My Kerala - 'God's own country!'
Hello all,
Namaste! Hope all of you had a great weekend where you were able to lead your life as the wise Hanuman, listening to your inner self and taking great strides towards your purpose in life. This week I was planning to write about Moola nakshatra (Moola star) and some social misconceptions associated with it. Then the deluge happened in Kerala, the state I am from India.
When such a terrible thing is happening/has happened in my state of birth, it doesn't make sense to write about some very unrelated topic. So, I thought today I would write about my beautiful green, verdant state that is lying in tatters due to the huge flood it had to go through. Also, on Friday/Saturday this week is the state's festival Onam. which has been canceled everywhere in the state due to the condition of the state under flood. So, what another topic can I write about? I'll take a stab at writing about Moola nakshatra next week.
Kerala: Now, back to Kerala. Kerala comes at the southwestern tip of India and is one of the southernmost states. On the eastern side, it is demarcated by the mountain range, Western Ghats and on the western by the Arabian sea. It is one of the highly populated states in India. The native language spoken by the people is Malayalam and is the official language of Kerala (Yes, I can read, write, and speak Malayalam). The state was formed on 1 November 1956, has fourteen districts and has an expanse of 15,005 square miles. Two of the major rivers of Kerala are Periyar and Bharatha puzha (puzha-river).
As Kerala is locked between the Arabian sea on the west side and the mountain range on the east side, it gets the yearly Monsoon rains from the Arabian sea that blesses the state from early June to early/middle September. I have numerous memories of going to school/college in dresses that are dripping wet from the rains. I also, along with my sister, once had to walk in knee deep water to my school when I was in elementary school. So, Keralites take the Monsoon in their stride as that comes every year as an invited guest.
Kerala floods: This year the Monsoon was much stronger and that led to the filling up of the dams in the rivers and many dams like Idukki and Mullaperiyar all had to be opened at the same time to manage the levels of the water, as God forbid, the dams should not break. The opening of the dams and the incessant rains swelled the Periyar river and the other rivers, which led to the flooding of nearly the entire state.
Last time I heard the news, the death toll stands at 400 and many many houses and shops have been destroyed. People were without food, water, or shelter for many days and were forced to go to the camps provided by the government to have shelter and basic necessities. Now, once the flood receded and people went back to their houses, were welcomed with damaged houses, creepy- crawlies like snakes, centipedes, and scorpions. There is also mud that seeped into the house along with the water. It has been estimated that above 20,000 crores (1 crore-10 million), could have been lost in all the damage that was caused.
As of today, the state is reeling under the flood, damaged roads, houses, businesses, crops, agricultural damage and more. Hopefully, it would come back to normal fast and everyday life would return to normalcy soon. As it is the state where I was born and raised, I was sitting glued to the television with sadness and my eyes welling up with tears. This year the state is not even in a mood to celebrate the state festival Onam, which represents harvest and abundance. When people are reeling under, food, water, and shelter shortage, what Onam?
But the humanity, helpful mindedness and to give a hand to a fellow human being shown during the floods were amazing. You could see that people were helping everyone without the concern for their caste, class, religion, group, division, or ethnic background. The whole state of Kerala went to the basic tenet of humanity and how each of us is just a part of the greater whole. The basic principle of people trying to function from the pure emotion of being a human. That was an amazing sight to watch. Now, all the bad news apart, let us concentrate on the Mythology associated with Kerala state.
Kerala-Mythology: In Hindu Mythology, the God of preservation, Vishnu has taken ten avatars. Avatar is a form taken by the God to solve some serious issues happening with the Earth, like demons (Asuras), flood (Pralaya) or evil activities of the Asuras. In that avatars, the sixth one was called Parasurama.
Parasurama was born as the son of sage Jamadagni and his wife Renuka. Jamadagni had a wish-fulfilling cow called Surabhi. Once the king named Karthaviryarjuna had gone to the forest for hunting and came across the asrama (hermitage) of Jamadagni. So to give hospitality to the king and his associates. Jamadagni and Renuka asked the cow for all the food and drinks, which the cow gladly provided. Now Karthaviryarjuna was watching this. He felt a cow like this should be with the king and asked Jamadagni for the cow. Jamadagni refused.
The king became angry fought with the sage, asked his servants to beat him and tie him (in some stories he was killed) and took the cow to his palace. At this time Parasurama (who was just Rama at that time) was not at the Hermitage. Once he came back he saw his dad was beaten and tied up and became extremely angry. He decided to take revenge for his dad's mistreatment, took his Parasu (axe), went to Karthaviryarjuna's palace and killed him. Even after that he was not able to control his anger and went to many kingdoms, palaces, and started killing all the Kshatriyas (warrior class of kings and princes). He decimated all the kings and princes all over the land.
