What you can/ can't

 

Solution

 To feel nice always read one chapter every day. In rotation you would have read the full book 3 times in two months. 

To feel even better read each chapter three times in rotation. Then you would have read the book 9 times in the two months. 

why A

Why does the Lord teach the yoga sastra to Arjuna and not to Bheema, Yudhishtira or the other Pandava brothers? Why does He teach on the battlefield when both sides are ready for war? Interpreters put forth many interesting observations regarding the context, reasons for the choice of time, place, disciple, etc, with regard to Krishna’s instruction, pointed out Sri B. Sundarkumar in a discourse.

Yudhishtira is proficient in sastra knowledge and does not need to be taught. By nature, he has no enemies and so does not see Duryodhana as one, though the latter shows enmity to him. Left to himself he would not have fought the war. Bheema is waiting for the chance to avenge Draupadi’s humiliation. His pent up anger is his motivation. Arjuna alone feels confused about waging the war at the eleventh hour and surrenders himself to Krishna for guidance and solace. His dilemma is on the issue of fighting Bhishma, Drona and his own kinsmen.

It is not that Arjuna had not fought the same Bhishma, Drona and others earlier. In fact, when the Pandavas were spending the last year of exile in the kingdom of Virata in disguise, Arjuna did not need any motivation to fight against the same elders and kinsmen who were always venerable to him. He accompanied Uttara Kumara to retrieve the cows for the sake of the Virata kingdom. There was no personal stake then but now the gain from the war will be the kingdom and he is not for it. So Krishna imparts the knowledge of atma tatva which alone can dispel Arjuna’s ignorance and delusion regarding right and wrong. He should understand that this kind of self denial is misplaced at this point when his Kshatriya dharma should motivate him to fight against adharma. If he allows Duryodhana to take possession of the kingdom, he is complying with adharma. 

truth and honesty

 Thiruvalluvar stresses the value of honesty. He says that if a person is honest and does not utter lies, then it does not matter even if he does not perform other meritorious deeds. It is not enough to be pure in words and deeds. Tiruvalluvar goes one step further and says that we should have pure thoughts. We can have pure thoughts only if we avoid certain tendencies. Thirvalluvar lists these too. He explains through his verses that envy, anger, harsh words and greed are hindrances to our having pure thoughts.

Thiruvalluvar says that he who is envious of another’s success is one who is disinterested in dharmic actions and the punyas that come through them. He says that desires bring sorrow and so fearing desires is dharmic. Dharma awaits to enter the life of one who is well read, is free from anger and lives a life of self-control. If we speak sincere words that are of benefit to others and are also soothing, then dharma will reign supreme.

Tulasi

 

Every house should have a tulsi plant, said P.T. Seshadri in a discourse. All the celestials and the Sun reside in tulsi. Brahma resides in the tip of the tulsi leaf. In the middle of the leaf, Lord Narayana and His Consort reside. If a person lights a lamp before the tulsi plant every evening and circumambulates the plant, he will reach Vishnu loka. If a person protects a tulsi pant from being eaten by a goat, then the Lord will protect him. If we consume tulsi leaves that have been offered in worship to Lord Narayana, then we will be cured of diseases. If we wear tulsi bead garlands, then we will attain Brahma tejas. If water that has fallen on a tulsi plant were to fall on us, then we will earn the merit of having had a dip in the Ganges. When Goddess Mahalakshmi emerged from the milky ocean, tulsi also emerged from the ocean. When Sita was in Lanka, as a captive of Ravana, She prayed every day to tulsi.

The Paadma Purana records the glory of tulsi. Sage Narada told Satyabhama, Krishna’s Consort, that he who gives will get something. But he who gives nothing will get nothing. Satybahama wanted Krishna by her side always. So she at once gifted Krishna to Narada, thinking that her act would be rewarded with Krishna staying with her always. But the sage took Krishna with him. He told Satyabhama that if she wanted Krishna back, she would have to give Narada whatever Krishna was worth. Krishna was then weighed and Satyabhama put all her wealth on the other side of the balance. But the balance still remained tilted towards Krishna. Narada then suggested that she place a tulsi leaf on top of all the gold she had placed and when she did that, the scale tilted towards the side holding gold, proving the auspiciousness of tulsi. Just one leaf of tulsi had so much merit.

Chariot.

 

To facilitate the understanding of the self in relation to the body and to highlight the merits of self control, Narada in the Bhagavata Purana quotes the analogy of the chariot that is often used in the sastras, pointed out Sri R. Krishnamurthy Sastrigal in a discourse. The body is compared to a chariot, the senses to the horses, the mind to the controlling reins, the sense objects to the roads to be traversed, the intellect to the charioteer, and the Chitta, the functions of the mind as well as the repository of all affections, to the binding cord. The ten pranas are seen as the axle tree, dharma and adharma as the wheels, the jiva bound by the sense of ‘I’ and ‘Mine,’ as the master of the chariot, the Pranava as his bow, the purified jiva as the arrow, and Brahman as the target.

Ultimately the chariot of the human body has to be mastered by the complete subdual of the senses and by rising above the influence of the gunas that are manifest as human emotions and feelings. For instance, anger, attachment, etc, classified as rajas and tamas are direct enemies to the spiritual aspirant. Satva is advised as beneficial but even this has to be left to gain the bliss of the atma.

Jadabharata succumbed to kindness and had to wait for salvation. These can be overcome with the strength derived from God, and with the sword of jnana sharpened by practice of selfless service and devotion. When the self is realised, the chariot of the human body is to be abandoned. If one does not follow the path described, the horses of the senses directed by the Buddhi will gallop towards the robbers of the sense objects. These robbers will push the master, the charioteer and the horses again into samsara only to get immersed in the darkness of ignorance and constant fear of death.

https://images.app.goo.gl/vFwvfUqeP8aZtsrR6

In the Phaedrus, Plato (through his mouthpiece, Socrates) shares the allegory of the chariot to explain the tripartite nature of the human soul or psyche. The chariot is pulled by two winged horses, one mortal and the other immortal. The mortal horse is deformed and obstinate.

