OM - The Mystic Sound

OM :
OM is most sacred sound of Hinduism and also referred as Omkaram. In Sanskrit it is described as Pranava-Nadha means primary or root for all sounds. It should be pronounced as A-U-M. Every mantra in Hinduism OM is added at the beginning and ending phrases to acquire power to that mantra.

Cultural belief:
Hindus believe that the letters (A-U-M) in OM represents 'Trimurthi' (Lord Shiva,Lord Vishnu and Lord Brahma) . The sound removes all sorts of worries,sins and brings inner peace to chanter.  OM is Un-Manifested form of Lord.Om is considered as origin,center and end of everything. Om is the only sound that makes a person to reach peak of spiritual life and shows supreme reality. The planets which revolve around the sun make a noise which is called as OM.  Chanting sacred OM synchronizes the body with the vibration of the universe.OM is considered as NAME and FORM of absolute.Chanting OM purifies the mind,soul and creates inner peace. Ancient texts state that OM is 'Anahata Nada' (The sound that is not produced by striking two objects). According to the Maitri Upanishad OM represents the primeval vibration of Universe, OM is the Center of the Universe. OM is the seed of infinite knowledge.


Interesting facts:

• Om is considered as mother of all mantras and treated as sound of all sounds.
• OM represents three levels of consciousness(waking, dreaming, deep sleep).
• OM represents the past, the present, and the future in the Mandukya Upanishad.
• OM represents A - conscious, U - subconscious, M - unconscious
• OM is the mantra used in meditation to focus the mind.
• OM is a combination of a vowel(A-U) along with a nasal consonant(Mmmm..).
• OM makes respiratory rate equal to the rate in balanced and relaxed state.

Scientific Reasons:

• Chanting OM(A-U-M) produces nitric acid and brings more oxygen to the body.
• Electro-Magnetic waves are generated in the body.
• chanting OM gives creativity and happiness.
• Sound waves of OM transforms water into 'Sri Yantra' Which was explained scientifically using Cymantics phenomena.
• Chanting OM regenerates and gives new life to body cells and acts as an anti aging agent.
• The vibration effects prominent change on the endocrine glands.
• The sound gives power to heart,lungs,free blood circulation, digestion and acts as a detoxifying agent.
• Chanting OM makes breath slow and steady in a controlled manner and relieves stress.
• Allopathic research has stated that chanting of vowels and nasal constants (A-U-M) produces interleukin-2 in the body, which has power to suppress pain and reduces tension, anxiety and fear.
• Chanting OM increases physiological alertness and increased sensitivity to the sensory transmission.

Lord Shani - Deliverance of justice

Lord Shani:

Planet Saturn is called as Lord Shani and weekday Saturday is dedicated to Lord Shanidev.Lord shani is also called as Chayaputra or Raviputra as he is born to Lord Surya and Goddess Chayadevi.'Shani tryodasi' which comes with tryodashi (Lunar day of Hindus) on Saturday, 'Shani Amavasya' which comes on new moon day Saturday are considered as auspicious days for worshiping the Lord. New moon day which comes on Vaishakha or Jyaishta month according to Hindu calendar is considered as the birth anniversary of Lord Saturn. Planet Saturn is powerful giver and destroyer.

Cultural belief:
 
Lord Shani was believed as a form of Lord Shiva. Lord Yama(death god) is elder brother of Lord Saturn.Shani puja on Saturdays will please Lord Saturn and will be blessed with removal of hardships.Shani Tilabhishekam,Shani Pradosh Vratam,Shani Tila puja,Shani hawan and Shani Shodashopachara poojas  are considered as very much auspicious. Shodashopachara pooja(16 steps of prayer) is considered as the powerful prayer which is explained below.

