Parrot with P

A long time ago there was a parrot in kudalur who would offer one fruit to the Lord as worship. one day as it was flying with the fruit in its beak a hunter shot it. it fell down and was not able to fly. when the hunter came to collect the parrot it appealed to the hunter to take him for one last time to the Perumal. the hunter seeing the parrot talk fled the scene the parrot was bemoaning its fate when the Lord appeared before the parrot received the fruit and blessed it. the parrot was none other than a hermit well versed in the sastras who got moksha in the birth as parrot. 

Godavari

Goda the name evokes a noble idea in the mind. repeating it has a purifying effect as it drives away evil thoughts and makes us prepared to receive the Lords grace.
Godavari is one of the greatest rivers that meanders through 900 miles in South India. Rising at Tryambakam near Nasik the river has several legends associated with it.
Sage Gautama who performed tapas to expiate the sin of accidentally killing a cow. The pleased Siva brought down Ganga on the Brahmagiri hill near Trayambaka and the waters resuscitated the dead cow, absolving Gautama of Go-hatya. the Stream came to be known as Godavari  meaning also as the best of rivers rich ever green and prosperous the seven sages of the Indian puranas are closely associated with several places on the pathway of Godavari. 
From Dowleswaram the Godavari flows as two streams called Gautami and Vasista to join the Bay of Bengal at Yanam and Narasapur.
On the banks of this great river did Rama and Sita spent their happiest moments. Agastyar directs Rama to Panchavati when he decides to move further south. On reaching Panchavat on the banks of Godavari they are mesmerized by the beauty of Nature. The changing seasons bring forth various comforts and pleasures. 
Kalidasa in his Ramayana has Rama Pointing out Panchavati to Sita as they fly back in the Pushpaka vimana  from Lanka to Ayodhya. QUOTE RAMA "I REMEMBER RETURNING FROM HUNTING AND RESTING WITH MY HEAD ON YOUR LAP IN THE GARDEN ON THE GODAVARI BANK. THE COOL BREEZE FROM THE RIVER USED TO LULL ME INTO PLEASANT SLEEP AT ONCE"
Kamban describes  Godavari as a decoration of Mother Earth.
a noble poem. 
The divine river Kadavu aaruappeared to be welcoming the Ayodhya royalty with lotuses and Lillies. At the same time the gushing waters seemed to be sorrowing for the fate of the princely three wander as homeless ascetics. Romantic thoughts breeze through the minds of Sita and Rama as they watch the birds and animals and the sand banks on the river.
The crafty V D weaves the greatness of Godavari  to that of Goda devi saying just like her beauty generosity love compassion and grace the river too has all these qualities. the flow of Thirumozhi and Tirupavai from verse to verse he says is just like the gentle waves of the river Godavari.
Samudravati:
Savitri
Angee:
Mahee:
Mahah:
Dharanee:
Surasarih:
Ihahvyapinee;
Suraguna vyathishtah: 
Jalasayinee:
Sriyandhara:
Adho parisati:

45 songs on Therezhundur.

Once Thirumangai alwar s in the course of his pilgrimage landed in the town Therezhundur. he asked the people for the name of the presiding deity of the temple. when he was told it was Devadirajan he thought that it was a temple for Indra and therefore did not visit the temple while passing through the town. Perumal wanted the Alwar to visit and sing a few pasurams in his praise. well he can do anything it so happened the Alwar could not pass by for he felt his leg very heavy as if it was made of metal. dejected he expressed his inability to walk and thought of God later he visited the temple and on seeing Perumal Devadirajan he understood what had transpired and to make up for his earlier unintended error he sang 45 pasurams on the Lord here. this is one of the five Krishna Kshetrams the Lord is seen having four hands.

twice born but unaware of the plot within.

There are two mothers for the seeker. One is the gayathri manthra
through which one becomes dhvija, meaning twice-born and the other is
the ashtakshara manthra through which he becomes qualified for moksha.








Nammalwar says that he is unaware of the plotting going on within him by the senses that are trying to divert him from his only goal in life to serve the Lord and be engrossed in him all the time.
Mind is a strange worker. example if one sees only good and makes it a habit to do so your mind will after a while get habituated to pick only the good. one must remember that there is plenty out there and one has to be selective to pick only the good to train the mind. this became all the more relevant yesterday during the class where a story was repeated by the teacher. he had said the same story a couple of years before and the words you wont believe were just the same. the same sentence and the same example. 
this for me was a repetition as when young we had this Madhav Maharaj who used to stay in our house when ever he came to town and that particular time he asked us to play some recording from his previous bhagvad saptha. it so happened we played one tape and that happened to be the same section which he had narrated that day and he too was surprised as to how he had picked up the same example even the words were almost similar. the way the story was narrated this was in Gujarathi. yesterday was Tamil irrespective of language the mind processes the idea and stores info so it is very important to feed the mind only positive thoughts and experiences. the more positive one gets the better it is so make it a habit. it is tricky to train the mind but trained it can be. 

Thirumangai mannan Ceaser.

The well known story of how Thirumangai alwar waylaid rich persons near Thirumanam kollai and by diverting the taxes which he had collected in his area as a chieftain was feeding thousands of vaishnavite saints every day. The King got to know of this and put him behind the bars inside the temple. even today the priest point out the place where he was imprisoned. When he was in the Prison the Perumal appeared in his dream and told him that the sum equal to the money that was diverted by him would be found concealed in the bed of the river Vegavati near Kanchi. God asked him to reclaim that money and render unto Ceser what belonged to Ceser. Thirumangai alwar acted accordingly and got his release from the prison.
After this incident Thirumangai alwar prayed to the Lord to make him a vaishnavite so as to enable him to cross the last hurdle before marrying Kumudavalli. Perumal agreed to become his guru. The idol of Perumal in the Garba griha is seen with his two hands holding the Shanka and chakra as if to imprint the shanka and chakra on his disciple and perform the Samashrayam ceremony. Perumal here thence forth came to be known as Nambi

Mark of a wise man.

