Quote:Dharmaraja Temple

Location : M.K. Amman Koil Street, Mylapore.

Main Deity : Dharmaraja.

Other Deities : Arjuna, Bhima, Draupadi, Ganapathi, Krishna, Kunti, Nakula, Sahadeva, Subhadra.

Quote:DHARMARAJA KOIL STREET,DROWBATHI AMMAN KOIL. (Arcot)

India / Tamil Nadu / Arcot

World / India / Tamil Nadu / Arcot World / India / Tamil Nadu / Vellore



Most powerfull daity,this god is worshipped once in 12 years by big festivel,40 days festivel,having 40 days Mahabharatha sorpozivu,20 days theru koothu,6 god marriage functions,Arjuna thabasu,Finally people(devoties) will walk on fire by the grace of the god Drowpathi amman.

Chinna Babu/V>Lakshmana Kumar/Bullet Babu-who also walked on the fire.

We are twin brothers-Ram,Lakshman-Peribabu,Chinnababu(R.Vyrakkannu Sub-Registrar-Sulochana ammal-Parents.)

Quote:India | Uttaranchal

Karna Temple





Karna Temple is located in Deora Village in Uttarkashi District. The temple is dedicated to Karna, elder brother of Pandavas and one of main characters of the Mahabharat. It is a rectangular wooden temple. A wooden umbrella with brass finial is topped on its pent roof. The temple's wooden beams and columns are decorated with carvings and the doors are decorated with metal plates. The doors depict birds, animals, reptiles and scenes from the Ramayana. [color="#0000FF"]Six miniature temples, located in the compound, are dedicated to Karna and the five Pandavas.[/color] There is also a Shivling in the compound. Images of Parvati and Nandi are installed in the temple. The nearest airport and railway station are at Dehradun.

Quote:The birds say- 'Frightened by the severe penance of Trishira, Indra killed him to protect his authority and power. But the sin of killing a Brahmin took away Indra's radiance. Trishira was the son of Twashta. Twashta became furious at his son's death. He plucked one strand of hair from his hair-lock and offered it in the sacrificial fire. This resulted into the creation of a formidable and strong demon named Vritrasur. This demon was created with the objective of killing Indra.



Learning about the birth of Vritrasur, Indra sent Saptarishis as emissaries to work out a pact with the demon. The Saptarishis effected a friendship between Indra and Vritrasur. But Indra had other ideas. He took Vritrasur by surprise and killed him. This deceitful action of Indra further enraged the clans of the demons. [color="#0000FF"]Soon the atrocities of the demons increased to unbearable limits. Even Prithvi felt unable to bear the burden of their atrocities. She approached the deities and requested them to get her rid of the burden.



Thus, to relieve Prithvi of her burden, the deities began to take incarnation on earth. Dharma and Vayu implanted Indra's radiance in the womb of Kunti. This resulted in the birth of Yudhishthir and Bheema. Then Indra himself produced Arjuna from Kunti. Nakul and Sahadev were born because of Indra's radiance implanted by Ashwini kumars in the womb of Madri. Thus all the five Pandavas originated from the same source even though they appeared as distinct entities, whereas Draupadi was none other than Shuchi, the wife of Indra, produced from the altar in Drupad's palace. In human incarnation, Draupadi got five Pandavas as her husband.[/color]

Quote:Learning about the birth of Vritrasur, Indra sent Saptarishis as emissaries to work out a pact with the demon. The Saptarishis effected a friendship between Indra and Vritrasur. But Indra had other ideas. He took Vritrasur by surprise and killed him. This deceitful action of Indra further enraged the clans of the demons.

Quote:Now, let me take you to this village named Poruvazhy in Kollam district of Kerala. Here, we have a temple where Duryodhana is the principal deity. The villain of the Mahabharata has been deified here, is adored by the people and they flock in during the festival season to worship and offer their prayers to him. The Malanada Temple at Poruvazhy, much different from a structural temple without a garbhagriha and idol, lets the devotee imagine the deity -which is placed on a raised platform- according to their understanding of divinity.



Like every temple, this one too has a legend behind how it came into existence. It is said, years after the Pandavas were exiled after losing the game of dice, spies and wandering mendicants would bring in their news to Hastinapura. While Duryodhana rejoiced at the suffering of his cousins, he also was envious learning about their achievements like that of Arjuna acquiring celestial weapons, following which he went into depression. Karna who could not stand his dear friend being restless came forward to comfort him saying that he had all the Pandavas’ wealth and was the ruler while his foes lived like beggars, foraging for fruits and berries in forests. When Duryodhana could not be comforted by his words, Karna suggested that they go to the forests in search of the Pandavas, find them out and mock at their plight.



Incited by Karna, Duryodhana marched off to the southern forests and eventually reached the location where the Malanada Temple is located now. He was exhausted after the long journey and went to a nearby house and asked for water. He did not realize that it was the house of a Kurava (a Shudra Tribe) chieftain who was the ruler of that region. The elderly woman present there gave him toddy to drink, which is customary as a mark of respect to the Supreme King and gave him a herbal concoction to get rid of his fatigue. Refreshed, Duryodhana rose to thank the lady and then he noticed her mangalsutra, which indicated she was from the Kurava tribe. As per customs, it was not proper for a Kshatriya to have food or drinks offered by the lower classes, and Duryodhana decided to console himself and perform penance for this deed.



He was touched by the helping mentality and divinity of the lady, and appreciated the knowledge of the community in medicine, and thereby, he sat on the nearby hill and worshiped Lord Shiva for the welfare of the tribe as they were his subjects and that no divine wrath must be cast on them for offering food to the Kshatriya King. Duryodhana formally granted the title of “Siddha” to the tribesmen and prayed that they be never robbed of their wealth of knowledge. He also donated 101 yojanas of land around the hill to the tribesmen, which the tribals surrendered back to the King nominally and promised to build a temple in his honor on the place where he sat and prayed. Duryodhana then requested them to build shrines for Karna, Gandhari, Dussala, Bheeshma, Dronacharya & Shakuni and rode off.



Accordingly, the Kurava tribesmen built a raised platform and a temple around it, and began to worship Duryodhana as an avatar of Shiva. Within the complex, sub-shrines, devoted to Karna and others as named by Duryodhana came up. The concept of “Sankalpa” takes prominence here, as the devotees bow down to Duryodhana the avatar of Shiva, thus mentally submitting themselves to Lord Shiva through their beloved King. The story of 100 yojanas of land around the temple which was nominally given back to the King still holds importance, as the present temple and land belonging to it have been registered in the name of “Mr. Duryodhana” as per Kerala State Revenue records and Temple Endowment Board records!

Initially a tribal shrine, the temple is now thronged by people from all paths of Hinduism although it still follows the tribal customs like the main offering being toddy and chicken curry.

[...]

A spin-off to the legend again adds more insights into the embracing nature of our culture which can find the best in the supposed-to-be-worst . There is a temple nearby, dedicated to Abhimanyu, Arjuna’s son who was brutally slayed in the Chakravyuha. It is said that after the death of Abhimanyu, Duryodhana was repentant about the act, although he did not express it. That night he appeared in the dream of the Kurava chieftain and asked him to build a shrine for Abhimanyu and worship him, but build it in such a way that it faces away from his own shrine, as his conscience makes him ashamed of facing Abhimanyu. The temple was built. Now, once a year, during the annual festival, the idol of Abhimanyu is taken to the Malanada temple, symbolizing the nephew visiting his uncle to pay obeisance and Duryodhana apologizing for his deed !

