Indian Temples and Iconography: A call to the Lizard

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Indian Temples and Iconography

1.19.2007

The "I" in Me Kavitha

A call to the Lizard

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Varadaraja Perumal temple, Kanchipuram: Animals have played an integral role in Indian mythology, with snakes and eagles topping the list. In Indian mythology we have a special consideration for "vahanas" or vehicles of deities. Others come with signals when animals make a visit during a ceremony. For example, it is believed that when a temple is being consecrated and "prana prathista" is being done to both the idol within as well as the main gateway/ roof of the temple, the presence of three parrots fly by during the homam/havan. Subsequently it is considered a success in ritual when an eagle (garuda) flies above the main gateway when water is being poured over it and the flag is being hoisted. Among the lesser known animals that are known to be great devotees of Lord Shiva, the spider and the elephant seem to top the list. In the south there are specific temples dedicated to them as worshippers of the Lord, namely Shiva temples at Kalahasti and Thiruvannaikavval. One creature seems to have a lot of impact not just by being a devotional creature but also as a mechanism of communication between

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our world and God's kingdom - devaloka. They say that when you are completely devotional, the Lord Himself comes in some form and resides within the chamber where you worship Him. The lizard is considered to be a very important creature in such modes of communications. When a lizard steps into the puja room and stays there it's considered auspicious. They say that either your Guru or the Lord Himself rides on the lizard when they come "visiting". The nature of the lizard in such cases is quite different. They tend to be fearless, hang around the deep dark corners of the room and come closer to the devotee as and when they wish, sometimes it's too close for comfort. A family is considered blessed and the home is believed to have positive vibrations when lizards come to live within the walls of its puja room. Lizards seem to have held a very strong place in function! Killing or harming lizards is considered one of the greatest "doshams"(negative effects) committed ever. Even more intriguing is the fear that is triggered with the accumulation of "doshams" when a lizard falls over a person. They say that if a lizard fell over our head, something very inauspicious is going to happen, like probable death in the family, while if it falls on the foot it means travel. It looks like our ancestors didn't take to traveling very well, not half has lightly as we take it today. There might have been dangers they would have to face in the journey so avoiding travel was probably recommended. In order to rid one off these negative effects our ancestors thought a lot for the masses. Interestingly found only in the Varadaraja Perumal temple at Kanchipuram is the silver and gold lizards on the ceiling of a small chamber in this temple. With mystical diagrams of the sun and moon near it, this large lizard is supposed to wipe out all the accumulated "doshams" if we get to touch it. There is an endless list of "doshams" given in our panchangam. The sun, moon and the lizard (palli) are related to astrology and give remedies with relation to our horoscopes for a more peaceful living. Touching these lizards on the ceiling nullifies the negative effects that we might have accumulated in the course of our living, knowingly or unknowingly. Maybe they are consecrated up there with mantra concentrate done ages ago when the temple was built, so that the oncoming generations would benefit from it with a simple touch.
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Balaji Foundation: 'Shree Balaji Mandir', is a spiritual journey of blessings.

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jc: With a similr belief, you can get a piece of red cloth from Tantriks during 'ambuvachi mela' at Kamakhya Temple in Guwahati for good luck! [Get a Cbox] name message e-mail / url Go help smilies cbox refresh

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Blog Archive 2013 (2) 2012 (10) 2011 (11) All in all it has not just caught the strong belief of the ancients but also the caught the faith of million Indians today who flock there. Can we question the lizard? Maybe, but can we doubt Indian faith no, it can only be admired! Posted by Kavitha at Friday, January 19, 2007 Labels: Kanchipuram, Varadaraja Perumal temple 2010 (36) 2009 (43) 2008 (50) 2007 (52) December (4) November (4) October (5) September (3)

