Salagramam;
Srimurthi Perumal has as his thayar Sridevi Nachiyar with Kanaka vimana the Lord is facing North. the theertha is Gandaki theertha and also Chakra theertha. the Lord appeared to Brahma, Rudra and Gandaki.
Dwaraka:
Dwaraka, Pate Dwaraka, Prabas theertha, Raivatha hill, Palaka town. the moolavar is known as Kalyana Narayanan and also Dwarakadeesan, seen standing facing west. the thayar is lakshmi sri also Kalyana nachiyar. The eight Mahishis of Lord Krishna also have their sannidhis here.the theertha is Gomathi river and it joins the sea at Prabasa theertha, the vimana is Hemakuta vimana. the lord appeared to Drowpadhi, Kuchela, Jambavan, Satyabhama, Rukmini, Arjuna and of course hosts of others. It is in and around here that Krishna leela happened. and the place is full of interesting very famous stories here. at prabhasa peculiar stones are found of various sizes and shapes. it is believed that the salagrama stones represent god and dwaraka stones from here represent Lakshmi. these stones are also prayed to by the people.
From Dwaraka on the way to Rajkot there is a place called Viraval and at Palaka there is a temple for Krishna this is the spot believed to be the one where Krishna got hit by an arrow let loose by Jara. the idol of Krishna here is said to be the most beautiful idol. here he is seen in a sayana pose with the right leg in a folded posture and the left leg balanced on the knee of the folded right leg. it is said that this was the pose where the hunter saw the sole of the foot and mistook it for a dove and let loose the arrow. today a hunter is seen at the foot with bent knees with a bow and a quiver of arrows on the shoulder seeking forgiveness. near the wall near by a sloka said to be uttered by the hunter is written in sanskrit. the reply given by Sri Krishna is also written on the wall. the hunter is none other than Vali. so this arrow of his was in return for vali vadha as promised by the lord.
Naimisaranyam:
ONCE UPON A TIME... Sounaka and other maharishis went to Brahma and asked him which is the best place suited for performing yaga, dhana and tapas. Brahma is said to have lifted a darba grass nearby, rolled it into a shape of a wheel and let it loose. he then said that the place where the wheel goes and stops will be the ideal spot for performing yagas. the wheel stopped at the spot now known as Naimisaranyam. nemi wheel landed at a place which was an aranya. where the chakra fell a deep pit emerged water bubbled out of the pit and it became the holy tank and came to be known as Chakra theertha. it is believed a bath in this theertha ensures moksha. and a 30 day bath here is equal to baths in all the 108 theerthas. the moolavar here is Devaraja, the consort is Sri hari lakshmi also Pundarikavalli, the chakra theertha, gomukhi river, Nemi river, Divya Visranta theertha. the sri hari vimana. the sthala viruksha is Tapovanam. God is believed to have appeared to Indra, Sudharma, Devarishi Suta Puranika and Veda vyasa. this is regarded as the very holy forest. there are nine tapovanas. Dandakaranya, Saindhavaranyam, Jambukaranyam, Pushkaranyam, Utpalaranyam, Badarikaranyam, Gurujangalaranyam, Arputharanyam, and Naimisaranyam.
It was here that Veda vyasa divided or classified the vedas into four parts. he wrote the eighteen puranas, Bhagavata as well as Mahabaratha in this place. sukra maharishi is said to have resided here. Parikshit came here on a hunting expedition and identified Sukra maharishi who had his nose as that of a parrot. he then was only a child the maharaja got a throne studded with precious stones for the child sukra placed him on the throne and asked his advise to attain moksha. he was advised to do tapas here and that druva had performed tapas here and attained Narayana, manu did tapas here and became the king of Ayodhya. The best dhana here is to plant or tree here, and it has to be looked after by a brahmin and services rendered by the brahmin suitably rewarded a vruksha here. There is also a small mountain here on top of which we can see a huge hanuman holding Rama and lakshmana on his shoulders.
Ahobila mutt 43rd Jeer attained paramapada here at their mutt.
Srimurthi Perumal has as his thayar Sridevi Nachiyar with Kanaka vimana the Lord is facing North. the theertha is Gandaki theertha and also Chakra theertha. the Lord appeared to Brahma, Rudra and Gandaki.
