I pray for the wellbeing of my family and my posterity.

Happy to be amidst these animals,

Admiring their titanic forms,

Though I am here all alone,

Surely because they are statues!

But what if these creatures,

By some spectacle,

Suddenly come to life!

And come towards me,

Ferociously,

And noisily.

Shrieking would I try to escape,

But surrounded by them,

That would not be possible,

Realizing my end has come,

I would kneel down,

And pray.

I would thank God for giving me,

Few more seconds of life,

And pray for the wellbeing,

Of my family,

And my posterity.

- N. Lalitha Raghu

TWO MOODS ASSOCIATED WITH A VACATION…

This collage with the caption,

“Vacation mood: ON!...

Contented return: ON!”

Tells it all!

Of most vacations,

Of almost everyone!

As the vacation commences,

There is anxiety,

There is happiness,

And excitement,

To be at new,

Amazing,

Adventurous,

And exciting places,

And relish exotic foods,

And enrich your knowledge,

About the locals,

Their history,

And their culture!

At the end of the vacation,

Full of happiness,

And satisfaction,

As your homecoming commences,

You are bound to relax,

With happy memories,

And perhaps go to sleep,

As in the above collage!

A Spectacular Sculpture!

Far away from home, in a distant country, seeing a sculpture so significant and dear to me, dear to my religion and my country has made me very happy. Earlier I have seen pictures of it but now physically witnessing this huge colourful sculpture and walking around it was a thrilling and unforgettable experience. I do not know its exact size but it could be very close to the similar 49 meter-wide bas-relief carved on the walls of the east gallery of Angkor Wat Temple, a religious site built in the 12th century by Khmer King Suryavarman II, now a UNESCO World Heritage Site and known popularly as the Eighth Wonder of the World. What I have witnessed and I am happily writing about is the Samudra Manthan sculpture at the Suvarnabhumi Airport, Bangkok, Thailand, and the famous Angkor Wat Temple is at Siem Reap in Cambodia. These two countries have not forgotten their long relation with Hinduism from times before the Christian era and until several centuries thereafter even after Buddhism has become their popular religion. Several Hindu temples; small and large, still exist in both these countries and their Kings and people still practice many Hindu customs and offer prayers to Hindu Gods. Samudra Manthan or Samudra Manthanam is also known as Sagar Manthan and Ksheersagar Manthan.

Such a marvel to be created in India would not be easy, in fact impossible. It saddens me to write that any attempt here for such sculpture associated with Hinduism in a public place like an Airport or Park would be impossible, with protests, agitations and the unbearable hue and cry that will be raised by ever disgruntled politicians, some of them with just one MP or no participation in our Parliament and of course by the innumerable press and print media with their illogically biased and trouble creating editors, loud and foul-mouthed anchors and dirty, ill-mannered political analysts and disgusting journalists who are born to contradict everything and criticize anyone who speaks for the Hindus, the majority in my country. What can be more unfortunate and sadder than this for us. God save us, our culture and our religion.

For those of you who may not be aware of what Samudra Manthan is or have forgotten about it, here is a brief about it:

It is said that a long time ago, Devas (Gods) and Asuras (Demons) were fighting against each other to ensure their domination over the world. After many years of war, Devas were weakened and almost vanquished; so they went to see Supreme God Vishnu to ask Him for help. The latter promised to strengthen Devas by ordering them to seek for the Amrita, the sacred Elixir of Immortality. But this difficult task could not be achieved by them alone. They had to gather their forces in cooperation with Asuras in order to extract the Amrita from the depths of the cosmic sea – the Ocean of Milk.

To do so, they used Mount Meru as a churning stick and the King of snakes Vasuki as a churning rope. Devas and Asuras both pulled alternatively the Naga Vasuki on their respective side to churn the Ocean of Milk. As Mount Meru was sinking, God Vishnu turned himself into his turtle avatar that is Kurma avatar to stabilize the mountain. Many treasures came out of the Ocean of Milk. Amongst them were celestial beings like Goddess Lakshmi Devi, Goddess of fortune who accepted Lord Vishnu as her consort. Apsaras like Rambha, Menaka, Urvashi, Punjisthala etc., coming on earth to entertain Gods and Kings. Kamdhenu or Surabhi – the wish-granting cow, taken by Brahma and given to the sages so that the ghee from her milk could be used for Yajna and similar rituals. Airavata and several other elephants, taken by Indra. Uchhaishravas, the divine seven-headed horse, given to Bali.  Kaustubha, the most valuable ratnam (divine jewel) in the world, worn by Vishnu. Parijata, the divine flowering tree with blossoms that never fade or wilt, taken to Indraloka by the Devas. Sharanga, a powerful bow, given to Lord Vishnu. Chandra, the moon which adorned Shiva's head. And many other precious things like Shankha - Vishnu's conch and  Kalpavriksha: a divine wish-fulfilling tree.

