Kanipakam Vinayaka History

Lord Ganesha: his birth story, symbolism meaning and practice

The birth of Ganesha

One day Goddess Parvati was at home on Mt.Kailash preparing for a bath. As she didn’t want to be disturbed, she told Nandi, her husband Shiva’s Bull, to guard the door and let no one pass. Nandi faithfully took his post, intending to carry out Parvati’s wishes. But, when Shiva came home and naturally wanted to come inside, Nandi had to let him pass, being loyal first to Shiva. Parvati was angry at this slight, but even more than this, at the fact that she had no one as loyal to Herself as Nandi was to Shiva. So, taking the turmeric paste (for bathing) from her body and breathing life into it, she created Ganesha, declaring him to be her own loyal son.

The next time Parvati wished to bathe, she posted Ganesha on guard duty at the door. In due course, Shiva came home, only to find this strange boy telling him he couldn’t enter his own house! Furious, Shiva ordered his army to destroy the boy, but they all failed! Such power did Ganesha possess, being the son of Devi Herself!

This surprised Shiva. Seeing that this was no ordinary boy, the usually peaceful Shiva decided he would have to fight him, and in his divine fury severed Ganesha’s head, killing him instantly. When Parvati learned of this, she was so enraged and insulted that she decided to destroy the entire Creation! Lord Brahma, being the Creator, naturally had his issues with this, and pleaded that she reconsider her drastic plan. She said she would, but only if two conditions were met: one, that Ganesha be brought back to life, and two, that he be forever worshipped before all the other gods.

Shiva, having cooled down by this time, and realizing his mistake, agreed to Parvati’s conditions. He sent Brahma out with orders to bring back the head of the first creature he crosses that is laying with its head facing North. Brahma soon returned with the head of a strong and powerful elephant, which Shiva placed onto Ganesha’s body. Breathing new life into him, he declared Ganesha to be his own son as well, and gave him the status of being foremost among the gods, and leader of all the ganas (classes of beings), Ganapati.

Meaning of the story of  Ganesh

At first glance, this story just seems like a nice tale that we might tell our children, or a myth without any real substance. But, it’s true mystical meaning is veiled. It is explained thus:

Parvati is a form of Devi, the Parashakti (Supreme Energy). In the human body She resides in the Muladhara chakra as the Kundalini shakti. It is said that when we purify ourselves, ridding ourselves of the impurities that bind us, then the Lord automatically comes. This is why Shiva, the Supreme Lord, came unannounced as Parvati was bathing.

Nandi, Shiva’s bull, who Parvati first sent to guard the door represents the divine temperment. Nandi is so devoted to Shiva that his every thought is directed to Him, and he is able to easily recognize the Lord when He arrives. This shows that the attitude of the spiritual aspirant is what gains access to Devi’s (the kundalini shakti’s) abode. One must first develop this attitude of the devotee before hoping to become qualified for the highest treasure of spiritual attainment, which Devi alone grants.

After Nandi permitted Shiva to enter, Parvati took the turmeric paste from Her own body, and with it created Ganesha.. Yellow is the color associated with the Muladhara chakra, where the kundalini resides, and Ganesha is the deity who guards this chakra. Devi needed to create Ganesha, who represents the earthbound awareness, as a shield to protect the divine secret from unripe minds. It is when this awareness begins to turn away from things of the world, and toward the Divine, as Nandi had, that the great secret is revealed.

Shiva is the Lord and Supreme Teacher. Ganesha here represents the ego-bound Jiva. When the Lord comes, the Jiva, surrounded as it is with the murky cloud of ego, usually doesn’t recognize Him, and maybe even ends up arguing or fighting with Him! Therefore, it is the duty of the Lord, in the form of the Guru, to cut off the head of our ego! So powerful is this ego however, that at first the Guru’s instructions may not work, as Shiva’s armies failed to subdue Ganesha. It often requires a tougher approach, but, eventually the compassionate Guru, in His wisdom finds a way.

Devi threatened to destroy the whole Creation after learning of Ganesha’s demise. This indicates that when the ego thus dies, the liberated Jiva loses interest in its temporary physical vehicle, the body, and begins to merge into the Supreme. The physical world is here represented by Devi. This impermanent and changeable creation is a form of Devi, to which this body belongs; the unchanging Absolute is Shiva, to which belongs the Soul. When the ego dies, the external world, which depends on the ego for its existence, disappears along with it. It is said that if we want to know the secrets of this world, which is a manifestation of Devi, then we must first receive the blessings of Ganesha.

Shiva restoring life to Ganesha, and replacing his head with an elephant’s, means that before we can leave the body, the Lord first replaces our small ego with a “big”, or universal ego. This doesn’t mean that we become more egoistic. On the contrary, we no longer identify with the limited individual self, but rather with the large universal Self. In this way, our life is renewed, becoming one that can truly benefit Creation. It is however only a functional ego, like the one Krishna and Buddha kept. It is like a thin string tying the liberated Consciousness to our world, solely for our benefit.

Ganesha is given dominion over the Ganas, which is a general term denoting all classes of beings, ranging from insects, animals and humans to the subtle and celestial beings. These various beings all contribute to the government of the Creation; everything from natural forces like storms and earthquakes, to the elemental qualities like fire and water, to functioning of the body’s organs and processes. If we don’t honor the Ganas, then our every action is a form of thievery, as it is unsanctioned. Therefore, instead of propitiating each Gana in order to receive their blessings, we bow to their Lord, Sri Ganesha. By receiving His grace, we receive the grace of all. He removes any potential obstacles and enables our endeavors to succeed.

Such is the greatness of Sri Ganesha! Jai Ganesha!

