Direct

 We have a tradition of revering Acharyas who have an abundance of knowledge. In fact, a sishya will not ask his Acharya any question, for he knows that if something is ambiguous, his Acharya will give him clarifications. And yet, there have been occasions when sishyas have asked their Acharyas questions. Their Acharyas too have been magnanimous enough to answer them. These fruitful exchanges between teacher and taught have been useful to later generations of devotees in understanding many things, said Akkarakkani Srinidhi in a discourse.

Nanjeeyar used to ask his Acharya Parasara Bhatta questions which the latter answered patiently. One day Nanjeeyar asked Bhatta why the Sastras forbid the offering of Kantakari flowers to Vishnu. Bhatta replied that the Kantakari plant has plenty of thorns, and the Lord is concerned that His devotees, while plucking the flowers, will hurt themselves. The ban on this flower is not because it is unacceptable to Him. It is His concern for His bhakthas that is responsible for the ban on the Kantakari flowers. If Nanjeeyar had not asked his Acharya the question about these flowers, we would not have known why they are not used in worship.

During Ramanujacharya’s discourses on Gadya Traya, his disciple Embar asked him how the Lord could have spoken to him. Embar had no doubts that the Lord would have spoken to Ramanuja. His question was in case future generations had any doubts on this score. Ramanuja gave him a crisp reply. He said that he would not say anything that the Lord had not told him. Whatever he said came from the Lord Himself. Thus we have Ramanujacharya’s assurance on the source of his teachings. They come directly from the Supreme One.

Few.

Destiny.

Yudhishthira performs the Rajasuya yaga, but is worried because Narada had warned of threats to his kingdom. Yudhishthira then consults Vyasa, said Kidambi Narayanan in a discourse. Vyasa says that Yudhishthira and his family will face dangers for thirteen years. Duryodhana’s sin will result in the deaths of thousands of Kshatriyas. A mistake of Yudhishthira’s would lead.

Duryodhana to do terrible things. He says that Yudhishthira will have a dream, in which he will see Lord Siva proceeding towards the abode of Yama. When that dream occurs repeatedly, it is the indication that Yudhishthira’s troubles are about to start. But Vyasa tells Yudhishthira that he should not worry, because worrying will change nothing.

Yudhishthira cannot digest the thought that he will cause many deaths. He tells his brothers that it is better if he dies. His brothers pacify him. He then says that for the next thirteen years, he will not utter even one harsh word to anyone. He will behave in such a way that no one will be unhappy with him. He will be impartial to all. And yet, despite all these resolutions of Yudhishthira, the Kurukshetra war does break out and results in the deaths of thousands of warriors.

Nothing can change Destiny. There is a Tukaram abhang, which describes how helpless we are. A twig falls into the water in a canal. Can the twig decide in which direction it wants to go? Even the water in the canal is helpless. It may be happy to be moving straight ahead, but at some point the canal may take a bend to the right, in which case the water has to flow towards the right. Can a worker change a plan that a master architect has made? Likewise in life, we cannot change what is destined to happen.

Self

In the Advaita text Panchadasi, the author Vidyaranya explains the nature of the Self as the essence of bliss by alluding to the famous instruction by Yagnyavalkya to his wife Maitreyi in the Brihadaranyaka Upanishad. The acharya analyses the instruction that shows with relevant examples that it is individual self interest at work in all human relationships, pointed out Sri R. Rajagopala Sarma in a discourse. The conclusion drawn is ‘ atmanasthu kamaya sarvam priyam bhavati,’ ‘the Self is most loved by all and is most dear.’ It is shown that all objects, people and places are loved by people not for their sake but for the sake of the Self. In our day today life, when constant interaction is always taking place, at the family, social, cultural and spiritual levels, etc, it is the self or inner essence that is dear to each individual. The reason behind the love in ties such as those between husband-wife, parent-children, etc is one’s own satisfaction. Even the love of wealth and possession only reflects the owner’s sense of ego. Does wealth know that it belongs to a particular person? Or does it wish to belong to anyone it thinks is special?

When one seeks name and fame in life it is for the individual’s sake since name and fame are insentient abstractions. One might rear animals such as the cow or the horse not because of any love for them but because they serve him in some way or other. At the bottom line in all these instances is the desire for happiness in us. Since the self is the essence of happiness and bliss, knowledge of this truth leads to realisation. To internalise this truth, the sage advises her to know about the atma. This is possible by the practices of sravana, hearing, manana, reflecting in one’s mind and nididhyasana, contemplating and meditating on the Self at all times.

Devotion

Not all are endowed with devotion to God, and the purana stories on Siva, Vishnu, Muruga or Ambal are the basis for many of us to cultivate faith and devotion to God. Devotion that is directed to any of these deities is known as bhakti to Ishta Devata, pointed out Sri B. Sundarkumar in a discourse. In the Gita, the Lord explains the nuances in the concept of Ishta devata worship. He says that when people are swayed by their desires, their inherent swabhava prompts each one of them to seek divine help. They worship the various deities and pray to them to grant them their wishes as well as for guidance to enable them to cross the vicissitudes of life. “Whatever deity a jiva wants to worship, I will strengthen his devotion,” says the Lord. He explains the truth that God is the antaryami in all the forms of deities that people worship. It is He who grants their desires. He does so to strengthen their devotion.

Moreover, we may not understand that all our desires will bring us good. What is desirable may not always be beneficial to us. In addition, when one desire gets fulfilled it is not an end in itself. It leads to yet other desires and the list is never ending. But by granting some desires, God leads us to seek what is ultimately good for us.

But Ishta Devata devotion should not encourage the tendency to belittle other deities. A true devotee should take the cue from Narayana Bhattathiri, in whose perception there is only one God who takes many forms for different purposes in every Yuga. He should cultivate the same bhava and see his Ishta devata in the many forms and deities. Bhakti and jnana grow hand in hand and the mature devotee, though convinced about his faith, will understand that all distinctions in name, functions, etc, are merely external.

Raasleela

Many of the episodes in the Bhagavata Purana can be interpreted as illustrative of the deeper and esoteric meanings in the Bhagavad Gita, said Sri B. Sundarkumar in a discourse. For instance, the underlying aim in the Rasa leela episode is to explain the realised state as one wherein true bhakti and jnana merge to become a singular quality of the experience of God. The Lord describes this state in the Gita: “The jnani, the one with discrimination, is continually united with Me. He is always devoted to Me and to no other. I am very dear to that person and he is dear to Me.”

In the Rasa leela episode, the Gopis are shown to be engrossed in love sports with God and are immersed in limitless joy. Each one feels she is exceptional and so Krishna has chosen her as His companion. They are devastated when Krishna suddenly leaves them. They reveal their state of mind and console themselves with the surmise that the Lord has disappeared with one among them who is obviously more special to Him. They feel that she is a cut above all of them and Vyasa uses the phrase ‘anaya araaditho noonum,’ in this context. When roughly translated, it means, ‘very devotedly worshipped by her.’ He has chosen to be with her only because she has selfless devotion to Him. She represents the realised state of a jnani in whom the intrinsic power of the Lord coexists with transcending bhakti. She is a symbol of jnana and is His very essence. In that state, there is no room for self importance or pride. The Lord’s intention is to make all of them reach that state of a jnani. With the separation from the Lord and the consequent experience of extreme viraha tapa, the Gopis overcome their ahamkara and repent. They are united with the Lord by His Sankalpa.

NS

 

This mantra enables one to completely focus themselves on he topic in front of them, and find success. A great quote I found explains the mindset you should try while listening to the track: “Work hard in silence. Let your success make the noise.” You are now listening to the Neela Saraswati Mantra, which is a divine prayer to Blue Saraswati, the Bestower of Success and Wisdom. Through this mantra, surrender to the Goddess, and seek her blessings to emerge intelligent, wise and victorious in all endeavors. 🎤Here are the lyrics for the mantra:

 Verse 1 Ghora Roope Maharave, Sarva Shathru Bhayangari, Bhakthebhyo Varade Devi Thrahi Maam Saranagatham 

Verse 2 Surasurarchithe Devi, Sidha Gandharva Sevithe, Jadya Papa Hare Devi, Thrahi Maam Saranagatham 

Verse 3 Jatajuta Samayukthe Lola Jihwantha Karini, Drutha Budhikare Devi, Thrahi Maam Saranagatham

 Verse 4 Soumya Krodha Dhare Roope, Chanda Munda Namosthuthe, Srushti Roope Namasthubhyam, Thrahi Maam Saranagatham Verse 5 Jadaanaam Jadathaam Hanthi , Bhakthaanaam Bhaktha Vathsala, Moodathaam Hara May Devi, Thrahi Maam Saranagatham Verse 6 Vam Hroom Hroom Kamaye Devi, Bali Homa Priye Nama, Ugra Thare Namo Nithyam, Thrahi Maam Saranagatham 

Verse 7 Budhim Dehi, Yaso Dehi, Kavithwam Dehi Dehi May, Moodathwam Cha Harer Devi, Thrahi Maam Saranagatham 

Verse 8 Indradhi Vilasad Dwanda Vandhithe Karunamayi, Thare Tharathi Nadhasye, Thrahi Maam Saranagatham.

