BC RELIGION
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THREAD ---->>

Today is Vaikuntha Chaturdashi. A day dedicated to both Lord Shiva & Maha Vishnu. The significance of this day and the vratha to be observed is described in a very detailed manner in the Kartikamasa mahatmya of the Vaishnava khanda in the Skanda puranam. (1)

 On this very day during the Sathya yuga Lord Maha Vishnu went to Kashi to have a darshana of Mahadeva. Before proceeding for the darshana he took a bath at the Manikarnika ghat & in the process took a 1000 golden Lotus with him to worship Shiva. (2)
Vishnu took a 1000 lotuses to perform the Sahasranama for Shiva (1 lotus for 1 name). In order to test Vishnu's devotion, Shiva secretly takes away 1 lotus before the worship. Nearing the end of the Sahasranama, Vishnu realizes he is short by 1 lotus (3)
Vishnu wondered if the shortfall in the lotuses was due to a error in counting of the lotuses or error in reciting of the 1000 names.

He concluded there has been no mistake in reciting the 1000 names. The mistake must've been the in counting the lotuses. (4)
Vishnu had resolved at the outset for a worship with a 1000 lotuses.

"How shall Mahadeva be worshiped when lotuses are short by one. If I go to fetch one, I will have to break the rule of continuous sitting. Now what should be done?"

Vishnu was worried with this thought (5)
Vishnu praised as Pundarikaksha by the Rishis i.e. the Lotus eyed one. In a stunning display of devotion, Shri Maha Vishnu proceeds to dislodge his own lotus shaped eye with his index finger & offers it to Shiva in place of the missing lotus. (6)
Mahadeva moved by Maha Vishnu's gesture says there is no one in the 3 worlds that is as devoted to him as Vishnu is & declares him as the protector of the 3 worlds.

Shiva also declares that those who worship him but not Maha Vishnu will certainly fall into Naraka (7)
Vishnu asks:

"O Maheshvara, the duty of protecting the three worlds has been assigned to me. Daityas are very haughty. They have enormous strength. How can they be killed by me?"

(8)
To which Shiva answers :

"This discus Sudarśana is capable of cutting down the great Daityas. It is given to you by me. O Lord Viṣṇu, accept this. Work a havoc among Daityas with this, O Lord."

Shiva then hands the Sudarshana Chakra to Shri Maha Vishnu (9)
Since then Lord Shiva came to be known as Chakradanamurthi. It is one among the 25 manifestations of Lord Shiva known as Panchavimshatalilamurti. This event is depicted in stone at the Srikanteshwara swamy temple at Nanjangudu. (10)

https://t.co/61Yu3fLSxo
Now regarding the details of the Vratha.

Lord Shiva says :

"In the year named Hemalamba, on the 14th day in the bright half of the glorious month of Karttika at the time of dawn, on the Tithi pertaining to Mahadeva (i.e. the 14th one) in the Brahma Muhurta.. (11)
.. you (Vishnu) took your bath in Manikarnika after coming here from Vaikuntha. Then the Linga of Vishveshvara was worshipped with a thousand lotuses. Hence it will become a favourite of mine. It shall be famous in all the worlds as Vaikuntha Chaturdashi" (12)
Shiva says:

Vishnu worship should be performed by persons of all castes. They shall observe fast during the day & perform Vishnu's worship in the evening. Afterwards Shiva's worship is to be performed. Otherwise Shiva's worship shall be futile. (13)
For the purpose of the worship of Vishnu, the Chaturdashi extending to the night should be taken. The devotee shall worship Shiva at the time of dawn. (14)
Devotees who worship Vishnu at the outset with a thousand lotuses and then Shiva afterwards are indeed living liberated souls. (15)
Lord Shiva gives more details regarding the Vratha.

