The Mitanni Empire covered what is now known as Iraq, Turkey Syria, Lebanon,Egypt and included Italy.

They were the ancestors of these people.

Mitanni were the ancestors of the Egyptians as well.

These Kings and even a Roman Emperor sported Thiruman, The Vaishnavite marks on their Body.

 

The Sun King Akhenaten of Egypt who ruled between 1352-1336 BC was a son-in-law of Tushratta, the Mitanni king. The name Tushratta has been recorded in the Hittite cuneiform script.

 

Some have suggested that the Sanskrit origin of Tushratta is Dasaratha, a few others that it is Tvesaratha (having splendid chariots), a name which is attested in the Rigveda.

“The first Mitanni king was Sutarna I (good sun). He was followed by Baratarna I (or Paratarna great sun), Parasuksatra(ruler with axe),…. Saustatar (Sauksatra, son of Suksatra, the good ruler), Artadama (abiding in cosmic law)..Tushratta (Dasaratha), and finally Matiwazza (Mativaja, whose wealth is thought) during whose lifetime the Mitanni state appears to have become a vassal to Assyria”. Subhash Kak traces the ‘arna’ syllable in the names of the kings to ‘araNi’ (अरणि) meaning ‘sun’…

Akhenaten, Surya, and the Rigveda’, Prof Subhash Kak (an Indian American computer scientist, previous Head of Computer Science Department, Oklahoma State University)

‘ “A number of Indo-European sounding words have been identified in the cuneiform documents of the Mitanni kingdom (1500-1200 BC). In addition to nouns and adjectives with parallels in Sanskrit this Hurrian speaking kingdom had kings with Indo-Aryan names and two documents even list the main Gods of the Indian pantheon….”

 

The kingdom of the Mitanni Indo-Iranian dynasty that ruled in the land of the Hurrians was in the upper Euphrates-Tigris basin – land that is now part of northern Iraq, Syria and south-eastern Turkey.

At its greatest extent (for a brief period at the height of its dynastic power), Mitanni territory extended to the Mediterranean coast and into northern Assyria / Mesopotamia, it’s south-eastern neighbour.

Mitanni’s north-western border with theHattian kingdom of the Hittites was fluid and constantly subject to aggression except when the two rivals concluded a peace treaty – one that invoked the Indo-Iranian pantheon of Mitra, Varuna, Indra and the Nasatyas – but also one that marked the decline of the Mitanni kingdom and a decrease in size. The Mitanni and Hittites were closely related. The Hittites used the Hurrian language extensively in their inscriptions. They also shared in the development of the light chariot whose wheels used spokes .

The Hurrian lands are today a part of Greater Kurdistan….

 

Despite Tusratta’s problems, he was not beyond offering his daughter Tadukhipa in marriage to the King Amenhotep III of Egypt for a large quantity of gold. The tablet seen to the right is a letter from Tusratta to Amenhotep in which he asks for “gold in very great quantity” as a bride price, supporting his request with the comment, “Gold is as dust in the land of my brother.”

The beleaguered Tusratta was then murdered by his son in a palace coup. Tusratta’s other son, Prince Shattiwaza, fled Mitanni and was eventually given sanctuary by the Hittite King Suppiluliuma with whom he concluded a treaty c. 1380 BCE, which we know as the Suppiluliuma-Shattiwaza Treaty (discovered in 1907 CE in Hattusa, near present-day Bogazkale(Boğazkale, formerly Bogazköy) in north-central Turkey. In the treaty, the Hittite King Suppiluliuma agreed to assist Shattiwaza gain the Mitanni throne and invaded Mitanni. The Hittites captured the Mitanni capital Wassukanni after a second attempt and installed Shattiwaza as a vassal king. https://ramanisblog.in/2015/06/12/hindu-kings-of-iraq-turkey-syria-lebanon-egypt-italy-mitanni-empire/

Sri Vishnu Sahasranama is one of the most powerful Mantras along with Lalitha Sahasranama. Vishnu Sahasranama was revealed in the presence of Sri Krishna in the Mahabharata Battlefield

This maha mantra contains one Thousand and Eight names of Sri. Vishnu.As it’s palasuthi says by reciting Sri Vishnu Sahasranama, Brahmins shall gain knowledge ,Kshatriyas Victory Vaisyas Wealth and Sudras Pleasure. More than anything this Mantra has a calming effect. And this Mantra is powerful in easing anxiety and tensions at home.This mantra contains the Vashatkara of Vishnu which is very powerful.First work of Adi Shankaracharya is commentary on Vishnu Sahasranama.

