The Antipode of Arunachala!!!

The antipodes refer to land on the opposite side of the world compared to the speaker.

If the coordinates (longitude and latitude) of a point on the Earth’s surface are (θ, φ), then the coordinates of the antipodal point are (θ ± 180°,−φ). This relation holds true whether the Earth is approximated as a perfect sphere or as a reference ellipsoid.



There is a defnite antipode to everything on the surface of the planet.

And there is an antipode of Arunachala!

The Antipode of Arunachala....a hill or mountain in the sea which correlates exactly to the opposite coordinates of Arunachala on Earth.

This is the first time perhaps when any research done by anyone has tried to show the exact coordinates of the sister of Arunachala....a hill bang on the opposite side of the Earth.

To understand more here is some research done into the subject by others:

Reading the following extract from A Sadhu's Reminiscence, by Sadhu Arunachala (Major A. W. Chadwick), it would appear that Bhagavan was quite certain about a corresponding holy hill exactly opposite the globe to Arunachala. Major Chadwick writes:


""He used to say that Arunachala was the top of the spiritual axis of the earth. 'There must,' he said, 'be another mountain corresponding to Arunachala at exactly the opposite side of the globe, the corresponding pole of the axis.' So certain was he of this that one evening he made me fetch an atlas and see if this was not correct. I found, according to the atlas, the exact opposite point came in the sea about a hundred miles off the coast of Peru. He seemed doubtful about this. I pointed out that there might be some island at this spot or a mountain under the sea. It was not until some years after Bhagavan's passing that a visiting Englishman had a tale of a spot, supposed to be a great secret-power centre, in the Andes somewhere in this latitude. Later I found that though a centre had certainly been started, it had failed. Since then I have been told of another person who is practising meditation in solitude in the region of the Andes in Ecuador. So it does appear as though there were some strange attraction about that part of the globe. The earth is not an exact sphere and maps are not so accurate as all that, so we are unable to pin it down to any definite point. It is quite possible that more is going on in that part of the world than we know and this would fit in well with what Bhagavan said. However, I could never discuss the matter with Bhagavan, as it was not until many years after his passing that I had any indication that anything of this sort was happening in those parts. I had many years ago travelled extensively in that country, but had never seen anything which would lead me to think that there might be important spiritual centres there."

Following the thread of Major Chadwick's research, Dr. Ravi Iyer of Virginia writes about his investigation into Machu Picchu, an ancient, sacred mountain in Peru.

Bhagavan Ramana Maharshi always insisted that the Holy Hill Arunachala was the spiritual axis of the world, even in a physical sense, similar to the geographical North Pole, with a South Pole axis. So strongly did he maintain the view that another holy hill existed on the opposite side of the globe to Arunachala - which was itself remarkable since he normally did not take very rigid positions except on matters concerning the Self and the Heart - that he once made a devotee pull out a world atlas and look for a similar mountain opposite to Arunachala. The only mention we have of this endeavor was that the search indicated a spot on the continental shelf beneath the Pacific Ocean immediately off the coast of Peru. No further effort seems to have been spent after this, though it appears that Bhagavan may not have supported the conclusion of that research, since he seemed convinced that a land-based mountain existed at the other end of this "spiritual axis".

The Latitude/longitude Coordinates of Arunachala (Tiruvannamalai) are: 12n13, 79e04

Recently I came across an article about a place in the high Andean mountains of Peru that is reputed to be a site of great spiritual force, called Machu Picchu. Machu Picchu was discovered by Yale archeologist Hiram Bingham in 1911, and is the site of an ancient Inca temple city. This city appears to have evaded discovery by the marauding armies of the Spanish Conquistadors, yet it represents one of the immense mysteries of the Inca civilization. It appears the Machu Picchu Mountain itself was known as sacred to the Incas from a time before their own civilization, since the Inca's speak of the mountain as the "Ancient One," who preceded the civilization of their ancestors.