Later when he came back to his dad and his dad was not happy about what his son had done. He asked Parasurama (Rama who used the parasu or the axe) to do repentance and penance to clear of his sins. I have read somewhere that it was said most probably by Jamadagni that Parasurama had to do penance in a land that was not tainted by the blood of the Kshatriyas he killed. So, Parasurama searched the whole land for such a place and could not find one.
So, then he came to the southern tip of the then India and threw his axe with might into the sea and asked the sea to move away from the place where the axe had fallen and the sea obliged. That land became 'Kerala' where Parasurama threw the axe and later he was able to do the penance. This is how Kerala was formed in Mythology.
Onam - Mythology: Onam is the state festival in Kerala during the month of August/Septemeber
that is celebrated for harvest and prosperity. During that time there are boat races, flower carpets, and welcoming the mythological king Mahabali.
Mahabali used to rule Kerala during the mythological times. He was a great king and people all were very happy during his rule. Whenever a king becomes very popular, the king of Devas (celestial beings) Indra becomes terrified as he feels he can get displaced by the king due to the goodwill the king is getting. Here Indra became terrified.
So, he went to Vishnu and fell at his feet to save him and his predicament. Indra said if Vishnu does not save him, Mahabali is definitely going to capture Indra's throne and he would have nowhere to go. After a lot of begging, Vishnu decided to help Indra. He took the avatar of Vamana (a short and stout brahmin, a high-class person) and went to Mahabali.
At that time Mahabali was doing an Ashwamedha Yaga (a fire ritual) and at the end of it, the king was supposed to give whatever a person asks. Vamana came exactly at that time and demanded three steps of land from Mahabali. Mahabali said, 'I have more than three steps and you can ask as much as you want". Vamana said, I want only three steps and asked him again.
Mahabali said okay. Then Vamana grew as big as Earth itself, kept the first step on Earth, second step on Pathala (netherworld) and asked Mahabali where to keep the third step? Mahabali had nowhere to show except his head. Vamana kept his third step on his head and Mahabali was pushed down into the netherworld from the Earth.
Due to the humility Mahabali had, even after being a rich king, Vishnu asked him to ask for a boon. So, Mahabali asked that every year he should be able to come and visit his people of Kerala during the harvest season and Vishnu granted his wish. So, every year during the Onam, it is thought that Mahabali comes to see his people observe their prosperity and welfare. Onam is a festival to celebrate that. During Onam, people put flower carpets, put on new dresses, have 'Sadya' or feast with many dishes and see boat races, and have fun with family and friends.
People really have a great time being part of the celebration and the festivities. But this year, unfortunately, Mahabali is going to see the troubles and tribulations people had to go through due to the flood. He is going to be extremely sad. Hope, next year Kerala would have a beautiful time during the Onam season and people are able to celebrate their heart out during Onam.
This week I very much felt the need to write about Kerala. Such a beautiful, verdant place where people embrace the culture, values, and the God-given resources. As Kerala is best known for its travel and tourism and has an international presence in the tourism map, it is also called as 'God's own country'.
May the divine bless 'God's own country' with resources, abundance, and prosperity!
I wish you a good weekend and I'll see you next Friday! 😉
Next week: Moola nakshatra - A Curse or a blessing?
Note: Images from Wikimedia Commons, and Pixabay.com.
Ralph Waldo Emerson writes, "There is a time in every man's education when he arrives at the conviction that envy is ignorance ; that imitation is suicide; that he must take himself for better for worse as his portion that though the wide universe is full of good, no kernel of nourishing corn can come to him but through his toil bestowed on that plot of ground which is given to him to till. The power which resides in him is new in nature, and none but he knows what that is which he can do, nor does he know until he has tried".
All rights reserved to the author (SwaroopaStargazer) and SwaroopaBlog.
To my Blog readers: As all of you know, the European Union has passed laws regarding the collection of the user data. This is just to inform all my EU blog readers, I just use Google Analytics, which Google provides, to look at from where readers are reading my blogs. I also use Specific feeds to use their service for subscription list. I don't collect or intend to collect user data to sell or provide to third-party applications. Regards,
SwaroopaBlog.
.
Namaste! Hope all of you had a great weekend where you were able to lead your life as the wise Hanuman, listening to your inner self and taking great strides towards your purpose in life. This week I was planning to write about Moola nakshatra (Moola star) and some social misconceptions associated with it. Then the deluge happened in Kerala, the state I am from India.
When such a terrible thing is happening/has happened in my state of birth, it doesn't make sense to write about some very unrelated topic. So, I thought today I would write about my beautiful green, verdant state that is lying in tatters due to the huge flood it had to go through. Also, on Friday/Saturday this week is the state's festival Onam. which has been canceled everywhere in the state due to the condition of the state under flood. So, what another topic can I write about? I'll take a stab at writing about Moola nakshatra next week.
