CULTURAL QA 01202408A
Q3 What is the story behind Kaal Bhairava?
KR Now Goutham sir; some time back “KalBhairav”; and after kasi ,s
till calling it only as *a story? *
Bhairava is also depicted in the Meenakshi Temple in Madurai
(or Madura), which represents a sacred place for the worship of The Goddess
(Devī).—Bhairava is represented with four hands where the upper right hand
holds the kettle-drum in kaṭaka and the upper left hand holds the noose in
kaṭaka, while the lower right hand has the trident in kaṭaka-hasta and the
lower left hand has the cup or skull in pallava-hasta. He is represented as
standing. While depicting in dancing techniques, he is represented with the
upper two hands in kaṭaka-hasta and the lower right hand in kapittha-hasta
and the lower left hand in kuvi-patāka or siṃhamukha opened with fingers
slightly bent.
Bhairava is also depicted in the Subramanya Swamy Temple (or
Subrahmaṇya Svāmi Temple) in Tiruchendur (or Tirucendur/Tirucentur),
representing a sacred place for the worship of Murugan.—Bhairava is found
in standing posture in samabhaṅga with four hands. The upper right hand
holds aṅkuśa and the upper left hand holds antelope in kaṭaka-hasta. The
lower right hand holds triśūla in kaṭaka-hasta and the lower left hand
holds kapāla in vismaya-hasta. A dog is found behind the icon of Bhairava.
Then there is the sannidhi for the dancing Naṭarāja in his usual form.
Pārvatī is found to the left of the dancing Naṭarāja and a sage is found to
the right.Bhargava {KR So it is not a story right}
Bhairava: Name of a *form *of Śiva (cf, [Religious Thought and
Life in India 85]), [Prabodha-candrodaya; Rājataraṅgiṇī; Purāṇa] (in the
latter 8 Bh°’s are enumerated, viz. mahā-, saṃhāra-, asitāṅga-, ruru-kāla-,
krodha-, tāmracūḍa-, or kapāla-, candracūḍaor rudra-bh; sometimes other
names are given e.g. vidyā-rāja, kāma-r, nāga-r, svacchanda-r, lambita-r,
deva-r, ugra-r, vighna-r)
Immediately after his birth, this terrible monster subdued all
the Devas without getting the permission of Śiva. Enraged at it, Śiva
turned him into a tree by a curse. But Śiva was soon pacified and lifted
the curse by declaring that those who offered pūjā to the gods would get
the full reward for their worship only if they offered pūjā to Bhairava
also. Bhairava became a tree as soon as he was cursed. He became a tree
because he subdued the gods. Therefore, that tree came to be called
"DAMANAKA" tree (Damana = Subdue). It has another name. "TĀTIRI" tree. Even
now, pious people offer pūjā to this tree. (Agni Purāṇa, Chapters 52-80).
As soon as he was born, Bhairava rushed towards Brahmā and
pinched off his fifth head which had insulted Śiva. By this, he incurred
the sin of Brahmahatyā. For the expiation of this sin, as ordered by Śiva,
Bhairava started on a journey to go abegging, with Brahmā’s severed head in
his hand. Śiva then created a woman named "Brahmahatyā" and asked her to
follow Bhairava.Although Bhairava visited many holy places, he was not able
to liberate himself from the sin of Brahmahatyā. At last, at the suggestion
of Śiva, he went to Vārāṇasī and washed off his sin. Brahmā’s head which he
carried, was also deposited there and the place became famous under the
name of "Kapālamocana tīrtha". (Śiva Purāṇa, Śatarudra Saṃhitā).
