Hinduism - What Is Rukmini Yatra?

Mythology about Krishna and Rukmini connects Gujarat with Arunachal. 

Through a variety of cultural events, including a Rukmini Yatra, an ancient mythical link between Gujarat and Arunachal Pradesh, the two boundaries of India, will soon be revived. 

According to legend, Rukimini, a member of the Idu Mishmi tribe from Bhismaknagar, an old city in Arunachal Pradesh, was Lord Krishna's spouse. 

The authority wants to encourage people, especially the youth from both states, to visit sites associated with Rukmini and Krishna as part of its efforts to promote national unity and "Ek Bharat Shreshtha Bharat," an initiative to promote interaction and understanding between people of different states envisioned by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. 

The Ek Bharat Shreshtha Bharat (EBSB) program was unveiled by the Honorable Prime Minister Sri Narendra Modi on October 31, 2015, during the Rashtriya Ekta Divas to encourage engagement among the people of states and union territories in order to strengthen bonds and mutual understanding between people of different cultures and to ensure greater India's unity and integrity. 

According to the rules of the Ministry of Human Resources and Development, the initiative aims to demonstrate the harmony between the cultural variety of the paired states and union territories. 

The Indian Institute of Technology in Bhubaneswar is prepared to react completely to the government's all-encompassing effort to make it a reality. 

A schedule of activities has been created by a number of faculty members in collaboration with the enormous number of students and staff members to make the cause so active. 

Each of the many cultures in our nation has a rich cultural legacy. 

The cultural exchange activities will enable us to mutually respect and enjoy one another's cultures, strengthening our feeling of community. 

No matter what areas we are from, national integration is crucial because it is our unity in the midst of our variety that holds the key to our growth. 

The series of activities that IIT Bhubaneswar has planned as part of the EBSB program are intended to promote unity among us and aid in the development of a more powerful and better India. 

Activities, including as concerts, plays, and storytelling sessions, will be held at the legendary places as part of this ambitious "cultural exchange strategy." 

Depending on the weather, the Rukmini Yatra may occur in November or December. 

"The people of Arunachal Pradesh continue to name their girls after Rukmini because they feel that she is theirs. 

They believe themselves to be Yadavs and that Krishna traveled from Gujarat to wed Rukmini. 

There are webpages which are associated to Rukmini-Krishna legends. 

The PM came up with the concept for this cross-cultural interaction. 

The NMA's Tarun Vijay said, "We want for this to become a thread of cultural togetherness. 

Recently, a delegation of NMA lead by Vijay travelled to Arunachal Pradesh and conducted a meeting with deputy chief minister of the state BJP politician Chowna Mein in which they had decided to deepen the age-old cultural relationship between Gujarat and Arunachal via the legends of Rukmini and Krishna.

~Kiran Atma

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References And Further Reading

• Pib.gov.in. 2022. NMA to work towards strengthening Rukmini Krishna Yatra  between Arunachal Pradesh and  Gujarat. [online] Available at: <https://pib.gov.in/PressReleaseIframePage.aspx?PRID=1834849> [Accessed 10 July 2022].

• Patnaik, J.N., 2008. The Four Dhams. Government of Orissa, Bhubaneswar, India.

• Bhattacharya, A., 1969. Yatra of Bengal.

• Smith, W.J. ed., 1994. Translation. Columbia University, Translation Center.

• Smith, W.L., 2007. Assam: Shankaradeva’s Parijata Harana Nata. Krishna: A Sourcebook, 163.

Hinduism - What Is The Kashi Vishwanath Corridor At Varanasi Or Benares In India?

Prime Minister Narendra Modi revealed the 400-meter-long Kashi Vishwanath Corridor in Varanasi on Monday, the 13th of December 2021, which connects an ancient Shiva shrine to the Ganges' banks. 

"It was the Prime Minister's vision for a long time, to facilitate the pilgrims and devotees of Baba Vishwanath, who had to encounter congested streets and surroundings with poor upkeep, when they practiced the age-old custom of taking a dip in the holy river, collecting Gangajal, and offering it at the temple," the Prime Minister's Office said in a statement on Sunday. 

Mr. Modi laid the foundation stone for the project on March 8, 2019, and it is nearing completion ahead of the Uttar Pradesh Assembly election in early 2022. 

According to the project's architect, Bimal Patel, although the first part of the project will open on Monday, the Ganges Gateway, the stairs leading down, and the ghat will take another two months to finish. 

On Sunday evening, the sacred site, which is in Mr. Modi's Lok Sabha seat, was bustling with activity, not just with preparations for Monday's celebration but also with ongoing building projects. 

Buildings along the winding lanes leading up to the shrine were freshly painted. 