There are several striking parallels between the Machu Picchu site and the Shakti culture. The Inca's worshipped Machu Picchu as the manifestation of the Divine Mother Goddess of the Universe. They referred to Her as "Paachamama," a name that bears a striking similarity to the name "Pachaiamman" used for Parvathi in South Indian shrines. [In the early 1900s, the Maharshi spent many months at the Pachaiamman Temple at the foot of the Hill, outside the town of Tiruvannamalai.] The architecture of the temple city was astrologically and astronomically determined. Various points of the city serve as a kind of giant sextant or observatory from where specific constellations and celestial objects can be plotted and observed. A closer look at the topology of the city reveals a striking resemblance to the Sri Chakra, the Meru architectural topology that characterizes Indian Shakti shrines.

On the psychic plane, multiple individuals with siddhic/occult capacities have separately asserted on visiting Machu Picchu that the city is a place where the feminine aspect of the Universe is especially palpable.

Lastly, the Latitude/longitude coordinates of Machu Picchu are: 13s07, 72w34. While the geographical coordinates are not exactly opposite of those of Arunachala, it would be unreasonable to expect it would be exact since the earth is not a precise sphere.

I share this with the general community of Ramana bhaktas as an item of spiritual and historical interest. While ultimately there is nothing but the Self, as long as the manifested world is our framework of reference then we will be confronted by the dual pairs of balancing opposites. There can be no Siva without Shakti, and vice versa."

The URL to the astrodienst web site for latitude - longitude determinations is: http://www.astro.com/cgi/aq.cgi?lang=e
The global coordinates for Tiruvannamalai and Machu Picchu are as follows:


Tiruvannamalai: 12n13, 79e04
Machu Picchu: 13s07, 72w34
If you do a precise reversal of Tiruvannamalai's coordinates you will indeed fall off the coast of Peru. You can confirm this by going to the following website and entering the precise reverse coordinate of Tiruvannamalai: http://www.fourmilab.ch/earthview/vlatlon.html (The site shows a satellite view. Make sure you are viewing earth from a 10 km height).
Regarding information on Machu Picchu, check out:
sacredsites.com Machu Picchu
http://www.he.net/~mine/inca/ [stale as of jun-2009] Machu Picchu Crown Jewel In The Clouds — This site had the Meru like (Sri Chakra architecture of the city)
ifp.com://MachuPicchu

But in my thought Bhagwan must have been right! There must be a Hill and it is not Machu Pichu.

I went into geohack and punched in the coordinates of Arnachala.

The coordinates of the peak are

12° 14′ 33″ N, 79° 03′ 29″ E

The Antipode is

12° 13′ 12″ S, 100° 55′ 48″ W

It showed the Lattitude and Longitude and also the correct antipode of opposite of Arunachala. It was a point in the Pacific Ocean off Peru.

By Google Earth and its Ocean Mapping Technology I was able to see a Hill correctly corresponding to the said coordinates!!!

Also by studying the terrain I could see that the Hll too must have been formed by volcanic eruptions.

Who knows how many siddhas, celestial beings and power is associated with this Hill. How many celestial beings go around it in complete surrender and girivallam!

I shudder to think what it would be like to be in a ship which is exactly above the great Hill in the depths of the pacific.

This great antipode of Arunachala....the great HILL in the Pacific.

It represents the Divone Mother Goddess...as Arunachala is Shiva.

I am absolutely sure that it does not have a name.

I propose to call it Karunachala! ( The Hill of Grace)

Karunachala! in the Pacific.

Arunachala Darshan - Goddess Saraswathi.

Arunachala Hill is the Source of all Knowledge. Hence it represents and carries in it the darshan of Goddess Saraswathi in all Her Glory.

This view of Arunachala shows the main peak and the two peaks of Parvathi hill forming the face and the lotus of Sarawsthi and the Great Northern Spur represents the Peacock.

A very powerful darshan of Arunachala.

photo courtesy: www.arunachala-ramana.org.

Arunachala Darshan: Lord Brahma

This darshan too was indicated by www.agasthiar.org.

This is the Father of Creation: Lord Brahma darshan. It is a darshan which highlights the four heads of Brahma in the four peaks of Arunachala.

Wiki:

"According to the Puranas, Brahma is self-born (without mother) in the lotus flower which grew from the navel of Vishnu at the beginning of the universe.