īśvara uvāca |
tasminsthāne mahādevi smaśānaṃ kālabhairavam |
brahmakuṇḍaṃ varārohe yāvaddevaḥ kṛtasmaraḥ || 1 ||
tatra ye prāṇino dagdhā mṛtāḥ kālaviparyayāt |
te sarve muktimāyāṃti mahāpātakino'pi vā || 2 ||
kṛtasmarānmahādevi yāvanmaṃkīśvaraḥ sthitaḥ |
mahāsmaśānaṃ taddevi apunarbhavadāyakam || 3 ||
tasminsthāne vahedyatra viṣuvaṃ prāṇināṃ priye |
tatroṣaraṃ smṛtaṃ kṣetraṃ tanme priyataraṃ sadā || 4 ||
kalpāṃte'pi na muṃcāmi avimuktātpriyaṃ mama || 5 ||
iti śrīskānde mahāpurāṇa ekāśītisāhasryāṃ saṃhitāyāṃ saptame prabhāsakhaṇḍe
prathame prabhāsakṣetramāhātmye kālabhairavasmaśānamāhātmyavarṇanaṃ
nāmaikottaradviśatatamo'dhyāyaḥ || 201 ||
Īśvara said: 1-3. At that spot, O great goddess, is the cremation ground
(of) Kālabhairava. From Brahmakuṇḍa, O beautiful lady, up to Lord Kṛtasmara
(is the extent). Living beings who die due to the lapse of time and get
cremated there, attain salvation even if they are great sinners.
O great goddess, the spot extends from Kṛtasmara up to the deity
Maṅkīśvara. That portion (of) the great cremation ground bestows stopping
of recurrent birth.
4-5. At that place (Cremation ground) where there is the flow of Viṣuva[1]
(Suṣumṇā Nāḍī) of all living beings, is the holy spot of Uṣara (Arid
land—no rebirth-growing). It is a favourite of mine always. I do not leave
it even at the end of a Kalpa. I like it more than Avimukta” (i.e.
Banaras). Viṣuva means ‘equinox’ when day and night are of equal duration.
But here the term is used for a state when the breath flows simultaneously
through both nostrils known as Sūrya and Candra Nāḍī.
IN SHORT KALABHAIRAVA DENOTES THE TIME.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
Q5 What is the strangest place on Earth?
KR O,Grady is a good patriot of the earth!! He is not aware of
other nations; but should we also? Now read these strange ones in India,
not one or two places:
Strange Places In India That Will Surprise You
1 Located right in the middle of Man Sagar Lake, this palace in Jaipur has
been abandoned for ages now. It is said to have been built as a summer
retreat for the Royals. However, today, it lies abandoned and desolate, in
the centre of the lake. This is a mysterious and unusual place in India as
it actually has five storeys, with four of them being submerged in the
lake! How the palace came to be submerged, no one knows. However, it makes
for a hauntingly beautiful experience
2 Ever heard of rats being worshipped? While you might cringe at the
thought, there is a temple built in Deshnoke, Rajasthan that does exactly
that! The temple is filled with over 20,000 rats that lap at bowls of milk
laid out just for them. Many people offer sweets and candy to these rats.
If you happen to step on a rat and hurt it, you have to purchase a silver
or gold rat statue and offer it to the temple, as penance for your sin. The
devotees believe that rats are incarnations of the Goddess Karni Mata
3 This experience in Ahmedabad is a seriously bizarre one. At this
restaurant, you can literally dine alongside the dead! No, we’re not
kidding. Located in the Lal Darwaza region, this restaurant has been built
in the place of a graveyard. Instead of shuddering at the thought, the
owner of the restaurant decided to make this his USP. Leaving the graves
untouched apart from installing iron bars around them, the owner has built
sitting areas around the graves, in the available space. Every morning, the
staff cleans all the graves and adorns them with fresh flowers!
4 Legend says that on his way home one day, Om Singh Rathore met
with a drunk-driving accident when his bike crashed into a tree. The bike
was taken away by the police and was miraculously discovered the next day
at the site of the accident! Thinking of it as a prank, the cops took the
bike away again and even chained it up for good measure. But the next day,
the bike was found again at the site of the accident! After that, the bike
was permanently moved to the site of the accident, inside a glass
enclosure. People offer flowers and liquor to the bike and worship it like
some kind of deity! Strange?
