Pranam
Origin of Shradha
As per Hindu sacred texts, Rishi Atri - among the 10 sons of Lord
Brahma was the first one to decipher the rituals of Shraddha as devised by
Lord Brahma to his son Nimi Rishi. Grieved by Sudden death of his Son, Nimi
Rishi being guided by Narada Muni started invoking his ancestors who soon
appeared before him and said, “Nimi, your son has already taken the place
amongst Pitra Devas. Since you have performed the act of feeding and
worshiping the soul of your departed son, it is same as if you had
performed Pitri Yajna”. Since that time the Shradh is accounted as
important ritual of the Sanatan Dharma.
Pitra are the souls of departed ancestors of one’s family. Those who
are alive today have a long line of ancestors encompassing many
generations. According to Bhagwat Gita, which is one of the leading texts
of Hinduism, the soul is immortal. The relevant shlokas which describe the
immortality of souls and its rebirth are given below.
“As a person puts on new garments, giving up old ones…the soul similarly
accepts new material bodies, giving up the old and useless ones”. (Text 22,
Chapter 2)
“The soul can never be cut to pieces by any weapon nor burned by fire, nor
withered by the wind”. (Text 23, Chapter 2)
“The individual soul is unbreakable and insoluble, and can be neither
burned nor dried. He is everlasting, present everywhere, unchangeable,
immovable and eternally the same”. (Text 24, Chapter 2)
“One who has taken his birth is sure to die, and after death one is sure
to take birth again. Therefore, in the avoidable discharge of your duty,
you should not lament”. (Text 27, Chapter 2)
After taking birth in a new body, the performance of the new body is judged
by his karma. If an individual performs well during his lifetime, the
rebirth of his soul after death will be at a higher level. Bad karmas of
the lifetime may push the soul to lower levels if it reincarnates.
Therefore, Gita preaches the effects of karma on the levels of rebirth.
“From the highest planet in the material world down to the lowest, all
are places of misery wherein repeated birth and death take place. But one,
who attains to my abode, O son of Kunti, never takes birth again”. (Text
16, Chapter 8) The soul cannot attain liberation till its records of
performance are of a very high order. Our ancestors were also people like
us whose actions might have been similar to us. They lived in more
difficult circumstances. They might have struggled very hard to keep
themselves and their family alive. They might have compromised on many
occasions and might have taken objectionable path. Therefore, they may not
be free from cycle of birth and death.
The soul, after reincarnating in a material body, cannot be expected
to be free from blemishes. The material body is subject to many pulls and
pressures caused by positive and negative energies operating in the
universe. Some of the shlokas of Bhagwat Gita clearly point out the
circumstances under which the material body has to act in this world. “As
fire is covered by smoke, as a mirror is covered by dust, or as the embryo
is covered by the womb, the living entity is similarly covered by different
degrees of this lust”. (Text 38, Chapter 3) “Thus the wise living entity’s
pure consciousness becomes covered by his eternal enemy in the form of
lust, which is never satisfied and which burns like fire”. (Text 39,
Chapter 3) “The sense, the mind and the intelligence are the sitting places
of this lust. Through them lust covers the real knowledge of the living
entity and bewilders him”. (Text 40, Chapter 3) “Thus knowing oneself, to
be transcendental to the material senses, mind and intelligence. O
mighty-armed Arjuna, one should steady the mind by deliberate spiritual
intelligence and thus – by spiritual strength – conquer this insatiable
enemy known as lust”. (Text 43, Chapter 3)
In the Bhagwat Gita such circumstances has been narrated clearly
which influence the activities of the souls incarnating into material body.
The following texts are very important in this regard. “Material nature
consists of three modes – goodness, passion and ignorance. When the eternal
living entity comes in contact with nature, O mighty-armed Arjuna, he
becomes conditioned by these modes”. (Text 5, Chapter 14) “O son of
Bharata, the mode of goodness conditions one to happiness; passion
conditions one to fruitive action; and ignorance, covering one’s knowledge,
binds one to madness”. (Text 9, Chapter 14) “Sometimes the mode of goodness
becomes prominent, defeating the modes of passion and ignorance, O son of
Bharata. Sometimes the modes of passion defeats goodness and ignorance and
at other times ignorance defeats goodness and passion. In this way there is
always competition for supremacy.” (Text 10, Chapter 14)” “From the mode of
goodness, real knowledge develops, from the mode of passion, greed
develops; and from the mode of ignorance develops foolishness, madness and
illusion”. (Text, 17, Chapter 14)” “Those situated in the mode of goodness
gradually go upward to the higher planets; those in the mode of passion
live on the earthly planets; and those in the abominable mode of ignorance
go down to the hellish worlds”. (Text 18, Chapter 14) “When the embodied
being is able to transcend these three modes associated with the material
body, he can become free from birth, death, old age and their distresses
and can enjoy nectar even in this life”. (Text 20, Chapter 18)
A careful analysis of these signals is necessary for the descendant
because only they can take necessary steps for the liberation of souls of
departed ancestors. Wha t is the meaning of liberation?.
