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Śrīrām 🇮🇳 (Modi's Family)

@Vadicwarrior

Nov 12

Dev Uthani Ekadashi and Tulsi Vivah

#Longthread

वृंदा वृंदावनी विश्वपूजिता विश्वपावनी।
पुष्पसारा नंदनीय तुलसी कृष्ण जीवनी।। (Padma Puran)

Tulsi Devi, the incomparable form, the universe worships her, as she sanctifies the whole world. She is the essence of all flowers, and the life and soul of Shree Krishna.

The story of the "Tulsi Vivah" is found in the Padma Purana, a traditional wedding (vivah) ceremony of the Tulsi plant to Lord Vishnu ( Salagram). It is celebrated on the day of Dev Uthani Ekadashi.

The Tulsi Vivah signifies the end of the monsoon and the beginning of the Hindu wedding season. The marriage (Vivah) of Tulsi with Lord Vishnu means that God likes purity as a quality.

As per hindu scripture, there are two words in Ekadashi Eka (1) and Dasha (10). Ten actions of ten senses and mind from worldly objects to God is the true Ekadashi. There are usually 24 Ekadashi in a calendar year.

Each Ekadashi has a different name, significance and is associated to either any avatara of the Lord or any Lila of the Lord or any specific incident/deity from the Puraṇas or Itihasa. Brahma-vaivarta Purana said that one who observes fasting on Ekadasi day is freed from all kinds of reactions to sinful activities and advances in pious life.

उत्तिष्ठोत्तिष्ठगोविन्द त्यजनिद्रांजगत्पते।
त्वयिसुप्तेजगन्नाथ जगत् सुप्तमिदंभवेत्।।

उत्तिष्ठोत्तिष्ठवाराह दंष्ट्रोद्धृतवसुन्धरे।
हिरण्याक्षप्राणघातिन्त्रैलोक्येमंगलम्कुरु ll

Devshayani Ekadashi is the day when Bhagwaan Vishnu goes into his cosmic sleep (yoganidra) for four months in the month of Ashadha (June-July). According to some ancient text Bhagwaan Vishnu spends these four months at the Kingdom of Bali in Pataallok as per his request to Vaaman Avatar of Narayan.

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Śrīrām 🇮🇳 (Modi's Family)

@Vadicwarrior

Jan 20

Know Your Shri Ram ( Sage Valmiki enquiring Devarshi Narada)

#LongThread #AyodhyaRamTemple
#AyodhyaTransforms #Ayodhya

Opening verse of Valmiki Ramayana introduces Saga Narada with following four attributes:

1) तपः निरताम् Eternally engaged in 'Tapah' i.e. 'thinking of the Absolute', Contemplating upon the Brahm/Absolute is called 'Tapah'.

2) स्वाध्याय निरताम् : Swadhyay (always engaged in the study and recitation of vedas)

3) वाग्विदाम् वरम् : also being sublime enunciator of Vedas among all expert enunciators

4) मुनि पुंगवम् : the one that stood tall among all the Munis (sages).

Having these four attributes, Devarshi Narada was a proper sage for Sage Valmiki to discuss and enquire, by virtue of being sublime enunciator of Vedas among all expert enunciators, and a constant thinker of the Absolute.

He is also one of the manas-putras of Lord Brahma. In Narada Purana, Vyutpatti of word 'narada' is as given नारदीये- 'नारदो नाशयन्नेति नृणामज्ञानजं तम:' the one who destroys the jnana of men is called Narada.

तपः स्वाध्याय निरताम् तपस्वी वाग्विदाम् वरम् ।
नारदम् परिपप्रच्छ वाल्मीकिः मुनि पुंगवम् ॥ (Valmiki Ramayana 1.1.1)

A thoughtful-meditator, an eternally studious sage in scriptures about the Truth and Untruth, a sagacious thinker, and a sublime enunciator among all expert enunciators is Narada, and with such a Divine Sage Narada, the Sage-Poet Valmiki is inquisitively enquiring (about a purusha who is Sarva-Guna-Sampann i.e. a composite for all merited endowments in his form and calibre).

Sage Valmiki ernestly inquired with Narada about such a purusha who is Sarva-guna-Sampann (mine of all auspicious qualities) in his 16 questions indicative of 16 attributes (qualities) of that Purusha.

It is on the pattern of enquiry we find into Upanishad about 'Shodashkala-Purusa' as well as enquiry into Brahman (Athato Brahma Jijnasa) in Brahm-sutra. First there is an enquiry and then there is description of such personality.

A brahm-realised sage like Valmiki need not to enquire and attempt to author about some king, however great that king might be, He needs such a hero for his epic who has 16 attributes (Shodashkala-Purusa - indicative of the supreme) and completely Absolute-like in his traits.

These sixteen attributes are attributed to the sixteen phases of the Full Moon, this indicates Hero of Valmiki Ramayana, Shri Rama is pleasing like the full moon having 16-Kalas.

Since an emperor cannot be expected to possess all these great qualities mentioned in Valmiki’s questions, it eventually culminates in the Supreme God alone who came down to this world in the human form for his divine play.

