Anjaneya swarmi - Hanuman

Hanuman, the monkey God is considered Chiranjeevi (will live eternally).  He is strong, full of valour, with various skills and powers.  At the same time , he is wise, a great gnani, a yogi, a brahmachari.  He had the one thought only - that of serving his Lord Rama with utmost humility and devotion.  He is known as Siriya Thiruvadi. He is considered to be an amsam of Lord Siva.

  He is known by various names  
Hanuman - (His jaw & cheek had gone in when struck by the Vajrayudha of Indra)  
Anumandhayya - (in Karnataka)  
Aanjaneyalu - (in Andhra Pradesh)  
Aanjaneyan - (for he is the son of Anjana)  
Maruthi - ( son of Vaayu - in Maharashtra)  
Anumandhan  
Vaayunandhan  
Kesarinandhanan  
Aadhitasishyan  
Siriya Thiruvadi (for he was the vahanam for Rama) 

Hanuman, the monkey God is considered Chiranjeevi (will live eternally).  He is strong, full of valour, with various skills and powers.  At the same time , he is wise, a great gnani, a yogi, a brahmachari.  He had the one thought only - that of serving his Lord Rama with utmost humility and devotion.  He is known as Siriya Thiruvadi. He is considered to be an amsam of Lord Siva.    He is known by various names  Hanuman - (His jaw & cheek had gone in when struck by the Vajrayudha of Indra) Anumandhayya - (in Karnataka) Aanjaneyalu - (in Andhra Pradesh) Aanjaneyan - (for he is the son of Anjana) Maruthi - ( son of Vaayu - in Maharashtra) Anumandhan Vaayunandhan Kesarinandhanan Aadhitasishyan Siriya Thiruvadi (for he was the vahanam for Rama) He is worshipped in the temples as Bhaktha Hanuman & Veera Hanuman.  He is seen kneeling humbly in front of Rama vigrahmas in the Rama sannadhis.  There are also separate temples for Hanuman.  As Bhaktha Hanuman he is seen holding both hands together in prayer.  He is seen as Veera Hanuman, holding the mace in one hand & the sanjeevi Parvatham in the other. Devotees are blessed with courage, valour, wisdom, gnanam.  He is very happy when he hears the Rama namam.  Hence repeating the Raama namam is the best way to get his blessings. His life Hanuman or Anjaneya is the son of Anjana Devi.  She was once a celestial maiden & was born as a monkey-woman as a result of a curse.  She was living happily with her husband Kesari.  When king Dasaratha performed a yagna praying for off-springs, he was yielded a pot of payasam(pudding) from the yaga fire.  His wives shared the prasada & thus Rama, Lakshmana, Bharatha & Shatrugana were born.  A portion of this payasam was carried by the Lord of winds - Vayu Deva & fell in the hands of Anjana Devi and she gave birth to a lovely & strong son.  Since Vayu Deva was responsible for the payasam reaching Anjana, he is also considered the father of Hanuman. (Vayu Puthran Hanuman). He grew up as a strong & mischievous young lad.  He could travel as fast as the wind.  He mistook the glowing sun to be a fruit & flew upto the sky & reached for the sun.  Such was his might & will power even as a child.  Lord Indra was upset & strcuk Anjaneya with his thunderbolt (Vajraayudham).  Vaayu Deva was upset that his son was struck & he stopped blowing.  The whole world was in trouble without winds.  All the Gods offered various powerful boons to Anjaneya, thus making him more powerful & invincble than before.  Vayu Bhagavan was pleased & started his work again. Anjaneya was causing trouble to the rishis & others, not really realising the might his powerful & playful actions.  The angered rishis curesed him that he would cease to realise & recognise his powers unless someone remnded him of it.  This calmed him down & he started his lessons with the rishis.  He wanted to learn from Surya Bhagavan who is eternally travelling.  The mighty Hanuman travelled with Surya at his speed and mastered all the scriptures.  As Guru dakshina Anjaneya agreed to serve Sukriva, the son of Surya.  He thus became a trusted and valued minister of Sugreeva, a monkey king. He played a major role in the happenings in Ramayana, the great epic. When Rama was banished from his kingdom Ayodhya by his mother Kaikeyi, he reached the forests with his wife Sita & borther Lakshmana.  Sugreeva with his army & Hanuman was in hiding from his brother Vaali.  Hanuman met Rama & thereafter was with Rama forever.  When Sita Devi was abducted by Ravana, the demon king, he flew across the oceans & found Sita Devi in the Ashoka vanam in Lanka.  He consoled Sita Devi and set fire to Lanka, destorying many asuras.  He served as the emissary of peace to Ravana's court.  He assisted Rama in crossing the ocean by building the sethu bridge along with his vanara freinds.  During the war he flew to bring the Sanjeevi mountain, full of medicinal herbs to revive Lakshmana who had fallen.  When the victorious Rama returned to Ayodhya & was crowned king, he continued to serve him, ever at his service. He featured in the other epic Mahabaratha.  He stood by the Pandavas in the Kurukshetra war.  He stabilised and protected Arjuna's chariot by being present in the flag flying in the chariot.  He was thus honoured with witnessing the Geetopadhesam firsthand. Worship & offerings Anjaneyar is worshipped with offerings of butter & Vadaimalai (a garland of vadais).  Butter is applied to the mouth & tail of Hanuman vigrahams in temples.  Devotees pray to the Lord & apply dots of kumkumam to his tail from the starting point to the tip of the tail to pictures at home. Some of the Hanuman temples/sannadhis in India There are separate temples just for Hanuman & also separate shrine for him in some of the Vishnu & Siva temples. Tirupati The Hanuman sannadhi is just opposite the Venkatachalapthi's sannadhi Sholingapuram Hanuman temple is situated on a hill opposite the Narasinga Perumal hill temple.  He is Yoga Anjaneyar, with 4 hands holding the changu, charam. Suchindram Suchindram is located 13 kms away from Kanyakumari, Tamilnadu.  There is a huge 18ft high idol of Lord Hanuman.