Achamana — water sipping 3 times for self purification.
Pranayamam - breathing exercise.
Ganapati Prayers — Prayer to Ganesha to remove obstacles.
Kalsha - Inviting waters of all rivers into pot.
Sankalpa — declaration of intent.
Ghanta — Ringing bell(welcoming God)

16 steps of worship:
Dhyana or Avahana - Inviting the Lord Saturn
Asana - offering seat to sit.
Paadhya - offering water to wash the feet.
Aarghya - offering water to wash hands.
Aachamana - offering water to drink.
Madhuparka - offering sweet welcome drink.
Snana - Bathing should be done by pouring sesame oil or full ripe coconut water by reciting Sri Rudram or Purusha Sooktam or Sri Suktam. Pouring oil should be stopped after completion of one of the selected mantras. Unfortunatly, if oil was completed bathing should be continued with coconut water or simply water.
Vastra, Upaveeta - Offering Black Cloth to Lord.
Gandha - Offering Sandalwood paste for fragrance(like scent).
Pushpa - offering flowers with sesame seeds by praying Lord with 108 names('Ashtothara Sathanamavali').
Dhoopa - Lightening incense sticks.
Deepa - Lightening lamp using black wicks or specially made wick using black cloth & sesame seeds.
Naivedya - offering food (Sweet balls made with jaggery and sesame seeds, coconuts or banana's)
Taambula- offering betel leaf with areca nut.
Aarati - offering camphor light.
Mantrapushpa, Pradakshina - offering flower powered by mantra and doing circumambulation.

Interesting facts:

• Shani Shingnapur temple in Maharashtra is very famous for Lord Saturn, there the God self emerged from earth as black stone.In this village, houses are with no doors.
• Shri Mandeshwara Temple in East Godavari district,AP is very famous temple where Lord Shiva blessed Lord Saturn for his capabilities.
• Lord Saturn rides on Iron chariot and mounted on Crow.
• According to astrology, Lord Saturn in 7th place of Horoscope considered as strong.
• Aquarius and Capricorn are the zodiac signs ruled by Lord Saturn.
• Taurus and Libra are the zodiac signs where Lord Saturn is most beneficial.
• Elinati Shani or Sade Sathi is the period of 7.5 years of transit of Lord Saturn considered as powerful.
• Peepal tree has strong influence of Lord Saturn so it should be touched only on Saturdays to get positive results. 
• Prayer of Lord Hanuma with 'Hanuman chalisa' on Saturdays also pleases Lord Saturn.

Scientific Reasons:

• Astrology connected metal iron to Saturn and called Mandhagaman (means very slow). Science found ferrous (iron) oxide on Saturn.
• Saturn takes 22.7 years to complete one rotation around sun.
• In Germany,Scientists observed the room with microscope where group of people chanting 'Sri Rudram'.They found electrons flowed in the room in the form of Shiva Linga.  Mantras like Rudram,sooktam have direct healing and relaxing effect on people in the surroundings.
• Mr.Sathish Chandra explained power generation using 'Poorusha-Sookta'.
• Recent researches said that Hanuman Chalisa explains accurate distance between Sun and Earth.
• If we do head bathing by applying sesame oil all over the body can cure several skin diseases.
• Sesame seeds contains Vitamin-E, Vitamin-B, Calcium, Magnesium and fiber which give healthy benefits to the body.
• Black cloth absorbs heat from environment and gives heat to body. Sesame seeds give heat to body.
• The whole prayer for Lord Saturn passes a valuable healthy habits to generation by generation.

Bathing - An Ancient Method of Body Cleaning - II

Bathing:
Bathing is an important daily ritual in Hinduism. Every person belonging to Hinduism will complete the ritual daily 1-3 times. Oil bath(Abhyangana Snanam) is one of the ancient techniques in bathing. Coconut oil, Cow Ghee, Castor oil or sesame oil with a special homemade bath powder(Nalugu Pindi) are used in this special type of bathing. One of the oils is applied on the body and gently massaged to all parts of the body which should be done for 30 minutes. Later after massage, the bath powder is used as the cleansing solution on the body. By this bath, several skin diseases, toxins, bad odors would be eliminated. This bathing benefits with good sleep, nourishes the skin, improves digestion and gives strength to all parts of the body.

