It’s a simple temple, consisting of just the silai (சிலை, murthi/idol) of the God built around the natural water spout, with water appearing to come from below the feet of the silai. There are a few other silai’s like the above siva lingam (which is also different – in that it has two snakes on the side, forming a heart-shaped hood over the lingam). Unfortunately the photo of the main silai with the water spout didn’t come out well.

Next to the temple, is a huge snake pit, that gets covered with thousands of eggs by those propitiating the nagas, during powarnami (full-moon days). Just wish that one day people will have enough sense to realize they’d probably get more good karma by donating a thousand eggs to feed the hungry, like in orphanages or homeless shelters (or at least donate it to the temple, and have the temple give it to the needy). For that matter the tons of milk, ghee, buttermilk that is expended in archana’s every year in temples.

Nagas (serpent beings; “serpent” reflecting their supernatural powers rather than their body) are considered to be a race of beings that preceded humankind, and still exist, but are now in a different realm. In many Hindu faiths, all beings (animals, plants, even sun, moon, etc) are said to have a conscious element, and serve as a connection to the spirit world (or if you don’t wish to anthropomorphize it, different stratas of consciousness or energies), and hence they are all revered and sometimes propitiated for relief of various ailments.

These beings, who at least in theory, in their own desire to seek God, unconditionally help beings who propitiate them. For those who are not used to the concept of multivalency, one can just consider them as appendages of God; i.e. God made more accessible to people, via only certain aspects.

In fact, from the worship of the ganas (the bunch of spirits/attendants of Shiva; in Tamil Saiva traditions known as siva-ganarghal, சிவகணர்கள்), in particular the leader of the ganas, Ganapathy, arose the cult of gana or Ganapathy worshippers, which is now a deity that is part of most popular Hindu faiths.

Nagas in particular are known to help people who have difficulty bearing children (also known as naga-dosham). To what extent this is true, I really don’t know. To blindly dismiss it would be equally unscientific. What matters is that in the end, all these currents keep us from straying too far from being in touch with the deeper Reality that underlies the fabric of the universe and life itself.

**PLEASE VOTE (at n7w)** There are only six weeks to January 1, 2006 when the 21 finalists will be announced for the New “Seven Wonders of the World”. Right now Meenakshi Temple is at #24 on the list of nominees.

One of the most beautiful of the ancient temples of India is the Madurai Meenakshi temple. The temple is a huge temple complex that lies right in the heart of Madurai. Madurai Meenakshi temple is also known as Meenakshi-Sundareswarar temple, and by Madurai natives more commonly known as Meenakshi-Amman Kovil.

The temple measures 254m by 217m (covering almost 6 hectares). It has 12 gopurams, of which the four outer gopurams tower over the city and can be seen from a distance as you approach the city. Each gopuram contains over 700 figures; the largest gopuram is 51m high. The entire temple (floors, pillars, ceiling, walls) is built of solid granite. It is said that there are 33 million carvings in the temple — at least according to popular folklore.

The oldest part of the Meenakshi temple, the garbha graha, dates back to 1600 BCE, with successive structures added over the next 900 years. The first major additions where built in the 13th century. In the 14th century the temple was damaged by the Muslim invader Malik Kafur. The temple city of Madurai was under Muslim siege for almost fifty years during that period. Reconstruction began in 1560, with major additions added in the 16th century.

Over 10,000 people visit the temple every day just to see (darshan) Sri Meenakshi and Sri Sundareswarar. The temple is also known for the Golden Lotus Tank (this tank has a historic significance, in that it was the meeting place of the great Tamil Sangams), the Thousand Pillar Hall (in which each pillar is sculptured), the Musical Pillar Hall (in which each pillar is tuned to produce a specific musical note when struck).

