The immigrant Iyers settling in Kerala

The immigrant Iyers settling in Kerala were obsessively clannish.. 

We observed distinctions of Vadamas, Mankudy, Brihacharanam, Astasahasram Vadhyama etc., Each sect claimed number one place in respectability and marriage inter se  was unthinkale at that time .. 

They say Vadamas had the greatest efficiency in increasing their own populaton in Kerala.. അവരയ് ഒരു കൊടി വടമന്‍ ഒരു കുടി 

avarai oru koti vataman oru kuti... 

if there is one tendril of Avarakkai plant, it will spread over the whole garden and if there is one family of Vadama it will grow into a clan very soon.

I have said what all I think should be said on this issue

 

You can compare parts of the Vedas as cow, udders, milk receptacle etc..

However when we chant Vedas no cow or vessel or mik will come..

Upama and utprekhsha are tool to understand some core issue in depth and it should not be taken as the compared object per se .

If someone remarks that “He is as black as a rosewood tree" ,, this should not be construed tomean He is the rosewood tree.."

You are intelligent, far too intelligent.

Even though I may not match you there, years and reading are likely to help me better..

I have said what all I think should be said on this issue.

I do not think any seer or guru expected that an Upama or Utpreksha cited by him should bring in some new and confusing object or connotation..

Vedic Sanskrit and s Classical Sanskrit

I have had occasion to go through even some research articles on the issue of Vedic and Literary Sanskrit.. Some experts  go to the extent of stating the language used in Vedas is Vedic Sanskrit and that used in Kavyas etc as Classical Sanskrit.

Some think that the two types of Sanskrit Co-existed and the Classical Sanskrit had some relations with Prakritam as an uncle or aunt or a cousin, and some view it as a brotherly relation.

In Upanyasams and speechers, chaatuvaakyams  or exaggerations can be used.. 

That is because the target audience are not  all scholars and even the stray scholars available are more spiritual..

I have no dissent towards  Perivayava or about what he said, and in a religious or spiritual matter, I completely surrender to him.

However we have to draw certain boundary lines.

Sanskrit is not a property of a religion alone.

 Even Vedas are not the property of any sect.

the content of the Shastras and not the chronology, is of any value

 

What I was trying to convey was that the content of the Shastras and not the chronology, is of any value..

The principles remain the same whether Krishna was present in Threta Yuga or Dwaapara Yuga..

In fact, by Krishna or Rama we mean only the Supreme Being..

And except perhaps the first Manvantharam of Swaayambhuva Manu, after the Pralaya the cyle of Krita Threta, Dwapara and Kali.. would have at least been over once and therefore in the later Manvantarams the history of the past Manvantrarm is already there..

Now we are in the Seventh manvantharam of Vaivasvata manu..

I think in some mtters there is a caste system.. In the impossible way.. What is said is not important to some people..Who says that onlycounts.. People just exercise their right to be biased..

rotting of the mind due to ego and prejudices is dangerous

 

I warn you all.. Physical ageing is a natural process.. it cannot be helped.. 

God is in control.. 

But rotting of the mind due to ego and prejudices is dangerous.. 

Everyone has the right to punish himself.

 But polluting the environment and the peace of mind with the foul smell of such rotten minds and their products require extreme punishments.. 

Be warned.

I felt rotten on reading the discussion in my post on old age..

 I cannot hide my displeasure.. 

It is upto all concerned to maintain minimum decorum.. 

I think I am also catching up gangrene in my psyche.. 

I have to go for amputation and cauterization to save myself.

Sri Lalithasahasranamam

 

Sri Lalithasahasranamam

We revere Sri Lalithasahasranamam and SriVishnunsahasranamam as the most sacred of the threads of thousand names attributed to our beloved deities..

Amba Tripurasundari is the beloved of many devotees of all the ages and there are many Sahasranamas written in Her honour..

But the Lalitha Sahasranamam coming as the concluding part of the Brahmandapuranam where the Last forty chapters of the Uthara Khandam shine like a garland named as the celebrated Sri Lalithopakhyanam.

Towards the end of Lalithopakhyaanam, three chapters give the immortal gem of Lalitha Sahasranamam as if forming a shining pendant to the garland that is Lalithopakhyaanam..

Primarily the Sahasranamam describes the thousand most glorious names of Rajarajesvari,the Mahatripurasundari..

However, the Vishnupuranam and Srimad Bhagavatham itself state that, the last of the Mahapuranas that Vyasa wrote was the Brahmandapuranam and the episode of Matha Lalitha covers the final 43 chapters of this Puranam.

