BC INDIA
Saved by @Mollyycolllinss

#Thread on "Kashi (Varanasi), From Birth to Death and Death to Moksha."

Located on the left bank of the Ganga, Varanasi is one of the 7 holy cities of the Hindus. According to the Vamana Purana, two rivers named Varuna and Assi originated since the beginning of the timei

 The name Varanasi originates from the two tributaries of the Ganges, the Varuna &the Assi, which flows at its northern & southern boundaries. The land lying between them was named 'Varanasi'. Its original name was derived from the word 'Kashi', 'Kaasha', which means brightness.
By the way, kashi is mentioned in many Vedic literatures. Kaushitaki Upanishad mentioned about the places like Kashyas and Videhas. Ajatashatru has been declared as the ruler of Kashi or Videha in the Brihadaranyaka Upanishad. Apart from this, Kashi &Videha are also mentioned in
Shankhayan & Boudhayan Srotasutra.

It also mentions about Kashi joining the Kosala after the independent state got destroyed. It is often referred as adjectives such as 'city of temples', 'religious capital of India', 'city of Shiva', 'city of lamps', 'city of knowledge' etc.
Famous American writer Mark Twain writes: " banaras is older than history, older than tradition, older even than legend and looks twice as old as all of them put together.”

In the Middle Ages it was a part of the Kannauj kingdom and later it was ruled by Pala kings of Bengal.
In 1194, Shahabuddin Ghori looted and damaged this city. Then Qutub-ud-din Aibak destroyed thousands of temples and religious monuments. It was renamed as Muhammadabad in the Mughal period. Later it was placed under the direct control of the Awadh court.
Balwant Singh sided with the British in the battle of Buxar and on this occasion liberated Varanasi from the Awadh court. In 1911, the British made Maharaj Prabhunarayan Singh the king of Varanasi. In 1950, this state voluntarily joined the Republic of India.
Varanasi has been the confluence of various opinions. This ancient and eternal city of learning has attracted religious gurus, reformers and preachers for centuries. Apart from Buddha & Shankaracharya, Ramanuja, Vallabhacharya, Kabir, Guru Nanak, Tulsidas,Chaitanya Mahaprabhu etc
had visited this city. It is said that Kashi has been a great center of learning and teaching for 3000 years. It is associated with the promotion of spiritualism, mysticism, Sanskrit, Yoga and Hindi language. BHU in Kashi, even today, is the Asia's largest residential university.
Two Vishwanath temples located in Kashi further enhance its fame. The Vishwanath temple, which was renovated by King Harishchandra in the 11th century BC, and again renovated by Emperor Vikramaditya. The first Vishwanath temple, which is the ninth place among the 12 Jyotirlinga
however, the 2nd Vishwanath temple is located at the premises of BHU. Amarnath Upadhyay, senior priest of Kashi Vishwanath Temple, says, 'Kashivas consists of 4 elements - stay here, stay in the company of scholars, consume Gangajal & pray to lord Shiva.
Those who follow these four elements get salvation from the endless circle of births and deaths with the blessings of Lord Tarakeswar, an incarnation of Lord Vishwanath.

Ayurveda is said to have originated from Varanasi and is the basis of modern medical science such as
plastic surgery, cataract etc. Maharishi Patanjali, a predecessor of Ayurveda and Yoga, was also associated with Varanasi.

Taking a bath in Ganga at Kashi has a huge significance. Ganga in Kashi has the power to sanctify not only the body of mortal people but also the soul.
'If you die in Kashi, you will get direct moksha' This is world famous statement.

Since Kashi is considered as the abode of Shiva & Parvati, we believe that one who is gracious to die on the land of Kashi will attain moksha (salvation) from the cycle of birth and rebirth.
To achieve moksha, Aghori sadhus, who worship Mahakal as Shiva, consider Kashi as their stronghold. For Aghoris, Shiva is everything & Beyond philosophy. That’s why their ritual & way of living, has always been controversial.
Death is necessary to attain moksha. But between death and moksha there comes a place called “the crematorium”. And since, Kashi is the center of moksha, it has a grand crematorium in the form of Manikarnika Ghat.
Shiva has blessed Manikarnika Ghat with eternal peace. People also believe that once Lord Vishnu worshiped Lord Shiva here for thousands of years and prayed that Kashi should not be destroyed even during the destruction of the creation.
Pleased with the prayers of Shri Vishnu, Shiva came to Kashi with wife Parvati & fulfilled the wish of Vishnu. Since then it is believed that by performing the last rites in Varanasi, one attains moksha.

