Shri Ram Navami

Dear Readers,

Jai Shri Sita Ram Ji Ki,

On Chaitra Sukla Navami (the ninth day of the bright half of Chaitra), the 1^st April 2012, Shri Ram Navami will be celebrated and I wish you all a happy Shri Ram Navmi Day.

"Wherever four Hindus live, Shri Ram and Sita will be there" so said Swami Vivekananda, one of the foremost harbingers of modern national renaissance of India. The reverse also is equally true - wherever Shri Ram and Sita live, the people there will remain and live as Hindus.

The importance of Ram Naam is not hidden to human race. Every hill and rivulet of India bears the imprint of the holy feet of Shri Ram and Sita. Shri Ram reigns supreme to this day in the hearts of our people, cutting across all barriers of province, language, caste or sect. Even the tribes living in isolated valleys and jungles have names like Mitti-Ram and Patthar-Ram. In some other tribes, every name carries the proud suffix of Ram, such as Lutthu Ram, Jagadev Ram, etc. In many northern parts of India mutual greetings take the form of Jay Ramjee Ki. Shri Ram has become so much identified with all the good and great and virile qualities of heroic manhood that expressions such as 'Us me Ram nahi hai' (there is no Shri Ram in him) - meaning that a person has lost all manliness and worth – have become common usage. And when a Hindu quits the world stage, he is bid Godspeed in his onward journey with Shri Ramnam  satya hai or Raghupati Raghava raja Ram, patita paavana Sita Ram. In fact, the latter couplet has become the nation's bhajan par excellence.

Shri Ram's story, Shri Ramyana, has been sung and re-sung in all the languages and dialects of India. The tradition of writing epics centering round the saga of Shri Ram's achievements started by Sage Valmiki in Sanskrit and was continued by Goswami Tulsidas ji in Hindi, by Kamban in Tamil, by Shri Ramnujan in Malayalam, by Krittivasa in Bengali and Madhav Kambali in Assamia and in fact, in almost every Indian language. The tradition is being continued up to the present day. The Shri Ramyana Darshanam of K.V. Puttappa, the national literary awarded  by the Gyana Peeth. The enchanting Geet Shri Ramyana composed in Marathi by G.D. Madgulkar and set to tune by Sudhir Phadke is now thrilling the hearts of millions in Maharashtra.

The various tribal groups too have sung the story of Shri Ramyana in their dialects. Shri Ram, Lakshmana and Janaki mirror the ideals for millions of tribal boys and girls. The Khamati tribe in Arunachal Pradesh, which is Buddhist, depicts Shri Ramayana as the story narrated by Buddha to his first disciple, Ananda, and carries the universal message of Buddha. How deeply significant that every group and sect even in distant and far-flung parts of India should have found a radiant reflection of its own ideals in the form of Shri Ram!

The comparison of Shri Ram's fortitude to Himalayas and the grace and grandeur of his personality to the ocean - 'Samudra iva gaambheerye, dhairye cha Himavaan iva' - portrays how inseparably his personality has been blended into the entire national entity of India. Where in lay the secret of this unique greatness in Shri Ram's personality? He is called Maryaada-Purushottama - the great one who never deviated from the norms set by Dharma. In the eyes of the Hindu, the touchstone of human excellence is Dharma. Devotion to Dharma came first in Shri Ram's life and considerations of his personal joys and sorrows came last. It was his supreme commitment to putra-dharma (duty of a son) that made Shri Ram smilingly depart to the forest for fourteen years at the bidding of his father. And this he did on the very day he was to be anointed as the future emperor of India. He would not budge from the path of Dharma – righteousness, even when his own preceptor, his parents, his brothers and the whole body of his subjects tried to dissuade him. He upheld the supremacy of Dharma in every one of his human relationships and hence became an ideal son, an ideal brother, an ideal husband, an ideal disciple, an ideal friend, an ideal kind and even an ideal foe.

The one and supreme concern of Shri Ram's life was the welfare of his subjects. He would forsake everything else to uphold his kingly duties - the Rajadharma. The night previous to his scheduled coronation, when Shri Ram and Sita were alone in a happy mood in view of the next day's joyous occasion, Sita asked Shri Ram, "What is that thing which holds dearest to your heart?" Shri Ram fell serious for a moment and said, "Dear Sita, you know I love you most dearly, but I love the subjects of Ayodhya more and if their welfare demands, I would not hesitate to sacrifice even you!"

And Shri Ram did live up to his words. When he felt that the call of his royal duties - Rajadharma - demanded the forsaking of Sita, he wavered not in carrying it out. The most crucial test came when Lakshmana violated the orders of Shri Ram and admitted Durvasa to Shri Ram's presence with a view to averting the destruction of Ayodhya by Durvasa's curse. Shri Ram stuck to the law of the land and awarded death penalty to Lakshmana - one whom he loved dearer than his own life. It was with such a fiery faith that Shri Ram followed the dictates of Dharma.