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Aswin said... A very thought provocative post indeed! Well, i often wonder how an eagle always flies over a temple gopuram when they do the Prana Prathista (meaning giving life to the idol by chanting mantras). Well, science calls it superstition, spiritual people call it as a "Divine incident", while the common man seldom cares for it. Hinduism has many rituals which have many inner meanings; it is up to us to understand their need and not analyze them scientifically. Well, i came across an interesting post on Lord Shiva, do read it. http://photographerno1.wordpress.com/2007/01/03/lordsiva/#comment-13 1:45 pm Aswin said... A very thought provocative post indeed! Well, i often wonder how an eagle always flies over a temple gopuram when they do the Prana Prathista (meaning giving life to the idol by chanting mantras). Well, science calls it superstition, spiritual people call it as a "Divine incident", while the common man seldom cares for it. Hinduism has many rituals which have many inner meanings; it is up to us to understand their need and not analyze them scientifically. Well, i came across an interesting post on Lord Shiva, do read it. http://photographerno1.wordpress.com/2007/01/03/lordsiva/#comment-13 1:46 pm JC Joshi said... On the basis of experience - after these have been tested over long duration by a large number of people - the whole world - in the apparently present chaotic state arising mainly due to population explosion and limited land and the consequent war on the minds due to different thoughts and beliefs - has come to accept the Yogic exercises useful for the overall development of the human body, mind and the spirit as believed by the ancient yogis. And the Gita, believably contains the words of advice by Yogiraj Krishna, with the central idea of surrrender in Him, as reportedly given to Arjuna - who at the beginning of the battle of Mahabharata, (perhaps, scientifically, the beginning of the spinning of our Milky Way Galaxy, conveyed in the mythological story as the start of the churning of the milky ocean!) - as a fictitious character, agreed to willfully act in the drama only

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when the script was fully made known to him! I give the essence of translated version in English in Chapter X below, and some animals and birds referred therein as only a few examples of His different forms. He who knows Me in reality as birthless and without beginning, and as the supreme Lord of the Universe, he, undeluded among men, is purged of all sins. (3) Among: 1. Horses Celestial horse Utchaihsrava; 2. Mighty elephants Airavata; 3. Cows Celestial cow Kamadhenu; 4. Serpents Vasuki; 5. Nagas Serpent God Ananta; 6. Fishes Makar or the crocodile (i.e., a lizard-like reptile); 7. Quadrupeds Lion; 8. Birds Garuda. 9. Rulers Yama (who reportedly appeared in the form a dog at the end of the batte to lead the Pandavas to Heaven!) A lizard finding place in the Hindu faith, to help man attain moksha, could perhaps be attributed to it being in appearance a small-scale model of Makar or the Crocodile - who reportedly had caught Gajraj the Elephant - to whose assistance Vishnu believably came running bare footed and purged it of all its sins! 3:07 pm JC Joshhi said... Hi Aswin, You have indicated the broadly categorised different view-points. The ancient wise Hindus, after reaching the Absolute Truth, which the present day scientist also apparently seeks and apparently is still in the Nursery stage, used the word Maya that is illusion to explain why there are different versions or satvas or essences, or Truths, which are expressed to explain an event apparently after it is analysed by different individuals They believed the real spectator of the drama to be the one and only perfect or all rounder Nirakar or Formless Supreme being that believably exists within each apparent physical form as 'His Own image' to make it possible for Him to see all the possible innumerable pros and cons although within no time but apparently over Yugas through His innumerable eyes! His true images in human forms, to represent a hierarchical variety in all aspects in 'Nature', was believed to have evolved to different apparent stages to reflect different apparent time - all of those having been obliged to pass through the believably 8.4 million animal forms before they could achieve the structurally perfect human form - and not behaviourally. Thus apparent time or kal or our Earth that is Shiva as 'Mahakal' was considered as the cause of the apparent illusion. And hence the need of Yogic exercises/ meditation or whatever way to attain a thoughtless state of mind to reach the real time or zero! Yogiraj Krishna therefore for the average man to 'surrender in Him', that is, live the life like a 'spectator' that 'Absolute Truth'