The philosophical import of the chariot images found in the Katha Upanishad and the Phaedrus is considered here. It is claimed that the resemblance in the accounts provided in these disparate texts is not merely incidental. Rather, each chariot-image should be read as contributing to a careful answer to the same thorny philosophical problem: the identification and justification of the best life for the individual. It is argued that each serves to illuminate an internal and complex account of the self, which grounds and supports an effective rejection of the life spent in pursuit of the satisfaction of bodily desires in favor of the life spent in pursuit of wisdom.

Schiltz (2006) makes extensive comparison between Plato's chariot myth and that in the Hindu Katha Upanishad, as does Uebersax (2007). In the Katha Upanishad, we are told, "Know the Self to be the master of the chariot, and the body to be the chariot. ...

The Phaedo’s intense preoccupation with the notions of self-liberation and self-transcendence in the face of death is strikingly reminiscent of Hindu and Buddhist philosophies. It is therefore not surprising that comparative philosophers have shown great interest in comparing this particular Platonic work to various South Asian texts: The Phaedo has been compared to the philosophy underlying yoga and Patanjali, The Tibetan Book of the Dead, and Mahāparinibbāṇa Sutta, the canonical account of the Buddha’s final days. Of particular relevance is the Katha Upanishad, which shares with the Phaedo enough common features, both textual and structural and thematic, for a comparative analysis to be fruitful. These striking resemblances enable me to bring important dissimilarities in the dialogical processes into focus— dissimilarities which have much to convey to us philosophically. These dissimilarities demonstrate that although the two traditions engaged in transformative ideas and practices that centered on the liberation of the soul, there is still a substantial difference between the nature of the philosophy celebrated by the Greeks and the mystical thought developed by the Upanishadic sages.

The preaching of Krishna to Arjuna in the Bhagavadgita contains different levels of meaning. One element of meaning is the content of the preaching itself. But the fact that Krishna's preaching takes the form of a dialogue reveals more layers of meaning. These layers can be found in Krishna's preaching and Arjuna's responses, but they are also embedded in the narrative plot of the Mahabharata epic. The dialogue represents four relationships between Krishna and Arjuna: a friend-friend relationship, a master-disciple relationship, a God-devotee relationship and a Self-I relationship. This Indian concept of dialogue is different from current Western concepts of dialogue.

Mercy

 The ocean of mercy is constantly flowing just as the rays of the sun constantly shine. It is our job to be receptive to that mercy to not only uplift ourselves, but for the betterment of society as a whole.

#statueofequality #ramanujacharya #ramanuja #mercy #divinity #chinnajeeyar

Dvayam / Trayam

 Slokadvayam

Grahagraste gajendre ruvati sarabhasam tarksyamaruhaya dhavan

Vyaghurnan malyabhusavasanaparikaro megha gambhiraghosah

Abibhrano rathangam saramasim abhayam sankhacapau sakhetau

Hastaih kaumodakimapyavatu harirasa vam hasam samhaternah....1

Nakrakrante karindre mukulitanayane mulamuleti khinne

Naham naham nacaham na ca bhavati punastadrso madrsesu 

Ityevam tyakta haste sapadi suragane bhavasunye  samaste 

Mulam yatpradurasit sa disatu bhagavan mangalam Santatam nah....2

Slokatrayam

Pratassmarami bhavabhitimahartisantyai

Narayanam Garudavahanamanjanabham

Grahabhibhutamadavaranamuktihetum

Cakrayudham tarunavarijapatranetram...1

Pratarnamami manasa vacasa ca murdhna

Padaravindayugalam paramasya pumsah 

Narayanasya narakaranavataranasya

Parayanapravanavipraparayanasya...2

Pratarbhajami bhajatamabhayankaram tam

Praksarvajanmakrtapapabhayapanutyai 

Yo grahavaktrapatitanghri gajendraghora

Sokapranasanakaro dhrtasankhacakrah...3

Slokatrayamidam punyam pratarutthaya yah pathet lokatraya gurustasmai dadyadat mapadam harih...4

Sri slokavayam slokatrayam ca samaptam.

Sanidhyam.

 

अनायासेन मरणं विनादैन्येन जीवनं ।

देहान्त तव सानिध्यम्, देहि मे परमेश्वरम्॥

Transliteration

anāyāsena maraṇaṁ vinādainyena jīvanaṁ।

dehānta tava sānidhyam, dehi me parameśvaram॥

English Transcript

anayasena maranam vinadainyena jivanam।

dehanta tava sanidhyam, dehi me paramesvaram॥

English Translation

Give me death without pain,

grant me a life where I’m not dependent on anyone,

give me your assistance in my last time,

please parmeshwar grant me these three wishes.

When you enter the temple fold your hands but keep your eyes open and let the mind capture the darshan then when you sit outside and close your eyes visualize the deity whom you just visited and then say this Anayasena Maranam Prathana which means “give me death without pain, grant me a life where I’m not dependent on anyone. Let nobody have to help me sit up or lie down or feed me and grant me your assistance in my last time. Prabhu, please grant me these three wishes.”

Wpd

 "World Poetry Day" 21st March 2022

On this day, presenting a painting by Raja Ravi Varma - an adaptation of of the Poem VEENA NU MRUG written by the Gujarati poet "Kalapi" (1874-1900). Kalapi was the pen name of Prince Sursingji, Lathi (a princely state near Bhavnagar in Gujarat).

The Poem is based on the promise that the true value of art is understood through its audience. In this poem, the protagonist plays the musical instrument VEENA and it attracts a MRUG (Deer) which became her faithful listener. When the hunter kills the deer, he advertently kills the music in her. 

In this painting, Raja Ravi Varma has replaced Deer with a Bird without devieting from the gist of the poem!! 

Dinachari

Swami Desikan has two Tamil Verses for each of these five divisions of the time of the day.