To such a one, how could power and pelf hold any fascination? When India came to him in the forest and implored him to return to Ayodhya and become the emperor, Shri Ram firmly refused. Here was enacted a scene unparalleled in the annals of world history - each of the two brothers trying to out-argue the other to make him accept the emperorship of a great and mighty kingdom.

Shri Ram's role as one of the first and foremost national unifiers of India is also unique and extraordinary. He embraced Guha, the forest King and ate in his house without the least hesitation. No sense of high or low ever touched his all-embracing love of his people. He even enjoyed a fruit tasted and offered with devotion by Shabari, a tribal lady in the far south. The Vanars or the forest-dwellers too felt that Shri Ram was their own. He endeared himself to them so intimately that they became, in fact, his chief allies against Ravana. All over India, the dear, little squirrel with its three brown stripes bespeaks the devotion to Shri Ram even among the animal world. Along with the Vanars, a solitary squirrel had played his humble part in carrying sand for the construction of bridge to Lanka and Shri Ram's caressing of the little one on the back had left those indelible stripes for all future generations.

Shri Ram's intense adoration for the motherland has been immortalized by a legendary couplet which is playing on the lips of millions even to this day: Janani janmabhoomischa swargaadapi garreyasi (the mother and the motherland are to me greater than the heavens themselves).

The story of Shri Ram is not that of a single towering personality dwarfing all others. The other characters like Sita, Lakshmana, Bharath and Hanuman too shine in their own greatness. All of them are so closely interwoven with Shri Ram's life and achievements that it is well-nigh impossible to think of anyone without the other. In fact, the most popular picture of Shri Ram, i.e., of Shri Ram Pattabhisheka includes Sita, Hanuman and all his brothers. And in the bringing out of the greatness of all these partners of his life-dShri Ram, Shri Ram's instinctive recognition of their merit and virtues played no mean part. He would always be the first to openly appreciate the unique and noble traits in others' character. Even for Kaikeyi, who was responsible for his banishment to forest, Shri Ram had only words of kindness. And as for Ravana, the abductor of his wife, Shri Ram's unstinted praise of his erudition and prowess at once lifts the story of Shri Ramyana to heights unsurpassed in the annals of human history.

No wonder, the story of Shri Ram has crossed the boundaries of India and inspired by many a distant people, their culture and literature. Indonesia - with Muslims forming 80% of her population - continues to adore Shri Ram and Sita as her great cultural standard-bearers, and Shri Ramyana as her national epic par excellence. Indonesia also prides herself in having the biggest Shri Ram stage in the world – with Shri Ramyana as its chief attraction. And the credit goes to that country for celebrating the very first grand World Shri Ramyana Festival some years ago.

The birthday of Shri Ram, indeed, signifies an event worth of remembrance by everyone, whatever his country or race or religion, who cherishes the time honored sublime values of human culture and civilisation.

"Raama Raama Raameti Rame Raame Manorame.

Sahasranaama Tattulyam Raamanaama Varaanane."

|| Sri Ram Jai Ram Jai Jai Ram ||

Lord Shri Ram

Shri Ram is regarded as one of the major Avatars of Vishnu, second in importance only to the Krishna Avatar. Originally however, he was a great Culture-Hero of the Aryan people. He is considered as an ideal of human perfection, a hero who is fearless, invincible, intelligent and compassionate, quick to forgive and slow to anger, but never compromising on what is right. He believed in Ekam patni vrata, Purushottama. In the polygamous royal society of the time this was unthinkable heroism and formidable self-control.

He showed example as a model king and Hindus expect Shri Ram rajya to come for the welfare of everyone. Shri Ram is the hero of the epic named after his exploits, the Shri Ramyana. It is one of the most popular stories ever told in the world. The story of Shri Ram is complete only with that of Sita and Hanuman.

"Hari Anant Hari Katha Ananta, Gavein Sune Bahu Vidhi Sab Santa!"For the benefit of readers I narrate the story of Shri Ram as under: -

Shri Ram was the son of Dasharatha, king of Ayodhya. He belonged to solar dynasty and born after many years of childlessness. Since his mother Kaushalya was the chief queen, he automatically became crown prince. That did not prevent him from deeply loving his half-brothers, the twins Laxmana and Shatrughana, born to queen Sumitra, and Bharath, born to his father's favorite queen, Kaikeyi. The family guru, Vashistha, one of the most important rishis in mythical India, taught them the science of arms.

When he was sixteen, the great Vishwamitra arrived calling help. The sage had been trying to perform some fire sacrifices for a long time, but vicious demons were perpetually putting out the fires with aerial attacks. Not willing to waste the power of his austerities on cursing such scum, he comes to ask for Shri Ram and Laxmana to defend his sacrifice. The two boys were eager to go, as Vishwamitra was an unusually inspiring sort of personality. He teaches them the celestial weapons and makes them invincible.