Many of my friends and readers have been asking me to conduct classes/ lectures on Vishnu Sahasranama. After due deliberation, I have decided to conduct classes on Vishnu Sahasranama.Details are as follows.

Will be Conducting Classes on Vishnu Sahasranama with meaning.

Class will be conducted in English.

Detailed Philosophical implications will be explained.

Eight Classes per Month.

For Details. [email protected]

WhatsApp +919480591538.

Once I receive your interest in joining the class, I shall update additional details , including Timings .

Krishnaarppanam.

https://ramanisblog.in/2022/03/10/sri-vishnu-sahasranama-classes-online/

Madras , aka, Chennai has a lot of tourist attractions.

One such is the Santhome Church in Mylapore.

This is not only a Church but a religious spot for the Christians.

The Church is dedicated to St,Thomas who is reported to have landed in Chennai around 300 AD and spread Syrian Christianity .

This Saint Thomas was infamous Acts of Thomas by Bardesanes, and this  is the source of the legend of St. Thomas in India.

Dr. Elst studied under Jesuits at Katholieke Universiteit in Belgium, Europe’s oldest Catholic university at Leuven, has done extensive research on this

subject and says that At.Thomas is a Fraud perpetrated on the Indians by corrupt Catholic priests to spread Catholicism in India.

The original Kapaleeswarar temple in Mylapore was ransacked , demolished by The Portuguese . a Church was built  and was named as   San Thome

Cathedral Basilica on the Mylapore beach in Chennai.

The original structure was a Shiva Temple, that of Kapaaleswara.

Dr.Elst writes thus,

“

According to Christian leaders in India, the apostle Thomas came to India in 52 AD, founded the Syrian Christian Church, and was killed by the fanatical Brahmins in 72 AD. Near the site of his martyrdom, the St. Thomas Church was built. In fact this apostle never came to India. The Christian community in South India was founded by a merchant called Knai Thoma or Thomas of Cana in 345 AD—a name which readily explains the Thomas legend. He led four hundred refugees who fled persecution in Persia and were given asylum by the Hindu authorities.

In Catholic universities in Europe, the myth of the apostle Thomas going to India is no longer taught as history, but in India it is still considered useful. Even many vocal “secularists” who attack the Hindus for “relying on myth” in the Ayodhya affair, off-hand profess their belief in the Thomas myth. The important point is that Thomas can be upheld as a martyr and the Brahmins decried as fanatics.

In reality, the missionaries were very disgruntled that the damned Hindus refused to give them martyrs (whose blood is welcomed as “the seed of the faith”), so they had to invent one. Moreover, the church which they claim commemorates St. Thomas’s martyrdom at the hands of Hindu fanaticism, is in fact a monument of Hindu martyrdom at the hands of Christian fanaticism. It is a forcible replacement of two important Hindu temples—Jain and Shaiva—whose existence was insupportable to the Christian missionaries.

No one knows how many Hindu priests and worshipers were killed when the Christian soldiers came to remove the curse of Paganism from the Mylapore beach. Hinduism does not practice martyr-mongering, but if at all we have to speak of martyrs in this context, the title goes to these Jina- and Shiva-worshipers and not to the apostle Thomas.—Dr. Koenraad Elst

*The Myth of Saint Thomas and the Mylapore Shiva Temple, third revised edition, 2010 is available from publisher Voice of India, New Delhi. It has an extensive bibliography and is a valuable tool for researchers and historians.”

More https://ramanisblog.in/2014/01/18/santhome-church-is-kapaleewsarar-temple-st-thomas-fraud/

There is no dearth of Miracles around the world.India abounds in them.There is this reported incidence of Saint Raghavendra having spoken to Sir.Thomas Munro, the then District Collector of Bellary, in the year 1800, when Munro went to confiscate the land where Saint Raghavendra had attained Jeeva Samadhi.

This was gazetted in the then Madras Presidency.

