About Vedas - Part I

In this Universe, created by the great Creator, among living things, which include humans, plants and animals, the humans are considered to be the most precious and great.  Humans are precious because of the intelligence they possess which gives them ability to analyze the things and decide what is good and what is not good.

Human life is a journey which starts from birth and ends in death. This journey should be such that all duties should be completed resulting in contended life and also achieving ultimate goal of life i.e. eternal bliss. The knowledge about these duties has been passed on to us by forefathers through scriptures such as Vedas and Puranas. There are 14 basic scriptures and additional 4 which together are called as ashtadasha-vidya

In this article we are enumerating names and short description of 18 vidyas - 4 vedas, 6 angas of Veda, 4 upangas of Veda and 4 upavedas 

Vedas (4)

1. Rgveda - "Rk" means a "stotra", a hymn. Rgveda samhita is a collection of hymns in praise of deities. Each rk is a mantra and the group of mantras chanted in praise of certain deity constitutes a sukta
2. Yajurveda - "Yajus" word comes from root "yaj" meaning "to worship". From same root there is also a word "Yajna". "Yajus" means worship associated with sacrifices. Whereas Rigveda is full of hymns, Yajurveda is an application of hymns to perform sacrifices or yajnas.
3. Samaveda - "Sama" means that when chanted or sang brings tranquility to the mind. The goal of Sama is to establish a friendship through affection. Sama, daana, danda and bheda are four ways to resolve conflicts or deal with people. Through sama one can establish friendship, even with God by singing His glories.
4. Atharvaveda - "Atharvan" means priest i.e. purohit. There was  sage with name Atharvan who saw this veda and hence it got his name. It contains mantras with the help of which one can overcome misfortunes and disasters. It is a mixture of prose and poetry.

Each veda is again divided in four parts Samhita, Brahmana, Aranyaka and Upanishad. Samhita is main part or text of a veda. Samhita means systematized collection. It is a collection of hymns. Usually when any veda is referred it points to its samhita part. Brahmana part of a veda describes various rites and procedure to perform them. Essentially it is a guide to conduct yajnas. Aranyaka part of veda explains hidden meaning of veda. Upanishad is the final part of veda. The main goal of upanishad is deep inquiry of ultimate reality and achieving a stage where one becomes detached from all karmas or rather detached from fruits of karmas and hence achieves eternal bliss. 

Personified Veda is called Vedapurusha. Scriptures listed below are called limbs (angas and upangas) of Vedapurusha.

Angas of Veda (6)

1. Shiksa - this is considered as nose of Vedapurusha. Nose helps in breathing. Shiksa is the life-breath of Veda mantras. Shiksa explains how the vedas should be pronounced to get exact sound (note) as Vedas were originally perceived as sound waves only. Efficacy of mantras chanted depends on how a syllable is vocalized. Hence this science deals with achieving perfection in vocalizing mantras from vedas. There are number of books on this subject like Vyasa Shiksha, Vyali Shiksha. Shiksha also explains the techniques involved in pronouncing a particular alphabet to get the exact pronunciation.
2. Vyakarana - this is considered as mouth of Vedapurusha.  Vyakarana lays down the principles of speaking the Sanskrit language. The method of pronouncing the alphabet differs when Sanskrit language is used in Vedas and in day-to-day life. There are a number of texts on this subject. It is presumed that Lord Hanuman knew nine different texts of this grammar and was known as the greatest knowledgeable person of Vyakarana.
3. Chandas - this is considered as foot of Vedapurusha. This deals with formation of sentences. Vedas consist of poetry and prose. The poetry has meters which are measurements for example there is a measurement for each syllable in mantra in terms of number of matras. The basic meters are Gayatri, Ushnik, Anushtubh, Brhati, Pankti, Trishtubh and Jagati.
4. Nirukta - this is considered as ear of Vedapurusha. This text deals with origins or roots of the words. So it serves as a dictionary. In Vedas we come across a term having different meaning and at same time different terms having the same meaning. Nirukta explains the context in which these have to be understood.
5. Jyotisha - this is considered as eye of Vedapurusha. This explains how to calculate the time for performing karmas. This is divided into parts. Phalashashtra – this deals with astrology i.e. effect of planet on human life due to their movement in the Zodiac. Besides this it helps in calculating the time and the date for performing various religious right and the effect of those rights when performed at that particular time. It explains about the Devatas connected with the planets and stars. The other part deals with astronomy i.e. examining position of planets and other heavenly bodies.
6. Kalpa - this is considered as hand of Vedapurusha. This explains the method and the places where the rites (karmas) have to be performed as stated in Vedas. It deals with details of how rituals are to be performed, how many priests are needed, how to construct Yajna mandap (Shala), what should be the size of the yajna kunda, in what directions they have to be placed and what are the methods of performing Homa etc. Kalpa contains Grihyasutras and Srautasutras which deal with 40 samskaras to be performed from the time of conception to the death. There are many sages who contributed to Kalpa for example Apastamba, Bodhayana etc.