Cultural Beliefs:

 According to Ancient texts, there are 5 types of bath.
1)'Nitya snan': Normal bathing ritual which is performed daily.
2)'Nimittika snan': This is performed after completion of certain types of situations like after eclipse, vomiting, saloon, bad dreams, sex, touching bones, visiting cemetery, touching women after pregnancy, touching women at the time of menstrual period, touching a dead person.
3)'Kamya Snan': Completing bath with a desire like bath while visiting a temple, festivals, important days, Karthika masam, important days.
4)'Mukya Snan': It is subdivided in to 2 types.

• 'Mantra or Brahmya snan': Sprinkling water which are powered by sacred mantras like Purusha Sookta of Lord Vishnu, Namaka-Chamkam of Lord Shiva, Marjana mantras such as 

• 'Varunam': This is the normal bath which we daily perform.

5)'Amukya or Gowna Snan' : Taking bath without water. This is subdivided into 5 types.

• 'Agneya Snan': Taking bath with sacred ash. It is also known as Vibhuti Snan.
• 'Mruthika Snan': Taking bath with Mud which is available at rivers or mud of snake house/ Hillock. It is also known as mud bath.
• 'Vayuvya Snan': This snan is like when we  walk in the dust generated by group of cows nearby.     
• 'Divya Snan': Taking bath in rain which arrives in a bright sunny day. 
• 'Manasik Snan': Doing meditation by remembering God is considered as sacred bath.

Bathing effects on each week day:

• Taking head bath on Saturday will fulfill all wishes.
• Taking head bath on Sunday will increase thirst in the body and creates unwanted desires.
• Taking head bath on Monday will improve beauty and gives peace.
• Taking head bath on Tuesday will give sadness.
• Taking head bath on Wednesday will improves financial assets.
• Taking head bath on Thursday will give debts.
• Taking head bath on Friday will give obstacles.

Results of Bathing when some ingredients are added:

• Oil bath with warm water will make skin soft and regulates blood flow.
• Sauna or steam bath will clean skin pores and increases oxygen levels in the body.
• Taking bath using turmeric powder act as antiseptic and anti-bacterial.
• Taking bath using cow ghee increases life span.
• Taking bath with holy grass/ Kush grass will eliminate all sins.
• Taking bath using sandalwood paste increases wealth.
• Taking bath with Indian gooseberry will eliminates poverty.
• Taking bath with sesame seeds or white mustard seeds will clear obstacles.
• Taking bath with gem stones gives victory.
• Taking bath with gold improves intelligence.

Interesting Facts:

• Every person while entering into temple sprinkle some water on head as a act of purification and treated as bathing. This type of bathing is known as 'Bramha Snan' and stated in 'Padma-Purana'. It also used in the critical time when ever people had no facility to perform bathing while visiting sacred temples or places.
• In-front of every popular temple, we see a water body(river, lake, pond, tank, ocean) for the purpose of bathing ritual.
• Famous Lord Vekateswara Temple in tirumala, we can see water body called as 'pushkarini' considered as sacred and possess mystic energy due to idol bath with sacred mantras were done in the tank it is known as 'Chakra Snanam'.
• In ancient days, people tested the rain water by collecting rain water in a silver bowl and dipping a small part of cooked rice in the bowel. If the rice was spoiled after sometime in bowel of rain water they will not use the rain water for bathing.
• Oil bath/Head bath shouldn't be attempt on days of death ceremony, Sunday,Tuesday, Hindu lunar days of 'Padyami, Chavithi, Shahti, Ashtami, Navami, Chaturdasi' stated by 'Sukha Maharshi'.
• Bathing at the time of 4-5AM is known as 'Rushi Snan' which is considered as auspicious.
• Bathing at the time of 5-6AM is known as 'Deva Snan' Which is considered as normal.
• Bathing at the time of 6-7AM is known as 'Manushya Snan' which is considered as least.
• Bathing after 7AM is known as 'Rakshasa Snan' which worst of all.
• Bathing in flowing waters like rivers is considered as auspicious. Males should do bath opposite to direction of flowing water.females should stand parallel to flowing water.
• Bathing in ponds,lakes is considered as normal.
• Bathing at well considered as least.

