Kausalya Supraja Rama

The forest is silent. The eastern sky is tinged with a mild glow as the sun prepares to rise. The rishi sits up and glances at the face of the young prince sleeping near him. He finds himself unable to look away. Moments turn to minutes as he stares, mesmerized, flitting between emotions of love and awe, amazed at his great fortune to behold this beautiful sight.

Perhaps it is the lightening of the skies, or the chirping of the stirring birds, but now, the rishi wakes from his reverie.

Gently, he calls,

“Kausalya supraja Rama, Kausalya supraja Rama….”

And finds himself about to slip into a trance again….

Using the immense power of his tapas, the rishi finally pulls his eyes away and manages to complete what he was trying to say.

“Kausalya supraja Rama poorvaa sandhyaa pravartate,

utthistha narashaardoola, kartavyam daivamaanhikam!”

“O good son of Kausalya, the dawn is approaching in the east. Wake up, O tiger among men, it is time to perform the daily ritual duties!”

This is Brahmarishi Vishwamitra waking up Rama whom he has brought into the forest to protect his yagna.

Vishwamitra marvels at the great fortune of Kausalya who got to bear this divine child. He wonders how much tapas that mother must have done to be able to glance at this radiant face and wake up this dear child every day.

If he recognizes the divine identity of the young prince, why then is the rishi exhorting Him to perform the daily ritualistic duties? What duties does the Supreme Lord have to perform, and why?

The simple answer is – to set an example for us. Humans tend to look up to great people and emulate their actions. Rama is addressed here as “narashaardoola” – tiger among men. That means He is definitely a great man whom the world will hold up as an ideal for centuries to come.

By performing the nitya anushthaana, Rama must set an example for us to follow.

As Krishna aptly explains in the Bhagavad Geeta,

yad yad acarati sresthas, tat tad evetaro janah
sa yat pramanam kurute, lokas tad anuvartate

Whatever action is performed by a great man, common men follow in his footsteps. And whatever standards he sets by exemplary acts, all the world pursues.

- Bhagavad Geeta, 3.21

The acharyas also give another reason for Vishwamitra waking up Rama thus. Perhaps he is saying, “O Rama, You have taken this human form to annihilate the evil asuraas and rakshasaas. Now is the time for You to wake up from Your life as Dasharatha’s son, and begin to take steps to fulfil the promise given to the devaas!”

If we look closely at Vishwamitra’s call, we realize that he’s calling out to Rama alone. Why not Lakshmana? Because he didn’t see Lakshmana at all!

Well, Lakshmana never left Rama’s side, then where was he when Rama was sleeping?

Actually, this is the form that Vishwamitra saw….

Rama sleeping ON Lakshmana ! 

The Lakshmana who was none other than Adishesha!



Look at this beautiful form. Is it any wonder that Vishwamitra was so fascinated?

And once you come out of your reverie of gazing on this divine Lord, perhaps you will want to go back and yourself say those words uttered by Vishwamitra.

“Kausalya supraja Rama poorvaa sandhyaa pravartate,

utthistha narashaardoola, kartavyam daivamaanhikam!”

And just in case you haven’t recognized it yet, and are wondering why this sounds so familiar, it’s probably because you’ve often heard M. S. Subbulakshmi singing it as the first verse of the Venkateshwara Suprabhatam!

The Best Harvest

As she went about her housework, there was a call from someone outside the door.

“Swamin, we are Srivaishnavas traveling to the next village. Can we get some water to quench our thirst?”

The lady hurried out, welcomed the tired travellers, seated them comfortably and offered them water, noting their fatigue.

“My husband has gone out somewhere, but you are welcome to rest here. Please wait for a while, and partake of some food in our humble abode.”

The weary travellers gladly agreed to the offer.

She rushed inside, got the wood fire going, and pulled out the pots and pans to start cooking. Peering into the grain bin, she was dismayed. The rice in it was too less to suffice for the entire group of people she had promised to feed!

She rushed to the store room. No rice there either!

Panic-stricken, she fell back on her first resort in such situations.

She began praying to her Acharyar and chanting the names of the Lord, as her gaze darted here and there in the store room.

