Trick or treat.

Dravida veda

 Scriptures are the source of esoteric knowledge but it is also very clear that the path to God realisation is not through mere Vedanta study or practice of yagas and yagnas. It is an intuitive perception that shines in the inner being through divine grace. In this context, Vedanta Desika pays tribute to the Nalayira Divya Prabandha that has come to be acknowledged as Dravida Veda in the spiritual tradition, pointed out Vanamamalai Sri Padmanabhachariar in a discourse. These hymns are the unique compositions of the Azhwars, who are held to be specially endowed by the Lord to reveal the esoteric truths hidden in the Vedas in simple Tamizh. The Vedas, that are the very life breath of the ineffable Supreme Brahman, are compared to the boundless ocean that is truly unfathomable. Both are repertoires of innumerable and invaluable treasures. Vyasa has provided us with the garland of sutras, the Brahma Sutra which contains the essential truths in the Upanishads. But even this needs to be unravelled with the extraordinary scholarship. Just as the rain bearing clouds extract the palatable sweet water from the ocean and shower it as rainwater on the lands to benefit and sustain life, Azhwar’s hymns very clearly and without any ambiguity present the inaccessible meanings of the Vedas for the benefit of humanity.

Known as ‘arulicheyal,’ these hymns speak about what is important for the jiva to get out of samsara. Alavandar, Ramanuja and other acharyas have formulated the Visishtadvaita philosophy based on the study of these hymns. Contradictory viewpoints such as the question of supremacy among the Trimurtis are resolved in the hymns that go in accordance to the Upanishad statement that speaks of the supremacy of Narayana in relation to Brahma and Siva.

Across the ocean

 

