houses (lagna & ninth) for which the Sun is the käraka. That is why, for odd signs, the Daçamça (karma related results from D-10 chart) are reckoned from Lagna whereas for even signs, they are reckoned from the ninth house. [4][4] ‘hoina kumara’ means ‘not yet a youngster’ i.e. between 4-7 years of age. [5][5] Some scholars have misinterpreted this episode as indicating that he found Acyuta in the temple and adopted the baby. However, this is not correct as the dream episode has been clearly recorded by both Achyuta and Vraja Rämacandra. [6][6] ‘Satye jyotiñi juhomi svähä. Sürye jyotiñi juhomi svähä’ - Mahanäräyaëa upaniñad. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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