kanfusion

காக்கை சிறகினிலே நந்தலாலா உன் கரிய நிறம் தோன்றுதடா நந்தலாலா

2012-02-11T21:00:00.001+05:30

காக்கை சிறகினிலே நந்தலாலா உன் கரிய நிறம் தோன்றுதடா நந்தலாலா

sang Bharatiyar

I see your black hue in the wings of a crow, oh the darling of Nandagopa

Kumaran aasaan the great poet of malayalam said..

കണ്ണേ മടങ്ങുക കരിഞ്ഞുമലിഞ്ഞുമാശു
മണ്ണാകുമീ മലര് വിസ്മൃതമാകുമിപ്പോള്‍

എണ്ണിടുകാര്‍ക്കും ഇതുതാന്‍ ഗതി സൌഖ്യമെന്തു

കണ്ണിരിനാല്‍ അവനിവാഴ്വു കിനാവ്‌ കഷ്ടം

kanne matanguka karinjumalinjumaasu mannakumii malaru vismruthamaakumippol,

enniitukaarkkum ithuthan gathi saukhyamentu kanneerinaal avani vaazhvu kinavu kashtam..

My eyes, you withdraw yourself from enjoying the beauty of this flower, because in the span of a few minutes or hours, the flower will fade,turn unattracti and turn into sod and shall be forgotten for ever..

Beware, this is the fate for all living beings on the earth...it is meaningless to shed tears,

life is but a dream, an illusion...

So Krishna created this stunning beauty for a very short time to sit on the plant and give pleasure to the eyes of others. Why should we pluck them and shorten its lifetime?

பூக்களைத்தான் பறிக்காதீங்க

।श्रीकृष्णो रक्षतु।
|śrīkṛṣṇo rakṣatu|
Have a nice and happy day
with profound respect and warm regards
K V Ananthanarayanan
blog http://kanfusion.blogspot.com/
त्यजन्तु बान्धवाः सर्वे निन्दन्तु गुरवो जनाःI
तदापि परमानन्दो गोविन्दो मम जीवनंII
let all my relatives abandon me, let the great people insult me, still I am in supreme bliss since my life is GOVINDA alone.
Iकृष्णात् परं किमपि तत्वं अहं न जाने"I
लोकाः समस्ताः सुखिनो भवन्तु।
lokāḥ samastāḥ sukhino bhavantu|

காக்கை சிறகினிலே நந்தலாலா

2012-02-11T20:15:00.002+05:30

காக்கை சிறகினிலே நந்தலாலா உன் கரிய நிறம் தோன்றுதடா நந்தலாலா

sang Bharatiyar

I see your black hue in the wings of a crow, oh the darling of Nandagopa

Kumaran aasaan the great poet of malayalam said..

കണ്ണേ മടങ്ങുക കരിഞ്ഞുമലിഞ്ഞുമാശു
മണ്ണാകുമീ മലര് വിസ്മൃതമാകുമിപ്പോള്‍

എണ്ണിടുകാര്‍ക്കും ഇതുതാന്‍ ഗതി സൌഖ്യമെന്തു

കണ്ണിരിനാല്‍ അവനിവാഴ്വു കിനാവ്‌ കഷ്ടം

kanne matanguka karinjumalinjumaasu mannakumii malaru vismruthamaakumippol,

enniitukaarkkum ithuthan gathi saukhyamentu kanneerinaal avani vaazhvu kinavu kashtam..

Beware, this is the fate for all living beings on the earth...it is meaningless to shed tears,

life is but a dream, an illusion...

So Krishna created this stunning beauty for a very short time to sit on the plant and give pleasure to the eyes of others. Why should we pluck them and shorten its lifetime?

பூக்களைத்தான் பறிக்காதீங்க

viswam vishnur vashatkaro...

2012-02-11T19:56:00.000+05:30

viswam vishnur vashatkaro...

guruvayurappan is the whole universe Viswam.. and not the granite idol.. which is only an icon.

By growing beautiful flowers on earth which is a part of His self he adorns himself.

Opinions can vary..

Sankara once apologized to Lord shiva for have seen the divinity in a stone while He is present in the whole universe, as the ashtamurthi...

The famous prayer of Kalidasa in Shakuntalam..

या सृष्टिः स्रष्टुराद्या वहति विधिहुतं या हविर् या च होत्री
ये द्वे कालं विधत्तः श्रुतिविषयगुणा या स्थिता व्याप्य विश्वं
यामाहुः सर्वबीजप्रकृतिरिति यया प्राणिनः प्राणवन्तः
प्रत्यक्षाभिः तनुभिरवतुवः ताभिरष्ताभिरीशः॥
महाकवेः कालिदासस्य अभिज्ञानशाकुन्तळात्॥।

Yaa shrastuH shritiraadhyaa vahati vidhihutam yaahavir yaa cha hotri,

ye dwe kaalam vidhattah shrutivishayagunaa yaa stitaa vyapya viswam,

yaamaahu sarvabhiijaprakrutiriti yaya praaninah praanavanthaH

pratyakshaabhiH tanubhiravatu vaH taabhirashtaabiriisah...

who is the first among creations..water,

who takes oblations properly made to gods..agni,

which is the offering in yajna the havis,

who is the person making oblation.. brahmana,

who knows the past and future.. time,

who is the medium of hearing and sustains the life of all beings..air,

who pervades the whole universe, the teja in the shape of akasha,

and

who is the prakriti who mothers the whole life..the mother earth...

Lord Ashtamurthi the shiva who manifests in these eight forms may bless us.

In purushsooktham they say

tam yjanam barhishi praukshan...

yajnena yajanamayajantha devaah..

tasmaad yajnaad...

so we see the manifestation of Shiva the Krishna everywhere.. Nothing special can be achieved by adorning any symbol or Icon..

I do not say this to hurt the sagunopasakaas, it is only a stage in growth of a sadhaka.. when Krishna said Patram Pushpam Phalam toyam yo me bhaktya prayachchati he only meant that when we see these things, we should praise the creator and remember that he has created them..

Unadulterated energy

2012-02-05T08:08:00.001+05:30

Unadulterated energy

He was the son of the wind-god himself born by accident to a monkey woman. She delivered him in a cave in the mountains of Kishkinda forest. But the potential revealed itself instantaneously. When he opened his eyes and felt hungry, he did not cry for mother's milk as is usual for any infant. He saw the solar disc in the zenith and for him it appeared to be a ripe and juicy fruity. He jumped to catch it and eat it and his speed was supersonic. The world trembles. The gods were terrified of a catastrophe. No one knew what exactly he should do. The child was racing towards the sun and even at the distance of about three hundred miles it could feel no strain or exhaustion due to the heat. He was opening his mouth wide to gobble up the red fruit that was the sun. Then Indra did a funny thing. He hurled his thunderbolt at the child, and since the weapon was blessed it did its work and the baby was hit on his chin and fell unconscious . The hit of the thunderbolt distorted one chin of the hero slightly, and so He gained the name Hanuman.

The god of wind was enraged. Someone had hit his darling son. Immediately he went out of circulation. The entire universe including gods choked. The world was on the brim of asphyxiation. Then all the gods led by Brahmadeva approached windgod and tried to appease him. The child was revived. He was granted the boon on immortality. All the Gods including brahmadeva promised that their weapons and arrows in their names would never proved fatal to the child. The sungod took upon himself the duty of educating the child. Thus the child grew into one, who had the speed of mind, the energy equal to the wind, the winner of all his organs, the best among the wisest person, and also the chief of the army of the monkeys.

But as luck would have it, a virulent child, and the son of a monkey (aanjaneya the son of Anjana), he was very naughty and played some pranks on some hermits doing penance in the caves of Kishkinda. In turn they cursed him that he would never remember his extreme valour unless he is reminded of it by a proper person.

It is to this Hanuman that Jambavan the elderly boar, and a great hero himself, addressed the following words.

अनेकशतसाहस्रीं विषण्णां हरिवाहिनीं जांबवान् समुदेक्ष्यैवं हनुमन्तमदाब्रवीत्।

वीर वानरलोकस्य सर्वशस्त्रविशारद तूष्णीमेकान्तमाश्रित्य हनुमन् किं न जल्पसि॥

हुनुमन् हरिरजस्य सुग्रीवस्य समो ह्यसि। रामलक्ष्मणयोश्चापि तेजसा च बलेन च॥

अरिष्टनेमिनः पुत्रो वैनतेयो महाबलः। गरुत्मानिति विख्यातः उत्तमः सर्वपक्षिणां।

बहुशो हि मया दृष्टो सागरे स महाबलः। भुजङ्गानुद्धरन्पक्षी महावेगो महायशाः।

पक्षयोर्यद्बलं तस्य तावद्भुजबलं तव। विक्रमश्चापि वेगश्च न ते तेनावहीयते॥

बलं बुद्धिश्च तेजश्च सत्त्वं ते हरिसत्तम। विशिष्टं सर्वभूतेषु किमात्मानं न बुद्ध्यसे॥

श्रीमद्वाल्मीकिरामायणे किष्किन्दाकाण्डे सर्गं ६६ श्लोकाः १—७

anekashatasaahasriiM viSaNNaaM harivaahiniiM jaaMbavaan samudeekSyaivaM hanumantamadaabraviit.

viira vaanaralokasya sarvashastravishaarada tuuSNiimekaantamaashritya hanuman kiM na jalpasi..

hunuman harirajasya sugriivasya samo hyasi. raamalakSmaNayoshchaapi tejasaa cha balena cha..

ariSTaneminaH putro vainateyo mahaabalaH. garutmaaniti vikhyaataH uttamaH sarvapakSiNaaM.

bahusho hi mayaa dR^iSTo saagare sa mahaabalaH. bhuja~NgaanuddharanpakSii mahaavego mahaayashaaH.

pakSayoryadbalaM tasya taavadbhujabalaM tava. vikramashchaapi vegashcha na te tenaavahiiyate..

balaM buddhishcha tejashcha sattwaM te harisattama. vishiSTaM sarvabhuuteSu kimaatmaanaM na buddhyase..

shriimadvaalmiikiraamaayaNe kiSkindaakaaNDe sargaM 66 shlokaaH 1—7

The backdrop is this. Hanuman the great monkey is serving as a minister to an obscure Monkey king in exile Sugriiva, and Sri Rama along with Seetha and Lakshmana had arrived at the forest to fulfill a vow. By some stealthy ruse, the king of demons, Ravaneshwara had abducted Sita to Lanka and while wandering in the precincts of Rishyamooka mountains, the brothers had become friendly with Sugriva, and Rama had won back to Sugriva the lost kingdom from the latter's arrogant brother Vaali, after killing Vaali, and in return the army of monkeys had been sent all over the continent of Asia in search of Sita. The major battalion, headed by the crown prince Angada, had reached the south-eastern tip of India abutting the Bay of Bengal from where there lied the Vast oceans and Srilanka at the other end. The monkeys had enough evidence to presume that Ravana would have taken Sita to Lanka..

The monkey's were at their tether's end. To reach Lanka and see if Sita was there one had to cross the sea, and the only conceivable mode for a monkey would be to jump the distance and the distance was not at all small.. it was one hundred yojanas of that time ( there are different views about the exact measure of a Yojana by todays standards..varying from one hundred kilometres to about four hundred kilometres.) The monkeys had a day-long assembly as to who could do this. Jambavan, one of the leaders was the main speaker. No one was sure about himself and his capability of covering such a distance over water and keep his life.

As luck would have it they had the minister Hanuman also in the team. He was never conscious of his valour. He was always playing the role of the intellectual in the court of Sugriva. Since the present assembly was for the physically valorous, Hanumanji kept himself aloof, though he had the physical fitness and shape, as he never knew the unadulterated energy was seething inside him.

But there was the ancient Patriarach Jambavan available right on hand, and He knew the history of Hanuman.

So Jambavan addresses Hanumanji..

I quote from Valmikiramayanam .." Seeing hundreds of thousands of monkeys standing there miserably at their wits end, Jambavana proceeded to Hanuman, and addressed him like this, " You Hanuman, the most valourous one of the monkey clan, you the ultimate scholar of all the scriptures, why are you sitting aloof and not speaking anything?

You Hanuman, you are equal in all respects to Sugriva the king of monkeys. You are also equal to Rama and Lakshmana in strength and valour.

I have seen one great bird by name Gautman (Garuda), son of Aristanemi (Kashyapa). He flies over the ocean swinging his powerful wings and lifts very big and heavy snakes and serpants and flies off with ease. You are not inferior to him either in strength or ingenuity. Your hands are as strong and dexterous as the wings of Gaurda. You are the best, wisest, and most powerful among all the living creatures, and why are you not realizing your own hidden energy?"

The talk of Jambavan must have been the best model for any talk for encouraging some person who has a temporary burnout, but is in fact of immense value to any organisation. We find such persons in plenty everywhere. The unorganized energy, the lack of sense of achievement, a feeling of hollowness about life as a whole, and lack of self-assurance. If the leader with sufficient authority could motivate such persons into proper and channelized activity, the results can be spectacular beyond expectations.

This happened in the case of Hanuman. When he was reminded of His glory, he rose up like a lion, roared like a lion and that roar was the death-knell of Ravaneshwara. The rest is History.

The lessons we have to learn from Garuda, Hanuman and even Ravana will be dealt with in articles following this.....

More on Pranvam... the Para and Apara states

2012-01-28T14:25:00.001+05:30

More on Pranvam... the Para and Apara states

परापर विभागेन प्रणवस्तु द्विधा मतः॥

Paraapara vibhaaghen pranavastu dwidhaa mataH..

Privanavam or AUM is considered in two ways as Paraa, and Aparaa as per suuthasamhita.

परं परतरं ब्रह्म प्रज्ञानन्दादिलक्षणं

प्रकर्षेण् नवं यस्मात् परं ब्रह्म स्वभावतः॥

Since the inner visualization of Pranavam endows us with prjnaana the enhanced knowleds, ectasy, etc, it is called partara Pranava.. And on each chanting we find a new rejuvenation and revelation on occasion after occasion.. it is essentially new on every moment of user or chanting so pranavam is also called Param.

सत्यम् ज्ञानमन्तम् ब्रह्म। ॐ तत् ब्रह्म। ॐ आनदो ब्रह्म। Satyam jnaanam anantham brahma, om tat brahma, om aanando brahma, the Upanishads go one praising the Supreme Lord like this.. the pranavam is the embodiment of truth, incarnation of knowledge, manifestation of ecstasy, and has only single quality of sublimity. The brahmam cannot be conceived any other way,. It is truth because it originated once and it will be eternal and shine forth as such without any variation. Whatever other than is the creation of truth is all illusion.. and only the creation of truth AUM is the eternal truth. That which has origin, growth and end are all mithya or illusory, and AUM which is not in that category is the everlasting truth. The AUM can be conceived only by absolute knowledge.. and the state of absoulute knowledge is where the jnaataa.. the knower, jneyam.. that which is to be known and jnaanam, the knowledge of that all become one and inseparable.. ( cf.. lalithasahasranaamam... jnana jnatru jeya ruupaa) .. such state of sublime knowledge is called jnaanaaika rasam and AUM ultimately leads us to that sublime state. In this case once the core is understood, then there cannot be any more thing to be known and there can be no one who would like to know anything more. The reason for any sort of sorrow disappears in this state and and the divine ecstasy that manifests is unmixed with any sorrow or worldly feelings. This is also the manifestation of Paramaatma. This state is called aanadaiikarasam... a state where there is only ananda.. and AUM provides this. Satya jnaana and anada, are the three stages of perception, three vehilcles of perceiption, three results of perception of pure Omkaram. Thus defined and untouched by Maayaa and the related tatwwas of Mahat etc, remais the Para Shiva swaroopam and that is Pranavam. This is the para pranavam.