Their is a popular belief that taking bath in the waters of Rama Setu(Adams bridge),'Rameshwaram/Dhanshkoti' will be blessed with pregnancy.

Scientific Reasons:

• Bathing will adjust the energies in our body and makes the energies in our body to flow uniformly and it is known as electro-magnetic activity.
• Bathing will eliminate dust,toxins on the body, relieves stress,relaxes muscles and reduce body pains.
• Bathing eliminates bad odor and gives freshness to mind.
• Many scientists stated that waters of Ram-Setu/Adams bridge contains deposits of Gold, Silver, Aluminum and mercury. Whenever a couple takes bath in the water which are enriched with minerals will have chances of pregnancy in women.
• River water will carry so many minerals because it flows from hills and touches so many herbal trees. People will be benefited physically and mentally when taken a dip in the sacred rivers.

Read More at :                       

Bathing - An Ancient Method of Body Cleaning - I

Food in Johor Bahru- Tan Hiok Nee Road and Eight Lido

Tan Hiok Nee was a rich and famous person in Johor Bahru (JB). Born in 1827, he had a humble beginning as a small textile retailer but his turned to be the most prominent businessman after sultan of Johor granted several concessions to him. Well, we are not going to have a history class here. You can find more information about Tan at Wikipedia. 

One of the streets at the center of Johor Bahru has been named Tan Hiok Nee Road to commemorate his contribution to the state. Tan Hiok Nee Road is located at the southern end of Wong Ah Fook Road, around 400 meters south from JB City Square. Streets nearby are Dhoby Road, Pahang Road, Trus Road, and Segget Road. Parking our car was the biggest problem around the area. The streets were always congested and we had to park our car a few streets away. Illegal parking might be risky as we noticed frequent policemen patrol around the area. A feast ended with a fine ticket on the windscreen was the last thing that we wished. In our last visit to JB, we went to the street two consecutive days for food and we would like to share what we found at Tan Hiok Nee Road.

Tan Hiok Nee Road has been transformed into a Chinese cultural and heritage street.

The street was well decorated. We saw a few people did some drawing in front of the shop lot (lower left). A wall with the words "It is more blessed to give than to receive"- a verse taken from the Holy Bible (lower right).

The arch of Tan Hiok Nee Road was flanked by two kopitiam. By random, we visited the left one- Kedai Makan Old Street Corner (upper left). The kopitiam had enough ceiling fans to keep us cool in the middle of the day (upper right), and served several traditional Chinese delicacies which for us, up to the standard to be recommended to all of you. By the way, the coffee served, both hot and cold were really good.

The shop next to Old Street Corner- Hiap Joo Bakery and Biscuit Factory attracted our attention with the people gathered outside of the shop (upper left). Well, the bakery was unique with the baking done by a big brick-made oven heated by firewood (upper right). Yes, wood! The old-fashioned oven was so big that it took up more than half of the shop (lower right). Well, we were lucky to grab ourselves one box of banana cakes (with RM8). The taste- excellent! As the factory only bake the bread once in a day, so we will see the queue only when the bread is almost done during the noon time. For the rest of the time, we can get other products such as buns and cakes quite easily. Hiap Joo which operated since 1919 was rated 5 out of 5 in Tripadvisor. The location- 13 Tan Hiok Nee Road.

We tried the noodle with beef tripe (lower left) and beef (lower right) at Triple K. Both were excellent. Well, one down side- the shop was warm even with the air-conditioners on. The shop seemed to be renovated, but the back side of the shop looked unappealing. Recommended? Yes, but be prepared to be sweaty. Anyway, the shop is located at the opposite side of Hiap Joo Bakery at 65, Tan Hiok Nee Road. Price per person was about RM10.

The shop was old. The owner had been cooking Teow Chew noodle there since 1969. According to the newspaper cutting, the soup for the noodle was cooked with firewood. We tried the dry noodle and noodle with soup. The noodle was good, but the overall taste were not what we had expected. The soup was a bit tasteless (for us). Well, that's Teow Chew noodle. If you wish to try some, please visit Kedai Makanan Sang Heng at 7, Tan Hiok Nee Road (beside HSBC Bank). Price per person was around RM5.

