Vridhaa

Verapulu norapulu vridhaa vridhaa
Dharapani mari antayunu vridhaa

Thadaya chesina daanambulu vridha
edaneda nerigina eruka vridhaa
odaliloni Hari nonaraga mathilo
dhadavani jeevame thanakku vridhaa

Jagamuna badasinasanthaanamu vridhaa
Thagili gadinchina dhanamu vridhaa
jagadekavibhuni sakalaatmuni Hari
degi koluvani buddhiyunu vridhaa

Panivadi koodina parinaamamu vridhaa
onaraganundina uniki vridhaa
ghanudagu thiruvenkatagiri Hari gani
Mananerani janmamulu vridhaa.

Being afraid of humans or having close association with humans both are wasteful efforts.
everything done in this world is a sheer waste
even limitless charity is a waste
the so called knowledge acquired now and then is a waste.
the life of jiva who does not meditate n Hari who is in him as antaryami is a waste
the progeny raised in this world is a waste
the money earned with a lot of effort is also a waste.
the so called intelligence of a person who does not worship Lord Hari the Supreme Lord of this Universe and the soul of everyone is also a waste.
the series of stages in the evolution through which we have gone through is a waste.
the very comfortable existence we have is also a waste. all those births in which one did not have a Darshan of that great powerful Lord Hari are all a waste.
One may be rich, knowledgeable, have a loving family etc... but all those attributes are hollow without any true meaning, unless one is devout as to seek the Dharshan of the Supreme Lord of Venkatadri.

Ekkuva.

Ekkuva kulajudaina heena kulajudaina
Nikka meriginanmahaanityude ghanudu

Vedamula chadiviyunu vimukhudai Hari bhakti
Yaadarinchani somayaajikante
Ediyunu leni kulaheenudainanu Vishnu-
Paadamulu sevinchu bhaktude ghanudu

Paramamagu Vedaanta paaina dorakiyu sadaa
Haribhati leni Samnyaasi kante
Saravi maalina antyajaathi kulajudaina
Narasi Vishnuni vedakunaathade ghanudu

Viniyu jadiviyunu Sree Vibhunidaasudu gaaka
Thanuvu vepuchunundu tapasi kante
Enaleni Sree Venkatesu prasaadanna-
Manubhavinchina yaatha dappude ghanudu.

freely translated.
Whether one belongs to a high caste or even if one belongs to a low caste it matters not;
He who has realsed the supreme truth alone is great.

A devotee who worships the feet of Lord Vishnu, though he may be poor and of low caste, is greater than one who has studied the Vedas and performs Soma Yaga but does not have Hari bhakti.

Though one may belong to the lowest caste, but if he seeks Vishnu, he alone is superior to even a Sanyaasi who has had the opportunity to study the exalted Upanishad texts, but has not continued devotion to Lord Hari.

The one who has enjoyed the incomparable grace of the Lord Venkatesvara and partaken of the holy food offered to the consort of Sri is that very moment greater than even a strict ascetic who observes severe austerities and tortures his body, who even after reading and hearing about the Lord does not become His dasa.

The song highlights the greatness of one who has understood the superiority of Hari Bhakti over even sages ascetics and individuals  who being born in upper class but lack faith and devotion in Hari.

kavachams.

Suryanar koil for the sun god, Indalur temple for the moon god, Vaidheeswaran koil for mars, Thiruvankadu for Budha, Alangudi for guru, Thiruvellangudi for sukra, Thiru nallar for Saturn, Sri Vanchiyam for Rahu and Kethu.

sukra stands for silver thus velliangudi this place existed in all the four yugas, it is known varingly as Brahmapuram, Parasara kshetram, Indrupuram, Bhargavapuram.

The Kavacham told by Lord Siva to Markandeya rushi.

Keshava please guard my head;
Narayana please guard my hair;
Madhava please guard my forehead;
Govinda please guard my eyes;
Vishnu, Madhusudana please guard my Nostrills and the ears;
Thrivikrama please guard my neck;
Vamana and Sidhara please guard my two lips;
Hrishikesa please guard my teeth;
Padmanabha please guard my tongue;
Damodara please guard my two shoulders;
Sankarshana please guard my chest;
Vasudeva please guard my stomach;
Pradyumna please guard my back;
Anirudha please guard the two sides;
Purushotama please guard my waist;
Narasimha please guard the two thighs;
Achuta please guard my two knees;
Janardhana please guard the ankles;
Upendra please guard my feet;
Hari please guard the toes;
Krishna please guard the entire body;

thus Markandeya got his logavity.

quietly perfect Chennai.

