Tradition.

Vedic knowledge is a living tradition of spiritual realization and communion with the infinite that is relevant to everyone who exists more as an inner than as an outer reality.
The Vedic tradition is not so much a collection of books or set of codified teachings. It is a way of life. a way of natural and conscious living yoga and meditation that is passed on from individual to individual. This transmission does not occur merely through reading books nor can it be understood from the outside. Much of it occurs from a direct contact with living Vedic teachers who provide us a living example and practical guidance in how to use and adapt these teachings which may be mantra, meditation and the like. Living a Vedic life following Vedic values and participation in a Vedic community are important aspects of really learning what Vedic tradition is all about. No other ancient tradition has demonstrated such endurance and adaptability. This is owing to both its firm foundation in universal truth and its capacity to renew itself in every generation.
The Vedic process of spiritual advancement promotes individual freedom of thought complete liberty of inquiry and the privilege of independent and personal development through ones own spiritual experiences. 

Sulaba sutra.

Sulaba sutra is actually a portion of a larger text on mathematics known as Kalpa Sutra. These are Vedic Mathematics recognized for their developments in Arithmetic and algebra. Indians were the first to use letters of alphabets to represent the unknown. Their specialty was in geometry. The Geometrical instruments found in Indus Valley goes to prove this. The oldest known as the Pythagorean theorem was existing in the Boudhayana the earliest of the sulaba Sutra 8th century. This was however presented by Pythagoras around 540 BC after he discovered it during his travels in India. Arya bhatta in the 6th century introduced sines and reversed sines. Brahmagupta 7th century Mahavira 9th century and Bhaskara 12th century. Mahavira made great strides in the use of fractions and figuring out how to divide one fraction by another. Bhaskara made progress in spherical trigonometry and principles of calculus 500 years before Newton.
The Vedic system of math explained in the sutra reduces the no of steps in the calculation to merely a few and is still worthy of study today. the conventional method requires many more steps.

as a man tinketh JA quotes

Act is the blossom of thought and joy and suffering are its fruits. A man garners in the sweet and bitter fruitage of his own husbandry.
A noble and God like character is not a thing of favour or chance. It is the natural result of continued effort in right thinking.
He who cherishes a beautiful vision a lofty ideal in his heart will one day realize it. Like Columbus cherished a vision of another world and he discovered it. Copernicus fostered the vision of multiplicity of world and a wider universe and he reveled it. Buddha beheld a vision of a spiritual world of stainless beauty and perfect peace and he entered into it. so cherish your vision, cherish your ideas, cherish the music that stirs in your heart, the beauty that forms in your mind, the loveliness that drapes your purest thoughts for out of them will grow all delightful conditions. Dream lofty dreams and as you dream so shall you become.
Calmness of mind is one of the beautiful jewels of wisdom it is a result of long and patient effort in self control. its presence is an indication of ripened experience and of more than ordinary knowledge of the laws and operations of thought.
Keep your hand firmly upon the helm of thought. In the bark of your soul reclines the commanding master. He does but sleep, Wake Him;
Self control is strength.
Right thought is mastery
Calmness is power.

navgraha

Many are aware and visit the Navagraha temples around Kumbakonam area in Thanjavur.

However many are not aware that apart from the nine Shiva temples, there is also the Vaishnava Navagraha Kshetras, a set of nine Vishnu temples in and around Kumbakonam corresponding to the Navagraha. In all these temples Lord Vishnu itself is worshiped to get relief from the Graha Doshas.

Surya: Sarangapani Perumal in Kumbakonam. Lord married Lakshmi as Komalavalli and is seen with bow Sarnga. Significance considered second only to Srirangam Ranganatha.

Chandra: Jagannatha Perumal in Nathankoil or Nandipura Vinnagaram near Pazhaiyarai. Chandra and Nandi worshiped Lord here.

Sevvai or Mangal: Srinivasa Perumal in Nachiarkoil. Lakshmi married Lord as Vanjulavalli Nachiar. All Vyuha forms of Lord are seen in sanctum.

Budhan: Valvil Raama in Pullamboothangudi near Swamimalai. Reclining Raama. Lord performed last rites of Jatayu here.

Guru: Andalakkum Aiyan in Adhanur near Swamimalai. Kamadhenu prayed here. Lord's idol said to be growing every year.

