----- Forwarded message ----- From: 'gopala krishnan' via iyer123 <iyer...@googlegroups.com>To: Iyer <iyer...@googlegroups.com>Sent: Saturday, 26 June, 2021, 7:38:16 am ISTSubject: [iyer123] DIVINE INFORMATION PART 42 DIVINEINFORMATION PART 42
There are 2210 words in this posting counted bythe computer. Approximately 221sentences Respectedfriends, While going through one of my external memorydevice, I came across some good information storedfrom websites. I thought of sharing interesting ones from them as aseries. In part 42, I am starting with 148TH item in this posting. Kindly note the series is a compilation. Sincerely, GopalaKrishnan 26-6-21 148DHANVANTARI OM DHANVANTARAYE NAMAHA Theorigins of the ancient healing science known as Ayurveda are lost in cosmicantiquity. According to the ancient text Caraka-samhita, this "Science of Life andLongevity" is eternal and is revealed in each universe in each of itsinfinite cycles of creation and destruction. This healing science is generallyrevealed by great sages or demigods. Occasionally, the Supreme Lord Himself descends as the avatara(incarnation) Dhanvantari and re-inaugurates the tradition of Ayurveda.This extremely rare appearance of God is recorded in the Vedic literature ofancient India. Dhanvantari's appearance is celebrated each yearon the 13th day (trayodasi) of the waxing moon a few days before the Divali,. Theavatara of Dhanvantari appeared billions of years ago. Although an avatara isunborn, He takes His divine birth among the living beings to display His divinepastimes. 148a The First Appearrance of Dhanvantari In thisepoch (kalpa), He first appeared during the great churning of the cosmic milkocean to deliver amrta (nectar) for the nourishment of the demigods. Thechurning of the milk ocean is one of the most famous episodes in Puranichistory and is celebrated in major way every twelve years in the festival knownas Kumbha Mela. The storyis related in the Srimad Bhagavatam, a major work that describes the avataras in greatdetail. Here is what happened: The greatleader of the demigods Indra was riding on his elephant, when he came acrossDurvasa Muni. Seeingthe great demigod, Durvasa offered him a special garland (mala).Indra accepted this garland and put it on the trunk of the elephant. Theelephant threw the garland onto the floor, thus enraging Durvasa Muni. In a fit of anger, the sageexplained that the garland was the dwelling of Sri (fortune) and was thereforeto be treated as prasada. (1) Therefore cursed Indra and all the demigods to bebereft of all strength, energy, and fortune (Sri). In theensuing battles, the demigods were defeated in battle and the demons headed by Bali gainedcontrol of the universe. Thedemigods sought out the help of Lord Vishnu, who instructed them in the art ofdiplomacy. The demigods then entered into an alliance with the demons tojointly churn the ocean for the nectar of immortality and to share it amongthem. Of course, thedemigods were told by Vishnu that He would arrange for them alone to obtain thenectar, which would empower them to defeat the demons. All kindsof herbs were cast into the milk ocean and using Mandara mountain as thechurning rod and Vasuki as the cord, they proceeded to churn the ocean. Thischurning was so arduous that Lord Vishnu Himself interceded in so many ways toaid the demigods: Hewas present as Lord Ajita pulling on the side of the gods, as Lord Kurma whosupported the great Mandara mountain which was in danger of sinking,and Lord Vishnu Himself sat atop the Mountain infusing the demigods and theserpent Vasuki with energy. Many greatbeings and objects were produced from the ocean and were accepted by variousdemigods as offerings. Laksmi-devi, the goddess of fortune,appeared from the ocean and Vishnu and Her were reunited as husband and wifeafter having been separated for many ages. Then asthey continued churning, avery wonderful male person appeared. The Bhagavatam tells us, "Hewas strongly built; His arms were very long, stout and strong; His eyes were reddish,and His complexion was black. He was very young, He was garlanded with flowers,and His entire body was fully decorated with various ornaments." (2) LordDhanvantari was "dressed in yellow garments and wore brightly polishedearrings made of pearl. The tips of His hair were anointed with oil and Hischest was very broad. His body had all good features, and He was stout and strong as alion. In His hand, He carried a jug of nectar." The demons stole the jug of nectar and Lord Vishnuappeared as Mohini, a beautiful woman, who fascinated the demons and recoveredthe nectar from them. Thedemigods took the nectar and drank it and were invigorated with energy.Thereafter, the demigods fought the demons and were victorious. They greatlyrejoiced and worshipped Lord Vishnu and Lakshmi, the goddess of fortune, andresumed their position in the heavens. 