गायन्ति देवाः किल गीतिकानि धन्यास्तु ते भारतभूमिभागे

गायन्ति देवाः किल गीतिकानि धन्यास्तु ते भारतभूमिभागे।

स्वर्गापवर्गास्पद मार्गभूते भवन्ति भूयः पुरुषाः सुरत्वात्॥

विष्णुपुराणे २-३-२४

gāyanti devāḥ kila gītikāni dhanyāstu te bhāratabhūmibhāge|

svargāpavargāspada mārgabhūte bhavanti bhūyaḥ puruṣāḥ suratvāt||

viṣṇupurāṇe 2-3-24

A quote from Vishnupuranam.. one of the major puranas..

Meaning

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The divine beings in the heaven are singing..

"Those who are living in that part of earth which is called Bharata are really lucky and endowed with merits beyond imagination..

It is the only land from where the occupants can work and gain either the comforts of heaven or alternately they can work for emancipation from the cycle of births and deaths.

Even Gods, when they have to take birth on the face of earth for various reasons would choose only Bharata as the place where they would be born and would live and thrive..

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Our Bharatham is sweet, and great.. A man of Bharath would always would live here in this Bharath alone, and if he were to be born again, he would choose again to be a Bharathiya..

And when we read that sentiment recorded in an ancient and revered text, that would only reinforce our love and commitment for this land of ours.. although no such reinforcement is really needed..

I love my Bharath..my mother India

ഗായന്തി ദേവാഃ കില ഗീതികാനി ധന്യാസ്തു തേ ഭാരതഭൂമിഭാഗേ|

സ്വര്‍ഗാ പവ ര്‍ഗാസ്പദ മാര്‍ഗഭൂതേ ഭവന്തി ഭൂയഃ പുരുഷാഃ സുരത്വാത്||

വിഷ്ണുപുരാണേ ൨-൩-൨൪

മഹാപുരാണങ്ങളില്‍ ഒന്നായ വിഷ്ണുപുരാണത്തില്‍ നിന്ന്

അര്‍ഥം

സ്വര്‍ഗ്ഗവാസികളായ ദേവന്മാര്‍ ഇങ്ങനെ

പാടുന്നു

ഭൂമിയില്‍ ഭാരതം എന്ന പ്രദേശത്തില്‍ ജീവിക്കുന്ന മനുഷ്യര്‍ ഭാഗ്യവാന്മാരാണ് . ആര്‍ക്കും ചിന്തിക്കാന്‍ പറ്റാത്ത വിധം അത്രയധികം പുണ്യം ചെയ്തവര്‍ ആണ്.

എന്തെന്നാല്‍ ആ ഭൂഭാഗത്തില്‍ വസിക്കുന്ന ജനങ്ങള്‍ക്ക് മാത്രമേ സ്വന്തം ആചാരക്രമങ്ങളും നിഷ്ഠയും കൊണ്ട് സ്വര്‍ഗ്ഗത്തിലെ സുഖങ്ങള്‍ നേടുവാനോ അല്ലെങ്കില്‍ സ്വന്തം ജ്ഞാനവും വൈരാഗ്യവും കൈമുതലാക്കി ജനനമരണങ്ങളില്‍ നിന്ന് നിരന്തരമായ മോക്ഷം പ്രാപിക്കുവാനോ രണ്ടും സാധിക്കുകയുള്ളൂ

ദേവന്മാര്‍ പോലും ഏതെങ്കിലും കാരണത്തിന് ഭൂമിയില്‍ അവതാരം എടുക്കുമ്പോള്‍ സ്വയം ജനിക്കുവാനും, സന്തോഷത്തോടെ ജീവിക്കുവാനും ഈ ഭാരതഭൂമിയെ മാത്രമാണ് തിരഞ്ഞെടുക്കുന്നത്.

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നമ്മുടെ ഭാരതാംബ ധന്യയാണ്. മാധുര്യം നിറഞ്ഞവള്‍ ആണ്. ഭാരതഭൂമിയുടെ മകന്‍ ഇപ്പോഴും ആ നാട്ടില്‍ മാത്രമേ ജീവിക്കാന്‍ ആഗ്രഹിക്കുകയുള്ളൂ. നമുക്ക് വീണ്ടും ജന്മം ലഭിക്കുകയാണെങ്കില്‍ വീണ്ടും ഈ ഭാരതത്തില്‍ തന്നെ ജനിക്കണം . ഭാരതീയനായിത്തന്നെ ജനിക്കണം

അതീവ പുണ്യകരവും ബഹുമാന്യവും ആയ ഒരു പുരാതനഗ്രന്ഥത്തില്‍ നിന്ന് ഇത് വായിക്കുമ്പോള്‍ ഏറെ അഭിമാനം തോന്നുന്നു. ഒരു പുസ്തകത്തിലും എഴുതിയില്ലെങ്കിലും നമുക്ക് നമ്മുടെ ഭാരതമാണ്‌ ജീവനേക്കാള്‍ വലുത്. പക്ഷെ ആ വികാരം ഇങ്ങനെ പ്രതിഫലിച്ചുകാണുമ്പോള്‍ ഒരുപാടു സന്തോഷം തോന്നുന്നു.

ഭാരതാംബേ അവിടുത്തെ ഞാന്‍ സ്നേഹിക്കുന്നു.. ജീവനുതുല്യം.. ജീവനേക്കാള്‍

Nakshatra for birthday or date of birth as per Western Calendar?

I happened to see a post making a query as to whether we should celebrate our Nakshatra Birthday ( the birthday as per India Calendar), or the birthday as per the English Calendar , cutting cakes and all..

I could sense a tinge of disapproval in the query about Hindus following the English birthday..

My frank view on the matter is as below

English birthday decides many factors of our life..

from the date of birth to the date of death..

getting birth certificates to death certificates..

Superannuation,

attaining major-hood,

becoming a senior citizen and so on..

So it is definitely an important landmark..

There is nothing wrong in following that as the staple crossing mark every year..

In addition, for religious purpose, for Ayushya homams(fire oblations) and shanthis (expiatory chants and rituals) we can and we adopt the Soura maasam(the solar months..medam,edavam etc) and Nakshatram

(Ashvathi to Revathi)..( of course some follow Chandra Masam.. and specify the thithis too.. Rama Navami or Janma Ashtami are examples)

Is there any strict rule that one should not celebrate two birthdays? No

Further, scriptures of ours may say the birthday falls on a Nakshatram in a month.. like Rama born on Punarvasu in Mesha or Chaitra ( there are many schools on this issue..Kolla varsham and Saleevahana Sakaabdam Vikrama Shakabdm, Kaliyugabdam.. and so on..give varied spans for months)...

But no Veda or Shastra has prohibited celebration of English birthday..

It is a complete Loukika Karyam (unconnected with religion..)..

Cake cutting is also of that category..

We need not be too strict either way..

musings 287

naatakaantham kavithvam..നാടകാന്തം കവിത്വം .. नाटकान्तं कवित्वम् as one goes ahead in search of reason, orthodoxy just peels off one's psyche.. like the dead skin of a snake..

in the realm of thought, each person is all alone..

one cannot wait for the approval, nor shun away from the disapproval of others..

True, the state of clear thinking avoiding prejudices may not be the last destination..

It is only a stage..

Maybe there are some sources or destinations for one to dissolve with the Supreme Being..

But if it happens, and if at all it happens, the individual who journeyed towards that Ultimate being will not come back to report what he experienced..

Tad VishnoH paramam padam..തദ്‌ വിഷ്ണോ പരമം പദം तदविष्णोःपरमंपदं

I just call it Vishnu only because it can be called by any name, and at the same time it has no name whatsoever..

musings 286

Everything has its own role and function in this world..

Some functions are apparent on the surface, and they draw attention, invite praise and often receive very severe criticism too

But many staple functions are very methodical, silent and persisitent.. Such fucntions just go on without getting any notice

Take the case of a plant.

It gives out flowers.. The flowers are soft, wear makeup, they are fragrant, and they attract bees too.. But they wither away within a day

There are fruits, the fruits pregnant with seeds.. They attract gourment birds, animals and humans with their aroma and taste, because they know that only through sacrifice of their own bodies they could ensure that further plants of their own species could sprout..

