JEERNODDHARANA MAHAKUMBHABHISHEKAM

JEERNODDHARANA MAHAKUMBHABHISHEKAM

[Article Released for the occasion of Jeernoddharna Kumbhabhishekam Ceremony of Sri Ganesha Temple, Nashville by N. R. Srinivasan, August 2018]

Cosmologist, and physicists had shown that meditating in a pyramid will aid one to receive more cosmic energy than meditating in an ordinary room. In fact it gives 3 times more cosmic energy to the meditator. The angle of the apex of the pyramid should be 52 degrees and 51 minutes and the building should be cardinally positioned. A crystal placed in the apex will distribute the cosmic energy all around the meditation chamber or room.  

The ancient temples in South India were constructed in such a way that the cosmic energy from space could reach the devotees who goes to worship at the temple. Kalasas (Cupolas) in temple Gopuram are planned with this objective in view taking care of the material used and design and are also charged spiritually as well as recharged periodically.

Kumbhabhishekham, also known as Samprokshanam     (Kudamuzhukku in Tamil) is a Hindu temple ritual that is believed to homogenize, synergize and unite the mystic powers of the deity. Kumbha means the Head and denotes the Shikhara or Crown of the Temple (usually on the Gopuram) and Abhisekham or Prokshanam is ritual bathing. Kumbhabhishekham is widely celebrated as a festival in South Indian Temples. A Mahaa Kumbhabhishekam is performed in a grand fashion every twelve years to honor and renew the spiritual powers of the deity in the temple. A Kumbhabhishekam can also be   performed annually for a temple deity.

The sole purpose of Jeernoddhara Kumbabhishekam or Samprokshanam, is     for repairing of the temple. It occurs once in 10 to 15 years, depending on the temple’s tradition. Repair includes fixing of damaged statues, walls, ceilings, paintings, as well as cleaning of temple tank and the temple, and the replacement of grains in the Kalasam as well as polishing it. This will ensure a good health of the structure and the environment.

The purpose of filling grains in the Kalasam is to make the temple tower/gopuram withstand lightning and use it for storage of grains for use in times of scarcity and famine.  The grains along with metal of the Kalasas are believed to be act as natural lightning conductor, which reduce the impact on the structures. For this reason, the Kumbham is also designed to have a pointed edge facing the sky. Sometimes, addition of new Mandapas, expansion of space or addition of deities is also done as part of Kumbhabhishekam. Hindus worship the Supreme in many forms of which “Prathima Upaasana” and “Praatika Upasana” are widely prevalent. One should begin life by seeking God at least in one object (Saligraama, Linga, Sculpture, Sri Chakra etc.) through concentration, which is the rationale behind “Prathima Upasana”, concentration through the medium of consecrated idol or symbol. The other form of worship is the meditation through sound symbols, like “OM”. Both these forms are conveniently practiced in Temples, where one can feel the presence of God (Sannidhyam) that leads one’s thoughts to greater heights in a spiritual atmosphere. The sun rays contain a lot of heat energy. If we keep a piece of cloth in the sun it does not catch fire. But, if we place a lens and focus the sunrays on the piece of cloth, after sometime it will catch fire. Similarly, in order to get the grace of omnipresent Lord, we have to build temples where we can focus the power of the Lord in a consecrated idol. The process of the consecration is called “Praana Pratishta”. The devotee or the learned Priest, on behalf of the devotee, performs “Aatma pooja” first, that is, he meditates on his inner-Self encased in his body. By appropriate mantras he first purifies his body including his life forces (praanas) and his sense organs. The vital airs and the organs of perception and activity animating in him as the microcosm of the universe, which is the macrocosm, are transferred by gestures to the accompaniment of mantras on to the idol or the image, wherein the manifestation of the supreme (ishta devathas) is devoutly invoked. The following prayer is uttered before the “Praana Pratishta”: “Svaatma-samstham ajam suddham twaa-madhya Parameswara Aranyaa-miva havyaasam moortau aavaahayaam-yaham” “Oh Lord of the world, you are unborn and pure; Thou art in my heart; I invoke you in my concentration even as fire in “aarani‟ wood comes out by friction. The “Aagama” texts deals with the manner of conducting the Kumbhabhishekam ceremony (pouring the consecrated waters on the deity and the temple Gopurams (steeples)) at the end of “Praana Prathista” periodically which consists of a group of rituals beginning with the selection of site up to and including the installation of the deity.

The process of homogenizing, synergizing and uniting the mystique powers of the Murti (vigraha ore icon) of the Lord constitutes “Kumbhaabhishekam”. “Kumbha‟ means head and denotes “Shikara‟ or crown of the temple. On the appointed day and at the auspicious time(subha muhurtam) fixed thereto, the “Kumbha‟ is bathed with the charged sanctified holy waters in the sanctified pots and by a mystique process the life forces (Praanic powers) trickle down a silver wire and enter the Deity installed in the sanctum sanctorum of the temple.

“Kumbhabhishekam‟ consists of a number of rituals that may extend from one to nine days. “Navaaham sowkhyadam proktam saptaaham devikam param, Panchaaham saantikam proktam, trayaaham tu sivapriyam; Ekaaham rogasaantyartam tasmat sampoojaye Sivam” Nine days of ceremony will bring in well-being; seven days will please Devi (Goddess); Five days will bring peace. Three days will please the Lord Siva. One day will cure you of all diseases, so it is said and therefore worship accordingly.