The cause of rapture of Narada is the opportunity that he luckily got to analogize the excellencies of the supreme Lord. Thus by asking 16 questions, Valmiki indicated Shri Ram is the supreme being in just opening verses of Ramayana. Those sixteen questions asked by Valmiki are:

कोन्वस्मिन्साम्प्रतं लोके गुणवान्कश्च वीर्यवान् ।
धर्मज्ञश्च कृतज्ञश्च सत्यवाक्यो दृढव्रतः ॥

Who really is that person in this world, who is

1) of adorable and admirable character and having all excellent qualities (गुणवान् ),

2) of great valor (वीर्यवान् ),

3) of acute discernment about right and wrong (धर्मज्ञ ),

4) that appreciates, and is grateful (कृतज्ञ ), remembers good things done to him, but never remembers any number of bad things done to him,

5) always truthful in his statements (सत्यवाक्यो ),

6) and firm in his vows (till such time he achieves the results) (दृढव्रतः )

चारित्रेण च को युक्तः सर्वभूतेषु को हितः ।
विद्वान्कः कः समर्थश्च कश्चैकप्रियदर्शनः ॥ (Valmiki Ramayana 1.1.2)

who is he

7) conduct-wise blent with good conduct and reputation (चरित्रवान् ) ,

8) who always wishes and does good to all beings (सर्वभूतेषु हितः ),

9) who is knower of everything which is to be known (विद्वान् ),

10) who is the ablest one, (capable of doing things which can't be done by others or is impossible for others) (समर्थः ),

11) who is solely delightful in appearance (causing happiness to everyone) at all times (एक प्रियदर्शनः in whole world such an attractive one who can entice all beings)

आत्मवान्को जितक्रोधो द्युतिमान्कोऽनसूयकः ।
कस्य बिभ्यति देवाश्च जातरोषस्य संयुगे ॥ (Valmiki Ramayana 1.1.3)

Who is a person

12) of exemplary courage (आत्मवान् ),

13) of conquered anger (जितक्रोधो ) ,

14) of great splendour (splendorous) (द्युतिमान् ) ,

15) that is unbiased and non-jealous (अनसूयकः ),

16) and Who is that, when excited to wrath, even the devatas are afraid of (let alone foes) (बिभ्यति देवाः )

एतदिच्छाम्यहं श्रोतुं परं कौतूहलं हि मे ।
महर्षे त्वं समर्थोऽसि ज्ञातुमेवंविधं नरम् ॥ (Valmiki Ramayana 1.1.4)

O Maharshi (Narada), you would assuredly be aware of such a person if one ever existed. Indeed my inquisitiveness is immense and I long to know about such a person from you.

श्रुत्वा च एतत् त्रिलोकज्ञो वाल्मीकेः नारदो वचः ।
श्रूयताम् इति च आमंत्र्य प्रहृष्टो वाक्यम् अब्रवीत् ॥ (Valmiki Ramayana 1.1.5)

On listening these words of Valmiki, Sage Narada who is knower of everything that happened in all the three worlds, having invited him to sit before him said with delight Listen to me and spoke -

Here sage Narada delighted from the enquiry by Sage Valmiki as He was on visit for the same purpose to inform him about Shri Rama alone.

बहवो दुर्लभाश्चैव ये त्वया कीर्तिता गुणाः ।
मुने वक्ष्याम्यहं बुद्ध्वा तैर्युक्तः श्रूयतां नरः ॥ (Valmiki Ramayana 1.1.6)

Oh! Sage Valmiki, the merits which you have extolled are many, and very rare and unattainable (for any Prakrut-Purusha एते प्राकृतपुरुषमात्रे दुर्लभा) !

It is indeed difficult to find a person with the admirable and such rare qualities that you mentioned. However, there is one such person with all these qualities that I know; Let me tell you about him.

The idea behind words बहवो दुर्लभाः गुणाः is - such many or infinite and unattainable attributes is not possible even for great gods, let alone men (Prakrut-Purusha) on earth, It is possible in supreme being alone, none else. So if there is a man on earth with such unattainable attributes then he is supreme being alone.

इक्ष्वाकु वंश प्रभवो रामो नाम जनैः श्रुतः ।
नियत आत्मा महावीर्यो द्युतिमान् धृतिमान् वशी ॥ (Valmiki Ramayana 1.1.7)

He is known to all by the name Rama, emerged from the Ikshwaku dynasty. He is Niyat-Aatma (having steady nature - meaning thereby of immutable form i.e. the Absolute one), Mahaa-veer (possessing incomprehensible prowess), Dyutimaan (self-effulgent), Dhritimaan (self-commanding or sublime bliss - as per Vedanta) and Vashii (subjecting senses under his control or the one who keeps whole cosmos under his control).

In this verse (1.1.8), there are four attributes given to Sri Rama by Narada, these are also given by Vedanta to Supreme being, the Absolute one. 'Niyat-Aatmaa' - means 'the immutable Absolute' : Sri Rama is the Niyat-Aatma (the immutable Absolute) in his nature.

'Mahaa-viiryah' - means 'of incomprehensible prowess' : Supreme being is Mahaa-viir.

'Dhritimaan' - धृतिमान् निरतिशयानन्दः। "धृतिस्तु तुष्टिः सन्तोषः" इति वैजयन्ती। "आनन्दो ब्रह्म" इति श्रुतेः।

dhritiman means 'sublime bliss' - Sri Rama is the very form of sublime bliss.

'Vashii' (वशी) - means 'the omnipotent on the entire universe or supreme controller' e.g. 'एको वशी सर्वभूतान्तरात्मा. एकं रूपं बहुधा यः करोति ।’ (Kathaupanishad 2/2/12).

Katha Upanishad says ‘The one Controller, the inner self of all beings who makes his one form manifold;’ (Katha Upanishad).

बुद्धिमान् नीतिमान् वाङ्ग्मी श्रीमान् शत्रु निबर्हणः ।

He (Sri Rama) is an adept one great intellectual, learned in moral philosophy, proficient in speeches (in all kinds of knowledge), possessing vast auspiciousness, destroyer of foes (sins).

After explaining bhagavan's nature, sage Narad explains godly physical aspect of Bhagavan:

विपुलांसो महाबाहु: कम्बुग्रीवो महाहनु: ॥
महोरस्को महेष्वासो गूढ जत्रुः अरिन्दमः ।
आजानु बाहुः सुशिराः सुललाटः सुविक्रमः ॥

He is broad-shouldered, strong armed, possessing conch-shaped neck and has prominent and strong cheeks. He is lion-chested, is armed with a great bow, knee-length are his arms, He is the destroyer of foes (sins), and his emperor's countenance is with a crowning-head with an ample forehead, and his pacing is lion-like (Valmiki Ramayana 1.1.9-10).