5 Sulabh International Museum of Toilets was built in 1992 by Dr.
Bindeshwar Pathak (a social activist) and titled as one of the weirdest
museums in the world by Time magazine. Established with the objective to
address the global history of sanitation and toilets, the museum is
anything but mundane and is a source of amusement to many. This unusual
place in India, true to its name, offers up all the rare details and facts
of the historic evolution of toilets, from 2500 BC till date. It even
displays the trends in toilets over the course of these years! From
medieval toilet displays to modern ones, this place is all about commodes
both old and new! It really is a quirky museum that you must visit when you
travel to Delhi.
6 Legend says that these floating stones that connect the tip of
India to Sri Lanka, are remains of the Ram-Setu bridge that has been
written about in the epic Ramayana. With no base to speak of to hold them
up, these black floating stones are a mystery and nobody has been able to
satisfactorily solve it till date. What’s more, these mysterious floating
stones are found in several places within Rameswaram too making it one of
the strangest places in India.
7 With the anti-gravitational effect, this is the only magnetic hill
in India. Landmarked by a yellow notice board that spells out instructions
and asks you place your car on neutral gear right on the spot marked by
white paint, this unusual place in India will leave you in awe as your car
will begin to move uphill on its own. You will come across this hill on
your way to Leh. It is located 11,000 feet above sea level and is known to
have magnetic powers that will pull your vehicle towards it, even if the
ignition is off! Imagine moving towards this hill of your own accord. This
is all due to an optical illusion created by the gravity of course, but
it’s thrilling and unusual, to say the least!
8 What looks like a dense forest from afar, is actually just one
wildly growing tree! About 3,600 aerial roots of this banyan tree have
spread across a vast space, making it look just like a forest. This tree is
actually the widest tree in the world! There is a road that has been
constructed around this tree for visitors. With every passing year, you
will see that the tree continues to grow. It’s surprising, to say the least!
9 No, this is not at all like the great bull race of Spain! Bull
surfing is a water sport conducted in Kerala, after the harvest season. Two
bulls will charge down a paddyfield through dirty mud, with a person
hanging on to a board or to the tails of the bulls. All three are soaked
with water by the time they are finished. It will definitely be an
intriguing and unusual place in India to see, won’t it?
10 I have heard of people who are head over heels in love with
their dogs. But worshipping them? I think that takes it to a whole other
level! Located in Chennapatna’s Ramanagar district, this temple houses
statues of dogs. The locals believe that dogs work alongside their village
deity. They also believe that dogs symbolize faithfulness and faithfulness
must be worshipped. After cow worship, is this the next big thing? (Kala
Bhairava)
11 Having a population of around 2500, this village is famous
worldwide for its unexplained phenomenon of bird suicides. Most of the
migratory birds visiting the area never leave the town, dropping dead for
no rhyme or reason on the streets. The case gets even more inscrutable as
these birds always plummet to their death between 06:00 p.m. to 09:30 p.m.
on the moonless nights of September and October. These mass suicides only
occur on a specific 1 mile by 600 feet strip of land and this phenomenon is
said to have occurred year after year without a break for more than a
century. Locals explain that it's the evil spirits in the sky that compels
the birds to give up their lives, but scientists have a different story to
share. They say that it is the dense monsoon fog and high altitude, which
makes the bird feel dizzy, thus hitting trees and buildings and eventually
losing their lives. Another theory offered by scientists is that these
birds are attracted towards village lights which later confuse them, along
with many others. None of them proves any theory behind this strange place
in India. Thus, continuing to haunt and intrigue the resident and traveller
minds just the same.
12 Located around 54km from Imphal, in the state of Manipur,
Loktak Lake is another wonderful creation of nature. On this unbelievably
beautiful lake, one can find, the world's only floating islands, known as
'Phumdis'. Loktak lake also has world's largest floating park, the Keibul
Lamjao National Park.
