Interesting Thought Experiment - Adwaita Vedanta

There are many complaints about Hinduism - It is unscientific, promotes idol worship, ritualistic, too many gods, not systematic etc. If we dig deeper, the people who complain such are those who have not spent anytime reading the scriptures (reading Devdutt Patnaik or Meluha series is not scriptural study)

While no one comments on quantum mechanics, theory of relativity (special / general) or heck even some basic Botany without studying theory, Hinduism is fun to comment about without any knowledge. [I know about God, it is an experience, it is a personal thing etc will be applied to Hinduism and not any other subject]

For those delusional people, my humble request is spend a couple of years reading scriptures under a proper Guru and then talk about Hinduism.


With that heavy rant off my chest, I would like to talk about Adwaita Vedanta. As much as I love Sri Sankara, He did not 'create' Adwaita - It was there before Him, and the Truth is eternal and hence is beyond time.

In its Highest Form, Adwaita propounds that God alone exists. And, nothing else Exists. (ekam eva adwitiyam - There is only one non-differentiated)

If God alone exists, am 'I' real? Why does the world that I experience appear real? I am able to read this blog in a computer / phone. I am able to feel my car, the chair, my things etc.

To explain this, Adwaita introduces a concept of Mitya - This is probably the most misunderstood word. Mitya means 'not absolutely real'

Vedanta says, we experience 3 different states - Waking, Dreaming and Deep Sleep states. That which is absolutely True should be True in all three states.

You go to sleep with a water bottle next to you. In the dream you feel thirsty. But, the water bottle next to you is useless. Only dream water can quench your thirst in dream. The water bottle next to your bed has reality only in waking state.

Suppose you cut your hand in the dream. You apply dream medicine. When you wake up, there is no cut in your body. Though it seemed real in dream, the cut in your hand is real only in your dream. The medicine you bought in the dream is not useful in waking state.

In the deep sleep state, there is no mind and hence no perception of space or time. (Brihadaranyaka Upanishad and Mandukya Upanishad has some mind-blowing information in this space)

Since the world in waking state is real only in waking (since it cannot be accessed in dreams) and vice versa, we can conclude that these experiences are not *absolutely* real - They are real only within their reference states (and hence called Mitya)

Also, when we wake up, we say 'Oh I slept very well, like a log (or a dog :D )' - Which means there was a perceiving consciousness even in Deep Sleep state

If you carefully went over the above text above, you'll realise that the only thing that is 'real' or 'constant' in all three states is the feeling 'I' - Even your favourite God / Goddess can be experienced only in the first two states (waking / dreaming). In deep sleep state, they cannot be experienced.

So, the only truth is I and this I is not different the cosmic self. (Adi Sankara beautifully says, Brahma Satyam. Jagan Mitya. Jeevo Brahmaiva Na Para:  )

This gets confusing - Probably, we get that the experience of 'I' alone is constant in all three states. But how does it get to be the Supreme God? Isn't that blasphemous?

Now, enter the thought experiment :

Suppose you can get entry into your own dream! I.e., your dream body exists. But, you also enter your dream with the same waking personality. And you can also interact with your dream 'self'

In the dream you see your dream self in extreme poverty. The dream self  is crying out loud and is in extreme pain because he burnt his hand. What would you say to your dream self?

You would say that this whole thing is unreal. It is a creation of your mind. You are not actually burnt. You would say this is not your real identity.

Your dream self would obviously be pissed. He would ask who are you? You would say that the whole world is your creation. There is nothing which you did not create. (The dream is of course the projection of mind. Everything in the dream is projected by your mind)

You would also say that you are everywhere. And no fire can burn you (remember Bhagawat Gita?). You would then ask your dream self to 'wake up' to realise that all this is false.

There is a critical difference (important one too) between this example and Adwaita Vedanta. But, adding that would only add to confusion here. May be subject of a different post.

I want you to think more of what else you would say to your dream self (probably share it in comments)

I'll be back :)

Lord Nataraja's favorite devotee - Alan!

Lord Nataraja is one of the most famous forms of the Supreme Lord. He is one of the beloved forms of Lord Shiva, in the form of the dancer. He is considered the most Gracious, Beautiful and with a form very endearing to His devotees.

The Glory of the Lord is best sung by His devotees - Vishnu Sahasranama is considered more sacred than Bhagawat Gita because the Lord listened to His glory from Lord Bhishma, while the Gita was told by Lord to Arjuna.

A true devotee of the Lord brings out the nature of Lord, His Grace, Glory and mysterious ways of work much more than philosophical ramblings of any intellectual.

I have been focussing too much on my career, for the past many years - Money, fame were never the key motivators for me, but like all adventure seekers, I seek challenges and solving tough ones brings me a sense of satisfaction like no other aspects of life. In this, I miss connecting to the spiritual core, which I used to connect so often.

I have been yearning to spend some time in spiritually active places for a while now. So, when my brother-in-law, Deepak told me that the Maha Kumbhabishekam (sacred re-consectration) of the Chidambaram Temple, which houses Lord Nataraja was to be held on May 01, 2015, I jumped with joy (although only figuratively) and I decided to join him in Chidambaram.

When I started, little did I know that I'll get an opportunity to see Alan, a person so dear to Lord Nataraja that He called him from Australia! I was very curious to see a foreigner wearing Rudraksham around his neck, along with a small pendant of Lord Nataraja and I started talking to him, and what I learnt blew my mind!

Alan Croker, is an architect, and he lives in Australia. When he was around 21 years of age, he got an experience where he saw everything as One - As Vedas proclaim, 'Ekam eva Adwitiyam' (There is only non-divisible One) - Alan lost consciousness after this grand experience. He was completely transformed after this experience. The yearning to find what happened increased and His quest for Truth started.

God, is often referred to as Truth in Hinduism. Lord Shiva, is popularly attributed as Truth, Most Auspicious and (infinitely) Beautiful (Satyam, Shivam and Sundaram). Srimad Bhagawatam, by Sage Veda Vyasa opens as 'I bow to the Lord who is the ultimate Truth' (Satyam Param Dheemahi).

Ways of the Lord are mysterious - As an architect, Alan got interested in temple architecture. He planned a trip to India to understand temple architecture and to see 'what is the core of the structure' as he put it. The core of the temple is not just the architecture or the construction material or the way it is built, but some infinite power that makes temple, a temple.

He came to India in 1986 in December and visited a few temples. He could feel the power in temples, but still, the 'connect' was waiting to happen! I see similarity to Paul Brunton searching for His Guru, and the great Kanchi Sankaracharya, Sri Chandrashekarendra Saraswati guiding him to go to Bhagawan Sri Ramana Maharshi. Once Brunton reached Ramana, his wanderlust stopped, for he reached his final destination.

On the Christmas day of Dec 25, 1986 little did Alan know he was going to connect with the Lord of the entire Universe, the Lord of Lords, the immaculate, peerless and unparalleled, Sri Nataraja! Alan was a Christian, and when he entered the temple and saw the Sanctum Sanctorum (Garbha Gruham), Alan did not see the idol. What he saw was blinding light inside and needless to say, Alan's inner search ended. Brahma sutra starts 'Athaatho Brahma Jignasa' - From then the yearning for Brahman starts. For Alan, the search ended in Chidambaram, when Lord out of His infinite mercy pulled Alan from across the globe, thousands of miles away, hugged him and took him back.