*Moksha* means freedom, liberation; from what and how is where the
schools differ. Moksha is also a concept that means liberation from rebirth
or saṃsāra. This liberation can be attained while one is on earth
(jivanmukti), or eschatologically (karmamukti, videhamukti). *Moksha* has
been defined not merely as absence of suffering and release from bondage to
*saṃsāra*, various schools of Hinduism also explain the concept as presence
of the state of *paripurna-brahmanubhava (the experience of oneness
with Brahman <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brahman>, the One Supreme
Self),* a state of knowledge, peace and bliss. For example, Vivekachudamani
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vivekachudamani> - an ancient book on
*moksha*, explains one of many meditative steps on the path to *moksha*, as:
जाति नीति कुल गोत्र दूरगं
नाम रूप गुण दोष वर्जितम्।
देश काल विषया तिवर्ति यद्
ब्रह्म तत्त्वमसि भाव यात्मनि॥ २५४ ॥
Beyond caste, creed, family or lineage,
That which is without name and form, beyond merit and demerit,
That which is beyond space, time and sense-objects,
You are that, God himself; Meditate this within yourself. ||Verse 254||
— Vivekachudamani, By Adi Shankarar
When Pitrus relinquish the status? "How can the worldly
thought-process (including the srardham) lead to unworldly (Moksha)
understanding?", asked Nagarjuna in the NAGARJUNA Philosophy from which the
Confucianism was born and expanded in other shapes as from the records
carried out to East Asiatic states travelled by Yuan swang. Adi Shankara
thought about this long ago even beyond the Nagarjuna (though British fixed
HIM as later to Nagarjuna), as seen from that Viveka choodamani. Shankara
considers the characteristics between the two. The world one lives in
requires action as well as thought; our world, he suggests, is impossible
without *vyavahara* (action and plurality). The world is interconnected,
one object works on another, input is transformed into output, change is
continuous and everywhere. *Moksha*, suggests Shankara, as HE questioned:
"How can action-oriented techniques by which we attain the first three
goals of man (*kama*, *artha* and *dharma*)(3 out of the 4 puruṣārthas) be
useful to attain the last goal, namely *moksha*?". Shankara challenged that
the concept of *moksha* implied an exchange of anthropocentric set of
virtues (*dharma*) with a blissful state that has no need for values.
Dharma @ Swadharmam is the concept of the Moksha , not of the body
which is buried here or burnt, but the freedom of that soul Jeevatma
,cutting out of the mind carrying the karmic account detached to join the
Paramatma, from where the Jeevatma emanated, which alone has no rebirth. It
is the soul, and the soul liberation alone is cause of the srardham
performed and not for the body. Souls are named in 3 generations of the
past. Why 3 generations? Because a generation is 30 years and the three is
roughly 100 years; the karma with the punya or Papam has to be reborn
sooner or later but bot beyond so many years like 100 years limits.
It is considered that the good soul reaches the Brahmam where the
srardham is unwanted; if the souls is believed to be in punya Lokas and to
be reborn again because of its Karma, then also srardham is not needed for
such souls; however there are souls which has to wear the new shirt, and
comeback in any species, to suffer, so that, the body which bears that
soul, could be medicated by the srardham which is a care , the family
takes, the love shown. In the meantime, the 100-year-old would take care of
by itself on this earth or would be taken care by another family of that
body. A concept of samskaras to reduce the sufferings, by which the
self-suffering as are reduced in future , adding to the karmic account.
There is no name of the body to that soul; that soul has an ID of pita
varga , Mata varga, who are known to us; or who knows they may not be known
to us also; by not knowing, it is a provision in the sastras that you can
name the unknown great grand father and GG mother as by a common name
attributed; hence only the eldest was always named after the grandfather ,
for the obvious reason that the GG father name is easily traceable; but we
have lost that cult, so we may not catch that too.
