Friday, June 10, 2011

I aint been nowhere, but I am back.





They have all been written at different times, and many of them are repetitive. Besides, of late, I have been trying to write on creation and universe; and therefore, in many of them, physical laws or scietific terms are used at random. I shall in due course - as I edit them, provide a glossary or explanation. Thanks for going through them.


Biren


The vacuous mind
Thinks no thoughts,
About nothing. Nirvana.




The monk is back
At the shrine,
Having been nowhere.




I am what I am,
If I were what I were not,
I could not be that which I am.




Will she, for whom every syllable
Is intoned in silence,
Ever be able to hear it?



Don’t make me wait so long,
That my wait exceeds,
My frozen life.




As life flows on
Will she ever read it - this keepsake to her,
Whose memory will never die.




Lightning stabs the darkness,
Stormy night.
No quiet place for my troubled mind.



Never is here.
Nowhere is here,
No visible end in this non-existent tunnel.



The bright moon changed its course,
Left him, the wanderer, walking alone
Under an empty sky .



Dark lowering clouds,
Enveloping the endless sky
The heart is overcast with raindrops of longing.



Long cold nights,
My thoughts wander,
Seeking a warm home to rest.



Alone in a dark night,
Crickets mourn their
Condolences for my dead love.



Your touch, I thought
Would change me.
It made me myself....



Scar in my heart,
Is invisible yet deeper
Than the scar on my forehead....



You left me,
So absolutely, that;
You did not even leave your memories....


The jay-bird, the oriole, the red velvet mite
and the peacock, stopped
bringing back my childhood seasons....




Did the gale blow away
The beautiful sakura, or the sakura decided,
It is time to leave?



We promised to part and not look back,
But when my head turned over my shoulder,
saw, you were looking back.




She came from nowhere, like a sparkling dew,
vanished in the morning to nowhere,
A dream within a dream.




My always unreachable vodafone,
Helps me ensconce
In my hideaway, my lonliest existence.




Your memories, like
dark Clouds, pass by slowly;
raining tears as they go.




Windows are shut from that day
not to let away the fragrance
Of the flowers you brought in.



Children going to school.
Bag full of dreams in their backpacks.
Weighing their childhood down.




The tired porter in the railway station
Wonders who will
Carry his luggage for him.




Late, in the fish market
Hawkers’ tired voice
Yell in silence for unsold fish rotting.




Under the starlit sky,
As we lie down on the sands by the sea,
Love covers us with warmth.




Tea stain on the table,
Sweet fragrant memories, remind me of
The time you were here.




Rodin, helplessly lost in thought
Where to search for,
The thoughts he lost.





As I walk on the dry leaves
Their rustle
Echoes the sound of your absence




My heart stops for a moment,
Whenever I see her,
For only whom it keeps beating.




The wanderer’s song wafts through
With the cold breeze from the mountains.
But night rules with silence.




Dry withered branch
Clings to the tree with hope
Spring will come again.




I walk into infinite emptiness
Where Nothing
Is not even in existence.




The red vermillion dot
On her forehead, increases her beauty
Ten times as a zero.



I have not been nowhere,
But I am back,
To my non-existent life.



Leave behind a little of your fragrance,
A sparkle of your smile
To keep my dreams alive.




You are my Panadol, my Valium
You are my Prozac, my Viagra.
You are the prescription for this doctor.




Our love is timeless,
Its horizons
limited by infinity.



Summer love prevails,
On winter's unknown sorrows-
All parallels, pale.




Like a parched desert
I soak in the rain of your love
Standing completely drenched.





Agape with wonder
As frosty nights fly by me,
I wait for your smile to warm me.





Nothing left to do
But wait for you to tell me
You love me again.




The sun was diving into the sea,
my tears dried and voice choked,
I could not say goodbye.




Do my silent sighs
Of my loneliness reach your ears.
From miles and miles away?




Silently growing old,
Like those two flowers,
Till autumn wind withers us.




You are my Panadol, my Valium
You are my Prozac, my Viagra.
You are the prescription for this doctor.




You did not turn up,
And left me with,
Sad memories of nothing.




In my life of highs and lows,
You are the
Happy middle of the balance.


My world became so empty
After you ran away with
All our memories.




Moon sighs in the opaque night
As clouds bewitch it.
Pitch dark road for the lonely journey-man.





When the lone monk reaches
The top of the mountain,
No horizons look distant.





The old temple bell, during the eerie nights
Reminds me every time,
End is just an hour closer.




Life, like a pile of sand,
Decides its own form,
Whichever way I pour it.




Crying in the rain, missing her
Seeing the cloud kissing the mountain,
Soaking it with love.



Warmth of love in the spring,
Makes the vibrant flowers bloom,
Soul’s freedom from the frozen jail.





Too dazed to utter even those
Seventeen syllables when I see you.
Your smile stuns me.




Your picture speaks a thousand words,
But your smile, just seventeen.
The birth of a lovely haiku.




He created love to soothe the pain.
When love causes the pain,
What soothes it?



Dark clouds prevail
Over the summers scorching mood.
Every thing changes with the rain.



Cannot waste this precious time
So that I can save it
To waste finally.




Does the moon look larger
In your large lake,
Than how it looks in my small pond?





The address you gave while leaving,
Read 404 – address not found
When I reached.



Dying to see you,
So, your touch makes
Me alive again.




The monk wishes to complete
His living, to look backwards
At the end.




The butterfly, wants to be
A caterpillar; that
Again becomes a butterfly.



The zen monk is trying,
To hit escape in his
Notebook of jumbled programs.




The monk waits for the moment,
To hit, ctrl-alt-del one last time.
No reboots – just the end.


The monk lets go all that he ever loved,
And now, at the end;
He is left with all that he loves.




The cloud, limps its way in the sky,
Reluctantly, or is it confused
At the cross roads in the sky, where to go.





No shooting stars for years.
Leaves me disappointed.
With many unfulfilled wishes!!




The monk lets go all that he ever loved,
And now, at the end;
He is left with all that he loves.




My notebook like me,
Does every thing,
But think.



Life starts with unanswered questions,
And ends with,
Many answers for questions unknown.


Cyber fragrance
Wafts through the cyberspace,
She logged into my msn messenger.







When he toddled, my world moved,
His warbles brought symphony to my soul.
His eyes lit up my world. My son!





Why does my mind
Oscillate between joys of meeting her and
Pains from separation to follow? I am not a monk!





Feelings – real but not true
Thoughts – true but not real.
You are true and real. My love,

(feelings are like natural laws - gravity, or weight or mass or speed, etc - which are in real sense never true as all velocities are relative. Likewise, in Mathematics or logic, infinity or zero or fractions, etc are true, but they are never real - like half a pen or deducting infinity from infinity, etc - but they are true and proven)






Ignorance that it will never end,
My first love,
Time laughs at it.