Sri Panchamukha Anjaneya:

 " Anjaneya has five faces (Pancha Mukha) and ten weapons. The five faces are that of Lord Hanuman, Lord Narasimha, Lord Adivaraha, Lord Hayagriva, and Lord Garuda.

Panchamukha (alternatively Panchamukhi) is a word meaning 'five-faced'.

Hanuman as 'Sri Panchamukha Anjaneya Swami' (Anjaneya = 'son of Anjani') is more famous in the South and some other parts of the world.

1. Sri Varaha facing the North

2. Sri Narasimha facing the South

3. Sri Garuda facing the West

4. Sri Hayagriva (a much earlier Avatar of Vishnu) facing the sky and

5. His own (Hanuman) facing the East

Every Face of Sri Panchamukha Hanuman' has significance
Sri Hanuman faces East. He grants purity of mind and success.
The Narasimha' faces South. He grants victory and fearlessness.
The West facing -Garuda' -removes black magic and poisons.
The North facing -Varaha'- showers prosperity, wealth.The Hayagriva' - mukha faces the Sky.
But since we cannot see it, it is usually tilted and shown above Hanuman's face.

Hayagriva gives Knowledge and good children.
(1) Eastward looking face : HanumAn (NaivEdhyam: Kadalai )
(2) Southward looking face: Narasimhan ( NaivEdhyam: Paanakam)
(3) Westward looking face: Veda Moorthy Garudan (Offering : Honey)
(4) Northward looking face: VarAha Bhagavan ( Sugar Rice & vadai)
(5) Face over the HanumAn's face: Lord HayagrIvan , VidhyA moorthy

The Vaishnavas evolved a syncretic form of Hanuman with five heads and ten arms, incorporating in the composite image five important Vaishnavite deities:At the center a monkey's face (Hanuman).
A lion's visage representing Narasimha gazing southwards.
An eagle's head symbolizing Garuda facing west.
A boar head of Varaha (north).
A horse's face for Hayagriva (facing the sky).
1) The face of Hayagriva which is the face of horse, that represents the knowledge. Hayagriva is very famous to grant the knowledge. This represents the face of Brahma, who is representing the Veda or Knowledge.
2) The face of Varaha. Lord Varaha represents Vishnu because He lifted the earth and maintained it on His mouth. Vishnu is famous for the maintenance.
3) The face of Narasimha, which is the face of a lion that represents Lord Shiva. Narasimha destroyed the enemy against all the obstructing rules. Thus it represents the total destruction, which cannot be opposed by any force. These three heads represents Lord Datta.
4) The fourth face is the face of Garuda. Garuda representsthe highest position in the devotees because none can fly to that height. He has the strength of the bull (Nandi) and tremendous velocity of the Swan. This shows that Garuda is again another form of Datta with three faces. The Swan represents the knowledge of discrimination because the swan separates the milk and water and thus represents Brahma. Garuda is always associated with Lord Vishnu and the mark on His forehead (Tilaka) indicates Vishnu. The bull represents tremendous power, which is Lord Shiva. Thus Garuda is another form of Lord Datta representing the service or path. Thus Anjaneyar represents Lord Datta along with His most powerful and faithful servant called Kalabhairava. In fact Garuda is another form of Kalabhairava. Thus Anjaneyar represents a total picture of the path and the goal.
East facing Anjaneya to grant humanity Ishta Siddhi.
South facing Karala Ugraveera Narasimha to grant humanity Abhista Siddhi.
West facing Mahaveera Garuda to grant humanity Sakala Sowbhagya.
North facing Lakshmi Varaha to grant humanity Dhana Prapthi.
Urdhva Mukha {atop} being Hayagriva to grant humanity Sarva Vidya Jaya Prapthi

