News Letter! i Hi eS . ope Ty We I ye oo Sudarsana Jyothi — mie5/2010) @eO Be SOLIOS... / a ENGLISHmi a MH5,2 358 | a | SUDARSANA JYOTHI «= 1 Newsletter ‘Sugarsana uvathi See eywoage, 1. The Worship Of Lord Nrsimhaday in Orissa 2 . River Yamuna . The Great Plan for Christmas Triprayer Rama Temple, Kerala. . Sufi Bayazid Bastami : , . Fasting Monkeys 18 = Wish list 19 { - \ Golden Quotes Flying Elephamts 20 { = J a= ‘Year's end is neither an end nor a begin- Printed & Published By : ning but @ going on, with all the wisdom Sri Jwala Central Trust Hyderabad thal experience can instil in us. Room No.9, Sunshine Complex, Benjamin Franklin Lakdikapool, Hyderabad-4 For last year's words belang to last year’s Phone :040-23234656, 9248088810 language Website ; www jwala.org ‘And next year's wards await another voice. 1% Soe Editorial Office 49-26-53, SF-2, ‘And to make an end is to meke a begin- ning. Hal Borland line Wewill open the book. its pages are blank, ete Residency, We are gaing ta put words an them aur- | g ura Nagar, selves. The book is called Opportunity and Z| Visakhapatnam-630 013. its first chapter is New Year's Day Z| Ph 96492 00385 TS. Eliot, “Little Gidding”The association of Yaksa with ‘Narasimha is found in another Nrsimha image at Sarsara (Banci) in Sundargarh district also.A huge stone-block, measuring around 48" inheight and 30" in breadth is found at Sarsara,having the image of a fourhanded 3) standingNarasimha, killing the demon Hiranyakasipu byplacing his body on His right thigh, whichis slightly raised. The lion-faced god is depicted as cat-faced, which seems tobe a peculiarphenomenon in western Orissa, Such eat-faced four- handed Narasimha image seated in :| Maharajalila on ahigh pedestal has been discovered from Maraguda in Nuapada 3) district, which is dated to the 6th century A.D. Evencat-faced and lion-bodied feline form of Lord Narasimha is worshipped as the central deity of the Narsinghnath temple in Bargarh district as Lord Narsinghnath. The earliest temple | at Narsinghnath is believed to have been. builtby Queen Vasata, the mother ofthe Panduvamsi king Mahasivagupta ‘Balarjuna sometime in the second halfof the 8th century A.D. The top portion of this Sarsara stone slab bearing the Narasimha image is designed like a Chaitya window with a squatting Yaksa figure carved inside it. This design is |; flanked by twolotus-rosette motifs in both sides. A Chakra in his nght hand by placing it on the ground and putting his left palm on His right thigh. A Harais. round a pacified form of Narasimha |: figure, seated in the Lalitasana is found at Khariar Museumin Nawapada district of Orissa which is four-handed. Itis dated to the Sarabhapuriya period, the 6th century A.D. as it has been collected |¢ from the historic Maraguda valley and belongs to the Sarabhapuriya period. Another place, where we get four depictions of Narasimha is in the Narsinghnath temple at Paikmal in the Bargarh district of Orissa. The Yoga Narasimha images, one diminutive images seated in Utkutikasana worshipped byas| profiled male figure in the gelaba scroll of. the easter doorjamb of the Jagamohana and another onein.a small niche in the baranda portion of the southeast side of the vimana. In both the cases, the Lord is £| scatedin theUtkutikasana, thelegs being maintained is required position by theYogapatta belt going round them and the back of the body. Another very interesting standing image of Yoga ‘Nesimha is found at Narsinghnath. To the north ofthe temple, there is a small room, where one four-handed figure of ¢| Narasimha is enshrined, It is a pacified €| form of the Lord known as Yoga Narasimha," He is standing in Samabhanga and holding a Sankha and aChakra in his upper left and right hands. respectively. A Gada is in the lower left hand of the Lord, which is firmly placed ‘on the pedestal, His lower right hand is in Varada. In both sides of his legs, there are standing figures of two lady attendants. The lady near the Gada, wearing a Mukuta seems to be Laksmi_ The eyes of the Lord are half-closed and Jata forming many stripes is hanging. on both shoulders. The strange characteristics of this figure is that, there are long: boots covering both legs of the Lord up to knee portion. The Lord's body is heavily ornamented with all ornaments like Hara, Keyuraand Katisutra ete. The figure is of the height of about four feet. The fourth one js the usual image ofLordNarasimhakilling the |; demon kingHiranyakasipu, which is fitted to the westernParsvadevata niche of the Narsinghnath temple. The lotus-pevalled design of the pedestal and the trefoil torana with the Kirtimukhamotifin the centre of its apex occur in this sculpture also. Inboth sides of the topportion, there are tworound iotus-rosette motifs. The Lond is seen to be standing in dvibhanga posture and killing the demon by putting his body on his slightly raised right thigh and tearing theentrails of the demon in the claws ofhis lower hands. A gada is in hisraised upper