IT Roo was crowdy during lunch hours. The air-conditioning room was fully occupied during our visit. No choice, we took a table outside the shop. It was warm. Dubbed itself as "the best chicken chop in town", haha, it could be more appropriate to state as "the cheapest" with the price range from RM15 - RM25 per serving.

The air conditioned room was fully occupied (upper left), with some decorations on the wall (upper right). We tried steak with black pepper gravy (lower left) and roasted chicken chop with mushroom. The taste, to be frank, second upper. However, by putting the price and the location into our consideration, we might visit it again. IT Roo is located at 17, Dhoby Road (corner lot at the junction with Pahang Road).

If you happen to make a brief stop at JB, we would recommend that you grab some banana cakes from Hiap Joo Bakery and take a cup of coffee at Old Street Corner. If you opt for a more filling meal, then Triple K is a good choice. How about IT Roo? A big yes if you are fancy about western food, particularly chicken chop with fair price. Anyway, frankly speaking, we can get nice chicken chop all over Malaysia (price is another story), so in case you have travelled a thousand miles to JB, we would suggest that you should try something more "indigenous". You can find out more about our sharing on nice food in JB here.

Not to forget one more place that we visited for nice Spanish food- Eight Lido. Our friend Chia En recommended us to visit the nice British-style bungalow at Lido Beach for its nice environment. Well, she was right, that place was excellently decorated on the inside and well landscaped on the outside. But we almost left immediately after we knew that it served Spanish food. Come on, going to JB for Spanish food just didn't make sense to us. 

However, after a short discussion, Kelly urged us to stay, as she mentioned that if we wish to just take a try on Spanish food, that will be our best chance, for the price for the same type of food minus the nice environment in Kuala Lumpur cost double the figures in the menu. Well, too bad, we stayed and took Spanish food in JB.

Alright, the price was half compared to Kuala Lumpur, how about the quality? We had never tried Spanish food before but Kelly did, for a few times. Her comment- excellent. The food tasted authentic with unbeatable freshness. 

 The smoking section of Lido Eight. The non-smoking section was fully occupied during our visit.

 The outdoor dining area facing the strait.

Food for our dinner- Costilla de res estofada en salsa de vino tinto (braised beef ribs in red wine sauce) (upper left), Paella arruz negros (Rice and seafood with squid ink) (upper right), Gambas frescas con chile ajo y aceite de oliva (fresh prawns with chilli pepper, garlic and olive oil) (lower left), and Croquettes de pollo y queso (chicken and cheese croquettes with honey mustard). Together with the drinks, we spent around RM50 per person for the first-time-in-our-life spanish dinner. If you wish to try something not local to JB, such as Spanish food, then Eight Lido is definitely the place for you! The location, 8, Skudai Road (facing the strait). Open time was 6 pm onwards. We would like to thank Allan, the owner of Eight Lido and his crew for the great services. 

More about our experience in Johor Bahru can be found in our previous posts:

[Nice food in Johor Bahru] [Legoland Johor Bahru] [Attractions in JB]

[All our Destinations]

Quenelle de 45.000 pour tous !

"Suite aux propos ouvertement antisémites tenus par l’humoriste Dieudonné visant notre confrère Patrick Cohen, diffusés jeudi 19 décembre dans le cadre d’un reportage de l’émission Complément d’enquête sur France 2, la direction de Radio France a décidé de signaler ces faits à la justice. Le procureur de la République jugera s’il ouvre ou non des poursuites judiciaires à l’encontre de Dieudonné." France Inter

Je n’avais pas spécialement goûté la sortie de Patrick Cohen sur les « cerveaux malades », pourtant j'ai ressenti un rare moment de malaise en visionnant ce moment du spectacle de Dieudonné, diffusé dans l'émission Complément d'enquêtes sur France 2, appelant les pieds sous le bureau à son extermination. Le comédien justifie ainsi les propos du journaliste six mois plus tôt. 