 Concluding Verse Idham Stotram Padesdhyasthu Sathatham Sradhayonvitha, Thasya Shathru Kshayam Yathi Maha Pragnaa Prajayathe

HS

 In Hinduism, Lord Hayagriva is considered an avatar of Lord Vishnu.

He is worshiped and adored as the God of wisdom and knowledge, with a human body and a horse’s head, brilliant white in color, and seated on a white lotus.

He is celebrated in the Puranas for rescuing the sacred Vedas from the demons Kaitabha and Madhu and teaching them again to Lord Brahma.

In Tibetan Buddhism, He is a wrathful manifestation of the Bodhisattva of Compassion – Chenrezig. Devotion to and practice based upon His teachings is a fast method to overcome negative forces and hindrances.

Symbolically, the story of Lord Hayagriva represents the victory of pure knowledge, guided by the hand of God, over the demonic forces of darkness and passion.

He is a central deity in Vaishnava tradition (one of the major traditions within Hinduism).

His blessings are sought when starting the study of both secular and sacred subjects.

He can also grant spiritual powers (siddhis) to you when you connect with His divine healing energies, with sincere devotion.

Special worship is conducted on the day of the full moon in August (Sravana-Paurnami, which is believed to be the day when He appeared on Earth) and on Mahanavami, the 9th day of the Navratri festival (the word Navratri translates as ”nine nights” in Sanskrit).

Also, Lord Hayagriva is amongst the deities present at the Ranganathaswamy Temple, Srirangam.

Iconography

He is usually depicted seated, with his right hand either blessing the supplicant or in the pose of teaching.

The right hand also frequently holds a rosary, representing His identification with meditative wisdom and knowledge.

His left hand holds a book, representing His role as a spiritual teacher.

His face is always peaceful and serene, if not smiling.

His beauty, like fresh-cut crystal, is a fortunate brilliance that never decays.

In Buddhism, He is illustrated with one face, 2 arms, and 2 legs.

Everything about Him is wrathful – a roaring mouth with protruding fangs, a scowling face with 3 glaring eyes, a broad belly bulging with inner energy, His left hand raised in a threatening mudra, and a sword raised threateningly in his right hand.

This terrifying aspect expresses compassion’s fierce determination to help us overcome outer obstructions and inner egotism.

Gnanananda Mayam Devam Nirmala Spatika krutim

Aadharam Sarva Vidyanaam Hayagreevam Upasmahe.”

We worship or meditate upon, Lord Hayagreeva, who is the embodiment of  wisdom or divine knowledge (Gyaana) and blissaanandam (aanandam), who is the base of all vidyas, whose body is radiant emanating brilliant white light like that of a blemish less Spatikam.”

Hayagriva Gayatri mantra lyrics:

”Aum Vanishwaraaya Vidmahe.

Haya Grivaaya Dhimahee.

Thanno Hayagriva Prachodayath.”

Meaning – ”Om, Let me meditate on the god of learning. Oh, God who has a horse face, give me higher intellect. And let God Hayagreeva illuminate my mind.”

Gnanaswaroopa”, embodiment of all growth, knowledge and spiritual wisdom.

It is assumed that our sages and seers have derived their spiritual ideas and extraordinary powers through the grace of Lord Hayagreeva. It is believed that Lalitha sahasranama, the thousand names of Mother Lalithambika, were taught by him to Agasthya Maharshi.

Shri Hayagriva Ashtottara Shatanama Stotram Lyrics in English:

॥ srihayagrivastottarasatanamastotram ॥

atha viniyogah –

Om asya srihayagrivastotramantrasya sankarsana rsih,

anustupchandah, srihayagrivo devata rm bijam

namah saktih vidyarthe jape viniyogah ॥

atha dhyanam –

vande puritacandramandalagatam svetaravindasanam

mandakinyamrtabdhikundakumudaksirenduhasam harim ।

mudrapustakasankhacakravilasacchrimadbhujamanditam

nityam nirmalabharatiparimalam visvesamasvananam ॥

atha mantrah –

Om rgyajuhsamarupaya vedaharanakarmane ।

pranavodgithavacase mahasvasirase namah ॥

srihayagrivaya namah ।

atha stotram –

jnananandamayam devam nirmalam sphatikakrtim ।

adharam sarvavidyanam hayagrivamupasmahe ॥ 1 ॥

hayagrivo mahavisnuh kesavo madhusudanah ।

govindah pundarikakso visnurvisvambharo harih ॥ 2 ॥

adisah sarvavagisah sarvadharah sanatanah ।

niradharo nirakaro niriso nirupadravah ॥ 3 ॥

niranjano niskalanko nityatrpto niramayah ।

cidanandamayah saksi saranyah sarvadayakah ॥ 4 ॥

subhadayakah

sriman lokatrayadhisah sivah sarasvatapradah ।

vedoddharttavedanidhirvedavedyah puratanah ॥ 5 ॥

purnah purayita punyah punyakirtih paratparah ।

paramatma paranjyotih paresah paragah parah ॥ 6 ॥

sakalopanisadvedyo niskalah sarvasastrakrt ।

aksamalajnanamudrayuktahasto varapradah ॥ 7 ॥

puranapurusah sresthah saranyah paramesvarah ।

santo danto jitakrodho jitamitro jaganmayah ॥ 8 ॥

jaramrtyuharo jivo jayado jadyanasanah । garudasanah

japapriyo japastutyo japakrtpriyakrdvibhuh ॥ 9 ॥

var jayasriyorjitastulyo japakapriyakrdvibhuh

vimalo visvarupasca visvagopta vidhistutah । virat svarat

vidhivisnusivastutyah santidah ksantikarakah ॥ 10 ॥

sreyahpradah srutimayah sreyasam patirisvarah ।

acyuto’nantarupasca pranadah prthivipatih ॥ 11 ॥

avyakto vyaktarupasca sarvasaksi tamoharah ।

ajnananasako jnani purnacandrasamaprabhah ॥ 12 ॥

jnanado vakpatiryogi yogisah sarvakamadah ।

yogarudho mahapunyah punyakirtiramitraha ॥ 13 ॥

visvasaksi cidakarah paramanandakarakah ।

mahayogi mahamauni munisah sreyasam nidhih ॥ 14 ॥

hamsah paramahamsasca visvagopta virat svarat ।

suddhasphatikasankasah jatamandalasamyutah ॥ 15 ॥

adimadhyantarahitah sarvavagisvaresvarah ।

pranavodgitharupasca vedaharanakarmakrt ॥ 16 ॥

namnamastottarasatam hayagrivasya yah pathet ।

sa sarvavedavedangasastranam paragah kavih ॥ 17 ॥

idamastottarasatam nityam mudho’pi yah pathet ।

vacaspatisamo buddhya sarvavidyavisaradah ॥ 18 ॥

mahadaisvaryamapnoti kalatrani ca putrakan ।

nasyanti sakalan rogan ante haripuram vrajet ॥ 19 ॥

॥ iti sribrahmandapurane srihayagrivastottarasatanamastotram sampurnam ॥

An enlightened queen.

 https://youtu.be/uDd3iupKUyI

My earlier post the queens lullaby has only 4 verses I think. 

According to Markandeya Purana, Madalasa was an enlightened Queen who gave birth to four sons, Vikranta, Subahu, Shatrumardana, and Alarka. When they cried, instead of diverting the child’s attention with various objects she chose to introduce them to the Truth. Knowledge (Atma Jnana) is revealed in the form of a sweet lullaby which is called mandalas upadesha. The first three princes, Vikranta, Subahu, and Shatrumardana had no interest in the temporary material world and each of them took sannyasa (renunciation) and wandered away to the forest to meditate. Queen Madalasa is known as one of the most ideal and learned women.

Madalasa Upadesha is also known as Putra Upadesha Stotra or Putropadesha Stotra.

Queen Madalasa says to her crying son: “You are pure, Enlightened, and spotless. Leave the illusion of the world and wake up from this deep slumber of delusion.”

My Child, you are Ever Pure! You do not have a name. A name is only an imaginary superimposition on you. This body made of five elements is not you nor do you belong to it. This being so, what can be a reason for your crying?

The essence of the universe does not cry in reality. All is a Maya of words, oh Prince! Please understand this. The various qualities you seem to have are just your imaginations, they belong to the elements that make the senses (and have nothing to do with you).

The Elements [that make this body] grow with the accumulation of more elements or reduce in size if some elements are taken away. This is what is seen in a body’s growing in size or becoming lean depending upon the consumption of food, water, etc. You do not have growth or decay.

You are in the body which is like a jacket that gets worn out day by day. Do not have the wrong notion that you are the body. This body is like a jacket that you are tied to, for the fructification of the good and bad karmas.

Some may refer to you as Father and some others may refer to you as a Son or some may refer to you as a mother and someone else may refer to you as a wife. some say “you are mine” and some others say “you are not mine” These are all references to this “Combination of Physical Elements”, Do not identify with them.

The deluded look at objects of enjoyments as giving happiness by removing the unhappiness. The wise clearly see that the same object which gives happiness now will become a source of unhappiness.

The vehicle that moves on the ground is different from the person in it similarly this body is also different from the person who is inside! The owner of the body is different from the body! Ah, how foolish it is to think I am the body!

