Vajreshwari, near Mumbai. The famous Vajreshwari hot springs are just an hour-and-a-half away from Vashi (about 60km). There are plenty of temples devoted to devis, Shiva, Ganpati and the well-known ashram of Nityanand swamiji is also in the vicinity, making this a pilgrim, tourist, and a medical spot. Vajreshwari is situated on the banks of the river Tansa in Bhiwandi city of Thane district and is easily accessible by road and train. Though the nearest railway station to this spot is Vasai, there are several buses going directly to Vajreshwari from Mumbai. A group of 23 women started from Vashi at 7am and reached Ganeshpuri by 9am. After breakfast and freshening up, the women headed to the Vajreshwari temple, dedicated to goddess Vajreshwari. This temple is built like a fortress on the Mandagiri hillock (formed out of a volcanic eruption and surrounded by hills), and there are about forty steps leading to it. The temple is beautiful and is surrounded by smaller and bigger temples. There is a spectacular 360 degree view of the surrounding greenery. Rice is grown in most of the fields in the area in the monsoons, and are beautiful to look at. This region of Vadvali is mentioned in the Puranas as visited by Rama and Parshurama. The legend has it that Parshurama performed a yajna at Vadvali and the hills of volcanic ash in the area are its residue. A story of the temple is that thousands of years ago, a demon troubled the sages and humans in the region of Vadvali and waged a war against the gods. Distressed, the gods and sages headed by Vashishta performed the TriChandi yagna, a fire offering to please the goddess. An aahuti (offering of ghee in yajna) was not granted. Enraged, Indra hurled his Vajra — one of most powerful weapons in Hindu mythology — at the yajna. The terrified gods and sages prayed to the goddess to save them. She appeared in all her glory at the site and not only swallowed the Vajra and humbled Indra, but also killed the demons. Another legend has it that Indra and the other gods approached goddess Parvati and requested her to help slay demon Kalikala. Goddess Parvati assured that she will come to their aid at the right time and ordered them to fight with the demon. In the battle, Kalikala swallowed or broke all weapons thrown at him. Finally, Indra threw the Vajra at the demon, which Kalikala broke into pieces, and from the Vajra, emerged the goddess, who destroyed the demon. The gods extolled her as Vajreshwari and built her temple. Vajreshwari temple was constructed by Bajirao Peshwa after winning the Vasai fort from the Portuguese. There are around twenty-one hot water springs in a five km radius of the temple. According to tradition, the hot water is the blood of demons and giants, slain by goddess Vajreshwari. According to scientists, their proximity to the former volcano in the region accounts for their creation. Pilgrims who visit the temple also have a holy bath in the springs, which are referred to as kundas in Sanskrit and are named after Hindu deities like Surya, Chandra, Agni, Vayu, Rama, Sita, and Lakshmana. The waters in these springs is really hot. Since hundreds of people bathe, wash their feet in these springs, they tend to look murky brown. A hot spring is a component of the hydrosphere; it is a natural occurrence where water flows to the surface of the earth from below the surface. These hot springs are quite rich in sulphur content, and can help in healing many skin ailments. The springs are small rock structures, cut in the ground with square basins of various sizes, filled with water. There are at least seven hot springs around the Shiva temple, and the temple premises itself has three of these. The other four are a little walk back from the Shiva temple, crossing a small lane towards the river, and are located on the banks of the river. They are all concretised and/or tiled large bath-tub like structures but the approach to the hot springs and the crowds there, leave a lot to be desired. Nityanand swami’s ashram has all his personal items well-preserved. His chair, couch, even the bath tub are prominently displayed. Photos line the walls of the museum, which tell the whole story of Nityanand swami. Visitors to Vajreshwari and Ganeshpuri have a lot to see. Also, medicinal modaks are available that are capable of curing many diseases. Published Date: Nov 19, 2013
Mumbai: Former Miss World Aishwarya Rai Bachchan, who is a manglik, was “married” to two trees “to ward off the evil influence of Mars” before she wed actor Abhishek Bachchan on April 20, 2007. Her “previous grooms” were a peepal tree in Varanasi, a banana tree in Bangalore and an idol of Lord Vishnu in Ayodhya. While on the one hand India has sent a mission to Mars, yet on the other there is a belief that mangliks — people ruled by the planet — are unlucky. Lakhs of girls continue to have a tough time getting spouses as they supposedly bring bad luck to their husbands’ family. Suman Raman (name changed), a Mumbai resident, waited for several years to tie the knot. However, being a manglik, she could not get a match. Finally, she decided to remain a spinster. “I was made to feel like a criminal just because I am a manglik,” she told dna. The general belief is that if Mangal (Mars) is placed in the 1st, 2nd, 4th, 7th, 8th or 12th house in one’s Kundali (birth chart), the planet plays a vital role in one’s life, and more so in matters of matrimony. Astro-numerologist Sanjay B Jumaani said: “Belief in mangal dosh may be a superstition to some, but that is their personal view. The fact is that mangal dosh is real,” he said. Though manglik girls are asked to marry peepal or banana trees or idols of Lord Vishnu made of gold or silver, astrologers ask some to “wed” a clay urn which is to be broken soon after the nuptial ceremony. This ritual, called Kumbh Vivah, signifies that the bride has become a widow, doing away with the manglik dosh problem. Astrologer Bejan Daruwalla has mentioned on his website that while looking for prospective partners, the manglik factor has to be kept in mind during the matching of horoscopes. The placement of Mars/Mangal in your Kundali is an important factor affecting your marital alliance. Mangal dosh can cause discomfort and tension, financial loss after marriage and other negative effects, according to his site. Rubbishing claims that planets and stars affect humans, Purushottam Aware of the Andhshraddha Nirmoolan Samiti, said that there was no scientific basis for such beliefs. “The maximum effect that stars like the moon could have is on tides. Ill treatment to any girl because she is a manglik is inhuman,” he said. Published Date: Nov 07, 2013
The Siddhivinayak Temple Trust proposes to patent the mahaprasad laddus that it sells to devotees, who visit the city’s most popular shrine to Lord Ganesh.