Thus there are 10 (5 x 2) verses in this Prabhandham dedicated to Atthigiri AruLALar of

Kaanchipuram presiding at Hasthigiri under PuNyakOti VimAnam along with PerumdEvi

ThAyAr.

Sri Vaishnava Dinasari prabhandham is dedicated to Swami Desikan’s nithya AarAdhana mUrthy, Sri Varadaraajan. At home or during his travels, Swami always performed AarAdhanam to Sri VaradarAjan and Sri HayagrIvan after his daily unchivruthti. Those AarAdhana mUrthys traveled on his head in his Madisanji (the bag made of special cloth for carrying Vasthrams, ThirumaNN petti and SaaLagramams and Aaradhana mUrthys without theettu by VaidhikAs).Like AchArya RaamAnujA, who left for us a Sanskrit Sri Sookthi (auspicious literary work) named nithyam to instruct us on the daily observances, Swami Desikan out of his infinite mercy for us created this work called Sri VaishNava Dinasari and placed it at the lotus feet of

Kanchi Sri VaradarAjan.

STRUCTURE OF THIS PRABHANDHAM

A day in Sri VaishNavA’s life is split into five parts. Each of these five divisions in time from waking up in the morning to resting at night is allocated one observance. Thus there are five different observances for the five divisions of the time, when a Sri VaishNavan is awake. These are ordained by SaasthrAs. The other observances known as snAnam (bath), Vasthra DhAraNam, Wearing of the PuNdrams (ThirumaNN Kaappu), Sri ChoorNa DhyAanam, SandhyA vandhanam forming part of the Ushath Kaala dharmams (rites at Dawn) are not included in the Sri VaishNava Dinasari for the sake of brevity by Swami Desikan. The manthrAs for all of these and other procedures associated with them form the heart of Ahnikam. The Ahnikam (daily observances) is learned as formal KaalakshEpam at our AchAryan’s sacred feet prior to Grantha Chathushtaya KaalakshEpam (Learning of Sri BhAshyam, GithA BhAshyam, The AaRAyira PaDi of PiLLAn and Srimath Rahasya Thraya Saaram by Swami Desikan).

The ancient five observances described for our daily use are:

1. Abhigamanam: The Sanskrit route, “Abhigam” means going near or to approach. This is the approaching of the Lord for permission (anuj~nai) to start the day in the right frame of mind to celebrate Him. The Sri- VaishNavan prays to the Lord to remove all obstacles that might interfere with the daily observances ordained by the Lord and seeks His blessings to ward them off.

2. UpAdhAnam: This Sanskrit word means acquisition or obtaining. It has two subdivisions : a) The collection or acquisition of TuLasi, Flowers and other items needed for Bhagavath AarAdhanam. (b) Since one’s purity of mind is very important for Bhagavath- AarAdhanam, one recites the Sri Sookthis of AzhwArs and AchAryAs for the purification of one’s mind as one goes about collecting the SaamagriyAs (required materials) for the daily AarAdhanam.

3. Ijyai: This Sanskrit word arises from the root Yajj. Ijyai means worship. It has also other meanings such as the Supreme being and Union. For our purposes; we can translate Ijyai as aradhana for the Supreme Being in the Saasthraic manner ordained by Paancha rathra or vikanasa Aagamams .

4. SvAdhyAyam: This celebrated Vedic word (Taittiriya Upanishad: SikshA Valli: Section 9; “Rutham cha svAdhyAya PravachanE cha–”) means the study and preaching of VedAsand Upanishads (Sanskritic and Tamil VedAs).

5. Yogam: The meditation on the Lotus feet of the Lord and the prayer for the lord to accept our head at His sacred feet during our time of sleep as well.

in the Saasthraic manner ordained by Paancha rathra or vikanasa Aagamams 

Vari irul azi vazi manam  varum unarvodu

Kari giri maru  viya kariavan adi yinai, 

Pari vodu para vunal adiyavar paza urai 

Ari ari ari ari ari ari ariye....1.

Vinai vagai ozugiya veri nilai adaiyavum 

Ninaivudai nigazvidir nilai nalam anugida 

Manamurai kirisaigal magizmarai neri kodu

Tani mudal adiyinai adaibavar tamare..2

Malar magal maruviya maru udai iraiavan

Malar adi karudiya mana mudai adiyavar

Malar punal amududan vagaiyana adiyavum

Malar Madi emadala Ena aribavare...3

Narai udai malar magal nalam ura maruviya

Iraiyavan inidura inaiavai enum avar 

Araneri ilan ivan anugilum anugilar 

Turai aladenum oru turai padugiare..4

Oli madi Ena oru tiruvudan uyarbavan

Nalai madi muga nagai nala nila ugavugal

Teli punal amudana sezu madi adiyavar 

Kuli mudal kirisaigal kurai gilai valve.. 5

Varu vadoruravena valar ilavarasena

Maruvunan magan ena vana mada kariena

Aruvilai maNi ena adiyavar adaibavar

Aruganai iraivanai aru kanaiyudane...6

Virai kamaz alarmagal mia urum iraiavar

Kurai kazal kurugiya kulir madi madiyodu

Varainilai adiyavar maraigalin maraienum

Urainirai para vuvar ulam amudunave..7

Tudigalum arivaru surudiyin irudiyin

Idayam idena muni iraiyavar uraigalum

Maduraman udaviya maraigalum adiyavr

Vidivagai paravuvar migaulam ezave..8

Arivilar talaimisai Ayan adi ezudiya

Pori vagai ezuvador pori nalam ugavalar 

Uruvadum udaiyadum iduvena vauvadu

Narumalar magal padi nalam uru ninaive..9

Perugia Nala nilai perumaiyin migumayal

Uruguay nilai manam uyarmugiz enumudal 

Sorugiya vizitigaz sudarmadi pugumirai

Karugiya urutigaz karigiri ariye...10

Sri vaisnava dinasari mutritru..

Each to his own.

