Vedic cosmology

Harwan is a small village located 3 km beyond the Shalimar Garden in Srinagar District of Jammu and Kashmir. The village was identified by Sir Aurel Stein with Shadara Hadvana (grove of six saints) a locality mentioned in Rishi Kalhana’s Rajatarangini. It is a historic place that was sacked and destroyed by Sikandar Butshikan during the 14th century AD, and many remains of Kashmir’s Hindu as well as Buddhist past have been found during the excavations.

The relics of this unique work of art and history, the Harwan Buddhist temple is aeons old, and its origin goes as far as 300 AD. Its ruins are located in Harwan, a village situated in the north-western Kashmir. These ruins are situated towards the northwest of Kashmir and are accessible from the eastern side of Shalimar Mughal Garden.

The temple dates back to the Kushan era and civilisation. It was discovered during an excavation as part of an archaeological expedition conducted by the Archaeological Department of India approximately between 1919 and 1929 AD. The architecture of this ancient structure depicts the lifestyle, attire and habitat of Kashmir’s Hindus of that era. There are beautiful image carvings on the tiles within the temple.

Image : A female musician wearing trousers; she plays on a drum, which is apparently slung over her left shoulder. Floral motifs on either side. A dancer wearing large ear-rings and dressed in loose robe and trousers, with a long scarf held in both hands, which she waves over her head. One can notice the similarity of classical Indian dance depicted in the dancer’s body posture.

Hypocricy shamelessness

Malli Mastan Babu: ‘Mountains retained its favourite child’
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Mastan Babu Malli (03rd September 1974 – 24th March 2015) was an adventurer and motivational speaker. He holds the record of being the fastest “7 summiteer” in the world, i.e. he was the fastest person to climb summits in 7 continents. In 2006, he scaled 7 summits in the world in 172 days.He is also alumni of prestigious IIT and IIM .

Mastan Babu would always carry an Indian National Flag, a copy of the Bhagavad Gita and a Rudraksha Mala, which always inspired and lead his journey among mountains.

While many of his expeditions were unguided, they were always preceded by meticulous planning.After the quick (172 days) summiting of the highest peak in each of the seven continents in 2006, Malli Mastan Babu continued to set new benchmarks of physical and mental endurance and excellence. In June and July of 2007, he accomplished through trekking and climbing a high-altitude traverse of the four major Hindu dhams of Uttarakhand.

Between October 21 and November 3 of the same year, he executed his plan to run 14 half marathons in 14 days in 14 different states, during which he received support from the Indian Army. Before the end of the year, he had run “8 full Marathons and 3 half marathons in 13 days, spanning 10 Indian states”.

In 2008, he completed a “75 day High altitude trek from the Mt. Everest region to Kanchenjunga, climbing all the high passes between them, covering a total of approximately 1100 km of Himalayan terrain.”. Through his 2,000-kilometre, 132 day trans-Himalayan expedition from Mount Everest to Mount Kailash, Malli wanted to bring to everyone’s attention the damage being done to both hills and plains by global warming and also to help in mapping the change in glacier topography.

He relished the opportunity of standing at top of peaks and of realizing the relative insignificance of humans when compared with awe-inspiring Nature.

Malli Mastan Babu went missing on March 24th and breathed his last inside his pitched tent on the slopes of Cerro Tres Cruces Sur in the Andes. Malli, who was climbing solo was caught up in the exceptionally bad weather due to the 2015 Northern Chile floods and mudflow in Andes. With all access routes to the mountain being cut, it took close to 10 days for the rescue teams to reach him. His lifeless body was found on 3rd April 2015.

Darbha (Desmotachya bipinnata) is a tropical grass considered a sacred material in Vedic scriptures and is said to purify the offerings during such rituals.

Traditional tropical grass, Darbha, has been identified as an eco-friendly food preservative.

This finding was evolved in a research study undertaken jointly by the Centre for Nanotechnology and Advanced Biomaterials (CeNTAB) and the Centre for Advanced Research in Indian System of Medicine (CARISM) of the SASTRA University, Thanjavur, under the supervision of Dr. P. Meera and Dr. P. Brindha respectively.