Some people say that Shiva & Parvati had a bath in a well dug by Vishnu,
which is now called Manikarnika Kund. It is also said that While Shiva was bathing in this well, one of his coil fell into the well. Since then this place came to be known as Manikarnika (Mani i.e. Kundal and Karnam means ear) Ghat.
I think, I have written enough but still it seems to be an incomplete one. May be because kashi has always ruled on my heart.

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#Thread on forgotten bihar

कहते है इतिहास ख़ुद को दोहराता है। पर जितना मैं इतिहास के गहराइ में गया हूँ , एक ही बात समझ पाया हूँ की इतिहास ख़ुद को दोहराए ना दोहराए वो सबसे ताक़तवर चीज़ को हमेशा ही दबा देता है । जैसे की हमारा देश भारत। इतिहास में हम पूरी दुनिया में सबसे आगे थे,


चाहे वो कोई भी क्षेत्र क्यूँ ना हो। और आज हम ग़रीबी से जूझ रहे हैं। पर भारत के अंदर भी एक राज्य के साथ ठीक ऐसा ही कुछ हुआ, जैसा कि 2014 तक भारत के साथ विश्व में होता था। वो राज्य है - बिहार । हाँ वही बिहार जो भारत में सबसे ज़्यादा IAS-IPS देता है , पर आज भी हम बिहारियो को बेकार


और बेवक़ूफ़ समझा जाता है । पढ़े लिखे लोगों कि हिसाब से बोले तो low standard. आइए एक बार आपको बिहार के इतिहास में ले चले ।

हज़ारों साल पहले की बात है जब हरी भरी भूमि से, जहाँ गंगा की पवित्र धारा बहती है, एक ख़ूबसूरत रानी ने जन्म लिया - सीता ।

सीता बिहार की बेटी जिसका बचपन बिहार में ही बिता और बिहार के मिट्टी से शुरू हुई अब तक की सबसे बड़ी महाकाव्य की रचना- रामायण । हाँ, वही रामायण और सीता जिसके लिए हम आज भी ट्विटर पर लड़ते है । विश्वप्रसिद्ध मिथिला पेंटिंग की शुरुआत भी सीता कि विवाह से ही शुरू हुई ।


क्योंकि जो मिथिला पेंटिंग की पुरानी चित्रकला मिलती है वो सीता राम की ही है । बिहार का इतिहास बताता है की बिहार में औरतों को बहुत अधिक इज़्ज़त दी जाती थी क्योंकि वो सीता जैसी ही स्वाभिमानी होती थी । और शायद यही कारण था की मौर्य समराज्य के पहले राजा चंद्रगुप्त मौर्य की 700 महिला
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@hathyogi31
#Thread on decoding the ॐ/AUM/OM

AUM is made up of 3 syllables: A, U, & M, or, phonetically, “aaah,” “oooh,” & “mmm.” A is the first of the guttural sound, so it is the very first sound that human can utter, M is the last of the labial sounds and


U is the sound produced by rolling the wind over the whole of the tongue. Hence the conjunction of these 3 primary sounds can be comprehended to contain the rudiment of all sounds that human can ever give utterance to and so it can be taken as the fittest sound symbol of Brahman.

According to Taittiriya Upanishad 1.8.1-

MnOm is Brahman. Om is everything here.

At a physical level, the Aum syllable addresses the whole of the human sound instrument: we open the mouth (a), move the lips closer to each other (u) & then close the mouth (m).


This activates the larynx fully. ‘A’ resonates in the stomach and chest, ‘u’ in the throat and chest and ‘m’ in the nasal cavity, skull and brain. By chanting Aum we move the energy from the abdomen up to the brain.

Moreover, the syllable AUM represents several important triads:


Worlds - Earth, Atmosphere, and Heaven; Major Hindu Gods - Brahma, Vishnu, and Shiva; Gunas: Tamas, Rajas and
Sattva; Sacred Vedic scriptures - Rg, Yajur, and Sama; Actions: Creation, Preservation, and Destruction; Time: Past, Present, and Future;
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@hathyogi31
#3/thread on Angkor wat

Christianity and islam may be the largest religion of today’s world but Sanatan dharm has the largest religious monument in the world in the form of Angkor wat. It is situated in combodia and spread across over 400 acres / 1.6 km².


It was listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1992, which encouraged an international effort to save the complex.
It was originally built as a Hindu temple dedicated to the god Vishnu. In Khmer, the Cambodian language, Angkor means "city" and Wat means "temple grounds".


