pachai maamalai pol mene

Sunday, January 31, 2010

aikamatya sooktham

।।ऐकमत्यसूक्तम् ।।
ऊँ संसमिद्दुवसे वृषन्नग्ने विश्वान्नर्य आ
इळस्पदे समिद्ध्यसे स नो वसून्न्या भर ।।
संगच्छध्वं संवदध्वं संवो मनांसि जानतां
देवा भागं यथापूर्वे संजानाना उपासते ।।
समानो मन्त्रस्समितिस्समानी
समानं मनः सहचित्तमेषां ।।
समानं मन्त्रमभिमन्त्रये वः
समानेन वो हविषा जुहोमि ।।
समानी व आकूतिस्समानो हृदयानि वः
समानमस्तु वो मनो यथा वस्सुसहासति ।।

this mantram is from the concluding part of the tenth and final mandalam of rigvedam.. The idea of harmony and co operation among people is highlighted in the most sublime way
This mantram is chanted by all at the conclusion of every session of vedic recital..

BUT IT HAS A UNIVERSAL APPEAL TOO

YOU, mighty Agni, gather up all that is precious for (the use and benefit of) your friend(who I am).
Bring us all treasures as you are enkindled (by us) in the place of homa or sacrifice 
Let you Assemble harmoniously , speak together (in nice words): let your minds be all of one accord (for a great common purpose),
As ancient Gods, unanimous and of amicable mind sit down to their appointed share in offerings of sacrifice.
The place where we all assemble is common, the right of opinion in the assembly is common
common are the minds of all here, so be their thoughts united in harmony.
A common purpose do I present before you for common accord ,
and worship the divinity with oblations commonly accepted by all .
May all that you resolve be the same, the decisions coming out of similar thoughts , 
and may your minds all work and decide with the same attitude and without disharmony .
United be the thoughts of all that all in the congregation may happily agree to think and work together...

മലയാളത്തില്‍.. 
ഐകമത്യസൂക്തം

ഓം സംസമിദ്ദുവസേ വൃഷന്നഗ്നേ വിശ്വാന്നര്യആ 
ഇളസ്പതെ സമിധ്യസേ സ നോ വസൂന്യാഭര 
സംഗച്ഛധ്വം സംവദധ്വം സം വോ മനാംസി ജാനതാം 
ദേവാ പൂര്‍വേ യഥാ ഭാഗം സംജാനാനാ ഉപാസതേ 
സമാനോ മന്ത്രസ്സമിതിഃ സമാനീ 
സമാനം മനഃ സഹാചിത്തമേഷാം 
സമാനം മന്ത്രം അഭിമന്ത്രയേ വഃ 
സമാനേന വോ ഹവിഷാ ജുഹോമി 
സമാനീ വ ആകൂതിസ്സമാനാ ഹൃദയാനി വഃ 
സമാനമസ്തു വോ മനഃ യഥാ വസ്സുസഹാസതി 
(ഋഗ്വേദം മണ്ഡലം 10 അവസാനത്തെ മന്ത്രം ) 


ഉജ്ജ്വലപ്രഭാവനായ അഗ്നിഭഗവാനെ അങ്ങയുടെ സുഹൃത്തായ എനിക്കുവേണ്ടി വിലമതിക്കാനാവാത്ത എല്ലാം ശേഖരിച്ചുനല്‍കാന്‍ കനിവുണ്ടാകണേ 

താങ്കളെ ശോഭയോടെ ജ്വലിപ്പിക്കുന്ന ഞങ്ങള്‍ക്ക് എല്ലാ സമ്പത്തും സൌഭാഗ്യങ്ങളും നല്‍കി അനുഗ്രഹിച്ചാലും 

പൂജാര്‍ഹാരായ ദേവന്മാരെ നിങ്ങള്‍ എല്ലാവരും തികഞ്ഞ സൌഹൃദത്തോടും സൌമനസ്യത്തോടും ഇവിടെ സന്നിഹിതരാവുക.സൌഹാര്‍ദ്ദത്തോടെ മധുരമായ വാക്യങ്ങള്‍ സംസാരിക്കുക എല്ലാവരുടെയും മനസ്സ് നന്മക്കുവേണ്ടി ഒരേവിധം പ്രവര്‍ത്തിക്കട്ടെ 

അപ്രകാരം സൌഹൃദത്തോടും സന്തോഷത്തോടും സന്നിഹിതരായി ഓരോ ദേവന്മാര്‍ക്കും ഞങ്ങള്‍ അര്‍പ്പിക്കുന്ന ഹവിര്‍ഭാഗം സ്വീകരിക്കാന്‍ കനിവുണ്ടാകണം. 

ഞങ്ങള്‍ കൂടിയിരിക്കുന്ന ഈ വേദി എല്ലാവര്ക്കും തുല്യത നല്‍കുന്നതാണ്.ഞങ്ങള്‍ ഓരോരുത്തരുടെയും അഭിപ്രായസ്വാതന്ത്ര്യം തുല്യമാണ് .. ഞങ്ങള്‍ക്കെല്ലാം സൗഹൃദം നിറഞ്ഞ ഒരേ മനസ്സുമാത്രമാണ് ഉള്ളത് 

സൌഹൃദത്തിലും ഐക്യദാര്‍ഢ്യത്തിലും ഉറച്ചു ആ ചിന്തകള്‍ തുടരട്ടെ. 

ദേവന്മാരെ, സുഹൃത്തുക്കളെ, ഞാന്‍ താങ്കളുടെ മുന്നില്‍ എല്ലാവര്ക്കും ഉപയുക്തവും സ്വീകാര്യവുമായ കാര്യങ്ങള്‍ ചര്‍ച്ചചെയ്തു സര്‍വ്വസമ്മതമായ തീരുമാനങ്ങള്‍ എടുക്കുവാനായി ഉണര്‍ത്തിക്കുന്നു 

എല്ലാവര്‍ക്കും സ്വീകാര്യങ്ങളായ ദ്രവ്യങ്ങളും ഹവിസ്സും അര്‍പ്പിക്കുന്നു 

നിങ്ങളുടെ തീരുമാനങ്ങള്‍ തുല്യമായി നിശ്ചയദാര്‍ഢ്യത്തില്‍ നിന്നും ഉരുത്തിരിഞ്ഞു ഐക്യബോധം നിറഞ്ഞ ചിന്തകളിലേക്കും പ്രവര്‍ത്തനങ്ങ
ളിലേക്കും നയിക്കട്ടെ 

നിങ്ങളുടെ ചിന്തകളും ചെയ്തികളും തീരുമാനങ്ങളും അസ്വാരസ്യങ്ങളും വൈരുദ്ധ്യങ്ങളും തൊട്ടുതീണ്ടാത്തവയാകട്ടെ. 