शुद्धोसि बुद्धोसि निरँजनोऽसि

सँसारमाया परिवर्जितोऽसि

सँसारस्वप्नँ त्यज मोहनिद्राँ

मँदालसोल्लपमुवाच पुत्रम्।

Suddhosi bubbhosi niranjanosi

samsara maya parivarjitosi

samsara svapnam tyaja moha nidra

mandalasollapamuvacha putram

Meaning: Madalasa says to her crying son: “You are pure, Enlightened, and spotless. Leave the illusion of the world and wake up from this deep slumber of delusion.”

शुद्धोऽसि रे तात न तेऽस्ति नाम

कृतँ हि तत्कल्पनयाधुनैव।

पच्चात्मकँ देहँ इदँ न तेऽस्ति

नैवास्य त्वँ रोदिषि कस्य हेतो॥

śuddho’si re tāta na te’sti nāma

kṛtaɱ hi tatkalpanayādhunaiva|

paccātmakaɱ dehaɱ idaɱ na te’sti

naivāsya tvaɱ rodiṣi kasya heto||

Meaning: My Child, you are Ever Pure! You do not have a name. A name is only an imaginary superimposition on you. This body made of five elements is not you nor do you belong to it. This being so, what can be a reason for your crying?

न वै भवान् रोदिति विक्ष्वजन्मा

शब्दोयमायाध्य महीश सूनूम्।

विकल्पयमानो विविधैर्गुणैस्ते

गुणाश्च भौताः सकलेन्दियेषु॥

na vai bhavan roditi vikshvajanma

shabdoyamayadhya mahisha sunum|

vikalpayamano vividhairgunaiste

gunascha bhautah sakalendiyeshu||

Meaning: The essence of the universe does not cry in reality. All is a Maya of words, oh Prince! Please understand this. The various qualities you seem to have are just your imaginations, they belong to the elements that make the senses (and have nothing to do with you).

भूतनि भूतैः परिदुर्बलानि

वृद्धिँ समायाति यथेह पुँसः।

अन्नाम्बुपानादिभिरेव तस्मात्

न तेस्ति वृद्धिर् न च तेस्ति हानिः॥

bhutani bhutaih paridurbalani

vriddhim samayati yatheha pumsah|

annambupanadibhireva tasmat

na testi vriddhir na cha testi hanih||

Meaning: The Elements [that make this body] grow with the accumulation of more elements or reduce in size if some elements are taken away. This is what is seen in a body’s growing in size or becoming lean depending upon the consumption of food, water, etc. You do not have growth or decay.

त्वम् कँचुके शीर्यमाणे निजोस्मिन्

तस्मिन् देहे मूढताँ मा व्रजेथाः।

शुभाशुभौः कर्मभिर्देहमेतत्

मृदादिभिः कँचुकस्ते पिनद्धः॥

tvam kamchuke shiryamane nijosmin

tasmin dehe mudhatam ma vrajethah|

shubhashubhauh karmabhirdehametat

mridadibhih kamchukaste pinaddhah||

Meaning: You are in the body which is like a jacket that gets worn out day by day. Do not have the wrong notion that you are the body. This body is like a jacket that you are tied to, for the fructification of the good and bad karmas.

तातेति किँचित् तनयेति किँचित्

अँबेति किँचिद्धयितेति किँचित्।

ममेति किँचित् न ममेति किँचित्

त्वम् भूतसँघँ बहु म नयेथाः॥

tateti kimchit tanayeti kimchit

ambeti kimchiddhayiteti kimchit|

mameti kimchit na mameti kimchit

tvam bhutasamgham bahu ma nayethah||

Meaning: Some may refer to you are Father and some others may refer to you as a Son or some may refer to you as a mother and someone else may refer to you as a wife. some say “you are mine” and some others say “you are not mine” These are all references to this “Combination of Physical Elements”, Do not identify with them.

सुखानि दुःखोपशमाय भोगान्

सुखाय जानाति विमूढचेताः।

तान्येव दुःखानि पुनः सुखानि

जानाति विद्धनविमूढचेताः॥

sukhani duhkhopashamaya bhogan

sukhaya janati vimudhachetah|

tanyeva duhkhani punah sukhani

janati viddhanavimudhachetah||

Meaning: The deluded look at objects of enjoyments as giving happiness by removing the unhappiness. The wise clearly see that the same object which gives happiness now will become a source of unhappiness.

यानँ चित्तौ तत्र गतश्च देहो

देहोपि चान्यः पुरुषो निविष्ठः।

ममत्वमुरोया न यथ तथास्मिन्

देहेति मात्रँ बत मूढरौष।

yanam chittau tatra gatascha deho

dehopi chanyah purusho nivishthah|

mamatvamuroya na yatha tathasmin

deheti matram bata mudharausha|

Meaning: The vehicle that moves on the ground is different from the person in it similarly this body is also different from the person who is inside! The owner of the body is different from the body! Ah, how foolish it is to think I am the body!

a good exe

 https://youtu.be/p5IuRLOer6E

At a recent get together at our place we showed the first three minutes of this video and made the couples sit facing each other and look for 45 seconds and then gave them 45 seconds to turn away and draw. 45 seconds the pictures were remarkable.

We are a closely knit group connected with a common goal of serving society. Giving back a little our tiny drop to make our part of  the world a better place. 

It only goes to show how we take the comml

on things for granted and if we really notice how we can change the wiring of the brain.

Worth a try. 

And practicing building on it to improve.

I am sure they will treasure the drawings for a long time to come.

Treeof life.

Tree of Life motif depicts the various elements of life in complete harmony. Trees, birds, animals are all support systems for each other. A melodious harmony of well formed shapes is a symbol and a reminder for us that each one in the family is a part of that Harmony...that we are the support system for eachother.

Dhanvantri

 Dhanvantari, an amsa of Lord Narayana, is mentioned in Puranas. He came from the milky ocean when it was churned. The treatise called Bhavaprakasa says Indra wanted to help human beings, because he saw them suffering from diseases, said Velukkudi Krishnan in a discourse. He, therefore, asked Dhanvantari to go to the earth and keep the world free from disease, for that, after all, was the purpose of the Dhanvantari avatara. Dhanvantari was born in the royal lineage of Varanasi, and was known as Divodasa. One version says that Divodasa was the grandson of Dhanvantari. There is a portion of Bhagavata Purana, called Narayana Kavacha, which talks about Dhanvantari.

The court of King Vikramaditya of Ujjain was adorned by nine gems, each of them an expert in some field. The nine gems were Dhanvantari, Kshapanaka, Amarasimha, Kalidasa, Varahamihira, Vararuchi, Shankhu, Vetala Bhatta and Ghatakarpa. The presence of Dhanvantari among the nine gems shows the importance kings gave to the health of their subjects. Ayurveda is the science that is concerned with increasing the lifespan of human beings. It is also concerned with making those long years healthy.

Hindu philosophy says that we take births due to our karma. A jivatma suffers or has pleasant experiences based on its past karma. Among the many things that cause unhappiness and agony in mankind, diseases are perhaps the foremost. It is to mitigate suffering due to disease that Prajapati gave the world Ayurveda. It is to Surya that one prays for good health. Significantly, in the Srirangam temple, close to the Dhanvantari shrine is the Paramapada entrance. Dhanvantari gives us good health on earth. The Paramapada entrance shows us that moksha too can be given only by Lord Narayana, when our life on earth ends.

Guna kosh

 

Parasara Bhatta was the chief priest in the Srirangam temple. He wrote a work called Sri Guna Ratna Kosa. Kosa in Sanskrit means a box. This box of Parasara Bhatta contains gunas. But whose gunas are there in this box? The qualities of Goddess Sridevi, and particularly Goddess Ranganayaki of Srirangam, constitute the treasure, said Thenthirupperai Aravindalochanan in a discourse.

The Vedas speak of Sri, and we have works like Sri Sukta, Bhu Sukta, Neela Sukta, Sradhha Sukta and Medha Sukta, all of which extol Her. But none could have sung of Her greatness the way Sri Vaishnava Acharyas did. Alavandar was the forerunner in this respect, with his Chatus Sloki. Here in just four verses, he succinctly speaks of Her qualities. The substance of Alavandar’s work was subsequently elaborated by Kooratazhvan in his Sri Stava, which has eleven verses. Later Kooratazhvan’s son Parasara Bhatta elaborated on the same ideas in his Guna Ratna Kosa, which has 61 verses. The first four verses of Guna Ratna Kosa are mangala slokas. If we recite or even listen to a recitation of Guna Ratna Kosa, we will be blessed by Lord Ranganatha. To earn His love, the best way would be for us to recite this work.

In the first verse, Bhatta says that the Lord being responsible for creation, protection and dissolution, is tired after all these activities! But the Goddess’ glances of approval drive away the fatigue! A peacock spreads its feathers when it spots a peahen. Likewise, the Lord’s delight lies in approval from His Consort. Vedanta Desika in his Sri Stuti says that Lakshmi’s feet are adorned with a red dye. Since She resides in Lord Narayana’s chest, Her feet leave a red mark on His chest. It is Her presence on His chest which identifies Him as the Supreme One.

Resonate.