Here, while extolling physique of Shri Ram, sage Narad mentions Sri Ram has a long bow in his arms. It means Shri Ram always wields bow as his weapon.

समः समविभक्ताङ्गः स्निग्धवर्णः प्रतापवान् ।
पीनवक्षा विशालाक्षो लक्ष्मीवान् शुभलक्षणः ॥

Mighty and powerful Sri Ram has a well-proportioned body, neither tall nor short, with limbs poised symmetrically, bluish-hued skin, complexioned glossily, well-developed chest, wide-eyes, lustrous body and of auspicious qualities (Valmiki Ramayana 1.1.11).

This way sage Narada explained godly physical aspect which is Sarvangsundar (with transcendental beauty from head to toe) and perceptible by his adherents as said in Chhandogya-Upanishad.

य एषो ऽन्तरादित्ये हिरण्मयः पुरुषो दृश्यते हिरण्यश्मश्रुर्हिरण्यकेशः आप्रणखात्सर्व एव सुवर्णस्तस्य यथा कप्यासं पुण्डरीकमेवमक्षिणी । (Chhandogya-Upanishad १.६.६) इत्यन्तरादित्यविद्योदितं सर्वाङ्गसुन्दरविग्रहं दर्शयति- विपुलांस इत्यादिना सार्द्धश्लोकद्वयेन ।

Now, that Purusha (person), effulgent as gold, who is seen within the sun (effulgence), is exceedingly effulgent even to the very tips of his nails. His eyes are bright like a red lotus.

Now, sage Narada explains the qualities which are reassuring for the devotees:

धर्मज्ञः सत्यसन्धः च प्रजानाम् च हिते रतः ।
यशस्वी ज्ञान संपन्नः शुचिः वश्यः समाधिमान् ॥

Sri Rama is the knower of Dharma, He always honors his words, He is constantly engaged in the welfare and well-being of the people. He is glorious whose unblemished reputation is renowned in all the worlds. He is omniscient and pure (clean in his conduct). He is obedient to elders (or accessible to those who are dependent on him) and ever meditating on the means of protecting those who take refuge in him (Valmiki Ramayana 1.1.12)

After describing Sri Rama's essential nature of Niyat-Aatma (immutable Brahm), bliss, omniscient, etc as well as his Sarvang-sundar bodily aspect, Sage Narada extolls Shri Ram by giving him the similes of the best qualities present in great deities like Prajapati, Indra, Moon, Samudra, Vishnu, fire etc. It means these all deities including Lord Vishnu are all Upmaans (similes) and Shri Ram is the Upameya (the subject of comparision).

प्रजापतिसमश्श्रीमान् धाता रिपुनिषूदनः ।
रक्षिता जीवलोकस्य धर्मस्य परिरक्षिता ॥

He equals the Prajapati, and He surpasses the entire world in auspiciousness. He is Dhaataa i.e. He is sustainer of all the worlds, and he eliminates enemies completely. He is the protector (a guardian) of all living beings, and he guards probity, in its entirety (Valmiki Ramayana 1.1.13).

रक्षिता स्वस्य धर्मस्य स्व जनस्य च रक्षिता ।
वेद वेदाङ्ग तत्त्वज्ञो धनुर् वेदे च निष्ठितः ॥

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Śrīrām 🇮🇳 (Modi's Family)

@Vadicwarrior

Nov 15, 2023

How did Villages, Towns and Cities in India get their names?

#Longthread

As per 2011 census of India, there are a total of 649,481 villages and 7,935 towns, municipalities, and urban agglomerations (within 620 districts/ 543 parliamentary/ 4120 state assembly constituencies).

The size of these villages varies considerably. 236,004 Indian villages have a population of fewer than 500, while 3,976 villages have a population of 10,000+.

Total Number of towns; 7935. It’s is a human settlement larger than a village but smaller than a city. These are classified into two categories; Statutory Towns and Census Towns.

Statutory Towns (ST)- All places having local bodies like municipal corporations, municipalities, municipal committees, etc.

Census Towns (CT)- All the towns with the population of more than 5000 and where the 75 % of the people are engaged in non-agrarian sector with a population density of nearly 400 people per sq km.

Total Number of cities (with million+ population); 53. It’s a large human settlement which are larger than towns.

Apart from above villages there are two important classifications which are Urban Agglomeration (UA) and Out Growths (OG).

Urban Agglomeration - It is a continuous urban spread constituting a town and its adjoining outgrowths (OGs), or two or more physically contiguous towns together with or without outgrowths of such towns. Examples: Greater Mumbai UA, Delhi UA, etc. Total number of UA- 475.

Out Growths- An Out Growth (OG) is a viable unit such as a village or a hamlet or an enumeration block made up of such village or hamlet and clearly identifiable in terms of its boundaries and location. Examples are railway colony, university campus, port area, military camps, etc. Total number of OG- 981.

In Indian culture, names hold profound significance and play a crucial role in an individual's life. The importance of names is deeply rooted in the country's diverse and ancient cultural heritage. Names are also influenced by religion /culture /caste and may come from epics.

Most place names are named after prominent geographical features, such as mountains, rivers and lakes. Others are named after personalities such as kings or historical figures.

In the case of India's villages, that list tells us, we love Gods, Goddesses, nation builders above all else, and that, when they migrate, they often take the name of their place of origin with them.

Lord Ram ranks way up there, with 3,626 villages named after him, in almost all parts of the country except Kerala, while Lord Krishna is a close second at 3,309.

Other Ramayana characters too figure among the names, although Bharat (187 villages) is marginally ahead of Lakshman (160). Hanuman has 367 villages in his name, while Sita has 75.

While at least six villages in the country exist in the name of Ravana, and three in the name of his father Ahiravan (all in Bihar), no village is named after Ravana's brother Vibheeshan who crossed over to Ram's side. Some villages in Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh are named Ayodhya.