Aatmajnaanam samaarambha stitikshaa dharmanityataa
Yamarthaannaapakarshanti sa vai pandita uchyate.
That one is wise who does not deviate from the higher goals of life, rooted as he is in self knowledge, endeavour, forberance and adherence to dharma.

Yasya krityam na vighnanti sheetamushnam bhayamsatih
Samriddhirasamriddhirvaa sa vai pandita uchyate.
That one is wise whose actions are not obstructed by cold, heat, fear, love affluence or poverty.

Naapraapyamabhivaanjhanti nashtam nechchhanti shochitum
Aapatsu ch na muhyanti sa vai pandita uchyate.
That one is wise who does not hanker after the unattainable, who does not worry over what is lost and who faces calamities without losing his senses.

Nischitwaa yah prakramate naantarvasati karmanah
Avandhyakaalo vashyaatmaa sa vai pandita uchyate.
That one is wise whose endeavors are preceded by a firm commitment, who does not take long rests before the task is accomplished, who does not waste his time and who has control over his mind.

Na hrishyatyaa masamnnaane naavamaanena tapyate
gaango hrada ivakshobhyo yah sah pandita uchyate.
That one is wise who does not rejoice when honoured does not become dejected when dis-honored and is not swayed by emotions under the mot trying circumstances.

Artham mahaantamaasaadya vidyaamaishwarya me va vaa.
Vicharatya samunnaddho yah sah pandita uchyate.
That one is wise who even after acquiring great wealth, learning or control over others goes about his job without being conceited in the heart.

Sapta Kanya.

Ganga, Yamuna, Sindhu, Kaveri, Godavari and saraswati were playing on the slopes of Vindhya mountains when a Gandharva by name Visvavasu happened to pass that way. He bowed to them in a reverential manner and continued on his errand. but the girls were girls and a dispute arose they decided to catch the culprit on his return journey and clear their doubt { To whom amongst them did he show his respects to} Lo Behold Visvasu was cornered in the evening on his return journey and was broached with their very important question. He of course cunning as ever left them in a greater confusion by saying it was meant for whoever was the greatest amongst them. the competition boiled down to ultimately between Ganga and Kaveri for they both laid claim to be the greater one. They decided to approach Brahma who narated to them the story of the origin of Ganga. 
Now Kaveri could not accept this and she did severe penance and Brahma appeared once again and as he was pleased he said now she had the equal status with Ganga. but Kaveri could not take this so she continued to want an ever greater status than Ganga so Brahma advised her to go to Sara kshetram sit under the arasa maram on the banks of sara puskarini and pray to perumal and her wish would surely be answered.
She did severe penance and on the day of full moon in the month of thai Maha vishnu manifested before her as a child. she held the child close to her and knew that it was the Lord and so desired he appear in his true swaroopa. the Lord is said to have appeared sitting on Garuda and accompanied by sridevi and Neela devi adorning the shanka and chakra. He also appeared in his dasa avtara before her.
Kaveri asked the Lord for three boons. one to continue to stay in sara kshetram, she requested moksa for every one and thirdly to be recognized as superior to Ganga.  this was also assured when the Lord came to reside in Srirangam. Kaveri was thus greater to Ganga. There is a small sannidhi for Kaveri on the banks of the sara tank under a peepul tree. 

Thiruchcherai Mannargudi temple connection..

Alagiya Manavala Nayaka who was ruling at Tanjore was engaged in the construction of the Rajagopala swamy temple at Mannargudi in Tanjore dist. Due to non avalability of the special kind of stone for the construction, the king made alternate arrangements to have the stones carried form outside the district. But unknown to the King his minister Narasa Bhoopalan who had a special interest in renovating the Saranath temple in Tiruchcherai ordered that one stone from each cart be off loaded at tiruchcheri. By this small diversion he was able to renovate the tiruchcheri temple completely. But as usual the king got to learn of this and wanted to investigate this himself. When Narasa Bhoopalan came to know of the kings visit he acted fast and knowing the kings great Love for Rajagopala he installed the idol of the Lord Rajagopala with his consorts in the Front mandapam before the Lords idol of Tiruchcheri koil. The King was very pleased he sanctioned the expenses for the complete renovation of the temple.Thus today we find a small sannidhi for Rajagopala swamy in the Tiruchcheri temple.
This is the only Vaishnavite temple where the Lord is seen with his five consorts as he is seen in Vaikunta holding a lotus flower in his right hand. 
Sri devi represents Earth, Bhoomidevi represents Vayu, Neela devi Aaksa, Sara nayaki represents Water, and Mahalakshmi seated on his chest represents Fire. Thai Poosam is celebrated in this temple which is a unique feature for a Vaishnavite temple.

Nandi pani seidha nagar.