Upangas of Veda (4)

1. Mimansa - Mimansa word comes from the root "Mam", "san" is pratyaya (qualifying prefix). "Mimansa" means sacred inquiry of Vedas
2. Nyaya - science of reasoning. It seeks to prove existence of god through inference.
3. Purana- this is magnifying glass of Vedas. Puranas contain stories that elaborate principles and rules of dharma from Vedas
4. Dharmashastra - This deals with describing orderly way of doing things pertaining to household and personal matters. It provides answers to questions such as how we build our houses, how we should dress, what to eat, what not to eat with the goal of performing actions that do not accumulate any sin. 

Upavedas (4)

1. Ayurveda - This is the veda which pertains to medicines as well as method to be adopted to lead healthy and peaceful life. It gives guidelines for maintaining healthy mind and body. This was perceived by Maharshi Dhanvantari. The medicines and methods stated in this Veda are useful even in these modern days. There are other granthas also about this Ayurvedic Shastra written by Madhava, Charaka, Vagbhata etc.
2. Arthashastra - This deals with justice and governance i.e. guideline and rules for the kings (rulers) for ruling the kingdom and for delivering judgments. It also deals with collection of taxes from people and other smaller rules. Besides this it explains the methods of escaping from the enemies and the rajatantra to overthrow enemies and other rulers.
3. Dhanurveda - This has 2 branches namely, Astra and Shastra. Astra deals with use of weapons like arrow, blades of sacred grass to be launched by reciting mantras. Shastra deals about weapons like sword, lance, axe, shield etc. Dhanurveda deals with manufacturing of above weapons. Besides this it also deals with methods of deployment of army in a battle field like Garuda or Padma, shape of deployment.
4. Gandharvaveda - This explains various aspects of music, dance and musical instruments.

This information is based on study of lectures of His Highness Shri Shankaracharya of Kanchi published in a Tamil Spiritual magazine. Apologies for any mistakes or omissions in conveying the information.

Char Dham Yatra 2018

Following advise of Shri Raghupathi Sir and taking his blessings, our trust members and their friends - Sudhakar, Pravin Salaskar (Pravin Anna), Swapnil Gupte, Mahesh Bhide, Deepali Chousalkar, Nayana Dhule and her brother Vijay Dhule, Sachin Kale, Manisha Gawli performed Char Dham Yatra between May 14 to May 26. Pilgrimage included visits to four sacred places - Yamunotri, Gangotri, Kedarnath and Badrinath.

Here is a chronological log of our journey from Mumbai and back to Mumbai. The pictures of this yatra can be found here.