left hand, while the upper night hand is broken. A malefigure with Mukutaon his head and both his hands folded in abeisance, probably Prahalladthe son of Hiranyakasipu is standing in theright side of the pedestal, to the proper left of the Lord. Another exquisitely carved Narasimha image is founed inthe Jagannath temple at Sonepur, situated near the completely destrayed place of the erstwhile Maharaja(fudetary ruling chief) of Sonepur. The image of )] Narasimha fitted to the western parsvadevata niche exhibits the scene of lord Narasimha killing the demon king Hiranyakasipu, tearing apart his belly by piercing claws, while both his hands in ‘obeisance, his body is upheld by the Lord on his right thigh which is slightly raised, the leg resting on the toe.The =| anthromorphic form of Garuda in profile ®| and Prahallad, the son of Hiranyakasipu, also in profile are to the properright and left of the Lord respectively. They both are seen standing in both sides of the pedestal praying the Lord with both hands "| folded in obetsance. Although in this pose, Lord Narasimha has usually a fearful appearance; incase of this figure, there prevails a serene calmness on his face and both his eyes are closed. In the upper left and right hands, which are raised up, the Lord is scen holding a sankhaand acakra respectively. There is an oval-shapped halo forming the prabhamandala behind. hishead.The mukutais conical in shape | resembling the top portion of the ‘| pidhamundi design. Just above the forehead a thin band of beaded strings ;| with a flower-pendant in the centreis tied onthe mukuia.A long yanamalais hanging up to theknee-level from the neck ofthe Lord. A long scarf is put round the ; GUREGE ence a shoulders of Narasimha,and hanging in J; both sides of his body. Two images, one of four-handed Mahisamardini Durga and the other of Narasimha killing Hiranyakasipu are worshippedon one | pedestal inside a triratha temple, builtin the laterite stone at Belsaragad inSundargarh district. Narasimha cult wes so popular in the upper Mahanadi valley that in another small triratha style stone temple at Gandharla on the right bank of river Under in the opposite side of Sindhekela in the Titilagarh subdivision of Balangir district also till to-day Narasimha is enshrined and worshipped since the Stheentury A.D. ‘TheAvatara concept developed in the 7th-8tha.D. and we find diminutive figures of Dasavatars (ten incamations) of Lord Visnu carved in both edges and beneath the feet of two Visnu images found at Saintala Such depiction of the Avataras including Narasimha killingHiranyakasipu is found carved in both side edges of Visnu images found at Dadpur in Kalahandi district and Kapilapur (Pujaripalijin Jharsuguda district also, The Kapilapurand Dadpur images belong to the 11th-12th centuryA.D. The Dasavatara concept became extremely popular all over Orissa by the beautiful composition of Gitagovinda by Mahakavi Jayadev in the 12th century.A.D. Even during the reign ofthe Chauhans at Sambalpur, they have carved out the Dasavatara of Visnu in both side of the doorjamb of the Garbhagrha of the Radhakrisna temple inside the Gopalji Math precinct belonging tothe 17th century A.D. The images of Nrsimha killing Hiranyakasipu are also found in the Samlei, Bad Jagannath and Radhakrisna temple Parsvadevata niches. The Narasimha image,depicting. ing the demon Hiranyakasipu is found carved in the south Raha niche of the upperJangha portion on the north side-of the brick built exquisitely sculptured Indralath temple at Ranipur Shanal in Titilagarh subdivision of Balangir district, belonging to the 10th centuryA.D.lmages of Narasimha killing the demon king Hiranyakasipu are found in the Suvarnameru, Gokarnesvar and. Ramesvar temples at Sonepur town, all belonging to the Chauhan period, icc, 17th -18th century A.D.The Gundicha. temple of Sonepur, rising to aheightof | around sixty feet is dedicated to Lord ‘Narasimha. An image of Yoga Narasimha is also fitted in its westem Parsvadevata niche of this temple. Avery interesting ‘image of Yora Narasimha with his consort ‘Laksmi sitting on his lap is found in the Kunjaghar complex, just in front of the devastated royal palace at Sonepur. There is one independent image of Narasimha under a tree near the Suresvari temple at Sonepur, which might have been enshrined insidea temple in the remote past as the central deity. Even broken images of Narasimha killing Hiranyakasipu are found at Daspur Surda_ in Balangir district, Topigaon in Kalahandi district and Godhanesvar in Sonepur district which testifies to the popularityit was enjoying in the upper Mahanat valley, i | 4 New Year's resolution is something that goes in one Year and out the other, Anonymous: The object of a New Year is not that we should have a new year, It is that we should have a new soul and a new no: ; Mew feet, a mew backbone, new ears, and new eyes. Unless a particular man made New Year resolutions, he would g| make no resolutions. Unless a man starts afresh about things, he will certainly do nothing effective. Uniess a man starts on the strange assumption that he has never existed before, it Is quite certain that he will never exist afterwards. Unless: ¢| a man be born again, he shall by no means enter inte the Kingdom of Heaven.