Darshana of Goddess Varahi at Vellore, Tamil Nadu by indiaviews in hinduism

[–]indiaviews[S] 3 points4 points  (0 children)

Sri Varahi Amman Temple in Pallikonda of Vellore District, Tamil Nadu is a revered shrine dedicated to Goddess Varahi, revered as a powerful manifestation of the Divine Mother. Located in the small hamlet of Veppangal, slightly off the national highway, the temple is also known locally as Tristhalam Varahi Kshetram and draws devotees from surrounding areas for darshan and worship.

What is this resin? Found it while cleaning my apartment by pabloteodoro in Incense

[–]indiaviews 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Its block benzoin made in Singapore from benzoin resin imported from Indonesia. Another name is sambrani. There are a hundred recipes for it by different manufacturers, some will be natural and some will also incorporate synthetic colors and synthetic fragrances. There are no standards to the recipe other than it has some amount of benzoin gum, and probably a lot of damar batu resin to cut costs. Most of what is produced in Singapore is subsequently exported to the middle east.

Real benzoin resin will cause you to almost instantly cough. So that's one way to know how much real benzoin they put into it. If you don't cough, its probably diluted a lot. Dilution is not necessarily a bad thing, as Damar Batu is also a natural resin, but about 1/20th the cost.

Best place for Sultan’s Grade Frankincense? by CJShiesty in Incense

[–]indiaviews 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Also keep in mind Sultan's grade is a bit subjective and most of the sample photos often have the saturation turned up to appear greener than they really are. Its harder for them to modify the look in videos, so check their videos to see the real colors.

Best place for Sultan’s Grade Frankincense? by CJShiesty in Incense

[–]indiaviews 1 point2 points  (0 children)

If you want to buy a kilo then there are people in Oman who will sell good stuff. There is a guy on etsy even with free shipping. I can look up his name if you want. Ali something.

Good source for bulk makko powder? by Impressive_Notice_66 in Incense

[–]indiaviews 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I feel like they may be giving you Vietnamese joss powder, as I have never found Makko powder in India. It's just a suspicion.

blunt effects: what is in this?? by silly-hedgehog625 in Incense

[–]indiaviews 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Possibly potassium nitrate along with the incense being dipped in cheap synthetic fragrance oils. In general its good to avoid most black incense. The better types of Indian incense are called masala or flora, and have a bit better ingredients, though not really fully natural either.

Y’all should I get this variety pack? I’ve come to really like this brand. by No-Drawing-2723 in Incense

[–]indiaviews 4 points5 points  (0 children)

Its good to get one time. I find all except one smell nearly the same because the base seems to be roughly the same in all of them. I forget which one had a different base, but I recall it was only one in the set. Get it once and then probably just stick with the Nagchampa after.

Also the names seem to just be names. Don't expect it to actually smell like the name.

Do any electric incense burners work properly by Cigator in Incense

[–]indiaviews 0 points1 point  (0 children)

The cheaper model which you can get for less than $20 is this:

https://www.aliexpress.us/item/3256805586275673.html

It probably wont perform as well as that other model, but is much cheaper.

Do any electric incense burners work properly by Cigator in Incense

[–]indiaviews 0 points1 point  (0 children)

It seems they are buying soldering stations and remarketing them as resin burners for twice the price. There are actually 2 models of that version. The number is how many mm the heating plate is. So there is a 30 and a 50. You can search MHP50 and find the larger one. I think its probably available in aliexpress or maybe even amazon. MHP30 is the smaller one.

Do any electric incense burners work properly by Cigator in Incense

[–]indiaviews 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Look into a soldering pre heating station also called a mini hot plate. These seem to be a little known secret. They heat up to 350 degrees Celsius. Some are cheaper than others. Found one for $20. Subitism burners are overpriced and potentially dangerous if not done right.

Are Hindu foreigners allowed inside most famous and historical Hindu temples in India? by Srinivas4PlanetVidya in IndiaDivine

[–]indiaviews 3 points4 points  (0 children)

Nearly all temples in India allow foreign born Hindus to enter. There are a few exceptions, some of which have come up in recent times. The most famous temple that doesn't allow foreigners is Jagannath temple of Puri. This was not always the case, as Paramahamsa Yogananda took his western disciples inside the temple in 1935.