The temple houses two deities Shiva (as Sundareswarar) and Shakthi (as Meenakshi). It is said that the divine wedding of the masculine and feminine cosmic principles of the universe, Shiva and Shakthi took place here on Earth, in Madurai, and this temple encloses the spot were the wedding took place. Normally one enters a temple through the main gopuram (usually the East Gopuram) leading to the main deity (here that would be Sundareswarar). In the case of the Meenakshi-Sundareswarar temple it is customary to first enter through another entrance that leads directly to the shrine of the Goddess Meenakshi.

The temple is particularly dedicated to Goddess Meenakshi. The legend has it that the king of the Pandya kingdom was childless for a long time, and so he performed a yajna (here meaning fire ritual). To everyones astonishment from the fire emerged a three year old girl. The king heard a voice from the heavens that commanded she be brought up like a prince, and trained in the art of war. Sri Meenakshi grew up to be a beautiful and valorous young princess winning great combats. She vowed that she will marry only the person who will defeat her in combat. Many suitors came and were defeated. Finally Lord Shiva himself disguised as Sundareswarar came and defeated her. The temple walls and the pillar sculptures illustrate the birth and life story of Sri Meenakshi, as well as the thiruvilayaadals (divine plays) of Shiva.

Cosmology

South Indian Hindu temple architecture is laid out on a rectangular foundation, with concentric prakarams (boundaries) representing the various states of differentiation of the universe: the outermost being the material world to the innermost being Pure Consciousness. Thus the outermost structures, the gopurams, are the most complex, often ornate with granite statues expressing the full range of human emotions. In stark contrast, the innermost, the garbha graha (the womb [of the universe]) at the center is void of decorations; it is plain, simple, tranquil, ancient, eternal, dimly lit by oil lamps. It conveys emptying of the mind, and opening up to God. The garbha graha houses the murti of the temple deity. The murti is not just a statue, nor is it considered God Him/Herself, but is considered a porthole to God.

Hindus believe that by puja (chanting and rituals; i.e. mantra and tantra; the key element being devotion – focus and sincerity) God places Him/Herself accessible through the murti. Or looking at it another way, through constant puja the murtis are energized and act as a cosmic porthole into a higher/subtler dimension, through which we are made closer to God. In the garbha graha, our very consciousness occupies the same mind space, devoid of the attachments of worldly life.

Hindus believe God is present everywhere but unless you are really high up there on the spiritual ladder (which comes with years of practice) only one in a million attain the darshan or vision of God. So God makes Her/Himself accessible through a murti.

For thousands of years Hindus have asserted that everything is Pure Consciousness, and that matter and energy are nothing but grosser and subtler differentiation of the cosmic vibration, pranava. First starting off as one singular cosmic vibration, Om, originating from a cosmic singularity (bindu), then differentiating into seed vibrations (bija), then these bijas interacting and coalescing to form grosser and grosser vibrations, and finally forming energy, and these energies coalescing to form grosser and grosser forms of matter. See also Hindu Cosmology.

According to western scientists: Matter is nothing but condensed Energy (E=mc²). Yogis take it one step further: Matter is condensed Energy, and Energy is condensed Consciousness. Thus everything is pure consciousness.

Everything is manifested consciousness, and stars represent a pure, almost unmanifested aspect of the conscious realm, very little tainted by conditioning (as you go higher and higher up the different stratas or lokas). It is a window into another sphere or loka, higher realms of consciousness (as in the seven lokas – bhuh, bhuvaha, swaha, maha, janaha, tapaha, satyam). It’s likely that spiritually enlightened sages could directly see the Kritikkas, not as stars, but in their full form as divine beings, in Pure Consciousness form, the Kritikka dieties.

In material/physical terms the stars maybe light-years away from us, but once one acknowledges that time and space are relative phenomena, distance is irrelevant. In the spiritual realm, the Krittikas are not far away, but within, and directly accessible. Thought waves pass through them, just as all thought waves pass through Pure Consciousness; as in when Krishna makes the statement in the Gita, “all thoughts pass through Me”.