The “Pratishta‟ ritual begins with “Karshana”, ploughing done when the temple site is selected, followed by “Vaastupooja‟ and finally Kumbhabhishekam. After the consecration, the image in the sanctum is no more looked upon as a stone image. Now it is the Lord Himself worshipped in all “His‟ powers and “Glory‟.

The Aagama shastras, ordain performance of a “punar-uddhaarana kumbhabhishekam” of every temple once in twelve years. Sometimes, major repair works have to be carried out to the temple at this time, then it is called “Jeernod-dhaarana Kumbhabhishekam”.

Apart from maintaining the temple in good repair, Kumbabhishekam aims to purify the temple premises ritually. It also seeks to renew the sanctity of the deity in the temple. The basic idea is that the deity in the temple, for all purposes, is a person who needs to be purified and recharged periodically.

Apart from that Kumbabhishekam is considered essential as a purification measure necessitated by occurrence of an earth quake; or appearance of comet; or damage to the temple tower by lightening or fire or other reason; famine; floods; disturbance or damage caused to the image in the sanctum; or occurrence of death within the temple premises; or defilement caused to the temple in any other manner etc. when the temple is running out of its power. A Kumbhabishekam can also be performed   at times of draught, when it seeks to be rid of calamities, famine and terrible omens (durbiksha durnimittadi ghoraanam shantidam).

This ritual is required to be performed to all the deities, in the garbha-grihas of all temples in a temple complex. Through the medium of an elaborate chain of Yaagas and Yagnas (fire sacrifices) the full potency of infused powers (Sannidhyam) is restored to the idols at the appropriate Muhurtam (time) on an auspicious day. Through the redress of genuine difficulties and grievances of the discerning and deserving devotees, the inherent and infused spiritual powers of the installed idols are diminished over a period of time. It is also possible that through unintended deficiencies (apacharaas) while conducting of poojas, prayers, aaraadhanaas etc., to the installed deities in the sanctum sanctorum, by either, in the absolute merits and physical purity of the performing priests or in the improper pronunciation and recital of the prescribed number of mantras or a host of other related factors, the installed idol’s omnipotence (sannidhya) gets progressively diminished and demand rejuvenation or restoration. This is the purpose with which Kumbhabhishekam is done periodically. The Kumbhabhishekam ceremony consists of the erection of Balaalayam, japas, chants of Vedas, sanctifying Kalasaas (pots of water), Homas and Yagnas. The finale is the pouring of the sanctified water from the kalasas over the stupis (steeple) on the top of the central Vimaana or the sanctum sanctorum, the gopurams and the main and other deities, by the priests.

BALAAALAYAM: During the Jeernoddhaarana (renovation period), the divine presence of the Murtis (idols) must be transferred to the holy waters contained in the Kalaasas. Pooja is done to these Kalaasaas and Ustava deities (bronze idols taken out in processions). The kalasaas remain in a miniature structure known as Balaalayam. “Baala” means mini and “aalaya‟ means temple or structure in Sanskrit. During this time the devotees will not be able to see or do poojas to the stone sculpted moola vigrahas (icons or Murtis). The scheduled poojas will be done only to Utsava moortis. The divine presence of the Lord will remain here until it is transferred back to the Moola vigrahas. Scheduled Poojas to Moola vigrahas will start only on the Mahaa Kumbhaabhishekam day. According to Kaarana-aagama, for this transfer to happen, depending on the time required for the renovation (Jeernodharana), kalasaas with water may be provided for a month long duration, a sword for two months, photo of a deity for six months period, or a wooden carved figure for a year in the Balaalayam. “Eka maasancha kumbhancha, dwou maasou khadgamevacha, Shaan maasaaha pratimaachaiva, samvatsaram daaru bimbancha, Baalaalaye pratishtitaha” Usually the kalasa of water is widely installed as the renovation is done expeditiously.

During the Jeernoddharana (restoration and renovation) time, important temple repair work is carried out around the pedestals of the idols that are installed. During this process, natural glue specially prepared consisting of eight ingredients called “Ashtabandhana” is used to cement the idol firmly to the pedestal. Priests perform a special pooja called the “Ashtabandhana pooja” prior to the construction work in the shrine around the vigrahas.

Ashta means 8 in Sanskrit and Bandhanam means tying or fixing. Ashta- bandhanam is the process of affixing an idol to its pedestal (peetham) with a clay-like paste made of 8 specific herbs mixed with wood lac, limestone powder, resin, red ochre, beeswax and butter. The paste is formed into long rolls about 2 cm thick and applied directly around the base of the icon, so that the cemented joints become watertight. This process is believed to keep the idol rejuvenated for a period of 12 years. When the Bandhanam is performed with gold (Swarnabandhanam), the rejuvenating power of the deity is believed to last for a period of 100 years

The '''Ashtabandhanam' paste is pliable like rubber. Through repeated interactions with abhishekha dravyams - materials used to bathe the deity during daily worship like water, milk, buttermilk, sandal paste and oils - and atmospheric oxidants, the paste loses its flexibility, becomes rigid and gets riddled with a lot of fissures. Through these fissures, the abhisheka dravyams percolate and attack the Yantra embedded under the peetham (pedestal, obliterating the Bijaksharamantras --  mantras of sacred syllables (bija) -- that are inscribed on the Yantra, and this is believed to contribute to the lowering of the Pranic spiritual power of the deity with the passage of time. Experienced Shilpis (temple sculptors) participate in this and are graced with temple honors.