 

The veena is a stringed instrument with four melodic strings, three drone strings and two hollow gourds which resonate. It is one of the oldest and most complicated instruments of the Indian subcontinent and has significant mythical associations. Shiva is said to have invented the veena, while Saraswati, the Goddess of Wisdom, is always seen with this instrument on her lap. The veena finds mention in various ancient texts like the Ramayana and the Puranas and playing the instrument is said to be a means for salvation. Furthermore, each part of the veena is associated with gods and goddesses, with the bridge being Lakshmi, the dragon head being Vishnu, the secondary gourd as the residing place of Brahma, Parvati being the chords and the neck, Shiva, her companion.

Kadambari by Raja Ravi Varma

Portrait of Kadambari, a lady playing sitar. Raja Ravi Varma did this painting with his brother C. Raja Raja Varma.

World Music Day or Intenational Music Day is celebrated every year in the month of June (21st June). This year World Music Day 2022 will be celebrated on Tuesday, 21 June. For avid music lovers or melophiles, the World Music Day is no less than a festival. Since the 'Music Day' originated in France, it is called 'Fete de la Musique' in French meaning 'Music Festival'. The day is being celebrated worldwide to encourage the musicians.

For the last 38 years in France, the 21st June is not just the longest day of the year but also the day of the fête de la musique. This "festival of music" is no ordinary festival. Created in France in 1982, it has been taken up by neighbouring countries where it has been just as successful. Music takes over the city's streets, with live bands, singers, amateur musicians, drummers, DJs and so on scattered throughout the city, expressing themselves through music and inviting the crowd to enjoy themselves.

In Paris, stages spring up all over the city, in particular on the capital's major squares and in its parks. The biggest and best-known are generally in the Jardin des Tuileries, the Petit Palais, the Institut du Monde Arabe, the Louvre, Jardin du Luxembourg, on Place Denfert Rochereau and along the banks of the Seine. But amateur bands playing all different kinds of music offer surprises around every corner. For this special night, public transport offers discounted travel and some lines run all night.

It’s all over France…and the world – Fête de la musique is celebrated all over France, from small towns to large cities.

In 2019, over 10 million people took part, and depending on where you go, it does have the potential to get a bit rowdy.

It has also gone global, and over 100 countries celebrate it. It started being exported out of France as early as in 1985, during the “European Year of Music.” Then, in 1997, several other European cities signed onto a charter to be ‘partners of the European Music Festival.’ In the United States, several cities also take part, calling it “Make Music Day.”

It has become such a big deal that at one point in 1998 a postage stamp was dedicated to it, right alongside stamps for the Olympic Games and the Queen of England. 

My friend Roopa and me were in Sweden on one such occasion. And we became a part of the event. Cheering and singing for no one knew us. But at the end of which we were listed out by two Americans for we were both carrying huge umbrellas with the company name, thiswas presented to us just before we left the factory where our husband's were training. That was a great experience we would never forget. Instead of shopping we were dancing and singing in the rain. What fun times. 

https://photos.app.goo.gl/AEFWopwnaK3Q62a48

https://photos.app.goo.gl/Yx3Q31CZYu5k6KJN9

https://photos.app.goo.gl/yC9dJTcMFQ62YUyW9

This friend offered to sing any one of thebest three songs ever. On a much awaited visit to our house.

1. Sri Ranga puravihara.

2. Koraivanroom illay.

3. Endaro Mahanu bavulu.

How could any one choose between them. She held the trump card through and through. We were lucky she sang two the first two. Amazingly in spite of it being quiet late after a full day of activity ,jet lag , loads of shopping and being hungry. She is one who can please any one by her attitude simpleness  honesty and     . .......

https://youtu.be/OLDCXpzQXVo

https://youtu.be/1PqUlctNJfo

Swami Nammalwars message. CJS.

 

Swami Nammalwar’s Message

If one understands and implements Swami Nammalwar’s message in life, one will not be affected by the ill impact of kali yuga – the miseries resulting from ego, selfishness, jealousy, anger, narrow-mindedness, bad intentions, lack of focus on the purpose of life, etc…

Do not waste time and energy on ever-changing realities where it is not needed. Reflect on the purpose of what you do, see, think everyday. The only eternally existent and never-changing reality is God. Everything else changes. A fruit for example changes over time. Your desire to relish the fruit forever will not be satisfied because its nature is to deteriorate over time. Same is the case with loving something else or someone

they exist?

You can. However, the purpose of your existence is to spend your energy towards that which is eternal, otherwise you will continue to be bound to this world and go through pains until you realise that attaching yourself to eternal reality keeps you eternally at peace, not the ever-changing realities.

Become ‘selfish’ and lovingly accept the ‘king’ of all the worlds, God into your heart and aim for serving Him eternally because He is eternally existing. A:lwars ‘proudly’ ask God, ‘tell me who is ‘big’ between the two of us, is it You because You are the biggest of everything else or is it my desire because I have You in my heart?’ Not everyone in this world is able to accept the mightiest and most magnificent thatthva, reality God into their hearts!

ava:vara chchu:zh ariyai ayanai aranai alaththi

ava:vaththu vi:du peththa kurugu:rch chatako:pan sonna

ava:vil andha:dhigala:l ivai ayiramum mudindha

ava:vil andha:dhi ippaththarindha:r pira:ndha:r uyarandhe:

My ‘greed’ for You is so much that You along with everything that belongs to You are in my heart…

God belongs to everyone, Is Nammalwar being ‘selfish’ holding Him in his heart?

It is ‘selfish’, but this ‘selfishness’ is accepted and worshiped because he humbly accepted God along with all His vibhu:thi,the entire existence – not just God alone in his heart.

If God alone is in your heart without His devotees and His vibhu:thi, He will ‘worry’ about those who are away. Thus, In order to serve God in your heart, invite God along with all His sampada, vibhu:thi.

Where do I focus now, on Him or His creation – i.e. rest of the beings?

Both and together. Don’t restrict your vision at the material, take it forward to the eternally existing support of the material, God. Don’t restrict your love to someone, encompass the root source of all emotions, God into your heart. Don’t fix your goal at money-making, take it forward to its utilisation to the vibhu:thi of God, the world and the samastha pra:ni koti, the rest of the beings…

Whenever you see something is not aligned as per sa:sthra, that which defines the order of existence and is revered as the breath of God by rushis, serve that ‘something’ to put it in order as service to God. Thus, you are happy serving God’s existence while in this world, and the rest of the beings are happy because you are serving them too.

Hence, Swami Nammalwar’s message sets you free from the ill affects of kali yuga and keeps you happy and peaceful. You must celebrate Swami Nammalwar’s thirunakshathra, birthday not just for mo:ksha, liberation to reach eternal abode, but to actually live happily here in this world.

By Chinna Jeeyar Swamy.

Hecherike

 Hey ramchandra keh gaye siya se, translates to English as, God Ram had said to Sita before he left… It is a song in Hindi, considered to be a bhajan due to the religious subtext. In the landscape of the Hindu religion, Ramchandra is one of the central characters, whilst Siya (also known as Sita), is his companion.

The lyrics of this song describe some of the immoral human behaviors that one expects to see during the kali yuug (dark times). This is a special time that has been prophesized, and marks the coming of the next avatar, Kali. During this time mankind and civilization will have become debased and devoid of all morality. Interestingly, Christianity and Judaism have something similar known as Armageddon.

The return of god was also repeated during the time of Krisha and found in chapter 4, text 8, of the Bhagavad Gita as it is. You can get more information about this from ISKCON.

paritranaya sadhunam

vinasaya ca duskrtam

dharma-samsthapanarthaya

sambhavami yuge yuge

In order to deliver the pious and to annihilate the miscreants, as well as to re-establish the principles of religion, I advent myself millennium after millennium."

Have you ever thought that something was not quite right with this world? That perhaps this was not your world? Growing up in the kali yuug, one usually does not notice things being wrong, because this is the only reality one has ever known. However, if you are a swan eating seeds in the dirt, whilst the crows are living the high life eating pearls, then there could be a good reason for that besides bad luck. I know that the crows in my life played dirty by lying, cheating, stealing, and killing, whilst I got crucified at every turn. Hence this song goes a long way to explaining why my life is as it is. The lyrics are wonderful two line verses rich in metaphor, and in some places extremely complicated to translate. Due to the complex nature of some of the metaphors, and words with colloquial meanings, I have added another line with an equivalent approximation that might help

Chukega, to eat or feed, usually with the beak. It’s a term usually utilized for birds

Dun, soil, sand, or dirt

Lathi, stick

Kheencha-tani, tug of war

Kala dhan, dark money, black money, which is dirty money derived from immoral activities

Kala mun, dark heart, or immoral thinking

Uchechake, similar to uchki-jaya in Gujarati, steal, take, lift

Nir-dhan, without money, poor, or poverty

Bahs, argument, or dispute

Lobhi, stingy and greedy

Bhogee, enjoyer of materialistic activities

Madhu-shaala, drinking-house, alcohol-house, or public-house

Sabha, audience, society

Baala, a young girl

Moorakh, fool

Jatan, precaution

Kotri, small room

Kajal, lamp

Sati, pious, religious, virtuous

Kaajal, black ash that a lamp makes, simplified to ash

Kamini, debased desires and yearnings, bad thoughts, and bad intentions

Naam-kaam, reputable, person of good name and good deeds

Phund, hangmans noose, but it also has colloquial meanings such as roped, trapped, and strangled. It can also mean false accusation placed around ones neck.