{Tulasi also known as Holy Basil is closely associated with the origins of Shila worship.Once in anger Sarasvati cursed Lakshmi. Sarasvati's curse changed Lakshmi into a tulsi plant and forced her to live on earth forever. Vishnu, however, intervened and modified the curse, saying that Lakshmi would remain on earth as tulasi until the river Gandaki flowed from her body. In the meantime, He would wait by the riverside in the form of a stone to take her back to His abode. This stone was the Shaligram Shila, which thus remained on earth as a representative of Vishnu. The Shila Deities and the tulsi plant are thus always worshipped together as Vishnu and Lakshmi.
A Shaligrama – which has the marks of a shankha, Chakra, gada and padma arranged in a particular order – is worshiped as Keshava. With the change in the order of the four symbols, the name of the Shaligrama stone is also different and the images of such deities also have similar setting of the four symbols. The various orders and names are given for the twenty four permutations. These are well known names, which are the different names by which Lord Vishnu is known in the Hindu pantheon. The various versions of the Saligrama Shilas or stones vis-a-vis the order of the four symbols are:[9][10]
- Shanka, chakra, gada and padma - Keshava
- Padma, gada, chakra, shanka - Narayana
- Chakra, shanka, padma and gada - Madhava
- Gada, Padma, Shanka and Chakra - Govinda
- Padma, shanka, chakra and gada – Vishnu
- Shanka, padma, gada, chakra – Madusudhana
- Gada, chakra, shanka and padma – Trivikrama
- Chakra, gada, padma, shanka - Vamana
- Chakra, padma, shanka, gada - Shridhara
- Padma, gada, shanka, charka - Hrishikesh
- Padma, chakra,gada, shanka - Padmanabha
- Shanka, chakra, gada, padma - Damodara
- Chakra, shanka, gada, padma - Sankarshana
- Shanka, chakra, padma, gada - Pradyumna
- Gada, shanka, padma, charka - Aniruddha
- Padma, shanka, gada, chakra - Purushottama
- Gadha, shanka, chakra, padma - Adhokshaja
- Padma, gada, shanka, charka - Narasimha
- Padma, chakra, shanka, gada – Achyuta
- Shanka, chakra, padma, gada - Janardana
- Gada, padma, shanka, chakra - Upendra
- Chakra, padma, gada and shanka – Hari
- Gada, padma, chakra and shanka - Krishna
- Shanka, charka, padma, gada – Vasudeva
With Keshava in the form of Salagrama shila reside all the devatas, asuaras, yaksas and the fourteen worlds.--- Padma Purana[7]
The Lord resides in many places in which he may be worshipped, but of all the places Salagrama is the best.---Garuda Purana
Any person who has seen Salagram Shila, paid obeisances to Him, bathed and worshipped Him, has achieved the results of performing ten million sacrifices and giving ten million cows in charity.--- Skanda Purana – Hari-bhakti-vilas
“Any shila from the place of shalagrams can never be inauspicious though cracked, chipped, split in two though still in one piece, or even broken asunder.”--- Brahm Puran
“Merely by touching a shalagrama one becomes freed from the sins of millions of births, so what to speak of worshiping Him! By Shalagrama puja one gains the association of Lord Hari.”--- Gautamiya Tantr
“Shalagramas do not require installation ceremony. When one begins the worship of shalagrama, however he should start with elaborate puja using all articles. The worship of shalagrama is the best form of worship, better than the worship of the sun.”--- Skand Puran
"Devotees should take the charanamrita mixed with Tulasi leaves from the shalagrama in their hand and sip it, sprinkling the balance on their heads.“---Gautamiya Tantr
“All those holy rivers awarding moksha, such as the Ganga, Godavari and others, reside in the caranamrita (bath water) of shalagrama.”--- Padm Puran
“Shalagrama should not be placed on the earth or ground and worshiped.”---Sammohan Tantr
“In puja of shalagrama it is unnecessary to call the Lord for worship or request Him to return His abode upon completion.”--- Bhagavata Purana
“It is impossible to fully explain the importance of Tulsi leaves (Holy Basil) in the worship of shalagrama, as Tulsi is the most beloved consort of Hari in the form of shalagrama.”--- Brihan-naradiya Purana
“He who takes the charanamrita of shalagrama destroys all sinful reactions at their roots, even the killing of a brahmana.”--- Skand Puran
“By taking the remnants of foodstuffs offered to shalagrama, one will get the result of performing many sacrifices.”--- Skand Puran[8]
"One who has drunk the water that bathes a Shaligram at least once in life time won't have to suck his mother's breast for the second time. He has attained Moksha (liberation)" --- Skanda puran}
The above are from the net.{}
There is a lot of doubt as to which actually is the place or spot of this divya desham. some say Mukti Narayana kshetram is the place others say that enroute to Mukti Narayana Kshetra on the banks of the Gandaki river lies the divya kshetram. some say in Katmandu there is a place called Damodara Kund and that spot is Salagramam.