The first kiss - a comma,
an exclamation or a question mark?
Heart hopes it is not a full stop.





Boundaries of our love
Was drawn by the sphere of infinity,.
with infinite density.





Does the star not exist because you cannot see?
Doea the sea not exist because you cannot feel it?
Learn to feel them – no questions.





The monk's most important mission,
Is to find out,
What is the most important mission of life.




I promise, I will never think about it.
When I try to stop thinking about it,
I think about it even more. Tears.




.
Why to question
The why,
When the why will always remain a question?




I am searching for something,
I know not. Shall know
When I find it finally.




To know,
What I do not know.
To hold a handful of void.





I am what I am,
If I were what I were not,
I could not be that which I am.




The wanderer’s song wafts through
With the cold breeze from the mountains.
But night rules with silence.




I walk into infinite emptiness
Where Nothing
Is not even in existence.




Dark clouds prevail
Over the summers scorching mood.
Every thing changes with the rain.





Basho’s frog jumped in the pond
My moon shattered into pieces.
Waiting it to calm, to get my moon back.





When I feel your hair on my face,
Caressing softly,
My dreams remain entangled in the dark manes




Looked at the rock
Rough and ridges and deshaped,
It becamme a flower. Zen.



Cannot waste this precious time
So that I can save it.........
To litter it away myself.



Ascending with the load of life,
Bogged down, Sisyphus realizes,
Zen does not carry the baggage from past.




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Doesn’t languish in morass of speculation,

The monk – not scared of tomorrow’s uncertainty,

He knows tomorrow too well to bother.





Dark matter in the universe,

The omnipresent dark energy, existing

In empty space.





Cold tears wash my life away,

As you stand unmoved,

The cause of my tears.





What is that dark matter in the universe,

Wherefrom came the dark enerby that envelopes all,

Present in the absolute void?





Plotting his path joining the stars

In the sky, the mind strolls through the universe.

The galactic monk.





Dark space, no coordinates

No starting point, no finishing line,

The monk begins his journey.



Love of entire life,

Passions of a lifetime,

Everything takes a form in a single drop of tear.





Your eyes treasured all my dreams,

Your smile kept all my happiness.

Where did I lose you?



Path of Nirvana, circles the Zero,

Neither ends nor begins,

You return to where you started from.





Miracles can be explained, but

Not how they happen.

Surprises in life – a proof of his being.





In the parallel universe,

Your refusal is your acceptance.

But how do the parallels meet?



Traversing through the wormholes,

In the eleven dimension multiverse,

The monk searches for the darkest blackhole – the Nirvana.





God’s melody resonates,

Through the hyperspace; the invisible strings

Creating the harmony in the universe.



The inimitable perfection of his design,

Heightened by his limitless imagination,

Infinite universe.



Void and infinity, he trades one for the other,

Knows they are merely two sides,

Of the very same coin.



Will the universe end expanding into

A cold deep freeze, or a hot big colliding blast,

How will be the process of Nirvana?



The dark energy from the void distances us

Till we lose each other’s warmth;

Leading to an absolute solitary existence.





Einstein’s theory of everything and

The monk’s theory of nothing, meet

Where every thing is nothing.







Your light, like that of the dead star,

Still reaches and enlightens my life,

Though you are long gone.





Enter the blackhole of nirvana.

No escape velocity.

For the monk’s mind and soul.



If ever you read this, and

Think of me,

A drop of tear will be my life’s worth.





The lonely wanderer,

No baggage of the past, no weight of the present,

And no load of the future – the monk.





When he knows what is possible,

He also knows what is impossible.

The monk smiles at the lack of differences.





When it is dark,

You neither see nor know,

What lies inside the mirror.



Living in a dimensionless world,

Empty space, the monk finds

No destination to sail for.





No new place brings him joy,

Nor was he sad, where he was.

Why the journey?





The night sky weeps silent tears,

The sea groans in agony, the lighthouse stands lifeless.

The monk walks on.





Whisper of the winds through the pines,

Moon’s hide and seek with the clouds, and the chirping cuckoo,

Cheer up my dreams.





Getting rid of so much of nothing,

The monk looks back one last time,

As takes up his last journey.



Does the temple bell in the morning

Ends the night, or, does the morning sun

Makes it ring?





The orange sun, the morning mist,

The chilling breeze, the singing cuckoo,

It is time for him to start, again.



The omnipresent being with his hands,

Balances omega and lambda,

The universe’s survival.





Finally, the monk found the answer,

An answer which questions,

Its own validity.



The grass bends down under

The weight of the images of the world,

The water droplet sitting on it carries.



Weighed down by your images anf thoughts,

Time to retire to bed,

And escape to the world of my dreams.



The echoes of his flute,

Comes from every mountain around the valley,

Where is he hiding?





My dreams ascend on the rainbow,

To the heavens,

As I lie on the earth, at the bottom.



The bright red goldmohur,

The lively green foliage, Can you

Understand the description by the cuckoo?





The sound of the big bang

Reverberates eternally through the universe.

Aum – the sound of the creation.





My life, exists

Like a needle balanced vertically.

In an uunstable equilibrium.





Every thing in Zen,

Is absolutely empty,

If and only if it is not.



I can watch my back,

As I walk away from myself,

Till it gets lost behind the horizon.



Possibilities turn probabilities,

Probabilities, inevitabilities; till his surprises,

Tear every thing apart.





The broken segment of the fractal,

Becomes a fractal; the original remaining as it was.

The principle of Infinite Brahman.





The waves keep hitting the shore endlessly,

Neither the shore moves, nor the waves stop.

An endless relationship.



Endless path, and a never-ending journey.

Where is the bodhi-tree?

The monk’s quest has to end.





In realizing the worldliness,

As much as otherworldliness,

Lies the wisdom of the zen mind.



When there was nothing, absolutely nothing,
What could have stirred?
Creating the universe?



The lonely wanderer, at last, finds the answer
To his question, and a question challenging the answer,
Journey of the Zen.



In timeless pursuance, The Divine Sculptor
Has been perfecting the Zero,
Voiding the total void.


You live in quintus teal’s home.
Every time I see, I try to touch you, but fail.
I live in a limited three dimension.



The timeless existence,
The lifeless incarnate and the ultimate void,
I am Shiva.



Somewhere the sun is lost,
Moon is yet to find its way,
The inebriated clouds running amok; the dark sky weeps.



She kissed him,
And I tasted the bitterness of
Betrayal.




Afraid of what I may see,
I am afraid of the history of the future,
Frozen mind.




Whether they exist or not,
There is neither any truth nor any falsehood.
To the Zen – it is the same.



In an unstable chaos,
The monk finds stable equilibrium,
Thoughts center of gravity at the center of Zen.