Thus, name of the body is immaterial; but the souls are prayed for
a birth with the happiness or the mitigated sufferings, where Shraddha
affection with the performance is carried out. IT IS FOR THE SOUL; NO TFOR
THE BODY; IT IOS CONCEIVED THUS AS THE SOULS ARE IMPERISHABLE; SOULS ARE
FORM AND PART OF THE BRAHMAM; AND SUCH SOULS RECEIVING THE PUNYAS PASS IT
ON TO THAT BODY, INCURRING THE PLUS AND THE MINUS.
The samskara or the ritual hence only vary from place to place
where , as Bhakti determines the path of Mukti (it is not rendering the
Mukti lock stock and barrel) ,so too, the srardham performed, Pinda
pradhanam, Gaya and many places of worship, abba prayers, Memorial day, in
so many formats the , yearnings of the, posterity, as per those swadharmam,
render the safety of that soul transferrin to that body, to augment the
happiness or mitigate the sufferings , that too for a short period only,
since , the cyclic process of the posterity, do reach in some manner. This
is universal. {Pl remember I raised these questions from the past decades
till even a few months back for people to answer} Even if nothing is done,
the karma shall be endured. Doing has an advantage in adjusting the
balance sheet; but by straying away, by the posterity, still the karma can
be waived by the process of the regular process advocated by that body to
that soul. There are several pitrus referred; and jatha ajatha pitrus mean
the souls born out and yet to be born and so it includes all in the
genealogy. So, Gaya cannot liberate them unless they are already liberated
by themselves. They cannot be transferred to happy Lokas since, they have
to do individually by their deeds only. The sufferings of the other soul
cannot be wiped out, without their endeavour to reach the Mukti. So
Shraddha is performable to all those born as well as the unborn which may
include the father to many generations ahead.
Sivananda Saraswati
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sivananda_Saraswati> (2008). May I Answer
That?. Divine Life Society.
The Pitris remain in heaven, Pitri Loka or Chandra Loka, for a very
long period. The enjoyments in heaven and the peace of the departed soul
are enhanced by the performance of the Shraddha ceremony. Likewise the
sufferings of the departed soul in worlds other than heaven are mitigated
by the performance of the Shraddha ceremony by his sons. Thus, in both
cases, the performance of Shraddha is a great help. And even if the
individual takes another birth immediately after his death, as happens in
rare cases, the performance of Shraddha adds to his happiness in his new
birth.
KR IRS 261221ranam
On Sun, 26 Dec 2021 at 15:48, APS Mani <[email protected]> wrote:
> Good conclusion on a long pending controversial topic! Thank you both and
> others! Mani
>
> On Sun, Dec 26, 2021 at 1:55 PM 'gopala krishnan' via iyer123 <
> [email protected]> wrote:
>
>> Respected sir,
>>
>> Read your quotes again.
>>
>> Above all, it is the gifted souls that reach their to perform the srardha
>> – either in the belief of weeding off their sins, or to gain to
>> punyabhalam; in most cases, the visitors sincerely and honestly perform it
>> there, *to relieve the souls and send them to their ultimate
>> destinations*
>>
>> *There are even persons perform sraadha for Jnatha anjatha pithrus*
>>
>> From your quote itself it is clearly said our pithrus are releived and to
>> Devaloka. One can continue to perform srardham for Jnatha Anjatha pithrus
>> and *not for our pithrus. *
>>
>> The member answered the QA has stated many persons think Gaya sradha is
>> a phase and after releiving their pithrus, srardha is discontinued. *I
>> am such a person*.
>>
>> I have no objection to your performing sradha to Jnatha Anjatha pithrus
>> alone after Gaya sradha.
>> *For this our pithrus should not be called for. *
>>
>> *Does any sasthrikal conduct srardha modifying manthras suitably? As
>> usual they will call for our pithrus. Hence my objection*
>>
>> *Here by I clarify my point once again.*
>>
>> Gopala Krishnan
>>
>> On Sunday, 26 December, 2021, 01:22:08 pm IST, Rajaram Krishnamurthy <
>> [email protected]> wrote:
>>
>>
>> pRANAM
>> 😊 This smile is for the self admission in the note column of GAYA
>> srardham, repetitively made; well first Q is it only me who disagrees and
>> all other 125 members accept the statement of Gaya srardham is final?. In
>> this group unless demanded parochially no one will write their mind.
>> (sitting on the fence). So one who writes does not mean to be concluded as
>> THE ONLY ONE. In this view an extract of the author and one TRS Iyengar
>> whom he worshipped as Guru (when he was 64 year old 2007) is furnished:
>> (draw your own conclusion ): (trsiyengar.com/sraddha/tharpana, niyama )
>> "QUESTION & ANSWERS ON SRARDDHA & THARPAN
>> Introduction.After having his some doubts cleared on Gaya Srardha,
>> through the FAQ pages <https://trsiyengar.com/7_1.php> of this website,
>> Mr. Gopala Krishna has written many mails asking for clarifications in our
>> Srardha and TharppaNa procedures. This question & answer is prepared to
>> have an enlightening about Sraardha and Tharpan. I am thankful to Mr.