Hanumath Pancha Rathnam
(Five gems on Hanuman By Adhi Sankara Bhagawat Pada
Translated by P.R.Ramachander.
Veethakhila vishayecham, Jathanandaasru pulakamathyacham,
Seethapathi dhoothakhyam ,Vathathmajamadhya bhavaye hrudhyam.1
I think about the son of Vayu in my mind,
Who is devoid of all desires of enjoyment,
Who sheds copious tears of joy,
Whose hair stands erect at His thought,
And who is the great emissary of the Lord of Sita
Tharunaruna Muka kamalam , karuna rasa poora poorithapangam,
Saajeevanamaasase manjula mahimana manjana Bhagyam.2
All my life I yearn to see that Hanuman,
Who is the good fortune of Anjana,
Whose face is as red as the rising Sun,
Whose glances are full of the mercy,
Who brought back the dead in the battle,
And whose fame is great.
Sambhara vairi saradhigamambudala vipula lochanadhaaram,
Kambu gala niladishtam bimba jwalithoshta mekamalambhe.3
My only refuge is Hanuman,
Who had reddish lips like the Bimba fruit,
Who is the enemy of the arrows of Manmatha,
Who has broad eyes like lotus leaves,
And whose neck is like a conch.
Dhoorikrutha seetharthi , prakati krutha rama vaibhava spohoorthi,
Daritha dasa mukha keerthi, puratho mama bhathu Hanumatho Murthy.4Let the form of Hanuman ,
Which drove away the sorrow of Sita,
Which made known the prowess of Rama,
And which destroyed the fame of ten headed Ravana,
Shine before me.
Vanara nikaradhyaksham, dhanava kula kumudha ravikara sadruksham,
Dheena janavana dheeksham pavana paka ambuja madraksham.5I Saw Lord Hanuman,
Who is the result of penance of God of wind,
Who is the leader of all monkeys,
Who is similar to the Sun God to water lily,
To the hoards of Rakshasas,
And who is he protector of the suffering humans.
Ethath pavana suthasya stotram,
Ya patathi pancha rathnakhyam,
Chiramiha nikhilan bhogan bhukthwa,
Sri Rama Bhakthiman Bhavathi.He who reads these five gems,
Which are the poems of praise of,
The son of God of wind,
Would become a devotee of Lord Rama,
And would enjoy his life for a long time.
Sri Panchamukha Hanuman Dhyana Sloka 

'Panchasyachutamaneka vichitra veeryam
Sri shanka chakra ramaniya bhujagra desam
Peethambaram makara kundala noopurangam
Dhyayethitam kapivaram hruthi bhvayami !!

Veer Anjaneya Temple, Bangalore

 Hanuman and mirrors, Hardwar, Uttaranchal

Giant Hanuman, Naukuchital, Kumoan

Namakkal Anjaneyar

Marvelous ANJANEYA  located at West Indies

Anjaneyar Temple - Thenkodipakkam, Vanur Taluk

Tiruvallur, Chennai,Tamil Nadu,

at rampoda, sri lanka

Anjaneya temple
Near Connaught Place, New Delhi

STORIES OF HANUMAN

BIRTH OF ANJANEYA

Anjana was a lovely young Vaanara* maiden. One day as she was strolling in the sylvan gardens of Kishkindha, the wind god Vayu came by hurriedly and swept her garland away. Anjana was startled and about to get angry with the god, but by then the strong and energetic wind god had realized his folly and returned to apologise. As he cast his eyes on her, he was struck by Manmatha, the god of love. He apologized to her delicately and Anjana was taken in very much by this handsome young man. They married.

*Vaanaras = Monkey people

In time, they had a lovely baby boy. He was called Anjaneya or Anjana's son. He was as intelligent as he was mischievous. Vayu had immense responsibilities and he could not keep them waiting any longer. Having bestowed upon his son his own powers, Vayu bid farewell to a tear-filled Anjana and his lovely young son.

Anjaneya was growing to be an unmanageable child. One day, he saw the sun at the break of dawn. He was tempted by what he thought was a luminous orange fruit and leapt skyward to catch it. Surya, the Sun laughed thinking that the little monkey was going to fall down to the earth and hurt himself, but nothing of that sort happened. Instead, the monkey came closer and closer to the sun and he was not even getting scorched!

Comprehending the situation it a little too late, Surya ran to Indra, the king of gods, for help. Indra mounted Airavata, his elephant, and rushed towards Anjaneya. The little monkey now excitedly turned his attention to this elephant. But sadly, just then, Indra's thunderbolt struck him and he fell down!

Vayu sensed that something was wrong and rushed just in time to hold his son in his arms. He learnt what had happened and was outraged. He broodingly retired into a cave deep in to the earth.

The three worlds began to choke and struggle for want of air. The gods panicked and rushed to the creator Brahma for help. Brahma went to Indra and asked him to apologise to Vayu, for he had struck a mere little child with his tremendous thunderbolt. Indra, realizing his folly, did so. Vayu yielded to Indra's apology. Brahma revived Anjaneya. He was now called Hanuman, one whose chin is broken (by the thunderbolt).

Vayu asked the little monkey to pay his obeisance to Brahma. The mischievous one did so and when the pleased Brahma told him to ask for a boon, he cleverly asked, 'Give me all the wisdom you have!'