 Each person creates an image which he worships.

https://youtu.be/nrnovn2DEFQ

Chitti

 Ghazal = a form of Urdu poetry (shayari) in which the poem contains a series of couplets one after the other. Each of the couplets, or sher, has a separate idea that is generally related to the central theme. The couplets rhyme with each other, i.e. the last lines of all couplets rhyme with one another. The topics generally covered include love, longing, heartbreak, etc. and are often addressed to or refer to a beloved, generally male, form. The general rhyming patterm is AABACADA

Nazm - Practically the second most prominent genre of Urdu poetry, nazms are poems that are similar to English and Hindi poems. They often have couplets one after the other, but it is not necessary as nazms may also have paragraphs of four sentences or more (typically referred to by other names, like musaddas). Couplets are generally a part of a larger paragraph, and the size of paragraphs is not necessarily constant. Nazms are more often than not a single story or idea and every couplet or paragraph serves that central theme. The rhyming pattern is different from a ghazal, since even though couplets following each other rhyme within a paragraph, they may vary across paragraphs. Most nazm writers use their own preferred rhyming patterns.

The differences between nazms and ghazals are because nazms are typically read out or recited, whereas ghazals are sung. One will find a large number of great ghazal writers (Ghalib, Mir, Zauq), but nazm was adopted by fewer greats, prominently Iqbal and Faiz.

Sher - a two line couplet; part of a ghzal or a sher. In fact, the building block of both.

Rekhti - A form of poetry in which the poet writes from a women's perspective, adopting her voice, on topics that are generally promiscuous in nature. A historical form perhaps dead by now, it was mostly composed by male poets and patronised by nautch girls mostly in Lucknow.

Marsiya - a special form of poetry generally popular among Shia muslims with poems that depict incidents of the battle of Karbala and eulogise Imam Hussain (RaDHiiAllaahuAnhu), his family and his companions (RaDHiiAllaahuAnhumAjmaiin). The topics are diverse, ranging from literal depictions to the praise of the Imam's horse to the state of the waters of Euphrates that were denied to his family. Dabeer and Anis are the most famous exponents. It is very often read during Muharram.

Rubaai - Hardly found in Urdu poetry, this is more popular in Persian. A quatrain (four liner) is a rubai, generally composed of a single idea. They often follow each other and may compose a broader theme or story. However, rubais can also be standalones. The rhyming pattern is AAAA or AABA. Ghalib's deewan has a few rubais, but the most popular ones I can think of right now are all Persian. Omar Khayyam's Persian rubaiyat (plural of rubai) is very famous.

Doha - a couplet (two lines) complete in itself and not related to anything else; so basically a two-line poem very popular is braj or apabhramsa. Urdu and Hindi don't have many dohas as I think these languages are not simple enough for Dohas. Generally used as a moral lesson, these were popularised by Kabir, Rahim, Raskhan, and other bhakti kaal poets.

https://youtu.be/fr2cECwq054

Holi

Lord Krishna plays his flute

Holi is a celebration of love, color and spring

With winter finally coming to an end, millions of people in India and other parts of the world home to Hindus are gearing up for one of the most joyous celebrations of the year.

That celebration is Holi, the Hindu festival of love, color and spring. It's a time when Indians don simple, inexpensive clothes and take to the streets to drench each other in clouds of colored powder and buckets of water. There's singing, dancing, and of course, food.

The bonfires are a nod to one of the most well-known legends associated with the festival.

The demon king Hiranyakashayap, who wanted to be worshipped as a god, became angry that his son Prahlad was a devotee of the deity Vishnu, the preserver and protector of the universe. In turn, Hiranyakashayap conspired with his sister Holika to kill his son.

As part of the plan, Holika would lure Prahlad onto her lap and into a bonfire, while her enchanted shawl protected her from the wrath of the flames. But Vishnu thwarted the duo's plan and rescued Prahlad. In the end, Holika died in the fire and Hiranyakashayap died at the hands of Vishnu. Prahlad eventually replaced his father as king.

The story is about the triumph of good over evil. The morning after, when the bonfires have gone out, some Hindus gather the ashes and smear them on their bodies as a purifying act.

In Hindu mythology, the deity Krishna was left with blue skin after drinking milk poisoned by a demon. Worried that Radha would be turned off by his unnatural appearance, Krishna vented to his mother, who playfully suggested that he smear colored powder on Radha's face, Upon doing so, Radha fell in love with Krishna.

Despite being a Hindu festival, Holi now transcends the boundaries of religion and is celebrated by people across the Indian subcontinent. People young and old come together to douse loved ones and strangers alike in hues of red, yellow, pink, purple and more for a day of laughter and fun.

 

CESH

 The Kurukshetra war which lasted a mere eighteen days resulted in many losing their lives. The war could have been averted had Dhritarashtra been sensible and advised his sons to make peace with the Pandavas. But he did not. He realised his folly after the war was over, and the Kauravas were dead. He said to Sanjaya that he had had many indications that the war was going to end in victory for the Pandavas, and yet he had not paid heed to these indications. One of the indications was the support the Pandavas had from other kings. The Pandavas had the help of the Panchala king and the Matsya king. The Pandavas had been in exile for a long time, and yet they had the support of seven akshauhinis, said Kidambi Narayanan in a discourse.

What is an akshauhini? One calculation shows how an akshauhini is measured. A fundamental unit in the army had one chariot, one elephant, five foot soldiers and three horses. Three such units made up a senamukha. Three senamukhas made a gulma; three gulmas add up to a gana; three ganas made a vahini; three vahinis made up a brudhana; three brudhanas made a samu; three samus made an anikini and ten anikinis made an akshauhini. Another calculation of akshauhini says that one akshauhini had 21,870 chariots, 21,870 elephants, 1,09,350 soldiers and 65,610 horses.