Time, just a pause,
That every thing does not
Happen all at once.



Genesis, taking place in timeless nirvana.
It was there and not there,
Always and never.




Is this life as queer as others suppose?
The Monk finds it even queerer,
Finding what it is.




No smile like yours,
As beautiful,
Has been as treacherous.




The monk lives the life of a lone star
150 billion lightyears away, antigravity pulling all apart.
Living in absolute zero.





The dark energy; no form, no qualities, no attributes,
The effulgent cause behind everything,
Never was a time, it did not exist.




The immanent reality behind every thing,
The cause that sustains effects,
You are the beginning and you are the end.






Will you, the migratory bird from across the oceans,
trace your path back,
To the empty nest you left?






Living between being and non-being
In the ivory tower of solitude, unalloyed mind,
Imbued in the quiet ecstacy of nirvana.


A faster Achilles, though every moment
Coses the distance by half,
The slow tortoise of Nirvana still is unreachable.


Deduct everything you know,
And you don't know - from the space.
A formless, definitionless void.


Timeless Shiva, without any element,
The ultimate void, the supreme nothing,
Lifelessness incarnate.



He begins where limits of knowledge ends,
Knowledge of limits begins,
He is beyond knowledge and limits.



What worh is self of,
Nothing - in relation to infinity.
Every thing - in relation to nothing.



You touched my life,
For a momentary point,
Like a tangent kissing a curve.


No reason, no laws.
No faith, no belief,
Love denounces all, embraces all.



Your tears trickled down your cheeks.
My dreams were,
Washed away in flood.



Tangled tresses coverning my face at night,
Softly carassessing,
To welcome purified rays dribbling through.,





















He lives in the quantum universe



Like the Schrodinger’s cat


Alive and dead at the same time.










From being to becoming


Life’s journey


To acquire a form of being nothing.










The tempestuous force of dark psyche


Starving of realities, living on illusions


Unruly mind wanders everywhere, yet nowhere.










He created the void,


Where matter and anti-matter keep forming


And destroying each other to nothingness.










Drunk in rain, the moon


Sleeping under the blanket of cloud,


Oblivious to the thunder and lightning outside.


















Who decides the divine ratio,


Where to pluck the monochord to give the perfect fifth,


The most powerful and evocative notes.










The cage is being flown across the sky,


But I am caged inside;


Freedom in exile!










The key to the greatest treasure,


Kept locked in the chest,


Where lies the greatest treasure of life.










The cuckoo’s song echoing and re-echoing


In the misty dark night, keeps


The heaven alive in the world of my dreams.










One lone cuckoo, willingly invisible, its songs transcend


From all mountains, all around,


Hushes my cries of despair and makes me sleep,






Am I left alone or I chose to be alone –


A mute point to argue, don’t even need my


Nebulous shadow as my disturbing company.





Cuckoo’s lullaby makes me sleep,


Telling me I need to start from where I left.


Its tireless singing and my journey – synced by the heavens.










Mere words, coming from her – passion,


Mere words – coming from her – love’s nectar


Mere words – coming from her – arrow with poison.










To my deaf ears, her songs are the most mellifluous,


To my blind eyes, she is the most beautiful creature,


To my numb fingers, she feels the warmest and softest.










What was denied in the past,


Was found useless when begotten.


For the monk, sour and sweet grapes are all alike.










Future cannot be based on past,


Any time, anywhere, any moment,


There may be a quantum jump – negating all that is in the past.






Slow measured spets as I walk out of the hospital corridor


In the wee hours. How many of them, lying in side;


Will see the morning bright sun?










Those flayed edges and cracking folds,


The purple pink paper turned grey over time....


But what about what you promised on it?










In time space relativity,


Your image shrunk to a nondescript point.


My calls – a murmur and my presence a state of non-existence.










Gusts of wind rushed in,


All the sheaf of papers with haikus for you, flew away in the wind.


Will it carry them to you?










You could disprove all laws with your love,


You could make time stop and everything beautiful snatched from destiny,


Your kiss breathed immortality in my love.










Not relative to time,


His mind collapsed to a point, where


Past, present and future exist simultaneously.










My biography would have no words,


Pages filled with spilled ink,


Formless, shapeless objects meaning nothing, all in black.




My biography has no words, nor any hieroglyphics,



Just filled with spilled ink,


Formless, shapeless objects meaning nothing.










Tears of longing never dry up,


Hushed sobs,


But the heart is parched like a desert.










In the mirrored room of Shosenkyo, a countless “me”.


Each searching for the real “me”


Including the real “myself”.










The lonely nightingale


Fills the silence of night,


With its song of loneliness to give me company.










Cuckoo’s heart-rending melody of night,


Gets drowned in the


Glee of raucous blare of crows in the morning.


















The potter is finding out what clay is


To empathize with,


Every shape and structure he creates with them..










Unchartered sea, no navigation tools,


No destination to sail for,


The wanderer sails aimlessly. Journey is the destination.










Mount Fuji floats in the cloud


The monk meditating in it,


And his mind are absolutely still.










The wise monk recognizes who is inside the temple


And also outside,


His temple spreads much beyond the stone building.










The book with secrets of life is in the safe,


Along with the key to it.


Zen’s catch 22 situation!!


















Pythagoras’ monochord, plucked


A pure note spills all over and invades the


Universe signalling his presence.





Thursday, June 9, 2011

Dark Freezing End and a New Creation

Cosmologists are often in error, but never in doubt!! Age of the universe has been a subject for speculation, mathematical deduction, physical experimentation and philosophical assumptions. It is a subject, when one discusses can very easily proclaim, “whatever you are going to hear is all wrong”!


My interest in this subject stems from my flirtation with Hindu scriptures, my knowledge and understanding of the subject being abysmally low; my toying with Zen philosophy, where my grasp is as strong as that of a paraplegic patient and my half-digested knowledge by reading of few best-selling books – by some of the most erudite scholars in this field. Writing on this subject is nothing short of audacity as I try to correlate the age of the Universe and that of Brahma!

Numbers reflect imagination of a thinking race. Realm of imagination has always expanded as civilization progressed. Different mythologies peg creation of the universe at different values.

Sumerian myths are known from the clay tablets dating to the beginning of the second millennium BC, discovered in the temple archives. According to them, when the world was first formed and generations of gods were born, each deity had a defined role, very much like Hindu or Greek gods and goddesses. However, their prowess was not any thing compared to the omnipotent gods in our mythology; rather, they had more human attributes, like herding cattle or ploughing land. Nammu, the god mother , wife of the sky god . wakes up Enki, from the watery depth and asks him to create man to do the menial labour. Another Goddess, Ninmah imposes hardwork upon mankind. On the contrary, Inanna, the goddess with more complex character was again known for her irascible nature. However, the sky god was supreme and there is no exact mention of age of the universe or even the gods in their mythology.

