Gommateshwara - Shravanabelagola

According to Jain Scriptures, Bahubali (also known as Gommateshvara) was the second of the one hundred sons of the first Tirthankara, Lord Rishabha and king of Podanpur. A statue of Lord Bahubali is located at Shravanabelagola in the Hassan district of Karnataka State. Shravanabelagola is a sacred place of pilgrimage to Jain with a splendid and lofty statue of stone on top of a hillock there. When standing at the statue's feet looking up, one sees the inspiring vision of the saint against the vastness of the sky. The figure is lofty like the
sky, and the serenity of the face is unique and incomparable in its beauty. This statue of Gommateshwara Bahubali is carved from a single stone fifty-seven feet high. The giant image was carved in 981 A.D., by order of Chavundaraya, the minister of the Ganga King Rachamalla.
Bahubali is another name for Gommateshwara.

In Jainism, a Tirthankar is a human being who achieves enlightenment (perfect knowledge) through asceticism and who then becomes a role-model teacher for those seeking spiritual guidance. A Tirthankar is a special sort of arhat, a person who has totally conquered base
sensibilities such as anger, pride, deceit, or desire.After achieving enlightenment, a Tirthankar shows others the path to enlightenment. The Tirthankar's religious teachings form the Jain
canons. The inner knowledge of all Tirthankars is perfect and identical in every respect, for the teachings of one Tirthankar do not contradict those of another. However, the degree of elaboration varies according to the spiritual advancement and purity of humans during
that period. The higher the spiritual advancement and purity of mind, the lower the elaboration required.

Jainism posits that time has no beginning or end. It moves like the wheel of a cart. There have been an infinite number of time cycles before our present era and there will be an infinite number of time cycles after this age. The beginning of the twenty first century is approximately 2,530 years into the fifth era of the present half cycle.
As Tirthankars direct us to enlightenment, their statues are worshipped in Jain temples by Jains aspiring to achieve enlightenment. Tirthankars are not God or gods. Jainism does not believe in the existence of God in the sense of a creator, but in gods as beings, superior to humans but, nevertheless, not fully enlightened.

Beliefs

Every living being has a soul.Every soul is potentially divine, with innate qualities of infinite knowledge, perception, power, and bliss (masked by its karmas). Therefore, regard every living being as yourself, harming no one and be kind to all living beings.

Every soul is born as a celestial, human, sub-human or hellish being according to its own karmas.

Every soul is the architect of its own life, here or hereafter. When a soul is freed from karmas, it becomes free and attain divine consciousness, experiencing infinite knowledge, perception, power, and bliss.

Right View, Right Knowledge and Right Conduct (triple gems of Jainism) provide the way to this realization.There is no supreme divine creator, owner, preserver or destroyer. The universe is self-regulated and every soul has the potential to achieve divine consciousness (siddha) through its own efforts.

Spark - Chetan Bhagat

speech given at the orientation program for the new batch of MBA studentsSymbiosis, Pune, July 24, 2008

Good Morning everyone and thank you for giving me this chance to speak to you. This day is about you. You, who have come to this college, leaving the comfort of your homes (or in some cases discomfort), to become something in your life.

Today I am going to talk about keeping the spark shining. Or to put it another way, how to be happy most, if not all the time.

Imagine the spark to be a lamp’s flame. The first aspect is nurturing – to give your spark the fuel, continuously. The second is to guard against storms.

Nature designed with a random set of genes and circumstances in which we were born. To be happy, we have to accept it and make the most of nature’s design. Are you? Goals will help you do that. I must add, don’t just have career or academic goals. Set goals to give you a balanced, successful life. I use the word balanced before successful. Balanced means ensuring your health, relationships, mental peace are all in good order.

There is no point of getting a promotion on the day of your breakup. There is no fun in driving a car if your back hurts. Shopping is not enjoyable if your mind is full of tensions.

You must have read some quotes – Life is a tough race, it is a marathon or whatever. No, from what I have seen so far, life is one of those races in nursery school, where you have to run with a marble in a spoon kept in your mouth. If the marble falls, there is no point coming first. Same with life, where health and relationships are the marble. Your striving is only worth it if there is harmony in your life. Else, you may achieve the success, but this spark, this feeling of being excited and alive, will start to die.