Kerala: Now, back to Kerala. Kerala comes at the southwestern tip of India and is one of the southernmost states. On the eastern side, it is demarcated by the mountain range, Western Ghats and on the western by the Arabian sea. It is one of the highly populated states in India. The native language spoken by the people is Malayalam and is the official language of Kerala (Yes, I can read, write, and speak Malayalam). The state was formed on 1 November 1956, has fourteen districts and has an expanse of 15,005 square miles. Two of the major rivers of Kerala are Periyar and Bharatha puzha (puzha-river).
 |
| Kerala as part of India CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons |
As Kerala is locked between the Arabian sea on the west side and the mountain range on the east side, it gets the yearly Monsoon rains from the Arabian sea that blesses the state from early June to early/middle September. I have numerous memories of going to school/college in dresses that are dripping wet from the rains. I also, along with my sister, once had to walk in knee deep water to my school when I was in elementary school. So, Keralites take the Monsoon in their stride as that comes every year as an invited guest.
 |
| Chinese nets in Kerala By Hans A. Rosbach [CC BY-SA 3.0, from Wikimedia Commons |
Kerala floods: This year the Monsoon was much stronger and that led to the filling up of the dams in the rivers and many dams like Idukki and Mullaperiyar all had to be opened at the same time to manage the levels of the water, as God forbid, the dams should not break. The opening of the dams and the incessant rains swelled the Periyar river and the other rivers, which led to the flooding of nearly the entire state.
Last time I heard the news, the death toll stands at 400 and many many houses and shops have been destroyed. People were without food, water, or shelter for many days and were forced to go to the camps provided by the government to have shelter and basic necessities. Now, once the flood receded and people went back to their houses, were welcomed with damaged houses, creepy- crawlies like snakes, centipedes, and scorpions. There is also mud that seeped into the house along with the water. It has been estimated that above 20,000 crores (1 crore-10 million), could have been lost in all the damage that was caused.
As of today, the state is reeling under the flood, damaged roads, houses, businesses, crops, agricultural damage and more. Hopefully, it would come back to normal fast and everyday life would return to normalcy soon. As it is the state where I was born and raised, I was sitting glued to the television with sadness and my eyes welling up with tears. This year the state is not even in a mood to celebrate the state festival Onam, which represents harvest and abundance. When people are reeling under, food, water, and shelter shortage, what Onam?
But the humanity, helpful mindedness and to give a hand to a fellow human being shown during the floods were amazing. You could see that people were helping everyone without the concern for their caste, class, religion, group, division, or ethnic background. The whole state of Kerala went to the basic tenet of humanity and how each of us is just a part of the greater whole. The basic principle of people trying to function from the pure emotion of being a human. That was an amazing sight to watch. Now, all the bad news apart, let us concentrate on the Mythology associated with Kerala state.
 |
| Kathakali -A cultural art form of Kerala |
Parasurama was born as the son of sage Jamadagni and his wife Renuka. Jamadagni had a wish-fulfilling cow called Surabhi. Once the king named Karthaviryarjuna had gone to the forest for hunting and came across the asrama (hermitage) of Jamadagni. So to give hospitality to the king and his associates. Jamadagni and Renuka asked the cow for all the food and drinks, which the cow gladly provided. Now Karthaviryarjuna was watching this. He felt a cow like this should be with the king and asked Jamadagni for the cow. Jamadagni refused.
 |
| Parasurama with axe, who in mythology made Kerala Raja Ravi Varma [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons |
The king became angry fought with the sage, asked his servants to beat him and tie him (in some stories he was killed) and took the cow to his palace. At this time Parasurama (who was just Rama at that time) was not at the Hermitage. Once he came back he saw his dad was beaten and tied up and became extremely angry. He decided to take revenge for his dad's mistreatment, took his Parasu (axe), went to Karthaviryarjuna's palace and killed him. Even after that he was not able to control his anger and went to many kingdoms, palaces, and started killing all the Kshatriyas (warrior class of kings and princes). He decimated all the kings and princes all over the land.
Later when he came back to his dad and his dad was not happy about what his son had done. He asked Parasurama (Rama who used the parasu or the axe) to do repentance and penance to clear of his sins. I have read somewhere that it was said most probably by Jamadagni that Parasurama had to do penance in a land that was not tainted by the blood of the Kshatriyas he killed. So, Parasurama searched the whole land for such a place and could not find one.
So, then he came to the southern tip of the then India and threw his axe with might into the sea and asked the sea to move away from the place where the axe had fallen and the sea obliged. That land became 'Kerala' where Parasurama threw the axe and later he was able to do the penance. This is how Kerala was formed in Mythology.