‘The Yamuna is the largest tributary river of the Ganges (Ganga) in northern India. Originating from the Yamimnotri Glacier at a height 6,387 mtrs., on the south western slopes of Banderpooch ¢ aks, in the Lower Himalayas, it travels total length ofof 1,376 kilometers (855 ami) and has a drainage system of 366,223 km2, 40.2% of the entire Gangs Basin, before merping with the Ganges at Trivent ©| Sangam, Allahabad, the site for the Kumbha Mela every twelve years. It crosses several slates, Uttarakhand, Haryana and Uttar Pradesh, passing by Himachal Pradesh and later Delhi, and meets several of its tributaries on the way, including Tons, its me largest and longest tnbutary, (Chambal, which has its own large basin, followed=| by sinh, the Sie and Ken. Most =| importantly it creates the highly fertile £) alluvial, "Yamuna-Ganga Doab' region =) between itselfand the Ganges in the Indo- =| Gangetic plain. Nearly 57 million people | depend on the Yamuna waters. With an | annual flow of about 10,000 cubic metres ¢| (cum) and usage of 4,400 cum (of which imigation constitutes 96 percent), theriver {| accounts for more than 70 per cent of Delhi's water supplies, Just like the 4| Ganges, the Yamuna too is highly | venerated in Hinduism and worshipped | as goddess Yamuna, throughout its course. | in Hindu mythology, she is the daughter of Sun God, Surya, and sister of Yama, the God of Death, hence also knownas ‘Yami and according to popular legends, 4) bathing inits sacred waters frees one from | the torments of death The water of Yamuna is of reasonably good quality" through its ‘length from Yamunotri in the Himalayas to Wazirabad in Delhi, about 375 km, where the Ane of waste water through 15 drains between Wazirabad barrage and Okhila barrage renders the iver severely polluted after Wazirabad in Delhi. One official describes theriveras |’? a" sewage drain" with biochemical oxygen demand (BOD) values ranging from 14 to 28 mg/l and highcoliform content [3]. ‘There are three main sources of pallution in the river, namely households and municipal disposal sites, soil erosion resulting from deforestation occurring to make way for agriculture along with resulting chemical wash-off from fertilizers, herbicides, and pesticides and run-off from commercial activity and industrial sites. ‘The source of Yamuna lies in the ‘Yaraunotri Glacier ataheight 6,387 mtrs., |? on the south western slopes of [§ Banderpooch peaks, which lie in the Mussoorie range of Lower Himalayas, in the Uttarkashi district, Uttarakhand, north of Haridwar [1]. Yamunotri temple, a4 shina tackened oe gue OER :| isoncof the holiest shrines in Hinduism, | and part of the Chota Char Dham Yatra circuit. Also standing close to the temple, onits 13 km trek route, that follows the | right bank of the river, lies the Markendeya Tirtha, where the sage Markandeya wrote the Markandeya Purana. From here it flows southwards, for about 200 km through the Lower Himalayas.and the Shivalik Hills Range and morainic deposited are found in its steep Upper Yamuna valley, highlighted with geomorphic features such as :| interlocking spurs, steep rock benches, and stream terraces. Large terraces | formed over a long period oftime can be: seen in the lower course ofthe river, like ones near Naugoan. An important part ofits early catchment area totalling 2,320 km? lies in Himachal Pradesh, and an important tributary draining the Upper Catchment Area is the Tons, Yamuna’s ‘| largest and longest tributary, which rises from the Hari-ki-dun valley and holds ‘water more than the main stream, which ‘itmerges after Kalsi near Dehradun. The &| entire drainage system of the river stretches all the way between Gin-Sutlej catchment in Himachal and Yamuna- Bhilangna catchment in Garhwal, indeed the southem ridge of Shimlaisalso drained intothis system. Other tributaries in the region arethe Giri, Rishi Ganga, Kunta, Hanuman Ganga. and Bata tributaries, which drain the Upper Catchment Area of the vast SUDARSANA JYOTHI Yamuna basin [6]. Thereafter the river descends.on to the plains of Doon Valley, at Dak Pathar near Dehradun, Here through aweir dam, the wateris diverted into acanal for power generation, little. further down where Yamunais met by the Assan River, lies the Assan barrage, which hostsa Bird Sanctuary as well. After passing the Sikh pilgrimage town of |% Paonta Sahib, it reaches Tajewala in Yamuna Nagar district, of Haryana, where a dam built in 1873, 1s the originating place of two important canals, the Western Yamuna Canal and Eastern Yamuna Canal, which irrigate the states of Haryana and Uttar Pradesh. The Western Yamuna Canal (WC) crosses | Yamuna Nagar, Karnal and Panipat before reaching the Haiderpur treatment