One last thing about nurturing the spark – don’t take life seriously. One of my yoga teachers used to make students laugh during classes. One student asked him if these jokes would take away something from the yoga practice. The teacher said – don’t be serious, be sincere. This quote has defined my work ever since. Whether its my writing, my job, my relationships or any of my goals.

I’ve told you three things – reasonable goals, balance and not taking it too seriously that will nurture the spark. However, there are four storms in life that will threaten to completely put out the flame. These must be guarded against. These are disappointment, frustration, unfairness and loneliness of purpose.

OSHO - The Root Problem of All Problems

The root problem of all problems is mind itself. The first thing to be understood is what this mind is, of what stuff it is made; whether it is an entity or just a process; whether it is substantial, or just dreamlike. And unless you know the nature of the mind, you will not be able to solve any problems of your life.

You may try hard, but if you try to solve single, individual problems, you are bound to be a failure -- that is absolutely certain -- because in fact no individual problem exists: mind is the problem. If you solve this problem or that, it won't help because the root remains untouched.

It is just like cutting branches of a tree, pruning the leaves, and not uprooting it. New leaves will come, new branches will sprout -- even more than before; pruning helps a tree to become thicker. Unless you know how to uproot it, your fight is baseless, it is foolish. You will destroy yourself, not the tree.

In fighting you will waste your energy, time, life, and the tree will go on becoming more and more strong, far thicker and dense. And you will be surprised what is happening: you are doing so much hard work, trying to solve this problem and that, and they go on growing, increasing. Even if one problem is solved, suddenly ten problems take its place.

Don't try to solve individual, single problems -- there are none: mind itself is the problem. But mind is hidden underground; that's why I call it the root, it is not apparent. Whenever you come across a problem the problem is above ground, you can see it -- that's why you are deceived by it.

Always remember, the visible is never the root; the root always remains invisible, the root is always hidden. Never fight with the visible; otherwise you will fight with shadows. You may waste yourself, but there cannot be any transformation in your life, the same problems will crop up again and again and again. You can observe your own life and you will see what I mean. I am not talking about any theory about the mind, just the "facticity" of it. This is the fact: mind has to be solved.

Somnath Temple

According to Hindu mythology, Somnath Temple was first built with gold by Moon God, with silver by Ravana, with sandalwood by Lord Krishna, and with stone by Bhimdeva (Solanki Ruler of Gujarat; Solanki was one of the 5 Rajput kingdoms in India).
The following extract is from “Wonders of Things Created, and marvels of Things Existing” by Asaru-L- Bilad, a 13th century Arab geographer. It contains the following description of Somnath temple:

“Somnath: celebrated city of India, situated on the shore of the sea, and washed by its waves. Among the wonders of that place was the temple in which was placed the idol called Somnath. This idol was in the middle of the temple without anything to support it from below, or to suspend it from above. It was held in the highest honor among the Hindus, and whoever beheld it floating in the air was struck with amazement, whether he was a Musulman or an infidel.

The edifice was built upon fifty-six pillars of teak, covered with lead. The shrine of the idol was dark. hut was lighted by jeweled chandeliers of great value. Near it was a chain of gold weighing 200 mans. When a portion (watch) of the night closed, this chain used to be shaken like bells to rouse a fresh lot of Brahmins to perform worship.There were many idols of gold and silver and vessels set with jewels, all of which had been sent there by the greatest personages in India. The value of the things found in the temples of the idols exceeded twenty thousand dinars.

The construction of the present temple in Junagadh district began in 1947. It is the seventh temple built to commemorate the glory of Lord Somnath who is said to have known as Bhairaveshwar in the Satya Yug, Shravanikeshwar in Treta Yug and Shrigaleshwar in Dwapar Yug.

The first temple of Somnath is said to have existed before the beginning of the common era.