>> Gopalakrishnan Ramaiyer, now settled in Chennai for condensing our email
>> exchanges into this Q & A format. The Questions some times you may see
>> as something you always wanted to ask and get the Answer. The answers are
>> given in simple understanding manner. In fact it is the compression of
>> the various questions put to me in different occasions by visitor Sri R.
>> Gopala Krishnan who is a retired officer from BSNL Trivandrum. In fact, the
>> summarized Q&A below is out of our various e-mail exchanges on the
>> subject.
>>
>> Q9. Sir, Do not think I am philosophical and too much pondering. When we
>> offer the seventh pinda during sraadha it go to Jnatha Anjatha pithrus. Am
>> I correct if I say it pertain to sahothra?
>>
>> A9. Mr, Gopala Krishnan- It is not you are going philosophical but it is
>> a desire to know more on sraadha. I am happy you are showing so much
>> interest. I am too much happy to answer you …
>>
>> Ok, Sir, you are correct. Jnatha Anjatha Here, when you perform the
>> srardham with homam, after offering twice each to Pithru, Pithamaha &
>> Prapithamaha – the seventh time offering is to Njaathi -i.e. distant
>> cousins who left the earth. In case of anyone who left without any such
>> ceremony performed, let the seventh step offering reach them – that is
>> for the Sahothra njaathi. (Njaathaagnjaatha, pithrupyapcha,
>> yathaa swaahaah:) By doing this seventh Ahuthi with Havis that reaches to
>> the Sahothra Daayathi, who might have left without any
>> kriya/kainkaryam performed for many reasons (No issues, died at unknown
>> place, nobody knows who is who when left, or some of them with issues but
>> they never cared to perform the rituals from the beginning etc. etl.)
>>
>> So, even if our parents, grand & great grand parents reached the abode,
>> it is for us to continue the thithi srardham till our life time only for
>> those who might have fortunate.
>>
>> Q24. Sir my next question is about theertha sraadha. and specifically
>> sraadha performed at Rameswaram, Prayag, Banaras and Gaya. I want an
>> elaborative reply from you regarding their importance and why they are
>> important.
>>
>> A24. First I will answer Why this Gaya sraadha is made important.
>>
>> A srardha performed near any of the Sacred river-side known as Jeeva
>> Nadhi is always has multiple benefits. And when it comes to Gaya, Kasi or
>> Sethu known as Rameswaram, it has more value, as these places are mentioned
>> as Punya-Kshetra, where the Lord Himself has set His foot.
>>
>> More so, in Gaya the Lord’s feet print (only in single) known, as Vishnu
>> Padam <https://www.trsiyengar.com/id56.shtml> is located, thus
>> signifying the offering the Pindam directly to the Vishnu Padam.
>>
>> Thus Gaya srardham gets highest merits to add punya-bhalam to the coming
>> generations in a flow.
>>
>> As stated earlier, being the important place where Sri Mahavishnu’s
>> footprint known as Vishnu Padam is located, it was widely given much more
>> importance in Srardha Niyama. Thus expecting the entire Sanadhana Dharma
>> followers will be visiting once in their lifetime, the settlement of
>> Brahmin communities was imminent. To help it’s followers, each Mutt or Sect
>> has established it’s branches to facilitate the visitors of respective sect
>> to do the ordained ritual; they made every available source to render its
>> services to the needy.
>>
>> Here in Gaya, irrespective of your faith and membership of one’s sect,
>> you can perform the srardha from any other mutt also, as the aim and
>> intention is the same. Also, the mantra vidhi is all the same for every one!
>>
>> Another important thing-Every body who simply desire to go are not able
>> to go to these places. Some obstructions in some way come in their way.
>> Above all some destiny take us there…. And only the gifted one does perform
>> the Srardha here, let what come the cost.
>>
>> The Gaya Srardha <https://www.trsiyengar.com/faq1.asp> has no
>> equations. It is the specialty of Vishnu Padam location, which counts
>> much more benefits; one needs to do, perform the Theertha Srardha once in
>> their lifetime.