Brahma, understanding the magnitude of the little boon, smilingly granted him the boon. For giving away wisdom only multiplied it and did not make the giver any poorer for it! Further, Brahma granted that he would, because of his wisdom, be a Chiranjeevi or an eternal being.
 

Author: Yamuna Harshavardhana

 MEETING WITH THE BROTHER

While in exile, Bhima once had to go out by himself on a mission. Passing through the dense forest along a narrow path, he came by a small old monkey lazing wayside with its long tail stretched out on the path.

Looking at Bhima, the monkey addressed him thus: Are you not the great Bhima? My salutations to you!

Bhima was, understandingly, surprised to come by a talking monkey and said with pride: Well, I am glad you recognise me. Now move your tail away so I can pass by. It is not wont of me to walk across any creature.

The monkey said: Oh, dear, don't you see how old and sick I am? Will you please oblige and move the tail yourself?

Bhima, thinking it rather unpleasant to touch a monkey and that too its tail, stuck out the little finger of his left hand and pushed it. But the tail did not move. Hiding his surprise, he used his whole left hand and tried pushing it. Yet it did not budge a mustard seed's width. To one endowed with the strength of eight thousand elephants, this was too much! Feeling crushed, yet hiding it, he used both his hands to push the tail but to no avail. Suddenly it dawned upon his not-so-brilliant intelligence that it was no ordinary monkey that he was dealing with.

He fell at the monkey's feet and said: Oh, mighty one! I beg of you to reveal your true identity to me. I am your humble servant!

Shedding his disguise, Chiranjeevi Maruti, son of the Wind god and Bhima's brother, revealed himself.

He blessed Bhima saying: Shed your pride and take refuge in the Lord. You shall be victorious! My power shall always be with the Pandavas. I shall ride upon Arjuna's flag.

Bhima bowed down to his brother in all humility.

HANUMAN TO THE RESCUE

Fulfilling the promise given to his father, King Dasaratha, Rama along with Seeta and Lakshmana went in exile. They lived their ascetic lives blissfully in the forest and the fourteen year exile was drawing to a close when Ravana, the king of Lanka, having heard much of Seetha's beauty and desiring to possess her, used cunning means and carried her away.

Rama, when he discovered Seeta's absence, was inconsolable. With Lakshmana's mature advice and help, they began their search for Seeta. Fortunately, she had been noticed being carried away by many and the brothers took this trail until they reached Kishkindha, the abode of the Vanaras.

Here, they befriended Sugreeva and helped him ascend the throne. Sugreeva, in return, promised all help to find Seeta. Rama was shown a small bundle of jewels that was described by Sugreeva's men as having fallen from the sky. Rama instantly recognized them as Seeta's.

Hanuman was Sugreeva's generalissimo. Earlier he had saved Sugreeva from a mad elephant by holding it by its trunk and flinging it away, earning him the position he held presently. Sugreeva's army was divided in four and each battalion went in each of the four directions. Hanuman, instinctively, opted to go south with his men.

He reached the southern shores of Bharata and there he learnt that Ravana of Lanka had carried Seeta away to the island in a flying chariot. He stood atop a mountain, said his prayers to his father, Vayu, and with a roar that shook the earth, leaped across the ocean. He landed safe in Lanka but not before vanquishing a terrible sea-monster en-route.

In beautiful Lanka, bearing all the insignia of a flourishing kingdom, Hanuman wandered in the guise of a little monkey. He went hither and thither looking carefully at each woman to see if she was Seeta. Finally, having looked in the houses and the market places, in the palaces and in the harems, Hanuman reached a garden called Ashokavana.

Here he found a beautiful woman humming sad sweet notes. Upon moving closer, he understood that she was pining for her Lord to come and take her back. Understanding that she was none other than Seeta, he looked about to find if somebody was watching and seeing none, sprang up before her, startling her. He held his palms together and paid obeisance to her. To assure her that he was there on a mission for Rama, he showed her Rama's ring which he had carried along.

Although Hanuman was powerful enough to carry Seeta and a hundred others like her together back with him, he yielded to Seeta's wish that Rama come and fight Ravana, liberate all those that were unjustly held there and then take her back.

Hanuman was wise by Brahma's boon. He knew that war begets only sorrow even for the victor. He desired a peaceful settlement. With this intent he went to Ravana's court, introduced himself and sought peace. A haughty Ravana and his misled men laughed at the sight of a mere monkey being the ambassador for peace.

Ravana sat on the throne set at an elevated level. Simply to exhibit to Ravana that he was not pitted against somebody that could be crushed, Hanuman coiled up his tail so high that it was higher than Ravana's throne and sat upon it. Ravana was angered and ordered his men to set this audacious monkey's tail on fire.

The men set Hanuman's tail on fire. Exclaiming that the heat of the fire was nothing but the angst of Mother Seeta, Hanuman went all over Lanka and set everything on fire. With Lanka burning, Hanuman went to the ocean and dipped in his tail, thereby extinguishing the fire.