Not just stars

The same can be said about other heavenly bodies, such as planets and moons. The planet Saturn for example is not just a dense ball of matter floating in space. It is said to represent Shani Conscious, visible as it is projected into our limited three dimensional view of the world.

The same with the Moon. Science can explain away moonlight as light from the Sun reflected. In reality, what science considers as “reflection of light from the Sun” may well be an apparent manifestation of a higher dimensional play. In fact, gravity was found to have nothing much to do with Newtons Law of Gravity, but higher dimensional bending of space-time fabric of the universe that causes what appears to be “gravitational attraction” in our dimension.

I consider the Moon as representing Siva Conscious, just as the Sun represents Narayana Conscious. The cool liquid light, the Soma energy from the Moon works on our intuition and manas, while the bright energy light from the Sun works on our buddhi and actions. In tantra, the left-hand and right-hand currents (ida and pingala) of the Kundalini are treated as the Lunar and Solar currents. The Ida current rules over our nerves, hormones, emotions, intuition, and the Pingala current rules over our circulatory system, heart, intellect.

Today modern science tells us that stars are a porthole connecting one universe to another (in particular stars of particular type exhibit this more strongly, such as black holes and neutron stars). Theory of multiple and parallel universes may be hard to swallow for people, but the numbers/results are doing the talking. It forms the basis for Hindu philosophical thought (see multivalency).

முத்தைத்தரு பத்தித் திருநகை
அத்திக்கிறை சத்திச் சரவண
முத்திக்கோரு வித்துக் குருபர எனவோதும் [1]

With a beautiful smile gleaming like rows of pearls
You are Saravanabhava holding the SakthiVel!
You are the seed for Self-Realization, all transcendent, thus it is chanted! [1]

முத்து – pearl | தரு – give | பத்தி – column | திருனகை – jewel ||
அத்திக்கு – fig | இரை – | சித்தி – sakthi vel | சரவண – Saravanabhava ||
முத்தி – self-realization | ஒரு – one | வித்து – seed | குருபர – all trancendent | எனவோதும – thus chant ||

.

முக்கட் பரமற்குச் சுருதியின்
முற்பட்டது கற்பித்து இருவரும்
முப்பத்து முவர்க்கத் தமரரும் அடிபேணப் [2]

To the third-eyed Transcendent One (Siva),
you taught the primordial fundamental note (Om),
While the other two (Brahma and Vishnu) and
the thirty three crores of Devas, watched with awe. [2]

முக்கட் – three eyed | பரமற்கு – for the transcendental | சுருதியின் – the basic note’s (musical note) ||
முற்பட்டது – that which is first, before time | கற்பித்து – taught | இருவரும் – both ||
முப்பத்து – thirty | முவர் – saints | தமரரும் – | அடிபேண – ||

.

பத்துத்தலை தத்தக் கணைதோடு
ஓற்றைக்கிரி மத்தைப் பொருதொரு
பட்டப்பகல் வட்டத் திகிரியில் இரவகப் [3]

You shot the arrow that scattered ten heads of Ravana (Rama Avatar);
You churned the ocean of milk with the One Mountain (Mandara) (Kurma Avatar);
You hid the Sun (broad daylight) with your Chakra turning it into night (Krishna Avatar); [3]

பத்து – ten | தலை – head | தத்த – | கணை – arrow | தொடு – touch ||
ஒற்றை – the one and only | கிரி – hill, mountain | மத்தை – stick used for churning butter | பொருதொரு – churn? ||
பட்டப்பகல் – broad daylight | வட்ட – circle | திகிரியில் – | இரவாக – turning into night ||

.