13 In Maharashtra lies a small lake called Lonar Crater Lake.
Known to be the only hyper-velocity impact crater in basaltic rock in the
world, the lake is said to bear alkaline and saline. Lonar is famous for a
50,000-year-old crater that was formed due to a meteorite collision on the
surface. This 6,000 feet wide and 500 feet deep lake is, therefore, a vital
source of scientific research and educational importance. What lies brain
teasing for scientists is the fact that the source of this lake lies
continues to remain unknown. Supporting rarely found microbials here, the
lake is also said to dysfunction compasses around parts of the waterbody.
14 A 'root bridge', it is located in Tryna village. Made of the
Indian Rubber Tree this is one of the biggest attractions of Cherrapunji. A
unique attraction and quite an innovative mix of nature and engineering.
The Umshiang River flows beneath the bridge.
15 Hide and Seek beach is located in Orissa. Here, the sea
disappears and miraculously reappear as it plays with you is an
unforgettable experience that will leave you in awe of the miracles of
nature. One of nature's truly wondrous works is how the sea at this beach
recedes up to five kilometres during the ebb, and then comes back to fill
the emptiness with the high tide. This literally gives us the opportunity
to walk deep into the actual seabed. In fact, when you walk on the beach
when it has receded, only your feet get submerged into the shallow water
and get surrounded by moist sand; so if you take a picture from afar, it
looks as if you are actually walking on water.
16 Lepakshi Temple is an ancient temple displaying the relics of
the Vijayanagara style of architecture with its roots going back to the
16th century. The temple complex comprises three shrines dedicated to Lord
Shiva, Lord Veerbhadra and Lord Vishnu. Lepakshi Temple is one of the most
unusual places in India due to its hanging pillar. It is suspended in the
main hall which is said to be the hall of reception for Shiva and Parvati's
marriage. The miraculous thing about the pillar is that among the 70
pillars of the Lepakshi Temple, this pillar is a salute to the makers of
the temple. A British Engineer to know about the secret of its hanging in
the air had made an unsuccessful attempt to move it which is the reason
behind it dislodgement. To prove its uniqueness people often pass clothes
from under it. (KR This came here sometime back)
17 Towards 35 kilometres south of Calicut lies this small
village with an unconventional mystique attached to it. Kodinhi gained
popularity for the birth of '200 pairs of twins' here. It's an unusually
large number of twins to be born in a small village. Coincidentally, women
wedded outside this village have also borne twin children. This mystery is
yet to be unlocked, but scientists believe that there lie some chemical
elements in the water which might have lead to such happenings.
18 Hampi is known for its extraordinary temple architecture
which stands out due to the construction of abundant pillars. The Vittala
Temple is known for its remarkable 56 pillars flanking the temple. However,
within these pillars lies an enigmatic story. The pillars emit musical
sounds when tapped. To excavate the mystery behind it, Britishers cut these
pillars into half to gather the reason behind this phenomenon, but they
couldn't find any. Irrespective of how beautiful these pillars are, it's
spooky when you tap them!
19 Built on the banks of Hemavathi River in Shettihalli,
Karnataka, Rosary Church is the only church standing in water. During
monsoons, the church submerges into the surrounding rainwater but rises to
glory after the water recedes. A yearly occurrence, the mystery is that the
walls still bear the brunt of the water and no damage of this rustic church
has been reported. The charm remains intact, and it looks hauntingly
beautiful post-sunset. K Rajaram IRS 9 1 24
------------------------------------------------------------
On Mon, 8 Jan 2024 at 19:30, 'gopala krishnan' via Thatha_Patty <
[email protected]> wrote:
> *CULTURAL QA 01-2024-08A*
>
> *All the BELOW QA are from Quora digest to me on 08-01-2024.**Three
> harmless jokes are also included *
>
> *Quora answers need not be 100% correct answers *
>
> *.Compiled* *and posted by R. Gopala krishnan, on 08-01-2024*
>
>
>
> Q1 What is the funniest joke you've been told that you still
> think about to this day?