.When Sir Thomas Munroe was the Collector of Bellary in 1800, the Madras Government ordered him to procure the entire income from the Math and Manthralaya village. When the Revenue officials were unable to comply with this order, Sir Thomas Munroe visited the Math for investigation. He removed his hat and shoes and entered the sacred precincts. Sri Rayaru emerged from the Brindavan and conversed with him for sometime, about the resumption of endowment. The Saint was visible and audible only to Munroe who received Manthraksha. The Collector went back and wrote an order in favour of the Math and the village. This notification was published in the Madras Government Gazette in Chapter XI and page 213, with the caption “Manchali Adoni Taluka”. This order is still preserved in Fort St. George and Manthralayam.https://ramanisblog-in.cdn.ampproject.org/v/s/ramanisblog.in/2014/01/23/saint-who-spoke-from-tomb-gazetted/amp/?amp_gsa=1&_js_v=a9&usqp=mq331AQKKAFQArABIIACAw%3D%3D#amp_tf=From%20%251%24s&aoh=16462908765715&referrer=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.google.com&share=https%3A%2F%2Framanisblog.in%2F2014%2F01%2F23%2Fsaint-who-spoke-from-tomb-gazetted%2F

There is a school of Thought which considers that Lord Shiva was a Human being and He composed poems in Tamil.

I am looking into the legend and verify whether there is any truth in this.

This may sound ludicrous for rationalists.

The point is that I do not consider me to be super intelligent,right and correct at all times and others ,especially my ancestors were fools to believe anything,spend time and money to build huge marvelous temples.

I have , in my Life ,seen many things which defy my Logic.

They make/made sense as I grew.

Hence I do not dismiss anything offhand by sheer arrogance.

The open approach has yielded good dividends in History in that it has brought to light many truths so far hidden because self-importance and intellectual arrogance.

The open approach has yielded good dividends in History in that it has brought to light many truths so far hidden because self-importance and intellectual arrogance.

At the same time I do not belive or trust anything which is not supported by internal and external evidence.

The proof of my labors lies in my posts in this blog.

As to Shiva, I have noticed a lot of curious facts between Shiva in the South and the North, though they are the same.

The Avatars of Shiva in the South were not reported in the North.

Shiva as a family man with children is not as popular in the North as in the South.

Mostly the legends of Siva in the North revolve around only the marriage of Shiva with Uma, and incidents connected with it, while in the South the information is more detailed and Shiva has been portrayed as lending a helping hand to people in distress.

His avatars are different from the Avatars of Vishnu in that while Vishnu stayed in a womb Shiva is described as one who does not stay in the womb, Ayonija’; Tamil calls Him as  Unborn Eldest, ‘Pirava Yaakaip Periyon’.

Yet He appears in a Flash , helps people in distress and disappears.

Sixty four of his Avatars of this nature are recorded in Tamil literature, all in the City of Madurai.

He is reported to have married a Pandyan Princess Meenakshi in the form of Chokkanatha.

Madurai Meenakshi Amman Temple is dedicated to Meenakshi and Shiva as Chokkanatha/Sundareswara.

These sixty-four avatars have not been recorded in any north Indian legends though some of them are hinted in Puranas, especially in Linga and Bhagavatha Purana.

In one of these Avatars Lord Shiva composed a Poem in Tamil.

This is it with meaning.

This appears as the second poem in Kurunthogai, a Sangam Literature.

The author is given as Iraiyanar, a Name for Shiva.

https://ramani16.rssing.com/chan-22730849/article42-live.html

We do not know our ancient history,Our culture and in short our past.One such is the information relating to the Invasion and destruction of Hindu Temples by Muslim Invaders.This information has been withheld, suppressed by the Invaders and later the Secular rulers of India (?!).Text books on Indian History right from the scholl level make a coy reference to Islam Invasion and destruction, looting of Indian Temples ,apologetically in the passing.This article is not about the list of Temples destroyed by Muslims In India or about the Temples converted into Mosques.

How did our ancestors save most of the Moolavars, Presiding Deity in The Sanctum, when the pillaging, plundering armies ransacked towns and Temples?

On receiving information that invading armies of Muslim Rulers were proceeding towards a city, our ancestors built a stone wall infront of the Deity in the Sanctum, placed a duplicate Idol in front of the Stone Screen, called Kal Thirai, Screen made of Stone.This is how most of the Moolavar Vigrahas were saved from the marauding Islam Armies. In Madurai , the Moolavar of Meenakshi Amman was saved this way by the Sivachariars.The Siva Linga which was damaged by the Muslim army is kept in the Meenakshi temple.

In the north, the Indian subcontinent had been conquered by the Delhi Sultanate. Muslim armies had begun raiding central India for plunder by the late 13th century. Between 1310–1311, the Ala ud Din Khilji’s Muslim general Malik Kafur and his Delhi Sultanate forces went deeper into the Indian peninsula for loot and to establish annual tribute paying Muslim governors.The records left by the court historians of the Delhi Sultanate state that Malik Kafur raided Madurai, Chidambaram, Srirangam and other Tamil towns, destroyed the temples, and they were the sources of gold and jewels booty he brought back to Delhi.

