http://www.devipuram.com/worship-of-sri-yantra/
Tag: Sri Vidya
Kollur Mookambika Temple – Travel Guide 1
Kollur Mookambika Kshetram – This Temple of Wisdom is more than a destination. The Abode of ” Maha Kaali – Maha Laxmi – Maha Saraswathi ” Trinity in One Manifestation !
Train No Train Name Date
16346 NETRAVATHI EXP 13- Oct- 2012
Stn Code Stn Name Route No Arrival Departure Distance Day Remark
TVC TRIVANDRUM CNTL 1 – 09:50 0000 1
VAK VARKALA 1 10:23 10:25 0041 1
QLN KOLLAM JN 1 10:55 11:00 0065 1
KPY KARUNAGAPALLI 1 11:23 11:25 0092 1
KYJ KAYANKULAM JN 1 11:38 11:40 0106 1
HAD HARIPPAD 1 12:03 12:05 0119 1
AMPA AMBALAPUZHA 1 12:23 12:25 0137 1
ALLP ALLEPPEY 1 12:45 12:50 0149 1
SRTL SHERTALAI 1 13:08 13:10 0173 1
ERS ERNAKULAM JN 1 13:50 14:00 0206 1
AWY ALUVA 1 14:27 14:30 0225 1
DINR DIVINE NAGAR 1 14:49 14:50 0247 1 NO HALT-NNNNYYY
TCR THRISUR 1 15:35 15:40 0280 1
SRR SHORANUR JN 1 16:50 16:55 0313 1
KTU KUTTIPPURAM 1 17:23 17:25 0343 1
TIR TIRUR 1 17:49 17:50 0358 1
PGI PARPANANGADI 1 18:03 18:05 0374 1
FK FEROK 1 18:19 18:22 0389 1
CLT KOZHIKODE 1 18:55 19:00 0399 1
BDJ VADAKARA 1 19:33 19:35 0445 1
TLY THALASSERY 1 19:53 19:55 0467 1
CAN KANNUR 1 20:35 20:40 0488 1
KPQ KANNAPURAM 1 20:56 20:57 0502 1
PAY PAYYANUR 1 21:16 21:17 0521 1
CHV CHARVATTUR 1 21:31 21:32 0536 1
KZE KANHANGAD 1 21:51 21:52 0551 1
KGQ KASARAGOD 1 22:12 22:13 0574 1
MAJN MANGALORE JN 1 23:20 23:30 0625 1
SL SURATHKAL 1 00:22 00:24 0647 2
UD UDUPI 1 01:02 01:04 0706 2
KUDA KUNDAPURA 1 01:32 01:34 0751 2
BYNR MOOKAMBIKA ROAD 1 02:06 02:08 0798 2
BTJL BHATKAL 1 02:26 02:28 0820 2
MRDW MURDESHWAR 1 02:50 02:52 0840 2
KT KUMTA 1 03:34 03:36 0896 2
KAWR KARWAR 1 04:38 04:40 0973 2
CNO CANCONA 1 05:10 05:12 1010 2
MAO MADGAON 1 05:45 05:55 1055 2
KRMI KARMALI 1 06:24 06:26 1095 2
THVM THIVIM 1 06:46 06:48 1120 2
KUDL KUDAL 1 08:12 08:14 1195 2
RN RATNAGIRI 1 11:15 11:20 1390 2
CHI CHIPLUN 1 12:55 13:05 1496 2
ROHA ROHA 1 15:20 15:25 1675 2
PNVL PANVEL 1 16:40 16:45 1752 2
TNA THANE 1 17:30 17:35 1787 2
LTT LOKMANYATILAK T 1 18:20 – 1804 2
************************************************************************************************************
Train No Train Name Date
16338 OKHA EXPRESS 13- Oct- 2012
Stn Code Stn Name Route No Arrival Departure Distance Day Remark
ERS ERNAKULAM JN 1 -0 20:05 0 1
AWY ALUVA 1 20:27 20:30 20 1
TCR THRISUR 1 21:22 21:25 75 1
SRR SHORANUR JN 1 22:20 22:30 107 1
PTB PATTAMBI 1 22:44 22:45 119 1
KTU KUTTIPPURAM 1 23:04 23:05 137 1
TIR TIRUR 1 23:23 23:24 152 1
PGI PARPANANGADI 1 23:38 23:40 168 1
FK FEROK 1 23:53 23:55 184 1
CLT KOZHIKODE 1 00:25 00:30 193 2
QLD QUILANDI 1 00:53 00:55 218 2
BDJ VADAKARA 1 01:13 01:15 240 2
TLY THALASSERY 1 01:33 01:35 262 2
CAN KANNUR 1 02:05 02:10 283 2
KPQ KANNAPURAM 1 02:23 02:25 297 2
PAY PAYYANUR 1 02:38 02:40 316 2
KGQ KASARAGOD 1 03:43 03:45 368 2
MAJN MANGALORE JN 1 04:50 05:00 419 2
SL SURATHKAL 1 05:42 05:44 442 2
UD UDUPI 1 06:22 06:24 501 2
KUDA KUNDAPURA 1 06:56 06:58 545 2