"After taking the bath in the evening in Pancanada (Panchaganga ghat), the devotee should worship Bindumadhava (original temple destroyed by barbarian aurangzeb). (16)
... he who takes his bath in Vishnukanchi shall worship Anantasena. Thereafter he shall take his bath in Rudrakanchi and worship Pranavesha. (17)
First the devotee should take bath in Vaniteertha & then worship Narayana. Thereafter he should take bath in Retodaka & worship Kedaresha.

At the outset the devotee should take bath in Yamuna & worship Venimadhava. Then he should take bath in Ganga & worship Sangamesha (18)
This is the significance of Vaikunta Chaturdashi. This is followed by Kartika purnima tomorrow. Its is on Kartika purnima that Lord Shiva assumes the form of Tripurantakamurthi & slays evil asuras Tarakaksha, Vidyunmali & Kamalaksha (collectively known as Tripurasura) (19)
Today is the perfect occasion to chant the Vishnu Sahasranama followed by Shiva Sahasranama. The benefits to be had by performing them today increase by several manifolds.

This is said by Lord Shiva himself.

Vaikunta Chaturdasi good wishes to all of you once again (20)

/end

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"The Hindu who is addicted to Macaulayism lives in a world of his own which has hardly any contact with the traditional Hindu society. He looks forward to the day when India will become a society like societies in the West where the rate of growth, the gross national product..(2)

...and the standard of living are the only criteria of progress. He is tolerant towards religion to the extent that it remains a matter of private indulgence and does not interfere with the smooth unfoldment of the socio-political scene... (3)

..Personally for him, religion is irrelevant, though some of its rituals and festivities can occasionally add some colour to life. For the rest, religion is so much obscurantism, primitive superstition and, in the Indian context at present, a creator of communal riots" (4)

"It should not, therefore, be surprising if this self-forgetful, self-alienated Hindu who often suffers from an incurable anti-Hindu animus, turns his back upon Hindu society and culture and becomes indifferent to their fate... (5)
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Thread

Vaikunta Ekadasi good wishes to all Hindus who are observing the Vrata today. The significance & benefits of keeping a fast today is explained in the Uttara Khanda of the Padma Purana. Today the mind must be firmly fixated on Narayana only.

Puja at our place today 🕉️ (1)


Before narrating the origins of Ekadasi, Shri Krishna explains to Yudhisthira the benefits to be had by keeping a fast on Ekadasi. Krishna says the one who keeps a fast on Ekadasi accrues more punya than performing the Ashvamedha. (2)


Krishna says keeping a fast on Ekadasi is 100 times more meritorious than giving Gau-dhana to a Brahmana who has mastered the Vedas. Krishna says those who fast on the Ekadasi day are equal to those in whose bodies live the three deities Brahma, Vishnu & Shiva. (3)

Krishna says to Yudhisthira that even the performance of a thousand Yajnas is not equal to keeping the Ekadasi Vrata. such is the power of keeping a fast today. (4)


To Yudhisthira's query on the origins of Ekadasi, Shri Krishna goes on to narrate the story of the extremely powerful asura Murasura, in whose slaying lies the origins of Ekadasi. Mura who lived during the Satya yuga had taken away by force Indra's abode. (5)
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THREAD on Hindu Architecture.

Recently when the 3D renders for the new Parliament building was was made public, it was mostly met with criticism here on twitter. Criticized for failing to incorporate elements of architecture which represent splendour of our Hindu civilization(1)


While many may say it is unfair to criticize a design just based on 3D renders, there is a reason why this criticism holds good in this case. It is the same reason why we haven't been able to construct... (2)

..any noteworthy public building since 1947 reflective of our ancient & classical culture(rare exceptions exist though).