The demons, tricked into pulling the head-side of the giant snake, were weakened after a thousand years of efforts by the Naga’s poison. Fortunately for them, God of health Dhanvantari emerged from the Ocean of Milk with the sacred Amrita. So they seized the elixir for their own sake.

As they were frightened by this act, the Devas informed Vishnu of the situation. The Supreme God then turned into another of His avatar, Mohini, the most beautiful woman on earth. Mohini charmed the Asuras and took the opportunity to steal the Elixir of Immortality and gave it to the Devas. From this moment, the Gods would rule the world and send the Demons to hell.

One of the Asuras named Rahu, disguised himself as a God and drank a few drops of the Amrita. He was spotted by the Sun and the Moon who immediately alerted Vishnu. The Supreme God immediately decided to cut off Rahu’s head, however the demon had already swallowed a small quantity of the Elixir. Only his head remained alive and ever since he swore to take revenge on the Sun and Moon. He would try to swallow both of them whenever they would come close to him but as he would have no body, the Sun and the Moon would then reappear from the bottom of his head. This is, according to Hindu mythology, the cause of lunar and solar eclipses.

VIDEO:

All about Sai Sin –The Monk Blessed String Bracelet.

When you visit Wats, that is Buddhist Temples in Thailand, there is a good chance you’ve had white cotton bracelets tied around your wrists at some time. This cotton thread has been blessed in advance by a Buddhist Monk and is known as ‘Sai Sin’. The Sai Sin is supposed to provide protection and good health to the person wearing it. The colour of the thread is usually white because it represents purity in Buddhism although other colours including red may be used depending on the region you are in and the circumstances. But the sacred white thread isn’t just worn on the wrist. If you visit a Thai temple on important Buddhist holidays, you may see grid-lines of white string attached to the main Buddha images.

Sai Sin is present in a range of ceremonies in Thailand including weddings and funerals as well and as blessing ceremonies when people move into a new home. At traditional weddings in Thailand, the thread connects around the heads of the couple being married. Friends and family will also tie Sai Sin bracelets around the wrists of the newlyweds. At some Thai funerals, the white thread may be circled three times around the crematorium to wish the deceased good luck and protection in the next life.

At larger ceremonies there is often one big ball of string which is first tied around a Buddha image before being passed along to the Monks in attendance. From there, the thread is passed along to everybody else in attendance. With each individual holding their hands in a Wai (Namaste), the thread is looped around each person. The thread may be strung around a person’s fingers or it can be looped around their head. The important thing is that the thread links everybody to the Monks and the Buddha image. The chanting of the Monks and the associated merit is then symbolically passed along the thread reaching all of the people in the congregation.

The Sai Sin thread carries merit and protection. When the thread forms a circle the protective power is believed to be stronger because the circle is continuous.

Three is a significant number in Buddhism because it represents the Triple Gems or the Three Jewels of Buddhism: Buddha, Dharma (the teachings of Buddha) and Sangha (the Monkhood). When Thai Buddhists enter a Temple they will often kneel in front of the main Buddha image and bow three times whilst placing their palms on the floor before bringing their hands together to form a respectful Wai. The significance of three in Buddhism means that if Sai Sin is tied around your wrists, you should ideally keep it on for at least three days.

You don’t have to be Buddhist to accept Sai Sin, so think of it as a good luck charm if somebody ties the cotton bracelet to your wrist. Never refuse Sai Sin if it is offered. To do so would be disrespectful to the person offering. If somebody thinks enough of you to want to tie Sai Sin around your wrists, it is an act of hospitality and should be accepted with grace.

Sai Sin may be attached to your wrists by Monks or by ordinary people depending on the circumstances. If you are at a Temple and a Monk ties Sai Sin around your wrist, you should make a small donation (at least 20 Baht) to one of the donation boxes you will see on display. Women aren’t allowed to touch Monks and if you watch a Monk attaching Sai Sin to a woman’s wrist you will notice how careful he is not to make contact with the lady.

If somebody does attach a Sai Sin bracelet to your wrists, don’t think that you have to keep it there for months on end or until it falls off. If you can keep it on for at least three days, that is ideal and means you have benefited from the merit bestowed on you. Old traditions also say that you should gently untie the thread when removing it rather than cutting it.

I hope the attached photographs will give you a very clear picture of the above explanation and about the importance of Sai Sin.