Without afftected by the vagaries of space-time the word AUM oozes out ecstacy in its vocal form and it is called Apara Pranavam.

अपरः प्रणवः साक्षात् शब्दरूपः सुनिर्म्मलः

प्रकर्षेन नवत्वस्य हेतुत्वाल् प्रणवः स्मृतः

परम प्रणवप्राप्ति हेतुत्वात् प्रणवोऽथवा॥

aparaH praNavaH saakSaat shabdaruupaH sunirmmalaH

prakarSena navatwasya hetutwaal praNavaH smR^itaH

parama praNavapraapti hetutwaat praNavo.athavaa..

The aparapranava is the manifestation of AUM in the vocal form.. It is in the form of sound and is blemishless.. Every chanting of AUM is the source of a new experience spiritually. And this Aparapranava is the step that leads to the parapranava where the supereme Brahmatattwam manifests before us. In this manner also the Sabdhapranava is called Apara.

Omkaaram or Pranavam... something more

2012-01-28T05:50:00.001+05:30

Omkaaram or Pranavam... something more

अकारेणोच्यते विष्णुः सर्वलोकैक नायकः उकारेणोच्यते लक्ष्मीः मकारो जीववाचकः॥

Akaarenocyate VishnuH sarvalokaika naayakaH

Ukaarenochyate lakshmiiH makaaro jeevacaachakaH

A further meaning to Omkaram.. The syllable "A" represents Vishnu the master of the universe. The syallable "U" represents Lakshmi and the syallable "M" represents the sound of life.. Hence AUM is nothing but the communion of the Purusha (Sahasrashiirshaa purushaH..) Vishnu and the Prakriti (see lakshmi ashtottaram.. prakriteem vikruteem vidyaam...) represents the Matha Lakshmi and we know the syllable M represents the life, the motherhood...every language in the world calls the mother with a syllable "M".

We can understand now how the blessed Krishna, Vishnu incarnate sang Pranavam in His flute and the Matha Lakshmi, the prakriti in the shape of Radhika, Gopis and cows all got attracted to the Purusha.. and the communion between them is nothing but the process of life..The frivolous activity of Krishna and the damsels of Brinadaban, Krishan and the cows and their calve in that blessed grazing ground, attains sublime meaning here.

It is the union of jeevatma and paramaatma.. both representing the same in advaita philosophy an having subtle difference inter-se in Vishitaadwaita and dwaita philosophies assuming its fullness in AUM

It will not be out of context to state here that as discussed earlier A represents the supreme soul and therefore it is also connoting Shiva the parabrahmam, and U is nothing bus Uma... "umaa shailendra tanaya gauree gandharvasevitaa.". and M remains the live connection... so as in the concluding name in Lalitha Sahasranaamam "Shivashaktaikya roopinee..." is the Omkaram represented by the Uma-Shamkara Combination. Shankaraacharaya in fact underlines this unity when he states, "ShivaH Shakthya yuktho yadhi bhavati prabhavitum...." Shiva is nothing without Shakthi and Narayana becomes powerful only in company of Lakshmi...

This great principle that the male and the female combine through the jeeva syllable "M" is the greatest message of AUM kaaram.

thoughts on Omkara and Gayatri upasana contd...

2012-01-25T03:53:00.001+05:30

The greateness of Omkaram is highlighted again by the following saying.
जपेन दहते पापं प्राणायामैस्तथा मलं ध्यानेन जन्मनिर्यातं धारणाभिश्च मुच्यते॥
japena dahate paapam praanaayamaistathaa malam dhyaanena janmaniryaatam dhaarnaabhischa muchyate...

"The Omkara burns off our sins when we chant it, physical and mental impurity is removed through praanaayama with omkaram, the sins accumulated through births are burnt of through meditation on omkarama and by going through the eight steps of ashtangayoga with pranavam, one reaches emancipation from worldy existence for ever.. "
ॐ इत्येकाक्षरं ब्रह्म व्याहरन् मामनुस्मरन् यः प्रयाति त्यजन् देहं स याति परमां गतिं॥ ...गीतायां
OM ityekaaksharam brahma vyaaharana maamanusmaran yaH prayaati tyajan deham sa yaati paramaam gatim.. in Gita
"Uttening the one supreme work OM which is brhama itself and concentrating his mind on Me, if a person leaves his body in the end, he reaches the supreme state of immortality....." Declared the Blessed Lord Krishna in Bagavat gita.

The importance of Upasana of Gayatri is underlined in the following discussion.

यद्यपि परमेश्वरः सर्वत्र अभिन्नरूपतया वर्त्तमानः तथापि गायत्र्युपासकस्य विशिष्टफफलप्रदः नान्यथा। अयं दृष्टान्तः याज्ञवल्क्यने कथितः
गवां सर्पिः शरीरस्तं न करोत्यङ्गपोषणं गायत्रीं जपतो नित्यं पुष्णात्यङ्गं सदाशिवः।
एवं सहि शरीरस्थः सर्पिवत् परमेश्वरः विना चोपासनादेव न करोति हितं नृणां॥।
Even though Lord Shiva is present as Vishvamoorthy manifesting himself everywhere, He identified in particular the worshipper of Gayatri and bestows on him all the grace. Yajnavalkya has given the following example:-
"The butter or ghee present in the milk is inherent in the body of the cow.. But in that state the nutrient does nothing special to nourish the body of the cow. But when the cow is milched, and the ghee is extracted and partaken, it nourishes human body (or even the body of the cow itself). Similarly Lord Sadaashiva even though present every where does not do anything particular for the benefit of the people unless they perform devout Upasana through Gayatri. For Gayatri Upasakaas Bhagavaan Shambu is the greatest nourisher."

thoughts on Omkaram.. continued

2012-01-22T09:28:00.001+05:30

ब्रह्मणे त्वा महस ॐ इत्यात्मानं युन्ञ्जीत ( brahmaNe twaa mahasa AUM ityaatmaanaM yun~njiita )

The self should be made one with the great paramatma with the syllable OM, is the exhortation from Taittariya Shruti and is lending evidence to the concept that the basic function of OM is to bring about the unification of Jivatma and Paramatam.

There is a rule that any mantra will have its effect only if it is chanted in conjuction with pranavam. In the text Brahmanasarvaswam, it is said,

प्रणवाद्याः स्मृता मन्त्राः चतुर्वर्ग्ग फलप्रदाःतस्माच्च निःस्सृतास्सर्वे प्रलीयन्ते च तत्र वै

(ब्राह्मणसर्वस्वात्) (praNavaadyaaH smR^itaa mantraaH chaturvargga phalapradaaH

tasmaachcha niHssR^itaassarve praliiyante cha tatra vai braahmaNasarvaswaat)

Meaning "All mantras are meditated upon prefixing Om, and then alone they can give the four results or purushaarthaas, Dharma, Artha, Kama and Moksha. In fact all such mantras originate from pranavam and submerge in it ultimately,"

ॐ कारश्च शब्दश्च द्वावेतौ ब्रह्मणः पुराकण्डं भित्वाविनिर्यातौ तस्मान्माङ्गळिकवुभौ।

माङ्गळ्यं पावनं धर्म्म्यं सर्वकामप्रसाधनंॐ कारः परमं ब्रह्मः सर्वमन्त्रेषु नायकः।

AUM kaarashcha shabdashcha dwaavetau brahmaNaH puraa

kaNDaM bhitwaaviniryaatau tasmaanmaa~NgaLikavuabhau.

maa~NgaLyaM paavanaM dharmmyaM sarvakaamaprasaadhanaM

AUM kaaraH paramaM brahmaH sarvamantreSu naayakaH.

"The flow and the roar of Omkaram came out of the throat of Brahma virtually shattering it. It is capable of providing us with all maangalayam.. meaning all the exalted aims of life, and so the flow and the sound of Omkaram are both called harbingers of mangalam. Provider of Mangalam, purifier of the self, the quintessence of virtues or Dharma, and the provider of all just and rightful desires, Omkaram is called the forerunner or leader of all the manthras. "

यथा पर्ण्णं पलाशस्य शङ्कुनैकेन धार्यतेतथा जगदिदम् सर्वं ॐ कारेणैव धार्यते।

याज्ञवल्क्यात्

yathaa parNNaM palaashasya sha~Nkunaikena dhaaryate

tathaa jagadidam sarvaM AUM kaareNaiva dhaaryate.

yaaj~navalkyaat

Yaajnavalkya praised Omkara like this. " Just as the three leaves in a palasa stalk is held together by a single source ( palasa leaves occure in groups of three) the three worlds bhu, bhuva and suvaH are also held together only by pranavam.

More to follow.....

the five mothers

2012-01-21T21:50:00.001+05:30

गुरुपत्नी राजपत्नी ज्येष्टह्पत्नी तथैव च
पत्नीमाता स्वमाता च पञ्चैते मातरस्मृता॥२३॥
नीतिसारे
gurupatnī rājapatnī jyeṣṭahpatnī tathaiva ca
patnīmātā svamātā ca pañcaite mātarasmṛtā||23||
nītisāree

This is a very important reminder from Niitisaaram, an ancient text which give very apt advice on lifestyle management.

The wife of the preceptor or the teacher, the wife of the elder brother, the queen of the land, mother of the wife and once own mother are all equal in status as mother.
Elsewhere it is said that mother earth and dhaatree, who gives the children breastmilk even though they are not natural mothers are also placed on the same pedestal.

Long live mother-in-laws.

Discussion of Omkaram...The Inseparability of Jeevatma and Paramatma and their absolute oneness is denoted by Pranavam

2012-01-20T19:09:00.001+05:30

Discussion of Omkaram...The Inseparability of Jeevatma and Paramatma and their absolute oneness is denoted by Pranavam

The word अवरक्षणे avaraskahane is from अकारं akaaram meaning protection in an exhaustive way which is the function of the triumvirate brahma, vishna and shiva, or Iswara as a whole. Only people who indulge in vilification of Vishnu or Shiva against one another would try to explain अकारं Akaram representing either of the the gods exclusively in contempt of the other. Such interpretation is irrelevanant and sinful. Here we have to realize that अ is to be construed as an integral part of omkaram (अ उ म A U Ma ). The dictum तस्य वाचकः प्रणवः tasya vaachakaH pranavaH reinforces this idea. The direction Om tat sat given by parabrahmam 0was understood in three ways by great men

ॐ तत्सदिति निर्द्देशो ब्रह्मणस्त्रिविधः स्मृतः ब्राह्मणास्तेन वेदाश्च यज्ञाश्च विहिताः पुरा OM tatsaditi nirddeso brahmanaH trividho smrutah, braahmanaasten vedaashcha yajnaashcha vihitaah pura… it (1)meant Brahmanas themselves, (2)the vedas and(3) the yajnaas.

ॐ इत्येकाक्षरं ब्रह्म ॐ इति ब्रह्मा प्रसौति (Om ityeakaaksharam Brahma, Om iti Brham prasauti ) "Om is the single word denoting the supreme, the Brahma created the world with the word OM "etc underline the supremacy of Omkaram.

अकारो वै सर्वा वाक् (akaro vai sarvaa vaak) the root of all words is Akaara, is the shrutivaakya. The word is the source or Karanam and Karanatwam requires power, knowledge and compassion for protection.. and all these are possessed only by the paramaatman. Hence that paramaatman is the word A. U karam represents the cognitive faculty. U means the world "also" In the vedic sentence तदेवाग्निस्तद्वायुस्तद्सूर्यस्तदुचन्द्रमा (tadevaagnistadvaayustadsuuryastadu chandrama) "that is agni, that is vayu, that is sun and that is also the moon" here tadu chandrama connotes, it is also moon. So U has a mening equivaltent to 'also'. When we start counting from Ka in devanagarai alphabet, the twetififth letter is Ma. प्रऋतिमहदहङ्काराश्च मात्त्रस्च् भूतान्यम्पि हृदपि दशाक्षी पुरुषः पञ्चविंशः

Prakriti, mahat, ahankaram five matras, five bhutas, hridayam and the five karmendriyas and five jnaanedrityas and the purusha constitute the number twentifive and that number is represented by Ma. In fact the parmatma the purusha, who stands also from the 24 tattwas as above is denoted by Makaaram.

So M---the jeevaatma and A the parmatma are U, are the same is the essessence of pranavam. In mathematical parlance AUM parmatma Union Jeevatma is the tattwa.. the advaita tatwwa of Pranavam.

Precedure before starting Gayatri Japam

2012-01-19T05:42:00.000+05:30

Sage Saunaka has prescribed the following procedure before one sits for chanting gayatri after the water oblations during sandhyavandanam.

आब्र्ह्मलोकादाशेषादालोकालोक पर्वतात्
ये वसन्ति द्विजा देवाः तेभ्यो नित्यं नमो नमः
इति मन्त्रं ससुच्चार्य नम्स्कुर्यात्सुरद्विजान्॥
अपसर्पन्तु ये भूताः ये भूतः भुवि संस्थिताः
ये भूतः विघ्नकर्तारः ते गच्छन्तु शिवाज्ञया॥
तलेन वामपादस्य भूमौ खातत्रयं चरेत्।
उग्रभूतपिशाचाद्याः ये च वै भूमिधारकाः
एतेषामविरोधेन ब्रह्मकर्मसमारभे
सङ्कल्प्येवं जपेत्सम्यक् मन्त्रार्थगतमानसः
कुशाजिनाम्बरेणाढ्यं कल्पयेदासनं बुधः॥
ābrhmalokādāśeṣādālokāloka parvatāt
ye vasanti dvijā devāḥ tebhyo nityaṁ namo namaḥ
iti mantraṁ sasuccārya namskuryātsuradvijān||
apasarpantu ye bhūtāḥ ye bhūtaḥ bhuvi saṁsthitāḥ
ye bhūtaḥ vighnakartāraḥ te gacchantu śivājñayā||
talena vāmapādasya bhūmau khātatrayaṁ caret|
ugrabhūtapiśācādyāḥ ye ca vai bhūmidhārakāḥ
eteṣāmavirodhena brahmakarmasamārabhe
saṅkalpyevaṁ japetsamyak mantrārthagatamānasaḥ
kuśājināmbareṇāḍhyaṁ kalpayedāsanaṁ budhaḥ||

First the Brahmana should offer multiple.pranaams to all the gods and twiceborns who are living in the terrain between Brahmaloka to Patala (the fourteen worlds) and between Loka mountain and Aaloka mountain. After chanting the manthra Aabrahmalokaad... (as above).

Then he should chant the mantra "the devils and demons which inhabit the earth and cause impediments to good actions may remove themselves from here in the name of the order of Lord Shiva" and should forcibly hit the earth with his left heel thrice.