Prior to yatra:
Preparation for yatra started almost 2 months before yatra. It included activities such as coordination with all interested people, planning a window of dates that is suitable for all, identifying tour operator who arranges for car and hotel accommodation at all places, registering information about each traveler to Uttarakhand tourism and many more planning activities even during yatra. All this major planning activities were performed by Sudhakar, Pravin Salaskar (Pravin Anna) and Nayana Dhule. Thanks to them. It is because of these planning efforts the yatra was smooth and enjoyable.


May 12:
Started train journey to New Delhi

May 13: 
Noon: Reached New Delhi.
Night: Started train journey to Haridwar.

May 14: 
Morning: Arrived in Haridwar.
Noon till evening: Visited Mansa Devi temple and Chandi Devi temple.
Evening: Attended famous Ganga arti at Hari ki Paudi.

May 15: 
Morning: - Started journey, in our rented vehicle for the whole journey, to reach Janki Chatti, base of Yamunotri.
Morning: On the route visited Shri Jagadguru Sanyas Ashram and had darshan of Purnagiri Devi in this ashram. 
Noon to evening: En route visited Lakhamandal. Lakha means lakh (many) and mandal means temple. It is believed that there are many shiva lingas at this place. Some shivalingas are special in a sense that if you pour water on it then it will shine like a mirror and you can see yourself in it. Per local mythology, this is a place where Duryodhana built Laxagriha (House of Wax) for Pandavas in conspiracy to kill them. 
Evening: Reached Janki Chatti, base of Yamunotri for overnight halt.

May 16: 
Morning: At around 6 am, started 5 km trek to reach Yamunotri, source of sacred river Yamuna, located at an altitude of 3293 meters in Garhwal Himayalas. This is where temple of Goddess Yamuna is located. Along the temple there is a Surya Kund, a spring of hot water where devotees take a dip before taking darshan of Goddess. There are separate arrangements for men and women to take a dip. In the temple as well, there are hot water springs (which are extremely hot). Devotees purchase rice enclosed in cloth (available in shops near temple) and then immerse it in the hot water spring which actually cooks the rice and then they carry it back home as prasad. The actual source of river Yamuna is located at an altitude of 4421 meters as a glacier. But the path further from Yamumotri is extremely difficult and hence usually nobody goes further.
Around 3 pm:  started trek down to Janki Chatti. Reached Janki Chatti around 6 pm. Started for Uttarkashi around 6.30 pm and reached Uttarkashi around 11 pm for overnight halt.

May 17:
Morning: Had darshan of Kashi Vishwanath. This is an ancient temple of Lord Shiva. In temple, there is a 16.5 feet high trishul which is believed to be used by Gods for annihilating demons. Also had darshan of ancient Gopeshwar temple.
Noon: Visited Gangnani also known as Rishikund Tirtha. This is where Sage Parashara performed penance. There is Sage Parashara temple which is called Parashar Rishi Tapasthali as this is a place where Sage Parashar performed penance. Inside temple there are hot water springs with separate arrangements for men and women to take a dip. This place is also considered special for performing pitru tarpan.
Evening: Reached Gangotri. Attended evening Ganga Arti at the temple. Gangotri is a source of sacred river Ganga. It is believed that this is a place where Goddess Ganga descended and was first received by Lord Shiva in his locks of hair and then he released mighty river to flow further. River Ganga has different names at different places. In this place, that is at source, it is called Bhagirathi, named such after King Bhagirath who performed intense penance to bring Ganga to earth so that his 60000 uncles can be released from the curse of Sage Kapila. The major attractions at this place are - The temple of Ganga, Bhagirath Shila (a rock where King Bhagirath performed penance), Pandava Gufa (at a distance of 1.5 km to be traversed by trek. It is believed that Pandavas rested here and meditated on their route to Kailash). We did not have time to visit Pandava Gufa though. The actual source of river Ganga is located at Gomukh which is at an altitude of 4023 meters from sea level and 19 kms from Gangotri. Devotees trek 14 km to Bhojabasa and take a halt and then trek another 5 km to reach Gomukh.