Nandhi puram the Lord is Nandhinathan in the moolasthanam on the wall can be seen a Adhikara Nandhi. King Nandivarman built this temple. another famous story is of Sibhi Chakravarthy and the dove. The King was well known for his generosity. one day while he was at the Darbar a dove came rushing and fell at his feet and requested to be protected from the vulture who was chasing it. the king Sibhi intervened and asked the vulture to spare the dove. the vulture demanded that the dove was his rightful prey for food. the king is said to have offered his own flesh of equal weight of that of the dove. He got a balance and placed the dove on one side and he then cut a piece of his own flesh from his thigh and placed it on the other scale but the dove seemed to weigh more every time, finally without any hesitation he is said to have offered himself by sitting on the scale. It was then that Perumal appeared before him and blessed him. the dove was Indra in disguise and the vulture was Agni bhagwan they had come to test the rightful king Sibhi. The idol of the Lord which was facing East all the while changed direction after this incident and faced west. The alwar is said to have sung 10 verses praising and describing the Lord. 

thirumangai alwar brandishing a sword

In Thiru Aadanoor, Thirumangai alwar has a place within the sanctum sanctorum itself. In very few temples does Thirumangai alwar have a separate shrine for himself. In most temples he is seen with the other alwars  in a mandapam or a niche in the corridor. In Varadaraja Perumal koil in Kanchipuram and at Therezhundur in Tanjore district there are seperate shrines for him. but here in Thiru Aadanoor he is seen in the garbha griha itself and that too brandishing a sword. The story goes that after he spent a lot of time money and effort in renovating the temple at Srirangam he was tired and he spent some time in this village. one day Perumal appeared to him in his dream and said that many who had served him had acquired riches etc but it was rather strange that though he had done so much service to the Lord was not rich. He further said that the next day Thirumangai alwar should go to the banks of Kollidam river and that a person would meet him and confer wealth etc. The next day the alwar along with various others went to the banks of the Kollidam river there they saw a majestic figure standing there with a measuring unit in his hand. On seeing the alwar he gave a bushel full of mud to the alwar. and the moment the Alwar received it it turned to gold. the others watching this also extended their hands to receive their share of the mud. but in their case the mud remained as mud itself. Without realizing the significance of what had transpired they rushed on the donor the Perumal in disguise. Thirumangai alwar is said to have brandished his sword to frighten away the disappointed crowd. Hence he is seen here in the Garba griha itself in this attire.

koti surya sama prabha.

The Light one sees may be like the crores of suns. the following is a reproduction of an article i have read.on Prayer. i dont remember where may be the daily or .... but worth contemplating on so.....but i do believe one has to pray only to Thank God for we are ignorant and do not know what is right for us may be by asking we are prolonging the final surrender but everyone has to decide this for themselves.  ..... here goes
......

‘More things are wrought with prayer than this world dreams of,’ is well known saying. Let us see the efficacy of prayer. First of all we should be clear as to what is prayer. We pray to have our desires fulfilled, or when we have some problem, or when we are under some stress or difficulty ranging from minor upset to a great calamity. Lastly we pray for others also to alleviate their suffering. Let us examine each to make sure whether they will be granted.

It is the general belief and also a truth that an ardent prayer with complete faith is always answered. Is it true in all cases? Let us take them one by one.

1. A prayer to fulfil a wish, It may be for getting a child or getting married or getting promotion or even getting more wealth and it may be for umpteen desires people always have . Sometimes they also try to bribe God by taking a vow that they will put  thousands of rupees etc. in the hundi or do some other offering treating God like an official in the wide world of bribes. Of course this is despicable and only a business deal. We can never expect the one who owns the universe to be tempted by our offers.  And He knows that if He fulfils one wish of yours you will be back with your begging bowl for another soon. Even the vows like going to Thirumala by foot or any other involving physical hardships are only slightly better because God is not expecting you to torture yourself in order to give what you want . If He does so He will be no better than tyrant. Has He not said “ You give  Me a leaf, a flower, a fruit , or water, with love and I will accept it with relish?” Even that He does not expect from you to do a favour but  only as a sign of your love.

So what happens when these kinds of prayers are made?

We find that our desires are fulfilled sometimes but  not always. It is not because God is not satisfied by what you offer to Him in return of His granting your wish, so that next time you have to raise its value! For He is not a corrupt official of the Government or a corrupt  politician . It is because He knows what you need and what is good for you and what  you are destined for. If a child suffering from cold asks the mother for an ice cream will she give it however much the child pleads and gives all sorts of promises that he will be good and will do this and that etc.? The same mother will gladly give him the ice cream, even two or three when he is well. Similarly God knows when you should have ice cream and when you should have the bitter pill and It is for your own good.

2.When we have problem we pray that it should be solved. There is no problem which cannot be solved. But when we pray we acquire faith that it will be solved which gives us the mental peace and ability to think about the solution. But even then the solution will only come when it does and prayer gives you a patience to wait for it. The most important thing is to stop worrying about the problem once you have prayed fro His help. Then in your mind that becomes clear He plants the thought regarding the solution.

3. When we are in trouble or calamity we pray to Him for relief from suffering  and this becomes a surrender as we find that there is no other refuge than Him we can resort to. This prayer with full faith always fetches result. There is no instance when God has forsaken the devotee in a calamity. But our discretion is to be used because God often comes in human form. We always find that someone  even a stranger comes and helps us in a crisis if we have staunch faith in God. But this does not mean that God forsakes those who have no faith in Him. What happens is the unfaithful strives to get out of crisis himself and in his turbulent mental state he does something wrong and is lost. The thing to remember is faith is not blind but combined with awareness. A man was surrounded by flood and had blind faith in God. He stood on a roof and was saying that God will save him. Three times people came with a boat to rescue him but he refused saying that God will save him. In the end he was drowned. There were devotees who never lifted a little finger to help themselves in a calamity like Abhirami Bhattar but that requires intense devotion that makes one forget about his body and the world since his mind is always absorbed in God. Such people the Lord says, ‘yogakshemam vahaamyaham,’ because they are not able to think or do anything except about God. But do such devotees pray?