Therefore, scholars are of the view that all the wisdom and philosophy that all the eighteen Mahapuranas contain are seen to have been presented as a highly concentrated capsule of Amrutham in Lalithasahasranamam.

Therefore a devotee who studies this hymn on Lalithadevi, and contemplates on the content of each name, each letter and syllable with deep introspection and reverence, in addition to being blessed with the mother with all that is good and required for him in this world and in the eternal life, would become an adept in the nuances of the philosophy and content of what we now see as Hinduism.

Mother Lalithambika is Avyaajakarunaamoorthy.. the embodiment of mercy without any reservations or hold-back..

People capable of making gifts do so with a lot of strings attached and without concealing their arrogance and without failing to rub in their superiority..

However this Lady Lalitha, is our Mother, and no mother would feel arrogant and boastful when they tend their children.

She is our mother and we can ask for anything from her without hesitation..

And she cannot help granting us our desires, if she can manage, and there is hardly anything that she cannot manage..

Therefore in our relation to the Mother, we are always in a win-win situation.

True, she will provide for us with all our needs even without asking.

Nevertheless, she is a mother with innumerable children, all of us.

We know how a mother with even a single naughty toddler struggles so much..

Therefore why don’t we help her by just asking what we want and only what really want..?

This is my introspection after falling in utter surrender at the feet of the Lord of Lords Krishna, and my dear Mother Lalithambika.. Mahatripurasundari.. Rajarjeswari..

The great Vidyopaasaka Bhaskararaya has written a great commentary on this Mahamantram.

Do not meddle with one’s own intense faiths and beliefs

 

If you appreciate the background for this discussion you will understand what I said.

I am not insisting that Jathakams should be compared or marriages stopped on that basis..

I am basically not against even different sects of brahmins joining together in marriage.. And for that matter I do not consider even inte-racial or inter-caste marriages as wrong.

My remark was made in a discussion where they were saying that Rama and Sita or Vishnu and Lakshmi or Uma and Shankara or Ganga and Shiva did not compare horoscopes and married.. So we should not.. They were just ridiculing the idea of astrology totally.

If the parents and those who are close agree that there is no need to compare horoscope, there is no issue.

Horoscope comparison does not arise from our Vedic of smartha traditions.. 

That I have made very clear.

But if the persons closely connected and whose lives are at stake feel that there should be such match... others have no right to ridicule such idea. That is all

Ultimately in marriages, if there is some haggling over horoscope match and marriage happens in spite of that, and something unwanted happens, the parties who believed in horoscope would snatch this opportunity of harass the hapless victims.. Especially the parents or siblings on both sides can be the culprits.. And life can become a prolonged misery..

I just said. Do not meddle with one’s own intense faiths and beliefs..

That is not any invitation to become superstitious.

And just because the vedic jyothisham has nothing to do with marriage match we cannot say that the treatises by later authors and sages (many of them are revered like gods themselves) regarding marriage match are all not valid. There are solid texts especially in the Kerala Jyothisha tradition which prescribe the marriage criteria.. That may not be found in the Vedic period

But then even many prayers and stotram like Vishnu Sahasranama or Lalitha Sahasranamam are not parts of Vedas.. Vishnu sahasranama is at least a part of itihasa.. but lalitha sahasranamam and many other prayers and stotras are part of not so important puranams.. That does not belittle the importance of such stotrams.. Agamas are not parts of Vedas.. Tantras too are not part of Vedas.. Our pooja rituals and many other activities are governed not only by Vedas but many other derivative texts.. At best the only condition would be that the ideas contained in the later rituals should not be opposed to the ideas of Vedas. It was simply that such practices were not there in Vedic times. They came into vogue just four or five centuries ago..

Hinduism and Brahminism are wide-spectrum treatises.. There can be diametrically opposite views at the far ends of the spectrum. And no one can say for sure what the right way is. Or right path..

The best way for the Individual is to follow the path which appears for him safe.. If he has solid company in that path, he is safer.

 

The magic is created when mind, and matter moves in unison.

A veena is sitting in the corner of the hall.

The fingers of the player are not in motion.

The mind too has not decided on the note..

Nothing happens

The mind thinks,

the finger moves,

the strings vibrate |

and the song is born..

That is magic.

The magic is created when mind, and matter moves in unison.

I want friends, not hecklers, self appointed teachers, or liabilities.

I am sharing some write-ups, and friendly notes just to keep myself happy and make others happy too.. 

Definitely my timeline is not for pledged to anyone enabling him to interfere and dominate over me.. and show off his or her smartness.. 

I do not try to be smart with anyone.. I share my views frankly and honestly..

I never want ever to be a liability for anyone, but I expect the same courtesy from others too.. I want friends, not hecklers, self appointed teachers, or liabilities.

