Pralaya in Kedarnath – some musings (Part -3) (Do deities get angry?)

Previous articles:-

Part -1  On the loss of Samadhi of Adi Shankara

Part -2 Energy network of Kedarnath temple                  

 

The pralaya at Kedarnath raises the following questions:-

(1)    Should a Deity (Dhari Devi) get angry and show that anger on innocent devotees?  If a deity behaves retributively, what then is so great about the deity? Should we have such deities? Would it not shake the faith of the people in the deities of Hindu religion?

(2)    Why should so many faithfuls suffer in this pralaya?

(3)    Why is a big hue and cry being raised on the so-called wrath of the Devi or Shiva that it would affect the country if correctives are not done? That means majoritarian religion defines the health of the country. Should majoritarianism decide what is good or what is bad for the country? I read this point projected as politics of religion  which says that political narrative is determined by majoritarian religion. Should minority religions in India be sidelined in this scenario? This is going to be the likely line of thought of secular politicians and mleccha religionists who are out to convert as many Hindus as possible into their folds.

 

Taking up these questions one by one, let me first concentrate on the 'wrath' of Dhari Devi.

Why should Dhari Devi get angry and kill so many people? Does it sound logical in the era of modern science?

 

Seeking answer to this, let me point out that all the Devis of the type of manifestation of Dahri Devi, whom you may call as Kali or Amman or Durga etc are known to have exhibited 'anger' whenever something had gone amiss. The result is the Devi is said to have claimed lives! In other words she had claimed 'sacrifice' of life. The very story of Dahri Devi is that she had devoured the demon called Raktabija who took various bodies. The meaning is obviously pointing out to the death of different life forms. Should a Devi, a deity of Hindu Pantheon that preaches ahimsa as the foremost Dharma seek sacrifices of life forms?

 

But the hard reality is that it has been the way of worship in many temples of Kali and Amman. Why should a female deity, who is supposed to be compassionate like a mother, seek such offerings?

There is a rationale or explanation for this, which is known from an inscription called "Purva Pattayam" (ancient document) of Cholas and a Chera king found in Coimbatore region of Tamilnadu. The text of an inscription in Tamil pertaining to a Grama Devata (female deity or Amman of the village) of a place called 'Annur' has been reproduced in the book titled "Coimabatore maavattath tholloiyal kaiyEdu" (கோயம்பத்தூர் மாவட்ட்த் தொல்லியல் கையேடு, 2010) published by the Tamilnadu State Department of Archaeology. Similar documents have been found for the female deities of other villages of this region. These deities are regarded as guardian deities of the villages. Most villages in Tamilnadu have such a guardian deity who is known as an Amman of some name. The same must have been prevalent throughout India though many of them have been destroyed in the last 1000 years. But certain clues from this inscription would help us to identify the background and practices of these village or guardian deities of India.

 

The basic idea behind the existence of these female deities that guard a village or habitation is that they are found in places which were once forest regions and not inhabited by people.

 

The forest is a place where one must not enter even during the day time, so says the Ayurvedic book, Ashtanga Sangraha. It is because murders take place in a forest even during the day time. The murders are nothing but a way of life for the animals that live in the forest and predate on each other. Every animal has a Jiva or soul. The Jiva of the animal is the same as the one that is found in a plant or a man. The same Jiva due to its Prarabhdha karma is born as an animal or a plant or a man or even a Deva. The Supreme Jiva is Paramathman who is not bound by Karma. All the other Jivas are born in these 4 forms (Sthavara, jangama, manushya or Deva) in accordance with the karma that has come to cling to it. Therefore when an animal is killed in a forest by another animal as a way of nature, it anyway amounts to killing and the Jiva that had left the body undergoes the shock and is left with a 'preta shareera' – to use the lexicon in the case of unnatural and sudden death of human beings.

 

The Jiva that had left the body in a sudden and unprepared condition takes a long time to regain the state which the departed Jivas attain in normal deaths. Though the physical body is cremated soon after death, the aural and energy particles attached to the physical body takes time to disintegrate. That state of energy particles constitutes the Preta shareera. In death due to natural causes and old age, the energy level of Preta shareera will be feeble and would merge with Nature sooner.  But when a healthy being dies suddenly by unnatural ways, the energy that is left without a body takes a long time to merge with Nature. In a forest  too many animals are killed day after day.  This gives rise to a situation of too many preta shareeras  roaming in the forest. People who happened to cross the forest (in olden days) therefore stood the chance of being disturbed by these preta shareeras.