He now returned to Rama with the promising news of Seeta's presence in Lanka.

MOUNTAIN TRANSFERRED !

Despite many attempts by Sri Rama and his men to come to a peaceful settlement with Ravana, this did not materialize. Filled with egoistic pride and egged on by his un-wise ministers, he declared war. So war it was, quick-killing and enervating, sapping all energy - physical and mental.

Both armies suffered - Ravana's because its king wanted war and Rama's because its leader wanted peace. Stark distinction in intent apart, nothing was different in the fate with which they met. Barren land that was the meeting ground for the two armies was now drenched in blood; men lay everywhere broken, pierced and torn in every limb, every muscle, every bone, every nerve; they lay there alive, half-alive, barely-alive, nearly-dead and dead; writhing and twitching in pain until they could no more writhe and twitch.

With the coming of Indrajit, Ravana's son, who had the ability to make himself invisible and who wielded terrible weapons of boon from the gods, the scenario was turning bad in Rama's camp. Even Lakshmana lay in a swoon. There remained only Rama, Hanuman and Vibheeshana to lead and not many beyond finger-count among the soldiers.

When everything seemed apparently lost, Jambavan asked Hanuman to bring some herbs from the Sanjeevani Mountain. So, with an urgent mission on hand, Hanuman leapt skyward and flew north like lightning. Having spotted the Sanjeevani, he alighted upon it, only to see that it was densely forested, difficult to distinguish one herb from another. Instantly he decided that instead of trying to discover the herbs needed, he would carry the mountain itself back to Lanka!

Growing to an enormous size with his powers of Mahima, he dug his hand deep beneath the mountain and with a thunderous, "Jai Sri Rama," he uprooted it from its base, held it in his hand and flew south. It was spectacular to see a whole mountain descend upon Lanka's battle-field. Jambavan took the herbs and revived the dying men. Even men from Ravana's camp were treated. These grateful men, who would otherwise have died neglected and in anonymity, now insisted upon fighting for Rama.

With the herbs from Sanjeevani now available, Indrajit was killed by Lakshmana and Ravana by Rama. Lanka was liberated, Vibheeshana was crowned king and the land, now sanctified by Rama's advent and Vibheeshana's coronation, came to be called Sri Lanka. Seeta was reunited with her Lord and, the exile period now over, they returned to Ayodhya.

RAMA or RAMA NAAMA ?

Hanuman having returned with the news of Seeta's captivity in Lanka, Sugreeva lost no time and began preparing his army to accompany Rama and Lakshmana to Lanka in order to vanquish Ravana, liberate all those imprisoned within the vices of the senses and bring back Seeta Devi.

They reached the sea-shore and here it was proposed to build a bridge. Upon what foundation would the bridge stand? Hanuman simply said, "Chant Rama's divine name and the rocks would not sink!" Although the others were doubtful of this suggestion, they complied and were instantly convinced, for the rocks not only floated but also stayed at the spot they were placed on the sea! Walking upon these rocks, chanting Sri Rama's divine name, they laid more rocks until the bridge was built.

When there was a need for Hanuman to take back a whole mountain to Lanka, he lifted it by the powers he attained by chanting 'Jai Sri Rama'.

Many years later, when the purpose of Rama's avatara on earth was fulfilled, he was about to go into Samadhi. He asked Hanuman to do likewise and attain the abode of perpetual bliss. Hanuman declined saying that bliss to him was to live on the earth where Rama was born, his name ever playing on his lips! To this Rama asked, "Why is it that you value my name more than me?" Hanuman said, "Thou art but a mere mortal incarnation while your name and deeds are eternal. Hence your name on earth is eternal!"

In later times, during the age of the Mahabharata, Arjuna whose flag Hanuman adorned reached the place where the bridge had been built earlier by the Vanaras. Filled with pride, he said, "Why, dear Maruti, did the Vanaras have to take all the trouble to build such a huge bridge? All it needs is a great archer like me to build one! Just watch me!" Then he shot arrow after arrow with such intense speed that they interlocked and formed a strong bridge across the ocean.

Hanuman told him gently that it is not wont of great men to boast of earthly achievements, but Arjuna who was immensely flattered by his own bridge, did not sway. He challenged Hanuman to prove that this bridge was inferior to the one they had built earlier. Hanuman simply breathed, 'Jai Sri Rama' and the bridge collapsed as if it were made of feathers! Arjuna fell at Hanuman's feet and begged to be pardoned.