According to Varanasi Divisional Commissioner Deepak Agrawal, the temple grounds had been decked to welcome the 3,000 visitors who had been invited to the inauguration. 

The celebration was attended by roughly 500 religious leaders and families whose homes — around 300 in all — were razed to make place for the corridor, he added. 

The Prime Minister "took a great and active interest at all levels of the initiative," according to the PMO. 

It was announced that twenty-three buildings will be opened, with ramps and escalators built to make the grounds more accessible. 

The first phase construction cost 339 crore, while the entire project cost was about 800 crore. 

According to the PMO, the temple's grounds have been increased from 3,000 square feet to 5 lakh square feet. 

The corridor, which is claimed to be the Prime Minister's dream project, spans 5,000 hectares and aims to not only decongest but also alter the temple complex. 

Varanasi's improved infrastructure is intended to enhance tourism in the holy city as well as the surrounding area, notably the Buddhist pilgrimage site of Sarnath. 

The Kashi Vishwanath Dham in Varanasi is lit up ahead of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's inauguration. 

The Kashi Vishwanath Corridor, now connects Varanasi's historic Kashi Vishwanath Temple to the Ganga's ghats.

The Rs. 800-crore initiative was inaugurated in March 2019 by the Prime Minister in his parliamentary seat with the goal of restoring the spiritual center's "lost splendor." Officials said Modi has long wanted to improve circumstances for visitors and worshippers who had to suffer the temple's notoriously packed streets and surrounds. 

The Kashi Vishwanath temple lacked direct access to the Ganga, therefore a 20-foot-wide corridor between Lalita Ghat on the holy river and Mandir Chowk on the temple grounds was planned. 

"Shiva bhakts may take a morning bath in the river and worship the Lord in the temple, which will now be visible from the ghat," a Ministry of Culture official said. 

A Tourist Facilitation Centre, Mumukshu Bhavan, Bhogshala, City Museum, Viewing Gallery, and Food Court will be among the 23 structures to be opened. 

Some of these phase 1 projects may not be ready to open to the public for a few more weeks. 

The Prime Minister's event will take place ahead of the forthcoming Uttar Pradesh Assembly elections and the release of the voting schedule. 

The Rudraksh Convention Centre, which is shaped like a Shiva lingam and features divisible conference rooms, an art gallery, and multifunctional pre-function spaces, can accommodate 1,200 people. 

Tourists will be able to take Ganga cruises, road infrastructure will be improved, and the Banaras train station in the city's Manduadih neighborhood will be remodeled with the addition of an air-conditioned waiting lounge. 

LED displays will be placed across the city to provide travelers with information about Kashi's history, architecture, and art. 

On screens around the city, the iconic Ganga Aarti and the aarti at the Kashi Vishwanath temple will be shown. 

The Deen Dayal Hastkala Sankul, which opened in 2017 as a trade facilitation center for Varanasi's weavers, craftspeople, and artisans, serves as both a public space and a marketing platform for local artisans. 

Officials claim the PM insisted on preserving existing historic buildings while eliminating homes that were obstructing the designated path. 

More than 40 'lost' temples were uncovered during the destruction of the structures, including the Gangeshwar Mahadev temple, the Manokameshwar Mahadev temple, the Jauvinayak temple, and the Shri Kumbha Mahadev temple. 

Each of these temples has a long and illustrious history. 

At the National Museum in New Delhi, a gallery has been dedicated to displaying some of the unearthed bones, as well as running a narrative on their history on screens. 

Smart signage has been installed in Varanasi to give information on the cultural value of historic monuments and the city's 84 ghats, which are noted for their antiquity and architectural significance. 

The effort to renovate and rebuild the Kashi Vishwanath complex is in keeping with Prime Minister Narendra Modi's ambitious plans for temples around the nation. 

He lay the foundation stone for the Ram temple in Ayodhya and advocated for renovation and rebuilding initiatives at the Somnath complex and the Kedarnath Dham, both of which were devastated by floods in 2013. 

He's called these initiatives "nation-building endeavors," the successful culmination of an old land's attempts to rediscover and commemorate its past greatness.

You may also want to read more about Hinduism here.

Be sure to check out my writings on religion here.

The Intelligence of this Melody

~ The Intelligence of this Melody ~ 

A Sound Characterized by its Harmony and Tranquility 

"No work stains a man who is pure, who is in harmony, who is master of his life, whose soul is one with the soul of all."