Addition: What Alan saw in his own words - "When I first entered the sanctum at Chidambaram, it was not the formless energy alone I experienced, but the form that arises directly from it - His Form, Lord Nataraja, and the two are only One.  I had been searching for many years for His form.  He brought me to Chidambaram to find him.  I also knew at that time that He takes the form that is appropriate for each of us, and each is different.  For reasons that I still do not understand, this dancing form of Lord Shiva is His form for me.  I know this is the form of the final doorway for me to the formless Absolute.  Others may have different doorways / forms / paths, and we are very fortunate if we can find our own in this lifetime. "

Vedantins say no experience is final and the Jnana is ultimate. For Alan, I believe Lord Nataraja is the Guru and He takes care of him more than any Guru without the constraints that one in human form has.

I was completely moved, humbled and at the same time overjoyed to hear this from Alan. I was staying in the house of Sri Parameshwar Aiyya Deekshitar (under whom my Brother In Law learnt Vedas). He is one of the Chief Deekshitars in Chidambaram (and was one of the two people who led the Kumbhabhishekam efforts this year and he was the one who performed Kumbhabishekam in 1987). It was His Guru, Sri Srividyananda Natha who did Kumbhabishekam in 1955. No words can describe the glory of Sri Parameshwara Aiyya. He is a living saint, whose only focus in life is to serve Lord Nataraja and has many many illustrious disciples. It was so heartening to see the entire family and students of Aiyya and Aiyya himself so happy to see Alan. Who can appreciate the devotees of Lord Nataraja than the Deekshitars, who descended from Heavens to earth to worship Lord Nataraja when His temple was established in earth by Sri Patanjali and Sri Vyagrapathar.

Lord gets His glory when sung by His devotees. Sri Arunachaleshwarar sent Ramana to sing about Him. I believe Alan's experience is very special.

I asked Alan if I can share his experience with other devotees through my blog. He said please do, and said that was because, he wants everyone to know the Lord is not just an idol. He is very much alive and in action to take back His devotees.

Another key trait I noticed about Alan is that he could talk freely only as long as he or I did not mention Lord Nataraja. The moment he mentioned the Lord's name or if I mentioned he completely chokes and tears drop from His eyes. This happened not the just first time he mentioned, but EVERYTIME he or I mentioned the name of Lord Nataraja.

I could understand the gratitude of the soul on receiving His Grace. In Kandhar Anubhuti verse #1, Invocation to Lord Ganapathi, Sri Arunagiri Nathar says, let this poem melt the hearts of all devotees, even those who have a stone cold heart. When the heart melts, it is seen externally from the tears that pour through the eyes.

I feel completely blessed to have seen and interacted with Sri Alan in Chidambaram. In these times where materialism is rampant, and people enter into transactional relationship with God, and convert to other faiths for money, and sometimes when I despair that Hinduism is on the wane, this incident is a reinforces my faith that (only) Truth always triumphs (Satyam eva Jayate) as proclaimed by Mundaka Upanishad.

I never do this, but I request you to share the story of Alan with as much devotees of the Lord as possible. Let the world know that God pulled his devotee from thousands of miles away to His fold, and with Grace, we can reach His feet too. Alan still lives in Australia and makes frequent trips to Chidamabaram.

Alan, thanks for sharing your experiences - You are very dear to Lord Nataraja, and I feel blessed to have met God's favorite devotee.

Addition: Alan's comment on my previous statement - "When I come to Chidambaram, I am with a large family of Shiva bhaktas who come together to celebrate Him.  Some are fortunate to directly serve Him, some live locally while others like myself have to travel some distance - but we are all the same.  He brings us all together.  We are all lovers / bhaktas of Him and we know each other and recognise each other through Him. "

Hari: Om

Krodhakara Angushojwala

Lalitha Sahasranamam is one of the blessings that has been bestowed upon humans.

Bhagawat Geetha is said to be the 'Upanishad Sara' - The essence of all Upanishads. However, Lalitha Sahasranamam goes many steps beyond - But, the meanings it exposes are not for all.

The meanings are deeply personal, and also very deeply profound. LSN also bestows immense boons to people who read / chant / listen to it.

There are some truly aweful translations of LSN around, and I definitely don't want to add to that.

However, I am truly compelled to write this quick entry

According to Vedanta, bonds are pain - Bonds could be positive (a sense of attraction) or negative (repulsion, hate) - Irrespective of their adjectives, bonds are what they are - bonds. They tie the human to the cycle of samsara - Repeated births and deaths. (Remember Punarapi Jananam, Punarapi Maranam in Bhaja Govindam?)


It is funny that bonds are actually created by the Great Goddess Herself. (What else is there apart from Her?) - So, to be relieved of the bonds, we need to pray to Her - Name #8 in LSN says 'Raga Swaroopa Pashadya' - i.e., Ambal is in the form of bonds (Pasha), esp in the Raga form (positive attraction)

Positive bonds are toughest to break - Take any positive bond that you might have with any person (living or dead) - Are you ready to let go of the bond? I can already hear the answer - NO.

So, what happens after repeated births and deaths, the poor devotee is unable to let go of the bonds? Mother, because of Her infinite Grace cuts them! How does she cut the bond which is in form of a rope? She has a sharp and shiny (ujwala)  weapon (angusha). But, when She cuts, She cuts that with Anger (Krodhakara) [Name #9 - Krodhakara Angushojwala]

So, it takes a lot of effort to let go of the bonds (to things, people, concepts) - Pray to Mother Lalitha Maha Tripura Sundari to assist you in cutting the bonds. The truth is there is no feeling of real love (not the cinema types) unless the sense of ownership or attachment goes away. So, to express genuine love, again, ask Mother to cut your bonds with a great sense of urgency and anger!

This is an intro to my next entry which talks in detail about anger and being angry (a great deal of difference)

Kandhar Anubhuti

"ஆடும் பரி, வேல், அணிசேவல் எனப்
பாடும் பணியே பணியா அருள்வாய்"

This should be prayer for devout Hindus who pray Sri Subrahmanya! Kandhar Anubhuti is truly one of the BEST works in Tamil Literature. I was blessed enough to learn this when I was in US in early 2000s from Meena gave me a cassette with recording of Sri TKS (who was no more then) and I used to listen this continuously till I memorized it.

I have been fascinated by how it is even possible for humans to bring out something as beautiful as this. It is only the direct Grace of Lord Subrahmanya which enabled Sri Arunagirinathar  to create Kandhar Anubhuti - This is evident verse 17:

யாம் ஓதிய கல்வியும், எம் அறிவும்
தாமே பெற, வேலவர் தந்ததனால்

All the knowledge and intelligence is granted to one by Lord Subrahmanya in His own volition (ZERO credits for any other reason)

If there is ONE work that alone is enough to take a person to liberation, give health, wealth and in the end give final Union (Anubhuti) the Supreme Lord, it is Kandhar Anubhuti.

Lord Subrahmanya is always with Meena, Sankar and family for they are some of the most beautiful souls who come to share joy and peace in this world. I am so happy Meena is uploading Periappa's (Shri TKS') Thiruppugazh renderings. This page needs to be bookmarked, subscribed to, and regularly consumed by all devotees of the Lord.

http://kandakadamba.blogspot.in

And, this is the link for the Kandhar Anubhuti recording: - கந்தர் அநுபூதி

[Edit: 16/02 - Started a blog on Kandhar Anubhuti. Please check it out - http://kandhar-anubhuti.blogspot.in]

PS:- (Long Footnote)
Sahana (Sankar / Meena's second daughter) was about year old then, and once was crying when I was in their California residence. Meena carried her and sang something very beautiful. Sahana stopped crying! After Meena put Sahana back in the cradle, we walked away, and I asked Meena what that song was - My knowledge of scriptures was (is) severely lacking. Meena said it was Kandhar Anubhuti. I requested her to teach that to me, and she did. She also gave me the cassette with the recording of this by Sri TKS.