They massacred the demon hordes and killed their chief female demon Tadaka and her son Subahu. The other son Maricha was send flying a few leagues away with the impact of a blunt arrow. So great was the shock that he was defeated and Maricha turned over a new leaf and begins a life of meditation! Shri Ram became a genuine hero under Rishi Vishwamitra. The wily Vishwamitra took the young men to Mithila to attend the swayamvara of Sita, daughter of Janaka. Shri Ram and Sita fall in love at first sight, but there was a contest - old heroic chestnut - to be won first to marry her. This was a bow of Shiva, which was proving to be too heavy to lift. Shri Ram not only raised it, he also broke the divine bow while stringing it. The aging King Dasarath decided to crown Shri Ram as king. It was a very popular decision, even amongst the queens. Kaikeyi's initial jubilation at the news was soon poisoned by a spiteful servant, and she resurrected old promises made by Dasharath and demanded the throne for her son and banishment into forest exile for Shri Ram. Shri Ram abandoned the throne and set out to the forest for the larger social good. Both Sita and Laxmana accompanied Shri Ram to the forest. The people of Ayodhya saw them off with tears in their eyes. Dasharath could not stand to the shock and he passed away after Shri Ram left Ayodhya. Shri Ram, Laxmana and Sita had already entered the deep forest when Dasharath breathed his last.

They stayed at different places in the forest and finally made a small hut in Panchavati near modern Nasik in Maharashtra on the banks of Godavari, in the Dandakavana. In the meantime Shurpanakha came there to create troubles for them but Laxmana clipped off her ears and the nose. She complained to her brother Ravana. Ravana of Lanka came in disguise to the forest where Shri Ram and Sita lived and kidnapped her to Lanka. Shri Ram and Laxmana started the search for Sita in the deep forest. On their way they encountered with Jatayu, the vulture king, who said, "Yes, I've seen her being kidnapped by Ravana, the king of Lanka. I tried to stop him but he cut off my wings and escaped in the south." Moving towards the south, they arrived at Mount Rushyamuka. Here they met the monkey-king Sugriva. Sugriva offered them his help and Hanuman soon became a devotee of Shri Ram. Sugriva's elder brother Bali was the king of Kishkindha. He had abducted Sugriva's wife and deported him. Shri Ram-Laxmana helped Sugriva to defeat Bali and when Bali was killed, they made Sugriva the King of Kishkindha. Bali's son Angada was made Sugriva's chief counselor to bring reconciliation in the family. Sugriva joined Shri Ram in the search of Sita with Hanuman and Angada as his lieutenants. Hanuman crossed the ocean and visited Lanka. Giving Shri Ram's ring to Sita he informed her, 'Shri Ram will arrive here soon and set you free after defeating Ravana.' Knowing that Sita was in Lanka all preparations were quickly made for the war with Lanka. Vibhishan, the youngest brother of Ravana had an arguments with him on the entire episode and advised him to return Sita with respect to Shri Ram. But Ravana did not agree to his brother's advice, rather gave him exile. Vibhishan sought refuge from Shri Ram, who gladly declared him the king of Srilanka. 

 A bridge was required to be constructed over the ocean to invade Lanka. The monkeys of Sugriva began the work quickly. The bridge was ready and the troops of Shri Ram arrived on the outskirts of Lanka. All the efforts for reconciliation failed. Ravana chose to fight out. First he sent his generals to fight. When they were all killed he sent his own sons in the battlefield. Indrajit exhibited great valour in the battlefield by attacking Laxmana bravely and making him swoon. Indrajit also was killed at last. Ravana, then, sent his mighty brother Kumbhakarna to fight against Shri Ram. But he was also killed in the battle. Now Ravana himself came to battlefield in his chariot. He used deadly weapons against Shri Ram and Laxmana but none of them could hurt them because they had truth and justice on their side. At last he was killed and Shri Ram and Sita were reunited.

Shri Ram along with Sita and Laxman returned to Ayodhya in the Pushpak Viman of Ravana. The whole of Ayodhya welcomed Shri Ram by lighting lamps all over. Diwali is celebrated, according to one legend, on the day Shri Ram was crowned after his return to Ayodhya with Sita. Diwali is the most important festival of Vaishnavites.

Shri Ram's unquestioning obedience to his father's wishes, his moral uprightness in war, his deference to the wishes of his people, his generosity in the face of personal loss and his marital fidelity has made him Vishnu's most august and venerable incarnation.

Lord Shri Ram: An Ideal

The Ideal son: He always obeyed His parents; at times even advised the elders.

The Ideal brother: Shri Ram-Lakshman's love is cited as the ideal of brotherly love.

