Prasanna Venkatesa Perumal #temple -Gunaseelam,Near Trichy,TN #Thread

Gunaseela Mahatmyam,a chapter of Bhavishyottara Purana describes greatness of this place.

Venkatachlapathi of Tirumala Tirupati appeared b4 Gunaseela Rishi here,so Gunaseelam is known as Ten(South)Tirupati

A #story from #Thiruvilayadal puranam-one of divine leelas of Bhagwan Shiva

#threadseries #Madurai

Story 16- it is about how Bhagwan Shiva explained the meaning of Vedas to the Rishis.

வேதத்துக்குப் பொருள் அருளிச் செய்த படலம்

Once there was a great deluge,everything in the world was destroyed.All lifeforms that existed got perished.Afterwards ,due to Bhagwan Shiva creation started.Then from Bhagwan Shiv ji's mouth-birth of 🕉 OM- Pranavam happened.From Pranavam,4 vedas appeared. Rishis learned them.

Many Rishis in Naimisharanya learned Vedas&recited them but they didn't understand the meaning&essence of Vedas. They were worried as they couldn't find any guru who can teach them the meaning of Vedas.That time,Rishi Arabhatar visited them.Rishis told him about need their worry.

Rishi Arabhatar told them that Bhagwan Shiva has given Vedas &he would be grateful enough to teach the meaning as well.But for that rishis have to rigorous penance at a sacred place.Also told them to go to Sundareswarar temple in Madurai to do tapas in front of Dakshinamurthy.

Assured them that Dakshinamurthy himself will come & teach them.Rishis proceeded to Madurai & started their tapas in front of Dakshinamurthy sannidhi for almost a year starting from Karthigai month pournami to next year Karthigai month pournami following all rituals..annadan

#DoYouKnow about Pallipadai (Memorial) Temple of Emperor Rajendra Chola I & his wife Veeramaadevi.

#Thread

This historically significant Chandramouleeswarar #Temple is in Brahmmadesam (Cheyyar) NearThiruvannamalai,TN

Restored by ASI.But no murthi,no worship & no festivals.

Treasure of inscriptions in walls of this temple belongs to Pallavas & Cholas period.About 77 valuable stone inscriptions are there in this temple that tells richness of the empire.Also mentions Rajendra Chola I died at Brahmadesam &it is recorded by his son Rajadhiraja Chola I

Initially this temple dedicated to Bhagwan Shiva was built in sand stone by Pallava King Vijaya Kampa Varman.Later it was converted to memorial temple in Chola period.Rajendra chola & his wife came to this place after his Ganges expedition but he suddenly he fell ill & died.

Rajendra chola I was one of the great emperor, he had powerful - mighty army ,naval force & had conquered many kingdoms in the Indian ocean.

Hope that we learn more about him & respect his memorial temple.Must Preserve and protect our temples.

All photos in this thread credit - to respective owners.
Source text - based on TamilNadu tourism blog and news article about this temple

A #story from #Thiruvilayadal puranam-one of divine leelas of Bhagwan Shiva

#threadseries #Madurai

Story 9- it about how Shiva as Sundara Pandyan confluenced seven oceans in a pond/well in Madurai to fulfill wish of Kanchanamala
ஏழுகடல் அழைத்த படலம்

Bhagwan Shiva himself ruled Pandya Kingdom as Sundara Pandyan.Kingdom flourished well,all people there were happy.Many scholers,rishis visited Pandya kingdom to see Sundareswarar.Once Gouthama Rishi visited Madurai.After worshipping Sundareswarar,he went to meet Kanchanamala.

Kanchanamala,mother of Meenakshi devi welcomed Rishi Gouthama with all devotion&they were discussing about various things.She asked about ways& means to get rid of cycle of birth& re-birth.Gouthama rishi told her to be very fortunate&had done great penance in her previous births.

As a result, she has got Meenakshi devi as her daughter & Sundareswarar as her son-in-law in this birth.Rishi then told there are 3 types of Penance -namely Maanatham,Vaasikam & Kaayikam
Maanatham -involves doing charity,speaking truth,controlling senses&meditating Shiva namam.

Vaasikam -chanting Panchakshara matra-Om Na Ma Shi Va Ya,mantras from vedas, singing devotional songs/bhajans.