 

In the 2^nd century AD Tamil text of Silappadhikaram, there comes a description of the problem that one would face while entering or crossing a forest. Kovalan, the hero of this text (the story of Kovalan and Kannagi is true) was advised by a Brahmin traveller from Maangadu of Chera lands, to be wary of "vana chaariNi" while crossing the forest. He advised him to keep chanting the 5 lettered mantra (Shiv mantra) and the 8 lettered mantra (Narayana mantra) to protect himself from the Vana ChaariNi. (This shows that as early as 2000 year ago, these two mantras of Shiva and Narayana were very much in place in the society.)  But on entering the forest, Kovalan understood what kind of mantra would help him and therefore started chanting the mantra of the female deity who rides on the swift deer! This refers to Durga Devi (Silappadhikaaram – Chapter 23 - lines 193 to 198). He chanted Durga or Kali mantra to keep off the Vana chaariNi which is nothing but the Preta shareera of the animal or human being killed by other animals in the forest.

 

This is the basic idea found in the inscriptions. Invocation of Kali keeps away the wandering souls – or Preta shareera or the energy pockets in the forest. How does this happen? The reply for this is seen – of all the practices of Hinduism – in the 12^th day death ceremony called Sapindeekarana. (Readers may be a little impatient why I am not yet reproducing the text of the inscription, but the explanations that I am giving here would give them a better understanding of the text of the inscriptions)

 

There are 12 days of post death ceremony done in the Vedic system. The first 10 days as a group culminate on the 10^th day. The next 2 days end up on the 12^th day when the departed soul sheds the Preta shareera and merges with his / her ancestors. The rationale of this 12 day ceremony fits with the 2 + 10 month journey of the Jiva before it is born as a baby.

 

The Jiva that is to be born goes through "Panchaagni Vidya" (Read here for details) and remains in the body of the father for 2 months and then enters the womb of the mother where it grows for 10 months. While exiting the body upon death, the reverse route is taken. The 10 months in pinda shariram in mother's womb is taken as 10 days after death at the end of which the 10^th day ceremony, the Jiva loses the Pinda shareera, but still continues with Preta shareera. Preta shareera is equal to the state of subtle body that it was in the father's body (inside the sperm). The two month stay in the father's body is equal to 2 days after the 10^th day ceremony at the end of which the Jiva loses the Preta shareeram. How this happens on the 12^th day solves the mystery of the energy of some of the geometric shapes.

 

On the 12^th day ceremony, the departed soul with the Preta shareera is invited into a triangle form. Through mantras, the departed soul is made to move from the triangle to a circle which houses the departed souls of the three previous generations of the departed one.  The Preta shareera of the departed person is left with the triangle. The triangle no longer appears any time thereafter in the Pitru ceremonies. Now once inside the circle, only three generations of ancestors are held within that. Therefore the 3^rd generation of ancestor to the departed person leaves the circle to accommodate the departed person who has just left his Preta shareera. From the circle, all the three generations of ancestors (departed one, his father and grand father in the case of male. In the case of female, the departed one, her mother and her grand mother) merge with a square which basically enshrines Vishvedevas but ultimately is the seat of Vishnu.

 

The following is the way the shapes are drawn in water while inviting the departed person (on the 12^th day ceremony after his death), his previous three generations and Vishvedevas.

The entities are invited and made to stay in these shapes as follows.

We must note that the geometric shape where the Preta sharira of the Jiva is attracted to is a triangle – the triangle that signifies KALI!

 

Now through mantras the departed person is made to leave the triangle and enter the circle. By this he sheds his Preta shareera. For our understanding of how the process takes place, the shift is shown as follows. The departed person is now free of preta shareera or to say in common parlance the ghost body.

 

 

In the figure of circle with triangle inscribed inside, are now housed the departed jiva and his previous 2 generations of ancestors. His 3^rd generation ancestor leaves giving room for the departed one to reside here.

This is finally merged with the square which is Vishvedevas, the deity that supervises the process. And then the entire set up comes to reside in the Square which is identified as Vishnu – the Omni Present. The purport is that from where we came, there we merge. This can be shown as follows.

 This complete merger happens in the first year pitru ceremony. Until then only circle and square are drawn to fixate the ancestors and Vishvedevas. The triangle is used on the 12^th day only, to attract the departed soul sheathed with Preta shareera.  This is a peculiar characteristic of the triangle.

