indianmaharaj

Bring Nothing, Take Nothing: True or False?

2009-12-23T16:31:00.003Z

Ask anyone, “When you were born, what did you bring with you?”

Wait for an answer and then ask another question:

“So, what do you think you will take with you?” thus implying when that person dies.

The chances of anyone coming with an answer other than a big “Nothing” are not only slim, as a matter of fact, Nil.

So, where is this leading to, one may well ask.

According to Srimad Bhagwat, our body is made up of twenty-four parts. Without going into the biological and or chemical side of the equation, full body formation takes place during the first seventeen weeks since being conceived. Up until this time, there is no life in that lump of flash and bones. Yes, that’s all it is, just a lump of flash and bones.

During the eighteenth week, the body begins to move in the womb. This timing not only varies depending on the health of the child and the mother but also their past deeds or mother’s habits as well. The date, the time and the place really ought to be noted as this is the actual birth of that body, that child; not when we see the child out in the open. If you really want to find the child’s correct prediction, correct horoscope, correct Rashi, correct future of what is in stock, to note down the correct and accurate information should be the most important aspect of the whole thirty eight weeks of pregnancy. Once again, the precise time to the second, the date of that day, and the exact place where the child’s movement was first felt. Whilst not everyone can provide the last information as accurately as possible, some mobile phones as well as “Google Map” can provide the correct positioning of the place; i.e. the longitude and the latitude. So long as the time and the date are noted, the position of the place can be looked up and noted at a later time. It is also the most accurate information. *

From this day on, the child can hear what the mother talks about, smell its mother, taste – albeit not so wonderful a taste! – Whatever mother’s intake is, feel mother’s hand when it touches the abdomen, but what is more important is that it can remember all of the mother’s actions. It even feels the sad moments, the happy moments; even those angry moments … actually, more of the angry and disturbing moments as we all know, we like to keep hold of all those bad vibes than otherwise.

So you see my friends, the five senses plus the soul (split into conscientious and sub-sub-conscience state of mind) makes seven. These seven elements are brought by that child from outer source.

Fast forward this to the end of the life and we note that it is these very seven elements that leave the body leaving the original seventeen body parts for us to cremate or bury as the case may be.

So, there you have it, one soul enters the body with these seven elements after the body has been formed and leave the body before it is “disposed / dispersed” accordingly.

[* If you send me this info, I can draw up a prediction chart. Please include your name and contact details. A small charge may be applicable.]

This article can freely be distributed.

My very polite and humble request, please do not amend/alter the ownership. Many Thanks

http://www.indianmaharaj.com/ © 2009

Baseless Philosophy

2009-12-19T08:21:00.005Z

Just imagine, you are at an Indian wedding. The priest is trying his best to ensure everything is running smoothly. As usual, there is that one person in the audience who knows best. Ah! Sorry, those few who feel certain that they know better than the priest. Even before the first action is carried out, this or shall we say, these persons have begun to have their say in the matter. Instructing the priest as well as the bride and the groom and of course, the parents of the bride just how the wedding ought to be conducted.

Nothing uncommon about this, an experienced person would agree. Here, though, the priest has the upper hand and instructs that all those who are not directly involved in the wedding may kindly sit down and enjoy the wedding. Just as per the request to all in their invitation card. After all, they were invited to come and enjoy, not being a hindrance in the ceremony.

Finally, all present sit down and the wedding ceremony gets on the way.

From here, I can take this article in a number of directions. For now, I will attend to two main theories that have somehow “survived the storms!” whereas they really ought to have been snubbed long before the end of the last century. As and when I do write more along these lines, I will refer to this article so as to avoid repeating the introduction.

THE SWORD:
In comes the groom with a dagger in one hand, a coconut and a bouquet of flowers in the other. All of which is to be placed by the Ganesh Sthapan [a designated area where Lord Ganesh has been invited and offered a place]. Placing the Sword symbolised one conceding to the supreme powers. The coconut symbolised life at the mercy of Shree Ganesh whereas the bouquet of flowers symbolised the behaviour in life.

The sword that once was carried by a groom for his personal protection was later replaced – purely symbolic - by a dagger. There have been and still are certain sections of the communities within the Sanatan Dharma (Hindu Religion for the unaware ones!) who feel that the sword is a correct form of weapon and must accompany the groom. The less aggressive therefore tolerated this continuation of such arrogance. Before I go on to explain further reasons for carrying a sword, to continue, such arrogant people made the groom continue to hold on to the sword for the entirety of the ceremony; tiresome and totally inadequate, if you ask me. How does a groom enjoy his own wedding with such heavy thing in his hand all day long? Furthermore, just how can he hold on to the sword in his right hand, hold the brides right hand and take the vows by going round the fire not once, not twice but for a total of four times? In addition thereafter, feed the bride with his right hand, carry out best part of the ceremony with his right hand and bow down to beg blessings from the elders? I cannot even begin to contemplate such enormous burden. Absurd, don’t you think?

I can go on but I think you get the picture. Now, the real reason for carrying the sword goes back in time to when the moguls began to invade the kingdoms of the East, than known as “Bharat” [More on this subject later!]. Unlike previous wars wherein the wars were declared and only fought during the sunlight hours and then, only between the warriors; this new breed of warriors from the West was more interested in kidnaps, rapes and killing of the civilians.

The warriors of the day had unanimously decided to carry a weapon at all times to protect themselves, those around them and the country as a whole. Soon, this became a ritual. The practice was taken so seriously that despite so many attending occasions such as weddings; even the groom carried a sword, simply as a force of habit.

Of the late, all but the groom dropped the idea of carrying a sword. The people attending however adamantly protest that the groom must still carry a sword throughout the ceremony. Even to this day!

GROOM’S REFUSAL TO FIRST MEAL:
Again, another sector of the Sanatan/Hindu community has yet another one of those out-dated and illogical belief being exercised to this date.

This particular community has a ritual that the groom refuses the first meal that the bride’s mother offers. There are many variations to the reasons why this is so. One being that the groom is thought to be ignorant and childish to accept any offerings. Whilst I may be able to add more reasons, none was any better or convincing than the preceding one.

One idea also flows from the time when part of this community converted to be Sunni Muslim to avoid atrocities mentioned above. Under such circumstances it could have been possible that one of those converted persons may have prepared the said food and hence to avoid indulging in this activity the groom turned his face in refusal. If this happens to be the case, once again, in the 21st century, this practice really has no reason for continuation.