May 18:
Morning: Started 19 km trek to Gomukh. En route stopped at a small ashram at the gate of Gangotri National Park where we met Hikmat Singh who then became our guide for our to and from trek to Gomukh. We also met at this place couple of Naga Sadhus who were also travelling to Gomukh. Trekking to Gomukh is an out of the world experience. You walk through an amazingly beautiful mountain range witnessing fabulous views. At around distance of 9 kms from Gangotri there is a tea/snack stall where devotees usually take a halt for lunch break and some rest before starting for Bhojbasa which is located at 14 kms from Gangotri. Bhojabasa is a very tiny town where devotees usually stay overnight before starting another 5 km trek to Gomukh. 
Night: We stayed overnight in Bhojabasa.

May 19:
Morning: Around 6 am started a trek for Gomukh. Reached Gomukh at around 9 am. Everyone took a water from Gomukh and sprinkled it on head. We also filled empty bottles with sacred water from Gomukh for distributing to friends and family back home. All in all visit to Gomukh was heavenly experience. We started back for Bhojabasa at around 9.30 am.
Noon: Reached Bhojabasa. Had a lunch here and then started 14 km trek back to Gangotri. Reached Gangotri around 5.30 pm. Paid bon voyage to our guide Hikmat Singh and then immediately started our journey for next overnight halt at Uttarkashi. Reached Uttarkashi late night at around 11 pm.

May 20:
Morning: Started our journey to Guptakashi, our next place for overnight halt before starting our next big trek to Kedarnath. Reached Guptakashi in the evening. 
Evening: Had a darshan of Kashi Vishwanath temple which also has Ardhanarishwara idol. It is believed that when Pandavas came to Kedarkhand searching Lord Shiva for worshiping him to release them from sins of killings in kurukshetra war, Lord Shiva escaped and hid here in the form of Nandi. However Pandavas came searching him here and recognized him in disguised form. When Bhima tried to catch him by holding his tail and hind legs, Lord Shiva escaped. When he was pleased with Pandavas devotion he gave them darshan in Kedarnath in the form back side of Nandi. He reappeared in five places - as a hump in Kedarnath, as a face in Rudranath, as arms at Tungnath, as navel and belly at Madhyamaheshwar and as locks of hair at Kalpeshwar. These five places are together called as Pancha Kedar.

May 21:
Morning: Started for Gauri Kund, base of Kedarnath. First reached Sonprayag 6 km before Gauri Kund. Our vehicle or any other private vehicle was not allowed beyond Sonprayag. There is a taxi service from Sonprayag to Gauri Kund. After waiting in line for 2 hours we got a taxi and then reached Gauri Kund at around 10 am. We started our 16 km long trek to Kedarnath. Some of us rode on horse and some of us walked. One good thing about this trek is after almost every 500 meters there are stalls where snacks, water etc is available for purchase. 
Evening: After long trek we reached Kedarnath at around 8 pm and then had a quick darshan. We requested hotel to connect us with Pandits who can perform puja on behalf of us. They arranged for puja and asked us to be ready in temple at 4.30 am next day.

May 22:
Morning: We all got up early morning 4 am and went to temple. Even at 4.30 am there was quite a number of people in line. After about 1 hour wait in queue we got into temple and performed Puja of Shivalinga. After puja, we went around temple to see views. Per legend this temple was built by Pandavas following advice of Lord Krishna. Inside temple, along with Shivalinga, there are idols of all pandavas Yudhishthir, Arjun, Bhima, Nakul and Sahadev, their wife Draupadi, their mother Kunti, Lord Krishna and Mother Parvati. It is said that Adi Shankaracharya renovated this temple during his time. One of the recent special attractions, after 2013 disaster, is a huge rock that you can see behind the temple. It is a belief that this rock divided the flood into two streams protecting the temple. It is indeed a surprise that this temple, which was the first place hit by flood, remained intact. After seeing temple and around, we had breakfast and then started our journey back to Gauri Kund, base of Kedarnath. Some of us rode on horse whereas some walked. We reached Gauri Kund at around 1 pm. 
Afternoon: En route to Gupakashi, we visited Triyuginarayana Temple, a temple dedicated to Lord Vishnu. The temple is famous for the sacred fire which is supposed to have been alive from tretayuga. Per mythology, Lord Shiva proposed Parvati in Guptakashi and then marriage took place at Triyuginarayana. Lord Vishnu acted as brother of Parvati whereas Lord Brahma acted as priest. It is a belief that the ashes from havana kunda here promote conjugal bliss.
Evening: We reached back to Guptakashi for overnight stay.