>
> A1 Franklin Veaux, I've written a memoir about my unconventional
> life Nov 13
>
> A blonde walks in a bank to get a loan. “I need to borrow $100 for a
> month,” she says.
>
> The banker frowns, but takes her information anyway. He runs her credit
> but can’t find a report. “I’m sorry,” he says, *“but in the absence of a
> credit record, we’ll have to charge 20% interest on the loan, and you’ll
> need to put up collateral.*
>
> “What does that mean?” the blonde says.
>
> “It means,” the banker says, “you’ll have to repay us $120, and you’ll
> need to give us something more valuable to hold onto until you pay us back.”
>
> “Something more valuable?” The blonde says. “How about my Ferrari?”
>
> The banker nearly snorts his coffee all over his desk, but he prides
> himself on customer service so he soldiers on. He runs the title on the
> Ferrari and what do you know, the blonde owns it free and clear. “Okay,
> he says, “I’ll print out the papers.”
>
> “Just so I understand,” the blonde says, “I give you my Ferrari and you
> give me a hundred dollars, right? And then in a month, I give you $120 and
> you give me my Ferrari back?”
>
> “Yes,” the banker says, “that’s the deal.”
>
> She signs the paperwork and hands him the keys. He counts out $100 for her
> and watches her saunter out the door.
>
> A month to the day later, he’s sitting at his desk when the blonde
> saunters back in. She hands him $120 and says “I get my car back, right?”
>
> “Yep, he says as he hands her the keys. She turns to go but he stops
> her. “Miss, I really have to ask, why did you use a $140,000 car as
> collateral on a $100 loan?” “Oh!” The blonde says. “I got called out of
> town unexpectedly on business. How else can I park a Ferrari for a month
> in Manhattan for only $20?”
>
> Q2 Do you know a joke about a doctor?
>
> A2 Tacio Medeiros, Nov 28
>
> [bear with me, I’m translating the joke to English as I go, I’m not a
> native speaker]
>
> *A hick went to the city with his wife to see a doctor about a problem
> he’s been having for a long time.*
>
>
>
> When it came his turn to enter the doctor’s office, he went alone,
> explained his problem, the doctor examined him and prescribed a suppository.
>
> He exited the room and the wife immediately questioned how it went.
>
> “The doctor gave me this suppository, but I have no idea what to do with
> it” - said he
>
> “We didn’t came all the way here to come back without the complete
> instructions, go back there and ask the doctor!” - replied the wife. And so
> he went.
>
> The doctor explained once more that the suppository is to be inserted
> rectally. The man just nodded and exited the office, being met once more
> by his wife.
>
> “He said to insert it rectally” - said the man confidently
>
> “And what does it mean, exactly?” - replied the wife
>
> “No no no, I won’t go back there anymore. If I go in there one more
> time, I’m sure the doctor will tell me to shove it up my ***!”
>
> Q3 What is the story behind Kaal Bhairava?
>
> A3 Gautam,21h
>
> The story of Kaal Bhairava is associated with a manifestation of Lord
> Shiva and is rooted in both Puranic and Tantric traditions. Kaal Bhairava
> is considered the fierce form of Shiva and is often depicted as a
> fearsome deity, wielding a trident and accompanied by a dog.
>
> The most commonly narrated story of Kaal Bhairava is linked to the
> incident of Lord Brahma's pride and the subsequent curse. Here's a summary
> of the story:
>
> Brahma's Boast: Once, Lord Brahma became proud of his creative powers and
> began to develop a sense of superiority. In a fit of arrogance, *he spoke
> disrespectfully to Lord Shiva and questioned Shiva's authority over
> creation.*
>
> Kaal Bhairava's Emergence:To humble Brahma and curb his pride, Lord Shiva
> manifested Kaal Bhairava, a form representing the destructive and
> transformative aspect of Shiva's energy. Kaal Bhairava is often described
> as having a frightful appearance, with a garland of skulls, a trident, and
> a dog as his vehicle.