Then he should chant the mantra that I am starting the worship of Brahmam, without causing any inconvenience and without incurring the wrath of the spirits who hold this earth aloft and make it worth inhabitataion..

He should perform the japa fully understanding the meaning of the manthra fully and unequivocally. He should sit in the seat of Darbha and wear the skin of black antelope and appropriate clothes during the chanting.

It is clear that we should have the blessings of all our fellow human beings and gods if we have to start and complete a good action to its happy conclusion. We can always expect the evil forces that will come in the way of good actions. They are driven away by threat of the anger of Lord Shiva and also of physical force. Besides some spirits are always present in nature protecting and keeping the world aloft. Their natural movements and actions should not be disturbed by our actions, whether good or bad. So the intention not to cause any inconvenience to them is delclared here. The wearing of Krishaajinam is restricted to brahmachaaris by convention now.

Lord Krishna From Vrindavan -

2012-01-14T16:23:00.001+05:30

Lord Krishna From Vrindavan

Makarasankranti Pongal Wishes

2012-01-14T11:46:00.001+05:30

Friends, My best wishes to all of you with family and near and dear on Makarasankranti and Pongal .. May the sweetest Grace of that nomad of Brindaban be with all of us.

Our mind is very hard, like a diamond

2012-01-10T05:20:00.002+05:30

Our mind is very hard, like a diamond, and a classy diamond will be very transparent. But if the mind is to realize its worth, it should melt at the thought of Krishna. Just think of Him and heat up the mind to the appropriate molten form..ask that Krishna with the tiny feet (my god ! the tiny feet which could not find space enough to measure its third step while measuring the universe) to put a foot mark on the molten mind and with Him standing or even after He is gone take it back to its normal diamond-like hardness. The footmark is made there. Our life is blessed for ever. The mind should again melt only when Guruvayurappan wants to step on it.

Lack of Selfishness

2012-01-08T10:37:00.000+05:30

09-12-2006

Lack of Selfishness

I would seem to put to this group something that is too personal and not relevant to the group at all. If you feel so, please ignore this.Today Our marriage completes 19 years. I do not propose to use this forum to send a message to my wife because she will never see this, and she is not interested in groups or in computer either. I just thought how a typical Iyer woman spends her life even today. It was no romantic or idyllic match for us, but a match more dependent on idlis and dosas. But she was absolutely faithful in spite of the eccentric fellow that I was, with ungodly duty hours. If I am to leave for work on a day at 3A.M., she would wake up at 2A.M and cook asmall meal for me, and when I return home 24 or 48 hours later again at a time when only ghosts will walk along the road, she will be waiting for me. I am not an attractive or charismatic man, and by any standards an under-performer.( I often wonder she would have abandoned me had she not been a typical Brahmin Mami ). She is in fact more educated than me and she earns sufficiently for herself through her job. We have a boy of 18 years who is as bad a devil as me demanding too much from his mother. Silently and happily she does everything. What I wrote above are personal. But I feel her attitude in life has been shaped like this because she grew up in a Brahmin family in a typical agraharam where human relations count a lot and reading Dale Carnegie or Stephen Covey is not necessary to learn the basics of life, but the advise of an old grandmother or great grandmother istaken as the gospel truth.I write this as a tribute to every Brahmin woman who builds up her exclusive world around her little family and can make it a heaven or hell (God forbid!) by her actions. Sure, Brahmin life is very different from others even in these modern times. Whatever we learned for thousands of years cannot be unlearned in a few years of ultramodern life. We men will brag and debate on various issues but the rocklike platform is provided by our own faithful (if I may bepermitted to say, faithful to a fault) females. Thanks.

It is now five years later.. but I have had no reason to change my views...rather they are reinforeced. I am just republishing the above post...even without editing it for spelling mistakes if any. 08-01-2012 K V Ananathanarayanan

How to call a great man a monkey

2012-01-08T07:19:00.001+05:30

कुर्वन् शाखासु सञ्चारं
जनयन् द्विज सध्वसं
पश्चात् बालद्विजोऽद्य
अयमागतो राम वानरः॥
kurvan śākhāsu sañcāraṁ
janayan dvija sadhvasaṁ
paścāt bāladvijo'dhya
ayamāgato rāma vānaraḥ||
(this is a chaatuslokam.. the authorship is hazy)
How to call a great man a monkey
About two hundred years ago there lived in Thrikkandiyur (the place from where Narayana Bhattathiri and Thunjathu ezhuttassan also hailed from ) one great Sanskrit Scholar by name Kaikkulangara Rama Variar. He was erudite in all disciplines of the language like tarka, vyakarana, etc and also a scholar in four Sakhas (Vedas). The brahmins were jealous of him and were also very wary of his scholarship because it would make inroads into their source of income as poets and teachers. They wanted to call him a monkey but their innate decency did not permit it. So one poet among them announced the arrival of Variar thus.

A monkey called Rama is arriving.. he always jumps from one branch of a tree to another, he makes the birds panicky, but is having all the younger birds flying behind him.
The sakha means the Vedas, dwija also connotes brahmin because he is twice born, one natural birth and the second the initiation, and the bird which is once born as an egg and then comes out of the egg is also a dwija. The natural tendency of younger birds is to follow a monkey in his jump from branch to branch. The young brahmins had started the studentship of this Rama (Variar) abandoning their brahmin teachers.
And the nambudiris called the variar Vanara, a man with caste name starting with the word Va..

So the sloka would also mean,
Here comes the man with Va, the Rama (variar) who frequently expounds the substance of the four vedas, and in this process is causing awe and disturbance even to brahmins, and the younger boys of the brahmin community are now running after him for education, forsaking their traditional brahmin preceptors.

The nobility of a learned man shows even when he is rebuking someone else.

Have care for the mother

2012-01-07T10:08:00.001+05:30

आस्तां तावद्देयम् प्रसूति समये दुर्वार शूल व्यथा
नैरुच्यं तनु शोषणं मलमयी शय्या च सांवसरी
एकस्याऽपि न गर्भभारभरणक्लेशस्य यस्य क्षमो
दातुं निष्कृतिमुन्नतोपि तनयः तस्यै जनन्यै नमः॥१॥
गुरुकुलमुपशृत्य स्वप्नकाले तु दृष्ट्वा
यति समुचित वेषं प्रारुदो मां त्वमुच्चैः
गुरुकुलमथ सर्वा प्रारुदाते समक्षं
सपदि चरणयोस्ते मातुरस्तु प्रणामाः॥२॥
अंबेति तातेति शिवेति तस्मिन्
प्रसूतिकाले यदवोच उचैः
कृष्णेति गोविन्द हरेमुकुन्देति
अहो जनन्यै रचितोयमञ्जलिः।३॥
न दत्तं मातस्ते मरणसमये तोयमपि या
स्वादा या नो देया मनणदिवसे श्राद्ध विधिना
न जप्तो मातस्ते मरण समये तारकमनु
अकाले संप्राप्ते मयि कुरु दयां मातरतुलां॥४॥
मुक्तामणिस्त्वं नयनं ममेति
राजेति जीवेति चिरं स्तुता त्वं
इत्युक्तवत्या तव वाचि मात
ददाम्यहम् तण्डुलमेष शुल्कं॥५॥
āstāṁ tāvaddeyam prasūti samaye durvāra śūla vyathā
nairucyaṁ tanu śoṣaṇaṁ malamayī śayyā ca sāṁvasarī
ekasyā'pi na garbhabhārabharaṇakleśasya yasya kṣamo
dātuṁ niṣkṛtimunnatopi tanayaḥ tasyai jananyai namaḥ ||1||
gurukulamupaśṛtya svapnakāle tu dṛṣṭvā
yati samucita veṣaṁ prārudo māṁ tvamuccaiḥ
gurukulamatha sarvā prārudāte samakṣaṁ
sapadi caraṇayoste māturastu praṇāmāḥ||2||
aṁbeti tāteti śiveti tasmin
prasūtikāle yadavoca ucaiḥ
kṛṣṇeti govinda haremukundeti
aho jananyai racitoyamañjaliḥ|3||
na dattaṁ mātaste maraṇasamaye toyamapi yā
svādā yā no deyā manaṇadivase śrāddha vidhinā
na japto mātaste maraṇa samaye tārakamanu
akāle saṁprāpte mayi kuru dayāṁ mātaratulāṁ||4||
muktāmaṇistvaṁ nayanaṁ mameti
rājeti jīveti ciraṁ stutā tvaṁ
ityuktavatyā tava vāci māta
dadāmyaham taṇḍulameṣa śulkaṁ||5||

Maathrupanchakam by Shankara Bhagavatpaada

This is a heartrending sob emanating from the mundane heart of the greatest ever recluse and propouder of advaita philosophy which considers everything in the apparent world as myth and unreal. Sankara has written great treatises and many stotras of Gods are attributed to Him. But in this quintet he praised no God, and propounds no philosophy. Simply a tribute of tears to His mother who left her mortal coils in his absence and he could reach her only to see her dead body.
This cry would reverberate all over the Universe. For the believer or non-believer, for the theist or atheist, for the the genius or the nitwit, for the rich or the poor, the mother, the biological mother who gave birth to him is the eternal presence of Divinity. There can never be any compensation or repayment for what our mother has done to us. There is no pain more intense than what the mother suffers when we eject ourselves out of her body. Has she ever hated us for giving her such pain?

"My mother, how can one describe the pain you suffered as I was extricating myself out of your uterus..And how can I thank you for sharing my bed for one year after I was born, my function being just to drain you of your blood by sucking your breast dry, and make the surrounding dirty by urine, vomit and other discharges. Feeding me and not finding time for fending for yourself and having lost all appetite, you became weak and emaciated but you never allowed me to suffer.., And now however big and great I am how can I give back anything for such sacrifice without equal?   1

You sent me to the abode of the teacher to get me educated, but the only thing that existed in your thought and spirit was me. You had nightmares seeing me in dreams in the ochre clothes of an ascetic and to reassure yourself that nothing like that has happened you ran to the Gurukula barefooted, wailing all the way, and on seeing me there with my fellow students, you again let out wails of rapture and misery put together and the whole gurukula wept with you.   What can I do for you now other than prostrate on the barren road you traversed for me again and again? 2

You were crying out with unbearable pain, oh my father, oh my mother, of Lord Shiva, as you were giving birth to me.. Now chanting the names of Krishna, Govinda, Mukunda and Hari, I am making my final obeisance to you. 3

I did not have the fortune of pouring sacred waters on your mouth while your life was departing, I have nothing to offer as tasty food and other presents on the date of death according to the rules of Sraadhdha,(I am a penniless mendicant), I was not present to chant the Taraka mantram (Rama Nama) at your ears while your vital energies were departing, and finally I have come before you after everything is over, my dear dear mother, have your infinite mercy on me. 4

With all the affection that only a mother can have you addressed me ever and ever   as your precious gem, your eyes, your prince, your life. and now on that affectionate mouth I am offering a handful of rice as the price for everything. 5

Those who have lost the mother will feel the incessant ache for ever. My appeal to those who are lucky to have their mothers is.. Have care for the mother.
Nothing is more precious for a living being than its mother.

Ambi Mama

2012-01-05T03:40:00.000+05:30

I have no celebration for vaikunta ekadasi today because my Ambi Mama passed awayyesterday.. my own eldest maternal uncle, must be more that ninety. I amin Trivandrum and with difficulty to travel I could not go to Coimbatoreto see him for tha last time. Must go to see the elderly mami within tendays.

He was a good man ultimately.. people who can do no harm to others apart from just shouting angrily without any rancour in mindcan be really termed as good.

He was an employee of Govt of Kerala and had lived for more years than hisservice to draw pension, and now leaves mami to draw family pension also.

But the greatest quality to be griven credit is that in spited ofbeing a clerk and superintendent in the Public Works Department, where one canget rewarded even for just simply occupying the seat, the man was surprisinglyclean..one can say with absolute conviction that he did not take benefitseither in cash or kind for favours done.. Indeed a great achievment for agovernment servant and a PWD employee.

He was childless..This fact has nagged him for about 56 years of marriedlife.. He adopted a nice girl.. but still..

He was blind for the past twenty years or so. Even ealier, right fromchildhood he was wearing highly negatively powered glassess for shortsight.. afamily heirloom for at least fifty percent of our family members.

But his lack of vision did not impair his capacity to speak out. Evenwhen he knew that his was an isolated voice, he would shout incessantly if hesmelt someone was dirtying the municipal road. The people in theagraharam gave him the title "Public Road" for this quality. But suchpublic heckling never bothered him. He could not sleep without calling aspade a spade, however unpleasant his words were.

I have inherited many of his characteristics, perhaps excepting hisstinginess( understandable as he was born in a big poor family of eightsiblings) and shortsight.. But being the wrong birds of the same feather,we were not at all friendly with each another. When I was a small boyhe would shout at me. But when I grew into a postgraduate and a gazettedofficer ( he was never destined to be one) he would not face me but shoutat me to his heart's content ensuring that I was present somewhere in theearshot.

After migrating to trivandrum, I have not seen him for the past tenyears.. Not even talked to him all these years. Still I was conscious ofhis presence as a Jambavan in our family..

He lost his three immediately following siblings one above and two belowearlier. May mother is now the senior-most (at eighty three orfour) in the line. That realization adds pace to my heartbeats.

I have no health to run to coimbatore before the funeral, but my mind feelsthe vacancy of my own Ambi Mama, Sekharipuram Vaidyanatha IyerVaidyanathan

Take him under your protective Grace, Krishna.

sandhya vandanam

2012-01-01T16:51:00.001+05:30

an old text on sandhyavandhanam is made available in the web by a friend in google books it is a treasure. circulated.
[PDF]

The Sandhyavandanam of Rig, Yajus, and SÃ¢ma Vedins

xa.yimg.com/kq/groups/.../name/sandhyavandanam00aiyagoog.pdf

May Guruvayurappan make the new year great for you

2011-12-31T19:45:00.001+05:30

My pranams to you all. My greetings and best wishes that Guruvayurappan may fill the new year with his bounty for all of us.

The Lord started creation with the hep of his own Maaya.

2011-12-29T07:24:00.001+05:30

एवं च द्विपरार्धकालविगता वीक्षां सिस्य्क्षात्मिकां
बिभ्राणे त्वयि चुक्षुभे त्रिव्भुवनीभावाय माया स्वयं।
मायातः खलु कालशक्तिरखिला धृष्टं स्व्भावोऽपि च
प्रादुर्भूय गुणान् विकास्य विदधुस्तस्याः सहयक्रियाम्॥३॥
श्रीमन्नारायणीये दशकं ५

एवम् द्विपरार्ध काल विगतौ च त्वयि सिस्यक्षात्मिकां ईक्षां बिभ्राणे सति त्रिभुवनीभावाय मया स्वयं चुक्षुभे। मायातः खलु कालशक्टिः अखिल्ल्दृष्टं स्वभावः अपि च् प्रादुर्भूय गुणान् विकास्य तस्याः सहायक्रियां विदधुः।
evaM cha dwiparaardhakaalavigataa viikSaaM sisykSaatmikaaM
bibhraaNe twayi chukSubhe trivbhuvaniibhaavaaya maayaa swayaM.
maayaataH khalu kaalashaktirakhilaa dhR^iSTaM swbhaavo.api cha
praadurbhuuya guNaan vikaasya vidadhustasyaaH sahayakriyaam..3..
shriimannaaraayaNiiye dashakaM 5

evam dwiparaardha kaala vigatau cha twayi sisyakSaatmikaaM iikSaaM bibhraaNe sati tribhuvaniibhaavaaya mayaa swayaM chukSubhe. maayaataH khalu kaalashakTiH akhilldR^iSTaM swabhaavaH api ch praadurbhuuya guNaan vikaasya tasyaaH sahaayakriyaaM vidadhuH.