>>
>> Above all, it is the gifted souls that reach their to perform the srardha
>> – either in the belief of weeding off their sins, or to gain to
>> punyabhalam; in most cases, the visitors sincerely and honestly perform it
>> there, to relieve the souls and send them to their ultimate destinations,
>> out of pure love, affection and care for the departed persons. In your
>> one earlier query I had clarified already the following points which I may
>> add here too for the benefit of visitors:
>>
>> 1. Gaya sraadha is equivalent to performing 60 annual sraadhas.
>>
>> *2. After Gaya sraadha, conducting sraadha should not be discontinued.
>> *Continuing
>> sraadha will surely feed Jnatha Anjatha pithrus if our pithrus have
>> gone to their destinations. It adds to punniabalam.
>>
>> There are even persons perform sraadha for Jnatha anjatha pithrus too for
>> punniam. I hope this reply is elaborate as you desired.
>>
>> KR After a long years of gaining from a guru and getting answered that
>> gaya is not final, when kR wrote, the gentleman wrote one member may not
>> agree. Wondering. KR IRS 261221
>>
>>
>> On Sun, 26 Dec 2021 at 11:39, 'gopala krishnan' via iyer123 <
>> [email protected]> wrote:
>>
>> *QUES ANSW DIVINE 86*
>>
>> *Dear friends,*
>>
>> *These are information posted by members compiled as QA by me in
>> 1998’s-2004’s and stored in my computer. At this date I have no information
>> of the members posted.*
>>
>> * BEING COMPILATION THERE MAY BE ERRORS.*
>>
>> * Sincerely,*
>>
>> *R. Gopalakrishnan, 78, Former ITS, AGM Telecom Trivandrum dated
>> 24-12-2021*
>>
>> *Q1 Do Rahu’S head seveared by vishnu is told in Srimad Bhagavata?*
>>
>> *A1 Yes as follows**..But one demon, named Rahu, dressed himself like a
>> demigod and sat down in the line of the demigods. He sat beside the sun and
>> the moon**. *
>>
>> *When the Supreme Personality of Godhead understood how Rahu was
>> cheating, He immediately cut off the demon’s head. Rahu, however, had
>> already tasted the nectar, and therefore although his head was severed, he
>> remained alive** Srimad-Bhagavatam 8:9 Summary*
>>
>> * “Rahu, the demon who causes eclipses of the sun and moon, covered
>> himself with the dress of a demigod and thus entered the assembly of the
>> demigods and drank nectar without being detected by anyone, even by the
>> Supreme Personality of Godhead. *
>>
>> *The moon and the sun, however, because of permanent animosity toward
>> Rahu, understood the situation. Thus Rahu was detected. *
>>
>> *Rahu could understand that Mohini-murti was cheating the demons, **and
>> therefore he changed his dress, disguised himself as a demigod, and sat
>> down in the assembly of the demigods *
>>
>> *Here one may ask why the Supreme Personality of Godhead could not detect
>> Rahu.*
>>
>> * The reason is that the Lord wanted to show the effects of drinking
>> nectar. This will be revealed in the following verses.*
>>
>> * The moon and sun, however, were always alert in regard to Rahu. Thus
>> when Rahu entered the assembly of the demigods, the moon and sun
>> immediately detected him, and then the Supreme Personality of Godhead also
>> became aware of him.” *
>>
>> Q2 Do people from allover India visit Gaya?
>>
>>
>> A2 Yes is the answer. If anyone doubts that there is some underlying
>> unifying factor in India, that doubt will be dispelled by a visit to Gaya.
>> During my trip, I saw folks from Karnataka, Andhra, Tamil Nadu,
>> Maharashtra, Bengal,(this is my observation from the languages I heard)
>> etc., performing the shraddha ceremony for their forefathers.