The second temple, built by the Yadava kings of Vallabhi in Gujarat, replaced the first one on the same site around 649.
In 725 Junayad, the Arab governor of Sind, sent his armies to destroy the second temple. The Pratihara king Nagabhata II constructed the third temple in 815, a large structure of red sandstone.
In 1024 A.D., the temple was once again destroyed by Mahmud Ghazni who raided the temple from across the Thar Desert.
The temple was rebuilt by the Paramara King Bhoj of Malwa and the Solanki king Bhima of Gujarat (Anhilwara) or Patan between 1026 and 1042.
The wooden structure was replaced by Kumarpal (r.1143-72), who built the temple of stone.
In 1296 A.D., the temple was once again destroyed by Sultan Allauddin Khilji's army.
The temple was rebuilt by Mahipala Deva, the Chudasama king of Saurashtra in 1308 A.D. and the Linga was installed by his son Khengar sometime between 1326 and 1351 A.D.
In 1375 A.D., the temple was once again destroyed by Muzaffar Shah I, the Sultan of Gujarat. About 1400 A.D. it was reconstructed by the local public.
In 1451 A.D., the temple was once again destroyed by Mahmud Begda, the Sultan of Gujarat. It was reconstructed again.
In 1701 A.D., the temple was once again destroyed by Mughal Emperor Aurangzeb. Aurangzeb built a mosque on the site of the Somnath temple, using some columns from the temple, whose Hindu sculptural motifs remained visible.
Queen Ahilyabai Holkar of Indore rebuilt the temple in 1783 A.D at a site adjacent to the ruined temple which was already converted to a mosque.
The Deputy Prime Minister of India, Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel came to Junagadh on November 12, 1947 to direct the occupation of the state by the Indian army and at the same time ordered the reconstruction of the Somanath temple.
In May 1951, Rajendra Prasad, the first President of the Republic of India, invited by K M Munshi, performed the installation ceremony for the temple.Rajendra Prasad said in his address ""The Somnath temple signifies that the power of reconstruction is always greater than the power of destruction".
The present temple was built by the Shree Somnath Trust which looks after the entire complex of Shree Somnath and its environs

சிவவாக்கியர்

சிவவாக்கியர் என்பவர் ஒரு சித்தர். பதினெண் சித்தர்களில் ஒருவராக இவர் எண்ணப்படுகிறார். அவர் எந்நாட்டைச் சேர்ந்தவர் என்பதற்கு ஆதாரங்கள் அறியக் கிடைக்கவில்லை. அவர் தமிழ் நாட்டைச் சேர்ந்தவர் என்னும் கருத்து பரவலாக உள்ளது. சித்தர் பாடல்கள் திரட்டில் இவருடைய பாடல்களே மிக அதிகம் என்போரும் உண்டு. இவரைப் பற்றிய குறிப்புகள் அபிதான சிந்தாமணியிலும் தி.வி. சாம்பசிவம் பிள்ளை அவர்கள் எழுதிய தமிழ்-ஆங்கில மருத்துவ அகராதியிலும் உள்ளன. ஆனால் இவை இரண்டும் முற்றிலும் வேறுபடுகின்றன என்பதாலும் இக்கதைகளுக்குத் தக்க ஆதாரங்கள் ஏதும் இல்லை என்பதாலும், இவர் இயற்றிய பாடல்களை மட்டும் போற்றுகின்றனர்.

அவர் வாழ்ந்த காலமும் தெளிவாய்த் தெரியவில்லை. அவரது காலம், கி.பி.9ஆம் நூற்றாண்டாக இருக்கலாம் எனவும், அவரின் செய்யுள் நடை பலவிடங்களில் திருமூலரை ஒத்துள்ளது எனவும் திரு.டி.எஸ்.கந்தசாமி முதலியார் கூறியுள்ளார். இல்லையில்லை அவர், கி.பி.10ஆம் நூற்றாண்டில் வாழ்ந்தவர். அவரின் செய்யுள் நடை பலவிடங்களில் திருமழிசை ஆழ்வாரை ஒத்துள்ளதுந ஆகவே, அவரும் திருமழிசை ஆழ்வாரும் ஒன்றே என விவாதிப்பவரும் உண்டு.