Amaranadh Temple History

Once while Parvati was sitting alone on the Mount Kailash, sage Narada reached there. Narada knew that Lord Shiva knew the mantra (incantation) for becoming immortal (अमरत्वाचा मंत्र). He persuaded Parvati to get to know the mantra. So Parvati went to Shiva and insisted on knowing it. Shiva tried to avoid, but to no avail.  Shiva wears a necklace of skulls. Each of those skulls is a symbol of different life of Parvati. So in a way, their love is immortal. So why does she need to know the mantra. etc. But Parvati continued to insist and now Shankara had no options left. So he agreed.

However, he wanted that no other mortal should get the mantra. For that, they had to go to a secluded place. Now which place other than Kashmir would qualify? They decided to go to Kashmir.

They reached Pahalgam. As per the standard version, Pahal Gam means “town of the shepherds”. However, the Hindus in Kashmir say that Pahal means Bull. So, Shiva left his bull Nandi behind. The place where he did that became Pahal Gam, “Town of the bull”.

At Chandanwadi, which means place where the sandalwood stays, Shiva left behind the Chandan (sandalwood) and moon. The locals say that at oone time, there was a forest of sandalwood in Chandanwadi which was destroyed due to indiscrete tree felling.

Then Shiva reached Pisu Top. There was a very thick forest there and Parvati was lost in the forest. Shiva ordered the jungle to find Parvati, but the jungle failed to do that. So Shiva opened his third eye and burnt the jungle. So now, you don’t find a single tree at Pisu Top.

A little distance ahead, Shiva left his snake, Shesh Nag, behind. That place is called Shesh Nag. At Panchtarni, he left Ganga behind. This way, he left all the living things behind.

He then ordered the Himalay’s to make a secluded place for them. So the mountain split making the Amarnath cave. There were two eggs of pigeon and an egg of a parrot on a tree in front of the cave. Somehow, a sage named Vasudev had heard that Shiva was going to tell the mantra of immortality and whoever heard that would become immortal. He entered the parrot’s egg. Using his special powers, Shiva burnt all the living things around the cave. However, since the eggs are neither live nor dead, they were spared.

Then Shiva started reciting the mantra. But Parvati was very tired and went to sleep. However, at that time, the pigeon’s eggs hatched and the young pigeons were making noises. Shiva thought Parvati was listening and hence continued.

When the mantra was over, Shiva saw that Parvati was asleep, so who was making the noise? At that time, he saw sage Vasudev running away. Shiva threw an arrow at him, but sage Vasudev entered the womb of a pregnant women. The gods told Shiva the futulity of trying to kill Vasudev since he had already heard the mantra. So Shiva took back his arrow. Vasudev came out of the womb and went to his heavenly abode with his body.

The locals here say that the two pigeons still visit the cave at midnight on every full moon.

Isn’t that a very interesting story. 

The Shivling at Amarnath is made from ice and it’s not made by anyone. It’s formed naturally. The height of the Shivling changes as per the phases of the moon. I have seen a photograph of the Shivling. It looks like the shape below.

Srisailam Hstory

HISTORY

Srisailam played a dominant role in our religious, cultural and social history from ancient times.

According to pre-historic studies the habitational history of Srisailam goes back to about 30,000-40,000 years. Stone tools of that period are abundantly found at various places of Srisailam such as Bheemuni Kolanu, Kailasadwaram etc.

The Epigraphical evidence reveals that the history of Srisailam begins with the Sathavahanas who were the first empire builders in South India. The earliest known historical mention of the Hill - Srisailam, can be traced in Pulumavis Nasik inscription of 2nd Century A.D. Malla Satakarani, an early member of the Satavahanas got his name after ‘Mallanna’ the deity on this sacred hill.

The Ikshvakus (AD 200-300) ruled from their capital Vijayapuri, about 50 Km from Srisailam and so this Kshetram must get their patronage. 

The Vishnukundis (AD 375-612) were the devotees of God Sriparvatha Swamy who was none other than Mallikarjuna Swamy, the presiding deity of Srisaila Kshetram. Most of their inscriptions contain the prasasti “Bhagavat Sriparvatha Swamy Padanudhyatanam”.

The Telagunda inscription of Kadamba Santi Varma proves that the Srisailam region was originally included in the Pallava Kingdom (AD 248-575) and subsequently formed the first independent principality of Kadambas (AD 340-450).

A part of the inscriptional evidences, the Architectural features of temple complex of Srisailam also attest the patronage of Chalukyas (AD 624-848) 

The Kakatiayas (AD 953-1323) contributed much for the growth of the temple. Several steps in regulating the temple management were taken during their period. In the reign of Kakatiya Prathaparudra datable to 1313 AD, the gift of 70 villages to Srisailam temple made from time to time by several emperors, kings etc., was executed properly for the maintenance of the temple. Mailamadevi, sister of Ganapathideva is said to have constructed the vimana gopuram of Mallikarjuna Garbhalayam.

The period of Reddi Kings (AD 1325-1448) is the Golden Age of Srisaialm that almost all rulers of this dynasty did celebrated service for the temple. Prolaya Vema Reddi, the Reddi King constructed stepped path way to Srisailam and also Pathalaganga. Anavemareddi constructed the Veerasiro Mandapam in which the Veerasaiva devotees were cut off their hands, tongues, limbs with devotion and this practice was known as Veeracharam.

The Velama Chiefs constructed of steps at Jatararevu, en-route from Umamaheswaram to Srisailam. The major contributions and renovations at Srisailam were taken up by Vijayanagara Rules (AD 1336-1678). The Second Hariharaya of Vijayanagara Empire constructed the Mukhamandapam of Mallikarjuna Temple and also raises a Gopuram on the Southern side of the temple complex. Srikrishnadevaraya visited the shrine in 1516 AD on his return journey after a war with Gajapathis and constructed Salumandapas on both sides of the car street. It also taken the credit of the construction of Rajagopuram of the temple by him. The fall of the Vijayanagara rule witnessed Srisailam and this Kshetram lost its glory.