The Ideal husband: He was devoted to His one and only wife. Kings, then, use to have many wives.

The Ideal friend: He helped Sugreev, Bibhishan and many others during their difficult times.

The Ideal King: He followed all codes of conduct for Kings as laid down in our scriptures.

The Ideal Enemy: Vibhishan refused to perform the last rites of Ravan, his brother. Lord Shri Ram said to him, ''If you do not do it, I will. He was my brother too!''

Maryadapurushottam: He represents the Supreme extent of Righteousness.

Let us follow the footsteps of Shri Ram in our life and pray to Him for the Love, Peace and Happiness.

May the Blessings of Shri Ram be with you,

With Love and Blessings!

Jai Shri Ram!

Vinod Khurana
00971 55 7149983
heavenlyblessings@suvik.ae

Importance of Vasanta Navratri and Nav Durga!

Dear Readers,

Greetings on the Occasion of Vasanta Navratri and Starting of Vikram Samvat 2069!

You are aware that as per Hindu Calendar's calcultaions, today, the 23rd March 2012, is the starting of Vikram Samvat. This day is very pious and is the first day of Vasant Navratri.

In these nine days, Goddess Durga is worshipped in different forms. She is a form of "Shakti". The evolution of Shri Maha Saraswati, Shri Maha Laxmi and Shri Mahakali (the 3 main forms of "Shakti") took place from Shri Brahma, Shri Vishnu and Shri Mahesh respectively. Each of these 3 deities gave rise to 3 more forms and hence in all, these 9 forms together are known as Nav-Durga and I would be giving you the details of nine forms of Mother Goddess Durga for your information as under: -

1.   Durga Shailputri (Daughter of Mountain) : "Shail" means mountains, "Putri" means daughter. Parvati, the daughter of the King of the Mountains Himavan, is called 'Shailputri". The first among nine Durgas and 1st night of Navratras is devoted to the puja of Shailputri . Her two hands display a trident and a lotus. Her mount is a bull.

2.   The second Durga Shakti is Brahamcharini. Brahma that is who observes penance(tapa) and good conduct. Here "Brahma" means "Tapa". The idol of this Goddess is very gorgeous. One hand hold a "Kumbha" or water pot, and the other holds a rosary. She personifies love and loyalty. Bhramcharini is the store house of knowledge and wisdom. Rudraksha beads are Her most adored ornaments.

3.   The name of third Shakti is Chandraghanta. There is a half-circular moon in her forehead. She is full of charm and brightness. She is Golden in color, possesses ten hands and 3 eyes. Eight of her hands display weapons while the remaining two are respectively in the mudras of gestures of boon giving and stopping harm. Chandra + Ghanta, meaning supreme bliss and knowledge, showering peace and serenity, like cool breeze in a moonlit night. This Durga Shakti rides a tiger. She is mainly worshipped in Tamil Nadu.

4.    With the fourth night begins the worship of Kushmanda, possessed of eight arms, holding a weapons and a mala (rosary), her mount is the tiger and She emanates a solar aura. "Kumbh Bhand" means to see the cosmic dance in the form of Pindi; the knowledge of cosmic intricacies in the human race. The abode of Kushmanda is Bhimaparvat.

5.    Fifth name of Durga is "Skanda Mata". Rising a lion as Her chosen vehicle, She holds Her son skanda on her lap. She displays three eyes and four hands; two hands holds lotuses while the other two hand display defending and granting mudras, respectively. It is said, by the mercy of Skandmata, even the fool becomes an ocean of knowledge.

6.   Bhaktas pray to the Sixth Durga, Maa Katyayani on the sixth night. May the ever watchful Durga Devi Katyayani, who holds shining Chandrahasa (Sword) in Devi's hand and rides a magnificent lion and destroys the demons, bestow welfare on me. When Maa Parvati's Partial expansion took birth in Sage Katya's home and gets energy from trinity and demi Gods, then the Goddess the known as Maa Katyani  

7.     Black (or blue ) skin with bountiful hair and 4 hands, 2 clutching a cleaver and a torch, while the remaining 2 are in the mudras of "giving" and "protecting". Her vehicle is a faithful donkey. The destroyer of darkness and ignorance, Kaalratri is the seventh form of Nav-Durga meaning scourer of darkness; enemy of darkness.

8.    The Eighth Durga is "Maha Gauri." She is as white as a conch, moon and Jasmine. She is of eight years old. With four arms and the fairest complexion of all the Durgas Shaktis, Mahagauri radiates peace and compassion. She is often dressed in a white or green sari. She holds a drum and a trident and is often depicted riding a bull.

9.    Ninth Durga is "Siddhidatri". There are eight Siddhis. They are - Anima, Mahima, Garima, Laghima, Prapti, Prakamya, Iishitva & Vashitva. It is said in "Devipuran" that the Supreme God Shiv got all these Siddhies by worshipping Maha Shakti. With her gratitude the half body of Shiv  became of Goddess and therefore, his name "Ardhanarishvar" became famous. Usually shown ensconced a lotus with four arms, She is the grantor of 26 different wishes to Her Bhaktas.

