--- On Thu, 24/6/10, kanishk <kanishk.chakravarty@indusind.com> wrote:
From: kanishk <kanishk.chakravarty@indusind.com>
Subject: [om_namah_shivaya_group] ganga maa's decent from heaven
To: "om_namah_shivay" <om_namah_shivaya_group@yahoogroups.com>
Date: Thursday, 24 June, 2010, 3:43 PM
dear sirs,
i have taken this story from the narad puraan. It is about Bhagirath. He had brought the river ganga from heaven.
His ancestors had been destroyed by Kapil muni's anger.
Some part of it had been given by me earlier in forms of devotion to Lord Vishnu.
Here sagar was a king in the suryavanshi line i think.
===========
Bhagiratha and the Ganga
In Sagara's line, there was born a king named Bhagiratha. He was a truthful and
righteous king. He regularly performed sacrifices. He was also handsome, brave and
wise. The god Yama himself came to see what sort of a person Bhagiratha was.
The king worshipped Yama with offerings and said, "I am blessed that a great god
like you has come to visit a mere mortal like me. Please tell me about dharma
(righteousness) . What are the characteristics of those who are righteous? Tell me
about sins. What happens to those who are sinners?
Yama told Bhagiratha about the deeds that bring punya (store of merit).
The greatest punya is acquired from donating wealth to brahmanas. Or from
providing them with employment. Another performer of good deeds is one who gets
a pond digged. Punya is also acquired by building temples dedicated to Shiva or
Vishnu. The best temple is one that is made of gold. Progressively lower down the
ranking are the ones that are made of copper, crystal, stone, bricks and wood. He
who maintains a pond, a temple or a village is also a performer of good deeds.
Donating alms like cattle or land also brings punya. Other good deeds are
establishing gardens and planting trees. Any one who plants a basil bush is eternally
blessed. Sins are pardoned if one wears a garland of basil leaves around one's neck.
These who bathe Vishnu's images with milk or clarified butter are certain to be taken
to heaven. The images can also be bathed with coconut-milk or sugar-cane juice .
Shiva's images should also be thus bathed. A tithi is a lunar day. The lunar fortnight
during which the moon waxes is known as shuklapaksha and the lunar fortnight
during which the moon wanes is known a krishnapaksha. Certain specific tithis are
particularly auspicious for bathing imates of Vishnu and Shiva. Examples are
panchami (the fifth day of the lunar fortnight), ashtami (the eight day), ekadashi
(the eleventh day), dvadashi (the twelfth day) and chaturdashi (the fourteenth day)
in shuklapaksha. Purnima (the day of the full moon) and solar and lunar eclipses are
also auspicious occasions.
Punya can be acquired through donating food to the hungry and water to the thirst.
A person who donates these objects never has to go to hell (naraka). Another good
deed is to massage the feet of guests with oil. Anyone who helps brahmanas or
donates cows to them is blessed. One who protects those who seek refuge also
obtains a lot of punya.
The importance of donating alms cannot be over-emphasised. Apart from cows,
buffaloes can also be donated. Other objects which may be donated are curds, milk,
clarifed butter, honey, sugar-cane, fragrant objects, flowers, fruit and molasses.
Knowledge (vidya) is also a worthwhile object for donation. Gold, jewellery and
precious stones too qualify for donations. Images of Shiva (linga) and Vishnu
(shalagrama) should also be donated
Other traits characterise those who have acquired punya. They do not criticise others
and prefer to associate with people who are righteous. They have managed to
control their senses and are not too addicted to food. They serve guests, brahmanas
and teachers well. Vishnu and the other gods are forever in their minds.
Yama next told Bhagiratha about sins, and the various hells (naraka) where sinners
have to suffer.
Hells are terrible places and there are several such narakas. The names of some such
hells are Tapana, Valukakumbha, Rourava, Maharourava, Kum-bhipaka, Nirucchvasa,
Kalasutra, Pramar-dana, Bhishana, Asipatravana, Lalabhakshya, Himothkata,
Mrishavastha, Vasakupa, Shvabha-kshya, Mutrapana, Purishahrada, Taptashula,
Taptashila, Shalmali-druma, Shonitakupa and Shonitabhojana.