This explains his name Nabhija (born from the navel). Another legend says that Brahmā was born in water. In this he deposited a seed that later became the golden egg. From this golden egg, Brahma the creator was born, as Hiranyagarbha. The remaining materials of this golden egg expanded into the Brahm-anda or Universe. Being born in water, Brahmā is also called Kanja (born in water). Brahmā is said also to be the son of the Supreme Being, Brahman and the female energy known as Prakrti or Maya.

Brahma is traditionally depicted with four heads and four faces and four arms. With each head he continually recites one of the four Vedas. He is often depicted with a white beard (especially in North India), indicating the near eternal nature of his existence. He is shown as having four arms, with none holding a weapon, unlike most other Hindu Gods. One of his hands is shown holding a scepter in the form of a spoon, which is associated with the pouring of holy ghee or oil into a sacrificial pyre, indicating that Brahma is the lord of sacrifices. Another of his hands holds a water-pot (sometimes depicted as a coconut shell containing water). The significance of the water is that it is the initial, all-encompassing ether in which the first element of creation evolved. Brahma also holds a string of prayer beads that he uses to keep track of the Universe's time. He also is shown holding the Vedas, and sometimes, a lotus flower.



Another story in connection with Brahma's four heads is that when Brahmā was creating the universe, He made a female deity known as Shatarupā (one with a hundred beautiful forms). Brahmā became immediately infatuated with Her. Shatarupā moved in various directions to avoid the gaze of Brahmā. But wherever She went, Brahmā developed a head. Thus, Brahmā developed five heads, one on each side and one above the others. In order to control Brahmā, Shiva cut off one of the heads. Also, Shiva felt that Shatarupā was Brahmā's daughter, having been created by Him. Therefore, Shiva determined, it was wrong for Brahmā to become obsessed with Her. He directed that there be no proper worship on earth for the "unholy" Brahmā. Thus, only Vishnu and Shiva continued to be worshipped, while Brahmā is almost totally ignored. Ever since the incident, Brahmā has been believed to be reciting the four Vedas in His attempt at repentance."

This darshan of Arunachala is called Chathurmukha Brahma Darshan....the four faced Lord.

Seeing this darshan one ets the benefit of the vision of Lord Brahma.

Chathurmukha Brahma Darshan of Arunachala

Arunachala Darshan: Lord of Palani

This Arunachala darshan was indicated by www.agasthiar.org.

This is a darshan which is equivalent to the darshan of the Lord of Palani, Murugan.

Here is a brief history of Palani from tripod.com

"Once upon a time Saint Naradhar visited Lord Shiva and Sakthi at Kailash. Saint Naradhar is well known for his divine plays. He gave a Mango fruit to Shiva and told that it is fruit of Wisdom. Lord Ganesh and Lord Murugan the two children of Lord Shiva and Sakthi wanted the fruit fully for themself, they are not ready to share the fruit. Then it was decided that who first completes circumventing the Earth will take the fruit. Lord Murugan using his peacock started his journey and took the challenge. Lord Ganesh assumed that his father and mother are equivalent to Earth itself and circumventing them is equivalent to circumventing the Earth and he won the challenge and got the Mango fruit or fruit of Wisdom. On knowing the reason how his brother Lord Ganesh got the fruit, Lord Murugan was is temper and sacrificed everything even his clothes and went to Palani. Then Lord Shiva and Sakthi came to Palani and convinced Lord Muruga as he himself is a fruit of wisdom ( Palam Ni ), since then the place were Lord Murugan stood is known as Palam Ni or Palani."


Here is another interesting account

"Bogar is a Siddhar, he is considered as one of the 18 siddhars born in the world. According to epigraphical sources and his book Bogar Seven thousand his period is around 3000 B.C. Bogar born at India and visited China in search of truth of life, he gained knowledge in medicine, astrology, spritiuality, yoga etc.
Bogar anticipating that in due course of period, human beings will suffer from large number of disease. As an expert in medicine he used 4448 rare herbs and made 9 poisonous medicine, mixing these 9 poisons into one needs great knowledege and skill, to make a Master Medicine ( One medicine to cure all disease ). Thirumoolar also discuss one such Master Medicine in his book Thiru Mandiram. With the consultation of Agasthiar ( Father of Ayurvedic Medicine) and other siddhars Bogar mixed the 9 poisons ( Nava Bashanam ) and made the Master Medicine in the form of Lord Murugan which is currently worshiped at Palani Murugan temple. There is a place near Palani Hill called Thanasiappan Temple which is the place were Bogar mixed the Nava Bashanam and made the Murugan idol.