The absence of the distintion between Vyaktha and Avyaktha (clear and unclear.. something akin to the triple point in thermodynamics) and the details of such existence in recounted in this stanza. You Guruvayurappa, you remains in the condition of perfect introspection for two paradhas.. each parardha is nearaly ten raised to eighteen years..) and then you exalted mind had a desire for creating things.. then the Maya inherent in you became agitated herself to convert herself as the three universes. In that Maaya, manifested time, the discrimination of good and bad, and all seen and unseen qualities which consitute the apparent universe now. You simply divided and enhanced the three Gunas, Sattwa, Rajas and Tamas and just stood as a witness lending a occsional helping hand to your own maya.

Again this is an intricate thought process which if is to be expanded would cover pages and pages for description. but the essential life of Narayaneeyam is Bhakthi and Leela of Guruvayurappan. This is only a curtain raiser.
The Lord started creation with the hep of his own Maaya.

to continue the cosmic cycle for ever.

2011-12-28T05:03:00.001+05:30

कालः कर्म गुणाश्च जीवनिवहा विश्वं च कार्यं विभो
चिल्लीलारतिमेयुषि त्वयि तदा निर्लीनतामाययुः।
तेषां नैव वदन्त्यसत्त्वमयि भो शक्त्यात्मना तिष्ठतां
नो चेत् किं गगनप्रसून सदृशां भूयो भवेत् संभवः॥२॥
श्रीमन्नारायणीये दशकं ५
विभो तदा कालः कर्म्मगुणाः च जीवनिवहाः कार्यम् विश्वं च चिल्लीलारतिम् एयुषि त्वयि निर्लीनतां आययुः। अयि भोः शक्त्यात्मना तिष्ठतां तेषां असत्त्वं न एव वदन्ति। नोचेत् गगनप्र्सूनसदृशां तेषां भूयः संभवः किं भवेत्।
kaalaH karma guNaashcha jiivanivahaa vishwaM cha kaaryaM vibho
chilliilaaratimeyuSi twayi tadaa nirliinataamaayayuH.
teSaaM naiva vadantyasattwamayi bho shaktyaatmanaa tiSThataaM
no chet kiM gaganaprasuuna sadR^ishaaM bhuuyo bhavet saMbhavaH..2..
shriimannaaraayaNiiye dashakaM 5
vibho tadaa kaalaH karmmaguNaaH cha jiivanivahaaH kaaryam vishwaM cha chilliilaaratim eyuSi twayi nirliinataaM aayayuH. ayi bhoH shaktyaatmanaa tiSThataaM teSaaM asattwaM na eva vadanti. nochet gaganaprsuunasadR^ishaaM teSaaM bhuuyaH saMbhavaH kiM bhavet.

Guruvayurappa, during that long period of deluge, you were engaging yourself in simple contemplation of your own inner being, In you, the all pervading master, time and all good and bad deeds which form the karma and the three gunas of sattwa raja and tamas, and all groups of animate and inanimate beings simply dissolved
My lord, are the three gunas, time etc are all in a way illusory like the flowers formed in the sky (perhaps by the fleeting white clouds).. but through your maaya they manifest and exist in a frame of reference created by your exalted chit.

The idea is very difficult to comprehend. We humans live in a frame of reference which for us is very real. I cannot say my eyes, ear, speech or hunger ar mere illusions..Then I may have to say that even my death will be only an illusion. But the Universal soul by its on powers of will, makes everything, time, discretion, tendencies and the physical appearance of the beings at micro and macro levels, illusory during the Pralayas and then again runs the drama of the apparent world for some eons, again returning to pralaya... to continue the cosmic cycle for ever.

This part of Narayaneeyam is entirely speculative and in fact tries to describe something which cannot be comprehended by anyone who is existing in the universe under the spell of Maya. But when covering such a great work one cannot afford to skip these parts also.

Things started happening from that nothingness.

2011-12-27T04:42:00.001+05:30

व्यक्ताव्यक्तमिदं न किञ्चिदभवत् प्राक् प्राकृतप्रक्षये
मायायां गुणसाम्यरुद्धविकृतौ त्वय्यागतायां लयं।
नो मृत्युश्च तदामृतं च समभून्नाहो न रात्रेः स्थितिः
तत्रैक्स्त्वमशिष्यथाः किलपरानन्दप्रकाशात्मना॥१
श्रीमन्नारायणीये दशकं ५

प्राक् प्राकृत प्रक्षये मायायां गुणसाम्य रुद्ध विकृतौ त्वयि लयं आगतायं सत्यां व्यक्थाव्यक्तं इदं किञ्चित् न अभवत् तदा मृत्युः च अमृतं च न समभूत्। अह्नः स्थितिः न। रात्रेः स्थितिः न। तत्र त्वं परानन्द प्रकाशात्मना एकः अशिष्यथाः किल।
vyaktaavyaktamidaM na ki~nchidabhavat praak praakR^itaprakSaye
maayaayaaM guNasaamyaruddhavikR^itau twayyaagataayaaM layaM.
no mR^ityushcha tadaamR^itaM cha samabhuunnaaho na raatreH sthitiH
tatraikstwamashiSyathaaH kilaparaanandaprakaashaatmanaa..1
shriimannaaraayaNiiye dashakaM 5

praak praakR^ita prakSaye maayaayaaM guNasaamya ruddha vikR^itau twayi layaM aagataayaM satyaaM vyakthaavyaktaM idaM ki~nchit na abhavat tadaa mR^ityuH cha amR^itaM cha na samabhuut. ahnaH sthitiH na. raatreeH sthitiH na. tatra twaM paraananda prakaashaatmanaa ekaH ashiSyathaaH kila.

The fifth dashakam of Naraayaniiyam starts to describe the saga of genesis of living beings in the universe as per the Indian concept. The great poet bhattatiri has drawn inspiration from Srimad Bhagavatam and from Upanishads and Aaranyakas to recount in detail the process of creation... the story will unravel in the stanzas to come.
"In the ancient time of deluge, the divine Maaya or illusion was rendered functionless because the three qualities of all beings..sattwa, rajas and tamas were present in equal quantities in everything and that Maaya simply dissolved in You Guruvayurappa, and with that the universe in macro (sthoola) or micro (sookshma) forms became absent or irrelevant. In that period there was no death, and was there no emancipation..There was no day, nor any night.. In that period you were the one and alone and in supreme bliss on yourself you remained as the embodiment of effulgent light and sat chit aananda."

A situation similar to this can be found in the Naasadiiya Sooktham of Rig Veda,

Things started happening from that nothingness.

http://kanfusion.blogspot.com/2010/09/from-nothingness.html this is the link to naasadeeya sooktam

kalau samkeerthya keshavam

2011-12-25T05:22:00.000+05:30

तपः परं कृतयुगे त्रेतायां ज्ञानमुच्यते

द्वापरे यज्ञमेवाहु दानमेव कलौ युगे॥

यत्कृते दशभिर्वर्षैः त्रेतायां हायनेनतु

द्वापरे तच्च्मासेन ह्यहोरात्रेण् तत् कलौ॥

ध्यायन् कृते यजन् यज्ञैः त्रेतायां द्वापरे अर्चयन् यदाप्नोति

कलौ सङ्कीर्त्य केशवं

tapaḥ paraṁ kṛtayuge tretāyāṁ jñānamucyate

dvāpare yajñamevāhu dānameva kalau yuge||

yatkṛte daśabhirvarṣaiḥ tretāyāṁ hāyanenatu

dvāpare taccmāsena hyahorātreṇ tat kalau||

dhyāyan kṛte yajan yajñaiḥ tretāyāṁ dvāpare arcayan yadāpnoti

kalau saṅkīrtya keśavaṁ

from dharmasastraas.

The best way of reaching higher aims in life in the Krita yuga (Satya yuga) is to do hard penance. In the Threta Yuga one had to achieve emancipation through concerted acquisition of Knowledge. In the dwapara yuga, the same results are obtained by doing yagas and yajnaas. But in Kali Yuga one has attain great merit just by engaging oneself in philanthropic acts like making gifts and helping the needy and hapless.

What one gains by doing good things in tens of years in Kritayauga, what he does in one six month period in threta yuga and what one does during a month will have identical effect as to one doe in a day and night in Kaliyuga. ( A note of caution.. this should apply to good acts as well as bad)

Another advice on yuga dharmas... what one gets by contemplation on the supreme in Krita Yuga, what one gets by elaborate rituals and sacrifices in threta yuga, by engaging in long poojas and archanas in Dwapara Yuga, one can attain in Kaliyuga by the chanting of the holy name of the Lord in Kaliyuga... Namasankeertanam is the path of Kaliyuga for elevation to heaven.

further thoughts on dharmas

2011-12-25T01:48:00.001+05:30

The greatest authorities ofDharmasaastraas are eighteen in number. Manu, Brihaspati, Daksha, Yama, Yajnavalkya, Gautama,Prachetas, Paraasara, Angiras, Samvarthaka, Shataatapa, Likhita, Shukra,Atri, Vishnu, Shankara, Aapastambha, and Haritha.

Bohaayana, Aapastamba,SatyaashaaDa, Traahyaayana, Agastya, Shaakalya, Ashwalaayana, Saambhaveeya,Katyaayaana are the nine poorvasuukthaas. Vaikhanasam, Saunakeeyam, Bharadwajam, Agrniveshyam, Jaimineeyam,Mathrunyam, Maadhyandhinam, Kaundinyam, and Kausheetakam are the apara sootraaas.

The Kausheetaka and AaswalayanaSutras are attached to Rigvedam.. Bhodaayanam, Aapastambham, Bhaaradwaajam, SatyaashaaDam, Vaikhaanasam...these five sutras are attached toKrishna Yajurvedam. Shukla yajurveda hasa sootra called Katyaayanam, and Samaveda encompasses Traahyaayanam andJaiminiiyam

The fundamental belief if Dharmasaastras isthat the Rishis who have discovered the laws have ordained the properconduct. What they call Dharma is so andif they have probhibited anythingcategorically, it is adharma.

वेदोऽखिल धर्ममूलं स्मृतिः शीले च तद्विदां।

आचारश्चैव साधूनां आत्मनः तुष्टिरेवच॥

vedo'khila dharmamūlaṁ smṛtiḥśīlee ca tadvidāṁ|

ācāraścaiva sādhūnāṁ ātmanaḥ tuṣṭirevaca||

The root source of Dharma is thethe four Vedas. The Dharmasastras, andthe local habits or precedents also are valid insofar as they are not inconflict with the dictats of Vedas. Theceremonies and observations followed bythe noble are also part of dharma and the litmus test for dharma is that itshould give delight to the self.

Ultimately, the aacharyaas havealways permitted amendments to the rules after very strict and impartialevaluation of the pros and cons of a particular rule.

wish you a merry christmas

2011-12-24T15:50:00.001+05:30

God sent his only begotten Son to take upon himself all the sins of we mortals and wash them away in his holy blood. There is no sacrifice greater that this ever. It is His birthday. Let us greet each other...

Radha saw her Krishna

2011-12-24T05:57:00.000+05:30

राधावदनविलोकनविकसित विविधविलास विभङ्गं
जलनिधिमिवविधुमण्डलदर्शन तरळिततुङ्गतरङ्गं
हरिमेकरसं चिरमभिलषित विलासं
सा ददर्श गुरुहर्षवशंवदहृदयमनङ्गविलासं॥१॥
हारममलतरमुरसि दधतं परिलम्ब्य विदूरं।
स्फुटतरफेनकदम्बकरम्बितमिव यमुनाजलपूरं॥२॥
श्यामळमृदुलकळेभरमण्डल परिहितगौरदुकूलम्
नीलनळिनमिव पीतपरागपटलभरपरिगतमूलं॥३॥
तरलद्ऱ्इगञ्चलचलनमनोहरवदनजनितरतिरागं
स्फुटकमलोदरखेलितखञ्जनयुगमिव शरदि तटाकं॥४
वदनकमलपरिशीलनमिळितमिहिरसमकुण्डल शोभं
स्मितरुचिरुचिरसमुज्ज्वलिताधरपल्लवकृतरतिलोभं॥५॥
शशिकिरणच्छुरितोदरसुन्दरसकुसुमकेशं
तिमिरोदितविधुमण्डलनिर्म्मलमलयजतिलकनिवेशं॥६॥
विपुलपुळकभरदन्तुरितं रतिकेलिकल्ल्भिधीरं
मणिगणकिरणसमूहसमुज्ज्वलभूषण्सुभगशरीरं॥७॥
श्रीजयदेवभणितविभवद्विगुणीकृतभूषणभारं
प्रणमत हृदि विनिधाय हरिं सुचिरं सुकृतोदयसारं॥८॥
श्रीजयदेवकृते गीतगोविन्दे अष्टपदी २२
rādhāvadanavilokanavikasita vividhavilāsa vibhaṅgaṁ
jalanidhimivavidhumaṇḍaladarśana taraḻitatuṅgataraṅgaṁ
harimekarasaṁ ciramabhilaṣita vilāsaṁ
sā dadarśa guruharṣavaśaṁvadahṛdayamanaṅgavilāsaṁ||1||
hāramamalataramurasi dadhataṁ parilambya vidūraṁ|
sphuṭataraphenakadambakarambitamiva yamunājalapūraṁ||2||
śyāmaḻamṛdulakaḻebharamaṇḍala parihitagauradukūlam
nīlanaḻinamiva pītaparāgapaṭalabharaparigatamūlaṁ||3||
taraladigañcalacalanamanoharavadanajanitaratirāgaṁ
sphuṭakamalodarakhelitakhañjanayugamiva śaradi taṭākaṁ||4
vadanakamalapariśīlanamiḻitamihirasamakuṇḍala śobhaṁ
smitarucirucirasamujjvalitādharapallavakṛtaratilobhaṁ||5||
śaśikiraṇacchuritodarasundarasakusumakeśaṁ
timiroditavidhumaṇḍalanirmmalamalayajatilakaniveśaṁ||6||
vipulapuḻakabharadanturitaṁ ratikelikallbhidhīraṁ
maṇigaṇakiraṇasamūhasamujjvalabhūṣaṇsubhagaśarīraṁ||7||
śrījayadevabhaṇitavibhavadviguṇīkṛtabhūṣaṇabhāraṁ
praṇamata hṛdi vinidhāya hariṁ suciraṁ sukṛtodayasāraṁ||8||
śrījayadevakṛte gītagovinde aṣṭapadī 22

Geetagovindam of Jayadeva is the description of the strange and sweet relationship of Radha and Krishna, full of yearning for each other and at the same time a saga of self-mortification through separation from one one another for frivolous causes with all eagerness to get united.. they are very far from each other when they are near and they are so close to each other when they are separate. It is also the yearning of the seeker for the ultimate being sought, the search of prakriti and purusha to unite and make the universe perfect....