Shri Anjaneya Ashthatora Shatanamawali Lyrics 

Om Angenayaya Namah
Om Mahaveeraya Namah
Om Hanumate Namah
Om Marutatmajaya Namah
Om Tatva-gnyana-pradaya Namah
Om Sita Devi Mudhra-padraya kaya Namah
Om Ashokavani-kaachetre Namah
Om Sarva-maya-vibham-janaya Namah
Om Sarva-banda-vimokthre Namah
Om Raksho-vidhvamsa-karakaya Namah
Om Para-vidhya-pariharaya Namah
Om Para-shourya-vinashanaya Namah
Om Paramamtra-niraakarte Namah
Om Parayantra-pradbedakaaya Namah
Om Sarwagraha-vinaashine Namah
Om Bhimasena-sahayakrute Namah
Om Sarwa-dukhaharaaya Namah
Om Sarwa-lokachaarinye Namah
Om Manojavaaya Namah
Om Paarijaata drumulasdhaya Namah
Om Sarwa-mantra-swarupine Namah
Om Sarwa-tantra-swarupine Namah
Om Sarwa-yantratmakaaya Namah
Om Kapeeshwaraaya Namah
Om Mahakaayaaya Namah
Om Sarwa-rogaharaaya Namah
Om Prabhave Namah
Om Balasiddhikaraaya Namah
Om Sarwa-vidya-sampatpradaa-yakaaya Namah
Om Kapisenaa-naayakaaya Namah
Om Bhavishya-chatu-rananaaya Namah
Om Kumaara-bramhachaarine Namah
Om Ratna-kundala-deeptamate Namah
Om Sanchala-dwala-sannaddha-lambamaana shikhojwalaaya Namah
Om Gandharwa-vidya-tatwagnyaya Namah
Om Mahabala-paraakramaaya Namah
Om Kaaraa-gruha-vimoktre Namah
Om Shrumkhalaa-bandhamochakaaya Namah
Om Saagarottarakaaya Namah
Om Pragnyaya Namah
Om Raama-dhutaaya Namah
Om Prataapavate Namah
Om Vaanaraaya Namah
Om Kesaree-sutaaya Namah
Om Seetaa-shoka-nivaaranaaya Namah
Om Amjanaa-garbha-sambhutaaya Namah
Om Baalaarka-sadrushaananaaya Namah
Om Vibhishana-priyakaraaya Namah
Om Dhashagreva-kulaamtakaaya Namah
Om Lakshana-pranadaataaya Namah
Om Vajra-kaayaaya Namah
Om Mahadyutaye Namah
Om Chinrajeevine Namah
Om Raamabhaktaya Namah
Om Daitya-kaarya-vighatakaaya Namah
Om Akshahamtre Namah
Om Kaancha-naabhaya Namah
Om Pancha-vaktraya Namah
Om Maha-tapaaya Namah
Om Lamkhinee-bhamjanaaya Namah
Om Srimate Namah
Om Simhaka-pranabhamjanaaya Namah
Om Gandha-maadana-sailasdhaya Namah
Om Lankaa-puravidaahakaaya Namah
Om Sugriva-sachi-vaaya Namah
Om Ddhiraaya Namah
Om Shuraya Namah
Om Daityakulamtakaaya Namah
Om Suraarchitaaya Namah
Om Mahatejaaya Namah
Om Raama-chudaa-manipradaaya Namah
Om Kaama-rupaaya Namah
Om Pingalakshaya Namah
Om Vaardhi-mainaaka-pujitaaya Namah
Om Kabali-kruta-martamda-mamdalaaya Namah
Om Vijitem-driyaaya Namah
Om Raama-sugriva-samdhaatre Namah
Om Maha-raavana-mardhanaaya Namah
Om Spatikaabhaya Namah
Om Vaagadhishaya Namah
Om Navavya-kruti-panditaaya Namah
Om Chatur-bahave Namah
Om Deena-bandhave Namah
Om Mahatmaya Namah
Om Bhaktha-vastalaaya Namah
Om Sanjeeva-vanaanna-graaharthe Namah
Om Shuchaye Namah
Om Vaagmine Namah
Om Drudavrataaya Namah
Om Kaalaneme-pramadha-naaya Namah
Om Hari-markata-markataaya Namah
Om Damtaaya Namah
Om Shantaaya Namah
Om Prasanaatmane Namah
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Chasing the Elusive Energy Policy

Strong energy policy is needed now more than ever, but the chances that Congress will pass one in 2012 are slim.

KEVIN BULLIS 

Prospects for passing some sort of long-term energy policy were good just two years ago, but a lousy economy and some aggressive lobbying by opponents of climate change policy derailed those efforts, and there's no reason to think things will get back on track in 2012.

The closest possibility may be clean energy standards legislation being crafted by Jeff Bingaman, a Democratic senator from New Mexico. But Republicans have already lined up against such a measure, and even existing clean energy policies are being questioned, especially after the failure of the solar cell maker and loan guarantee recipient Solyndra. (See "Solyndra: We Told You So.") Election year politics may force legislators to steer clear of hot button issues like climate change.

In the absence of a comprehensive energy policy, expect increased use of natural gas, which is cheap because of large newly economical resources in the United States, and decreased use of coal, which is the subject of new EPA regulations. Without policy support, or sudden, big improvements to battery technology, it's hard to see electric vehicles taking off quickly, and as the cellulosic ethanol industry has been slow to get going, don't expect biofuels to make a big dent in gasoline consumption. Indeed, the country may grow yet more dependent on oil as large new resources are exploited in places such as North Dakota and Texas, and friendly neighbors such as Canada. Some experts are starting to suggest that within a decade or two, the Americas would no longer need to import any oil. That might sound good, but oil prices will still depend on the worldwide market for oil—as long as demand is growing as it has been in recent years, prices will stay high, and volatile, even if the U.S. starts sending more money to Brazil and Canada and less to the Middle East.