നമ്മുടെ എല്ലാവരുടെയും ചിന്തകള്‍ ഒരുമനസ്സോടെയാകട്ടെ. 

അപ്രകാരം ഈ സമിതിയിലുള്ള എല്ലാവരും സൌഹൃദത്തോടെ ചിന്തിക്കാനും പ്രവര്‍ത്തിക്കാനും നാം എല്ലാവരും ഒരുമനസ്സോടെ തീരുമാനം എടുക്കാം



ആദിമവേദമായ ഋഗ്വേദത്തിലെ പത്താമത്തെയും അവസാനത്തെയും ആയ മണ്ഡലത്തിലെ അവസാന വാക്യങ്ങളാണ് ഐകമത്യസൂക്തം എന്ന പേരില്‍ നാം ജപിച്ചുവരുന്നത്. 


സൌഹൃദത്തിന്‍റെയും സഹവര്‍ത്തിത്വത്തിന്‍റെയും ഉദാത്തമായ കാഹളധ്വനി 


ഒരു ക്ഷമാപണം.. വേദങ്ങള്‍ തര്‍ജ്ജുമ ചെയ്യാന്‍ കഴിയില്ല.. സൂക്തത്തിന്റെ ഉള്ളടക്കം മനസ്സിലാക്കാന്‍ കഴിഞ്ഞ വിധം സമര്‍പ്പിക്കുന്നു




herd psychology



यद्यदाचरति श्रेष्ठः तत्तदेवेतरो जनः।

स यत्प्रमाणं कुरुते लोकस्तदनुवर्त्तते।।
yadyadaacharati shreshtaH tattadevetaro janaH
sa yat pramaanam kurute lokastadanuvartate.
भगवद्गीता 3-21  bagavatgita 3-21



The day to day conduct of the great men and leaders in society 
are followed faithfully by the other run of the mill people. 

What the leader in society adopts as a dictum, others also follow him suit

This is from Krishna of Bagavat Gita....
The blessed lord was the sharpest one also. 
He understood the psychology of the herd.
And so he led by example..

യദ്യദാചരതി ശ്രേഷ്ഠഃ തത്തദേവേതരോ ജനഃ
സ യത്പ്രമാണം കുരുതേ ലോകസ്തദനുവര്‍ത്തതേ।।
ഭഗവത്‌ഗീത 3-21

സമുദായത്തില്‍ നിലയും വിലയും ഉള്ളവരുടേയും പ്രശസ്തരുടെയും പെരുമാറ്റത്തെയും ഭാവഹാവങ്ങളെയും അനുകരിക്കാനുള്ള പ്രവണത സാധാരണക്കാരില്‍ രൂഢമൂലമാണ്
സെലിബ്രിറ്റി  അല്ലെങ്കില്‍ ഏതെങ്കിലും വിധത്തില്‍ പേരെടുത്ത വ്യക്തി  ജീവിതചര്യയായോ  കീഴ്വഴക്കമായോ എന്തെങ്കിലും സ്വീകരിച്ചാല്‍  ചുറ്റുമുള്ളവര്‍ അയാളെ മിക്കവാറും അന്ധമായി അനുകരിക്കുന്നു. 

ഭഗവാന്‍ ഗീതയില്‍ പറഞ്ഞ സത്യമാണിത്.  ഈ വാക്യത്തിന്റെ പ്രസക്തി കാലാതീതമാണ്.  
ഭഗവാന്നറിയാം അദ്ദേഹത്തിനു ഒരു കര്‍മ്മവും ചെയ്യേണ്ട ആവശ്യമില്ലെന്ന്.
അദ്ദേഹം  കര്‍മ്മത്തിന്നെല്ലാം അതീതനാണെന്ന് അദ്ദേഹത്തിന് അറിയാം
പക്ഷെ മനുഷ്യനായി അവതരിച്ചപ്പോള്‍ അദ്ദേഹം ഒരു  മാതൃകാപുരുഷന്‍റെ ജീവിതചര്യ പിന്തുടര്‍ന്നു.
 അങ്ങിനെ അദ്ദേഹം ചെയ്തില്ലെങ്കില്‍ അദ്ദേഹത്തിന്റെ പരസഹസ്രം ആരാധകരും   ദിശാബോധമില്ലാത്ത ജീവിതം നയിക്കാന്‍ തുടങ്ങുമായിരുന്നു.  അത് ഒഴിവാക്കാന്‍ വേണ്ടി മാത്രമാണ് അദ്ദേഹം സ്വന്തം ജീവിതം ക്രമീകരിച്ചത്..


ഇതായിരിക്കണം  ഒരു മഹാനായ ഗുരുവിന്റെയോ ആചാര്യന്‍റെയോ

ജീവിതചര്യ.  കര്‍മ്മം കൊണ്ടു മറ്റുള്ളവര്‍ക്ക് മാതൃക ആയിത്തീരണം

Saturday, January 30, 2010

the greatness of viboothi




Vibuthi mahatmyam is written in numerous chapters after chapters in sivapuranam, skaandam, and other saivite treatises . It is holy...because it is what is left after the ultimate test, the test by fire. You put any valuable thing, solid or liquid and at the optimum ignition point all possible materials are turned into gases. Whether gold or dirt put to fire--(even put to fire the dead body of human or any living being), all that remains is the ashes. Ashes are the viboothi. Lord siva is the presiding deity of the end of everything and after ensuring everything is burned off he smears the remining thing namely the ashes all over his body and perfrom tandavam. It is the viboothi or the holy meritorious remnant left behind by the Lord of Lords Sri Parameswara. Whatever may be your state of purity, when the vibuthi is smeared on the body you become pure because of the grace of Lord Siva. It is said that once sage Durvasas visited the hell at the invitation of Yama and he saw the dead beings incarcerated in fire,acid,alkali, dirt etc and there was misery everywhere. Out of curiosity he just peeped into a well where some such souls were suffering. The ashes from his face just fell into the well and immediately the sinful beings were liberated. The yogis and rishis use the holy ashes for curing all physical mental and moral diseases. The ashes we use are usually made of the dung of cow which is mixed with cow urine and the pieces of cow dung properly dried are put to fire on Sivarathri and after burning in its own contents, it turns into ashes. Thereafter the ashes are precipitated by keeping the mixture in water and the dessicated ash is the basic viboothi or bhasma. The burning process is performed uttering the panchakshara manthram throughout. Namah Sivaya. 