Ironically (for me), I used to stay 200m from where Shri TKS, Shri Lakshmanan (Meena's father) stayed, and TKS used to conduct Thiruppugazh classes when I was a kid. Never did it strike me that I could have learnt from the Genius himself. One should have accrued a lot of Good Karma for such ideas to strike :-)

After Meena gave me the cassette, I listened to the song in a Sony Walkman (ha ha ha - Remember those?) continuously for a couple of weeks till I memorized the 51 stanzas.

From then on, the song is quite famous at least with people with new born kids who cry :-) It has a magical effect of controlling kids who tend to turn quiet and sleep esp if they are cranky.

That's my story of learning Kandhar Anubhuti, and is one of the best things to happen to me.

Aprameya

Contradictory to popular opinion, my Sanskrit knowledge is abysmal. I somehow manage to figure out the meanings of verses / songs with great difficulty after consulting many sources. Sometimes, I feel I shouldn't write much because, I have no intent of misleading anyone. 

Secondly, the scripture Lalitha Sahasranamam (1000 Names of the Lalitha, the Goddess Supreme) is called the 'Guhya' Sahasranamam - The 'Secret' Sahasranamam. It is secret because, without the initiation of a particular Mantra (called Panchadashi) this scripture will remain closed for exploration. (For some pure souls, who know this mantra in previous births, the effect may continue in this one, but it is the word of the great Rishis that anyone who wants to read this scripture must be initiated into this Mantra from a Guru)

The Names in this Saharanamam cannot be discussed in public or used for vanity purposes. However, this name - Aprameya brings a very very beautiful aspect of the Goddess that I am unable to resist sharing with rest of the world :-) (Thankfully, my readership is typically in single digits, and that limits the damage done :-) )

The word Aprameya is also a name  of Vishnu in mentioned in Vishnu Sahasranamam. Needless to say, at the Highest Level, there is no differentiation. 

Thanks to my non-existent Sanskrit knowledge, coupled with seeing some Hollywood flicks like 'Ajab Prem Ki Gazhab Kahani...', the word 'aprameya' used to remind of the word love. But, that's no where related to what the word means

The question comes, how is anything revealed? One can say by 'senses' - For e.g., you can see something, hear something, touch something etc. For eg., in TN you can still hear people say 'Pratyakshama paathen!' - Which is 'I witnessed it with my own eyes' - Prati in Sanskrit meaning 'Via' or 'Using' and Aksham meaning 'Eye' - So together it become Pratyaksham. 

(There are funny uses in Tamil where people say 'pratyakshama ketten' which translates to I listened with my eyes, but the intent is 'I heard with my own ears')

So, the first way of how things can be revealed is 'Pratyaksha Pramanam' - Revealing through Eyes (in general, senses)

The second way is by 'Logic' or 'Extrapolation' - You see a ball being hit, and after sometime you hear a crashing sound of a window. Just because you did not see the ball breaking the window, you can still guess that the ball travelled towards the window, and then it broke the window. This is by Logic or Extrapolation - Called 'Anumana Pramana' - Revealing through Logic

The mighty truths beyond the realms of mind and senses cannot be revealed, except by the Vedas - Called 'Shruti Pramana' - Revealing through ('Holy') Words (of Vedas) - These truths cannot be known any other way. There is no questioning of Shruti Pramanam. It is perfect. (There was one useless lady anchor in NDTV who wanted the Acharyas of modern days to re-write Purusha Sukta - The great Acharyas won't change even the intonation of a single syllable revealed by Shruti)

Now we can see that there are three types of Pramanams - Pratyaksha, Anumana and Shruti Pramanam - Three ways of 'Revealing'. The funny thing is that I know this for a very long time. Now came the twist - If pramanam is the word for the 'way of the revealing', what is the meaning for the one that is revealed? It is 'prameya'! 

I then realized that why is Ambal, the Greatest One, The Supreme Goddess called 'Aprameya'? Because, EVEN Vedas, cannot reveal Her! There is nothing known by humans, Rishis, Gods that can reveal Her. She is the PERFECT HIDDEN ONE. 

Words, Metaphors, Logic, Vedas expose their weakness and shy in front of the Glory of the Goddess, Sri Lalitha Maha Tripura Sundari! 

So, now you know why Ambal is called Aprameya. If you have anyways of knowing Her, you can drop all attempts. She cannot be Revealed, by ANYTHING known or Unknown, since She is defined as One who cannot be Revealed. (It is like trying to measure something less than Planck's constant - It is not possible!)

Did I lead you to despair? Just read the next Name in the Sahasranama. (This will show why this is Boss of all Sahasranamas!)

The next name is 'Sva Prakasha' - One Who Reveals / Shines Herself (of Her own volition) - So, when Ambal is pleased, She will reveal Herself. This name is even more dear to me, and I'll save you from my ramblings on this name. (It can be reflected upon in many many ways). 

So, next time you listen / chant Sahasranama, and you get to this Name, bow to Her in all Humility that She is the One beyond all realms and let the ego get squashed. Pray to Her fervently when you get to the next Name for Her to Reveal Herself. 

Bye for now! 

Identifying and Reaching Goals

I always used to think - 'Only if this major problem in my life was solved, then.. [a list of actions that would be done, that would bring me glory, eternal life or whatever]'

I am 34 now, and will soon be 35 - In all my life I have found the status to be the same. All the big crises for which I waited to be solved have tided by, and I am still short of executing the list that would make me happy. 

That is because, when one problem was solved, another one (or more) took its place. 

The Structure of Mind
Sri Eckhart Tolle is one of the modern Masters who analyzes this issue with clinical precision. If you have to read just one book on spirituality this life, please read A New Earth: Awakening to Your Life's Purpose 

In Yoga Vaashishta, Lord Rama says that trying to satisfy the mind is like trying to fill a sieve with water. How much ever we try to fill it, water will not stay. 

Sri Tolle says that 'Mind wants to want, more than it wants to have' - i.e., when you give it something that it wants, it just moves on and wants someother thing. It doesn't matter what the mind wants - Money, power, friendship, love WHATEVER! As long as mind gets something, it moves on wants some other thing. 

We need to understand that this is the nature of the mind. So, never attach much meaning to what the mind wants. [A mind might want a Ducati if you have Hyosung, but the mind forgets that the Hyosung was its dream when it was having a 150cc Suzuki]


Waiting for some event in future
I am sure everyone is eagerly waiting for some problem to be solved, something to happen, lady luck to shine, some illness to be cured, waiting for your 15 kg weight-loss etc. The only thing true is the present. 

Waiting to start something good and linking it with some event in future is a sure-shot way of not doing it. Tom Cruise, in Knight and Day delivers a profound dialog - "Someday is a dangerous word. It's really just code for never."

As Master Oogway says in Kungfu Panda - "yesterday is history, tomorrow is a mystery, but today is a gift. That is why it is called the present "

Goals
While there is a chance that what we plan for doesn't happen, the chance of something happening is close to ZERO if we don't plan for it. 

Goals are meaningless if we don't plan for it. A goal without a date, is a goal that is unlikely to happen. 

Goals sometimes need not be things that have be 'externally' acquired. Goals can be internal -  To achieve some sort of behavioral transformation. I have identified a list of transformations, that have been pending since time immemorial since I have not associated timelines with them

What you don't measure, you don't provide
Goals with timelines need to be tracked, on a periodic basis - Want weight loss? Measure your weight every day! Want to run 10K ? Run everyday, and log the distance in your journal. 