An “Aacharya‟ who is sufficiently experienced in conducting such spiritual rituals is identified and the temple management requests him to conduct the Kumbhabhishekam. Recitation of the Vedas inside the temple premises is an important prerequisite for this ceremony. A Yagnasala is built by the side of the main temple. Apart from the pedestal for the main kalasa at the center of the yagna shala, five homa kundas (pots) are generally prepared for the main deity, besides individual homa kundas for the other deities. These five homakundas are intended for the five forms of fire- Sabhya, Aahavaniya, Anvaharya, Garhapatya and Avasathya. The main kunda is sanctified by the performance of the various homas. Along with the Kumbhabhishekam done to the main deity, the same is being repeated to the other deities of the temple simultaneously. Vimaana (steeple), Dwjasthamba (flag post) and Balipeetha (sacrificial pedestal) abhishekams are also done at the same time. After this ceremony is over, the priests come around, sprinkling this holy water over all the devotees present. This is considered very auspicious and is called “Prokshanam‟.

Homas, ordained in the Aagama sastras, to be performed during this time, are performed with due ritualistic care and attention. Poornahuti and Mahaa Deepa-aaradhana are performed at the end of the proceedings. At the conclusion of the ceremony the power secured by the performance of the various Homas are transferred to the main homakunda. Thereafter, rituals follow to transfer the divine power accumulated in the main homakunda to the main kalasa installed at the center of the Yaagasala. The sacred fire of the Homakunda is extinguished thereafter. Elaborate poojas are conducted to kalasaas to energize the same with all the power. The highlight of this process is bathing of the Vimaana (steeple) and all the deities from the water of the kalasaas, by the priests.

On the appointed day and at an auspicious time, the Kumbha is bathed with the charged and sanctified holy waters in the sacrificial pot and, by a mystic process, these pranic powers trickle down a silver wire and enter the deity installed inside the Garbagriha  (sanctum sanctorum) of the temple. The deity, which was until then only a granite sculptured stone image, is believed to transform into a vibrant and vivid living representation of the Deva with innate beatitude, grace and grandeur, conferring divine blessings on all devotees.

The Aacharyas are the center of attraction with their prominent turbans. Mahadeepa Aradhana to the sanctified deities after the kumbhabhishekam, and performing Shodasopachara (sixteen steps) Pooja is a memorable sight. Theertha, prasada distribution and “Annadaana ‟ (free food distribution) bring down the curtain to the grand ritual of great significance. Traditionally, the Kumbhabhishekam ceremony is followed by special poojas for the benefit of society and mankind as a whole. Accordingly, on the evening of this ceremony Kalyana utsavams (marriage ceremonies) are performed followed by taking the deities in a procession. According to the Aagama sastras that guide temple rituals “Mandala Abhishekam” must be performed for over a month (normally 45 days) after the completion of the Mahaa-Samprokshanam or Maha Kumbhabhishekam. The Mandala pooja enhances the divine presence in the consecrated (recharged) archana and moola (main) vigrahaas. Kumbhabhishekam ceremony has everlasting effect on the society as a whole, besides on devotees. Aagama sastras mention, “Sarvaroga nivrityartham, sarva yaaga phalapradam Sarva sampathkaram nreenam putrapoutrabhi vardhanam,” It is conducted with the sole purpose of eradicating all illness, obtaining good benefits from various Yagaas, deriving rich benefits for the well-being and for the healthy propagation of the progeny. The kumbhabhishekam brings all-round prosperity not only to any particular group or devotees but also to the society as a whole. We are familiar with the saying strongly promoted as  the part of Sanatana   Dharma   “Vasudheka kutumbakam‟ the whole world is one family and vedic saying  “Eko vipraha Bahuda vadanti‟, wise men call the ONE (Supreme) by many names and forms.

According to Aagama saastra, Kumbhabhishekam has to be performed once in 12 years. Kumbhabhishekam recharges not only the spiritual power of the deity but also the Kumbha of the temple tower, which is also surcharged with the same divine power as the deity. This is done to benefit even those who are unable to visit the temple derive the same spiritual merit by just beholding the temple tower.    

Symbolically, the Rajagopuram represents the feet of the deity. A devotee bows at the feet of the Lord at the entrance as he steps into the temple and proceeds towards the sanctum sanctorum, leaving behind the world of worries. On a cosmic level, the temple tower acted as a lightning conductor in olden days, as it was the highest structure in that area. And the towers on top of the altar where the deities are installed, are comparatively shorter than Raja Gopuram and are called Sannidhi (Altar) Gopuram or Vimanams. There is a saying in Tamil that one should not live in a place where there are no temples.