This question has been answered many times by many but I repeat it because it is the service to Lord Siva

Tarangini- Kakka Ramam Intro

Introduction: Kakka Raman, the great soul
- K.V Ananthanarayanan
This is the first part of a series of articles based on real life occurrences of certain Pattars that we believe, would be immensely inspirational to everyone, especially the younger generation.
*****
In our lives, you often come across people who leave a deep impression on your persona, influencing your thought processes, your actions and knowledge for years to come. I had the good fortune of knowing some such people during my lifetime, and I am writing this series of real life anecdotes of one such person, Rama Iyer, who left a lasting impression on me when I was just a child growing up in a typical agraharam setting, a life not many people in the younger generation have experienced. Rama Iyer had another name to him. He was called “Kakka Raman” because he had squint eyes and even those eyes were practically blind with short sight.
The first thing I heard as an incident in his life was really poignant and profoundly touching. He was a boy from an utterly poor family, and his mother passed away when he was seven years old. On the day of his mother’s death, he had no idea as to what was happening in the house. Many people had assembled; the mother was sleeping, maybe sick. Suddenly, someone brought some ghee and poured it in a broken coconut shell. For Raman, ghee was a very scarce delicacy. So, with his half blind eyes, he looked around to see whether anyone was paying attention to the ghee kept in chirattai* in the corner. When he was fairly sure that nobody was watching him, he stealthily took the ghee container and swallowed the whole ghee. You know, this ghee had been brought for the funeral rites of Raman’s mother.
As I have it said before, this is a real story, and if Raman were alive today, he would be about 100 years old. He passed away 14 years ago. I know Raman because he was my mother’s own maternal uncle and my own dear mamaappa. He used to go as a loukeeka* for sraadhdham chaappadu and he would get clothes like mundu, uthareeyam etc. He had married my mother’s elder sister and he loved me like his own son. In my childhood days of utter poverty, the clothes brought by him served as my mundus. When he used to get mallumundu*or gaada*, it would be used to stitch our underwear, periyammas and ammas ravukkais* and my sisters pavaadais. He never wanted anything for himself. He happily gave everything he used to get, by way of dhaanam or dhakhshina to others. I learned greatness of giving from that great soul.
Pattar’s Dictionary
chirattai: Coconut Shell
loukeeka:a Brahmin who partiakes in ceremonies and many vedic functions but is not a qualified vaadhyar….vaadhyaar is qualified in vedas and is well versed in conduting the ceremonies and commands lot of respect as the family guru, guide and maybe philosopher
mallumundu or gaada: very cheap rawc otton cloth manufacturedin mills….mallumundu is bleached and gaada is unbleached
ravukkais: the prototype of the blouses worn by ladies… the ladies four or five decades ago wore it, usually it would be stitched by the ladies themselves with a needle and thread.

hara haro hara

pazhani aanadvanukku hara haro hara

today is thaipoosam. it is a special function for palkkad iyers, at least ten percent of the Palakkad iyer population in palakkad and a substantial number of PIs from elsewhere would converge at Palani to have a glimpse of Sri Dandayuthapani Swami. It will be a Kavadi galore at Palani. Lakhs of them. The simple child at Palni stands dispensing all happiness and prosperity to all who call Him from any where. Let us do our pranams to Him.
कल्पद्रुमं प्रणमतां कमलारुणाभम्
स्कन्दं भुजद्वयमनामयमेकवक्त्त्रम्
कार्ल्यायनीप्रियसुतं कटिबद्धवामम्
कौपीनदण्डधरदक्षिण हस्तमीडे।।


I bow with humility before that Divine Tree which yields all the desires of the ardent devotees (kalpaka vriksha found in Heaven),  which is called Skanda having  the colour of the attractive reddish  lotus, the child having two arms ...the right one wielding a staff and the left placed firmly  on His hips,  the darling boy of the Divine mother Kaathyaayanee,  the divine being without any sorrows and always removing the sorrows of all who are beholden to Him,  the recluse master-child who has just his loin-clothes by way of cloth


hara haro hara



പഴനി ആണ്ടവരുക്ക് ഹര ഹരോ ഹര 

ഇന്ന് തൈപ്പൂയം ആണ്. 
പാലക്കാടന്മാര്‍ക്ക് എല്ലാം പഴനിക്കു പോകാനുള്ള ദിവസം. ഒരുപാടു മലയാളികള്‍ പഴനിയാണ്ടാവനെ ദര്‍ശിക്കാന്‍ പഴനിമല കയറുന്ന ദിവസം. 
മലയാളികളുടെ കാവടികളുടെ പ്രവാഹം 


ജ്ഞാനപണ്ഡിതന്‍ ആണെങ്കിലും നിഷ്കളങ്കന്‍ ആയ ആ കൊച്ചു ബാലന്‍ തന്നെ തേടി വരുന്നവരെയെല്ലാം സ്വാഗതം ചെയ്തുകൊണ്ട് അവര്‍ക്ക് എല്ലാമെല്ലാം എപ്പോഴും കൊടുത്തുകൊണ്ട് പഴനിമലയുടെ മുകളില്‍ നില്‍ക്കുന്നു.