So Angkor Wat means "Temple City". Its original name was Vrah Vishnuloka or Parama Vishnuloka, meaning the sacred dwelling of Vishnu in Sanskrit.
But, it gradually turned into a Buddhist temple towards the end of the 12th century & is still used for worship today.


Angkor Wat was initially designed and constructed in the first half of the 12th century, during the reign of Suryavarman II, as the king’s state temple and capital city. It was built without the aid of any machinery, as there was no machinery available at that time.


Evidence for these dates comes in part from inscriptions, which are vague, but also from the architectural design and artistic style of the temple and its associated sculptures.

Another aspect is that the five central towers of Angkor Wat symbolize the peaks of Mount Meru,
HISTORY
Hathyogi
Hathyogi
@hathyogi31
#Thread on Purūsharthå

The word Purūsharthå is mentioned in Suryopanishad which is a minor Upanishad allied to the Atharva Veda.

Here Purush in Purūsharthå doesn't refers to a man, but to an individual soul in its purest aspect, that is similar for both men and women.


Dharma , Artha,Kama,Moksha known to be four goals of an individual's life and codified as Purūsharthå, It is also mentioned in the sacred book of Dharma called Dharmashashtra.

These are important concepts to know if we really want to understand Hinduism.


Dharma: Dharma is universal. It simply means religion of righteousness, wholesomeness,& truth. It is very difficult to grasp the exact meaning of dharma as acting vigorously doesn't mean precisely the same for everyone and also operates within concrete circumstance.


Anything which is acquired in the absence of Dharma will occur towards the misery. Each personhas their own Dharma called 'Sva-Dharma’, which is deeply illustrated in Bhagvad Geeta .


As per mānusmriti ...

धृतिः क्षमा दमोऽस्तेयं शौचमिन्द्रियनिग्रहः ।
धीर्विद्या सत्यमक्रोधो दशकं धर्मलक्षणम् ॥ ६\९२ ॥

Meaning—
(1) Steadiness (2) Forgiveness, (3) Self-control, (4) Abstention from unrighteous appropriation, (5) Purity, (6) Control of the Sense-organs,
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Hathyogi
Hathyogi
@hathyogi31
Thread on decoding KAMASUTRA

Kamasutra is a book written by Rishi Vātsyāyana in about 3rd century. It is famous for its erotic mentions and is considered as a controversial book.

1. Origin:

After creating the universe lord Brahma created a text, TRIVERG,


which had 3 subjects- Dharma, Artha & Kama, for the well being of humans.

Rishi Manu used the subject dharma and created ‘Dharmshastra’, Viraspati used the subject artha and created ‘Arthshastra’ and shiva’s nandi used the subject kama and created, ‘Kamashastra’ which had a


more than 1000 chapters.

Later, all the 3 shastras were simplified by various Rishi. Out of those Rishis, Vātsyāyana simplified the Kāmashastra and created kamasutra.

2. Is it a sex manual or pornography?

Well, Kamashastra has 7 chapters, in which only 20% of total text talks


about sex, which I’ll explain later but, first lets come to the rest 80%-

A) first chapter, which is ‘Sadharanam’, focuses about, ‘What should be the AIMS OF THE LIFE OF A PERSON. It says, a person should first understand what his/her dharma is. Dharma doesn’t mean religion, it


means ‘Righteousness duty’, which can be understood by taking education (vidya). When a person understood its dharma, He/she should starting making economy (Artha) by using dharma and education. A person having the knowledge of dhama and has a certain amount of economy, should
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Remembering the Bengali scientist Dr Subhash Mukhopadhyay- the Pioneer of IVF in India, the creator of India's first and world's second child using IVF on his birth anniversary. The Father of IVF in India who was rewarded with suicide was born on 16.01.1931in Hazaribagh.
#Thread


Dr. Subhash was the son of a doctor and studied at the National Medical College in Kolkata after completing his schooling. Fascinated by innovations in gynaecological surgery from his early days as a medical student, he completed his PhD in reproductive physiology +


from the University of Calcutta before going to the Edinburgh University in UK for a PhD in reproductive endocrinology. On his return to India in 1978, he started researching ovulation and spermatogenesis. Soon after, he teamed up with Sunit Mukherji, a cryobiologist +


and Saroj Kanti Bhattacharya, a gynaecologist, to work on a method of in-vitro fertilization for a patient (Bela Agarwal) with damaged fallopian tubes. +


Mukhopadhyay with a double PhDstarted work on IVF techniques in the mid 60s and created history by becoming the first physician in India and second in the world after British physicians Robert Edwards and Patrick Steptoe) to perform the In-vitro fertilisation. +
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Voice of Kshatriyas
Voice of Kshatriyas
@KshatriyaVoice
#Thread
Gujars have claimed every living species in this galaxy to be their own, be it Attila Hun or Mihirkula, Parmars, Pratihars, Chauhans, Pulkeshin Chalukya, Shivaji Bhonsle, Bhatis and what not.