The reason being the complete abandonment a huge vast ocean of literature on Hindu architecture. (3)

Coming back to the new Parliament building, its design & why it lacks traditional aesthetics. The problem is far more fundamental. The Central Vista & Lutyens was designed & constructed to serve the British Crown. (4)


The fundamental flaw isn't with the new Parliament building, rather the flaw is in the design of Lutyens itself (which is basically a mini township)

The new parliament building is just a continuation of this flaw which we have failed to remedy till now (5)
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THREAD on ancient Hindu system of measurement(मानापकरणविधानम्)

The Shilpa shastras give much insight into how dimensions such as length,width,height etc were measured. It is using this system that the smallest of murthis to the biggest of buildings were planned & constructed (1)


Before defining the different units of measurement, the Shilpa shastra makes a brief reference to the prerequisites of those who must be well versed in this subject in order to carry out the task of planning & construction. i.e the Architects. (2)

The Architects are classified into 4 different categories. They are:

1) Sthapati
2) Sutragrahin
3) Vardhaki
4) Takshaka

Each one of the above have a specific role in the process of planning & construction (3)

स्थपतिः सर्वशास्त्रज्ञः सूत्रपाहीति सूत्रधृत्
वर्धकी(किर्) मानकर्मज्ञः तक्षणात्तक्षकः स्मृतः

Shastras say Sthapati must be well versed in all Shastras, Sutragrahin holds the Sutra(measuring rope), Vardhaki is well versed in measuring & Takshaka is well versed in carpentry (4)

In the hierarchy of architects; the Sthapati holds the highest of positions. He is the master builder. He is the guide of the other 3. The Sutragrahin is required to be an expert in architectural drawing, the Vardhaki in the area of painting & Takshaka with wood work (5)
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A THREAD detailing the daily routine of Hindu emperors of the past during peace time. Once we are done through with the thread, one will realize what a contrast the present day secular state is to the Hindu Samrajyas of the past. As to how far we've moved away from tradition (1)

As an example we'll have a look at the life of Vijayanagara samrat Vira Narasimharaya. He was the elder brother of the great Shri Krishnadevaraya. Each aspect of Narasimharaya's life has been chronicled in detail in the Raayavacakam (2)

The day of Narasimharaya started with him waking up during the auspicious Brahma muhurta time (between 4:30 am to 6 am). First thing in the morning he'd listen to reading of books both on Dharma & statecraft. He'd then proceed to look at his own reflection in the mirror (3)

He'd then proceed to the gau-shala & touch a cow to seek her blessings. This is followed by performing of daily ablutions. He'd then put the the urdhva pundra (tilak) on his forehead. Before proceeding to the audience hall, he'd have a darshan of learned Brahmanas. (4)

While seated on the throne in the audience hall, the very first thing Narasimharaya would receive is the tirtha and the prasada of 108 Vishnu temples (divya desams), the sacred vibhuti, sandal paste and prasada of the 72 Shiva temples of the empire. (5)
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kārthik கார்த்திக் कार...
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Hello Dear Tweeples!

It’s Siddhars time of the week! Last week I shared story of Guru (Machamuni or Yogi Matsyendranath), this week I bring you information on his Shishya.

#Thread on Gorakanathar Siddhar.

@LostTemple7


His origin story is interesting, though I couldn’t verify it’s authenticity, so not sharing the story here. He’s shishya of Machamuni Siddhar and also learnt from Agasthiya Siddhar.

@HelloNNewman @RajiIndustani @Kishoreciyer1

Unlike other Siddhars, he is depicted as either with a Tiger or seated & wearing Tiger skin. While I couldn’t find any explanation for this. My interpretation is as follows:

Tiger is a predator that lurks around and attacks unexpectedly.


Our 5 indriyas and 5 vikitis also similar to Tiger, they lurk around and attacks our thoughts when we’re least expecting. Gorakkar is said to have mastered these aspects, thus to denote this, he shown with Tiger.

@Itishree001 @VarierSangitha @jananisampath

Gorakanathar or Gorakshnath (as he’s known in the Nath Sampraday) is celebrated Guru in both Northern and Southern part of India. He’s one of the NavNath in Nath Sampraday and also 18 Siddhars of Tamil tradition. During his life, he’s travelled Indian subcontinent extensively +
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#SatiSavitri #RealLifeExperiences #BharatDarshana

Bharat Darshana publishes a small monthly magazine which has some very interesting puranic anecdotes and snippets.