Having said so, the real reasons for offering this food are numerous. For simplicity, I will list only a couple herein. The ones not only logical but also close to my heart:

a) Both the bride and the groom are advised to fast for this day. This not only means less or no food but also less or no liquid intake either. Not because of any religious reasons but for having to be excused to relieve themselves at any stage during the proceedings of the ceremony. Coming towards the end of the ceremony, it is time for the bride and the groom to be fed so that the guests and dignitaries can be served thereafter. Guests would not normally eat any food until this part of the ceremony is over. Unfortunately, in the modern times, often the food to the guests is offered long before the bride and the groom are fed! Worse, some guests also have little respect for the occasion and embark on food as if to imply that they were only attending for this reason.

b) When this food or sweet is offered to the bride and the groom, more often than not, the couple are none-the-wiser but for their relatives informing that the groom must turn his face away indicating refusal of such offerings. Refusal of such food is not only an insult to the bride’s mother who so very kindly extended her love for the groom but for many others. To name a few, the person who prepared the food, the individuals involved in selling the ingredients including the utensils, heating etc., the persons involved in actually growing the ingredients but above all the earth who so silently made this one sacrifice for her children and helped grow a given item; may that be edible item or the ore from which the utensils were made or the oil or gas that assisted in cooking such items. So, instead of collecting the blessings from all those who otherwise would have benefited from the purchase of such items, the groom is being asked to refuse and thus accept the curses from all of the above.

The sooner this practice is discontinued, the more blessings one WILL attain from all around. After all, the groom is not a son of his mother or a son-in-law of a mother-in-law but is seated under the alter (mandap) as one Lord Vishnu. There is no where in Srimad Gita, Srimad Bhagwat or Mahabharat where Lord Vishnu in the form of Lord Krishna OR in Ramayan in the form of Lord Ram refuses food except in Mahabharat when offered by Kauravs – the evil. So, on this basis and as suggested, the groom representing Lord Vishnu really ought not to turn his face away!

From time to time, as the ridiculous or outdated rituals come to light, I will add them on this page. I urge you that you bookmark this page and keep an eye on any additions. Today is the 18th December 2009. Later date will be typed hereunder as and when any amendments are added.

Why do people sit cross legged?

2009-12-14T23:11:00.003Z

The QUESTION is:

Why do people sit cross legged when performing any religious ceremonies?
(Unless/Except for people with sitting problems like I have!)

The answer is so simple, I bet you will kick yourself for this ...

Number of reasons:

1 - it is the most comfortable position to be sitting down in. specially if seated properly with up-right posture like they show in Yoga etc.

if you (ladies) sit with bent (folded) legs to the side - as they otherwise do! - there is a greater chance of getting a back ache very soon as you most certainly will need the opposite hand to rest on.

2 - ever tried to get up on the double in any given seated position? seated cross legged is the slowest of all to get up from. this means that when one is sitting down for prayers, one is in no particular rush to get up and go.

3 - ever tried to defend yourself in any given position? the only way to protect oneself seated in this position is thru their hands. but then, your hands are being utilised for prayers. one is therefore relying on God to protect them. [Here, protection is not so much as from the tangible enemies as much from the unruly and unwanted vibes. For example, I look to protect myself from any sad situations. In other words, if and when I come across any sad moments, I ask for strength to remove those sad situations and fill the void with happiness]

4 - to be at someone's feet [God's feet in this instance], one cannot be seated any lower unless one lies down flat on their tummy and that would not be deemed to be a seating position! Sitting comfortably and this low, not in a rush to get away, leaving Him to protect you; the only thing you can do is pray! Pray that He helps you every step of the way...

And you thought the answer would be just a couple of lines!!!!

Whilst it is not my habit to ask anyone to forward my work, if you like my write-ups, please feel free to forward to your friends, families and beyond. My very humble and polite request is that one respects my wish not to change ownership of the article.

As always, your comments on the article is always appreciated.

Can I perform a Pooja Ceremony myself?

2009-12-13T18:29:00.002Z

With the invention of the internet and many convenient tools to access information therein, there is no stopping for people to D.I.Y. any type of activity they so desire.

As a hobby one can learn a musical instrument and thereafter become a professional. One can even go as far as learning carpentry and build one’s own furniture or even build your own property. Become a fitness expert. On the adverse side, build your own destructive device or better still, build a preventative device. The list is endless …

Anything is possible, anything at all! Well, almost anything …. Some actions, I’m afraid will be beyond practical or economical use of one’s resources such as performing your own medical operation or flying your own commercial airline unless you are Richard Branson. How about a less expensive hobby? Such as trying to speed race your car through the rush hour in central metropolis. Yea Right!!

Sure, one can buy books to teach oneself almost anything and to learn about Pooja is practically a kid’s game. All you have to do is invest some time in studying the actions required to perform the ceremony. Better still, visit somewhere where a Pooja is being conducted, observe and thereafter come home and repeat the ceremony as previously seen and noted. Although the religious books suggest that only a Brahman should carry out this Pooja, surely no one is ever going to find out if you don’t tell anyone, correct?

Wrong, your conscience knows about it. Then again, Lord Vishnu knows; the one who in the form of Lord Krushna made sure that he invited Brahmans to carry out the Pooja accordingly. The 10th Skandh of Srimad Bhagwat is saturated with examples.

Now consider this:

Even if you knew how to carry out the ceremony yourself because you have seen your parents, grand parents, uncles, aunts, friends, neighbours and so on perform these Pooja; the chances are that one has very little knowledge of the reasons for the Pooja or the understanding and the meaning behind each Pooja.

Take for example the simple situation of sitting down cross legged to perform a Pooja. Are you aware of why this is the case? Or, what, how, when and why did the use of beetle nut become a significant part of the Pooja?

To make things simpler, let me throw a couple more questions in to see if you can answer them correctly as a learned priest would:

Why sit on something like a cushioned blanket or a pillow and why cover such seating area with silk sari or silk material? Why perform a send-off ceremony at the end of each Pooja when we are fully aware that God is Omnipresent?

On the other hand, there are those who say that they carry out Pooja’s every morning and have done so for many years. They feel adequate in not inviting a priest, a Brahman, to carry out a Pooja once every year, if not once every other year. Under such circumstances, not only do the above apply but my other article “Don’t Agree with Religion …” also becomes an apt solution to the situation.

Well, I hope I have answered your question. If however, you feel that you require further clarification, please do email me at indianmaharaj [at] hotmail.com. The usual pre-condition applies. This being that you must provide your personal details including means to communicate with you other than by email.

Don't Agree With Religion - A 17th Century Concept

2009-12-11T21:30:00.008Z

The modern day younger generation will find this amusing! Some of their thoughts are no different from those portrayed during the 17th century!

તિલક કરતાં ત્રેપન વહ્યા, ને જપમાળાનાં નાકાં ગયાં,
તીરથ ફરી ફરી થાકયા ચરણ, તોય ન પોહોંચ્યો હરિને શરણ.
કથા સુણી સુણી ફૂટ્યા કાન, તોય અખા ન આવ્યું બ્રહ્મજ્ઞાન.