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also is, accepting it that Krishna was the real doer - playing multiple roles in the drama! Adabhut, isn't it?! 8:15 am anil joshi said... Joshi uncle,What is the difference between serpent & naga.I think Makar is not a fish as you have put it, may be by oversight. 8:32 am JC Joshi said... Anilji, The problem arises in translation from Sanskrit by different writers. "Jhashanam makaraschami" is translated as 'Shark among fishes' by some, as in the refernce book I have... I think the Hindu Mythology generally accepts 'Makar' as Crocodile and perhaps it should have been translated as 'among the aqatic life forms' as the broad category that was meant. 'Nagas' is indicated as 'a special class of serpents' in the book that I have... 10:18 am JC Joshi said... Hi Anilji, I checked up the Gita, with Hindi version, brought out by Bhaktivedant Book Trust also in this connection. The literal translation in this publication indicates 'amongst fishes - crocodile', just as I too had indicated. However, the 'tatparya' or intended meaning is indicated as, "Amongst all aquatic creatures, the crocodile is the most dangerous ('ghatak') for humans. Hence crocodile represents Krishna." As we have seen the concept of models applicable universally, I believe the lizard, as one of the links in the eternal chain, to represent the lizard-like reptile or crocodile to have been used as a symbol in the Hindu faith as a medium to attain 'moksha' or salvation, the believable purpose of human life. 8:05 am JC Joshi said... Anilji, Krishna also reportedly says, and among the waters, I am the ocean. (24) and among streams, I am the Ganges. (31). The above read with reference to the mention of Ma Durga on Her Tiger in Hindu Mytholical stories apparently representing Moon and Earth or Gangadhara Shiva respectively - I find that the city of Nashik in Maharashtra, on the bank of River Godavri, lies in the grid between longitudes 72-74 degrees East, in the northwesterly direction of Pandharpur, the city on the banks of

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river Bheema, where you reside and which lies between Longitude 74-76 degrees East... Interestingly, I am to bring to your notice that Jammu city on the bank of the river Chenab also lies between longitudes 74-76 degrees East, but apparently far removed from Nashik, due North of Pandharpur Maybe, only a Hindu by thought, therefore, could perhaps correlate appearances of two leopards in the Jammu region and one at Nashik within a close range of time recently. And, subsequent reported death of one each of the those - due to general encroachment by humans in selfish interest everywhere in the land meant for wild-life - in the two apparently far removed locations on the map of present day India! 1:05 pm JC Joshi said... Continuing on the different forms of Yogiraj Krishna and Formless Vishnus Maya it is interesting to read in chapter X of the Gita itself Krishna also reportedly say, I am Vishnu (Black hole at the centre of our galaxy after a star is transformed after its death, as the best model of the Formless Creator Himself?) among the twelve sons (the now twelve constellations?) of Aditi (the primordial Sun, or Brahma?), and the radiant sun (unique reflection of Shiva Himself as Rama and Arjuna, and so on, in different Yugas?) among the luminaries; I am the glow of the Maruts (the 49 wind gods or stars), and the moon among the stars (or planets?) (21). And, Among the eleven Rudras (gods of destruction); I am Shiva; and among the Yakshas and Rakshashas; I am the lord of riches (Kubera). Among the eight Vasus (Planets?), I am the god of fire (Mars?); and among the mountains, I am the Meru - (23) [Meru Mountain, in the mythological stories, was reportedly used for churning of the mlky ocean with Lord Vishnu in the form of a Tortoise acting as the support to stop the earth from sinking. And it is interesting to note that Meru Town is situated on the slopes of Mount Kenya, Africa the believable root of the Homo sapiens, and the back-bone in human form as a model of the universe is called Meru-danda!] 3:05 pm Aswin said... Hi Joshi uncle, just wanted to tell you, while you share your knowledge by commenting in Kavitha's blog. Why not copy the content and format them in a new blog of yours. In that way, you can comment and at the same time seggregate your valuable knowledge to others. Please do take the initiative, because even if we (read I) find your long comments frustrating, there is some thing of immense value in it. Knowledge provided by elders should be documented properly somewhere or else it will be lost forever.