பக்தற்கு இரதத்தைக் கடவிய
பச்சைப்புயில் மெச்சத் தகுபொருள்
பக்ஷத்தொடு ரக்ஷித் தருள்வதும் ஓருநாளே [4]

You drove the chariot for your devotee (Krishna Avatar);
You are the emerald-green, cloud complexioned, favorite True Meaning (Lord Vishnu)!
With your kindness and protection, won’t you grace me one of these days? [4]

பக்துற்கு – for the devotee | இரதத்தை – the chariot | கடவிய – driving ||
பச்சை – green | புயல் – storm | மெச்ச – admire, appreciate | தகுபொருள் – favorite true meaning ||
பக்ஷத்தொடு – with kindness? | ரக்ஷி – protect | தருள்வது – to grace | ஒரு – one | நாளே – day ||

.

தித்தித்தெய ஒத்தப் பரிபுர
நிர்த்தப்பதம் வைத்துப் பயிரவி
திக்கொட்கந டிக்கக் கழுகொடு கழுதாடத் [5]

In accordance with the meter ‘thiththiththeya’,
anklets in Her feet jingled as Bhairavi (Kali) danced fiercely moving in all the eight directions;
the devils in the battlefield danced along with the eagles; [5]

தித்தித்தெய – thiththiththeya | ஒத்து – in harmony with | பரிபுர – in all directions ||
நிர்த்தப்பதம் | வைத்து | பயிரவி – bhairavi ||
திக்கொட்க | நடிக்கக் – dancing | கழுகொடு – with vultures | கழுதாடத் – demons dancing ||

.

திக்குப்பரி அட்டப் பயிரவர்
தொக்குத்தொகு தொக்குத் தொகுதொகு
சித்ரப்பவு ரிக்குத் த்ரிகடக எனவோதக் [6]

You are the eight bhairavars, in all directions,
dancing, ‘thokkuththoku thokkuth thokuthoku’,
creating the sound ‘thrikadaka’ [6]

திக்கு – direction | பரி – all | அட்ட – eight | பயிரவர் – Bhairavar ||
தொக்குத்தொகு தொக்குத் தொகுதொகு – (dance) ||
சித்ரப் – picture, choreograph | பவுரிக்குத் – | த்ரிகடக – thrikadaka (sound) | என – thus | ஓத – create sound, chant/recite (as in mantra) ||

.

கொத்துப்பறை கொட்டக் களமிசை
குக்குக்குகு குக்குக் குகுகுகு
குத்திப்புதை புக்குப் பிடியென முதுகூகை [7]

The field resonated with the music of cluster of drums pouring out,
‘kukkukkuku kukkuk kukukuku’,
stab, bury, throw, catch, the vultures screamed; [7]

கொத்து – bunch, cluster | பறை – drums | கொட்டக் – pour | களம் – field | இசை – song, tune, music ||
குக்குக்குகு குக்குக் குகுகுகு – (sound of vultures screaming) ||
குத்தி – stab | புதை – bury | புக்கு – throw | பிடியென – catch | முது – | கூகை – screamed ||

.

கோட்புற்றெழ நட்பற் றவுணரை
வெட்டிப் பலியிட்டுக் குலகிரி
குத்துப்பட ஒத்துப் பொரவல பெருமாளே [8]

The asuras were killed in total,
Kulagiri was shattered,
in the righteous war, Great One! [8]

கோட்புற்றெழ – entire hill destroyed | நட்பற்ற – without friendship | வுணரை – feeling ||
வெட்டி – cut | பலியிட்டு – sacrifice | குலகிரி – mountain ||
குத்துப்பட – shatter | ஒத்து – in harmony | பொரவல – in war | பெருமாளே – Great One! ||

The picture above is the base of the vimanam of Periya kovil, the people in the picture give you an idea of the relative size of the temple and also the detail of artwork.

Periya kovil (also known as Brihadeswara Temple), is located in Thanjavur, Tamil Nadu. The temple was built around 1000 CE by Raja Raja Cholan (who was noted to be the greatest of Chola kings; he is known also for recovering and restoring the Thevaram – one of the most important Shaivite compositions). A thing about this temple that is notably different from other South Indian temples is that the central vimanam towers over the gopurams (in most South Indian temple architecture, the central vimanam is very modest, while the gopurams are of soaring heights). Something to note, is that the domelike crown on top of the vimanam was built from one monolithic block of granite weighing 81 tons (one can only speculate how they accomplished the feat of raising and placing it on the top back then).

