Statue Of Equality (105 of 2024)

 'To alleviate the misery of others,

I don't mind facing the throes of Hell.

All are eligible to enter a temple.

The Creator showed no partiality, nor should we.

All are equally qualified to chant the name of God.

All are equal in the eyes of God.

Shed your ego. Serve all beings as service to God.

Serve society which is the universal form of God.

Nobody is infallible.

Do not humiliate anyone.

What is of supreme importance is purity of mind and deed'

~ Sri Ramanujacharya Swami

On rare occasions, heavenly stars miraculously descend on earth.  Sri Ramanuja  was one such miracle - a human manifesting who lit the path of equality  and Bhakti across the universe. Born in Sriperumbudur, Tamil Nadu in 1017 AD. He dedicated his entire life for social reform,  leaving no stone unturned in dispelling darkness. As an unparalleled spiritual master, he delivered the treasure of the true spirit of Vedic literature to the doorsteps of the common person - regardless of caste, creed or gender. He propounded the philosophy of qualified monism, which enables us to understand reality as it is, and the relationship among all of us. He brought people from all walks of life together. Ramanuja made 18 journey's to get the sacred mantra from Goshtipurna the acharya, 100kms away from Sri Rangam.  17 times he was he was told 'the time is not right, come back later'. Ramanuja, provided the secret to everyone with a desire to know. 

The core philosophy of Equality - all beings have the same eternal relationship with the supreme being. All things and beings are simply different limbs of the same Universal Body that is God. 

It's been a thousand years since this divine personality sanctified the earth by his presence. The world is advocating his ideology without truly knowing much about him. His name remains in the shadows. This, the powerful essence of his teachings and the core roots of the values he advocated are amiss. 

Today inevitable, yet seemingly invincible walls have been built, dividing our society. The world is fraught with divisiveness and populism. People are pitted against each other over conflicts of religion, economics, culture and background. The world 'Equality' has become just a slogan. 

The need of the hour is Sri Ramanuja's ideology. His form and his words have the power to uplift society in all aspects. What better time than now to experience this inspiration than the millennium anniversary of his birth. The core vision of His Holiness Chinna Jeeyar Swami is to inspire society to inculcate equal opportunity throughout all aspects of life, breaking down the barriers of culture, economics and socio-economic status. He aims to empower everyone of us with the message of Sri Ramanuja. Let's imbibe this message of equality and practice it daily in our lives. 

Vedic seers envision the world living in harmony at the individual, family, societal, nature and spiritual levels. Given such a magnificent vision, imagine the personality that spread it to the world. Bhagavad Ramanujacharya is awe inspiring beyond comprehension. The Statue excudes his personality, bringing him to life in a magnificent, tangible form for all of us. By having such a monumental place of inspiration, it is expected that millions of people will be inspired by this Universal Message. 

It enables us to rise above the difficulties we face in life, to ultimately understand the true concept of Equality. It unites and accepts all of us with our unique characteristics, to help each other, to love each other, and to in turn make the world a better place. 

The Statue of Equality is a statue of the 11th-century Indian philosopher Ramanuja, located on the premises of the Chinna Jeeyar Trust at Muchintal, Ranga Reddy district in the outskirts of Hyderabad. It is the second tallest sitting statue in the world. The tallest sitting statue being that of Bhudda in Thailand. Inside you are not allowed footwears or mobiles. So better to leave them in your care. There is a place where they collect it, and return it at the exit gate which was gate number 8 for us. Also this being on the other side of airport and not in the direction of Hyderabad or Secandrabad, where most of the tourist attraction and Hi-Tech city is, better to visit during arrival or departure, in case you are short of time. 

The base building under the statue named Bhadravedi is 16 metres (54 ft) tall and three-stories high. Atop the building lies a lotus of 8.2 metres (27 ft) in diameter,and is carried by 36 elephants, over which the statue sits. The diameter of the lotus represents 24 tattvas, as well as soul, god and the guru. The statue has a concrete core which is surrounded by a panchaloha sheet with a thickness varying between 10 mm and 20 mm.The base building has a meditation hall where a 54 inches (1.4 m) statue of Ramunuja made of 120 kg of gold, representing the years he lived, is installed. 108 divyadesams (model temples), built in stone, surround the statue.

These are the sacred temples of Lord Vishnu revered in the Divya Prabandham, a collection of 4,000 Tamil verses written by the Azhwar saints. The arrangement of the 108 Divya Deshams around the Statue of Equality is done to honor these sacred temples.