The Islamic invasion in the 14th century, states George Michell – a professor and art historian of Indian architecture, brought an abrupt end to the patronage of Tamil Hindu temple towns.[47] The Tamil Hindus revived these towns but in some places such as Madurai, it took a long while.After the conquest and destruction, the Delhi Sultan appointed a Muslim governor in Madurai, who seceded within the few years from the Delhi Sultanate and began the Madurai Sultanate. This Sultanate sought tribute from the temple towns, instead of supporting them. The Muslim Madurai Sultanate was relatively short-lived, with Hindu Vijayanagar Empire removing it in the late 14th century. According to one poetic legend called Madhura Vijayam attributed to Ganga Devi, the wife of Kumara Kampana, she gave him a sword, urged him to liberate Madurai, right the vast wrongs, and reopen the Meenakshi temple out of its ruins. The Vijayanagara rulers succeeded, removed the ruins and reopened the temple for active worship.They restored, repaired and expanded the temple through the 16th century, along with many other regional temples. More at https://ramanisblog.in/2021/05/31/how-temple-deities-were-saved-from-muslim-armies-kal-thirai-stone-screen/

This podcast is based on real experiences of Life and those who seek rationale or Logic are well advised to skip.Life,as I see it in the twilight of my years, is not logical,nor does it obey,follow or satisfy my ego,my qualifications,my wealth or my pedigree.Ot meanders through,though it may appear that we are leading, controlling it.It makes you react,though you may be deluded into thinking that you are Proactive.

When you have circumstances not working in your favour, you do not know against whom you should react or how to.Many real life situations belong to this category.Nothing is black and white, nothing hundred percent correct,Right. Nor one is. Everything is grey.Everything, everyone in life is Correct,Right from one’s Perspective.

Hence alluding motives,reacting ,instead of solving the issue aggravates.I tell people,Life usually and definitely messes up ( actually the term I Use is a Four letter word),and so you don’t mess it up further.

I have seen in such circumstances,it is better, advisable to keep quiet. But this needs practice. I am yet to get this.

Next is you are under extreme mental pressure, strain.As human beings, we need to let off.We need to communicate .

Whom do we communicate with?

Definitely not with Relatives,as more than likely,would complicate the issue. With Friends,Yes. Even with friends, you may not be able to unburden fully.

With whom can You?

Unburden,in private to Him or Her.

It doesn’t matter who He or She is.

Those who can,will understand this post.https://ramanisblog.in/2021/03/18/converse-with-reality-god/amp/

Meenakshi,The Presiding Deity at Madurai,Tamil Nadu,India, saved a British Collector from an accident of nature by leading him by her hand.Though I belong to Madurai I have not been aware of it.By searching I found the information that this story is true and Meenakshi led , Collector Rous Peter (1786-1828) of Madurai, by hand.

And as desired by Peter his grave was built ,in such a way, that his were facing Meenakshi temple!

Peter Pandian’

It is believed that Rous Peter respected and treated people of all faiths equally and this attitude towards the people earned him the popular name ‘Peter Pandian,’ says Ambai Manivannan, lecturer, Department of Tamil, Thiagarajar College .

B. Raja, Joint Commissioner Meenakshi Amman Temple, says that Rous Peter donated a set of golden stirrups studded with diamonds and red stones to the temple. He quotes R.C. Shenoy from the book “Madura” where there is a reference to the donation made by Rous Peter.

Similarly, in the Meenakshi Sundareswarar Temple’s ‘Sthala Varalaru,’ there is a reference to an interesting incident where Goddess Meenakshi is believed to have saved Rous Peter from a fatal incident.

Apparently Rous Peter had the habit of going around the temple before beginning his daily chore. As District Collector, he was in charge of the temple ’s administration too.

The story goes that one night when the city experienced lightning and thunder, a three-year-old girl appeared at his residence and dragged Rous Peter by his hand outside the house. Soon after, the building collapsed.

His last wish

According to Mr.Manivannan, following the incident, Rous Peter donated golden stirrups to the temple. He also wished that after his death he should be buried in a position that enabled his eyes to face the temple.more at https://ramanisblog-in.cdn.ampproject.org/v/s/ramanisblog.in/2014/04/20/meenakshi-led-britisher-by-hand-his-grave-faces-her/amp/?amp_js_v=a6&_gsa=1&usqp=mq331AQKKAFQArABIIACAw%3D%3D#aoh=16461985942885&referrer=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.google.com&_tf=From%20%251%24s&share=https%3A%2F%2Framanisblog.in%2F2014%2F04%2F20%2Fmeenakshi-led-britisher-by-hand-his-grave-faces-her%2F

The Chidambaram Temple dedicated to Lord Nataraja, has a an enclosure , which contains nothing to indicate Akasa Roopa of Shiva,

It is considered a Secret which many have tried tom unravel.