plant, which supplies part of municipal, water supply to Delhi, further it also receives waste water from Yamuna Nagar and Panipat cities. Yamuna is replenished again after this by seasonal streams and groundwater accrual, in fact during the dry season, it remains dry in many stretches from Tajewala till Delhi, where it enters near Palla village afler traversing 224 km. ‘The Yamuna also creates natural ‘state borders between the Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand states, and further down between the state of |. Haryana and Uttar Pradesh. Along with Ganga to which ron almost parallel after it touches the Indo-Gangetic plain, the largest alluvial fertile plain in the world, it creates the Ganga- Yamuna Doab regionspread across 69,000 km2, one-third of the entire plain, and today known for its agricultural outputs, prominent among them is the cultivation of Basmati Rice. The plain itself supports one-third of ¢| India’s population through its faming ubsequently, it flows through the states of Delhi, Haryana and Uttar Pradesh, before merging with the Ganges ata sacred spot known as Triveni Sangam in Allahabad after traversing a distance of 1,376 kilometers (855 mi), Here pilgrims: | travel by boats to platforms erected mid &| stream to offer prayers. During the Kumbh Mela, held every 12 years, the ghats around the Sangam are venue of 4] large congregation of people, who take Mark Twain #| resolutions. | Bill Vaughan when you're forced to, =| James Agate BH Vaughan i to make sure the old year leaves. ‘Oscar Wilde &| Good resolutions are simply checks that men draw on a bank where they have no account. PLC Leek New Year's is a harmless annual institution, of no particular use to enybody Save as 8 scapegoat for promiscuous drunks, and friendly calls and humbug Youth is when you're allowed to stay up late on New Year's Eve. Middle age is | New Year's Resolution: To tolerate fools more gladly, provided this does not encourage them to take up more of my time. ‘An optimist stays up until midnight to see the New Year in. A pessimist stays up New Year's Day is every man's birthday. dip in the sacred waters ofthe confluence [8]. The cities of Baghpat, Delhi, Noida, Mathura, Agra, Firozabad, Etawah, Kalpi, Hamirpur, Allahabad lic on its banks. At Etawah, if meets it another important tributary, Chamibal, followed by. a host of tributaries further down, including, Sindh, the Betwa, and Ken Literally meaning "twins" in Sanskrit, ‘as itruns parallel to the Ganges, its name is mentioned at many places in the Rig ‘Veda, written during the Vedic period ca between 1700-1100 BC, and also in the later Atharyaveda, and the Brahmanas including Aitareya Brahmana and Shatapatha BrahmanaJ. LUINENBERG Hesitating, the first snowflakes fell. ‘Itwas one day before Christmas. There was this small house in front ofabig forest, which was breathing quietness. Just every now and, two rabbits disturbed the peace and quietness. They seemed to be '| searching for something between the dead leaves. Inside, a man stared through the {| window, as if he was waiting for something Except forthe man, there were. two other people in the small room. They were his daughters in the age of fifteen and seventeen, who were both reading. Mary was the youngest one and Leslie was her sister, They were both of the dreaming type, this unlike their father who, being a lumberjack, could not see any good in dreaming, Quite often, itbothered him thathis daughters were reading. This was notin the first place because he could barely read himself but because books were expensive and he did not make a lot. Every once and a while Leslie spoke up by pointing out that they read used books but this did not mean much to the poorly educated lumberjack. “Dad, could ‘weplease go for an evening walk?” Leslie asked. The man growled a bit and then nodded, Meanwhile, it was snowing considerably and so the girls dressed accordingly. To make sure that they would not get lost, they took the familiar path, which ran along the wood. To go into the ©] wood itself, was even now for an experienced trapper risky. As more snow ¢ Elbe Leben pany fell, he evening became lighter. Mary and Leslie continued in silence. They both had the same thought: their mother who had diod a year ago because ofterrible fever. So their father’s behaviour was understandable. When the girls were already at quite a distance from their home, rather suddenly the wind increased. The sisters gota startle out of this because they knew very well what this could mean... They looked at each other but there was no need for words. |} and they retumed, However, a retum was ‘out ofthe question because soon they lost their way, Leslie got overwhelmed by fear and started to cry. Mary tried to comfort her older sister. “Take it easy Leslie, we ‘will just wait on this trunk” she said and put her arm around her sister. The wind. increased to gale force and it seemed as if the snowflakes were trying to beat each other in size and speed. Soon, the ‘snow came to their knees. Leslic was sobbing silently and Mary was praying. Suddenly, their surroundings were strongly lit. The girls covered their eyes quickly. “Don't be afraid!’