Dwadas (12) Jyotirling

Dwadas Jyotirlinga

Dwadas (twelve) Jyotirlinga are the most pious twelve natural lingas worshipped in twelve shrines dedicated to Lord Shiva. All these Lingas are in India. It is believed a devotee can reap immense virtues by visiting and worshiping at these temples. The following hymn describes about the presence of these most sacred twelve Shivalingas.  

Saurashtre Somnatham Cha Shrishaile Mallikarjunam ||

Ujjainyam Mahakalomkare Mammaleshwaram ||

Parlyam Vaijnatham Cha Dakinyam Bheem Shankaram ||

Setu Bandhe Tu Ramesham Nagesham Daruka Vane ||

Varanasya Tu Vishwesham Tribakam Gautamitate ||

Himalaye Tu Kedaram Ghurmesham Cha Shivalaye ||

Aetani Jyotirlingani Sayam Prataha Pathennaraha ||

Sapta Janma Kritam Papam Smaranen Vinashyati ||

Meaning

Somanath in Saurashtra and Mallikarjunam in Shri-Shailam;

Mahakaal in Ujjain, Omkareshwar in Amleshwar;

Vaidyanath in Paralya and Bhimashankaram in Dakinya;

Ramesham (Rameshwaram) in Sethubandh, Nagesham in Daruka-Vana;

Vishwa-Isham (Vishvanath) in Vanarasi, Triambakam at bank of the river Gautami;

Kedar (Kedarnath) in Himalayas and Gushmesh (Gushmeshwar) in Shivalaya (Shiwar).

One who recites these Jyotirlingas every evening and morning,

is relieved of all his sins committed in past seven lives also even just by recalling these lingas.

Location

1.     Somnath: Somnath temple is located at Prabhas Patan in Saurashtra region of Gujarat.

2.     Srisailam: Mallikārjuna, also called Srisailam, is located on a mountain in Kurnool District in Rayalaseema in Andhra Pradesh.

3.     Ujjain: Mahakal or Mahakaleshwar Jyotirlinga temple is in Ujjain (or Avanti) in Madhya Pradesh.

4.     Omkareshwar: Omkareshwar temple is on an island in the Narmada River in Madhya Pradesh.

5.     Vaidyanath: Baidyanath Jyotirlinga temple, also known as Baba dham and Baidyanath dham is located in Deoghar in the Santhal Parganas division of the state of Jharkhand.

6.     Bhimsankar: Bhimashankara temple is near Pune in Maharashtra, which was referred to as Daakini country.

7.     Rameshwaram: This vast temple in the island of Rameswaram, in Southern Tamilnadu enshrines Ramalingeswaram.

8.     Nageshvara: Nageshvara Jyotirlinga temple is near Dwaraka in Gujarat.

9.     Varanasi: The Kashi Vishwanath Temple in Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh is home to the Vishwanath Jyotirlinga shrine.

10. Trimbakeshwar: Trimbakeshwar Jyotirlinga shrine is near Nasik in Maharashtra.

11.  Kedarnath: Kedarnath nestled in the snow-clad Himalayas in Uttarakhand. The temple is accessible only on foot, six months in a year.

12.  Ghushmeshwar: Ghushmeshwar which is at distance of about 29 km from the city of Grishneshwar (Verul village) near Aurangabad.  

The hymn about the location of the twelve Jyotirlingas comes from an ancient mythological text. But in modern days names of the places have also been changed. Hence, there is still controversy about the exact location of some of these temples. Yet, the above description can be accepted as the best analysed one.

Where God dwells

Naham vasami vaikunthe yoginam hridaye na cha,

Mad-bhakta yatra gayanti tatra tishthami narada – Padma Purana.

Once debarshi Narada asked Lord Vishnu about His abode. Vaikuntha or Vaikunthapuri is the abode of Lord Vishnu. Again yogis or saints are the biggest devotees of God. Hence, normally one may assume God should be present at either of the place. And this is also a fact. But as per the above verse there is another favourite place of God where he loves to reside.

Answering to the query of debarshi Narada about His abode, Lord Vishnu said, “I don’t live in Vaikuntha or in the hearts of the yogins. Rather I dwell there, where my devotees sing.”

Naham comes from Na+aham. Na-no. Aham-I. Vasami-live. Vaikunthe- in Vaikuntha, the eternal abode of Lord Vishnu as per mythological books. Yoginam hridaye na cha- not even in the hearts of the saints. Mad-Bhakta means my devotees. Yatra gayanti – where sings. Tatra-there. Tisthami – I stay, narada – O Narada.

