MY PILGRIMAGES 45 Jain Swetambar Temple

My pilgrimages 45

Swetambar jain Temple ,Bangalore

MadanMohan Tarun

I visited this temple on 12^th December 2012.

This beautiful temple is situated in 4rth block, Jaynagar, Bangalore 11.

4th block Jaynagar is one of the busiest markets of the city which attracts huge number of people daily .This market provides things of daily uses at competitive rates.

In such a busy place, this temple is really a place of spirituality and peace.

The big complex of this well maintained temple is free from outer sound pollution.

It provides free entry to people belonging to every religion.

The statue of lord Mahavir in the main temple is not big, but it is highly attractive.

I could not get history of this temple in detail but I was told, it is not more than thirty years old.

Several important incidents of lord Mahavir is painted in a small room in a highly attractive way.

Jainism followed mainly two sects – Digambara and Swetambara.  Dig – means –directions, the sky. They wear no outer clothes but the sky itself. They live naked.

Swetambers wear white clothes. Sweta – means white, Amber – means cloth.

Swetambra give women due importance. They believe that women are able to obtain mokshha as men by tapasyaa.

Swetambar monks and nuns wear white clothes and cover their mouth part of face with a small white cloth to ensure Ahimsa by all means.

Swetambar Jains in general follow regular vegetarian life free from hinsaa of any kind and they have no restrictions in wearing any cloth of their choice.

REFLECTIONS OF RESPECT AND LOVE

Reflections of Respect and Love

MadanMohan Tarun

When you show respect to someone, it gives you pleasure and satisfaction .Your eyes start glowing and your whole face reflects your inner light. This is the moment; you are very close to yourself.

Respect reflects respect. It is one of the highest forms of the positivity which keeps you composed.

If you have no respect for yourself, you cannot respect others. Reflection needs the same thing to be reflected. If it is not there, what will be reflected and where?

When you run your palm with love on the back of the cow; you will feel the thrill reflected in its whole body. If you drink milk of the same cow, it will produce same effect in you also which turns a calf into a cow or bull. Next time when you go near the same cow its body starts reflecting the same thrill without touching it and the flow of milk starts running in its body as if for its own child.

If you run your palm on your dog’s back, mark its tail. It starts wagging. Next time just a sight of you makes its tail wagging; its eyes start glowing and it tries to leak your face.

If you have no respect for what you are doing, remember, you will never get it.

If someone gets for what he has no respect, it will create problems in his life and finally he will lose it with lot of dislikings and criticism.

If you accept someone without liking or respect for him or her, it will certainly not continue longer and will come to an end which will disturb all the controlling points of your life.

If you eat something with liking and respect for the same, you will digest it comfortably and it will flow nectar in your veins and give satisfaction and pleasure to you. If you eat something at a place which or whom you don’t like, it may spoil your whole day. It will be reflected negatively in the activities of the day, in various ways without your knowledge.

If you leave your home with smiling faces of your wife, children, parents and your near and dear ones, remember you are going to get, you are going for. Such is the power of such things.

Our palms are powerhouse of our body and soul. When we run it on others with feeling, or shake it, it produces desired results. It conveys your feelings to the other one without a word. Touch the god in a temple, you will carry its feeling for quite some time .When you fold your palm before anybody; you are saving yourself from others negative effects.

A positive environment is the product of love and respect for each-other. It affects even the walls of your room. You will feel discomfort in a house which lacks it.

Godnaa ( permanent carving on the body)

Godnaa ( permanent carving on the body)

MadanMohan Tarun

In those days ‘GODNAA’ was a must for every woman in villages.

The carving - expert was always a woman and she was known as “GODNAITEEN’.

It was a painful art. Oil lamp was burnt and she used to heat her small instrument, made of 32 needles, on the flame of the lamp till it became red. She used to draw images on the body as we write on paper with a pen. It was a fire art performed on the body. Generally she drew the picture around the wrist in the form of a Kangan or in the form of bangles. Some used to have it on the upper part of the arms also.  During the moment Godnayiteen worked on the body, other ladies used to sing geet in louder voice around the lady on which this painful art was performed. Perhaps this was done to distract her attention from the pain.