4. An ardent devotee who fits the description’ ananyaaschainthayantho maam ye janaaH paryupaasathe’,meaning those who think of nothing else except God and interested in nothing except His service, it becomes the burden of the Lord to look after them as they are like children who have to be looked after by the mother. But do they pray? Yes they do. But what they ask for is not anything worldly , not even protection from a calamity but they pray only for intense bhakthi , that their love for God should never diminish but should go on  growing till it becomes equal to His love. They do not have any desire , do not care if they suffer but they only wish to have the Lord always in their mind and to love Him. They are always happy and revel in the thought of God.

Prahlada said he did not want any boon from the Lord Narasimha because he was always happy and had nothing to ask for. Andal asked only that she should belong to Him and serve only Him and told Him to remove all other desires from her heart. Gora Kumbha even after he cut off his arms himself, was singing an dancing chanting the name of Hari. For them the prayer was naamsankeerthan and not a shopping list. The Lord looked after them without they having to ask for it .

5.Finally the prayer for the sake of others. This is the best of all and the Lord is so pleased that He grants it immediately. That is why the collective prayers always bring result. When we pray for others who are suffering our heart becomes the abode of God and the divinity that is invoked in so many hearts has the power to work miracles.

Hence if at all you want to pray let it be ‘ sarve janaH sukhino bhavanthu.’

Forward of course. 

mantra chanting.

When a mantra is chanted in rhythmic tone with ups and downs, they create a melodious effect in the body . This effect can be defined as the Neuro-linguistic effect. The Neuro- linguistic effect will be possible even if you do not know the meaning of the mantra. Hence knowing the meaning of every mantra is not compulsory. 

At the same time if you know the meaning it has got an additional effect which is known as Neuro-linguistic (NLE) + Psycholinguistic effect (PLE). Lot of Research studies have been carried out by many and important results derived by one of the famous professors Dr. T. Temple Tutler, of the Cleveland University, Ohio, USA on these effects are remarkable. The NLE and PLE effects are due to the production and spreading of curative chemicals in the brain. These curative chemicals give smoothening and curing effect in the body. Thus mantra chanting is no way a superstition. It can also be directly called as mantra therapy in modern words. 

Listening to mantras directly lowers blood pressure, normalizes heart beat rate, brain wave pattern, adrenalin level, even cholesterol level. That is the reason why modern doctors advise the people under high tension to sit and listen to music or mantras for few minutes. This has become an accepted procedure just like the yoga and Pranayam practices. Even chanting the kirtans, melodious bhajans, songs, etc., have the good effect almost similar to the NLE and PLE. How ever there should be a melodious pattern for that. The music/ song/mantra should never be hard/ harsh/rough/ etc. The speed also should have a smoothening effect for example even Gayatri mantra chanting should be done at the range of 4 - 8 numbers per minute, Om Namo Narayanaaya at 38 -62 and Om Namah Sivaaya at 42 - 68 range per minute.

Sara of Vedas, Agamasastras and Puranic texts

Brahma was called by Maha Vishnu nd was asked to makeagoodot and keep in it for safe custody the Vedas the Agamasastras and the Purnic texts, Brahma accordingly visited each of the Divya Desams and took the mud and made a pot. But surprisingly the pot would break, he was so worried, he approached Vishnu for solution. He was informed that there were 12 swayam vyaktha kshetrams on earth and that he should go to one of these sara kshetrams and take the mud out of the puskarini and make his pot. he did as he was told and the pot did not break. It is believed that the sara kshetram is being guarded by Brighu, Sounaka, Vyasa, Markandeya, Parasara, Vainatheya and other rishis. As Brahma was able to safeguard the eda agama saram this place Thiruchcherai came to be known as Sara Kshetram. Pancha sara kshetram as the temple tank, the vimana the God and Goddess.
Two more very interesting stories connected to this place in the following articles. 

Thiru Kannamangai

I saw
To my hearts content
with my own eyes
At Thiru Kannamangai
that Lord
who had destroyed the angry elephant Kuvalaya peedam
Who threw Vatsasuran on to the vailatree
who drank with relish the poisoned milk offered by the demoness  Poothana and also sucked her life out in the process.
who was born to destrot Ravana.
who ismy master and is sweet as nectar.
who never deserts those who trust Him
Who cleaverly treated Kamsa and killed him.
says Thirumangai alwar. one of his 14 on the Lord here.

Divya Kavi Pillai perumal Iyengar says:

Oh mind of mine
If it is your wish to see the matchless one who is beyond all comprehension through thoughts, words or even mastery over vedas-
I will tell you about him.
Listen-
The colour of his body is that of the enchanting dark rain bearing cloud-
His beautiful hands eyes and holy feet are like the lotus flower;
He belongs to Srirangam and Thiru Kannamangai.

Muthuswamy Dikshitar has given a beautiful description in his song in Raga Vamsavathi. adi tala.

Pallavi;
Bhakthimatam chitta pratyaksham pakaasanadi
Suradyaksham Bakthi mukthi radayaka dakeham
Bhoosuradi akilajana samraksham

Charanam.
Dasakrutim Krishnamangalakshetra pathim
Lakshmivivahotsavam
Visala veda sagara mandapam
Virajaeya Mahavibhava prabhavam
Vishistadvaita pratipadyam viroopaksha
guruguha samvedyam
Visesha pala pradam vidhi
dunta nivrutti kavam munijana priyakaram
Sasanka guru talpadosha
Hara darasa pushkarini
Tatapachima bhage subobhitot
Palavataka sthitham suramaya
Madhumakshika radhitham.

Siva advises Markandeya Rishi.

