QUES ANSW DIVINE 05-2022-01 Dear friends, These are information compiled as QA by me in1998’s-2014’s and stored in my computer. They are posted by very learnt members. BEING COMPILATION THERE MAY BE ERRORS. Sincerely, R.Gopalakrishnan, 78, dated 01-05-2022 Q1 What is the mythology behind Kasi Viswanath temple? A1 The puranas saythat Shiva came down from the mandarahills along with his paraphernaliaand stood in the mukti mandapa in Kaashi to give darshan to Vishnu and Brahmain the form of a huge jyoti which is now called Viswesara jyotirlingam (sat chit ananda swaroopa). The present temple of Vishvanatha was constructed in theViswanatha lane under the patronage of maharani of Indore Ahalyabai Holkar in1777. This is in a congested place and it is difficult even tosee the top of the temple because of insufficient space alround. When Aurangazeb was destroying the temple, the priest of Visweswarastemple took the lingam and immersed in the jnanavaapi well nearby.It was reinstalled after the construction of the templeagain. The water of jnaanavaapi well is considered very sacred asit was supposed to have been made by Shiva himself through his trident(trishoola)..This was kept closed for a long time. (even now it is closed).The mosqueconstructed near this well is called the jnaanavaapi mosque. Q2 In brief what are the contents of chapter 1-20 of Ashtavakra Geehta? A2 Chapter 1:It all starts when King Janaka asks the sageAshtavakra how hecan attain Knowledge, detachment, liberation etc. Ashtavakra tells him in detail.Ashtavakraexpounds to King Janaka the characteristic of the self and instructs him on theknowledge of the self that is natural and ever-existent. Chapter 2:It works! Upon hearing Ashtavakra™s words Janakarealizes hisTrue Nature. Enraptured, he describes thejoy and wonder of his new state.An amazed Janaka relates the joy of his ownexperiences on realizing the subtleties of the principles explained. Chapter 3: Ashtavakra is delighted for Janaka but seesinconsistencies. Hefires off a series of confrontational verses about attachment to worldlypleasure.Ashtavakra deprecates the attachments within and without andenunciates the status of the realized. Chapter 4:Janaka asserts that the Lord of the Universe cando as hepleases. Janaka dwells at length on the glory of jnana “the stateof self-realization. Chapter 5:Ashtavakra does not disagree, but in a terse fourverses pointsto the next step”dissolution.Ashtavakrainstructs Janaka that the world and its objects and the experiences in theworld are all imagines and unreal and exhorts him therefore to gain equanimityof perception and get dissolved in the self. Chapter 6:Janaka says œI know that already, matching himin style andnumber of verses. Janaka repliesthat the self being the substratum of the circumscribed world of insentience,the question of rejecting it or accepting it or making it naught doesn’t arise. Chapter 7:Unable to leave it at that, however, Janaka goeson to furtherdescribe his enlightenedstate.Janaka says that the knower of the self is one who is firmly poised inthe expansive or limitless experience and sees only one and therefore the worldappearances create no impact either favourable or unfavourable in him; nor dothey generate attraction or repulsion towards them. Chapter 8:Still hearing too much œI� in Janaka™slanguage, Ashtavakrainstructs him in the subtleties of attachment and bondage.Ashtavakra thenproceeds to dwell on the nature of bondage and release and reiterates the needto be ˜ego-less™ (without the ˜I™) and to remain without either accepting orrejecting. Chapter 9:Ashtavakra continues to describe the way of truedetachment.He further affirms thatknowledge dawns only when the pairs of opposites are renounced and thatdestruction of vasanas (desires etc) is the destruction of samsara (world) andthat alone is the true state of being. Chapter 10:Ashtavakra hammers away at the folly