Short, Crisp & Insightful Indian History videos coming up!
By Ungal Anban Hemanth - July 09, 2020
Wish there was someone who could share and describe the experience after their death. As much as it is scary, life-after-death is equally thrilling to talk about. Though almost all cultures on Earth believe that the story doesn’t end with one’s death, none of them shows a solid proof of what will really happen after one's death.
(If you were wondering, Sirius is nothing but Mirigasirisha nakshatra. Remember the comedy sequence from the movie Chandramukhi where Rajinikanth tells Vadivelu that it is demons' favorite star?)
While these cultures had such intriguing beliefs, no wonder Indians had even more elaborate beliefs. As per Garudapurana, which is one of the 18 Puranas of Hindu Mythology, there is a dreaded river called
Vaitarani which is located midway between the world that we live in, and Naraka, the
City of Yama Raja, the God of Death. A soul that has departed its body has to
cross this river, after which it is judged at Yama’s place. Once the souls
are judged, they get to proceed to either the Heaven or the Hell. While a
righteous soul sees the Vaitarani river as though it is filled with nectar, it
is a totally different case for the sinful souls. For them, it is said that the
Vaitarani river is very frightening, filled with blood and heaps of bones on
the bank. It is crowded with huge crocodiles and flesh eating birds, and filthy
with faeces and urine. The souls that are left astray on the river will have to
go through the torture without even getting a chance to go to the Hell and to be born again in some form at a later time. These souls that
have not passed the Vaitarani are considered as “ghosts” who have not passed on
for the next “journey”, and are stuck midway. And wait, that is not all.
Garudapurana also lists 28 different terrifying punishments used in the Hell
based on the sins committed by the souls. Just for the sake of sanity, I would
like to refrain from elaborately explaining the punishments. If you still
insist on knowing more, click on the below picture.
Quite interesting from everything above, there is an interpretation (or perhaps not an interpretation at all, but just based on pure
"knowing") from the ancient yogis about what happens after death. As
per the spiritual tradition, what is oneself is just the soul, but not the body or
the mind. During the moment of death, when a soul departs its physical body, it loses the discretionary mind which usually helps someone spring back to routine
after anything. Hence after losing the discretionary mind, whatever the
tendency at the moment of death is, it multiplies. If someone dies in peace,
the peacefulness grows exponentially within the soul. On the other hand, if someone leaves unwillingly
or in sorrow, this will multiply into something terrible within them that it
feels “Hell-like” and lasts much longer. (Now you know why they wish the dead, “RIP- Rest In Peace”!) So basically, Heaven and Hell are just
experiential realities of the soul that departed the body, rather than “geographical
entities”, such as underworld, higher worlds etc. And this makes much sense,
and perhaps the stories in Garudapurana were all allegorical to this fact!
~
7th century Tamil Nadu, India.
A little boy is born to pious Brahmin
parents in the quaint little town of Sirkazhi. As the boy attains the age of
three, he is taken to a nearby Shiva temple. While the father takes a dip in
the temple’s pond, Lord Shiva and his consort Parvathi appear in front of the
boy. Before the father comes back to the son, they disappear and the little boy
is left with drops of milk on his lips. When asked who fed him, the little
finger points up towards the sky and the soft lips start singing a hymn
praising the lord. Over the following years, the boy goes up to sing the most
amazing hymns in Tamil that forms the Holy Book of Saivism (religion of the Shiva
devotees). The little boy was none else than - one of the most renowned of the 63
Nayanmars - Thirugnana Sambandar. The lad who was fed by the Goddess herself!
15th Century Eastern Europe.
The cruel of the cruelest
King reigns over the country. The Ottoman Empire is being eroded away by this
ruthless warrior. As tens of thousands of enemies' bodies get cruelly impaled
in long and sharp arrows, the horrific image of this King spreads throughout
Europe as a forest fire. He was none else than King Vlad III Dracula - the demonic
warrior whose very thought and the bloody cruel punishments bring shrills and
shivers to people up to this day!
Now, why are these two different people being juxtaposed? Do
they share anything in common? What if they do? 