God very much loves the place where His devotees sing. Generally devotees sing devotional songs (bhajans) or ‘Naama-sankirtana’. Bhajan is the song about God while Naama sankirtana or simply sankirtana is about singing God’s name repeatedly in a tune. But sankirtana should also be backed by feeling (Bhava), love (Prema) and faith (Sraddha). Again, singing God’s name collectively yields even more result. Sankirtan is one of the nine modes of Bhakti (Navadha bhakti). This is the easiest method for salvation in Kali Yuga.

(The blogger solicits your precious and divine comments for the write up. Please feel free to mail me at himanshuguruz@gmail.com for any query)

Morning Slokas

After waking up in the morning first we should think about our cherished God. Close your eyes and try to see Her or Him. Like, I try to visualize Goddess Durga atop Her lion.

Then, it is time to clean yourself through a hymn –

Lord Ghanashyama

Apabitro pabitro ba sarbabasthan gatopi ba,

Yah smaret Pundarikashyam sa baahaayabhyantara suchi.

Ati nilo Ghanashyamam Naliyalatalochanam,

Smarami Pundarikakshyam teno snato bhabamyaham.

Meaning – The person who thinks of God Pundarikaskhya gets cleaned in whatever condition he remains. By thinking of God Ghanashyama we get a holy bathe (without actually bathing).

The next step is to look at the palm and chant this hymn –

Karagre basate Lakshmi, Karamadhye Saraswati,

Karamule tu Govindah, Prabhate karadarshanam.

Meaning – Look at the finger tip part of your hands and try to visualize Goddess Lakshmi there as She is belived to stay at the finger tips. Then, look at the middle part of your palm and try to see Goddess Saraswatee as She is believed to stay at this place of the hand. Finally, look at the root part of your palm and try to visualize Lord Govinda (Krishna or Vishnu) as He lives there. Finally offer your pranam to all of them.

Now, it is time to beg excuse to mother earth as you are going to put your feet on Her. Chant this hymn –

Samudrah basane devi, Parbatah stanamandale,

Vishnupatni namastubhyam paadasparsham Khyamaswame.

Meaning – Oh mother earth. Ocean is your clothe and mountains are there in your chest. Oh consort of Lord Vishnu please forgive me for putting my feet on you.

Then offer pranam to mother earth and get down from your bed. Now chant the Nabagraha hymn to please the nine planets –

Bramhaa Murari Tripurantakari, Bhaanu Sashi Bhumisutoh Budhascha, Guruscha Sukra Shani Rahu Ketabah, Kurbantu sarbe mama suprabhatam.

Meaning – Oh Lord Bramha, Murari (Another name of Lord Vishnu, Ari or enemy of Mura demon. Lord Vishnu had killed Mura and Daruna, two demons), Tripurantakari (Lord Shiva, who can end the three worlds), Bhanu (Sun), Sashi (Moon), Bhumisuta (Mars), Budha (Mercury), Guru (Brihaspati or Jupiter is the teacher or Guru of the Gods), Sukra (Venus), Shani (Saturn), Rahu and Ketu, please make my morning good.

When chanting this hymn try to visualize the face of these nine planets when uttering their names. Then first see some holy things like Mridanga, gold, mirror etc. and then go to wash your face.

(Besides the suggestion in the first paragraph, all other slokas can be found in the book ‘Nityakarma Pujaprakash’) 

Written by - Himanshu Guru (the blogger). If you have any doubt in the article please feel free to ask me at himanshuguruz@gmail.com

Nabakalebara of Lord Jagannth in Puri, Odisha

Nabakalebara is the reincarnation of Lord Jagannath of Puri. Though in every Jagannath temple Nabakalebara takes place, the one meant for the famous temple of Lord Jagannath in Puri is the most important. The great sacred and divine festival is celebrated amid a number of rituals where the sacred woods, called Daru (out of which the idols are made) are searched, cut and brought to the main temple (Sri Mandira).

Daru (neem tree) of Lord Balabhadra near Goddess Sarala temple at Jhankada in Jagatsinghpur district

  

Yagnyas are done at the site where the ‘most sacred’ trees are found. These yagnyas are done with ‘Patala Nrusingha mantra (hymn)’. During Nabakalebara new idols are made not only for Lord Jagannath, Balabhadra and mata Subhadra, but idols of ‘Parswa Debatas’, weapons of the God (Ayudha) and carriers (Bahana) are also prepared on this occasion. The old idols are buried at the ‘Koili Baikuntha’, a garden inside the temple. Nabakalebara can be considered as the end of an era.