148b Dhanvantari's Second Appearance The second appearance occurred at thebeginning of the reign of the current Manu in the second Dvapara-yuga, two billionyears ago. Lord Vishnuforetold at the time of the churning that Dhanvantari would appear again in thehuman society and be offered sacrifices and worshipped by human beings. He would also teach them the scienceof Ayurveda. Dhanvantari at that time was residing in the heavens and LordIndra seeing the misery of human beings afflicted by disease on earth,requested the Lord to teach Ayurveda to the human race. At the same time, the King Dirghatamasof Kasi was performing penance, desiring a son. The king desired to propitiate Lord Dhanvantari for thesake of a son. Thereupon,Dhanvantari appeared to him and urged the king to choose a boon as he pleased.The king said, "O Lord, if You are pleased with me, be my son, bestower ofmy goal." The Lord replied, "So be it," and He vanished. Lord Dhanvantari was then born in theroyal household of Kasi. He developed ascetic tendencies even as a young boyand performedsevere austerities. Lord Brahmawith great difficulty persuaded Him to acceptlordship over the city of Kasi and since then He bacame known as Kasi-raja. As a king He prepared thesamhitas on Ayurveda in eight divisions for the benefit of humanity. Lord Dhanvantari's teachings are recorded in theAgni Purana 279-289 as well as through the teachings of His disciple Susrutha. TheBhagavatam states "smrta-matrarti-nasanah" One who remembers the name of Dhanvantari can bereleased from all disease. (1) Visnu Purana 3.10.12 (2) Srimad Bhagavatam 8.8.32 (3) The story of the second appearance is told with details in theBrahmanda-purana (2.3.67.10-24) and Bhava-prakasa (purva-khanda, 1) a minorAyurvedic text. 149 The Appearance of LordDattatreya(2nd version) LordDattatreya, the avatara of Lord Visnu, descended today on the full moon day ofMagha to bless His devotees. His astounding form and pastimes are describedvery authoritatively in the Vedic literature which clear away all the mythsthat have grown up around this divine form of Lord Vishnu. Hear about andglorify Him and His devotees on this holy day: The greatsage Atri prayed for offspring, and the Lord, being satisfied with him,promised to incarnate as his son, Dattatreya. Srimad Bhagavatam2.7.4 The Story of LordDattatreya: According to Puranic history(Brahmanda-purana) Lord Dattatreya appeared during the reign of Vaivasvata Manu(who is still ruling), in the 10th yuga cycle in the Treta-yuga. Since we arecurrently in the 28th Kali-yuga, He appeared occurred about 80 million yearsago to Atri and Anasuya,His parents. Devi-bhagavata-puranasuggests an even older date (2nd yuga cycle) as does Sri Rupa Goswami(Svayambhuva-manvantara) in his commentary on Srimad- Bhagavata, theLaghu-bhagavatamrta. The differences in dates may reflect the differentappearances in the various kalpas. The storyitself, alluded to in Srimad Bhagavatam, is described in detail in theMarkandeya-purana. The translation given here is from Frank Pargiter's edition,famous for being the second Purana to appear in the English language in thelate 1800s. •The Boonof Anasuya from Markandeya-purana (16) Once therewas a brahmana who was cursed to die at sunrise, and his devoted wife by thepower of austerity, restrained the sun from rising, upon which all activityceased. The gods, alarmed by this, went to Lord Brahma for counsel: LordBrahma said: "Majesty is subdued by majesty indeed, and austerities alsoby austerities, O ye immortals! Hearken therefore to my advice. Through themight of the faithful wife the sun does not rise, and from his not rising lossbefalls mortals and you. Hencedo ye, through desire that sun should rise, propitiate Atri's faithful wifeAnasuya who is rich in austerities." Havingbeen so instructed, they sought the help of the wife of the sage Atri. Whenthey submitted their desires, she replied, "The might of a faithful wifemay not be lost in any wise. Hence while honoring that good lady, I willliberate the day. O ye gods! that day and night may again exist, and that thatgood lady's own husband may not perish." At Anasuya's exhortation the brahmana's wife relented,the sun rose, and the brahmana died, but he was restored to life by thevirtuous Anasuya. Then therefell a shower of flowers, accompanied with the strains of heavenly