BYNR MOOKAMBIKA ROAD 1 07:34 07:36 592 2
BTJL BHATKAL 1 07:44 07:46 614 2
HNA HONNAVAR 1 08:32 08:34 672 2
KAWR KARWAR 1 10:02 10:04 768 2
MAO MADGAON 1 11:40 11:50 850 2
THVM THIVIM 1 13:12 13:14 914 2
KKW KANKAVALI 1 14:46 14:48 1028 2
RN RATNAGIRI 1 17:00 17:05 1184 2
MNI MANGAON 1 20:18 20:20 1427 2
PNVL PANVEL 1 22:20 22:25 1547 2
BIRD BHIWANDI ROAD 1 23:18 23:20 1587 2
BSR VASAI ROAD 1 00:08 00:10 1614 3
BL VALSAD 1 03:07 03:09 1760 3
NVS NAVSARI 1 03:43 03:45 1799 3
ST SURAT 1 04:25 04:27 1829 3
AKV ANKLESHWAR JN 1 05:06 05:08 1878 3
BRC VADODARA JN 1 06:18 06:20 1958 3
ANND ANAND JN 1 07:02 07:04 1994 3
MAN MANINAGAR 1 08:46 08:48 2054 3
ADI AHMEDABAD JN 1 09:15 09:35 2058 3
VG VIRAMGAM JN 1 10:50 10:52 2123 3
SUNR SURENDRANAGAR 1 11:52 11:54 2188 3
RJT RAJKOT JN 1 14:29 14:31 2304 3
HAPA HAPA 1 16:28 16:30 2380 3
Ponjanam Shri Krishna Temple
RENJITH CK’s location@12:51,8/4
http://m.google.co.uk/u/m/dFKQDL
Today is the Prathishta Dinam
This temple, though in the name of Bhagavaan Shri Krishna , is dwelled by Shri Devi – “Painkanni “. Hence the temple is also famous as “Painkannikkavu “.
Other Dieties who adorn the divine atmosphere are Bhadra Kaali and Dharma Shaasta
The temple has another pecularity of the “Prathishta “(installation )of Shri Bhadra Kaali was done by a Woman.
Rather she is a little girl studying in High School at Irinjaalakkuda.
Being the daughter of Temple Priest and Tantri, Brahma Shri Tarananellur Padmanabhan Namboothiri ppad ,
“Jyotsna” the First Woman Tantri in Kerala is adament in the Rituals and committed to the Temple Tamera and Tantrik Karma.
Today is the auspicious day of Installation ceremony.
To invoke and distribute Divine Power to the well Being of the society, “Shri Chakra Pooja ” ( Sri Yantra ) is conducted in the heridatery padhathi of ancient Tantri Brahmin family – Tarananellur Mana.
The History of Tarananellur traces back to the age of Sage Parashu Raam who initiated the ancestors to Sri Vidya Tantra.
Proud to Be an Indian !
Source<>
1. The official Sanskrit name for India is Bharat.
2. INDIA has been called Bharat even in Satya yuga (Golden Age).
3. The name `India’ is derived from the River Indus, the valleys around which were the home of the early settlers. The Aryan worshippers referred to the river Indus as the Sindhu.
4. The Persian invaders converted it into Hindu. The name `Hindustan’ combines Sindhu and Hindu and thus refers to the land of the Hindus.
5. The number system was invented by India. Aryabhatta was the scientist who invented the digit zero.
6. Sanskrit is considered as the mother of all higher languages. This is because it is the most precise, and therefore suitable language for computer software. (a report in Forbes magazine, July 1987 ).
7. Chess was invented in India.
8. Algebra, Trigonometry and Calculus are studies, which originated in India. The’ place value system’ and the ‘decimal system’ were developed in 100 BC in India.