To understand the link here, readers should first clearly understand what "Impalement" is, and how it made Vlad Dracula stand out in history as the most horrific ruler. For the movie-buffs out there, impalement ("Kazhuvettram") is what Kamal Haasan (“Rangaraja Nambi”) gets as punishment for not practicing Saivism (worshipping Lord Shiva) in “Dasavatharam” movie. It's a kind of punishment where the body of a human is pierced from his bottom and pushed up through the body, to reach out through the head. (This being such a gory punishment is precisely the reason why the movie didn't show the way the punishment exactly works, but toned it down a bit). It was such a torturous execution method used in the early and medieval ages.
Now when I step into a Hindu temple and touch the feet of the 63 Nayanmar saints one by one - and when I reach Thirugnana Sambandhar - I would stop for a moment. To think.
~
Rameshwaram is a town in the South Indian state of Tamil Nadu and is one of India's most revered pilgrimage spots. It is situated on the Pamban Island that is located between mainland India and Sri Lanka. At the eastern end of the Pamban Island is another town called Dhanushkodi that rivaled Rameshwaram in tourism. While Rameswaram was famous for its Ramanathaswamy temple, Dhanushkodi was also a flourishing tourist and pilgrimage town, back in the days. With Sri Lanka being just 31 km away from Dhanushkodi, there were many ferry services connecting it with Talaimannar of Sri Lanka. Trains from mainland reached the island at Pamban Station, from where the railway lines split into two directions- one towards Rameshwaram and another towards Dhanushkodi. At Dhanushkodi, it's a great to sight to watch the rough Indian Ocean meeting the calm waters of Bay of Bengal. It was at the tip of Dhanushkodi that Lord Rama built a bridge connecting Sri Lanka, as per Ramayana! But as destiny had it, the seeming auspicious Dhanuskodi was ill-fated.
At 23:55 PM sharp, a few yards before Dhanushkodi railway station, the train was hit by a massive tidal wave. The whole train was washed away killing everyone on board. Along with them, over 1800 people died in the cyclonic storm in the whole town of Dhanushkodi. The high tidal waves moved almost 10 kilometers onto the island and ruined the entire town. All houses, the small railway hospital, the dharmashala, and all other structures in Dhanushkodi were swallowed into the sea. Following the disaster, the Government declared the town as “Ghost town” (unfit for living).
When the controversy around the truth and the debate of the bridge’s authenticity is saddening to many, even more sad - is the fact that a whole town that once flourished greatly, has been swallowed by a cyclone, and stands abandoned and helpless today.
A God-built bridge in a Ghost-town indeed!
Humanity has seen humongous amount of changes over centuries, but the search for God has been one common thing right from Stone Age, up until today. Some people believe in God, while some people believe in themselves more than anything else. There is a third category of people who don't fall in either of these categories- they neither believe in God to a full extent, nor in themselves. Many of us fall into this category, and that’s the main reason for most of the miseries faced in life. (What do YOU believe in?) Even a more intriguing question to mull over is- Is there actually a difference between believing in God and believing in yourself at all??
Zooming back to my contemplation atop the sacred hills – As I finished hearing each of the personalities’ mystical answers to “WHO IS GOD?”, I felt the stars pulling me towards the unfathomable realm of GOD again. As I remained in the incredible trance, I saw myself gliding into thoughts of two experiences from my own distant past…
It was many years ago - the time when I was a college
student. All that I got from my dad was a meager amount as pocket money. Just
after finishing my lunch, I walked on the street on a late Sunday afternoon
when I was confronted by a little, shabby clothed old lady who was in her late eighties.
She came closer to me and earnestly implored, “Son, I’m very hungry. Can you please spare me 1 Rupee for buying a
vada for lunch…?” I felt sorry for her, and without any hesitation, I spontaneously
emptied out my pocket of all the crippled notes and coins and gave her all the
money that I had. She was dumb-struck for a moment. I asked her to rather go
and eat a sumptuous Biryani for lunch. She became totally overjoyed which
reflected in the way her tiny old eyes shined. She smiled gratefully, baring
her toothless mouth and glowed with radiance. I felt as if the petty money in
my wallet illuminated her and the light transformed to everywhere- to every
nook and corner of the street - the whole area was glowing with an aura of
benevolence, joy and karma. All for a day’s pocket money.
Initially I felt the stars pulling me towards the realm of GOD was just an act of my mind. But soon I realized that this was not bound within my mind. It transcended to a limitless space of wholeness and oneness. This realm was not limited to time, space or any other boundaries. Continuing my journey towards this realm, I quickly slid into the thoughts of my second experience.