Hanuman Prepares to Jump Across the Ocean Summary Hanuma comes forward to leap the ocean at the repeated encouragement given by Jambavanta. Then he increases his physique, fit enough to take a leap, and starts declaring his capabilities, by which the other monkeys feel jubilant. Then Hanuma climbs Mt. Mahendra, by which whole of that mountain is put to turmoil. And he reaches Lanka, instinctually, as he has the speed of Air-god and of the Thought Process, i.e., mano javam, maaruta tulya vegam... Thus, with this chapter this book of Kishkindha Kanda, 'The Empire of Holy Monkeys...' concludes. Chapter [Sarga] 67 in Detail tam dristvaa jri.mbhamaanam te kramitum shata yojanam | vegena aapuuryamaanam ca sahasaa vaanarottamam || 4-67-1 sahasaa shokam utsrijya praharsena samanvitaah | vineduh tustuvuh ca api hanuumantam mahaabalam || 4-67-2 On seeing that best monkey Hanuma, who is burgeoning to cross over the hundred yojana-ocean and who is also quickly, progressively, and stupendously maximizing his body, the other monkeys instantly shunning off their sadness, raved and rhapsodized over that staggeringly mighty monkey, Hanuma. [4-67-1, 2] prahristaa vismitaah ca api te viikshante sama.ntatah | trivikrama krita utsaaham naaraayanam iva prajaah || 4-67-3 Those monkeys available all over there are altogether buoyed up and utterly astounded, and as with the people who have enthusiastically seen Narayana when He maximized His physique to tread the triad of worlds in His Trivikrama incarnation, these monkeys too are looking at Hanuma who is now maximizing his body. [4-67-3] samstuuyamaano hanumaan vyavardhata mahaabalah | samaaviddhya ca laanguulam harsaat balam upeyivaan || 4-67-4 Hanuma who is already an outmatching monkey by way of his energy, has now accrued added energy obtained through the gladness derived by the way of extolment from other monkeys, and then he impetuously lashed his tail and oversized himself. [4-67-4] tasya samstuuyamaanasya sarvaih vanara pungavaih | tejasaa aapuuryamaanasya ruupam aasiit anuttamam || 4-67-5 His physique which is being reinforced with resplendence while all the monkey chiefs are eulogizing him has become unsurpassed in its form. [4-67-5] yathaa vijri.mbhate si.mho vivrite giri gahvare | maarutasya aurasah putrah tathaa samprati jri.mbhate || 4-67-6 Hanuma, the lineal son of Air-god, is now prancing about as with a lion prancing around a wide-open den of a mountain. [4-67-6] ashobhata mukham tasya jri.mbhamaanasya dhiimatah | ambariisa upamam diiptam vidhuuma iva paavakah || 4-67-7 While he is inflating the face of that clever Hanuma shone forth like a red-hot frying pan and like the fumeless white-hot Ritual-fire. [4-67-7] hariinaam utthito madhyaat sa.mprahrista tanuu ruhah | abhivaadya hariin vriddhaan hanumaan idam abraviit || 4-67-8 On bestirring himself from among the monkeys, and on reverencing the elderly monkeys, Hanuma said this, with a spine-tingling sensation in his body. [4-67-8] arujan parvata agraani hutaashana sakho anilah | balavaan aprameyah ca vaayuh aakaasha gocarah || 4-67-9 "He who is an inestimable one in his formidableness and an expeditious one in his meandering in the skies, that Air-god who is the friend of Fire-god will be toppling mountaintops...... [4-67-9] tasya aham shiighra vegasya shiighra gasya mahaatmanah | maarutasya aurasah putrah plavane ca asmi tat samah || 4-67-10 "I am the lineal son of that high-speeded, brisk paced, life-sustaining Air-god, hence I am a coequal to him in flights... [4-67-10] utsaheyam hi vistiirnam aalikha.ntam iva a.mbaram | merum girim asa.ngena pariga.ntum sahasrashah || 4-67-11 "Indeed shall I venture to go round the Mt. Meru, which is standing like a broad and lofty scribe-pawl scribing on the sky, for thousands of times, that too, unremittingly... [4-67-11] baahu vega pranunnena saagarena aham utsahe | samaaplaavayitum lokam sa parvata nadii hradam || 4-67-12 “Or, shall I venture to skew down the ocean with the speed of my undulating arms to spiral up its waters, in order to completely inundate the world together with its mountains, rivers and lakes... [4-67-12] mama uuru janghaa vegena bhavisyati samutthitah | samutthita mahaa graahah samudro varuna aalayah || 4-67-13 "Shall I shove up the ocean, the abode of Rain-god, with the speed of my thighs and calves in order that its underwater beings like sharks, alligators and crocodiles will be shoved up and spilled all over... [4-67-13] pannaga ashanam aakaashe patantam paksi sevitam | vainateyam aham shaktah pariga.ntum sahasrashah || 4-67-14 "Shall I make circumambulations for thousands of times around the Lord of Birds and the viper-diner, Garuda, while he is on the wing in the sky... [4-67-14] udayaat prasthitam vaa api jvala.ntam rashmi maalinam | an astamitam aadityam abhiga.ntum samutsahe || 4-67-15 tato bhuumim asa.mspristvaa punah aagantum utsahe | pravegena eva mahataa bhiimena plavagarsabhaah || 4-67-16 "Oh, best fly-jumpers, just by my astounding and astonishing impetuosity shall I venture to start with the Sun who starts his journey of the day from Mt. Sunrise, and shall I go to Mt. Dusk before Sun, and again shall I venture to comeback even before the sundown towards the same day's flaming Sun when he is garlanded with flaming sunrays around him in midday, that too without my touching the land... [4-67-15, 16] utsaheyam atikraa.ntum sarvaan aakaasha gocaraan | saagaram shosayisyaami daarayisyaami