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Dog loving babas of Juna Akhada advocate adoption of street dogs
By Shailvee Sharda, TNN | Jan 20, 2013, 09.51 PM IST
Dog loving babas of Juna Akhada advocate adoption of street dogsMahant Devendra Puriji from Haridwar with his pet Sheeru
ALLAHABAD: Tyson is an active black Labrador retriever. But what separates him from other dogs in his specie is his company. He is the loving pet of Mahant Prithvi Giri who says, "Tyson is saintly and obedient in nature." The one and a half year old dog is extremely close to the heart of this seer affiliated to the Juna Akhada. "He is not a dog to me... he is darvesh (messenger)," said the seer.
What Tyson is to Mahant Prithivi, 'sheeru' is to Mahant Devendra Puri from Haridwar. "He has been with me for the last six years," he said. Another seer in the juna akhada has infact fut a larger than life picture of a Pomeranian in his camp. The flex hoarding bears the name 'brhamleen mahant shree koteshwar ji maharaj' and the seer says that, this is the picture of his 'guru'.
Many seers in the juna akhada keep dogs as a pet. Juna Akhada, according to literature, was known as the Bhairav Akhara in olden days and its natives worshipped Bhairav, an incarnation of Lord Shiva. Today, their prime deity is Dattratrey, the son of Anusuiya and the head of Saptarishi Sage Atri who embodied the holy Trinity of Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva. By virtue of its property and reputation, it is the third most important akhara.
They revere dogs for a special reason - their official deity Bhagwaan Dattatreya, loved dogs and had tamed four of them. And he is accompanied by four dogs in his figurative symbol. In the words of a seer, 'yeh bin jholi ke fakir hain'. "The dogs represent the four 'Vedas' (Rig, Sama, Yayur and Atharva), the four 'yugas' (Krita, Treta, Dwapara and Kali Yugas), and the four states of the 'word' (Parr or beyond, Pasyanti or perception, Madhyama or conception, Vaikhari or vocal). They also refer to the four states of existence (Existence, awareness, thought and speech or action)," explained mahant Jyotirmaya.
The seers said that people thinking that dog barks aimlessly is a misnomer. "When they bark, they are actually giving a sermon or reciting some Vedic literature. It is due to sheer ignorance, that they consider a dog barking at night as an inauspicious event," said Mahant shri parvatsagar. He stated that people, who believe in sanatan dharma should never beat a dog. "This cruelty amounts to anti-religious activity," he said adding, "pet lovers should think of adopting a street dog."
source: http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/...ption-of-street-dogs/articleshow/18105629.cms
By Shailvee Sharda, TNN | Jan 20, 2013, 09.51 PM IST
Dog loving babas of Juna Akhada advocate adoption of street dogsMahant Devendra Puriji from Haridwar with his pet Sheeru
ALLAHABAD: Tyson is an active black Labrador retriever. But what separates him from other dogs in his specie is his company. He is the loving pet of Mahant Prithvi Giri who says, "Tyson is saintly and obedient in nature." The one and a half year old dog is extremely close to the heart of this seer affiliated to the Juna Akhada. "He is not a dog to me... he is darvesh (messenger)," said the seer.
What Tyson is to Mahant Prithivi, 'sheeru' is to Mahant Devendra Puri from Haridwar. "He has been with me for the last six years," he said. Another seer in the juna akhada has infact fut a larger than life picture of a Pomeranian in his camp. The flex hoarding bears the name 'brhamleen mahant shree koteshwar ji maharaj' and the seer says that, this is the picture of his 'guru'.
Many seers in the juna akhada keep dogs as a pet. Juna Akhada, according to literature, was known as the Bhairav Akhara in olden days and its natives worshipped Bhairav, an incarnation of Lord Shiva. Today, their prime deity is Dattratrey, the son of Anusuiya and the head of Saptarishi Sage Atri who embodied the holy Trinity of Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva. By virtue of its property and reputation, it is the third most important akhara.
They revere dogs for a special reason - their official deity Bhagwaan Dattatreya, loved dogs and had tamed four of them. And he is accompanied by four dogs in his figurative symbol. In the words of a seer, 'yeh bin jholi ke fakir hain'. "The dogs represent the four 'Vedas' (Rig, Sama, Yayur and Atharva), the four 'yugas' (Krita, Treta, Dwapara and Kali Yugas), and the four states of the 'word' (Parr or beyond, Pasyanti or perception, Madhyama or conception, Vaikhari or vocal). They also refer to the four states of existence (Existence, awareness, thought and speech or action)," explained mahant Jyotirmaya.
The seers said that people thinking that dog barks aimlessly is a misnomer. "When they bark, they are actually giving a sermon or reciting some Vedic literature. It is due to sheer ignorance, that they consider a dog barking at night as an inauspicious event," said Mahant shri parvatsagar. He stated that people, who believe in sanatan dharma should never beat a dog. "This cruelty amounts to anti-religious activity," he said adding, "pet lovers should think of adopting a street dog."
source: http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/...ption-of-street-dogs/articleshow/18105629.cms
