blood in the valley - sordid story and some spiritual history dating to Emperumanar

Much blood has flown ~ sordid Pahalgam ! some spiritual history of valley

–Swami Ramanujar connection.

 

Much blood (not water) has flown under the bridge .. .. !  the Lidder river is a   73 km (45 mi) river situated in the Kashmir Valley of Jammu and Kashmir – originating from the Kolahoi Glacier and feeding  the Jhelum River in Mirgund Khanabal, at an altitude of 1,615 metres (5,299 ft).  Lidder is a corruption of the local Sanskrit name Lambodari (लम्बोदरी) meaning 'long bellied goddess'.  The river originates from Kolhoi Glacier near Sonamarg and gives rise to Lidder Valley. It runs southwards through the alpine meadows of Lidderwat in the region of Aru, from which it got its name. It covers 30 kilometres (19 mi) before reaching Pahalgam where it joins the major tributary of the East Lidder from Sheshnag Lake.  The waters of the river are mainly used for irrigation purposes through different canals and as drinking water processed by water treatment plants. 

On 22 April 2025, a terrorist attack at Baisaran Valley near Pahalgam in the Anantnag district of Jammu and Kashmir killed at least 26 tourists and injured more than 20 others.  The attack, the deadliest of its kind in India since the 2008 Mumbai attacks, specifically targeted  Hindu tourists, aimed at resisting demographic changes in the Kashmir Valley. The Resistance Front (TRF), an offshoot of the Pakistan-based, UN-designated terrorist group Lashkar-e-Taiba, claimed responsibility for the attack. 

The horrific killing of tourists that has left the meadows of Pahalgam stained with the blood of more than two dozen corpses produces a sickening sense vertigo — like the fall of the falcon, “turning and turning in the widening gyre.”  Gory, gruesome, heinous crime on humanity  as people were targeted for their religion.   

Pahalgam  is a town in Anantnag district of   Jammu and Kashmir. It is located on the banks of Lidder River at an altitude of 2,200 m (7,200 ft) in the Vale of Kashmir. Pahalgam is the headquarters of the Pahalgam tehsil, one of the eleven tehsils in Anantnag district.  Located about 45 km (28 mi) from Anantnag, the town is a popular tourist destination and hill station. The town is the starting point of the annual pilgrimage to the Amarnath Temple, which takes place in July–August.  Pahalgam literally means "village of the shepherds" in Kashmiri, with "Puheyl" meaning shepherd and "goam" meaning village.  In Hindu literature, the region is mentioned as "Bailgaon", meaning "village of the bull", to indicate where Lord Shiva left his bull on the way to Amarnath. 

Anantnag is the administrative headquarters of Anantnag district   located at a distance of 53 kilometres (33 miles) from the   capital Srinagar.  "Anantnag" derives from the name of the spring at the southern end of the town, whose Sanskrit name Anantanāga was mentioned in the Nilamata Purana and other texts.  According to the Gazetteer of Kashmir and Ladak, it is named after Ananta, the great serpent of Vishnu and the emblem of eternity.  It is also called – Islamabad   derived from the name of a Mughal governor Islam Khan who built a garden in the area.   

The gruesome attack makes the State   take whatever action is necessary to bring the perpetrators, and those who aid them, to justice. Yet, as India chooses the next course of action, it will be difficult to shake off the sense of despair this kind of terrorism produces. A successful military operation might be an act of justice. It would  restore a sense of confidence in the capabilities of the state, and, in some quarters, satiate a desire for revenge.  The  tragedy of the moment is that the bloody frontier this act in Pahalgam has drawn will still shadow our political destiny.

 

Vedas are classified into two parts - Karma Kanda and Brahma Kanda. Karma Kanda, due to its vastness needed a briefing. Jaimini wrote Suthras (aphorisms) for the same. It was called as Purva Mimamsa. Similarly Brahma Kanda, due to its complexity, needed a briefing, as it might have resulted in misinterpretations. Veda Vyasa wrote aphorisms for the same. This is called as Brahma Sutra. Both Purva Mimamsa and Brahma Sutra needed further explanations. Thus came the Vritti(explanation) from Bodhayana for the Brahma sutra. A Vritti is a short gloss explaining the aphorisms in a more, elaborate way, but not as extensively as a Bhashya. Bodhayana Vritti had the reputation of being the most authoritative explanation of the Brahma Suthras. 

Our greatest Acarya Swami Ramanuja wanted to write Bhashyam to Braham sutra or Sage Veda Vyasa and wanted to read Bodhayana Vriti.    1000  years ago,   only one  copy was available and that  was in Kashmir. Emperumanar  Ramanujar along with his  disciple   Kuresa  visited  Kashmir   for   Bodhayana Vritti. The pundits of Kashmir   allowed him to read but not take away nor  take  any notes. Kuresha who had photographic  memory   was able to repeat  the contents of the book .Using  it     Ramanujar   gave us “Sri Bashyam”.    That is the spiritual connect of Kashmeeram land with our Sampradhayam and our Acharyar.   When his most famous work was complete,  Udayavar  again visited Kashmir to dedicate ‘Sri Bhasya’ to Maa Sharda, the goddess of Learning.