In a few minutes, she walked back into the kitchen, carrying a small bundle in her hand, and began cooking in earnest.

Pic courtesy: https://www.instagram.com/p/C1W151ASJJX/ 

One hour later, the Srivaishnavas had been served, and they left, thanking and blessing the woman for her kind hospitality.

The next morning, the woman’s husband returned home. He had brought along someone to help with the work of sowing their fields. Rummaging amongst the sacks in the store room, he called out to his wife.

“Have you seen the bundle of paddy I had saved up to sow our next crop? I’m sure I had kept it here, but it seems to have disappeared!”

She walked up to him with a tremulous smile.

“The sowing has been completed.”

“What?! How? When? By whom? Don’t tell me the crop is ready to be harvested, too!” the farmer chided.

“Yesterday, I did the sowing. And we will harvest the crop in Srivaikuntham, although I don’t know when exactly that will happen!”

In the Bhagavad Geeta, Sri Krishna says:

अद्वेष्टा सर्वभूतानां मैत्र: करुण एव च | 

निर्ममो निरहङ्कार: समदु:खसुख: क्षमी || 13||

सन्तुष्ट: सततं योगी यतात्मा दृढनिश्चय: | 

मय्यर्पितमनोबुद्धिर्यो मद्भक्त: स मे प्रिय: || 14||

adveṣhṭā sarva-bhūtānāṁ maitraḥ karuṇa eva cha
nirmamo nirahankāraḥ sama-duḥkha-sukhaḥ kṣhamī

santuṣhṭaḥ satataṁ yogī yatātmā dṛiḍha-niśhchayaḥ
mayy arpita-mano-buddhir yo mad-bhaktaḥ sa me priyaḥ

Bhagavad Geeta Chapter 12, verses 13-14

"Those devotees are very dear to Me who are free from malice toward all living beings, who are friendly, and compassionate. They are free from attachment to possessions and egotism, equipoised in happiness and distress, and ever-forgiving. They are ever-content, steadily united with Me in devotion, self-controlled, of firm resolve, and dedicated to Me in mind and intellect."



मत्कर्मकृन्मत्परमो मद्भक्त: सङ्गवर्जित: | 

निर्वैर: सर्वभूतेषु य: स मामेति पाण्डव || 55||

mat-karma-kṛin mat-paramo mad-bhaktaḥ saṅga-varjitaḥ
nirvairaḥ sarva-bhūteṣhu yaḥ sa mām eti pāṇḍava

Bhagavad Geeta Chapter 11, verse 55

Those who perform all their duties for My sake, who depend upon Me and are devoted to Me, who are free from attachment, and are without malice toward all beings, such devotees certainly come to Me.

On today's auspicious occasion of Pongal and Makara Sankranti, let us pray that the Lord guides us to strive for the right harvest!

Vaikuntha Ekadashi Experience 2025

Dec 29, 2025

I casually browse through a blog that has details of ancient temples in and around Bengaluru. One temple catches my eye. I read up about it from multiple sources and find the phone number of the archakar serving there. I call him and confirm that indeed, the temple will be open for Vaikuntha Ekadashi from 5.30 am to 7.30 pm.

Hubby is enthusiastic about exploring this new kshetra, and surprisingly, son is also more than willing to come!

Dec 30, 2025

We leave home by 6.45 am and reached the Sugganahalli Sri Lakshmi Narasimha and Garuda temple by 8.10 am.

 

The temple is more than 1,000 years old, built by the Cholas, and later expanded by the Hoysala and Vijayanagara dynasties. The special feature is that Sri Lakshmi Narasimha in this temple is in a standing posture (unlike most temples where He is seated) and faces west (unlike most temples where He faces east).

This temple is also renowned for the powerful Garuda, vahana of the Lord, who is offered daily worship, and revered by devotees who wish to get rid of sarpa dosha or health ailments.

(To know more about this temple, please check this link…https://myadhyatm.com/sugganahalli-garuda-temple-ramanagarakarnataka/ )

The temple is in a serene, rural area.

A steady trickle of devotees arrives to take darshan. They say their prayers, then pass through the Vaikuntha Dwara, accept prasadam, sit for a few minutes, and take leave of the Lord. None of the crowd and clamour that is so common in the well-known, bigger temples of our city.