Initially I felt the stars pulling me towards the realm of GOD was just an act of my mind. But soon I realized that this was not bound within my mind. It transcended to a limitless space of wholeness and oneness. This realm was not limited to time, space or any other boundaries. Continuing my journey towards this realm, I quickly slid into the thoughts of my second experience.
It was after I got my first job. I wanted to
give away half of my first month’s salary to people who are in darn need. However,
I didn’t believe in just “donating” money in the name of a cause, but wanted to
go to an old age home, organize a free lunch, serve them all myself, and
indulge in the whole experience. The free lunch at the old age home happened as I had wished. After their hunger was satisfied, all the old men and women sat around
me and chatted leisurely. However, one among them still did not seem glad.
Now that I was in a constant contemplation, all the answers to "WHO IS GOD" by those personalities and my two experiences flashed in my mind back and forth. All their answers didn't quite refer to someone very far and external. And my mind brought me my own experiences as answers. I was at the
verge of understanding the answer to the question. As the stars put me
to a sudden halt, I knew that I was already within the realm of GOD. With an
eye-blinding luminescence and an enchanting realization, I saw God, Himself.
He was indeed the closest one to me in my life, who I have
been with, all the time I have existed.
A chilly February night on the hills of a less-visited holy shrine in Tamil Nadu.
I sit atop a boulder and gaze at the starry sky. The small towns around the
base of the hills are so noisy as opposed to the meditative silence here. Even
crickets and other nightly insects seem to maintain silence at this place. This
place had been one of the most-revered places of the ancient saints, and
claimed to be abode of God himself. After starting to climb up the hill early
this morning, right from the moment I reached the peak, I feel as if all the
connections with my regular worldly life have got severed. My mind sees a
never-experienced tranquility and stillness. As I continue to gaze at the sky, I have a feeling as if I’m being pulled by every star, as if using several strings, away from the world and into an unknown realm closer to God.
As moments pass, I feel that the silence has changed into a mild, rhythmic and collective chant of the name of God. As I stay focused in my seeming journey to that realm, my human intellect pulls out a question from the world beneath the hills and shoves into my mind- “WHO IS GOD?” It repeats the question harmoniously over and over again- “WHO IS GOD?” “WHO IS GOD?” As the stars abruptly stop pulling me to that realm, I start looking for an answer to this question. And I see several well-known figures from my under-the-hill-life popping up and filling my mind’s vastness. They are Buddhist monk Bodhidharma, Siththar Thirumoolar, Sadhguru Jaggi Vasudev, psychologist Dr.Joseph Murphy and Indian movie star Kamal Haasan. As I bewilderedly ask them why they are all here, they all tell me in harmony- “I HAVE THE ANSWER!”
As moments pass, I feel that the silence has changed into a mild, rhythmic and collective chant of the name of God. As I stay focused in my seeming journey to that realm, my human intellect pulls out a question from the world beneath the hills and shoves into my mind- “WHO IS GOD?” It repeats the question harmoniously over and over again- “WHO IS GOD?” “WHO IS GOD?” As the stars abruptly stop pulling me to that realm, I start looking for an answer to this question. And I see several well-known figures from my under-the-hill-life popping up and filling my mind’s vastness. They are Buddhist monk Bodhidharma, Siththar Thirumoolar, Sadhguru Jaggi Vasudev, psychologist Dr.Joseph Murphy and Indian movie star Kamal Haasan. As I bewilderedly ask them why they are all here, they all tell me in harmony- “I HAVE THE ANSWER!”
The
first one to speak up is Bodhidharma, the Kanchipuram-born founder of Shaolin
Kung Fu and Zen Buddhism. With a stern look on his face, he says, “As long as you look for a Buddha somewhere else, you will never see that your own mind is the Buddha!” Sensing the puzzled look on my face, he continues, “To find a
Buddha, all you have to do is see your nature”. As I was trying to decrypt what
he said, I heard someone singing a poem. It was the mystical Tamil Siththar
saint Thirumoolar.
Siththars were the mystical Tamil saints, astrologers, alchemists and scientists of
ancient India. Thirumoolar being one of the most mystic of them begins to sing an odd poem that goes like this (translated version):
This
poem of Thirumoolar sounded like a simple kindergarten school rhyme, but only
after moments did I realize that it’s just the superficial meaning. The hidden meaning is that the five senses of a person are like the
five cows he keeps at his house. When he succumbs to these senses, these
uncontrolled senses make him go crazy in life, but when controlled, they reap
him the ultimate benefits of human life. Thirumoolar adds, "Controlling the senses is the
key to evidence the Master". I suddenly hear someone laughing. It was Sadhguru Jaggi Vasudev.