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Shamshan ghat (2) The best example is the story of the Karaneeswarar Temple at Saidapet,nobody knows its exact age. There is no mention of the temple history anywhere even in old newspapers. Even the pujaris and the commitee members of the temple over the generations did not even bother to record the history of the temple. As a result, now even if you ask the Pujari or the head of the temple committe, they will not be able to answer your questions. 6:12 pm anil joshi said... Joshi uncle,i salute your observation about Jammu & Pandharpur.This again underlines the fact that nothing is real not even the distance.The times of India has quoted Albert Einstein today"Reality is merely an illusion although a very persistent one" 9:02 pm JC Joshi said... Hi Aswin, I happened to have a colleague who was one of the Gyanpeetha Award winners in Malayalam literature. He too once said to me that it is only in the present era that History has been properly arranged in chronological order by the westerners, whereas, we do not find it done in India in the past and hence the confusion today. I told him, to the effect, that the ancient wise were interested only in the Truth, which they had realized as that which doesnt change with time while the Absolute time and space ever remained zero and, therefore, they didnt give much importance to recording of events related with apparent time... Also, our French teacher once explained that if a text in English is contained in two pages, its translation in French (language derived mainly from the still older, Sanskrit-like, European language - Latin) would cover three pages, for, the French do not believe in letting any ambiguity creep into their writings. (The English, however, would still point out examples of ambiguities in certain usages) The above might help in visualizing why I decided to post my comments on Kavithas blog on Hindu Mythologyas it is being seen in the present through the eyes of a young Indian - in long hand as it needed me over two decades after 'surrender in Krishna'. When I was young, I often heard it being said that we were unfortunate because our seniors didnt pass on the vast knowledge they had acquired. It could perhaps be appreciated that problems are invetiable in addressing unseen readers of different faiths and beliefs. The advantage, however, is that one can express thoughts received in ones head like a teacher trying to address believably the Shiva Tandava (2) Shiva temple (2) Snake (2) Spider (2) Sri Sailam (2) Tara (2) Telugu Ganga Project (2) Tirupati (2) Tulsi (2) Udaipur (2) aditya hrudayam (2) advaita (2) agni (2) apsara (2) bana linga (2) banyan tree (2) bheraghat (2) bindu visarga (2) chamunda (2) chandra (2) chaunsat yogini temple (2) cosmic ocean (2) dattatreya (2) devi (2) ekapada shiva (2) elephant (2) gangadhara (2) harasiddhi temple (2) hrishikesh (2) illusion (2) kabala (2) kalabhairava (2) kali puja (2) kamakshi amman kanchipuram adi shankaracharya (2) karaikkal ammaiyar (2) lingodhbhava (2) madhurai (2) manasa puja (2) manasarovar (2) mount meru (2) navagraha (2) orissa (2) parasurama (2)

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weakest student in the class... The Hindus believed in the world to be like a market where only lies are sold! However, it is the satva or essence of the different truths/ lies that an individual really enjoys as Anilji has cited the Einsteins relevant quote on Maya! 8:50 am Anonymous said... Kavitha has apparently brought in once again the subject of lizards as one of the parts of Hindu belief on moksha - a concept of non return of the concerned soul to the birth-death cycle in the drama of life - which believably is possible only when one is in human formAnd recently the world was apparently shocked at the news of Crocodile Hunter Steve Irwin dying exceptionally of a fishs poisonous bite! Maybe, he attained moksha, having had touched not one but many of those crocodiles! I had often seen him on the TV with rattle snakes and crocodiles And, could it merely be a coincidence that Wildlife Film Festival was recently held in Delhi for the first time and was attended also by Jane Goodall, the Primatologist famous for her pioneering work on chimpanzees in Africa - shown often in the National Geographic... She was reported to state similarities between humans and chimps in their brain and also in their behaviour kissing, embracing, patting the back, and making toolsonly reported difference between the two being in the higher development of human languages over 6 to 7 million year difference in the process of evolution Anilji, I started observing longitudes after I realized the existence of Kashi and Kailash nearly on the same longitude, although separated by apparent large distancesIn my school days I was scared of the two subjects - History & Geography and was relieved when I pursued Science subjects in higher classes! - JC Joshi 12:06 pm JC Joshi said... Kavitha has apparently brought in once again the subject of lizards as one of the parts of Hindu belief on moksha - a concept of non return of the concerned soul to the birth-death cycle in the drama of life - which believably is possible only when one is in human formAnd recently the world was apparently shocked at the news of Crocodile Hunter Steve Irwin dying exceptionally of a fishs poisonous bite! Maybe, he attained moksha, having had touched not one but many of those crocodiles! I had often seen him on the TV with rattle snakes and crocodiles And, could it merely be a coincidence that Wildlife Film Festival was recently held in Delhi for the first time and was attended also by Jane Goodall, the Primatologist famous for her pioneering work on chimpanzees in Africa shown often in the