There are 17 villages in the name of Prayag (the old name of Allahabad) and 41 named Kashi (the old name of Varanasi). There are 28 Agras outside Uttar Pradesh (most of them in Madhya Pradesh, West Bengal and Assam), while 189 village names start with Bihar, of which 171 are outside Bihar. There are 28 villages named Dhaka (the capital of Bangladesh) and 40 in the name of Nepal.

Besides, there are 47 villages whose names start with Badri and 75 which feature Kedar, invoking the religious sites which were among the worst hit in the Uttarakhand floods. Most of these villages are located in Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Madhya Pradesh and Bihar.

There are 92 villages in the country whose names start with Bengal/ Bangal and all of them are located outside West Bengal, including Maharashtra, Punjab and Andhra Pradesh. There are 33 villages named Kerala outside the state, mainly in the northern parts.

Origins of names of these towns and cities can be broadly attributed to 3 major periods -

1. Colonial era/British Raj

2. Mughal empire and other Islamic rulers of India

3. Pre-Islamic and Ancient India,

Ranthambore used to be Ranasthambapura, Patna was Patliputra, Ujjain was Ujjayini, Multan in Pakistan was Mulasthana, modern day Jalandhar was Prasthala, Taxila, the ancient University town in Pakistan used to be Takshashila founded by King Taksha, Kandahar in Afghanistan used to be Gandhara. Paithan in Maharashtra used to be Pratishthana. Some towns have their ancient name till date like Srinagar, Mathura, Puskar.

Suffix - Meaning - Examples of Town Names

Pur/Pura/Puri/Puram/Pore - City or Settlement or Walled City - Jaipur, Jodhpur, Udaipur, Kanpur, Nagpur, Rampur, Bilaspur, Hoshiarpur, Bahawalpur, Kolhapur, Udhampur, Jabalpur, Palampur, Anuradhapura, Hastinapur, Puri, Dharmapuri, Thiruvanthapuram, Malappuram, Singapore,

Nagar - Town in Sanskrit - Srinagar, Gandhinagar, Ganganagar, Yamunanagar, Ramnagar

Kot/Kode/Kotla/Durg - Fort, Fortification - Sialkot, Rajkot, Pathankot, Dharamkot, Kozhilkode, Ferozeshah Kotla, Nandidurg, Jaladurg

Garh - Fort, Hub - Chandigarh, Chittaurgarh, Ramgarh, Aligarh, Fatehgarh, Lohgarh, Keshgarh,

Pat or Prastha - Level ground - Sonipat, Panipat, Baghpat, Tilpat, Indraprastha

Nath - Refers to a Hindu deity or shrine - Amarnath, Badrinath, Kedarnath,

Eshwar/Eswaram - God in Sanskrit - Rameshwaram, Bhubaneshwar, Bageshwar, Ankleshwar, Mahabaleshwar,

Nadu - Country in Tamil - Tamil Nadu

Giri - Mountain in Sanskrit - Chandagiri, Dhaualagiri,

Malai - Hill in Tamil - Annamalai, Kollamalai,

Mer, Meru - Mountain or High - Ajmer (Ajayameru), Barmer, Jaisalmer

Conda/Konda - Hill in Telugu - Golconda, Penukonda,

Wada - House - Bhilwada, Teliwada,

Bandar/Bandra - Port - Porbandar

Dwar - Door - Haridwar, Kotdwar,

Ur/Uru/Oor - Village/Town in Tamil, Kannada - Bengaluru, Mangaluru, Conoor,

Patnam - Port - Masulipatnam, Vishakhapatnam

Sar/Tal - Lake, Natural Lake - Amritsar, Nainital, Bhimtal, Naukuchiatal

Hat/Hati/Het - Market or Fair - Guwahati, Jorhat, Sylhet

Pet - Market - Begumpet, Hospet

Guri - Place in Bengali - Siliguri, Jalpaiguri, Mainaguri

Modern day names are modified or simplified versions of Sanskrit names of the ancient towns.

1. Tiruchirapalli; It is widely believed that the name is derived from three-headed demon Trishira.

2. Vadodara gets its name from Vatpatrak or the leaf of Banyan tree and Vatodar or the heart of the Banyan Tree.

3. Thiruvananthapuram; The name can be broken down in Malayalam as Thiru-anantha-puram or the city of Lord Anantha, who is the chief deity at the now famous Sri Padmanabhaswamy Temple.

4. Mumbai; The name is a combination of the words Mumba (Maha Amba) or Goddess Mumbadevi and Aayi or 'mother' in Marathi.

5. Madras to Chennai; 'Madras' was a colonial version of Madraspattinam, a fishing town in current Chennai. As for the origins of the word 'Chennai', there are multiple explanations. Some say the city is named after Telugu ruler Damarla Chennappa Nayakudu, others believe the name comes from Chenna Kesava Perumal temple.

6. Kochi gets its cute name from kochu azh i which means 'small lagoon' in Malayalam.

7. Calcutta to Kolkata is a shorter version of Kolikata, which is the name of one of the three villages that existed in the region before the British took over India.

8. Pondicherry to Puducherry; Also known as 'Pondy', its name in Tamil, Puducherry, literally means 'new town'.

9. Kanpur; There are two theories for the origin of its name, one being that it is the city of Karna from Mahabharata (Karnapur) and the other suggests that it is modeled after the name of nearby town Makanpur.

10. Belgaum to Belagavi; Its name originates from Sanskrit word Velugrama or 'bamboo village'.

11. Indore; The city is named after its Indreshwar Temple, where lord Indra is the presiding deity.

12. Panaji; Derived from Sanskrit words panjani and khali that mean 'a boat' and 'a small creek' respectively.

13. Pune; Literally translated to 'city of virtue' Pune gets its name from punya giri . The oldest reference of the city's name was found on a copper plate dating back to the Rashtrakuta Dynasty from 937 CE where it was called Punya Vishaya.