Chennai we are proud of you. Quietly with out much fanfare you always rise up to the occasion. what precision and meticulous planning. be it the last ride of the queen of Tamilnadu could she be called Chennai mata. we have not seen Bharat mata but Chennai amma did exist.
Chennai folks you are a special lot. we are proud to belong here.

respond not react.good lesson indeed.

A young farmer paddled his boat vigorously up river. He was covered with sweat as he paddled his boat upstream to deliver his produce to the village. It was a hot day, and he wanted to make his delivery and get home before dark. As he looked ahead, he spied another vessel, heading rapidly downstream toward his boat. He rowed furiously to get out of the way, but it didn’t seem to help.

He shouted, “Change direction! You are going to hit me!” The boat came straight towards him anyway. It hit his boat with a violent thud. The young man cried out, “You idiot! How could you manage to hit my boat in the middle of this wide river?”

As he glared into the boat, seeking out the individual responsible for the accident, he realized that there was no one. He had been screaming at an empty boat that had broken free of its moorings and was floating downstream with the current.

The interesting thing is that we behave one way when we believe that there is another person at the helm. We blame that stupid, uncaring person for our misfortune. We get angry, act out, assign fault, and play the victim. In other words, we are not engaged in a positive way for ourselves, but in a negative and defensive way that makes nothing better!

We behave more calmly when we know that what is coming towards us is an empty boat. With no available scapegoat, we don’t get upset. We make peace with the fact that our misfortune was the result of fate or bad luck and we do our best to rectify the situation. We may even laugh at the absurdity of a random unmanned boat finding a way to collide with us in a vast body of water.

The challenge for all of us is to recognize that there’s never really anyone in the other boat. We are always screaming at an empty vessel. An empty boat isn’t targeting us. And neither are all the people creating the sour notes in the soundtrack of our day. If we start treating all boats as empty, we will have no other choice but to 1) accept what is and 2) change what we can change.

It is up to us to choose how we react to the empty boats in our lives. We can either yell and scream at the empty boats and endure the collision or choose to get out of the way the best we can, accepting what happens, and do our best to continue on our way along the river.

And then nothing to stop.

Achutaananda Govinda naamochcharana beshajaath
Nasyanti sakalaa rogaah satyam satyam vadaamyaham
Satyam satyam punassatyam uddhritya bujamuchyate
Vedasaastraat param naasti Na daivam Kesavaath param
Shareere jarjareebhoote, vyaadigraste kalebare
Aushadham jaahnaavee thoyam vaidyo Naaraayano Harih.

The Mountain and the Squirrel.

The Mountain and the Squirrel
Had a quarrel,
And the former called the latter "Little Prig"
Bun replied,
"You are doubtless very big;
But all sorts of things and weather
must be taken in together
To make up a year
And a sphere.
And I think it no disgrace
To occupy my place.
If I am not so large as you.
You are not so small as I,
and not half so spry;
I"ll not deny you make 
A very pretty squirrel track.
Talents differ; all is well and wisely put;
If I cannot carry forests on my back,
Neither can you crack a nut."

The mighty mountain and the tiny squirrel both have a place on this universe the in animate and the animate in the Lords total plan. To claim importance more or less than another is being ignorant of the total plan of the Lord. The world is a beautiful with its manifold patterns of the relationships knit together by the infallible laws of nature being governed by the mysterious controller. ignoring the master plan people falsely develop an ego. the play of false desire and ego plays and affects ones mental equilibrium. as long as you allow the desire and ego to entertain you you suffer get stressed and are sorrowful. In such a mental state one cannot act properly. To combat these effects you need to develop a powerful intellect. You need to first accept things for what they are and raise your efficiency and productivity while you continue to maintain peace and equanimity within as it is outside. No two things or people are the same. once that is accepted life becomes a breeze.