In the Babylonian mythology, Enuma Elish, the Babylonian text of twelfth century BC, there has been elaborate mention of Marduk, the National God of Babylon. However, the myths of creation involves Enlil and Ninurta. Before the earth and heaven were named, the primeval waters were mixed up. From this endless waters, three generations of gods emerged from Apsu. The new generation, like the gen-x Anu and Ea were restless.Ea puts a spell on Apsu to sleep and takes over the watery depth as his own kingdom and lives with his wife Damkina.Tiamat, Apsu’s consort is disturbed by Marduk, born to Ea and Damkina. Marduk and Tiamat enter into a fight and Marduk wins. He splits open the body of Tiamat whose upper part he fixes above to form the sky complete with stars and planets and the lower part becomes the earth. Tigris and Euphrates flow from her eye sockets; and solid pillars separate earth from the heaven.

In the Hittite mythology of Turkey, in the bronze age of third millennium BC mentions Inara, the mother goddess. She helps the weather god to kill Illuyanka, a dragon who had seized power from the weather god, by getting him drunk. The supreme God was the weather god and Sun Goddess Arinna.

In the Hurrian mythology of the third millennium BC, in northern Mesopotamia, the main Gods were the weather god Teshub, the goddess Shaushga, Sun God Shimegi, Moon God Kushu, and Kumarbi, the deity of agriculture. It is also said that Kumarbi gave birth to the weather god.

In Biblical mythology, the act of creation took place through the command of God. It begins with heaven and earth, with the earth being empty and dark. Then God causes light to appear creating day and night. He made a barrier between the waters from above and waters of the deep; the upper part becoming the sky and the lower part becoming the earth. The following day, he assembles the waters below the sky to form sea and land to be called the earth. He next makes earth to sprout vegetation and instigates the self-perpetuation of plants through seeds. On the fourth day, he fixed lights in the heavenly bodies and makes planets and sun regulate time. Then he fills the sea with aquatic animals and sky with birds followed by animals on land. Finally he creates human beings, both male and female and gives them dominion over all animals, making man with his own image. On the seventh day, tired of his labour, he goes to rest; satisfied with what he created. But over a period of time, god sees that mankind has only evil in his mind and regrets creating them. He makes up his mind to annihilate mankind. Noah builds his ark, takes his wife, sons and a pair of each animal as for 40 days and nights the world gets flooded. After the deluge, once the earth dried, Noah leaves the ark and his wife, sons and all animals restart populating the earth again.

In the Ugaritic mythology of mid-second millennium on the Syrian coast, El was the creator god, who rules with his son Baal, the god of storm with goddesses Astart and Anat.

In the Persian mythology, the history of the universe lasts for 12,000 years. This was collated in the early 10th century BC. At first Ohrmazd’s world of light coexists with the Ahriman’s world of darkness. After 3000 years Ohrmazd creates the physical world, the primal bull Gosh and the first living mortal Gayomard. Ahriman sets out to destroy the world, but Gayomard’s sperm is taken to the sun and Gosh’s to the moon. With rain from Tir; the preserved seeds populate the world from, the sun and the moon. After 40 years of underground existence, from androgynous rhubabrb, the first human couple Mashyagh and Mashyanagh are born. But Ahriman keeps making man greedy and evil, and again after another 3000 years, Zoroaster appears. Soshan, born with the sperm of Zoroaster miraculously fertilizes virgins in Lake of Hamun. A battle ensues between Ahriman and the progenies of Soshan, in which Ahriman is banished to the dark outer world for ever.

China has a rich tradition of cosmogonic myth.Different regions bred different myths about creation. One of them says, the Goddess Gua created all things through 70 transformation. There is also a creation of the earth from vapour, and the primeval earth is covered by a sky cupola fastened together by mountains or pillars. A third myth relates that the world was created from an egg . From Pan Gu myth to Yin and Tang, different regions in China offered different versions of creation, characterized by divine powers, deities, semi-divine beings and so on. However, in Chinese myth, there is no mention of a creator or a divine will as exist in biblical myth. The flood myth, the fire myth, the destruction of the world and survival of heroes and re-establishment of natural order exist in the Chinese mythology. However, it does not have any mention of a God’s favourite or any divine intervention as it exists in the genesis or the Hindu mythology. In the Chinese flood myth, the human hero, YU – son of Gun who stole cosmic soil to prevent flood and is executed – manages flood with his pwer, planning and aid of the dragon and the turtle. After controlling the flood, he divides the world into nine regions and becomes the founder of the Xia dynasty, the first golden age in China. The Sky God, Zhuan Xu commands his two grandsons Chong and Li to push the sky apart from the earth to maintain celestial order.

The Tibetan influence on the Chinese mythology probably is responsible for the egg theory, where after 18,000 years, the egg broke and the upper portion became the sky and the lower, the earth. Yang, the ethereal matter became the sky and the heavier Yin formed the earth. The universe is described as a shapeless primordial form full of chaos. The goddess figure Gua was the creatrix of all things in nature. But with time, her description was denigrated to more human form. There are about ten divine beings in the earlier mythology given the status of God in the orthodox pantheon.

The Japanese mythology begins with the arrival of Jomon people across Japan between 11,000 and 300 years BCE. The Japanese myth says, the universe existed as an unformed oily jelly like substance. A single God, Amanominakanushi-no-kami arose from this mass; followed by four more gods which formed a group of five primordial gods. Subsequently, seven more generations of gods came into being who inhabited the high plains of Heaven, Takama-gahara. The youngest of Gods, Izanami and Izanagi created Onogoro, from the murky depths below standing on the bridge of heaven and thus created the first island. Izanagi and Izanami built a palace for themselves and got married. Their first born, Hiruko was deformed and was abandoned as themarriage ritual was flawed with Goddess Izanami speaking girst. But after redoing the ritual again, they were blessed with groups of offspring who were linked to all natural phenomenon; including the youngest Kagutsuchi – the fire god. After Izanami’s death, Izanagi follows her to the underworld to bring her back; but was forbade to look at her. Curiosity and yearning to see his wife got the better of him and he lit the tooth of a comb to see her and was shocked to see her as a rotten maggot. Unable to bear this Izanagi returns, much to the chagrin of Izanami, who felt ditched as he broke his vow by looking at her. However, in the end, Izanagi escapes and puts a large boulder at the entrance of the underworld and finally dissolved their marriage.

Most mythologies mention about a creation, about supernatural power, about catastrophe and about nature and natural laws. Are mythologies only creations of man’s fertile imagination? How old is man? How old is this creation? How old is God if he really exists? How old is this universe? If God created man, who created him? Or did we actually conjure God??



No mythological concept had the imaginations of numbers as Hinduism had. For instance, let us look at the age of Brahma, the creator. Brahma is god of creation or life, and is different from the concept of Brahman.