mediniim || 4-67-17 "Shall I overtake all the wayfarers in skyway, or shall I parch down the ocean, or pare off the earth... [4-67-17] parvataan cuurnasyaami plavamaanah plava.ngamaah | harisyaami uuru vegena plavamaano mahaaarnavam || 4-67-18 "Or, shall I pulverize the mountains while fly-jumping on them, or oh, fly-jumpers, shall I splash out the waters great ocean just by the speed of my thighs while I fly over it, by which all of its water will trail after my tail... [4-67-18] lataanaam vividhaam puspam paadapaanaam ca sarvashah | anuyaasyati maam adya plavamaanam vihaayasaa || 4-67-19 bhavisyati hi me panthaah svaateh panthaa iva a.mbare | "Or, shall I now let divers flowers of every climbing plant and tree straggle after me when I fly by the sky... then my flight path will become like that of Star Swati and its constellate stars twinkling in the sky... [4-67-19] carantam ghoram aakaasham utpatisyantam eva ca || 4-67-20 draksyanti nipatantam ca sarva bhuutaani vaanaraah | "Oh, Vanara-s, shall I make all beings see my northerly ascent to the sky, my movement across the vast of sky, and my southerly descent from the sky... [4-67-20b, 21a] mahaa meru pratiikaasham maam draksyadhvam plava.ngamaah || 4-67-21 divam aavritya gacchantam grasamaanam iva ambaram | "Oh, fly-jumpers, shall I show you a prodigious me spanning the sky like massive Mt. Meru and flying with a propulsive force as though to swallow the sky... [4-67-21b, 22a] vidhamisyaami jiimuutaan ka.mpayisyaami parvataan | saagaram shosayisyaami plavamaanah samaahitah || 4-67-22 "While flying self-assuredly shall I swipe at the cloudscape helter-skelter, or shall I swirl the mountains topsy-turvy, or shall I sere the ocean pell-mell... [4-67-22b, 22c] vainateyasya vaa shaktih mama vaa maarutasya vaa | rite suparna raajaanam maarutam vaa mahaabalam | na tat bhuutam prapashyaami yat maam plutam anuvrajet || 4-67-23 "Which forcefulness either the Divine Eagle, Garuda, or Air-god has, mine vies with that... and no being is tangible who can follow up on me to overtake while I am on the wing, excepting for the king of eagles, Garuda and the almighty Air-god... [4-67-23] nimesa antara maatrena niraala.mbanam a.mbaram | sahasaa nipatisyaami ghanaat vidyut iva utthitaa || 4-67-24 "Shall I penetrate the support-less sky in a split-second, like an electric-flash rocketing from a black-cloud in a trice? [4-67-24] bhavisyati hi me ruupam plavamaanasya saagaram | visnoh prakramamaanasya tadaa triin vikramaan iva || 4-67-25 "When I am jumping over the ocean, now my aspect will indeed become like that of Vishnu who in those days easily paced the triad of worlds just in three paces... [4-67-25] buddhyaa ca aham prapashyaami manah cestaa ca me tathaa | aham draksyaami vaidehiim pramodadhvam plava.ngamaah || 4-67-26 "Oh, fly-jumpers, I am clearly perceiving by my percipience and the different strokes of my perspicacity are similarly prognostic... and I avouch that I will descry Vaidehi... hence, rejoice yourselves... [4-67-26] maarutasya samo vege garudasya samo jave | ayutam yojanaanaam tu gamisyaami iti me matih || 4-67-27 "I who am a coequal of Air-god in speediness, and of Garuda in fleetness, can traverse ten-thousand yojana-s at a stretch... that is my certitude... [4-67-27] vaasavasya sa vajrasya brahmano vaa svaya.mbhuvah | vikramya sahasaa hastaat amritam tat iha aanaye || 4-67-28 la.nkaam vaa api samutksipya gaccheyam iti me matih | "I will fetch that Elixir from the hands of Self-created Brahma, or from hands of Indra even if he is wielding his Thunderbolt just on fleetly triumphing over him... or, I can even bring isle of Lanka itself extracting it from the ocean... thus is my confidence..." So said Hanuma to other monkeys. [4-67-28] tam evam vaanara shrestham garjantam amita prabham || 4-67-29 prahristaa harayah tatra samudaikshanta vismitaah | While that choicest Vanara with illimitable resplendence, namely Hanuma, is roaring out his capabilities in the matter of leaping ocean on enormously increasing his physique, all the other monkeys are stunned to stare overhead at his aggrandized form and thus they are extremely gladdened.. [4-67-29b] tat ca asya vacanam shrutvaa jnaatiinaam shoka naashanam || 4-67-30 uvaaca parisa.mhristo jaa.mbavaan plavageshvarah | On hearing the avouchment of Hanuma, which itself is an annihilator of the anguish of his kinsmen, then the king of fly-jumpers Jambavanta is very much gladdened and said. [4-67-29b, 30a] viira kesarinah putra vegavan maaruta aatmaja || 4-67-31 jnaatiinaam vipulah shokah tvayaa taata pranaashitah | "Oh, brave one, oh, son of Kesari, oh, son of Air-god, oh, dear boy, you have wiped out the boundless bother of your kinsmen in its entirety... [4-67-30b, 31a] tava kalyaana rucayah kapi mukhyaah samaagataah || 4-67-32 ma.ngalam kaarya siddhi artham karisyanti samaahitaah | "The monkey leaders forgathered here are enamored [to inflame with love] of your blessedness, and for the purpose of your attainment of the object, they all obsecrate [to entreat solemnly] orisons [prayer], devoutly... [4-67-31b, 32a] risiinaam ca prasaadena kapi vriddha matena ca || 4-67-33 guruunaam ca prasaadena plavasva tvam mahaaarnavam | "You will leap over the extensive ocean with the compassion of sages, choice of elderly monkeys, and with the consideration of our oracular teachers... [4-67-32b, 33a] sthaasyaamah ca eka paadena yaavat aagamanam tava || 4-67-34 tvat gataani ca sarvesaam