Kalasams are assembled set of concentric cone, cylinder and globe shaped metallic structures which are installed on top of the Gopurams. The Sannidhi Gopurams or Vimanams have just a single Kalasam, whereas the Rajagopurams have multiple Kalasams. The Kalasams are usuallly made of an alloy of five metallic elements, such as Copper, Gold, Silver, Brass and Lead. They are filled with seeds of essential grains and pulses, such as paddy, millets, corn etc., and completely sealed with special compounds. The seeds are very well preserved for years, through natural irradiation from Sun, against infestation (from within the grains) and decaying. In case of need the stored seeds from the Kalasams are to be used for re-germination and raising crops.  Traditionally, the Kalasams are refurbished and refilled with new selected grains, about once in 12 years. The Kalasam of temples, which is generally the highest in a place, is filled with grains (Mixed nine grains called navadhaanyam in Tamil as  -- Corn, Kezhvaragu, Thinai,  Saamai,  Solam,  Paddy,  Horse-gram,  Kambu  and Barley) and it acts as a safety bank for   storage of seeds when the place is flooded or damaged otherwise.  That is why there is no rule that Kumbhabhishekam should be performed once in 12 years only but can also be done every year.

These Kalasam in form of inverted pot is one of the prominent symbol of temples.  Most Kalasam are made of metal and some of stone. View of  Gopuram (Temple Tower) is one of the important rituals of Hindu worship along with view of Kodimaram (Temple flag mast). Elaborate Gopurams were built as worship of sky (element Aakaasa) above, these Gopurams were topped with ornamental Kalasams. We all know Lord Siva is worshiped as Akasa (Space), one of the Panchabhootas (five elements) in Chidambaram!

Some temples have 4 entrance towers which protect about 75,000 sq. meters on all four sides. However, this is approximate numbers.

Orthodox Hindus hHindus  claim that this Kalasam will act as a lightning conductor however there is no scientific basis for that claim. To prove that claim is wrong we can take the incident of breaking of Kalasam at the Tanjore Big Temple due to lightning. This incident happened on November 28, 2010, when lightning hit one of the Kalasams on "Rajarajan Thiruvayil"   got damaged. By the way the "real" lightning conductor which was placed on the "Keralandhagan vayil" (according to Archaeological Survey of India sources) helped to minimize the damage. May be the grains filled were not properly checked for quality and composition. More research work is needed before rejecting the religious contention.

Indeed, the Kumbhabhishekam brings all round prosperity not only to any particular group of devotees, but also to the society as a whole. With above said, devotees who partake in this spiritual event would also receive divine energy that permeates the temple. There are many opportunities where the devotee can touch the Gopura Kalasas and perform some of the pujas throughout the five day event.  Kalasa is of course the crowning glory of the temple. It symbolizes fulfillment, plenty and peace; a sense of well-being. It stands for the temple, which itself is a symbol.  Symbolically, it is next to the Sahasrara. Kalasa is placed in position by a hollow rod that juts out of the center of the tower and runs through the vase, the Kalasa. It is through thistube that the lanchana ‘tokens’ (cereals and precious stones) are introduced. One of the explanations is the hallow tube represents the central channel of energy the Shushumna that connects to the Sahasrara, the seat of consciousness, through the Brahma-randra. This is completes the analogy of the temple to the Purusha of the human form.

Through the active participation of the community, the powers of the chanted mantras are multiplied thereby benefitting the devotee and their community.

Sahasra Kalasabhisekam

In Vedas, Lord Vishnu tells Brahma that propitiation in the form of ablution with 1008 vessels, filled with holy water and other sacred materials, pleases Him (Vishnu) exceedingly. Whoever witnesses Lord Vishnu, who is hailed as Yajnapurusha, during this ablution with faith and devotion, obtains the fruits of bathing in the sacred rivers like the Ganges, Godavari, Krishna and Kaveri. The ceremony is equivalent to the great festivals such as Kumbha Mela on the banks of the holy Ganges River. That is why people eagerly wait for the final prokshana (sprinkling ceremony) and divine blessings from the priest.

Homam/Havan/Yajna

Homams are performed by offering ghee, grains and spices to the fire accompanied by the chanting of mantras. Ganapati Homam (to remove all obstacles), Sudarsana Homam (for peace and victory over negative energies), Navagraha Homam (to alleviate malefic effect of Navagrahas and to appease the Navagrahas), Vaastu Shanti Homam (for the worship of the elements of nature and balance the forces that control the flow of energies), Moola MantraHomam, oblations to the deities residing in the temple by chanting the Moola Mantra of each deity.   108 Suhasinis (ladies)   perform Sri Lalitha Trishati and Lakshmi Ashtotra Sata Nama Deepa Puja.

  

OUR SPIRITUAL GOAL IS UNITY NOT UNIFORMITY

OUR SPIRitual GOAL IS UNITY NOT SIMILARITY

(Consolidation of various E-Mails by N. R. Srinivasan. Nashville, TN, USA, August 2018)

I came across an interesting article in which the seven most Sacred Rivers mentioned are   Ganaga, Yamuna, SarasvatI, Godavari, Narmada Kshipra and Kaveri.  Sprouting of Sarasvati after 4000 years gives encouragement to retain Sarasvati among the most Sacred Rivers of India. At the same time   there being no hope of getting back Sindhu or Indus and recovering the land of Saptisindhus hailed in Rigveda and as heptahaindava in Avesta,  it should have motivated to delete Sindhu from the list of  most Sacred Rivers disregarding our priests.  India has long back forgotten Brahmaputra Region as they were all given away to others in recognition of their subservience under their Rule over three centuries.  Under Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam Devo Ekah   Vedas proclaimed that the “Sun Never sets in the Prithvee Kingdom of Sanatana Dharma”. The British changed that with their muscle power and declared “The sun Never Sets in the British Empire and that rules the Kingdom of Christianity”. But scepter and crown must tumble down and so after few centuries it has   confined to its origin, jam packed with various faiths threatening Christianity, in British Isles. Sanatana Dharma may be its hope also. That is why missionaries are so active in proselytization in India. In USA many have lost faith in Christianity and say they are Spiritual But Not Religious (SBNR). While Hindus in India are desperate to hold on to their castes and their presiding deities called Ishta Devatas   Hindu Americans are not yet ready  to lead the SBNR or stop their children going into the arena of SBNR. To all of them HH Chandrasekahrendra Sarasvati says our Goal should be Unity and not Uniformity meaning we should not uniformly make the same blunder.