There is the root, no one cares about it.. The roots have no beauty.. But they have the duty to keep the plant alive. They have to incessently ferret the soil for water and nutrients.. They have to dig into the earth to any extent to find the sustenance for the whole plant, the trunk, leaves, flowers and fruits.. If no nutrient is available, no water is availabe, still they would send up whatever they have.. and they would keep the plant alive as long as they live.. But who would care a hoot about the root ?

The poet writes.. He creates sublime muses. But he goes unnoticed. The singer just reads the poetry in his own her voice.. but gets all the accolades

A faceless academic strains his eyes and burns his midnight oil, and creates learned dissetations.. often they are copied and plagiarised and in social media they are invariably subjected to cut and paste.. The academic or scholar is ignored but the copyist and the thief are praised

Of course that seems to be the laws of the nature, the law of the Kali age,

However, if the roots refuse to draw water and nutrients, the plant would die

if the obscure lyricist refuses to write, no singer can sing with elan

If some obscure scholar, author or academic with some originality does not produce articles, the copyists would never be able to cut and paste and shine ..

Better to remember this..

Reserve some kind thoughts to the original plodder

Do not presume that what is apparent need be real

We can choose to wink at the pretenders.

But we must spot them and try to put them at the proper slot they deserve.

punarjanma, moksham

a very valid question raised by a very deeply learned friend

Human birth is the nearest point one can try to realise moksha and shirk off the cycle of birth and death. When a person , especially a close relative or friend, passes away we pray that let his/her soul merge in the Brahman. We daily pray so during food " Brahmani me aatmaa amritatwaya'.

When a girl in the family becomes pregnant, some people tend to bless by saying that let the grand father/ father in law or mother ( or some such close relative not alive) be reborn. Is it not against our belief or prayer. Why should the departed soul get into the cycle?

My views on this

Let us take it this way.. If the person is steadfast towards realization of the Brahmam, and attain Mukthi, his path is clear.. No desire to the contrary by way of either blessing or curse is going to affect him.. But by some chance, the Karmagati in this life is not clear enough to fetch him the mukthi, is it better that he is reborn in the same environs and continues his purusit towards mukthi from the point where he left.?. In such cases, the blessings from elders and the family might do him a lot of good.

.

Human desires, blessings and evan curses are just expressions of human mind.. But sometimes in rare cases such minds would have reacahed such exalted states that such desires or curses would come true.. However, such cases are rarest of the rare..

In fact even in the case of the most exalted persons with sadhana, a directed and purposeful or sakama thought or curse, even when it materializes would deplete the accumulated tapas or the potential spiritual energy of the person at some exalted spirituals stage, and he becomes mere human with karma once again..

This happend to sage Visvamitra again and again

May be the Gods representing the supreme being are exceptions.. because, they will not deplete have their powers depleted through granting boons..

But even they would suffer, like Brahma in many cases, Shiva in the case of Bhasmasura etc..

Secondly, the explanations of life phenomena through Vaidic view following path of yajna etc,, that result in giving blessings like the grandson being reborn as grandson, and the theory of path of Jnaana which carries one to Moksha are basically at variance.. Yajnas prescribed by Vedas are just ladders to enjoyment in heaven, and once the merits gained are used up, the people who went to heaven will have to return to this earth to resume their toils here.. In that case a wish or blessing that he may come back and start as a human in the same family might do him good.. He can, in fact, be reborn as a worm or a piece or grass or a snake or a donkey or a bacteria

And these rules do not apply for the once who are relieved from the cycle of birth and death through Moksham..

Niether blessings nor curses really matter to them.

In the name of spirituality and hinduism and brahminism so many false messages are floating.

In the name of spirituality and hinduism and brahminism so many false messages are floating.

Another trend is false translation on an estimate basis. presuming meanings and ideas that are not presented or even implied or remotely intended in the original text..

This result is ..conveying of very wrong messages.

And blatant lies are floated as anecdotes on the lives of our Revered gurus.

Instead of doing good to the community and society such things would make our community and culture as very cheap and deceitful.

People can keep quiet instead of doing such misrepresentation.

And the very wise followers who really know nothing but who want to show off share and forward such things without even reading.. lock stock and barrel.

I confess that I too present a slokam or two in these columns

. But before posting I refer to all possible and available sources. and resources.

And to carry out a translation of a Sanskrit or Vedic mantram even in a crude way it takes hours and hours of labour. References to texts, and modern libraries and traditional lexicons like Shabda Kalpadrumam, Vachaspateeyam,Nighantu, Amaram and so on.

And bhasyams of great masters like Shankara and Sayanaachary and Bhattabhaskara among others.

So I get genuinely uneasy when I see such destructive trends.

I cannot help it.

God is a business for some.

God is a showpiece for some.

God is a vehicle for gaining cheap and undeserving popularity for some.

It is just moral ethical and spiritual degradation.

When I see such things I feel like running away

But I keep coming back too because there are a set of genuine friends for me here..and I cannot find them elsewhere

Regards

K v ananthanarayanan

ॐ मित्रस्य चर्षणिधृतः श्रवो देवस्य सानसिं

ॐ मित्रस्य चर्षणिधृतः श्रवो देवस्य सानसिं सत्यं चित्र श्रवस्तमं मित्रो जनान् यतयति प्रजानन् मित्रो दातार पृथिवीमुत द्यां मित्रः कृष्टीः अनिमिषाभिचष्टे सत्याय हव्यं घृतवत् विधेम प्र स मित्र मर्तो अस्तु प्रयस्वान् यस्त आदित्य शिक्षति व्रतेन न हन्यते न जीयते त्वोतो नैनम् हो अश्नोत्यन्तितो न दूरात्॥

om mitrasya carṣaṇidhṛtaḥ śravo devasya sānasiṁ satyaṁ citra śravastamaṁ mitro janān yatayati prajānan mitro dātāra prithivīmuta dyāṁ mitraḥ kṛṣṭīḥ animiṣābhicaṣṭe satyāya havyaṁ ghṛtavat vidhema pra sa mitra marto astu prayasvān yasta āditya śikṣati vratena na hanyate na jīyate tvoto nainam ho aśnotyantito na dūrāt||

ഓം മിത്രസ്യ ചര്‍ഷണിധൃതഃ ശ്രവോ ദേവസ്യ സാനസിം സത്യം ചിത്ര ശ്രവസ്തമം മിത്രോ ജനാന്‍ യതയതി പ്രജാനന്‍ മിത്രോ ദാതാര പൃഥ്വീമുത ദ്യാം മിത്രഃ കൃഷ്ടീഃ അനിമിഷാഭിചഷ്ടേ സത്യായ ഹവ്യം ഘൃതവത് വിധേമ പ്ര സ മിത്ര മര്‍ത്തോ അസ്തു പ്രയസ്വാന്‍ യസ്ത ആദിത്യ ശിക്ഷതി വ്രതേന ന ഹന്യതേ ന ജീയതേ ത്വോതോ നൈനം ഹോ അശ്നോത്യന്തിതോ ന ദൂരാത്॥

From Sandhya upasana mantram found in Yajurvedi

I am praising the fame of that Mitra, the fame that is eternal and truthful, wonderful and thrilling and picturesque

That Mitra who is the Supreme one (Sun) who is the friend and benefactor of one and all

That Mitra who is the up-lifter of the intellect of the learned and the pious people

That Mitra who is the ultimate receptacle of our ceremonial worship

That Mitra who can perceive everything with equanimity and could see everything, recognizes the ordained functions of every living being and engages the beings in their respective functions.

That Mitra protects this earth and that sky

That Mitra, remains awake and alert all the time without interruption and enables the human beings on the earth to shine forth in their functions.

Unto that Supreme, eternally truthful being, may we offer cooked rice mixed with ghee

Oh Mitra, the human being who observes fasts, rituals and observances and serves you through them, becomes always blessed with the most effective results in the endeavours in which he is engaged.

Oh Mitra, the one who is protected by you cannot either be killed or destroyed by anyone, nor can he be defeated by anyone.

Oh Mitra, the person who is thus protected by you will not be affected by sins which happen near him, or sins that happen far away from him..