In some of these hells sinners are made to eat their own flesh. In others, they are
burnt in fire. Some hells are such that stones and weapons are showered down on
the sinners. Narakas may be extemely hot or extemely cold. Sinners are fed molten
iron. They are hung upside down. In some hells, sinners are hurled down from
mountain-tops. Worms feed on sinners and they are compelled to lie down on
burning coals. Throughout, Yama's servants beat the sinners with clubs. Their bodies
are sliced with swords and bitten by snakes. Scorpions are also let loose on the
sinners. Jackals and tigers feed on their meat. There are so many different types of
misery in the hells that it would take a thousand years to catalogue all of them.
Sinners are those who kill brahmanas, drink wine or steal gold. It is sinful to criticise
brahmanas or elders. One who promises to donate alms but goes back on his word,
also commits a crime. An egotist is a sinner. It is forbidden to dabble in medicine or
astrology without knowning the shastras. One who interprets the shastras without
knowing them is a sinner. Slander, vanity, lying, fraudulence and murder are crimes.
One who partakes of food offered by a shudra (the fourth of the four classes) is a
sinner. Thieves are bound to be punished. One who associates with a sinner becomes
a sinner by contamination.
Sins can be atoned for by performing penance (prayashchitta) . But there are some
sins for which there is no penance. Such a sin is the worshipping of an image of
Shiva or Vishnu that has been worshipped by a shudra or by a woman. Shudras and
women are not supposed to touch images of Shiva and Vishnu. One who murders a
brahmana may perform prayashchitta for his sin. But there is no penance for
someone who hates brahmanas. This is also true of someone who criticises his
teacher or the sacred Vedas. A brahmana who strays into the fold of Buddhism
cannot hope for deliverance through penance.
After sinners have paid for their sins in hell, they are born again. One who commits a
severe sin is first born as a tree. In successive births, he is then born as a worm, a
snake, an animal and as someone who does not believe in the Vedas. Eventually, he
is born as a poor brahmana. Other sinners spend seven lives as donkeys, ten lives as
dogs and pigs, a hundred years as worms, a hundred years as rats, and twelve lives
a snakes. A thousand lives thereafter are spent as animals like deer, before the
sinners are finally born as cows. Seven lives then have to be spent as chandalas
(outcasts), sixteen lives as shudras, two lives as kshatriyas and two lives as vaishyas
(the third of the four classes). Next, sinners are born as brahmanas, but only as poor
and diseased brahmanas.
Vishnu delivers humans from all evil. The fruits of all actions should be vested with
Vishnu. Devotion to Vishnu is of paramount importance, but there are different types
of devotion to Vishnu. The three basic elements (guna) are sattvika, rajasika and
tamasika. Sattvika guna is holy and pure, rajasika guna is passionate and tamasika
guna is torpid. Thus sattvika guna is superior rajasika guna is medium and tamasika
guna is inferior.
Different types of devotion ot Vishnu owe their nomenclature to these three
elements. A person who prays to Vishnu for someone else's destruction is adhamatamas.
A devotee who makes a pretense of praying to Vishnu is madhyama-tamasa.
A person who picks up devotion to Vishnu by observing others praying is uttmatamasa.
An adama-rajasa devotee claims wealth from Vishnu as a reward for his
devotion, a madhyama-rajasa devotee claims the fame of great deeds and an
uttama-rajasa devotee desires freedom from all illusions. A devotee who prays so as
to atone for his sins is adhama-sattvika. One who prays because such prayers are
loved by Vishnu is madhyama-sattvika. And a devotee who prays for the sake of
devotion alone is uttama-sattvika. This list thus has nine different types of devotion
to Vishnu. But there is one further type of devotion to Vishnu, and this is the best
form of devotion that one can think of. This is known as uttamottama devotion and
occurs when the devotee feels no difference between himself and Vishnu. There is
complete union and identification.
Concluding the account, Yama told Bhagiratha, "King, I have answered all your
questions. Be righteous and prosperous. Rule well and be devoted to Vishnu. But do
not forget that there is no difference between Vishnu and Shiva, they are one and
the same. Your ancestors were evil and are now rotting in hell. They will be freed
when the waters of the river Ganga touch their ashes. I bless you. Do now as you
will."
Yama departed. Bhagiratha resolved that he would perform tapasya so as to bring
down the Ganga from heaven.
Bhagiratha went to the banks of the
river Godavari, where the sage Bhrigu had a beautfiul hermitage. In the nearby
forest lived black buck, elephants and boars. Birds chirped on the trees, peacocks
danced in gay abandon. The forest was full of trees and flowers.