Our religious Pundits are hopeful of getting back Sindhu though they too have moved away from the Seven Sacred Rivers mentioned in Rigveda. May be they have found some from among 99 rivers mentioned in Rigveda to complete  their list? But they have not lost hope of Sindhu. So our sacred Kalasa Mantra which we employ in all rituals reads: Ganage cha Yamaunachaiva Godavari Sarasvati Narmade Sindhu Kaveri jalesamin sannidhim kuru”. It is for Hindus in India to think seriously about it. Perhaps Hindu Dharma prevents to get back the land (of Saptasindhu) given as Charity. That makes them ignore Sri Rama who said: “Jananee janmabhoomischa praanaadapi garreeyasi”. It is therefore ideal for them also to follow Sanatana Dharma and go with the afterthought of our Neetisastra Pundits: “Vasudhaiva Kutiumbakam” based on Vedic wisdom and go for wholesale proselytization.

“In my opinion the Vedic religion was once prevalent all over the world. Our long history is sufficient proof of this” says HH Swami Chandrasekahraendra Sarasvati in his book:  “The Voice of the unknown or God (Deivattin Kural in Tamil)” that is presented you to enrich your knowledge and widen your vision that Sanatana  Dharma  does not belong to any founded religion  or to Hinduism coined  and dubbed so,  as is believed today, but to humanity.  Based on Rigvedic wisdom  thoughts “”sanghacchadvam sam  vadadvam”,  “aatmavat sarvabhooteshu”, “ sahannavavtu sahnau bhunaktu sahveeryam karavaavahi” our religious pundits and moral Gurus promoted the concept of “Vasudhaiva kutumbakam”, “sarve janaah sukhino bhavantu” etc.  Similarly Vedas are Book of Knowledge educating humanity in Para Vidya (Spiritual Knowledge) to attain Liberation and Apara Vidya (Secular Knowledge)  to lead a   peaceful contented happy life and to live with peace and harmony in the human society. This calls for a thorough review of all the information of our long history that I have  brought to your focus while discussing various discourses sent to you as well  as exclusive E-mails on specific topics contained in Thoughts of the Day, quarterly reporting.

Only ancestors of present day Hindus and the sages were there in the world to start with.  This can be known from the fact that every Hindu remembers his lineage or Gotra originating from a three or five sages passed on by his parents traditionally in his Sankalpa or religious resolution.  This is an unwritten law.   He also knows how old the world has been before him from the religious resolution.  Other cultures have to resort to some historic evidence for their origin.   According to Sankaracharya of Kanchi (Maha periyaval) the ancient Vedic civilization, existed all over the world, with many Sanskrit, Brahmi, Tamil inscriptions on many walls of temples, below the pedestals of statues, etc. 

The term Hindu in the ancient Avesta records is a geographical term and does not refer to a religion and is the aphabramsa (corrupted form) of the word Sindhu. Thapar, Indian historian states that the word Hindu is found as heptahindu in Avesta – equivalent to Rigvedic Sapta- sindhu. Nobody knows what exactly these seven Sindhus are. We have a reference   to   ten rivers in the land of Aryavarta in Rigveda. Rigveda speaks of 3x7=21 rivers and also 99 rivers and so many of them   not identified but guessed somewhat.  Sindhu could mean any large live or active water source.  At the time of Rigveda there was no concept of religion but only Dharma that was created by Brahman for the entire world to rule the world when his task of creation was over (Brihadaranyaka). It is therefore reasonable to believe these Heptahaindva   mentioned in Avesta or Saptasindhus mentioned in Vedas and that further continues with  Sapta Sapta without any explanation that could mean    Seven great water sources of the world called Seven Seas in MNU – “sapta imae loke……..sapta sapta”.

We all pray to Narayana who appeared on shoreless waters (ambasya paare bhuvnasya madhye) as one stretch of water and address him as Dayasindhu Karunasindhu etc meaning “Ocean of Mercy and Pity”. Hence the word Sindhu means ocean also. Thus this vast stretch of water should have given birth to   seven Khandas (divisions) like Bharata Khanda, Aindra Kanda etc.  Our priests in USA refer to USA as Aindra kanda in Sankalpa where the same Universal Dharma prevailed for all humanities. I do not know why and how our priests in USA caught up with the idea of Aindra Khanda for USA!  This gave birth to the modern concept of 7 continents.  Please refer to the Rigveda Durga sukta mantra, “Visvaani noe durgaha jaatavedah sindhum na naava duritaati parshi” Here the mantra quotes a simile:  “like crossing the ocean with a boat”. Here Sindhu means Ocean.

