Tirthankar Jayanti

Tirtha, a fjord - where sea shrinks, and is easily crossed.

Tirthankara  - a ferryman or one who arrives at the shores of divinity - signifies the founder of a fjord-able passage,  across the currents of life and death.

Vardhamana of Ikshvaku clan was born on the 13th day of waxing fortnight of Chaitra, to King Siddhartha and Queen Trishala  in the ancient city of Kundalpur.
Vardhamana was given the title  'Jina', the victor of inner fetters like clinging, vanity, misery, . . .
Buddhist texts refer to Vardhamana Mahavira as Nigantha - one bereft of knots/ ties/ string.
Jain texts discuss 26 births of Mahavira before his incarnation as Tirthankara.

- from Wikipedia.

Shri Ram Navami

To free the world from fear of tyrants, Vishnu and Shiva donned roles as Rama and Sita.
And no one knew.

Even Rama and Sita seemed oblivious of their roles.

But when stirred sufficiently don't dormant layers surface?

Rama  had accepted his banishment, and  decided to leave Sita behind.The jungle that teemed with wildlife and demons seemed unsafe for any woman.
And Sita was incensed.
‘My father, King Janaka who gave my hand to you in marriage,  never knew this -  that you are woman in man’s sheath,’ she taunted.

‘Striyam Purusha Vigraham,’ is her line in Walmiki’s Raamayana.


This struck a chord in Rama; he remembered his role.
And realized that, dangers that lurked in the jungle, were scenes of the unfolding play.

Without further ado, he agreed to Sita’s foray into the forest.

-Shri Chandrashekarendra Saraswati,  Kanchi

NatGeo teleseries

Daniel Stone: You have a library of religious books. Tell me something you have learned.

Morgan Freeman: I have the Quran, 4 or 5 different Bibles.
I didn't know was that, reincarnation was binding.
You're bound to the Earth, to a corporeal existence.
And you have to keep comin back and comin back - till you get it right.

Once you get it right - That's it - You're done.

But, we were in Varanasi, the Indian Ganges riverside city - And we learn'd you could get a short-cut.
Just go to Varanasi, to die - and be cremated at the river bank.
That's it - You're done - It's over.
You don't have to come back anymore.
So, you know where I am goin.

- Nat Geo teleseries, Speaking Tree, Bengaluru, Sunday April 17, 2016.