This is the age old concept whose meaning, process of execution and continuing practice  still exists only in Sanatana Dharma. But the geometric shape without the idea of its relevance can be found in the Egyptian Papyrus of Anana written in 1320 BC. (check it here)

This was reproduced by James Churchward in his Lost continent of Mu

This idea was further vaguely copied into the Christian Trinity

(The eighth chapter of Paul's letter to the Romans, which contains many complex formulations of the relationship between God, Christ, and Spirit, including "the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead,"^[Rom 8:11] "all who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God,"^[8:14–17] and "the Spirit intercedes for the saints according to the will of God."^[8:26–27]  )

The Christian idea of Trinity as Father generating the son and the Holy Spirit preceding it are all just 'words' written without meanings. It is obviously a half baked understanding and copying of the Sanatanic version of departed soul merging with his fathers and Vishvedevas and Vishnu leading them all. The process of this is being done on the physical world by the son. None from Christianity or Egyptian works can give a logical and concerted version of how this is taking place in Nature – something the Vedic tradition is doing even now.

 

We can also see this principle with the 3 geometric shapes forming the basis of the Egyptian Pyramid.

 

Check this website for the explanation.  

By all this I am coming to say that the triangle is the form that traps preta shareera of the departed soul. The Egyptian Pyramids do just that, but the further shapes within which the pyramid is inscribed make the departed person attain merger with Vishwam. Without knowing that they had made the pyramids within the merger- shapes.

Now coming to our discourse, it is interesting  to note that the shape of Kedarnath Shiv linga is pyramidal!

I don't know how the surroundings look like. I have not yet gone there. But the surroundings make me think that it has the final shape of three-in-one – the pyramidal linga within a circle and embedded in a square. This makes the Murthy the perfect figure for Mukthi for the seekers!

In contrast to the triangle of perfect merger as seen in Pitru ceremonies, the yantra of Kali has inverted triangle! The following is the shape of Kali yantra!

 

The shape of triangle used in 12^th day pitru ceremony is as follows:

This shape traps the departed person along with his Preta shareera but helps him shed the Preta shareera.

This is also the shape of Shiva yantra!

 

Kali attracts the Preta shareera but Shiva liberates the person from Preta shareera!

 

The two together (as Shiva- Shakthi) complete the process of liberating one from perennial afflictions of birth and death. The resultant is the basic shape used in many yantras. It is as follows:

The entire cosmos of living and non living is enshrined within this shape which is better understood in the form of Nataraja.

 

The same idea is depicted in Chakrathazhwar – Yoga Narasimha form as follows:

 

This is a different thread which I am not taking up here. Those who can read Tamil can read the explanation HERE

 

In the present context, what is being made out is that the preta shareera or the subtle body of the one who died in distress is trapped by Kali who is manifest in triangular shape.  That is why Kali is manifest or consecrated in the forests. The strength of Kali in attracting Preta sahreera increases every time she is rejuvenated with fresh blood -shed that happens with an unnatural death.

 

In olden days, people lived only in the plains and near waterways and rivers and on raised lands. Madhu – Madhu kaitabha  offer the earliest formation of settlements for people in raised land forms where they led a secure life. Then came Urvi – from which Ur or Uru or village came – the land that is uplifted due to geological disturbances Mahabharatha 12-49

 

But then came a time with population explosion and displacement due to natural calamities, that made the people look for new places to live. They had no lands but only forests everywhere. So the need came to clear the forests to make land for habitation. In written record, the earliest such mention of 'Clearing the forest for making countries' (காடழித்து நாடாக்கி)  happened in 1500 BC, when migrants from Dwaraka came to regions near Palani in Tamilnadu which was mentioned in the commentary to Tholkappiyam, the Grammar work of sangam tamil age. Whenever forest tracts were cleared, the Kali housed there was re-established as Grama devatha! Such kind of Grama devathas cannot be found in towns and city like settlements in plains or near rivers.

It is with this background we have to read the Annur inscriptions which are written as though Kali who is an embodiment of Vishnu Durga and Rudra Durga, asked the kings who initiated the clearing of the forests, to make proper re-arrangements or compensation for the kind of atmosphere that had existed until then due to numerous murders in the forest. The malefic energy roaming in the forest would continue to be there even after the forests are cleared. How to ensure that they don't disturb the new dwellings of people and the people themselves? It is here Kali says that she must be worshiped in certain ways on certain days and also offered blood.

 

The inscriptions make a specific mention of sacrifice of 12 varahas (pigs), goats, rooster and buffalo! Periodic sacrifices like this keep the Kali rejuvenated in such a way that she keeps pulling the negative energy under her control, so that the people living there do not suffer but live in peace.  (The same concept is there in the need to do Kumbhabhisheka of temple once in 12 years).