Kawwa approximates to crows. The concept of some men being compared to crows (vaayasam in Sanskrit) probably comes from the Srimad-Bhagavatam. Crows are considered chaotic, materialistic, and greedy, because they are always seen on garbage heaps fighting and picking away at anything they can find. They are common and found in large numbers everywhere.

Hans, swan

Hai ji re, Hai ji re...

It will be so, it will be so...

Hey ramchandra keh gaye siya se,

God Ram had said to Sita (before he left),

aisa kali yuug ayenga,

such a dark time will come,

hans chukega dana dun ka,

(when) swans will be feeding on seeds in the dirt,

kawwa moti khaye ga.

and) crows will be eating pearls.

Siya ne poocha bhagwan,

Sita asked God,

Kali yuug mein, dharam karam ko koi nahi maanega?

In dark times, will nobody believe in the right way of living and consequences?

toh prabhu bola,

to which God replied,

Dharam bhi hoga, karam bhi hoga,

There will be a way of living, and its consequences,

parantu, sharam nahi hogi,

however, there will be no shame,

baat baat, pe maata aur pita ko,

in every matter, upon mother and father,

beta aankh dikhaye ga.

the son will show an evil-eye (and tell them what to do).

Meaning: Instead of the parents controlling the child, the child will control the parents.)

Raja aur praja, dono mein,

The king and (his) subjects, in both,

hogi nis din kheencha-tani, kheencha-tani,

there will be continuous tug of war,

kadaam kadaam per karange dono,

at every step they will both,

apni apni munmaani munmaani.

do whatever their hearts desires.

(Meaning: Everyone will want to be the boss working above the law. There will be no hierarchical structure (sump-prathista). Neither the King nor his subjects will obey the law, they will do whatever they please, whenever they please, living above the law.)

Hai, jis ke haath mein hogi laathi,

The one who wields a stick in hand,

bahs wahi lai jaayenga.

they will win the argument.

Meaning: Arguments and disputes will be settled by force and violence. The most violent will prevail, whilst the peaceful will suffer under their subjugation.)

Suno Siya, kali yuug mein kala dhan,

Listen Sita, in dark times, there will be black money,

aur kale mun honge.

and dark hearts.

(Meaning: Evil minded people will have no qualms getting rich quickly from immoral activities, however those trying earn through honest and decent means will struggle throughout their lives.)

Chor uchechake nagar seth,

The boss of the town will be the biggest thief lifting everything,

aur prabhu bhakt nirdhan honge.

and (true) worshippers of God, will remain in poverty.

Meaning: During the dark times, the needs of the one outweigh the needs of the many. Officials such as town mayors and prime ministers, who are supposed to be serving under the people, for the people, will have private planes carrying suitcases of money to secret Swiss bank accounts. Paradoxically, they will have money that far exceeds their official salaries... These crows (and their crow friends) will be living the high life on ill-gotten gains, whilst people of god (swans) will be poor and starving.

Hai, jo hoga lobhi aur bhogee,

Those who are greedy and lost in materialistic pleasures,

woh jyogi kehlaiega.

they will be called saintly men of god.

(Meaning: There will be many self-made gurus pretending to be swans (men of God), but actually they are just crows.)

Mandir soona-soona hoga,

The temples shall be completely empty,

bhari rahengi madhu-shaala madhu-shaala.

whilst) drinking-houses shall remain full.

Pita ke sang-sang, bhari sabha mein,

Together with her father, in a full audience,

nanche gi, ghar ki baala, ghar ki baala.

dances, a young daughter of his house.

Kaisa kanya daan pita hi?

Where is the fathers charity of giving away his bride daughter?

kanya ka dhan khayenga.

instead, he lives on her money.

(Meaning: A good father usually gives away his daughter (kanya) in her wedding ceremony as charity (daan), which makes the goddess laxmi happy, who then returns this gesture with more prosperity for the daughters future. However in the kali yuug, a greedy father uses his daughter for money. The father neglects his most important duties to his children, which is to ensure that they are educated and married so they have prosperous fruitful futures of their own. Instead, he uses their time and money to go on an ego ride. He squanders their futures and inheritance, and even gives it away to worthless charities just to appear big in society.)

Moorakh ki preet boori, juey ki jeet boori,

Friendships of fools is bad, triumphs of gamblers is bad,

boore sang baaith chain bhaage-hi-bhaage.

sitting in the company of bad people, your happiness always runs away from you.

(Meaning: If you associate yourself with poor quality people, then your life will have no happiness.)

Kajal ki kotri mein, kaiso hi jatan karo,

In the lamp room, however much precautions you take,

kaajal ka daag bhai lage-hi-lage.

you will always be stained by the ash brother.

(Meaning: In this world you are surrounded by temptation and it is difficult to remain clean and untainted.)

Hai kitna jati ho koi, kitna sati ho koi,

No matter how high cast some are, how much holy some are,

kamini ke sang kaam jaage-hi-jaage.

company of debased (people) always awakens debased deeds.

Hey suno kahe gopiram, jiska hai naam kaam,

Hey listen Gopiram said, (In the dark times) he who has a (good) name and does (good) deeds,

uska toh phund gale lage-hi-lage re bhai...

will always have a hangman’s noose placed around his neck brother...

(Meaning: A person of good character is always destroyed by the evil types, whilst evil characters always prevail and succeed in life.)

Are you a Crow or a Swan?

Crows are usually seen fighting a lot, either within their own group, or with others of their kind, but swans are rarely seen fighting unless it was to protect their territory or their young. Swans have only one partner for their entire lives, and if their partner dies, then they die too of a broken heart. Hence, they are seen to be following the monogamous traditions of Ram and Sita, or Radha and Krishna. However, the crow is not so monogamous and may have many partners at the same time. Consequently, crows breed in large numbers overpopulating any areas they settle. Whilst swans are becoming an endangered species and are protected in many countries, the common crow is found all over the world. Crows tend to settle wherever they can get a free meal, and farmers usually consider them a pest because a group of them can strip your land of all the seeds within hours. Crows usually make a very loud awful "caaw" sound that travels long distances and most people do not like that. In contrast, the swan is a much quieter bird that makes a "honk" sound. Swans are often seen performing a synchronized swimming dance, which makes them appear to be intelligent creatures of order, whilst crows appear to be a chaotic animal. On land, swans are mostly vegetarians and tend to eat grass and vegetables. In contrast, a crow eats almost anything including other birds. Crows also have a reputation for stealing and being greedy because they will steal eggs and chicks from other birds’ nests

Hey ramchandra keh gaye siya se, translates to English as, God Ram had said to Sita before he left… It is a song in Hindi, considered to be a bhajan due to the religious subtext. In the landscape of the Hindu religion, Ramchandra is one of the central characters, whilst Siya (also known as Sita), is his companion.

The lyrics of this song describe some of the immoral human behaviors that one expects to see during the kali yuug (dark times). This is a special time that has been prophesized, and marks the coming of the next avatar, Kali. During this time mankind and civilization will have become debased and devoid of all morality. Interestingly, Christianity and Judaism have something similar known as Armageddon.

The return of god was also repeated during the time of Krisha and found in chapter 4, text 8, of the Bhagavad Gita 

paritranaya sadhunam

vinasaya ca duskrtam

dharma-samsthapanarthaya

sambhavami yuge yuge

"In order to deliver the pious and to annihilate the miscreants, as well as to re-establish the principles of religion, I advent myself millennium after millennium."

Have you ever thought that something was not quite right with this world? That perhaps this was not your world? Growing up in the kali yuug, one usually does not notice things being wrong, because this is the only reality one has ever known. However, if you are a swan eating seeds in the dirt, whilst the crows are living the high life eating pearls, then there could be a good reason for that besides bad luck. I know that the crows in my life played dirty by lying, cheating, stealing, and killing, whilst I got crucified at every turn. Hence this song goes a long way to explaining why my life is as it is. The lyrics are wonderful two line verses rich in metaphor, and in some places extremely complicated to translate. Due to the complex nature of some of the metaphors, and words with colloquial meanings, I have added another line with an equivalent approximation that might help

Chukega, to eat or feed, usually with the beak. It’s a term usually utilized for birds

Dun, soil, sand, or dirt

Lathi, stick

Kheencha-tani, tug of war

Kala dhan, dark money, black money, which is dirty money derived from immoral activities

Kala mun, dark heart, or immoral thinking

Uchechake, similar to uchki-jaya in Gujarati, steal, take, lift

Nir-dhan, without money, poor, or poverty

Bahs, argument, or dispute

Lobhi, stingy and greedy

Bhogee, enjoyer of materialistic activities

Madhu-shaala, drinking-house, alcohol-house, or public-house

Sabha, audience, society

Baala, a young girl

Moorakh, fool

Jatan, precaution

Kotri, small room

Kajal, lamp

Sati, pious, religious, virtuous

Kaajal, black ash that a lamp makes, simplified to ash

Kamini, debased desires and yearnings, bad thoughts, and bad intentions

Naam-kaam, reputable, person of good name and good deeds

Phund, hangmans noose, but it also has colloquial meanings such as roped, trapped, and strangled. It can also mean false accusation placed around ones neck.