May Mother Goddess, Maa Durga fulfill all your wishes,

With blessing and wishes from,

Vinod Khurana
00971 55 7149983
heavenlyblessings@suvik.ae

Ways to Live Really & Be Happy

Dear Readers,

May the Joy and Happiness Be With You.

Number of people say that life's greatest tragedies is when someone dies at a young age. However, I believe an even greater tragedy would be to live upto one hundred years, without ever having really lived.

Someday Isle is well known to almost every one. It is a place that every one dreams of and talks about, but where no one seems to have arrived so far. Someday Isle is all of those things one wants to do in one's life; all those places we wanted to visit; all those things we wanted to have. But we put them off because of "Someday I'll." Someday I'll try white-water rafting...Someday I'll finish school...Someday I'll move out of this neighbourhood...Someday I'll have a family...Someday I'll be somebody, Someday I will go to Temple/Mosque/Church; Someday I will start helping others and so on and so forth.

Think about it. What have you been putting off doing that you have always wanted to do, to have, to be? Ask yourself, what is keeping you from doing these things? Do you have limiting beliefs or fears? Are these limiting beliefs or fears real, or are they just excuses? What if you didn't have any excuses? What would you do? Still one would like to live in Someday Isle!

I know there are few who do not belive in Someday Isle and love to live thier life in realities. They never use the word "Someday I will". I am aware of terminally ill cancer patients that have formed "adventure clubs." These patients have been told they are going to die, some in a few months, others in several months, and a lucky few within the next 2-5 years. These patients started adventure clubs to seek out and do everything they were afraid to do when they were "well." They went whitewater rafting, sky diving, rode roller coasters and ate spicy foods they never tried before. They visited places they always wanted to see, but never made time for. They simply made the best out of every day they had left, without fear or limiting beliefs. They would tell their loved ones they loved them, every day. They didn't hold back!

I want to share a secret with you...

You already know this, but chances are you may have lost sight of it. Nobody is promised tomorrow. We are all going to die one day. You don't need to have a terminal illness to decide you want to live each and every day to the fullest. The choice is yours, whether you want tolive in Someday Isle or in "Present". That is why I always repeat "PAST IS HISTORY, FUTURE IS MYSTERY AND PRESENT IS GIFT".  

May the Almighty be with you in your Endeavours and you may enjoy PRESENT.

With Blessings from,

Vinod Khurana

00971 55 7149983,

heavenlyblessings@suvik.ae

The Importance of Holi

Dear Readers,

May the Festival of Colours, Holi fill you with Joy and Happiness!

Holi is an annual Hindu spring festival. It takes place over two days during the month of   March on a Purnima ( Full Moon Day), as per the Hindu calendar. It is also called the festival of colours. On the first day, a bonfire is lit at night to signify the burning of Holika. On the second day, known as Dhulandi, people go around until afternoon throwing colours at each other and meet and have fun. Rangapanchami occurs a few days later on a Panchami (fifth day of the full moon), marking the end of festivities involving colours.During the current year, the burning of Holika is on today on March 7th, and then Dhulandi tomorrow on March 8^th 2012.

Significance

In Hindu mythology, Hiranyakashipu was the king of demons, and he had been granted a boon by Brahma, which made it almost impossible for him to be killed. The boon was due to his long penance, after which he had demanded that he not be killed 'during day or night; inside the home or outside; not on earth or on sky, neither by a man nor an animal'. Consequently, he grew arrogant, and attacked the Heavens and Earth. He demanded that people stop worshipping gods and start praying to him. But his own son, Prahlad, was a devotee of Lord Vishnu. In spite of several threats from Hiranyakashipu, Prahlad continued offering prayers to Lord Vishnu. He was poisoned but the poison turned to nectar in his mouth. He was ordered to be trampled by elephants yet remained unharmed. He was put in a room with hungry, poisonous snakes and still survived. All of Hiranyakashipu's attempts at killing him failed. Ultimately he ordered young Prahlad to sit on a pyre on the lap of his sister Holika, who could not die by fire by virtue of a shawl which would prevent fire affecting the person wearing it. Prahlad readily accepted his father's orders, and prayed to Vishnu to keep him safe. When the fire started, everyone watched in amazement as the shawl flew from Holika, who, then was burnt to death, while Prahlad survived without a scar to show for it, after the shawl moved on to cover him. The burning of Holika is celebrated as Holi.

In Vrindavan and Mathura the festival is still celebrated for 16 days (until Rangpanchmi in commemoration of the divine love of Radha for Krishna). Lord Krishna is believed to have popularized the festival by playing pranks on the gopis here. Krishna is believed to be complained about his dark colour and Radha's fair colour to his mother and so decided to apply colour to her face. The celebrations officially usher in spring, the celebrated season of love.