Bhagiratha worshipped Bhrigu and said, "Great sage, you are well-versed in the ways
of dharma and learned in the shastras. Please tell me how I may please the Lord
Vishnu."
"King," replied Bhrigu, "you are indeed holy . Had that not been the case, you would
not have thought of trying to free your ancestors. Be truthful, do not lie, and always
associate with those who are good. Give up all thought of violence. And most
important of all, always meditate on Vishnu. That will bring you punya."
"What is truth?" asked Bhagiratha. "What is non-violence? Who are the people who
are good? What is punya? How does one go about worshipping Vishnu? Great sage,
you are well-versed in the knowledge of all the shastras. Treat me like a son and tell
me the answers to all these questions.
Bhrigu obliged. He told Bhagiratha that truth consisted of saying that which was in
consonance with the dictates of religon and did not contradict it. Non-violent acts
were those that did not cause other living beings any harm. The evil were those who
treated other people as enemies were against religon and were also stupid. Those
who were not evil were good. They did that which was right, followed the Vedas and
performed acts that were beneficial to other living beings. All that good people did
constituted punya. There were no prescribed rites for worshipping Vishnu. The best
form of worship was to realize that Vishnu was everywhere in the universe, that he
was the cause of everything, and that every living being was completely identified
with Vishnu.
Armed with this wisdom, Bhagiratha bade adieu to Bhrigu and went to the forest to
meditate. After spending some time in the forest, he went to the Himalayas. The
river Ganga flowed there, at a tirtha (place of pilgrimage) named Nadeshvara.
It was there that Bhagiratha decided to meditate. The tapasya that he performed
was extemely difficult. He lived on fruits and roots and made offerings of leaves,
flowers, fruit and water to Vishnu. Several years passed. Bhagiratha next began to
control his breath though the technqiue of pranayama. For sixty thousand years
Bhagiratha prayed in this way. So difficult was the meditation that smoke started to
billow out of Bhagiratha's nostrils.
The gods got frightened at these happenings. They were worried that Bhagiratha
might obtain a boon as a reward for his tapasya and try to dislodge them from
heaven. The gods therefore went to the northern shores of the ocean known as
Kshiroda and began to pray to Vishnu. Vishnu appeared before them and assured
them that Bhagiratha had no such evil intentions. In any case, he would go and find
out what it was that Bhagiratha wanted.
Vishnu accordingly appeared before Bhagiratha and the king fell down at Vishnu's
feet in obeisance.
"Bhagiratha," said Vishnu, "I know that you want to free your ancestors. Shiva is no
different from me, we are really one and the same. Please pray to Shiva. He will do
what you desire."
After Vishnu had left, Bhagiratha started praying to Shiva. Shiva appeared before the
king. He had five heads and ten arms, and he wore the crescent moon on his
forehead. Snakes hung like garlands around his neck and he wore the skin of an
elephant as clothing.
"Bhagiratha," said Shiva, "I am pleased with your meditation. Crave a boon. I grant
you the boon that you will prosperous and will attain eternal bliss."
"Lord," replied Bhagiratha. "If you are indeed pleased with me, grant me the boon
that the heavenly river Ganga might be brought down from heaven. I wish to free
amy ancestors."
Shiva granted the boon.
Bhagiratha started to return and the river Ganga followed the king wherever he
went. It is for this reason that the river is also known as the Bhagirathi. Bhagiratha
held the river to the place where Kapila's hermitage was, that is the place where his
ancestors had been burnt to ashes. As soon as the water from the holy river touched
those ashes. Sagara's sons were freed from hell and ascended to heaven.
==========
regards,
kanishk
************ ********* ********* ********* ********* ********* ********* ********* ** This Email and files transmitted are confidential and intended solely for the use of the individual or entity to whom they are addressed. If you have received this Email in error please notify the system manager. Please note that any views or opinions presented in this Email are solely those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of IndusInd Bank Ltd. Finally, the recipient should check this Email and any attachments for the presence of viruses. IndusInd Bank Ltd. accepts no liability for any damage caused by any virus transmitted by this Email. ************ ********* ********* ********* ********* ********* ********* ********* ** ** Message has been scanned by Emergic MailServ ** __._,_.___ .  __,_._,___
|
No comments:
Post a Comment