Akin to the life of Lord Srikrishna, whose all living and non-living elements vanished with his demise in the Dwapara Yuga, all devatas as well as stuff related to Lord Jagannath are buried during each Nabakalebara.

Nabakalebara falls in an interval of 12 to 19 years. The year that has two ‘Asadha’ months is selected for Nabakalebara. As per mythological texts the idols were first made in the ‘Aadapa Mandapa’. And they were brought to the temple (Srimandira) in a chariot by the then king (Gajapati) of Odisha Indradyumna Deba. It is an amazing fact that though a number of idols are buried in a small place, these are not found in the next Nabakalebara.

Devotion for God is not a matter to show off

Once upon a time there was a king. His queen was a big devotee of Lord Krishna. She was very punctual at worshipping her adorable God every day. Though she lived a happy life her only worry was that the king though was a good husband and ruling the kingdom successfully, was not showing any devotion to any God and Goddess.

On many occasions the queen asked the king whether he believes in God or not. But the king was not providing any direct answer. He was just offering a smile. Hence, the queen had taken it into granted that the king was an atheist. But since he loved his wife well and the subjects of the kingdom were happy, the queen was satisfied. But she always wanted to know if the king had even a little bit of devotion towards any God.

Once the couple was sleeping and the queen heard the king saying ‘Hei Shree Krishna’ when letting out a sigh when he was still asleep. She became overwhelmed to know that her husband was a devotee of God (as the king had uttered name of the God). Next day morning when the king awoke he found that a big celebration was going on in the palace. When enquired about it he was intimated that the queen had great news and thus she had announced the celebration and party.

Later the king approached his queen and asked her about the reason of her happiness. She said, “I was always thinking you were an atheist, but yesterday night I changed my mind after hearing you uttering name of the God. I’m so happy.” The king felt like he had lost a war. The queen asked why he was so worried and the king replied, “I feel I lost the most precious thing in my life.”

Moral: Devotion to God is not a matter to show off. It is the most precious asset of life. We should keep it preserved in our heart like we hoard our most valuable properties under lock and key. In the story as the king felt his most precious asset of life was revealed, he felt like losing a battle.

Ironically, in these days it is seen, many people wear clothes and different stuff that shows they are big devotees. But it is in fact just to get benefit by showing others that they are more closely related to the almighty.

Devotion is purely a heartly relation between the devotee and his God. It does not require any show off. Lord Krishna is ‘Antaryami’. He can very well trace out the devotion that is the secret corner of your heart. Thus, for that you don’t need to show off by wearing stuffs that establish you as a devotee.

Tulsi Vivah/ Wedding of Basil plant

Tulsi or the Basil plant is venerated as a goddess in Hinduism and sometimes considered a wife of Lord Vishnu. Hence she is also epithet Vishnupriya, "the beloved of Vishnu". The wedding of Tulsi plant and Salegram stone signifies the end of the monsoon and the beginning of the Hindu wedding season. The legend behind Tulsi Vivah and its rites has been narrated in the Hindu mythological text Padma Purana.

Kartik is a holy month for the Hindus. Women celebrate a variety of religious festivals in this month. Amongst them, Tulsi Vivah is one which is the ceremonial marriage of the Tulsi plant (holy basil) to God Vishnu or his Avatar Krishna. Usually the holy wedding is performed between the Salegram stone (considered as Lord Vishnu Himself) and the basil plant. It is believed that by executing this heavenly marriage one can get the blessings of God.

Legend

As per the legend the Tulsi plant was a woman named Vrinda. She was married to the demon-king Jalandhar, who due to her piety and devotion to Vishnu became invincible. Even lord Shiva could not defeat Jalandhar, so he requested Vishnu to find a solution. Vishnu disguised himself as Jalandhar and tricked Vrinda. Accordingly, her chastity destroyed, Jalandhar lost his power and was killed. Yet, after knowing the fact, Vrinda cursed Vishnu to become black in colour and would be separated from his wife, Lakshmi. This was later fulfilled when he was transformed into the black Shalegram stone, and in his Rama avatar, was separated from his wife Sita, who was kidnapped by the demon-king Ravana. Vrinda then gut herself with holy fire and turned into a basil plant. Though in disguise, since Lord Vishnu was her husband for some time people commemorate her wedding in the month of Kartik on the same day.