Shukra: Kolavilli Raama in Thiruvelliyangudi near Cholapuram. Vishnu gave Darshan as beautiful Reclining Raama. Shukra got back his eyesight here. Visiting this alone said to be equal to visiting all 108 Divya Desam temples.

Shani: Oppiliappan Perumal in Oppiliappankoil near Thirunageswaram. Bhoomi Devi incarnated as daughter of Markandeya and married Lord Venkatesha here.

Rahu: Gajendra Varadha Perumal in Kapisthalam. Hanuman prayed here and got Darshan of Gajendra Moksham scene.

Kethu: Jagathrakshaka Perumal in Thirukkudalur Aduthurai near Kapisthalam. Lord Varaha dug into earth from this place to battle with Hiranyaksha. A self formed Shankha can be seen in the temple's jackfruit tree.

All nine temples are easily approachable from Kumbakonam. Sometimes Thirucherai Saranatha Perumal temple is added to the list representing Mandhi, the son of Shani

Satakopan; it was fully experienced.

Satakopan /Nammalwar did not assemble materials for Tiruvymoli from the world about him, from nature or temples or community or texts of any sort; it all came from within. The fruits of his dialogue with God and assisting deities who visited him and he sang their praise for he did not move or visit any of the temples. It was not a product of a series of compositions gradually composed or refined or perfected. It was fully experienced and composed within the mind and in silence and it came forth as a complete work expressing his full experience with God its a proper context referring neither in time or space.
The "I" in Satagopans work Tiruvaymoli is so unique, its not the I of the author who is trying to reproduce the work explaining it further. but it is strange it makes the reader feel and want to be that I. May be every one who reads imagines himself as that I. its the"I" that is portrayed so uniquely! Is it not a guiding light for all?
The confessional experiences of the poet Satagopan constitutes just one among the many strategies of expression, there is no most important song for the writer the author, the reader of Tiruvaymoli choses to confer such importance due to their interest on one theme or another. Its the fruit of Satakopans encounter with GOD. every word is God's word. the whole is much greater. we must master the whole of Tiruvoimoli if we must know Satakopan.
The Lord Narayana himself directly revealed to Satakopan the Lords own proper self, his forms qualities, glorious manifestations and saving deeds and made him able to experience them to the fullness that would eventually burst forth from him. This is why the Alwar begins his Tiruvaimoli with "Who possesses the highest unsurpassable good? THAT ONE.

In a kind of refrain the speakers amazement that he has been allowed to undertake the precious task of offering songs to the Lord are totally satisfying to himself and amazingly marked by the kind of intimate union he seeks and are indicative of a direction. this one learns when one studies the whole work.
few verses in translation.

When I hear someone say Narayana our Treasure; tears flood my eyes I search for him:
How amazing day and night he never stops favouring me, my master young master, he never leaves me. 1-10-8
Nampillai offers this fascinating anecdote which tells us something about Satakopan. He says "The alwar thought {up to now we have erred in thinking and speaking now we must put all this aside and go to a place where his qualities are not celebrated. So he lay down near a ruined wall covering his head. But just then a man came carrying a heavy bundle, as he put it down he sighed Sriman Narayana} when the Alwar heard these words he was astonished that his senses were so inclined towards what he heard. 1-10-8.

In that time when i did not know you, you made me love your service
In the midst of my unknown confusion you made me your servant
Disguised as a dwarf you asked three steps of earth of great Bali,
you tricked him unawares and now you mingled inside myself. 2-3-3

The unfalling one who dwells within the bonds of undying joy
excellence undying, flower eyes, lord of heaven dwellers
i praise him with garlands of songs, undying through time
i come near him, i dwell within the bonds of undying joy.

To those who come near him in worship, the Lord comes near
and makes their deeds go away;
his the lovely feathered eagle, his the war discus
my tongue praises him with garlands of song and i come near him
but i cannot understand how he has made myself hisself.

The lord shows us the right way the loft Lord of the immortals
the one who spreads out all things my lord
I praise him weaving a garland of words
I have reached the stage of rejoicing everyday
my deeds and disease become ashes before the wind. 4_5_3-5.
to be continued.

The School.