In the year 1674 AD Chatrapathi Sivaji the great Maratha King visited Srisailam, restored the festivals of the temple under protection of his officers and taken up some renovations. According to tradition the north gopuram of the temple was caused by him, to be constructed. Later the Moghal Emperors conquered this region and his place was given as Jagir to Nawabs of Kurnool.

After the fall of Moghal Emperors this place came under the control of Nizam of Hyderabad. When the Nizam ceded the Kurnool District to the British East India Company in 1800 AD, Major Manor took procession of the District and entrusted the management of the temple to the Pushpagiri Matam. Later the then British Government handed over the temple administration to the District Court.

In 1929 a committee was constituted by the British Government for the management of the temple. In 1949 the temple came unber the control of Endowments Departments and attained its past glory after it was opened by the road during the year 1956.

Lord Shiva History of Varanasi

About God Shiva

Varanasi history related to Lord shiva:

Varanasi is the holy city of Lord shiva and has become one of the seven sacred cities of Hindus. The city has been described in many Hindu scriptures such as Rigveda, Skanda Purana, Ramayana, and Mahabharata. According to the Legends, Varanasi is about 3000 years old and known as the oldest city in the world.Varanasi is the center of industries and famous for a variety of work such as muslin, silk fabrics, perfumes, ivory works as well as sculpture. Varanasi was the capital of Kingdom of Kashi at the time of Gautama Buddha

The Varanasi city was named as the center of a variety of religious and artistic activities by a celebrated Chinese traveller Xuanzang. It is located along the western bank of the river Ganges. The great Jain Tirthankar Suparshv Nath Ji and Tirthankar Parshva Nath Ji was born at Benares.

Varanasi is famous as a Shiva Nagari and it has become the biggest pilgrimage destination. The meaning of Shiva is the “auspicious one” known as the major Hindu deity. It is believed that the God Shiva is the Destroyer or Transformer of living beings among the Trimurti. The Lord Shiva is regarded as the most powerful god in Hinduism. According to the tradition of Hinduism, Lord Shiva is the Supreme God of Hindu as he is the creator, preserver, destroyer, concealer, and revealer of human beings. The followers of Lord Shiva are called Shaivites or Shaivas.

In Hinduism, the God Shiva is worshipped in the form of lingam. It is believed that he is living on Mount Kailash as an omniscient yogi with his wife Parvati and sons Ganesha and Kartikeya. He has benevolent as well as fearsome forms and often depicted as immersed in deep meditation, slaying demons in fierce aspects or as the Cosmic Dancer.

Etymology and other names of Lord Shiva

The Shiva is a Sanskrit word having an adjective meaning “pure”. It also means “The Auspicious One”, a name for Rudra. It is known as the thousand names of Vishnu interprets God Shiva having multiple meanings such as “The Pure One”, or the One who might never affected by three Gunas of Nature (Rajas, Sattva and Tamas) or the One who purifies living beings by the utterance of His name. According to Swami Chinmayananda, the meaning of Lord Shiva is the One who is eternally pure or the One who can not ever be contaminated of the imperfection of Rajas and Tamas. The Supreme God of Hindu Shiva is considered as he has no Aadi or Anta that he has no birth or death. The Lord Shiva is known as “Devon Ke Dev Mahadev” means Great God or Great Lord.
Seal was discovered in the Mohenjodaro which shows that a seated figure is surrounded by animals, possibly Shiva, the Pashupati.

Reality of Rudra

In the 2nd century it was searched as Rudra is three-headed Shiva. In the number of Hindu traditions both God Shiva and Rudra are viewed as the same personality. It is found in the Rig Veda that Rudra is the “Father of the Rudras”, a group of storm gods. According to Axel Michaels: Rudra is called “The Archer” and the arrow is vital attribute of Rudra, he was armed with arrows in his hands. Rudra is the great God of Hindu who has the power to kill all the forces of darkness.

Relationship of Rudra with Agni

It is believed that Rudra and Agni have a close relationship. It is identified in the Vedic literature with Rudra’s gradual development process as Rudra-Shiva. According to Nirukta, Agni is also called Rudra. According to the Stella Kramrisch the relationship between two great Hindu deities is very complex.

In the Satarudria, it is clearly shown that Golden red hue as of flame and Flaming bright is a fusing of the two deities. It is considered that Agni is a bull having horn which Lord Shiva possesses as his vehicle, Nandi. The horns of Agni, who is sometimes characterized as a bull, are mentioned. But in the medieval sculpture, the form of both Agni and God Shiva is Bhairav having flamed hair as his special feature.

Relationship of Shiva with Indra

According to an ancient theory, continuation of the Vedic Indra was through the Lord Shiva. It is considered as the God Shiva and Indra have thirst for Soma. Both Hindu deities are associated with mountains, fierceness, fearlessness, rivers, male fertility, warfare, the Aum sound as well as the Supreme Self. The term Shiva is used to call Indra in the Rig Veda. God Rudra is also mentioned in Rig veda as a father of the Maruts.

History of Shiva with Parvati
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God Shiva is three-eyed deities controlling the Ganges flow through his matted hair means yellowish-white or molten gold. Lord Shiva wear mala of five serpents, a garland of skulls and a skull bracelet as his lovable ornaments, he cover himself in ashes, and have Trisula and Damaru. He has a crescent moon on his head and a Trisul or Trident in the right lower arm. Because of having third eye, he is also known as Trilochana.

There is big history behind Shiva having crescent moon, because of this he is known as Chandrasekhara or Chandramouli means having the moon as his crest. Having a crescent moon on his head denotes that he has perfect control on his mind. God Shiva smears ashes or bhasma on his whole body with ashes. Because of his yellowish-white matted hair he also known as the Jataajoota Dhari or Kapardin means wearing his hair wound in a braid of shell-like fashion.