കല്പദ്രുമം പ്രണമതാം കമലാരുണാഭം 
സ്കന്ദം ഭുജദ്വയമനാമയമേകവക്ത്ത്രം 
കാര്‍ത്യായനീപ്രിയസുതം കടിബദ്ധവാമം 
കൌപീനദണ്ഡധരദക്ഷിണ ഹസ്തമീഡേ॥ 



വളരെയേറെ ഭക്തിയോടും വിനയത്തോടും കൂടി ഞാന്‍ ആ സ്കന്ദനെ പ്രണമിച്ചു ആശ്രയിക്കുന്നു 
അവന്‍ കാല്‍ക്കല്‍ വീണു വണ്ടിക്കുന്നവര്‍ക്ക് ആശിച്ചതെല്ലാം നല്‍കുന്ന കല്പകവൃക്ഷമാണ് 

അവന്റെ നിറം വിടര്‍ന്ന ചെന്താമാരയ്ക്കും ഉദിക്കുന്ന സൂര്യനും തുല്യമാണ് 
അവന്‍ (പഴനിയില്‍ ) രണ്ടു കൈകളോടെ നമ്മെ അനുഗ്രഹിക്കുന്നു 
അവന്‍ എല്ലാ വിധമായ അല്ലലുകള്‍ക്കും അലട്ടലുകള്‍ക്കും അതീതനാണ് 
അവന്‍ (പഴനിയില്‍) ഒരു മുഖത്തോടുകൂടി ദര്‍ശനം നല്‍കുന്നു 

അവന്‍ കാര്‍ത്യായനിയായ ഉമയുടെ പൊന്നോമനമകന്‍ ആണ് 
അവന്‍റെ ഇടതു കൈ അരക്കെട്ടില്‍ ഉറപ്പിച്ചാണ് അവന്‍ നില്‍ക്കുന്നത്.
വലതുകൈയില്‍ ദണ്ഡം ധരിച്ചു (ദണ്ഡപാണി) പിന്നെ കൌപീനം മാത്രം ആടയാക്കി പഴനിആണ്ടവന്‍ ആയി ആവണി നമ്മെ അനുഗ്രഹിക്കുന്നു.

മുരുകാ ശരണം മുരുകാ ശരണം മുരുകാ ശരണം

take care of the body



शरीरमाद्यं खलु धर्मसाधनम्।।


while engaged in work, the state of our own body should get proper attention,

It is this body which gets the good things done.

Kalidasa comments about the dangers of neglecting one's 

body by going through austerities beyond ones

threshold of physical tolerance, Kumarasmbavam is the Kavya.

Friday, January 29, 2010

efficient filter

efficient filter



हॅसो हि क्षीरमादत्ते तन्मिश्रा वर्जयत्यपः ।।
given a mixture of milk and water, the swan consumes the milk content alone and leaves out the water
this example is used by Kalidasa in Abijnana Saakuntalam to indicate the wisdom of great men, who when given a uniforms mixture of good and bad are capable of selecting and identifying themselves with good alone and completely rejecting the bad or evil.

Thursday, January 28, 2010

donkey's worth

खरश्चन्दन भारवाही भारस्य वेत्त्ता न तु चन्दनस्य ।।

The donkey carrying a heavy load of sandalwood is aware of the weight of the load but not the worth of the sandalwood
(veerappan must have been knowing it)

Wednesday, January 27, 2010

Fwd: Save the Planet (Must See and Forward)



---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: Venkat Ramanan Radhakrishnan




The Copenhagen climate conference is on the cover of all newspapers nowadays, so I thought it's time to revisit this topic and post all the cool new ads that appeared across the globe on the subject of global warming trying to educate and raise awareness.

www.FunAndFunOnly.org

www.FunAndFunOnly.org

www.FunAndFunOnly.org

www.FunAndFunOnly.org

www.FunAndFunOnly.org

www.FunAndFunOnly.org

www.FunAndFunOnly.org

www.FunAndFunOnly.org

www.FunAndFunOnly.org

www.FunAndFunOnly.org

www.FunAndFunOnly.org

www.FunAndFunOnly.org

www.FunAndFunOnly.org

www.FunAndFunOnly.org

www.FunAndFunOnly.org

www.FunAndFunOnly.org

www.FunAndFunOnly.org

www.FunAndFunOnly.org

www.FunAndFunOnly.org

www.FunAndFunOnly.org

www.FunAndFunOnly.org

www.FunAndFunOnly.org

www.FunAndFunOnly.org

www.FunAndFunOnly.org

www.FunAndFunOnly.org

www.FunAndFunOnly.org


__,_._,___



_______




--



rewards of toil


क्ळेशः फलेन हि पुनर्नवतां विधत्ते ।।

when incessant hard toil is rewarded by matching results, it gives impetus to further attempts.

Kalidasa  in Kumarasambhavam 

ക്ളേശഃ ഫലേന ഹി പുനര്‍നവതാം വിധത്തേ ।।
കാളിദാസന്‍ കുമാരസംഭവത്തില്‍ 

ഒരുപാടു കാലം അധ്വാനിച്ച്  വിജയം നേടുമ്പോള്‍ ആ വിജയം  ഒരാളെ പുതിയ മനുഷ്യനാക്കുന്നു.. വീണ്ടും വിജയം ആവര്‍ത്തിക്കാനുള്ള ഊര്‍ജ്ജം പകരുന്നു 

Tuesday, January 26, 2010

salute to my mother

अपि स्वर्णमयी लङ्का न मे लक्ष्मण रोचते।
जननी जन्मभूमिश्च स्वर्गादपि गरीयसी॥
api svarṇamayī laṅkā na me lakṣmaṇa rocate|
jananī janmabhūmiśca svargādapi garīyasī||
विजयतु सर्वदा मम भारतमाता

Lakshmana is impressed by the golden buildings and prosperity of Lanka but Rama yearns to rush back to India, he says" Lakshmana, I do not feel comfortable in this Lanka although it is built of pure gold. For me the company of my mother and my motherland is more delightful the stay in heaven itself.

Victory always  to my Bharatha Matha
this is from ramayana



A CONFESSION ON 15 AUGUST 2015




I was under the impression that
 "Api Swarnamayee Lanka Na me Lakshmana Rochate, Jananee Janmabhoomishcha Swargadapi gareeyasi "

was a full quote from Valmiki Ramayanam.. reported as spoken by Rama to Lakshmana 


I had even posted messages for Independent days in some earlier year quoting that slokam.. attributing it to Rama 



The much touted quote from Ramayana putting it in the words of Rama was a serious error.. And funnily I am not an exception but lakhs of people have been hoodwinked..