9. The first six Mogul Emperor’s of India ruled in an unbroken succession from father to son for two hundred years, from 1526 to 1707.
10. The World’s First Granite Temple is the Brihadeswara temple at Tanjavur in Tamil Nadu. The shikhara is made from a single ‘ 80-tonne ‘ piece of granite. Also, this magnificient temple was built in just five years, (between 1004 AD and 1009 AD) during the reign of Rajaraja Chola
11. India is…….the Largest democracy in the world, the 6th largest country in the world AND one of the most ancient and living civilizations (at least 10, 000 years old).
12. The 13th century poet saint Gyandev created the game of snakes & ladders. It was originally called ‘Mokshapat.’ The ladders in the game represented virtues and the snakes indicated vices. The game was played with cowrie shells and dices. Later through time, the game underwent several modifications but the meaning is the same i.e good deeds take us to heaven and evil to a cycle of re-births.
13. The world’s highest cricket ground is in Chail, Himachal Pradesh. Built in 1893 after levelling a hilltop, this cricket pitch is 2444 meters above sea level.
14. India has the most post offices in the world.
15. The largest employer in the world is the Indian railway system, employing over a million people.
16. The World’s first university was established in Takshila in 700 BC. More than 10,500 students from all over the world studied more than 60 subjects. The University of Nalanda built in the 4th century was one of the greatest achievements of ancient India in the field of education.
17. Ayurveda is the earliest school of medicine known to mankind. The father of medicine, Charaka, consolidated Ayurveda 2500 years ago.
18. Although modern images & descriptions of India often show poverty, India was one of the richest countries till the time of British in the early 17th Century. Christopher Columbus was attracted by India’s wealth and was looking for route to India when he discovered America by mistake.
19. The art of Navigation & Navigating was born in the river Sindh 6000 over years ago. The very word ‘Navigation’ is derived from the Sanskrit word NAVGATIH. The word navy is also derived from the Sanskrit word ‘Nou’.
20. Bhaskaracharya rightly calculated the time taken by the earth to orbit the sun hundreds of years before the astronomer Smart. His calculations were – Time taken by earth to orbit the sun: (5th century) 365.258756484 days.
21. The Indian Mathematician Budhayana first calculated the value of “pi”, and he explained the concept of what is known as the Pythagorean theorem. He discovered this in the 6th century, which was long before the European mathematicians.
22. Algebra, trigonometry and calculus also originated from India. Quadratic equations were used by Sridharacharya in the 11th century. The largest numbers the Greeks and the Romans used were 106 whereas Hindus used numbers as big as 10*53 (i.e 10 to the power of 53) with specific names as early as 5000 B.C. during the Vedic period. Even today, the largest used number is Tera: 10*12(10 to the power of 12).
23. Until 1896, India was the only source for diamonds to the world. (Source. Gemological Institute of America)
24. The Baily Bridge is the highest bridge in the world. It is located in the Ladakh valley between the Dras and Suru rivers in the Himalayan Mountains. The Indian Army built it in August 1982.
25. Sushruta is regarded as the father of surgery. Over 2600 years ago Sushrata & his team conducted complicated surgeries like cataract, artificial limbs, cesareans, fractures, urinary stones and also plastic surgery and brain surgeries.
26. Usage of anesthesia was well known in ancient India medicine. Detailed knowledge of anatomy, embryology, digestion, metabolism, physiology, etiology, genetics and immunity is also found in many ancient Indian texts
The Tantra Of Expansion – Sri Vidya
Courtesy : Guruji Amrutha
http://www.facebook.com/#!/vikramvanam
Shri Swaprakasha Avadhuthananda Gurugaru
Ambal
Sri Vidya means sacred learning.
It is a large body of rituals held secret for ages, restricted only to priests because of the immense powers the learning unfolds with practice. The idea was that destructive powers should be not be made available to minds lacking discipline and compassion.
The world with all its infinite variety of creations presumably has one or many creator/s, even if it is some powers. We call it the God/Goddess, as a generic name.
Those who worship God as male are Saivas. Moslems, Christians, some Hindus are Saivas. Some worship God as female; they are shaktas. Some worship God as both; they are Kaulas. Kula means total, in all form; male, female and their union also.
There are two traditions of great gurus: Dattatreya and Dakshinamurty.