There is another story about the origin of Holi. The Kamadeva is God of love. Kama's body was destroyed when he shot his weapon at Shiva in order to disrupt his penance and help Parvati to marry Shiva. Shiva then opened his third eye, the gaze of which was so powerful that Kama's body was reduced to ashes. For the sake of Kama's wife Rati (passion), Shiva restored him, but only as a mental image, representing the true emotional and mental state of love rather than physical lust. The Holi bonfire is believed to be celebrated in commemoration of this event.

Pepole play holi without discremination and caste creed and culture and throw colours on each other and distribute sweets and wish each other.

With Holi Greetings and wishes,

Vinod Khurana
00971 557149983
heavenlyblessings@suvik.ae

Twelve Jyotirlingas of Lord Shiva

Dear Readers,

May be the joy with you,

In Hinduism, the Absolute is known as the Brahman and is formless and without attributes. But the human being has form and attributes so we need some form of the Absolute on which we can concentrate. The lingam which is a rounded, upright stone is used as a symbol of Shiva. Worship of the lingam is one of the most important aspects of the worship of Shiva. The word "lingam" actually means a sign or characteristic. So the Shiva lingam is a sign of Shiva and helps us to remember him in his formless aspect. The Shiva lingam is also considered to be the divine phallus, containing within it the seed of the universe. From it all life is created. Together with the yoni or seat on which it rests and which corresponds to the female vulva, the yoni-lingam represents the union of man and woman, Shiva and Shakti, the cosmic Spirit in union with the cosmic Prakriti, which brings everything into existence.

There are thousands of lingams all over India but some of them have a special importance. The most important of these are called Jyotirlingas and they are twelve in number. As given in the sloka, their names are Somnatha, Mallikarjuna, Mahakala, Omkara, Kedara, Bhimshankara. Vishvanatha, Tryambaka, Vaidynatha, Nagesha, Rameswara and Ghushnesha. Most of these are supposed to be self-formed or sprouted out of their own will. A few have been installed by human hands. Every Shiva worshipper dreams of doing a pilgrimage to all these twelve Jyotirlingas at least once in his lifetime.

Before we take a tour of all of them in turn, let us recite the famous sloka given in the Shiva Purana describing the 12 Jyotirlingas of Shiva.

"Saurashtre Somanatham cha, Sri Shaile Mallikarjuna.

Ujjanyinyam Mahakalam, Omkare Malamleshwara.

Himalaye to Kedaram, Dakinyam Bhimashankara.

Varanasyam cha Vishweshwam, Tryambakam Gautameethate.

Paralyam Vaidyanatham cha, Nagesham Darukavane.

Sethu bande Ramesham, Grishnesam cha Shivalaya".

1. Somnath Temple

Somnatha is the name of Shiva in the town of the same name situated in Prabhas Patan in Saurashtra in the state if Gujarat in India. Prabhas Patan is the place where the Yadava clan fought amongst themselves and came to an end as per Lord Krishna’s wish.

Somnatha is connected with the story of Daksha’s curse to Chandra or Soma who is the moon God in Hindu mythology. Daksha was one of the patriarchs and Soma was his son-in-law. However Daksha took a dislike of Soma and cursed him that he would wane away to nothing. Soma appealed to Lord Shiva to save him from this curse. Somnatha is the place where Soma prayed to Shiva. Shiva decreed that he would not wane away to nothing but would have only fourteen days of waning after which he would start waxing for the rest of the month.

2. Mallikarjun Temple

Mallikarjuna is the name of Shiva in the town of Sri Sailam near the town of Kurnool in the state of Andhra Pradesh in South India. The temple is rich in carvings and architectural wealth. Adi Shankara is supposed to have composed his great poem called "Shivananda Lahari" at this temple.

The legend concerning this temple is connected with Karthikeya, the son of Shiva. He had left Kailasa and gone to stay on a hill in south India. Parvati was bereft at the departure of her son and begged Shiva to take her there. Kartikeya refused to let them live on his own hill so Shiva and Parvati took up their residence on the hill at Sri Saila from which spot they could pay periodic visits to their beloved son. An interesting thing here is the sound of buzzing which seems to come from within the granite wall at the back of the temple. Bees are supposed to have made their home here but they have never harmed any of the devotees.

3. Mahakaleshwar Temple

Mahakaleshwar is situated in Madhya Pradesh in the ancient and historic town of Ujjain or Avanti. It is situated on the river Kshipra which is one of the four places in which the Kumbha Mela takes place. It is mentioned in the Bhagavad Purana as being the place where the famous rishi called Sandeepany had his gurukulam or institute of learning where all the princes of the land went for their education. In fact Lord Krishna and his brother Balarama also did their course of studies in this institution. The temple here is situated beside the cremation grounds and it is said that the ashes of this cremation ground is taken for puja in the temple. Shiva is the Lord of destruction and ashes from the burning ghat signify the ephemeral quality of life.