Want higher quality code? Measure the defects [compiler warnings, lint's analysis etc]

Time
As I get older, I realize how precious time is! There are too many good ideas to pursue, too many great places to visit, too many skills to acquire. The key to be great is to say no to many of those good stuff. It is rather easy to say no to bad stuff (I struggle even with that). But, it is a test of character and discipline to say no to good stuff. 

For e.g., given my career goals are related to Wireless Networks and Cloud computing (yes, they go together :-) ), I am not going to do great research in Graphics, Hardware related stuff or say, mathematical computing (I love the last subject)

I would love to learn Carnatic music - I used to play the violin, and used to dabble in singing. I realize that I might have NO time for this ever, in my life (To go to a class, study under a master) - I'll continue to listen and sing, but will never make it big in this. This is sad, but at the same time, it is important to give up things without regret. An iota of guilt / regret is enough to drag down performances across multiple other domains.

We all have finite time, and to become great in something (if you want to be so), do not be afraid to say no to even insanely good stuff. Always trust your heart/gut over the brain in these decisions. 

Anger
Anger is a reality distortion field (Actually any strong emotion be positive or negative is a reality distortion field) - The quote 'Love is Blind' is often used. This quote is used to point out that none of the concerned parties are able to see the flaws in other, which the rest of the world can see. 

I wish the term 'Anger is Blind' is used more often. People will remember its implications better. Sri Tolle describes beautifully in his book 'A New Earth'. Anger makes us blind to reason, diminshes / alters powers of perception and is a primal force which can only cause harm - There are uses for Anger, but on the long run, it is indeed bad. If you are angry, walk out of the room, type that email and save it in draft and just postpone reacting till you are out of anger. Like all emotions, anger will subside over time - a few mins to few hours. Then when you recollect, you'll thank yourself for not saying what you were about to say, not sending out that email etc. 

Anger alters the perception of reality like no other emotion. Sri Tolle says that the 'Pain Body' takes over. (Pain body is the collection of all the pains stored in our consciousness over many many births). The worse thing about it is that anger will usually be redirected esp to the loved ones in the closest ring since they are most vulnerable. (The pain body wants to extract maximum pain out of the situation not just others' but yours too!) - The worst part is not yet over - The WORST thing is that the pain body knows the weaknesses or pain points of the closest ones and then will literally devastate the closest ones by using this knowledge most often leaving a very deep scar that takes time to heal, and making you miserable for days / weeks / months together for having done / said something. 

Next time when you get angry, please create a space around yourself, and just escape the situation. When the anger subsides, then take control of the situation. 

PS:- This doesn't mean if there is any injustice on the road, you just walk away. As I said earlier, anger has its uses! 



Giving Up
The word giving up is usually filled with negative connotation. At the same time, it is related to the concept of saying 'No' and 'Time' - I'll start by saying that one should never give up on things / people which matter the most, and would be crucial to meaning of your life. 

To let go, is sometimes the only way to go. Whenever I have to let go of something / someone [physical or logical entity] it usually hurts despite me being one whom I consider as 'stoic'. I usually overcome that by remembering the verse 2 of Arunachala Pancharatnam. 'Oh Arunachala, everything comes into being in You, exists in You and finally dissolves in You' - This doesn't mean that the person has die, or something is lost. If a person moves away from your view of the world, that is a 'logical' death. This verse gives me great peace, relieves the pain of loss, and makes me actually grateful for the experience that thing / person brought to you however transitory it may be. If this doesn't work, I repeat the verse till it works :-P

I compare this to the branches of a Coconut tree that fall off. The tree will not be able to grow and yield fruits if every branch sticks to it. It is extremely important that the branches fall off. However, each branch contributes to the growth of the tree by falling off, and they also leave a permanent mark on the tree. [I have a friend who absolutely hates this simile!] 

And giving up, and moving on is a very important aspect one has to master. I wish I master this sooner than later!  

I am making my list of things that I absolutely have to accomplish this life, things to say no to and I just shared my thoughts that came up while I am doing this activity. Hopefully, it helps some of you! Expect more in these lines this week. (You have been warned!)

Meenakshi Me Mudam Dehi! (Part 2)

I decided not to delay this further and finish the remaining part of Anu Pallavi and Charanam - (I am sorry if this is not as detailed as Part 1)

Anupallavi (Continued from Part 1)

Maanini

One who is Noble. Sri Meenakshi is Raja Mathangi, and the Head of all Administration. She has a sense of 'Queen' like Nobility to Her. It is impossible to express this feeling well in English. For e.g., when Lord Nataraja comes out in Chidambaram, He exudes an air of Nobility like a King. Similarly, Sri Meenakshi carries an air of Nobility.  

Kadamba Vana Vaasini

One who resides in the Forest of Kadamba (a type of tree) - Apparently, Her temple in Madurai was once surrounded by a forest of Kandamba trees

Charanam:

Mathurapuri Nilaye

Goddess Meenakshi in her full splendor can be seen in the Madurai Temple - So, Sri Dikshitar calls her a resident (Nilaye) of Mathurapuri

Mani Valaiye

Mani is the tamil word for precious stones - And, Valai is the tamil word for bangles (bracelets) - In the pallavi, Sri Dikshitar calls Her as One wearing Golden Ornaments (mechakangi) - In Charanam, he calls her as wearing bangles with precious stones embedded

Malayadwaja Pandya Raja Thanaye

When the Greatest One decided to come down to earth, She decided to be born as daughter of Malayadwaja Pandya (King of Madurai), who was very pious. His name actually translates to one who has Hill / Mountain in his flag

Vidhu Vidambana Vadane 

The word Vadanam means face - How glorious is Meenakshi’s face? (Full) Moon (Vidhu) is considered cool, pleasing and lustrous - However, Ambal’s face clearly outshines the moon. [‘One who has a face that outshines the moon’]

Vijaye

One who’s is ALWAYS successful - Whatever her Sankalpam (will) is, that will happen. For all that happens is Her will. Devotees of Ambal will also win in all their endeavors. 

Veena Gaana Dasha Gamakakriye

One who plays music (Gaana) in Veena (stringed musical instrument) and who created (Kriye) the ten (Dasha) different kind of gamaka music 

Madhu-madha moditha 

It is actually impossible to understand what Dikshitar felt while composing - I interpret the verse as: Ambal delights (modhita) the devotee with the bliss likened to the sweetness (madha) of honey (madhu). 

In Tantra, there is a mention of Amrutha nadi in the head which when activated fills the body with Amrita, which is so sweet that every pore of the body oozes out with bliss and sweetness. The devotee then feels One with the Goddess. Ambal is the One who is capable of of delighting Her devotees such.

Hrudaye 

The word Hrudaya simply means ‘Heart’ - However, Indian scriptures often talk of two hearts - The Physical one which is typically situated in the left side of the body, and the spiritual that is located in the right side, according to Bhagawan Sri Ramana. 

Hruth-sthalam, which translates to the location of the heart, in spiritual sense is where the Self sits. In the basic Kundalini literature, the Sahasrara or the thousand petalled lotus chakra situated in the head is considered final. But Ramana goes ahead and says, that the Kundalini that traverses the 7 major chakras unites in Sahasrara and finally abides in Heart. 

The importance of the Heart is dealt in many places in Ramana literature:

[Ramana Gita, verse 1]

Hrudaya Guhara Madhye (In the cave of the heart)

Kevalam Brahma Matram (The Supreme Self alone)

Aham-aham iti (As the feeling of ‘I’ - ‘I’)

Sakshat Atma Rupena Bhati (shines as Atma Itself) 

[What we call as Supreme God (Brahman) is the One that Shines as the feeling of Self (‘I’) in the cave of the Heart (Hrudaya)]

[Arunachala Pancha Ratnam, Verse #2]

[…..] Te Vadanti Hrudayam Nama - Oh Arunachala, your are the Supreme Self. You Reside in the Heart and you are called as the Heart itself! 