The twentysecond Ashtapadi is where after a lot of lovelorn reprimands and eager separation Hari the lover and Radha his dearest, meet one another. How that Radha saw Hari in that state of near fulfilment is the content of this Kalyana Ashtapadi.

That Radha saw Hari whose only desire at that moment was to get united with her.. the moment he was awaiting with eagerness for a long time now..His only object of love at that moment was Radha.. on seeing her face, He is alternately sujected to myriad of emotions like disability to move, sweating, raising goose pimples and so on..it like the ocean raising all its waves towards the full moon at the moment of tide.

He wore a long garland full of perals and with his pitch-dark body resembled the river Kalindi who is very black but shines with pure white foam on her surface.

He shone like a black lily flower with dark and soft petals which was partially covered by a yeallow silken clothe resembling yellow hued spores of that dark flower.

His dark pair of eyes were just wandering fast left to right having glimpse at the attractive face of Radha.. and he looked like a lake with a pair of Khanjanika birds swimming blissfully over its waters.

His face was like a red lotus ( for a dark face like His to become red like a lotus should definitely mean the intensity of his yearning for Radha), flanked by two earrings which shone like two suns and his lovesome lips were tremulous with the insatiable desire for union with his love...Radha

He was adoring his hair with pure white flowers and it gave an impression of the rays of moon peeping out of the covers of dark cloud. His face shone like the moon which had just come out fresh from out of a cover of dark clouds.

And to top it all, the lord of the whole universe in his excited state of mind in full expectation of an ideal communion with Radha, was totally bereft of any boldness... completely given to sweet anxiety of expectation.. Radha saw him adorned in all the valuable gems and other embllishments, eager to take possession of the real gem he yearned for .. Radha

This tribute of Jayadeva to the eager expectation of Krishna in His union with Radha is an additional ornament offered to Hari.

Let us prostrate before that Hari whose beauty is enhanced by the nearness of Radha and is further enhanced by the tribut of this Jaydeva.

my experiments with serendipity second

2011-12-18T11:29:00.002+05:30

http://kanfusion.blogspot.com/2009/03/my-experiments-with-serendipity.html

more than two years have passed from when I posted the above.. pl follow the link. Life became worse. All things went against me. I cut the vein on my left hand and remained bleeding for about 6 hours but was rescued. I inserted an uninsulated copper wire into the phase of a plug pin and held the whole unisulated wired on hand and stood on damp ground, but there was powercut at that moment. Krishna did not want me to go. I submitted my volutary retirement but I was vetoed out of it. I came back from the difficult isolation of Tirunelveli to the more comfortable Trivandrum, joined my family and got a promotion and the fellow who was written off could be rated by the higher authorities at 9plus out of ten in my subsequent Annual Performance Appraisal Report.. Setbacks suffered in life and health continue to nag me, but that black fellow Krishna repairs everything sitting in the background.

This is the second stage of my experiments with serendipity. I do not know when the third experiment will start.

love for nature

2011-12-17T09:20:00.001+05:30

One of the four slokas in the fourth Act of Abhijnaanashaakuntalam--all the four slokas constitute the quartet of the most sublime creation in Sanskrit Kavyaas...

kaavyeshu naatakam ramyam tatra shankuntalam matham shaakuntale chaturthongaH tatra sloka chatushtayam...

which touched the vitals of my softest feeling is this

पातुं न प्रथमं व्यवस्यति जलं युष्मास्वपीतेषु या
नादत्ते प्रियमण्डनापि भवताव् स्नेहेन या पल्लवं।
आद्ये वः कुसुमप्रसूतिसमये यस्याः भवत्युत्सवः
सेयं याति शकुन्तळा पतिगृहं सर्वैरनुज्ञायतां॥
कालिदासमहाकविकृते अभिज्ञान्शाकुन्तळे चतुर्त्थे अङ्के
paatuM na prathamaM vyavasyati jalaM yuSmaaswapiiteSu yaa
naadatte priyamaNDanaapi bhavataav snehena yaa pallavaM.
aadye vaH kusumaprasuutisamaye yasyaaH bhavatyutsavaH
seyaM yaati shakuntaLaa patigR^ihaM sarvairanuj~naayataaM..
kaalidaasamahaakavikR^ite abhij~naanshaakuntaLe chaturtthe a~Nke

Shakuntala is scheduled to leave for the abode of Dushyanta, her husband. Her foster father Kanva is utterly desolate.. even the hermit as he is, he is not able to endure the pangs of separation.. he wanders around the plants and trees which Shakuntala had tendered with affection for all her life.. He addressed them and say,
"You the plants and trees of this hermitage, give permission and blessings to Shakuntala who is leaving for her husband's house.. You know, she never ventured to drink water before your roots were all watered and your thirst was quenched. For a young girl growing up in the hermitage the natural adornments could be only your tender leaves. But out of very deep love for you, she never could bring herself to pluck even a tender leaves of yours although her natural desire to adorn herself attractively was immense. When any one of you sprouted a new and fresh flower, she was so happy that it was like a joyous festival for her. That Shakuntala is leaving you for ever today."

A lover of plants and trees and mother nature can utterly realize the affectionate bond between that beautiful young child Shakuntala, who herself looked like a bright wild creeper and the plants of the hermitage which were to her like her own siblings, or children.
I feel a greater lover of nature than Kalidasa was never born.. There are so many examples, but to me this is the best.

jagatah pitarau vande

2011-12-17T06:38:00.004+05:30

The famous argument that parvatii paramaewarau mentions in the first stanza of Raghuvamsam of Kalidasa is not merely siva and parvathi but it is worshiping the two deities or couples paarvatiipa rameshwarau पार्वतीप रमेश्वरौ. If this is so the poet is meaning as the parents of the world the lord of Parvathi, Shiva, and Rameswara the vishnu.. which will in turn lead to the sankaranaryana tattwa, the mohini episode in purnaas and upto even Saasta.. historically these ideas were not alien in ujjain at kalidasaa's time. Basically the idea whether word and its meaning would match only if they are attached through a female- male combination is only speculative, the union between the male and the female is the most perfect one is a reality. We can find that phenomenon in the birth of any living thing.. cloning does not create a new living being but is only a splitting of cells to make replicas. It is poetic, and even social custom to attribute things soft to the female and the tougher things to male. Life, literature on any facet of life becomes we-rounded and proportioned if the content has the right quantity of softness and toughness. The combination of prakriti and purusha, shiva and shakthi.. all these concepts reinforce this And the greatest attraction in beings is between the negative and the positive (negative and positive are very relative concepts..in physics negative charge means excess of electrons.. it is queer to call some state of abundance as negative), but any man if he is to inhabit meaningfully in a set environs, needs the company of a woman and vice versa. If word is the female and the meaning the man, then their compatibility would be greatest if we consider their gender affinity. Would it mean that the female is only the word and the meaning lies in the man? I dont want to create a domestic schism anyway. The word and meaning are inseparable held together.. like parvati- shiva, lakshminaryanana or Shankaranarayana..that is the greatness of the poet. And the second is the longevity of the affinity between the vaak and artha.. the best way is for them to be a male and female to be very close. in nature man and man may be close for a very short time, so also female and female, but when the union is between man and woman, the bond is very deep.. and they will manage to be close most of the time albeit some occasional quarrel and fist-fight.. Such quarrels we see in bad literature of all sorts. Even in music we can reach the rhythm only with talam and ragam and layam.. The talam is maintained by the tough instruments usually of the percussion type.

sree durga saptasloki

2011-12-11T17:05:00.001+05:30

shree durgaa saptashloki

ॐ ज्ञानिनामपि चेतांसि देवी भगवती हि सा
बलादाकृष्य मोहाय महामाया प्रयच्छति॥१॥
दुर्गे स्मृता हरसि भीतिमशेषजन्तोः
स्वस्थैः स्मृता मति अतीव शुभां ददासि।
दारिद्र्यदुःखभयहारिणि का त्वदन्या
सर्वोपकारकरणाय सदऽऽर्द्रचित्ता॥२॥
सर्वमङ्गळमाङ्गळ्ये शिवे सर्वर्त्थसाधिके
शरण्ये त्र्यंबके गौरी नारायणि नमोऽस्तुते॥३॥
शरणागत दीनार्त्त परित्राण परायणे
सर्व्वस्यार्त्तिहरे देवी नारायणि नमोऽस्तुते॥४॥
सर्व्वस्वरूपे सर्व्वेशे सर्व्वशक्तिसमन्विते
भयेभ्यस्त्राहिनो देवी दुर्ग्गे देवि नमोऽस्तु ते॥५॥
सर्वबाधा प्रशमनं त्रैलोक्यस्याखिलेश्वरि
एवमेव त्वया कार्यं अस्मद्वैरि विनाशनं॥६
रोगानशेषानपहंसि तुष्टा
रुष्टा तु कामान् सकलान्भीष्टान्

त्वामाश्रितानाम् न विपन्नराणाम्

त्वामाश्रिताह्याश्रयताम् प्रयान्ति॥७॥
॥इति श्री दुर्ग्ग सप्तश्लोकी संपूर्ण्णं॥
om jñānināmapi cetāṁsi devī bhagavatī hi sā
balādākṛṣya mohāya mahāmāyā prayacchati||1||
durge smṛtā harasi bhītimaśeṣajantoḥ
svasthaiḥ smṛtā mati atīva śubhāṁ dadāsi|
dāridryaduḥkhabhayahāriṇi kā tvadanyā
sarvopakārakaraṇāya sada''rdracittā||2||
sarvamaṅgaḻamāṅgaḻye śive sarvartthasādhike
śaraṇye tryaṁbake gaurī nārāyaṇi namo'stute||3||
śaraṇāgata dīnārtta paritrāṇa parāyaṇe
sarvvasyārttihare devī nārāyaṇi namo'stute||4||
sarvvasvarūpe sarvveśe sarvvaśaktisamanvite
bhayebhyastrāhino devī durgge devi namo'stu te||5||
sarvabādhā praśamanaṁ trailokyasyākhileśvari
evameva tvayā kāryaṁ asmadvairi vināśanaṁ||6
rogānaśeṣānapahaṁsi tuṣṭā
ruṣṭā tu kāmān sakalānbhīṣṭān
tvāmāśritānām na vipannarāṇām
tvāmāśritāhyāśrayatām prayānti||7||
||iti śrī durgga saptaślokī saṁpūrṇṇaṁ||

This mantra is part of Devee Mahatyam or Chadii.. It is a manthra with magical powers. When a sadhaka is in safety the mother Duga provides him with all riches and happiness. When he is in dire straits She will come forward to free him from evil possessions, and annihilates all his enemies.

The Mahamaaya, the Devi Bhagavati, can hold in illusion by her power of attraction and delusion, even the minds of the most learned men.

Mother Durga, when your Grace is remembered by the devotee, it destroys his fears completely. When he remembers your Grace in a healthy condition,It provides him with a calm and happy intellect. Is there any deity other than your Sweet Grace who can annihilate the maladies of poverty, sadness, fear and mental disorders? Your Grace is of the most compassionate mind always ready to help all beings in the universe.

Your Exalted Grace is the element of mangalam ( meaning all that is great and sublime) in all the objects that represent mangalam, your Grace is the harbinger of well being (shivam) and you, my mother, is also the consort of Shiva, Your Grace is the object of abject surrender by your devotees, you are the three eyed (or the consort of the three eyed Lord shiva) and you are my mother Narayani, the sister of Narayana. May your Grace be pleased to accept all my pranams.

You are very dutiful in protecting unconditionally all who surrender on those lotus feet of yours with all types of miseries and sorrows. May your Grace who annihiltates the sorrow of all be pleased to accept all my humble pranaams.

Your exalted Grace is present in all things that have any sort of form, Your Grace is the owner of all that is in this univers, you are the meeting point and treasure house of all powers (the yogic Sakthis) , Mother Durga, May your Grace be pleased to protect me from all sorts of fear that arise to me now.

It is the duty and function of your Divine Grace, you the suzerain of the three worlds, to remove all the evil possessions by devils and demons and human acts which afflict me and pull me down, and I pray with full heart that your Grace must be pleased to annihilate all may enemies.

When your Grace is pleased, all the maladies are removed with a derisive smile. When your Grace is extremely pleased, you grant all the desires of your devotees. For men who take refuge in the Lotus feet of your exalted Grace, there can be no dangers or accident. For the servants of Your Grace, my mother, all the others become servants/

This is the holy seven slokas in worship of Matha Durga.

shree durgaa saptashloki

2011-12-11T16:16:00.001+05:30

shree durgaa saptashloki

त्वामाश्रितानाम् न विपन्नराणाम्

The Mahamaaya, the Devi Bhagavati, can hold in illusion by her power of attraction and delusion, even the minds of the most learned me.

This is the holy seven slokas in worship of Matha Durga.

the nectar for the Universal Soul

2011-12-11T06:04:00.001+05:30

आलोक्य मातुर्मुखमादरेण स्तन्यं पिबन्तं सरसीरुहाक्षं
तत्फुल्लवक्त्रं शरदिन्दुहासं बालं मुकुन्दं मनसा स्मरामि II
That dark lad is eagerly drinking the breast-milk of Yasodha..and frequently He is looking at the beautiful face of that luckiest mother with his eyes which resemble two lotus petals.. He pouts his lips attractively and His smile as bright as the moon in Sharakalam shines out like a lightning. May I be lucky to comtemplate that form of the boy Mukunda in my sinful mind for a split second..

The provided of food and nourishment is drinking the milk of a solitary cowherd womam adopting her as His own mother.. And He is so thankful to her.. That is our krishan

2011-12-06T13:42:00.001+05:30

All that was left was the bell and the string tied to it.

another episode from Panchatantram of Vishnusharma

In a town there lived a carpenter by name Ujjwalaka. He was very indigent.. He was feeling sad that everyone in the city did some productive work and earned money and respect. But his labour with timber earned him neither. So he left his town and went away to another city.

En route he saw a female camel in labour pain. With his help she delivered a calf and he came back to his house leading the lady camel and her newborn boy. He fed the camels with great care. The camel calf in time ate a lot of fodder and grew into a fully grown strong camel. The carpenter was in turn doing well financially selling the milk of the female camel. The carpenter thought that the camel boy was the harbinger of good luck for him and so he was very proud of him. He tied a bell around the neck of this camel boy, and the calf was ecstatic when he heard the ringing sound wherenever he moved his neck.

In course of time the carpenter purchased some more camels and they begat many a foal, and now the carpenter was a successful dealer in camels, and its products. He groomed and sold many camels in the process and was immensely prosperous. But he never could think of selling off his first find, the camel with a bell around his neck.

One day all the camels of the household went to a nearby forest for grazing and having water. They had tummyfuls of grass and tender plants and bellyfuls of clean cool water. In the evening they returned home very jubilant. Our camel with the bell was also in the lead. Being the pet of the group he was arrogant, and he was shaking his neck with flourish giving out loud noise, attracting all around including predators. Other camels were very disturbed.