The legend goes that four Brahmin brother were great devotees of Lord Shiva and used to worship him daily at that spot. However a demon wanted to put an end to their worship and went to kill them. The brothers were confident that their Lord would protect them and continued their worship undaunted. Suddenly the lingam burst open with a tremendous sound and Shiva leapt out brandishing the weapons of destruction. His form was that of Mahakala or the great destroyer in the form of Time. The demon was burnt to ashes. The brothers begged Shiva to stay there forever and so he did.

4. Omkareshwar Temple

Omkareshwara is situated on an island in the middle of the river Narmada in Madhya Pradesh. The Shiva is here is also known as Mamaleshwara.

Once the celestial sage Narada had gone on a visit to the mountain known as Vindhya. The sage knew that the mountain was puffed up with pride so in his usual bantering fashion he told Vindhya that the mountain Sumeru was superior to it. Vindhya decided to become the equal of Sumeru and started doing tapasya to Lord Shiva. When Shiva revealed himself, Vindhya begged him to remain there all the time so that it would be the equal of Sumeru. Omkaresha is the place where Vindhya did tapasya.

5. Kedarnath Temple

Kedarnatha is the northernmost of the Jyotirlingas and nestles in the snow clad Himalayas. It is snow bound for six months of the year and opens only from May to October. The last twelve kilometers of the journey to Kedarnatha has to be made on foot or pony.

During the last part of their sojourn on earth the five Pandavas (heroes of the Mahabharata war) and their wife, Draupadi proceeded to the place in the Himalayas known as Kedarkanda. They went in search of their favourite deity, Shiva. They thought they saw him and gave chase but they were unable to catch him. Very soon they were joined by a wild looking dog and a noble buffalo. They came to realize that the buffalo was none other than their favourite deity. Once again they tried to catch it but it ran away. The Pandavas chased the buffalo and at last each of the brothers managed to catch one part of the animal. To their consternation it came apart into five pieces in their hands. They threw the pieces far and wide. Those spots where the pieces fell came to be known as the panch Kedars or the five Kedars and are important pilgrim spots in the Himalayas. The hump of the buffalo fell at a most auspicious spot and came to be known as Kedarnatha. The lingam at Kedarnatha is in the shape of the hump of a buffalo.

6. Bhimashankar Temple

Bhimshankara is situated in the Sahyadri hills of Maharashtra. The easiest way to go there is via Pune.

This is the spot where Shiva is said to have destroyed the three demons known as Tripurasuras. The legend connected with this place has to do with one of the brothers of the demon known as Kumbhakarna who was a brother of Ravana, the demon king of Lanka. His son was called Bhima. When he heard of the death of his father at the hands of Rama, he swore vengeance on all the devotees of Vishnu (Rama was an incarnation of Vishnu). His first target was the king called Kamarupa whom he captured and threw into a dungeon along with his wife. The couple started earnest prayers to Shiva to save them. When he heard this, Bhima rushed to the dungeon with upraised sword to kill him. At that moment Shiva split open the lingam and jumped out of it and killed the demon. The couple begged him to remain there and hence the lingam here is known as Bhimshankara.

7. Kashi Vishwanath Temple

Vishwanatha temple is situated on the banks of the holy river Ganga in Varanasi in the state of Uttar Pradesh. It is the most famous temple of Shiva in India and attracts thousands of pilgrims every year. The famous Manikaran ghat is the place where countless Hindus have been cremated. The fires of cremation have never been extinguished here since time immemorial since dead bodies are being constantly brought there. Anyone who sits for a few minutes at this ghat will realise the transitory quality of life and start looking deeper into the meaning of life.

The creator Brahma himself is supposed to have done tapasya in this spot. It is said that Varanasi will not be destroyed even at the time of the great deluge when the rest of the world goes into dissolution. Shiva will raise the city on the point of his trident and protect it while destruction rages all around.

There is another story connected with this city. Once Shiva and Parvati had gone to the world of Brahma. He began reciting hymns through all his five mouths in praise of Shiva. But one of the mouths was making mistakes and so Shiva, who was a perfectionist where music was concerned, plucked off the head which was making mistakes. But since this was a great crime, Shiva found that he could not shake off the head which had stuck to his back. For many years he went round with the head on his back. It was only when he went to the holy city of Varanasi that the head fell off. So Shiva decided that he would stay there in the form of a lingam. This lingam is called Vishwanatha or the Lord of the universe. The first humans to worship there were Swaymbhu Manu and his wife Shatarupa who were the first couple to be created by Brahma.