Meenakshi is the Supreme Self (Paramatman) shining in the devotee’s Heart. 

Sadaye 

One who is Compassionate. There is none who is more compassionate than Meenakshi. All other Gods only channel Her Grace, since She is Supreme. 

The Supreme Lord Shiva, who is considered the God of Gods (Maha Deva) cannot do anything without the Will of the Goddess. In Saundarya Lahari, Adi Sankara points out that it appears that Shiva is able to do great deeds only because He has Ambal as His Consort. For, without Her, He cannot even move a bit (spandhitumapi - not even a pulsation is possible by Shiva on His own)

Mahadeva Sundaresha Priye

One who is Loved (Priye) by the Greatest God (Mahadeva) and incidentally, the Most Beautiful Lord (Sundaresha)

Madhu Muraripu Sodhari 

Ambal is considered the sister (Sodhari) of Maha Vishnu. In all Meenakshi Kalyanam images, you can see Vishnu giving the hand of Ambal Meenakshi to Shiva as the brother of the bride. Maha Vishnu is the enemy (ripu) of two dangerous demons Madhu and Mura - Since Vishnu vanquished Madhu, He is also referred to as Madhusudhana. 

Hear Sri Dikshitar calls Ambal as the Sister of the One who is the Enemy of the demons Madhu and Mura

Saathodhari

Ambal has a slender waist (Saatha-udari) - Her son is somehow has a BIG waist and a belly (Lamba-udaran - Lambodaran, meaning Ganesha)

Vidhi Guruguha Vashankari

Lord Brahma made the rules (Vidhi) of the Universe and Time and dishes them out - So he is usually called Vidhata - Here, Sri Dikshitar refers to Brahma as Vidhi

Guruguha is the name of Her son, Skanda Subrahmanyan. Also it is the mudra (signature) of Sri Dikshitar in His songs. The word Vashankari means, ‘One who captivates’

Lord Brahma and Lord Skanda and captivated by the Glory of Ambal

Shankari

Sri Dikshitar ends the song with a punch - This word is so potent - Shankari - One who Creates Auspiciousness. 

Ambal, is the ONLY source of all Auspiciousness. She creates Auspiciousness wherever She is (Which is everywhere) - If you can detect something good, you can always trace it back to Ambal.

Sri Adi Sankara took His name as Sankara because He wanted to create auspiciousness throughout the country. This is only possible with the Grace of Sankari! 

The other name for this term is Shiva - Shiva is auspiciousness . How did the Lord get that name or attribute? Because He is the consort of Sri Shivaa (998th name in Lalitha Saharanamam). Sri Dikshitar invoked this name by telling (Shive Pahi - Oh Auspicious One, Protect me) and then breathed His last! What a noble soul! Needless to say, He would be shining in the Lotus feet of Ambal. 

May Ambal, the Supreme One, whom we can see with our eyes as Meenakshi, create Auspiciousness everywhere. 

Om Shri Matre Nama:

PS:-
Wrongly wrote Maanini as Malini - Thanks to Ram's comment below for correcting.

Malini -  One who wears a Necklace [Not related to this song, but Hema means Gold and Hema Malini means one who wears a Gold Necklace - For people who might want to draw a Bollywood reference, the one and only Hemamalini I like is Goddess Lakshmi who is referred by this name in Sri Suktam] 

      

Meenakshi Me Mudam Dehi! (Part 1)

Even before you start reading this, I want to put in a disclaimer - Though, the aim of the entry is to explore the meaning of the song 'Meenakshi Me Mudam Dehi', there is indeed an overdose of Philosophy here. There might be better places in the web if you want to quickly get the meaning of this carnatic composition. I dabble in a lot of religion and philosophy. In case that is something you don't enjoy, please skip the parts of this entry which are in italics. 

Meenakshi Me Mudam Dehi is a BRILLIANT composition by Sri Muthuswamy Dikshitar, one of the best composers in Carnatic Music, and a radiant member of the Carnatic Trinity.

Sri Dikshitar was an adept worshipper of Goddess and was an expert in a mystic way of worship of the Goddess, called Sri Vidya. Needless to say, the worshipper of the Goddess are indeed blessed with brilliance of vak (speech / expression) [Kalidasa being another famous name that comes to mind]

This song is one of the Crowning Jewels of Sri Dikshitar's creation - This might be the reason why he chose to give up his mortal coils after singing this song. He was indeed a Maha Yogi who knew the time of his death.

His Holiness, Sri Shankaracharya, Sri Vijayendra Sarasawati of Sri Kanchi Mutt in a discourse said that, Lord Vishnu, in His Varaha Avatar had to go in Search of Vedas that were hidden, and reveal it to the world. However, what is that Vedas themselves are in search of? They are in search of the Grace of Sri Meenakshi!

The composition starts with a bold demand from Sri Dikshitar:

PALLAVI

Meenakshi, me mudam dehi!

Oh Meenakshi, give (dehi) me (me) Bliss (mudam)!

"Sukham me'syat" declares the Vedas. Everyone is in search of happiness either consciously or subconsciously. No one wants pain. Everyone wants happiness. Every action of a person is either for happiness or to avoid pain. Absolutely, no one wants pain / suffering.

Is it possible to get only Bliss? Is there a state when one feels no sorrow? Who can bestow that state? The only person who can Grant the state is Meenakshi. Is there a reason why one has to give veiled requests to ones own Mother? So, Dikshitar, directly demands Meenakshi, to give Him the eternal Bliss.


Mechakangi, Raja Matangi

She wears ornaments of Gold (mechakangi) - In Tantrik way of worship of the Goddess, She is worshipped as Ten Major Knowledge Forms (Dasa Maha Vidyas) - Matangi is the ninth form in the Dasa Maha Vidyas. Meenakshi is the Queen Matangi - Raja Matangi! Interestingly, in worship of Goddess, Raja Matangi can be worshipped without any initiation from a Guru (mantras for Matangi, can be recited only under the strict supervision of the Guru)

ANU PALLAVI

Maana Maatru Meye Maye
People who delve in Indian Vedic Philosophy will know of the classic 'Triputi' - The actor, action, object. For e.g, in Nirvana Shatakam [1] Sri Adi Sankara  says  - 'aham bhojanam naiva bhojyam na bhokta' - i.e. I am not object of enjoyment, nor the act of enjoyment nor the one who enjoys.

Similarly, Sri Dikshitar extends this further by saying - Meenakshi is the knower (maana), knowledge (maatr), the object that is known (meye)  and act of knowing (maye)

Marakatha Chaaye
Sri Meenakshi is supposed to have a greenish hue - In fact all pictures of Meenakshi show her in a Green dress and She herself is of Green color.

I want to recollect an incident here - One of my friends is an intense Matangi worshipper. He once got a note on some other Form to perform a particular worship. The first day he began his new worship (upasana) to the other deity, the same night a Lady in Green dress came in his dream and said 'Why do you have to perform other ways of worship while I am there?' - Needless to say, my friend didn't get into other ways of worship! 

Which other Goddess will answer the same night? :-)  [It was obvious it was Matangi because of Her Greenish hue and dress, and for the fact that my friend was a Matangi worshipper!]

Shiva Jaaye
She is the consort of Shiva, in the form of Sundereshwarar in Madurai. The Jaaya means wife / consort. So,she is the Consort of Shiva.