એક મૂરખને એવી ટેવ, પથ્થર એટલા પૂજે દેવ,
પાણી દેખી કરે સ્નાન, તુલસી દેખી તોડે પાન.
એ અખા બહુ ઉતપાત, ઘણા પરમેશ્વર એ ક્યાંની વાત?

દેહાભિમાન હૂતો પાશેર, વિધા ભણતાં વાધ્યો શેર;
ચર્ચાવાદમાં તોલે થયો, ગુરુ થયો ત્યાં મણમાં ગયો;
અખા એમ હલકાથી ભારે હોય, આત્મજ્ઞાન મૂળગું ખોય.

Above is a poems by Akhaa Bhagat (1600–1655). For those unable to read Gujarati, here is a “loose translation” of what is being said therein.

Akhaa Bhagat starts off by noting that despite being 53 he still has not understood the reason for placing that red spot on his forehead. The beads also had worn out by muttering God’s name each time the bead was churned. The soles of his feet had worn out roaming the holy places but yet, had not reached His Lordship’s abode. He continues that he has heard just as many saintly stories and yet had not attained the knowledge of wisdom.

There is no shortage of fools. For a fool, he observes, every stone is a deity to be worshipped. Water - may it be a pond, a stream or a river - is deemed to be holy and therefore baths therein. When finding a Tulsi plant on his way, he habitually plucks a leaf for consumption but above all, to indulge in prayers to so many Gods is just confusing!

This egoistic body received a little bit of knowledge and pretended to being a scholar. Took part in a discussion and believed he was the professor. Thus appears overconfident and looses sight of his goal. A wrong way to find false fame and ego.

The real point being, find the right teacher to show you the way ahead, the way forward ...

No different from going to school in order to attain admission to a college and university thereof. Don’t write-off the college or the university just because you did not make the grades at school level for admission to further studies. Please allow me to elaborate on the subject:

Let us take three different avenues to understand this concept properly:

Those who think there is no such entity as God
Those who think they own their body and that they know best
Those who are steadfast in following their religion without having the concept of their Goal

No Such Entity as God
Well, we all know that the cup/mug you drink that coffee or tea from is made from earth/clay. We know that the pots and pans are also made from clay or mud. Then there are metal utensils. They may well be from the ore but than that ore did actually come from the earth beneath our feet, so to speak! The glass in one's double glazed window is also made from sand that otherwise is a by-product of the broken down stones that were formed from earth in the first place. The list is endless.

Now, same as that tea or the coffee cup, the pots and pans, the metal utensils or even the glass of that glazed window would have no knowledge of the sheer existence of earth, clay, ore or the sand; we humans also do not believe in or better still, do not want to acknowledge the existence of that entity called God.

Own Their Body
Most modern houses now-a-days accommodate at least one television (TV). Some even consist of more then one TV. Now, one TV may show one channel whereas the other, another. There is also a good possibility that during the course of a day, one may change a number of channels. They may even watch their favourite channel. The problem is, my good friends, neither does that TV know of the existence of that programme nor is the electric current aware of its usage by this one TV. It (the TV) does not own or even know the best or favourite channel it is presenting. All it does is mimic the voices and light as manufactured and communicated by the programme presenters through that electric current. (Yes, I know, that's not how the system fully operates! But I am trying to simplify the situation to put my point across!) The minute the power-point is pulled from it’s socket, the TV has absolutely no use at all. The whole concept is no different when you replace that body of yours for TV and the soul therein with that electric current rendering your body useless, dead, kaput, finito, end-off, done and dusted. This, friends, wouldn’t be the case if you owned your body now, would it?

The Concept of Their Goal
In the beginning there was the "Word". So it says in the Bible and the Qur'an as well many other religious books. Within Sanatan Dharma, (Hindu Religion for the ignorant ones!) it is established that that "Word" was "Aum". When the meaning of Aum was misunderstood, misconstrued or simply too much to follow, Four Vedas were spelt out by Brahma. Once again, when our forefathers could not follow these Vedas in their entirety due to watered down usage of the language, various Upanishads and 18 Purans were created.

People are like goats, followers. Instead of trying to understand the inner meaning behind the write-ups, people followed the fools in an orderly fashion. Soon, the ones who want to come away from this concept found themselves being branded unfaithful, untrustworthy, atheist, non-believers and so on. Not to believe is not an option. Life has no purpose for those who remain ignorant of their most well-wished benefactors and fail to worship God. The gift of human life is an opportunity not to be missed by this conditioned soul. Turning away from your Lord, you are basically committing a spiritual suicide. The killer of the soul, whoever he may be, therefore must enter into planets known as the worlds of the faithless, full of darkness and ignorance. Such persons breathing is no better than that of the breathing of the blacksmith's bellows.

Believing Therefore is a Must
The question is, how? This, my friends is simple. Pick up the respective books and try to understand what our sages, the originators tried to say. What the holy books are trying to relay to you. Else, if you must rely on others, find someone who can clarify the situation and explain. Understanding this will help you understand life; the purpose of being here on this earth. Thus no longer following the sheep; in a manner of speaking!

Questions
All Your Questions can be directed to indianmaharaj[at]hotmail.com. A pre-condition being that you must provide your personal details including means to communicate with you other than via email.

Why Are So Many People Invited During Hindu Festivities

2009-12-05T18:14:00.003Z

Let us first understand that India as a whole used to and still does survive predominantly on farming. Additionally, the root of Indian culture has possibly outlasted any other since the primitive ages. Mainly because of the close knit communities, equally tight family ties and very strong. Not least the social network within ones local vicinity. Not only that but of extending a helping hand to anyone in need. Flouting these rules would most certainly be frowned upon. The phrase by 16th century writer John Heywood (1546) comes to mind, “Many Hands Make Light Work”.

Extreme poverty in so many deprived areas meant that for a lot of persons enjoying a meal in itself was a gift. One that otherwise would have been yet another night of uninvited fasting. I am not saying that this has been the case all around but every village, town or city has its own share of poor population.

When a festival takes place, may that be a wedding, an occasional ceremony or even a mass following a funeral, those involved would gather up some funds and food stuff to feed the underprivileged as part of celebration or even as an act of good deed. The food prepared for the near and dear is understandable but here; we are talking about an open invitation to the indigenous population of that particular village, town or the neighbourhood within the urban area.

Not only the feeding of all these people is considered a charitable act as mentioned earlier but also the benefactors such as the shop keepers and their staff who handled the items utilised within the festive occasion, the whole-sellers before them, the distributors and the manufacturers/farmers before them.

