Leap for Mankind

43 years ago, We first walked on the moon

On July 21, 1969, Neil Armstrong and Edwin Aldrin became the first humans to set foot on the moon. Armstrong became the first man to walk on the moon and as soon as he took his first step, he famously said:

‘One small step for man, one giant leap for mankind’.

This moment was watched by half a billion people and was one of the most significant space missions. The astronauts spent over 21 hours on the moon before embarking on their journey back home. Launched by a Saturn V rocket, Apollo 11 was the fifth manned mission of NASA’s Apollo program. It’s been almost 40 years since another human stepped on the moon again. Here are some awesome photos from man’s first journey to the moon:

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King of Gods – The Mahadev

There is festive look all-around today. Today is the second last Monday of the Shravan month. The Shiva temple near my vicinity is being thronged by countless men and women wearing all qued up in a line waiting for their turn to come when they will be able to offer the Ardhya of water and milk to propitiate the lord Shiva.

To this day, devotees pour water and milk on Shiva linga to neutrlise the effects of intense heat when the Lord tried to swallow the poison that had emerged from the churning of the ocean.

All the sacred men of the ancient times such as Lalleshwari in Kashmir to Karaikal Amariyar and the Nayanars of Taminadu, from Viveka Nanda who was reported to have a vision of Lord Shiva at Amarnath to Ramanand Rishi who found him in the mountains of Arunachal,Tiruvannamalai, Abhaltas and Adwaitists have all been magnetically drawn to the appeal of Lord Shiva.

Lalleshwari

    The great father Bhole Baba blessing all human beings without prejudice. Shiva’s blue stained neck with three eyes are symbolic of his power to remove poison(evil) from the universe. He is considered to be Master yogi and a repository of knowledge. He is the king of Gods-The Mahadev. Om Namah Shivaye is eternal chant of the name of Shiva.

Shiva is beyond the Gunas, as His trident represents all the three, Tamas,Rajas and Sattva. The attire of the elephant skin is symbolic of his beyond pride. The tiger skin represents his going beyond lust. And the snake around his neck represents wisdom and eternity. His Tandav Nritya is perceived as an allegory of the movement of sub atomic particles, drawing parallels between Indian mysticism and nuclear physics.

So Shiva is Anant.

 

“OM NAMAH SHIVAYE”