History behind Blue throat

Lord Shiva is known as the Nīlakaṇtha means blue throat or blue kantha. It is considered that he drank the Halahala poison arisen from the Samudra Manthan in order to eliminate its destructive capacity and save all the Devgan from Devil. Goddess Parvati was shocked with his activity and she tried to strangled his neck and to prevent spreading of poison all over the universe means in Shiva’s stomach. That’s why his neck color is changed to blue.

Relation with Gange and Tiger skin, Serpents, Deer, Trident, Drum, Nandi, Gaṇa, MountKailasa, Varanasi

Because of wearing a sacred Ganges he is also known as the Gangadhara means bearer of Ganga. The flow of the Ganges from the matted hair of Lord Shiva represents the nectar of immortality. King Bhagirath had done hard Tap of Gange to bring her on earth in order to help his Purvaj to get Moksha. And God Shiva wore the Gange to prevent earth from her powerful and speedy water flow. Lord Shiva had released only a single flow of Gange to go to earth from his matted hair.

Lord Shiva is often shown have seated on a tiger skin. Having seates on the tiger’s skin indicates that Lord Shiva has conquered lust.

God Shiva always wear garlanded of serpents known as Nagendra Haara. Wearing snakes denotes the wisdom and eternity.

He holds deer on his one hand which indicates that he has not Chanchalata in his mind showing maturity and firmness to whole world.

Lord Shiva have his most essential weapon (called Trident or Trishula) in his right hand represents the three Gunas Rajas, Tamas and  Sattva. It is considered that he rules the world through these three Gunas.

He has a small Damaru in his left hand which represents OM which is origin of all languages are. It acts as an attribute in his famous dancing representation called Nataraja.

God Shiva has his vehicle known as Nandi or Nandin which is bull and serves as Shiva’s mount. Because of the relation of Shiva with an animal he named as Pasupati or Pashupati or lord of cattle.The bull represents him a Dharma Devata as a protector of Dharma.

Lord Shiva has a big group of Gaṇa ro bhutagana who lives in Kailash with Shiva. It is considered that the Ganesha (son of Lord Shiva) was chosen the leader of all Gana by Shiva, so the Ganesha is also called gaṇapati or lord of the gaṇas.

Mount Kailash is exists on the Himalayas, the nagari of King Himalaya. Kailash resembles a Linga which is the traditional abode of God Shiva known as the the center of the universe.

Varanasi is the famous city known as the holy city of God or city of Temples. Varanasi is specially loved by the God Shiva and has became one of the holiest places of pilgrimage in India.

Forms of Lord Shiva and depictions

Lord Shiva is a god of ambiguity and paradox by Gavin Flood. He has the ambivalent nature worshiped by Hindus as their supreme God. He was destroyer versus benefactor. It is mentioned in the Yajurveda for his both of the attributes, the malignant or terrific and benign or auspicious. God Shiva is depicted in the Mahabharata as a figure of honor, delight, and brilliance. The Rudra form of Lord Shiva denotes the wild one” or the fierce god. Shiva is also known as the Sambhu causing happiness.

Shiva as an Ascetic versus householder

The God Shiva’s family includes Shiva, Parvati, Ganesha and Kartikeya or Skanda. Lord Shiva is depicted as both an ascetic yogi as well as a householder. As a yogi he shown sitting and meditating on tiger skin. As a householder he is also known as Umapati or the husband of Uma or Umakanta or Umadhava. Mata Parvati is identified as a Devi or Divine Mother or Shakti (divine energy), Tripura Sundari, Durga, Kamakshi, Meenakshi and many more. It is considered as she is the source of Lord Shiva’s creative energy. His son Ganesha is known as the Lord of Beginnings and Lord of Obstacles and worshipped throughout India as well as Nepal as the Remover of Obstacles. His son Kartikeya is worshipped by different names such as Subrahmanya, Shanmughan, Swaminathan, Murugan, Subrahmanyan, Skanda, Kumara in Southern India like Tamil Nadu, Kerala and Karnataka.

Lord Shiva is known as the Nataraja as he is the Lord of Dance as an eternal dancer. His dance with music is described in the Puranic period. Tandava (denote the powerful) and masculine dance as Kala-Mahakala (denote the destruction of the whole world) are the two most common types of the dance associated with Shiva . One of the most famous dance the Tandava-Lasya is associated with destruction and creation of the world.

God Shiva is also called as the Dakshinamurthy as he seat facing south (dakṣiṇa) which represents Shiva as a teacher of yoga, music, wisdom and a variety of shastras.

He is called as Ardhanarishvara, the five-headed Tripurantaka pointing his arrow towards Tripura the rightmost top corner with bow of mount Meru and bow string of serpent Vasuki. In the form of Ardhanarisvara he shows himself having one half of body as a male and other half as a female the lord who is half woman. It is considered that Lord Shiva has sacrificed his half body to the shakti swaroopa Goddess Adi parashakti as a sign of love.

Shiva is called Tripurantaka as he is the destroyer of triple fortresses or ender of Tripura. It is considered that after ending Tripura he smeared his forehead with three strokes of Ashes.

God Shiva as a Lingam

The Lord Shiva worshipped in the form of Lingam at Jambukesvara temple of Thiruvanaikaval. The meaning of linga is a sign or a symbol which denotes the great God of the universe. According to the Hinduism, Lord Shiva is the God to creates, sustain and withdraw the whole universe.