Periya means “big” in Tamil, and I can see why, they just about super-sized everything (that is, for that period). The vimanam which stands 200 ft tall houses a massive Siva Lingam (the largest Siva Lingam in any temple). I couldn’t take a picture inside, but the huge 25 ton Nandi sitting outside, in focussed meditation on Siva, will give you an idea of the relative scale of the Siva Lingam inside. Should have had someone standing in front of it just to show scale, but believe me it’s huge, one big Nandhi – the second largest; note the way its tongue is licking up the butter and its row of teeth; the sight is a real treat for little kids).The kovil prakaram (perimeter/courtyard) is lined with rows of Siva Lingams – hundreds of them. It seems my grandfather did abeshakam for each and every one of them at a stretch.

In Hinduism, the Siva Linga represents Siva seated as Pure Awareness. It is also symbolically the masculine aspect (linga; the slender pillar-like top part) seated/merged in the feminine aspect (yoni; the large circular base) of the Universe. Also, the linga is marked by a small dot – the bindu (see Hindu Cosmology), which is depicted as Siva’s third eye, and represents the projection of maya (the construct/matrix/veil that we all see and experience as the visible universe); and at the end of the cosmic cycle everything (all of existance) will get withdrawn into it, the Source. According to yogis, the macrocosm and the microcosm being just reflections of each other, and this “lifting of the veil” can be accomplished by yoga. The Source is described by yogi’s as Sat-Cit-Ananda (Existance-Consciousness-Bliss).

Related to maya is the prithvi-naryana principle, i.e. the self-limiting principle that makes us think we are the just the “body” and that mind is confined to the small space inside our head. Yoga is the act transcending the self-limiting conditioning and to realize our true nature, true potential, our true Self.

Click here for a full view of the temple.

“On that fall day in 1995 it’s possible he [Sri Ganesha] gently reminded people everywhere that the ultimate purpose of life lies not in serving themselves but in serving God.”
- Linda Johnsen, The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Hinduism

To make this more poignant here is another illustration. 70 million people attended the 2001 Kumbha Mela. The point is not whether the millions who attended the Kumbha Mela were all ignorant people (Hindus are very educated and intelligent people). It goes to show a people who have not lost a deeply metaphysical connection to God. I say metaphysical because in Hinduism faith complements the intellect (as opposed to subjugating and displacing it – as it so happens in most fundamentalist religions). For that reason, in India, along with deep love for God (in whatever name and form one wishes), you find at the same time an unquenchable desire for learning and a reverence for knowledge.

“Pilgrims plodded for months in heat to get here, worn, poor and hungry, but sustained by unwavering faith.”
- Mark Twain (Allahabad, India; 1895)

Some notables: She addressed the 100th anniversary of Swami Vivekananda’s address to the Parliament of Religions in Chicago. She was awarded the Gandhi-King award at the United Nations, Geneva, 2002, for her innumerable and innovative humanitarian activity (devotion through work and vice versa; the concept of doing work with bhakti has been around for ages; she has taken it on to a global scale). She was also honored to speak at the United Nations Summit for World Peace, 2000. Like the great sages and saints before her, she is an inspiration to the hearts and minds of many. Her contribution to the upliftment of India’s underprivileged is immeasurable (in many areas: education, health care, disaster relief, housing, orphanages, pensions for poor women, hospices,…).

She has also done a lot in empowering women, including talks encouraging women to take a stand, to harness the full potential of their femininity (as opposed to trying to emulate male traits) and using it to participate and take more share of their role in the world at all levels. She said something like, for there to be peace in the world, their needs to be balance. Right now there is no balance, as the world is masculine dominated. On top of that if women try to emulate masculine traits it’s going to make the imbalance deeper. The masculine order of the world has to be balanced by the feminine, as in Siva and Sakthi.