Quote:Peruviruthi (Duryodhana) Ambalam(Temple)



Malanada Temple in Poruvazhy, Kollam Dist , Kerala State

KOLLAM: The `malakkuda’ festival of Poruvazhi Peruviruthi Malanada temple will be held on March 21. It is considered to be the only Duryodhana temple in the entire South India. The Malanada temple is the centre of the 101 hillshrines spread over Kollam and Pathanamthitta districts. The `malakkuda’ festival is held on the second Friday of the Malayalam month of Meenam. `Eduppukuthira’ from the seven karas are brought to the temple on the festival day. Tens of thousands of devotees will visit the temple on the festival day. The temple is administered by an elected body of 25 members. The entire Hindu community of the seven ‘karas’ vote to elect the 25 representatives. The Ezhava, Nair and Kurava communities have 8, 6 and 4 members respectively in the temple trust. Other Hindu communities are also given representation. 12 km from Adoor (the nearest town) in Pathanamthitta district. Nearest railway station: Chengannur about 30 km away.

Nearest airport: Thiruvananthapuram International Airport, about 91 km.



In Kumaon region of Uttranchal, several beautifully carved temples are dedicated to Duryodhana and he is worshipped as a minor deity. The mountain tribes of Kumaon fought along with Duryodhana armies in the Mahābhārata war; he was venerated as a capable and generous administrator.



Temple of Duryodhan, Osla (Uttarakhand, India)

The Duryodhan Temple in Tons Valley was built by the local inhabitants of Saur who worship the Kauravas as their ancestors. It is believed that the local people wept so much at the defeat of the Kauravas and the death of Duryodhana at the battle of Kurukshetra that their tears became a river named Tamas (literally meaning sorrow). Tamas is also known as Tons. According to the local populace, the tear still flows and hence, the river water is never used for drinking. Duryodhan Temple is 13 km from Sankri. Duryodhana is worshipped in the upper valleys of the rivers Tons, Yamuna, Bhagirathi, Balganga and Bhilganga. This is the biggest temple dedicated to Duryodhana in Uttaranchal and other Duryodhana temples can be seen at Osla, Gangar and Datmir.



Duryodhana Temple, Mori

Mori’s local inhabitants claims or believed themselves as the ascendants of the Pandavas and Kauravas. They worship the Kauravas as the God. The Duryodhana temple, the temple for the eldest Kaurava, in Jakhol near Mori was constructed by the local folks. The main deity is Duryodhana. This is the biggest temple in the state dedicated to Duryodhana.



Folk stories say that Tons river, known anciently as river Tamas, is formed by the tears of the local people who wept over the defeat of Kauravas in the great battle of Mahabharatha. This river water is not being used for drinking, since according to the local belief, still the tear flows. This is a nice temple to visit having a variety of customs and of course for the deity also.



Nearest airport is Jollygrant which is 175 km away from Mori and is situated in Dehradun. Jollygrant airport is connected to Delhi airport. Taxi services are available from airport to Mori and it costs about Rs 3300. Delhi is the nearest international airport which is 410 km away. Delhi is well connected to all major cities in India and many cities abroad.



Nearest railway station is also Dehradun, which is nearly 175 km away from Mori. This station is connected to all cities in India. Taxi services are available from Dehradun to Mori, costing about Rs 3300.



Duryodhan Temple

The local inhabitants of Saur built the Duryodhan temple. Legend goes that Krishna, who had stage - managed the show granted Bhubruvahan eternal life after the war. Consequently, his head was placed on the top of a tree that overlooked the war field. And so, his helpless head watched the Kauravas lose the war, making protesting noises, inciting them to fight harder; advising them about new strategies; shedding tears at their every defeat.

Bhubruvahan's tears still flow today, so say the local people. It is those tears of intense, helpless, uncontrollable sorrow, that now make the river Tamas or Tons. That is why waters from this river are never used for drinking.

Along with the Duryodhan temple, the inhabitants also built the Karna Devta Temple at Sarnauli and both together forms the Kshetrapal of the area.

Quote:There is nothing to be surprised as Duryodhan was not a bad man but was just a part of bigger objectives that Shri Krishna wanted to show us for the sake of establishing Dharma.

Quote:rajeev srinivasan ‏@RajeevSrinivasa ·Jun 15 (2014)

why aren't draupadi (gender oppressed) and karna (caste oppressed) kindred souls? she 'crushed' him? @TedhiLakeer @yoginisd @SandeepWeb Details Expand Collapse

Quote:Rajeev Srinivasan picks his favourite Indian fiction of the last fifty years

[...]



Ini Jnan Urangatte (... And now I must sleep), P K Balakrishnan, Malayalam.

A strange and wonderful work, this is the retelling of portions of the Mahabharata from the points of view of its two most wronged characters: Draupadi and Karna; yet Balakrishnan is able to show they are the true centres of the epic -- the woman and the putative low-caste man. Both exploited, both put upon by the powers that be; yet the epic revolves around them.

Truly, Karna is the hero of the Mahabharata, a man with his human failings, yet one who always strives, one who remembers his roots, and one who is honourable. Particularly well done are Karna's conversation with Kunti when she reveals that he is her son; and Draupadi's interior monologue, without the feminist rhetorical excess that seems to afflict other such attempts. Another Sahitya Akademi winner.

Quote:The Karna Syndrome and Rahul Dravid as the hero

Aug 13, 2011

[...]

There is a remarkable Malayalam book by PK Balakrishnan, Ini Jnan Urangatte (And now I must sleep), which retells the epic from the point of the putative low-caste man, Karna, and the woman, Draupadi. It is a forceful and insightful retelling, a paradigm shift.

Quote:rajeev srinivasan ‏@RajeevSrinivasa ·Jun 15 (2014)

why aren't draupadi (gender oppressed) and karna (caste oppressed) kindred souls? she 'crushed' him? @TedhiLakeer @yoginisd @SandeepWeb Details Expand Collapse

Quote:"without the feminist rhetorical excess that seems to afflict other such attempts. Another Sahitya Akademi winner"

Quote:Wednesday, December 19, 2012

Today vamana avatara. Yesterday more appropriate: narasimha. #namo. But vamana too sent asuras to underworld



Posted by nizhal yoddha at 12/19/2012 05:02:00 PM

Reactions:

5 comments:





witan said...

Nizhal Yoddha, who is a Malayalee, ought not have highlighted the Vamana avataram. People in Keralam still worship Mahabali: RIGHTLY!

Actually, this illustrates the fallacy of drawing moral lessons from epics as different from scriptures.

12/19/2012 8:37 PM





nizhal yoddha said...

not quite, witan. kerala people do not *worship* mahabali, we are just fond of him as a good king. and incidentally, we know good kings -- when others were laboring under the british yoke, travancore was ruled by exemplary kings: considerate, frugal, imbued with foresight.



so i don't know what you mean by "RIGHTLY". it is also kerala hindus' prerogative to worship anybody they feel like; and in fact we do worship vamana as an avatara of vishnu.



there are many moral lessons in the epics. one is that the gods might have information not available to the mortal man, and that they might upon that in ways that might befuddle mortals.



on the other hand, the entire vamana story is a metaphor for the buddhists of kerala (thus 'asuras') being defeated by brahmins. being a descendant of said asuras, i am not sure i have a good enough rationale to rant against something that happened some 1200 years ago as part of the Counter-Reformation in hinduism, following up on the Reformation circa 2500 years ago that resulted in the creation of buddhism and jainism. i am pretty sure you don't have anything concrete either, just some conjectures.

12/20/2012 1:34 AM





witan said...