The stala purana has an interesting story
A King Vrusha dwajan belonging to manu vamsa was a great siva devotee who became powerful and arrogant with the boons bestowed on him by Lord Siva. he troubled the devas and others by his behaviour. the sun god was irritated with him and cursed him saying all his wealth would be taken away by his enemies. vrusha dwaja ran to Lord Siva and sort help to be rid of the curse. Siva was mightly disturbed that his devotee was cursed and he rushed toward the sun with his Sulayudha held aloft. The sun god in turn ran to his creator Brahma for shelter. Lord Brahma asked him to approach Vishnu. seeing him run towards Vishnu Siva too followed him. On approaching Vishnu he heard Vishnu admonishing the Sun god as to why he had caused Siva to be angry. he also added that the power of Siva was equal to that of his disc and it was very difficult to control Siva. hearing this from Vishnu, Siva was very pleased and he calmed down. He explained to Narayana that he was always very angry if any of his devotees were ill treated, and in particular at the sun for cursing Vrusha dwaja. Lord siva continued to stay in that place conversing with Vishnu and in the course forgot as to why he had come there. after some time Vishnu gently reminded him the purpose of his visit and also informed him that while he was praying time had elapsed and the king vrusha dwaja had also passed away and his son Hamsa dwaja also ruled the kingdom and passed away. and hamsa dwajas children dharma dwaja and kusha dwaja had lost their kingdom and were suffering. and the man whom he wanted to punish Vrusha dwaja was no longer alive. it was then that Siva left sparing the sun god.
On How and why the Salagrama is worshipped using a conch and tulsi leaves.
The story goes......
The above Kusa dwaja had a daughter who was an amsam of Lakshmi, she was able to repeat the vedas even as soon as she was born hence she was named Vedavati, as she grew up she took to severe penance to attain Lord Narayana. Ravana happened to see her once and wanted to take her to sri lanka, but by her tapo bala she saw that Ravanas hands got paralysed to prevent him from the act. an asareeri voice was heard in the sky saying Vedavati would attain Lord Narayana in her next birth and that Ravana would carry her away and that he would meet his end through her consort Lord Narayana himself.
Now Kusadwaja had a second wife Madhavi she too did severe penance and was blessed with a daughter who also happened to be an amsam of MahaLakshmi, she was very beautiful and was named Tulasi, Tulsi was promised by Brahma that she would attain Lord Narayana in her next birth there is a winding story of Krishna sudama and Sankhachoodan his armour and how he gifted his armour and how Vishnu appeared to her she requested the Lord to remain there and that was how God conceded and remained there as a huge mountain named Salavanam and she continued to stay there as the Gandaki river the long terraces became the tulasi vanam. the bones of Sahnkachoodan were thrown by Lord Siva into the ocean which turned to conches. It is said thereafter people would place the tulsi leaves in the conches and wash the saligrama with the water that is poured through such a conch. whoever does the prayer in this manner would be rid of all his sins was the assurance given to her by Vishnu. That is how we have the practice of doing the Thirumanjanam to the vigraham and saligramam of the Lord by placing the tulasi leaves in the conch and pouring the water through the nose of the conch for our prayer.
It is believed whosoever has a collection of twelve saligramas is said to be equal to a kshetra i.e. divya desa. such a house would be considered as very holy.