The manufacturers being the ones producing the items needed for the services and the farmers growing the food subsequently purchased from the shop-keepers. Then, there are all the ancillaries such as the cloths providers or the transporters for the ones attending. The list can go on right the way through to cleaners of the event thereof.

If I may digress at this point, in almost all the holy books, one loud and clear message is that one ought to offer at least 10% of their income for the benefit of the less privileged. More on this subject will be written under the heading “Ten Percent in Donations” soon. In short however, the message continues that if one disobeys this instruction then the powers to be will take away what rightfully belongs to Him.

It is this part of the charity that at times of family events, happy moments or otherwise, is being dipped into. Just imagine the amount of indirect donations that go into any given event.
Yes, it is true that in the modern westernised culture most of those who come to such events are well fed and often fussy about their diets etc. let alone the raised egos of their alleged higher standard of living; the fact still remains that not all of the guests fall into this sort of category but that the aforementioned ancillaries do actually still benefit. Here are some of the beneficiaries that otherwise would not be thought of as such:

· The carpenters who make up the stools or the Alter (Mandaps)
· The caterers and the servers involved
· The shop-keepers but more importantly the workers therein
· Then there is the cost of transportation and the indirect benefactors of those involvement
· and so on

The one very important category of people is the clothes manufacturers. Just think, how often do you go to an event or are preparing for such event when the ladies of the house make a comment “I don’t have anything to wear!” for crying out loud, the wardrobe is bursting out of its seems but you do not have one piece of garment that you can wear because it is not new and not the one that anyone has not seen! Do you not go out and purchase a new set of clothes, never to be worn after this event?

All in all, for more people that come to celebrate / commiserate the event, the bigger is that charitable pot becomes.

This, my friends, is otherwise known as modern day “net working” and thanking those that have assisted over the years in maintaining this network machinery going …

WRONG TIME TO GET MARRIED

2009-11-09T08:16:00.002Z

When SUN (Surya) is in the vicinity of i.e. in line with SAGITTARIUS (Dhan Rashi) the sun is under its spell as a student of Bruhaspati – the master or the Guru of Dhan Rashi. Generally, when a student visits a teacher, the only form of conversation taking place is of self realisation. We also know that any auspicious occasions cannot happen without the full presence of the Sun. Now that the Sun is not present as the head, no auspicious occasion can take place. This is the best time for Prayers, Bhajans (Hymns), Satyanarayan Katha, Invitation to Randal Mataji – “Mataji Tedavani Pooja” (as being the wife of the Sun is currently free from her marital duties) and so on. The above practice is known as “Dhanarak” period.

Again when Sun is in the vicinity or in line with Pisces and crosses with Leo, this situation is known as “Minarak” period; to put it simply.

Whilst I can write chapter and verse on the above, basically, these times are not considered to be auspicious. Plus, both of the above are usually between mid-December to end-February or even extending to mid-March or Holi, whenever that day falls on in Christian calendar. Often there are few days in between that can be utilised for our celebrations but for this year they are few and far in between. For instance, during 2009-10 A.D. or V.S. 2066, the period from 17 December 2009 to 14 May 2010, marriage season only has 24 auspicious days, down from last year’s 50.

Blah! Blah!! Blah!!!

OK, so for most of you, this may well come across as ‘mumbo-jumbo’. So here is an alternative form of explanation:

Now, I started writing and guess what? I ran into pages and pages and …. So, the best thing was, to delete it all and start all over again. So, here it is …

If you thought that the Sun and the stars and the planets just happen to have settled down where they are after a Big Bang, you’ve obviously been to wrong school.

When God, or shall we say the powers to be, decided to build this solar system and there are seven of them would you believe! He had to ensure that all - the sun, the stars, the planets and their respective moon(s), asteroids, comets etc. - were all set up at the right location, moved at the right speed and behaved in just the required manner. Not so dissimilar to each one of us having the same internal or external body organs in the same places and behaving in the same way. Albeit, of different sizes or external colours but of same shapes, same molecular structures and similar basic uses.

Occasionally though, our body perform inadequately and we require assistance off a specialist otherwise known as a doctor. Similarly, now and again, things can go wrong with that solar system. Again, a specialist is required to sort out the issues that could cause problems. These specialists are known as astrologists. They have taken time to study the movements of this universe and can calculate the happy or normal moments compared to abnormal or difficult moments. It is these abnormal moments that the astrologers try to tell us to avoid.

Depending on the task to be undertaken, the participants could suffer unnecessarily similar to when a doctor makes a suggestion to one’s condition and the individual decides to ignore such advice.

In short take note or suffer the consequences.

The following dates represent Unfavourable times in the forthcoming year:
Dec17,2009 – Jan15,2010 - Posh - Dhanarak
Jan16,2010 – Feb14,2010 - Magha - Shukra Ast /Venus Eclipse
Feb15,2010 – Mar15,2010 - Falgun - Guru Ast /Jupiter Eclipse
Mar16,2010 – Apr14,2010 - Chaitra - Minarak
Apr15,2010 – May14,2010 - Vaishakh - Adhik Mal-Maas / Leap Month*

* Further Explanation to Follow

Anyone interested in knowing the adequate dates for marriage or another auspicious occasion may contact me via indianmaharaj@hotmail.com giving your name, address and full contact details. A charge may be made if your topic of question is detailed and thorough.

Prayers: Music to the Ears

2009-11-04T18:45:00.002Z

Prayer is the music to our soul. In life, Prayer holds same position as water is to the life of a fish. The real soul searching question is, do we really have faith in the Prayers that we narrate? The fact is no one really constitutes Prayers as an integral part of ones personal awakening. Prayer largely depends on time. If time permits, one may just brush over some words pretending to be indulging in Prayers. If on the other hand, time does not permit, no real issues; who cares anyway? Prayer is not a past-time activity. One really must treat oneself to at least one Prayer a day. One Prayer in the morning and one in the evening would be ideal. Such practice most certainly will offer peace and tranquillity to ones state of mind.

Just as people engage in many different daily activities such as reading the daily newspaper, walking or running a distance, going to gym, watching one’s favourite television serial or even going to work, one ought to include Prayer within their daily schedule. Same as food and drink are essential parts to sustain life Prayers should have a place in ones life as well. Considering Prayers to be secondary is most certainly harmful if not fatal. So as to attain level-headedness, greater importance ought to be given to Prayers.

Benefits of Prayers cannot be felt on someone else’s say so. To attain the maximum benefit, each and every one of us has to dearly love narrating the Prayers. One will notice that upon lighting a candle, the light thus generated overturns darkness; similarly, regular Prayer will provide harmony to the mind. Prayers have the ability of removing the worst obstacles. It should also be inspiring to ears upon hearing the wordings therein. Only just narrating or singing or just reading the Prayers is not a Prayer. Its relationship is not just with the spoken words but also with the inner self. A Prayer is a call, a telephone link to the soul.