As in Genesis, according to Hindu mythology, there was a deluge and like Noah, Manu sailed to safety with the seeds for future creation. As the dragon and the turtle helped in Chinese flood mythology, the Matsya (Fish) avatar of the Supreme lord, Vishnu helped Manu in steering the boat to safety.

Lord Brahma lives in Brahmalok, his abode where God’s one day is equal to man’s one year. That is, one divine year is equal to 360 human years. The entire time space is divided into four epochs or ages. Satya yuga lasts for 1,728,000 years; Treta yuga lasts for 1,296 years, Dwapar yug lasts for 864,000 years and the shortest of them all is Kali yug, the one we are living in, lasting for 432,000 years. All together, these four epochs are called one Maha yuga or one great epoch. Summation of all these years gives us 4,320,000 years. A thousand of these mahayugas or great epochs are called Kalpa, which is 4,320,000,000 years of human beings!!! One Kalpa of 4.32 billion years is one day of Brahma!! By the way, our creator Brahma is in his middle age!!! He is 50 year old now, and is expected to live upto hundred. So, in our calendar, he will live 311 trillion 40 million years! In Hindu mythology, the such imagination reflected the expanse of the universe.

But the universe we dwell in is much younger than Brahma! In fact, much much younger!!

When we talk of universe, we refer to the visible universe. With the Wilkinson Microwave Anisotropy Probe (WMAP) satellite sent in 2001 by NASA has been able to identify even the slightest of background radiation which still exists after the big bang and the inflation of the universe. The universe at the beginning, as described by The Rig Veda, was a unimaginably small structure without any form, filled with enormous energy. When big bang took place and the universe expanded, it left behind back ground microwave energy, which normally cannot be felt being on earth due to various other interfering powerful radiation. However, because of the specialized positioning of this satellite, with his unobstructed sensitive probe, it is able to capture this small amount of energy.



We are aware, light travels with a finite speed in vacuum. If we start calculating the radiation, and the distance which can be visualized or felt by this scope, we shall be very accurately able to predict the age of the universe we live in. However, the question is, how did the universe expand? Did it expand into some space which was hitherto void? On the contrary, it expanded carrying itself, as there was nothing, nor even space left to expand in!! This is much like the Zen thoughts or even the concept of the infinite or absolute which exists in our Vedas.

The WMAP satellite has been able to confirm that the universe is expanding, however, the acceleration or speed of expansion is probably slowing down. This can sense objects unto quasars, which are on the outer horizon of the visible universe. It has detected dark energy which accounts for almost two thirds of all energies and dark mass which accounts for one third of unidentifiable masses in the universe.

A more ambitious project, Laser interferometer Space Antenna, to measure the gravitational forces across the universe of even miniscule values which would have helped unravel far more mysteries was shelved due to funding issues with the European Space Mission’s limitations. But, as our interest keeps looming large in space science, it may be few more years, that once again similar probes would adorn the sky.

The milestones of creation of the universe found out by COBE, WMAP and other theories are:

13.71 billion years ago, for a period of 10^-43 seconds, it was Planck Era during which four forces of the universe was one single force, and the gravitational force was as strong as other quantum forces. The unified single superforce, which Rig Veda describes as “there was nothing but some thing stirred” was a time when no material existed in the universe, in a perfect phase of nothingness. There was a mysterious symmetry, which unified all the four forces, but for some reasons which remain unknown, or which the philosophers attribute to the divine will, the symmetry broke and a tiny bubble formed, which was the embryonic form of our present universe. This bubble, which today extends over unimaginable length was only 10^-32 cm.

After the Planck Era, ensued the Grand Unified theory Era. This lasted for 10^-43 seconds. With the symmetry in disarray, the expansion of the universe took place. The four unified forces separated from each other. Gravity being the first to split off, releasing a shockwave all across the universe. Probably, if LISA is put into action we would learn more about this. Even after the gravity split off from GUT, strong, weak and electromagnetic energy remained together. The universe expanded by an enormous factor, probably at a tune of 10^50. During this, space expanded, even faster than light. This phenomenon followed “universe expanding running away with itself”. The pervading temperature of the universe was 10^32 degrees, at which even the electrons could not be kept bound to the protons – and atomic structures did not exist.



Then inflation ended, after 10^34 seconds. This means, the big bang really did not occur as one single bang, but it actually was inflationary over a period of time. Though this period, was so small, lasting from 10^-43 seconds to 10^-34 seconds it might not have sounded as a long enough noise to our ears!!! The temperature dropped from 10^32 degrees to 10^27 degrees. The GUT symmetry broke. The forces got separated from one another. The maddening speed of expansion of the universe stopped and the universe relaxed to a cruise control following Friedman’s law of expansion on a more linear plane. That time, as the atoms were not formed due to the existing temperature, the universe was in a stage akin to soup!!! It consisted of a plasma state, of free quarks, gluons, and leptons. Free quarks condensed into protons and neutrons of today. Our universe was still quite small, at this point it was as bit as our own solar system now. There was matter and there was antimatter (does Yin and Yang of the Chinese mythology mean any thing here?). Matter was in excess of a very paltry one part in a billion. But as matter and antimatter annihilated each other, the excess matter – one part in a billion, remained untouched. Our universe, as we see today is a product of that remaining matter.



Following the end of inflation in geometric proportion, for a period of 3 minuted, the temperature dropped dramatically. Without the intense heat, which even did not allow atoms to form and left the universe in a plasma state, nuclei started forming. Hydrogen fused into Helium making the present ration of 3:1 of hydrogen and helium. Trace amount of lithium too was formed. But still, the temperature was high enough to allow any degree of stability of larger atoms with five nuclei. There were still free electrons all across the universe and the universe was opaque as light scattered through the electron clouds. This marks the end of the primeval fireball.

When the universe was 380,000 years old, atoms were born with the universe cooling gradually. The temperature dropped to about 3000 degrees. Electrons settled around nuclei without being ripped apart by the enormous heat as it happened earlier. Photons or light could travel freely as electron cloud settled down. This is the radiation which is measured by COBE and WMAP satellite. The sky was transparent now, but it was black!!

In the next billion years, the stars condensed. The temperature dropped to -255 degrees. Quasars, galaxies, galactic clusters were formed. Stars started making larger atoms like carbon, oxygen and nitrogen. Exploding stars emitted iron into the heavens. When the hubble telescope was employed, we could visualize unto this era, and not beyond; which was achieved by WMAP.

In the next 6.5 billion years, Friedman expansion ended. But antigravity force, etiology of which still remains a mystery, called de Sitter force made the universe accelerate in its growth.

In the next 13.7 billion years, the temperature dropped further to 2.7 degrees. And we see the present galaxies, stars and planets. The universe continues in its runaway expansion.....