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National Geographic... She was reported to state similarities between humans and chimps in their brain and also in their behaviour kissing, embracing, patting the back, and making toolsonly reported difference between the two being in the higher development of human languages over 6 to 7 million year difference in the process of evolution Anilji, I started observing longitudes after I realized the existence of Kashi and Kailash nearly on the same longitude, although separated by apparent large distancesIn my school days I was scared of the two subjects - History & Geography! PS The above is posted again. 3:00 pm JC Joshi said... Talking of animals and birds, I couldnt get much information on Partridges or game birds Chakore and Chakori that always face the moon or Indu - believably the most revered of all planets and which perhaps is the origin of the different names: The country India based on the name given to the river Indus and Indus Valley Civilization; Hindus to the ancient advanced people inhabiting this region who still reckon lunar cycle for all their religious functions etc. And, according to some poets, the birds believably represent unfulfilled or one-sided love. A Hindi song, by the popular singer late Shri Mukesh, also has a line, Chaand ko kya maloom chahta hai usey koi chakore that is, to the effect, Moon wouldnt know that some Chakore loves it And, although, the Peacock is considered as Indias National Bird, I read on the internet that Chakore (Red legged Partridge) has been declared as the National Bird of Pakistan, the neighbouring country that once upon a time was part of British India and also, like India, uses the calendar based on lunar cycle The phenomenon could perhaps also be seen by a yogi as the spiritual love between the cowboys and the milk-maids of Vrindavan and Krishna the only believable male, who, in the Gita, says that among the stars (or planets) He is the Moon! 7:13 pm Joshi Uncle said... And, we know that the two colours - blue and red - mark the two extremeties of the visible spectrum. And, they could be seen with reference to Bholenath or Bhootnath Shiva or Earth as Kartikeyas vehicle-like Blue sky that envelops the earth, and Ma Kalis-red tongue-like core of earth that represents fire in the heart, i.e., the two of the five ghosts or bhootas associated with Shiva in Hindu Mythology! And, thus one could perhaps visualize Kashmir as the common head, or the essence of moon, of the twin-countries as the cause of the apparent madness in the present, the fag-end of Kaliyuga! 10:36 am JC Joshi said...