There are two types of Prayers: Desirous and expecting rewards or free from desires and unselfish Prayers. The prayer that is desirous or expecting rewards such as wishing for a child or wealth or happiness of family and friends is not really a prayer. It is one kind of bartering, a kind of conditional dealing, a business. A prayer should always be free from desires and utmost unselfish attitude. During prayers, one should try to clear the mind of all materialistic needs, desires, hopes or wishes. When praying to God, no point thinking about harming or conning enemies, thinking of unhappiness or cursing someone as it serves no point of praying. Whilst praying, it is important to ensure full attention and conviction.

God’s name in any language is sacred. Even if once, only once, you pray for Him most sincerely you will find solace and be able to find your way forward. As a matter of fact, you really must have that anxiety to find that comfort and consolation when praying. God will most certainly listen to your prayers and will thereafter comfort you if you have what it takes to prove your conviction.

If you like what you read, why not log on to my blog and continue reading further? Therein I promise to show you how the whole system of prayers works.

OK! So you are still not convinced? Let me guess! You do not have the time. You are too busy. You see no real benefit. No purpose being served. Oh! I know, there is no such thing as GOD. Correct? Well, stay with me for a bit longer …

For the next month, everyday, wake up exactly five minutes earlier than you normally do. No, really, please re-arrange your alarm clock accordingly. Remember, those five minutes are for your prayers, not for you to laze around. Having woken up earlier and made your way out of the shower/bathroom go to your prayer room if there is one, else by the kitchen sink. Light a candle, an oil/ghee lamp, an incense stick or any other kind of light that the custom dictates you to light. If you do not have a custom light a candle, it’s quicker. Now sit in front of it and keep staring at it. That’s right, keep staring blankly at the light for full five minutes. I’d guess, no I’d stake my reputation that you will not be able to blankly stare at it without any thoughts going through your mind. Mind that is like wind, you cannot hold it!

So, the five minutes are over and you were not able to hold your thoughts. Yes, you tried but that in itself is a thought and it becomes much more harder every time you try. Never mind, follow the same routine and try again tomorrow.

A week later, you are no where near than on the first day. What’s the point carrying on, you may well ask and begin to think about giving up but instead, try the following:

Start working on listing all the tasks you have to achieve by the end of the day in your mind. Go over it again and this time also think about placing all in priority order with the most mundane at the peak of your mental alertness. I say this because some people are “morning person” whereas others are “evening or night person”. These are followed by today’s tasks (e.g. Post & Phone Calls to be made). Thereafter as you please starting with previous day’s left over, if possible, in the forefront. Don’t forget food, five minutes break as well as time for loved ones.

By now, your five minutes must be up. You may go about your daily routine as normal not forgetting your planning. Remember your planning of mundane task to be handled first … get on and do it.

Okay, so you didn’t exactly pray and say God’s name. You did not have time. The aforementioned planning however will soon give you spare 30 seconds to remember God and thank Him/Her for giving you the wisdom to plan and plan properly. In a month’s time, you will feel the power of prayers. Soon, you will find time for the loved ones that previously you took them for granted – part of the furniture!

In other words, if those five minutes can relieve you from additional stress, give you peace of mind; if that is not prayers, what would you call it?

RECIPE FOR DIVORCE

2009-10-16T07:45:00.004+01:00

INITIAL TELEPHONE CALL
“Hello!” she said as I placed the phone receiver close to my ear.
“Jai Shree Krishna” she continued. “Is that indianmaharaj?”
“Jai Shree Krushna, yes, I am” I said, “How can I help you?”
“Emm, I am getting married next year and want someone to perform our wedding ceremony.”
“OK, who are you, what’s your name?”
“The thing is, we are short of time so how long will it take?” She overrides my request for her introduction.
So I repeat my question, “Who am I speaking to please?”
“O! My name is Reshma” she says and continues, “How much do you charge?
“Well Reshma that depends on if I am free or not and exactly what services are needed. So tell me, what was the date you had in mind?”
“O! It’s next year”
I waited in anticipation and the line stayed silent.
“… a … a … a August … August 28th and it’s only the wedding. No other ceremonies beforehand.”
I checked up the date in my diary and noted that I had no bookings on that day. So, I carried on and informed her of my charges which was acceptable to her.
“So, how long will you take?” implying the time it will take to perform the actual wedding.
After informing her that it will take just about one and one half of an hour, I continued that this may vary depending on just how receptive the people are. Such as whether the groom arrives at the alter in time, the bride arriving when called for, the brothers being ready when the fire is lit, how many women were to attend the ‘Akhand Saubhagyavati’ ceremony and so on. All these stoppages could extend the wedding time to as much as two hours.
“Yes but we only have an hour. Could you perform the whole ceremony in an hour?”
WEDDING CEREMONY – AN OVERVIEW
Not so long ago, only just four generations ago (five generations at most!), weddings used to take up as much as a fortnight. What we now know as the one and one half of an hour ceremony alone used to take up four days. Or shall we say nights to be precise.
The primary reason for such long winded process was to explain the intricacies of life. The good and the bad times the couple are likely endure. More importantly however would be the teachings of how to overcome these unwelcome issues. The teachings that explain how to avoid jumping to conclusions which otherwise would only lead to even bigger problem. Only this time, the past issues would come to surface for no apparent reason.
The ceremony would also go on to explain at length just how important the wider family connections can be an asset. That the marriage is not just the union of two individuals but of two families, two societies but even more importantly how to overcome the differences of others behaviour or way of life and more. This would be repeated in slightly different way showing just how the system works at the ‘in-laws’.
Up until the time of marriage, the couple are most likely to have lived their own lives in their parent’s homes. This would be without someone treading on their toes every step of the way. Well, from hereinafter, the couple have to get accustomed to each other. This can be tricky at times leading to unavoidable arguments. The priest would teach them of how to overcome rather than avoid such situations.
OBSERVATION & CONCLUSION
National Statistical figures indicate more people getting married between the ages of 28 and 34. At the same time, the highest number of divorces takes place between the ages of 32 and 42.
To think that one hour is sufficient to cover all of the above is not only impossible but an insult in the name of alleged ‘Hindu’ wedding. Might as well not bother with all that farcical mumbo-jumbo; it only becomes apparent that the wedding is an arrogant spectacle of oneself in the society. (Not my words! Words of those present in these types of weddings discussing the merits or shall we say performing a post-mortem. Worse! To think that these very people are your invitees is heart-breaking.) Even if we were to take out all the repetitions, the irrelevance and the cumbersome hour long sacrificial fire ceremony, the fact still remains that at least two hours are needed to satisfactorily perform the full ceremony.
For crying out loud, this is a wedding, a marriage that you are entering into. Not some stupid game you otherwise played when you were young whereupon come the evening and the cardboard house was folded away and everyone went their own ways. This is for real. No one wants you guys to go your own way in days, months or just a few years down the road. Not least your parents! If you do plan to go your own way at some stage in life, boy, it’s one hell of a party and an expensive piece of photographic evidence that you allocated so much time to. Much more than the time it takes for the priest to spell out the vows.
THE QUESTION
So, Reshma or any Bride &/or Groom who wishes to replace her or himself in Reshma’s shoes, think again. Is it too much to ask for to have a proper wedding rather than just filling in the gap?