Looking ahead, we can also expect to see more failures in the solar industry, as low prices force many out of business. One thing that will be interesting to watch is the extent to which the survivors manage to succeed, even in a climate of reduced government incentives. The U.S.-based solar panel manufacturing giant First Solar recently announced that it plans to stop targeting fickle subsidized markets, and instead sell to places where its technology makes economic sense on its own merits. Prices for solar panels may have decreased enough in recent years that the industry can survive on its own--serving areas with lots of sun and high electricity prices—albeit at a smaller size than it could with government support.

New Manufacturing Tech Could Mean Cheaper Solar Cells

Solar machine: The CEO of Natcore Technology demonstrates a prototype AR-Box, which uses a new liquid-based deposition technology to apply antireflective coatings.

ENERGY

New Manufacturing Tech Could Mean Cheaper Solar Cells

Startup Natcore says its process could reduce costs and enable new nanostructured designs.

• BY KEVIN BULLIS

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A novel way to make thin, uniform coatings developed at Rice University could reduce the cost of making conventional silicon solar cells, and could open the way for new kinds of solar cells that are far more efficient or cheaper than conventional ones.

The technology, which deposits coatings in a low-temperature, liquid-based process rather than the high-temperature gas-based process used now, is being commercialized by Natcore Technology, a startup in Red Bank, New Jersey. The company plans to use the technology to replace a standard step in conventional solar cell manufacturing—adding an antireflective coating to silicon wafers to help them to absorb more light. It will also offer a more advanced antireflection technology, called black silicon.

At the same time, Natcore is developing more advanced applications of the process, including fabricating solar cells made of carbon nanotubes or nanoscale crystals called quantum dots. Such solar cells will probably take years to commercialize, but could far outperform conventional solar cells. Nano solar cells have been attempted before, but the company thinks its new manufacturing technology could make them affordable.

As a replacement for high-temperature processes on a conventional manufacturing line, the liquid-based process can lower manufacturing costs. Natcore's CEO, Charles Provini, estimates that replacing a conventional coating machine with one of his company's could save a solar manufacturer about $1 million in electricity costs per year.

Manufacturers don't currently use liquid-based processes for antireflection coatings in part because it's been difficult to make the coating uniform enough for solar cells. The problem arises from the way a liquid process typically works. The coating forms as reactants in the liquid interact with a surface. As the reactants are used up, the rates of deposition change, resulting in variations in the thickness of the coating. Researchers at Rice addressed this problem by developing a system for continuously replenishing the reactants while also closely monitoring the thickness of the films.

One of Natcore's advanced nano solar cell designs involves depositing layers of quantum dots on a silicon solar cell. The quantum dots are designed to absorb colors that silicon doesn't, potentially doubling the efficiency of solar cells. This has been tried before, but forming a layer of quantum dots has required expensive processing technology, and it has proven difficult to space the quantum dots to avoid unwanted electrical discharges between them. The Natcore process is inexpensive, and it provides a means for controlling the arrangement of the quantum dots by coating them with a layer of silicon dioxide that acts as a spacer. The company has decided to start by coating conventional silicon solar cells to make it easier for the industry to adopt the technology, but could eventually do away with silicon wafers for an entirely quantum-dot-based solar cell that uses more than one type of quantum dot to efficiently absorb the entire range of wavelengths in sunlight.

Another design, which Natcore is developing together with Kodak, involves using the liquid deposition process to coat a network of carbon nanotubes with a solar semiconductor material to produce thin, flexible solar cells. Natcore says solar cells using this design could be about as efficient as conventional silicon solar cells, but cost roughly half as much to make, in large part because they could be made with the same equipment that Kodak has used to make photographic film. Because the solar cells would be light and flexible, they would also be easier to install, cutting installation costs in half, Natcore estimates.

Andrew Barron, the professor of chemistry and materials science at Rice University who developed the liquid deposition technology, says the carbon nanotube design is closer to commercialization than the quantum dot one. He says researchers have made small prototype solar cells—the remaining development work has to do with working out the details of manufacturing. The quantum dot solar cells are still at an early stage—the researchers have only so far used the liquid process to show that it's possible to distribute the quantum dots as needed. They haven't built solar cells yet.

Natcore has raised about $6 million through a public offering on a Canadian stock exchange. It has also signed joint venture agreements with companies in China and Italy. The company plans to license its technology to others, rather than manufacture solar cells itself. It is currently testing a prototype version of a commercial-scale liquid deposition machine, and Provini says the company has four solar cell manufacturers lined up to buy the commercial version of the machine, if the company meets certain technical milestones.