As for is she really god-realized (or as some people think, God?). Excerpts from an interview with Amma:

In your biography, there is an incident mentioned when you felt as if there was no difference between you and Lord Krishna. Could you tell us about it?
“Yes, I did feel that. It was an experience. The way I see my face in the mirror, Krishna’s face seemed to sort of merge with it. It was an intense experience.”

There is also the belief that you are an avatar of Goddess Durga.
“That’s what people say. That’s their belief. I don’t worry too much about these things.”

You have many critics.
“Critics will be there…..And criticism should be there. The easiest way to destroy a nation is to not criticize the prime minister. Only when criticism comes will the flaws be highlighted. I am not angry with them. There will always be differences of view.”

- from Rediff interview of Mata Amritanandmayi (full article)

As a tip: if you decide to meet Amma (or any great spiritually enlightened master), keep your noisy intellect outside at the entrance along with your footwear :-). The intellect is a guardian (against cult worship for example), but don’t give it too much credit beyond that, else it will start building castles and there is no end to the way it can rationalize for you anything that reinforces it — and irrationalize anything that it feels is threatening. If you’re intellectually inclined, it is best to always temper it with any form of yoga which helps move from intellectual reasoning (buddhi) to wisdom/insight (jnana).

NGO’s, kings, and temples

If at all there is an efficient institution for the people, I feel it is not the government, but ashrams (and NGO’s that function like ashrams) guided by spiritual leaders. Much has to do with the efficiency and dedication of the guru’s devotees. It’s all about devotion, and with that comes sincerity in the work you do. Just pick any guru and you can see for yourself the massive amount of contribution to society. As a sample, do some research on Mata Amritanandamayi, Jagi Vasudev, Sri Sri Ravishankar, Satya Sai Bhaba, etc. I don’t like some of those gurus, but regardless of how genuine they are or not (and any controversies surrounding them), their impact on the people to mobilize and do good (whether it be seva or changing themselves) has been enormous and phenomenal.

From a socio-economic perspective, the spiritual gurus and ashrams are serving the same function as kings and temples in those days: redistribution of wealth (material and spiritual) for the benefit of society.

See also:

• Mata Amritanandamayi’s 50th brithday

Shani symbolizes the ruler and maintainer of the Law of Karma. The principle of cause and effect, action and reaction, as you sow you shall reap. As the embodiment of the Law of Karma, Shani is viewed as a teacher, a strict and stern disciplinarian, imparting the lessons in life, rewarding one if one reflects and learns his lessons, or ratcheting up the lesson/reaction so that eventually one is forced to reflect, learn, and grow. Shani doesn’t let anyone escape from the law of karma (though you can transmute or burn off your karma through genuine yajna, dedicated tapas, or true bhakti).

Attributes:

• Ruler of: Karma
• Keeper of: Time
• Planet: Saturn
• Number: 8
• Day: Saturday
• Sun Signs: Capricorn & Aquarius (mid-December through mid-February)
• Color: Black, grey, or dark blue
• Gem: Blue Sapphire
• Metal: Iron
• Food: Sesame, black sesame, sesame oil
• Vehicle (vaahanam): Crow
• Body Part: Bones, teeth
• Cloths: Old, traditional, sober, and not flashy
• Places: Ancient, old, neglected, deserted
• Direction: West or south-west
• Avatar: Matsya (turtle)
• Animal: Turtle, tortoise
• Mantra: Om Sri Shanaischaraya Namaha (or Om Aim Hrim Srim Shanaischaraya Namaha – औम्  ऐं  ह्रीं  श्रीं  शनैश् – चराय  नमः )

Governs:

• Longevity, misery, sorrow, discipline, restriction, responsibility, delays, anything old, ancient, tradition, elders, humility, integrity, wisdom born of experience.