When I picked up this month's magazine, I was intrigued by a story which I want to share as below

1/

This is a real-life incident as narrated by Prof. Krishna Bihari Pandey titled "Sati Savitri"

Sati Savitri is a well known puranic figure from Srimad DeviBhagwatham and Mahabharatha as one of those who fought with Yama to save her husband.

2/

This story is a modern real-life experience which mimics the puranic account in it's own unique way.

The story occurs in 1975 with Prof and his wife in Delhi with professor working as a researcher in university. Prof's family is in Allahabad in a large joint family

3/

Once Prof gets to know that his mother is not keeping well. He goes to his native and brings his mother. With dedicated care of his wife, his mother recovers quite remarkably and regains full stamina and strength

Mother-in-law & Daughter-in-law go out for shopping frequently

4/

Life's going smooth until one day when they receive a telegram that Prof's father is not keeping well.

His mother is distressed about the situation and requests her son to take her to the native. Prof is a little angry due to frequent travels and turns it down

5/
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[THREAD: HISTORY OF THE HINDU TEMPLE]
1/102
Four hours south of Aswan in Lower Nubia, right by the Nile, is a region dotted with temple complexes built more than 3,000 years ago. Some like the temples of Amada, Derr, and Beit el-Wali go as far back as 1500 BC.


2/102
A little further south, not far from the border with Sudan, is another complex dedicated to Ramses II, Hathor, and Nefertari in the village of Ipsambul, better known locally as Abu Sunbul and internationally as Abu Simbel. These go back to the 13th century BC.


3/102
Djeser-Djeseru, also known as the mortuary temple of Hatshepsut in Upper Egypt also dates to 1400 BC. Over 500 years older is the nearby Mentuhotep II, also a mortuary temple. Both were dedicated to the cult of Amun Ra, besides their respective pharaohs.


4/102
Far older is the Ġgantija complex of Malta. Going as far back as 3600 BC, this one comprises of two temples entirely made of stone and enclosed in a stone wall. From the figures therein, it's understood to be a site of some kind of a fertility cult worship.


5/102
Dating from the same period are the limestone megaliths of Ħaġar Qim and Mnajdra, both said to have once hosted ritualistic sacrifices as part of the same fertility cult worship as found in the Ġgantija complex. Malta has some of the oldest temple complexes in Europe.
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Ubaid Bin Riyaz
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@Hadithoftheday Jannah.
Jannah (Paradise/Heaven) has eight gates while as Jahannam (Hell) has seven gates.
Allah in His mercy has made more entry points to Jannah than Jahannam.

Eight gates of Jannah are:
1.Bab-As-Salat
2.Bab-al- jihad
3.Bab-al- sadaqah
4.Bab-Ar-Rayyan
5.Bab-al-kazimeen-al-ghaiz-wal-aafina-anin-naas
6.Bab-al-hajj
7.bab-al-iman
8.bab-al-dhikr
Each gate has a name describing the kinds of people who will enter through these

Seven gates or levels of Hell/Jahannam are:
1. Jahannam
2. Ladha'
3. Saqar
4. Al-Hutamah
5. Jaheem
6. Sa'eer
7. Al-Haawiyah

Allah mentions seven gates of Hell in Surah Hijr of Glorious Qur'an.

Allah says in Qur'an:
"And indeed, Hell is the promised place for them all."
"It has seven gates; for every gate is of them a portion designated."
(Qur'an :Al-Hijr 15: Verse 43,44)

Each level of Jahannam not only contains different temperature, but also have different punishments and also contain different people.
The gates of Hell are structured one gate below the other descending.
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As the Fall of man was a consequence of the pursuit of our own good, this quest intrinsically contains the possibility of our return to The Good. The route back to The Good was only revealed by The Way [Jn. 14:6], so we might say that Christ incarnates to complete the Circle.