The Pandavas had seven such akshauhinis. So these calculations give us an idea of the size of the Pandava army. The Kauravas did not have the support of as many kings as the Pandavas had. But they too must have had a large army. When the two armies clashed, the loss of human life was immense. This is what later left a victorious Yudhishthira unhappy. He could not celebrate his victory, for his subjects had lost dear ones. No one was left untouched by the horrors of the war.

cheta.

 This is the time for Pitru PakshaShradh , preceding the autumnal Navratras, when ancestors are worshipped, and prayers offered for the repose of their souls. The ritual is considered even more important than the worship of God, because a person owes his physical birth to his lineage. When Rama observed the Shradh for his illustrious ancestors, one sadhu ate so much that the Lord’s three brothers got tired of feeding him. They sought Ramchandra ji ’s help, who said that he would serve the sadhu himself. While doing so he recognized him as Shiva. The god smiled and vanished.

Pandit Shamboo Shankar, noted priest of Jaipur, used to point out that the Shradh were recommended by the religious text Karam Kand (which emphasizes homage to ancestors), and observed from the autumnal full moon to the following Amavasya (dark night) for 15 days. On Amavasya day, the worship is to unknown ancestors. The period starts with Parwa, Dwitiya, Tritya, Chauth, and so on, for the full fortnight and a day.

Black til (oilseed) for tilanjali, and chawal (rice) are among the main ingredients. Water is offered to the ancestors in front of the rising sun in the morning. Puja , havan , daan (prayers, fire offerings, and charity) mark the period, in which no festive functions are held, and devotees abstain from non-vegetarian food, and even onions and garlic.

During the Shradh , it is believed that ancestors appear in dreams, to warn of impending dangers in the coming year. Each day of the Shradh is equal to a year, and so the multiplication goes on to include all ancestors for 15 generations and beyond. Ancestor worship starts with the father and mother, and includes grandfather, grandmother, great-grandfather. and great-grandmother back to as many generations as one can remember, with reverence paid to both paternal and maternal ancestors. For the unknown ancestors, Rookha or Seedha (raw) food is offered in a thali that includes wheat flour, rice, kheer ( milk pudding) and sabzi (vegetables).

Homage to ancestors is as old as humanity. The belief is found worldwide. The Chinese practised it, so did the ancient Egyptians, Greeks, and Romans. . The Jews remember them when they observe Passover, the Christians devote the full month of November to departed souls, the Muslims pay homage on Shab-e-Barat . The Buddhists and the Parsis too have ceremonies to honour their ancestors. The Parsi dawn prayer Hosh-Bam recalls the deeds of Iranian heroes of old, the names of whom are recited early in the morning. Tribals worship ancestors confined in the forest tree-trunks, like the spirit Arial in Shakespeare’s play The Tempest .

The South Indians, Bengalis, and North Indians have their own special ways of observing the Shradh . For the Bengalis, the climax is reached at Mahalaya, when the Chandi mantra is recited early in the morning. In the poem Kubla Khan by Coleridge, Kubla, the Mongol warlord, hears the voices of his ancestors at the capital Xanadu, prophesying war. Even a ruthless killer like him believed in mellowing down for ancestral worship.

An interesting story is told about the legendary physician Dhanwantri When he died, his disciples wanted to hold his Shradh . He had told them not to do so, but to eat his flesh so that they could become like him. As the disciples were preparing for that, Yama, the god of death appeared, and, fearing losing their souls, forbade them from eating the body. He cunningly told them to throw away the flesh that they had already cut out.

This, the disciples did, and three other living beings ate it: the ants, the kites, and a woman from the so-called cobbler caste, named Cheta. All three were blessed with longevity. Some say it was not the kites, but the crows. Hence, the practice of feeding crows at Shradh time, when the souls of ancestors are said to visit homes as crows. Incidentally, even today, Vaids begin their prescription with the word “Cheta” to assure long life for their patients.

During the Shradh all directions for travel are considered closed for 15 days because of the influence of Disa Sal , the spirit of the pathways. They are said to open up only after the Amavasya bath. The other days are utilized for offering prayers to ancestors, in which lies Moksha (salvation), both for those performing the rituals, and for the long departed ancestors.

Responsible.

 Good deeds are the means to reach a higher plane and likewise bad deeds lead to destruction and doom — is the ultimate message that the Ramayana teaches, said Sri R. Krishnamurthy Sastrigal in a discourse. The truth that each one is responsible for his acts, good and bad and will have to face the consequences is strongly stressed. It is shown that even birds and animals will be of assistance to one who treads the right path; but to him who chooses the wrong path, even one’s kith and kin cannot be of any help. Ravana’s glories are innumerable and even Rama and Hanuman heap spontaneous praises on his attainments and achievements. But he commits the sin of coveting another man’s wife and scripts his own self destruction. Rama and Sita in their role as mortals show that human sorrow is inevitable and affects all, whatever may be one’s temperament, scholarship, lineage, etc. Lakshmana on many occasions ponders on the unfairness of the happenings in Rama’s life.

Rama too breaks out in despair when Virata carries away Sita in a trice. He tells Lakshmana, “This is unbearable. Kaikeyi must have known all this when she sent us to the forest.” Rama’s reaction only reflects the psychological reality of an individual in trying circumstances. Rama’s qualities of compassion and kindness, his readiness to lend a helping hand to all, his nature to pardon the faults in people, and his adherence to truth stand as the very basis of this grand epic. The Lord’s vow to protect those in distress is another straight message of hope to humanity. When Rama accepts Vibhishana against much opposition from Sugriva, Lakshmana and others, he quells their doubts about any possible foul play on the part of the rakshasas and states that even if it is Ravana in Vibhishana’s form, He would protect him.

cannot be done.

 Lord Narayana reveals His qualities to Alavandar, and a stunned Alavandar who had planned to praise the Lord is now diffident. Having witnessed His resplendent glory, he wonders if he will be able to do justice to it. Whatever he has seen must be described completely and as he has seen it. But how is this possible when there are so many aspects to the Lord’s greatness? Where does one begin? So, Alavandar is naturally hesitant.