Vedic texts have a wide geographical horizon, speaking of oceans, rivers, mountains and deserts. “Eight summits of the Earth, three shores or desert regions, seven rivers or oceans.”--asthau vyakhyat kakubhah prthivyam tri dhanva yojana sapta sindhun RV.I.35.  The Avesta’s  hapta  həndu are preemptively equated with the Vedic Sapta Sindhavaḥ or vis-a-vis: In Vendidad 1.18 these are described to be the fifteenth of the sixteen lands created by Mazda.  Refer to the Saptarishis of the Rigveda and also the later seven seas and the seven climes and similar references in Avesta!   In classical Greeco-Roman geography and astronomy Climes were the divisions of the inhabited portion of the spherical Earth by geographic Latitude.

The 7 continents of the world are North America, South America, Antarctica, Europe, Asia, Africa and Australia. The "Seven Seas"   is an ancient phrase   for     seven oceanic bodies of water:    The Arctic ocean, the North Atlantic ocean, the South Atlantic Ocean, the Indian Ocean, the North Pacific Ocean,  the   South Pacific ocean  and the Southern (or Antartic Ocean)

The Sanskrit word drāviḍa is used to denote the geographical region of South India.  This was coined by Adi Sankaracharya (590—477 BCE) when he was questioned as to where he had come from by locals in Mandhata to which he proclaimed himself to be a "Drāviḍa Śiśu," with shishu meaning 'child' or 'child of' and dravida being a sandhi word combining the elements dravya, meaning water, and vida, meaning meeting place. Therefore, drāviḍa means "the place where the three waters meet" with those "three waters" being the Indian Ocean, Arabian Sea and Bay of Bengal. May be they had some other name then?   Southern Brahmins are known as Pancha Dravida while Northern Brahmins are known as Panch Gauda, denoting geographical region. At the time Sankara lived on this earth the word Hindu or Hinduism did not exist and he was therefore a DRAVIDA BRAHMANA who postulated Advaita Philosophy of Sanatana Dharma.

From the researches of historian Siddharta Kak we find the evidence of flourishing Vedic culture and Sanatana Dharama not only in the Northern part of India Pakistan Afghanistan Tibet etc. but from Australia to Americas.   HH Chandrasekarendra Sarasvati says California could be Kapilaranya supported by the nearby existence of Ash Island and Horse Island in his Book of Dharma. It is therefore reasonable to believe Veda refers to Ancient Seven Seas where Dharma as created by the Supreme (Brihadarnyaka) was followed by mankind   and there was no religion of any kind including modern Hinduism then.  This was what makes HH Chandrasekharendra Sarasvati to say that Vedic religion was once prevalent all over the world.  The word Hinduism did not exist then. If it existed Sankara would have said he is a Hindu instead of Dravida Sisu.    Seeing the wide prevalent Vedic religion once   all over the vast stretch of land Persians called the people who practiced them as Haindavas     as they could not pronounce the letter “S.”  The   vast stretch   water  exclaimed as   hindu for sindhu  gave birth to modern name Indus from Sindhu,  and those settled on its bank were identified as  Sindhus by those who spoke Sanskrit and  in turn Hindus, by those who spoke Persian. That was the basis on which the present Hinduism of India is understood but not Haptahaindava.  So the Population that was identified were Haindavas who followed Dharma. Then who could be those Haptahaindavas referred in Avesta and Saptasindhu referred in Vedas. I believe this refers to the entire population of the world to be in tune with Vedic dictum Aaatmavat sarvabhooteshu and the later thought Vasudhaiva kutumbakm by moral teachers in Nitisasatras and “aano bhadrantu kratavah yantu visvatah”  and terms like “lokaah smastaah,  “sarvejanah”,  considered as one  human lot in Sanatana Dharma that is  focused in our daily prayers.

We see the Unity of Faiths and not Similarity that HH Chanderasekaharendra Sarasvati speaks,   in Sanat Kumara Esoteric Tradition. In Sanat Kumara Esoteric Tradition, Sanat Kumara is the great guru and savior of Earth. Believers see him in all the major religions, as Skanda/Kartikeya in Hinduism, Brahma-Sanam Kumara in Buddhism, Ancient of Days in Judeo-Christianity and Ahura Mazda in Zoroastrianism.  Sanat Kumara is also considered as Al Khadir (green man) known to Sufi Muslims (According to Dakshinamurti).

Being Western educated you may dismiss all this as mere speculation or myth. Of late lot of research  going on in the field of archeology is brought to limelight as well as  decoding the mystery contained in  mantras and slokas of Rigveda,  Hanuman chalisa, Puranas etc.,   in search of  True History of India.  History of India at preset taught in schools is what  was at once   researched  with directives to Europeans with the specific goal to justify that Christianity was even older than Hinduism,  politically motivated about which I have talked   a lot quoting from several modern Indian Historians including  Velansamy of Hawaii Temple.  We all criticized the Time measurement as projected by Surya Siddhanta and also about the age of earth. Recently I brought to your attention a Rigveda mantra that describes Brahman as a mystic bull that roars periodically as having 4 horns, 3 feet,  2 heads with 7 oval shaped hands. If you simply write down these numbers it indicates 4320000000 human years that is a Kalpa and we are in Svetavaraha Kalpa.

Chatvaari sringaa trayoe asya paadaa dve seershe sapta hastaaso asya I tridaa baddho vrishbho roeraveeti maho devo aavivesa || Rigveda IV-58-3 

The syllable Om conceived as the Bull possesses four horns, three feet, two heads, He has seven oval shaped hands.  This Bull connected in a threefold manner, eloquently declares the Supreme (as Kaalapurusha), The-Self –luminous Deva has entered the mortal everywhere.