14. Shimla; Derived from the name of Goddess Shyamala Devi, a reincarnation of Ma Kali.

15. Varanasi; The name of the city probably originates from two rivers, Varuna, that continues to flow in the city, and Asi, a stream near Assi Ghat. The Ridveda mentions the city as Kasi or Kashi.

16. Visakhapatnam; Andhra Pradesh's Visakhapatnam or Vizag, as it is often called, Vizag's folklore suggests that the name comes from a Lord Visakeswara temple established by an Andhra Dynasty king.

17. Thanjavur; Its name is derived from the name of the legendary demon Tanjan in Hindu mythology.

18. Jabalpur; The city's name is suggested to be associated with sage Jaabaali from Ramayana.

19. Udhagamandalam; The Tamil Nadu tourist destination continues to be called by its short name Ooty despite the name change. Located in the Nilgiri Hills, the origin of the city's name isn't clear. While 'Mund' is the Tamil word for a Toda village, 'Ootaca' could be a derivative of Oota-Calmeaning 'single stone' or a revered stone/deity.

20. Kozhikode; It adopted its Malayalam name Kozhikode, which is a combination of kovil meaning palace and kota meaning fort, post Independence. The Arabs called the city Qualiqut, Tamils called it Kallikottai and the Chinese called it Kalifo.

21. Guwahati; A combination of the Assamese words guwa meaning 'areca nut' and haat meaning 'market'.

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Śrīrām 🇮🇳 (Modi's Family)

@Vadicwarrior

Nov 14, 2023

Adi Shankaracharya and Char Dham Yatra

Adi Shankaracharya (788 AD, at Kalady - 820 AD, Kedarnath) was an 8th-century Indian Vedic scholar and divine teacher. His works present a harmonizing reading of the sastras, with liberating knowledge of the self at its core, synthesizing the Advaita Vedanta teachings of his time.

About 1300 years ago when the people were not living in accord with their inherent spirituality, all the Gods and rishis went to Kailash and pleaded with Lord Shiva to revive the world. Lord Shiva agreed to their request and informed them that he would be born into this world.

Adi Shankaracharya was born to the Nambudri Brahmin couple, Shivaguru and Aryamba, in a little village, called Kaladi, in Kerala. The couple had remained childless for a long time and prayed for children.

Shiva is said to have appeared to the couple in a dream and promised them a choice of one son who would be short-lived, but the most brilliant philosopher of his day, or many sons who would be mediocre at best. The couple opted for a brilliant, but short-lived son, and thereby Shankara was born.

Shankara traveled and searched for a worthy Guru who would initiate him and take his vow of sanyasam (monk). He found the Ashram of Govinda Bhagavathpada who he recalled was Patanjali in a previous birth. Govinda was also the disciple of Goudapada (one of the early and most reputed philosophers of the Vedanta school of thought).

He wrote commentaries on the Gita, Upanishads and Brahma Sutras, which are the authorities on the Vedanta Shastras. The commentaries of Shankara are monumental works covering the meaning of Vedic teachings with clear reasoning and understandable language. The system of Vedanta is what is known as Advaita or Non-dualism.

Shankara's commentaries were put to severe test not only by the teachers of various schools of thought, but also by the sage Vyasa himself. Vyasa encouraged Shankara to continue to debate and defeat hostile schools of thought and granted him a boon that significantly extended his life.

Sri Adi Shankaracharya is considered an incarnation of Shiva and the world's greatest Guru (Jagathguru). Adi Sankaracharya is our 10th karvoorar seedar as per his order he made sankara Matt and preached advaita and gave some mantra knowledge from tamil to sanskrit to reach basic level of consciousness and to become a good human being, helpes people to get mantras in sanskrit that's why no mantra meaning are in sanskrit all meaning lies in so they say to chant as it is the vibration is important not the meaning.

Digvijaya Yatra : He travelled across BharatDesh, through sacred pilgrimage centres, while participating in discussions and debates, defeating scholars of various faiths and philosophies. Many of them whom he defeated were eminent scholars in their respective fields. Adi Shankara traversed the entire length and breadth of India from Kalady (Adi Shankaracharya's place of birth in Kerala) to Kedarnath (his samadhi sthal in Uttarakhand).

Adi Shankaracharya started the tradition of the char dham yatra. The true char dham yatra consists of a pilgrimage to Badrinath in the north, Rameshwaram in the south, Dwarka in the west and jagannath puri in the east.

Shankara continued to teach and purify the knowledge. His principal disciples were Sureshwara, Padmapada, Hastamalaka, and Ananda Giri (Totaka), all of whom produced famous written spiritual works. He established places of spiritual wisdom for seekers of Truth in the four directions, each place bountiful with natural splendor and serenity.

Sri Shankara is considered the highest intellectual the world has ever known. He founded four mathas that revived the spread of Advaita Vedanta - Dakshinamnaya SriSharada Peetham (formed on the principles of Yajurveda), Dvaraka Pitha (formed on the principles of Sama Veda) in Western India, Jyotirmatha Peetham (formed on the basis of Atharva Veda) in North India, and Govardhan Matha (on the principles of Rig Veda) in the eastern India Puri.

Each of these maths was assigned the task of maintaining and preserving for posterity, one of the four Vedas (the main scriptures of Hinduism). All the Four Dhamas located at cardinal points of the Indian sub-continent are believed to have been liked by Lord Vishnu intimately. It is said and believed that He takes His bath at Rameswaram, meditates at Badrinath, dines at Puri and retires at Dwarika.

Geographically speaking the char dham (the four temples) made a perfect square or cross with Badrinath in the North and Rameswaram in the South falling on same longitude and Dwarka (old) in the West and Puri Jagannath in the East on same latitude ( at that time, before coastlines changed).

Among the many disciples of Sri Sri Shankara, the four most prominent were Hastamalaka, Padmapada, Totaka, Sureshwara. They were the first pontiff of the four mutts established by the great Acharya.