jiivitaani vana okasaam | "Each of us will stay here on one's own single-foot till you arrive, as the lives of all the forest dwelling monkeys are following you..." Thus Jambavanta blessed Hanuma to initiate action. [4-67-33b, 34a] tatah ca hari shaarduulah taan uvaaca vana okasah || 4-67-35 ko api loke na me vegam plavane dhaarayisyati | Then that tigerly monkey Hanuma said to the forest dwelling monkeys, "Even so, in this world whosoever he might be, either animate or inanimate being, he cannot possibly bear the brunt of my bouncing... [4-67-34b, 35a] etaani hi nagasya asya shilaa sankata shaalinah || 4-67-36 shikharaani mahendrasya sthiraani ca mahaanti ca | "This Mt. Mahendra is beaming forth with boulders and altitudinal cliffs, and the crests of this mountain are indeed tough, and even towering... [4-67-35b, 36a] yesu vegam gamisyaami mahendra shikharesu aham || 4-67-37 naanaa druma vikiirnesu dhaatu nispanda shobhisu | "Diversely outspreaded are its trees, and divers are its transuding ores, thus this mountain is shining forth... hence, from the peaks of this Mt. Mahendra I will gain speed for my kick-start... [4-67-36b, 37a] etaani mama vegam hi shikharaani mahaanti ca || 4-67-38 plavato dhaarayisyanti yojanaanaam itah shatam | "On the verge of my upstart from here for a hundred yojana-s, these sturdy crags are sure to withstand the impetus of that kick-start... [4-67-37b, 38a] tatah tu maaruta prakhyah sa harih maaruta aatmajah | aaruroha naga shrestham mahndram ari.nardamah || 4-67-39 vritam naanaa vidhaih puspaih mriga sevita shaadvalam | lataa kusuma sa.mbaadham nitya puspa phala drumam || 4-67-40 si.mha shaarduula caritam matta maata.nga sevitam | matta dvija gana ud dhustam salila utpiida sa.nkulam || 4-67-41 Then that monkey who is the son of Air-god and a selfsame of Air-god shinned up that towering mountain Mahendra, as he is an enemy-subjugator about to subjugate the arch rival Ravana, where that mountain is hedged in with diverse flowers, its pastures are the sweethearts of deer, it is constrictive with diverse flowers of ever flowering, ever fruiting trees and with the flowers of climbers as well, and where lions and tigers are freely moving and ruttish elephants love it, and where the flights of birds are uproarious, and pent-up rapids are clangorous. [4-67-39, 40, 41] mahadbhih ucchritam shringaih mahendram sa mahaabalah | vicacaara harishrestho mahendra saama vikramah || 4-67-42 He who is equal in valor to the Paradisiacal Mahendra, that highly energetic and grand monkey Hanuma ambled on loftiest and towery crags of such a mountain. [4-67-42] baahubhyaam piiditah tena mahaashailo mahaatmanaa | raraasa si.mha abhihato mahaan matta iva dvipah || 4-67-43 When squeezed by both the arms and hands of that high souled Hanuma, that lofty mountain trumpeted, as if it is a lion-paw-hit brutish-elephantine-elephant. [4-67-43] mumoca salila utpiidaan viprakiirna shilouccayah | vitrasta mriga maata.ngah praka.npita mahaa drumah || 4-67-44 Virtually and widely bestrewn are the heaps of boulders, essentially scared are all the animals and elephants, and actually rocked are the gigantic trees, and its rapids and waterfalls have spouted out of that mountain by the impact of foot-stepping of Hanuma. [4-67-44] naanaaga.ndharvamithunairpaanasa.nsargakar.hkashaih | utpatadbhirviha.ngaishcavidyaadharaganairapi - yadvaa - naanaa gandharva mithunaih paana sa.nsarga kar.hkashaih | ut patadbhih viha.ngaih ca vidyaadhara ganaih api || 4-67-45 tyajyamaana mahaa saanuh sa.mniliina mahaa uragah | shaila shringa shilaa utpaatah tadaa abhuut sa mahaa girih || 4-67-46 Then, the numerous Gandharva couples and the hoards of Vidyaadharaa-s even, that are indulged in drinking and inebriated on that mountain are forsaking those lofty cliffs of that mountain, and even the birds are put to flight, spanking snakes are completely slouching, and rising up and falling down are the stones of that mountaintops to each step of Hanuma, and thus that colossal mountain is desolated. [4-67-45, 46] nihshvasadbhistadaataitubhujagairardhanihsritaih | sapataakaivaabhaatisatadaadharaniidharah || - yadvaa - nihshvasadbhih tadaa taih tu bhujagaih ardha nihsritaih | sa pataaka iva aabhaati sa tadaa dharanii dharah || 4-67-47 With snakes popping up halfway through their snake-pits with their hoods swaying and tongues hissing that earth-borne mountain Mahendra appeared to be a gleaming mountain with flying flags. [4-67-47] risibhih traasa sa.mbhraa.ntaih tyajyamaanah shilaa uccayah | siidan mahati kaa.ntaare saartha hiina iva adhva gah || 4-67-48 While the sages are forsaking that towering mountain as their own scare bewildering them, that mountain appeared to be one who is desolated by his associates in the vast of a thick of forest, as a wilting wayfarer. [4-67-48] sa vegavaan vega samaahita aatmaa hari praviirah para viira hantaa | manah samaadhaaya mahaaanubhaavo jagaama la.nkaam manasaa manasvii || 4-67-49 And he who is an importantly brave monkey among all the monkeys, an eliminator of enemy stalwarts, that highly proficient, expeditious, and conscientious Hanuma, on stabilizing his impulses and making soul is quite staid in speediness; he made head away to Lanka, instinctually. [4-67-49] iti vaalmiiki raamaayane aadi kaavye kiskindha kaande sapta sastitamah sargah Thus, this is the 67th, and conclusive chapter of Kishkindha Kanda of Valmiki Ramayana, the First Epic poem of India.