ofdesire”no matterhow elevated or subtle. Ashtavakra enjoins Janaka to eschew into virtuous conduct,wealth, enjoyment“ all transitory andunreal “ and thus freed of desire and therefore action stilled to rest only inbliss. Chapter 11:Ashtavakra further describes the state ofdesirelessness towhich he points. The way of the world in its entirety is the ˜dharma™ (theinnate feature) of nature. The cause of grief is œthoughts�. Only the onewho stays firmly anchored in Atman “ thesubstratum of all “ will enjoy the bliss of peace. Chapter 12:Janaka replies by describing the state oftimeless stillness inwhich he now finds himself. Janakaspeaks of the state of abiding in the self as self, totally detached from alldeeds “ physical, mental and vocal. Chapter 13:Janaka, having been instructed by Ashtavakra inChapter Oneto œbe happy, reports that he indeed is.Janaka dwells on the experience of beatitude inabiding as self “ the natural state “ absolutely thoughtfree. Chapter 14:Janaka then summarizes his exalted state withcalmindifference. Janaka states that none can comprehendthe ways of a jnani who roams the world with perfect freedom with content less(devoid of thoughts) mind as his very nature and therefore desire less andanchored firmly in the awareness of ˜Being. Chapter 15:Impressed but not through teaching, Ashtavakrarelentlesslypoints to the vastemptiness of Self.That “ the very embodiment of knowledge, the substratum ofthe world which keeps alternating between appearance and the disappearance “art thou. That true content that disappears with the desire for the olycets ofthe world and appears with the removal of it art Thou. Thou alone arteverything. Therefore be ever I bliss absolutely free of thought “ positive ornegative “ or contemplation of the goal. Chapter 16:Ashtavakra attacks the futility of effort andknowing.Ashtavakra instructs further that the beatitude of the Atman is gained by merelyforgetting everything (all the non-self). The state of supreme bliss is thestate of objectless awareness devoid of effort of any kind. To abide in it, onemust remain freed of likes and dislikes, ˜I and mine™ and thoughts. Chapter 17:Ashtavakra describes the nature of one who istruly free.Ashtavakra describes the exalted and in describable nature of the ˜Atmarama whorevels in the self and who enjoys the same bliss whatever he is faced with. Chapter 18:Finally, Ashtavakra hits him with everything hegot in 100verses of pure non-duality. If this doesn’t do it, nothingwill.Abidance in ones natural state of quiescence by renouncing everything elseis bliss. All other sadhanas are first for novices. One who abides as selfstands apart from the ways of the world duty, dualities and mistaken thoughtsare not for hum. His nature is wonderful. Freedom from bondage alone bestowsthis exalted state. A jnani the ˜dhira™ stands heads and shoulders above thehapless ignorant. The bond-free natural state of a jnani is more beatific thanthe rulebound state of a sadhak. Only a jnani can know another jnani. He abidesforever in the non-dual state with no ˜other™ or a second- the cause ofattachment and aversion. Viewing equally life and death, solitude and maddeningcrowd he will be anchored firmly in the true content. (Thus Ashtavakraexpatriates) Chapter 19:It works! Janaka no longer describes hisenlightened state, butcan speak only in questions revealing absence.Janaka affirms his firmabidance in the glory of the self; by his non-mediated experience of jnanagained by hamstring all thoughts “positive and negative. He further declaresthat except the glory of the self, he has nothing else. Chapter 20:In a final flurry of questions pointing only attheir ownmeaninglessness, Janaka burns off the last vestiges of personhood andentersdissolution. He ends with: No more can be said.Ashtavakrasmiles, nods approvingly, and says no more.Janaka conclusively affirms that inthem who is pure awareness personified there exist neither the instruments of action, nor ofperception, none whatsoever of the dualities, the triads of actions, the world,the jivas; maya, samsara and mukti. Q3 What are the details of Garbadana? A3 Garbadana is thefirst Samskara (for Brahmins). These are some instructions mentioned in thesastras. These are fromSmruti Muktha Phalam, published by Veda Dharma Paripalana Sabha, Kumbakonam through Kanch Sankara Math. (VolI, Pages 298 to 314). The sayings are from Manu, Bruhaspati, Yagyavalkya,Parashara, Yama, Gowthama, Vyasa and other rishis. 