Kawwa approximates to crows. The concept of some men being compared to crows (vaayasam in Sanskrit) probably comes from the Srimad-Bhagavatam. Crows are considered chaotic, materialistic, and greedy, because they are always seen on garbage heaps fighting and picking away at anything they can find. They are common and found in large numbers everywhere.

Hans, swan

Hai ji re, Hai ji re...

It will be so, it will be so...

Hey ramchandra keh gaye siya se,

God Ram had said to Sita (before he left),

aisa kali yuug ayenga,

such a dark time will come,

hans chukega dana dun ka,

(when) swans will be feeding on seeds in the dirt,

kawwa moti khaye ga.

(and) crows will be eating pearls.

Siya ne poocha bhagwan,

Sita asked God,

Kali yuug mein, dharam karam ko koi nahi maanega?

In dark times, will nobody believe in the right way of living and consequences?

toh prabhu bola,

to which God replied,

Dharam bhi hoga, karam bhi hoga,

There will be a way of living, and its consequences,

parantu, sharam nahi hogi,

however, there will be no shame,

baat baat, pe maata aur pita ko,

in every matter, upon mother and father,

beta aankh dikhaye ga.

the son will show an evil-eye (and tell them what to do).

Meaning: Instead of the parents controlling the child, the child will control the parents.)

Raja aur praja, dono mein,

The king and (his) subjects, in both,

hogi nis din kheencha-tani, kheencha-tani,

there will be continuous tug of war,

kadaam kadaam per karange dono,

at every step they will both,

apni apni munmaani munmaani.

do whatever their hearts desires.

(Meaning: Everyone will want to be the boss working above the law. There will be no hierarchical structure (sump-prathista). Neither the King nor his subjects will obey the law, they will do whatever they please, whenever they please, living above the law.)

Hai, jis ke haath mein hogi laathi,

The one who wields a stick in hand,

bahs wahi lai jaayenga.

they will win the argument.

(Meaning: Arguments and disputes will be settled by force and violence. The most violent will prevail, whilst the peaceful will suffer under their subjugation.)

Suno Siya, kali yuug mein kala dhan,

Listen Sita, in dark times, there will be black money,

aur kale mun honge.

and dark hearts.

(Meaning: Evil minded people will have no qualms getting rich quickly from immoral activities, however those trying earn through honest and decent means will struggle throughout their lives.)

Chor uchechake nagar seth,

The boss of the town will be the biggest thief lifting everything,

aur prabhu bhakt nirdhan honge.

and (true) worshippers of God, will remain in poverty.

(Meaning: During the dark times, the needs of the one outweigh the needs

of the many. Officials such as town mayors and prime ministers, who are supposed to be serving under the people, for the people, will have private planes carrying suitcases of money to secret Swiss bank accounts. Paradoxically, they will have money that far exceeds their official salaries... These crows (and their crow friends) will be living the high life on ill-gotten gains, whilst people of god (swans) will be poor and starving.

Hai, jo hoga lobhi aur bhogee,

Those who are greedy and lost in materialistic pleasures,

woh jyogi kehlaiega.

they will be called saintly men of god.

(Meaning: There will be many self-made gurus pretending to be swans (men of God), but actually they are just crows.)

Mandir soona-soona hoga,

The temples shall be completely empty,

bhari rahengi madhu-shaala madhu-shaala.

(whilst) drinking-houses shall remain full.

Pita ke sang-sang, bhari sabha mein,

Together with her father, in a full audience,

nanche gi, ghar ki baala, ghar ki baala.

dances, a young daughter of his house.

Kaisa kanya daan pita hi?

Where is the fathers charity of giving away his bride daughter?

kanya ka dhan khayenga.

instead, he lives on her money.

(Meaning: A good father usually gives away his daughter (kanya) in her wedding ceremony as charity (daan), which makes the goddess laxmi happy, who then returns this gesture with more prosperity for the daughters future. However in the kali yuug, a greedy father uses his daughter for money. The father neglects his most important duties to his children, which is to ensure that they are educated and married so they have prosperous fruitful futures of their own. Instead, he uses their time and money to go on an ego ride. He squanders their futures and inheritance, and even gives it away to worthless charities just to appear big in society.)

Moorakh ki preet boori, juey ki jeet boori,

Friendships of fools is bad, triumphs of gamblers is bad,

boore sang baaith chain bhaage-hi-bhaage.

sitting in the company of bad people, your happiness always runs away from you.

(Meaning: If you associate yourself with poor quality people, then your life will have no happiness.)

Kajal ki kotri mein, kaiso hi jatan karo,

In the lamp room, however much precautions you take,

kaajal ka daag bhai lage-hi-lage.

you will always be stained by the ash brother.

(Meaning: In this world you are surrounded by temptation and it is difficult to remain clean and untainted.)

Hai kitna jati ho koi, kitna sati ho koi,

No matter how high cast some are, how much holy some are,

kamini ke sang kaam jaage-hi-jaage.

company of debased (people) always awakens debased deeds.

Hey suno kahe gopiram, jiska hai naam kaam,

Hey listen Gopiram said, (In the dark times) he who has a (good) name and does (good) deeds,

uska toh phund gale lage-hi-lage re bhai...

will always have a hangman’s noose placed around his neck brother...

(Meaning: A person of good character is always destroyed by the evil types, whilst evil characters always prevail and succeed in life.)

Are you a Crow or a Swan?

Crows are usually seen fighting a lot, either within their own group, or with others of their kind, but swans are rarely seen fighting unless it was to protect their territory or their young. Swans have only one partner for their entire lives, and if their partner dies, then they die too of a broken heart. Hence, they are seen to be following the monogamous traditions of Ram and Sita, or Radha and Krishna. However, the crow is not so monogamous and may have many partners at the same time. Consequently, crows breed in large numbers overpopulating any areas they settle. Whilst swans are becoming an endangered species and are protected in many countries, the common crow is found all over the world. Crows tend to settle wherever they can get a free meal, and farmers usually consider them a pest because a group of them can strip your land of all the seeds within hours. Crows usually make a very loud awful "caaw" sound that travels long distances and most people do not like that. In contrast, the swan is a much quieter bird that makes a "honk" sound. Swans are often seen performing a synchronized swimming dance, which makes them appear to be intelligent creatures of order, whilst crows appear to be a chaotic animal. On land, swans are mostly vegetarians and tend to eat grass and vegetables. In contrast, a crow eats almost anything including other birds. Crows also have a reputation for stealing and being greedy because they will steal eggs and chicks from other birds’ nests

Kiritinam.

 

kirīṭinaṁ gadinaṁ chakra-hastam

ichchhāmi tvāṁ draṣhṭum ahaṁ tathaiva

tenaiva rūpeṇa chatur-bhujena

sahasra-bāho bhava viśhva-mūrte

O Thousand-armed One, though You are the embodiment of all creation, I wish to see You in Your four-armed form, carrying the mace and disc, and wearing the crown

By special grace, Arjun has been shown the cosmic form that is not easily seen by anyone. Arjun has realized that Shree Krishna is much more than merely his friend. His divine personality encompasses unlimited universes. Yet, he is not attracted by the infinite opulences and is not interested in doing aiśhwarya bhakti of God Almighty. Rather, he prefers seeing that Almighty Lord in the human form, so that he can relate to him as before, like a friend. Addressing Lord Krishna as sahasra-bāho, meaning “thousand-armed one,” Arjuna is now specifically requesting to see the chatur-bhuj rūp, or four- armed form of Lord Krishna.

In the four-armed form, Shree Krishna appeared before Arjun on another occasion as well. When Arjun tied Ashwatthama, the killer of the five sons of Draupadi and brought him before her, at that time Shree Krishna revealed himself in his four-armed form.

niśhamya bhīma-gaditaṁ draupadyāśh cha chatur-bhujaḥ

ālokya vadanaṁ sakhyur idam āha hasanniva (Śhrīmad Bhāgavatam 1.7.52)[v23]

“The four-armed Shree Krishna heard the statements of Bheem, Draupadi, and others. Then he looked toward his dear friend Arjun and began smiling.” By requesting Shree Krishna to manifest in his four-armed form, Arjun is also confirming that the four-armed form of the Lord is non-different from his two-armed form.

This is in response to the Lord donning the Tamarind naar when I was giving him a clean up this morning hinting at an article on kiritinam.

Dasa

 The dasas are people who have decided to spend there lives in the service of God, by singing his praises. They usually carry a tamboori to maintain the shruti as well as the rhythm in the song. They wear anklets too which means they also danced to these songs that they wrote and composed music for.

Purandara dasa is one such dasa. He is a great poet and devotee of vittala. His poems are in Kannada. The dasa litreture in Kannada is very important not only for the language used but for the reason it started. The dasa’s though mainly follower’s of Shri Madhwaachaarya, wrote poems on subjects including devotion, various avatara’s of Vishnu, philosophy as well as society and it’s conduct. The purpose of these songs were to teach the illiterate people about devotion and philosophy. They are also set to music and so people learnt it as songs. Purandara dasa is called the father of Carnatic music. He formulaised the initial lessons of Carnatic music and brought structure to the way it is taught. Most kannadigas would have heard ‘dasara padas’ ( pada meaning poem) at temples, movies and social gatherings. Each dasa has his own favourite diety. Kanakadasa’s is kagnele’s( a place in Karnataka) aadikeshava, vaadiraajaru’s is hayavadana ( the horse head avatara of Vishnu) and Purandara dasa’s is Purandara ( a place in Karnataka ) vittala.