>>
>>
>> *The core belief that Gaya is the ultimate holiest place **(**not
>> Prayag/Allahabad, not Benares/ Varanasi) as far as funeral ceremonies are
>> concerned is widespread throughout India.*
>>
>> *[Among the Brahmins of the South, there is a tradition that the Shraddha
>> needs to be performed only once if it were to be done in Haridwar or
>> Rameshwaram, otherwise, there is the annual Shraddha ceremony.]*
>>
>> *Probably, this belief varies from community to community. *
>>
>> *Shraddha at Gaya can be treated as the final and last ceremony one has
>> to perform if for some reason one has to discontinue* *the practice of
>> annual remembrance though annual ceremonies are strongly recommended even
>> after the Gaya shraddha if circumstances would permit it. *
>>
>> *Never heard of a final ceremony in Hardwar or Rameshwaram** though it
>> is entirely possible that the priests at these places worked out something
>> for families who are unable to travel to Gaya and want to perform one final
>> ceremony and get it over with.*
>>
>> *My note- This was the posting by a member which I made in to answer in
>> the QA. One member may surely disagree, but that need not be by calling me
>> **ignorant and stupid**.*
>>
>> *Q3 What are the attributes of Rameswaram island?*
>>
>> *A3 It is located on an island separated from mainland India by the
>> Pamban channel and is less than 40 kilometers from the Jaffna Peninsula,
>> Sri Lanka. *
>>
>> *Together with Kashi, it is considered to be one of the holiest places in
>> India to Hindus. Hence, it is a bustling pilgrim centre.*
>>
>> *The religious island is spread in an area of 61.8 square kilometers and
>> happens to be in the shape of a conch.*
>>
>> * The Ramanatha Swamy Temple occupies major area of Rameshwaram.*
>>
>> *As of 2001 India census,[3] Rameswaram had a population of 38,035. Males
>> constitute 52% of the population and females 48%. Rameswaram has an average
>> literacy rate of 72%, higher than the national average of 59.5%:*
>>
>> *Rameshwaram is significant for the Hindus as a pilgrimage to Benaras is
>> incomplete without a pilgrimage to Rameswaram.*
>>
>> *The presiding deity here is in the form of a Linga with the name Sri
>> Ramanatha Swamy, it also happens to be one of the twelve Jyotirlingas.*
>>
>> *The masterpiece of South Indian architecture boasts of the largest
>> temple corridor in India. Different rulers built the Ramanatha Swamy Temple
>> over a period of time starting from the 12th century. The temple comprises
>> forty wells where the taste of the water of each well is different from the
>> other.*
>>
>> *According to the Puranas, upon the advice of Rishis (sages), Rama along
>> with Sita and Lakshmana, installed and worshipped the Sivalinga here to
>> expiate the sin of Brahmahatya (killing of a Brahmin) (Ravana was a Brahmin
>> the great grandson of Brahma*
>>
>> *Rama fixed an auspicious time for the installation and sent Anjaneya to
>> Mount Kailas to bring a lingam. As Anjaneya could not return in time, Sita
>> herself made a linga of sand. *
>>
>> *When Anjaneya returned with a linga from Mount Kailas the rituals had
>> been over. To comfort the disappointed Anjaneya, Rama had Anjaneya’s lingam
>> (Visvalingam) also installed by the side of Ramalinga, and ordained that
>> rituals be performed first to the Visvalingam.*
>>
>> *Q4 What are the special attributes of Varanasi/Kasi?*
>>
>> *A4 Kāśī** is a city situated on the left (west) bank of the river Ganga
>> (Ganges) in the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh, regarded as holy by Hindus,
>> Buddhists and Jains, and one of the oldest continually inhabited cities in
>> the world[3][4].*
>>
>> *The city has been a cultural and religious centre in northern India for
>> several thousand years. A particular style of classical Hindustani music
>> developed in Varanasi centuries ago, and many prominent Indian
>> philosophers, poets, writers, and musicians resided or reside in Varanasi,
>> including Kabir, Ravi Das, Munshi Premchand, Jaishankar Prasad, Acharya Ram
>> Chandra Shukla, Pandit Ravi Shankar, Hariprasad Chaurasia, and Ustad
>> Bismillah Khan.*
>>
>> * Tulsidas wrote his Ramacharitamanas there, and Gautama Buddha gave his
>> first sermon at Sarnath near Kashi. **Ayurveda is said to have
>> originated at Varanasi.*
>>
>> *American writer Mark Twain wrote, "Benares is older than history, older
>> than tradition, older even than legend, and looks twice as old as all of
>> them put together."[6]*
>>
>> *The name, Varanasi, has its origin possibly in the fact that the city
>> lies where the Varuna River and the Assi River in its north and south,
>> respectively, flow into the river Ganga*
>>
>> *The name, Varanasi, was written as Baranasi in the ancient Pali
>> language, and in later times the name transformed into Banaras*
>>