instrumentsand other musical instruments. And the gods were delighted and said to Anasuya: "Choosea boon, O blessed lady. Inasmuch thou hast accomplished a great matter for thegods, therefore the gods will grant thee a boon, O ascetic lady." Anasuyaspoke: "If ye gods headed by Brahma, being favorable, willgrant me a boon, and if ye deem me worthy of a boon, then let Brahma, Vishnu,and Shiva become sons to me,and let me in company with my husband attain religious devotion, to the endthat I may be delivered from affliction." "Beit so!" exclaimed Brahma, Vishnu, Shiva and the other gods to her; andthey departed, duly honoring the ascetic lady. The Birth of Lord Dattatreya fromMarkandeya-purana (17) Then aftermany days time the adorable Atri, the second son of Brahma, looked upon hiswife Anasuya. Her very lovely in body, seductive and perfect in form, free fromblame, the love possessed muni enjoyed mentally. But while he contemplated her,a powerful wind through and above brought the change that was produced in her. The tenregions of the sky seized the white-lustred form of Brahma, as it fell allaround, in the form of Soma, characterized by passion. That mental Soma wasbegotten in her as the son of the prajapati Atri, the life and possessor ofevery excellence. Magnanimous Vishnu being pleased begot of herDattatreya, the brahman, in whom goodness predominated, by production from Hisown body. Dattatreyawas he called; he sucked Anasuya's breast: He was Vishnu indeed incarnate; Hewas Atri's second son. He issued from His mother's womb seven days afterwardsbeing enraged on seeing that haughty king of the Haihayas was near andoffending Atri. Being angry He at once desired to burn up the Haihaya. Filledwith indignation at the long pains and toil of his residence in the womb, aportion of Shiva was born as Durvasas, in whom darkness predominated. Thusthree sons were born of her, being portions of Brahma, Shiva, and Vishnu. Brahma became Soma, Vishnu was born as Dattatreya,Shiva was born as Durvasas, throught the boon granted by the gods. Theprajapati Soma, ever causing creepers and medicinal plants and manking to growwith his cool rays, abides in Svarga. Dattatreya protects offspring fromdestruction by the malignant Daityas: and Vishnu's portion must be also beknown as the benefactor of the docile. Durvasas, the adorable birthless god,destroys the scorner; assuming a formidable body, he is haughty in look, mind,and speech. *Dattatreya offers Benedictions In chapters 18, 19, the Markandeya-purana goes onto relate how benedictions were bestowed by Lord Dattatreya upon those whoworshipped Him. First thestory of the demigods' obtaining His blessings and of their subsequent victoryin battle, followed by the story of King Kartavirya Arjuna who similarly becamepowerful in battle and eventually became a universal monarch. The story endswith the glorification of Lord Dattatreya: Such isthis magnanimity of the wise Dattatreya, who is Vishnu, the guru of all thingsmovable and immovable, endless, high-souled. In the Puranas are narrated themanifestations of the bearer of the bow Sharnga, who is endless, inscrutable,the bearer of the conch and discus and club. Whateverman ponders on His highest form, happy is he, and he may soon pass over mundaneexistence. "Ho! I am ever in truth easy of reach by faith even toVaishnavas"--how is it that a man should not have recourse to Him, whoseare these very words? For the destruction of unrighteousness, and for the practiceof righteousness, the God, who is without beginning and without end, preservesthe stability of nature. Additionally, Lord Dattatreya is glorified in thePancaratra as the upholder of Dharma: He isjnana-murti-the form which personifies spiritual wisdom. He directs men andgods along the path of spiritual progress. And He protects the Vedas andregulates the conduct according to castes and stations in life(varnasramacara). -Sattvata samhita 12.109-114 I will continue in next posting -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "iyer123" group. To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to iyer123+unsubscr...@googlegroups.com. To view this discussion on the web visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/iyer123/1639641947.3204969.1624673291389%40mail.yahoo.com. -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "Thatha_Patty" group. To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to thatha_patty+unsubscr...@googlegroups.com. To view this discussion on the web visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/thatha_patty/1681423124.3202642.1624673333352%40mail.yahoo.com.