Each thing is moved by, implicitly converted or turned back to, its own good by its cause of procession - which is principally God.

"Via est nobis tendendi in Deum." - St. Thomas Aquinas, which is to say that:

Christ, who as a man, is the way of our tending (back) into God.


Ezekiel 10:6 | When the LORD commanded the man in linen, “Take fire from among the wheels, from among the cherubim,” the man went in and stood beside a wheel.

"So I saw the glorious wheel move." - Dante, Paradiso 10.145


As Scripture and Dante see God's providence in circles, so did Boethius and Platonists more


Aquinas with, "Eadem est via qua descenditur et ascenditur." [SCG 4.1.3], brings back Heraclitus to the medievals, "The way up and the way down is the same." [Diels, B60]

The way up and the way down are the same.
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(1/20)

Buddha is Ashtavinayak and "Ganapati Bappa Morya" is "Chandragupta Morya".

In the era of democracy, the head of state is the President. But in ancient India, there was a Gana culture in the monarchy and the head of that Gana was called Ganapati
(2/20)

In ancient India, a prince named Siddharth Gautam was born in royalty. He later became the king of Shakya Gana in this Gana culture. In time, Siddhartha attained enlightenment.

Let us now understand the difference between a real Ganapati and an imaginary Ganapati.
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Some clever Brahmin manuvadis made the real Ganapati the imaginary Ganapati.

Buddha was the king of the Shakya Gana, so people called him Ganaraja. He founded Buddhism and became the head of the Shakyas. As the head of Gana, people used to call Buddha as Ganapati.
(4/20)

But the Brahmins Brahmanized Ganapati and created a false Ganapati. When Buddha used to give the message of Dharma to the people, two words would come out of his message. Chitta and Malla.

Chitta is the body.
Malla means waste
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अन्नपूर्णे सदापूर्णे शङ्करप्राणवल्लभे 
ज्ञानवैराग्यसिद्ध्यर्थं भिक्षां देहि च पार्वति 

Temple is also called Puthukode Bhaghavathy Kshetram
Parasurama did Prathishta of Devi here. Temple is one amoung 👇


108 Durga temples
Navarathri festival is celebrated in a grant manner here. Annadanam is done daily on these days. The Idichu pizhinja payasam/ Chathachatayam is the main nivedyam in Annapoorneswari temple during Navarathri.
In the mornings, Devi Mahatmyam and Sundarakandam are


recited here daily.
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This day was inevitable. Indian Muslims always lived in La La Land. They bad mouthed real well wishers & slept with the enemy who never considered them as part of them. In Gulf, Indian Muslims were busy with Javed Akhtar & Sonu Nigam. Never interacted with South Asian diaspora

Now when Indian Muslims are thrown to wolves it’s Pakistani & Bangladeshi Muslims with whom they kept distance are the only ones feeling their pain. None of the people who they invited for Eid Milan. Qawali & Mushaira are there for them. Such people invoke wrath upon themselves

Indian Muslims never spoke for Kashmiri Muslims. Distancing from separatist was understandable but we never even bothered to highlight their human rights violation & rapes carried out by forces. We could have sent them humanitarian help we didn’t. Our silence made us complicit.

When Sania Mirza married Shoaib Malik it was something legal. A Muslim married another Muslim. Entire Hindutva media went after her. They launched a witch-hunt for months. No Indian Muslim stood by her. All were silent. Now days come when Muslims are arrested for marrying a Hindu

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4. As the popularity of ‘Braiding Sweetgrass’ has soared, I’ve seen more and more white folks wax on about ‘braiding knowledge’. But they often don’t know any of the lineages of these concepts beyond what is presented in this one book. They confidently run with this.

5. Kimmerer does a commendable job of weaving in her own experiences, her family stories+nods to some very important knowledge keepers who deserve to be celebrated for their work. But Braiding Sweetgrass does not tend to the citational politics Sara Ahmed & others teach us about
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