This again brings me another incident to my mind of Sri Kanchi Maha Periyava. Once Maha Periyava was offering flowers to Sri Saraswati along with a Vedic Scholar chanting Her names sitting behind Him. After every name was chanted, Maha Periyava would offer a flower. Once after a name was chanted 'Sri Brahma Jayayai Nama:' Maha Periyava did not offer the flower. He held his flower in His hand in a raised position, but did not  offer to Goddess. The scholar repeated the name again loudly. Sri Maha Periyava did not offer the flower yet. He kept His hand raised. This happened a few times. Sri Maha Periyava did not offer the flower. There was a flurry of activity  in the Kanchi Matam. Then a group of scholars came to this place, and they finally corrected the pronunciation - The original scholar misread it as 'Sri Brahma Jayayai Nama:' which means One who won over Brahma, which is incorrect. Finally, the scholar corrected himself and said, 'Sri Brahma Jaayayai Nama:' - One who is consort of Brahma (Jaa instead of Ja). Sri Kanchi Mahaswami then offered the flower to Goddess! It goes to show how the Mahaswami Sri Sri Kanchi Kamakoti Peetathipadhi Pujyasri Paramacharya Chandrashekara Saraswati was involved with fullest attention in every action. It was not mechanical - He used to perform His rituals with utmost love and affection.  (I am sorry about the long name - sometimes I can't address Him any less- But rest assured, I usually call Him as 'Maha Periyavaa')

Meena Lochani Paasha Mochani
One Who has beautiful eyes like a fish - In Indian context, it is considered to be beautiful for women to have long eyes like a fish. Actually, the Goddess' name is derived from One who has eyes (Aksha) like fish (Meen) (So, MeenAkshi)

Sri Muthuswamy Dikshitar seems to lose Himself in the beauty of the Goddess, just like Sri Sankara's heart melted when He meditated on the Form of the Goddess and Saundarya Lahari poured out. 

The ultimate reality is One. Rig Veda proudly asserts 'Ekam Sat Vipraha Bahuda Vadanti' - Truth is One, but Learned describe it in many ways. Though the Supreme Reality is One, it expresses itself in various forms. Why? The ONLY reason why the Supreme Goddess expresses Herself in various Forms is to thrill Her devotees and plunge them in final ecstasy of union with divine. 

Sri Meenakshi is the Supreme One, exists only to enchant Her devotees. Her devotees finally lose themselves in Her Grace and Beauty and finally cannot think of anything but Her. When this Bond with Goddess is so strong, all other bonds slowly lose their strength, and for the devotee, only Goddess and bond with Her remains. All other bonds with material goods and other relations are cut. 

So, the one with eyes like fish (Meena Lochani) is the One who cuts out all our bonds (Paasha Mochani) - The word Pasasha is bondage and Meenakshi is the one who cuts and relieves us of the bondage (Mochani)

So, when Sri Muthuswami Dikshitar knew His time had come, He called all His disciples, and asked them to sing this song, and finally, he sung this song too. When He reached this line of the song, he repeatedly sang this line a few times with tears pouring out, and then he sat firm and gave up his life after uttering 'Shive Pahi' (Oh Auspicious One (Shive), Protect me! (Pahi))

The word Shivam means the most 'Auspicious' - Indeed Goddess Meenakshi is the Most auspicious One and hence the hallowed soul, Sri Muthuswamy Dikshitar merged into Her.

In the first line he starts demanding (not requesting) Meenakshi to give him the Supreme Bliss - Indeed, Goddess gave him that when She took him to Her when he gave up his life. 

Just the pallavi and anupallavi have taken so much space :-) - I'll share my commentary on the Charanam in Part 2. I hope it doesn't come out 2 years  later! 

PS:- Minor edits:
(1) I had wrongly mentioned this as Totakashtakam - Thanks to pointing out by a well-wisher/friend - I have now corrected the reference to Nirvana Shatakam from Totakashtakam 
(2) Corrected some minor pronoun references
(3) Actually, I haven't completed the anu pallavi :-) - Only half of it is complete. Will complete it this week.

Who is Sri Krishna?

Ok.. I know I should be working now, and not blogging. At least, this has been the case for a while. I didn't realize that it was Krishna Janmashtami today till much later in the day. (not that I might have done anything differently, but would have dropped by a Krishna temple close by) - This is a rather introspective and deeply philosophical blog entry. People who are looking for something light this time might find it little heavy (just warning :) )

Prahlada, one of the greatest souls who proved that Bhakti is everything, told his father that life is pointless without 'Krishna Bhakti' - Some of you may say, 'Wait! Did he really say that?' - The surprise comes because, Krishna, who was the Hero of Mahabharata incarnated much after Sri Narasimha Avatara. Why did Prahlada even mention of Krishna Bhakti, even before Sri Krishna incarnated? Who is Krishna? 

The word Krishna can be explained in many ways in Sanskrit - 'One who is Dark Complexioned' or 'One who Attracts' (aakarshana: krishna:)

To understand the mystery of Krishna, one needs to introspect - What/who does He attract? Does He attract us all with His bewitching Form? Yes of course! But, He does much more than that!

Vedas assert that all this creation which appears with Form is untrue. In an uncanny effort to grasp God, Her work is popularly split into three - Creation, Sustenance and Destruction. Each of the work is led by Brahma, Vishnu and Rudra (also called Shiva albeit incorrectly) who form the Holy Trinity. But God goes beyond this too: Two other aspects are - Obfuscation and Grace. 

Obfuscation is when a person is made to take this world 'seriously'. Everyone knows for sure that they'll all die one day, sooner or later. What is the point in working or in making money or in building relations or ANYTHING at all? Why don't people just lie down and die? So, to make this drama of creation run smoothly, She makes us believe that there are things that are important, things to be 'achieved' etc. People chase these illusory goals till they die. She achieves this by two ways - Avaranam (hiding things, say behind a screen) - In this case, the reality is 'hidden'. Or, by 'Vikshepam' when things appear differently that what they actually are. (what appears as a snake is actually a rope) - This is the key for creation to run smoothly.

For a soul which has experienced this drama countless times, suddenly realizes that something is 'fishy' around them. They can feel the pain everywhere, they no longer enjoy the mundane. This is not 'depressed' state, but a state of dispassion or vairagya. When the pain becomes too unbearable, they cry for help not  knowing what to do. At this time of extreme pain, Grace (anugraha) descends, comforts the soul, and merges it into divinity. 

Lalita Sahasranama beautifully sums this 5 actions:

Srushti kartri - Brahma rupa (She Creates - She is in the Form of Brahma )

Goptri - Govinda Rupini (She Protects / Sustains - She is in the Form of Govinda)

Samharini - Rudrarupa (She destroys (all Forms) - She is in the Form of Rudra)

Tirodanagari-Ishwari (She Obfuscates the Reality - She in in the Form of Ishwara)

Sadashiva - Anugrahata (She showers Grace - In the form of SadaShiva)

Pancha-Krutya-Parayana (She thus, does all 5 Acts)

She is the One who Pulls the mind out - She is the one who Showers Grace and pulls the soul towards Her. It is all the same power, in different directions. 

Chit-Shakti - Chetana Rupa / Jada-Shakti'r Jadatmika

If She is the Inward Directing Force, She is Chit Shakti (Pure Consciousness)

If She projects Her outwards, She is this material creation

She can NEVER be reached by looking outwards

Bahir-mukha-sudurlabha (Impossible to be reached by looking outside)

For She is indeed 'Antar Mukha Samaradhya' (One Who can be Reached/Appreciated by Going Inwards)

You might wonder, where did Krishna go as we are discussing the Glory of Sri Lalita Maha Tripura Sundari. 

