Wild Roots, Forest Foods, and the Diet of Indian Sadhus
Question: Hare Krishna. What do these sadhus generally eat? I heard they eat a lot of wild roots. These must be very nutritious, because some of these sadhus live so long.
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Why Ancient Cambodia Worshipped an Eight Armed Vishnu
Regarding the story last week of the Thailand military destroying a statue of a Hindu deity on the border with Cambodia, at the time it was unclear which deity it was. Now clearer photographs have become available. The deity is an 8 armed form of Lord Vishnu. This form is originally found in the ancient Angkor Wat temple (which is the largest Hindu temple in the world).
Respecting Shukracharya as a Servant of the Supreme
It appears in regards to Shukracharya many devotees are holding a negative opinion of him, probably from their recollection of the mistake he did in regards to Bali Maharaja and Vamana Avatara. We should always remember that that is only one past event, and he has moved on from that mistake. We should not hold offensive opinions about him because of one mistake he made in ancient times. That would be like judging Indra eternally because he offended a rishi once upon a time.
The Forgotten Buddha Deity at Baidyanath Jyotirlinga Temple
Throughout India there are twelve Jyotirlingas, which are very special temples dedicated to Lord Shiva, where he manifested as pillars of light. One of these temples is located at Deoghar in Jharkhand, and is known as the Baidyanath Jyotirlinga.
When Giant Forests Covered the Earth
Once upon a time the Earth became filled with gigantic trees that stretched up to the heavens. Later some of the stumps of these trees became petrified and appeared as mountains. Pieces of giant fallen wood became the coal deposits of the earth, and others decayed into oil deposits.
Mahendra Giri the Eternal Abode of Lord Parashurama
Recently I saw a nice post by the devotees of Vishakhapatnam where they visited the sacred tirtha of Mahendra Giri where Lord Parashurama lives even till today. This sacred mountain is located in Odisha on the border with Andhra Pradesh, and is mentioned in every Purana and Itihasa.
Treating Two Street Puppies with Severely Infected Bite Wounds.
We came across two street puppies today with severely infected bite wounds. They live a few streets down from us, so their mother knows us and trusts us to take them away for treatment. After cleaning and giving medicine, about 15 minutes later we brought them back to their mother. We will do this each day, till hopefully the wounds heal.
The Spectacle of Lord Shiva’s Wedding Procession
The following is from Parvati Mangala of Goswami Tulsidas, and describes Lord Shiva’s marriage procession.
Verse 106 lists three types of beings in the procession: Preta, Vetala, and Bhuta. You will find more expanded lists in other places that contain more varieties of ghostly beings. This collection of beings are “pramathas”, or tormentors, and Lord Shiva is Pramatha Natha.
Tracing the True Source of Kasturi Fragrance Through Time
I want to make one last post on Kasturi to talk about the possibility of Kasturi having originally been a plant based fragrance. There is a kasturi deer, and there is also a kasturi plant (known as ambrette or musk mallow). This kasturi plant, and its seeds, called as kasturi beeja, have been in use for thousands of years in Ayurveda and in attar making. Coincidentally both produce the exact same fragrance, with the main difference being the deer kasturi has an added repulsive fecal scent which is unpleasant to humans.
The Surprising Truth About the Smell of Kasturi
Following up on the post where we touched on the topic of Kasturi (musk), one of the five famous fragrances often mentioned in the scriptures, alongside sandalwood (chandana), agarwood (aguru), saffron (kunkuma) and camphor (karpura), here we will demystify the fragrance for those who have never smelt it.