As psychologist Dr. Joseph Murphy starts to speak, I yearned for a straight forward answer at least this time. He pulls out from one of his books and quotes from the Holy Bible,
When I was about to quickly judge him and anticipate his answer, he smiles as if he knew what I thought, and repeats, “If you ask in faith, you will receive. But who do you ask?
-The treasure house!” To me, his response was utterly confusing. I should ask the “treasure house”?!?! He smiles again and continues, “if you ask in firm belief, your prayers will get answered. For all your sincere prayers are listened by, and answered by the treasure house within you - which created you, healed you and continues to shape you every second - the “treasure house” within you – your subconscious mind.
It is versatile Indian actor Kamal Haasan who begins to speak now. As I look at him, all that comes to my mind is his well-known atheist ideologies and rationalism. He says in a matter-of-fact manner, “God is omnipresent!” It blew me off for one second. Kamal says, God is everywhere?! He continues, “God lives in you and lives in me, for God is none other than you and me”. This leaves me even more perplexed.
All
these people I’m evidencing in front of my eyes are from different lifetimes and varied backgrounds.
Some are dead and some are alive. Some are saints, psychologists and
some are show-biz personalities. Together, they bewilder me even more about my
original question of “Who is God?” I feel lost in a world of mystics. As I stare
at them as I think, all of them disappear with a momentary flash in the dark
sky of the night. The silvery stars collectively begin to pull me again. As I
move, I start to see a huge blazing light in the distant horizon of my mind, and I knew - I was not very far from the realm of God…
To be continued in the next post..
To be continued in the next post..
Kanchipuram. A small old temple-town in South India that always bustles with Hindu pilgrimage tourists and that is known for its silk saris. Kung Fu. A Chinese martial art that is practiced for self-defense and mental strength, primarily by the Buddhist monks at the Shaolin monastery in China. What could be common to Kanchipuram and Kung Fu? Nothing at all?! You should think again, or should flip some historical accounts- well, not Indian, but Chinese or Japanese accounts! What could that secret connection be??
When you think of Buddhism, all that comes up in mind is the Buddha, in a meditative pose, sometimes with long earlobes and tiny, wide eyes. Oftentimes red-robed, head-shaven peaceful Chinese monks also cross the mind. Contrary to this, Buddha was actually an Indian Prince, and we know this fact. However, seldom would we dare to think that Buddhism had its flourishing times in Tamil Nadu! (“What?? Most of the Tamilians were Buddhists?!” Is this what you’re thinking right now?) In fact two out of the Five Great Epics in Tamil (Aymperumkaapiyangal) were on Buddhism (none of those were on Hinduism!). Between the 3rd and 6th centuries AD, Buddhism was at its height in Tamil Nadu, and thus it splashed some beautiful hues on the vast and elaborate canvas of Tamil and South India’s history. As centuries rolled on, people started embracing different religions and thus culture and literary works evolved along. Now there is literally no trace of Buddhism here. Well, now what would be even more surprising is to know that a Tamil Prince from Pallava dynasty in Kanchipuram was the 28th father of the Buddha line, and also the Zen master, who taught Kung Fu (Shaolinquan) martial arts to China!
You might have known that the world-famous shore temple in Mahabalipuram in Tamil Nadu was built by the Pallava king Narasimhavarman. But we have forgotten another mighty one from the Pallava heir line- Bodhidharman. He was born in Kanchipuram as the third son to the Pallava King. After wearing the red robe and becoming a Buddhist monk, he travelled the seas for 3 years and reached China during the 4th-5th centuries AD. He was the 28th patriarch of Buddhism, with the lineage tracing back to Gautama Buddha himself. In most of the art forms- be it Chinese, Japanese or Vietnamese- he is portrayed to be a profusely bearded and ill-tempered person always, as opposed to the tranquil-looking Gautama Buddha. After being in Liang dynasty in Southern China, he proceeded north, where he taught Shaolin Kung Fu martial art techniques to the monks in the Shaolin monastery. Staring at a wall, he continuously meditated for 9 years in a cave near Mt. Song (which is a famous holy pilgrimage spot in China today). After that he died at the banks of Luo River when he was around 150 years of age. Some claim the death was natural, some say his leg atrophied after the long meditation, and some say he was a victim of a mass execution!