New Material Cools Under Pressure

Science Daily — Research led by a team from the University of Barcelona, published in the online version of the journal Nature Communications, has identified a new material that exhibits an inverse barocaloric effect at room temperature, which means that it cools when pressure is applied, unlike most other materials. The study carried out within the Barcelona Knowledge Campus (BKC) framework, also included work by researchers from the Polytechnic University of Catalonia. BarcelonaTech (UPC), the University of Duisburg-Essen (Germany) and the Indian Association for the Cultivation of Science.

During the study, the Group on Characterization of Materials at the Polytechnic University of Catalonia. BarcelonaTech (UPC) characterized the processes by which the solid material was submitted at different temperatures and pressures using a custom system developed by the team.The barocaloric effect refers to the change in temperature produced in a material by the application of hydrostatic pressure. Most objects heat up when compressed and cool down when decompressed. Still, some solids display the opposite behaviour: their temperature decreases when they are compressed and increases when they are decompressed. Lluís Mañosa, UB professor, explains: "This highly unusual behaviour is what we have termed the inverse barocaloric effect. In our study we have found a material which exhibits a substantial change at moderate pressures: its temperature drops by 1ºC for each additional 1 kbar of pressure."

The material developed during the study is an intermetallic compound of the magnetocaloric metals lanthanum, iron, silicon and cobalt (La-Fe-Si-Co), which change temperature when an external magnetic field is applied. This material group is considered the most promising for novel refrigeration systems. According to Mañosa, "in the material we studied, the temperature change brought about by moderate pressures is of sufficient magnitude to be considered for use in environmentally respectful refrigeration systems. In addition, the fact that it responds to two types of external stimulus -- magnetic fields and pressure -- would allow for the design of devices that apply these stimuli simultaneously to obtain higher levels of performance."

The inverse barocaloric effect is created by a phase transition in the material below a given temperature, leading to structural and magnetic changes. It has recently been suggested that materials displaying this behaviour could also be used in novel energy harvesting systems.

Scientists Map Susceptibility to Type 2 Diabetes

Science Daily  — Research carried out at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem has provided the first proof of molecular risk factors leading to type 2 diabetes, providing an "early warning" sign that could lead to new approaches to treating this and other human disease conditions.

Despite extensive research on the molecular basis for the variance in susceptibility between individuals to common diseases, the subject is still poorly understood. A prime example of this is type 2 diabetes (T2D), a very widespread human disorder.

What is it that characterizes the susceptibility to this disease?

Epigenetic variations -- which are small molecular marks superimposed on the DNA structure -- have been frequently hypothesized to modify predisposition, but direct evidence was missing.

Now, a research team led by Dr. Asaf Hellman of the Hebrew University's Institute of Medical Research Israel Canada has developed a novel, multistep, study design involving the analysis of disease-contributing epigenetic variations among hundreds of patients and control individuals.

The research was presented in a scientific conference at the Cambridge University Genomic Center and was recently published in the scientific journal Human Molecular Genetic.

Taking an innovative research direction, the Hebrew University research team decided to map DNA methylation variations rather than DNA sequence variations, as was traditionally done. The team undertook a proof-of-concept study among 1,169 type 2 diabetes patients and non-diabetic controls. The results demonstrated the unique abilities of this novel research approach by revealing a clear-cut, disease-predisposing DNA methylation signature. This is a first report in the scientific literature of epigenetic risk factor for T2D.

DNA methylation is a naturally occurring mechanism used to regulate genes and protect DNA from some types of cleavage. It is one of the regulatory processes that are referred to as epigenetic, in which an alteration in gene expression occurs without a change in the nucleotide sequence of the DNA. Defects in this process cause several types of disease that afflict humans.

The method used by Hellman was developed during postdoctoral training at the Harvard University Medical School. Later, his research students at the Hebrew University, Gidon Tperoff and Dvir Aran, further developed it into an efficient, genome-wide mapping method.

The mapping was carried out on the methylation sites in cooperation with Prof. Benjamin Glaser, head of the Endocrinology and Metabolism Department at the Hebrew University-Hadassah Medical School and a leading researcher of T2D genetics, and with additional key researchers including Professors Jeremy Kark and Yechiel Friedlander from the Braun Hebrew University-Hadassah School of Public Health and Community Medicine, Prof. Julio Wainstein from the Wolfson Medical Center, and Prof. Ephrat Levy-Lahad from the Shaare Zedek Medical Center.

This analysis not only revealed, for the first time, a clear-cut epigenetic signature in T2D, telltale methylation signature marks were also shown to appear on the DNA of young individuals who latter developed impaired glucose metabolism, even before the appearance of clinical diabetic manifestations.

These findings shed new light on the mechanism of individual predisposition to T2D and pave the way for the elucidating of similar mechanisms in a long list of common human diseases, including many metabolic, autoimmune and psychiatric disorders.

Given that epigenetic marks are sensitive to a wide range of environmental clues, including diets, chemical exposures, intrauterine environments, and also to therapeutic drugs, these finding may open the way for the development of new prevention and/or intervention epigenetic therapies.