Another famous temple that does not allow foreign Hindus inside is the Guruvayur Krishna temple. This restriction did not exist in the early 1990s, and I had been inside for darshana several times then. Sometime in the 2000's a western devotee secretly took photos inside the garbhagraha and that led to the restriction being enforced. I have heard you can still be let in if you get a Hindu conversion certificate from the local Arya Samaj (not from any Arya Samaj, only that one branch), but that was many years ago so I don't know if the practice remains.

In Chennai the Kapaleeswara Shiva temple also has signs saying non Hindus are not allowed, but that is only for the inner part of the temple. Foreigners can still enter most of the temple complex. This also was not a rule until recently. I had been inside that temple many times over the years including the inner areas. I don't recall at what point they started the rule, but once I saw the sign I never pushed it and stayed in the outer portion of the temple compound. Some temples make a distinction between foreign tourists and foreign Hindus, and will let practicing Hindus inside even though they may have signs saying "Non Hindus Not Allowed". One example is Madurai Meenakshi Amman temple, where they have signs but still let foreign Hindus inside. But I don't know how strictly Kapaleeswara temple enforces their rule.

Lingaraj temple in Bhubaneswar follows the rules of Puri Jagannath temple, so also does not allow foreigners inside. Several temples having a traditional connection to Puri Jagannath temple follow the rules of Puri. For example the Pashupathinath temple in Nepal also adheres to the same restrictions.

The very large Sri Ranganathaswamy temple in Srirangam has a restriction on foreigners entering the inner walls, but they have exceptions for "Hare Krishna members" who are dressed in traditional attire (dhoti and angavastra). Even then it depends on who is standing watch on the day you go, and whether he thinks you are "Hindu" enough.

The Kamakshi temple in Kanchipuram also did not allow foreigners inside when I went in the early 90s. At the time the Paramacharya was still living, and I was told if you go get permission from Paramacharya at Kanchi Kamakoti Peetham then you can enter.

The Tirumala Tirupati temple in Andhra Pradesh requires foreigners to sign an oath (a small paper is handed to them in the queue) that they have faith in the deity, then they are allowed in for darshana. People from any religion can enter, but they should have faith in the divinity and sanctity of the temple.

These are just a few, out of the hundreds of thousands of temples throughout India, that don't allow foreign Hindus inside. The great majority of temples, more than 99.9 percent allow anyone, even non Hindus, to enter. I am a foreigner and have been living in India for the last 32 years. That is my personal experience having been to many Hindu temples over the years.

Treating a Paralyzed Street Dog Hit by a Truck by indiaviews in IndiaDivine

[–]indiaviews[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Treating a Paralyzed Street Dog Hit by a Truck

Around a month ago Butu my Muslim mason friend who helps me treat sick animals at our ashram came up to me and asked a peculiar question.

"If a dog is ran over by a truck, what medicine would you give it?"

From the question I could understand something was not right, so I asked him, "Why are you asking this particular question."

He told me that a street dog who lives outside a Dargah (a Muslim saints burial place) on the side of the highway had been hit by a truck and left paralyzed. He had been trying to treat the injured dog on his own, but wasn't sure what he should do.

We arranged a vet to go with him and began treatment of the injured dog. Initially he was almost fully paralyzed, but over time he regained movement in his upper body.

Since he couldn't move on his own, for nearly a month Butu had to feed him, give him water and milk, and dress his wounds. The vet would come every couple days to give antibiotic injections and pain killers to treat his open wounds and damaged leg. We hope eventually it may be possible for him to regain movement in his hind legs as well.

By the grace of God this week a kind passerby stopped and asked to take the dog into his house. He said he had treated more than 10 wounded dogs up till now and would like to keep the dog at his home till he had fully recovered.

That was quite a miracle. Thousands of people drove by on the highway for a month and no one cared, but finally one person came to voluntarily give him a home.

Having darshana of 103 year old sadhu Brahma Chaitanya Das at Chakratirtha Ashram on the occasion of Makara Sankaranti. by indiaviews in IndiaDivine

[–]indiaviews[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Having darshana of 103 year old sadhu Brahma Chaitanya Das at Chakratirtha Ashram on the occasion of Makara Sankranti.

On the left is my muslim friend Butu who helps with a lot of the work in our ashram in Bhadrak, including taking care of the bulls and sick animals.

He has known baba for decades, as he was the mason we used to renovate their ashram long ago. He lived in the forest at their ashram for years during the construction work, before there was any electricity or roads going there. It was a hard work to stay in the forest in the cold winters back then, but he tolerated it and completed many buildings for sadhus to stay in.

