Dikshitar’s Varanasi connection

Sri Chidambaranatha Yogi, preceptor of Muthuswami Dikshitar, attained samadhi at Varanasi (Kasi). The Kasi connection of Dikshitar remains alive at Sri Chakra Lingesvarar shrine, not one of the popular pilgrim spots. Krishnamurti Ghanapadigal, an eminent vidwan from Swamimalai settled in Kasi, close to Harischandra Ghat, spoke about the shrine. “The lanes are a maze. You’ll get lost. Take someone with you,” he advised. And so accompanied by Vasudeva Sastrigal, I set out.  jeeva samadhi of Chidambaranatha Yogi, where Dikshitar had performed Sri Vidya worship for several years, and listen to enlightening information. daily Sri Vidya puja krama for the Linga. Sri Vidya worship conducted here as per vaidika rituals. this Linga known as Sri Chakra Lingesvara was in a sanctum sanctorum long ago, managed by a Maharashtrian couple. The family of Kedar lives in a small space in the same building, dedicating themselves totally to Sri Chakra Lingesvara.

Unique features The unique features of the Linga include the Sri Vidya Chakra embedded on its top; the upper part of the Avudayar is covered with a silver kavacha, which is removed during daily ablutions. Special pujas are held during Navaratri and Sivaratri. The upper part of the Avudayar faces east due to the presence of the chakra. The sanctum sanctorum is a circular structure, allowing devotees to go around it and there are two entrances. The small hall adjoining the Garbhagriha has an exquisite bronze Ardhanareesvara, placed in a separate enclosure in the wall. 29-6-17

A spiritual night safari at Varanasi

Varanasi can be a great spiritual experience if you can shut your eyes to the garbage heaps and the human chaos!

We went around waking the Gods that night.  It sounds irreverent, but in actual fact was possibly the most religious thing I’ve ever done. Spiritual I may be, though not religious in a ritualistic sense.

But this time was different. This was Varanasi. And when in Varanasi, you do what Varanasi does. And if you wish to do it with dignity, you beat the crowds and do it earlier. So, we decided to visit the Gods before dawn.

Varanasi is a city that doesn’t sleep, and the reason is diametrically opposite to that which keeps other sleepless cities up. No bars, drunken men or temptresses here; this city is kept up by religious fervor and its Benarasi sari industry. At 2 am all we saw on the roads were cows, cops and men ferrying around white bundles containing exquisitely woven saris.

Barricades and a posse of cops revealed that we had arrived at the Kashi Vishwanath Temple. Enter and you see a forlorn Nandi facing the mosque at the entrance. This, we are told, is proof that the Vishwanath Temple once stood where the mosque built by Aurangzeb stands today, because Nandi always faces Lord Shiva.

In the sanctum sanctorum we saw an amazing sight. Uniformed cops stepped in and out of the room and participated in rituals along with the priests as the holiest of holy Shiva linga was washed, showered and dressed with much fanfare. The cops not only helped pass along the holy water and other stuff needed for the puja, but also beat drums, blew conches and distributed prasad. And yes, in between all this they also attempted to manage the overenthusiastic crowds that reached despite the early hour!

When Shiva prayers reached a crescendo, a priest started shaking his head vigorously in frenzy, sending his long curls dancing. The cops joined in with a lusty “Har har Mahadev” and shook their heads too till it seemed they would drop off their torsos. Mesmerised by the cops’ religious zeal and jostled by people who all wanted to touch, smell or bow to anything that emerged from the sanctum sanctorum, we managed our moments of private conversation with Shiva and emerged feeling virtuous.

Next we headed to Sankat Mochan Temple to awaken Lord Hanuman, who was still asleep when we reached, possibly stirring at the sound of the loud kirtan at His doorstep. Everyone crowded around at 4.30, but Hanuman’s first sighting of the morning had to be Lord Ram and Sita, whose images were placed in a straight line from His. So, a human corridor was created and curtains both sides were opened simultaneously.

Next on the list was Assi Ghat, famous as a tourist attraction for its aarti, sunrise, culture and rich tradition. Three hundred people visit every hour and Tulsidas is said to have breathed his last here. The Ganges has swollen to almost danger mark this monsoon and the famed Benares steps that lead down to the river have disappeared. As a result the renowned aarti here has been limited to a very small temple and with sunrise obstructed by clouds, this wasn’t much of an experience. The diyas and rose petals we sent floating down the Ganges uplifted us somewhat.

Now it was time for fragrant tea in earthen kullars and some mouthwatering hot kachoris with sabzi.