May 23:
Morning: Had again a darshan of Kashi Vishwantath and then started our journey to our final place of Char Dham Yatra, Badrinath. En route we visited Tungnath, another Shiva temple from Pancha Kedar mentioned above. This is supposed to be Shiva temple located at highest point on earth among all other Shiva temples. This is where Shiva is in the form of arms. This was also a trek of 5 kms up and 5 kms down. 
Evening: Reached Pippalkoti for overnight stay.

May 24:
Morning: Started our journey for Badrinath. En route we visited Hanuman Chatti. Per mythology this is a place where Lord Hanuman gave darshan to Bhima, one of the Pandavas. Bhima on his path found a monkey seating and spreading his tail which obstructed Bhima's path. When Bhima's multiple requests to move tail were not attended, Bhima got angry and started moving the tail on his own. When he could not move it, he realized that the monkey was not an ordinary monkey and hence he requested monkey to reveal his true identity and Hanuman took his original form and gave darshan to Bhima.
Noon: Reached Badrinath.
Afternoon: Visited Mana village which is located at about 3 kms from Badrinath. This is a last village in India before border of India and Tibet. It is believed that Pandavas passed through Mana on their journey to Heaven.
Evening: Took darshan of Badrinath. This is one of the 8 swayam vyakta kshetras of Lord Vishnu. We provided information about this temple in one of our blogs earlier. This is a place where Lord Vishnu in his Nara and Narayana form performed intense penance. Goddess Lakshmi seeing her husband performing intense penance without paying heed to rain, wind or heat, she took a form of tree of Badri (tree known as Badri Vishal) as a shelter for Lord Vishnu. Hence this place is called Badrinath. There is a Tapta Kund which is hot water spring. It is believed that a dip in this hot water spring cures many skin diseases.
Night: Stayed overnight in Badrinath.

May 25:
Morning: All males from our group who have lost their parents or one of the parents, performed Tarpan (Shraddha) at Brahmakapal Tirtha. This place is considered very sacred for this ritual. 
Late morning: Started our journey back to Haridwar. Reached Haridwar in night around 9 pm for overnight stay.

May 26:
Morning: After breakfast we started for Hrishikesh. 
Late morning to afternoon: Visited Ram Jhula, a suspension bridge across river Ganga which connects Sivananda Nagar area in Tehri Garhwal district to Swargashram area in Pauri Garhwal district. Crossed this Jhula by walk. Walked 2 kms along side river Ganga till Lakshman Jhula, which is also a suspension bridge across river Ganga. Near Lakshman Jhula did some shopping for items such as Rudraksha mala etc. After crossing Lakshman Jhula we all took a dip in river Ganga, one of important rituals of Char Dham Yatra.
Evening: Returned to hotel in Haridwar and rested.

May 27: 
Morning: Started a train journey back to New Delhi. Reached New Delhi at around 1.30 pm. 
Afternoon till evening: Took some rest
Evening: At around 5.40 pm started train journey back to Mumbai 

May 28:
Returned to Mumbai in the evening.

Short story about Brahma Dnyana

A short story by Bhagwan Shri Satya Saibaba on Bramha Dnyana

In one of His discourses, Bhagwan Shri Satya Saibaba stated the following story to illustrate the Bramha Dnyan. The same illustration is found in Upanishads also.