On me dira : "tu comprends pas, c’est de l’humour". "C’est un bras d’honneur au "système"". "Ça secoue". "Desproges faisait pareil". 

Sûr que ça change de l’humour sur les couches culottes, la drague en boîte et le café en capsules constituant désormais 99% de l’humour national. Est-ce pour autant drôle ? Non, c’est à chier. 

Ne pas voir de quoi il en retourne précisément est, au choix, 1 / de la complicité 2 / de la crétinerie 3 / les 2. Je ne vois pas où est "l'honneur" dans l'appel à l'extermination d'individus au nom de leur religion (souvent juste supposée) et, à part l'intelligence et mes cours d'histoire, ça ne secoue pas grand-chose.

Et arrêtons d'insulter Desproges (et de faire parler les morts en général). Desproges jouait sur le fil avec l’érudition de son public, Dieudonné surfe sur la bêtise ambiante en sautant à pieds joints dans la boue. Le problème de l'humour de Dieudonné n'est pas tant de quoi il traite, mais ce vers quoi il tend. Desproges faisait rire, Dieudonné fait du fric et ce dernier point a chez lui, toujours, précédé le premier. Si être antisémite rapporte, il sera antisémite. Bien que chez lui, on ne saisisse plus très bien ce qui répond de la conviction ou de l’intérêt. 

Je n’accablerai pas non plus Dieudonné. Faute de dialogue initial (épisode du sketch chez Fogiel), on l’a, comme d’autres, passablement rendu timbré. Ça n’excuse en rien ses propos, mais explique une partie de la spirale dont il est désormais l'heureux prisonnier. Il semble aujourd’hui trop tard (et pas assez rentable pour lui) pour faire machine arrière. 

Le plus inquiétant n'est pas Dieudonné, mais ceux s'esclaffant goguenards de son antisémitisme (de façade ou pas) ou le relativisant dans un gloubiboulga mental où tout se vaut, où l'individu se trouve réduit à sa religion prétendue, où tout, rigoureusement tout, trouve son origine dans le grand complot judeo-maçonnique visant à faire taire les esprits "libres" en tête desquels on retrouve Raël, Les Schtroumpfs et Dieudonné.

Alors que faire pour contrer cette vague obscurantiste, branche bâtarde mais néanmoins robuste de l'abrutea-party ? De la pédagogie ? Des actions judiciaires ? 

La désormais célèbre triplette de Quimper : Quenelle + bonnet rouge + Sweat Manif pour Tous.

Si ces actions en justice sont indispensables, elles sont trop isolées et centrées sur un camelot rusé qui s'en sert de vitrine marketing. Que représente une amende de cinq mille euros face à dix Zenith plein à craquer ? Un faible investissement publicitaire.

S'il est un des seuls à tirer un profit financier de la libération de la parole par le bas (dont on peut dater la source à la mise en orbite médiatique d'un certain Sarkozy), Dieudonné est loin d'être le seul en cause.

.

Comment condamner Dieudonné et ne pas s’attarder sur les commentaires de ses fans sur Youtube, ailleurs sur Facebook, ou encore les tweets racistes et homophobes, ou même sur les commentaires des lecteurs du Figaro souvent bien plus explicites ? La loi est claire à ce sujet : la manifestation du racisme ou un discours d'incitation à la haine peuvent conduire ses auteurs à un an d'emprisonnement et 45.000 euros d'amende (de "la  grosse quenelle de 45.000" en langage dieudosphère).

Tu trouveras un assortiment sur ce site.

Tant qu'il n'y a pas de véritable offensive juridique sur le vide-ordure de la parole 2.0, s'attaquer seulement à Dieudonné est inutile, voire contre-productif. 

Il faut traiter l'internaute lambda, qui se prend pour un rebelle en lâchant sa haine bien planqué derrière son avatar, comme l'on traite Dieudonné. Ni plus ni moins. Voilà qui changerait probablement la donne et ferait réfléchir à deux fois avant d'appeler à gazer les juifs ( - "au nom de la liberté d’expression t’voua, parce ce qu'on est des purs pas dans le système t'voua. MDR. Zut, je vais rater Danse avec les stars."). 