“Vamana is ... the younger brother of Indra.”

“The Bhagavata Purana describes that Vishnu descended as the Vamana avatar to restore the authority of Indra over the heavens, as it had been taken by Mahabali, a benevolent Asura King. Bali was the grandson of Prahlada, the son of Hiranyakshipu. ... Just before King Mahavali was pushed out of this earth, he was given permission by Vamana to visit his people once a year. The Onam festival is a celebration of welcoming Mahabali home to his lost kingdom. During this festival, beautiful floral decorations are made in every house and boat races are held throughout Kerala. A twenty-one-course feast is the most important part of the Onam festival.” [wikipedia]

The decorations and celebrations are to make Mahabali think that the people are happy and prosperous. The people did not want their erstwhile king to feel sad.



I repeat, “Mahabali, a benevolent Asura King”. IOW, the Vamana ousted Mahabali for no other reason than as a personal favour to Indra, — blatant Nepotism. What moral lesson can one draw from this?

12/21/2012 6:12 AM





nizhal yoddha said...

i repeat, you were wrong, we do not *worship* mahabali, but we respect him as a great king. thank you for keenly supporting my statement with your wikipedia quote.



this idea of mahabali as a victim of some conspiracy is a vestige of 'dravidian' tamil garbage, which i reject in its entirety. except for a few communists, so do most kerala people. and, i repeat, as a descendant of the so-called asuras, i have no problem with the reality: buddhists were overthrown by hindus in that episode. buddhism had, by that time, degenerated to being merely an atheist version of hinduism (much like communism is today an atheist version of christism). it had lost its intellectual and emotional charm due to a) sankara's counter-attack and B ) the alwars/nayanmars of tamil country with their ecstatic worship of personal gods.



it is a matter of great sadness that tamil culture, which was of such a high caliber 1200 years ago, has degenerated into this vile 'dravidian' crap today. thank you, padre caldwell (the inventor of 'dravidianism') and the dmk.

12/21/2012 5:44 PM





nizhal yoddha said...

i love witan's tamil-imperialist urge to tell me what to think. we malayalis are obviously vassals to the great tamil nation.



i don't have to read the wikipedia to understand what onam is: i *live* it. it is my festival. just as i don't presume to tell tamils what their jallikettu or pongal is, it would be best that you tamils don't tell me what onam is.



there is a malayalam phrase that describes this sort of behavior: "kanda nee avide nilkoo, ketta jnan parayatte" meaning, "you who saw the incident keep quiet, let me, who heard about it from someone, pontificate about the incident".



presumptuous, i believe the word is.

Quote:Monday , September 16 , 2013

Emperor strikes back

ONAM SPECIAL: The vital statistics of a festival mascot have landed Kerala between a popular pot belly and a six-pack regimen worked out by a royal

[...]



Some Malayalis are debating the looks of Mahabali aka Maveli, the Asura (demon) king who folklore says ruled the earth thousands of years ago and whose annual “visit” to his subjects is celebrated through Onam.

Ardent Mahabali fans are aghast at the portrayal of their beloved king as a podgy figure in government and commercial ads during the Onam season, as well as in literature on the festival, paintings and TV pictures. They feel the popular depiction resembles a jester rather than an idealist king whose praise they have grown up listening to.



(^What the actual article is about^. The Hindus don't want the unlikely modern presentation of Mahabali as an oversized comic character. The seculars/cryptos want to demote him into a comic character, to secularise him further into some Indian santa type. The article features an image of Mahabali commissioned and approved of by the Travancore royal family. Hindoos should consciously make this and similar images famous among themselves as a suitably representative likeness.)



[...]



Onam is a harvest festival when families wear new clothes, make floral arrangements at home and invite relatives and friends to feasts. M.G.S. Narayanan, historian and former head of the Indian Council for Historical Research, traced its history for this newspaper.

Narayanan said none of the ancient texts that mention Mahabali makes any reference to Kerala, so any suggestion that he ruled over the state has to be treated as fiction.



(Puts a damper on Rajeev's highly evolved fantasizing and self-identification concerning his allegedly buddhist ancestors being allegedly oppressed and replaced by Hindu religion and then allegedly referred to as asuras thereafter... Also, historic Jains are on record claiming it was they who drove out Buddhism from India's Tamil regions, Kerala and the south in general into SL; and anti-Hindu SL Buddhist monks also still insist this is so.

As for Kerala's region not being mentioned in the Pauranic Vamana accounts, it does not rule out that these events may still have had Kerala for their setting - or not. But even if it were, Dravoodianism/Buddhism/Jainism were still never involved. And which latter claims remain unHindu fantasizing.

Further, just to be contrarian: there are Tamil Hindu traditions that place the Vamana vs Mahabali event in Tamil regions, as I'm sure there are traditions tracing the events to other parts of Akhanda Bharatam ... Just saying. BTW, Onam is also a sacred Hindu observation known to Tamil Hindus since ancient times, as seen also in the following statements where the Alwars are mentioned



“There are five or six Puranas that cite the story of Mahabali and how he was banished from earth by Vamana, the avatar of Vishnu. But what records like the poems of the Tamil Alwars, who were Vishnu devotees, and copper plates from some central Kerala temples suggest is that at least till the 11th century or so, the hero of the festival was Vamana,” he said.

“But by the 16th century, the festival, which had till then been confined to temples, began to be celebrated at homes as well and Mahabali gained prominence over Vamana. The Mahabali imagery can be attributed to this democratisation of the festival.”



(So just like Vamana's importance and benevolence got obscured, overshadowed, replaced and forgotten by confused Indians, moderns have now demoted Mahabali as well, by turning him into a comic figure. The de-volution of the sacred Hindu festival continues.)

Quote:Besides, the belief that Mahabali ran a Utopia-like state has prompted some to describe Onam as the world’s oldest “socialist festival” —– a label that strikes a chord in a state that usually alternates between governments led by the communists and the Congress every five years.

Such interpretations also make Onam more digestible to communists, just as community participation allows Durga Puja to transcend barriers in Bengal.

Quote:M.G.S. Narayanan, historian and former head of the Indian Council for Historical Research, traced [Onam's] history for this newspaper. [...]

"There are five or six Puranas that cite the story of Mahabali and how he was banished from earth by Vamana, the avatar of Vishnu. But what records like the poems of the Tamil Alwars, who were Vishnu devotees, and copper plates from some central Kerala temples suggest is that at least till the 11th century or so, the hero of the festival was Vamana,” he said.

But by the 16th century, the festival, which had till then been confined to temples, began to be celebrated at homes as well and Mahabali gained prominence over Vamana. The Mahabali imagery can be attributed to this democratisation of the festival.

Quote:Vamanamoorthy Temple Thrikkakara

Vamanamoorthy Temple is located in Thrikkakara within 10 kms from east side of Cochin in Kerala. This place is fully covered with beautiful sceneries, landscape, rivers, and hills etc. It is also famously called as Thrikkakara Vamanamoorthy Temple. The word Thrikkakara is separated as “Thiru” “Kaal “and “Kara” which means “Land with the blessed foot”.

(Same meaning in Tamil too.)



Architecture of Vamanamoorthy Temple

It is the 13 centuries old temple constructed by the king Kulasekhara Varma belongs to the Chara Empire. It was constructed in unusual style of architecture. A small Shiva temple is located near to this temple. Other gods also placed in this temple namely Lord Ganapathy, Goddess Parvathy, goddess Bhagavathy, Lord Sastha, Lord Subramanyan, and Lord Gopalakrishnan.

(The typical listing of additional Gods featured here is noteworthy. Also seen in most Hindoo temple sites in TN.)