           This was inspired by a really interesting post I read today on Corelight, a page authored and run by some  very blessed and inspiring people,

Here is the original post as seen on their page ,

" ~ Attraction and Repulsion ~

           Attraction and repulsion cause the mind to divide all worldly phenomena into the different camps of negative and positive. This leads us into separating and compartmentalizing everything in our minds. Our conditioned tendency is to align with one side (attraction) and disown, reject or avoid the other (repulsion). We have no choice in this; we are bound unrelentingly by this system of judgment. Life is seen through this filter until we agree to do the transformational work. The moment we decide there is no more to life, and wish to explore other options; we have the potential to move into another paradigm, one that exists beyond negative and positive. 
~Leslie Temple-Thurston~"

Ref. https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=440724262635357&set=a.235659609808491.52135.221051047936014&type=1&relevant_count=1

~ The Mind is just an Instrument ~

My Response, Love it. 

        I would love to start by saying the mind is just an instrument. It is like honey, so sticky, in that it has a tendency to absorb whatever comes its way, both good and bad, the pleasant and the unpleasant, the positive and the negative. It is only an instrument, it does what it has evolved to do by design. It helps build intelligence deeper into the being or should I say the Spiritual being by collecting intelligence via the senses that pervade the rest of the body and awareness in its entirety. One should control and master the mind through faith, courage and Love. One should attempt to make the mind a friend. After all, It is merely nothing more than an instrument that aids the Being and its intelligence.  

~ Become a Creative Dreamer ~

Co-create as you Dream in Harmony with Nature and Life. 

          Somehow the words negative and positive reminded me of the master and father who revolutionized the way we use, supply and harness electricity. No, I'm not talking of Edison but rather of  that wonderful Dreamer they call Nikola Tesla. The human mind has given or boxed/ compartmentalized this genius with so many undeserving and pathetic labels that reflect the nature of the society we have been co-creating and living in. He had the strangest visions, dreams and incredibly Truthful ideas of how his whole obsession with alternating current (AC) was in perfect harmony with Nature and its songs that buzzed through to him in fits of visions. 

Duality is pervaded by the ineffable Harmony that is this song.
The key is to find and follow the Lover that breathes Love into Souls.

        Even within Nature, in its many infinite nuances, there is creation, there is maintenance and there is destruction. These are the undeniable qualities and regulative processes of this realm. Man once born must learn to understand and live in harmony with Nature. He/She must learn to respect Nature as this experience has so much to teach us. The purpose of life is to enrich the Soul with such undying intelligence. We can strengthen and control what is good only by knowing, tolerating, overcoming and controlling what is bad. We must not deny the experiences that expose us to what is bad or destructive and depleting to our Souls, rather we should understand fully the falsehood of what we perceived as the Truth but only proved to be an illusion. 

~ Find Meaning &Purpose in Duality ~

For example I was reading a peculiar bit of news earlier today from all the way around in India,

It read as, 

"They are namesakes — both good orators and bachelors. But, the similarity between Narendra Modi and Narendra Nath Datta, famous as Swami Vivekananda, ends here."

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/Monk-who-sold-Narendra-Modis-safari/articleshow/16376201.cms

These men here are renounced, in the fact that they both have taken the vow of chastity. I have met many such people and you might wonder how true chastity is achieved. Let's for example consider that a Soul was incarnate as a man, who falls madly in Love with a woman only to be betrayed and have his whole being degraded and discarded. Such an experience can be extremely painful to a Soul, eventually the person would contemplate the fact that the object of his attraction, that enticing Woman, that illusion of attraction was indeed unreal, false and proved to be Untruthful . He experiences the duality of Life to its fullest. He experiences both attraction and destruction. And even in the midst of such an adverse and tormenting experience he realizes that there is an all pervading Truth transcending and guiding him to its Light. It eventually manages to strengthen him, his intelligence, his faith, his ability and capacity for courage and most importantly his capacity to unconditionally Love the Truth. He becomes a better Lover, His intelligence now can transcend and overcome infinite such minds and illusive but purposeful creations of duality. His intelligence can powerfully gaze right through to the Truth cutting across all facades. Such is the story of how some men achieve the state of True chastity.

      Those that do continue to evolve, stay centered in perpetual bliss and seamless perfection. Those that don't or deliberately will and aim to infuse chaos and disturb the tranquil balance and harmony of things will eventually enter into a state of destruction and rebirth. That energy that is out of place and purpose and self serving is thus renewed in the hopes of becoming something more meaningful and beautiful... only off course by this cycle that traverses through all forms of duality from creation to destruction, rebirth and eventually culminating in higher and eternal Spiritual resurrections. 

Aham Brahmasmi (ah-HUM brah-MAHS-mee) 

 A Sanskrit sutra whose English translation is "the core of my being is the ultimate reality, the root and ground of the universe, the source of all that exists..."

 ..None are less Dear to me and none more dear. I look upon all Life equally; But those who Love, live in me, and I come to Life in them. You are me, as I am in You, as I AM You :) 

Love, Blessings & Sincere Regards,

Jai Krishna Ponnappan