                           

We take our time, too. We stand in front of the Lord’s Sannidhi, reciting stotras and shlokas, our hungry eyes drinking in His glorious form. We walk slowly through the Vaikuntha dwara, praying for an equally easy journey to Srivaikuntha when our time comes. We offer our contribution, and receive teertha and prasadam. We offer unhurried prayers at all the other smaller sannidhis in the temple complex. 

We climb to the terrace and get to see the vigrahas that form part of the gopurams. We soak in the silence, get a beautiful view of the temple surroundings and finally, take a few photographs to capture memories of this divine visit.

                            

As we are about to leave, I notice one lady devotee who seems to be in some kind of pain. She begs Garuda, loudly saying, “Make my hand recover, Garuda, and I’ll arrange an utsava for you!”

One little boy walks in, stands with eyes closed, hands folded in namaskar mudra, and chants a few shlokas. I compliment him on his recitation, and ask who taught him the chants, and shyly, he says “My father, and my Sir.”

Next, we travel about 1.5 kms away to the Kambada Narasimha temple, which houses the udbhava murthy of Lord Narasimha emanating from the pillar. The main door is locked, but we get darshan through a window thoughtfully left open. One or two local devotees come there, light karpoora, offer their prayers and leave.

                            

What happens after this is one of those peculiar events that one cannot explain with worldly logic.

While coming to Sugganahalli, we have seen a temple a little far from the highway, which seems to beckon us to come there. Google Maps says it is the Madgondanahalli Ranganatha Swamy temple, and we decide to visit it on our way back home.

We put in that temple as our destination, and Google Maps takes us to a temple. But not the one that we saw and wanted to visit. Later, my son discovers that there are about 3 to 4 Ranganatha Swamy temples in the area.

We walk in to offer prayers at the temple to which we have been brought. There is a goushala there, and we offer respects to goumata, too. The priest is away, but his mother opens the door and allows us to have darshan. There are only two pillars in the sanctum, and the lady says one of them is Ranganatha, and the other is Narasimha. We hand over the coconut, flowers, and dakshina we have brought along.

As we walk out from this temple, wondering over how we landed up here without ever planning to, hubby remarks, “Probably, we have some past janma account that had to be settled with this place, and so, the Lord Himself brought us here for that!”

That sets me thinking.

When we try to make it a habit to surrender to the Lord’s will, His grace flows abundantly and effortlessly in our life. He takes care of everything for us. Embarking on this journey then leads us to the most amazing destinations.

On this auspicious day of Vaikuntha Ekadashi, I feel humbled by immense gratitude for the grace of Srimannarayana that weaves through our life, creating a beautiful tapestry of moving and meaningful experiences that draw us closer to His lotus feet!

                            

The Lucky Pot

 The little boy ran for His life, afraid of the wrath of His mother Yashoda.

There was no place to hide from her.

Suddenly, He noticed the milkman Dadhipandyan resting under a tree after having completed his day’s sales.

He rushed to him and begged,

“Please save me from my mother. Can I hide inside your pot?”

Dadhipandyan agreed and the little boy climbed into the pot and crouched inside. The milkman covered the pot with the cloth of his turban, and rested his head on it.

Yashoda reached there a few moments later, questioned Dadhipandyan, and went away wondering where her kid had disappeared in just a few seconds.

The danger had passed.

Baby Krishna knocked on the pot from inside, and shouted,

“Let me out, Dadhipandya.”

The man refused to do so.

The Master of the Universe pleaded with the lowly milkman.

“I’ll give you whatever you ask for, please let me out!”

“Ok, I’ll let you go, but in return, grant me moksha!”

Krishna was shocked. Never in history had anyone ever made such a ludicrous demand!

But the man wouldn’t relent.

Desperate for a release from the smelly pot, Krishna agreed.

Still, Dadhipandyan made no move to release Him.

“What more do you want?”

“You are the friend, protector and refuge for the entire world and all things in it. Once I’m gone, what will my poor pot do alone? You must grant moksha to my pot, also!”

This was more ridiculous than the previous demand! When did any non-sentient object ever get liberated?