>> *According to legend, the city was founded by the Hindu deity, Shiva,
>> around 5,000 years ago,[3].thus making it one of the most important
>> pilgrimage destinations in the country. It** is one of the seven sacred
>> cities of Hindus. Many Hindu scriptures, including Rigveda, Skanda Purana,
>> Ramayana, and Mahabharata, describe the city.*
>>
>> *During the time of Gautama Buddha (born circa 567 BCE), Varanasi was the
>> capital of the kingdom of Kashi. **The celebrated Chinese traveler,
>> Xuanzang, attested that the city was a center of religious, educational,
>> and artistic activities, and that it extended for about 5 km along the
>> western bank of the Ganges.*
>>
>> *Varanasi is closely associated with the Ganges and has many temples
>> along its banks*
>>
>> *Varanasi has a humid subtropical climate with large variations between
>> summer and winter temperatures. Summers are long, from early April to
>> October, with intervening monsoon seasons.*
>>
>> * Cold waves from the Himalayan region cause temperatures to dip across
>> the city in the winter from December to February. *
>>
>> *The temperature ranges between 32°C – 46°C (90°F – 115°F) in the
>> summers, and 5°C – 15°C (41°F – 59°F) in the winters.[14]*
>>
>> *The main residential areas of Varanasi (especially for the middle and
>> upper classes) are situated in regions far from the ghats; they are more
>> spacious and less polluted.*
>>
>> *Varanasi has nearly 100 ghats. Many of the ghats were built when the
>> city was under Maratha control*
>>
>> *Many ghats are owned privately. The former Maharaja of Kashi (Kasi) owns
>> Shivala or Kali ghat.*
>>
>> *Most of the ghats are bathing ghats, while others are used as cremation
>> sites**.** Many ghats are associated with legends or mythologies.*
>>
>> *According to mythology, Agni (the Lord of Fire) was born here. Hindu
>> devotees propitiate at this place Vireshwara, the Lord of all heroes, for a
>> son.*
>>
>> *Devout Jains visit Bachraj Ghat in particular because it has three Jain
>> temples near the river's banks.*
>>
>> *Tulsidas wrote Ramcharitmanas at Tulsi Ghat.*
>>
>> *More than 1,000,000(Ten Lakhs) pilgrims visit the city each year. It has
>> the holy shrine of Lord Kashi Vishwanath (a manifestation of Lord Shiva),
>> and also one of the twelve revered Jyotirlingas of Lord Shiva. According to
>> mythology, Lord Shiva once in fact lived in Kashi (Varanasi).*
>>
>> *Above the ghat, several of Kashi’s most influential shrines are located
>> within the tight maze of alleyways of Siddha Kshetra (the Field of
>> Fulfillment). *
>>
>> *Varanasi is one of the holiest places in Buddhism** too, being one of
>> the four pilgrimage sites said to have been designated by Gautama Buddha
>> himself, (the others being Kushinagar, Bodh Gaya, and Lumbini).*
>>
>> * Varanasi is a city of temples. **Almost every **road crossing has a
>> nearby temple. Such small temples form the basis of daily local prayers and
>> other rituals. But there are many large temples too, erected at different
>> times through out the history of Varanasi.*
>>
>> *The population of Varanasi urban agglomeration in 2001 was 1,371,749;
>> the sex ratio was 879 females every 1000 males.[23] *
>>
>> *Varanasi is well connected by air, rail and buses with all the main
>> Indian cities. Its distance from Delhi is 776 km. *
>>
>> *The Babatpur airport **is about 25 km from the city center (about 45
>> minutes by taxi) *
>>
>> *Varanasi is the site of three public universities**. *
>>
>> *Banaras Hindu University, which includes Institute of Technology and
>> Institute of Medical Sciences is among the top 3 largest residential
>> universities in the world having more than 128 independent teaching
>> departments.[31] Mahatma Gandhi Kashi Vidyapeeth University and
>> Sampurnanand Sanskrit University are the other two universities.*
>>
>> *Banaras Hindu University (1916) was founded by Pandit Madan Mohan
>> Malaviya with the cooperation of Dr Annie Besant. *
>>
>> *Its 1350 acre (5.5 km²) campus was built on land donated by the Maharaja
>> of Kashi.*
>>
>> *Governor General Lord Cornwallis **established the Sanskrit College
>> (1791), which was the first college in Varanasi. *
>>
>> *Since ancient times people have been coming to Varanasi to learn
>> philosophy, Sanskrit, **astrology,** social science and religious
>> teachings**. *
>>
>> *In Indian tradition, Varanasi is often called "Sarva Vidya Ki Rajdhani"
>> (capital of knowledge).[34] The city also has the Jamiah Salafiah, a Salafi
>> Islamic institution.[35]*
>>
>> *Varanasi is a noted centre for silk weaving and brassware *
>>
>> *In the Rigveda, the city was referred to as Kasi or Kashi, "the luminous
>> one"[citation needed *
>>
>> *Another reference to Varanasi is found in a hymn by Sri Veda Vyasa:*
>>
>> *Ganga-taranga-ramaneeya-jataakalaapam,*
>>
>>
>> * Gauri-nirantara-vibhushita-vaamabhaagam.