Men rarely had it.

I asked my grandmother ‘why to have such a painful carving on the body?’

‘Only this will go with us when we depart from here’ she replied confidently.

I never knew this painful art on body had such a big philosophy behind it.

These days ‘Godnaa’ is very popular in the whole world among men and women both, as a ‘body - art’ in a highly advanced form.

Every eye cannot see everything

Every eye cannot see everything

MadanMohan Tarun

We need eyes to see. A blind man cannot see anything.  Week eyes see things in a foggy way. There are eyes which are capable to see the invisible aspects of the things which are not seen by everybody. Things don’t end at their visible end. Some start where invisibility of a thing starts for the ordinary eyes. A detective visualizes beyond the material evidences are produced before him. A well meditated yogi visualizes the inner aspects of the creation beyond the trees and mountains.

A washer man was fed up with his donkey. This wicked donkey used to hit people by his back leg. People complained to him about this. The washer man had to pay fine for those whose legs were badly hurt by the donkey. He wanted to sell out the donkey even at the nominal price but no one was ready o buy this wicked donkey. He brought a big piece of stone from the jungle and tied it with the back leg of the donkey, so that it does not hit anybody moving or standing.

One day the richest jeweler of the city was passing through the road in his car where the donkey and the washer man lived. Jeweler saw the donkey and asked his driver to stop the car near the donkey. The driver did so. Jeweler watched the donkey carefully and he called the washer man and expressed his desire to buy it and he was ready to pay him any price he asked for. The washer man could not believe his ears. He was convinced after the jeweler told him again that he means what he said. The washer man thought it better to tell the jeweler about the wickedness of the ass so that he does not blame him for hiding the fact about it. He told the jeweler about it .the jeweler remained unmoved by what the washer man said to him. He gave him Rs. five hundred more than what the washer man hesitantly asked for.

The jeweler asked the washer man to reach the donkey to his house and keep the huge stone piece in his car so that it can be used to tie up the leg of the donkey to save children of his house. The washer man followed his instructions and reached the donkey to the place of the jeweler. After two – three hours the washer man saw his ass back near his house. He thought that the wicked ass has fled away from the jeweler. He went back to the jeweler with the ass .but the jeweler did not show any interest in the donkey. He told him that he can take back his ass and need not return back the amount what he was paid for it. His family members don’t like to keep the ass.

The washer man returned back to his home with the donkey. He did not ask the seith to for the stone piece which was tied with the legs of the donkey. He thought the seith might have thrown it away somewhere.

Later, people came to know that the stone- piece tied with the leg of the donkey was a huge piece of a rare diamond which was evaluated as of priceless value in the world –market of the jewels.

WHERE THIS LIGHT COMES FROM ?

Where this light comes from ?

MadanMohan Tarun

My grandfather’s face reflected soothing light and effect on me which is beyond my words. His touch was electrifying in effect. Whenever I was in trouble or sick he placed his palm on my head and ran it on my back slowly and it produced a soothing effect on me and I was back to normal.

I never understood the reason of the effect of his look and touch. I asked him so many times, but could not get any satisfactory reply.

I don’t know if he knew about it or not.

Now he is no more but the question remained always live within me.

Now I recall his habits and way of life to understand him.

While sitting for eating he used to run a slight flow of water around his dish of food and he folded his palm with his closed eyes before he started eating. He never spoke while eating. After he finished his food he closed his eyes as if he was thanking someone. Then he went at the end of the courtyard and washed his hands.

I asked him ‘why you flow water around the dish before starting eating?’ He replied to me ‘when I flow water around the dish, I do parikramaa, an act of moving around anything, of it symbolically. When you do parikramaa around any temple, statue of god or a pious tree or such other things known as of spiritual value, you symbolically absorb the same within you. You become the same and while folding your palm before it you not only pay respect to it but you protect your powers to be scattered or go out from you. Your palm is reservoir of your hidden powers.’

I asked him ‘true, ‘but why you do it before your dish of food which has only daal, rice and vegetable? What is special about it?’