But then, wasn’t He known as Achyuta? The One who is infallible, and who will never desert His bhaktas? How then could He not agree to Dadhipandyan’s demand?

And so it was that not just the illiterate milkseller devotee, but his inanimate pot also got liberated from this world!

Many aeons later, He got reminded of this incident in the most unlikely of situations. 

 

Lord Ranganathar of Srirangam lay serenely on His serpent bed. One of His devotees sat in front of Him, making flower garlands as he did every day. Suddenly, the bhakta felt overwhelmed with the thought of how nice it would be to be with the Lord in Srivaikuntham, with no interruption in his seva.

Moved by this feeling, he said to the Lord,

“I’ve had enough of this samsara! I need moksha right now! When are you going to grant me the fortune of doing eternal kainkaryam to You?”

The sleeping Lord sat up in surprise.

“Pillai Perumal Iyengar, do you think it is so easy to get moksha? There are so many great rishis and yogis and saints who dedicate many births, undertake penance of the highest order, attain knowledge, and still struggle for moksha. How can an ordinary human like you assume you will get what those great souls cannot?

What penance have you done?

Have you performed yagnas?

Have you perfected the study of the Vedas?

Have you fasted in My name?

Have you cried out with deep longing for Me, and Me alone?”

Unfazed by the Lord’s tirade, His bhakta gazed calmly at Ranganathar, choosing his words carefully.

“Do you really consider all these things before granting moksha? I don’t think so!”

The Lord thundered,

“How dare you doubt My words?”

Pat came the reply.

“If you really considered these qualifications, then how is it that when you came as Krishna, You liberated the pot of Dadhipandyan?”

“What dhyana yoga or jnana yoga or bhakti yoga did that pot do?

What penance or yagnas did it perform?

What Vedas did the pot study?

What upavasa did it perform?

Did that black and dirty pot pray to You with longing for You and You alone?

Am I less qualified than that pot?”

Stumped for an answer, all that Lord Ranganatha could do, was to fall back on His serpent bed, marvelling at the irrefutable logic of His bhakta!

On today’s auspicious occasion of Krishna Jayanti, let us pray for His grace to uplift us just as it did Dadhipandyan and his pot. 

May Achyuta bless us with eternal devotion towards His lotus feet, which are the both the means and the end!

 

Why the Lord Wears Urdhva Pundram on His Forehead?

Baby Krishna lay asleep on the floor where Yashoda had left Him, as she went to attend to her household duties.

Nanda had to go outside for some work, but he was wary of leaving the baby alone. Some gopa kids were running around the place, but they could not be relied upon to protect his precious baby.

So, he followed what was a common gopa custom – he placed the wheel of an old cart near the baby, to ward off any danger from evil sources. He left home, reassured that no harm would come to little Krishna.

Source: https://godivinity.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/IMG-20190613-WA0020-231x300.jpg

Unknown to him, the demon Shakataasura sent by Kamsa, had entered that very same wheel. The plan was to fall on the baby and crush him, making the entire event appear like an accident.

Rakshasa proposes, God disposes!

Baby Krishna woke up, and like children all over the world do, He began to wail for His mother, flailing his tiny arms and legs about.

The next instant, one baby leg extended, and kicked the wheel with the hidden demon!

There was a loud crashing sound, and hearing that, Yashoda raced to her little one, scared for His safety.

As she clutched Him to her, and smothered Him with kisses while simultaneously examining Him for injuries, one of the gopa boys who had been playing nearby came to her.

Wide-eyed with wonder, he said to Yashoda, “Baby Krishna kicked the cart wheel and it shattered into pieces!”

Yashoda refused to believe him. “What nonsense! See my baby’s feet – so tiny and delicate! Do you think they can do what you say?”

Baby Krishna’s face split into a huge grin and the gopa boy could swear the baby actually winked at him!

All Srivaishnavas wear the Urdhva Pundra on their forehead (and the men, on 11 other spots on their body). This is called as the Tirumann Kaapu – literally translating into “The Sacred Clay that Protects.” The two vertical white lines of the Urdhva Pundra denote the Lord’s lotus feet, and the central red / yellow line denotes Mahalakshmi Devi.