Markandeya was the son of Mirukandu Rishi who as soon as his son was born realised that his son would live only for sixteen years. so when the boy came of age he advised the boy Markandeya to offer sincere prayers in order to get over the impeding calamity, he told him to go to Palasa vanam and pray to Mahadeva at Appakudataan kshetram. Markandeya did as his father requested him after having a bath in the Indra puskarini. The lord one day appeared before him as a swan and started fanning him with his feathers and creating some commotion in the water. the Rishi first agitated tried to dissuade the swan saying he could not help him he said even Indra cannot help me etc. The swan calmly said he was a special bird he was the king among the swans and he belonged to the Saithara ratham which was under the administration of Kubera himself and that he lived in the Manatham tank known to be golden in colour filled with flowers. he asked the boy Markandeya to share his worries as he was well aware of all the three worlds and that he would try to solve the boys problem. the boy being hesitant he finally said he could even save him from the clutches of Yama. On hearing this Markandeya thought that his prayers were answered. He told the swan that he was there on his fathers request and that he was praying to Lord Siva and as the swan had said that he would save him from Yama too he felt his prayers to the Lord were answered. Siva was pleased with this and appeared in his real form and advised the boy to pray to Lord Narayana. he taught him one mantra which he said was very effective and which would act as a kavacham even against Yama kinkaras.
it goes like this:

Kesava please guard my head;
Narayana please guard my Hair;
Madhava please guard my forehead;
Govinda please guard my eyes;
Vishnu, Madhusudhana please guard my nostrills and the ears;
Thrivikrama plase guard my neck;
Vamana and Sridhara please guard my two lips;
Hrishikesa please guard my teeth;
Padmanabha please guard my tongue;
Damodara please guard my two shoulders;
Shankarshana please guard my chest;
Vasudeva please guard my stomach;
Pradhyumna please guard my back;
Aniruddha please guard the two sides;
Purushothama please guard my waist;
Narasimha please guard the two thighs
Achutha please guard my two knees;
Janardhana please guard the kanukkal, anklets;
Upendra please guard my feet;
Hari please guard the toes;
Krishna please guard my entire body.
As advised by Lord Siva the boy Markandeya used to have his daily bath in the Puskarini and pray with the above kavacham to Lord Narayana. 
Yama doothas when they approached him were frightened as he was taking Keshava's name and rushed off to Yama to complain.
On seeing Yama himself come Markandeya prayed to Shiva again and was once again advised to approach an old Brahmin who was sleeping in the house of the King Uparisaravasu {Another story of the old brahmin being here) as he was Lord Narayana himself.
Markandeya did so and was blessed by the old Brahmin who was holding in one hand appakudam lovingly.  the Nitya puskarini thenceforth came to be known as Mruthyu vinashini.

The story of the old Brahmin with the appakudam.
A Pandya raja by name Uparisaravasu was advised by Siva to pray to Lord Narayana with a prayer which he said was taught by Brahma to Indra. he was advised to repeat the sloka 1008 times and offer food to brahmins with appam ghee and payasam daily. The King religiously followed this advice and continue to stay there.
One day Lord Narayana took the guise of an old Brahmin and approached the King and told him that he was hungry and wanted to be fed immediately. the king reluctantly did so the old Brahmin ate up all the food prepared for the100's of brahmins and looked still hungry. the King requested the Brahmin to take some rest while he made arrangements to prepare some more food. the King then prepared appams with lots of ghee and bhakti to feed the old man. He had bought the appam's in a Kudam. the Lord stretched his hands and took the Kudam and gave the King his blessings of long life and moksha.

tora man darpan kehalaye.

Prani apne prabhu se poochhe
Kis vidhi paaun tohe
Prabhu kahe tu man ko pa le
Pa jaayega mohe
Tora man darpan kehlaye
Tora man darpan kehlaye
Bhale bure saare karmon ko
Dekhe aur dikhaaye
Tora man darpan kehlaye
Tora man darpan kehlaye

Man hi devta, man hi ishvar
Man se bada na koye
Man hi devta, man hi ishvar
Man se bada na koye
Man ujiyara jab jab faile
Jag ujiyara hoye
Is ujale darpan par praani
Is ujale darpan par praani
Dhool na jamne paye

Tora man darpan kehlaye
Tora man darpan kehlaye
Bhale bure saare karmon ko
Dekhe aur dikhaaye
Tora man darpan kehlaye
Tora man darpan kehlaye

Sukh ki kaliyan, dukh ke kaante
Man sabka adhar
Sukh ki kaliyan, dukh ke kaante
Man sabka adhar
Man se koi baat chhupe na
Man ke nain hazar
Jag se chaahe bhaag le koi
Jag se chaahe bhaag le koi
Man se bhaag na paye

Tora man darpan kehlaye
Tora man darpan kehlaye
Bhale bure saare karmon ko
Dekhe aur dikhaaye
Tora man darpan kehlaye
Tora man darpan kehlaye

Tan ki daulat dhalti chhaya
Man ka dhan anmol
Tan ki daulat dhalti chhaya
Man ka dhan anmol
Tan ke kaaran man ke dhan ko
Mat maati mein raund
Man ki kadar bhulane wala
Man ki kadar bhulane wala
Heera janam ganwaye

Tora man darpan kehlaye
Tora man darpan kehlaye
Bhale bure saare karmon ko
Dekhe aur dikhaaye
Tora man darpan kehlaye
Tora man darpan kehlaye

Mani Muktha nadhi theertham

Originally this was a river. The river dried up and only a tank exists today. Once Garuda was carrying Vairamudi from Thiruparkadal to ThirunarayanaPuram, Melkote to adorn the lord. A few precious stones and pearls fell here.
Also when other rivers approached the lord Brahma requesting help to cleanse themselves of the abundant pavams they had collected the were asked to go and mingle with this MMN. Even today during Margazhi month suklapaksham the mingling happens.
Even the sun god came down to this MMN in the month of chitirai on dwadasi day to regain his hand after praying to Lord Narayana and Srinivasa of Thiru Narayou granted his wish and he regained his hands. (Nachiyar Koil.)