This temple is devoted to Lord Vamana who is the 5th avatar of lord Vishnu. He was also called as Vamanamoorthy or Trikkakara Appan. In Kerala it is the only temple devoted to Lord Vishnu.(<- Must be typo, I think it's meant to be "Lord Vamana", since there are many temples to Vishnu/avataaras in Kerala **) And it is one of the 108 Vaishnava temples in Kerala. This temple holds some old records and proof which add more proud to this place.



(Don't know if there's any overlap with Kerala's list of 108 Vishnu temples, but in one of the famous 108 Divyadesams known to Tamizh Hindus, one is to "the God [Trivikrama-Vishnu] Who Measured The World" [with his feet] too. But the temple and moorti name is different.)



Festivals in Vamanamoorthy Temple

Onam is harvest festival and is also the state festival for Kerala. It is the major festival to this temple celebrated in a grand manner every year. Earlier the Onam festival is celebrated by 61 local rulers under the control of Travancore Maharaja. It is celebrated during the Malayalam month of Chingam for 10 days Another annual event in Tripunithura is the celebration or Athachamayam which is taken out on the Atham day before the Onam and marks the opening of celebrations of Onam festival. It is a colourful ritual to see almost all the folk art forms of Kerala. A grand rally is held in Kalamasserry from where Kalabam was brought to Thrikkakara Temple during this festival.



Onasadhya is the most delicious part of the Onam festival. It is prepared on the last day of Onam. It is considered to be the most elaborate and grand meal prepared by all people without seeing any caste or religion. Large numbers of devotees visit to this temple during this festival. This festival is held in Tiruvonam hall which can hold 15,000 people. It is specially opened to devotees during this ceremony. Another ritual held during this festival is Mahabali. It is believed that Lord Vamana came to earth to banish the King Marthanda varma. (<- If that was his name in actual Hindu scriptures, the asura is still not to be confused with later human kings known as Martanda Varma, such as the famous one of the 17th or 18th century.) So that day is celebrated as Mahabali. Devotees believed that god will come to earth again during this celebration.

Quote:Hitanshu: How do we explain appearance of Hanuman and Ganesha to our kids. Why do we worship Monkey and Elephant?



Answer: A recommended approach to explain Hanuman and Ganesha to children is by giving a background that Hinduism regards all living and non-living beings as sacred and worthy of worship. That is why they have been elevated to the status of Gods. For example, a monkey can leap in the air effortlessly from tree to tree, climb mountains, etc in a way that humans cannot. Thus, every being in this creation is endowed with certain special qualities and we must respect and worship these qualities. This attitude instills a sense of reverence in kids for the entire universe.

Quote:How do we explain appearance of Hanuman and Ganesha to our kids. Why do we worship Monkey and Elephant?

Quote:valmikiramayan.net/utf8/sundara/sarga1/sundara_1_frame.htm



तद्रूपमतिसंक्षिप्य हनुमान् प्रकृतौ स्थितः || ५-१-२०६

त्रीन् क्रमानिव विक्रम्य बलिवीर्यहरो हरिः |

[tadrUpam ati saMkShipya hanumAn prakR^itau sthitaH || 5-1-206

trIn kramAn iva vikramya balivIryaharo hariH | ]



206. hanumaan = Hanuma; atisaMkshipya = greatly reducing (His size); prakR^itau sthitaH = became (normal) in nature; tat = (regaining) that; ruupam = (original) appearance; hariH iva = liKe Vishnu; baliviiryaharaH = who mitigated the strength of Bali; triin kramaan vikramya = by taking three strides.



Hanuma greatly reducing His size became normal in nature regaining His original form, like Vishnu who mitigated the strength of Bali by taking three strides.



(Another commentator explains what is actually implictly obvious in the above



Hanumān shed his colossal form to resume his small form, like Mahā Vishnu, after pushing Bali down into Pātāla Lōka, resuming His Incarnate form of Vāmana.

Quote:valmikiramayan.net/ayodhya/sarga14/ayodhya_14_frame.htm



evam pracoditaH raajaa kaikeyyaa nirvishankayaa |

na ashakat paasham unmoktum balir indra kRtam yathaa || 2-14-11



11. evam= Thus, prachoditaH= by Kaikeyi, nirvishaNkayaa= without hesitation, rajaa= king Dasaratha, indrakR^itam yathaa= as trapped by Indra, naa shakat= was not able, moktum= to untie, paasham= the cord.



Thus compelled by Kaikeyi, who had no uneasiness in her mind, king Dasaratha could not untie the cord of plighted word that fettered him , any more than Bali could unloose the noose placed (round his body) by Indra(through his younger brother Vamana in order to deprive him of his sovereignty of the three worlds).





[The reference appears to be to how IIRC Asura king Bali was performing a yagnya and was therefore compelled - as planned by Mahendra and MahaVishnu - to grant as daanam in this case three steps-worth of his territory to the little braahmana Vaamana that had appeared at the rite and requested it. Bali had promised to grant it and thus was already fettered by his word for giving the daanam, just as Dasaratha was also fettered by his word to grant one or more boons whose implications were unknown to him at the time of giving his word.]







valmikiramayan.net/kishkindha/sarga40/kishkindhaitrans40.htm



tatra puurvam padam kR^itvaa puraa viSNuH trivikrame |

dvitiiyam shikharam meroH cakaara puruSottamaH || 4-40-58



58. puruSa uttamaH= Person, Supreme; viSNuH= Vishnu; puraa trivikrame= earlier, in Trivikrama incarnation; puurvam= firstly; tatra= there - on that peak; padam kR^itvaa= foot - foothold, making; dvitiiyam= second one - foot; meroH shikharam cakaara= on Mt. Meru's, peak, he made - he placed.



"Earlier while treading the three worlds in the incarnation of Trivikrama, the Supreme Person Vishnu made His first foothold on that pinnacle Saumanasa, and the second on the pinnacle of Mt. Meru to tread the heavens. [4-40-58]







valmikiramayan.net/kishkindha/sarga65/kishkindhaitrans65.htm



taan ca sarvaan hari shreSThaan jaa.mbavaan idam abraviit |

na khalu etaavat eva aasiit gamane me paraakramaH || 4-65-14



14. sarvaan taan hari shreSThaan= to all of, those, to monkey, best ones; jaambavaan idam ca abraviit= Jambavanta, this, also, said; me gamane paraakramaH= to me, in [the stint of] going, capability; etaavat eva= thereunto, only; na aasiit khalu= not, is there [limited,] definitely.



Jambavanta further said this to all of those best monkeys, "my capability in the stint of going was not definitely limited only thereunto... [4-65-14]





mayaa vairocane yaj~ne prabhaviSNuH sanaatanaH |

pradakSiNii kR^itaH puurvam kramamaaNaH trivikramaH || 4-65-15



15. maya= by me; puurvam= once; vairocane yaj~ne= in Vairocana's legatee's [Emperor Bali's,] Vedic-ritual's - at the time of]; kramamaaNaH= when He was treading; prabhaviSNuH= Omnipresent; sanaatanaH= Eternal [Vishnu]; trivikramaH= [in the incarnation of] Trivikrama; pradakSiNii kR^itaH= circumambulation, He was made by me.