Himanshu Guru asked some women about the details of the ritual that they perform during this Godly marriage. Sarojini Patra of Bhubaneswar is taking part in Tulsi vivah organized in her home since a few years. She said, “The marriage of Tulsi with Lord Vishnu resembles the traditional Hindu wedding. Along with some other women of our locality we observe the ceremony in our house. A small marriage mandap is built in the courtyard of the house where the Tulsi plant is planted. We put a clothe or a saree around the plant and put vermillion and other fancy items in the brick plaster structure called ‘Tulasi chaura’. The Salegram stone that we regularly worship in our puja house is brought to the spot amid crunch and cymbal sound as well as hulahuli (a vocal holy sound made by Oriya women during worships) and the marriage rituals are performed. The Salegram stone is clad with a dhoti and janeu/paita after giving it a holy bath. Then it is garlanded. Finally the couple is linked with a holy thread amid Vedic hymns by an invited priest”.

“I mostly enjoy the rituals of the festival. It is, you know, like a human wedding. Most of the rites are identical to an actual marriage. I have not practically participated as a member of the Tulsi vivah, wedding execution group of women in our locality, but I watch other women doing it and I enjoy a lot. A white cloth is held between the bride and the groom and the priest recites the Mangal Ashtaka mantras. These mantras formally complete the wedding. Rice mixed with vermilion is showered by the attendees on Tulsi and Vishnu at the end of the recitation of the mantras and then the curtain is removed,” said Deepsikha Mishra from Birganj, Nepal.

Sukanti is a newly-wed woman in Bhubaneswar. She is from Cuttack and Tulsi vivah is observed in her home there. She is happy that even her in-laws here also celebrating this godly wedding. She narrated about the interesting things that are done in her house. “Two couples are chosen to act as the parents of the bride and the bridegroom. An invitation card is sent to the groom's house from the bride’s house. On Prabodhini Ekadashi, a bridal procession of Lord Vishnu sets off to the bride's house. The Salegram sila and an idol of the God and is placed in a palanquin accompanied by singing and dancing devotees. At the bride's side too preparations take place to welcome the bride groom carnival and finally the wedding takes place after which everybody get a full stomach anna bhoga,” she said.

Why should we love God, not human beings?

If you are a hard core lover at your heart, my suggestion is that you should love God and not any human being. It may sound strange, but this is of course the best possible way to get maximum happiness and minimize your worry.

May it be a child, a youngster, a woman or an old man; every human being seeks love. He wants to love and expects a lot more love in return. Not only human being, but animals and even plants too, seek love. You start petting an animal; it would expect love from you. You slowly put your hand beneath the neck of a cow; it will slowly tilt up its head, to allow you to continue the process. And in case of a plant, you put water to a plant and take care of it regularly; it will grow after some days. Is this not it's way of showing love?

Okay, leave the animal and plant case and let straight come to love or affection of human beings. In the first case, suppose you are a youth. You fell in love with a girl. Your love elevated and now you are passionate about her. There are many probabilities here. First, the girl may not love you in return, for which you’ll be frustrated. Suppose she loves you, her parents may not like or accept you. Even her brother or ex-boy friend may try to teach you a lesson. Okay, let us take that all her family members and other people of the society accept the relationship. Still you will have to remain far from her, when she would go either to her college or job. Take that if you also study with her or you are a colleague of her, still you can’t get her 24*7. Because, she will have to sleep for some long hours in a day and would also need to execute her daily routine.

But think here. You started loving Lord Krishna. None of His parents will limit you. None of His friends or lovers (devotees) will become a hindrance on your way to love Him. Moreover, He is omnipresent and omnipotent. Hence, you think of Him anytime anywhere and He will be right before you if you are such a dedicated devotee. Even if you don’t think yourself a dedicated devotee, you can take in the pleasure of thinking about Him anywhere anytime and nobody is going to check you.

If you are a kid and love your mother and vice verse, still both of you cannot stay together throughout the day to share your happiness with each other or to share your feeling of love to each other. Because the mother needs to go either to her job or if she is a house maker, she will have to give time to her household affairs. 

But on the other hand, if you started to think always about Durga Maa (Goddess Durga), she always will be with you. Your biological mother may not provide you protection, suggestion, benefit or wealth. But if Durga Maa blesses you, she can fill your life with success, love and wealth anytime anywhere you need.

If you are a father, your son will remain with you only for a few hours in a day. Because you need to go to your job and he needs to go to his school, then you will be away from your son for long hours in a day. Even, if your biological parents have already passed away, still you can reap the benefit by loving Gods. Your deceased parent may not be in a position to help you out, but God always is there.

Jay Mata Di….