*a soft voice said and the sisters looked up at once because they had recognized their mother’s voice. Leslie could not speak at all but Mary felt that this happened for teal. “O mother, you are retuming!"” Mary cried. “Only temporarily, after this you ‘will have to goon yourown on this earth,”edhedhncdhonabiocdsetnctiocthoet} bright white light, which surrounded their mother’s appearance, became less bright and also got different shades of color. “Are there more planets like the earth?” Leslie asked who had recovered from the: more but most important is that it is over there always Christmas..." and their mother brushed away a tear. Now, Leslie ‘could not control her emotions any more -eitherand burst out crying, Thena miracle occurred: her tears changed into beaustifial pearls, which she could catch in her hands. Mary looked up to her mother with ‘a question mark on her face, whose appearance spread now a soft glow. “Ttisreally you isn'tit...?"she asked almost begging, “Yes Mary, it's really me. But what happens here is not done by me because only God can do that. This event has a special meaning. It’s an expression of God's Love for His ‘Creatures. With these pearls part ofthe hunger, poverty and misery can be solved. Everyone of us, gets the chance to perform a very beautiful task; to spread Peace and Love all over the world.” Tomorrow, it will be Christmas. ‘Your tears will be normal tears again because everybody will have to contribute to the Great Plan him- or herself, Money will only be a tool. One has to act from the heart... Their mother’s shape began to fade away but Mary and Leslic were not sad. They were very happy because they received the most beautiful Christmas message of their lives. They did not need to think long about the destination of the pearls. They would give one to their father and the rest would go to the needy ones. They themselves did not even want pearl since their mother had given them something that was worth much more, ———EEESEEEEEEEE———_———es Sudarsana Jyothi thankfully acknowledges the valuable support of the following donors ‘Ch. Muralikrishna, Sri Kurmam. C, Krishna Kishor, K.U, Prasad, B.V. Mallikharjuna, S. Jaihind, R. Radhakrishna Rao, P. Sudheer Reddy, K. Pardhasaradhi, Smt. A. Ramalakshmi & V.S. Murthy from Hyderabad. D.S. Siva Kumar, Nalgonda. Namireddy Veera Reddy, Miryalaguda. Y.S. Rambabu & T. Santosh Kumar, Visakhapainam. ETEGEL Ue heTriprayar located south of Thrissur, near Irinjalakuda bears a magnificient temple to Rama which is associated with many interesting legends. Associated. closely with this temple are temples dedicated to Lakshmana at ‘Tirumoozhikkalam (which is one of the 108 Vaishnava Divya Desam temples), Bharata at Koodalmaanikkam and to Satrugna at Payammel. ‘Legend hes it that four images of the heroic brothers Rama, Lakshmana, Bharata and Satrugna were washed ashore and were discovered by a local E] chieftan Vakkey Kaimal and were installed at the sites mentioned above. All of these four images are thase of Vishnu, but are referred to as Rama, Lakshmanaperumaal, Bharata and Satrugna. Offering worship at each of these four shrines on a given day, is considered auspicious. = SUDARSANA JYOTHI Deities: The image of Rama |$ resembles the chaturbhuja Vishnu form | with four arms, bearing a conch, a disc, a bow and a garland respectively. It is believed that the deity worshipped here possesses some of the aspects of Shiva too, The image isadomed with necklaces and othe fine jewelry. Images of Sridevi and Bhudevi are on either side. Rama has been conceived in the form of the victor over the demon Khara. There is an image of ‘Dakshinamurthy, in the sanctum facing the south. Itis also believed that the portrayal of Rama with a garland held in the image’s hands is also suggestive of aspects of Bhrahma and hence the deity is said to be a manifestation of the tk 3 An unseen manifestation ofHanuman is worshipped ina mandapam «| across the hall from the sanctum, There is also. a shrine to Ganapathi in this temple. In the outer courtyard of the temple ¢) is a shrine to Saasta or Ayyappan, It is ¢) believed that the Saasta shrine was located ¢) originally at the site corresponding to the Architecture: This temple is rich in wood carvings. The namaskara | mandapam which faces the circular E| sanctum (srikovil) has 24 panels of wood ‘carvings and several ancientmurals, The circular sanctum has several sculptural representations of scenes from the Ramayana. History: The Triprayar temple was originally under thedomain ofthe Zamorin rulers of Kerala, It later came under the ©] posession of the Dutch, the Mysore ¢| sultans and the rulers of Cochin, Daily worship services: Five worship ‘Services are carried out cach day- (usha, etirthu, panthirati, uecha, athazha). A B| processional