It's high time that the verity of their claims needs to be checked.


When Thomas Twining traveled in 1794 in Doab he found 3 tribes of robbers- Pindaris, Mewatis, and Gujjars. "Goujer on contrary implies nothing but craftiness and unsparing barbarity and communicates nothing but terror and dismay


Hari Ram Gupta an eminent historian describes Gujars as 'a tribe of thieves'.
When Babur first came to India he saw Gujjars coming from the mountains and stealing away the cattle and buffaloes. They looted Indians and foreigners alike.


Historian HR Gupta while talking about Gujars says:
"they oppressed poor grass cutters and extorted money from them, those who did not pay it were beaten by them".


Basically Gujars who now claim every dynasty to be their own, were always a nomadic pastoral tribe and even now in JK. However, they took to stealing as their main profession. Proverb was 'dog, rangar, cat and gujjar, without these 4 everybody could sleep with doors open'.
INDIA
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Engineer Who
Engineer Who
@Engr_Who
A long but must read thread. Udaybhan Rathore and myth making in Maratha history: An analysis. This is the thread on Udaybhan Rathore, who he was and how over the time period, his life was portrayed in maratha chronicles and pseudo history. (1/n)

Udaybhan rathore was the head of Bhinai thikana (84 villages) in Ajmer. He was the direct descendant of the famous Rao Chandrasen, Raja of Marwar (4th generation) who resisted Akbar all his life and never made any alliance with mughals like Maharana Pratap. (2/n)

Later in 1783, Maharaja of Jodhpur gave title of Raja to Bhinai family for their military service. Bhinai family and their direct descendant Raja Sh Mayuraj Singh still lives in Ajmer. Anyway coming to Udaybhan Rathore and story of Tanaji. (3/n)

Jai Singh's march on Shivaji and treaty of Purandar (1665) is a well known episode to repeat here. After getting the hill forts from Shivaji under the treaty, Jai Singh didn't have enough man-power to man every one of the small forts because of his next (4/n)

campaign against Bijapur. Jai Singh personally took over a couple of important forts like Kondhana (Sinhgarh), Purandar etc. Others were given to some mughals or their fortification walls destroyed. Jai Singh died in 1667 near Burhanpur while enroute to the north. (5/n)
INDIA
Tar \u26a1
Tar ⚡
@itsTarH
I truly believe next 25 years of India will be better than previous 75 put together.

Happy Independence Day

Jai Hind
INDIA
Internet Freedom Foundation (IFF)
Internet Freedom Found...
@internetfreedom
It's done: The IT Rules, 2021, are officially in play. We cannot stress this enough - this fundamentally changes the Indian internet. Please RT this thread on the Rules and how they bring government control over digital media like never before.
https://t.co/S7K9wnIkvI
1/n

IT Rules affect social media, OTT, and news platforms. The latter 2 have been brought under the Rules for the first time. The Rules make platforms legally liable for not complying with government regulation, hence making user experience fall in line with the same.
2/n

Social media platforms with 50 lakh+ users will now be regulated as Significant Social Media Intermediaries (SSMIs) with different obligations than Social Media Intermediaries (SMIs). Government discretion in compliance can lead to discrimination which disempowers small SMIs.
3/n


SMIs are now more answerable to law enforcement, with lesser breathing space around compliance deadlines.

Content takedown after receiving orders: 36hrs
Providing info to law enforcement: 72hrs
Requests to remove sexual content: 24hrs
Redressal by grievance officers: 15 days
4/n

The data retention period for SMIs has been doubled to 6 months for investigative purposes. Data will be preserved even if accounts are deleted. We are challenging this in the Supreme Court because such data retention in the absence of a data protection law is dangerous.
5/n
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#bharatmandir

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Devoted to Devi Banashankari, this shrine is visited specially during Rahukala which is believed to be an unfavorable time.


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@GunduHuDuGa


People use lemons as a diya. Lemons are cut from the centre and their pulps are removed, for pouring oil in them.
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