Sri Hastamalaka was the Acharya of the Dwaraka Mutt. This Mutt is earmarked to study of Sama Veda and to meditate on the Maha Vakya “Tat Tvam Asi”.

Sri Padmapada was made the first Guru for Govardhana Mutt at Puri. This Mutt is attributed to study of Rig Veda and to meditate on the Maha Vakya, “Prajnanam Brahma”.

Sri Totakacharya was the first Spiritual Guide for Joshimutt at Badari. This Mutt is distinct for study of Atarva Veda and meditate upon the Maha Vakya “Ayam Atma Brahma”.

Sri Sureshwaracharya was the first Sadguru of Sharada Peetha at Sringeri. This Mutt is featured to study of Yajur Veda and to meditate on the Maha Vakya “Aham Brahmasmi”

Adi Shankara amalgamated the ideologies of ancient ‘Advaita Vedanta’ and also explained the basic ideas of Upanishads. He advocated the oldest concept of Hinduism which explains the unification of the soul (atman) with the Supreme Soul (Nirguna Brahman).

Shankaracharya explained the existence of one Supreme Being (Brahman) and that the five supreme deities are part of one divine power. During Adi Sankaracharya time, Ancient hindu India was a maze of various sects ( each one claiming supremacy over the others ) and added to that was the chaos of buddhist sectarianism.

He purified Vedic knowledge by teaching discernment and he instituted the worship of deities as worshipping different forms of the one God.

"सर्वस्मिन्नपि पश्यात्मानं सर्वत्रोत्सृज भेदाज्ञानम्"

Adi Shankar consolidated and structured sanatan dharma into the 'panchayatan' form of worship (5 dieties as five basic elements of nature); Shri Ganesha, Lord Shiva, Devi (in all forms including Tantra), Lord Vishnu and Suryadev.

"न चासंगते नैव मुक्तिर्न बन्धश्चिदानन्दरूपः शिवोऽहं शिवोऽहम्"

So all are revered and worshipped with the ultimate aim of reaching the parabrahman as is the highest principle of advaita vedanta. No sect is given more importance than the whole. Most modern day hindus till date, regardless of their traditional lineage follow the panchayatan system regardless if they are aware of it.

The entire Sastras are divided into two parts namely Nigama and Agama, while the Vedas are the parts of the Nigama, the Tantras are the parts of the Agama, the former is the mouth piece of Lord Brahma where as the later is the mouth piece of Lord Siva.

Further Agama is subdivided into Tantra, Yamala and Damara. Tantra is of Satwika nature. The word Tantra is derived from the root Taan; means to spread, in the other sense “spreading of the cosmic energy for the cleaving asunder of miseries along with the attainment of supreme bliss". It is the science which saves the life by purifying the body as to prepare the body for the attunement with the Divinity.

Adi-Sankaracharya in the Saundaryalahari text (sloka 31) has mentioned, ‘’ Lord Siva remained satisfied after deluding the world, by giving out the sixty-four Tantras which expound practices conferring one or another of the various psychic powers connected with the Chakras of the human body and worldly fulfillments for the achievement of Dharma, Artha, Kama and Moksha like Purusharthas. Hence, Tantra should not be misunderstood as it signifies the means for attaining the highest end, the ultimatum, the goal of human life as a whole.

He also founded ‘Dashanami Sampradaya,’ which talks about leading a monastic life. While Shankaracharya was a firm believer in ancient Hinduism, he condemned the ‘Mimamsa school of Hinduism’ which was purely based on ritual practices.

Adi Shankaracharya set up 10 monastic orders in India to save Hindusium and to define Artha, kaam, Dharma and Mokhya and connection with char Vedas according to Skanda Purana, tirtha system is one of them. Throughout the course of his journey, Shankaracharya discussed his ideas with various other philosophers and fine-tuned his own teachings from time to time. Shankaracharya founded four monasteries (mathas) that continue to spread his teachings.

Ten classes of Sanyasis/Yatees or monks who formed the order of disciples under Shankaracharya School are (1) Teerth (2) Ashram (3) Van (4) Aranya (5) Giri (6) Parvat (7) Sagar (8) Saraswati (9) Bharti and (10) Puri. The aforesaid Dasnami Order is prevailing in present time also. In india 108 hindu Sthawar tirthas available including 4 dhams, 12 jyotirlingas, 52 Shaktipeeth, 7 khetras /Saptapuri and other tirthas. Tirtha are of three kinds,

(a) Jangam Tirtha is to a place movable, of a sadhu, a rishi, a guru,

(b) Sthawar Tirtha is to a place immovable, like Benaras, Hardwar, Mount Kailash, holy rivers,

(c) Manas Tirtha is to a place of mind, of truth, charity, patience, compassion, soft speech, soul.

The Dasanami sannyasins practice the Vedic and yogic Yama principles of ahimsa (non-violence), satya (truth), asteya (non-stealing), aparigraha (non-covetousness) and brahmacarya (celibacy / moderation). Who enter sannyasa in the ekadaṇḍi tradition take up one of the ten names associated with this Sampradaya: Giri, Puri, Bharati, Vana/Ban, Araṇya, Sagara, Asrama, Sarasvati, Tīrtha, and Parvata. Sanyasis of Advaita Vedanta and Dvaita Vedanta belong to ekadaṇḍi tradition.

(i) Ashram: One who is free from bonds and is confined to Ashram and has embraced sanyas.

(ii) Bharati: One who is fully laden with learning?

(iii) Giri: One who lives in forest and is steady.

(iv) Parvat: One who lives in forest and has steadfast knowledge about the transient nature of the mundane world.

(v) Puri: One who is full of real knowledge and has mastered the knowledge of Brahman and is as such in union with the Parabrahman.

(vi) Saraswati: One who is devoted to knowledge of tunes and is also called Lord of poets.

(vii) Sagar: One who knows not only the full depths of oceans of truth, but has also lived to the bottom and collected jewels of knowledge.