Salagrama silal yatra hyakathvis thisra yeva cha sadasro va munisreshta tat tama paramam mama.
Some believe that we should worship four,6,8,10 or 12 salagramas and having two is not correct and that one should be gifted away but this is not correct according to the sloka referred above. which says there is no significance on the no of salagramas that can be possessed by a person and that irrespective of the size it will confer a lot of blessing and benefit on those who possess such precious stones.Dwaraka:
Dwaraka, Pate Dwaraka, Prabas theertha, Raivatha hill, Palaka town. the moolavar is known as Kalyana Narayanan and also Dwarakadeesan, seen standing facing west. the thayar is lakshmi sri also Kalyana nachiyar. The eight Mahishis of Lord Krishna also have their sannidhis here.the theertha is Gomathi river and it joins the sea at Prabasa theertha, the vimana is Hemakuta vimana. the lord appeared to Drowpadhi, Kuchela, Jambavan, Satyabhama, Rukmini, Arjuna and of course hosts of others. It is in and around here that Krishna leela happened. and the place is full of interesting very famous stories here. at prabhasa peculiar stones are found of various sizes and shapes. it is believed that the salagrama stones represent god and dwaraka stones from here represent Lakshmi. these stones are also prayed to by the people.
From Dwaraka on the way to Rajkot there is a place called Viraval and at Palaka there is a temple for Krishna this is the spot believed to be the one where Krishna got hit by an arrow let loose by Jara. the idol of Krishna here is said to be the most beautiful idol. here he is seen in a sayana pose with the right leg in a folded posture and the left leg balanced on the knee of the folded right leg. it is said that this was the pose where the hunter saw the sole of the foot and mistook it for a dove and let loose the arrow. today a hunter is seen at the foot with bent knees with a bow and a quiver of arrows on the shoulder seeking forgiveness. near the wall near by a sloka said to be uttered by the hunter is written in sanskrit. the reply given by Sri Krishna is also written on the wall. the hunter is none other than Vali. so this arrow of his was in return for vali vadha as promised by the lord.
Naimisaranyam:
ONCE UPON A TIME... Sounaka and other maharishis went to Brahma and asked him which is the best place suited for performing yaga, dhana and tapas. Brahma is said to have lifted a darba grass nearby, rolled it into a shape of a wheel and let it loose. he then said that the place where the wheel goes and stops will be the ideal spot for performing yagas. the wheel stopped at the spot now known as Naimisaranyam. nemi wheel landed at a place which was an aranya. where the chakra fell a deep pit emerged water bubbled out of the pit and it became the holy tank and came to be known as Chakra theertha. it is believed a bath in this theertha ensures moksha. and a 30 day bath here is equal to baths in all the 108 theerthas. the moolavar here is Devaraja, the consort is Sri hari lakshmi also Pundarikavalli, the chakra theertha, gomukhi river, Nemi river, Divya Visranta theertha. the sri hari vimana. the sthala viruksha is Tapovanam. God is believed to have appeared to Indra, Sudharma, Devarishi Suta Puranika and Veda vyasa. this is regarded as the very holy forest. there are nine tapovanas. Dandakaranya, Saindhavaranyam, Jambukaranyam, Pushkaranyam, Utpalaranyam, Badarikaranyam, Gurujangalaranyam, Arputharanyam, and Naimisaranyam.
It was here that Veda vyasa divided or classified the vedas into four parts. he wrote the eighteen puranas, Bhagavata as well as Mahabaratha in this place. sukra maharishi is said to have resided here. Parikshit came here on a hunting expedition and identified Sukra maharishi who had his nose as that of a parrot. he then was only a child the maharaja got a throne studded with precious stones for the child sukra placed him on the throne and asked his advise to attain moksha. he was advised to do tapas here and that druva had performed tapas here and attained Narayana, manu did tapas here and became the king of Ayodhya. The best dhana here is to plant or tree here, and it has to be looked after by a brahmin and services rendered by the brahmin suitably rewarded a vruksha here. There is also a small mountain here on top of which we can see a huge hanuman holding Rama and lakshmana on his shoulders.
Ahobila mutt 43rd Jeer attained paramapada here at their mutt.
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