At the time of eclipse, people place that grass in food items that could ferment and once the eclipse ends the grass is removed.

A systematic research was conducted by the SASTRA University researchers, in which cow’s curd was chosen as a food item that could ferment easily.

Five other tropical grass species, including lemon grass, Bermuda grass, and bamboo were chosen for comparison based on different levels of antibiotic properties and hydro phobicity.

Electron microscopy of different grasses revealed stunning nano-patterns and hierarchical nano or micro structures in darbha grass while they were absent in other grasses.

On studying the effect of various grasses on the microbial community of the curd, darbha grass alone was found to attract enormous number of bacteria into the hierarchical surface features.

These are the bacteria responsible for fermentation of cow’s curd.

During eclipse, the wavelength and intensity of light radiations available on the earth’s surface is altered. Especially, the blue and ultraviolet radiations, which are known for their natural disinfecting property, are not available in sufficient quantities during eclipse.

This leads to uncontrolled growth of micro-organisms in food products during eclipse and the food products are not suitable for consumption. Darbha was thus used as a natural disinfectant on specific occasions, say researchers at SASTRA University.

Further, the scientists say that darbha could be used as a natural food preservative in place of harmful chemical preservatives and the artificial surfaces mimicking the hierarchical nano patterns on the surface of darbha grass could find applications in health care where sterile conditions were required.

This entire research was funded by the SASTRA University’s Research Fund.

http://m.thehindu.com/news/cities/Tiruchirapalli/darbha-grass-a-natural-preservative/article7000098.ece/

The Forgotten Secular Prince: Muhammad Dara Shikoh (1627-1658 AD)

The favorite Sufi son of Moghul emperor, Shah Jehan. Known the world over for his unorthodox and liberal views. He was a mystic and a free thinker. Dara Shikoh’s most important legacy is the translation of fifty Upanishads, known under the title of Sirr-i-Akbar (“The Great Secret”). It was completed in 1657, together with paraphrases and excerpts from commentaries which in various cases, though by no means throughout, can be traced back to Sankara.

He had learned Sanskrit and studied the Hindu scriptures in the original. He studied the Torah, the Gospels and the Psalms, but it is the “Great Secret” (Sirri-i-Akbar) of the Upanishads which, in his view, represents the most original testimony of the oneness of God or the Absolute.

His personal fate is well-known: in 1659, two years after the completion of the Sirr-i-Akbar, he was executed by order of his brother, Aurangazeb, and with the consent of the Islamic orthodoxy community (Ulama), who claimed that he was a heretic and a danger to the state, the faith and the public order.

(source: India and Europe: An Essay in Understanding – By Wilhelm Halbfass p. 34).

He translated the Upanishads, Bhagavad Gita and Yoga – Vashishta into Persian directly from Sanskrit and called it Sirr-e-Akbar (The Great Mystery). Titled “The Upanishads: God’s Most Perfect Revelation” and then into Latin by Anquetil Duperron (1801 and 1802) under the title Oupnekhat, contained about fifty. This translation introduced Western readers to the Upanishads. Schopenhauer’s reaction to it is well-known.

The Quran itself, he said, made veiled references to the Upanishads as the “first heavenly book and the fountainhead of the ocean of monotheism.”

Dara Shikoh, wrote in his Persian translation of the Upanishads.

“After gradual research; I have come to the conclusion that long before all heavenly books, God had revealed to the Hindus, through the Rishis of yore, of whom Brahma was the Chief, His four books of knowledge, the Rig Veda, the Yajur Veda, the Sama Veda and the Atharva Veda.”

In his Majma al-Bahrain, he sought to reconcile the Sufi theory with the Vedanta.

He was able to affirm that Sufism and Advaita Vedantism (Hinduism) are essentially the same, with a surface difference of terminology.”

And in introduction to this work he says that one finds in Upanishads the concept of tawhid (the doctrine of Unity of God, the most fundamental doctrine of Islam) after the Qur’an and perhaps the Qur’an refers to Upanishad when it refers to Kitab al-Maknun (The Hidden Book). His work Majma`ul Bahrayn (Mingling of the Two Oceans i.e. Hinduism and Islam) is very seminal work in the history of composite culture of India.