There was a great, highly knowledgeable muni named Uddalaka. He had a son named Shwetaketu who was interested in learning under his father. His father refused to teach him as he was sure that he can’t be strict Guru and the father-son relation will be a barricade. So he sent his son to another muni for learning. The son had a feeling that his father was not so well versed to give him dnyan and hence he has sent him to another guru as disciple. This thought made him egoistic and arrogant.

After completing the gurukul, he came back with the feeling that he has more knowledge than his father. Uddalaka understood his son’s ego. He wanted to teach him a lesson and make him realize what the true knowledge i.e. dnyan

He asked his son the following questions –
1. Have you understood about Bramhan? 
2. Do you know how to feel it?
3. Do you know what makes your knowledge (dnyan) grow on its own?

Shwetaketu could not answer these questions. He tried to browbeat around some statements. Uddalaka understood that Shwetaketu has not attained even basic knowledge. He decided to teach him by practical means. He ordered his son to fetch a jug of water and handful of salt. He showed Shwetaketu the salt and asked him to mix it in the water. He inquired whether he can tell, where the salt is in the water in the jug. His son put his hand inside the jug and tried to feel for the salt. He took out his hand and tried to smell the salt. But he could not find the trace of the salt. Then Uddalaka put few drops of water into mouth of Shwetaketu. The son explained the salt is in the water in his mouth. His father explained to him that if you taste the water from any portion of the jug, you will find the salt is spread everywhere. But you could not touch or feel the salt in water, though it is present everywhere. Similarly, the principle of Parabramha is the same. Bramhan is spread everywhere. You cannot see or touch it but you can feel, understand that it is spread everywhere. Once you understand this principle then there is no need for any other dnyan. In this manner, Uddalaka taught his son to be humble and in the end imparted the mantra Tat Tvam Asi i.e that thou art. The mantra proclaims the non-difference between individual Self and Bramhan.

We need to interpret principles correctly

The following story was told by Bhagwan Shri Satya Sai Baba during one of his discourses. Listeners of the discourse did nice job of capturing content of discourse and then publish it in one of the spiritual magazines for the benefit of others. 

The story was told by Baba in order to explain how we should interpret and put into practice the Principles (Tatvas) and maintain integrity in what we preach and what we say.

Once Sage Durvasa was on the bank of river Yamuna which was in spate. He was contemplating on Lord Krishna. On the other bank , Lord Krishna had come along with his wife Rukmini to Nandanvan. Lord Krishna had the vision of Durvasa standing on the other bank and he ordered Rukmini to carry food to the sage who was hungry. She asked Krishna, how to cross river Yamuna, as it was in spate. Lord Krishna, with a smiling face, told her, “You tell river Yamuna that Nitya Bramhachaari Krishna has ordered me to cross you, so give way to me. She will give way to you to cross her”.

Rukmini could not digest this statement as Krishna had 2 wives and innumerable rajkumaris (about 16000) as his consorts. Then how can he call himself a Nitya Bramhachaari. Still she obeyed her husband’s order and requested river Yamuna. Yamuna gave way to her to reach sage Durvasa.

On reaching the other bank, she served food to the sage. Now she wondered, how she was going to get back to Lord Krishna? She requested sage Durvasa to help her to cross the river. Sage told her to request river Yamuna in the following manner. You say to Yamuna that “Under the order of Lord Krishna, I came here to serve food to Nitya Upvaasi sage Durvasa. Now I want to go back to Lord Krishna. Please make way for me. Yamuna will give way to you way to help you reach other bank” Rukmini again could not understand, how sage Durvasa can be called be as a Nitya Upvasi as just now she has served food to him. Still, obeying the order of the sage she requested river Yamuna who made way for her to reach the other bank. She was surprised by these acts. All this was beyond her imagination and while still wondering about all this, she reached Lord Krishna in a confused state. Lord Krishna realized that some doubt is troubling Rukmini and asked her to give way to her doubts.