Avatars of Lord Shiva

Virabhadra avatar of God Shiva destroyed the Daksha’s yajna and cut his head as per Shiva’s order. Bhairava avatar also known as Bhairo or Bhairon or Bhairadya or Bheruji depicted as the Kala Bhairava was created by Shiva for the protection of Sati Pind. Durvasa avatar is supposed to be an incarnation of Shiva and famous for his short temper. Khandoba which is a form of Shiva in Maharashtra and Karnataka. Hanuman avatar is known as the eleventh Rudraavtaar of Lord Shiva in the era of Lord Rama.

The five mantras of Lord Shiva

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The number five is known as a sacred number for God Shiva. Namah sivaya is one of the most important mantras. It is considered that the body of Lord Shiva is made up of five mantras (represents as the five faces of Shiva), called pancabrahmans. Each mantras have distinct names such as:

·         Sadyojata

·         Vamadeva

·         Aghora

·         Tatpuruṣha

·         Isana

These are associated with five elements, five senses, five organs of perception, and five organs of action.

Maha Shivaratri

It is considered as the mata Parvati and Lord Shiva was met at this great ocassion known as Maha Shivratri. In Hinduism, Maha Shivaratri is a holy festival which is celebrated very happily every year at 13th night or 14th day in Krishna Paksha of Maagha or Phalguna. It is night when Lord Shiva had performed the Tandava. On this ocassion the devotees of God Shiva keep fast and worship Shiva Linga by offering him the fruits, flowers and Bael leaves. More on Maha Shivaratri …

Jyotirlinga Temples in India

·         Somnath

·         Omkareshwar

·         Vaidyanath

·         Mallikarjunaswamy

·         Mahakaleshwar

·         Nageshwar

·         Kashi Vishwanath

·         Triambkeshwar

·         Bhimahankar

·         Rameshwaram

·         Kedarnath

·         Grineshwar

Origin and Birth of Lord Shiva

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There is no clue about the origin and birth of the Lord Shiva but it is considered according to the Hindu mythology that, once Lord Brahma and Lord Vishnu were arguing that which one of them as well as in the universe is more powerful. In order to searching for the most powerful power they had started going in the opposite directions. There was an immense blistering pillar appeared in front of them, they decided to search for the root and end branch of that pillar. Its been long but they never found the root as well as the end branch of that pillar. After being unsuccessful they had returned back and seen that there is a God Shiva rising out from the pillar’s opening. They found the supreme power and believed that the extreme power exists except both of us who can rule and destroy the universe.

According to the Hindu Mythology, it is believed that Lord Shiva is the destroyer of the universe and the soul of anybody after death gets intermingled into him. He is the supreme god among all three and has three eyes, the third one has the power to destroy the creation. He is also recognized as the God of storm named Rudra.

Story of Lord Shiva

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It is considered that Lord Shiva many roles and power, he always wear the garland of snake in his neck and necklace of skulls as well. He is the supreme God and can help his creations as human beings as well as God also. He punishes the wicked as a divine judge who never shows mercy towards them. He has spiritual strength and used of meditation for a long time at the Kailash mountain at Himalayas. He symbolizes the truth, reality and drive out the bad energy as well as helps alleviating the suffering of devotees through his fascinating dance. He had saved the universe by drinking the poison arising out from the Samundra Mathan and called as the Neel Kanth as his neck became blue because of the poison.

He had provided the way to the River Gange to come on the earth by intermingle her to his matted hair. He saved the world from the great draught by offering the water source through Gange. It is a big story, once there was a great draught on the earth and River Gange was flowing only in the heavens. King Bhagirath had prayed a lot of the Gange to come to the earth. One day Gange became happy with his pray and came in front of him and said she cannot come to the earth as the earth would become flown away with the heavy flow of her water. She said to him that there is one way if you pray to God Shiva. King Bhagirath prayed to the Lord Shiva and got his way became simple.

Lord Shiva holds Ganges River in his matted hair, a coiled serpent in his neck, a crescent moon on the right side, a Trishul (also known as trident) in his right hand and ashes (bhasma) all over his body. He has a bull named Nandi which he used as his vehicle. Shiva-Linga is a peaceful and happiness symbol of the Lord which is adored too much.

Ardhanareeswara is another form of the both Lord Shiva and Mata Parvati as a half man and half woman. It is the form the Purusha (means the male energy) and the Prakriti (means the female energy) binding together to make the cosmic energy.

Another form of God Shiva is the Panchamukha Shiva (means Five faced Shiva) having each face in different directions like as a Sadyojata he has faced to the East, as a Tatpurusha he has faced to the north, as a Aghora he has faced to the west, as a Ishana he has faced to the south and as a Sadesiva (means the Eternal Shiva) he has faced to the upside.

There is a story of long ago, when some sages were busy in doing penance. In order to test their commitment, Lord Shiva started dancing on the forest and the wives (who came to forest to collect some firewood) of those sages got intimated with the dance of him. At the sunset when sages came to the forest to get their wives, they saw that they all were busy in seeing he dancing of other person, they pest that person. They were totally unaware that the dancing person was the Lord Shiva himself. Because of the pest, the penis fell down on the earth and started rising a long in both directions. Lord Vishnu and Lord Brahma both went o the south and north direction respectively for getting some solutions and its end, but they were unsuccessful. They found that it is infinite and then recognized the God Shiva as Supreme.

Lord Shiva Family

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Lord Shiva got married two times, First time he got married to the granddaughter of the Brahma named Sati (daughter of the Prajapati Daksha). And second time he got married with the Parvati (rebirth of the Sati), the daughter of the King of the Himalayas. God Shiva and Parvati had two sons named the Ganesh and the Kartikeya.

How to Worship Lord Shiva

The most famous worship of the Lord Shiva is the worship to be performed for sixteen successive Mondays. The process of the worship is:

Take a bath in the early morning at Monday and wear a clean white cloth. Cook Churma by mixing a pound of pure wheat flour, gur ghee and fry it. Offer the Churma to the God Shiva along with a ghee diya, gur, sandal paste, rice grains, beetle nut, a sacred thread and flowers by reciting the mantras and songs. After worship distribute the prasad and take yourself as well.