" This foolish fellow is showing off with his bell. And he is coming far behind separated from the group.. May he not fall in the mouth of some wild predator."

While the procession was on, one lion happened to hear the chime of bells and came out to see what was the mess. Seeing the lion all the camels who were walking ahead of the camel with the bell bolted and escaped to the town. The camel with the bell was far behind and he could not divine the approach of the lion till it was too late to escape.

All that was left was the bell and the string tied to it.

jaya jaya deva hare

2011-12-06T06:29:00.001+05:30

श्रितकमलाकुचमण्डन धृतकुन्डल कलितलळितवनमाला जय जय देव हरे॥१॥
दिनमणि मण्डलमण्डन भवखण्डन मुनिजनमानस हंस जय जय देव हरे॥२॥
काळियविषधरभञ्जन जनरञ्जन यदुकुलनळिनदिनेश जय जय देव हरे॥३॥
मधु मुर नरक विनाशन गरुडासन सुरकुलकेळिनिधान जय जय देव हरे॥४॥
अमलकमलदळ लोचन भवमोचन त्रिभुवनभवन निधान जय जय देव हरे॥५॥
जनकसुताकुचभूषण जित दूषण समरशमितदशकण्ड जय जय देव हरे॥६॥
अभिनवजलधर सुन्दर धृतमन्दर श्रीमुख चन्द्रचकोर जय जय देव हरे॥७॥
श्रीजयदेवकवेरितं कुरुते मुदं मङ्गल्मुज्ज्वलगीतं जय जय देव हरे॥ ८॥
॥इति महाकवि श्रीजयदेव विरचिते गीतगोविन्दे सामोददामोदरे द्वितीय अष्टपदी॥

shritakamalaakuchamaNDana dhR^itakunDala kalitalaLitavanamaalaa jaya jaya deva hare ..1..
dinamaNi maNDalamaNDana bhavakhaNDana munijanamaanasa haMsa jaya jaya deva hare ..2..
kaaLiyaviSadharabha~njana janara~njana yadukulanaLinadinesha jaya jaya deva hare ..3..
madhu mura naraka vinaashana garuDaasana surakulakeLinidhaana jaya jaya deva hare ..4..
amalakamaladaLa lochana bhavamochana tribhuvanabhavana nidhaana jaya jaya deva hare ..5..
janakasutaakuchabhuuSaNa jita duuSaNa samarashamitadashakaNDa jaya jaya deva hare ..6..
abhinavajaladhara sundara dhR^itamandara shriimukha chandrachakora jaya jaya deva hare ..7..
shriijayadevakaveritaM kurute mudaM ma~NgalmujjwalagiitaM jaya jaya deva hare.. 8..
..iti mahaakavi shriijayadeva virachite giitagovinde saamodadaamodare dvitiiya aSTapadii ..

This is an Ashtapadi where Sri Jayadeva describes the whole glory of Maadhava.. in Sopana Sangeetham and great art forms like Kathakali, this ashtapadi is rendered as the mangalaslokam... Today is Guruvayurapaan's day.. his own Ekadasi.. my humble pranams for His welfare because the whole world can be in good stead only if that black fellow is happy.

Victory to you, Victory to you, Oh Lord Hari..
You the amorous lover holding the breast of Lakshmi the Kamala, you having your resplendent ear ornaments, adorning the beautiful garland of thulasi and other flowers,
you, the most exalted adornment for the orb of the sun, you, the remover of the mundane pathos of your devotees, you the swan shining in the lotus of the learned sages,
you, the shatterer of the poison fangs of Kaaliya the snake, you the rejoicer of the hearts of one and all with your glorious lore, you the sun for the lotus that is called the yadu clan,
you the destroyer or demons madhu, mura and naraka, you the occupant of the back of the lord of birds Garuda, you the sole cause for the rejoicing of the numerous gods and their clans,
you the possessor of eyes shaped like flawless petals of a fresh lotus, you the destroyer of the sins and sufferings of the devotees, you who contains and protects the three worlds in your belly during the deluges at the end of eons,
you, the playful handler of the breast of the daughter of Janaka, you the vanquisher or Dhooshana, you the slayer of the ten-headed Ravana at the end of a fierce battle,
you the possessor of freshly black beauty like the newly formed black cloud, you the supporter of Mandhara mountain during the churning of the milky ocean, you the chakora bird which drinks the face of the moon that is Lakshmi,
The above song which is sung by the Poet Jayadeva may endow all of us with happiness and mangalam
( there is no word to translate the meaning of this word to English)

The writing is by a poet who has realised Krishna and witnessed His playful activities. So whatever he writes, in devotion or in sringaararasam is equally sacred. The amorous union of prakriti and purusha is the basis for the existence of this world.. We are mere constituents and the exalted souls like this poet are well within their rights to describe their master in whatever way they want.
Sree Krishnaarapanam.

Your Lotus feet may please be graceful to lift me also to such sublime heights

2011-12-01T06:42:00.001+05:30

अग्निवासरवळर्क्षपक्षगैरुत्तरायणजुषा च दैवतैः
प्रापितो रविपदं भवत्परो मोदवान् ध्रुवपदान्तमीयते॥११
आस्थितोऽथ महरालये यदा शेषवक्त्रदहनोष्मणार्द्यते
ईयते भवदुपाश्रयस्तदा वेधसः पदमतः पुरैव वा॥१२॥
तत्र वा तव पदेऽथवा वसन् प्राकृतप्रळय एति मुक्तताम्।
स्वेच्छया खलु पुरा विमुच्यते संविभिध्य जगदण्डमोजसा॥१३॥
तस्य च क्षितिपयोमहोऽनिलद्योमहत्प्रकृतिसप्तकावृतीः
तत्तदात्मकतया विशन् सुखी याति ते पदमनावृतम् विभो॥१४॥
अर्च्चिरादिगतिमीदृशीं व्रजन् विच्युतिं न भजते जगत्पते
सच्चिदात्मक भवद्गुणोदयानुच्चरन्तमनिलेश पाहि मां॥१५
श्रीमन्नारायणीये चतुर्थदशकं
भवत्परः अग्निवासर वलर्क्ष पक्षगैः उत्तरायण जुषा च दैवतैः रविपदं प्रापितः मोदवान् ध्रुवपदान्तं ईयते॥
अथ महरालये आस्थितः यदा शेषवक्त्र दहनोष्मणा अर्द्यते तदा भवदुपाश्रयः वेधसः पदम् ईयते वा अतः पुरा एव वेधसः पुरम् ईयत्॥
तत्र वा अथवा तव पदे वसन् प्राकृतप्रळये मुक्तताम् एति। अथवा स्वेच्छया पुरा खलु जगदण्डम् सम्विभिद्य विमुच्यते॥
विभो योगी तस्य च क्षिति पयो महो अनिल ध्यौ महत् प्रकृति सप्तकावृतीः तत्तद् आत्मकतया विशन् सुखी ते एव अनावृतं पदं याति॥
हे जगत्पते ईदृशीं अर्चिरादिगतिं व्रजन् योगी विच्युतिम् न भजते। सत् चित् आत्मक अनिलेश भव गुनोदयान् उच्चरन्तम् मां मां पाहि।।
agnivaasaravaLarkSapakSagairuttaraayaNajuSaa cha daivataiH
praapito ravipadaM bhavatparo modavaan dhruvapadaantamiiyate..11
aasthito.atha maharaalaye yadaa sheSavaktradahanoSmaNaardyate
iiyate bhavadupaashrayastadaa vedhasaH padamataH puraiva vaa..12..
tatra vaa tava pade.athavaa vasan praakR^itapraLaya eti muktataam.
swechchhayaa khalu puraa vimuchyate saMvibhidhya jagadaNDamojasaa..13..
tasya cha kSitipayomaho.aniladyomahatprakR^itisaptakaavR^itiiH
tattadaatmakatayaa vishan sukhii yaati te padamanaavR^itam vibho..14..
archchiraadigatimiidR^ishiiM vrajan vichyutiM na bhajate jagatpate
sachchidaatmaka bhavadguNodayaanuchcharantamanilesha paahi maaM..15
shriimannaaraayaNiiye chaturthadashakaM

The movement to the final destination... the attainment of the Lotus feet of the Brahman that is Guruvayurappa for the yogis who can devise various options is described in the concluding five stanzas of the fourth Dashakam.
"The yogi who has served you with devotion is led by gods who preside over fire, daytime, the new moon fortnight (shuklpaksham) and who are depending on the Uttaraayanam ( makaram to mithunam months), to the abode of the Sun from where the yogis enjoy supreme bliss and finally reach upto the abode of the Dhruva star--the polestar.
From the Dhruvapadam they reach the Maharloka where they may wait till the heat from the hood of Bhagavan Sesha who is forming your bed, or even before becoming conscious of such heat, the realized yogi proceeds to the abode of brahma ( the brahmaloka is nothing but the naabhiikamalam of the Lord)
Living in the coziness of your lotus feet or in the brahmaloka (your naabhiikamalam), whe the pralayam or deluge occurs at the end of a tenue of Brahmadevea, the yogis opt for emancipation having attained oneness with you. They do have the choice of forcibly moving out (or breaking)of the egg of Brahma (brahmaandam) even before pralayam through their power of yoga and attaining moksham or emancipation at their will.
The breaking of brahmanda would mean that the yogi, after promoting himself through the seven sheaths of Brahmandam which are earth, water, the power of thrunderbolt, air, the skay, the principle of mahat and maya, in his sookshma or quintissential body, and escapes to your exalted area where there are no coverings of impediment.
My Lord Guruvayurappa, Lord of the Universe when the yogis reach the world of bliss through the yogic--devotion in your lotus feet will never have punaravritti, that is coming back to the earth to take further births. For them the final destination is reached. My sweet master Krishna, Guruvayurappa, I am also in that path, I am starting by recounting your great lore with utter devotion.. Your Lotus feet may please be graceful to life me also to such sublime heights. Oh my Lord Guruvayurappa, be my saviour.

Aghamarshana manthras.

2011-11-29T07:12:00.001+05:30

Aghamarshana manthras.

हिरण्यशृङ्गं वरुणम् प्रपद्ये तीर्थं मे देहि याचितः।
यन्मया भुक्तमसाधूनाम् पापेभ्यश्च प्रतिग्रहः॥५५॥
यन्मे मनसा वाचा कर्मणा वा दुष्कृतम् कृतं
तन्न इन्द्रो वरुणो बृहस्पतिः सविता च पुनन्तु पुनः पुनः॥५६॥
नमोऽग्नयेऽप्सुमते नम इन्द्राय नमो वरुणाय नमो वारुण्यै नमोऽद्भ्यः॥५७॥
यदपां क्रूरम् यदमेध्यं यदशान्तं तदपगच्छतां॥५८॥
अत्याशनादतीपानात् यच्च उग्रात् प्रतिग्रहात्।
तन्मे वरुणो राजा पाणिना ह्यवमर्शतु॥५९॥
सोऽहमप्यपापो विरजो निर्मुक्तो मुक्तकिल्बिषः

नाकस्य पृष्टमारुह्य गच्छेत्ब्रह्मसलोकतां॥६०॥
यश्चप्सु वरुणः स पुनात्वघमर्षणः॥६१॥
इमम् मे गङ्गे यमुने सरस्वती शतुद्रि स्तोमग्ँ सचता परुष्णिया
असिक्निया मरुद्दृधे वितस्तयार्जीकीये शृणुह्या सुषोमया॥६२॥
तैत्तरीयारण्यके महानारायणोपनिषत्सु प्रथमभागः
hiraNyashR^i~NgaM varuNam prapadye tiirthaM me dehi yaachitaH.
yanmayaa bhuktamasaadhuunaam paapebhyashcha pratigrahaH..55..
yanme manasaa vaachaa karmaNaa vaa duSkR^itam kR^itaM
tanna indro varuNo bR^ihaspatiH savitaa ch punantu punaH punaH..56..
namo.agnaye.apsumate nama indraaya namo varuNaaya namo vaaruNyai namo.adbhyaH..57..
yadapaaM kruuram yadamedhyaM yadashaantaM tadapagachchhataaM..58..
atyaashanaadatiipaanaat yachcha ugraat pratigrahaat.
tanme varuNo raajaa paaNinaa hyavamarshatu..59..
so.ahamapyapaapo virajo nirmukto muktakilbiSaH
naakasya pR^iSTamaaruhya gachched brahmasalokataaM..60..
yashchapsu varuNaH sa purtwghamarSanaH..61..
imam me ga~Nge yamune saraswatii shatudri stomag.N sachataa paruSNiyaa>
asikniyaa maruddR^idhe vitastayaarjiikiiye shR^iNuhyaa suSomayaa ..62..
taittariiyaaraNyake mahaanaaraayaNopaniSatsu prathamabhaagaH

Our ancestors believed that the ultimate relief from sins can be delivered to us only by water.. They praised the various deities presiding over water and its sources and also the great rivers found in India at that time with a request the all their sins should be washed off,
This is aghamarshana mantram.

"I take refuge in Varuna who is having the golden hue and who adorns a golden diadem.
O Varuna, having been entreated by me please grant me the tiitham (saving grace in the shape of holy waters)
Let the waters purify me of the sin of enjoying the belongings of bad people and acceptance of gifts from sinners.
May Indra, Varuna, Brihaspati and Savita completely destroy whatever sin my people or I have committed in thought word and action.
My respectful salutation to the Badvaanala (The fire submerged in water), my salutations to Indra, my salutations to Varuna, my salutations to Vaaruni, the consort of Varuna, and my salutations to all the deities of waters.
May, as a result of my this prayer and the power of this mantra, all that is injurious, impure and troublesome in water be destroyed.
May the king Varuna efface by his benevolent and strong hand whatever sins I have incurred by unlawful and limitless eating, unlawful drinking and accepting gift from one who is not eligible to grant a gift, or which gift is given to me impelling me to perform an unlawful act.
Thus being sinless,spotless,unbound from evil and bondage, may I become eligible to ascend the path of heaven and gain equal status with Brahman.
May Varuna the effacer of sins who dwells in all sources of water like ocean, rivers, tanks and wells purify us.
O Ganga, O Yamuna, O Saraswati, O Sutudri, O Marudhwrudhaa, O Arjikiya, all of you mother rivers, come together to listen to this hymn of mine along with Parushni, Asikni, Vitasta and Sushoma.."