image of the deity is carried. around the temple three times a day. Festivals: The seven day Pooram festival is celebrated in themalayalamonth of Meenam (Tamil - Pankuni), and concludes in the Pooram asterism (just one day ahead of Pankuni Utthiram in ‘Tamnilnadu) ‘The Ekadashi festival in the month of Scorpio (November - December) is also a festive occasion, along the lines of the Guruvayur temple. The day preceding Ekadashi witnesses a procession of Saasta, while the Ekadasi festival is marked by a procession of Rama flanked by 21 elephants and royal paraphemalia. Performing Arts: Angya Koottu isa Jocal theater form (pantomime) which is ‘offered as a worship service in this temple, inside the temple premises. In the 12 day performance season in the month of Scorpio, episodes from the Ramayana involving Haruman's bringing back a ring from Sita to Rama are enacted, ‘The peacock legend: Many legends unique to this part of the country prevail in this temple. It is said that when the image of Rama was discovered and was about to be consecrated, it was divinely ordained that peacock would appear and mark the exact spot on which it was to be installed. Apparently the devotees installed the image in a spot where alevotee bearing peacock feathers =| appeared. It is said that they regretted | their decision later when a peacock &| actually appeared at another ‘spot, To g) take up forthisdeficiency the sacrificial 2 altar orthe balikkallu was installed at the ‘Spot marked by the peacock. Itis believed that the sacrificial altar «| kept spinning on its axis until a yogi ¢) stabilized it byhammering a nail through itamidst the chanting of mantras. Thus, the fact that the image was not installed at the divinely ordained site, caused adosham ora blemish. To make up for the blemish, images of Sridevi and Bhudevi were installed on either side of thedeity, Iisbelieved that Vilvamangalam | Swami who is associated with several temples of Kerala, installed these images |, ‘andl shut the Western doors ofthe temple. [3 The western doors ofthe temple remain |) shut even today. SS. eesesesee SUDARSANA JYOTHI Places on record sincere gratitude and appreciation to a donor who do not wish to be named, Jor sponsoring one issue of the Bulletin. oe‘The name Bastami means "from the city of Bastam". Hazrat Bayazid’s grandfather was a Zoroastrian who converted to Islam. His Grandfather had three sons, Adam, Tayfurand'Ali, Allof them Were ascetics. Abayazid was bom: to Tayfur. Not much was known of his childhood, but Bayazid spent most ofhis time in isolation in his house and the ¢] Thosque. Although he remained in isolation he didnot isolate him self from the sufi realm. He weloomed people into his houise to havediscussion about sufism. Bayazid also led a life of asceticism and renounced all worldly pleasures in order ta be one with God. Ultimately, this led Bayazid to astate of "self anhiliation”, which is the ‘only state a person could be in order to be closest with God. Bayazid became known as the first intoxicated sufi because ofhis openness of his expressions he felt towards God, Bayazid is regarded as being one of the mostinfluential mystics due to the fact of how controversial he ‘was atthe time, PaGEOnwicea) INFLUENCE Bastami's predecessor Dhu'l-Nun al-Misri (d. CE 859) had formulated the doctrine of ma’rifia (gnosis), presenting a system which helped the murid (initiate) and the shaykh (guide) to communicate, Bayazid Bastami took this another step and emphasized the importance of ecstasy, referred to in his words as drunkenness (sukr or wajd), ameans of |3 annihilation in the Divine Presence, Before him, Sufism was mainly based on piety and obedience and he played a majorrole in placing the concept of divine love at the core of Sufism. Bastami was truly the first to speak openly of "annihilation ofthe selfin Gad" (fana fi'Allah’) and "subsistence through God" (baqa’ bi'Allah). The “annihilation of the self" (fana fi Allah’) refers to disregarding everything in this world because of one’s love towards God. When a person enters the state of fanait isbelieved that one is closest to God. His paradoxical sayings gained a wide cireulation and soon exerted a captivating| influence over the minds ofstudents who aspired to understand the meaning of the wahdatal-wujud, Unity of Being. When Bayazid died, he was over seventy years ald. Before he died, someone asked him his age. He said: T ‘| am four years old. For seventy years | +! was veiled. I got rid of my veils only four *| years ago.” He died in 874CE and is buried citherin the city of Bistam in north central Iran, or in Semnan, Iran, Bayazid lived a century before Abul Hassan Kharaqani. :| Attar Neishapouri has mentioned in his book Tadhkiratul-Awliya that Bayazid had spoken about the personality and state of Shaikh Abul Hassan Kharagani with his disciples whilepassing from the village of Kharagan, almost 100 years before the birth of Shaikh Abul Hassan. Bayazid Bastami had great influence