Nice to see  Raju mama's post, but I thought it necessary to clarify on one of the serious hoaxes going the rounds in the name of Rama 
For once, I realized how dangerous it can be to post without really looking up to original texts.. and how effectively I had made an idiot of myself..
Thanks Raju mama
(Shri Raju Viswanathan is a very learned person, a retired soldier and a man of music..a venerable soul.. I got the issue enlightened through his writings)


Monday, January 25, 2010

gita vishnupattar

Relevance of Bagavat Gita  in the modern era

Bagvat gita, is a text of eternal value even if its authorship by the  JagatGuru Sri Krishna is not consedered for a momemt

The greatest  warrior of the generation, on whose individual prowess the entire fate of the honour of  Pandavas  and redeeming of the self respect of  the tragic victim of all sorts of humiliations that could be heaped on a female, Draupadi, hinges, the incomparable Arjuna develops a sort of psychological and physical burnout at the vital moment when he is required to perform… and where failure of this one person would herald  annihilation to his own brothers, wife and kinsmen and  the eternal fame he had accumulated over a lifetime.  He   is suddenly on the verge of collapse, shorn off all bravado and dropping his divine bow and perspiring profusely, he just collapsed on the floor of his chariot like a lame duck cut on its throat by a butcher.  His alter ego, Krishna, the most valorous fighter of  all times even though his role is limited to a charioteer wielding  the whip handle  is now willy nilly forced to set  right everything  . For this he has to muster all his multifarious capabilities, that of a friend, psychologist, adept in scriptures, adept in lifestyle studies
( yogas) and ultimately revelation of  the divine fountainhead.  How  Krishna managed it and  how he transformed Arjuna  and  persuaded and prompted him to declare repeatedly’  “ my mental indecisiveness and physical debilities have  vanished,  my intellect is rejuvenated, and I am standing before you eagerly awaiting your orders  which I am bound to execute”.

How LORD KRISHNA  achieved this, is a matter of relevance not only to the storyline of the epic Mahaharatha, but to the healthy  existence of the human race in all its sanity  till this day and for the days to come.  This is the relevance of Gita  to modern man.
                                                                                           
There are many quintessential   statements by the Lord, Arjuna and others which stand out
and  indicate the real  import of the philosophy of Geetha
Let us see this verse uttered by  Sanjaya:-
Yatra yogeswarah  krishnah yatra paartho dhanurdharah
Tatra sreer vijayo boothidhruvaaneethir mahtirmamama
यत्र योगेश्वरः कृष्णो यत्र पार्थो धनुर्धरः।
तत्र श्रीर्विजयो भूतिर्ध्रुवानीतिर् मतिर्मम॥

Where the Yogswara that is Krishna  and Arjuna wielding  ganadeeva are present,  there will not be any paucity for virtuous plentitude,  victory   self-satisfaction and righteousness.

One can see the raw power in the allegory of Arjuna, wielding weapons.  If he is in full swing, what will happen?  All enemies will be annihilates and all their terrestrial wealth  would be confiscated.  Raw power in action.. 
But in the presence of Geethacharya  the Krishna, the indiscriminate application of power is impossible. The billion to the power of billion megatons of energy available in the tip of arjunas weapon can be triggered into action only with the implicit permission   of the yogeswara  Krishna.  The meaning of the word yoga is too wide to be described in a few words.  It will be elucidated in due course.  But the usual simple meaning of yoga can be taken as the process of judicious mixture.   The yogeswara Krishna brings in such admixture, neither too soft nor too punishing..
I am not quoting any managerial jargons here as   I believe that people understand management if the jargons are avoided. If the lord had willed that gita should be full of clichés and jargons, he would have definitely done the needful.
Possession power  with the wisdom  to exercise it  only when it is inevitable is one of the greatest principle of human life, life management or whatever it is called.

One has to record with regret that such a magnificent duo like Krishna and Arjuna were never again born. Krishna said Sambavaami Yugey, yugey  but he should come every time with his friend Arjuna the dynamite

 Kakka Raman and Vishnu Pattar  Break the law.
Kaakka Rama Iyer had a very close friend by name Ananthakrishna Iyer.. Some say that Ananthakrishna Iyer had been in Ceylon for sometime and there is another school of thought that he was a peon in a British company which did business in slaughtering animals and exporting the flesh.  Whatever it may be the man had become very pious  when he landed up in our agraharam, but he had no place to live.  So Rama Iyer gracefully volunteered to offer  the Iyer number two the privilege of occupying the open thinnai of  Kakkais house as a dwelling place. Ananthankrishna Iyer sported a very huge oordhwapundram (naammam) and  the daily  performance of his make-up operation  was a sight to see.  The village urchins would crowd around him while he deftly pasted namakkatti on his palm and drew and big  U on his wide forehead, followed by  a long red line  in the internal bisecting area using  thirummannu..  And once the makeup was finished, he looked just like Mahavishnu and hence the village people always called him Vishnu Pattar when he was not present within earshot.
Kakkai and Vishnu were a professional pair.  They always went together for partaking in  Sraadhams or  getting Dakshina or dhaanam on good or bad occasions. 
One day they went for Sraadham in Pallipuram village. It was almost five miles from our agraharam. You must remember it was almost 45  years ago and there were not  many buses and the Laurel and Hardy could not afford to pay the bus fare also.  They had to cross an open railway line near  palakkad town railway  station and they successfully negotiated  Lakshman Rekha  in the morning during their onward Journey. But while returning  after sraadhdham, they again crossed the railway line and was accosted by  a railway policeman.  The innocent Brahmins did not know that crossing the railway track and making the railway premises  a thoroughfare was a punishable offence.   Had they told the policeman that they did not know the law and apologized, he would have left them go.  However in their innocent haughtiness,  they told him to  mind his business and that they were not afraid of any police, especially railway police.  The enraged policeman booked a case against them for trespassing and gave  a summons  directing them  to attend the sub-magistrates court one week later and let them go for the time being. The poor Brahmins could have given some wrong names and addresses and got away with it but they were too innocent.
   On the day of the great trial the duo,  clad in soman and uthareeyam, Mr Vishnu sporting naamam and Mr Raman filling his forehead with three broad white lines of Viboothy,  presented themselves in the Court very early in the morning.  The magistrate arrived in due course and seeing  two Brahmins standing  in the courtyard  (the magistrate was also an Iyer), said that there was no sraadham or tarpanam  being conducted in the court.  The Brahmins said they had been booked by railway police and there was a case against them.
  Finally the case was called, and R and V presented themselves in the dock.   The magistrate asked them whether they had committed any offence for which they stated in unison that they had done nothing but had only crossed the railway line. Even at this stage they were not aware that this was an offence.  The magistrate could have let them free had they sought  pardon. But they would not do it because  they could not dream of any crime being committed by them.  Ultimately the Magistrate reluctantly fined them eight  anna each.  
And once the fine was ordered, the two poor Brahmins could leave the court only after paying the fine and eight annas each was far beyond their capacity to pay.  They were pleading with everybody requesting that they be allowed to go.  Nothing worked.
Finally the magistrate came to know  of it and he did a very wonderful thing.  He took a one  rupee coin from his own pocket and asked  the court clerk to  issue the receipt for the fine to  Mr Kakkai and Mr Vishnu.    May be Vishnu rode the Kaakkai vahanam  high on that day.