Brahman is a Kalapurusha and appears in each Kalpa announcing his arrival that is indicated as the roar of the mystic Bull. You can thus see the mystery contained in these Veda mantras. I am neither a Vedic scholar nor a modern archeologist engaged in reviewing the past history as taught in schools with political bias. You have to go through the writings of scholars like Siddharta Kak, David Frawley etc. to know the True Spiritual or Religious History of the World and India in Particular.

V
eda existed as one Samhita and was a Book of Knowledge of both Para and Apara Vidya. It is meant for humanity and not for Hindus alone as we think and consider sacred exclusive to Hindus. It is sacred meaning vital to all human beings. Vedavyasa edited the Rik Samhita and divided them as Rik, Yajur, Sama and Atharva Vedas and their Upanishads. Vedavysa seem to be a general name, like Brahma or Indra, referring   to all those who edit Vedas  from time to time.   It is stated in the life history of Madhvacharya that Madhva met Vedavyasa, discussed Brahmasutras and came out with his most recent philosophy of Dvaita    as an improvement   over  Advaita and Visishtaadvaita. That rethinking even Sankara started as revealed in his Tattva Bodha and confession before Lord Viswanatha in Varanasi after    boldly proclaiming his Advaita Philosophy to suit the times and to fight the atheistic tendencies that became silent on GOD if not denial!

I have talked lot about the Universal oneness, One God and One religion that is Vedanta which is good for all Hindus in India bringing down all sectarian walls,   to live in peace and harmony in a secular country   like USA in several of my lectures of which few are indicated below.  Hinduism in India to-day is very much disturbed by sectarian conflicts, caste and race conflicts,  Proselytization,   agitation for minority religious status  to take advantage of political concessions,     Aryan-Dravidian Controversy, Hindutva, Brahmin hatred, Hindu-Muslim fight, Al-quid–a  thereat etc. though it has declared itself as Sovereign Democratic Secular Republic., separating religion from politics.  Political parties are behind all these agitations and killings. Hinduism at first should bring unity within itself and bring all Dharma based religions together as in Vedic days and practice Vedic Dharma as its religion. They only say so but practice differently. Then the Abrahamic religion will remain peaceful practicing their religion even though they are too small in number together. That should come from countries like UK, USA and Rome Papacy. They should also ban all parties and their activities who practice atheism since the motto of the country is Satyameva Jayate  that  all should follow that being the cornerstone of Vedanta religion.

http://nrsrini.blogspot.com/2012/01/sanatana-dharma-is-for-humanity-not-for.html

http://nrsrini.blogspot.com/2015/09/is-sanskrit-language-of-tndian-or-hindu.

htmlhttp://nrsrini.blogspot.com/2015/11/why-i-am-called-hindu-and-my-following.html

http://nrsrini.blogspot.com/2016/05/vedanta-religion-everlasting-universal.html

Often our great spiritual leaders in USA like Rajiv Malhotra, HMEC, David Frawley are drawn to    these agitations in India and are drawn into negative thoughts instead positive thinking and conversion of American Hindu mind to Sanatana Dharma and Universal Oneness instead of Universal Brotherhood and Unity of Religions.  If all dharma based religions come together in USA, as we rightly started in the beginning, then even Abrahamic religions may come together learning from us if focused on SBNR group. We started well in USA after listening to Vivekananda but recently JAINA, Sikhs, Swami Narayans, Saibabas, Buddhists want to establish their own domain and are running to White House.

Our temple Executives are more worried about present financial Management not Spiritual Management and least worried on restoring  Hinduism to our SBNR oriented children with mixed marriages (every wedding you see is focused on it) which has a good chance of catching up Sanatana Dharma if properly focused instead turning atheist. Our 400 and odd temples should not become archeological relics of past glory but missionaries to promote Universal Oneness that will preserve Vedic culture and Dharma amongst Hindus in USA.   It is in this context I wrote our Hindu culture should focus on Discover Vedic Culture and Sanatana Dharma Camps instead Discover India Camps.  Hindus in India have a poor opinion about us and think we are materialistic while Hindu Americans think anything connected with India is Hindu and that all American Hindus are Indians and all Indian culture is Hindu culture.

There are significant number of Hindu Americans who have vague idea about India or the language or customs.  That is why some of the Hindus from other Asiatic countries have also started their own Hindu Temples not based on Agama or Sakta worship as in Hindu temples operated by Hindu migrants from India. This works against the Spirit of Sanatana Dharma and Universal Oneness.  Today there are different temples of Swami Narayan Faith, Saibaba Faith, Gurudvaras of Sikh Faith, Motivation to depart from worship of their deities in Hindu temples by Jains and Buddhists etc. in USA for a small population raising sectarian walls as in India. I believe a proper spiritual education focused on all these things in imparting Secular education, Para Vidya at our Vedic heritage classes and Bal Vihar schools will curb such growing tendencies in its infancy.