"Once I have performed circumambulation around the Omnipresent and Eternal Vishnu in His incarnation as Trivikrama, when He grandiosely increased His physique from that of a Divine-Dwarfish Brahman boy to that of an Omnidirectional Being, thus filling whole of the Universe to tread all the three worlds, during the time of Vedic-ritual of Emperor Bali, the legatee of Vairocana... [4-65-15]





(IIRC Jambavaan is still speaking



valmikiramayan.net/kishkindha/sarga66/kishkindhaitrans66.htm



trivikrame mayaa taata sa shaila vana kaananaa |

triH sapta kR^itvaH pR^ithivii parikraantaa pradakSiNam || 4-66-32



32. taata= oh, dear boy; trivikrame= in Trivikrama [during the period of incarnation]; sa shaila vana kaananaa= with, mountains, forests, thickets; pR^ithivii= earth is; maya= by me; triH sapta kR^itvaH= three*seven= twenty-one, times, on making - multiplying; pradakSiNam parikraantaa= circumambulations, moved around.



"During the period of Trivikrama incarnation I have circumambulated the earth inclusive of its mountains, forests and thickets for twenty-one times, moving rightward around it... [4-66-32]





viSaaNNaa harayaH sarve hanuman kim upekSase |

vikramasva mahaavega viSNuH triin vikramaan iva || 4-66-37



37. hanuman= oh, Hanuma; sarve harayaH viSaaNNaa= all, monkeys, are dispirited; kim upekSase= why, indolence of yours; mahaa vega= highly, speedy [speedier than sound, light and thought - supersonic, super-photic, super-cerebric;]; viSNuH triin [lokaan] vikramaan iva= Vishnu, three [who trod the triad of worlds in a trice,] trod, as with; vi kramasva= boldly, triumph over. {(aadaraartham punarukti) vi kramasva= boldly, triumph over.}



"Oh, Hanuma, all these monkeys are dispirited. Why this indolence of yours? You boldly triumph over the ocean as your speed is highest, supersonic, super-photic, super-cerebric is your celerity. As with Vishnu who trod the triad of worlds in a trice, you too triumph over..." Thus Jambavanta persuaded Hanuma to get ready for action. [4-66-37]





valmikiramayan.net/kishkindha/sarga67/kishkindhaitrans67.htm



prahR^iSTaa vismitaaH ca api te viikshante sama.ntataH |

trivikrama kR^ita utsaaham naaraayaNam iva prajaaH || 4-67-3



3. samantataH= all over [available]; te= those [monkeys]; pra hR^iSTaa= altogether, buoyed up; vismitaaH ca api= utterly, astounded, also, even; prajaaH= [as with] people; trivikrama kR^ita utsaaham= in Trivikrama [incarnation,] made [when tri-world was trodden by Vishnu,] enthusiastically [as with the enthusiasm then shown by the people]; naaraayaNam iva viikshante= at Narayana, as with, [monkeys] are seeing [at Hanuma.]



Those monkeys available all over there are altogether buoyed up and utterly astounded, and as with the people who have enthusiastically seen Narayana when He maximised His physique to tread the triad of worlds in His Trivikrama incarnation, these monkeys too are looking at Hanuma who is now maximising his body. [4-67-3]







valmikiramayan.net/aranya/sarga39/aranyaitrans39.htm



aham tasya prabhaavaj~no na yuddham tena te kshamam |

balim vaa namuci.m vaa api hanyaddhi raghun.na.ndana || 4-39-19



19. aham tasya prabhaava j~naH= I am, of his, efficacy, knower of; te= to you; tena= with him; yuddham na kshamam= war, not, fair enough; raghun nadana= Ragu's, descendant - Rama; balim vaa namucim vaa api= Emperor Bali, either, Namuchi, or, even; hanyat hi= can kill, in fact.



"I am well-acquainted with his efficacy, and a war with him will be an unfair thing for you, for that Raghu's descendant can in fact kill either Emperor Bali or Namuchi, the demon. [4-39-19]



Emperor Bali is more powerful and mighty than Ravana. aananda raamaayana says in a chapter on the 'defeats of Ravana' raavaNa paraajaya, that Ravana once entered netherworld to conquer it, where Bali is held captive by Trivikrama, i.e., Vishnu. At that time Bali and his queen are playing dice game. When Ravana entered, the dice in the hand of Bali has slipped to the floor, and Bali asks Ravana to pick and give it before conquering netherworld. Ravana who lifted Mt. Kailash could not lift that two-inch dice, which is so far handled playfully by Bali. Such is the might of Emperor Bali

Quote:valmikiramayan.net/yuddha/sarga61/yuddhaitrans61.htm



tam dR^iSTvaa raakSasashreSTham parvataakaaradarshanam |

kramamaaNamivaakaasham puraa naaraayaNam prabhum || 6-61-2



2. dR^iSTvaa= seeing; tam raakSasashreSTham= that paramount demon; parvataakaara darshanam= whose appearance was in the form of a mountain; prabhum naaraayaNam yathaa= looking like Lord Narayana (the son of the original Man); kramamaaNam= taking strides across; aakaasham= space; puraa= long ago (manifested in the form of Trivikrama, who measured the whole universe in a couple of strides) Rama became vigilant).



Seeing that paramount demon, whose appearance was in the form of a mountain and looking like Lord Narayana (the son of the original Man); taking strides across space, (manifested in the form of Trivikrama, who measured the whole universe in a couple of strides) Rama became vigilant.





valmikiramayan.net/yuddha/sarga65/yuddha_65_frame.htm



sarvaabharaNanaddhaaN^gaH shuulapaaNiH sa raakShasaH |

trivikramakR^itotsaaho naaraayaNa ivaababhau || 6-65-31



31. sarvaabharaNa sarvaaN^gaH= adorned with all ornaments to all his limbs; shuulapaaNiH= with a spike in his hand; saH= that; raakSasaH= demons; aababhau= shone; naaraayanaH iva= like Narayana, the all-embracing Lord; trivikrama kR^itotsaahaH= enthusiastic to take the three long strides (which were meant to cover the entire universe).



Adorned with all ornaments to all his limbs and with a spike in his hand, that demon shone like Narayana, the all-embracing Lord, enthusiastic to take the three long strides (which were meant to cover the entire universe).

Quote:Mahaabharata is called the 'Panchamo Veda', the fifth Veda.

As regards Ramayana, it is said that when the Purusha who can be known only by the Vedas took birth as Dasaratha's son, the Vedas also appeared as Valmiki's child in the form of Ramayana.

Quote:There are many different stories on Sai Baba; some consider him a Brahmin by birth, even an incarnation of Dattatreya

Krishna

July 01, 2014

Quote:Thumbnail sketch biography of Swami Swaroopanand Saraswati

- Compiled by Paul Mason



Swami Swaroopananda was born Pothiram Upadhyay on September 2nd 1924, in the Jabalpur area of Madhya Pradesh. At nine years old he left home to visit the holy places of India, including Varanasi where he eventually studied with Swami Karpatri (aka Hariharananda Saraswati), a disciple of Guru Dev Swami Brahmananda Saraswati. At 19 years old he became a freedom fighter in the 'Quit India' movement (1942) and was known as 'Revolutionary Sadhu' (serving two prison sentences for same of 9 months & 6 months). In 1950 Guru Dev made him a dandi sannyasi.



<read rest at link>

[...]



Transcripted excerpts, pertinent to the lifestory of Guru Dev Shankaracharya Swami Brahmanand Saraswati, from an interview of Shankaracharya of Dwarka, Swami Swaroopanand Saraswati, by Robert Kropinski in Vrindaban, India, October 1986.



[...]



Q: The religion that Guru Dev preached was connected with five forms of God-Devatas-such as Pancha Devupasana and so what relation has it with Vedic Sanatan Dharma (worship of God) as well as in regard to the varna (caste system) and ashram (four stages of life) systems?