 

The text of the inscription addressing a Cheran king by name "Cheramaan PerumaaL" is given below as it appears in Tamil and the transliteration and translation are given under that. The period is not known and considered to be from the first millennium of the Common Era. The existence of other similar inscriptions and Cholan Purva pattayam shows that Kali worship in forests had existed long before people made settlements in forested areas.

 

நகரமும் கட்டுவிக்க வேறாமெ வேடர்

கம்பழந்தாரை விட்டு அந்த வனத்தை

வெட்டுவிக்கும் அந்த வள்ளி வனத்தில்

காத்திருந்த துக்கை அழில் விஷ்ணு

துர்க்கையென்று ருத்திர துர்க்கை

யென்றும் அந்த ரண்டு துர்க்கையும்

சேருமாம் பெருமாளென்னும் சேரனிடத்துக்கு

வந்து என் வனத்தை எங்களை யென்

னாமல் வெட்டுவித்த பணிக்கு எங்களுக்கு

இராற் பன்னிரண்டு அவதார நரபலி

குடுக்க வேணு,மென்று சேரனைக்

கேட்ட்து அதுகள் கேட்டபடிக்கு

சேரனாகிறவர் சமய முதலிய அழைத்து

அந்தத் துர்க்கையளுக்கு ஒப்புச் சொல்லச்

சொன்னார். அவர் சொன்னபடிக்கு சமய

முதலிய் அப்படியே அந்தத் துர்க்கை

யருக்கு அந்நகரமும்  இந்த ஆலய

மும் கட்டி முடிந்த பின்பு உங்க

ளுக்கு வானே ஈராறு பன்னிரண்டா

வராக நரபலியும் ஒப்பித்துப் பின்பு

உங்களுக்கு வருஷம் தோறும் திருநாள்

நடப்பவறிந்து  இந்தக் கிராமத்தா

ரிடத்தில் வழக்குப் பொங்கலும் ஆடு

பண்ணி கொழி இரத்தமும் பலியும்

எருமைக் கிடாப் பலியும் குடுத்த

நடத்த முக்கட்டிச் செயிதுதராள்

என்ற சமயமுதலி துர்க்கைகளுக்கு

ஒப்புச் சொன்னார்".

("கோயம்பத்தூர் மாவட்டத் தொல்லியல் கையேடு", பக்கம் 92)

 

"Nagaramum  kattuvikka  vErOmE  vEdar

Kambazanthaarai  vittu  antha  vanaththai

Vettuvikkum  antha  vaLLi  vanaththil

Kaaththiruntha  durgai  azhil  vishNu

durgaiyenRu  rudra  durgai

yenRum  antha  raNdu  durgaiyum

chErumaam  PerumaaL  ennum  ChEranidaththukku

vanthu  en  vanaththai  engkaLai

eNNaamal  vettuviththa  paNikku   engaLukku

iraaR  panniraNdu  avathaara   narabali

kudukka  vENummenRu  chEranai

kEttathu  athukaL  kEttapadikku

chEranaakiRavar  samaya  muthaliya  azaiththu

anthath  durgaiyaLukku  oppuch  sollas

sonnaar.  Avar  sonnapadikku  samaya

muthali  appadiyE  anthath  durkai

yarukku  annagaramum,  intha  aalayamum

katti  mudintha  pinbu  ungkaLukku

vaanE   eeraaRu  panniraNdaa

varaaka  narabaliyum  oppiththup  pinbu

ungkaLukku  varushma  thORum  thirunaaL

nadappavaRinthu  intha  graamaththaa

ridaththil  vazakkup  pongkalum  aadu

paNNi  kOzhi  iraththamum  paliyum

erumaik  kidaa  baliyum  kuduththa

nadaththa  mukkattich   cheythuthraaL

enRa  samayamuthali  thurgaikaLukku

oppuch  chonnaar"

 

(From "Coimbatore  Maavattath  tholliyal  KaiyEdu" page 92, Publisher – Dept of Archaeology, Tamilnadu)

Meaning:-

"The forest of VaLLI vanam was cut by engaging the hunters, in order to build a township.  The two Durgas namely Vishnu Durga and Rudra Durga who were waiting (?) in the forest approached the Cheran King, Cheramaan PerumaL and said as follows:  'Without giving a thought about us, you have cut the forest. Therefore you must give us 12 varahas as sacrifice'. The Cheran king summoned the religious head and asked him to make a commitment to the Durgas. Agreeing to that, the religious head told the Durgas that on completion of the setting up of the town there and building a temple for them, 12  varahas would be sacrificed to them.  Then on the special days every year, the people of that village would offer her 'Pongal' (the dish made of rice and moong dal) and also goat, pig, blood of rooster and buffalo. The religious head committed this to the Durgas"

 

There are hundreds of such village deities in Tamilnadu. But those in the Coimbatore stretch (Kongu belt) are many and animal sacrifices are offered to them. In the absence of such sacrifices or in the case of mistakes in the tradition, the deity is said to become angry and cause hardship to the people.  The explanation given in the beginning of this article would help us to understand how this equation among man- deity – hardship takes shape and takes place.