The laddus are specially prepared by the temple kitchen and offered to the diety, after which they are made available as a sacred food item to devotees. The mahaprasad is sold at Rs10 for two laddus in a box that is labelled “Siddhivinayak Mahaprasad”. “We are looking to get the patent rights under the Geographical Indications of Goods (Registration and Protection) Act, 1999,” said Mangesh Shinde, chief executive officer of the temple trust. “We have already appointed a consultant for this purpose and we expect to complete the registration within six months.”
The geographical indications or GI tag ensures that none other than those registered as authorised users (those residing within the geographical territory) are allowed to use the product name. The prasad is sold to the tens of thousands of devotees who throng the Siddhivinayak Temple in Prabhadevi, central Mumbai, daily. While an estimated 40,000 people visit the shrine daily, the crowd swells to between one lakh and 1.5 lakh on Tuesdays the weekly auspicious day. On Tuesdays during the festival season, the number of devotees visiting the temple can climb to even two lakh. The huge demand for the laddus has spawned a thriving retail market, with several sweetmeat makers selling similar laddus.
On festival occasions, the spurt in demand can result in blackmarketing. However, once the temple trust secures the registration, local sweetmeat makers and outlets will not be allowed to sell laddus with the “Siddhivinayak Mahaprasad” label. The temple kitchen has a staff of 36 trained people who makes about 40,000 laddus daily and this can go up to 65,000 on Tuesdays, the weekly auspicious day. The laddus are made from chana dal, ghee, sugar, groundnut and cardamom. The temple trust says that the ingredients are pure and tested by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA).
Besides, the guarantee of purity, the temple laddus are blessed, which is not the case with the laddus that are also passed of as prasad by the shops in the temple area. “Laddus available in the shops are simply laddus, but the ones from the temple are prasad. That is a big difference,” said Shinde. On “angarki”, which is observed twice in the year, crowds estimated at between 15 lakh and 30 lakh visit the temple. Several politicians and even celebrities like Amtabh Bachchan and Sachin Tendulkar have made visits to the temple. 11-9-2013.DNA.
The Meaning of Sisupala
Rajen Vakil | Agency: DNA | Friday, September 28, 2012 All students of spirituality spend years observing their psychic structure. One of our inner traits is that we all have a spoilt child within us. This is our inner Sisupala who has to be killed. ‘Sisu’ means a child and ‘pala’ is to look after - to look after this inner immature child. A child plays with his toys but when a neighbour’s child wants one of his toys, he holds on to it tightly. Suppose the same child grows up to be a politician and someone asks for his seat, he will hold on to it in the same manner. Only the body has grown but nothing has matured or ripened. Patanjali calls this false ripening ‘vipak’. He says our actions lead to a ripening of fruit that he calls not ‘pak’ or ripening, but ‘vipak’ or wrong ripening. The tragedy of our lives is that despite all our successes, as death approaches, most of us become children again. Yes, at the time of death, it is the same five-year-old child who dies. In between, we have done so much with no real ripening. Krishna symbolises our inner consciousness. He kills his cousin Sisupala in the ‘Rajsuya Yagna’, which in our lives is that point when we start to practice self observation or looking in. This inner looking is called ‘sudarshana’ or right seeing. Krishna kills Sisupala with his Sudarshana Chakra. Before killing him, Krishna allows Sisupala to heap a hundred insults onto him. This shows that the inner childishness has to be observed and studied over a long period of time and in different expressions of life before it is eradicated. When Sisupala was born, he had three eyes and four arms. This symbolises that a young child is not bound by normal ethics and morality. He can peep through holes and do crazy things. When Sisupala is killed, his son Drishtaketu becomes the King of Cedi. ‘Drish’ means bold and ‘ketu’ to shine. Cedi means to make aware. It is that inner space in all of us that provides an awareness of right and wrong. This intelligence lies hidden within us and is awakened by killing the inner Sisupala. Then it shines and boldly warns us in every step of life. www.3srb.org
Navi Mumbai local cmt get together, 25 sept 2011, at vashi kannada sangha.
Navi mumbai Get-together-09 photos from Bhaskar Photographer . Flower rangoli by smt Vinoda,vindya,vinaya.