The Lord is praised by the Taittiriya Upanishad thus: satyam jnanam anantam Brahma. This defines Brahman, said Valayapet Ramachariar in a discourse. The Supreme One is unchanging. He is always the same. The Brhadaranyaka Upanishad says He is satyasya satyam. He controls both cetana and acetana., that is sentient and non-sentient entities. Jnana is one of the attributes of the Supreme One. He knows everything and is referred to as Sarvajna. He supports all entities. He is not restricted by geographical boundaries or by time. He is present everywhere and is always present. Hence He is Ananta. The Lord is described by the Isavasya Upanishad thus: Isavasyam idham sarvam. That is, He is pervasive. This Lord is full of auspicious qualities (kalyana gunas).

Upanishads celebrate Him as heya gunarahithan — One without negative traits. He has no inauspicious qualities. He is present in everyone as antaryamin.

Alavandar talks of the Lord’s ocean-like glory. Why does he compare the Lord’s greatness to an ocean? Because an ocean’s depth is not easily known. Likewise, the Supreme One’s greatness is also not easily comprehended. Even one small part of one aspect of one guna of the Paramatma cannot be described. Alavandar says even Brahma and Siva have failed to describe His greatness. That being the case, how can he do it, wonders Alavandar.

swabhava.

In the Bhagavata Purana, there are many discussions on the ideals of the social system according to the Varna-ashrama dharma to help every individual attain his highest spiritual prospects. In the seventh canto, the narrative of the curse and redemption of the gatekeepers of Vaikunta, Jaya and Vijaya, is featured in the form of the conversation between Narada and Yudhishtira. Towards the end of this narration, Narada explains the many nuances of the Varna-ashrama dharma that have sustained and guided the moral and cultural aspects of society.

He also explains the general dharmas that are applicable to all, pointed out Sri R. Krishnamurthy Sastrigal in a discourse. He lists many virtues like truth, compassion, austerity, viveka, vairagya, control of mind, ahimsa, charity, integrity, contentment and service by which every individual regardless of his varna, birth, or ashrama, state in life, can obtain divine grace. For instance, though the brahmana is placed in the highest scale in society, it is in view of the high character ideal he is to set and the important part he has to play in the welfare of the society. His means of livelihood were primarily through teaching, officiating at sacrifices and receiving gifts from those whose earnings are righteous.

Though the individual’s varna is based on heredity, it is also determined by one’s qualities. As a general rule, it is held that in all Yugas, for welfare in this life and hereafter, the pursuit of one’s own duty, swadharma, is important. This is also determined by the dominance of the gunas of Prakriti, satva, rajas and tamas inherent in all. When everyone acts in line with one’s nature, he adheres to his swabhava. He will gradually rise above the influence of the gunas when jnana and bhakti are generated in him.

Diksha.

 By Chinnajeeyar swamy 14.3.22

People take on a di:ksha to build internal strength and help attain their goals. Some di:kshas are for a duration of 1 week, 15 days, 18 days, 27 days, or 40 days, etc. The most common duration for di:ksha is 40 days and is called mandala di:ksha.

If the duration is short-term, both the resulting strength and the attained goal live temporarily. If you are looking for an ever-lasting strength and ever fulfilling goal, then you need a di:ksha that is life-long.

It is called Vyshnava Di:ksha or Pancha Samska:ra Di:ksha where one is qualified through a guru to heartfully believe in Lord as Sri Maha Vishnu, the ultimate protector, bond with him in every way, identify himself as Lord’s belonging by imprinting sankha and chakra marks on the shoulders, chant Lord’s name, always meditate on His form in his heart.

The secret to leading a life-long di:ksha is revealed by our a:cha:ryas in their teachings in a very beautiful way that elevates a person’s thought allowing every activity to be completed in a much more balanced and better way.

One who takes on this di:ksha conducts a ya:ga called ma:nasa ya:ga throughout their life-time without having to disrupt any of their activities.

Any ya:ga has a few components such as kunda (fireplace for sacred offerings), agni (fire), ho:tha (one who is offering), ladles, ghee, manthra.

The activity can be anything including and not limited to taking care of your children or working or even entertainment. Offer it to Lord through this ma:nasa ya:ga and you have realised yourself to be a tool in the hands of God in His creation.

Until you take up this di:ksha, you will be doing something that does not meet your natural state and thus bind yourself to karma. You end up taking births in different bodies over and over in an ever-ending cycle. You can step out of this cycle only with the grace of Lord. The step that makes you ready for accepting His grace is called Vyshnava Di:ksha, a di:ksha that prepares you for the ultimate goal. Vyshnavas are therefore respected by Yama at the time of their death, i.e. leaving the current body in the path to God.

Hridaya

 

जिनके हृदय श्री राम बसे, तिन और का नाम लियो ना लियो ।

He in whose  heart Rama lives,

Whether  he chants or not chants  any other name,

He in whose  heart Rama lives,

Whether  he chants or not chants  any other name,

His   heart   is  Sri Rama

कोई मांगे कंचन सी काया, कोई मांग रहा प्रभु से माया ।

कोई पुण्य करे कोई दान करे, कोई दान का रोज बखान करे ।

जिन कन्या धन को दान दियो, उन और को दान दियो ना दियो ॥

Some one praises   charity

Some  one asks for a body  of gold,
Some one  asks  for Maya of the lord

Some one does blessed deeds , some one does charity

Some one praises  charity

those blessed people who do kanyadaan.

Whether he gives charity  to others or not does not matter.

कोई घर में बैठा नमन करे, कोई हरि मंदिर में भजन करे ।

कोई गंगा यमुना स्नान करे, कोई काशी जाके ध्यान धरे ।

जिन मात पिता की सेवा की, उन तीरथ स्नान किओ ना किओ ॥

some pray at home, some pray at the temple,

some bathe in ganga yamuna, some go to kashi and meditate,

but those who serve their parents weather they have a dip in holy river does not matter.