Guru Dattatreya was given to Atri, a sage and his wife Anasuya, and indicates that one can be a householder and still do sadhana. He was openly ritualistic and a great tantric. He taught the worship of Shakti to people from all classes through pancha makaras, namely, madya= wine, matsya=fish, mamsa=meat, mudra=woman willing to receive puja, and maithuna=intercourse. These ingredients could mean literally what they say (open, external meaning), or something different than what is apparent (secret, internal). His system is called Kaula, meaning total; internal as well as external worship. Guru Datta taught his system to Parashurama, an avatar of Vishnu who encoded it tightly into his famous Kalpasutra. It is difficult even for pandits knowing Sanskrit well to follow the book because of the secret encoding. In recent times, many translations have been available in print decoding the texts into user friendly forms.
Guru Dakshinamurty was an incarnation of Siva himself. He mostly practices meditation, and taught his disciples to visualise the Sri Chakra and do inner worship in silence. The rituals he taught use Sri Chakra, the greatest of yantras containing the cosmic powers of Shakti. The instructions were given mostly for teacher class brahmins who were taught vedas and followed strict disciplines including celibacy except when children were desired. He propagated chakra puja with secret meanings for madya= goddess intoxicated state, matsya=enjoying free flowing movements like a fish in the ocean of god, mamsa= tongue rolled back to touch nasal septum in khecari, mudra=eating fried cereals like bhajias, maithuna = taking awareness up the spine to top of head to experience joy of uniting Sakti (female principle) with Siva, the male principle. The highest bliss is to forget who you are and to flow into a world-less timeless awareness, or to merge the seer into the seen. This state is often experienced at the cessation of tensions in union of lovers.
We follow both traditions. We recommend meditative techniques to calm going, peace loving people (mostly who eat light satvic foods) and ritual techniques to action-oriented people (mostly who eat heavy sleep inducing junk/nonveg foods). We have a natural leaning to peaceful and at the same time exciting rituals. We do not insisting change of food habits, or to become ascetics, or to practice celibacy. We do require that sadhaks listen attentively to Guru, practice with devotion, and to be aware of Godd/ess even when enjoying sensual pleasures.
What is Sri Yantra.
Sri Yantra is a map of powers creating the world we live in, and the powers controlling of our own life in it.
Let us begin with a journey into our own life. We experience three states; awake, dreaming and asleep.
The outer most square, 16, 8 petal enclosures, and the circle within.
In the waking state we experience the world around us with our senses, and act on it with our motor organs. There appear to be some common feelings about what we know and what we do. We can agree that the world of my experience is the same that you also experience. For example, we decide to meet at a time and a place, and we do meet. So, there is this common world out there, and your world is pretty much the same as mine. These knowledges, or actions are called open yoginis. Yogini is one who connects you to another, rather like a cell phone! She brings you experience of the other. They are common to all. For example, we are afraid; fear is a yogini called chamunda. We are using technical names, please do not be confused with common usage of the names below.
We experience richness and confusion created by abundance; the yogini is Mahalakshmi. We are attracted to some beautiful person, Brahmi = kama = lust is a yogini. Similarly, Maheswari = krodha = anger, Kaumari = lobha = greed, Vaishnavi = moha = clinging attachment, Varahi = mada = pride-vanity, Mahendri = matsarya = jealousy. These are all yoginis, eight in all. All the passions we experience are called matrika yoginis. As long as they keep connecting us to outside world, they will not let us live in peace, they control us, and disturb our poise.
We learn during sadhana processes of how to control these passions and make them serve us. These processes are called Mudras. They bring us peace and pleasure by keeping our passions in check. These are 10 in number. 1. Samkshobhini = agitate; 2. Vidravini = fluidise; 3. Akarshini = attract; 4. Mohini = delude; 5. Unmadini = madden; 6. angkusa = controlling critical points ( like a small goad controlling a big elephant ); 7. Khecari = Fly up and away from danger; 8. Bija = Placing seed of evolution: 9. Yoni = into causal chain: 10. trikhanda = dissolving three parts into one, the most important being, merging seer and seen into seeing or space, time and matter.
When we learn how to apply Mudras to Matrikas, we attain divine powers, called Siddhis. Anima = Becoming small like a particle(elongating distance and changing perspective); Laghima = Losing weight (levitation / anti gravity; super fluids go up walls of containers); and its opposite garima, becoming heavy / increasing gravity; Mahima = becoming large; Isitva = Fulfilling any desire; Vasitva = Control; Prakamya = Huge desire; Bhukti = Enjoy; Ichcha = Will, desire to achieve goal; Prapti = Fulfil goal; Sarva Kama = All desires fulfilled. Most of these attainments imply the ability to control space, time and matter, the trinity, whose Sanskrit names are Vishnu(space), Kaala(time) and Brahma(matter) respectively. When we merge all three into one, then we get all these siddhis.