8. Tyambakeshwar Temple

Tryambakeshwara is situated on the banks of the Godavari River. In fact the river has its origin on a hill above the temple. The temple is about ninety kilometers from the pilgrim city of Nasik in the state of Maharashtra.

The place is associated with the sage Gautama and his wife Ahalya. They had prayed to Shiva for a long time. At last the Lord appeared and asked them to choose a boon. He begged Shiva to allow the Ganga to flow beside his hermitage so that he could bathe in her purifying waters and expiate for his sin in having killed a cow by accident. Shiva granted the boon. However Ganga insisted that she would go there only if Shiva took up his residence there. This was agreed upon and Shiva stayed there in the form of a lingam. Ganga flowed beside him and took the name Godavari. To reach the source of the Godavari one has to climb some hazardous steps up the mountain near the temple. The steps lead you to a small shrine where water gushes out of a stone cow’s mouth. One can also trek up the mountain to the top where the river actually has her source.

9. Vaidyanath Temple

The temple of Vaidyanatha is situated in the state of Bihar in the town of Deogarh.

Ravana, the demon king of Lanka, was a great devotee of Shiva. He practiced intense tapasya in the Himalayas, but still Shiva failed to appear, so he made a fire and decided to sacrifice all his ten heads. He started throwing them one by one into the fire. After the ninth, Shiva appeared and asked him what he wanted. Ravana prayed for superhuman strength and the restoration of his nine heads. Only Shiva could grant such a boon for he was Vaidyanatha, the Lord of all physicians. Shiva also gave him a wonderful Jyotirlinga and told him to take it straight to his capital city of Lanka. He warned him never to put it down. Ravana started back carrying the radiant lingam. The gods feared that if he took it to Lanka, he would indeed become invincible so they sent Ganesha to thwart him. Ganesha took the form of a young brahmachari and appeared before Ravana just as he felt a terrible urge to answer the call of nature. Ravana was forced to give the lingam to the boy who had so providentially appeared before him and warned him never to keep it down. Hardly had Ravana gone than Ganesha put the lingam down. When Ravana returned he found no trace of the boy and try as he would he was unable to budge the lingam which had become rooted to the spot! This is the lingam which is known as Vaidyanatha.

10. Nageshwar Temple

The tenth Jyotirlinga is known as Nagesha and is situated near the pilgrim city of Dwaraka in Gujarat.

There was once a merchant who was a great devotee of Lord Shiva. During his travels he often had to cross a forest which was inhabited by a demoness called Daruka who kept harassing him. He begged Shiva to help him. Shiva came with his snakes or "nagas" and drove Daruka away. Daruka worshipped Parvati who gave her another forest to roam about without troubling anybody. The lingam which was worshipped by the merchant came to be known as Nageshwara, Lord of serpents. Parvati also took up residence here and is known as Nageshwari.

11. Rameshwaram Temple

The huge temple of Rameshwaram is situated on the island called Rameshwaran in the state of Tamilnadu. This spot is the closest bit of land in India to the island of Sri Lanka.

Ravana, the demon king of Lanka had abducted Sita, the wife of Rama, king of Ayodhya and taken her to his island fortress. Rama came to rescue her but before he could cross the straits which separated the mainland from the island of Lanka, he made a lingam of Shiva and prayed to him to help him rescue his wife. Shiva appeared and blessed him with all success. Rama requested Shiva to stay in that spot forever. This is the lingam called Ramalingeswara and it is one of the most famous places of worship in India.

12. Grishneshwar Temple

Grishneswara is the twelfth and last of the Jyotirlingas. It is situated close to the famous caves of Ellora.

Once there was a Brahmin called Sudharma who had a wife called Sudeha. They had no children and so his wife asked him to marry her niece, Ghrishna in order to get a son. She was a great devotee of Lord Shiva and she made a vow that she would make one hundred and one lingams of Shiva daily and worship them. At the end of her puja she would immerse the lingams in the pond nearby. After having completed one lakh of pujas she conceived and got a lovely baby boy. As can be expected her aunt’s nature changed with the birth of the child and one day she killed the baby and threw the body into the pond in which the lingams were immersed. Next morning Ghrishna got up and started her daily ritual of worshipping Shiva. She refused to be distracted even when her husband announced the disappearance of the baby. At the end of her puja, Shiva who was pleased with her devotion restored the baby to her. When he raised his trident to kill her aunt, Ghrishna begged him to spare her life and asked for the boon that he would stay near the pond in the form of a lingam. He agreed and this lingam is known as Grishneswara.

Now Recite this: -

                Aum Namah Shivay; Aum Namah Shivay; Aum Namah Shivay; Aum Namah Shivay;  Aum Namah Shivay.

May Lord Shiva fulfill all your wishes!!!!!!

With Blessings from

Vinod Khurana

00971 55 714 9983

heavenlyblessings@suvik.ae