Christianity and islam may be the largest religion of today’s world but Sanatan dharm has the largest religious monument in the world in the form of Angkor wat. It is situated in combodia and spread across over 400 acres / 1.6 km².
It was listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1992, which encouraged an international effort to save the complex.
It was originally built as a Hindu temple dedicated to the god Vishnu. In Khmer, the Cambodian language, Angkor means "city" and Wat means "temple grounds".
So Angkor Wat means "Temple City". Its original name was Vrah Vishnuloka or Parama Vishnuloka, meaning the sacred dwelling of Vishnu in Sanskrit.
But, it gradually turned into a Buddhist temple towards the end of the 12th century & is still used for worship today.
Angkor Wat was initially designed and constructed in the first half of the 12th century, during the reign of Suryavarman II, as the king’s state temple and capital city. It was built without the aid of any machinery, as there was no machinery available at that time.
Evidence for these dates comes in part from inscriptions, which are vague, but also from the architectural design and artistic style of the temple and its associated sculptures.
Another aspect is that the five central towers of Angkor Wat symbolize the peaks of Mount Meru,
which according to Purana is the sacred five-peaked mountain standing in the center of the universe. It's said that the three Hindu chief gods - Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva and Hindu demi-gods (Devas) reside on the top of this mountain.
Also, according to our scriptures as well as the Khmer texts, religious monuments and specifically temples must be organized in such a way that they are in harmony with the universe, meaning that the temple should be planned according to the rising sun and moon,
in addition to symbolizing the recurrent time sequences of the days, months & years. The central axis of these temples should also be aligned with the planets, thus connecting the structure to the cosmos so that temples become spiritual, political, cosmological, astronomical and
geo-physical centers.
There are 1,200 square meters of carved bas reliefs at Angkor Wat, representing eight different Hindu stories. Perhaps the most important narrative represented at Angkor Wat is the “samundra manthan” (Churning of the Ocean of Milk),
which depicts a story about the beginning of time and the creation of the universe. It is also a story about the victory of good over evil. In the story, devas (gods) are fighting the asuras (demons) in order reclaim order and power for the gods who have lost it.
In order to reclaim peace and order, the elixir of life (amrita) needs to be released from the earth; however, the only way for the elixir to be released is for the gods and demons to first work together. To this end, both sides are aware that
once the amrita is released there will be a battle to attain it.
To honor its importance Cambodia has placed it on their national flag.
The word ’Tantra’ literally means ‘loom’ in Sanskrit. There are several differing explanations as to what this word means. According to one source, this name is supposed to be a pun, and in order to understand it, one has to first understand the word ‘sutra’.
The key texts of Hinduism are known as sutras, a word which also means ‘formula or thread’. Therefore, if a sutra is a single thread of thought, then Tantra would be the loom that produces these threads of thoughts into a whole system of thoughts.
As a comparison, another source suggests that Tantra is a combination of two words, ‘tattva’ and ‘mantra’, which mean the science of cosmic principles and the science of mystic sound and vibration respectively.
#Thread on farm Act and all its controversies.
Let us start with the controversies-
Is this act unconstitutional as it is being preached by many political parties?
There are two ways in which a law can be declared unconstitutional: substantive and procedural.
a. Substantive grounds are where the law itself is unconstitutional, which means the law is against the fundamental rights. Farm act is not about the fundamental rights.
b. Procedural grounds are where the way in which a law is enforced is unconstitutional.
Now, this give us two points where this law can be challenged-
I. If this act against the Federalism structure of India.
Federalism in India refers to relations between the Centre and the States of the Union of India.
Swastika (स्वस्तिक) = Su (सु) + Asti (अस्ति) + Ka(क)
• Su(सु) means Shubh(शुभ) i.e auspicious or welfare
• Asti(अस्ति) means be/happen or exist. It stand for power or existence.
• Ka(क) stands for doer or performer i.e Karta(कर्ता)
So, Swasti means Be Auspicious or Be Welfare
and Swastika means Auspicious/Welfare Doer.
It is also believed to be a symbol of good, auspicious and welfare from ancient times.
History-
The journey of Swastika from its origin to today's world is filled with mysteries and
broken links of evidences spread over different ages of civilization.
According to a research published by IIT kharagpur-
“The Vedas also have a mention of various forms of Swastika. 1.89.6 of Rig Veda, gives a brief introduction of Swastika in the cosmos,
Hinduism tell us that there is an infinite cycle of birth and death. Moksha is the liberation of the atman from the cycles of birth and death. It also means permanent liberation from the bondage and Samsara, i.e. complete Freedom.
It's said who attains Moksha never has to return in Samsara and becomes free. So, unlike Samsara which is subjected to continuous changes, Moksha is considered eternal, free from suffering and bondage. That's why Moksha is believed to be ultimate goal.
According to Katha Upanishad 1.3.7 & 1.3.8:
यस्त्वविज्ञानवान् भवत्यमनस्कः सदाऽशुचिः ।
न स तत् पदमाप्नोति संसारं चाधिगच्छति ।।
But whoso is devoid of a discriminating intellect, possessed of an unrestrained mind & is ever impure, does not attain that goal, but goes to samsara.
River Yamuna, the second most sacred river of India and Hinduism, originates in Yamunotri which is situated at the western side of Garhwal Himalayas, in the Uttarkashi district of Uttarakhand and about 3,293 metres above the sea level.
In Rig ved and Atharva Veda, Yamuna is called Yami (lady of life).
In Puranas, Goddess Yamuna has been mentioned as the daughter of Surya, the sun god and twin sister of Yama – the god of death. Yama and Yami are believed to be the first human beings on earth by some.
As per the Ramayana, Hanuman doused the fire of his tail after burning Lanka in the waters of Yamuna at Banderpooch.
The Mahabharat says that since Yamuna is one of the 7 tributaries of river Ganga, drinking its waters will absolve the sins of the pilgrim.
Gangotri is a small town & one of the Char Dham Sites located in Uttarakhand. Also known as an abode of Ganga. The word Gangotri is a combination of two words that describe the event i.e. Ganga + Uttari, which roughly translates into Ganga descending.
According to Valmiki Ramayana १-४३-२६-
तत्र ऋषि गण गन्धर्वा वसुधा तल वासिनः
भव अंग पतितम् तोयम् पवित्रम् इति पस्पृशुः |
And asserting that the water as holy, because it descended touching the head of Shiva, the assemblages of sages, gandharva-s, and those that
are residents on the plane of earth have sipped that water at that place.
According to Mahabharata- Vana Parva- Tirth Yatra Parva- Chapter 85 - Verse 97 -
यत्र गंगा महाराज स देशस्तत तपोवनम |
सिद्धक्षेत्रं च ताज्ञ्नेयं गंगातीरसमाश्रीतम ||