devout sishya.

 Upamanyu was a favorite disciple of Saint Ayodhdhaumya. He was assigned the task of looking after the cows. One day when he returned after his days work, the Guru called him and said, “Son, you look very healthy and radiant. What do you eat while you are working?” Upamanyu replied with all humility, “Sire, I eat whatever I get in alms.” The saint who wanted to test Upamanyu said that from now on he would not eat anything that he received as alms without first asking him. Upamanyu agreed and from then on offered all that he received to his guru. The Guru would take everything and give Upamanyu nothing.

A few days later, the Guru again asked Upamanyu, “I take away all that you beg for, so what do you eat?” Upamanyu replied that whatever he received by begging the first time, he offered it to his Guru and then went out and begged again a second time. The guru said, “Son, this conduct is inappropriate for a resident of the hermitage. By begging twice you hinder the earnings of other pupils as you cut into their share of alms. Besides this also proves your greed.”

Upamanyu listened to the guru and agreed not to do so again. A few days later, the guru again asked Upamanyu how he still looked so robust when he had stopped him from eating anything. To which Upamanyu replied that he drank a little of the cow’s milk while he took them out to graze. The guru forbade him to do that without his permission. A few days later, on seeing Upamanyu still looking healthy, the guru again called him and asked how he was surviving. This time Upamanyu said that he drank the foam that the calves drooled while feeding on their mother’s milk. The guru again forbade Upamanyu to do so and said that this would affect the health of the calves as they would drop more and more foam for Upamanyu to feed out of the kindness of their heart.

Upamanyu agreed to this too and went back to graze the cows as was his duty. Now that all avenues of getting food were closed, Upamanyu felt really hungry. When he could not tolerate the intensity of hunger he went and ate the leaves of a plant called `Aak’, the leaves of which produce a bitter, sour, acidic and poisonous juice. Due to the effect of this juice Upamanyu was instantly blinded. He kept wandering in the woods and fell into a dry well.