Shockingly in a city that prides itself on being the holiest of the seven sacred cities, the heaps of garbage are unbelievable. Everywhere you look are heaps of trash that cows feed on. Swachh Bharat indeed!

The best Varanasi experience by far was the evening Ganga Aarti at the Dashahwamedha Ghat, the most spectacular of the ghats associated with legends around Lord Brahma and Lord Shiva. The beautifully synchronized aarti here is a choreographed performance that is our spiritual version of Broadway.

If you can close your eyes to the garbage and don’t mind the unbelievable crowds, Varanasi can be a spiritual experience like no other. But, imagine if the government was actually to clean up the place and organize the chaos? Varanasi would be Heaven then! Would love to go back that day!

120-year-old found fighting fit after 1st check-up in life

Highlights

• His devotees were worried because he was having headaches for the first time in his life
• Swami Sivananda walked out with a clean bill of health but for high blood pressure
• Despite never having got formal education he can converse in English
• Fruits & milk are fancy food, i avoid them

Swami Sivananda undergoes a medical check-up on Saturday.

KOLKATA: His devotees were worried because he was having headaches for the first time in his life. Not bad for a 120-year old. So, the monk walked in for the first medical check-up of his life. To put it in perspective, when Swami Sivananda was born, it had only been a year since X-ray was invented, and on Saturday, he didn't bat an eyelid when he was wheeled into an MRI machine.

Swami Sivananda walked out with a clean bill of health but for high blood pressure -even then his diastolic was absolutely normal at 80. The secret of baba's health? Mashed green chillies every day . Plus boiled food, daily exercises and the joy of helping.

Swami Sivananda's passport and Aadhaar card put his age at 120, but he looks 50 years younger -there's hardly a wrinkle on his cheeks. Doctors and nurses at the private hospi tal were awestruck by the monk's mental and physical agility. They were speechless when he did a sarbangasana at the drop of a hat (or request).

Born on August 8, 1896, in Behala, then a village, the swamiji could be the oldest living person. In fact, he is about five years older than Japan's Jiroemon Kimura, who holds the Guinness Record now. Though based in Varanasi, he moves around the country and abroad for spiritual discourses.

He seemed quite bemused at his first medical check-up. He has been staying with a devotee in Salt Lake for about a month now. In the last few days, he started complaining of headaches after every discourse with devotees. Prodded by his followers, he agreed to a check-up. All these years, we've nev er heard Swamiji com plain of health problems. When he said he was having headaches, we persuaded him to get a check-up," said Dr S C Garai, a disciple.All they found was systolic hypertension (18080). "Even people in their forties can have such high blood pressure if they lead stressful lives.Swami Sivananda has the heart of a young man," said Dr P C Mondal, interventional cardiologist at the hospital.

"Clinically, his heart seems to be in good condition.The ECG and echocardiogram reports are awaited. He agreed to take medication for his high blood pressure but asked us if he could postpone it by five days so that he can work on reducing it on his own," Mondal said.

Born Sivananda Goswami, his parents died on the same day when he was only four years old. His elder sister, who used to beg for food with him, died two years later. Some relatives handed over the child to a guruji who brought the boy to Nadadwip. He moved around before settling down in Varanasi in 1979.

What's the secret of his longevity and health? "I believe in eating simple, living humble and in being compassionate. I feel good when I have tried my best to help those in distress," the guru told TOI in perfect English, despite never having got formal education.

He had boiled rice, boiled pulses and boiled vegetables with a couple of green chillies from the hospital's canteen for lunch. Chef Suman Bhattacharjee got a pat for the doubled boiled rice as swamiji has lost all his teeth, perhaps the only sign of his age.

True Swami! What a life! Envy of kings! No ego. Bliss! Pranam.Debasish Burman

"As a child who had to sleep on an empty stomach many nights, even boiled food is a fancy . I stuck to boiled food as a habit and not because I was conscious of my health. Fruits and milk are a fancy for the hungry so I avoid them," said Swami Sivananda. While many `Godmen' or gurus live in palatial houses, Swami Sivananda lives in a 600 sq ft flat in Varanasi donated by his disciples. Anyone who wants to approach the swamiji with their problems can walk in any time of the day . He sleeps on a mat with a wooden block for a pillow. He performs yoga, pranayama and freehand exercises for two hours daily. The rest of the day he reads, chants and speaks with devotees from any religion. The good days are when he gets to help someone.

Every Saturday, he and his devotees distribute food among the poor. He also spends time working with lepers and plans to travel to Puri in December to help lepers and beggars.