Do this process for sixteen Mondays. After completing the 16^th Monday worship, at the 17^th Monday, mix ten pounds of flour, ghee and gur and fry that. Offer all that to the Lord Shiva with full dedication and love.

There is a big story behind the worship for 16 Mondays. Once God Shiva and Parvati had gone for the world tour and stay at the temple of the Shiva. They started playing Chaucer, then Parvati asked with a lady priest that who will win the game. She told that Shankar Ji will win. Finally, Lord Shiva had won the game and Parvati thought that all this become because of the priest announcement. She became angry and cursed that lady priest to become the patient of leprosy. The lady become very sad and suffered a long with the leprosy. One day she went to the temple to know her bad working as she was cursed with the Devine mother. An Apsara told her about the worship of God Shiva for the 16 Mondays. Then she did all the processes for sixteen Mondays and blessed by the Lord Shiva and became free from the leprosy.

An Amazing Miracle Of Lord Venkateswara Of Tirumala Tirupati

This truly amazing and the most unbelievable miracle occurred almost three and half decades ago at the holy abode of Lord Sri Venkateswara of the Tirumala Tirupati temple,that’s located on a hilltop,in the Southern part of India…

This great miracle still surprises many and is still a mystery to many so called atheists of our modern world.. This miracle not only endorses the divine existence of God but it also very emphatically approves our faith in Him…

But Where Is Tirumala Temple And Who Is Lord Sri Venkateswara ??

Located on a hilltop,853 meters above the main sea level,Tirumala (Tiru means holy and Mala means hill) is a major pilgrimage center near the Tirupati town in the Chittor district of Andhra Pradesh,India...Spread over an area of 10.33 square miles,the Tirumala hill shrine consists of seven hills namely Seshadri, Neeladri, Garudadri, Anjanadri, Vrishabhadri, Narayanadri and Venkatadri… 

The main temple of Tirumala Tirupati lies on the seventh hill called Venkatadri, which is why this holy Tirumala Temple is also called “The Temple Of Seven Hills”…Lord Sri Venkateswara,also known as Balaji and Govinda,is the presiding deity of this holy temple…

Today,if we go by the available statistics,about thirty to forty million pilgrims, from all over the world,visit this holy temple every year making Lord Sri Venkateswara the most worshiped Hindu God in the world and Tirumala the most visited place of worship…

With its annual revenue running into billions of Indian rupees,Tirumala is also the richest pilgrimage center of faith in the modern world..

The Amazing Miracle

This truly amazing miracle occurred,in the holy temple of Tirumala,on the mid night of 7th November,1979…

At that time,right from a street urchin to the holy Lord,the whole of Tirumala was in a very deep sleep…All the otherwise busy streets of the holy temple town were wearing a vacant look..

Except an occasional sound here and there,the whole of the Tirumala hill shrine was filled with absolute silence..

And exactly during that dark hour…

Breaking all the silence…

This miracle occurred and occurred quite suddenly taking the entire hill shrine of Tirumala by surprise.

Thong…Thonggg…Thonggggg..

The huge Bronze bells,that were hanging in front of the principal deity of Lord Sri Venkatewsara in the holy Bangaru Vaakili (Sanctum Sanctorum) of the Tirumala Tirupati temple started ringing on their own.without anyone touching them,sending waves of heavy metal sound across the whole of the Tirumala hill shrine.

The security staff,the police,the pilgrims,the officials,the temple staff,the Archaks and the Purohits,who were shocked by the huge sound of the Bronze bells,woke up startled and came running to the main Temple.

They all stood there,outside the temple,watching in utter shock and disbelief, unable to know  ”..how the huge bronze bells – hanging in the heavily guarded and fully locked up Bangaru Vaakili (Sanctum Sanctorum) – could ring on their own,without any one touching them..??..”

Shocking them further,the bells rang in that fashion for a few more minutes and later stopped on their own…It was a dream state for all those gathered there; an unbelievably true state.

Mysterious..Miraculous..And absolutely fantastic..

The entire Temple staff,gathered there,knows pretty well that all the doors of the main temple,including those of the Sanctum Sanctorum,will be fully locked up from outside after the Ekanta Seva (Final pooja performed in the temple every night) and will only be opened,the next morning,for the Suprabhata Seva (First pooja offered to Lord Sri Venkateswara at 3 a. m everyday)…

So there’s no way any one could enter inside until,again,those doors are opened by the authorized Temple staff  the next morning..Then how did the bells ring on their own and who is there inside the Sanctum Sanctorum except the holy Lord Sri Venkateswara Himself..??

Several questions were raised,several doubts were discussed and several more inferences were drawn,but none of those gathered there could come out with a logical explanation.

Finally,they all came to a conclusion that some pilgrim,by mistake,was locked up in side the main temple and he must have banged those Bronze bells just to draw the attention of  the temple staff.

Well…That seems quite logical…At least in a human point of view..

But if that was the case why would we call it a miracle and where is the need for me to write about it,now,after thirty four years..????

RIGHT..??

Then…What Happened..???

Why did that miracle occur.. ??

And what was its significance…???

To know that,it’s important for us to go back in time and know a few things about a series of crisis ridden incidents that took place on the hill shrine of Tirumala just a few weeks prior to the occurrence of this miracle.

The holy temple town of Tirumala,in those days,was witnessing a never seen before water crisis that forced the TTD staff to impose sanctions on the daily water consumption there on the hill shrine…

As a result,the supply of water to all the employees’ quarters and also to the pilgrim’s cottages was restricted.. However,that could only regulate the water supply to a certain extent but could not offer any solid solution..