Likes:

• Humility – nothing in life is free, respect and be thankful for that which is given, never forget how it was given. For those who don’t have humility, Shani drives in the point through very hard lessons in life, repeating it as often as needed. Also as bad as lack of humility is false-pride (मद) – such as “I’m proud to be a Indian (or Hindu, Tamilian,…)” How? in what way have you earned it? or are you just riding on the coat tails of others. Shani is quick to puncture false-pride (and that can be really painful), so it’s better to stand on guard and not have it in the first place.
• Patience – Shani is often caricatured as slowly churning the Universe in the Wheel of Time (depicted as a giant sesame seed oil mill – எள்ளுச் செக்கு). He is never in a rush, and appreciates those who are likewise. Don’t be anxious for anything. Don’t look for the fruits, even the smallest effort never goes to waste, you will be rewarded. The greatest reward is that you grow. The Greek word kronos (time, as in chronology) comes from crow, which is Shani’s vimana (the vehicle on which he travels).
• Diligence/Persistence – Do your work sincerely, don’t give up too quickly. That is, if you do a half-baked job, you can’t crib if later something else (your car, computer, surgery,…) doesn’t work the way it should (because he also probably did the same half-baked job). If your car works great it’s because someone did a diligent and dedicated job in building it. It is important that you return this, else eventually nothing will work (and you’ll be blaming the “other” person – and you don’t want Shani grinding you on the wheel of karma to make you realize your part).
• Tradition – Shani is the ruler of all that is ancient, old, and timeless — tradition and wisdom. This also means showing kindness and respect for the weak and the elderly.
• Equanimity – Do your work with equanimity. Don’t be too judgemental. Leave it to Shani or whichever denomination/flavor of god you like to do the needful. As the saying goes, love your friends, be compassionate to those in pain, and be indifferent to your enemies.
• Yajna – Shani being the ruler of asceticism, rewards and protects those who live simple minimalist lives (like those environmentally conscious, spiritual,…). This is what is called yajna (sacrifice). When one burns ones attachments (starting with ones needs for material excesses) in the sacrificial fire pit… he is gifted with tremendous spiritual energy and success in all his endeavors. People hardly stop to think about the shear mount of greed they have (i.e. not even hesitating to think about the consequences of their actions on the Earth and society at large). As an example, millions of acres of forests and wildlife have been depleted, millions of tons of greenhouse gases dumped into the atmosphere, millions of tons of trash mindlessly dumped (which ends up in landfills or the ocean), and indulgences such as living in a house that is more than double/triple ones needs (gas, heating, electricity, land area,…). We must learn to share the Earth with all its living inhabitants (plants and animals). Partake only what we need, and don’t abuse our privileges. Enjoy life, but don’t abuse your privileges, and don’t lose focus of what you are (i.e. don’t sell your soul to the gods/idols of pop-culture).

Shani Yantra

A Shani Yantra found on Saturn (compare with the Shani Yantra in the photograph of Shanisvaran Lingam above). Coincidence? or have they (the ancients/yogis) shown us once again with their cosmic insight, or is it just Jesus on a tortilla. It’s all about a test of faith, or a poetic license to take your mind into different heights; not really about whether it is true or not.

“This is a very strange feature, lying in a precise geometric fashion with six nearly equally straight sides,” said Kevin Baines, atmospheric expert and member of Cassini’s visual and infrared mapping spectrometer team at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, Calif in a statement. “We’ve never seen anything like this on any other planet. Indeed, Saturn’s thick atmosphere where circularly-shaped waves and convective cells dominate is perhaps the last place you’d expect to see such a six-sided geometric figure, yet there it is.”

Taken from the following links:

• Saturn’s Hexagon. Also read the insightful comments of “N.S.Parasuraman” in this link.
• NASA

Further Reading

• “The Greatness of Saturn” by Robert E. Svoboda (a retelling of the Shani Mahatmya) is a great book to read for the story of Shani.

Total Lunar Eclipse today, 22:00 – 01:00 EST.

The ecliptics of the planets are at different angles. The same goes for the Moon around the Earth, its ecliptic has its own angle.