Establishment of Family Values through the Institution of Marriage
Suka is described thus in Srimad bhaagavatam: 
``A mahaayogi who has realized the equanimous Brahman, who does not see any difference between various happenings, who constantly resides and is focused in that stage, who is awakened from the reverie of mAya, and who isapparently dull witted.''
Once vyAsa was following his son across a river where women were bathing.  Suka was not wearing anything. The bathing women were indifferent to him. However, as vyAsa passed them, they covered themselves with clothes. When the surprised vyAsa asked the women the reason for this, they said, `You still have the discrimination between she and he, her and him whereas in SukAchArya's unsullied perception there is no such distinction!'
After his formal education in the Vedas and other scriptures, Suka was asked by his father to follow the natural path of gR^ihasthASrama. As we have seen earlier, Suka was already a realized sage for whom the pleasures of the senses had totally no relevance. He debated the futility of gR^ihasthASrama with his learned father.
Suka: Sir, why do you insist on the avidya of marriage, when you know that I am fully immersed in the higher self? Don't you agree that seeking happiness is also seeking sorrow? I am now in a state of absolute bliss focused as I am on the infinite. Where is the need for me to descend to a level when I would be deprived of that, and instead will have a mix of pain and pleasure? Marriage will make me a slave. Even a prisoner in chain has hopes of freedom, but there is no escape for a married person. The wise men, therefore, keep away from all sense pleasure as if they are the excrement of the body. For the learned souls there is no higher happiness than constantly dwelling in the aatman in a liberated state of mind. Please advise me, wise sage, why I should give up Satyam, Sivam and Sundaram. Why do you want to push me into the orbit of samsaara where I will be compelled to move round and round like the hapless planets? What valid reason is there to stoop to the level of pigs and dogs? After repeated lower births we attain the birth of human beings with the ability for higher learning. Why do you want me to dig low again? Now I am beyond the binding energies of triguNa. Why the bondage again?
VyAsa: I do not doubt, for a moment, your immense learning. My dear son, a house is not a prison. Detachment from the phenomenal world is a mental state. Even a married person can be free from attachment, and yet perform the role of householder. By earning in the right way, discharging duties with devotion, being truthful in thought, word and deed, it is possible to lead a flawless life of a liberated soul even in gR^ihasthASrama. You must marry in order to support brahmachaaris, yatis (saints), and those in vaanaprasthASrama. They depend on you so that they can discharge the duties appropriate to their aasrama. You also need to pay your debts to the other entities such as the birds and animals, forefathers and gods. Penance comes after fulfilling your duties to them.
You may not know how powerful the drives of senses are. You might think that you have them under complete control. Even R^Shi ViSvAmitra could not resist Menaka, in spite of his penance for three thousand years without a morsel of food. parASara, the very avatAra of mahAviShNu fell to satyavati. You have to marry and go through the motions if you want to avoid waywardness.
Suka: Respectful sage, please tell me how I can find happiness in the indrajAla of money, the poisonous bondage to the body? A desire-less person is happier than indra himself, even though he may be a mere beggar. How often indra was jealous of a mendicant seer doing penance and provoked the demons to disturb such penance! Hasn't he even sought Lord Siva to destroy the penance of a yogi? The materially wealthy spend sleepless nights. Why do you push me in to the vicious and miserable cycle of birth, suffering, old age and death?
Oh! To serve others for a living! Isn't flattery an important component of serving? Ugh! Sycophancy, after all my learning and wisdom! Even death is better.
Take food for instance. Now I do not have to worry about what I eat and when. Can I afford that indifference as a gR^ihastha? I am least interested in action. Teach me, worthy aachaarya, how to destroy karma and accumulation of asset and liability of action, and how to dissolve the cause of birth.
Hearing his son's fervent and logical appeal, vyAsa was overcome by grief.
Suka noticed his father's sadness and thought to himself, `My father is no ordinary mortal. He is a matchless scholar. But he is also in a delusion and is unhappy because of maaya. My only refuge is the Divine Mother. Even Gods Indra and Trimurtis are controlled by Her energy which is infinite. We are told that vyaasa is an amSa (integral part) of viShNu, but he is now like a wrecked ship, deluded and in tears. The five elements are the cause of his grief, and I am responsible for his sorrow.'
Suka prayed to the Divine Mother, and talked consolingly to his father, `Sire, you are verily my God. You have a great capacity for flawless reasoning, and discourse. I do not have to tell you that your sorrow is borne out of delusion. But dear father, can hunger be satisfied by looking at the sun? Food, water and all the related business can stop but not satisfy the sun. To control the sense related activity, they must be entertained, but not the sun! Are not all sense pleasures related to and be satisfied with materialism? Alas, only a miser can make and save money. What a misfit I am, in that sphere! I know that I am a brahmin, and that to be born so and be formed as a R^iShi is a boon. But I feel that I am not fully liberated. Teach me how not to enter a mother's womb again.' vyAsa felt happy and admired the wisdom and true humility of his son.
He looked at Suka fondly, and said, `Recite the bhagavad gIta. By constant recitation you acquire JNAna and viJNAna.'
Suka then went to vaTapatraSaayi viShNu, and asked `Divine Mother, why am I unhappy?' He heard Her reply, `I am in all. There is nothing new other than the ancient.' He also had Her darSan. Contemplating on her response and seeing Her in the purest form of viShNu, he queried, `How is this tree created? How did I come into being?' There was silence for some time. She then talked, `Why do you doubt my energy? You are confused. I know that I am the eternal energy. At the end of mahApraLaya, my unmanifested energy will manifest as Myself. Then everything - brahma, viShNu and even you - will be created, then the basic energy for the visible universe will emerge, and all that is moving and not moving will be created. So, self-knowledge is the source of liberation. But you need my grace and will for that. Touch your intuitive powers, and you will find secret of creation which is passed on in a chain reaction, and passed on. Recite the chapters of devii bhaagavataM relating to eternal energy. It will provide you relief from bondage which will help you banish darkness.'
Reciting devii bhaagavataM, however, did not bring the desired peace for Suka. He still felt disturbed; he became more aloof and depressed.