This article has been inspired by the talk given by HH Chandrasekharendra Sarasvati to Tamil audience titled Deivathhin Kural – Voice of God. “All religions have one common ideal, worship of the Lord, and all of them proclaim that there is but one God. In my opinion the Vedic religion was once prevalent all over the world.  The important message of Vedanta to the followers of the various faiths is to live in harmony with one another. The goal must be unity, not uniformity”. In Deivathin Kural he refers to two Words—Voice & Deva both in Singular. This is in accordance with the Veda manta “Om Tad Brahma”. Meditate on Brahma the GOD with one voice that is OM. This Universal GOD has  no name where G=Generator; O=Operator  and D=Dissolver a word written with all capital letters G O D. OM  also consists of three letters  A U M. For Pronouncing A one has to open his mouth indicative of beginning or Creation, U warrants you to continue the sound indicative of continuity or Preservation and M needs closure indicative of Dissolution.

In conclusion let me remind you the wise advice from our spiritual Gurus of modern times Swami Dayananda, Swami Chidananda and Sri Sri Ravi Shankar:

“The Mandirs have to play a significant role in the growth of the Hindu community in terms of its capacity to uphold Hindu Dharma. We need to make temples not just a center of rituals and congregation but lighthouses of philosophy and knowledge, which are the basis of Hindu Dharma. Creating an environment where the youth understand, appreciate and love their Hindu culture is a crucial need today, as is uniting all Hindu temples under one umbrella” 

APPENDIX

VOICE OF GOD—“DEIVATTIN KURAL”

(HH Chandrsekhrendra Sarasvati in his   Book of Dharma in Tamil)

All religions have one common ideal, worship of the Lord, and all of them proclaim that there is but one God. This one God accepts your devotion irrespective of the manner of your worship, whether it is according to this or that religion. So there is no need to abandon the religion of your birth and embrace another.

The temple, the church, the mosque, the vihara may be different from one another. The idol or the symbol in them may not also be the same and the rites performed in them may be different. But the Paramatman who wants to grace the worshipper, whatever be his faith, is the same. The different religions have taken shape according to the customs peculiar to the countries in which they originated and according to the differences in the mental outlook of the people inhabiting them. The goal of all religions is to lead people to the same Paramatman according to the different attributes of the devotees concerned. So there is no need for people to change over to another faith. Converts demean not only the religion of their birth but also the one to which they convert. Indeed they do demean God.

"A man leaves the religion of his birth because he thinks there is something wanting in it," so you may think. 'Why does Swamigal then say that the convert demeans the new religion that he embraces? “I will tell you why. Is it not because they think that God is not the same in all religions that people embrace a new faith? By doing so, they see God in a reduced form, don't they? They presumably believe that the God of the religion of their birth is useless and jump to another faith. But do they believe that the God of their new religion is a universal God? No. No. If they did there would be no need for any change of faith. Why do people embrace a new faith? Is it not because that the continuance in the religion of their birth would mean a denial of the blessings of the God of the new faith to which they are attracted? This means that they place limitations on their new religion as well as on its God. When they convert to a new religion, apparently out of respect for it, they indeed dishonor it.

One big difference between Hinduism and other faiths is that it does not proclaim that it alone shows the path to liberation. Our Vedic religion alone has not practiced conversion and the reason for it is that our forefathers were well aware that all religions are nothing but different paths to realize the one and only Paramatman. The Vedas proclaim: "The wise speak of the One Truth by different names.” Sri Krishna says in the Gita: "In whatever way or form a man worships me, I increase his faith and make him firm and steady in that worship.” And says one of the Azhwars: "Avaravar tamatamadu tarivari vahaivahai avaravar iraiyavar". This is the reason why the Hindus have not practiced- like adherents of other religions- proselytization and religious persecution. Nor have they waged anything like the crusades or jihads.

Our long history is sufficient proof of this. All historians accept the fact of our religious tolerance. They observe that, an empire like Srivijaya was established in the East, people there accepted our culture and our way of life willingly, not because they were imposed on them by force. They further remark that Hinduism spread through trade and not through force.

In my opinion the Vedic religion was once prevalent all over the world. Certain ruins and relics found in various regions of the planet attest to this fact. Even historians who disagree with my view concede that in the past people in many lands accepted Indian culture and the way of life willingly and not on account of any force on our part.

All religions that practice conversion employ a certain ritual. For instance, there is baptism in Christianity. Hinduism has more ritual than any other religion, yet its canonical texts do not contain any rite for conversion. No better proof is needed for the fact that we have at no time either encouraged conversion or practiced it.

When a passenger arrives at a station by train he is besieged by the driver of the horse-cart, by the rikshawala, by the cabbie, and so on. He hires the vehicle in which he likes to be driven to his destination. It cannot be said with reason that those who ply different vehicles are guilty of competing with one another for the fare. After all it is their livelihood. But it makes no sense for the adherents of various faiths to vie with one another to take a man to the one and only destination that is God.

There is a bridge across a river, consisting of a number of arches, each of them built to the same design and measurement. To the man sitting next to a particular arch it would appear to be bigger than the other arches. So is the case with people belonging to a particular religion. They feel that their religion alone is great and want others to join it. There is in fact no such need for anyone to leave the religion of his birth for another.

The beliefs and customs of the various religions are different and cannot be a cause for complaint. Nor is there any need to make all of them similar. The important thing is for the followers of the various faiths to live in harmony with one another. The goal must be unity, not uniformity.

Source: "Hindu Dharma"- English translation of "Deivathin Kural", a collection of invaluable and engrossing speeches of Sri Sri Sri Chandrasekharendra Saraswathi MahaSwamiji