But in spite of that,the water levels in the Gogarbham reservoir and the Alwar tank on the hill shrine were drastically receding…A few more drinking water wells that were there on the Tirumala hill shrine too were drying out (The current Papa Naasanam reservoir was still under construction those days)

An Emergency Meeting Of The Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanam Board

Greatly disturbed by the acute water crisis,P V R K Prasad,the Executive Officer of the Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanam Board called for an emergency meeting of his executive staff to discuss about the various measures that need to be taken to combat the on going water crisis on the holy Tirumala hill…

He had a marathon discussion with all his water board engineers.

Those engineers not only pleaded complete helplessness but also warned their Executive Officer,saying “Sir,the tanks and reservoirs on the Tirumala hill shrine have very little water reserves now..They can only be served for a few more days and not any more…”

At length they discussed about various other options to withstand the water crisis for a few more days..Every one suggested..”..more sanctions be imposed on the consumption of water on the holy hill shrine..”

In those days,in addition to the twenty five thousand visitors per day,the holy Tirumala temple town had about six thousand population living there..Water sanctions were already being imposed to the maximum level and any further sanctions will only paralyze the human life there…

So no further sanctions…

Then,what..???

Someone suggested to put a restriction on the number of daily pilgrims visiting the holy Tirumala hill shrine…

At that point,the Executive Officer said..”most of the pilgrims who visit Tirumala,plan their visit months in advance..It would be cruel on our part to stop them now..”

“..Secondly,there is no such legislation in TTD books to prevent any devotee of Lord Sri Venkateswara from visiting His holy hill shrine…Even otherwise,we are here to serve His devotees but not to put restrictions on their visits..”…

He concluded the meeting…

Problem came back to square one as the water crisis started deepening with every passing day.

The Crucial Meeting With A Noble Saint

As an ardent devotee of Lord Sri Venkateswara and as the official head of the holy Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanam Board,the Executive Officer PVRK Prasad decided to find a solution to the water crisis on his own…

He has great faith in the holy scriptures of the Vedas and Upanishads and also knows pretty well that they can offer a definite solution to every human problem..

“But who is the competent person to offer me guidance on the Vedas and Upanishads and who will now give proper direction to the Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanam board on this aspect..???..” …

That was the million dollar question tormenting  PVRK Prasad’s mind at that moment..

After due consultations with eminent personalities in the field of spirituality, PVRK Prasad has finally decided to seek guidance from Sri.Uppuluri Ganapati Sastry,a holy personality and an authentic authority on all the topics related to Vedas, Dharmas,Dharma Sastras and Upanishads.

Sri.Uppuluri Ganapati Sastry was a saintly 82-year old man and was an adviser, at that time,to the Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanam Board..Sri Satsry has spent forty eight years of his life time in learning Vedas and Upanishads..

He has followers and disciples all over the world who very reverentially consider Sri.Sastry the reincarnation of Hindu Goddess Saraswati.

Apart from attaining complete mastery over the Vedas,Sri Sastry had also attained greater command over the Vedangas (Sub Branches of Vedas) namely Vyakarana, Tarka, Meemansa, Nyaya, Nirukta and a few other branches of Vedas…

By far he is the only Indian spiritual master empowered with so much of authority on the Vedas,Upanishads and all the other Dharma sastras…He was also the recipient of the prestigious Padma Vibhushan award presented by the honorable government of India..

PVRK Prasad met Sri.Uppuluri Ganapati Sastry at his Secunderabad residence and explained him in detail about the water crisis in Tirumala. .After carefully listening to all the woes narrated by Prasad, Sri Sastry smiled and said..

“Dear Prasad,without keeping it’s solution ready God will never give us a problem..We only need to adopt that wisdom to identify that solution.. Indeed there’s a solution,to every human problem,found in the Vedas and in fact people in olden days depended entirely on the Vedas and Vedic rituals for their problems.. ”

“..With utmost reverence and with complete faith in those holy Vedas they have followed all the scriptures laid down by them and found solutions to many of their problems.”..

PVRK Prasad was noting down all the points…

Sri Uppuluri Ganapati Sastry continued..

“Even during famine and acute water crisis,people in olden times have performed Varuna (God of Rain) Japam and enjoyed the benefits of rain…But in these modern days of sin filled world,Prasad,who has belief in Vedas and who will perform Varuna Japam,that too,with so much of discipline and faith required to perform it..??..”

“..Dear Prasad,if  you are ready to do that,with all the spiritual discipline required,then I am here to guide you and give you the Rithviks (Brahmins or the officiating acharyas who perform holy religious activities on behalf of their spiritual master) who can perform the holy Varuna Japam in Tirumala…When it has given positive results those days why not now..??..”

Commencement Of The Holy Varuna Japam

After carefully noting down every point mentioned by Sri Sastry, PVRK Prasad has decided to immediately perform the Vauna Japam (A divine and holy ritual performed to appease the Rain God of Varuna) in Tirumala,in accordance with the scriptures laid down in the Vedas…

He was determined,come what may, to follow all the holy instructions given by Sri.Satry..PVRK Prasad finally took blessings from the holy noble saint and left for Tirumala.

Later things followed in quick succession.

In view of his old age,Sri.Uppuluri Ganapati Sastry excused himself from personal attendance but he however promised to offer all the necessary help to Prasad to successfully complete the Varuna Japam..

Later Sri Sastry identified a few Rithviks and instructed them to go to Tirumala to perform the holy Varuna Japam.

After doing all the astrological calculations, PVRK Prasad decided to conduct the Varuna Japam on 1, November,1979…

But unfortunately the Rithviks,who were to conduct the Varuna Japam,could not come on time to Tirumala..

And as a result..

The Varuna Japam was indefinitely postponed

A couple of days have passed…

In the mean time the water crisis,on the holy Tirumala hill,deepened further..