He did not lose his seriousness or gave any smile on my question and replied ‘the daal, rice and vegetable is not only this much, what you see. It is far more than the visible one. This is ‘ANNAM’ which is the product of the earth, sky, sun, wind, clouds , water and its sources the ocean ,rivers, nights, moon, stars and finally the only power, the source of everything which rests in it. So the food we eat is not only daal, rice and vegetable, but it is all elements of the creation and the creator HIMSELF. With every food you go closer and closer to these elements of life and freshen yourself with new energy and powers. It does not create your body only but your MANAS, say it soul or anything, which is nothing else but it is you, the yourself.

It is with this dedicated, great and lofty feeling you become the same.’

After these words he became silent and I was well communicated.

bigger Than Life :MadanMohan Tarun

Bigger Than Life

MadanMohan Tarun

Mr. Nanje Gowda of Bangalore , Rajaji Nagar, is 102 years old. He lives with his grandson Mr. Ramesh Gowda . Mrs. Rajamma, the wife of his grandson, takes full care of him. He leads a happy and healthy life. He was married with Sarsamma , when he was 21 years old and his wife was a child of eight years. He had thirteen children out of which only five survived. Presently he has thirteen great grandsons and one great – great grand daughter. He begins his day with a hot cup of coffee. Then he comes down and takes a walk before taking breakfast. Though he does not have any teeth in his mouth , he comfortably eats two chapattis or puries or dosa. He dislikes eating rice. To the surprise of everybody, he consumes three packs of ‘beedi, daily. He enjoyed drink ‘Saryi’ (Arrak) before it was banned. He never went to school. He worked with KEB as store – keeper and retired from there.

 On the midnight of August 17 , 2012, he , all at a sudden  suffered from the attack of partial paralysis on the left side and could not get up. He was immediately taken to his regular physician. Scan revealed blood accumulation in his brain which could have been fatal.  Immediate operation was needed. He was taken to Fortis Hospital. Seeing his age, doctors were not sure of success of operation and the cost was coming to above rupees one lakh. His grandson Mr. Umesh was determined to save his grandfather at any cost. ‘Let him survive even for few days,  but he will go for his operation’ he opted.

Finally Dr Divanath Chakrabarthy , consultant neurosurgeon with his team , operated on Mr. Nanje Gowda successfully.

Dedicated service, determination and prayer of his grandson and his wife worked positively. Presently he leads a happy and healthy life. May God give him longer life

Thought : MadanMohan tarun: THE MOON OF SHARAD PURNIMA 2012

Thought : MadanMohan tarun: THE MOON OF SHARAD PURNIMA 2012: THE MOON OF SHARAD PURNIMA MadanMohan Tarun

THE MOON OF SHARAD PURNIMA 2012

THE MOON OF SHARAD PURNIMA

MadanMohan Tarun

SIKANDAR : Father Of More Than Thousand Trees

SIKANDAR :  Father Of  More Than Thousand  Trees

MadanMohan Tarun

Sikandar belongs to Gaya, Bihar ,India.

He with his three children and wife , lives in a one-room house.

He earns his livelihood by assisting shopkeepers and working as an electrician.

He used to do cycling up to  Brahmayoni hill daily . But he was not happy to see those places

barren, dry and almost tree-less.

One day ,some thirty years back ,in 1982 , an idea of coloring that area with green trees came to his mind.

And right from that time he dedicated himself to turn his dream into reality.

Be it raining clouds, shivering cold, flaming fire like days of summer , he never stopped cycling up to his destination daily with saplings and planting it around ,watering , protecting and caring them.

As a result this area has become green with tall trees of different verities, like  Sheesam, Neem, guava, cashew nut, Amla, Tamrind , Ashok, Mango and of many more verities.

He has named those trees after the names of freedom fighters and soe other great people ,like Mhatma Gandhi, Pandit Jawahar lal Nehru, Subhas Chandra Bose, Khudiram Bose, Bhagat Singh and many more. He wants to name some of trees after the martyrs of kargil. He is trying to get those names.