Rukmini asked him how he could himself call as Nitya Bramhachaari and the sage Durvasa can call himself as Nitya Upvaasi? And at the same time river Yamuna seems to be accepting this and gives way to me. I am unable to fathom these actions. 

Krishna with a smiling face, explained to her in following manner.

Nitya Bramhachaari is one who acts as Guru or Teacher to those who approach him daily to understand Bramha. I do that job daily so I am a Nitya Bramhachaari.

Nitya Upvaasi is one who always thinks of the Lord and stays very close to Him in his mind. As sage Durvasa is such a person, he could call himself a Nitya Upvaasi. 

Rukmini realized the truth and bowed to her husband with respect, love, affection and gratitude.

From this story we can conclude that shastras teach us how to live but it is for us to understand the real meaning (principle) and follow and live accordingly.

Fate is very powerful

This is a story narrated by Shri Satya Sai Baba in one of his discourses. It is about how fate is strong and can be overcome only by grace of God.

Ayodhya was ruled by Raja Dasharath. Adjacent to Ayodhya was the kingdom of Koshal. King of Koshal had a beautiful, talented and virtuous daughter named Kaushalya. The king decided to give his daughter in marriage to Raja Dasharath. During the same period, Lanka was ruled by Ravana who had obtained lot of boons by his penance. The boons that Ravana received made him invincible so much that he would not be even killed by Brahma, Vishnu, Mahesh or by any other god. 

Once Ravana inquired with Brahma about the time and nature of his (Ravana's) death, because it is stated in smrutis that anyone who is born must die.  Brahma said to Ravana that he (Ravana) would be killed by a son born to Kaushalya whose marriage was scheduled to take place in next 5 days with Raja Dasharath. Brahma further told that Lord Vishnu will take birth as Shriram in the womb of Kaushalya and will have Laxman, Bharat and Shatrughna as his brothers and that Shriram will be responsible for his (Ravana's) death. Brahma also said that this has been decided on the day which he (Ravana) was born and hence his (Ravans's) valor and strength will not be able to save him from death. 

For a while, Ravana thought about this and decided to overcome his fate. He thought that if the marriage of Dasharath and Kaushalya did not take place then the question of Shriram killing him will not arise. Immediately he left in his airplane with his minister and asuras to fight against Dasharath. Raja Dasharath, at that time, was engaged in jalakrida (water sports) in Sharayu river. Ravana made them drown in Sharayu river along with all the people in the boat. He captured Kaushalya on the way. He felt that he should not get the blame of killing woman who had no support. He landed in his airplane on an island in the Sharayu river and locked Kaushalya in big box. He kept an asura to guard the box. The asura had ability to transform himself into a crocodile. He instructed the asura that the box should be brought to him unopened when he demanded it. Meanwhile Dasharath and his minister clung to a plank of a boat and were saved from drowning. They somehow reached the same island where the box was kept. The asura who was guarding the box had left to fight with another crocodile in water. On seeing the box, Dasharath opened it and found Kaushalya in the box. As it was the auspicious time for the marriage, Dasharath married to Kaushalya in Gandharva vivah ritual, in presence of his minister. When they saw the asura coming towards them, they - Dasharath, Kaushalya and minister - hid in the box again . 

On reaching Lanka, Ravana called for Lord Brahma. He explained to him how he has overcome the fate. Brahma contradicted his statement and stated that marriage has already taken place, and you cannot overcome the fate. Immediately Ravana called for the box and opened it in presence of Brahma. To his surprise he found Dasharath, Kaushalya and minister in the box. When he tried to kill them with his sword Brahma intervened. He explained to him that he (Ravana) will earn a bad name by killing a newly wedded couple as it will be contrary to Dharma. 

Brahma said to Ravana "you had imprisoned one person in the box but they have become three now. Is it not possible for it to become million? What is the guarantee that one of them is not Shriram? If you get killed because of this act, your lifespan will be reduced. So it is better that you allow them to go and you live at least till the death comes to you."