on Sufi mysticism and is considered to be onc of the important carly teachers of Sufi Islam. Intoxicated Sufi An intoxicated Sufi is one that expresses their feelings openly without disregarding the social consequences in doing so, Bayazid was most famous for openly expressing himself, Unlike the sufi Junayd who was a sober sufi, meaning ‘that he reserved his feelings within himself | and not allowing forsuch expressions to be observed to the outside world. This. was the acceptable comportment of a Sufi, however when Bayazid began to express himself openly many shunned him. The people opposed to his openness TOT Micha ey neap eeepc accused Bayazid of being aheretic due to his bizarre sayings. Nat only his sayings are controversial, but Bayazid also claimed to have traveled through the 7 [¥ heavens in his dream. This journey proclaimed by Bayazid is similar to the Mitaj of the Prophet Muhanumad (Sells, pg 213). Under Islamic belief a person to transcend into the 7 heavens is impossible because only prophets can do this like Muhammad. Obviously many Muslim conservatives at the time did not approve of such statements made by Bayazid like the previous one. ‘These sayings are some of Bayazid’s famous sayings that caused him to be labeled as un intoxicated Sufi "Glory be to me! How great is My mujesty!" "*Thy obedience ta me is greater than my obedience to Thee" “"T am the throne-and the footsica!” ""Bymylife, my grasp is firmer than "saw the Kaba walking round me" "Moses desired to see God; Ido not desire to see God;He desires to see me "| am I; there is no God but I; so worship me!" His followers understood his sayings because they comprehended something that most sufis at the time did not. They. understood that Bayazid, “has reached a stage of mystical self consciousness sox ane infused with the divine that there isno room neither fo the human self nor for God but only for the ultimate and ;| absolute "I," called God as the object of faith but "I" as the subject of mystical ‘experience (Ritter, pg.2). Interestingly enough, there is a shrine ¢-| in Chittagong, Bangladesh that local €| people believe to be Bastami’s tomb as | well. This seems unlikely to be true, as ‘Bastami was never known to have visited ¢| Bangladesh. However, Sufi teachers were ‘greatly influential in the spread of stam in Bengal and this might explain the belief. ‘Thelslamic scholarsof Bangladesh usually regard the tomb at Chittagong attributed to him as ajawab, orimitation. One explanation is the local legend that Bayazid did indeed visit Chatagong. Atthe time of his retum, he found that his local followers did not want to leave. }| Overwhelmed by the love of his local ¢| followers, he pierced his finger and dropped a few drops of his blood on the ground and allowed his followers to build | ashrine in his name where his blood drops fell, This also explained by the traditional Sufi masters as a mash-had, or site of witnessing, where the spiritual presence of the saint has been witnessed, and is | known to appear, This is explained through the Sufi concept of the power of = the saint's soul to travel and in its spiritual form, even after death, to appear to the living. The Quran mentions that some of those who have proven their sincerity |? have achieved a life beyond the grave; Wala tahsabanna allatheena qutiloo fee sabeeli Allahi amwatan bal ahyaon AAinda rabbihim yurzagoona; Think not ‘of those who are slain in Allah's way as dead. Nay, they live, finding their Sustenance in the presence of their Lord; |3 3:169 3 Some of his words quoted from Tadhkiratul Awliya by Farid al-Din Attar never saw any lamp shining more brilliantly than the lamp of silence. “Iwent toa wildemess, lave had [4 rained and had covered earth, as fect Penetrate snow, I found my feet covered | with love. "Istood with the pious and Ididn’t find any progress with them. Istood with | the warriors in the cause and I didn't find asingle step of progress with them. Then | 2 Tsaid, 'O Allah, what is the way to You” | and Allah said, ‘Leave yourself and come SSS eee Sudarsana Jyothi thankfully acknowledges the valuable support of M/s. Sree Essen Constructions Vijaya Nagar Colony, HyderabadA group of monkeys decide to go ¢| ona fast one day. “Before we begin, [think we should keep the food with which we'll break the: fastready,” counselled the old monkey chief. The monkeys nodded their heads in agreement, The youngsters were sent in {| scarch of food. They retumed with huge hands of delicious-looking bananas. “T think each of us should keep our share ofbananas with us before we begin our fast, so that we don’t spend time distributing them after we break our fast. {| ‘You can imagine how hungry weall will be by then!”