Example for Tirumann😊

When devotees apply the Tirumann Kaapu on their forehead, they signal their eternal servitude (daasatva) to the Divya Dampati, and show that they only depend on Srimannarayana for their protection. (The word “Kaapu” means “protection”)

You must have seen pictures of Lord Venkateshwara of Tirumala. What do you first notice about His face? Of course, the same Tirumann Kaapu!

Source: https://indianfolkart.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/TNJ-PAINT-7-1.jpeg.webp

We wear that mark so that we get His protection. But then, why does He wear that mark on His own forehead?

Azhwar beautifully explains the reason using the Shakataasura episode we described before. He says, “I always knew that Your holy feet protect me. But now I realized that Your holy feet protect You also! With those tiny Feet only You protected Yourself from the evil asura!”

When Putana’s life had been sucked out by baby Krishna, she had reverted to her hideous rakshasa form.

But in case of Shakatasura, there is no mention of his form even being discovered. Why was that so?

The Acharyas explain that the divine feet of the Lord only purify and grant liberation; They never destroy. When He kicked Shakataasura with His foot, the demon’s body disintegrated, and he got moksha instantly, and therefore, there was no trace of his body.

Another explanation for why the Lord sports the Urdhva Pundra comes from the incident when the Lord once got Swami Ramanujacharya to apply the Tirumann on His forehead, and became his disciple! (Read this old post if you haven’t already)

But perhaps, can it be possible that just as the devotees declares his servitude to the Lord by wearing the Tirumann Kaapu, the Lord is proclaiming His servitude to His devotees by wearing the same Tirumann on His forehead ?

For, it was this very Lord Srimannarayana, who told Rishi Durvasa during the Ambarisha episode, 

Source: https://vedabase.io/en/library/sb/9/4/63/ 

“I am completely under the control of My devotees. Indeed, I am not at all independent. Because My devotees are completely devoid of material desires, I sit only within the cores of their hearts. What to speak of My devotee, even those who are devotees of My devotee are very dear to Me.”

The Eternal Friend

Mount Govardhan had been worshipped.

He had accepted all the prasad.

Indra had flown into a rage.

Torrential rain had flooded Vrindavan.

Instinctively, all had turned to Him for solace.

And that delicate son of Nanda had done the unimaginable.

He had lifted up Govardhan on the tip of His little finger.

Effortlessly.

And held it like that for 7 days and nights.

Sheltered from the storm, the brajavasis had been in ecstasy.

For they had been able to gaze, uninterrupted by mundane activities, on that radiant, smiling face.

No one had felt hungry or thirsty or tired or worried.

After 7 days, the clouds had been exhausted.

The sun had come out shining bright.

He had forced everyone to return home, and gently set down Govardhan.

As they turned to leave, one of the gopa boys had a sudden moment of realization.

He asked in wonder:

“How did You have the strength to hold up this great mountain for all this time? 

Who are You? Are You a God, or a Gandharva, or a Yaksha or a Danava?”

The smile vanished from Krishna’s face.

yadi vo’sti mayi prItih SlAghyo’ham bhavatAm yadi    |

            tad-Atam-buddhi sadRSI buddhir-vah kriyatAma mayi    || 

nAham devo na gandharvo na yaksho na ca dAnavah    |

            aham vo bAndhavo jAtah na vaS-cintyam ato’nyatA   ||   

-- (VishNu purANam 5.13.11 & 12)

“If you have real love for me and think that I am worthy of praise from you, then you must think of me as you think of yourselves (i.e., you must think of me as a gopa, as you all are).  I am neither a god, nor a gandharva, neither a yaksha (a demi-god), nor a dAnava (demon).  I am a born relative to you all.  You must not think of me any other way”!

He flashed that beautiful smile at the gopa boy.

And the veil fell firmly back in place.

The gopa boys ran home, and laughing aloud, He rushed along with them.

Those innocent boys that day composed a song that is still sung in Brajabhumi.

He wants us to think of Him as one amongst us.

He’s seated within, waiting silently, through all the births we have taken.

All we need to do is turn to Him, and He will lift the mountain of this samsara, sheltering us from all storms, and drown us in the ecstasy of His charming smile!