Seeing this, vyaasa talked to his wise son. `Why are you like an indebted person? Am I not with you to provide anything that you need? If all the theories do not bring you the inner calmness, go to janaka who is a brahmaJNaani, a true saint and incarnation of unsullied knowledge. Seek from him the essence of liberation, and eternal joy.' If formal learning does not help, residency with seers who can teach applied knowledge will certainly be of use. janaka mahaaraaja is an embodiment of perfect living. When Suka heard of the sterling qualities of janaka, he just could not believe that it was possible to lead such a life, like lotus in slime, and like water on the lotus leaf. He decided to meet the king in person, after assuring his father that he would return and pursue the study of the vedas.
It took two to three years to reach mithila, the capital of janaka's kingdom. On the way he met wise sages, yogis, relinquished people leading vaanaprasthASrama and others doing penance. He crossed the meru mountain, and at last reached the gates of mithila where he was stopped by the guards. However, the shining face of the young sage, his excellent posture and nonchalant looks did not earn him an entry. The guards stopped him politely, and asked for the reason of his visit. His ego punctured, Suka felt deeply depressed. He said to himself, `Why did I spend all my energy in this futile travel? This city looks dead; it is without body or soul.' Soon he overcame his anger and explained at length the purpose of his visit, after duly introducing himself as the son of vyAsa. The guards tested his wisdom by asking him to distinguish between happiness and sorrow.
Now Suka was in his elements. He said, `Lust, desire and avarice result in sorrow. Contemplation on the Atman and devotion to God is happiness. ekAnta - not that of a recluse as one generally misunderstands the term, but pursuit of sense pleasures leads to misery. vedAnta and aatma-chintana give lasting happiness. The guards were satisfied of the genuine wisdom of the young sage, and took him to a pleasant abode, passing through many security gates. The beautiful young women who served the sage did not cause a flutter in his heart. He was least agitated by their luscious presence even after the sun set when the cool fragrant wind pervaded the place.
The next morning, the Emperor arrived with his regalia, paid respects to Suka, inquired the health of his illustrious father, offered presents of cows and sweetmeat as befitting an eminent guest, and sought his permission for a conversation.
janaka: I am but a ruler of a kingdom with all the attendant responsibilities, but you are a detached, contended, peaceful person wanting nothing. I am honored by your visit. Pray, of what assistance can I be?
Suka was instantly struck by the true humility of the great king and paid due homage.
Suka:  Your excellency, the matter seems simple. My respectful father is eager that I should marry and lead the life of a gR^ihastha, but my mind does not accept his wish. He said Your excellency is the most liberated soul, and that you are the most detached person, burdened as you are with the onerous duties of a king. So he sent me to you for being convinced of the need for gR^ihasthaaSrama. I think that marriage and my temperament are a contradiction like the presence of a flower in the sky. I am interested in total liberation, and nothing else. I do not want to disobey my worthy father. Venerable king, please tell me why I should marry. Please also clear my other doubts. Are penance, pilgrimage, yaJNa and vedic learning true liberation or is there a higher JNAna?
janaka: `Let me tell you what little I know. After upanayanaM every young person should learn the Vedas through an aachaarya (worthy teacher), and then the vedAnta. On completion of formal learning, he should pay appropriateguru dakShiNa (compensation) before taking leave of the teacher.
It is expected that he should then marry and enter the next phase, that of gR^ihasthaaSrama. The apt dharma for a householder includes righteousness, contentment, eschewing desires, a pure heart and a truthful mind, and agnihotram (performance of homa and maintenance of the three perennial domestic fires). In due course of time, he has progeny and the responsibilities attached thereto.
After discharging the functions of a father, he enters the vAnaprasthASrama. He then strives to conquer the inner force. As he approaches success in this noble effort, he hands over the care of his wife to his children, having invoked the inner heat from his soul and realizing the dharma of renunciation. He then dons the robe of a sannyAsin and follows the path of final liberation through self purification and total detachment.
My son, sense gratification has no place in one's attempt to control the inner force which is the real wealth for the seeker of liberation. But all the prescribed steps are necessary without which one might falter.
Suka politely interjected.
Suka: If the heart is pure, doubtless and detached, can one not skip the steps?
(The question amounts to - can one do doctoral research skipping the undergraduate and graduate studies?)
janaka spoke with immense patience.
janaka: Dear young scholar, you are not fully aware of the power of the senses. Unless the mind matures (like the lemon fruit becoming pickle!) attractions will grip you and will try to bind you. The sensory motors will hold you. The eyes beholding beauty, the ears honing to sweet music, the nostrils flaring for fragrance, the palate of the gourmet eager for the best wind and food, and the whole physical body yearning for the pleasures of the couch will want to subdue the phenomenal self. Even a yati could be helpless under the onslaught of the senses!
The steps or phases of the first three ASramas help one to decelerate the runaway senses, to rein those horses of pleasures, to regulate them by floodgates as it were. You see, the person perched on a tree is always afraid of falling if he were to go to sleep, but there is no such fear for him who sleeps on the floor. Those who fly are in the danger (like the birds) of falling, but those who are closer to earth hurt themselves less even if they fall. Walking is safer than flying!
Even in the first three stations, one must learn to practice niShkaamakarma (action sans attachment), practice it well over a long period while performing action, so that, in course of time, it gradually becomes second nature. A truejiivan-mukta is not bound by karma. The first three stages are the preparatory ground for realizing the self effulgent aatman. They help one to be a mere witness for phenomenal existence. A doubting person can never realize that divine spark within.
You know, self or aatman needs no liberation, because it has never been bound in the first instance! If the mind is clear, then the delusion vanishes. I do not have to tell you, learned braahmaNa, that body and the mind are entities separate from the aatman. Intellect is the cause for any such confusion. Seek enlightenment by learning to free your mind from the aatman. It is the business of the senses to divert the intellect away from aatman; and that is maaya. But remember, that for all their mischief, they cannot taint the soul or aatman. However, following the paths of the first three stations of life - brahmacharya, gR^ihasthaaSrama and that of vaanaprastha - one can step on to the fourth with the confidence of the winner. They are prescribed in the scriptures which are never wrong, since they are the touchstone of wisdom and experience of the wisest. The path of the vedas are always auspicious.