The Suryopaasana Mantram during prayer to Madhyaahnika Sandhya

The Suryopaasana Mantram during prayer to Madhyaahnika Sandhya

As per Yajurvedam

आ सत्येन रजसा वर्तमानो निवेशयन्नमृतं मर्त्यं च हिरण्ययेन सविता रथेनादेवो याति भुवनाविपश्यन्।उद्वयं तमसस्परि पशयन्तो ज्योतिरुत्तरम्। देवं देवत्र सूर्यमगन्म ज्योतिरुत्तमम्। उदुत्यं जातवेदसं देवं वहन्ति केतवः।दृशे विश्वाय सूर्यम्। चित्रं देवानामुदगादनीकं चक्षुर्मित्रस्य वरुणस्याग्नेः। आप्रा द्या वा पृथ्वी अन्तरिक्षम्। सूर्य आत्मा जगतः चक्षुषश्च। तच्चक्षुर्देवहितं पुरस्तात् शुक्रमुच्चरत्। पश्येम शरदश्शतं जीवेम शरदश्शतं नन्दाम शरदश्शतं मोदाम शरदश्शतं भवाम शरदश्शतं शृणुयाम शरदश्शतं प्रब्रवाम शरदश्शतं अजीता स्याम शरदश्शतं। ज्योक्च सूर्यं दृशे। य उदगान्महतोर्ण्णवाद्विभ्राजमानस्सरिरस्य मध्यात्स मा वृषभो लोहिताक्षस्सूर्यो विपश्चिन्मनसा पुनातु॥

ā satyena rajasā vartamāno niveśayannamṛtaṃ martyaṃ ca hiraṇyayena savitā rathenādevo yāti bhuvanāvipaśyan।udvayaṃ tamasaspari pasyanto jyotiruttaram। devaṃ devatra sūryamaganma jyotiruttamam। udutyaṃ jātavedasaṃ devaṃ vahanti ketavaḥ।dṛśe viśvāya sūryam। citraṃ devānāmudagādanīkaṃ cakṣurmitrasya varunasyāgneḥ। āprā dyā vā pṛthvī antarikṣam। sūrya ātmā jagataḥ cakṣuṣaśca। taccakṣurdevahitaṃ purastāt śukramuccarat। paśyema śaradaśśataṃ jīvema śaradaśśataṃ nandāma śaradaśśataṃ modāma śaradaśśataṃ bhavāma śaradaśśataṃ śṛṇuyāma śaradaśśataṃ prabravāma śaradaśśataṃ ajītā syāma śaradaśśataṃ। jyokca sūryaṃ dṛśe। ya udagānmahatorṇṇavādvibhrājamānassarirasya madhyātsa mā vṛṣabho lohitākṣassūryo vipascinmanasā punātu॥

ആ സത്യേന രജസാ വര്‍ത്ത മാനോ നിവേശയന്നമൃതം മര്‍ത്യം ച ഹിരണ്യയേന സവിതാ രഥേനാദേവോ യാതി ഭുവനാവിപശ്യന്‍।ഉദ്വയം തമസസ്പരി പശ്യന്തോ ജ്യോതിരുത്തരം। ദേവം ദേവത്ര സൂര്യമഗന്മ ജ്യോതിരുത്തമം। ഉദുത്യം ജാതവേദസം ദേവം വഹന്തി കേതവഃ।ദൃശേ വിശ്വായ സൂര്യം। ചിത്രം ദേവാനാമുദഗാദനീകം ചക്ഷുര്‍മിത്രസ്യവരുണസ്യാഗ്നെഃI ആപ്രാ ദ്യാ വാ പൃഥ്വീ അന്തരിക്ഷം। സൂര്യ ആത്മാ ജഗതഃ ചക്ഷുഷശ്ച। തച്ചക്ഷുര്‍ദേവഹിതം പുരസ്താത് ശുക്രമുച്ചരത്। പശ്യേമ ശരദശ്ശതം ജീവേമ ശരദശ്ശതം നന്ദാമ ശരദശ്ശതം മോദാമ ശരദശ്ശതം ഭവാമ ശരദശ്ശതം ശൃണുയാമ ശരദശ്ശതം പ്രബ്രവാമ ശരദശ്ശതം അജീതാ സ്യാമ ശരദശ്ശതം। ജ്യോക്ച സൂര്യം ദൃശേ। യ ഉദഗാന്മഹതോര്‍ണ്ണവാദ്വിഭ്രാജമാനസ്സരിരസ്യ മധ്യാത്സ മാ വൃഷഭോ ലോഹിതാക്ഷസ്സൂര്യോ വിപശ്ചിന്മനസാ പുനാതു॥

Meaning

That glorious and resplendent Sun is shining in the tallest position in the sky with a glow that cannot be substituted with that of any other shining object

That sun is proceeding in the sky with his journey in his golden chariot, covering the whole universe, enabling in that journey the deathless Gods as well as the mortal humans on earth to performed their avowed duties and engage themselves in their activities.

He is the witness for all that transpires in this universe.

We, who are seeing the glorious resplendence of the Supreme Being that is the Sun,

The Sun whose position is higher than anything else in the Sky

The Sun, whose glory is greater that anything else,

On that Sun, we take refuge

That Sun is the most established among all the Gods

That Sun who is shining with a glow without comparison

We declare with conviction, for the knowledge of all

that the orb of the Sun carries in itself the greatest glories emanating from the Vedas and therefore emanates the most benevolent and praiseworthy glow.

May we be able to see the Supreme Being in the Solar Orb

That Supreme being is the source of infinite energy found in all gods.

That Supreme Being is the source of strength for Mitra, Varuna and agni

That Supreme being pervades all over, filling the whole of earth, sky and heaven.

That Supreme being is present and inherent in all things that are moving, and that are immobile

The Supreme being is the eye of the universe, the source of all learning and knowledge that could be gained

That Supreme being who is the embodiment of purity

That Supreme being raises in the sky right with the dawn

That Supreme being is the essence of Parabrhma praised by the Vedas

May we see him for long periods of hundreds of Sharats or autumns

May we live for hundreds of autumns in his benign presence

May we live with the happiness of having sons, grandsons and large families for hundreds of autumns

May we be blessed with all the objects and things that would give us happiness for hundreds of autumns

May we progress from strength to strength in our happy existence for hundreds of autumns and remain humble devotees of that Supreme Being (the Sun)

May we live for hundreds of autumns hearing the glories of that Supreme Being

May we be blessed with the capacity to speak good and nice words about the Supreme Being, for hundreds of autumns

May we remain alive and undefeated by others for hundreds of autumns..

न मे पार्थास्ति कर्तव्यं त्रिषु लोकेषु किञ्चन

न मे पार्थास्ति कर्तव्यं त्रिषु लोकेषु किञ्चन

नानवाप्तमवाप्तव्यम् वर्त एव हि कर्मणि॥३--२२॥

श्रेमद्भगवद्गीतायां

na me pārthāsti kartavyaṁ triṣu lokeṣu kiñcana

nānavāptamavāptavyam varta eva hi karmaṇi||3--22||

śreemadbagavadgītāyāṁ

=============

The Blessed Lord Sri Krishna Says in Gita..

Oh Arjuna, I have nothing left in this world which I should perform as if it were my bounden o duty..

There is nothing in this world which is achievable that I have not already achieved.

Still I remain in action, I do my karma..

The Lord remained as a Karmayogi because He being the Supreme person of the age when he manifested on earth, if He did not set Himself as an example and remained lazy and inactive, others also would be tempted to follow the path of inaction..

But for us the lesser mortals, the satisfaction can come from only a sense of contentment..

The Blessed Lord had the capacity to achieve anything He deemed fit, but we have our own limitations..

If we set our targets at achievable limits (अवाप्तव्यं) then alone we are likely to have a reasonable satisfaction that we have really achieved something..

For us the ordinary humans, remaining in action alone can keep the body and mind alert and active..

Here the law of inertia speaks.. every material body remains in a state of rest or of uniform motion unless it is acted upon by an external force to change that state.. ( Remember Newton)

Usually we are in a state of mental and physical inertia.. see how difficult it is to get out of bed..?

Usually our role models are Kumbhakarna or Rip van winkle..

It is said that Winston Churchill, during his World war days, used to mark all the instructions he issued with the handwritten caption..

"ACTION THIS DAY "

Even the ugliest offspring is so sweet to its mother

Of course many people write original things.. no doubt about it.

But that is not easy to find in social media.