When the mind is hell-bent on going outwards, there is a need of a Force, which is One with the Supreme Force, to take it inwards. This Force pulls the outward going mind 'Inwards' - Please remember that the mind, driven by senses is UNCONTROLLABLE. Scriptures says taming thunderstorms is easier in comparison. 

Due to infinite Kindness, God's Grace descends and decides to pull back the mind inwards. This force, attracts the outgoing mind inwards is indeed Sri Krishna. He first appears like an object of desire 'outwards'. But He is the Supreme Soul, the Paramatman. Though he appears external, and He attracts us, and when the devotee runs towards this Krishna, He is actually going inwards. It will be too late when the devotee realizes that! 

I bow to that Infinite Grace, That which cannot be described, explained, because of His infinite Mercy, took a Glorious Form and appeared before the mortals, to trick us all to be taken back to the Him, the Supreme Self. He first attracts with His Physical Form, in the form of a baby, kid, king, friend etc. Then He increases the devotees' desire for Him so much that everything else loses taste. Finally, the devotee has no other option but to merge in Him. 

The true Krishna Janmashatami for each of the devotees is when He decides to be Born in our lives, and pulls back our crazy Self 'inward' to merge with Him. Till then, we can keep going towards Him outwards, and it is His promise that He'll take us all Inward. 

Happy Krishna Janmashtami to All! May Krishna be born in all our lives!


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

EDIT: I found a quote of Sri Ramana Maharshi that is scarily close to what I have written :-) If you replace Guru with Krishna, it is this blog entry. :-) - I always wondered if I had let my imagination run wild when I did this blog, I am happy it is in conformance with the Scriptures! "The Guru is both `external' and `internal'. From the `exterior' he [she] gives a push to the mind to turn inward; from the `interior' He pulls the mind towards the Self and helps in the quieting of the mind. That is guru kripa. There is no difference between God, Guru and the Self."

Sai, Get up and Dance

Dear Sai,
Get up and dance!
To remove the ignorance
Of the Countless
Who surrendered unto Thee

Bring Joy to our Hearts
Dispel the doubts
Remove our Sorrows

Give us the Vision
Of your True Nature
Our own Self

Teach us to see You
Within our Heart
As the Light that Shines Always

And, Thanks for all the Blessings!
Now, Get up and Dance!

Vishnu Sahasranamam - Part 5

In Part 3 of the series, I had posed a question - "What are the eight favorite flowers of Sri Vishnu?"

Raghu (The Boss) answered it correctly. However, before delving into the answer, we need to contemplate who Vishnu is and what would 'He' like. All that we see is indeed Vishnu. Sarvam Vishnumayam Jagath - asserts the Vedas. i.e., The Entire Cosmos is Manifestation of Vishnu) - The first Shloka of Isavasaya Upanishad says - 'Isavasyam idam sarvam' All that is here is Divine! What a wonderful statement!

This means everything that is around you is filled with Divinity and are essentially Divine! Concepts of eternal damnation and permanent sinner does not arise in Hinduism.

When everything is filled with Vishnu, what can we offer Him? The only thing He seeks is our Heart! Our Heart should yearn for Him, turn towards Him and Finally be ONE with Him.

If we look at the question again, and the answer below, things would be clear. The eight flowers are:

Ahimsa Prathamam Pushpam
Pushpam Indriya Nigraha:
Sarvabhuta Daya Pushpam
Kshama Pushpam Visheshathaha
Jnana Pushpam
Tapa Pushpam
Shanthi Pushpam Thathaiva cha
Satyam Ashtavidham Pushpoho
Vishnoho Preetikaram Bhaveth


1. Ahimsa - Non-Violence. This is the first(prathamam) flower(pushpam). As long as violence exists, there is separation. So, not to hurt others is the first offering to Vishnu. This should not be meant as not hurting other humans only - This includes all other leaving beings since none of them are less divine than the other. When a mosquito was biting Sri Yogananda, he wanted to swat it. Then he stopped himself from doing it. His Guru saw him angrily and said - 'Please go ahead and kill that mosquito! You've already done that with your thought!' - Sri Yogananda sought forgiveness from his Guru. Non-violence should be practiced even at the thought level. Whenever you inculcate and practice non-violence, be sure that Sri Vishnu is happy with your offering.

2. Indriya Nigraha: - Sense Control. This is the second flower offering to Vishnu. If we let our senses drag our mind and intellect, we cannot focus on Sri Vishnu or ANY other purpose. In Yoga Vashishtam, Sri Rama says that trying to satisfy mind of its desires is like trying to fill a sieve with water - it can never be done. Next time when you overcome a craving and establish yourself to Higher purpose, always know that your offering to Vishnu was gladly been taken by Him.

3. Sarva Bhuta Daya - Love to all Living Beings. This is one of the most important offerings to Vishnu. We should learn to Love all living beings. The same Vishnu who shines in your mother is the same Vishnu present in a flower and same One present in a mosquito! We should learn to Love the Vishnu who shines in the Heart of all things living and non-living. I know of a friend who is so hurt to see industrial waste mixing with river that she cries! Love and develop compassion towards all beings.

4. Kshama - Forgiveness. The shloka says that this flower is special (visheshatah)! When you forgive someone, you are only doing yourself a favor by letting go of a HUGE karmic baggage. The sense of relief that truly overcomes you when you forgive someone from your heart is the proof that this flower is special. Next time you forgive someone, from your Heart, the peace that descends is the proof that Sri Vishnu is specially pleased!

5. Jnanam - Knowledge. This is the Knowledge of the Self and not worldly knowledge. We need to realize that the entire creation is of Sri Vishnu and He shines in the Heart of all beings. To 'Know' this is a flower offering to Vishnu

6. Tapas - Austerities / Meditation. We should strive to overcome mundane life and strive to reach the state of Divinity. All the meditation and austerities that are performed is Tapas. Needless to say, when we take a step in His direction, Sri Vishnu takes a million steps towards us. Bhagawan Sri Ramana Maharshi, an avatar of Sri Dakshinamurthy Himself, said: "If one watches whence the notion ‘I’ arises, the mind gets absorbed there; that is tapas. When a mantra is repeated, if one watches whence that mantra sound arises, the mind gets absorbed there; that is tapas."

7. Shanti - Peace. Peace arises when we realize that all things happen by God's will. Sri Ramana told a story where one guy was sitting in the train with all his heavy baggages on his head. The guy next to him said - "Please keep your baggage down. At least, you'll be free of the pain. The train is carrying it anyway!" - We give too much credit to ourselves and unnecessarily take a lot of load on our head. Only if we offload it to God, we'll be at peace.

8. Satyam - Truth. Truth is Sri Vishnu Himself. Sri Bhagwatam starts 'Sathyam Param Dheemahi'. Lord Vishnu is Truth Himself. Only with Truth you can Get Auspiciousness which leads us to Bliss that is Beautiful (Sathyam Shivam Sundaram). To abide by truth and never swerving from it is the final (8th) flower offering to Vishnu.

By offering these eight flowers, Vishnu is indeed made happy (Vishno: preetikaram bhaveth!)

Let us strive to offer at least one to Sri Vishnu daily. By inculcating these Sattwa Gunas in us, we'll know that we are on the path to reach Sri Vishnu, the One All-Pervading Truth. Sarvam Kalvitham Brahma! Ekam-eva-adwitiyam!


In future posts, I'll start going over Sri Vishnu Sahasranama Stotram from beginning. So that it is easy for someone who's starting to follow the text. (So far I've been talking randomly about the Glory of Sri Vishnu Sahasranamam) - My past entries got zero comments :) - Just let me know if you guys like / don't like what you see here :)

Ganapathi!