Shankaracharya: The Lord, Adi Shankara was a great exponent of Vedic Sanatana Dharma. God, he taught, is grouped into six forms. He preached six types - five based on forms of God like Shiva, Shakti, Vishnu, etc. and one, Nirakar, without form. However, the worship of God without form being extremely difficult was reserved for renunciates. That is what Adi Shankaracharya had instructed.

Bhagavan Shree Shankara revived Vedic Sanatan Dharma. He said God has six forms. So accordingly, Maharaj Ji gave upadesha (initiation) to meditate upon those forms for the sake of our worship.

Quote:Sai Baba is not a God, says Shankaracharya Swaroopanand

By: News Nation Bureau



Updated On: 23, Jun 2014 | 12:14 PM (IST)



New Delhi : Shankaracharya Swaroopanand Saraswati on Monday raised a controversy by declaring that Shirdi's Sai Baba is not a God and should not be given special place in prayers.



He even compared Nirmal Baba with Sai Baba and mentioned that it is a conspiracy to divide existing hierarchy of Gods.



"This is a conspiracy to divide the belief of common man. There are only 2 Gods- Lord Ram and Krishna," he added.



He informed that all those people who don't want the Govt to construct Ayodhya temple are spreading these beliefs that Sai Baba was a God. Even Sai Baba trust is involved in the conspiracy

Quote:Sayan Sen from TIRUCHCHENDUR



I being a humble follower of Sanatan Dharma as laid down in the Shrutis and Smritis, issue an open challenge to all the followers of that Muslim mystic to prove that their Baba was an Avatara or God according to our holy scriptures. Sandhyaji, you are a Jain and you belong to a Nastika school of philosophy. Your religion is completely at odds with the Vedic Sanatan Dharma. The dominance of your religion and your fellow Nastika religion, Buddhism was ended by the Adi Shankara who institutionalized Hinduism. It is because of the works of him that you belong to a microscopic minority.Hence it is quite conceivable that you bear ill will towrads the Adi Shankara and his successor, Swami Swarupananda. (I don't think that's why Jain has an issue with Swami Swarupananda. E.g. she didn't attack Kanchi Shankaracharyas.) No self-respecting Hindu who has an elementary idea about his religion (not those internet Hindus who do not know even the difference between Shruti and Smriti) will ever like to be lectured about his religion from a Nastika (i.e. Jain) like you. No doubt Nastikas find an ally in that ignorant fakir and his followers. Swami Swarupananda is politically aligned because he is sufficiently educated to be so. It is because of his nationalism that he courted jail in Quit India Movement. Quite unlike this self-styled fakir baba who had no political idea (surely because of his lack of education). This baba was from the Muslim community but no self-respecting Muslim will ever prostrate before his picture or statue and commit heresy/haram. Then are we Hindus so miserable that we will continue to worship this mlechha with our Vedic hymns and rituals thus polluting the sanctity of those hymns and rituals? Isn't it high time that we should kick out the pictures and statues of this baba from our temples and homes and above all from our minds?

Points

40

8 days ago · (1) · (2) · reply (0)

Quote:daily.bhaskar.com/article/NAT-TOP-shankracharya-slams-uma-bharti-for-supporting-sai-babas-worship-asks-union-minis-4663253-NOR.html



Shankracharya slams Uma Bharti for supporting Sai Baba's worship, asks Union Minister not to politicise issue

Bhaskar News | Jun 29, 2014, 15:58PM IST



New Delhi: After BJP leader Uma Bharti backed the worship of Shridi's Sai Baba, Sankaracharya Swami Swaroopanand Saraswati slammed the water resources minister asking her not to "politicise" the issue and "interfere in religious matters".



"By supporting Sai's worship, Uma Bharti is trying to make the issue political. She is a minister, not a God. She has been voted to power to serve people. I ask her not to interfere in religious matters," the Shankracharya told reporters.



On Saturday, Bharti had supported Sai's worship and had said she also has faith in the saint. She added Sai never claimed to be a God or immortal.



Raising questions on the minister's faith in Sai, the Shankracharya said, "The saint the minister follows has also supported my stand on Sai."



The Shankaracharya had kicked-off a controversy on on Monday by asking Sai followers not to worship the saint because he was not God. Comparing Sai Baba with another spiritual leader Nirmal Baba, he even declared the Sai's worship a "conspiracy against Hindus as it divide the hierarchy of Gods".



“Going by the Hindu beliefs, only an avatar or a guru can be worshipped. Lord Vishnu is said to possess 24 avatars, as per the Sanatana Dharma philosophy. There is no mention of any other except Buddha and Kalki in the religious text. So, Sai clearly can’t be an avatar," said the Shankracharya.



Shankaracharya’s second rationale: “As far as it’s about following Sai as guru is concerned, he doesn’t fulfill the credentials of the same. Not only did he consume meat and facilitated circumcision operations, he was born into Pandarak society which is comprises of dacoits. For the reason, he can’t be considered as a role model for us.”



File photo: Sankaracharya Swami Swaroopanand Saraswati

Quote:[...]

Go and tell your Sankaracharya to at least release the mathams from his evil influence now that we know that he does not accept Mahadeo as a deity. This is truly astonishing. Pah



PS: will be nice to know your real name

Sandhya Jain

July 01, 2014

Quote:Readers may recall that Swami Swaroopanand's animus towards the BJP and its Prime Ministerial candidate is so pronounced that during the recent Lok Sabha campaign he slapped a journalist who asked him about Narendra Modi becoming Prime Minister. Previously, he took objection to the enthusiastic slogan "Har Har Modi" and complained to the RSS chief, who caved in, to the dismay of party workers.

Quote:[Rajiva said:] "It is interesting that indeed if he was a Muslim he then upheld the Hindu faith. The Dwaraknath Shankaracharya's criticisms are quite baffling. Krishna was a sampoorna avatar and Rama only a partial avatar and yet both are worshipped."



[Shaastra Sevaka said:] So much for your knowledge of shaastra. Will you tell me the exact reference from valmiki ramayana where he has been called a partial avatar? (I have read the valmiki ramayana several times, i haven't found what you claim).



[...]



[Rajiva said:] "This is all a matter of people's faith. Millions of Hindus believe in the Sai Babas and the pronouncements of one dogmatic shankarachariar does not change that."



[Shaastra Sevaka said:] You are the one trivializing the (i) concept of an avataara, (ii) the concept of an arcaavataara mUrti etc. (go and please learn about these concepts before you pontificate about someone being eligible to be "given" avatarhood etc.).

Quote:Later, Shankarachrya himself had to intervene to ease off the situation and the police had to deploy extra force to prevent any untoward incident.





Around 400 religious leaders had come to attend the two-day long Dharma Sansad, which began here on Sunday.



The congregation which includes Shankaracharya Swami Swaroopanand Saraswati and representatives of 13 'Akharas' and other religious leaders discussed whether the status of `Saint` to be given to Shirdi Sai Baba or not on the first day.



Meanwhile, the Dharma Sansad today passed a resolution that Sai Baba, the 19th century saint from Shirdi, should not be worshipped as a deity by the followers of `Sanatan Dharma`.



Swaroopananda Saraswati has argued that Shiridi Saibaba cannot be accepted as god in Hinduism. The Dwarka seer has argued that the Hindu scriptures have accepted Shiv, Shakti, Vishnu, Ganesh and Surya and their respective reincarnations as Gods.

The Gods accepted by 'sanatan dharma' (Hinduism) have found mention in various religious scriptures pertaining to the religion, and Saibaba does not fall in either of the category.