And Wodehouse, Agatha Christie, Maugham, Sheldon, Radhakrishnan, Russell .. and many covering a wide spectrum of core thoughts used the same language so attractively.

The taste of the readers too vary.

My problem is that even though I might try my hands on humour or economics or science once in a while I have lost interest in those genres.

And synthetic creation of cluster if words without adding heart to them is just waste of time and energy.

And sure,

a piece of writing by me that would make me read it again only would engage the attention of anyone else even for a short period.

I know that any Individual writer like me thinks too high of himself.. but others just tolerate him.

Even the ugliest offspring is so sweet to its mother.

असूयैकपदं मृत्युः अतिवादः श्रियो वधः

असूयैकपदं मृत्युः अतिवादः श्रियो वधः।

अशुश्रूषा त्वरा श्लाघा विद्यायाः शत्रवस्त्रयः॥

महाभारते उद्योगपर्वणि ५-४०-४ विदुरवाक्ये॥

asūyaikapadaṁ mṛtyuḥ ativādaḥ śriyo vadhaḥ|

aśuśrūṣā tvarā ślāghā vidyāyāḥ śatravastrayaḥ||

mahābhārate udyogaparvaṇi 5-40-4 viduravākye||

A quote from Viduravakyam of Mahabharatham... The minister of Kauravas and the younger brother of the King Dhritarashra, the wise Vidura is discussing various aspects of statecraft and lifestyle management with his elder brother the King..

Here in this sloka, he is pointing out the adverse effects of certain base human qualities..

Meaning of the sloka

================

**The one word synonymous with jealousy and intolerance is death itself..

**Excessive and unwanted argument with someone is just as bad as getting killed..

**And the three enemies of acquiring knowledge and getting educated are

1. Not giving respect to the preceptor who is imparting knowledge, and also not giving due respect to the subject by constant practice

2. Too much of haste, too much eagerness, too much of avariciousness

3. Too much of self praise.. boasting about ones own knowledge.. receiving too much of praise from others on a person's learning and knowledge..

==================

So many murders do happen due to jealousy and intolerance.. Even otherwise, jealousy and intolerance burns away all that is good in a man... and he is dying a gradual death..

Unnecessary argument would carry us nowhere.. But that can cause distress to the one who argues as well as the one who listens.. And dry arguments often provoke anger in others.. and that can result in strife and even death.. More than that an argumentative person would be shunned by all.. and that could mean social rationalization and virtual death. And above all, arguments, in excess can bore one to death..

Education would progress in the proper manner only if the student is in a receptive mood.. If the student has no respect for the knowledge of the teacher, and if he is not having much devotion to the subject of study how can there be any progress?

Human mind has its limitations.. Things can be imbibed only through assiduous practice.. Education and training are time bound.. Shortcuts and haste would never help.. never.. Often we forget this when preparing for competitive examinations. The apparent success in the short term perspective would only generate incompetent and least equipped work force.. and human beings..

And we are all basically vain.. We succumb to praise.. When we are praised even for small achievements, we tend to believe that we are super heroes.. And that would spell doom for our further pursuit in acquisition of knowledge.. And when a person just starts boasting and bragging about his own knowledge, that is the end of his education.. Some people brag by telling belittling things about themselves.. expecting others to contradict them and praise them.. That too is just bragging bottled in a slightly different manner..

These points are worth a lot of consideration..

choice is ours. we can give voluntarily or choose to get robbed.

choice is ours. we can give voluntarily or choose to get robbed..

----------------------------------------------

सञ्चितम् क्रतुषु नोपयुञ्च्यते

याचितम् गुणवते न दीयते

तद् कदर्य्यपरिगतं धनं

चोरपार्थिवगृहेषु भुञ्ज्यते॥३२

चाणक्यराजनीतिशास्त्रे अध्यायः १

sañcitam kratuṣu nopayuncyate

yācitam guṇavate na dīyate

tad kadarthaparigataṁ dhanaṁ

corapārthivagṛheṣu bhuñjyate||32

cāṇakyarājanītiśāstre adhyāyaḥ 1

--------------

People amass wealth with eagerness and great enthusiasm..

But they fail to utilize and spend such wealth for right causes.

What happens to such wealth.?

Chanakya says.

===============

" The accumulated wealth of a stingy person is not usually applied for socially useful purposes.

Nor any part of it is given to good people who ask for it or even beg for it.

Such wealth accumulated for some selfish and ignoble purpose ultimately converts itself into sumptuous food in the household of a thief of a king"

==============

The management experts and the leadership pundits are very keen to groom people to attain the peak capacity to earn and accumulate money.

The economist or investment expert will give us sound advise as to how multiply such money earned in the shortest possible time.

But the majority of the people with huge wealth are not inclined to share even a part of it with the people who are less fortunate.

Nor are they prepared to recycle the funds for some socially useful purpose without profit motive.

They are possessive, rather stingy, about money...

Ultimately, they fall to swindlers who play upon their ego or they shell out most of the earning by way of Government Levies..

Alternately their money can be stolen by thieves, either burglars or suave e-hackers.

Is it not better that some good souls enjoy the benefits of your earning while you watch and you have the satisfaction that you gave it to them voluntarily?

The other choice is that your wealth is stolen away by burglars or inflation, or is simply taken away by the Government by way of taxes while you live or when you are dead.

न हि धर्मार्थसिद्ध्यर्थं पानमेवं प्रशस्यते

न हि धर्मार्थसिद्ध्यर्थं पानमेवं प्रशस्यते।

पानादर्थश्च धर्मश्च कामश्च परिहीयते॥

श्रीमद्वाल्मीकीये रामायणे किष्किन्धाकाण्डे ३३-४६

na hi dharmārthasiddhyarthaṁ pānamevaṁ praśasyate|

pānādarthaśca dharmaśca kāmaśca parihīyate||

śrīmadvālmīkīye rāmāyane kiṣkindhākāṇḍe 33-46

This is what Lakshmana says in the Kishkindaakandam of Valmikiramayanam..

Sure, it is not desirable to indulge in drinking intoxicating hooch if one desires the fulfillment of his Dharma or proper living and gain of wealth and welfare..

In fact, when one gets addicted to drinks, his proper conduct and lifestyle, his wealth, and the fulfillment of all his fond desires.. all these received setback and he is sliding down in his stature..

The four purposes of life are Dharma, Artha, Kama and Moksha..

Once a fellow consumes hooch, his mind gets clouded and his sense of proper behaviour and right action are lost.. His dharma gets hit there.

Dependence on drinks leads to wastage of resources through wrong spending, and careless spending too.. and this, coupled with the lack of right activity on the part of the drinker, leads to depletion and destruction of wealth, if any in the possessing of the drinker.

And an addict loses all senses and his social standing is eroded, and he has no proper resources and he has no capacity to pursue his fond desires and dreams.. So his Kama is also gone.

Of course, Lakshmana does not talk about Moksha.. But if a fellow indulges in excessive drinking, Moksha is ensured if quick death is indicated by that word.. But if Moksha means emancipation and happiness in the life after death, a drinker can hardly hope for it..

So drinking is a killer in the present and future too..

(The backdrop of the statement is this.

After Sugriva the monkey and Rama became friends, and Rama restored the leadership of monkeys to Sugriva after killing Bali, and Sugriva had promised to help Rama in searching for the lost Sita.. a few months elapsed.. Sugriva just entered his city Kishkinda and indulged himself in wine and women, while Rama and Lakshmana were expecting proper action by Sugriva in the search of Sita.. The brothers were spending their time in the outskirts of Kishkinda, braving the rainy season,, just hoping that Sugriva would come out and take proper action.. However months passed and it looked as if Sugriva had conveniently forgotten his part in the pact.. Rama was enraged, and he sends Lakshmana to Kishkinda with a note of warning..

When Lakshmana enters the city, anger personified, Sugriva is stuck with mortal fear.. He send Thara, the beautiful queen of Bali to meet and pacify Lakshmana.

Of course Lakshmana is a Royal gentleman and he would not show anger to a lady..

So he addresses Thara in calm words.. He is warning against the attitude of Sugriva who has forgotten his duties and is just spending his time in consuming hooch..

The warning not is that if Sugriva just failed to forget his commitment to Rama, then his Dharma, Artha and Kama all could vanish in a moment .. if the anger of Rama and Lakshmana worked against him.)