>
> Kaal Bhairava's Pursuit:Kaal Bhairava chased Lord Brahma who tried to
> flee from him. In his pursuit, Kaal Bhairava severed one of Brahma's five
> heads with his trident. This act symbolized the control of time (Kaal)
> over creation and the transcendence of ego.
>
> Curse of Kaal Bhairava:Recognizing his mistake, Brahma sought forgiveness
> from Kaal Bhairava. Kaal Bhairava, being compassionate, forgave Brahma
> but cursed him that he would not be worshiped in temples. This is why
> there are relatively fewer temples dedicated to Lord Brahma compared to
> other deities in Hinduism.
>
> At Varanasi:Kaal Bhairava is believed to reside in the city of Varanasi
> (Kashi). Devotees consider the Kaal Bhairava temple in Varanasi as a
> sacred site for seeking blessings, especially during the auspicious time of
> Ashtami.
>
> The story of Kaal Bhairava underscores the importance of humility, respect
> for divine authority, and the inevitability of time's influence over the
> material world. Devotees who seek Kaal Bhairava's blessings often do so for
> protection, removal of obstacles, and to transcend the limitations of time
> in their spiritual journey.
>
> My note- After Gayasrardha, sasthrikals also insist to worship at Kala
> Bhairava temple at Kasi, though not part of Gayasrardha procedure.
>
> Q4 What is the funniest military-based joke you know?
>
> A4 Joona Palaste Former Programmer at Attido (2015–2017)Sun
>
> A soldier in the military was at a lecture hall, listening to a
> celebratory speech given by the general. He was getting more and more
> bored.
>
> The soldier turned to the woman beside him and asked “How long is that
> old windbag going to go on?”
>
> The woman replied “Young man, do you know who I am? I am the wife of that
> ‘old windbag’!”
>
> The soldier replied “And you, ma’am, do you know who I am?”
>
> “No”, replied the general’s wife.
>
> “Oh, thank heavens”, replied the soldier and left the hall post haste.
>
> Q5 What is the strangest place on Earth?
>
> A5 Ian O'Grady, Studied TV and Film Production Jul 14
>
> 240km off the east coast of the Horn of Africa, lies Socotra, an Island
> unlike anything on this planet. In modern times it’s been called “the
> most alien place on earth.”
>
> In Ancient times it held many items of importance including the red
> resin of the dragon blood tree and Aloes from plants that can’t be found
> anywhere else.
>
> The otherworldly dragon trees are what we call a relict population, a
> mere fragment of a once thriving lineage that went extinct everywhere
> else over the last 5 million years.
>
> A more recent example of this would be like how the island of Tasmania
> acted as a refuge for Tasmanian tigers for a couple thousand years after
> the rest of the population went extinct on the mainland of Australia.
>
> That’s why Socotra is so alien. Tasmania didn’t become isolated from the
> rest of the mainland Australia until around 12,000 years ago, and 12,000
> years is hardly enough time to see significant evolution. But Socotra has
> been isolated from the rest of Africa for around 20 million years and that
> is enough time to see noticeable changes.
>
> Tasmanian Tiger, from Tasmania
>
> Endemic means the organism can only be found in that one location and
> nowhere else. 37% of Socotra's plants are endemic and as you go to
> different animal groups that are more landlocked, that number increases.
> 100% of the native mammals are endemic, but to be fair they only have one
> mammal species and that’s a bat.
>
> *95% of the land snails are endemic, and 90% of the islands reptiles can’t
> be found anywhere else*. Those numbers stay high for arachnids and
> isopods, like this blue legged baboon tarantula. They’re pretty unique
> among other tarantulas that are found in other places around the world
> because these ones don’t mind living in groups, and the mothers will
> actually take care of their offspring.
>
> *Islands like Socotra offer us compelling testimony to the forces of
> evolution at work.*
>
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