1. The day of start of menses (Rajo darsana) is called day1. Day 4 to day 16 is called rutu kala and is suited for garbadana. First 3 days are rajaswala days and arebanned. Sex can be on 4th day ifbleeding has stopped fully.Women become clean on 4th day if she takes bath after 8:30 AM. Not before. 2. Sex on odd days like day 5,7,9 etc gives female childand on even days gives male child. If you desire a male child then have sexonly on even days and vice versa. 3. Sex in daytime is banned. So is sex on 11th and 13thday. Sex on Ashtami, Chaturdasi,Amavasya and Pournami are banned. 4. Sex to be had only with wife. Sex to be had during rutukala. At other days, sex can be had if the women desires it. 5. A man who has sex only on allowed even days during rutukala is considered equivalent to a Bramhachari. Those who have sex during Raja kala or Amavasya or Pournamiwill lose sexual potency and his life will be reduced to alpAyus. Children bornout of such sex will be with Alpaayus and Daridran. 6. Types of children born for sex during various days afterstart of menses: (note that later days yield child with good qualities) Four: child will not have long life and will be penniless. Five: A girl who will have putras. Six: An average boy. Seven: A girl who will not have children (malady). Eight: a boy who will be wealthy. Nine: A beautiful girl. Ten: A boy who will be noble Eleven: Girl who will not follow dharma Twelve: A boy who will be purshottama Thirteen; A girl who will have inter caste relations. Fourteen; A noble boy will all good qualities. Fifteen: A noble girl with all good qualities Sixteen: A boy with education, handsome, satya, controlover sex, protector of every one. 7. Monday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday are auspicious forsex. (stars mentioned, not listed here) 8. A husband who does not have sex during rutu kala willincur great sin. 9. No sex during non rutu kala (after 16 days) unless thewife desires it. 10. Those who pass retas in non yoni (masturbates) willincur the sin of abortion. 11. No sex during Shradda and Tarpana days and previousday. 12. Some of the above rules do not apply when travelling oroutside home place. There are many other details and rulesprescribed under this head (garbadana) and interested persons can look uporiginal sastras. This are only some points. By V.Muralidharan Q4. What are the attributes ofkumkum? A4 குங்குமம் பொதுவாக மஞ்சள், படிகாரம், கறையம் (அயோடின்), கற்பூரம், முதலியன கலந்து செய்யப்படுகிறது. இதில் கஸ்தூரி திரவியமும் சந்தனமும் கலந்தும் செய்து கொள்ளலாம். குங்குமம் பயன்படுத்தும் நடைமுறை லலிதா ஸஹஸ்ரநாமம் மற்றும் சௌந்தர்ய லஹரி உட்பட பல பண்டைய நூல்களில் (புராணங்கள், மத நூல்கள், வேத, தொன்மங்கள் மற்றும் கதைகளில் கூட) குறிப்பிடப்பட்டு-ள்ளது. குங்குமம் மங்களச் சின்னமாகக் கருதப்படுகிறது. பாரம்பரிய வழிபாட்டு முறைகளில் குங்குமத்திற்கு முக்கிய -த்துவம் அதிகமாக உள்ளது. சக்தி ரூபமாக வணங்கப்பெறும் பெண்-கடவுளர்களின் சன்னதியில் பிரசாதமாக குங்குமம் வழங்க ப்படுகின்றன. பைரவர் ஹனுமான் போன்ற ஆண் கடவுள்கள் சன்னதியில் குங்குமப்பிரசாதம் வழங்கப்படுகிறது. -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "Thatha_Patty" group. To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to [email protected]. To view this discussion on the web visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/thatha_patty/749470460.2374670.1651412909495%40mail.yahoo.com.