The School has always been the most important means of transferring the wealth of tradition from one generation to another. It should develop in the young individuals those qualities and capabilities which are of value for the welfare of the society but that does not mean that individuality should be destroyed and the individual then becomes a mere tool of the community like a bee or an ant. for a community of standardized individuals without personal originality and personal aims would be a poor community without possibilities for development. the aim must be the training of independently acting and thinking individuals. this cannot be just achieved by moralizing for personalities are not formed by what is heard and said but by labour and activity. Where the pupil is urged to actually perform. which is achieved by motivation which is strengthened and nourished by the accomplishments. the finality resting in the value of man being able to see what he can give rather than what he can receive.

pleasure of work, pleasure in the result and the knowledge of the value of the result to the community.

The student should develop the general ability, for Education is that which remains, if one has forgotten everything he learned. independent thinking and judgement should always be foremost he will be better able to adapt and work independently facing change and challenge in life.

v d notes

V D was the only Sri vaishnava acharya who was equipped with great dialectical acumen to combine logic and poetry, intellectualism and emotionalism, ritualism and spiritualism and the only sectarian leader who commanded respect even from the rival religiosity's.
it was he who first utilized the services of poetry for the spread of the ideas of visistadvaita and sri vaishnavism, the vadagalai and tengalais looked up to him for upholding their cause against he Shankara vedantins and Madhava logicians and other critics.
V D is the most highly respected synthesizer who gave to his tradition which was already so complex in its multiple linguistic and cultural resources a solid coherence that would serve it well in intellectual and spiritual matters. though his sharply stated views  may provoke some debate his status and value are indisputable.
As an orthodox Hindu VD inherited the tradition of practice (Karma) and meditation (Jnana) that cannot be merely dispensed with. even the devotion (bhakti) takes an orthodox form as a highly respected efficacious path, an arduous one requiring practice over a long duration. Respecting these three ways (Yoga) and insisting that devotion can lead to liberation and union with god. The poet saint draws easily from both Tamil and Sanskrit sources introducing abundant citations from each in his works. 
Desika confesses that the effects is to the lineage of teachers the Alwars who rendered in clear Tamil the obscure teachings of the Sanskrit vedas.
Historically speaking we know very little about Venkatanatha who later was known as V D the saint poet philosopher scholar and logician. Scraps of material, testimonies the witness of a Telugu prince, some signature verses panegyrics and chronicles, inscriptions on the wall of the Srirangam temple, some bits and pieces from Tuppul stories a galore of them and his mighty works give us a somewhat picture of VD
The stories mainly folk tales meant to instruct and inform and inspire devotion are filled with miraculous themes and motifs common to tales but with a semi divine nature which lift him from the other great philosophers of south India.
As a young boy he was prodigious in learning and innate spiritual wisdom. He amazed the old acharyas in debate. He flourished as a talented debater and scholar, a master of scriptures. in his youth he withdrew for some years to study secret teachings associated with Garuda and Hayagriva at the temple of Tiruvahendrapuram. he attained life powers here mastering arts and science the miracles he learnt here helped him a great deal. he is said to have used this knowledge constructively, he is said to have healed an entire lotof village folks who were struck with the deadly plague. he is also said to have drawn magic circles on the ground to fight back an attack of supernatural snakes. healing of a princes etc. he was known as a lion among poets and philosophers.
His North India pilgrimages were usually literary journeys that are narrated in several poems and sandesha kavyas. his visit to Banaras the holy Ganges, Ayodhya, Mathura, Haridwar, pained him as he was unhappy with the corrupt practices of the priests who valued only money and did not practice the teachings and conduction of rituals.
he was full of praise of the Land Rivers the lovely women of Andhra and Karnataka who religiously practiced the sayings of the shastras the holy shrines temple tanks. He also has a narration of 
Kanchi where the gods Vishnu and Siva who in indigenous harmony signal each other from their temple towers mingling on the clear air the sounds of their bells and odor of their lustrations.
It was at Tiruvindrapura where he was taught the mantras the spell of power, where he sat at the feet of the Lord Hayagriva and learned the rituals. and this was where at the dead of the night
when he was about to leave and return to Kanchipuram, the Lord of the temple came to him: the temple immage taking animate form walking on the red road like a man and told him not to leave before he had composed for him in his own words what was sung in the Vedas. VDthen returned and composed the most beautiful works in Maniparwala Sanskrit and Tamil.
to be continued.