En plus, ce serait l’occasion de tester la solidarité financière de l'humoriste envers ses disciples : c’est vrai, à bien y regarder, c’est toujours dans l’autre sens que l'argent circule.

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Holy Bael Tree / Bilva

Holy Bael Tree:

Holy Beal or Bilwa tree (Aegle marmelos) is sacred tree and used to worship Lord Shiva. Bael tree grows in several countries especially in Asain countries like India it has highest value in religious rituals. It was used as medicine and essential food product from ancient age. Bael tree can sustain different temperatures, PH values of soil and can grow where no other tree take life. Bael fruit taste like citrus fruit. Single leaf is a combination of three or five or seven leaflets.

Cultural Beliefs:

The bael leave considered as the three eyes or trident weapon of Lord Shiva. The bael fruit sometimes referred as Shreephal and worshiped in many hindu houses.

Beal leaves offering to Lord Shiva at the time Mahashivaratri festival is considered as auspicious. Lord Venkateswara also worshipped with beal leaves during Friday. According to Swami Shivananda the beal tree can eliminate diseases caused by imbalance of wind and strengthens immunity system of the body.

According to skanda puranabael tree originated from the sweat of Goddess Lakshmi or Parvathi which was fallen on the mountain Mandra. The beal tree emits positive frequencies and eliminates negative energies in the persons who came near to the tree.

A cruel hunter ‘Gurudruh’ accidentally climbed bilwa tree near a pond to hunt animals which comes to quench their thirst by drinking water in pond. A Shiva linga was there beneath the sacred tree. And It was an auspicious day ‘Maha Shivaratri’. Without sleeping he waited the whole night on the tree and chewed bilwa leaves and dropped the leaves on shiva linga. Without any conscious effort, hunter transformed knowledgeable person and attain moksha with grace of Lord Shiva on auspicious day.

The below verses explains 8 different kinds of medicinal plants which are called as bilvas used to worship god.

 

Bael tree is very dearer to Goddess Mahalakshmi and offering bael leaf to Goddess Lakshmi on friday is considered as auspicious. Below versus in Sri Sooktam(Hymns of goddess Lakshmi) explains about bael tree.

Interesting Facts:

• Beal leaf is considered as Three eyes of Lord Shiva, Trimurthi Swaroop, Three syllables of sacred sound ‘OM’.
• The one who worship Shiva linga under the bael tree will attain salvation and reaches Lord Shiva place.
• The one who pour water on head under bael tree will attain benefits of bathing in all sacred rivers.
• The one who worships the bael tree with flowers will get blessings from Lord Shiva.
• The one who lit a lamp under bael tree will attain great knowledge.
• The one who feeds food for devotee of lord Shiva under bael tree will never get poor and attain all above benefits greater than ten million times.
• A beal leaf can be re-used 15 times continuously by sprinkling water on leaves to offer god.
• The front end of leaf contains nectar so it needs to face god while offering in worship.
• According to Vastu-Sastra if a house have Beal tree in North East it bestows all kinds of wealth & remove unforeseen dangers, In East it blesses with happiness, peace and good health, In West it Blesses with health and progeny, In South it protects from troubles caused by Yama.

Scientific Reasons:

• Beal will remove imbalance of wind and water in the body and helps in smooth bowel movement for the people suffering from constipation.
• Bael fruit can quench excessive thirst, eliminate phlegm, cures anemia, reduces hypertension, improves memory power, acts as blood purifier and useful for diarrhea & dysentery.
• Bael leaves has ability to cure asthma and jaundice. These leaves can purify the water.
• Oil extracted from bael root used to cure ear related problems and has ability to kill 21 types of bacteria.
• Bael leaves or roots or fruits posses antimicrobial properties it may be the reason it is used widely in several traditional rituals related to Lord Shiva. 

Bilwashtakam- One of Hymns of Lord Shiva which is powerful mantra explains about Bael Tree.