But all these observation or scientific data are limited to the universe which is visible. But what lies beyond?

The inflationary universe, though is proven by WMAP, there remain so many questions unanswered. What caused the inflation? Why and how the antigravity force came into being? Can the inflationary process occur again?

According to Linde of Stanford, a tiny segment of the universe may suddenly inflate as a bud, or a baby universe. This budding process continues for ever. Universes are being probably created continuously. Probably big bangs are happening continually in this Universe, that is the universe which also includes the universe we cannot see. Probably, we live in a multiverse, where universes are budding like bubbles and bursting to an end as more and more universes are being created. We possibly live in a chaotic world of inflationary universe, which is eternal, and self-propagating.

Just as the mysterious antigravity forces pushed the galaxies apart, there is an accelerated expansion of the universe. Galaxies are getting farther and farther from one another. The dark energy, which accounts for 73%, over two third of the energy of the universe is pushing every thing apart at an increasing speed. Within about 150 billion years, because of other galaxies speeding away from us, we shall lose the proximity to the 100 billion galaxies which we can see. In 150 years, there will be few thousand galaxies which would remain visible as the galaxies turn too distant to be visible.Our local community of 36 galaxies will probably still be close enough to be in the neighbourbhood., the rest relocating beyond the visible horizon of the universe. Even, WMAP will fail to see them, as they will be beyond the horizon of the visible universe.

We will get lonelier.

With the antigravity force continuing, the universe will ultimately get into a big freeze. As the temperature in the space falls to absolute zero molecules themselves will be immobile. Trillions over trillions of years later, when the stars would have exhausted their nuclear fuel, there will only be a night sky, an all-enveloping darkness. The universe will be left with black dwarfs, neutron stars and black holes. Even further down in time, blackholes themselves will disintegrate their energy away. In such freezingly cold, deep dark universe, alas, we would be gone.

But the present universe is only 3 days old for Lord Brahma! And he is to live a hundred years! So, there will be more creations, more universes and probably, another Manu or Noah who will carry the seeds for the future. And even after Brahma dies, after the great annihilation, as the Vedas say, there will again be a new Brahma, and taking recluse in this thought, it at least gives hope that if our universe ends, there would be more in future.

Monday, February 8, 2010

Imhotep - The World's first Physician who designed the first pyramid!




IMHOTEP - the First Physician

The time-honoured message is etched on the sole
Like a metaphor— an understatement of a rare gem’s soul
Just half of his story which reflects our very own lives
That from adversity, a patient phoenix soars and thrives. Samira Edi

William Osler, the Canadian physician, regarded as the father of modern medicine described him as

"..first figure of a physician to stand out clearly from the mists of antiquity." Imhotep diagnosed and treated over 200 diseases, 15 diseases of the abdomen, 11 of the bladder, 10 of the rectum, 29 of the eyes, and 18 of the skin, hair, nails and tongue. Imhotep treated tuberculosis, gallstones, appendicitis, gout and arthritis. He also performed surgery and practiced some dentistry. Imhotep extracted medicine from plants. He also knew the position and function of the vital organs and circulation of the blood system. The Encyclopedia Britannica says, "The evidence afforded by Egyptian and Greek texts support the view that Imhotep's reputation was very respected in early times. His prestige increased with the lapse of centuries and his temples in Greek times were the centers of medical teachings."

Imhotep is often recognized as the world’s first physician. But he donned many hats – which were of a highly skilled architect who built Egypt's first pyramid, was a priest, a writer, a sage, a poet, an astrologer, and a vizier. Some inscriptions even label him as a chief minister. He served Djoser (2630–2611 BC), the second king of Egypt's third dynasty. But he may have lived under as many as four kings.

An inscription on one of that kings statues describes Imhotep as "chancellor of the king of lower Egypt", the "first one under the king", the "administrator of the great mansion", the "hereditary Noble", the "high priest of Heliopolis", the "chief sculptor", and finally the "chief carpenter”.

Not hailing from a regal lineage, scant details are available about his early life. But once he adorned the court of Djoser, his genius shone all around. His multifaceted talents, his in-depth knowledge, his astute analysis, his clear understanding of stars and constellation with natural laws made him an versatile genius, who could never fail at any thing. Born in a suburb of Memphis, the cradle of the earliest civilization, he was a commoner by birth and there is no concrete history about his parentage or his family. It was during his time at Heliopolis, where he served as a chief priest, the city was regarded as the religious capital.

Saqqara’s step pyramid, for Djoser, was the first pyramid to be ever built, of which the doctor was the architect. This was the first stone monument and though in later years more pyramids were credited to his designs, Saqquara still remains the milestone.

With Imhotep probably started a personality cult, where a non-royal entity was levitated to a divine strata, and temples were constructed after him, much as the saints of Roman Catholicism. About 100 years after his death, he was elevated as a medical demigod. In about 525, around 2,000 years after his death, he was elevated to a full god, and replaced Nefertum in the great triad at Memphis. In the Turin Canon, he was known as the "son of Ptah". Imhotep was, together with Amenhote, the only mortal Egyptians that ever reached the position of full gods. He was also associated with Thoth, the god of wisdom, writing and learning, and with the Ibises which was also associated with Thoth.
Imhotep's best known writings were medical; which were the forerunner to the western and Arabic medical practice. It is quite probable that Imhotep authored the Edwin Smith Papyrus in which more than 90 anatomical terms and 48 injuries were described. He might have also founded a school of medicine in Memphis, a part of his cult center known as "Asklepion, which remained famous for two thousand years, some 2,200 years before the Western Father of Medicine Hippocrates was born.

Was Imhotep actually Joseph??

Dr. Moeller, a medical doctor at Karolinska Institute, Stockholm, is also an archaeologist, explorer, marine biologist, scuba diver, and a scholar of both Egyptian history and the Bible. It was Dr. Mueller who directed the diving expedition which discovered coral-covered clumps of chariot wreckage from Egypt's 18th dynasty in the Gulf of Aqaba (see listed Ezine articles).
Moeller refers to an inscription on the island of Sihiel, near the first cataract of the Nile, which actually links Imhotep to the key biblical element of the Joseph story - telling of Pharaoh Djoser in the 18th year of his reign. The inscription states "seven meagre years and seven rich years". Commenting on the inscription, Moeller writes, "Pharaoh Djoser asks Imhotep to help him with the coming seven years of famine. All the biblical components of the story are there, and there is a similar inscription on the island of Philae in the Nile." (This is exactly as in the Bible with Joseph, except for listing the "meagre" years before the years of plenty. Note: The famine years were, of course, the event of significance, saving everyone from starvation and bringing in much wealth to Egypt - it is noted that the manuscript was written a thousand years after the occurrences.) A carving in Sakkara shows starving people (ribs prominently outlined), also shows sacks of grain being carried up steps (as in the "silo" vaults at Sakkara), also food being distributed. In summary, Moeller says, "It should be noted that there is no other period of famine of seven plus seven years in the history of Egypt - except for the one for which Imhotep was responsible." In Egyptian records, only one person is described as having the administrative authority to organize Egypt's survival during the long famine - Imhotep. The parallel to biblical Joseph is precise and compelling. Moeller cites the large number of similarities in the lives, the accomplishments, responsibilities and characteristics of Imhotep of Egypt and Joseph of the Bible. Noting the dove-tailing of their individual stories from separate Egyptian and biblical accounts, Moeller's conclusion is that the two - most probably - were the same person, the two stories told from different viewpoints.