Bogar and others then decided that by using the milk and panchamirtham ( a sweet recipe ) poured on the idol, one can extract the medicine from the idol. The milk and panchamritham then becomes medicine to cure disease. After installing Lord Murugan Navabashana idol at the Palani Hill, Bogar used to worship it with milk abishegam ( pouring milk on the idol ) and panchamirtha abishegam ( pouring panchamirtham on the idol ).
His disciple Pulipani siddhar then took over the job of Lord Murugan pooja after Bogar went into Nirvigalpa Samadhi - the highest samadhi stage; where the Mind dissolves with Matter and Energy. Bogar Samadhi is inside Palani Murugan temple at Palani Hill. Actually Bogar himself constructed his samadhi exactly under the Lord Murugan Navabasha idol and went into Nirvigalpa Samadhi there. The entrance to his samadhi is a cave like structure, now also worship for this great siddhar is conducted at this entrance where he is last seen by his disciples which is at the Palani temple. "

The Lord of Palani cures all ills.

This darshan of Arunachala too cures all ills.

This is the magnificent Lord of Palani darshan of Arunachala

The Great Banyan Tree: Possible locations.

When I was in Tiruvannamalai recently I had a chance to meet Richard and when we were going around the Hill I chanced to mention about the great banyan tree under which Arunagiri yogi sits. We debated as to where the great tree was.

From Ramana's account we come to understand that the banyan tree is on the northern slope of Arunachala.

"It is said in the Puranas that on the northern slope of
Arunachala, near the summit, a Siddha [?] Purusha [?] (Sage with supernatural powers) known as Arunagiri Yogi sits beneath a banyan tree, in an almost inaccessible spot, teaching in silence. There is a shrine or mantapam [?] dedicated to him in the Great Temple of Tiruvannamalai. The story indicates that the Grace of Arunachala, guiding men through mouna diksha [?] (silent initiation) on the path of Self-enquiry to Liberation, though ever potent, had become inaccessible to the people of this
spiritually dark age. Nevertheless, the symbolical meaning of the story does not make it any the less true literally. It happened one day, about 1906, that Sri Bhagavan was wandering on the northern slope of the hill when, in a dry watercourse, he saw an enormous banyan leaf, large enough to serve a meal on. Presuming that it must have been carried down by the water and wishing to see the tree which bore such leaves, he set out on a later occasion to climb the water-course up the hillside. After climbing steep and rugged parts of the hill, he reached a place whence he could see a large flat rock and on it the banyan tree he was seeking, enormous and a deep green. He was amazed to see such a tree growing on what looked like bare rock. He continued to climb but, as he was drawing nearer, disturbed a hornets' nest with his leg. The hornets flew out and attacked the offending leg in a fury of revenge. Sri Bhagavan stood still until they had finished, meekly accepting their just punishment for having destroyed their home; but he took this as a sign not to proceed and so returned to the cave. The devotees were getting anxious as he had been out so long. When they saw him they were appalled at the state of his leg, swollen and inflamed. He has since pointed out the position of the almost inaccessible banyan tree but he never again set out to reach it and he discouraged any of his devotees who wished to do so."

If we scrutinize the photo on the main page of this blog we see what Arunachala's Northern slope looks like. It is somewhere here that the great banyan tree lies.

Taking clues from Ramana's account

We need to look for a

1. Hill stream in the upper slopes of the northern side.

2. A steep climb.

3. A large flat rock.

4. A magnificent tree coming out of it.

There are in my opinion Three probable places where the Tree lies...one of them even looks very much plausible.

We will discuss each one in detail.