This great single – handed creation of a country of green trees is certainly going to be a part of history.

I salute SIKANDAR, a rare personality with his extraordinary deeds.

I propose award for his work of rare quality.

Source of information- IBN Live  News Channel, December 2, 2012 ,Sarita Barara.

Dhelmarbaa Devata MadanMohan Tarun

ढेलमरबा देवता

मदनमोहन तरुण

मेरे गाँव के बगल के गाँव में एक खंडित शिवलिंग था। उसके बारे में प्रसिद्दि थी कि जो भी शिवजी को ढेला मारकर अपना कोई कार्य आरम्भ करता है ,उसका काम अवश्य होता है।अतः किसी शुभ कार्य का आरम्भ करने से पहले लोग शिवजी को ढेला मारना नहीं भूलते थे। मैं स्वयम भी परीक्षा आरम्भ होने के पहले अपने मित्रों के साथ शिवजी पर ढेला बरसा चुका था। मगर यह बात मेरे गले नही उतर रही थी कि शिवजी ढेला खाए बिना कोई काम ही नहीं करते थे।

एकदिन मैंने इस बारे में बाबा से पूछा। मेरा प्रश्न सुनकर बाबा मुस्कुराए और उन्होंने शिवजी के ढेला खाने का जो रहस्य बताया ,उसे सुन कर मैं खुद मुस्कुरा उठा। बाबा ने बताया कि इस बात की खोज करने पर उन्हें पता चला कि आज से बहुत पहले एक सज्जन शिवजी के बहुत बडे॰ भक्त थे।किन्तु शिवभक्ति से उनका कोई काम पूरा नहीं हुआ।इससे क्रोधित होकर एकदिन उन्होंने शिव जी पर लाठी और पत्थरों का इतना प्रहार किया कि शिवलिंग खंडित हो गया और संयोग देखिए कि उसके दूसरे दिन ही उनका रुका काम पूरा हो गया। तभी से यह शिवलिंग ढेलमरवा देवता के नाम से प्रसिद्द होगया और यह मान लिया गया कि शिवजी ढेला खाए बिना कोई काम पूरा नहीं करते। जोभी इन्हें ढेला मरता है ,उसका कार्य सिद्द हो जाता है। तबसे शिवजी ढेलों की इतनी मार खा चुके हैं कि अब उनका अस्तित्व ही संकट में आगया है।सुनकर मैं भी मुस्काए बिना नहीं रह सका।

Mahaayodhhaa

महायोद्धा

मदनमोहन तरुण

मेरे गाँव में एकाध ऐसे लोग भी थे जो लोटा - डोरी और कमर में कुछ पैसे बाँधे 

घर से निकल पड॰ते और साल - दो -साल बाद चारो धामों की यात्रा पूरी कर 

लौटते। कुछ कभी नहीं भी लौटे। उन में से कई यात्रा पर जाने से पहले अपने 

अंतिम संस्कारों की पूरी विधियाँ सम्पन्न कर लिया करते थे।

सोचता हूँ , आदमी कितना बडा॰ योद्धा है। वह कभी,कहीं भी, किसी भी हालत में 

आजतक न तो रुका है ,न तो हार माना है, उसकी यात्रा सतत जारी रहती है।

The Pilgrims

Those Pilgrims

MadanMohan Tarun

I remember a few people of my village who left for their pilgrimages taking   a lotaa –doree ( lotaa -a small round pot, made of brass . doree – a  long rope  , to fetch water from the well , tying it with the neck of lotaa.) and some coins, placed in a long narrow bag, tied around their waist , with them and nothing else.

Some completed all their after –death rituals, before leaving their homes.

They performed these travels on foot.  

Some of them came back after visiting all four dhaams - Badrinaath dhaam, Kedaarnaath dhaam, Gangotri dhaam and yamunottari dhaam after a year or two and some never returned.

What a great adventurer  this human race is !

They never stopped anywhere in any condition, be it mountains, thick jungles, rivers, oceans.

Be it freezing winter, burning summer, pouring-water sky, their travel remained always on.

They have proved themselves stronger than any challenge.