Pleading total helplessness,the Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanam board engineers informed PVRK Prasad, “Sir…it will be impossible for us to supply water to the pilgrims for more than a week now ..”…”And if that happens sir..”,they warned…

“The holy temple town of Tirumala Tirupati has to be indefinitely closed down..”

And in such case of an indefinite closure then PVRK Prasad,as the official head of the Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanam board,will go down in the history of TTD as it’s most unpopular Executive Officer…

With a blazing Sun rocking the holy temple town of Tirumala and with no signs of any clouds anywhere nearby,PVRK Prasad was a disturbed man..

“What to do..??”..

Several questions were battling in his mind..

Without wasting any further time,he immediately called every member of his executive staff for an emergency meeting…His message to all of them was very loud and clear..

“..I want the Varuna Japam to be performed at the earliest..”…

The firmness in their boss’s voice conveyed his mind to his staff..Finally,they discussed about a few more problems and a few more hurdles.

However,PVRK Prasad made his stand very clear to them and told them “..come what may,we have to perform the Varuna Japam on the 8th of this month (November,1979)..”

Later he also personally spoke to all the Rithviks,over the phone,and briefed them about the grave situation on the holy Tirumala hills…

Finally,after every member of his staff left his chambers,a lonely PVRK Prasad stood up in his place and silently offered his prayers to Lord Sri Venkateswara..

“..Swamy Sri Venkateswara,as Your humble servant I have always done my best for You and for Your devotees..Then why these hurdles for me and what is this ordeal..??..I now need Your guidance and approval immediately..Please offer..”

Will the Lord Sri Venkateswara offer His approval..?? If so how..??

Although everyone swung into an immediate action there were still many doubts in everyone’s mind there..

The date of 8th,November too was fast approaching..An anxiety filled PVRK Prasad was eagerly waiting for an appropriate approval from the holy Lord Sri Venkateswara..

And it was then…

During that thick dark hour on the mid night of 7th, November, 1979…

Just a few hours before the commencement of the holy Varuna Japam..

The heavy Bronze bells,hanging in front of the principle deity of Lord Sri Venkateswara,started ringing on their own..

Thus signalling the holy Lord Sri Venkateswara’s much awaited permission and HIS most wanted approval for the Varuna Japam..

That was an amazingly mind blowing miracle of Lord Sri Venkateswara very difficult for the humanity to understand..

PVRK Prasad was speechless..

Later,for three full days,amidst chanting of the Vedic hymns,the holy Varuna Japam was performed strictly according to the Vedas and strictly according to the instructions given by the noble Sri Uppuluri Ganapati Sastry..

After that,once all the rituals of the Varuna Japam were completed on the third and final day,it was supposed to rain immediately..

But there were still no signs of any rain from any corner..

After the final rituals,carrying the Ceremonial Deities in their hands,all the Rithviks were returning to the main temple..

PVRK Prasad,the special invitees,the engineers,the board officials,the visitors, the pilgrims,the security staff,members from the press were also silently following them..

There was an utter disappointment in everyone’s face..

“Except tear drops in our eyes,there’s not a drop of rain anywhere nearby..” someone from the press commented..

And then it happened..

Perhaps the biggest miracle…

All of them were very silently walking back towards the main temple and were still hundred paces away from the actual destination..

Before they could realize and before they could run for their shelter..

Making a huge thunderous noise…

The skies opened up…

And it started raining heavily..Very heavily indeed..

An unbelievable sight… Seen to be believed..

None of them was carrying an umbrella and before they could all run into the main temple for shelter,they were fully drenched in rain..

Joy.. Ecstasy.. Surprise.. Disbelief..

It’s very difficult to describe the mood there..

And in that glorious and spectacular fashion..

That heavy rain watered the whole of Tirumala hill shrine for many hours..

Later..

When PVRK Prasad was monitoring the overall situation in his office chambers, a fully excited TTD water works engineer came running into his chambers and informed Prasad…

“Sir,the Gogarbham reservoir is over flowing..”

Epilogue

>An emotionally ecstatic P V R K Prasad,with his eyes filled with tears of devotion,immediately got up from his chair and turned towards the main temple of Tirumala and offered his thanks,in an all joyous silence,to Lord Sri Venkateswara..

>After that amazing miracle of ringing bells that night,the doors of the main temple were opened up for the Suprabtham Seva the next morning (8th, November, 1979)..Without leaving an inch,the holy temple staff went around searching everynook and corner of the Sanctum Sanctorum,but to their utter shock and disbelief,they did not find anything suspicious there except the ever smiling principal deity of the holy Lord Sri Venkateswara.

>Tirupati,Renigunta,Sri Kalahasti,Railway Koduru are a few other important places very close to Tirumala…However,none of these places reported any rain fall at that time when it was heavily pouring down in Tirumala.. A true miracle again.

>Sri.PVRK Prasad was an honest IAS officer and was also a crucial Adviser to the former Indian Prime Minister P V Narasimha Rao..He was responsible for many crucial decisions  taken by the honorable prime minister those days. Prasad was,in a way,responsible for many of the economic reforms that later changed the overall financial scenario in India..At the age of 73 today PVRK Prasad is leading a saintly life in Hyderabad..

>Sadly,there is little information available on the web about the great Indian noble saint Sri.Uppuluri Ganapati Sastry…If any one of you have any info about this great Indian, please mail me the details..

I had the honor of meeting this noble saint,once,personally in 1991 and was fortunate enough to be blessed by him..HONOR

Conclusion

Miracles are not contrary to Nature,but only are contrary to what we know about Nature.. It’s almost impossible to exaggerate the proneness of the human mind to take miracles as evidence,and to seek for miracles as evidence..

In earlier religions the spirit of the time was expressed through the individual and confirmed by miracles.. In modern religions the spirit is expressed through the many and confirmed by reason.

Love