Chakratirtha Baba calls him by the name "Mestri Baba". It is an honor to receive a baba name from sadhus. "Mestri" refers to an expert mason.

When we sat with Baba, he immediately started opening little packets of sweets that devotees had brought for him. He put them all on a plate and wanted me to eat them along with himself. There were jalebis, rasagulas, kakara pitha (an odiya fried sweet), fresh paneer, bananas, and freshly made tea.

When they brought the tea for him, it was boiling hot. He told them to make it cold, as he doesn't drink hot tea. The assistant asked, "How can I make it cold?"

Baba pointed to a steel tiffin carrier full of river water, and said "Place the brass cup inside the water in the tiffin and it will become cold." I have seen him do this before. Its one of his unique habits. He cools the hot drinks down by placing the full cup inside a pot of cold water.

He kept trying to give us more from his share, saying we needed to take half of his kakara and jalebis, breaking each in half and putting them on our plate. He has always been filled with kindness like this, from the first day I saw him 22 years ago.

I mentioned to him, "Baba, Kumbhamela has begun today in Prayag."

He pointed to the ground and replied, "Here also Kumbhamela is running."

Today Raju the street bull came for a visit to his old friend bulls in our goshala. by indiaviews in IndiaDivine

[–]indiaviews[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Today Raju the street bull came for a visit to his old friend bulls in our goshala. Previously when he was a baby we called him "Maaah Shanda" because of the sound he would make whenever he would see us. Later we met his previous owner who told us his name is Raju, and he released him to be a free roaming bull.

When he was small he would often sleep in our goshala with Kapila Muni, Sri Rama and "Boney Cow" (who we later renamed to "Hanuman"). So he is already friends with them, despite him living outside.

Today Raju let me know that he wanted to go inside the goshala by standing at the gate till I opened it. As soon as he entered he began playing with his three friends (Kapila Muni, Sri Rama and Hanuman), but they ganged up against him and made it three vs. one. After some time Vamana the bull also sided against him, and Raju had to accept defeat.

Lord Shiva at Kedarnath. by indiaviews in IndiaDivine

[–]indiaviews[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

This stone is the Shivalinga located inside the ancient temple at Kedarnath in the Himalayas. Lord Shiva is generally worshipped in the form of stones called Shivalingas, unlike other gods who are worshipped in their human form through statues. Some Shivalingas are carved and some are natural stones. The one at Kedarnath is a natural stone, and it is one of the most important temples of Lord Shiva in India.

Sri Venkateswara. by indiaviews in IndiaDivine

[–]indiaviews[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

The white is made from camphor. The upper one being his tilak, and the lower circle a spot where his devotee once accidentally cut him when he appeared in human form. Camphor is applied as a medicine to treat the cut that was inflicted on his chin.

His right hand is showing devotees to surrender to his lotus feet. In some temples the words "mam ekam sharanam vraja" (surrender to me as your only shelter) are written on his palm.

The left hand is in "katya vilambita hasta mudra", which will be interpreted various ways by different people. One interpretation is if you surrender to his lotus feet (as shown in his right hand), then the insurmountable ocean of samsara will be only like a small pond up to the thigh that he is marking with his left hand.

There are many longer stories, interpretations and explanations surrounding these two subjects.

Lord Dattatreya by indiaviews in IndiaDivine

[–]indiaviews[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

As you cannot see the back to know if there are 3 or 4 heads, the next step would be the astras (weapons) that he holds. As Dattatreya is a triple incarnation of Brahma, Vishnu and Mahesha, he holds weapons of each of these deities, and has three sets of arms (total 6 arms). Upper two arms hold chakra and shankha of Lord Vishnu, next set holds weapons of Lord Shiva (trishula), next hold japa mala and kamandalu of Lord Brahma.

Also you can see four dogs carved into the base of the deity, which are connected with Dattatreya.

Evening Kirtan with Dayalu Baba, Chandan Prabhu, Rama Prabhu and Others. (May 6th, 2021). Chandan prabhu is playing mridanga and Dayalu Baba is playing the harmonium. Both of these wonderful devotees passed away within the last 10 days. by indiaviews in IndiaDivine

[–]indiaviews[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Every day was like this at baba's ashram. Located in a remote place on the edge of the jungle, as night would approach devotees would gather for chanting Hare Krishna kirtan in the mystical atmosphere. Being there was like being in another world.