DHYAN FOUNDATION

Centuries ago Lord Shiv is said to have revealed himself to his true devotees in the form of a jyoti or a light. On their request for Him to reside by them for eternity, He installed Himself near them, as a linga, which is now known as Jyotirlinga. In this series of articles we will take you through the 12 Jyotirlingas as described in the following Sanskrit shloka (Dwadasha Jyotirlingum Strota) – सौराष्ट्रे सोमनाथं च श्रीशैले मल्लिकार्जुनम्। उज्जयिन्यां महाकालमोङ्कारममलेश्वरम्॥ परल्यां वैद्यनाथं च डाकिन्यां भीमशङ्करम्। सेतुबन्धे तु रामेशं नागेशं दारुकावने॥ वाराणस्यां तु विश्वेशं त्र्यम्बकं गौतमीतटे। हिमालये तु केदारं घुश्मेशं च शिवालये॥ एतानि ज्योतिर्लिङ्गानि सायं प्रातः पठेन्नरः। सप्तजन्मकृतं पापं स्मरणेन विनश्यति॥ एतेशां दर्शनादेव पातकं नैव तिष्ठति। कर्मक्षयो भवेत्तस्य यस्य तुष्टो महेश्वराः॥: द्वादश ज्योतिर्लिंग स्तोत्रम् Sri Baidyanath Jyotirlinga is situated in Deogarh in the Santhal Parganas area of Bihar. In fact, Deogarh is also known as Baidyanath,...

Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam, the world is a family, are not mere words. Our culture—by ‘our’, I mean the universal culture of the world—did not discriminate on the basis of religion, birth, caste, social status or geography. The distinction was made between the civilised and uncivilised; in Vedic parlance, between surs and asurs respectively. Those who helped creation and lived for others were termed as surs and those who lived for themselves and did nothing for creation were called asurs. Consider this. Creation emerged from the thought of Brahma. Rishi Pulastya was born of Brahma, as was Rishi Marichi. Pulastya’s son Rishi Vishrava fathered Ravana. Marichi’s son Rishi Kashyap fathered Vivasvan (Sun God). From Vivasvan came Manu, the first human being of the 7th Manvantara, who gave birth to Ikshvaku from whom began the Ikshvaku dynasty, in whose line was born Lord Rama. Thus, Rama and Ravana were distant cousins. Rama annihilated Ravana because he trod on the path of adharma, guided ...

This was nearly 15 years ago, we were travelling to the higher reaches of Badrinath and on the way back we went into a restaurant just outside the temple. We asked for some cow milk and told the owner to be doubly sure that it was cow milk and not powdered milk; he assured us and went into the kitchen. We waited for 10 minutes and then I decided to take a look in the kitchen. Inside to my surprise, I saw him boiling water and adding powdered milk to it! On confronting, he cheekily replied, “Now where do I get cows here?” I told him that if you people won’t send your cows to the butchers then you would have them and your character would be devik and not asuric, for this is what you people have become. How can you fool people at the dham of Vishnu? Another time on my visit to Kedarnath, I found families thronging the shrine in a picnic and holiday mood, filmi songs blaring and card parties galore. Inside the dharamshalas surrounding the shrine, people dressed as Shiva waving their tr...