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One cannot forget the bird owl, considered wise and also as the vehicle of Goddess Lakshami the consort of Lord Vishnu, i.e., the physical aspect of the Formless Creator... In Chapter 10 of the Gita, Krishna also says, I amVyasa among the sages, and the sage Shukracharya among the wise. (37) And, in verse (24), He says, Among the priests, Arjuna, know Me to be their chief, Brihaspati (Jupiter). Among warrior-chiefs, I am Skanda (also known as Kartikeya, a son of lord Shiva) We have seen earlier also that Shukracharya is considered as the Guru of the Rakshashas, and is related with planet Venus or Shukra whose essence, according to the Yogis, is believably housed in the Vishuddhi Bandha, or purification lock, located in the throat of each human form. 'Vishuddhi Bandha' believably works as a link between the lower body and the head. Or, as a barrier or check-post to restrict movement of information and, or, energy locked up between Mooladhar and Anahat bandhas below it, and Ajna and Sahasrara above it. When information/ energy rises to the brain, it gets reflected in gain in knowledge/ physical strength in an average individual, or believably both when Kundalini gets awakened as in the case of Ganesha the trouble shooter in Satyuga, thanks to the blessings of his mother Parvati so that he wouldnt allow complete freedom even to Shiva, and act as barrier between Him and his mother Parvati to keep Him inert or unmoved under all circumstances Thus Kartikeya in Satyuga, with blue peacock as his vehicle, (the colour believably represents the essence or rasa of nerves in human body), could be seen referred as the best among warriors, or Army Generals, in so far as wisdom about physical/ material strength is concerned, but not overall knowledge or Siddhi. In Tretayuga, similar characteristic is reflected through characters of Ravana (and Hanuman as Sankatmochan), and in Dwaperyuga through Duryodhana (and Bhima acting as the all rounder, with Parvati as the shared wife of the five Pandavas and also Hidimba as his Rakshasha wife) 4:13 pm JC Joshi said... Among birds, considered today as next in intelligence to man, the Nightingale is the most notable of the family of Thrushes - the fine singers. They reflect the sweetest and perhaps the best use of Vishuddhi Chakra or throat for communication by animals to the life of their own kind, perhaps to act as inspiration or a role model to humans for all times to come... Krishna also says, among words, I am the sacred syllable OM. Among offerings, I am the offering of Japa (muttering of sacreds formulas) - (X.25) Lord Vishnu, whose reincarnation Krishna is, as Nadbindu the

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Indian Temples and Iconography: A call to the Lizard

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Formless Supreme Being is believed to have created the eternal physical universe with apparent grand variety in all aspects with sound energy, with Earth as its 'perfect' immortal model. And Man is believed structurally to be His superior most creation as His Own image, although having progressively lower efficiency with the passage of time over long duration as well as at the same time/ location to reflect ever the variety through hierarchy as reflected in the entire Nature any time! However, allowing possibility of visualization of 'Truth' through use of 'mantras'... 6:40 pm JC Joshi said... The aforesaid verse in the Gita (X.25) also includes in the end, and among the immovbles, the Himalaya. Perhaps through the example of Banyan tree - whose association with spread of Buddhism and symbolic mute communication of behaviour similar to plant life in human life too perhaps as part of a grand design that made Gautam the Buddha famous, the Formless has left a hint to His Own image to overcome slavery of time and to come up above time - or overcome Maya that is illusion in the words of the wise ancients... Hindu Mytholigical story tells about Meru Mountain in the present day Africa (and reference of spinal column in human form as Meru danda) to have been used for churning of the milky ocean under the supervision of sage Brihaspati and subsequent consumption of the resultant poison by Shiva in His throat. And, Krishna claims himself to be Meru Mountain among the mountains, as cited earlier. On the other hand, He also claims to be the Himalaya among immovables on the other hand. Perhaps present day wise, with the help of the example of Banyan Tree, could visualize why the stories also cite the inert Formless Creator and the source of the Brahmanad or 'OM' symbolically represented by Shivalinga/ Ardhanarishwar Shiva with His original abode or root at Kashi - and after marriage with Parvati along the same Longitude on Mount Kailash - and Africa known today to have been the origin or the last known root of the Homo sapiens all over the world! 10:10 am JC Joshi said... Talking of mountains, I recall a teacher in my class in the school say that he believed in that Krishna who lifted Mount Goverdhan on His little finger, but not the one who reportedly had 16,000 wives! I dont know if he had read chapter 10 of the Gita, for at that stage we were zeros in so far as the believable myth was concerned! Perhaps the present day Indians - who are proud to say that it was India that originally gave zero to the world - might also know that the number 10 in IPC is related with cheats (and Krishna was called Natkhat Nandlal that is mischievous son of

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Indian Temples and Iconography: A call to the Lizard