Messages against drinking are in plenty.. Such messages are read, praised, but mostly not put into practice.

One more such message in the hope that it would do some good to all.

मित्रस्य मा चक्षुषा सर्वाणि भूतानि समीक्षन्ताम्

मित्रस्य मा चक्षुषा सर्वाणि भूतानि समीक्षन्ताम्।

मित्रस्य चक्षुषा सर्वाणि भूतानि समीक्षे ।

मित्रस्य चक्षुषा समीक्षामहे।

यजुर्वेदम् 38-18

दूरङ्गमं ज्योतिषां ज्योतिरेकः तन्मे मनः शिवसङ्कल्पमस्तु।

यजुर्वेदं वाजसनेयी संहिता 34 - 1

Mitrasya chakshushaa sarvaani bhutani sameekshantaam

Mitrasya chakshushaa sarvaani bhootaani sameekshe

Mitrasya,chakshuushaa sameekshaamahe

Yajurvedam 34 -1

Doorangamam jyothishaam jyotirekah

Tan me manah shiva sankalpamastu

I present before you

two great mantrams from yajurveda.

======

The first Prayer from Yajurvedam

May all things present in the universe look upon one another with the eyes of friendship and goodwill.

I see, I am eager to see and perceive, all things around me with the eyes of friendship and goodwill.

Thus may we all look upon one another wit the eyes of friendship

And from Vajasaneyi samnhita comes the second mantram

May my mind reflect on that being with brilliant effulgence- spreading its glory far and -- the shine that alone causes everything to shine-- and may that mind of mine desire only what is good for me and others.

=====

The prayers are for universal friendship and universal goodwill.

Of course a devout person will say the first prayer is to Mitra.. the Sun.

Yes Mitra is the greatest friend of all of us. Without him we have no existence. So that prayer is in order

The second prayer iis conceived by the devotees as directed towards Shiva..

Yes Lord Shiva is the embodiment of all that is great and peaceful.

So the desire to contemplate on Shiva who is the source of all the brilliance far and near is also very correct.

Shivasankalpam is sublime beyond words and thoughts.

We just saw Divinity in all that is sublime..at least Vedas did so.

I am not at all bothered about the source from which knowledge and information comes...

I am not at all bothered about the source from which knowledge and information comes...

I devour the contents, wherever it comes from, be it printed books, be it manuscript or scraps, be it electronice documents or voice recorded or videographed material or a discourse from a learned person or a lecture from a professor.. or even a talk with a friend

In fact availability of pdf or other electronic formats of books and documents have actually revolutionized the realm of knowledge..

Now there will be no one in the world who would be forced to suffer ignorance for lack of reading material..

Many sites.. many books that could be downloaded free or through payments..

Of course the inclination to read can vary from person to person..

And, fully knowing that I would not be able to read too many books in the time left for me, I never stop acquiring any sort of book..

Normally, we accountants and taxmen talk of book balance as the money available as per account books

However, my idea of book balance is that state of balance of mind we can attain by reading good books, or the balance we can keep in regulating our lived to have sufficient time to read books..

Why are people following Godmen of first to last century? Or alive Godmen of this century?

Why are people following Godmen of first to last century?

Or alive Godmen of this century?

They follow such Godmen's cult or even religion.

They even make 'filmy' bhajans on these godmen for popularity.

They make temples and churches and mosques and other prayer halls for the followers!

What drives these activities? Is it only money consideration?

Someone asks

My honest respnse

Religion and its observation are above five percent faith and the rest showmanship.

There may be a tiny fraction of conviction too..

And in any organized group activity, the more showy, the more talkative a person is, the more attention he draws and he is more popular..

Take for example a leader of a Namasankeerthanam gang.. More than his musical talent, the build up given to him by his team and others, the way he makes funny gestures while he sings, the way he makes funny noises in the middle, the way he would appear to be possessed with the presence of some god at some point, all these adds to his success. Every perfoming artist resorts to certain gimmicks unique to him..

At every point of history,the best showmen became leaders..

From Vyasa Valmiki, Krishna and a lot of them like that upto the modern swamys, periavals, gurus.. all are like that

Krishnas choice of a dramatic occasions to give Gita, his Rasaleela or his dance on the head of a Sanke... are some such occasions. Without such incients, would he have reached such a fame..

This idea applies to any divine personage in any religion or faith.

And there is a secondary line of godmen who pretend to be ardent followers of the men at top, and try to gain mileage but generation mass hysteria over the name and fame of the senior leader.. but they would be biding for their time to stab the leader on his back, throw him away from his seat and quietly occupy the seat falling vacant.

If there are two teachers, one of them well stocked in knowledge but less articulate, and another whose knowledge has many blank spaces but who talks and and presents things well, the second would become more successful and the leader too

No human being is above vanity, showmanship and worship of what is apparent than what is substantial comes instinctively to all the people

Maybe there are people who are indeed very deep and wide in their intellectual content, but if they do not show off, they would not be praised or followed in Society

Do you think there was no greater swami in India aprat from Vivekananda ?

Do you think there was no greater political leader in India apart from Gandhi?

And in the field of music, fine arts, word-craft etc, the persons who are able to churn up the emotions of the audience albeit temporarily are the only successful ones

We are carried way by the tall talks of many film stars..

We even attribute spotless character and all qualities like selflessness, chastity etc in such persons..

Remember, they are professional actors.

And let us remember, all leaders are consummate actors too..

No one can be really successful if he cannot have at least two faces.

It is a tragedy that often we have to show two faces even for mere survival..

छायामन्यस्य कुर्वन्ति तिष्ठन्ति स्वयमातपे

छायामन्यस्य कुर्वन्ति तिष्ठन्ति स्वयमातपे ।

फलान्यपि परार्थाय वृक्षाः सत्पुषा ईव ॥

chāyāmanyasya kurvanti tiṣṭhanti svayam ātape

phalānyapi parārthāya vṛkṣāḥ satpuruṣā iva

There is a lot in common between a grown tree and a mature noble person

The tree stands immobile in scorching sun and gives shadow to living beings who take shelter underneath them

The fruits growing in the trees are also given free as food for others.

Great people too are like that.

They would receive and endure the brunt of misfortune, suffering and torture meted out and protect others from difficulties in that process.

But others who are watching this and can understand the sacrifice should not permit the tree to suffer always..

Remember, the tree would choose to suffer for ever but if the heat is too great, its foliage, branches and trunk .. all would dry up and the tree would die.

So there would be no tree and and no shadow..

Therefore devoted care should be taken to add water at the roots of the tree when the summer is at is peak..

Instead we watch the tree to rot, so that we can cut the timber easily..

This happens in the case of noble souls too..

Will we ever change?

ഛായാമന്യസ്യ കുര്‍വന്തി തിഷ്ഠന്തി സ്വയം ആതപേ

ഫലാന്യപി പരാര്ഥായ വൃക്ഷാഃ സത്പുരുഷാ ഇവ

മഹാവൃക്ഷങ്ങള്‍ക്കും നല്ല മനസ്സുള്ള വ്യക്തികള്‍ക്കും ഇടയില്‍ ഒരുപാടു കാര്യങ്ങള്‍ സാമ്യമായുണ്ട്

വൃക്ഷങ്ങള്‍ പൊരിയുന്ന വെയിലത്ത് ഇലകളും കൊമ്പുകളും വിടര്‍ത്തി ക്ലേശം സഹിച്ചു നിവര്‍ന്നു നില്‍ക്കുന്നു.. അവയുടെ നിഴലില്‍ എത്രയോ ജീവികള്‍ക്ക് ആശ്വാസം കിട്ടുന്നു. മരങ്ങളില്‍ കായ്ക്കുന്ന പഴങ്ങളും സ്വയം തിന്നനല്ല.. വരുന്നവര്‍ക്കെല്ലാം വീതിച്ചു കൊടുക്കാനുള്ളവ മാത്രം