Further thoughts on bath

2011-11-28T04:51:00.001+05:30

Further thoughts on bath

उदयात् प्राक् चतस्रस्तु नाडिका अरुणोदयः

तत्रस्नानं प्रशस्तम् स्यात् स हि पुण्यतमः स्मृतःI

udayaat praak chatasrastu naaDikaa aruNodayaH

tatrasnaanaM prashastam syaat sa hi puNyatamaH smR^itaH

The period within four naazhika (96 minutes) before the sunrise is the period of Arunodaya. The most appropriate time for bath is time of raise of Aruna. This time is praised by sastraas as endowing the performers with great vitue

आपो नारा इति प्रोक्ताः ता यदस्यायनं पुनः

तस्मान्नारायणं देवं स्नानकाले स्मरेत् बुधः॥

वायुभूतास्तु गच्छन्ति तृषार्त्तास्सलिलार्त्थिनः

निराशा ते निवर्त्तन्ते वस्त्रनिष्पीडने कृते॥

शिरो वारि शरीराम्बु वस्त्रतोयं यथा क्रमात्

पिबन्ति देवा मुनयो पितरो ब्राह्मणस्य तु॥

सुर बिन्दुसमं चाम्भः शिखायाः पृष्ठपातितं

तदेव पुरतोवर्त्ति गङ्गा बिन्दुसमं भवेत्॥

aapo naraa iti proktaaH taa yadasyaayanaM punaH

tasmaannaaraayaNaM devaM snaanakaale smaret budhaH..

vaayubhuutaastu gachchhanti tR^iSaarttaassalilaartthinaH

niraashaa te nivarttante vastraniSpiiDane kR^ite..

shiro vaari shariiraambu vastratoyaM yathaa kramaat

pibanti devaa munayo pitaro braahmaNasya tu ..

sura bindusamam chaambhaH shikhaayaaH pR^iSThapaatitaM

tadeva puratovartti ga~Ngaa bindusamaM bhavet..

Waters are also known by the name Naaraas… and the Lord of Lords Mahavishnu assumed the name of Narayana because he is sleeping over his aadisesha bed floating in the waters. Therefore the benevolent God Narayana should be remembered with reverence by the wise people while they are engaged in bath.

When a Brahmin set out towards a source of water for bath, the gods and pithrus who are thirsty also follow him in the air. If the Brahmin just dries up his body with a cloth without offering the waters to the pithrus and devas, they turn away from him in disappointment. (It has to be remembered that one should not take bath without at least minimum clothes, and one should not enter a source of water with naked body and he should not urinate in water during bath) . The water from the head of the Brahmin is partaken by the devaas, the water flowing from the body of the brahmin is drunk by the devas and the departed elders (pitrus) quench their thirst from the waters flowing from the clothes of the Brahmin. ( Remember in pitrukaaryaas, we offer vaasodakam – offer water from cloth to them)

More thoughts on bath

2011-11-27T17:19:00.001+05:30

More thoughts on bath

स्नानं तु द्विविधम् प्रोक्तम्गौणमुख्य प्रभेदतः

तयोस्तु वारुणं मुख्यं तत्पुनःषड्विधं भवेत्

नित्यं नैमित्तिकं काम्यम्क्रियाङ्गं मलकर्षणं

क्रियास्नानं तथा षष्ठं षोढास्नानं प्रकीर्तितं

मन्त्रपूतैर्ज्जलैः स्नानं प्राहुस्नान फलप्रदं

न वृथावारिमघ्नानां यादसामिवतत्समं

snaanaM tu dvividhamproktam gauNamukhya prabhedataH

tayostu vaaruNaM mukhyaMtatpunaH SaDvidhaM bhavet

nityaM naimittikaM kaamyamkriyaa~NgaM malakarSaNaM

kriyaasnaanaM tathaaSaSThaM SoDhaa snaanaM prakiirtitaM

mantrapuutairjjalaiHsnaanaM praahu snaana phalapradaM

na vR^ithaavaarimagnaanaaMyaadasaamiva tatsamaM

Bath is of two categories.

They are Gaunam and Mukhyam (also called Vaarunam). The Vaaruna snaanam is of sixcategories.

Daily bath, bath occurring onaccount of some good or bad happenings, pollution etc., bath taken in waterswith a view tow fulfill some desire,bath taken as a part of some rituals (eg. Mangala snanam after Saptaham, bath during upakarmam etc.,), bath to remove dirt and bath to regainpurity after some Kriyaas.

The bathshould be taken only in waters that are purified with manthraas. Mere floating on water will give the effectas if one is just a fish or some other marine creatures .

The Gouna snaanaas arealso of six types.

Paarthivam,Aagneyam, Vaayavyam, Divyam, Maanthram and Maanasam.

If one covers his body with mud with themanthras in Taittariya aranyakam, "Mruttike hana me paapam" and removes the mud,it is the parthiva snaanam.

Smearing the body with agnihotra ashes chanting the manthra " IsanaH sarvavidyaanaam, iswaraH sarvabhootanam brahmaadipatir brahmanaadipathir brahma sivo me astu sadaasivom.." iscalled aagneya snaanam.

If one smears the dust coming from the hooves of a cowwith chanting the Go Savitri mantram, it is called vaayavya snaanam.

Divya snaanam is the one where, duringUttaraayanam, a person stands in open sunlight facing the raising Sun when there is also small rain withsunlight.

Manthra snanam is where onesprinkles water on the various parts of his body with manthraas "Aapohista mayo bhuvaH" etc .

When one contemplateson the form of Narayana wielding shanka,chakra and gadha and residing in the nucleus of solar disc and invokes thepranic powers from mooladhara to aajnachakra, with the vision that the Gangais flowing from the golden thumb of the Lord and entering us through thebrahmarandhram it is maanasa snaanam

Various types of gouna snanams may be useful when one is in a conditiion where he is not able to find pure water, or is prevented from taking water bath for some reasons.

aiming his existence at you he leaves the microcosmic body and simply merge with your supreme being.

2011-11-27T13:59:00.001+05:30

इत्थम्भ्यसननिर्भरोल्लसत्त्वत्परात्मसुखकल्पितोत्सवाः
मुक्तभक्तकुलमौलितां गताः सञ्चरेम शुकनारदादिवत्॥८॥
त्वत्समाधिविजये तु यः पुनर्मङ्क्षु मोक्षरसिकः क्रमेण वा
योगवश्यमनिलं षडाश्रयैरुन्न्यत्यज सुषुम्नया शनैः॥९॥
लिङ्गदेहमपि सन्त्यजन्नथो लीयते त्वयि परे निराग्रहः
ऊर्द्ध्वलोककुतुकी तु मूर्द्धतः सार्धमेव करणैर्न्निरीयते॥१०॥
श्रीमन्नारायणीये चतुर्थस्कन्दं
itthambhyasananirbharollasattvatparātmasukhakalpitotsavāḥ
muktabhaktakulamaulitāṁ gatāḥ sañcarema śukanāradādivat||8||
tvatsamādhivijaye tu yaḥ punarmaṅkṣu mokṣarasikaḥ krameṇa vā
yogavaśyamanilaṁ ṣaḍāśrayairunnyatyaja suṣumnayā śanaiḥ||9||
liṅgadehamapi santyajannatho līyate tvayi pare nirāgrahaḥ
ūrddhvalokakutukī tu mūrddhataḥ sārdhameva karaṇairnnirīyate||10||
śrīmannārāyaṇīye caturthaskandaṁ

वयं इत्थम् अभ्यसन निर्भरोल्लसत् त्वत् परात्मसुख कल्पितोत्सवाः मुक्त भक्त कुल मौलितां गताः शुकनारदादिवत् सञ्चरेम।
हे अज यः तु त्वत् समाधिविजये मङ्क्षु क्रमेण वा मोक्षरसिकः सः योगवश्यं अनिलं षडाश्रयैः सुषुम्नया शनैः उन्नयति।

निराग्रहः अधो लिङ्गदेहं अपि सन्त्यजन् परे त्वयि लीयते। ऊर्द्ध्वलोक कुतुकी तु मूर्द्धतः करणैः सार्द्धं एव निरीयते॥

Bhattathiri describes how the people who have attained the state of samaadhi through the means of Rajayoga merrily go around the universe according to their wishes.
Guruvayurappa, please permit us who have attained your realization and the supreme ecstasy attained therefrom, to travel all around without impedence like Shuka and Narada, praising you always.
You Guruvayurappa the eternal, if one who has attained nirvikalpasamaadhi through yoga and the concomittant eligibility for communion and emancipation in your self, he can at once, or in due course, move up the pranic energy through the six chakras, mooladhara(seat), swadhistaana(navel), manipoora (heart or abdomen), anahata ( urobhga..or thorax), vishuddhi (the neck portion connection head and heart) and aajna ( the middle of the brows) and elevating the prana from there to the Sahasraara attain moksha from the apparent physical body and go up to the higher worlds in his sookshma (microcosmic) body.
If such a yogi is not having any desire to enjoy the pleasures of swarga and brahmaloka he simply arrest the praanic energy in the aajnaachakra between the brows and aiming his existence at you leaves the microcosmic body and simply merge with your supreme being.
The ideal emancipation is to attain dissolution of the self in the supreme being, for then there are no come backs. Those who leave for brahmaloka etc., in their microcosmic body may have to come back according to the effects of their karmas.

The rules of bath according to Dharmasaastraas

2011-11-27T05:23:00.001+05:30

The rules of bath according to Dharmasaastraas.

स्नात्वा कर्माणि कुर्वीत Snaatwaa karmaani kurveetha… is the first instruction by Sastraas. One should do the daily rituals, spiritual or temporal only after having a bath, is one of the fundamental rules of our religious culture. The intense sense of self-hygiene and reverence to the sources of water and the keenness of our ancestors to keep such sources absolutely clean have no parallels in any civilization. If we had imbibed that sense of reverence to rivers and springs, wells and lakes, by not polluting them by effluents of various nature, and cared to regulate the maintenance of the ground waters our lives would have been much happier. The praise of water finds expression in Pavamana suuktam.. or punyahavachanam practiced by us. That can form part of another essay. Here the importance of bath as ordained in dharmasaastraas is dealt with in brief.

सततं प्रातरुत्थाय दन्तधावन पूर्वकं

आचरेदुषसि स्नानं तर्पयेद् देवमानुषान्।

अगम्यागमनात् स्तेयात् पापेभ्यश्च प्रतिग्रहात्

रहस्याचरितात् पापात् मुच्यते स्नानमाचरन्।

मनः प्रसादजनकं रूपसौभाग्यवर्धनं

शोकदुस्स्वप्नहं स्नानं मोक्षदं ह्ळादनं तथा

स्नानमूलाः क्रियाः सर्वाः श्रुतिः स्मृत्युदिता नृणां।

तस्मात् स्नानं निषेवेत श्रीपुष्ठ्यारोग्यवर्धनं।

याम्यं हि यातना दुःखं प्रातस्नायी न पश्यति

अप्रायत्यं निहन्त्येव स्नानेनैकेन मानवः॥

द्वितीयेन निमज्जेन निर्मलत्वं भवेत् ध्रुवं

त्रितीयेतितृप्तिः स्यात् निमज्जनबलम् त्विदं॥

सङ्कल्पं सूक्तपठनं मार्ज्जनं चाघमर्षनं

देवतातर्पनं चैव स्नानं पञ्चाङ्गमुच्यते

satataM praatarutthaaya dantadhaavana puurvakaM

aachareduSasi snaanaM tarpayed devamaanuSaan.

agamyaagamanaat steyaat paapebhyashcha pratigrahaat

rahasyaacharitaat paapaat muchyate snaanamaacharan.

manaH prasaadajanakaM ruupasaubhaagyavardhanaM

shokadusswapnahaM snaanaM mokSadaM hLaadanaM tathaa

snaanamuulaaH kriyaaH sarvaaH shrutiH smR^ityuditaaa nR^iNaaM.

tasmaat snaanaM niSeveta shriipuSThyaarogyavardhanaM.

yaamyaM hi yaatanaa duHkhaM praatasnayii na pashyati

apraayatyaM nihantyeva snaanenaikena maanavaH..

dwitiiyena nimajjena nirmalatwaM bhavet dhruvaM

tritiiyeaaatitR^iptiH syaat nimajjanabalam twidaM..

sa~NkalpaM suuktapaThanaM maarjjanaM chaaghamarSanaM

devataatarpaNaM chaiva snaanaM pa~nchaa~Ngamuchyate.

A person on waking up in the morning should perform the cleaning of the teeth as prescribed ( the rules have been already discussed) and in the early hours of morning called UshaH kalam before sunrise should perform oblations through giving water (tarpanam) to the gods and the departed elders.

By performing the bath, a man is released of the sins incurred by having carnal relationship with prohibited counterparts, from the sins of theft, from the sins of receiving presents from the sinful people and from the sins committed in secret.

The bath gives us equanimity and pleasantness of mind. It endows on us great beauty and health and helps us in maintaining these two for a long time It is the elixir relieving us from mental agony, bad dreams and it gives us ultimate emancipation from worldly toils (moksham) and it makes us jubilant and excited

All the practices prescribed in Vedas and Saastras are to be performed by men only after bath and therefore all should stick to the schedule of morning bath which is the enhanced of wealth, welfare and good health.

The tortures for the sins that one may face after death and after reaching the house of yama will never vist the person who is performing his morning-baths regularly. With one dip in the water during bath, all the sins and evils stored in a man vanishes. With the second dip in water, one becomes absolutely clean in body and mind. With the third dip there will be satisfaction for the self, devaas and pitrus. These are the benefits of a nice bathe.

There are five limbs to the ritual bath. First is the sankalpa or declaring with devotion that one is going to take bath in the name of and for the satisfaction of the God. Then the mantras worshipping the presiding deities of the water and the source of water like the river should be chanted. Then one should clean oneself of all the physical dirt with water. Then one should chant the Aghamarshana mantra ( found in Taittareeya Aranyaka..Mahaanaarayanopanishat…starting with Hiranyashringam Varunam…). As the final ritual one should pay oblations with water to the Gods (and departed elders wherever called for.)

It is reiterated that the dharmasastras state that very grave sins will be washed away by bath. It should be understood that the intention is to praise the greatness of bath and its impact on the physical and mental welfare of the people. It should never be construed to mean that one can commit all the sins in the world and get away with it by just having three dips in water in the morning.

A second chapter for this with details for various types of bath, the prayers connected with such baths etc., will follow.

Greatness of Gayatri as per Dharmasaastras

2011-11-26T20:21:00.001+05:30

Greatness of Gayatri as per Dharmasaastras

प्रणवे नित्ययुक्तस्य व्याहृतीषु च सप्तसु

त्रिपादायां च गायत्र्यां न भयं विद्यते क्वचित्।
परिहाप्यापि वेदांस्त्रीन् कर्माणि विविधानि च
सावित्रीमात्रमाश्रित्य द्विजो भवति निर्भयः॥
पूर्वां सन्ध्यां जपंस्तिष्ठन् नैशमेनो व्यपोहति
पश्चिमां तु समासीनो मलं हन्ति दिवाकृतं।
ऋषयो दीर्घसन्ध्यत्वात् दीर्घमायुरवाप्नुयुः
प्रज्ञां यशस्च कीर्तिम् च ब्रह्मवर्चसमेव च॥
praṇave nityayuktasya vyāhṛtīṣu ca saptasu
tripādāyāṁ ca gāyatryāṁ na bhayaṁ vidyate kvacit|
parihāpyāpi vedāṁstrīn karmāṇi vividhāni ca
sāvitrīmātramāśritya dvijo bhavati nirbhayaḥ||
pūrvāṁ sandhyāṁ japaṁstiṣṭhan naiśameno vyapohati
paścimāṁ tu samāsīno malaṁ hanti divākṛtaṁ|
ṛṣayo dīrghasandhyatvāt dīrghamāyuravāpnuyuḥ
prajñāṁ yaśasca kīrtim ca brahmavarcasameva ca||

From Dharmasaastraas.