சமணம், பௌத்தம், சைவம், மாலியம்(வைணவம்) ஆகிய சமயங்களை ஆழ அகழ்ந்தறிந்து தம் பாக்களில் பிழிந்து தந்துள்ளார். இவருடைய பாக்களில் ஒரு வித துள்ளல் ஓசையும், ஞானக் கருத்துக்களும், கேள்விகளும்(வினாக்களும்) இருப்பது சிறப்பு. எடுத்துக்காட்டாக, புறவழிபாடாக கடவுள் வழிபாடு செய்பவர்களைப் பார்த்து அடுக்கடுக்காய் வினாக்கள் தொடுக்கின்றார்.

"கோயிலாவ தேதடா குளங்களாவ தேதடா

கோயிலும் குளங்களும் கும்பிடும் குலாமரே

கோயிலும் மனத்துளே குளங்களு மனத்துளே

ஆவது மழிவது மில்லையில்லை யில்லையே"

“நட்டகல்லை தெய்வமென்று நாலுபுட்பம் சாத்தியே

சுற்றிவந்து முணமுணன்று சொல்லும் மந்திரம் ஏதடா

நட்டகல்லும் பேசுமோ நாதன் உள்ளிருக்கையில்

சுட்ட சட்டி சட்டுவம் கறிச்சுவை அறியுமோ"

OSHO - Seeds of Wisdom

I HEARD a discourse this morning. It happened unintentionally. A so-called saint was speaking and I was passing that way when I heard him say, "The way to be religious is to be God-fearing. Only one who fears God is religious. It is fear that brings one to love God. There is no loving without fear. Love is impossible in the absence of fear."

Usually, those who are called religious are religious because of fear. Those who are called moral are also bound to fear. Kant has said, "Even if there is no God, still it is necessary to accept him." Perhaps that is because the fear of God makes people good. When I hear such statements, I cannot help laughing. Perhaps nothing else is so mistaken and untrue. Religion has nothing to do with fear. Religion is born out of fearlessness. It is impossible for love to co-exist with fear. How can fear give birth to love? Out of fear, only the pretense of love can be born. And what else but non-love can exist behind a counterfeit love? Love born out of fear is an impossibility.

Hence, religiousness and morality based on fear are false, not true. They weigh down, rather than elevate, the energy of the soul. Religion and love cannot be imposed on oneself, they have to be kindled and aroused within. Truth is not founded on fear. Fear does not support the truth, it is opposed to it. The foundation-stone of truth is fearlessness. The true flowers of religion and love can be grown only in the soil of fearlessness. Those planted in the soil of fear can only be artificial.

The realization of God happens only in fearlessness. Or to put it more correctly, the realization of fearless consciousness is the realization of God. The moment all fear disappears from the mind, what happens in that moment is the encounter with truth.

OSHO - Emotional Ecology

The psychology of anger is that you wanted something, and somebody prevented you from getting it. Somebody came as a block, as an obstacle. Your whole energy was going to get something and somebody blocked the energy. You could not get what you wanted.

Now this frustrated energy becomes anger...anger against the person who has destroyed the possibility of fulfilling your desire.You cannot prevent anger because anger is a by-product, but you can do something else so that the by-product does not happen at all.

In life, remember one thing: never desire anything so intensely as if it is a question of life and death. Be a little playful.

I am not saying, don’t desire — because that will become a repression in you. I am saying, desire but let your desire be playful. If you can get it, good. If you cannot get it, perhaps it was not the right time; we will see next time. Learn something of the art of the player

It is unfortunate that no religion in the world has accepted the sense of humor as one of the basic qualities for the religious man. I want you to understand that a sense of humor, playfulness, should be the fundamental qualities. You should not take things so seriously, then anger does not arise. You can simply laugh at the whole thing. You can start laughing at yourself. You can start laughing at situations in which you would have been angry and mad.

Don’t take anything seriously...not even yourself. And then you will see anger simply has not happened. There is no possibility of anger. And anger is certainly one of the great leakages of your spiritual energy. If you can manage to be playful about your desires, and still be the same whether you succeed or you fail.