Rabindranath Tagore on freedom.

Rabidranath Tagore treated  freedom not merely as political liberation but the intermixing of the individual with the world through his song : My freedom is in the air, in the sky in the light of the universe. It was the condition and attitude of life which creates the environment to develop his best. Influenced by the Upanishadic dogma he felt freedom of the individual was the underlying principle for the prosperity of human civilization and rapid growth.
For him the rising sun, the chirping of birds and the whistling of wind through the trees is nature revealing herself in its true colour. In the vastness of nature we are not unknown strangers but we are her children her kith and kin. It satisfies our personality with manifestations that make our life rich and stimulates our imagination in the harmony of forms colours sounds and movement. Communion as a higher mode of relationship between man and nature is characterized by inwardness and depth. The depth has an educational purpose.

Physical and Moral Education. Sri Aurobindo.

A healthy body is a necessary condition for intellectual or spiritual attainment. Physical fitness does not mean the proper functioning of the various organs of the body but also the development of strength, balance and a sense of beauty. Beauty is the ideal which the physical life has to realise.
The education of the intellect divorced from the perfection of the moral and emotional nature is injurious to human progress. He distinguishes the heart from the mind and says to instruct the mind is not to instruct the heart. He senses the danger in the use of moral text books for this purpose in schools and colleges. he feels they make the thinking of high things mechanical and artificial. for he feels he heart is not the mind and to instruct the mind does not necessarily improve the heart. 
every child must be given practical opportunity as well as intellectual encouragement to develop all that is best in his nature. If a child has bad qualities bad habbit and bad samskara be it of mind or body. he should not be treated harshly or delinquent, but must be encouraged to get rid of them by practicing rajayogic method of samayama (self control)  rejection and substitution.
Instead of discouraging such people they should be taught to think that these are traits of or symptoms of a curable disease which are alterable by a steady and sustained effort of the will. False hood being rejected and being replaced by truth. fear by courage, selfishness by sacrifice and renunciation, malice by love. the unformed virtues must also not be treated as faults.

to be continued.

Again Lotus flower and Pundarika Rishi

Pundarika Rishi was a sishya of Narada Maharishi, he was in the habbit of plucking Lotus flowers when ever he came across any tank filled with Lotus flowers and offered them to Narayana, he thus came to be known as Pundarika. After worshipping Bhuvaraha Perumal in Srimushnam he went to Thillai Thiruchitrakutam where he plucked 100 lotus flowers but he could not find Lord Narayana any where near the Theertham. he was worried that the flowers may wither with the passage of time and so he prayed to the Lord to rush to his rescue as he had  helped Gajendra. Lo behold the Lord did appear before him with four hands in a lying down pose on Adhisesha  in what is called Bhoga sayana pose and he was adorning the garland of the 100 lotus flowers. Pundarika Rishi was overjoyed and prayed to Lord to continue to stay there and bless all the people who come to this holy place thence forth came to be known as Pundarika puram, tayar would be known as Pundarika valli and the Pushkarini full of lotus flowers would be pundarika puskarini.  

How Garuda alwar holds Shankha and Chakra.

Two stories for the hero of the first is the cause for the second.

Mayanan our hero is an asura architect wanted to outshine Visvakarma the divine architect who built Parama Pada. He aproached Brahma and wanted to know how this could be achieved. He was advised rightly by Brahma that he should pray to Perumal himself and seek the blessing. Mayan on look out for a suitable place went to the banks of Kaveri and came to Bhaskara kshetram where he saw Markandeya Rishi in deep meditation amidst the beautiful groves where plenty of flowers grew the place was very beautiful. He started his penance there. God was pleased and appeared before him. Mayan felt the place was just as he had imagined Chitra koota and asked the Lord to give him darshan as he had been in Chitra koota. the Lord conseded and we find the beautiful figure of the Lord as Young Rama, he is known as Kola vil Raman. Mayanan built a beautiful temple for the Lord and also the beautiful Pushkalavarthaga vimana. the Utsavar perumal is known as Srungara Sundarar representing the beautiful young king Rama who was banished from the kingdom to the forest.
Now for the second story:
The Garudalwar here is seen holding shanka and chakra. Perumal was rushing in response to the sincere prayers of Mayanan with his entire entourage of the divine consorts, Garuda and other devas. tosatisfy Mayanans request to give him darshan as Ramar as he was at Chitrakoota, the Lord is said to have given his shanka and chakra to Garudar to hold for a while so that he could be seen by Mayanan as Kola Vil Raman.
One would wonder why the Lord rushed to see Mayanan?
Was not Mayanan's wish to be able to outshine Visvakarma so that he too could build some thing as beautiful as parama pada for the Lord on earth, he wanted to make the place beautiful not a selfish need at all. so we see god also likes his devotees who are selfless in their wish wanting to beautify gods own land.
Even today it is believed that the visit to this one temple is equal to visiting all the other divya desams on earth.
Periya Thirumozhi 4-10-9 Thirumangai alwar has said:
Even as Brahma, Siva, Indra and other devas assembled in this place are singing the praise of the Lord and his qualities (visibaly high lighted here as he appeared to Mayanan )are Parathwam {exalted nature} Sowlabhyam {easy approchability} Sowseelyam {friendly nature}Vatsalyam {Love and affection quality}
the beautiful place he describes among the sugar cane and paddy crops lotus grows in full bloom. the sweet scent in the air the luscious sugar cane and paddy sheaves bend in the gentle breeze as if fanning the Lord and his consort who he sees as two loving swans among the crops. the Lord comes forth here as an enigma of mystery? How come he appeared to Mayanan? why did he rush to satisfy quickly the wish of Mayanan? What quality does the Lord look for in his devotees. Whar are his own qualities displayed here? How come the devotee gets so much importance that the Lord in his rush to satisfy the need of his devout candidate makes concessions? Qualities one should ponder on is the only answer.

brown paper packages tied up with strings.