*said the chiefs wife ‘Themonkeys liked the idea and they | collected their share of the bananas. “Why don’t we peel one banana and keep it ready to eat? “ said one of the youngsters. “Yes, let’s do that,” shouted a fat monkey in agreement. Just looking at the bananas was making him hungry. “All right,” said the monkey chief. “We shall peel the bananas but under no condition should we eat them.” So the monkeys peeled their bananas and carefully keptthem ready foreating inthe evening. “Can I keep the banana in my mouth? I promise notto eat it till evening. Please!" alittle monkey asked his father. “Why don't we all put a banana in our mouth? That way we can chew it immediately when we break the fast,” said his father, who had agreed to. goon the fast only because his wife had not given hima choice. “As long as wedon't eat it, it should be fine," he added. So, the monkeys putthe bananas in theirmouths. One by one they eyed each other uncomfortably as they began their fast — and as you can imagine, within no time at all, the bananas disappeared down their gullets. And that was the end of their fast! a S55 Read & Subscribe to SUDARSANA JYOTHI your window to the spiritual, cultural and esl India & the worldHis troops, led by four of his finest commanders won a great battle for him, and Napoleon Bonaparte was in a generous mood. “Ask for anything and I'll give it to you," he said to the fourefficers who had distinguished themselves. "I've always wanted a house in Paris,” said one of the men, a German. "Done!" said Napoleon. "You'll get a@.mansion.in the city." "Dye always desired to own a hotel," said the second officer, a Frenchman. "Done!" said the emperor. "Tl order () ahotel to be given to you." "I've always wanted a brewery," said the third man,a Pole. "Done!" said the emperor. " I will give you a brewery!" “And you, sir?" he said, turing to the fourth man, "What will youhave?" "Grant mea fortnight's leave," said the man. “Done!” said the emperor. "Your leave begins from tomorrow!" : CIEE ELOn een ‘Now the fourth man agua to bea Jew, and in those days at least, Jews Were supposed to be shrewd and possess great business acumen, So his colleagues were surprised that he had asked for so little. They felt he had missed a rare opportunity to become rich, and were elated that they themselves had kept their wits about them and asked for worthwhile things. ‘They asked him about it when they 14 "Why did you ask for so little?" they taunted him, "Did courage fail you?" "You asked fora lot," replied the Jew. "But you must remember that the emperors a busy man. He will order his Secretary to fulfill his promises. His secretary too is a busy man. He will pass onthe order to his assistant who too is. busy man. So the emperor's order will go down from subordinate to subordinate and finally in the courseofa few months... it ll get lost!" "We'll appeal to the emperor!" shouted the Frenchman. "The emperor will not know what you're talking about," said the Jew. "By then our great victory will have become adim memory, You should have asked for something that the emperor could give immediately - like did. Now, if you'll excuse me gentlemen, I have work ta do.” And leaving the threcofficers gaping, the Jew went off to arrange for hisThere was a time when elephants could fly. They had wings - four big wings. In fact they were God's favourite vehicles; he used to ride on an elephant when he was “| busy creating the world. But once humans started living on earth and ‘| God's work was over, their importance decreased, ; Notonly that, the elephants had ¢| developed very irritating habits. :| Sometimes they would crow like cocks. And sometimes, tired of flying in the sky, they would go and r| sit on the rooftops of houses. The } GIREGELUL Eek ——————SSSS=EaEEE se. Sudarsana Jyothi thankfully acknowledges. ie valuable support of A. Raghunathan Salas Hydra houses would collapse. The whole world knew how heavy the elephants were, but these creatures had no idea about the trouble they were causing. Itwas time for God to take action, He invited the big beasts for a fantastic feast. The elephants stuffed themselves with so much food that once they had eaten their fill, they rolled over on theirstomachs and went to sleep. That was the moment God had been looking for. He quietly cut off the elephants’ wings, And, according to tribal lore, he gave away two of their wings to the peacock, which is how the bird got its beautiful tail. Then God stuck the other two : wings on the banana plant, which is |% how it got its big leaves. When the} 5 they discovered their great loss. And [3 they got wild - so wild that they]? scampered off into the forests.porns AGENTS LOGISTICS ie r ~ 5 S Kg). SHIPPING (P) LTD Head office: ESSKAY HOUSE, D.No. 25-40-40, GANGULAVARI STREET, VISAKHAPATNAM 530 001 PH (0) 91 891 2568403 to 06 / 2549487 FAX: + 91 891 2565133, e-mail KOLKATA (0)81-33 247 9075S Mob:098300 4029 Emal : kothataesskayshipning com HALDIA (O}+81 32.24 276727 Mob098300 69301 Email: halding@esskayshipping com (0) +1 081 23.77% (0).91 824 2452193 MA JO) Met ogea0n caace (0) +1 2836 720784 wool (0): 481 832:25(0093 Mob: OWMMES 12183 Emat: goa@lesskayshpping.com JAM NAGAR (0) * 8t 2836-229764 Mab; 096252 207-22 Ema kondingjesskayshipping com