The intersecting points of the Moon’s ecliptic and Earth’s ecliptic are known as the North and South Nodes. In Hindu mythology they are known as Rahu and Ketu. Note the astrological symbolism in the mythology, Rahu is the head, and Ketu is the tail (of the slayed dragon asura).

Although they have no rulerships of their own, the Sun and Moon had to suffer a punishment of being once in a while afflicted by them (the solar and lunar eclipses).

Rahu and Ketu are part of the nine grahas (or external influences) in Hindu astrology. Graha means literally to “seize” or “grab hold of” in Sanskrit. The other seven grahas are Surya, Chandra, Kuja, Buddha, Guru, Sukhra, and Shani (the origin of the seven day calendar).

The most beautiful and most profound emotion we can experience is the sensation of the mystical. It is the sower of all science… To know that what is impenetrable to us really exists, manifesting itself as the lightest wisdom and the most radiant beauty which our dull faculties can comprehend only in their most primitive forms – this knowledge, this feeling, is at the center of true religiousness. The deeply emotional conviction of the presence of a superior reasoning power which is revealed in the incomprehensible universe, form my idea of God.
– Albert Einstein

Bhakti is the profound feeling or sensation of the transcendental that comes with devotion or a deep and serious desire or pining for the Truth or higher understanding. It is accompanied by a feeling of sublime or transcendental love. The feeling may last only a few seconds, like the inspiration one might get from reading a piece of elevating poetry, or listening to particular raga/music, or a profound inside into the workings of nature (like the awe that scientists, yogis, and siddhars felt that inspired their bhakti – enough to make them write scores of inspirational poetry).

It can be cultivated. To give a personal example: I had zero bhakti as late as when I was 34 years old. Even the most beautiful rendering of bhakti poetry would have fallen on my deaf ears back then. It’s all about pursuing Truth seriously, and deeply, which means like any science requires one to hypothesize, experiment, assess, and reformulate. The feeling of bhakti will take root. Once you have that, the tricky part is yet to come: to apply it to life, as in cultivating a heart-centered approach to life.

True bhakti doesn’t make you a zealot of your faith, but transcends and crosses beyond the borders of faith and religion. A genuine bhakti saint of one faith will feel equally exhilarated by the bhakti poetry/literature from other faiths. Like the language of music, bhakti represents a very transcendent religion – a religion of the heart and of self-expression and self-actualization (as opposed to suppressive doctrinal religions). Bhakti has inspired and motivated tremendous levels of contribution to Hindu culture (poetry, classical music, classical dance forms, temples, puranas, etc.).

Like all yoga, I believe bhakti should also be integrative into life, as opposed to something you do only in your puja or temple. The love that one feels for the divine has to be distilled and transformed to love, compassion, sensitivity for all living things around you – from loved ones, to friends, acquaintances, strangers, and to the environment. That’s when bhakti really takes root as a yoga, i.e. a tool for evolution, spiritual growth.

Some time ago I was having a conversation with a white non-Hindu American about art films. I ended up telling him about genre of films that he (and probably most of the West) never new even existed – that of bhaki films (which are quite common in India). That bhakti films took art films altogether to a different height. I used to wonder, why is it that the West finds it so easy that “Pure Evil” can manifest itself in the world (in all sort of  horrific forms – as shown in loads of horror flicks), but finds it so revolting that God in all its beauty can manifest itself in the world (as in numerous bhakti films in India, like Murugan, Krishna, Durga, numerus saints, sages, etc). In fact, of the supernatural, bhakti films are the thing in India. You used to see theaters (before DVDs!) with house-full for bhakti films, but not horror films in India.

A good art film runs like a haiku, like poetry, and elevates your heart and mind to something transcendental. If you take that a magnitude higher, the feeling you get is bhakti. While art films elevate your heart and mind, bhakti films make it soar, completely uninhibited, into a different realm/dimension of conscious experience.