To commemorate her birthday, actress/vocalist, Julie Andrews made a special appearance at Manhattan's Radio City Music Hall for the benefit of the AARP.  One of the musical numbers she performed was 'My Favorite Things' from the legendary movie 'Sound Of Music'.  Here are the lyrics she used: 

Botox and nose drops and needles for knitting, 

Walkers and handrails and new dental fittings, 

Bundles of magazines tied up in string, 

  These are a few of my favorite things. 

Cadillacs and cataracts, hearing aids and glasses, 

Polident and Fixodent and false teeth in glasses, 

Pacemakers, golf carts and porches with swings, 

  These are a few of my favorite things. 

When the pipes leak, When the bones creak, 

When the knees go bad, 

I simply remember my favorite things, 

     And then I don't feel so bad. 

Hot tea and crumpets and corn pads for bunions, 

No spicy hot food or food cooked with onions, 

Bathrobes and heating pads and hot meals they bring, 

    These are a few of my favorite things.

Back pain, confused brains and no need for sinnin', 

Thin bones and fractures and hair that is thinnin',   

And we won't mention our short shrunken frames, 

  When we remember our favorite things. 

When the joints ache, When the hips break, 

     When the eyes grow dim, 

Then I remember the great life I've had, 

      And then I don't feel so bad. 

lotus flowers with one thousand petals.

A Brahmin named Pundareeka while on his pilgrim travels to the various temples worshiping the gods with lotus flowers came across a pool which was covered with beautiful large lotus each of which had nearly 1000 petals, the pollen from the flowers gathered as clouds which dazzled and shone in myriad colours with the rays of the rising sun and the morning breeze playing a first me first me as it were between the flowers. the captivating scene and the sweet scent maddened the Rishi who felt only the Lord must be adorned with these beautiful flowers and worshiped. He heard a voice saying only the reclining Lord of the milky ocean must be worshiped with these flowers. The Rishi was happy for that was what he was intending to do. he got into the pond and started collecting the flowers suddenly he saw a large crocodile in the pond he did not know what to do he just looked with mercy at the crocodile and low behold the crock turned into a person and thanked the Rishi for releasing him from the curse. he had been a king before he said he also recounted to the Rishi the origin of Bhoovaraha perumal at Mamallapuram
He said his ancestors a king used to visit a varaha kshetram (Thiruvidaventhai) close to Mahabalipuram and on his return would feed 4000 brahmins after which he would take his meals. one day the perumal decided that he would partake of the food, the Lord and his consort transformed themselves into a very old brahmin and a young girl aproached the King as he was setting out to  the temple, he told the King that he was tired and hungry as he had walked a long distance he requested the King to feed them immediately. The helpless King sadly meditated on the Bhoovaraha perumal and believing that the old man was representing God and the little girl his consort fed them with all honour due to a guest. he then prostrated before them and lo behold when he opened his eyes he saw before him his favourite God he could not hold his joy and he continued to prostrate before them in his joy. another miracle was the 4000 brahmins waiting outsied felt that they had already eaten a sumptuous meal and were satisfied. they too got to see the lord and the goddess they prayed to the Lord to continue to stay there and bless all those who visited the place.
The Rishi was reminded of his task of adorning the Lord of the milky ocean with the beautiful lotus flowers he set out and was confronted by a large ocean he had to cross he started bailing out the water with his hands and worried that the flowers meant for the Lord would dry up, an old man approached the Pundareeka Rishi and tried to dissuade him from the task saying he could go to some easily accessible place , the old man then said he was very hungry and wanted food. Pundareeka Rishi went to the nearest Town and got some food and water for the old man on return he found that there was no old man in his place he saw Lord Vishnu reclining wearing the garland of Lotus flowers indicating that all those who sought shelter would get salvation. The Lord came to be known as Sthala Sayana Perumal. This temple got submerged and later on was excavated which is now the site at Mahabalipuram the archaeological marvel the carvings and relief can be seen today. 

The Lord Goes in search of Thirumangai alwar.