I was dragged to the brink

I was just posting something which I thought was worthwhile, and definitely it could not have been offensive or harmful to anyone..

But I found that even a self effacing, harmless being would be poked.

You know, I have also disagreements and I get irritated when there are major errors in some posts.

However I make it a point to indicate such things personally without causing offence or embarrassment to others..

And I take even that liberty with close friends alone.

Here people just raise questions.. for which I may not know the answers, but the person who raised the question thinks he is a know-all and his aim is to lead me into blunders and after I commit errors he comes out with an answer confronting me..

If his intentions were fair, he should have stated that he has an information with him and disclosed it fairly.. If he is trying to keep the idea concealed and prodding to make me commit a blunder so that I will emerge as an idiot to the whole world, and then he can have the last laugh, is it not right on my part to react.. ?

I know I value only certain friends, who would have been my friends anyway, whether social media was there or not, friends whom I really cherish..

But friends appearing from nowhere and showing off,, I really do not want them..

I am sick of blocking people.. My list of blocked persons is quite long now..

all that is sweet just drained out

 

I wonder...

I was so innocent..

Then my psyche appears to have muddled up... 

I read, studied many things, acted in many ways .. mostly against my will.. and just pulled on..

Of course a rudderless and indigent mundane life became somewhat secure physically and materially..

But the beautiful vessel that was my mind which contained ambrosia and sweet honey just developed too many holes.. and became empty and developed cracks too..

And all that is sweet just drained  out

More than everything else I committed the error of I assuming that my timeline was my conscience keeper..

And I just blurted out so many things..

That was a grave mistake..

An action with no use to anyone..

I just want to have my broken mind at least in its empty state..

I know it is easy to shatter,

punch holes..

but not easy to mend..

Powers of Heaven or Hell or Earth.. will you give me back my innocence?

We have the choice to do something or not to do something only up to the moment of action..

Once it has been done, it is meaningless to look back and cry or think that the alternate choice could have been better..

One cannot increase even the length of his mustache after he has already run the scissors on it..

We have the choice to do something or not to do something only up to the moment of action..

Once something  has been done, it is meaningless to look back and cry or think that the alternate choice could have been better. 

One cannot increase even the length of his moustache after he has already run the scissors on it.

I do not claim my beliefs and values are alone perfect.. However, I cannot live without such beliefs

I dont say anyone is wrong...

I do not believe anything is absolutely right...and I do not claim my beliefs and values are alone perfect.. However,  I cannot live without such beliefs. 

Some people are made of copper or gold..they are malleable and ductile... but I am made of very tough rock. 

The rock if hit very hard will break to pieces but it cannot be flattened into a plate or drawn into a chain. 

It is my nature. 

Let the youngsters enjoy, fun and frolic... let me have my own ways. 

Thank you sir.. 

May Krishna bless us all.

let us spend our lives the way the gods ordained

The vedas say "vysema devahitam yadaayu 

 व्यशेम देवहितं यदायुः ..

let us spend our lives the way the gods ordained."

And we should not be biased in our interpretations of divine will.

The rule is for me and for you and all others should be the same as much as possible.

Our mind, lips and fingers should speak in sync and our actions should also conform.

Hypocrisy is the quality which actually separated humans against animals.

They do not have it and it is our abundant possession.

That is all

we cannot have any choice to dissociate from them or to love them less

आचार्यो ब्रह्मणो मुर्तिः पिता मूर्तिः प्रजापतेः।

माता पृथिव्या मुर्तिस्तु भ्राता सो मूर्तिरात्नमनः॥

मनुस्मृत्याम् २-२२६

ācāryo brahmaṇo murtiḥ pitā mūrtiḥ prajāpateḥ|

mātā pṛthivyā murtistu bhrātā so mūrtirātnamanaḥ||

manusmṛtyām 2-226

The preceptor or Guru is Brahma himself in person

Father is Prajapathi in person

Mother is the earth in person

and

The brother is just oneself in a different body..

This quote is found in some versions of Manusmriti.. And there is a claim too that this is not part of Manusmriti, but it is a prakshipta verse.. or interpolated verse..

Whether it is part of any smriti or not, the message conveyed is poignant..

The Guru is supreme like the ultimate deity himself.. We cannot think of challenging or disobeying the guru

Father is the one who made us what we are.. We simply grew from him.. So he is our maker, the Prajapathi.. The idea needs no elucidation

Mother is like earth.. patience, love, and eagerness to help and nurture even at the cost to herself..

And the brother.. he is just a second version of ourselves..