The first image is a little to the east of the northern slope. We see a clump of trees on the right side and a pile of rocks with hidden trees and foliage to the left and up.




Possible?....

Probably not.

The second image is of the Hill nearer to the peak with huge boulders which form the face of Arunachala...with hidden caves and paths leading to beautiful crevices.

The density of rocks makes this place more plausible for the great banyan tree.



There perhaps is a flat rock somewhere...

The third image is a stunning image bang on the northern slope with a stunning flat rock with a tree visible on it!!!!

This flat rock forms a part of the Eye of Arunachala in the Narasimha Swami darshan elaborated previously in the blog.

A detailed study of the terrain surrounding this rock is stunning for there seems to be a hill stream to its left and appears almost impossible to access the rock from any direction because of hidden boulders and dense foliage.

Is this the Great Banyan Tree?!!!



Who knows?!!

The Face of Arunachala

Many of us who have one around the Aruna hill have been fascinated by the 'Face'.

This is a man like face visible on the rocky northeastern face of Arunachala.

The face is made of large boulders forming the nose and the chin and cheeks and clumps of trees forming the eyes and the lips.

It looks like a solemn Shiva looking down on His devotees doing Girivallam with love.

It forms a part of the Sri Rama Seetha Lakshmana Sametha Hanuman darshan of Arunachala which I had talked about in an earlier post.

So here it is...the Face of Arunachala!!

MOST POWERFUL DARSHAN OF ARUNACHALA

Sri Panchamukha Hanuman Dhyana Sloka

Panchasyachutamaneka vichitra veeryam ||
Sri shanka chakra ramaniya bhujagra desam ||
Peethambaram makara kundala noopurangam ||
Dhyayethitam kapivaram hruthi bhvayami ||

Arunachala is the universal form of all deities known and unknown.

The great Hill from before Time has been the centre of the universe signifying the ultimate goal, the source.

It is the final destination for the grand path of Self Enquiry.

Being unique in its form, the Aruna Hill has been believed to manifest itself in infinte darshans in various angles.

Every deity, god or godddess can be found in the Hill.

And one of the stunning, stunning darshans of the Hill is the form of PANCHAMUKHA ANJANEYA or PANCHAMUKHA HANUMAN.

Five faced Hanuman!!!

Panchamukha Hanuman is the symbol of Self Enquiry and helps those who tred the path. The Ramayana talks of Panchamukah Hanuman when Lord Hanuman went to kill Mahiravan and rescue the captured Lord Rama and Lakshmana. The five faces of the Lord blow out five lights which represent the life of Mahiravan at the same time. Then the Lord emerges from the bowels of the Earth with Rama and lakshmana.

I feel the story is a metophor where the five lights represents the senses and Panchamuka Hanuman represents the act of Self Enquiry. The result of the effort is the emergence of the Lord Rama from the bowels of Maya.

Fiva faced Hanuman is the Lord of Self Enquiry.

The five face Hanuman with five faces:

-- The East facing Sri Hanuman removes all blemishes of sin and confers purity of mind.


-- Sri Karala Ugravira Narasimha Swami, facing the South, removes fear of enemies and confers victory.


--The West facing Sri Mahavira Garuda drives away evil spells, black magic influences etc., and removes all poisonous effects in one's body.


--Northfacing Sri Lakshmi Varaha wards off the troubles caused by bad influences of the planets and confers all prosperity.


--The Urdhva Mukha facing upwards of Sri Hayagriva Swami confers knowledge, victory, good wife and progeny.

Arunachala Hill has all these darshans of the five faces if one sees closely.

East Facing Hanuman




South facing Narasimha





West facing Garuda




North facing Varaha



Upward facing Hayagriva.



This is perhaps the MOST POWERFUL DARSHAN OF ARUNACHALA, for it represents the GOD of Self Enquiry...the Five faced Hanuman.

This is an original, inspired darshan and to my knowledge the first time this darshan ( and many more darshans in this blog) has been brought forwrad.

For this I owe it to Arunachala...the Eternal Canvas which shows what we want to see in it.

The Great Magnificent Five faced Hanuman!!! with the rock faces tallying exactly to the directions they are supposed to face!