Kaayikam- doing daily pooja,going to temples,punya shetrams, helping physically in renovation &construction of temples,taking snan in ocean as all rivers merge there.

“So Moses finished the work.” (Exodus 40:33) I came to the end of my reading in Exodus this morning. To fully appreciate those 5 words, you really need to read the 39 preceding chapters. The whole thing had been such an ordeal, drama from the time God called out to Moses from

the burning bush to the moment he “inspected all the work they had accomplished” in the building of the tabernacle. For starters, Moses wasn’t looking to lead anything but sheep to pasture. He was hiding when God found him. Moses was no volunteer. And even after God called him,

he insisted God find someone else. But the force of the divine call is hard to resist. The people he served nearly drove him nuts. He was supposed to lead a group of worshippers and what he mostly got was whiners. He’d lost his temper over & over. Even thrown the stone tablets

inscribed by the finger of God. Nope. Moses couldn’t say it had gone well. What the whole thing had been was WORK. Unrelenting, frustrating work so detailed that it had to match the divine instructions down to every clasp on endless yards of curtains. There had been some great

moments like the time the people were invited to contribute any personal possessions to the makings of the tabernacle furnishings. They had given so freely, Moses had to tell them to stop. There was that. But overall, what he’d done, what they’d all done, was WORK. Lo & behold,

NĀRADA & HIS BHAKTI-SŪTRAS :
Bhakti – Love Divine :-
Of Love Divine (Sūtra 1 to 6)

All our philosophical textbooks are written out by the great 'rishis' and 'thinkers' in the form of sūtras.
The term, ‘sūtra’, means ‘string’ – the string on which the arguments &
#Thread

thoughts are strung together to become an enchanting garland of ideas.
This is the philosophy of devotion, of love for 'Paramatma' stands today attributed to the Devarṣi Nārada.
He works everywhere as friend, philosopher and guide, to all devotees.
Let's begin the journey !

NĀRADA & HIS BHAKTI-SŪTRAS :
Bhakti – Love Divine :-
Of Love Divine (Sūtra 1 to 6)

Sūtra 1
अथातो भक्तिं व्याख्यास्यामः॥ १॥
Now, the doctrine of devotion we shall expound.
After having developed all the qualifications necessary for the practice of devotion (atha), the student

feels no spiritual satisfaction, and therefore (ataḥ), he must now diligently walk the path of devotion. According to Rāmānuja, the teacher of viśiṣṭādvaita, there are seven qualifications necessary in a seeker who plans to pursue devotion. They are:

(1) Discrimination in food (viveka), (2) Freedom from desire (vimukha), (3) Practice (abhyāsa), (4) Habit of doing good to others (kriyā), (5) Purity in thought, word and deed, non-violence, charity, and such other virtues (kalyāṇa), (6) Cheerfulness (anavasāda), and (7) Absence

@Kate_SdE @PriyamvadaGopal @ChathamHouse @AdomGetachew Hindu nationalism should not have a negative connotation. It’s not exclusivist because Hinduism isn’t a religion - rather, it’s a way of life, and the term “Hindu” refer broadly to the people around and east of the Sindhu. This transcends the modern construct of religions.

@PriyamvadaGopal @ChathamHouse @AdomGetachew For “Hindus” - a broad-brush stroke for a people whose culture is underpinned by a knowledge system that provides logical structure for adopters of a plethora of philosophies, “Hindu nationalism” by definition, is inclusive and pluralistic. It gives space to everyone.

@PriyamvadaGopal @ChathamHouse @AdomGetachew If Nyaya, Vaisheshika, Samkhya, Yoga, Purva-Mimamsa, Buddhist and Jain philosophies are studied in comparison with Abrahamic faiths, India’s unique Carl Popper Paradox comes to light. The imposition of a western matrix of secularism on a pluralistic culture has done much harm.

@PriyamvadaGopal @ChathamHouse @AdomGetachew Because the traditions are rooted in universalist philosophies, India gladly hosts followers of non-proselytizing faiths. Supremacist theocratic ideologies find little resonance with the people of the land. To understand “Hindu nationalism,” one has to study Indic philosophy.

@PriyamvadaGopal @ChathamHouse @AdomGetachew Equally, it is important to view history objectively, know the excesses of supremacist invaders/colonizers, and importantly, understand the asymmetries created by the “secular” state which structurally disadvantage the vastly heterogeneous so-called “Hindu” majority.