What is Vastu Shashtra?

2009-09-09T20:06:00.006+01:00

Dictionary meaning of Vastu (Pronounced Vaastoo):

(1) A site for a house or a dwelling (2) a house, an abode (3) a ceremony performed before occupying a house or a dwelling

Grammetical Split of the word: Vaas+Astu or Vaasah+Astu

Vaas = (1) the act od dwelling or residing (2) an abode, a residence (3) a street, locality (4) bad smell or odour (5) fragrant, scent (6) to spice, season
Vaasah = (1) Perfume (2) living, dwelling (3) habitation, site, situation (4) clothes, dress
Astu = as you wish, let it be, amen

Sanskrit epithet: vaasagruhm (1) inner apartments (chambers) of a dwelling/ public place

NB: Not a comprehensive listing as the meaning changes depending on the context the word is used in.
- ooo -

According to Vastu Shashtra (Literature referring Architecture with Astrology and Psychology playing main part in construction) Large Hospitals, Crematoriums and Cemeteries, Abattoirs, Sanitary Processing Areas and such should be avoided when deciding on where or what area to live in. This is because the negative vibes dispensed from such places do have a major effect on the attitudes and behaviour of those residing within the close proximity of such locations.

To digress, most major religions profess exactly the same ideology. Hence, for instance, the village churches were located at the end of the village so as to provided for burial grounds within its compounds. Churches were never built in the middle of the village/town. This was so that they (the Church authorities) could offer the Burial Services along with Everyday Prayers and the Sunday Mass within the confines of the same grounds. The relatives of the deceased were thus spared the walk and the time for visiting the departed loved ones following or preceding the Sunday Mass.

Vastu Shashtra – the intimate knowledge of how, what, when and where to build.

The planning and thereafter constructing is not a new phenomenon. Shree Krushna, when building the city of Dwarka had asked Vishwakarma to conform to the rulings of Vastu Shashtra. Before him, some 1.75 million years ago during the time of Ramayan, (Treta Yug) Shree Ram had referred to Vastu Shashtra for building of Setu Bridge also known as Adams Bridge. The digital dating of which has been confirmed by the likes of National Aeronautics and Space Administration otherwise known as NASA.

Reference to the phrase Vastu by way of incorporation within the Hindu Literature or by way of ceremonial actions performed within the Hindu way of life has long been established as a primary factor to be considered when one thinks of residing or promoting residence in a given proximity.

Whereas as Srimad Bhagwat is the history of Shree Vishnu and Bhagwat Gita is the teachings of Shree Krushna, Skand Puran – a summarised version in Hindi consists of 1,110 pages – portrays the Political Geography and Demography of the Earth, the Universe and beyond. Manu Smruti explains the different ages that this universe - but more importantly - this earth has endured (e.g. the countless ice ages, the heat waves, the flooding and so on). Shiv Puran explains the manifestation and procreation, Garud Puran explains life's ill comings and fate beyond. Devi Bhagwat explains woman's role in the society whereas the structural setup of the surroundings in the Epic Ramayan (Restrains/Limitations and Loyalty) and Mahabharat (The difference between the Good and the Evil) explains what can go wrong if the planning is not meticulously examined and acted upon. I could go on.

So where is this leading to:

All of the above and other Purans had to be choreographed to inter-coincide at different stages of their existence. This architectural manoeuvring is otherwise summarised in a separate volume known as Vastu Shastra or Vastu Puran. Whilst Vastu Puran is not a volume defining its own individuality, it most certainly forms an integral part of all the Purans or better still, the four Vedas superseding the Purans.

(c) www.indianmaharaj.com 2009
Contact: indianmaharaj[at]hotmail.com

Why So Many Hands?

2009-08-10T23:39:00.004+01:00

I asked a question, “Why do various deities (Gods) in Hinduism(!) have so many hands?”

Next time you say something like "I've only got one pair of hands!" Think again...

In the first instance, please note that there is only one God. No matter what your personal faith or background is. I used the phrase ‘Gods’ for a reason. The perspective of people at large is an indicative of this belief. I’ll talk about this at another time. For now, back to the subject matter raised herein.

In the first instance, please allow me to give you an example of just one named God, Lord Vishnu. The one with four hands holding Shankh (Conk-Shell), Chakra (Discus Throw), Gada (Mace) and Padma (Lotus Flower). Now, first, let us analyse these:

Shankh - Conk-Shell:
A leader’s instrument, in peace or in war time it can be utilised to alert others of the leader’s intention. Experienced Conk-Shell blower can indicate the intentions without having to spell out in words that may potentially be misunderstood or at worse, not heard. Now-a-days, bugles are utilised for same purpose; albeit, it’s not the leader blowing these bugles! In addition, the blowing of a Conk-Shell requires strong lungs indicating one being in good health; very good health!

Chakra – Discus Throw:
From a sporting point of view, one needs to have good posture and strong arms to throw a discus further than the opponent. However, the discus spoken of here can mean one of two explanations as per Srimad Bhagwat: (A) a circular saw consisting of 1000 teeth able to saw of anyone’s head was a deterrent enough for anyone otherwise wanting to betray the deities. In other words a deterrent used against lies and deceits. (B) Lord Vishnu also portrayed as the one at the centre of the universe and the planetary system moving around him looked upon in a different way indicates the out-stretched galaxy spiralling around the Sun; the Sun being the centre of the galaxy (Universe).

Gada – Mace:
Mace, often mistakenly presented as an offensive weapon, actually is used as a protector. The message from Srimad Gita is not to be offensive but to be protective (Not Defensive either) of the truth. If that means that a mace requires to be utilised, so be it!