While the Statue of Equality doesn't arrange the Divya Deshams based on any specific geographic or scriptural order (since these temples are geographically spread across India and beyond), they are categorized as per tradition into clusters. Here's an outline of how the Divya Deshams are traditionally classified:

Tamil Nadu Divya Deshams (Alvars sung about these Vishnu temples)

1. Thiruparkadal (Milky Ocean - Symbolic Divya Desham)
2. Thiruvahindrapuram (Thiruvahindrapuram Temple, Tamil Nadu)
3. Thiruvarangam (Srirangam)
4. Thirukoshtiyur
5. Thiruvallur
6. Kanchipuram
7. Tirupati (Tirumala)
8. Thiruvananthapuram (Sri Padmanabhaswamy Temple)

And many others scattered in Kanchipuram, Srirangam, and Madurai, as well as temples along the Cauvery and Tamirabarani rivers.

North Indian Divya Deshams

1. Badrinath
2. Dwarka
3. Mathura
4. Ayodhya

Kerala and Andhra Pradesh Divya Deshams

1. Thiruvananthapuram
2. Naimisharanya

At the Statue of Equality, each of these Divya Deshams is represented by a smaller replica of the original temples, arranged in a circular fashion around the central statue. Though the specific order may not be universally prescribed or defined in a sequence, they are generally categorized based on geography or historical significance.

The statue was inaugurated by Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi on 5 February 2022. The smaller golden statue inside the base building was inaugurated by President Ram Nath Kovind on 13 February 2022.

Divya Desham's are 108 Vishnu and Lakshmi temples that is mentioned in the works of the Alvars, the poet-saints of the Sri Vaishnava tradition. The word Alvar has traditionally been etymologized as from Tamil Al (ஆழ்), 'to immerse oneself' as 'one who dives deep into the ocean of the countless attributes of god'. The 106 earthly Divya Desam temples are spread over the Indian states of Tamil Nadu (84), Kerala (11), Uttar Pradesh (4), Uttarakhand (3), Andhra Pradesh (2) and Gujarat (1), and the country of Nepal (1) (Muktinath). The last two are believed to be in in Tirupparkatal and Vaikuntham.

The Divya Desams are classified into six regions:

• Chera Nadu (western)
• Chola Nadu (central)
• Pandya Nadu (south)
• Pallava Nadu (north)
• Vada Nadu (northern India)
• Vinnulaga Divya Desams (celestial)

In Hindu texts, these temples are often referred to as Bhuloka Vaikuntham, which in Tamil means heavens on earth. Each of the Divya Desam has its own significance related to Sri Vaishnava legend. Almost all of these temples have separate shrines for Vishnu and Lakshmi.

Srirangm (near Thiruchi in Tamil Nadu) is considered the first, foremost and the most important of all the 106 Divya Desams in this world, and hence praised as Bhoologa Vaikundam. The presiding deity of this temple is Sri Ranganathar.  Srirangam temple is considered the largest functioning Hindu temple in the world as it is spread across 156 acres of land in an islet formed by River Cauvery and its tributary Kollidam.

Other's are:

Let the Statue reverberate within you with the echoes of Equality. Let these echoes become a yearning for improvement and upliftment. Let this feeling be translated into actions improving the wold at large throughout our lives. 

How can we imbibe the ideals of Ramanuja?

Equality is a universal concept, there are infinite ways in which it can be practiced by each of us in our daily lives. Here are some examples:

1. Remember the body -soul relationship at all times. Inside every soul is a God. That supreme being is the same one inside of all of us. We should treat that being with respect and care. 
2. If any other being, animal, tree, insect or person needs help, respond appropriately. Do your best to alleviate that pain in any way possible. 
3. When irritated by another person or animal, bird etc. try to remember that they are essentially, at the core, the same as us - a soul with God inside of that soul. This will help us moderate our irritation towards the person and enable us to focus on the circumstances that caused the irritation, rather than the person. 
4. When for any reason, we feel superior to anyone else, remember, everyone is equal in the eyes of great people and supreme being, regardless of their achievements. 
5. When we see diversity in people, try to see the commonness, among all of us. This will reduce feelings of hatred and domination towards the other person. 
6. When we see nature around us - the earth, trees, water, mountains, air etc. remember Nature is also a manifestation of the Supreme Being, and do our best to protect and nurture nature. 
7. At home keep a deity form of the Supreme Being, have faith, have trust and have confidence in the deity form of the Lord. 

Equality Starts with us. 

Live Better. Inspire Others. 

Courtesy