Sarpa Sukta in Kannada

I have uploaded the kannada transliteration of the Sarpa Sukta from the Yajur Veda into my mantras page.

Did you know? 31st July 2008

In his work titled “Yati Pranava Kalpa”, Sri Madhvacharya provides comprehensive details on the types of Sanyasis, the qualifications and steps to becoming a Sanyasi and the duties of a Sanyasi!

Sode FAQ

Based on the search queries that lead to hits to my pages, I am going to post (hopefully correct) answers to questions that people have about Sode.

Q) Distance from Bangalore
A) 430 kilometers. Mysore is roughly the same distance.

Q) Other nearby places
A) Hubli is 100 kms away. Sirsi is 20 kms.

Q) Facilities available at Sode
A) Rooms are available through the temple administration itself, though they get full during weekends. If rooms are unavailable, they provide safe lockers @ Rs 5/- per day!

Q) Rest rooms?
A) The rooms have attached rest rooms. The public rest rooms (which you have to depend on if you do not get a room) are average.

Q) Food?
A) The temple provides lunch and dinner. There is also a small inn nearby which provides good quality South Indian dishes.

Q) How do I get to Sode?
A) Sugama and VRL roadlines run daily buses to Sode from Bangalore. You need to book in advance though. The buses reach Sode around 7:30AM and leave around 8:30PM. The departure time is not set in stone. The buses wait till the Bhoota Raja Bali and dinner is complete. KSRTC buses are available from Sirsi to Bangalore, Mysore and Hubli.

Q) What about local transport?
A) There are buses to Sirsi every two hours. In between, there are private tempos running between Sirsi and Sode. The last bus to Sirsi is at 5:15PM so one needs to plan well if returning from Sirsi.

Q) How can I visit nearby places?
A) Lots of places such as the Tapovana, Sahasralinga, Vyasa Raja Matha, Venkataramana temple, etc are worth seeing. The best option is to enquire at the shops near the temple entrance. They will arrange for Jeeps at reasonable prices.

Q) Driving directions from Bangalore?
A) Bangalore – Tumkur – Chitradurga – Haveri – Sirsi. From Sirsi, take the Yellapur highway and you will find signboards pointing towards Sode.

Q) Any thing else?
A) You better carry and wear a dhoti when visiting the temple(s).

Did you know? 29th July 2008

The book – “Tantra Sara Sangraha” – written by Sri Madhvacharya contains exhaustive details of the procedure to be followed in identifying locations for temples, building temples, idols and the detailed procedure to be followed in temple worship!

Did you know? 28th July 2008

Out of the 5 Pandavas, the first to marry was not the older Yudhishthira, but Bhimasena, the second Pandava. He married Hidimbi, a Rakshasi, upon Sri Vyasa’s instructions, in accordance with his Dharma of not violating the Lord’s words (Krishna/Vyasa/Parashurama) even once!

Lakshalankara

Another great story associated with Sri Vadiraja Swamy.

When the parents of Sri Vadiraja Swamy did not have a child for a long time, Swamiji’s mother prayed to God and took an oath that she would offer an ornament containing 100,000 jewels if she had a son. The lady had no idea what it would take to get such an ornament done.

Later when Sri Vadiraja Swamy was born and took Sanyasa, his mother mentioned to him about her oath and requested that he fulfill the same. Sri Vadiraja accepted the responsibility. During his first visit to North India, when Sri Vadiraja was meditating at Prayaga, he received instructions from Lord Veda Vyasa himself to write a work on Mahabharata explaining all the difficult terms and words. Accordingly, Sri Vadiraja composed a work which contained explanations to 100,000 words of Mahabharata. He named this work as Lakshalankara or “Ornament of 100,000 (jewels)” and offered it to Sri Vyasa.

It is believed that on the same day, his mother had a dream and saw the statue of Lord Bhuvaraha adorned with an ornament containing 100,000 jewels.

Did you know? 24th July 2008

Once when Sri Vadiraja Swamy visited Tirupathi, the Tirumala hills appeared to him as though they were made of Saligrama stone. He decided it was not appropriate to step on the sacred stone and climbed the entire hill on his knees!!

Did you know? 23rd July 2008

In the olden days, anybody who had to enter the city of Dwaraka, had to display the symbols of Vishnu viz Shankha and Chakra embossed on his body, thereby declaring that he/she was a Vaishnava!!

Panchamruta Abhisheka at Nellitheertha

Recently, the 5th anniversary of the Sri Jabali Sannidhana was held at Nellitheertha. On this ocassion, Panchamruta Abhisheka (milk, curds, ghee, honey and sugar) was performed for a week to all the dieties.

I happened to attend the festivities on the concluding day. It is believed that the abhisheka consisting of the five items brings back color to the idols of the dieties.

According to the custom, whenever Panchamruta Abhisheka is performed, special Arathis and offerings also must be made. When I asked Sri Subraya Bhat why this was so, his reply was “When you take an oil bath, don’t you feel more tired and desire for some special food and a nap. Its the same here” 🙂

There were hundreds of people who attended the festivities in the evening. An Yakshagana by children was also performed on this ocassion.

Did you know? 21 July 2008

When Sri Madhvacharya decided to take up Sanyasa, his father, desperate to prevent him from doing so, fell at the 10 year old son’s feet and pleaded that he reverse his decision. Sri Madhva replied that his father’s act was an approval of his decision as parents can fall at the feet of their child only if the child is a Sanyasi!