Padma – Lotus Flower
Lord Brahma, a formation of the Lord of creation seated on the Lotus Flower with its stem rooted in Lord Vishnu’s belly button is indicative of a strong, firm but at the same time useful and stern flower looking at its best, even when in the middle of the muddy waters. In the hands of Lord Vishnu (instead of his belly button!) indicates that though Lord Brahma may be the creator, He – Lord Vishnu – holds the strings of the universe firmly in his grasp. So soothing is the site of a Lotus that even the most agitated person will find solace upon its site. Forgiving therefore is its nature.

Now my friends just think how all of these qualities of any one individual can be portrayed in words. The words that are limited compared to a picture that speaks volumes. A primary indication of why deities and demons are portrayed with many limbs according to their characteristics. These characteristics can be an elephant head for Lord Ganesh or for that matter ten heads for King Ravan or sixteen thousand wives of Lord Krushna or one hundred sons of Dhrutrashtra; just to name a few examples.

This is no different to modern day cartoon stories. Such as the $$ signs popping out of the eyes when loads of money is thought of or the nose of Pinocchio lengthening upon lies being spoken and so on.

Albeit, there are certain quarters of population / archaeologists who believe that once upon a time, humans did actually have more than four limbs or more than one head attaching to their body. Children born this way now-a-days are otherwise stigmatised as deformed!

WHY DO WE FAST?

2009-08-06T18:50:00.008+01:00

WHY DO WE FAST? WHAT IS THE PURPOSE AFTER FASTING? & ABOVE ALL, HOW TO FAST?

In the modern western society, fasting, in the main is related to dieting. In the days gone by – as late as only some forty years ago, people used to fast during Lent, Bereavement, Time of Distress etc. being just some of the reasons to name a few. Whilst there are three main occasions for fasting according to the Bible, Quran boasts of fasting for one full month. Every religion has some reason given to fast. All of them have similar reasons and ways of fasting. To fast, basically is to spend a day, a week or even as much as a month without consuming anything or even having just one meal or one glass of milk or water a day.

People from the subcontinent of India, in particular, the ones following Sanatan Dharma or sectors thereof fast for many reasons and on regular basis according to their beliefs. Apart from why people fast, there is also a question of how they fast? So first, let us analysis the ways of fasting:

Jains within the community have a philosophy that the fasting really commences from the evening before and ends the morning after the day in question. Quran speaks of avoiding food between sunrise and sunset for a whole month. There are just short of 10 million entries on fasting on the Internet. I will primarily concentrate on the fasting as explained in the scriptures referred to within Sanatan Dharma. Otherwise more famously known as Hindu Religion. More on this later.

So, let us explore the How's first ...

Certain religious books and leaders of religion actually state that fasting should commence from the evening before the day before the day of fasting and carry on to the morning after the day after the day of fasting. For the two days on either side of the day in question, one should only have one meal. So, let us suppose that you want to fast on a Monday of a given week. In this case, on Saturday, you can eat what you like and as much as you like. Once you have switched off for the day on Saturday, on Sunday, you only consume one meal before sunset. Monday being the day of fasting, on Tuesday, you should only eat once at about the same time as you ate on Sunday and not have anything else until after sunrise on Wednesday. That, my friends, is the correct way to fast.

That said; if that is too much to ask for, you may refrain from food all day on the day of fasting. Or for people on medication, have one meal as late as possible but before sunset on the day. The meal in question may be light weight or a plate of fruits. No salt or derivatives thereof may be added in the food.

Any other form of fasting such as enjoying one full meal followed by loads of crisps or potato chips and/or fruits and who knows what not may as well not bother. You are only but kidding yourself.

Now, let us investigate the reasons for fasting.

Pleasing God
Reducing Waist Line
Controlling / Toning Body
Protest For Your Rights
For And On Benefit Of … and many more

The wrong reasons to fast may for example be to fast today and make up for it tomorrow or save food being consumed today as tomorrow you may run dry and so on.

Fasting in Sanskrit is “Oopvas”. “Oop” means near and “vas” means to stay. So in other words, fasting is for staying close to God; to build up a closer relationship with Him. Same reason is offered in Bible, Quran, Bahai and many other infamous religions.

Next, from preparation of raw material, cooking food and then on to consuming it followed by washing up, drying and replacing the utensils takes up a lot of time. This time potentially be utilised for meditating for the real need behind fasting. The alternative is to have something light weight that will take up less time in the aforementioned exercise saving on time and effort. There is also the question of detoxification. The off-shoot of this saving is that one is more alert and free from temptations. The alertness thereof exercises your mind positively. Having positive sparks flying throughout your body thereof releases mental attitude that reflects the purpose of fasting. The longer your mind controls the temptation of food, the better your will power becomes towards ensuring reaching your goal.

Staying on the same wave-length, just think how alert you are before having a heavy meal and how lethargic you feel after that awesome meal. Well, staying hungry keeps you alert and therefore allowing you to focus on your goals/targets. Whereas consuming food will direct your blood and energy in digesting and digressing from your focus of the day being fasting for a reason.

Now, take any mechanically propelled instrument such as a vehicle. After a while it needs some rest; an overhaul; a service. Well, our body is exactly the same. It also works on the same principal. The heart, in this case, is the main mechanically functional organ. Same as the oil changing process, our body also needs to extract unwanted debris so that fresh food (oil) is not contaminated with the old junk curtailed in various corners.

Fasting must not bring with it the weakness in you nor should it bring discontent or the guilt of going hungry. If the belief and commitment is not there, then these sort of thoughts will overpower your mind and you will break that fast. Of not this time, you most certainly will not pursue this course of action.

Lots of people fast in order to successfully reduce weight. This shows commitment and determination; also known as ‘mind over matter’. One is more likely to achieve their goal if the thought of food is replaced by the thought of feeling good. Positive thinking will most certainly keep that 'feel good' factor on target.

Yet another reason to fast is knowing that there are lots of people out there for whom fasting is a necessity, not a luxury. The food saved by not eating today can go to assist those poor souls who otherwise would go to bed without a grain reaching their belly. Our religious books demand some charitable acts from us. All three major religions boast of at least 10% of the income to go towards charity. Make this part of that 10% if you cannot otherwise afford to extend that percentage. It further reaffirms that should you fail to freely offer that 10%, He will find a way of taking that money off of you - by hook or by crook. Just think when was the last time you received a parking ticket or spent money on something that you regretted within days thereof and were unable to return as the outlet had 'No Return, No Refund' policy!

Then there is fasting on the day of any auspicious ceremonies to be carried out. Most mum's, maasi's, kaki's, foi's aunties and every other person - relative or otherwise want to advise the persons to be sitting in the ceremony that they must fast. Ask them why? and the answer is because religion demands it. Well, ... I have news for you. Having read volumes, I have yet to come across a religious book giving a decent explanation on the subject. I have now figured it out. The main reason for fasting on the day is just that if you eat something untoward, you just may embarrace yourself by wanting to excuse yourself to releive yourself. So as to avoid such scenario, one needs to fast on that one auspicious occassion.