Just start thinking about yourself at ease...nothing special; not that you are meant to be victorious, not that you have to succeed always in every situation. This is a big world and we are small people.Once this settles in your being then everything is acceptable. Anger disappears, and the disappearance will bring you a new surprise, because when anger disappears it leaves behind it tremendous energy of compassion, of love, of friendship.

Bhogar-History

Bhogar

Bogar Siddhar (a mystic, yogi) entrusted in goldsmithy, who became a siddhapurusha under the guidance of Kalangi Nathar.

Bogar's guru, Kālāngi Nāthar, is believed to be a Chinese who attained siddhi in South India and thus became included among the Eighteen Siddhars.

It is said that as per the last wishes of his guru, Bhogar proceeded to China to spread the knowledge of siddha sciences and his journey is said to have been made with the aid of an aircraft.

Bogar anticipating that in due course of period, human beings will suffer from large number of disease. As an expert in medicine he used 4448 rare herbs and made 9 poisonous medicine, mixing these 9 poisons into one needs great knowledege and skill, to make a Master Medicine ( One medicine to cure all disease ).

With the consultation of Agasthiar ( Father of Ayurvedic Medicine) and other siddhars Bogar mixed the 9 poisons ( Nava Bashanam ) and made the Master Medicine in the form of Lord Murugan which is currently worshiped at Palani Murugan temple.

His disciple Pulipani siddhar then took over the job of Lord Murugan pooja after Bogar went into Nirvigalpa Samadhi - the highest samadhi stage; where the Mind dissolves with Matter and Energy. Bogar Samadhi is inside Palani Murugan temple at Palani Hill. Actually Bogar himself constructed his samadhi exactly under the Lord Murugan Navabasha idol and went into Nirvigalpa Samadhi there.

Kali Yuga

Kali Yuga -"age of (the male demon) Kali", or "age of vice", is the last of the four stages that the world goes through as part of the cycle of yugas described in the Indian scriptures.

Hindus believe that human civilization degenerates spiritually during the Kali Yuga, which is referred to as the Dark Age because in it people are as far removed as possible from God. Hinduism often symbolically represents morality (dharma) as a bull. In Satya Yuga, the first stage of development, the bull has four legs, but in each age morality is reduced by one quarter. By the age of Kali, morality is reduced to only a quarter of that of the golden age, so that the bull of Dharma has only one leg

Attributes of Kali Yuga
A discourse by Markandeya in the Mahabharata identifies some of the attributes of Kali Yuga:

In relation to rulers

Rulers will become unreasonable: they will levy taxes unfairly. Rulers will no longer see it as their duty to promote spirituality, or to protect their subjects: they will become a danger to the world. People will start migrating, seeking countries where wheat and barley form the staple food source.

In human relationships

Avarice and wrath will be common. Men will openly display animosity towards each other. Ignorance of dharma will occur. People will have thoughts of murder for no justification, and they will see nothing wrong with that mind-set. Lust will be viewed as being socially acceptable, and sexual intercourse will be seen as the central requirement of life, with the result that even 13 to 16-year old girls will get pregnant. Sin will increase exponentially, whilst virtue will fade and cease to flourish. People will take vows only to break them soon after. People will become addicted to intoxicating drinks and drugs. Men will find their jobs stressful and will go to retreats to escape their work. Gurus will no longer be respected and their students will attempt to injure them. Their teachings will be insulted and followers of Kama will wrest control of the mind from all human beings.

The end of Kali Yuga

"When flowers will be begot within flowers, and fruits within fruits, then will the Yuga come to an end. And the clouds will pour rain unseasonably when the end of the Yuga approaches.”

Osho

A little foolishness, enough to enjoy life, and a little wisdom to avoid the errors, that will do."
"If you wish to see the truth, then hold no opinion for or against."
"Don't choose. Accept life as it is in its totality."
"When love and hate are both absent everything becomes clear and undisguised."
"Life is a balance between rest and movement."
"Experience life in all possible ways -- good-bad, bitter-sweet, dark-light, summer-winter. Experience all the dualities. Don't be afraid of experience, because the more experience you have, the more mature you become."