 

Recently in Oct 2023,  Jammu and Kashmir Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha  while inaugurating  a branch of the Sri Yadugiri Yathiraja Mutt in Srinagar   talked  in detail about  Ramanujacharya’s Kashmir connection  while referring to  latters philosophy of ‘Vishishtadvaita’  which preached love, peace, compassion, universal brotherhood and social equality.  He drew reference to the 11^th century visit of Ramanujacharya.. Acharyar with his disciple came on foot to Kashmir.     Upon receiving them ,the King of Kashmir and his court-scholars were astounded by Ramanuja’s profound knowledge but  expressed their reservations to even permit Ramanujacharya to make a copy of the text.   It was after a long persuasion that Kashmir scholars, who possessed the only copy of this  book in their library  had   allowed Ramanujacharya to merely thumb through the pages of the book.  Kooresha is believed to have read it aloud from cover to cover and Ramanujacharya listened in silence.  With the  prodigious memory of Kuresar,  began the composition of Sri Bhashya, the commentary on Bramha Sutras. The guru dictated and the disciple wrote it down.  Ramanujacharya later came to be called ‘Sribhashyakara.’ After the completion of the work, students of Ramanujacharya wanted to fulfill their teacher’s mission to visit pilgrim centers. They visited distant holy places like Dwaraka and Badari and  reached Kashmir.  At the valley,   Mata Sharda– the Goddess of learning is believed to have blessed him by presenting an icon of Hayagreeva.  

Unbroken tradition (according to Parakala Mutt)  has it that Sri Ramanuja got the gift of Sri Lakshmi Hayagriva’s image, worshipped in the Brahmatantra Parakala Matha of Mysore, directly from Sri Saraswati in recognition of the expounding of the Vishistadvaita system of philosophy before the assemblage of Pandits of Kashmir “Saraswati Peetham” about the beginning of the twelfth century, during his visit to that country, even as Sri Sankaracharya, under similar circumstances, got the image of Sri Sharada herself three  centuries earlier. From Sri Ramanuja the image of  §ri Hayagriva and, with it, the spiritual succession, passed on to Tirukkurukkaippiran Pillan. From Sri Pundarikaksha, a scion of that distinguished saint, who also had become the Rajaguru to the Vijayanagara Emperor, the image, with all attendant Imperial paraphernalia, passed on to later occupants of the Mutt. 

On October 05, 2023 , Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha  inaugurated Jagadguru Sri Ramanujacharya Saraswathi Bhandaram Digital Library and Sri Yadugiri Yathiraja Mutt Branch, Kashmir at Shivpora, Srinagar. In his address, the Lt Governor congratulated the Sri Yadugiri Yathiraja Mutt and followers of Jagadguru Sri Ramanujacharya.  The Lt Governor recalled the immense contribution of Jagadguru Sri Ramanujacharya to the society. “Sri Ramanujacharya through his philosophy of vishishtadvaita preached love, peace, compassion, universal brotherhood and social equality. He showed the society path of righteousness, virtue and devotionalism that influenced 'Bhakti Movement',” the Lt Governor said. The Lt Governor also highlighted Sri Ramanujacharya ji’s deep spiritual connect with Kashmir. He said the Mutt's Kashmir Branch and treasure of eternal wisdom being made available through digital library will inspire us in building a peaceful and harmonious society. The Lt Governor commended the noble initiative to provide medical services at the Mutt’s Kashmir Branch. 

H.H Sri Sri Yadugiri Yathiraja Narayana Ramanuja Jeeyar Swami Ji of Sri Yadugiri Yathiraja Mutt, on behalf of the Mutt, expressed gratitude to Lt Governor and the UT Administration for the support to the Mutt. Senior officers of Army, Civil & Police administration, members of Sri Yadugiri Yathiraja Mutt, Saints and followers of Jagadguru Sri Ramanujacharya were present.

 

The beautiful valley Kashmeeram has been associated with Acaryas Shankaracharya and Swami Ramanujacharya and we pray that peace lives in the valley and it returns to its original glory.  Here are some photos of Swami Ramanujar on day 3 of Thiruvavathara uthsavam at Thiruvallikkeni divyadesam. 

 
adiyen Srinivasa dhasan
Mamandur Veeravalli Srinivasan Sampathkumar
25.4.2025
Biblio : 
https://kashmir-rechords.com/ramanujacharyas-deep-spiritual-connect-with-kashmir/
https://brighterkashmir.com/sri-ramanujacharya-had-deep-spiritual-connect-with-kashmir-lg-sinha
Origin-And-Growth-Of-Sri-Brahmatantra-Parakala-Mutt_djvu.txt