The Nataraja temple, Chidambaram,Tamil Nadu,India is a representation of the Microcosm and Macrocosm and the temple architecture is designed to resemble Human activities including the number of Breaths taken in a day and the number of Nerve endings in Human Body.There is a Temple near Kottayam in Kerala, India.

Dedicated to Lord Shiva as Mahadeva, there is a secret room which is believed to be a powerhouse, is kept locked most of the times, while a lamp is lit.

A serpent is reported to be guarding it.

The temple houses a Rahasya Ara (secret cabin) where the divine power is located. This is considered a reservoir for the power of the idol. The cabin is well protected with granite stones. A lamp is lighted every day in front of it, before the other main lamps are lighted. A serpent is believed to be sitting in front of this to safeguard the place.

There is also a water well, with a perennial spring of cool water. This believed to have a connection with the Ganges, originating from the divine head of Lord Shiva. Although the well is in the uppermost part of the village, its water has never gone below a certain level, even when most of the wells in the village have dried up.

How to reach.

Ayamkudy is only slightly off from the road linking Kottayam and Ernakulam. Public buses are the best way to access Ayamkudy. There are few dozen buses plying between Kottayam and Vaikom, many of which have stops in Ayamkudy. Alternatively, one can hire a taxi/auto rickshaw from the nearby town of Kaduthuruthy, which is well connected to other cities and towns in the state.

Kottayam and Ernakulam are the nearest major railroad stations; Cochin International Airport (IATA: COK) is the nearest airport. The major place near Ayamkudy is Jeriyappan Kavala.

The history of the temple or its origin could be dated back as early as 1000 AD. The main idol is a Shivalingam, supposed to have appeared on its own in the homagni (sacred fire) in a Brahmin’s house at Ayamkudy. This Brahmin, Namboothiri, was an ardent devotee of Vaikathappan, a temple 15 kilometres (9.3 mi) away. According to legend, he was unable to get to the temple for worship due to his old age, so the deity of that temple (Vaikathappan) appeared in his Upasana Homagni. The temple was constructed later and it stands presently as the top center of the village. There seem to have been seven Ooranma families (owners) of the temple; however, only five still have living members. The present Ooranma Families include Pattamana Illam, Ettikkada Mana, Irishi Illam, Marangatta Mana and Neithasseri Mana.https://ramanisblog.in/2015/04/05/shiva-temple-with-a-secret-powerhouse-thiruvayamkudi/

Hinduism advocates God as A Principle,Beyond Attributes.

The underlying principle of Life and Universe,both known and Unknown lies in all these,they in It,yet It is beyond them.

It is the Reality,Brahman.

This Brahman is without beginning and end.

It is Infinite.

It is beyond words,thoughts.

It Immanent and as well all Pervasive.

It can be felt and Realized.

There are various methods tried to Realize Brahman,also known as the Self.

There are as many paths,methods to Realize Brahman as many individuals and individual dispositions are.

To understand this principle and realize Brahman as a Priniple,Beyond Attributes is possible only for a few.

Brahman is Realized and not Known in the manner of our knowing mundane things.

It is,for short of words, I use this term, Experienced.

Experiences,all of them need not be through our sense organs alone.

However as this understanding of Brahman as Principle,Hinduism has suggested the method of Realizing Brahman through worship of Personal God,called Easwara.

Please read my article on Iswara Pranidhana,Yoga.

In this method God is related as Preceptor,Father,Mother,Guru,Friend,Lover……

The mind relates to things it likes.

So one is advised to choose the Devatha as he pleases,in consultation with a Guru,who can guide him in choosing what is best .

This worship of Personal God is called Saguna Aradhana,while the realization process of Brahman as The Absolute is called Nirguna Aradhana.

According to Vedas,the authority for Hindus on Spirituality,Saguna Aradhana leads to Realization.

Many Gods are found in Hindu traditions because of this thought,though the substratum of all is,One.

Among many Gods/Goddesses,three are called the Trimurthis,the Trinity.

Brahma,Vishnu and Shiva,representing Potential,Kinetic and Potentio-kinetic energy respectively.

More at https://ramanisblog.in/2017/12/18/britisher-who-saw-lord-shiva-renovated-shiva-temple-baijnath-agar-malwa/