Skip to main content

Manabharana Is Not Malay (Manabharana Bukan Melayu)

In recent times, an alarming narrative has emerged within the Malaysian blogosphere, suggesting a historical event that appears to be a misinterpretation or perhaps a deliberate misinformation campaign. The claim revolves around a so called Malay prince named Manabharana from Srivijaya, purportedly attacking and conquering the Chola kingdom. This misleading story has gained traction and is spreading like wildfire across various social media platforms. The need to address and rectify such inaccuracies is crucial not only for the sake of historical accuracy but also for fostering a responsible and informed online community. To delve into the matter, it is essential to clarify that historical records reveal the existence of multiple individuals named Manabharana throughout history. However, a nuanced understanding reveals that all these figures were Tamils (Damila) hailing from the Pandya kingdom, with references to their exploits documented in Tamil inscriptions and Sri Lankan chronicles...
Post a Comment

Padmapada - The Narasimha Devotee (Part 1)


About 1,200 years ago, there was a Narasimha Upasaka who lived in the Chola kingdom. His name was Sanandana. Upasaka is a word used to describe worshippers or followers of a deity. The word is also used by the Buddhist. Females are known as Upasika.

 A Narasimha Upasaka is a person who worships Narasimha as his favourite deity or Ishta Deva. All concentration on Him alone. Narasimha is the 4th Avatar of Vishnu.

 For many months, Sanandana was meditating upon Narasimha in a forest. He wished to see his Lord. But it was not easy to live in a forest. Despite all this, Sanandana continued with his meditation in the forest.

 On one fine day, a hunter passed by Sanandana. He asked : 

 Hunter: "Hey you! What are you doing in the forest?"
Sanandana : "I am meditating so that I get to see Narasimha"
Hunter: "Narasimha? What is that?"

 Sanandana then describes the physical attributes of Narasimha. Body of a man, head of a lion. The hunter then mentioned that he has hunted in the forest for many years and never seen such being. He swears to return only after capturing the Narasimha.

 Sanandana continues with his daily routine.

 After a few days, the hunter returns. He helds a long rope. The other end of the rope is tied to something but it is invisible. The rope moved, there were thunderous roars.

 Hunter: "Here. I have captured your Narasimha"
Sanandana: "Where? I cannot see it"
Hunter: "Can't you see it? I tied it with this rope"
Sanandana: "No! I see nothing. I hear roars, I realise there are movements but I cannot see it"

 Sanandana then cries.

 "Oh Lord! I spent many many months in this forest. Meditating upon you. You chose not to reveal yourself to me. But the hunter who did no penance is able to see you. What is this?"

 At that moment, Narasimha responds.

 "Blessed devotee of mine. You did meditate upon me but your meditation was not continuous. In between, you did your daily chores. You ate, you drank, you slept, you bathed. But this hunter who seeked me for days, did not sleep, did not bathe, did not eat, did not drink. He only had me in his mind and he was continuously thinking about me for the last few days. This is why he saw me first"

 It then clicked! Sanandana realised that it is not the duration of worship that matters, it is the intensity of the worship that matters the most.

 He fell on the Lord's feet and asked for his blessings.

 At this point of time, you would have realised that the title says Padmapada but I kept using the name Sanandana in this article. You will know why in Part 2.

 Click below for Part 2

 http://sharmalanthevar.blogspot.com/2014/03/padmapada-narasimha-devotee-part-2.html
Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

The Indian confusion - Race, Caste, Clan & Surnames

Before you read, keep in mind that this was not written with the intention to divide the people. It was written with the intention to explain the meaning of each group. The write up on my journey in Bali is still in progress. I have to transfer some image files in order to upload them. So I thought of writing about the biggest confusion in the Indian Malaysian community. It is a sensitive one too. But clarification should be given. Else, when are we going to understand it? To my friends of other races who happened to read my blog, this will probably be enlightening as many may not be aware of our demographics. First of all, there are two main classification for us in Malaysia. Indian & Ceylonese. Many assume it to be a homogenous race like Chinese, but it isn't. The Chinese have many languages but they have a common language called Mandarin. They also have one writing script. This is what makes the over 1 billion Chinese worldwide as a homogenous race. Ancient Chinese ...
103 comments
Read more

Dogs of Tamil Nadu

Pictures taken from Google. Credit goes to the various people who uploaded them. I apologise for not being able to identify the original owner of the pics. Whenever we speak of dogs, we tend to focus on the European breeds.  This is due to their popularity and demand. Unknown to many, India has about 88 native dog breeds. Six of these breeds are from the southern state of Tamil Nadu. Most of these dogs from Tamil Nadu evolved naturally. That makes them more suitable to the hot climate in the south. Furthermore, these dogs require less medical attention as their immune system is stronger, making them less prone to disease which are common among the European breeds. In Tamil Nadu, we can find breeds like the famous Rajapalayam, Kombai, Alangu Mastiff, Chippiparai, Kanni and Malayeri. Both the Alangu Mastiff and Malayeri are now extinct. Malayeri The Malayeri (hill climber) was a shepherd dog used by the tribals to herd sheeps. It was commonly found in the hills of Tamil Na...
92 comments
Read more

How To Find Your Kula Deivam?

*DISCLAIMER-Article written from a believer's perspective.  One of the most common questions I get from my readers is  "How do I find my Kula Deivam?" Kula Deivam is the patron deity of your lineage. Some families have more than 1 deity.  The easiest way to know your Kula Deivam is of course by knowing the ancestral village of your patrilineal lineage (father's side).  Usually the Kula Deivam shrines will be in the ancestral village. If the family has migrated to several villages, then the shrine will usually be in the main village where the family originated from. Knowing your caste or clan background is also helpful in finding out more about your Kula Deivam. For females, they have an advantage. They also inherit the Kula Deivam from their matrilineal lineage (mother's side). So if you are a woman, your mother's Kula Deivam (from her mother) will continue to be present throughout your life. If you are married, your husband's Kula Deivam (from...
18 comments
Read more