I AM ..........................???

Who Am I?

One day a professor went to see Ramana Maharshi and asked him, "Can you help me to see GOD?"

Ramana asked the professor, "who are you, why do you want to see GOD?"

"I am Devadutt Sharma", exclaimed the professor.

"That is your name, but who are you?" asked Ramana.

"I am an Anthanan," said the professor.

"That is your hereditary, but who are you?" Ramana asked again.

"I am a college professor," proudly said the professor.

"That is your profession, but who are you?" Ramana went on further.

"I am a man," said the professor, getting a little frustrated.

"That is your gender by birth, so who are you anyway?" nudged Ramana.

The professor finally said, "I really do not know who I am then."

Ramana replied, " You don't even know who you are to begin with, and how do you think you will ever know GOD."

"Self-discovery is the first step in the journey towards attaining higher level of consciousness of spiritual realization."

Unfortunately for many, the search is for quick fixes to their worldly problems. A miracle is what everyone wants. Divinity has been hijacked by giving it a generic term called GOD and have been given multiple brand names via RELIGION. As human life becomes more intertwined, so have complexities in leading our lives. Brand religion became popular by providing convenient solutions to the UNKNOWN.

FAITH and HOPE have become the buzz words in selling GOD. So GOD became the granter of wishes to mortal souls. But we have been taught to believe that nothing is free in this world.  I guess that applies to GOD as well. So how would GOD grant our wishes? Well we have to give something to GOD in return for HIS/HER blessings. By the way by now Divinity has also been given a gender. Convenient isn't it? Thereupon a dogma is constructed around this concept to provide for a structure to attain GOD's blessings. So goes the practice of undivided conformity to rituals and prayers. But often in a hurried world today, even that is found to be a little tedious and time consuming.

Enter the Places of Worship or Godmen or Holyman or Evangelist or Shaman who becomes GOD's agent and who can connect one directly to GOD. But of course there is a price to be paid - often large material contributions to the coffers of these places of worship or middleman, all  in the name of donation.

An example to quote, the world’s richest place of worship would be the Thirupathi Venkateshwara Temple. It is said that the temple is estimated at a worth of USD8billion, with a daily collection of donations amounting to about USD700K. That is just a glimpse of the level of desperation people have in hoping for that 'miracle' which would change their entire life. Of course this temple runs multiple charitable activities which includes schools, colleges, hospitals etc. However it can't be said that all places of worship have similar agendas. Interestingly it is also reported that there are places of worship in Pakistan that not only harbor, but also promote undesirable anti-social activities.

From a Godmen perspective, TeleEvengelist Chris Oyakhilome of the Christ Embassy, is estimated to be worth USD50million. He was implicated in USD35million money laundering activities which he was later cleared of. Or for that matter the infamous Swami Nithyananda of India who was implicated in a sex tape scandal. Regardless, the irony is that the faithful are unperturbed by all these, as they merely treat these as minor distractions in their quest for higher callings i.e. 'miracles'.

Desperation and faith are a powerful concoction that has potent results. Militants preparing to be martyrs, are often found to be individuals who come from disadvantaged or even a psychological scarred strata of society. Martyrdom promises paradise in afterlife. For some it could be a way out from a wretched life that they are already living.

Whether one is sitting for an examination, going for an interview, in financial difficulty or facing any other life challenge, everyone seeks a 'miracle'. Even a glimmer of hope of a quick fix from GOD or Godmen would entice human imagination.

Funnily enough, in all these desperate attempts, humans seem to externalize their search for satisfaction or redemption, never once looking inward in search of the answer.

Instead of looking for the elusive GOD in the heavens, perhaps people should start looking within oneself to find the answer.

"Brahman is supreme; he is self-luminous, he is beyond all thought. Subtler than the subtlest is he, farther than the farthest, nearer than the nearest. He resides in the lotus of the heart of every being." Mudaka Upanishad 3:1:7.

"What? Know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own." Corinthians 6:19-20

Both the above have been quoted from the respective holy books, and both belief systems prescribe to the same philosophy, but where did they fail?