Onam - Mythology: Onam is the state festival in Kerala during the month of August/Septemeber
that is celebrated for harvest and prosperity. During that time there are boat races, flower carpets, and welcoming the mythological king Mahabali.
Mahabali used to rule Kerala during the mythological times. He was a great king and people all were very happy during his rule. Whenever a king becomes very popular, the king of Devas (celestial beings) Indra becomes terrified as he feels he can get displaced by the king due to the goodwill the king is getting. Here Indra became terrified.
So, he went to Vishnu and fell at his feet to save him and his predicament. Indra said if Vishnu does not save him, Mahabali is definitely going to capture Indra's throne and he would have nowhere to go. After a lot of begging, Vishnu decided to help Indra. He took the avatar of Vamana (a short and stout brahmin, a high-class person) and went to Mahabali.
At that time Mahabali was doing an Ashwamedha Yaga (a fire ritual) and at the end of it, the king was supposed to give whatever a person asks. Vamana came exactly at that time and demanded three steps of land from Mahabali. Mahabali said, 'I have more than three steps and you can ask as much as you want". Vamana said, I want only three steps and asked him again.
 |
| Vamana coming to the court of Mahabali By Calcutta Art Studio [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons |
Mahabali said okay. Then Vamana grew as big as Earth itself, kept the first step on Earth, second step on Pathala (netherworld) and asked Mahabali where to keep the third step? Mahabali had nowhere to show except his head. Vamana kept his third step on his head and Mahabali was pushed down into the netherworld from the Earth.
Due to the humility Mahabali had, even after being a rich king, Vishnu asked him to ask for a boon. So, Mahabali asked that every year he should be able to come and visit his people of Kerala during the harvest season and Vishnu granted his wish. So, every year during the Onam, it is thought that Mahabali comes to see his people observe their prosperity and welfare. Onam is a festival to celebrate that. During Onam, people put flower carpets, put on new dresses, have 'Sadya' or feast with many dishes and see boat races, and have fun with family and friends.
 |
| Flower carpets during the festival of Onam By Ms. Sarah Welch [CC BY-SA], from Wikimedia Commons |
People really have a great time being part of the celebration and the festivities. But this year, unfortunately, Mahabali is going to see the troubles and tribulations people had to go through due to the flood. He is going to be extremely sad. Hope, next year Kerala would have a beautiful time during the Onam season and people are able to celebrate their heart out during Onam.
This week I very much felt the need to write about Kerala. Such a beautiful, verdant place where people embrace the culture, values, and the God-given resources. As Kerala is best known for its travel and tourism and has an international presence in the tourism map, it is also called as 'God's own country'.
May the divine bless 'God's own country' with resources, abundance, and prosperity!
I wish you a good weekend and I'll see you next Friday! 😉
Next week: Moola nakshatra - A Curse or a blessing?
Note: Images from Wikimedia Commons, and Pixabay.com.
Ralph Waldo Emerson writes, "There is a time in every man's education when he arrives at the conviction that envy is ignorance ; that imitation is suicide; that he must take himself for better for worse as his portion that though the wide universe is full of good, no kernel of nourishing corn can come to him but through his toil bestowed on that plot of ground which is given to him to till. The power which resides in him is new in nature, and none but he knows what that is which he can do, nor does he know until he has tried".
All rights reserved to the author (SwaroopaStargazer) and SwaroopaBlog.
To my Blog readers: As all of you know, the European Union has passed laws regarding the collection of the user data. This is just to inform all my EU blog readers, I just use Google Analytics, which Google provides, to look at from where readers are reading my blogs. I also use Specific feeds to use their service for subscription list. I don't collect or intend to collect user data to sell or provide to third-party applications. Regards,
SwaroopaBlog.
Disclaimer: This is a personal blog. The opinions and viewpoints shared here are that of the author/owner only. Even though the author/owner will try to research well before posting the information, the author/owner of this blog does not make any portrayal of the accuracy or correctness of the content on this blog or the links provided. The author/owner will not be liable for any omissions or inaccuracies occurred. The author/owner will not be liable for any damages or losses due to the use or display of this blog. These terms and conditions can change at any time. This blog is purely for informational purposes only.
©SwaroopaStargazer and Swaroopa, 2017- Eternity.
©SwaroopaStargazer and Swaroopa, 2017- Eternity.
.
![Raja Ravi Varma [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Parashurama_with_axe.jpg){kind=link}
![By Calcutta Art Studio [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Vamana_Avatar_-_Calcutta_Art_Studio,_calcutta_(Kolkata)_c1880%27s.jpg){kind=link}
![By Ms. Sarah Welch [CC BY-SA], from Wikimedia Commons](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:5_image_collage_of_floral_arrangement_during_the_Hindu_festival_of_Onam_Kerala.jpg){kind=link}
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