Thousands of years of forests, when disturbed by people for habitation, is bound to spill the trapped energy – of the negative kind on the people who come to live in the same places where once buffalos  or  deers or goats had screamed to death. Either by natural design or by man made efforts (to install the deity) the negative energy (which we call a preta shareera) had been captured by Kali. That is why the Kali rupa is shown with the garland of skull and death related factors. If and when her presence is disturbed, that which is trapped by her escapes into the surroundings.

 

The Wrath of the Dhari Devi must be understood in the light of this. The region is full of forests and not meant for habitation. In the millions of years of history of Himalayas, many forest animals would have been killed by predators.  In the case of kalimath- Dhari Devi, there is an additional and more powerful concentration of energy as a Shakthi Peeth. That makes her too very powerful though no animal sacrifices are known to be made. The consecration ceremonies and worship methodologies introduced by sages and in later period by Adi Shankara had made sacrifices redundant (not in practice  any longer) in many temples of Kali across India. When such a high powered Dhari Devi was removed from that place, it is like releasing whatever malefic energy that she had controlled all these years. That unleashes havoc in the elements of Nature which returns as destruction by rain or land slide or earthquake etc.

 

This kind of havoc is experienced in other regions too where the equilibrium is disturbed in the energy level of Kali or village deities. That is seen as the 'wrath' or anger of Kali. This is not retributive justice, but a result of disturbance to the rhythm or Order of Nature – something  glorified as 'Rhutham vadhishyaami' in Taittriya  Upanishad.

 

In the above mentioned inscription, it is seen that a commitment is made to the deity to make certain kind of worship. Almost all the people of this country have been connected with some deity or the other in their part of dwellings. The commitment comes down from generation to generation and cannot be terminated. It is from these deities or through these deities our body, mind and soul had got enriched for all these thousands of years. That is why our Acharya purushas did not even tolerate the incursions made by Jainism and Buddhism. These two religions might have flourished in other countries or even made the people well in those countries. But as far as Bharata varsha concerned – that includes Pakistan and Afghanistan as well – the body parts and genes we carry and the energy that is tied to them come from an unbroken  chain of ancestors who have committed to serve these deities of Sanatan Dharma – not just Kali but any deity.  Any breach will invite the 'wrath' as a matter of automatic cause and effect – and not because the deity is angry.

 

The very shape of our land itself presents the look of Kali Yantra.  Take a look at the pictures below.

 

Particularly South India is bound by natural boundaries such as Vindya ranges in North and seas on the two sides. This is a separate thread where a lot more can be conveyed – which I would do later.

The triangular shape is the basic feature in all yantras including the Sri Chakra. Growth of spiritual thinking and meditation is possible in the triangular formation. That is perhaps why many sages of Ramayana period lived in Dandakarayana forest to the south of Vindhavi mountains where Vindhu (Bindu) or Vindhya resided.

 

The south Indian kingdoms of yore namely Chera, Chola and Pandya make a perfect triangle within the south Indian triangle. The effect of this can be seen from the presence of numerous Divya desa of Vishnu. In each of these places, Vishnu had appeared in person. That shows the easy viability to invoke divine forces through Thought force (meditation) in this region of India.

 

This kind of a Bhoomi would release negative vibes if the equilibrium is disturbed. Such a disturbance is happening at  a high rate ever since we got Independence.  The entry of Mleccha religions and people leaving the Sanatana Dharma are bound to create hardships to individuals who have breached the tradition.  The Nation too is bound to suffer as the land cannot bear the breaches.

 

Here I want to say that I am not making a rhetoric statement. Let me introduce a person – a Christian from Tamilnadu whose ancestors converted to Christianity a few centuries ago. This person has traced his antiquity and found that he or anyone who is born in this country has bequeathed Sanatana Dharma which they cannot set aside.  Some day they have to come back to the dharma of this land. We will see what he says to justify his stance in the next post. His discoveries show another dimension that can be related to Dhari Devi episode – that the people who have worshiped her for ages share a close connection with her – in such a way that they flourish when she flourishes and perish when she is disturbed.

 

(continued)

 

Related post:-  Animal sacrifice – how Veda Dharma views it?