In this song Purandara dasaru is singing about dasas. The dasa not only enlightens people he also attains salvation through his songs.

Pallavi: tamboori meetidava bhavaabdhi daatidava|

The one who plucked the tamboori( a musical instrument) the one who crossed this world

( the one here is the dasa. He has crossed this ocean called earthly life )

Tamboori = a stringed musical instrument

Meetidava = meetidavanu = meetu ( to pluck the string of a musical instrument) + avanu ( that person )

Bhavaabdhi = bhava ( life on Earth) + abdhi ( ocean)

Anupallavi: taaLava taTTidava suraroLu seridava ||

The one who maintained the rhythm joined the demigods ( became one of the demigods)

TaaLava = Taalavannu = Thaala( rhythm) + annu ( a gramatical suffix)

TaTTidava= tattidavanu = taTTida + avanu

Tattu= to tap ( in Carnatic music rhythm is maintained by the singer by tapping the palm of the right hand on a surface. The fingers are used to keep count and so does the downward or upward facing palm)

SuraroLu : surara ( demigods, devas who live in heaven or swarga) + oLu ( in, with)

Seridava = serida ( to join, joined ) + avanu

CharaNa 1: Gejjeya kattidava khaLaredeya mettidava |

The one who tied the anklets conquered the hearts of evil people

( the dasa with his dance and song can conquer or influence even evil people)

Gejjeya = Gejjeyannu = gejje ( anklets) + annu ( grammatical suffix)

Kattidava = kattidavanu = kattida ( tied) + avanu

KhaLaredeya: khaLara ( evil people’s) + edeya ( heart)

Mettidava = Mettidavanu = Mettida ( stepped on, conquered)+ avanu

Gaanava paadidava hari- mooruti nodidava ||

The one who sang has seen God

( through his songs the dasa actually sees God)

Gaanava = gaanavannu = gaana( song ) + annu

Paadidava = paadidavanu = paadida ( sang ) + avanu

Hari = name of Vishnu

Mooruthi = usually means idol, here it means the actual form of God

Nodidava = nodidavanu = nodu ( to see ) + avanu

Charana 2: vithalana nodidava |

The one who has seen vithala

Vithala : name of Krishna

(Purandara) vithalana nodidava vaikuntakke Odidava ||

The one who has seen God runs to vaikunta

( the dasa who has seen the form of God is transported to vaikunta, the place where Vishnu resides. In other words, the dasa attains moksha)

Purandara vithala = purandara ( a place in karnataka) + vithalana ( vithalanannu = vithala + annu )

Vaikuntakke = to vaikunta ( place of Vishnu)

Odidava = Odidavanu = Odida ( to Run) + avanu

I would like to add that these dasara padas have a lot of meaning

Free time.

 Time is the continued sequence of existence and events that occurs in an apparently irreversible succession from the past, through the present, into the future. It is a component quantity of various measurements used to sequence events, to compare the duration of events or the intervals between them, and to quantify rates of change of quantities in material reality or in the conscious experience.Time is often referred to as a fourth dimension, along with three spatial dimensions.

Time has long been an important subject of study in religion, philosophy, and science, but defining it in a manner applicable to all fields without circularity has consistently eluded scholars.Nevertheless, diverse fields such as business, industry, sports, the sciences, and the performing arts all incorporate some notion of time into their respective measuring systems.

Search

 The search for truth is more precious than its possession. 

https://youtu.be/pppKYwCyRmQ

Motivational

 https://youtu.be/GgT6mSG9wzI

Tambura jeeni re

 Tan Tambura Taar Mann

Tan Tambura Taar Mann

Adhbhut Hai Ye Saaj

Hari Ke Kar Se Baj Raha

Hari Ki Hai Aawaz

Tan Ke Tambure Mein

Do Sanso Ke Taar Bole

Tan Ke Tambure Mein

Do Sanso Ke Taar Bole

Jai Siya Ram Ram

Jai Radhe Shyam Shyam

Jai Siya Ram Ram

Jai Radhe Shyam Shyam

Tan Ke Tambure Mein

Do Sanso Ke Taar Bole

Tan Ke Tambure Mein

Do Sanso Ke Taar Bole

Jai Siya Ram Ram

Jai Radhe Shyam Shyam

Jai Siya Ram Ram

Jai Radhe Shyam Shyam

Ab To Iss Mann Ke Mandir

Ab To Iss Mann Ke Mandir

Prabhu Ka Hua Basera

Prabhu Ka Hua Basera

Ab To Iss Mann Ke Mandir

Prabhu Ka Hua Basera

Prabhu Ka Hua Basera

Magan Hua Mann Mera

Chhuta Janam Janam Ka Fera

Janam Janam Ka Fera

Janam Janam Ka Fera

Mann Ki Muraliya Me Ho

Mann Ki Muraliya Me

Mann Ki Muraliya Me

Sur Ka Shringaar Bole

Jai Siya Ram Ram

Jai Radhe Shyam Shyam

Jai Siya Ram Ram

Jai Radhe Shyam

Tan Ke Tambure Mein

Tan Ke Tambure Mein

Do Sanso Ke Taar Bole

Jai Siya Ram Ram

Jai Radhe Shyam Shyam

Jai Siya Ram Ram

Jai Radhe Shyam Shyam

Lagan Lagi Leela Dhari Se

Lagan Lagi Leela Dhari Se

Jagi Re Jagmag Jyoti

Jagi Re Jagmag Jyoti

Lagan Lagi Leela Dhari Se

Jagi Re Jagmag Jyoti

Ram Naam Kaa Heera Paya

Shyam Naam Kaa Moti

Jagi Re Jagmag Jyoti

Pyasi Do Ankhiyo Me

Pyasi Do Ankhiyo Me

Pyasi Do Ankhiyo Me

Pyasi Do Ankhiyo Me

Aasuo Ki Dhaar Bole

Jai Siya Ram Ram

Jai Radhe Shyam Shyam

Jai Siya Ram Ram

Jai Radhe Shyam

Tan Ke Tambure Mein Do

Tan Ke Tambure Mein Do

Sanso Ke Taar Bole

Jai Siya Ram Ram

Jai Radhe Shyam Shyam

Jai Siya Ram Ram

Jai Radhe Shyam Shyam

Jai Siya Ram Ram

Jai Radhe Shyam Shyam

Jai Siya Ram Ram

Jai Radhe Shyam Shyam

Jai Siya Ram Ram

Jai Radhe Shyam Shyam

chadariya jheeni re jhini -Kabir bhajan with meaning

chadariya jheeni re jhini - translation and notes

Few months ago I was trying to look for some appropriate translation of this famous compositon of Kabir,not able to find it, I translated and added notes about what I think Kabir meant. Its quite interesting that the Nirguni Kabir (or so he is thought to be) was direct disciple of Ramananda who was initiated in the great tradition of Ramanujacharya. Ramananda's other famous disciples were Ravidas,Dhanna Bhagat etc.

So unlike Shankara who landed directly and spent his life above the vindhyas, Ramanuja did make an indirect impact and sort of ushered North India into Bhakti tradition. More on ramanuja some other time. 

Kabir here talks about body, or human experience and how to utilize it. He talks about how he lived in the body, how other notable predecessors lived and how does an average man live. 

चदरिया झीनी रे झीनी, रे राम नाम रस भीनी

body is like finely woven cloth and is permeated by the raam naam (ra+ma rechek purak (breath))

अष्ट कमल का चरखा बनाया, पांच तत्त्व की पूनी

Eight-petaled lotus was used as a spinning wheel, and the 5 elements as yarn

नौ दस मॉस बुनन को लागे, मूरख मैली कीनी

took 9-10 months to knit it, Oh fool you soiled it!

जब मोरी चादर बन घर आई, रंग रेज को दिनी

When I got my sheet, I gave it to person who dyes sheet(guru). 

ऐसा रंग रंगा रंगरे ने, लालो लाल कर दिनी

It was dyed such, totally red in color

ध्रुव प्रह्लाद सुदामा ने ओढी, शुकदेव ने निर्मल किन्ही

Dhruv prahlad and sudama wore it, Shukdev made it pure. 

दास कबीर ने ऐसी ओढी, ज्यों की त्यों धर दिनी

dar kabeer wore it such, he left it as it is(as he got it) 

---

Notes:

Body is a sheet. You can experience cloth but you arent cloth. Compare with Gita. वासांसि जीर्णानि यथा विहाय नवानि गृह्णाति नरोऽपराणि । तथा शरीराणि विहाय जीर्णा न्यन्यानि संयाति नवानि देही ॥२- २२॥ kabir urges us to realize body is permeated by ra and ma (in and out going breath) anaapshanti, which is permeating . breath is the link which makes body experience possible.(raam naam), hence re raam naam ras bhini chadariya 

Eight lotuses, eight latent tendencies of body(survival,threat,accumulation,attention,domination ,suppression,discontentment,) correlate with eight energy centres within body(7+1(bindu).

Notice how 5 elements manifest as body and in that we create these tendencies compare with samkhya of kapila.

This sheath takes involves 9-10 lunar cycles around earth, time as celestial movement. celestial connection with sheath.