>> Narayanapriyam-Ananga-madaapahaaram, Varanasi-pura-patim bhaja
>> Vishwanatham.*
>>
>> *Q5 What are the special attributes of Dashashwamedh Ghat ?*
>>
>> *A5 Dashashwamedh Ghat is located close to "Vishwanath Temple", and is
>> probably the most spectacular ghat. Two Hindu mythologies are associated
>> with it: *
>>
>> * According to one, Lord Brahma created it to welcome Lord Shiva.
>> According to another, Lord Brahma sacrificed ten horses in a yajna here.*
>>
>> *A group of priests daily perform in the evening at this ghat "Agni
>> Pooja" (Worship to Fire) wherein a dedication is made to Lord Shiva, River
>> Ganga, the Sun, Agni (Fire), and the whole universe.*
>>
>> *Q6 What are the special attributes of Mani karnika ghat ?*
>>
>> *A6 Two legends are associated with Manikarnik Ghat: *
>>
>> *According to one, it is believed to be the place where Lord Vishnu dug a
>> pit with his Chakra and filled it with his perspiration while performing
>> various penances.*
>>
>> * While Lord Shiva was watching Lord Vishnu at that time, the latter's
>> earring ("manikarnik") fell into the pit. *
>>
>> *According to the second legend, in order to keep Lord Shiva from moving
>> around with his devotees, his consort Goddess Parvati hid her earrings, and
>> asked him to find them, saying that they had been lost on the banks of
>> Ganga.*
>>
>> *Goddess Parvati's idea behind the fib was that Lord Shiva would then
>> stay around, searching forever for the lost earrings.*
>>
>> * In this legend, **whenever a body gets cremated at the Manikarnik
>> Ghat, Lord Shiva asks the soul whether it has seen the earrings.* *and
>> that Vishalakshi Temple stands on the spot where Goddess Sati's earrings
>> fell.[16]*
>>
>> *According to mythology, the owner of Manikarnika bought King
>> Harishchandra as a slave and made him work on the Manikarnika at
>> Harishchandra Ghat. *
>>
>> *Hindu cremations customarily take place here, though a majority of dead
>> bodies are taken for creation to the Manikarnik Ghat.*
>>
>> *Q7 What are the special attributes of Kashi Vishwanath Temple,?*
>>
>> *A7 Kashi Vishwanath Temple, also called Golden Temple, which in its
>> present shape was built in 1780 by Maharani Ahilyabai Holkar of Indore, is
>> located on the outskirts of the Ganga. *
>>
>>
>> *This temple makes Varanasi a place of great religious importance to the
>> Hindus It is said that a single view of Vishwanatha Jyotirlinga is
>> considered to merit more than that of other jyotirlingas.*
>>
>> *The temple was once destroyed by the Muslim Emperor Aurangzeb who built
>> a mosque over it.*
>>
>> *It was later resurrected at a location near the mosque, and is many
>> times a cause of local strain among Hindus and Muslims.[18]*
>>
>> *Q8 What are the special attributes of Durga or Monkey temple?*
>>
>> *A8 Durga Temple, also nicknamed "Monkey temple," was built at some point
>> of time in 18th century by a Bengali Queen. The temple got the name 'Monkey
>> temple' because of the presence of large number of monkeys in the temple in
>> the temple. *
>>
>> *According to legends, the present statue of Goddess Durga was not made
>> by man but appeared on its own in the temple *
>>
>> *Q9 What are the other temples at Kasi and their attributes?*
>>
>> *A9 **Sankat Mochan Temple **is dedicated to Lord Hanuman and is very
>> popular with the local citizens. *
>>
>> *The new Vishwanath Temple, called Birla Mandir, **mainly funded by Raja
>> Birla of the Birla family of industrialists, was built as a replica of the
>> old Kashi Vishwanath Temple.[19] Planned by Pandit Madan Mohan Malaviya,
>> the temple is part of the Banaras Hindu University, and stands for national
>> revival. The temple is open to people of all castes and religions.*
>>
>> *Q10 DO we get divine grace through abishekam substances?*
>>
>> *A10 Yes. **We get divine grace through abishekam substances. This is
>> because these substances, having come into contact with the divine form,
>> get elevated to a high spiritual state and thus become receptors of divine
>> grace.*
>>
>> *Q11 Whom does Soorya worship with His hands? How does Soorya do this
>> worship?*
>>
>>
>> *A11 He worships the Siva Lingam form of the Universal Lord; He worships
>> the form of the Universal Mother, of Maha Vishnu and other deities. *
>>
>> *By bathing the divine form with his rays. His rays are at once both His
>> hands and the abishekam substance that He offers to the Supreme Lord.*
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
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