 

 

 

 

 

The Web

Twilight had given way to the darkness of the night. Stars had begun to twinkle and the moon had risen in the west, and begun making its way across the black sky.

Baby Krishna was playing in the courtyard while Mother Yashoda watched over Him.

Suddenly, her baby looked up, and seemed to be bewildered as He looked at the bright moon.

Pointing with His chubby fingers, He asked Mother Yashoda,

“What is that?”

“Oh that is the moon, Kanha! It is God’s toy!”

“I’m only God, I want My toy now! Give me the Moon, Ma!”

“Hush, you naughty boy! You shouldn’t say such things! God will be angry with you!” 

He, whom the Vedas proclaim to have the moon as one of His eyes,

He, of whom even all deities are afraid,

That same “baby” Krishna smiled, happy to see His Mother Yashoda held intact in the web of ignorance He had cast on her.

He decided to see how far it would hold.

The baby began stomping His feet and shaking His head, all the time wailing aloud, just like all children do when they turn adamant and want to have their way.

“I want the moon, I want it now, you have to have to give it to me now, Mother!!”

Hearing the childish roaring, gopis young and old began to gather in the courtyard to witness the spectacle.

One elderly gopi quietly brought out a mirror, and thrust it into the hands of the flustered Mother Yashoda.

Relieved at having found a way to pacify her uproarious baby, Yashoda took the mirror, and placed it on the ground.

She beckoned to her child, and said,

“Come here, Kanha, I will give the moon to you!”

He came close to her, even as those mock-tears of frustration were rolling down His eyes.

Unable to bear the sight of her baby crying, her eyes welled up too, with real tears of love and affection. She drew His hand towards the mirror.

“You can have the moon now! Put your hand here, Krishna! See, you can touch the moon! Isn’t he beautiful and so cool to the touch?”

Baby Krishna did just as He was told. He held on to Mother Yashoda with one hand, and with the other, He slowly reached out to touch the moon. Thrilled, He looked back at His mother, and gurgled with laughter like babies of this world do, when they are happy.

The One who thought He had caught Mother Yashoda in the web of His illusion did not realize when and how He Himself got caught in the labyrinth of her love!

An episode with the moon is also described by Periazhwar in his hymns called the Periazhwar Tirumozhi, where he imagines himself to be Mother Yashoda, and describes his enjoyment at the antics of the Lord as his child. The rasa in this composition however is vastly different, as here, the knowledge of the azhwar, who knows that baby Krishna is actually the Lord Himself, seeps into the consciousness of Mother Yashoda.

The moon is making his way across the night sky. Mother Yashoda has finished feeding baby Krishna, and now, she is walking with Him seated on her hip. She shows the Moon to her baby, and talks with the Moon.

“Come quickly, O Moon, my Kannan wants to play with you!”

“Oh, I’ve only just risen, I have a long way to go before I reach your place”

“No, no, you must come quickly. My Kannan has already eaten His food, and is feeling sleepy now. If He has to keep waiting for you, it will be late, and then, the food He has eaten will not get digested properly. So, come right now!”

He who swallows the whole world at the time of pralaya, is going to have indigestion now, by sleeping late, claims Mother Yashoda!

Angry at being taken to task by an ordinary cowherd woman, the Moon scorns Mother Yashoda.

“Oh, I’m busy, I have lots of distance to cover still, so it will be a long time. And besides, what’s so great about your baby? He’s just like any other small kid, hankering for the moon!”

Unable to bear this belittlement of her precious wonder, Mother Yashoda raises her voice.

“You’re ignoring my baby because you think He is “small”? Well, I have a little advice for you, O haughty moon! Go to Mahabali, and ask him about his experience with this “small” one, then you will know who is small, and who is big!”

This reference to how the child Vamana had morphed into the huge Trivikrama when taking boons from Mahabali, shows us how, yet again, although Periazhwar was singing this in the mood of Mother Yashoda, the azhwar frame of mind had slipped in to chastise anyone who failed to see the greatness of His Lord.

On today’s auspicious occasion of Ekadashi, let us thank the Lord for gifting us with these wonderful pastimes He performed, which we can enjoy time and again!