നല്ല മനുഷ്യരും ഇതുപോലെ ഒക്കെയാണ്. സ്വയം ജീവിതത്തില്‍ എന്തൊക്കെ വിഷമങ്ങള്‍ സഹിച്ചാലും ആശ്രയിച്ചു നില്‍ക്കുന്ന വരെ ഏതുവിധേനയും സംരക്ഷിക്കാന്‍ വേണ്ടി പാടുപെടുന്നു. താന്‍ നേടിയതും നേടുന്നതും നെറ്വാന്‍ പോകുന്നതും എല്ലാം മറ്റുള്ളവര്‍ക്ക് വേണ്ടി മാത്രമാണ് എന്ന് അവര്‍ സ്വന്തം ജീവിതം കൊണ്ട് തെളിയിച്ചുകൊണ്ടേയിരിക്കുന്നു

the merits of each of the fifteen Tithis in Mahalaya paksham

Now I am trying to attempt the merits of each of the fifteen Tithis in Mahalaya paksham and also the following Ashvina Shukla pratipadam.. the prathama tithi following the Mahalaya Amavasya..
I quote from what Sage Markandeya Said..
मार्कण्डेय
कन्यागते सवितरि दिनानि दशपञ्च च पार्वणेन विधिना तत्र श्राद्धम् विधीयते॥
प्रतिपद् धनलाभाय द्वितीया हि प्रजाप्रदा वरार्थिनां तृतीया च चतुर्थी शत्रुनाशिनी॥
श्रियं प्राप्नोति पञ्चम्यां षष्ठ्यां पूज्यो भवेन्नरः।गणधिपत्यं सप्तम्यां अष्टम्यां वृद्धिमुत्तमम्॥
स्त्रियो नवम्यां प्राप्नोति दशम्यां पूर्णकामतां वेदांस्तथाप्नुयात्सर्वानेकादश्यां क्रियापरः॥
द्वादश्यां हेमलाभं च प्राप्नोति पितृपूजकः॥
प्रजां मेधां पशून् पुष्टिं च वृद्धिमुत्तमाम्॥
दीर्घमायुष्यमैश्वर्यं कुर्वाणस्तु त्रयोदशीम्।
अवाप्नोति न सन्देहः श्राद्धम् श्रद्धापरो नरः।
युवानो पितरो यस्य स्मृताः शस्त्रेण वै हताः।
तेन कार्यं चतुर्दश्यां तेषां ऋद्धिमभीप्सताम्।
श्राद्धं तु कुर्वन्नमावास्यायां अन्नेन पुरुषाः शुचिः।
सर्वान् कामान् अवाप्नोति स्वर्गं च अत्यन्तमश्नुते॥
आश्विनशुक्ळप्रतिपदि दौहित्रस्य मातामहस्राद्धमुत्तमं॥
mārkāṇḍeya
kanyāgate savitari dināni daśapañca ca pārvaṇena vidhinā tatra śrāddham vidhīyate||
pratipad dhanalābhāya dvitīyā hi prajāpradā varārthināṁ tṛtīyā ca caturthī śatrunāśinī||
śriyaṁ prāpnoti pañcamyāṁ ṣaṣṭhyāṁ pūjyo bhavennaraḥ|gaṇadhipatyaṁ saptamyāṁ aṣṭamyāṁ vṛddhimuttamam||
striyo navamyāṁ prāpnoti daśamyāṁ pūrṇakāmatāṁ vedāṁstathāpnuyātsarvānekādaśyāṁ kriyāparaḥ||
dvādaśyāṁ hemalābhaṁ ca prāpnoti pitṛpūjakaḥ||
prajāṁ medhāṁ paśūn puṣṭiṁ ca vṛddhimuttamām||
dīrghamāyuṣyamaiśvaryaṁ kurvāṇastu trayodaśīm |
avāpnoti na sandehaḥ śrāddham śraddhāparo naraḥ|
yuvāno pitaro yasya smṛtāḥ śastreṇa vai hatāḥ|
tena kāryaṁ caturdaśyāṁ teṣāṁ ṛddhimabhīpsatām|
śrāddhaṁ tu kurvannamāvāsyāyāṁ annena puruṣāḥ śuciḥ|
sarvān kāmān avāpnoti svargaṁ ca atyantamaśnute||
āśvinaśukḻapratipadi dauhitrasya mātāmahasrāddhamuttamaṁ||
When the Sun enters the Kanya Rasi, it is ordained that Shraddham as per Parvana Vidhi should be conducted for fiftten days..
( The days to be reckoned are from the Prathama Tithi after the pournami in Kanya month.. the fifteen days upto Amavasya.. and in some cases the Prathama Tithi after the Amavasya ( called the mahalaya amavasa )too.
The sraddham performed on the Prathama tithi of Krishna Paksham during mahalaya.. would bless us with a lot of money and affluence
The Sraddham performed on the Dvitheeya following the above would bless the performes with health progeny.
The Sraddham performed on the thriteeya following the aboue would help in finding suitable Varas or grooms for the females in the family.
The Sraddham performed on the Chaturthi following the above would destroy one's enemies.
The Sraddham performed on the Panchami following the above would bless us with Shree.. the presence of affluence and plenty and grace at home.
The Sraddham performed on the Shashti following the above would make the performer respected by all.
The Sraddham performed on the Saptami following the above would make the performer the leader of the groups and clans in which he lives.
The Sraddham performed on the Ashtami following the above would provide Vriddhi to the family.. birth of children, marriage, happy functions, increase in possessions and so on.
The Sraddham performed on the Navami following the above would help in finding suitable brides for the males in the family.
The Sraddham performed on the Dashami following the above would help in one attaining all that he desired very fondly.
The Sraddham performed on the Ekadashi following the above would help the performer getting deep knowledge in Vedas.
The Sraddham performed on the Dvaadashi following the above would enable the performer to earn Gold in plenty, Children, Intellect, Cattle, general increase in affluence, and progress and expansion in the family in all its aspects.
The Sraddham performed on the thryayodashi following the above would, no doubt, provide us with long life and prosperity.
Those whose fathers have departed into memory at very young age.. perhaps by fate, and those persons whose fathers and grandsires have been killed by weapons, and the kin of the youth who departed too young, should performe Sradhams for such departed persons on Krishna Chaturdashi.. if they desire progress for themselves and satisfaction for the departed ones.
And those who perform Sraddham on Amavasya.. with arrangement for feeding the Bhokthas with rice too, and if they perform the sraddham after ensuring that they are pure both physically and mentally, they would attain all that is to be attained on this earth, and would reach the ultimate heaven when they depart..
And on the Shukla Prathama.. the day usually following the Mahalaya Amavasya, the Grandsons by daughters should perfom Shraddam for the maternal grandfather and his predecessors.. Some hold the view that even maternal uncles should be included here..
The literature and discussions on the subject can run to volumes.. and there can be variations in views about to comparative merits of certain tithis.. These can be discussed in due cours..
But paying respects to Departed elders during Mahalayam or pittupaksham is considered our duty.. and such memorial performance is sure to bring great welfare and divine grace..

the spirit of Mahalya Sraddham

Mahalaya Sraaddham

The rituals and mantrams are discussed by all..

The punyam that can accrue from observing the rituals on this day and the fortnight preceding are discussed by one and all..

Every other person now is a priest, a guru, in social media..

But just was pondering over the nobility and affection the innocent Hindu had that prompted the ritual..

The tarpanams or the idea of offering water and til to the departed parents and grandparents is really a matter of love..

Ultimately our anxiety is that they do not go hungry and thirsty even after they are death.

( Often we are foolish and even cruel when we do not pay sufficient attention to ensure that they do not starve either for food or love when they are alive.. mostly it is not cruelty.. but ignorance and disorganization of thoughs and emotions)

During this fortnight we go steps further..

Our attempt is to ensure that food and water are offered in remembrance of all those kin who departed..

We offer oblations to departed teachers, kings, friends and to anyone we love.

It is a gesture that we care..

It is a declaration that after all we are not that selfish..

I think if we can think of all who were or are part of our lives with affection and gratitude, we are adding something divine to the silly lives of ours..

Instead of debating over whether we should wear tuft or panchakatcham, or whether we should provide selfies or pot shots of the ritual, let us ponder over the basic state of mind that makes him feel warmth to the departed fellow human beings.

how we mourn.. the Vedic way

When someone dies all the near and dear are supposed to show sorrow.. in fact they were even expected to offer tarpanam with til and water.. but then that was gradually restricted to Sapindas..

We have to express sorrow, and show sorrow too.. It is supposed that the preta actually watches it and feels even pleased when people grieve over it..