The failure was human GREED. Greed commoditized everything, including DIVINITY. In a world filled with the expectation for instant gratification, spirituality has lost its relevance. Spirituality is often confused with the act of devotion and prayer, for it is only a precursor towards a journey of self -realization and it is not the end itself.

But first we have to find the humanity within us. We should stop the attitude of "expecting to be a receiver" and start becoming a "giver without expectations".

OM TAT SAT.   

ravivarmman21082014

THE HIDDEN TEMPLE SERIES 1 : PARAMESWARA VINNAGARAM TEMPLE, KANCHEEPURAM, TAMIL NADU

VAIKUNDA PERUMAL TEMPLE, KANCHEEPURAM, TAMIL NADU.

(aka PARAMESWARA VINNAGARAM TEMPLE)

Parameswara Vinnagaram or Vaikunta Perumal Temple is a temple dedicated to the Hindu god Vishnu, located in Kancheepuram in the South Indian state of Tamil Nadu. The temple is believed to have been built by the Pallava King Nandivarman II (720-96 CE), with later contributions from Medieval Cholas and Vijayanagar Kings.

The great Vaishnava saint Thirumangai Alvar was his contemporary. This temple is revered in Nalayira Divya Prabandham, the 7th–9th century Vaishnava canon by Thirumangai Alvar in 10 hymns. The temple is classified as a Divyadesam, one of the 108 Vishnu temples that are mentioned in the Vaishnava canon. The temple is one of the fourteen Divyadesams located in Kanchipuram and is part of Vishnu Kanchi, the place where most of the Vishnu temples in Kancheepuram are located.

Like other Vishnu temples of Tamil Nadu, the priests belong to the Vaishnavaite community.  The Vaikasi Brahmotsavam, celebrated during the Tamil month of Vaikasi (May-June), and Vaikunta Ekadashi celebrated during the Tamil month of Margazhi (December-January) are the two major festivals celebrated in the temple.

Vaikuntha Perumal temple was first built with a distinctive style in South India.  The walls of this temple are adorned  with religious sculptures. Further, the inner wall of the verandah running around the four sides of this temple, has a series of Pallava Dynasty history sculptured on it, up to the reign of Nandivarman II Pallavamalla (builder of the temple). 

Nandivarman II came to the throne at the age of twelve in c. AD 731-32. He ruled for nearly 65 years and it was an important era in Pallava history. His relations with the Chalukyas, the Rashtrakutas and the Pandyas were varied, and at times hostile, at times peaceful. Nandivarman's reign is notable for the development of two conflicts one in the north with the Chalukyas, which is traditional, and the other in the south with the Pandyas which was later to have such fateful consequence in the battle of Tiruppurambiam.

One particular sculpture that stood out was of I Ching, the famous Tang Dynasty Buddhist monk, who traveled by sea to India and studied at Nalanda University for eleven years before returning with a collection of as many as 500,000 Sanskrit stanzas. He translated more than 60 sutras into Chinese, including Saravanabhava Vinaya , Avadana, and Suvarnaprabhascottamaraja-sutra. He is also responsible for the translation of eleven Buddhist tantras and eighteen works on monastic discipline, as well as exegetic works. I Ching travelled in India during the reign of King Narashimhavarmman II (aka Rajashimha) who is the father of King Parameswaravarmman II, whom Nandivarmman II inherited the Kingdom from.

One of the main attractions of Vaikuntha Perumal temples is the exceptional 1000 paired hall.  The extra characteristic about it is that each pillar has a statue carved on it.  Inside the temple, lion pillars support the enclosed passages and the architecture of the temple has played a vital role in the architectural evolution of the grand thousand pillared mandaps (halls) built-in the later South Indian temples.  On the wall of the temple there are several inscriptions related to the wars between the Pallavas and Chalukyas.