You soiled it, you lost awareness :)

Kabir now talks about his own body (mori chadar what happened with his sheet). When kabir took body, he let his guru work on it. His guru dyed it( permanent transformation of body based experiences :-) ) and made it red. (red is the color of root).

Kabir now talks about how other noted ppl who wore it, dhruv, prahlad sudama(all bhaktas), and shukdev(son of vyasa) and purified it (lived with awareness).

How did Kabir wear it? Kabir, dint let it get soiled. He maintained the new born's awareness all his life.

gossip sieved.

 In Ancient Greece, Socrates had a great reputation of wisdom. One day, someone came to find the great philosopher and said to him:

- Do you know what I just heard about your friend?

- A moment, replied Socrates. Before you tell me, I would like to test you the three sieves.

- The three sieves?

- Yes, continued Socrates. Before telling anything about the others, it's good to take the time to filter what you mean. I call it the test of the three sieves. The first sieve is the TRUTH. Have you checked if what you're going to tell me is true?

- No, I just heard it.

- Very good! So, you don't know if it's true. We continue with the second sieve, that of KINDNESS. What you want to tell me about my friend, is it good?

- Oh, no! On the contrary.

- So, questioned Socrates, you want to tell me bad things about him and you're not even sure they're true? Maybe you can still pass the test of the third sieve, that of UTILITY. Is it useful that I know what you're going to tell me about this friend?

- No, really.

- So, concluded Socrates, what you were going to tell me is neither true, nor good, nor useful. Why, then, did you want to tell me this?

"Gossip is a bad thing. In the beginning it may seem enjoyable and fun, but in the end, it fills our hearts with bitterness and poisons us, too!" 

- Pope Francis

The jodi.

 The Paruppu Thengai Koodu is an important Seer Bakshanam. It is present during all ceremonies in a household be it weddings, Upanayanam, Gruhapravesam(housewarming), seemandham(baby shower), Ayush homam(1st birthday) or Sapthiabthapoorthi(60th birthday). But it is an extremely important part of wedding rituals. In some communities, the Paruppu Thengai koodu is presented during all stages of a wedding. This may amount up to 6 or 7 pairs.

They are composed of two conical casings filled with sweets like manogaram, kadalai urundai, pottu kadalai urundai etc. The sweets are prepared and filled inside conical casings made of metal or any other material. It is then decorated with decorative paper and adorned with flowers. The presence of a pair of Paruppu Thengai Koodu signifies a couple. The sweets filled inside represent the children. The sweetness of the contents is said to bring in good luck.

As the name suggests initially paruppu(lentils) and thengai(coconut) along with jaggery where stuffed into cones made from paper or leaves and sent with the bride. Later on, the same contents were cooked into a sweet and stuffed into the covering. With the advent of modern life and changes in preferences, the paruppu thengai has been replaced with sweets.

 designed Paruppu Thengai Koodu with delicious variations in the contents.options of Manogaram, Kadalai Urundai, Pottu Kadalai Urundai, Thengai Burfi, Mysorepak and Laddu as stuffings inside the koodu. We have chosen a classic decoration of golden decorative paper and a string of flowers.

Trupti.

 Now that the annam (rice) is served, we can commence a prayer to sanctify the food we are eating, before we actually start eating,"  "In the Vedic tradition, every act becomes an act of worship and an act of recognition of the pervasiveness of the Supreme Brahman and Its power. Thus the act of eating is an act of thanksgiving to God, typically preceded by a prayer.

"The Hindu thanksgiving prayer is known as parisEshaNa mantra and is an important part of our bhojana vidhi. This prayer has a dual function: to offer all that we eat to God and his deputies who administer Nature; since these deputies are also present inside our bodily systems, the mantras chanted also regulate their functions.

"parisEsaNam means sprinkling water over and around the food  

meaning and philosophy behind this ritual.

 touch the tip of their plates with their left hand. They take some water from their pancha pAtram-uttaraNi (puja cup and small spoon) in the palm of their right hand and pour it through the fingers in drops around their leaf-plates saying the first line of the Gayatra Mantra: 'Aum bhUr bhuva suvahaH'.

Then they sprinkle a little water over the annam, saying the remaining three lines of the Gayatri Mantra: 'tat savitur vareNyam, bhargo devasya dhImahi, dhiyo yo naH prachodayAt'.

"The Gayatri Mantra is addressed to the Sun, the most visible of the gods. Since he is the giver of all food, we first invoke his blessings. Remember it is he who nourishes the agni, the fire and heat necessary for digesting food."

The elderly pandits once again encircle the food with the mantra 'satyam tvartena parishincAmi'. that this mantra means, 'O food, you are true and I encircle you with divine righteousness.' He says further that from 5 o' clock afternoon this mantra will be replaced by 'Rtam tvA satyena parishincAmi'.

Then they pour one uttaraNi of water onto their palms and sip it saying under their breath, 'amRuthOpastharaNamasi'. Grandpa says, "This mantra is actually to be recited within the mind. amRut ApaH upastaraNam asi: upastaraNam means the act of spreading out under as a substratum. I have invoked the little amount of water I sipped now to spread within me as Amrutam or nectar and form the substratum for the food to follow. Vishnu Purana says that liquid substances should be taken at the beginning and at the end of the meal."

 on the significance of drinking some water before and after food: "The Rishis have mentioned in the Upanishads* that realized people, while eating, before and after their meal, 'dress up' the prANa (breath of life) with water. You see, water is a purifier; it also sustains the body. Most Hindu rituals start with sipping water, an act known as Achamanam. The Yoga Shastras recommend that we should fill only half our stomach with food, a quarter with water and the rest should be air. This ideal proportion brings in spiritual and bodily health."

prANAhuti: offering to the vital breaths

 continues on the next act of the parisEsaNam: "After water, it is now the turn of the air or breath. Water nourishes the body to keep it healthy, but air in the form of life breath sustains the soul and holds it in the driver seat of this bodily vehicle. The life breath or prANa has five functions. prANa is the principal breath coursing through our nostrils and lungs; you can use it to control and regulate your mind and thoughts. apAna is responsible for the excretory activity. samAna circulates around the navel and plays a vital role in digestion. vyAna is diffused through the body and is responsible for circulatory activity. udAna is the wind that goes upward in respiration. These five vital airs together represent the Vaayu deity; they are also infused with agni or fire and Apas or water. Therefore we offer a morsel of annam as Ahuti to these gods, by swallowing the food without biting it. We don't bite it because it is not for personal consumption. Watch how we do it."

Using the thumb, middle and ring fingers of their right hand in a typical mudrA of a deer-head, pick a morsel of rice mixed with ghee and throw it straight into their mouth, keeping their heads down. For each such morsel they swallow they recite a line of mantra:

"aum prANAya svAhA | aum apAnAya svAhA | aum vyAnAya svAhA | aum udAnAya svAhA | aum samAnAya svAhA | aum bhrahmaNE svAhA |". Then they drop a little water on the left side, touch it with the ring finger of their left hand and then with that finger touch their chest, while chanting "aum brahmaNi ma AtmA-amRtatvAya".

"This last line of the mantra says, 'May the Self be united with Brahman so it may attain immortality'," "That completes the parisEsaNam prayer. We can now start eating."

tRupti bhojanam: a satisfactory meal

Some people say a simple prayer after circumbulating the food served with the palm filled with water.

Annam Brahma rasam vishnu.

Bogtham devo janardhana.

Aevam dyathva tatha gyathva.

Anna dosho na lipyate. 

The creative energy in the food is Brahma.

The nourishing energy in the body is Vishnu.

The transformation of food into pure Consciousness is Shiva.

If you know this, then any impurities in the food you eat will never become part of you.

A prayer or invocation offered before eating. The act of consuming food is considered to be a Yajna (sacrifice) and the offering goes to the divine authority called Jataragni, the digestive fire in the belly. It is that principle which breaks down the food consumed into a form that can be supplied to through the blood for the whole body. The creative energy in the food (Annam) is Brahma. The nourishing energy (Rasa) in the body is Vishnu. The transformation of food into pure consciousness is Shiva. If you know this, then any impurities in the food you eat will never become part of you.

This shlokam is chanted before eating food so that even while eating, our attention is focused on the food, and we eat it with an awareness of its importance.

While eating our food, we must utter the words, “Annam Brahma” (food is God); Raso Vishnuhu (the essence of food is Vishnu). Food is God. It gets into the body and provides its essence to all the parts of the body. It indeed gets transformed into blood and energy. Bhoktodevo Maheswarah (the one who consumes the food is Maheswarah). This principle teaches wisdom to the whole world. Annam Brahma, Raso Vishnuhu, Bhoktodevo Maheswarah –These three correspond to body, mind and action, respectively.
Manasyeka Vachasyekam Karmanyekam Mahatmanam
(those whose thoughts, words and deeds are in complete harmony are noble ones.)
The oneness of thought, word and deed is ritham.
They represent the Trinity of Brahma, Vishnu and Maheswara. Hence, everyone must strive for the purity of these three.

Purify the food by offering it to God.
Annam Brahma. Consider food as verily the form of Brahma.
Raso Vishnuhu. The essence of food that spreads to all parts of your body is Vishnu swarupa.
Bhokta devo Maheswarah. The partaker of food is the very embodiment of Siva principle. When man develops such sacred feelings, he becomes Siva Himself–