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Śrīrām 🇮🇳 (Modi's Family)

@Vadicwarrior

Aug 15, 2023

THE DHARMACHAKRA OF INDIAN FLAG

#Longthread

The Indian flag, we called it Tiranga combined of three wonderful colours which represent country's character. The three horizonal or vertical bands of equal dimensions is a very common pattern in vexillology / heraldry. All such flags are referred to as tricolours.

The Saffron denotes renunciation or disinterestedness. Our leaders must be indifferent to material gains and dedicate themselves to their work. The white in the centre is light, the path of truth to guide our conduct. The green shows our relation to (the) soil, our relation to the plant life here, on which all other life depends.

The Lion Capital itself is the emblem or official seal of our modern republic. The "Ashoka Chakra" in the centre of the white is the wheel of the law of Dharma. Truth or satya, dharma or virtue ought to be the controlling principle of those who work under this flag.

The Ashoka Chakra is a depiction of the Buddhist Dharmachakra, represented with 24 spokes. It is so called because it appears on a number of edicts of Ashoka, most prominent among which is the Lion Capital of Sarnath which has been adopted as the National Emblem of the Republic of India.

The Chakra signifies that there is a life in 'Movement' and 'Death' in stagnation. The process of the wheel stands for cycle or the self repeating process with the changing of time in our life. India should no more resist change, it must move and go forward. The wheel represents the dynamism of a peaceful change. The so-called Ashoka Chakra is, in fact, derived from the Dharmachakra (‘Wheel of Dharma) found on the Lion Capital at Sarnath.

The 24 spokes of the Dharmachakra represent: Love, Courage, Patience, Peacefulness, Magnanimity, Goodness, Faithfulness, Gentleness, Selflessness, Self-control, Self sacrifice, Truthfulness, Righteousness, Justice, Mercy, Gracefulness, Humility, Empathy, Sympathy, Spiritual knowledge, Moral Values, Spiritual Wisdom, The fear of God and Faith or Believe or Hope.

Kala Chakra: The Ashoka Chakra is also known as "Samay Chakra" or the "Wheel of Time". Since, its "24 spokes" represents the "24 hours" of the day.

Gayatri Mantra: The Gayatri Mantra is 24 Meter. Aum Bhur Bhuva Suvah, Tat Savitur Varenya, Bhargo Devasys Dhimahi Dhio Yonah Prachodayat Aum.

Central Dot: It represents the unifying Cosmic Consciousness. Hence Ashok Chakra represents the scientific beauty of Mantra Vidya / Sriyantra.

24 Spokes: These can be represented as 3 - 6 - 12 - 24. Again, the wheel denotes motion. There is death in stagnation. There is life in movement. The first 12 spokes represent 12 stages of suffering. Next 12 spokes represent no cause no effect. So, due to awareness of mind, formation of mental conditioning stops. This process stops the process of birth and death i.e. enlightenment.

The twelve causal links, paired with their corresponding symbols, are: Avidyā (ignorance), Sanskāra (conditioning of mind unknowingly), Vijñāna (consciousness), Nāmarūpa (name and form - constituent elements of mental and physical existence), Ṣaḍāyatana (six senses; eye, ear, nose, tongue, body, and mind), Sparśa (contact), Vedanā (sensation), Tṛṣṇā (thirst), Upādāna (grasping), Bhava (coming to be), Jāti (being born) and Jarāmaraṇa (old age and death).

These 12 in reverse represent a total 24 spokes representing the dharma and way of life in the mortal world. The true meaning was to get rid of the physical sufferings and to attain moksha. Because All Lives Matter. India should no more resist change, it must move and go forward. The wheel represents the dynamism of a peaceful change.

The Dharmachakra is of great importance in the Hindu, Buddhist and Jaina traditions. The wheel (chakra) is itself a symbol with many interpretations and meanings deeply rooted in Indic thought and culture. The chakra (taken to mean a discus in this context) is a weapon used by the God Viṣṇu and features prominently in Viṣṇu iconography.

The idea of a cakravartin ruler is also associated with the concept of the dharmachakra. In Indian traditions, a cakravartin (cakkavattin in Pali) is that great paramount sovereign whose chariot wheels move unimpeded in all directions. The chakra is also one of the eight ceremonial insignia and paraphernalia associated with a sovereign ruler in Indic traditions. The idea of this cakravartin ruler was made central to the Buddhist philosophy’s discourse on politics and ethics.

According to early Buddhist texts, there can be only one Buddha and one cakravartin at a given time in the world and each has his own ‘wheel’. These two wheels, meant to symbolise dharma, are supposed to be kept in motion as part of the duties of these two individuals. This is of course poetic and quite symbolic, in case you’re wondering. The two wheels complement and complete each other just like the Buddha and the cakravartin complement each other. After all, it is the cakravartin’s duty to uphold dhamma — the Buddha’s teachings in his realm.

Hindustan / Mother India (Hindu cult) or Durga is the Mother of the universe from who comes forth the creation, sustenance and dissolution of all beings and all worlds. The current name of our country, India comes from the river Indus.

The Europeans addressed us as the ones who lived on the other side of Indus river. So we became 'Indians' and our country became 'India'. But contrary to these view points, the word 'Hindu' is found in our scriptures even before the references of Persians. There are multiple interpretations of this word. Few people refer it as the region between Himalayas (Hi) and Indu sarovar (Indu) which is the present day Indian Ocean.

Bharat mata is Durga with her imperious lion (Indian army). She was the image behind India’s independence movement, which worked through her inspiration. The Goddess is Shakti, meaning power, the resort of all transformative energy and cataclysmic force that mere human logic cannot comprehend.