The Shri Sai Baba Sansthan Trust, Shirdi had already decided not to send the representative at Dharam Sansad after they were invited by the Shankarachrya.



Later, Shankarachrya himself had to intervene to ease off the situation and the police had to deploy extra force to prevent any untoward incident.

Quote:Dwarka Peeth Seer invites Shirdi trust for Dharma Sansad

Tuesday, 12 August 2014 - 6:40am IST | Agency: DNA

Vaishali Balajiwale



Shakaracharya's gesture believed to be a move to dilute controversial statement

Dwarka Peeth Seer Shakaracharya Swami Swarupanand Saraswati has sent an invitation to the Shri Sai Baba Sansthan Trust, Shirdi to participate in the 'Bruhad Dharma Sansad'.



A delegation on behalf of the seer that arrived in Shirdi on August 10 and handed over the invitation to the deputy executive officer of Shri Sai Baba Sansthan Trust, Shirdi Appasaheb Shinde. The invitation extended to the trust is to attend the two day meeting — Dharma Sansad, to be held at Kabirdham in Kavardha district of Chhatisgarh on August 24-25, and present their views.



Only some time back, Shankaracharya Swami Swarupananda Saraswati's remarks against Sai Baba and the trust had raked a controversy till the devotees of Sai Baba decided to ignore the remarks.



Speaking to the media, Vidyanand, a member of the seer's delegation, said that they had come to Shirdi on behalf of Swami Sswarupananda to end the controversy following the remarks by the Shankaracharya. "Swami Swarupananda himself has sent us to end this dispute and has urged the Sansthan Trust to attend the two-day Dharma Sansad and present their views. The meet will be attended by Swami Swarupananda himself, Shankaracharyas of Shringeri and Puri Peeth and other seers," Vidyanand said.



While the delegation met the officials of the trust and spoke to the media, they did not visit the temple. When asked about it, Vidyanand replied. "We are here to perform the duty assigned by my Guru (Shakaracharya Swami Swarupanand), which we have done. God is everywhere," he exhorted.



While the police beefed up security during the delegation's visit, it was informed that the delegation members did not visit the temple only to avoid a possible uproar by devotees and any chaos thereafter.



Public Relations Officer of Shri Sai Baba Sansthan Trust, Shirdi Mohan Yadav, said that the delegation from Swami Swarupanand including Vidyananda has given the invitation for two-day Dharma Snasad and it has been accepted by Sansthan's deputy executive officer Appasaheb Shinde. The invitation will be placed before three-member-committee of the Sansthan Trust to decide on it, Yadav said.



ShirdiSai BabaTempleDwarkadevotees



Jump to comments

Quote:Swami Swarupanand is an embarrassment to acharya parampara

by M Pramod Kumar on 26 Jul 2014 28 Comments

Quote:Sai Baba should not be worshipped: Dharma Sansad

By Press Trust of India @indiacom | August 26, 2014 1:40 PM | comment

Tags: 'Dharma Sansad, news, Sai baba, Shirdi, Shirdi Sai Baba



Raipur, Aug 25: A two-day-long 'Dharma Sansad' convened by the Shankaracharya Swami Swaroopanand Saraswati of Dwarka Peeth today passed a resolution that Sai Baba, the 19th century saint from Shirdi, should not be worshipped as a deity by the followers of 'Sanatan Dharma'.



'Kashi Vidvat Parishad' has taken a decision that Sai Baba was neither a god nor a guru, therefore he cannot be worshipped, Rajesh Joshi, the media in-charge for the Dharma Sansad (religious conclave), which was held in Chhattisgarh's Kabirdham district, told PTI.



After Shankaracharya Swaroopanand raked up a controversy by opposing the worship of Sai Baba, Divya Chaturmas Mahotsav Samiti organised the conclave at Kawardha, 150km from here, to debate the issue.



Representatives of 13 Akharas and other religious leaders discussed the issue.



Resolutions on other issues, including introduction of Hindu scriptures in school curriculum, making the country free of addiction, safety of women, construction of Ram Mandir in Ayodhya, protection of cows, etc. were also passed, Joshi said.



(Oh at last, some Hindoos/representatives of the Hindoos - and representing the wishes at the heart of every Hindoo. Insisting on the all-important Sri Rama Kovil at Ayodhya and protecting the gau. And insisting on the protection of that other hapless group: Hindoo women, preyed upon as they are by the christoislamaniac rape jihad.

Don't care if the Dharma Sansad are powerless to implement any of their resolutions or in full. I love them for insisting on all these things as being the aspirations and rights of Hindus. Wonderful to see that HindOO acharyas at least remain steadfast and haven't lost sight of imperative heathen Hindoo concerns.

If Hindoos had had Emperor Julian, a Sri Rama Mandiram would have been rebuilt at Ayodhya by now. Sigh. With each passing day, the total failure of Indian nationalism/"Hindu" nationalist government to muster an iota of Hindoo heathenism in their governance and concerns, just shows up more and more how great a heathen ruler Emperor Julian was. And how spectacularly diminutive everyone else is in the comparison. It may be hard to be great, but it should not be hard to be a heathen for those who are.)



Shri Saibaba Sansthan Trust,which runs the Shirdi Sai temple, did not respond to the invitation by the Shankaracharya to attend the Dharma Sansad.



However, devotees of Sai Baba from Delhi and Ahmedabad participated in the conclave.



A minor row erupted when a sadhu on the dais interrupted Manushya Mitra, a Sai Baba follower, while speaking, said Superintendent of Police, RS Nayak. Both were pacified by others present on the dais.





Modified Date: August 26, 2014 1:40 PM

Quote:Mahāvīra, the 24th Jina, and Gautama Buddha were leaders of their śramaṇa orders. According to Jain literature and the Buddhist Pali Canon, there were also some other śramaṇa leaders at that time.[9][note 3] Thus, in the Mahāparinibbāna Sutta (DN 16), a śramaṇa named Subhadda mentions:

Quote:...those ascetics, samaṇa and Brahmins who have orders and followings, who are teachers, well-known and famous as founders of schools, and popularly regarded as saints, like Pūraṇa Kassapa, Makkhali Gosāla, Ajita Kesakambalī, Pakudha Kaccāyana, Sañjaya Belaṭṭhaputta and the Nigaṇṭha Nātaputta...[10]

Nigaṇṭha Nātaputta (Pāli; Skt.: Nirgrantha Jñātaputra) refers to Mahāvīra.[note 4] In regard to the above other teachers identified in the Pali Canon, Jain literature mentions Pūraṇa Kassapa, Makkhali Gosāla and Sañjaya Belaṭṭhaputta.[11][note 5]



Some Brahmins joined the Sramana movement, such as Cānakya and Śāriputra.[12] [color="#800080"](I think Chanakya joined the Ajeevikas and hence was of the subgroup that worshipped Vishnu.)[/color]

Similarly, a group of eleven Brahmins accepted Jainism of Mahavira, and become his chief disciples or Ganadharas.[13][note 6]

Quote:Daoists are also clear among their kind to resist the modern trends in China etc to invent and join new religions that are a mix of Daoism + Buddhism + Islam + Christianism (and sometimes Confucianism too), because Daoism cannot be mixed with these other religions.

[...]

(C.f. some people in China dabbling in the aforementioned modern 5-religion-ideology combining Daoism+Buddhism+islam+christianism+Confucianism aren't Daoists.)