One of the most intriguing incidents happened when an official in the kingdom spotted Bodhidharma walking on a mountain, three years after his death. When questioned, he claimed to be returning “home”, and also predicted the impending death of the Kingdom’s ruler. He also noticed him carrying one sandal in his hand. Bodhidharma’s prediction came true soon after that; and when his tomb was dug open, all that remained was the other sandal!
Bodhidharma was the first patriarch of Zen. According to Zen, you become a Buddha (you attain enlightenment) when you attain “self-realization”. It also emphasizes that Zen is a special transmission out of scriptures, and cannot be “taught” by anyone. All that someone could teach is just the method to achieve Zen.
You might have known that the world-famous shore temple in Mahabalipuram in Tamil Nadu was built by the Pallava king Narasimhavarman. But we have forgotten another mighty one from the Pallava heir line- Bodhidharman. He was born in Kanchipuram as the third son to the Pallava King. After wearing the red robe and becoming a Buddhist monk, he travelled the seas for 3 years and reached China during the 4th-5th centuries AD. He was the 28th patriarch of Buddhism, with the lineage tracing back to Gautama Buddha himself. In most of the art forms- be it Chinese, Japanese or Vietnamese- he is portrayed to be a profusely bearded and ill-tempered person always, as opposed to the tranquil-looking Gautama Buddha. After being in Liang dynasty in Southern China, he proceeded north, where he taught Shaolin Kung Fu martial art techniques to the monks in the Shaolin monastery. Staring at a wall, he continuously meditated for 9 years in a cave near Mt. Song (which is a famous holy pilgrimage spot in China today). After that he died at the banks of Luo River when he was around 150 years of age. Some claim the death was natural, some say his leg atrophied after the long meditation, and some say he was a victim of a mass execution!
One of the most intriguing incidents happened when an official in the kingdom spotted Bodhidharma walking on a mountain, three years after his death. When questioned, he claimed to be returning “home”, and also predicted the impending death of the Kingdom’s ruler. He also noticed him carrying one sandal in his hand. Bodhidharma’s prediction came true soon after that; and when his tomb was dug open, all that remained was the other sandal!
Bodhidharma was the first patriarch of Zen. According to Zen, you become a Buddha (you attain enlightenment) when you attain “self-realization”. It also emphasizes that Zen is a special transmission out of scriptures, and cannot be “taught” by anyone. All that someone could teach is just the method to achieve Zen.
 |
| Japanese Daruma doll & Tamil Chettiar dolls |
While China, Japan, Vietnam and other countries revere and follow Bodhidharma, Japan has intertwined him with its culture and tradition. Daruma dolls are the famous hollow, round, red-colored Japanese dolls that depict Bodhidharma. These dolls are believed to bring luck, and have been in place since the 18th century in Japan. The interesting thing is that the eyes of the doll are just blank when sold. After someone buys it, one eye is drawn in black, upon making a wish. Once the wish is fulfilled, the other eye is supposed to be drawn. Moreover, these dolls always return to an upright position when tilted, symbolizing persistence (oh yes, these are very similar to the good old “Chettiar dolls” and the bobblehead “Thalayaati bommai” of our tradition that you threw out, when you dusted your store-room last year!). It’s a pity, when it’s a big tradition in Japan to reminisce and celebrate a great man from our land while here we are crazy about buying those Chinese “Laughing Buddha” dolls for homes!
Had we remembered Bodhidharma’s work and recognized him to be from our land much earlier, it would be of no surprise if the Hollywood blockbuster animation movie Kung Fu Panda’s plot was set in Kanchipuram- as if Po, the panda amuses with its usual antics while roaming in the quaint streets of Kanchipuram, intermittently uttering Tamil words and fighting atop the grand golden gopurams of Kanchi Kamakshi temple! This could be difficult to imagine for a few, but such a thing would have been definitely adorable, in its very original form. Well, anyways, that’s a trivial offshoot of a much more humongous yearning.
Now what’s the “secret connection”? The Enlightened Niche blog takes pride to be the truth-revealing “Dragon Scroll” here. But there is no “secret” connection. This whole thing has been a well-known fact to the rest of the world. It’s just us, who forgot a great soul from our land, failed to recognize him, his life and his work, and let him out of our history. Know not who to complain. Sheer indifference perhaps.