First, I'd like to wish you all a very very happy Ganesh Chaturthi / Pillaiyar Chaturthi!

Ganananam Isha: -> Ganesha:
Ganapati is Lord of all Ganas!

Pillaiyar -> Revered Son
Pillai means son, and Pillaiyar is calling Him with respect.

Chaturthi: Fourth day of Waxing Moon (Shukla Paksham)

Ganapathi is one of the Primal Deities of the Hindu pantheon. He has been revered and celebrated by one and all (not just Hindus!)

He is one of the simplest deities who can be approached without any fear, and one of the Six main deities who can liberate His devotee and make him one with Himself.

Ganesha is found everywhere, esp in Tamil Nadu. Find a Arasa Maram (Peepal Tree) and you can find one nice fat Ganesha sitting below! He is absolutely easy to please - Just offer Him some arugam pul (a type of grass) - He gets ecstatic when he gets Kozhukkatai (Modhakam). We just have to remember is that He is just a kid with elephant's face. Just a mere sight or thought of Ganapathi should help us lose our sorrow and make us feel light and happy.

But, behind His child-like demeanor lies one of the Supreme Personalities of Divinity. He is One with the Parabrahman Himself. He is called 'Vinayaka' - Vi-Nayaka - One without Leader / Hero, because there is none superior to Him.

His Body is a reflection of Om / Pranavam - He is One with OM.

He is always invoked first before any effort to remove all the obstacles! When Bhandasuran, a nasty Asura created massive obstacles, Sri Lalitha (consort of Shiva) looked at Shiva, and Lord Ganesha jumped out from the Union of their sights. He removed all obstacles, and finally lead to triumph of Devi over Bhandasuran.

When Lord Shiva wanted to burn the Tripura (owned by Three Asuras), He forgot to invoke Ganesha. As a result, the axle of His chariot broke. Shiva then realized His folly and created a clay idol of Ganesha and worshipped. He then successfully proceeded to destroy Tripura. When Lord of the Lords Himself invoked Ganesha, we should always invoke Him. We should start our days with remembering Ganesha.

The following is a widely used prayer for Ganapathi (it is sometimes, interpreted as invocation to Sri Maha Vishnu, which IMO it is NOT) - It is always used before any activity is started, which is indirectly an indication that it is for invoking Ganapathi

Shukla-ambharadaram Vishnum
Shashi Varnam Chatur Bhujam
Prasanna Vadanam Dhyayeth
Sarva Vignopa Shanthaye!

Shukla -> White
Ambaram -> dress
Dharam - Wearing

Lord Ganesha is meditated as wearing pure white dress

Vishnum -> One who is all pervading

This is one of the main reasons why this is understood as invocation to Vishnu. The term Vishnu refers to all-pervasiveness. Even Sri Rudram ends as 'Om Namo Bhagawate, Rudraya Vishnave...' I bow down to Sri Rudra, who is *all pervading* - We need to understand that this indicates the OmniPresence of Ganesha



Shashi Varnam
Shashi -> Moon
Varnam -> Color

He is colored like the color of the Moon - This is an important reason to decide this shloka is for Ganesha and not Vishnu. Sri Vishnu is considered dark complexioned! Tirumantiram has the invocation which indicates the same thing too - Inthin ilam-pirai polum ayittrinai == Shashi varnam


Chatur Bhujam
Chatur -> Four
Bhujam -> Hands

Ganesha has four hands - In some verses, He is considered to have 5 hands (including his trunk with is called thuthikkai / thumbikkai in Tamil) - Thirumantiram starts as 'Ainthu karatthanai' (One with five hands) and Kandar Anubhuti's first stanza says 'pancha-kara aanai padam panivam' (bow to the elephant with five hands)- His four hands + His trunk are symbolism for the Five Main activities of God (Pancha Kruthyam) - Usually, the first three alone are known - Creation (Shrishti), Maintenance (Sthithi), Dissolution (Laya), Obfuscation (Dhirobhava) and Grace (Anugraha) - These are major topics themselves, so let's not delve deeper into them :-)

Prasanna Vadanam -> Pleasant countenance

As I said earlier, Ganapati's face is so pleasant to look at

Dhyayeth, sarva Vignopa shanthaye
Dhyayeth -> On Meditating
sarva -> all
Vigna -> Obstacles
Upa Shanthaye -> Will be resolved

Let us medidate on the pleasing face of Sri Ganesha, who wears white dress, all pervading, colored like the moon and Has four-hands, upon which all the obstacles are removed!

Let's start all our activities with this Shloka!

May Lord Ganesha shower us with His Grace!

PS:- In the image above, He is neither shuklambharadharam or shashi varnam :-) - Just liked this image!

Vishnu Sahasranamam - Part 4

After being delinquent from blogging duties :) due to unending work pressure, I thought I should make some time to continue the Vishnu Sahasranamam Series – Afterall, today we celebrate the birthday of one of the Highest Form of Divinity to have descended to human-accessible levels – Bhagawan Sri Krishna, who is Paramatman, Himself!

In the initial part of Sri Vishnu Sahasranamam, Sri Bhishma tells that the Supreme Person for whom the Thousand Names are addressed is standing right next to him!

The word Krishna is discussed by people in many ways –
(1) Krishna: Krishna: - Krishna is One Who is Dark Complexioned
(2) Aakarshna: Krishna: -Krishna is One Who is all Attractive

Krishna was a Purna Avataram – That is he came with unrestricted glory – For e.g., Sri Rama had to confine Himself to the capabilities of a human. But, with Krishna, there was no such thing! He killed monsters when he was a baby, danced on a snake, lifted mountains, gave liberation to devotees and what not!

In Vedas, lot of Karma (actions / duties) are prescribed – For e.g., Nitya Karmas (that need to be performed daily) like Sandhya Vandanam, and others like Yajnas, Homams etc – When we make mistakes while performing those Karmas, then we have to do Prayahschitta Karmas – To make amends for the mistakes. But, what do we do when we make mistakes while doing the Prayahschitta karmas? There is no end to the loop! So, Vedas say, the only way to stop this is by chanting ‘Krishna’ 12 times! That’s it!

Krishna can be adored as a baby, cherished as a friend, revered as a Master, prayed to as a God, loved like a spouse and what not! There is no restriction whatsoever to pray to Krishna – He is the most accessible one, who comes running on calling His name!

Scriptures say – ‘Ishwara: Parama: Krishna: - Sat-chit-ananda vigrah:
Anadir-adir Govinda: - Sarva Karana Karanam’

Lord Krishna is indeed the supreme (parama:) of all Gods (Ishwara:) – He is ‘Truth-Consciousness-Bliss’ which took Form (for us, it is our Karmas which give our form, made of pancha bhootas) – He is without an end (anadi:) or beginning (adi:) – He is a the Cause of all Causes (Primal Cause) (Sarva Karana Karanam)

Benefits of chanting entire Vishnu Sahasranamam, can be acquired by chanting the name of Sri Krishna alone!

Make use of the auspicious time of Sri Krishna Janmashtami, and pray to the Lord! Please do not queue up to God with requests on His birthday! Thank Him for all His Grace which sustains our breath, and helps us enjoy this marvelous gift of life

He has made few important promises (in Bhagawat Geeta:
(1) Ma-Sucha: - Do not Fear!
(2) Yoga-Kshemam-Vahamyaham – I’ll bring unto you what you don’t have and protect what you have!
(3) Sambhavami Yuge Yuge – I’ll come down in every Yuga!

Let us remember His Words, and follow His advice.

May all of us be fortunate enough to seek the blessings of Bhagawan Sri Krishna!

Sarvam Sri Krishnarpanamastu!