ASTAVAKRA GITA

Once upon a time there was a student of the scriptures who could not support his family. He would work hard all day every day and then read aloud the holy language of sacred verses late into the night. His wife, round of belly with their coming child, would sit beside him in the dim room, listening as her weary beloved chanted the ancient words.One late night in her eighth month a voice from inside her belly said to the father: “Sir, please be attentive - you are mispronouncing that verse.” Tired and short-tempered, without thinking why he would feel so enraged at being corrected by an unborn child, the father cursed the voice - and because the father had built up merit, his curse took hold: the child was born deformed, with eight crooks in his body. That child was called Ashtavakra, a name which means ‘eight bends’.

At the age of 12, as a result of several incidents Astavakra goes to the court. King Janaka, a very scholarly king, is on the throne and all the courtiers are present, and the moment he enters – everybody starts laughing – seeing his crooked body including the king.

But instead of getting offended, Astavakra also starts laughing.

King Janaka ridicules him “everybody is laughing at you, why are you also laughing”.

Then Astavakra answers very boldly, referring to everybody in the court who was laughing “I am laughing because such a great scholar and king like you has surrounded yourself with cobblers!! And you’re also one among them!!”. He further explains “…because a cobbler looks only at the skin, and not beyond it… likewise you’re all judging me just by my shape, and not looking at my being!”.
And then King Janaka gets the idea that really Astavakra knows what he is talking about, and starts asking him questions. There’s a question and answer conversation, recorded as the Ashtavakra Gita.

The Astavakra Gita is around 5000 years older than the Bhagavad Gita. The speaker said that this is an extremely powerful and concise book, and gives the truth straightaway, without any long winded twists and turns.

Janaka said: How is knowledge to be acquired? How is liberation to be attained? And how is dispassion to be reached?
Ashtavakra said: If you are seeking liberation, my dearest one, shun (to keep away from (a place, person, object, etc.), from motives of dislike, caution, etc.). the objects of the senses like poison. Draught the nectar of tolerance, sincerity, compassion, contentment and truthfulness.
You are neither earth, water, fire, air or even ether. For liberation know yourself as consisting of consciousness, the witness of these five.

Osho

"If you take the responsibility for your life you can start changing it. Slow will be the change, only in the course of time will you start moving into the world of light and crystallization, but once you are crystallized you will know what real revolution is. Then share your revolution with others; it has to go that way, from heart to heart."

"Become more and more innocent, less knowledgeable and more childlike. Take life as fun - because that's precisely what it is! "

"Drop the fear. Fear was taken up by you in your childhood, unconsciously. Now consciously drop it and be mature. Then the life can be a light which goes on deepening as you go on growing. "

SEEKING THE LORD WITHIN.

“If we go to the World and announce that the Holy one is within , the ignorant ones will jeer and laugh. Instead of jeering and laughing if they take it seriously, that the Lord is within and Meditate, then they will also reach the much desired Shiva loka.”

I Have No Form Or Fancy, The All-Pervading Am I,
Everywhere I Exist, And Yet I Am Beyond The Senses,
Neither Salvation Am I, Nor Anything To Be Known.
I Am Eternal Bliss And Awareness I Am Shiva! I Am Shiva!

White Tiger

"You were looking for the key for years

But the door was always open"

Macro Photography

One of the great joys of photography is the way in which it can be used for different purposes by different people. While some use the photograph as an artistic medium, for example by producing abstract images, others wish to create detailed, accurate representations of real life. One of the most interesting ways of producing the latter is through macro photography.

Macro photography is about getting close to the subject which are too small, this could sound very simple but capturing this small subject is not easy.

Macro, by definition, is photography at 1x magnification and above. Anything less would be defined as "close-ups" rather than "macro". 1x magnification or life-size, is usually written as 1:1. Life-size means that the subject you are photographing appears the exact same size on film as it does in real life. Therefore if the subject is 10mm long, then the image of the subject on film will also be 10mm long.

Macro - photo

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