After sunset, when Uapmanyu did not return to the hermitage, the saint started worrying about him. He said to his other pupils, “I have closed all avenues for Upamanyu to get food. He is probably angry at this and hence has not returned, so let us all go and look for him.” So they went to the woods to look for Upamanyu. They called out for him and heard a feeble voice from the well. They hurry to the well and when they peeped inside they saw Upamanyu. They asked Upamanyu how he fell inside the well. Upamanyu said, “I was so hungry that I ate the leaves of the Aak plant. I then became blind and while I was trying to find my way home I fell into the the well.” After hearing his story they pulled him out of the well and his Guru told him to pray to the physicians of the Gods, Ashwini Kumar, so that his eyes would be healed. Upamanyu did as he was told and and Ashwini Kumars (twins who are the Physicians of Gods) appeared before him. They said, “Upamanyu, eat this sweet that we have brought you and you shall be healed.” Upamanyu declined and said that he cannot eat anything without the permission of his guru. The gods then told him that they had offered his guru some sweet and he ate it without asking the permission of his own Guru. So if it is okay for your Guru to eat without first asking permission from his own guru then it is okay for you too.

But Upamanyu again declined and this devotion and obedience of Upamanyu towards his guru pleased the gods. They blessed him and Upamnyu’s eyes were healed and all his teeth turned into gold. Upamanyu then went to his guru and was blessed by him. His guru was so pleased with him that he blessed him with instant memory and told him that he will know the Vedas and Dharamshashtras (other religious texts) automatically without any effort. 

A U

Aruni or Uddalaka or Uddalaka Aruni (fl. c. 7th century BCE) was a philosopher of Vedic India, whose teachings are recorded in the Brihadaranyaka and Chandogya Upanishads. One of the first philosophers inrecorded history, he taught that everything in the universe (including all living things) is made of three elements: heat (or light), water, and food (or plants), and furthermore that all of these were manifestations of the universal Self or Ātman. It has been suggested that his teachings contain the seeds of Indian atomism, because of his belief that "particles too small to be seen mass together into the substances and objects of experience".

A descendant of Varuni Bhrigu clan, Uddalak rishi had his Ashram in the Vedic state of Brahmavarta where Ashrams of other Vedic seers Piplada, Dadhichi, Chavan also existed. These Rishis are the composers of the oldest of 10 Upanishads which date back to Rigved period. They also have contributions to Vedas. Aruni hailed from the country of Panchala and was known as Aruni of Panchala. His son was Svetaketu.

Aruni was one among the disciples of sage Ayodha Dhaumya, along with Upamanyu and another named 'Veda'  As per Mahabharata  on one rainy night Aruni's preceptor Dhaumya Muni asked him to supervise water flowing through a certain field. Aruni went there and found that water had breached the field and was moving away from its designated path. Aruni tried to stop water by all means but was unsuccessful. Left with no other way, Aruni lay down on the breach and prevented the water flow using his body. Due to this Aruni did not return to the hermitage in the night. Later in the morning, Dhaumya Muni came to the spot in search of Aruni with other disciples. Upon seeing the dedication and sincerity of Aruni, Dhaumya was very pleased upon Aruni and gave him the title Uddalaka. Later Aruni became very famous under the name Uddalaka Aruni.

In the Katha Upanishad, Uddalaka Aruni has been portrayed as a very learned sage who had performed numerous yajnas. Uddalaka Aruni was also called Vajashravas because he organised innumerable community feeding programmes. Vajashraavas had one negative quality as he had no control over his anger and flew into uncontrollable rage at trifles. His wife was Vishwavaradevi. The son of Vajashravas was the great young seeker Nachiketa. In a feat of rage Vajashravas had given Nachiketa to Yama, the death.

Uddalaka Aruni is said to have systematized the Vedic and Upanishadic thoughts. Many Sutras are ascribed to sage Uddalaka Aruni. Among those, "Tat Tvam Asi" illumines the Chāndogya Upanishad, which is a part of the Sama Veda. This great utterance is repeated nine times in this Upanishad as the ultimate Truth, which reveals itself as the conclusion of each inner experiment. The teacher is Uddalaka and the student Svetaketu, his son, engaged in a profound soul-education.

madhukaram.

 Bhiksha is a very old Indian tradition and is very much different from the concept of begging. It is the custom in which the religious saints and ascetics go from door to door in search of food and alms from people.

Madhukaram is a more refined word for Bhiksha.

The main purpose of Bhiksha is self –effacement and conquering one’s own ego. Basically, it comprises food which is served to a monk or a sadhu when the person makes a visit to a Hindu household.  Bhiksha also refers to the donations or offerings given to the Brahmans, the upper- most caste of the Hindu society. These donations consist of land, cattle or even gold in exchange for the Karmkand.