Quote:FEATURE: Some Taoist temples prove all-embracing

SOMETHING FOR EVERYONE Pingtung County’s Tiantai Baogong has a statue of Jesus Christ and the founders of other major world religions, along with Taioist deities

By Loa Iok-sin / STAFF REPORTER





Statues of the “founders of five religions” stand in front of a large statue of the Jade Emperor, the Taoist ruler of the Heaven, at Tiantai Baogong in Chaojhou Township, Pingtung County — from left to right: Mohammed, Laozi, Buddha, Confucius and Jesus — in this undated photograph.

PHOTO: LOA IOK-SIN, TAIPEI TIMESWalking into the three-story Glorious Pantheons (光正萬教宮) in Chiayi City, the temple looks similar to most other Taoist temples in the nation, with elaborately decorated pillars, a traditional roof and numerous statues of deities on the altars. However, upon taking a closer look at the altar, one difference becomes clear — there are two statues of Jesus, one with a cross and one without.



The temple was built in 1976 by a Taoist master, Huang Chin-ching (黃進卿), who believed that teachings of all religions are positive and righteous, hence one should think out of the box and learn the wisdom of all religions.

(Note that some groups are Taoist-Buddhists: they call themselves Taoists but are actually Buddhists, worship Guan Yin as the Bodhidharma and speak of Bodhisattvas and teach Buddhism not Taoism. Those groups also have masters.

Not sure what this Taoist master is. Then again, Hindus have many well-meaning but sadly-wrong swamis who have unwittingly peddled jeebus-ism and islam about among the masses. E.g. RK/M. Time will demonstrate how lethal all the aggregated mistakes of Hindus will be to Hindus and their heathenism.)



Huang’s idea became so popular that he had to build a larger temple in Jhongpu Township (中埔), Chiayi County, which was completed in 1998, the year before he died.



“Most followers of different religions — Taoists, Muslims, or Christians — believe only in the teachings of their own religions. However, they may miss the good things in other religions or become so narrow-minded that they are hostile toward other religions,” a Glorious Pantheons staffer Chen Yun-ying (陳雲英) told the Taipei Times.



“Our objective is to break the division between religions and to promote religious tolerance,” Chen said.



“We’re a Taoist temple, but we welcome people of any religion to come here,” she said.



The Glorious Pantheons, however, is not the only Taoist temple that honors Jesus.



At Tiantai Baogong (天台寶宮), a Taoist temple in Chaojhou Township (潮州), Pingtung County, a large statue of Jesus stands in the main hall, titled “Founder of Christianity” — right next to a statue of the Prophet Mohammed, titled “Founder of Islam.”



Mohammed is depicted as holding a saif — an Arab sword — in one hand and a Koran in the other.



In the same hall are statues of Laozi (老子), the “Founder of Taoism,” Siddhartha Gautama as “Founder of Buddhism” and Confucius as “Founder of Confucianism.”

(Laozu is NOT regarded as the "founder" of Taoism by Taoists, just as a forerunner, and not even the first human forerunner. According to Taoists, IIRC the Yellow Emperor - considered an avataaram of a Daoist God, from what I recall - is regarded the first human-class forerunner and cultivator of Taoism. Though not regarded as the "founder" of Taoism either, since Tao is eternal and co-eval with the Gods (the Gods are the Tao, and the cosmos is brought into being from this in stages). But oryanism has of course dismissed all of the Xia dynasty as "mythical": since the west is unable to claim the Xia dynasty as having oryan origins/influence, it needs to declare the first Chinese dynasty of kings as mythical in order to claim Chinese civilisation as an oryan aka white/western by-product upon claiming the China's 2nd dynasty, the Shang dynasty for oryanism using Iranians and Indians as a catspaw.)



Chairman of Tiantai Baogong’s Board of Administrators, Wu Hsu-ho (巫許河), said he doesn’t know why the founder of the temple decided to worship the founders of different religions at the temple, but he did not think it was inappropriate.



“All five major religions represented here — Buddhism, Taoism, Confucianism, Christianity and Islam — serve similar purposes,” Wu said.



“They all teach people to be good, they all try to show the righteous way to do things for this world, so they’re not that much different if you look at the core of each religion,” Wu said.



However, some clergy and academics said they weren’t sure about such inclusivity.



“If you really look at the core of each religion, you wouldn’t think such a practice was appropriate,” said Sakinu Tepiq, a pastor at a Presbyterian church in Taitung County.



“For example, Christianity is against idolatry, so how is it appropriate to carve a statue of Jesus and worship it along with statues of other deities from other religions?” Sakinu said, adding that worshipping a statue of Jesus could be seen as downgrading Christianity.



People of different religions should engage in dialogue instead of conflict, but “what causes religious conflicts are humans, not Jesus Christ or Buddha, so simply putting their statues together wouldn’t help to create harmony among religions,” he said.



Tung Fang-yuan (董芳苑), a professor at Chang Jung Christian University’s Graduate Institute of Taiwan Studies who specializes in religious studies, agreed.





“I wonder if the templegoers actually understand and agree with the humanitarian spirit and actions of Jesus Christ? It would be a humiliation to Christ if the Jesus statue was simply placed there as just another deity that templegoers worship in exchange for peace and good luck,” Tung said.



“Only by truly understanding the meaning of other religions can a meaningful dialogue between believers of different religions be possible,” Tung said.



Cheng Chih-ming (鄭志明), a religious studies professor at Fu Jen Catholic University, however, thinks that when Jesus is worshipped at a temple, he no longer represents Christianity, but is simply another deity in Taiwanese folk religion.



“Christianity and Taiwanese folk religion are two unrelated religions, and no one should try to stop others from worshipping anyone in particular,” he said in a telephone interview. “Worshipping a figure from another religion shows the tolerance of Taiwanese folk religion.”

(But not vice-versa, see?)



Although both Glorious Pantheons and Tiantai Baogong claim to be Taoist temples, Tien Wei-li (田偉力), executive director of the Taoist Society of the Republic of China, said that the worship of Jesus and the Prophet Mohammed was not a Taoist practice.



“Taoists worship natural forces or phenomena, as well as people who lived strictly according to a set of guidelines or did good things when they were alive, or showed miracles afterwards,” Tien said. “In addition to Jesus and Mohammed, I’ve also seen worship of Chiang Kai-shek (蔣介石) and Chiang Ching-kuo (蔣經國) — but we would not consider them ‘deities’ in Taoism because they do not meet the criteria.”



The chief executive director of the Wenhua Mosque in Taipei, Musa Ma (馬子誠), said Muslims do not worship Mohammed, because they do not worship anyone but Allah.



“The Prophet Mohammed is respected as a prophet, but he is not God,” Ma said. “Not to mention that we are against idolatry.”



However, Ma said that he fully respects the freedom of the temples to worship whomever they want.



“Some radical Muslims may protest, but as for Muslims in Taiwan, we would respect other people’s religious freedom — as long as they do not humiliate the Prophet Mohammed,” Ma said.

Quote:As we walked one block around the mission house, we counted 5 temples of various sizes. The enemy had blinded the eyes of our fellow Chinese who live in spiritual darkness. Pray that their eyes will be opened to the gospel.



[Image caption:] Temple around the block

Quote:A garage converted into a temple near the mission house

The Enemy had blinded the eyes of the people to the gospel with idolatry. There are 18,000 Taoists and 4,000 Buddhist temples in Taiwan. This one used to be an auto repair shop, but business was not very good so the owner converted it into a Taoist temple to increase revenues!

Quote:I wonder how SA's Mr. Short. 75yrs, is today, arrested and in a North Korean prison, for putting his Christian pamphlets in the Buddhist Temple. Seems he was quite purposive. Possibly facing 15 yrs in prison.