Ravana thought over it and finally allowed all three to go to Ayodhya. 

This incident indicates that fate is all powerful. It can be overcome only by grace of the Lord or Guru.

Pancha samskars of Vaishnavs

In Vaishnavasim, all Vaishnavas have to undergo a purification rites collectively known as Samasrayanam. It literally means five purification rituals. It can be considered as a commitment from a disciple (shishya) to his Aacharya (Guru). In this manner, whoever undergoes this rite gets linked to Sri Vaishnava Sampradaya. During this rite, the Aacharya initiates the person as a shishya. This rite can be performed for a male or female irrespective of age. In case of males, generally it is performed after their sacred thread ceremony known as Upanayan. In case of females, they undergo this rite after their marriage. Samasrayanam rite consists of 5 steps as stated below –

1. Tapa samskaar – In this ritual the sacred weapons of Lord Vishnu namely the Sudarshan chakra and Panchajanya are embossed on the shoulders by reciting Mantras. Sudarshan chakra is embossed on right shoulder and the conch on the left shoulder by using a hot silver seal.
2. Pundra samskaar – In this ritual, 12 locations of the body where Lord Vishnu resides (according to Vaishnavas), are marked with Dwadasha Pundras (called 12 Thirumans) i.e.  the sacred symbols using SreeChurnam
3. Naam samskaar – This is also known as Dasyanamam. In this ritual suffix Dasa is added to the name of the individual e.g. Vishnudasa meaning servant of Lord Vishnu. 
4. Mantra samskaar – In this ritual, the shishya receives mantropadesh from his Aacharya. They are Thiru Astaksharam, Dwayam and Charamashlokam. These 3 mantras are collectively known as Rahasyatrayam. This is considered as most important ritual. 
5. Ijyai samskaar – In this ritual, the Vaishnav is taught the proper method of ritual worship of Lord Vishnu - Thiruvaradhanam

After the completion of above rites, a person, born in a Vaishnav family, is considered to be a true Vaishnav according to Shastras and rules of Vaishnav Sampradaya.

Swayamvyakta Kshetra of Lord Vishnu

The 12 jyotirlingas are considered to be the places where Shiva lingas are swayambhu i.e. appeared on their own i.e. they have not been sculpted by chisel or human hand. We have given an account of these in our earlier blogs. Similar to the jyotirlinags, there are 8 kshetras in Vaishnavism which are considered as swayam vyakta kshetra of Lord Vishnu. 

1. Shri Ranganathswamy temple. This is located at Shri Rangam in Trichy district of Tamil Nadu. Here the Lord is in pranava rupa.
2. Tirumala Shri Venkateshwara temple at Tirupati in Andhra Pradesh. In this place the Lord is perceived in the form of mountain. 
3. Lord Bhuvaraha temple at Shrimushnam at Cuddalore district of Tamil Nadu. Here the Lord is perceived in the form of Vayu. This place is very close to Chidambaram
4. Lord Totadrinadar temple in Nanguneri in Tamil Nadu. He is in the form of oil (tailam) rupa. Hence the abhishek of the idol is done in til oil.
5. Lord Chakrapani temple at Muktinath in Nepal. Here the lord is known as Muktinarayan and he is in sheetal (ice) rupa. This place is near Kathmandu in Nepal.
6. Lord Varaha temple at Pushkar in Rajasthan. Here he is in the form of tirtha (water). This place is in near Ajmer in Rajasthan.
7. Lord Badrinarayana temple at Badrinath in Uttarakhand. It is believed that the Lord Vishnu is in the form of heat wave (vayu). Near this temple in Badrikashram on the northern bank of river Alaknanda (in himalayan mountains) there is a hot water spring. This spring is considered to be the Lord himself. 
8. Devaraj Perumal temple at Naimisharanya in Uttar Pradesh. Here the lord is perceived in the form of aranya (forest).