Alms or almsgiving is a religious rite which, in general, involves giving materially to another as an act of religious virtue. It exists in a number of religions.

Bhiksha is different from begging as the aim of Bhiksha is not a dislike for work as that in begging. It is just a way of overcoming one’s ego and attaining Moksha, or salvation. The saints or the ascetics, who follow the Bhiksha tradition, are called ‘Bhikshus’. It means ‘one who lives on alms’. The bhikshu, apart from asking for food and alms, also follow a life of morality and good conduct.

They also have to wear special saffron colored robes as this color has cultural and religious significance. The robes are made from a single piece of cloth and are usually received in donation. Many of them prefer white robes. The Bhiksha concept has an important aspect as it involves the saints and ascetics who have just begun their quest for salvation and their spiritual journey. It is one of the means through which they can reach  salvation.

Bhiksha involves the approaching of the bhikshu to  strangers and asking them for food and alms. 

The saints and ascetics not only go from house to house for alms and food, but also for sharing the knowledge and wisdom given to them by their Gurus in the Gurukuls in exchange of which they receive food, alms or other commodities by the people. It is like the people have to sacrifice some of their worldly possessions for the spiritual wisdom which will be beneficial to them after death.

It is a daily routine of many religious people who do not forget to give a portion of their food to someone who is needy or poor. This is done out of charity. It is basically the people from small towns and villages that follow this tradition, no matter how rich or how poor they are. On the whole, Bhiksha is a philanthropic activity that has its deep roots in the customs and traditions of Hindu religion and has also been mentioned in the Rig Veda.

this ancient custom of Bhiksha is just not an old tradition but it portrays the character of the Brahmans, the highest rank of the society to be humble and gentle towards the lesser ranks of the society from whose doors they arrive to ask for Bhiksha. It is a way by which these people have to shun their ego away from themselves and also learn to control the misuse of power of their status in the society.

Taraka rama.

The derivation of words from their root syllables each of which is the root of a verb signifying an action, is, in the Sanskrit language a very instructive excercise. Hindu religious literature is replete with such derivations for almost every word that it uses. Each of the names of God like Rama, Krishna, Siva , Narayana, etc. -- in fact, each one of the names of God in the various lists of thousand names of God (= sahasra-naamas) has been assigned several derivations from their root syllables. 'The one in whose memory yogis revel in the bliss of brahman' -- is the meaning of the word Rama. ramante yogino-nante brahmaanande chidaatmani is the declaration in the Padma-purana. 'ramante' (they revel, enjoy) is the action which forms the root verb for 'Rama'. The greatness of the word 'Rama' is not just because what the son of Dasaratha did what he did. Preceptor Vasishta hit upon the name for the child of Dasaratha because he knew that it was already a 'taaraka-mantra' -- that is, the mantra which takes you across the ocean of samsaara. And that is why the name Rama has been isolated and earmarked to be equivalent to the whole of Vishnu sahasra-naama. There are only two mantras, in the whole of Hindu religious tradition, which get the epithet 'taaraka' (that which can ferry you across); and these are the syllable OM, and the name Rama. This single fact epitomises the importance associated with Rama, the name as well as the Godhead, in the entire Hindu cultural milieu. The sage Valmiki before he became a Maharshi, recited the name of Rama, several thousands of years and attained the status of a maharshi. The syllable 'ra' comes from the eight-lettered mantra of Narayana and the syllable 'ma' comes from the five lettered mantra of Siva. Both are the life-giving letters (= jiiva-aksharas) of the respective mantras; because without them the two mantras become a curse. Without these letters, the mantra naraayanaaya becomes na ayanaaya - meaning, not for good; and namas-sivaaya becomes na sivaaya - meaning, again, not for good. Thus the word Rama combines in itself the life-giving letters of the two most important mantras of the Hindu religion . The syllable 'ra' the moment it comes out of the tongue purifies you from all the sins by the very fact that it comes from the mantra of the protector, Naaraayana. On the other hand, the syllable 'ma' burns all the sins by the very fact that it comes from the mantra of Siva, the destroyer. This is therefore the King of all mantras, the holy jewel of mantras, as is rightly sung by Saint Thiagaraja, who is one of the most famous recent historical examples of persons who attained the jivan-miukti stage - the released stage even while alive - by the sheer repetition of the Rama name