जिन के द्वारे पर गंग बहे, तिन कूप का नीर पीया ना पीया

जिन काम किया परमार्थ का, तिन हाथ से दान दिया ना दिया ।

जिन के घर एक सपूत भयो, तिन लाख भया ना भया ॥

Pachai

 Pacchaima malaipol meni pavalvayk kamalac chengan

Acchuta amarar ere ayartam kozhunde ennum 

Icchuvai Tavira yanpoy Indira lokam alum

Acchuvai perineum venden arangama nagarulane.

T A( Tirumaai )

O Acyuta, lord of celestials. Beloved of the cowherds, if I were to give up the joy of singing about You as having divine body likened to the splendid green mountain, lips like coral, and eyes like the red lotus, and were to get a taste of indras power to rule over the celestials, Israel not cherish it, O Lord of Srirangam.

Pachai Mamalai Pol Meni Pavalvai Kamala Chenkan

Achuta Mararere Ayar Tham Kozhute Ennum

Echsuvai Thavir Yan PoiIndiralogam Alum

Echsuvai Thavir Yan Poi Indiralogam Alum

Achsuvai Perinum Vendean Arangama Nagarulanea

Oorile Kaani Illai Uravu Martoruvar Illai 

Paaril Nin Paadhamoolam Patrine Paramamoorthy 

Oorile Kaani Illai Uravu Martoruvar Illai 

Paaril Nin Paadhamoolam Patrine Paramamoorthy 

Karolee Vannnane

Kannnane Kadaarugindren

Karolee Vannnane

Kannnane Kadaarugindren

Aarular Kalaigal Amma 

Arangama Nagarulanen.

Pachai mamalai pol meni pavalvai kamala chenkan

Achuta mararere ayar tham kozhute ennum

Echsuvai thavir yan poi indiralogam alum

Achsuvai perinum vendean arangama nagarulanea

Azhwar describes the lord's body as a green mountain with beautiful red lips like the ruby.

HIS eyes are red and broad like a lotus.. When the AzhvAr has the fortune to rejoice the Lord in this way, he considers even the mOksHA as inferior to this. He ignores that completely any of worldly joys. He wants to live with his lord ,living in Sri Rangam and chanting his name that he does not want indira lokha even if he were the ruler of it.

Oorile kaani illai uravu martoruvar illai

Paaril nin paadhamoolam patrine paramamoorthy

Karolee vannnane en kannnane kadaarugindren

Aarular kalaigal amma arangama nagarulanen

I have no place; no properties; no relatves; none other than you .I have gotton hold of your lotus feet o Lord of the universe. O Krishna (the Lord who is blue sky color ) you are my only refuge, I am crying for salvation at your feet. Is there any one else to save me except you other than Sri Rangan.

very often to describe the physique of a man, their shoulders, chest are compared to mountain. There are lots of references to this. In periya thirumozhi 7'th paththu "thaaraaLum varaimaarbaNn thaNchERai" 8'th paththu "varaimaarbaNn' eNnkiNn RaaLaal," (varai = malai = mountain), His chest is compared to the mountain. In perumAL thirumozhi "mallaNaintha varaitthOLaa valvinaiyEn" "thaararntha thadavaraitthOL thayarathanRaan" His Shoulders are compared to mountains...

There was an
old priest in Srirangam. He had always wanted to go to thiruvEn^katam
but could never make it. He was getting old.  One day he went to the
perumAL and told him his wish and asks for permission. PerumAL couldn't
bear the absence of his beloved bhAgavatha for such a long time. He
tries His best to retain the priest in Srirangam itself. But the priest
was steadfast in his plan.

So PerumAL asks him to do one last kaimkaryam before he leaves. He asks
him to recite amalanAdhipirAn. The priest happily starts the recital.
while reciting third stanza,
"man^dhi pAy vada vEN^kata mA malai
 vAnavargaL san^dhi seyya n^inRAn araN^gath tharavinaNaiyAn..."
the priest realizes there is no other dhivya dhEsam that could match the
thiruvaraN^gam and decides to stay there...

Paley Tamizhar.

 

They were all not old but in their 20,s or so.

 Once Poygai azhvar went to Tirukkovalur, a sacred place situated near the Pennai river, Sri Vishnu is known by the name Ulagalanda Perumal in this place. The Sudarshana Chakra which is usually seen held in the right hand is seen held in the left hand here. Bhakta Prahalada and Namuchi the son of Mahabali are seen at the lotus feet of Sri Ulagalanda Peruman.

Poygai azhvar reached the holy place when it was raining very heavily, fortunately he saw the ashram of Mrkandu rishi he rushed inside and laid down in the front pial (the raised platform) thinking of Lord Vishnu. A little later Bhutatt azhvar reached the same place trembling in the chilly rainy weather he knocked on the door, Poygai azhvar enquired of the stranger, Bhutatt azhvar replied he was a devotee of Sri Vishnu, Since the place inside was small both of them sat down and discussed the greatness of Our Lord. Not before Long another devotee approached the ashram and knocked on the door, he too was let in and when they discovered that he too was the devotee of the Lord, what joy they three stood and decided to talk about the dear Lord till dawn. there was practically no more room. But How our Lord liked to hear his praise especially by these great devotees who were independently wandering around the place visiting various temples unknown to each other, when they decided to spend the night talking about the Lord how could he our own miss such a great opportunity. he our Lord stealthily entered there without their knowledge, they were now unable to stand comfortably nor breath, unable to understand this strange presence. to remove the darkness that was making them uncomfortable poygai alwar sang praying to God for light:

VAIYAM TAGALIYA VAR KADALE NEY AGA

VEYYA KADIRON VILAKKU AGA - SEYYA

CUDAR AZHIYAN ADIKKE CUTTINEN SOLMALAI

IDAR AZHI NINGUGAVE ENDRU.