Suka: The vedas recognize himsa and other vices. A person enjoying the sense pleasures is bound to have sorrow as a complement. How is it possible to live in a free state of consciousness while being married?
janaka: There is smoke only when wood is burnt. After wood is totally burnt, there is no smoke! Desires are to be completely burnt to do away with smoke or attachment. (baaba: fry even the seed) . Absence of ego binds not even where there is action. Act without thinking of or expecting fruits of action. Neither the action nor the results belong to you. Everything is His.
Suka: It is still not clear to me how one can be detached in the midst of the world of magic. How can moha and mukta be together? Unless the light is switched on darkness cannot vanish. Knowledge of the scriptures is like the light switch. Then the soul attains the love all and serve all status, whereas the married person is circumscribed by his own family limiting his attention. You are falsely promising the thief respect of a saint. Mine and yours can be gotten rid of by the gR^ihastha? How did you become bodiless, keeping at bay the inauspicious even while being engaged in activities that rightly belong to the first three aaSramas? Time cannot bind transcendental state. It can be experienced only by a yogi. Where is the time for you steeped as you are in a multitude of activities? You have an army to take care, a war to wage, a law to enact, a judgment to deliver, a visitor to host and a thousand things to do. How can there be a state of equanimity? It is like a serpent trying to wear a flower garland on its non-existent neck! For the people in the state of awareness, wood and gold are alike. They see the self (aatman) in all creations and serve them naturally as the liberated souls should. Oh! all this is hypothetical and far away from my main question. Convince me that marriage is good for me. As a sannyAsin, I would be aloof; having left the society behind, I would have overcome attachment. My mind would be in constant peace, living the physical existence of an animal, so to say, eating fruits, roots and leaves in the forest, neither seeking nor accepting anything from anybody. I wish to lead this kind of life, away from all sense needs. In this scheme of things and quality existence where is the place for a wife? In the created world of phenomena we recognize forms and their attributes. Creating is nothing but a mishmash of desires and consequent adherence. You claim to be a detached person. You are nothing but an unbelievable contradiction. (Suka's reasoning was not impeccable as it seems. His intellectualization is only an exercise in rationalization from conclusion to the premises, and thus a fundamental flaw in logic. He is overwhelmed by his own certainty, and even starts mocking at the great emperor, clearly exhibiting signs of arrogance and immaturity. He continued) Oh, mighty emperor, you always think of your treasury and taxes, battles won and to be won, men and women to be honored and punished - all that is your duty, is it not? - and anxious. Controlled senses and samsaara! Ugh, what a contradiction. Moderation and ceaseless activity; again, what an inconsistency! So, videha is only a surname for you. It is an unreal and even hypocritical world that you have created for yourself, where the fool is considered as a scholar, where the blind is known as sUrya and the poor considered as mahAlakShmi! You are a videha only because of your lineage and by merit or performance. Talking about lineage, was not nimi your forefather who fought and exchanged curses with vaSiShTha while preparing for a yaJNam for indra? Your life is a strange drama of falsehood.
Suka was exhausted after the outpouring. janaka listened to the vituperation patiently, and replied calmly.
janaka: Well spoken, revered young saint. You spoke much wisdom. vyaasa, your father was my aachaarya. Son of that great preceptor, you are of keener intellect. Oh, you mentioned about the forest and living with the animals. But, pray, are not the five elements in forest too? How can you, then, be dispassionate? You would need food, won't you? You may even need a stick for shooing animals and hide to protect against weather. Nowhere can you totally get rid of anxiety. My own worry is comparable to that. Doubt is worry too, my son. See how far you have traveled to clear a nagging doubt! Your obsession `not to marry' worries you. How can you attain detachment? I am fully conscious of my own anxiety in the realm of action. But I eat and sleep well, because I am not bound by that anxiety; I am serene. You are sad because you imagine things. Remove your doubts. Have a balance of mind that will lead you to a state of bliss. This is not my body, nor is this my house. Banish such thoughts. Absence of thinking that I am this body etc. is a state of nirvikalpa (unwavering and immutable; recognizing no distinction between object and subject and without distinct consciousness of the knower, known and the very act of knowing, and ultimately without even self-consciousness). Possessions do not bind me. You may own just a grain of sand and feel the weight of a mountain, or you may possess the whole world and feel it like a feather. As an intelligent person you have the freedom to choose the right attitude. Enjoy that freedom and use it well, my child! You have my blessings.
Suka was ashamed of his harsh words, and felt humble in the presence of janaka, a peerless sage who taught true renunciation.
He returned to his father who knew that he would - wiser, mellowed and mature. He married pivari who bore four children, kR^iShNa, gauraprabhaa, bhUridevaSR^ta and kIrti.
We thus conclude an interesting episode. The wisdom that janaka shared with Suka should clear our doubts too. There is an appropriate time for any action. We have to follow the traditional wisdom, because there is no question or doubt that has not been asked and not clarified in our scriptures. Celibacy, even in thought, is a somewhat unnatural quality. Renunciation comes more easily after going through the natural process. However, marriage is not a casual arrangement. All of us know that `love' between two young persons is often infatuation or a play of urge. A stable marriage calls for much giving, and the traditional system of arranged marriages is valid even these days when women are economically independent. Often, an `angel' during courtship turns out to be a `devil' soon after marriage, because assessing compatibility is a complex job. The probability of a stable and happy married life is much higher in an arranged wedding, if all the rules are followed. Moreover, the demands of gR^ihasthaaSrama is not restricted just to the man, his wife and children, but also to their extended family. The so called freedom of choice when young people attempt to seek a partner is more a myth than reality, as indicated by hard statistics! There is no shame in following the traditions of proven merit and there need not be a defiant pride in breaking them.