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King Nanada and also stole butter from milk-maids and also broke their water pitchers, and so on). And that the two digits, zero & one, also form the binary system - instead of the decimal system that is being generally used in the day-to-day functions - that is used in digital computers, which has apparently led to the believable rapid advancement in Information Technolgy in the present, however, lot needs to be done to reach perfection in future as is, obviously, sructually attained in the human brain an analogous computer - in the past, perhaps by a Supreme Being! For, the Hindu mythological stories indicate not only the present but also the future to be the past of the mischievous Bhootnath - only apparently Bholenath or Simple God! 12:21 pm JC Joshi said... The number 10 helps in specifying all the major directions that emanate from a point on the sphere that our globe is, i.e., on a horizontal plane, the four cardinal directions, N-E-W-S, and the lines passing through the four corners between any of their pairs, plus the two vertical ones upwards and downwards. The number finds reflection in Hindu mythology through Moon-Earth or Ashtabhujadhari or eight-handed Durga and Her Tiger respectively, the latter (as Ajna Bandha) believably having control of the maximum achievable reach at any time - in either directions, plus or minus. It is also represented with believably that many Avataras, or reincarnations, of Vishnu appearing in animal forms in a day in the life of Brahma, starting from Fish at number one and Kalikavatar at number 10 at the end of Kaliyuga Similar trends are seen in present day sports also to some extent. For example, in one of the the most popular games of Cricket (also the name of an insect noted for the chirping or creaking sound produced by the male. And we have seen how even the planet Saturn produces chirping sound) today, an innings in the game gets over when ten batsmen get out. The team, however, has 11 players, thus one out of all players remains not out at the end of each innings, perhaps symbolically thus representing the believable immortal Formless. Also, in the game of football, like that of Krishna (meaning Black), the name of the legendary player, Pele that is Black pearl from Brazil, has become immortal. He wore shirt bearing number 10 and traditionally the best player of football in other teams too today wears the shirt with that number - and Hindus only are generally said to have blind faith! 4:01 pm Anonymous said... Kavitha, the note below is in continuation of the comment that remains yet to be accepted. The plus and minus directions or the good and the evil are represented in the Hindu Mythology related with Tretayuga through the contemporary characters of Dasharatha - that is the

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Indian Temples and Iconography: A call to the Lizard

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one whose chariot is driven by ten horses - the ruler of the spiritual region, Ayodhya, and Dashanan or ten-headed Ravana the ruler of Swarna Lanka or the 'golden' that is material Lanka as an ardent devotee of Shiva that is earth, respectively! Towards the end of the Tretayuga, Lord Rama, the son of Dasharatha, assisted by Gurus Vashishtha and Vishwamitra as advisors and Lakshamana having earth-like characteristics (as we have seen earlier also) and Ganesha-like Vighnaharta or trouble shooter, in the form of Sankatmochan Hanuman, as assistants helped in setting the human system in order with balance of the spiritual and the material (as Krishna has also stated in the Gita)! - JC Joshi 4:55 pm JC Joshi said... Kavitha, I would like to point out that despite existence of the ideally perfect Shiva or immortal Earth - as the perfect model of unborn and immortal Nadbindu who in reality existed alone in the beginning and both therefore inert or zero, only Rama and Krishna - the respective heroes of their times and yet relatively imperfect to Shiva the hero of Satyuga - have been given more importance by the wise ancients for information of the imperfect humans in Kaliyuga that is the present, or maybe its fag-end and, therefore, closest to Nadbindu. For, with the background that time is being seen in the reverse direction (as I have indicated elsewhere earlier also), the situation of humans today is similar to an old man who is trying to recall his past achievements. He would therefore find memories of Dwaperyuga relatively fresher and, therefore, Krishna's character more akin to his own behaviour, compared to those of the Tretayuga. And, those of Satyuga virtually impossible to recall - like a patient of Amnesia or Apsmara Purush symbolically depicted under the leg of Nataraja Shiva! 8:54 am rajudvr said... should any one be cautous if a lizard crawls over their feet? if so is a dosha and whats the remedy..Please let me know 7:51 pm workhard said... Thats scary.. i have killed a lot of lizard... Work from home 1:34 am trss said... very interesting and informative read. thanks a lot. 8:49 pm

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