One who is always in meditation of OM the pranavam, the seven vyahritis namely bhuuH , bhuvaH, suvaH, mahaH, janaH tapaH satyam and the three paadams of gayatri tatsavitur.......(1) bhargo.......(2) and dhiyo...(3), for whom there can be no fear from anything anywhere.

Even if a person (twice-born) is not able to or has not equipped himself with the knowledge of trayee... the three vedas rk, yajus, and sama, or the other rituals and practices which are usually ordained to him and still he holds on to the upasana of Gayatri alone he will be bereft of sins and fears..

A dwija should chant Gayatri in the post brahma sandhya muhurta in the morning in a standing pose and all his sins committed during the previous night vanishes from him. He should chant Gayatri in a sitting posture in the sandhya period of the evening and all the sins committed by him during the day departs from him.

It has to be noted that the Maadhyahnikopasanam is practically an expiation for the consumption of prohibited and leftover food and perfoming actions unbecoming of a dwija and if the morning and evening sandhya and Gayatrijapam are peformed with necessary caution , skipping of Madhyahnikam may not be seriously harmful.. Of course this is only a contemporary view and nod purist will approve with this view. Personally I do not agree with the view than Maahyahnikam can be skipped.

The statement that chanting gayatri alone can protect even in spite of non-practice of other rituals or study of vedas again, is a view which is to support people who are in dire distress or incapability for anything.. it is like liquid food and oxygen mask and life supporting system, meant for the sinking patient. But when one is healthy, affluent and is capable of performance, he should practice all Karmas and engage in study of Vedas with all earnestness.

some thoughts on pranavam and gayatri

2011-11-26T16:50:00.001+05:30

ॐ तत् सदिति निर्देशो ब्रह्मणस्त्रिविधा: स्मृताः
ब्राह्मणास्तेन वेदाश्च यज्ञIश्च विहिता: पुरा॥
Om tatsadut nirdesho brahmanaH trividhaH smaritaaH

Brahmanaastena vedaashcah yajnaashcha vihitaaH puraa

By Om tat sat, the primordial god qualified three things..
("Om let if be good, great, sublime etc.," is the meaning of
Om tat sat...
it is also "Om, it is the only being" )

Om Tatsat is
(1) the Brahmin,
(2) the Vedas and
(3) the Vedic yajnaas.

Twentyfour sages presiding over the 24 letters of Gayatri

they are:-
विश्वामित्रो भरद्वाजो गौतमः कुत्स एव च
भृगुः शन्ण्डिल्यकश्चैव लोहितो गर्ग्ग एव च
शातातपः सनत्कुमारः तथ सत्यतपाः स्मृतः
भार्गवः पराशरश्च पुण्डरीकः क्रतुस्तदा
दक्षश्च कश्यपश्चैव जमदग्निश्च वत्सकः
विमलश्चाङ्गिरश्चैव अत्रिः कण्वस्तथैव च्
कुम्भ्योनिश्चतुर्विम्शत् ऋषयः परिकीर्तिताः॥॥

स्मृतिरत्नाद्

vishwamitra, bharadwaaja, gauthama, kutsa, bhrigu, shandilyaka, lohita, garga, shatatapa, tanatkumara, satyatapaa, bhargava, parasare, pundarika, kratu, daksha, kashyapa, jamadagni, vatsaka, vimala, angiraa, atri, kanva, kumbhayoni (agastya,)

the authority is from smritiratna..

For the fowler the meaning of sacrifice was alien

2011-11-26T13:54:00.001+05:30

For the fowler the meaning of sacrifice was alien

Another episode from Panhatantram of Vishnu Sharma

In a city there lived an erudite brahmin by name Jeernadhana. As if by a quirk of fate he became a thief and he took up cheating others as his means of livelihood. With his great knoweldge he was quite successful in this field also.. Even otherwise it is well-known that most of the people with great knowledge also possess the capacity to cheat but usually they do it in such a way that they are found out. Only in old parables that you can have the professions like thief being mentioned as a practical way of livelihood.

Once it came to his knowledge that four brahmins from another town had reached the city as traders and that they had amassed substantial wealth in very little time selling their merchandise. Our brahmin was now eager to divest them of their wealth by hook or crook. So he cultivated their friendship meticulously, taking out his extraordinary charm and gift of the gab and putting them to good use. They fell to his friendly overtures. It I s true, when the opportunity suits here even a prostitute will feign shyness. The arrogant will show goodsense and even the garrulous rogue will hover around you with sweet words.

Time passed, and the brahmins has sold all their merchandise, and with the profit, they purchased some valuable gems and set out for their own town. The brahmin thief who was doing workd for them awaiting a chance to cheat them and steal away their wealth, was now desperated. " Fie, on me, these fellows are ready to leave with precious stones, which should have been taken ove prefessionally by me. Now I shall gain their company when they travel to their native town, and en route I shall poison them and take away their wealth,"

Having decided so, he approached the four brahmins with genuine tears in his eyes. " My venerable friends, are you going away leaving me alone? I have developed very great affection for you in the course of the last few months and a separation from you four is unthinkable for me. So pray, have kindness on me and take me also with you on your journey."

The brahmins by nature were very softhearted. The pleas of the servant brahmin was irresistible for them. They permited his to follow them in the journey.

While they were travelling through a village inhabited by wild fowelers, the crows in the trees started crowing, " people who are owning lakhs in money are coming.. fowlers come running and rob the m"

The group of fowlers belived in the indication given by the crows and accosted the five and beat them to pulp and removed their clothes to see where the money way. The could not find it. The four brahmins had apparently swallowed the gems.

The leader of the fowler guessed this and ordered that the five brahmins be killed and their stomach cut up to find the gems.

At this time the power of knowledge and the greatness of the sastras came to the mind of the brahmin who was also a thief. He thought," By my activities till day I have lost all the virtues of a brahmin. If I could be of some service to these poor brahmins, my existence in the nether world atleat will be less miserable. I have to do something about it. "

Thinkig so, he addressed the chief of fowlers. You say you are going to kill all of us to find the gems. In truthe we do not have anything with us. Those crows should be mad. But to satisfy your doubt I offer myself to be killed and searched. If you find nothing inside me it should be sufficient proof for you that all the five of use have nothing with us.

The king of fowlers agreed. They cut up the brahmin who was a thief throught hif lifetime but throug his noble gesture of trying to save his four friends from death by offering the supreme sacrifice, atoned for all his sins and started his journey towards heaven. The other four brahmins were saved because the leader of the fowlers was sure that no one would have given up his life if the group had real treasure with them. For the fowler the meaning of sacrifice was alien.

Even the worst persons have some magnificient streaks of greatness in their charater. The knowledge and the background of life really shows.

you in your eternal kindness sits clear in our hearts as if etched in a picture, nay, you dance there too, you cunning naughty urchin.!"

2011-11-26T08:14:00.001+05:30

विस्फुटावयवभेदसुन्दरं त्वद्वपुः सुचिरशीलनावशात्
अश्रमं मनसि चिन्तयामहे द्यानयोगनिरतास्त्वदाश्रया॥५॥
ध्यायतां सकळमूर्त्तिमीदृशीमुन्मिषन्मधुरतहृतात्मनां
सान्द्रमोदरसरूपमान्तरं ब्रह्मरूपमयि तेऽवभासते॥६॥
त्वत्स्मास्वदनरूपिन्णीम् स्थितिं त्वत्समाधिमयि विश्वनायक
आश्रिताः पुनरतः परिच्युतावारभेमहि च धारणाधिकम्॥७॥
स्रीमन्नरायणीये चतुर्थं दशकं ५६७
visphuṭāvayavabhedasundaraṁ tvadvapuḥ suciraśīlanāvaśāt
aśramaṁ manasi cintayāmahe dyānayoganiratāstvadāśrayā||5||
dhyāyatāṁ sakaḻamūrttimīdṛśīmunmiṣanmadhuratahṛtātmanāṁ
sāndramodarasarūpamāntaraṁ brahmarūpamayi te'vabhāsate||6||
tvatsmāsvadanarūpinṇīm sthitiṁ tvatsamādhimayi viśvanāyaka
āśritāḥ punarataḥ paricyutāvārabhemahi ca dhāraṇādhikam ||7||
srīmannarāyaṇīye caturthaṁ daśakaṁ 567

त्वदाश्रयाः वयं ध्यानयोगनिरताः विश्फुट अवयवभेदाह् सुन्दरं त्वद् वपुः सुचिर शीलन वशात् अश्रमं मनसि चिन्तयावाहे ॥५।
अयि कृष्ण ईदृशीं सकळमूर्तिं द्यायतः उन्मिषन् मधुरता आहृत आत्मनां योगिनां सान्द्र मोद रस रूपं आन्तरं ते रूपं ब्रह्म अवभासते।६॥
अयि विश्वनायक तत् समस्वदन रूपिणीं स्तितिम् त्वत् समाधिम् आश्रिताः। अतः परिच्युताः पुनः च धारणादिकं आरभेमहि॥७

The seeker poet bhattathirpad continues on his description of upasana of Guruvayurappan through ashtangayoga parctices constituting the yoga system of philosophy in our culture.. but here is a difference..

it is not mere yoga.. yoga only as a tool to keep Guruvayurappan in our hearts... it is yogabhakti to be more appropriate. In ther earner stanzas the preliminaries like seating, mental and physical puripfication and such aspects leading to the mirror of mind and thought opening up to concentrated thinking on Guruvayurappa have been dealt with
"Our Lord Guruvayurappa, let us your staunch devotees, who are entirely dependent on you apply our mind to Dhyanayoga and by constant practice, permit us to have your describable form ( with beautiful black body, yellow silk garment, with sankah chakra gadha, padmam, with butter on hand, with flute in hand, you wearing your loinclothes like a darling boy, with golden aranjaan and kausthubahm ..all the forms we see you adorning in Guruvayur) which are unclear to us normally will become manifest in our mind with constant practice of Dharana and with practice and deep devotion you in your eternal kindness sits clear in our hearts as if etched in a picture, nay, you dance there too, you cunning naughty urchin.!"
"
Guruvayurappa, for those who have gained controle over sense organs and mind, your form as the mind contemplates with all mundane deatails first appears without interpretation.. The form is so sweet that they get attracted and enticed by such form to the extent that they have not desire to think of anything else. While in this excited state, gradually the realization that you are the universal brahman and are beyond any shapes gradually dawns upon them... and the realization of the supreme soul which has only ecstasy as form ( if one is to define a form to the formless), which could be realized only through the mind in that elevated state."

"But such nirvikalapasamadhi is not permanent.. So Guruayurappa, the master or the universe, we will elevate ourselves from contemplation of the manifest form of yours to the pure and unmanifest for some time, and when we are forced back by the mind to the lower state, we will again start yogic practices like Dharana to come back to your sublime form.

Evidnetly it is a misteke to say that the mystic poet had approached the Universal Lord just with a plea to be relieved of some physical ailment. His mind is set on the eternal communion with
Narayana the Param Brahma..

Discussion on Pranava-- omkaram

2011-11-26T03:41:00.001+05:30

अकारश्चाप्युकारञ्च मकारञ्च प्रजपतिः

वेदत्र्यान्निरदुहद् भूर्भुवस्वरितीति च

तदित्र्यचोस्यास्सवित्र्याः परमेष्ठी प्रजपतिः

त्रिभ्य एवेतु वेदेभ्यः पादम् पादम्रूदहत्

akāraścāpyukārañca makārañca prajapatiḥ

vedatryānniraduhad bhūrbhuvasvaritīti ca

taditryacosyāssavitryāḥ parameṣṭhī prajapatiḥ

tribhya evetu vedebhyaḥ pādam pādamrūdahat

from the three Vedas RK, yajus and Saama, Brahma the prajapati extracted the three letters A, U and Ma. He also extracted the three words BhuuH BhuvaH and SuvaH also from the three Vedas. And the Savitri Gayatri Manthram.. tatasavithurvarenyam bhargo devasyas dheemahi dhiyo yo nah prachodatyaat is also extracted by the Brahma the paramesti. Hence the three things are worshipped togtether, ..the pranavam (OM), the thrivyahriti… bhurbhuva swaH and the savitri(gayatri) .manthra

The supreme Brahman is not capable of evaluation or description. The pranavam which has come as the primordial sound from Brahma also has the same quality. Hence, an attempt to find meaning from the Omkara would take us nowhere. However we can think in terms of speculating the meaning of the three words A, U and M constituting the pranavam.. even though such exmplanation is very incomples.

यो वेदादौ स्वरः प्रोक्तः वेदान्ते च प्रतिष्ठितः

तस्य प्रक्रितिलीनस्य यः परः स महेश्वरः

yo vedādau svaraḥ proktaḥ vedānte ca pratiṣṭhitaḥ

tasya prakritilīnasya yaḥ paraḥ sa maheśvaraḥ

which is the word appearing at the beginning of the Veda, the word which is well established in vedantha, ( or found in the end of the Vedas) and in whose basic nature the presences of Maheshwara the Shiva is manifesting, that word is A (cf agnimeele purohitam.. start of rgvedam)

There for the A in pranavam represent Lords Shiva.

There is another view.

अमुं कङ्काळ वपुषम् जटिलं जलजासनं

नमामि नौमि ध्यायामि समं सोमं सभारतिं

amuṁ kaṅkāla vapuṣam jaṭilaṁ jalajāsanaṁ

namāmi naumi dhyāyāmi samaṁ somaṁ sabhā

we worship with equal reverence kam (brahma who sits on a lotus and the husband of vagadevata) kaalavapushum.. ( the Vishnu of the hue of dark clouds and the husband of maa lakshmi) and jatila ( the matted hair one Shiva and the consort of uma.. the Parvathi) with the words for namaskaram are namaami A, naumi… U and dhaayaami… Mi, here the A is given to Vishnu, U is given to Shive and M is given to Brahma.

Hence Omkaram is the combination of the three supreme Gods Brahama Vishnu and Shive. Further discussion on Pranavam will follow.

that Hari is playing flute and dancing...

2011-11-21T03:51:00.001+05:30

सञ्चरदधरसुधामधुरध्वनि मुखरितमोहनवंशं
चलितदृगञ्चल चञ्चलमौलिकपोलविलोलवतंसं।
रासे हरिरिह विहितविलासं स्मरति मनो मम कृतपरिहासं॥
जयदेव विरचितं अष्टपदी ५--१
sañcaradadharasudhāmadhuradhvani mukharitamohanavaṁśaṁ
calitadṛgañcala cañcalamaulikapolavilolavataṁsaṁ|
rāse haririha vihitavilāsaṁ smarati mano mama kṛtaparihāsaṁ||
jayadeva viracitaṁ aṣṭapadi 5--1

With sweet vibrating lips He is playing that divine flute which gives out music more tasty than the ambrosia... he brings out those enticing looks in His eyes which are binding all around Him in a mesmeric spell, the attractive head and the earrings touching His reddish blue cheeks also are moving to the rhythm.. and in His rasa lila, that naughty Hari is attracting my mind to Him against my own instincts.. and that smile which though sarcastic is prompting me to go beyond all limits to love Him...my friend, please advice me as to how I will not fall like an intoxicated person to the enchanting love of that tricky debauch.. Hari.. so says Radha