Two years after the completion of the Sirr-i-Akbar, Dara was executed on the orders of his brother – Aurangazeb(Dara was placed on a filthy elephant and paraded through the streets of the capital in chains before execution)

Gita Bhavan Hindu Temple, UK

Temple History…

It is a great pleasure for us to extend our sincere thanks and congratulate all the members of Hindu community who have contributed their efforts and money for the completion of the beautiful temple. Building a temple is paradigmatic and ethical act. It is believed to be equivalent of offering sacrifice – an act which makes one truly pious. The Hindu community of Manchester has performed this pious act by building the temple under the guidance of the three trustees of Gita Bhavan Hindu Temple.

The population of Hindu community has increased during the last decade and it was felt that there was a great need of a community hall and a worshipping place. So that the young generation should understand its cultural and religious background. Gita Bhavan was only a vision seen by just a few foresighted Hindus. The Hindu cultural society started with five families in 1987, meeting once a month in a church hall. The present site was bought in 1987, the vendor sold it with the impression that a part of the property had to be demolished fro it was infected with dry rot, the broken windows and leaking roof. Manchester city council helped us to restore the building to its present standard with a substantial grant. The whole Hindu community of Manchester is highly indebted to the council for its kind gesture. A lots of alternations where made to hall to make it into a temple.

The assistance and aid given by many has turned that vision in to a reality. The temple has been built by very practical people for very practical purposes.

Gita Bhavan is not only a place for worship of the divine deities but it has become a centre of cultural and religious activities. It has created a sense of dignity amongst the Hindu population. It has been quite rightly remarked by one of visitors, “This temple will be a jewel in the crown of Manchester city

The description of the Game of Thrones’ epic “Valyrian” steel is taken from Wootz steel, which is characterized by a pattern of bands of micro carbides within a tempered pearlite matrix. This unique steel matrix was developed in the sixth century BC in the Deccan Plateau, South India. The word “wootz” was also derived from ukku(ఉక్కు) which means steel in Dravidian languages. The famous Damascus sword technology has origin related to this steel.

Read more on Wootz steel: http://tinyurl.com/of5eu8e

The Satyakama Jabala- Brahmin by Karma and Truth
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Satyakam was a poor Cowherd and a very inquiring child. He did not believe in anything unless he had experienced it. When he is near about the age of twelve – he asked his mother: “Now it is time. The prince of the kingdom has gone to the forest to join the family of a seer. He is my age. I also want to go, I also want to learn what this life is all about.”

The mother said: “It is very difficult, Satyakam, but I know that you are a born seeker. I was afraid that one day you would ask me to send you to a master. I am a poor woman, but that is not a great difficulty. The difficulty is that when I was young I served in many houses – I was poor, but I was beautiful. I don’t know who your father is. And if I send you to a master, you are going to be asked what the name of your father is. And I am afraid they may reject you.

But there is no harm in making an effort. You go and tell the truth, in the same way I have told the truth to you. Many men have used my body because I was poor. Just say that you don’t know who your father is. Tell the master that your name is Satyakam, your mother’s name is Jabala, so they can call you Satyakam Jabal. And as far as the search for truth is concerned, who your father is does not matter.”

Satyakam went to an ancient seer in the forest, and sure enough the first question was: “What is your name? Who is your father?”

And he repeated exactly what his mother had said.

There were many disciples – princes, rich people’s sons. They all started laughing.

But the old master said: “I will accept you. It does not matter who your father is. What matters is that you are authentic, sincere, unafraid – capable of saying the truth without feeling embarrassed. Your mother has given you the right name, Satyakam. ‘Satyakam’ means one whose only desire is truth. You have a beautiful mother, and you will be known as ‘Satyakam Jabal’. And the tradition is that only real brahmins(not by modern caste system) can be accepted as disciples. I declare you a brahmin – because only a brahmin can have the courage of such truth.”

[Chapter IV of the Chandogya Upanishad]