The outer square enclosure of Sri Chakra houses all these waking state powers namely, 10 siddhis, 8 matrikas and 10 mudras. Inside of this there is a lotus of 16 petals describing powers attracting our dreams without censorship of ego. Our dreams are ours, they are not common to others. The causative factors are called Gupta yoginis, the secret passions. And deeper inside, there is a lotus of 8 petals describing powers active in our deep sleep. Even we are not aware of their workings. They are ananga = bodyless, even more secret yoginis.
We live in one of these three chakras as an individual separated from the world, nature, the mother. When we leave these three chakras, we die to this world of individual experience, and enter a world of astral entities. They are all inside the circle we call the death of ego. We cross it to take birth as a nature spirit.
What is the difference between sleep and death? When we awaken from sleep we wake up into the same body; when we wake up from death, we wake up into a different body, we change our whole address. Every thing about us; our body, environment, language, knowledge, shape, relationships, age, changes. We have to learn afresh who we are, who our parents are, who our brothers, sisters, friends, enemies. All these relationships are temporary. The only relationship that survives death is the sense of I-ness. In I–am–so and so, the feeling I-am is common; but the so-and-so gets re-defined every time in every life. A thousand years may pass un-noticed; but the same feeling of I is known to all, self obvious, sort of. That pure common awareness is the God/dess. It is just a witness. It looks like a male when in a male body, and like a female in a female body. It has no gender by itself; looks like the container. Therefore it is compared to water, which takes on the shape of the container.
-Sri Amritananda natha saraswathi
Sri Vidya means sacred learning.
It is a large body of rituals held secret for ages, restricted only to priests because of the immense powers the learning unfolds with practice. The idea was that destructive powers should be not be made available to minds lacking discipline and compassion.
The world with all its infinite variety of creations presumably has one or many creator/s, even if it is some powers. We call it the God/Goddess, as a generic name.
Those who worship God as male are Saivas. Moslems, Christians, some Hindus are Saivas. Some worship God as female; they are shaktas. Some worship God as both; they are Kaulas. Kula means total, in all form; male, female and their union also.
There are two traditions of great gurus: Dattatreya and Dakshinamurty.
Guru Dattatreya was given to Atri, a sage and his wife Anasuya, and indicates that one can be a householder and still do sadhana. He was openly ritualistic and a great tantric. He taught the worship of Shakti to people from all classes through pancha makaras, namely, madya= wine, matsya=fish, mamsa=meat, mudra=woman willing to receive puja, and maithuna=intercourse. These ingredients could mean literally what they say (open, external meaning), or something different than what is apparent (secret, internal). His system is called Kaula, meaning total; internal as well as external worship. Guru Datta taught his system to Parashurama, an avatar of Vishnu who encoded it tightly into his famous Kalpasutra. It is difficult even for pandits knowing Sanskrit well to follow the book because of the secret encoding. In recent times, many translations have been available in print decoding the texts into user friendly forms.
Guru Dakshinamurty was an incarnation of Siva himself. He mostly practices meditation, and taught his disciples to visualise the Sri Chakra and do inner worship in silence. The rituals he taught use Sri Chakra, the greatest of yantras containing the cosmic powers of Shakti. The instructions were given mostly for teacher class brahmins who were taught vedas and followed strict disciplines including celibacy except when children were desired. He propagated chakra puja with secret meanings for madya= goddess intoxicated state, matsya=enjoying free flowing movements like a fish in the ocean of god, mamsa= tongue rolled back to touch nasal septum in khecari, mudra=eating fried cereals like bhajias, maithuna = taking awareness up the spine to top of head to experience joy of uniting Sakti (female principle) with Siva, the male principle. The highest bliss is to forget who you are and to flow into a world-less timeless awareness, or to merge the seer into the seen. This state is often experienced at the cessation of tensions in union of lovers.
We follow both traditions. We recommend meditative techniques to calm going, peace loving people (mostly who eat light satvic foods) and ritual techniques to action-oriented people (mostly who eat heavy sleep inducing junk/nonveg foods). We have a natural leaning to peaceful and at the same time exciting rituals. We do not insisting change of food habits, or to become ascetics, or to practice celibacy. We do require that sadhaks listen attentively to Guru, practice with devotion, and to be aware of Godd/ess even when enjoying sensual pleasures.