Bhutatt  azhvar next sang a hymn in praise of the Lord to remove the inner darkness to light the lamp of jnana:

ANBE TAGALIYA ARVAME NEY AGA

INBU URUGU SINDHAI IDU TIRIYA - NANBURUGI

JNANAC CUDAR VILAKKU ETRINEN NARANARKU

JNANAT TAMIZH PURINDA NAN

both the outer and inner darkness were spontaneously removed by the holy lamp lit by Poygai Azhvar and Bhutatt Azhvar immediately all the three had a wonderful darshan of Sri Vishnu in all his majesty and splendor it was now that Pey Azhvar sang:

TIRUKKANDEN PONMENI KANDEN TIGAZHUM

ARUKKAN ANI NIRAMUM KANDEN - CERUKKILARUM

PON AZHI KANDEN PURISANGAM KAIK KANDEN

EN AZHI VANNANBAL INDRU.

Sri Vishnu appearing in a luminous form holding conch, discus, mace, sword and bow in the hands and said, "I enacted this holy play only to bring all three of you together" he showered his blessings upon them and disappeared. full of joy the three together visited many temples and finally reached Tirumazhisai where they were met by a fourth great devotee Tirumazhisai alwar.

the three are called mudal azhvargal or even Paley Tamizhar.

Sangappalagai

 The rapidity with which Nammazvars hymns was gaining popularity among the people, the sangham poets demanded that the epithets adorn the Sangappalagai. meaning the test.

Sangappalagai was a sort of divine bench which would float on the potramarai tank  poets used to sit on it and render their compositions. The bench would expand or contract automatically to provide enough space for any no of poets. If there were no mistakes in their compositions the bench would support the poets. If there were mistakes it would tilt and push the poets into the water.

Madhurakavi then placed on the sacred bench the palm leaf containing the following hymn of Nammazhvar.

KANNAN KAZHALINAI NANNUM MANAMUDAIYIR

ENNUM TIRUNAMAM TINNAM NARANAME.

all the 300 poets sat on the bench along with the palm leaf and all of them were pushed off the bench except for the palm leaf. Thereafter the hymns of Nammazvar were accepted wholeheartedly, and even composed eulogistic poems like;

Semam kurugaiyo seyya tirupparkadalo

Namam parankusamo naranamo Daman

Tulavo vagulamo tolerance Mangum

Ulavo peruman unakku.

Iyaduvado garudarku edited iravikkedir min mini aduvado

Nay oduvado urumip Pullman nari kesari mun nadaiyaduvado

Pey aduvado azhagu urvasimun peruman vagulabharanan arul kurndu

Oduvadu urai ayiramamariyinoru sorpeumo ulagil kaviye.

Meaning

Like a small fly trying to fly in front of the king of birds Garuda, like a firefly trying to show its light in front of the rays of the sun, like a dog trying to bark in front of the fierce tiger, like a fox trying to walk in front of the lion, like a ghost trying to dance in front t of the beautiful celestial dancer urvasi, our songs too remain so in comparison with a word too of the vakulabaranar.

v r mangalam.

 sriviraraghavamangalam

srikingrha puradhisam svarnavalli samanvitam,

salihotramunervandyam viraraghavamasraye. - 1

mangalam raghavendraya madhukaitabhaharine,

viraraghava vaidyaya tubhyam bhavatu mangalam -2

salihotrasadavandya caranadvayasobhine,

sritanamartinasaya raghusresthaya mangalam - 3

vijayakhya vimanetra viharamupajagmuse,

sarngine sesatalpaya sundarayastu mangalam - 4

gambhira vipulamsaya visalottungavaksase,

ajanubahave tubhyam dhirodattaya mangalam - 5

salihotra sironyasta daksinasrikaraya te,

bhaktavatsalaramaya citralilaya mangalam - 6

nabhinalinasanjata vanihrdayaharinah,

pranavarthopadestre te svamine mama mangalam - 7

divyacandana karpura kunkumalankrtaya te,

divyapsaroganairnityam sevitayastu mangalam - 8

indivaradalasyamasukumara suvarsmane,

tunganasalasadganda bhruvilasaya mangalam - 9

vilasaccandrikatulya smitasobhisubhanana,

vasumatyasametaya tubhyam bhavatu mangalam - 10

kandarpakotilavanya jaganmohanarupine,

vedavedanta vedyaya sada bhavatu mangalam -11

pratarudyatsahasramsusadrsa svena tejasa,

kingehamandanayastu maharajaya mangalam - 12

nityairmuktaissadabhaktaihsevyamanapadabja te,

viksaranya nivasasridvirephayastu mangalam - 13

srivaikuntham parityajya hrttapadhvamsinitate,

sraddhaya ramamanaya mahadhiraya mangalam -14

parakalamahisara divyasuri nutaya te,

pumsam mohanarupaya kingrhesaya mangalam - 15

adivansathakopadiyativaryastutaya te,

viraraghava vaidyaya nityasrirnitya mangalam - 16

iti narayanakhyena sathajidyogina krtam,

mangalam kingrhesasya pathatamastu mangalam - 17

|| iti sriviraraghavamangalam samaptam ||

 https://fb.watch/bFseLT1Tgb/

Mk

 When 32-year-old Chamarajendra Wadiyar X, king of Mysore, fell ill and died, his son was still a minor. It was also the year when a severe epidemic of bubonic plague struck the city. This was when his wife, Maharani Kempa Nanjammani Vani Vilasa Sannidhana, took over as queen regent and ruled Mysore for eight memorable years.

During her rule Bangalore and Mysore saw great progress. The Shivanasamudra hydroelectric project, Asia's first, was commissioned, drinking water to Bengaluru was provided from Hesaraghatta Reservoir, the Rani started many schools for girls and 12000 girls got to study during her time, she lay great stress on pre and post-natal care for women and opened several hospitals and dispensaries.She also donated 372 acres of land to start the Indian institute of Science in Bengaluru.

Rani Vani Vilasa is remembered as a dynamic ruler who contributed greatly to the welfare of the people of Karnataka. Yaduveer Krishnadatta Chamaraja Wadi

yar