• (Imhotep is appointed Administrator by Pharaoh Djoser during the periods of seven years famine and seven years of bountiful harvests); {Joseph is appointed Administrator to Pharaoh for the seven years of plenty then of famine};
• (Minister to the King of Lower Egypt); {Pharaoh .. made him ruler over all the land of Egypt};
• (Administrator of the GreatPalace); {Thou shalt be over my house};
• (Not of royal blood; attained position by ability); {From another nation and religion, not of royal blood, attained position by ability};
• (Not appointed by Pharaoh Djoser until he had reigned for some time); {Appointed well after Pharaoh ruled Egypt};
• (Given the status of "son" to Pharaoh); {Granted the status of "son" to Pharaoh};
• (High Priest in Heliopolis); {Married to Asenath, daughter of Poti-Pherah, High Priest in Heliopolis - by custom, would succeed father-in-law};
• (Builder and architect); {Builder of grain storehouses such as at Sakkara step-pyramid};
• (Exalted by Pharaoh Djoser as of godly character.); {"And Pharaoh said, 'a man in whom the spirit of God is!'"} ;
• ("I need advice from God."); {Noted as saying, "It is not in me; God shall give Pharaoh an answer."};
• (Had great medical skill - was compared to the Greek God of Healing);
• {Had doctors under his authority - worked by miracles, dreams and signs from God};
• (Decided the tax rate during the seven years of famine; also not to apply to priests); {Decided the tax rate during the seven years of famine; also not to apply to priests};
• (Realizes when he is dying - dies at age 110.); {Realizes when he is dying - dies at age 110.}.
Extremely noteworthy regarding Imhotep-Joseph is that the mummified bodies of neither have ever been found. The known facts regarding the burials of Imhotep and Joseph also strongly support the thesis that they were the same person:
- Both died at age 108.
- Imhotep's coffin in Sakkara - with innumeral Ibis birds mummified in the adjoining galleries (Imhotep was called "Ibis" because of his reputation for healing - a large number of Ibis birds were sacrificed to him at his funeral in Sakkara); many clay vessels bearing the seal of Pharaoh Djoser were near the coffin; and the coffin is oriented to the North, not East, and is empty.
- Joseph would have been buried at Sakkara, his coffin orientated to the North - indicating he did not believe in the gods of the Egyptians (who were buried facing East, the rising sun); the coffin would also be empty as Joseph's bones would have been taken by Moses with the Hebrews during the Exodus.

his main centers of worship were in the Ptolemaic temple to Hathor atf Dier el-Medina and at Karnak in Thebes, where he was worshipped in conjunction with Amenhotep-Son-of-Hapu, a sanctuary on the upper terrace of the temple at Deir el-Bahari, at Philae where a chapel of Imhotep stands immediately in front of the eastern pylon of the temple of Isis and of course, at Memphis in Lower (northern) Egypt, where a temple was erected to him near the Serapeum. At saqqara, we are told that people bought offerings to his cult center, including mummified Ibises and sometimes, clay models of diseased limbs and organs in the hope of being healed.

He was later even worshipped by the early Christians as one with Christ. The early Christians, it will be recalled, adapted to their use those pagan forms and persons whose influence through the ages had woven itself so powerfully into tradition that they could not omit them.

He was worshiped even in Greece where he was identified with their god of medicine, Aslepius. . He was honored by the Romans and the emperors Claudius and Tiberius had inscriptions praising Imhotep placed on the walls of their Egyptian temples. He even managed to find a place in Arab traditions, especially at Saqqara where his tomb is thought to be located.

Thursday, October 30, 2008

Daru-Brahma: Idol of Lord Jagannath









“All ecclesiastical history is a mishmash of error and coercion.” Goethe

The resultant schism between scientific thinking and religious belief has presented every thinking person with an apparently unresolvable dilemma. Core tenets anchored in ecclesiastical traditions have become topics for debates for theologians. The debate between faith and logic will continue for ever and celestial incidents which will be backed by evidences will keep baffling human minds.

One such example is the idol-making of the presiding deities of Puri. Many such practices still cannot be explained by science, neither can be dismissed as coincidences. Nicolai Notovitch, who traveled through Northern India extensively and spent time in Hermis Monastery in Leh to trace Asian connections of Christ notes from the scriptures maintained by the Abbot that Jesus at the age of fourteen traveled with merchants through Sindh (now in Pakistan), Punjab, Gangetic plains to Jagannath Puri where he learnt to read and understand Vedas; and spent six years traveling through Benares, Rajagriha en route before returning to Israel.

Puri, also called Jagannath Puri after its presiding deity was the place where Guru Nanak of the Sikhs, Mahavir of the Jains, score of Muslim devotees including Kabir came to worship Jagannath.



Puri, Dwarka, Rameswaram and Badrinath are the four most important pilgrimage places (dhams meaning abodes or religious centers) in India for the Hindus. These four religious centers are also referred to as Chaturdham (Chatur – four, dham – abode). However, another set of four religious sites in the Himalayan region are also referred to as Chaturdham, Gangotri, Yamunotri, Kedarnath and Badrinath. But the first four, as described by Adi Sankaracharya; the Hindu religious leader of the 8th century, are the four most important places of pilgrimage for a Hindu and are commonly referred to as four dhams.

Puri, a small town by the Bay of Bengal in Orissa is the the abode of Lord Jagannath, a form of Lord Narayana; the deity of all Hindus, particularly the Vaishnavites (Worshippers of Vishnu). The word Jagannath means Lord (Nath) of the Universe (Jagat). The temple, an architectural masterpiece, was constructed in the 12th century AD by King Ananta Varman Cholaganga Dev. There are myriads of folklores about the construction of the temple, which is, till today one of the most visited tourists’ destination. The temple houses wooden idols of Lord Jagannath, his brother – Balabhadra and his sister – Subhadra. The idols are made of Neem wood. Lord Jagannath is possibly the only Hindu deity, who is associated with other religions. Buddha was an incarnation, Guru Nanak of the Sikhs spent time worshipping him in Puri.