The respect for the departed soul as per our scriptures extend to all near and dear, friends, servants and even non human friends as in the case of Jatayu.. as revealed by Rama..

The expression should be that I too am sad, I share the pangs of death.. Shoshuchat.... etc..

It is not sure everyone reaches akshaya punya loka.. It is all according to their Karmas..

There is no mourning when a Yati dies.. No one should condole..

And you can take a bath on hearing the news of a death of anyone who is dear to you..

If you are talking about social niceties, then this post is not very relevant..

Mixing of Vedic and scriptural needs with western practices can only create some asamanchanam.. or a mule..

A confession to Varuna, the protector of Order in the universe, that we make every evening after our Evening water oblations to Sandhya

A confession to Varuna, the protector of Order in the universe, that we make every evening after our Evening water oblations to Sandhya

This is a mantram in Rigvedam and Yajurvedam too.

इमं मे वरुण श्रुधी हवमद्या च मृडय त्वां अवस्युराचके तत्वा यामि ब्रह्मणा वन्दमानस्तदाशास्ते यजमानो हविर्भिः अहेडमानो वरुणेहबोध्युरुंशमान आयुः प्रमोषीः यच्चिद्धि ते विशो यथा प्रदेवा वरुणव्रतं मिनीमसि द्यवि द्यवि यत्किञ्चेदं वरुण्दैव्ये जनेभिद्रोहं मनुष्याश्चरामसि अचित्तीयत्तव धर्मा युयोपिम मा नस्तस्मादेनसो देवरीरिषः कितवासो यद्रिपुर्नदिवि यद्वाघा सत्यमुतयन्न विद्म सर्वा ता विष्य शिथिरेव देवाथा ते स्याम वरुण प्रियासः

imaṁ me varuṇa śrudhī havamadyā ca mṛḍaya tvāṁ avasyurācake tatvā yāmi brahmaṇā vandamānastadāśāste yajamāno havirbhiḥ aheḍamāno varuṇehabodhyuruṁśamāna āyuḥ pramoṣīḥ yacciddhi te viśo yathā pradevā varuṇavrataṁ minīmasi dyavi dyavi yatkiñcedaṁ varuṇdaivye janebhidrohaṁ manuṣyāścarāmasi acittīyattava dharmā yuyopima mā nastasmādenaso devarīriṣaḥ kitavāso yadripurnadivi yadvāghā satyamutayanna vidma sarvā tā viṣya śithireva devāthā te syāma varuṇa priyāsaḥ

Oh Varuna, may you be pleased to listen to this prayer and entreaty of mine

May you be pleased to bring comfort and welfare to me now itself

Desirous of my own protection I am standing in front of you and making this prayer

With that purpose in mind, I am taking refuge under your protection by making prayers to you as prescribed by the Vedas

with that purpose in my, I am offering oblations for you with my own body as if it is the oblation prescribed in yajnas and request you to make me happy and comfortable

May you, with a heart filled with endearing thoughts for me,

be pleased to take note of this prayer of mine

May you not entertain any thoughts to curtail of reduce my life span and may you not entertain any thoughts that would destroy my life itself

I confess that I have defaulted in and have gone contrary to the rules and penances prescribed by the rules which are protected by you, although you expect that I should follow such rules without fail. I submit that we are mere human beings who lack proper sense and discretion

May you be pleased not to cause us harm or destruction for the wrong action perpetrated by me by causing default to our duties and services towards gods as prescribed by the Vedas

Indeed, I am often thwarting the guidelines and directions ordained for me by gods ( which you Varuna is duty bound to keep in place), and in that way I look like an enemy and a fake person. Often, I commit transgressions in the divine rules of propriety with my full knowledge. Alternately I deviate from the rules prescribed by the divines without our knowledge.. I do sins openly and clandestinely too.

I submit that the Supreme being Varuna may be pleased to treat my errors and misdeeds in a benign manner, take them as aberrations and shatter the sins arising out of them and make me a person dear to him

( Here “We”.. the plural of I too can fit in the whole context of the prayer.. In effect it is a confession before the Judge Varuna seeking pardon and protection)

one alternate name for Mother Earth is Kshama which means patience

For Vedic rites, collecting twigs, kusha and doova grass, earth from the colonies of ants, all were done after invoking the permission of the herb or creature concerned.. permission is sought from the trees and plants before Bilva and Thulasi are plucked.. 

Above all, it was the custom to cut small twigs from certain trees with thorny branches, which oozed milk too, and use them for cleaning the teeth every morning.. 

Even for that, there is a mantra requesting the plant to give permission, and bless us with health because we used their branch for our own purification..

We really know how to love our mother earth and the constituents who live along with us.. 

But nowadays we appear to veer towards callous neglect to respect such things, maybe because we have started to take things for granted..

Anyway, one alternate name for Mother Earth is Kshama which means patience.. So we can hope that She will pardon us.

That is the beauty of Indian thought.. Indians are never dogmatic

when we study the wise sayings and philosophies set out in old texts, we find that sometimes ideas which are absolutely contradictory to one another are canvassed as the ideals under different circumstances..

A peripheral reader would think that it is a contradiction galore

It is not so

My views on it

That is the beauty of Indian thought..

Indians are never dogmatic .

They know certain life principles which are right in some given settings, would be inappropriate in in other environs

The basic ideas should be internalized along with the surrounding circumstances too..

Ultimately good and useful ideas should be followed and bad and not so useful should be shunned.. That is all

The overall circumstances play the vital role in determining what is good and what is not so good

The subhashitams, or for that matter any outside advise from anyone, and even the analysis of pros and cons by our own intellect, are just aids for is in decision making..

The decision making is left to the individual, that is ourselves.. Any amount of advice would be useless we falter while taking the right decision finally.

Our ancient culture and religion are really two separate entities

Our ancient culture and religion are really two separate entities.

But quite unlike the western civilizations, every philosophic tenet has a religious face and vice versa.

You may be able to study Aristotle or Socrates without any touch of religion, but not Chanakya and Kanada that way.

So for a student of Indian Philosophy, even if he may be of very open mind viz-a-viz religion and God, the study of Religion becomes compulsory and inevitable.

Here a very difficult situation arises.

To make extensive queries on philosophy is a sign of mental alertness and thirst for knowledge.

But when specious and hair splitting question about the ritual in temples and religious questions are raised, no one can really give an answer.

As philosophy and culture in India have an inseparable relation to religion, the inscrutability of religious practices affect our understanding of our culture and philosophy.

Really wise scholars like Radhakrishnan etc knew how to draw the line.

The swamis and seers, mixed the philosophy and culture with religion to their own advantage.

There are great philosophical and cultural undercurrents in the writings of Sankara, Ramanja, Madhwa,,,,,, to Ramakrishna and Vivekananda, Tagore,... to the present day Sri Sri, Amrita some this and that Chaitanyas and even upanyaskaras like

Sundarkumar and Nochur.

If the discerning persons know what is to be respected as great philosophy and cultural residues, and what is to be dismissed as mere religious tenets bordering on fanaticism and superstition, he is safe.

Otherwise there can be only strife.

An intelligent person should skirt superstitious parts of religion. It is meaningless to question,, because it will hurt the hardcore believer and invite enemies from unexpected quarters.

But gems of immense value have got mixed up with the ashes and much of superfluity in the relics of our past.

If our forefathers were primitive in their approach to certain issues, we can try to correct those in this generation but criticizing the dead souls who gave us many good things is lack of Grace.

My idea was to show my deep appreciation for the glory and tolerance of the Hinduism

If various strains of religious cults fused themselves to a reasonably homogeneous sect, there is nothing to talk with an upturned nose and assumed holiness looking down upon it.. One essential utility of every social transaction is to bring harmony at least to a certain extent among people of varied faith, but could have some give and take to come together in harmony as a working and harmonious group..Religion is not different in that approach.. There is no rule that the religion of Mohenjo Daro should be kept without any change to this date, just for archival authenticity even at the cost of a harmonious society..