If I sit down to write a book on why we ought to fast, volumes can be written. I feel certain that the message however, has been relayed.

Finally, I'd like to thank http://www.gurjari.net/ for their part of the contribution. Soon I hope to add another section relating to main fasting events in Sanatan Dharma. Watch this space.

May Your God Give You Strength To Continue Fasting …

The Logic of The Snake & The Mouse

2009-07-20T14:42:00.008+01:00

This morning I was reading Srimad Bhagwat and came across something very interesting. I can analyse and elaborate but I think not. The matter in question speaks for itself:

" ... fulfilling one's own interests is so important that one may even have to make a truce with one's enemies. For the sake of one's self-interest, one has to act accordingly to The Logic of The Snake & The Mouse scenario ... " SB 8:6:20

Now, we all know that a mouse and a snake do not get along. Not in a friendly way anyway. So once when a snake and a mouse were caught up in the same basket, the mouse was afraid that it would be swallowed up by the snake. Even the snake thought of eating up the mouse as soon as the mouse came into sight.

"However", the snake thought "since both of us are caught in the same basket, even if I were to eat the mouse, I would still be trapped in this basket. I just will not be able to get out."

The snake, therefore, thought it only wise to make truce with the mouse and ask the mouse to make a hole in the basket. In order to do so, the snake asked the mouse to make a hole in the basket so that both of them could get out. A favour in exchange for sparing the mouse it's life.

At first, the mouse could not understand this generosity but then thought it to be a good idea.

Although the mouse had made big enough hole for it to get out, it felt obliged to keep on increasing the size of the hole in order for the snake to get out as well. The snake waited and pampered the mouse until the hole was big enough for it to escape from the basket. Although the mouse was busy cutting away the basket, soon the snake made a quick move to gobble up the mouse and leaving the basket stranded thereof.

This is known as "Sarpamooshkanyaaye'" or ...

The Logic of The Snake & The Mouse.

And now an analogy for ease of understanding:

Habitually, a mouse is a busy body. Unfortunately, in the main, its time is spent in being destructive. One could say, its speciality is to destroy as well as leaving a lot of Wastage.

The snake on the other hand is passive. It eats when food is available. Often going hungry for days but if food is available, it will consume as much as is offered or rather it can find. For a snake, there is no such thing as wastage. It keeps itself to itself. Generally does not harm anyone unless provoked or it feels being threatened.

So when a snake is eating the mouse in the story, its the good destroying the bad. However, even the bad have some good qualities; the intentions may well be destructive or immoral.

In life, we may meet up with people who have wrong intentions but have some good qualities. So why not utilise their services before disassociating with them!!! i.e. killing them from your mind ...

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Why not to place a coconut in a Havan (Sacrificial Fire)

2009-07-16T23:36:00.003+01:00

This is my very first entry and I hope it to be equally exciting to you as it is for me to publish:

Last weekend, I was performing a Grah-Shanti pooja - a Vidhi or a Pre-wedding ceremony. Nothing extra-ordinary about that; you may argue except, this one was a little bit different. Very different for me if I may be so bold in saying so. The worshipers insisted on making use of a coconut instead of a betel nut for the Havan ceremony.

Towards the end comes a Havan Pooja otherwise known as a Sacrificial Fire Ceremony. Contrary to popular belief that a coconut must be sacrificed in the fire, in the western world I very strongly recommend that the Brahmans simply make use of a betel (areca) nut instead. So, please allow me to elaborate on the subject:

Up until 8th century A.D. to the best of my knowledge, an animal or within certain remote quarters even a human - more likely to be a child - was sacrificed. Adi Shankaracharya in his alleged short life - reportedly lived to age 32 - converted the thinking behind animal or human sacrifices. He explained that the sheer existence of life depended on air, water and food. He further argued that if he could provide an alternative that also offered same contents, that one should have no hesitation in switching over to this alternative. When people agreed, he introduced a coconut. The only fruit that has all three; viz., air, water in the form of milk and food in the form of the flash of the coconut. To this day thereafter, people have accepted the use of coconut in any sacrificial ceremony.

In order to ensure that the fire is fully secured and within ‘the controlled environment’, one would dig a deep hole in the ground, throw in some relevant items such as Sameedh (dry wood), Havan Samagri (scented sacrificial ingredients), Ghee (purified unsalted melted butter) and camphor. Additional items such as barley and sesame seeds would be thrown in during the narration of mantras after the fire has been lit. Some time later, a coconut is inserted in the fire and the ceremony continues to the end. By this time, one or more coconuts thrown in the fire have almost extinguished.

Now, in the west, digging of holes in the ground is not only impractical but even if it were made possible, the time it takes to carry out the ceremony would be unacceptable at best of times. For this reason, I have been informing people to replace coconut with betel nut. After all, a betel nut already replaces situations where a picture or a statuette of a given deity is not at hand for ceremonial purposes!

To further support my argument, here is one very important scientific reason. Imagine a coconut being a pressure cooker. We know that a pressure cooker is sealed from every side except for where the excessive steam is set to free itself from within the cooker. We also know that if this steam is made to be pressurised beyond the cooker’s capability, that the cooker will burst possibly causing fatal or at least serious injuries. In exactly the same way, the coconut sealed from every side except from the top having three eyes can easily burst from there. If however, this particular coconut happens to have a crack across the middle, it could burst open and explode.

If we were to assume that there are no cracks and it bursts from any one or all three of its eyes, it would have this pressure cooker effect where the built in steam shoots out high up in the air. Now imagine these eyes not facing upwards but sideways towards one of the worshipers … . Along with the steam, the fire would also play the part causing the flames to turn blue and potentially scar one for life; if not kill one. Remember that this coconut is not burning in a hole in the ground but in a Kund placed above ground with, albeit, limited protection.(A Kund is a medium to shallow utensil usually about 3 to 9 inches deep used for this purpose - the Havan) Under the circumstances, a betel nut is far better placed to - effectively - serve the same purpose.

Needless to say, on this occasion, no one got injured despite the flame rising about four feet high due to the eyes of the coconut facing upwards.

Basically, when a coconut bursts - either through a crack or as steam outlet explained above, the remaining water/milk therein would seep through into the ground. Leaving the ingredients and Ghee or Oil to carry out its duty. However, with Havan Kund, this is different. Water/Milk will remain within the container often allowing unnecessary additional risks.

Play it safe and always keep some covering to put off the fire should it get out of hand. No water should ever be used to put out the fire as ghee or oil therein will only aggravate the situation.

Be Safe & Be Happy
http://www.indianmaharaj.com/