Not once but twice that too on the behest of his consort.
Sri Bhaktavatsala Perumal. Thiruninrur.
This is not a Mangalasasana sthala, for it is said that Thirumangai alwar once visited this place, but at that time it is said that the Lord is said to have not noticed him, and so the Alwar did not sing any hymn in his praise,that being the reason this beautiful temple does not fall into the Mangala sasana stalam or divya desam.
It is said that the Goddess realised the slip that the God had not noticed Thirumangai alwar. The Goddess here known as Ynnai Petra Thayar tells Bhaktavatsala Perumal that it would reflect badly on the Lord if one of his sincere devotees leaves the place in anger, without even singing his praise. The Lord is said to have conceded the logic in this and is said to have gone in search of Thirumangai alwar, who by then had reached Mamallapuram. The Lord of Thirunanravur appeared before (The minds eye) Thirumangai alwar who was at that time seeing the idol of the Lord at Mamalapuram, he exclaims that he was seeing the Lord of Thirunanravoor in the idol of the Lord at Mamalapuram.
The Lord then returns and reports to his consort that he succeeded in giving darshan to Thirumangai alwar and that he sang one pasuram in his praise. The Goddess was not satisfied and is said to have told the Lord that Thirumangai alwar is a prolific composer it is not possible that he sings only one pasuram in his praise and thus she requests the Lord to go back and get Thirumangai alwar to sing atleast one more pasuram for him. Poor Lord how could he avoid the request of his consort. He goes once again in search of Thirumangai alwar who by then had reached Thirukannapuram. Here again Thirumangai alwar sees(in his minds eye ) the Lord of Thiruninravoor and sings his praise saying here again in the Lord of Thirukanrapuram he is seeing the Lord of Thiruninravur.
Is this not magical yes different scholars read different meanings into these two pasurams of Thirumangai alwar. The above may also be an imagination! What ever one thing is clear for a Lords devotee there is no bound he can see the Lord everywhere in every thing.

PUNDu avaththam piRarkku aDaindhu thoNDu paTTu Poy nUlai mey nUl enRu enRum Odhi MANDu avaththam pOgAdhE vammin endhai ena vaNangappaDuvAnai kaNangaL Eththum nINDa vaththai karu mugilai emmAn thannai ninRavUr niththilaththai thoththu Ar sOlaik KANDavaththaik kanal erivAyip peyviththAnaik kaNDadhu nAn kaDal mallaith thalasayanaththE

ms old

Smt. M.S. Subbulakshmi - 14 Popular links here - Enjoy
1 - Sri Venkateswara Suprabhaatham
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LkzNn7AMkdg

2 - Sreeman Naaraayana
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lRo-YkX9Y94

3 - Endaro Mahanubhavulu
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4W21-O46YIs

4 - SrI Varalakshmi
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ykLe9o8fMDA

5 - Bhaavayaami Raghuraamam
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ITB8RvvbUrA

6 - Bhaja Govindham Bhaja Govindham
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D8slUawzmPc

7 - Maithreem Bhajatha
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wg6S1DoQA6A

8 - Sri Rangapura Vihara
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u2G3iXWuFb8

9 - Dolayam chala Dolayam
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5WWfDpM2Cec

10 - O Jagadamba
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NRYYgO6fgaY

11 - Bhagyada Lakshmi Baramma
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i9fIDapggl8

12 - Pibare Raamarasam
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XLmhWQEBfIc

13 - Nada Bindu Kaladi Namo Namah
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JzDV8YXklKk

14 - Hanumaan Chaalisaa
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OnV51_jnlSU

Your Mind can keep you well.

Thinking does not only happen in the brain but involves the entire body in a series of correlated nerve impulses that center in the brain. this is particularly true when emotion colours our thinking, cause an emotion is the state of mind that manifests itself by a perceptible change in the body.
most of our disagreeable emotions produce muscle tightness in the blood vessels which cause the various pains and decay of cells and tissue. so it is very important to think right about yourself. Learn to like what you are doing practice the attitude of thinking pleasant and being cheerful always, yes practice for you can not do anything about the situation you are thrown into most often. It is just as easy to be satisfied as it is to be dissatisfied. 
The best definition of happiness is " I am going to keep my attitude and my thinking as pleasant and as cheerful as possible."
when you master this you will find relief and start enjoying life.
 

radha ke bina shyam ada.

Shyam radhe koi na kehta, kehte radhe shyam
Janam janam bhagya jaga de ek radha ka naam
Radha ke bina shyam aada, kehte radhe shyam
Bole radhe radhe radhe bole radhe

Vyarath pada mala bin moti, vyarath rahi deepak bin jyoti
Chanda bina chandni jaisi, suraj bina doop na hoti
Bina radha ke kaha hai poora nat nagar ka naam
Bole radhe radhe radhe bole radhe
Sath hai jaise jal kee dhara, sath hai jaise nadi kinara
Sath hai jaise neel gagan ke suraj chanda tara tara
Vaise inke bina aadura man brindavan dham
Bolo radhe bolo radhe

Shree radha ko jisne bulaya usne apna janam gavaya
Dhanya hui who vani jis me radhe shyam naam hai aaya
Unka sumran kare bina kab milta hai vishraam
Bolo radhe bolo radhe radhe

Radha ke bina shyam aadha aadha……..
Janam janam bhagay jaga de ek radha ka naam
Radha ke bina shyam aada, kehta radhe shyam

wo kala ek basuriwala.

wo kala ek bansuri wala bansuri wala bansuri wala wo kala ek bansuri wala

wo kala ek bansuri wala wo kala ek bansuri wala sudh bisra gaya mori re sudh bisra gaya mori - 2 makhan chor wo nand kishor wo kar gaya man ki chori re sudh bisra gaya mori panghat pe mori baiyaa marodi - 3 main boli to meri matki fodi paiya padu karu vinti main karu mane na ek wo mori re sudh bisra gaya mori wo kala ek bansuri wala sudh bisra gaya mori re sudh bisra gaya mori makhanchor wo nand kishor wo kar gaya man ki chori re wo kala ek bansuri wala chhup gayo phir ek taan suna ke-3 kaha gayo ek baan chala ke) 2 gokul dhoodha maine mathura dhoodhi-2 koi nagriya na chhodi re sudh bisra gaya mori wo kala ek bansuri wala sudh bisra gaya mori re sudh bisra gaya mori makhanchor wo nand kishor wo kar gayo man ki chori re sudh bisra gaya mori wo kala ek bansuri wala wo kala ek bansuri wala wo kala ek bansuri wala