One interesting phenomena here is the Nawab Sathathullah Khan Mosque which was built by the Nawab of Arcot who ruled the Carnatic territory under the patronage of the Mughals located next door to this temple.   Interestingly the temple shares its water source from a tank for more than 300 years with the mosque. The beauty is that Moslems participate in the Brahmatvasam festivals of the temple every year.

   

The Nawabdom of the Carnatic was established by the Mughal emperor Aurangzeb in 1692 AD. With the Vijayanagara Empire in serious decline, the Nawabdom of the Carnatic controlled a vast territory south of the Krishna river. The Nawab Saadatullah Khan (1710-1732 AD) moved his court from Gingee to Arcot. Muhammed Ali Khan Wallajah (1749 - 1795) was freed from his suzerainty and made the independent ruler of the Carnatic by the Mughal emperor in 1765. His rule was long and mostly peaceful. He donated generously to Churches, Temples and Mosques. The temple at Sri Rangam was one which benefited from his generosity.

The thirteenth Nawab, Ghulam Muhammad Ghouse Khan (1825–1855), died without issue and the British annexed the Carnatic Nawabdom applying the doctrine of lapse. Ghouse Khan's uncle Azim Jah was created the first Prince of Arcot (Amir-E-Arcot) in 1867 by Queen Victoria, and was given a tax free pension in perpetuity. This privilege continues to be honoured by the Government of India. This status is protected by the Indian Constitution and the family continues to retain its privileges and titles. The current Prince of Arcot Abdul Ali came to the title in July 1994.

Religious harmony was and still exists, in Kancheepuram.

Next time in Kancheepuram, TN, make sure you don’t miss this temple. The grandiose of its architecture and sculpture depicting the history of the Pallava Kingdom is truly mesmerizing and a feast to the eyes.

Source:various

photo@ravienavarmman&ravivarmman072014

THE HIDDEN TEMPLE SERIES 1: Jurahareswarar (aka Iravanatheswara) Temple at Juragaresam

The main deity in this temple is Shiva in the form of linga known as Jurahareswarar.

Legend has that a demon called Juragan was destroyed here. Devas worshipped in this place to cure themselves from disease due to heat and they were cured. Therefore it is believed that those who worship Shiva here, is known to have been cured of ailments such as fever, relieving them from excessive body heat to maintain normal body temperature.

There are five windows in the sanctum sanctorum which in itself has a circular design. 

(a side view of the sanctorum)

(a view of the circular sanctorum)

(Intricate carvings on the main Gopuram)

(one of the 5 windows adorns the inner sanctum)

It is a magnificent example of Pallava architecture. The temple was built using both sandstone and granite and many figures are engraved on them.  The idol of Juvarahereswarar here is one of the 64 holy idols (formless form of Lord Shiva). There are two kinds of divine treasures in the temple. There is a statue of Lord Gubera (God of treasure) in this temple.

(Side view of the temple with the Nandi Sannidhi, Bali Peedam and the Upperi Kulam on the extreme right)

The temple tank is called ‘Vepperi Kulam’ and now is popularly known as ‘Upperi Kulam’ where the temple Theerthem (Holy water) is sourced.

This temple is famous for its splendid Vimana (deity's vehicle) Nandi (Bull). 

(the smiling Nandi)

This temple was built by Pallava King Narasimhavarman II (aka Rajasimhan) who ruled from 695.C.E-728.C.E.

Apart from Jurageswarar Temple, Narashimhavarman II was also instrumental in building the famous Kailasanathar Temple,  Vaikuntha Perumal Temple at Kanchipuram,  Shore Temple at Mahabalipuram and the Talagirisvara Temple at Panamalai.

The temple is located next to Pandava Thootha Perumal temple to the south of Sannidhi street of Sri Ekambareswarar temple, Kancheepuram, TN.

Most people do give this temple a miss for other famous temples in Kancheepuram, not realizing both its spiritual and historical significance.

Do visit this temple for its architectural marvel when you are in Kancheepuram, Tamil Nadu.

Currently this temple comes under the purview of ASI (Archeological Survey India)

photo@ravienavarmman072014