Buddhism and other creeds of indigenous origin had many common factors with the mainstream Hinduism and so they could merge.. Certain salts or solutes can dissolve in some solvent easily.. Christianity and Islam were of different regional and linguistic origin, and they landed up in India either as intruders or as neighbours transacting with the occupant just for business purpose.. So the mental alienation was natural.. and so was the tinge of mutual intolerance.. Such religions could never merge with the mainstream Hinduism which even if such Hinduism is a mixture of many local creeds.. And to the credit of Indians, the history of active resistance to such religion is non existent.. In fact even resentment when shown was just silent. An incumbent for ages showing uneasiness towards new entrants of markedly different ways of life is quite natural... I am not saying this in the present day context where secularism is the State Policy, but stating it in the context of evolution of the religions in India in the past many millenniums..

My idea was to show my deep appreciation for the glory and tolerance of the Hinduism, and its pantheist approach at deeper levels, and I have never intended to comment upon the methods of worship, the God-men, the frauds or injuries if any perpetrated on the people by vested interests and so on.. That is entirely outside the canvas of this discussion. . I never want to don the mantle of a messiah or religious activist. I am just a thinker who wants to be as faithful to truth and reason as a man can.

Zero was just a concept invented by man to avoid blind alleys in the realm of thought, and unlike many behavioral traits of human beings dependent of real life situations causing pleasure and pain, zero need not be given the halo of a perpetual truth.. The divergent views seen in thread posted by anyone at variance with the purpose and spirit of my original post, have nothing to with me.. And if someone is playing the game without rules, it is up to him.. I will delete only posts which are crap in absolute terms..

he ritualistic part of the religion carries with it the celebration part too

The ritualistic part of the religion carries with it the celebration part too..Every festival is accompanied by eating and enjoying.. And with some core festivals, like say Onam in Kerala, or Pongal in Tamilnadu, or Diwali almost all over India,(I say for Hinduism) people even incur debts to celebrate. This applies to celebrations in various localities too.. The theertha yatras and Melas also play a significant role.

Somehow such celebrations bring in a lot of togetherness and happiness among people.. Such mental highs are of great social significance.. In good old days ( and in modern times too in certain cases) celebrations attracted trade fares, temporary markets, and gatherings of people to enjoy fine arts and performances, and even marriages in India get fixed during those occasions.. These are all the social parts of religions celebrations and the deity or deities just provide the point or focus for assembly.

Most religions stop with that.

But somehow HInduism has always endeavored to travel beyond this.. The search for the spirit within and without, the desire for knowledge of the Supreme Being beyond the rituals and celebrations.. and even a keen desire to have deliverance from the worldly life with its ever so many bouts of happiness and misery, made the HIndu contemplate deep.. and we know the result of such contemplation in the exemplary level of output in Upanishads etc..

The ritualistic and celebration part of the religion indeed has its own merit as a cementing force for the varied social and cultural entities spread over the whole of Bharatavarsha.

The spiritualist part of the religion is sublime and has distinguished India as a great intellectual force in the world..

So both parts are great in their own ways..

Of course, there are poetic thinkers and thinking poets

A thinker may be a poet, and a poet would be a thinker too.

And either of them should be effective speakers and writers

Thoughts and poetry evolve in the mind but they reach their consummation only when they reach the audience either as expressed in voice or in words written

The poet is emotional, and even his intellect would give way to his softer feelings.. The thinker on the contrary is an intellectual, who would use words, verse, languge and all that is at his disposal to express his thoughts in the most undistorted way

For a poet, the words, the sound, the vocbulary, and the cadence are all vital.. and he can use thoughts and ideas that would accommodate the emotions and the phonetic output he expects out of his own poetry.

The thinker is not under such obligation.. All that matters is the pristine purity of his thoughts, and all that he would care is that such thoughts reach the audience in the shape and form intended for them when they germinated in his intellectual plane

Of course, to straightjacket a person as a thinker denying him all gifts for poetry, or to presume that the poet wants only sounds and soft emotions and does not possess any serious thoughts to convery, is an injustice.

The thinker would be rather blunt, he may eschew similes and omymoron.. he may not be bound by meters or ornamentation in diction.. He just wants to tell clearly what he wanted to tell

The poet on the contrary love to see his audience read, hear, enjoy and get into higher plance of ecstacy, even without caring for the exact meaning of the words that have been used to build up that thing of beauty

We require both.. The thinker and the poet

Who is better? No one can say

Of course, there are poetic thinkers and thinking poets..

ओं अग्निरिति भस्म जलमिति भस्म स्थलमिति भस्म व्योमेति भस्म सर्वं ह वा इदं भस्म चक्षुंसि भस्म

ओं अग्निरिति भस्म जलमिति भस्म स्थलमिति भस्म व्योमेति भस्म

सर्वं ह वा इदं भस्म चक्षुंसि भस्म

oṃ agniriti bhasma jalamiti bhasma sthalamiti bhasma vyometi bhasma

sarvaṃ ha vā idaṃ bhasma cakṣuṃsi bhasma

ഓം അഗ്നിരിതി ഭസ്മ ജലമിതി ഭസ്മ സ്ഥലമിതി ഭസ്മ വ്യോമേതി ഭസ്മ

സർവ്വം ഹവാ ഇദം ഭസ്മ ചക്ഷുംസി ഭസ്മ

this mantram is chanted while applying Holy ashes of Lord Shiva on our forehead.. during Shiva pooja

The meaning is

These ashes are verily the Fire, These Ashes are verily the holy waters, these ashes are verily the land or earth, these ashes are verily the sky or the ether Everything in this universe is verily theses ashes My eyes that beholds these ashes too are the holy ashes..

ഈ മന്ത്രം ശിവപൂജയില്‍ ഭസ്മധാരണസമയത്തില്‍ ജപിക്കുന്ന മന്ത്രമാണ്.. അര്‍ത്ഥം ഓം ഈ ഭസ്മം അഗ്നിയാണ്, ഈ ഭസ്മം ജലമാണ് ഈ ഭസ്മം ഭൂമിയാണ്‌ ഈ ഭസ്മം ആകാശമാണ്‌ എല്ലാം തീര്‍ച്ചയായും ഭസ്മം തന്നെയാണ് എന്റെ കണ്ണുകളും ഭസ്മമാണ്

with minor variation this mantram is found in rudropanisha

അല്പം മാറ്റത്തോടെ ഈ മന്ത്രം രുദ്രോപനിഷത്തില്‍ ‍ ഇങ്ങനെ കാണുന്നു.

ॐ अग्निरिति भस्म । वायुरिति भस्म । स्थलमिति भस्म । जलमिति

भस्म । व्योमेति भस्म इत्याद्युपनिषत्कारणात् तत् कार्यम्

oṃ agniriti bhasma । vāyuriti bhasma । sthalamiti bhasma । jalamiti

bhasma । vyometi bhasma ityādyupaniṣatkāraṇāt tat kāryam

ഓം അഗ്നിരിതി ഭസ്മ । വായുരിതി ഭസ്മ । സ്ഥലമിതി ഭസ്മ । ജലമിതി

ഭസ്മ । വ്യോമേതി ഭസ്മ ഇത്യാദ്യുപനിഷത്കാരണാത് തത് കാര്യം

Also in Prabhasa Mahatmya of the Seventh Khanda of Skaanda Puranam, this mantram is found as

പിന്നെ

സ്കാന്ദ പുരാണം ഏഴാം ഖണ്ഡത്തില്‍ പ്രഭാസ മാഹാത്മ്യത്തില്‍ ഇങ്ങനെ കാണുന്നു

अग्निरिति भस्म वायुरिति भस्म जलमिति भस्म स्थलमिति भस्म सर्वं ह वा इदं भस्माभवत् ॥

एतानि चक्षूंषि नादीक्षितः संस्पृशेत् ॥ ७९ ॥

agniriti bhasma vāyuriti bhasma jalamiti bhasma sthalamiti bhasma sarvaṃ ha vā idaṃ bhasmābhavat ॥

etāni cakṣūṃṣi nādīkṣitaḥ saṃspṛśet ॥ 79 ॥

അഗ്നിരിതി ഭസ്മ വായുരിതി ഭസ്മ ജലമിതി ഭസ്മ സ്ഥലമിതി ഭസ്മ സര്‍വ്വം ഹ വാ ഇദം ഭസ്മാഭവത് ॥

ഏതാനി ചക്ഷൂംഷി നാദീക്ഷിതഃ സംസ്പൃശേത് ॥ ൭൯ ॥