India as a sublime culture and profound civilisation is the gift of Ma Durga. This pretty much gives us the geographical reference to the land of our country. Barhaspatya Sutra says:-

हिमालयं समारभ्य: यावत् इंदु सरोवरं |
तं देवनिर्मितं देशं हिंदुस्थानं प्रचक्षते ||

Starting from Himalayas and extending upto the Indian Ocean is the nation built by Gods, Hindustan. As a contradiction, a few people believe this appearance of 'Hindustan' word in Barhaspatya Sutra is due to the distortion of our scriptures by invaders to suit their agendas, but currently this is what is accessible to us. Probably there are other versions and interpretations of it too. A Vishwa Guru of the ancient world, India has been a treasure trove of valuable knowledge.

The Indian way of ethical leadership, is what provides it the potential to again become the Vishwa Guru which can lead by example and create a deep impact and inspiration for other nations to follow and make universal harmony possible. As per Vishnu Purana,

उत्तरं यत्समुद्रस्य: हिमाद्रेश्चैव दक्षिणम् |
वर्षं तद् भारतं नाम: भारती यत्र संततिः ||

The land (varṣam) that lies north of the ocean and south of the snowy mountains is called Bhāratam; there dwell the descendants of Bharata." The unique Indian understanding of the world and the suitable ethical conduct creates leaders who have the power to create impact, develop empathy and resilience.

No country / civilization in the world demonstrates such enduring reverence / Rituals related to nature / ancient cult for the Great Mother Goddess, as does India. The Goddess is celebrated in every form, aspect and quality, through music, art, ritual, mantra and meditation, the Earth, nature and the transcendent beyond all expression.

Bharata (India), is named after another Bharata who appeared in our history. Vishnu Purana further says,

ऋषभो मरुदेव्याश्च ऋषभात भरतो भवेत् |
भरताद भारतं वर्षं, भरतात सुमतिस्त्वभूत् ||

Rishabha was born to Marudevi, Bharata was born to Rishabh, Bharatavarsha (India) arose from Bharata, and Sumati arose from Bharata. Another interpretation of Bharata is the grammatical inference of the word Bharata itself. In Sanskrit, 'Bha' means 'knowledge/light' and 'rata' means 'devoted to'. We all know our country was the centre of knowledge and wisdom centuries ago. So the name 'Bharata' is a reference to this.

Most of the concepts in Vedas, Upanishads, Puranas, Ramayana, Mahabharata are based on the premise of 'Dharma'. Though there isn't any word in English that can come close to explain the correct meaning of 'Dharma', it can be translated as righteousness. Hence, the culture of our country is called as 'Sanatana Dharma', which means, 'the eternal and natural way of living'. The culture of our country has been Dharma-based which is universal for all the people irrespective of their sects, gender and gotra lineage.

The Sanatana Dharma includes present day Hindus, Buddhists, Jains and Sikhs. Or in other words it includes whoever stays in the land of Bharata and embraces Dharma. The land of Bharata started from the Himalayas to down South till the Indian Ocean. Bharata and its many parts was ruled by many famous dynasties.

These dynasties contributed immensely towards the art, culture, architecture, science, technology, literature, spirituality and many other fields of the country. With consistent efforts, understanding of the changing world order, and being able to understand the nuances of ancient Indian sensibilities and values and creatively applying those to discover new solutions, India can create a better tomorrow, not just for itself, but for the rest of the world.

On the contrary, most civilizations have been lost over centuries through invasions like Mesopotamian, Mayan, Mississippians, Greeks, Romans, etc. That is the true indicator of how strong our culture and traditions are. With our country having such a vast history and legacy of many famous warriors and rulers, it is the duty of each one of us to know about those who have played major roles in making India what it is today.

Our social studies and history textbooks only teach us a single line/paragraph about each of these dynasties. In many cases, they are not even mentioned. Bharata had flourished under each of these dynasties in different ways. They all ensured we were ahead of our times in many fields through our gurukula education system. If we hope to take present day India to higher levels, it is out duty to know about our history and take their legacy forward. We have a rich tradition of debate and dialogue in the pursuit of knowledge.

The Upanishads are an eloquent testimony to the constant, constructive dialogue between the teacher and the taught. Thanks to innumerable thinkers, researchers and teachers who absorbed the best in the world and charted out a path on their own, India emerged as a global centre of learning and was described as “Vishwaguru”. The world looked up to India.

India’s priceless contribution of the zero and decimal system and its advancements in the fields of metallurgy speak of its greatness as an early world civilisation. Kanad spoke of “anu” and its indestructible nature long before modern scientist propounded the atomic theory. Sushrutha is known as the father of plastic surgery. Ancient India was home to some of the famous centres of learning like Takshashila, Nalanda and Pushpagiri, which attracted knowledge seekers and savants from across the country and the world.

The Vedas and subjects such as agriculture, philosophy, mathematics, archery, military arts, surgery, medicine, astronomy, futurology, magic, commerce, agriculture, music and dance were taught at these centres of higher learning. In the 7th century AD, Xuanzang, a Chinese scholar, studied with many famous Buddhist masters at the famous university at Nalanda.

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Śrīrām 🇮🇳 (Modi's Family)

@Vadicwarrior

Jul 30, 2023

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Map of Ancient India as mentioned in Mahabharata

#Longthread

India as a sublime culture and profound civilisation is the gift of Ma Durga. This pretty much gives us the geographical reference to the land of our country. Barhaspatya Sutra says:-

हिमालयं समारभ्य: यावत् इंदु… https://t.co/AjQfUGcuIdtwitter.com/i/web/status/1…

twitter.com/i/web/status/1…

To their immediate east are the Chinas, Ladakas (Ladakh) and Ramathas (Bhotas). These were Tibetan people . Chinese were known as Maha Chinas.

To the south of Kamboja is the country of Gandhara with its capital at Takshashila (Taxila). This is the… twitter.com/i/web/status/1…

twitter.com/i/web/status/1…

To the north of Kalinga was the country of Odras which is today's western Odisha. This region was famous for the Mahendragiri mountain which according to Mahabharata and Ramayana was a resting place of Lord Parashurama. Its capital was Manipura near today's Kendrapara. Today's… twitter.com/i/web/status/1…

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