The message is... we cannot have any choice to dissociate from them or to love them less..

people of sterling character would not get affected seriously by the association

विकृतिं नैव गच्छन्ति सङ्गदोषेण साधवः।

अवेष्टितं महासर्पैः चन्दनं न विषायते॥

सुभाषितरत्नभाण्डागारे

vikṛtiṁ naiva gacchanti saṅgadoṣeṇa sādhavaḥ|

aveṣṭitaṁ mahāsarpaiḥ candanaṁ na viṣāyate|

subhāṣitaratnabhāṇḍāgāre

Materials of genuine quality would not get contaminated or eroded easily.

Just like that people of sterling character would not get affected seriously by the company they keep..

I am talking of people of real quality. And such people are indeed rare.. The general idea that a man can be measured by the company he keeps would apply to the majority. and we are the majority..

The subhashitam quoted above deals with exceptionally great and noble people.

The meaning is --

The noble and virtuous people do not veer towards evil tendencies even if they are in the company of people with evil propensities. A venomous serpent may coil around the trunk of a sandalwood tree. But the Sandal extract would never get poisonous.

Analysis

साधवः noble souls

सङ्गदोषेण because of bad or evil association, company

विकृतिं tendency to do wrong things,

न गच्छन्ति एव indeed do not attain, do not proceed to

महासर्पैः by enormously venomous snakes

आवेष्टितं covered, encircles चन्दनं विषायते न sandalwood does not become poisonous

Padma Prabhodaaya

In the celebrated Aditya Hridayam.. mantra in the Yuddhakandam of Valmikiramayanam, an epithet Padma Prabhodaaya is used to praise the Sun,,

There was a discussion on that epithet elsewhere..

I extract my own reply in that discussion

___________________________________________

"it is not पद्मप्रभोदाय but पद्मप्रबोधाय meaning the one who awakens the lotus from its sleep...

Bhagavan Aditya or the Sun, sending his gentle, tepid morning rays, just makes the lotus bloom..

Of course the word may be having hidden meanings like awakening the seven lotuses in our Sushumna.. Mooladhara, Swadhistaana, Manipura, Anaahata, Vishuddhi, Ajna, and Sahasraara padmaas.."

have mercy on readers

Verses and hymns in Sanskrit are usuallyvery simple and elegant..

And in the normal course they are amenable to simple and fine translations..

I think it is easy to present them in very simple words in any otherlanguage too..

Nevertheless it takes a lot, really a lot, of effort and plodding along like a donkey carrying weight for a whole life to transliterate such great pieces even very badly, and to translate them even in an uglier way ,

and present it to all with the sole result that reading such crap would divest the readers of all their love for the language, the verse and maybe the deity in whose honour the verse was composed by the original and now hapless author..

How many times Shankara, Ramanuja and others would have turned in the graves !

Anyway we achieve that very effectively and precisely too..

God bless us and the readers too.

About dedicating everything one does to God

About dedicating everything one does to God

Narayanaaya iti samarpayaami

नारायणायेति समर्पयामि

That idea is multi dimensional.

The physical mental and intellectual faculties that put us in action are provided by Him.. at least the devotee thinks so.

So the finished product created through such acton is just reconveyed in His favour.

It is just repayment of some loan taken.

It is not our gift or benevolence to Him

Nonviolence and Truth or honesty.

द्वावेव कथितौ सद्भिः पन्थानौ वदतां वर।

अहिंसा चैव सत्यं च यत्र धर्मः प्रतिष्ठितः॥

इन्दिश्चे स्प्रूचे ३०१५ ४२२८ रामायणे

dvāveva kathitau sadbhiḥ panthānau vadatāṁ vara|

ahiṁsā caiva satyaṁ ca yatra dharmaḥ pratiṣṭhitaḥ||

indiśce sprūce 3015 (4228) rāmāyaṇe

Kausalya tells Dasaratha.. “Oh my Lord, the best among learned men, There are only two paths or highways leading to the destination where righteousness rules. These are the paths of Nonviolence and Truth or honesty.”

this life material just changes bodies like worn out garments and appear again in new clothes

I am inclined to believe the idea found reiterated in HInduism that our existence is not restricted to the period between the birth and death. even without any direct proof...

Rather, like the blessed lord said in Gita, this life material just changes bodies like worn out garments and appear again in new clothes..

The varied stages of growth and maturity in mind and physique we discover among us cannot be explained in any other way..

वासांसि जीर्णानि यथा विहाय

नवानि गृह्णाति नरोऽपराणि ।

तथा शरीराणि विहाय जीर्णा-

न्यन्यानि संयाति नवानि देही ।।२२।।

भगवत् गीता अध्यायः २ साङ्ख्ययोगः