Jagannath temple is also known for the annual car-festival during the rainy season (in the month of June) when the three deities with Sudarshan (the weapon of Lord Jagannath) come out of the temple and are taken to Mausima temple, about three kilometers from the Jagannath temple in wooden chariots. Almost a million people attend this festival.

The wood used to carve out the deities is from neem tree (Azadirachta indica) , which is an evergreen tree found all over the country. It has various medicinal properties and its parts are used in the traditional Indian medicine. It is also related to the Sun and healing. However, no ordinary neem tree can be used for carving out the idols. There are many stringent conditions which must be fulfilled by the trees which will then be used to make the idols. For every deity, a different tree is used.

The ceremony for making and installing the new idols is called Naba-kalebara (naba – new in Oriya, Kalebara – body). The old deity is buried in the temple premises in Koili Baikuntha after the new idol is installed following vedic rituals.

Naba kalebara or change of idols take place once in about twelve years, only when in the Hindu calendar of the year, there is a repetition of the month of ashadha (a month in the rainy season, coinciding with June). But at times, such months can come after 8 or 12 or even 18 years. In idols worshipped now were made in 1996. The change of idols took place in the years of 1977, 1969, 1950, 1931, 1912, etc.

The trees which are used are selected based on several celestial incidents, very much like the birth of Krishna or Buddha or Jesus. In the temple are many scriptures written on palm leaves, one of which is Niladri Mahodaya, meaning rise of the blue mountain. This book contains the details of the locations where daru (the neem tree) would be found. However, the geographical location is not well documented, and the tree is actually located following the directions from Goddesss Mangala in Kakatpur, a small village about 50 kilometers from Puri, on the way to Konark, the famous Sun Temple.

Myths galore exist about the wooden deities of Puri. It is said that Krishna, while resting, was shot by Jara, a tribesman who mistook the feet of Krishna to be the ear of a deer. The arrowhead, which was made from the cursed spear of the sage Durvasa, and was meant to wipe off the Jadav clan of Lord Krishna stuck him at his feet, and the lord breathed his last. As per his wishes, his disciple and friend, Arjun along with the tribal hunter cremated him in pyre. The whole body of Lord Krishna was turned into ashes, but for the heart (pinda). Following a divine order, the hunter threw the heart in the sea. It is said that this pinda or heart was seen floating as daru (log of a tree) in the sea. King Indradyumna, who was an ardent devotee of Lord Jagannath retrieved the log. However, his frustrations knew no bounds when not a single carpenter could carve out the idols. He submitted himself at the lotus feet of the lord to find a carpenter. A very old man appeared, who agreed to make the idol on condition of complete isolation and non-interference for three weeks. The carpenter retired to a secluded room and started his work, and the king – very impatiently, waited outside beginning the countdown. After two weeks, the king heard no noise from the room. Suspecting that the old carpenter might have passed away, he opened the door. Hardly had he looked at the carpenter when he vanished; leaving three unfinished idols. There stood the three deities, half-made. Their hands and legs were incomplete. It is also said that the present form has a strong philosophical underline. The deities do not have hands and legs; which signifies they will be stationary. The big round eyes will keep seeing every thing happening with even batting an eyelid. He would be surveying every thing happening, smilingly; and will react when the occasion demands.

A search party comprising of about 50 members sets out to spot the holy tree. It includes the descendants of certain families who had been traditionally serving the temple. They seek the blessings of Lord Jagannath and set out on their mission taking the permission of the King of Puri. The search party reaches Kakatpur, and one of the members, called the Daitapati prays Goddess Mangala. He sleeps in the temple premises in Kakatpur, praying the goddess to direct him to the correct location. In his dream, the goddess gives him the directions to the exact location. The next morning the party sets off to spot the holy tree.

The tree which will be used has to fulfill many conditions. Lord Jagannath is dark in color. So the neem tree from which his idol is to be carved out should be dark; whereas the trees which would be used for the idols of his brother and sister are lighter in color; as his siblings are fair! The neem tree for Lord Jagannath must have four principal branches – symbolizing four arms of Narayana. There must be a water body near the tree – like a river or a large pond and a cremation ground nearby. An ant-hill should be close to the tree and at the roots of the tree there mist be a snake-pit of a cobra. No bird must have made nests in the tree; and no branches would have broken or cut. The tree has to be located near a three-way or would be surrounded by three mountains. No creepers must have grown on the tree and there have to be Varuna, Sahada and Billva trees (these three trees are not very common) close by. There have to be a hermitage and a temple of Lord Shiva in the vicinity. The most amazing requirement is, on the tree trunk there must be natural impressions of conch-shell and chakra (wheel)!


A neem tree which satisfies all the above conditions will be selected for making the idol. A fire sacrifice is made to invoke the blessings of all gods. Descendants of three different families will start the process of cutting the tree, which begins with a golden axe, followed by a silver axe and finally cut with an iron axe. The whole uncut trunk is carried to the temple premises on a wooden cart to be kept in Koili Baikuntha, the burial ground of the gods in the Jagannath temple. The new idols will be made by the carpenter family serving the temple for generations. They take three weeks to make the idols, during which period no one other than the carpenters are allowed inside.

Very much like the daru of Lord Jagannath, the process continues to locate the trees for Sudarshan, Subhadra and Balabhadra. In fact, the daru of Lord Jagannath is the last to be cut.

When the new idols are made, they are carried to the inner sanctum of the temple and kept facing the old idols. The three seniormost servants of the Lord belonging to the Daitapati family, three days before the car festival, transfer the Brahman or the life force (also referred to as pinda) from the old deities to the new. They are blind-folded and their hands are covered when they perform this. Once the new idols are installed, the old idols are taken to the cremation ground and buried in their respective places. No one is allowed to witness this process, and the whole town of Puri plunges into darkness during this.

On the second day, the new deities are placed on Ratna Singhasan, the throne of the deities, and the rituals begin. The car festival following the installation of the new idols attracts more crowd than other years.

(My son in front of the chariots during the car festival on one of the off days in Puri in the first photograph; thanks to my younger brother who was in charge of the administration! There also are pictures depicting the Neem tree, and the naturally oiccurring impressions of Sankha or conch-shell and chakra or wheel. The picture of the three cars of the three deities was taken by my son. I was fortunate to have witnessed this celestial incident in 1977 in Raychakradharpur a remote village in Puri district of Orissa. My memories of 1969 daru in Champajhar in Khurdha district is limited to a ride in a bullock cart through a serpectine road. I was out of the country in 1996!)
Interestingly, Maharaja Ranjit Singh, who donated more gold and silver to Lord Jagannath Temple in Puri than even to Golden Temple, had willed the Koh-i-noor diamond to Lord Jagannath. But unfortunately, the will was never executed, and soon after his death in 1839, British took over his kingdom and acquired the possession of the diamond.

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