What is Sri Yantra.
Sri Yantra is a map of powers creating the world we live in, and the powers controlling of our own life in it.
Let us begin with a journey into our own life. We experience three states; awake, dreaming and asleep.
The outer most square, 16, 8 petal enclosures, and the circle within.
In the waking state we experience the world around us with our senses, and act on it with our motor organs. There appear to be some common feelings about what we know and what we do. We can agree that the world of my experience is the same that you also experience. For example, we decide to meet at a time and a place, and we do meet. So, there is this common world out there, and your world is pretty much the same as mine. These knowledges, or actions are called open yoginis. Yogini is one who connects you to another, rather like a cell phone! She brings you experience of the other. They are common to all. For example, we are afraid; fear is a yogini called chamunda. We are using technical names, please do not be confused with common usage of the names below.
We experience richness and confusion created by abundance; the yogini is Mahalakshmi. We are attracted to some beautiful person, Brahmi = kama = lust is a yogini. Similarly, Maheswari = krodha = anger, Kaumari = lobha = greed, Vaishnavi = moha = clinging attachment, Varahi = mada = pride-vanity, Mahendri = matsarya = jealousy. These are all yoginis, eight in all. All the passions we experience are called matrika yoginis. As long as they keep connecting us to outside world, they will not let us live in peace, they control us, and disturb our poise.
We learn during sadhana processes of how to control these passions and make them serve us. These processes are called Mudras. They bring us peace and pleasure by keeping our passions in check. These are 10 in number. 1. Samkshobhini = agitate; 2. Vidravini = fluidise; 3. Akarshini = attract; 4. Mohini = delude; 5. Unmadini = madden; 6. angkusa = controlling critical points ( like a small goad controlling a big elephant ); 7. Khecari = Fly up and away from danger; 8. Bija = Placing seed of evolution: 9. Yoni = into causal chain: 10. trikhanda = dissolving three parts into one, the most important being, merging seer and seen into seeing or space, time and matter.
When we learn how to apply Mudras to Matrikas, we attain divine powers, called Siddhis. Anima = Becoming small like a particle(elongating distance and changing perspective); Laghima = Losing weight (levitation / anti gravity; super fluids go up walls of containers); and its opposite garima, becoming heavy / increasing gravity; Mahima = becoming large; Isitva = Fulfilling any desire; Vasitva = Control; Prakamya = Huge desire; Bhukti = Enjoy; Ichcha = Will, desire to achieve goal; Prapti = Fulfil goal; Sarva Kama = All desires fulfilled. Most of these attainments imply the ability to control space, time and matter, the trinity, whose Sanskrit names are Vishnu(space), Kaala(time) and Brahma(matter) respectively. When we merge all three into one, then we get all these siddhis.
The outer square enclosure of Sri Chakra houses all these waking state powers namely, 10 siddhis, 8 matrikas and 10 mudras. Inside of this there is a lotus of 16 petals describing powers attracting our dreams without censorship of ego. Our dreams are ours, they are not common to others. The causative factors are called Gupta yoginis, the secret passions. And deeper inside, there is a lotus of 8 petals describing powers active in our deep sleep. Even we are not aware of their workings. They are ananga = bodyless, even more secret yoginis.
We live in one of these three chakras as an individual separated from the world, nature, the mother. When we leave these three chakras, we die to this world of individual experience, and enter a world of astral entities. They are all inside the circle we call the death of ego. We cross it to take birth as a nature spirit.
What is the difference between sleep and death? When we awaken from sleep we wake up into the same body; when we wake up from death, we wake up into a different body, we change our whole address. Every thing about us; our body, environment, language, knowledge, shape, relationships, age, changes. We have to learn afresh who we are, who our parents are, who our brothers, sisters, friends, enemies. All these relationships are temporary. The only relationship that survives death is the sense of I-ness. In I–am–so and so, the feeling I-am is common; but the so-and-so gets re-defined every time in every life. A thousand years may pass un-noticed; but the same feeling of I is known to all, self obvious, sort of. That pure common awareness is the God/dess. It is just a witness. It looks like a male when in a male body, and like a female in a female body. It has no gender by itself; looks like the container. Therefore it is compared to water, which takes on the shape of the container.
-Sri Amritananda natha saraswathi
Renjiveda's Ocean of Love - "renjiTham" 