tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-65619411005482496982024-02-29T11:23:56.739+05:30Anu's WordsAnuhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09173824279783857663noreply@blogger.comBlogger275125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6561941100548249698.post-44536360632018691352024-02-11T22:10:00.005+05:302024-02-11T22:14:33.361+05:30The Audacious Boatman<p><span style="font-family: times; font-size: large;">“Hey, Kevat, get ready with your boat. You must ferry my dear friend, his wife, and his brother across the Ganga,” called out the tribal king Guha.</span></p><span style="font-family: times; font-size: large;"><br />The boatman Kevat waited quietly until the passengers were close to the boat. Then, in a loud voice, looking straight at Rama, he shouted: <br /><br />“Stop! I will not let you enter the boat unless you agree to my condition!” <br /><br />“What do you want?” came the calm query. <br /><br />“I will let you to step into the boat only after I’ve washed your feet and completely removed all the dust sticking to them!” <br /><br />“Why this strange condition?” <br /><br />“Well, I’ve heard weird stories about you, and now, I’m worried for my well-being. They say that when the dust of your feet fell on a stone, that stone turned into a woman called Ahalya! How do I know that the same dust will not turn my boat into another woman? I can’t take this risk, I’m a poor man and already finding it difficult to make ends meet – I don’t have the means to provide for another mouth!” <br /><br />Lakshmana frowned in anger, ready to take on the boatman, but Rama and Sita only looked at each other and smiled knowingly at Kevat. <br /><br />“OK, have it your way,” agreed Rama before Lakshmana could object. <br /><br />Kevat brought water from the Ganga and washed those holy feet with loving care, quite in contrast to the harshness of his words. <br /><br />Condition fulfilled, his passengers made their way into the boat. <br /><br />Excitedly, Kevat called out to his wife and children, and all other people standing around. <br /><br />“Hurry up, what are you waiting for? Here, sprinkle this holy water on your heads and be blessed forever!”</span><div><span style="font-family: times; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: times; font-size: large;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiVyc8XZjK4HhH5IOdk7eHiUmoMk2qjoFsAfdNIW-udtIggEiUq8kudixnIrWYzFabuYdZ3u-Wvfy2j619r7nScqpFjLPfA6n5qDWm7TjWAPudkAusV2dpoQxDB8oRmGbAueASRbiD6yo1SmVxOlEmIaIecR6iyP-zlijoKiboJGBKFfA3JnTDk9QHFZQEQ" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img data-original-height="248" data-original-width="203" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiVyc8XZjK4HhH5IOdk7eHiUmoMk2qjoFsAfdNIW-udtIggEiUq8kudixnIrWYzFabuYdZ3u-Wvfy2j619r7nScqpFjLPfA6n5qDWm7TjWAPudkAusV2dpoQxDB8oRmGbAueASRbiD6yo1SmVxOlEmIaIecR6iyP-zlijoKiboJGBKFfA3JnTDk9QHFZQEQ=w327-h400" width="327" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr></tbody></table>The boat set off across the Ganga, and soon, Kevat brought his passengers to their destination. Rama had nothing to give him as payment for the trip, and glanced at Sita. Understanding her lord’s predicament, she pulled the gold ring off her finger and handed it to him. <br /><br />With a sweet smile, Rama held out the ring to Kevat. <br /><br />“Thank you for ferrying us across the river. Here, take this as payment for your service.” <br /><br />Kevat stood with his arms across his chest, refusing to accept the gift. When Rama insisted, he said: <br /><br />“I cannot accept payment from someone who belongs to my profession!” <br /><br />Outraged, Lakshmana burst out before Rama could intervene. <br /><br />“How dare you! I tolerated your nonsense before, but now you’re going too far. You, a mere boatman, how do you have the audacity to pull my brother, the Chakravarti Ramachandra, to your petty level! I’ll take care of you!” <br /><br />Restraining Lakshmana, Rama smiled at Kevat. <br /><br />“What are you trying to say, my dear man? How can you say we belong to the same profession?” <br /><br />“My Lord, I am an ordinary boatman, taking passengers merely across the Ganga. But aren’t You that extraordinary boatman who ferries souls across the bhavasaagara, the ocean of this samsaara? ” <br /><br />An insignificant boatman had understood the secret that far more sophisticated people fail to recognize!</span><div><span style="font-family: times; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: times; font-size: large;">In the Mukunda Mala stotra, Kulashekhara Azhwar sings:<br /><br /></span><p align="center" style="background: white; margin-bottom: 7.5pt; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: 0cm; margin-top: 0cm; margin: 0cm 0cm 7.5pt; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span face=""Nirmala UI",sans-serif" style="color: #333333;">भव</span><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "gaura_timesregular",serif; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica;"> </span><span face=""Nirmala UI",sans-serif" style="color: #333333;">जलधि</span><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "gaura_timesregular",serif; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica;"> </span><span face=""Nirmala UI",sans-serif" style="color: #333333;">गतानां</span><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "gaura_timesregular",serif; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica;"> </span><span face=""Nirmala UI",sans-serif" style="color: #333333;">द्वन्द्व</span><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "gaura_timesregular",serif; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica;"> </span><span face=""Nirmala UI",sans-serif" style="color: #333333;">वात</span><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "gaura_timesregular",serif; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica;"> </span><span face=""Nirmala UI",sans-serif" style="color: #333333;">आहतानां</span><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "gaura_timesregular",serif; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica;"><br style="box-sizing: border-box;" />
</span><span face=""Nirmala UI",sans-serif" style="color: #333333;">सुत</span><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "gaura_timesregular",serif; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica;"> </span><span face=""Nirmala UI",sans-serif" style="color: #333333;">दुहितृ</span><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "gaura_timesregular",serif; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica;"> </span><span face=""Nirmala UI",sans-serif" style="color: #333333;">कलत्र</span><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "gaura_timesregular",serif; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica;"> </span><span face=""Nirmala UI",sans-serif" style="color: #333333;">त्राण</span><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "gaura_timesregular",serif; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica;"> </span><span face=""Nirmala UI",sans-serif" style="color: #333333;">भार</span><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "gaura_timesregular",serif; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica;"> </span><span face=""Nirmala UI",sans-serif" style="color: #333333;">अर्दितानाम्</span><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "gaura_timesregular",serif; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica;"> |<br style="box-sizing: border-box;" />
</span><span face=""Nirmala UI",sans-serif" style="color: #333333;">विषं</span><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "gaura_timesregular",serif; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica;"> </span><span face=""Nirmala UI",sans-serif" style="color: #333333;">विशय</span><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "gaura_timesregular",serif; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica;"> </span><span face=""Nirmala UI",sans-serif" style="color: #333333;">तोये</span><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "gaura_timesregular",serif; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica;"> </span><span face=""Nirmala UI",sans-serif" style="color: #333333;">मज्जताम्</span><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "gaura_timesregular",serif; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica;"> </span><span face=""Nirmala UI",sans-serif" style="color: #333333;">अप्लवानां</span><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "gaura_timesregular",serif; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica;"><br style="box-sizing: border-box;" />
</span><span face=""Nirmala UI",sans-serif" style="color: #333333;">भवतु</span><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "gaura_timesregular",serif; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica;"> </span><span face=""Nirmala UI",sans-serif" style="color: #333333;">शरणम्</span><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "gaura_timesregular",serif; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica;"> </span><span face=""Nirmala UI",sans-serif" style="color: #333333;">एको</span><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "gaura_timesregular",serif; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica;"> </span><span face=""Nirmala UI",sans-serif" style="color: #333333;">विष्णुपोतो</span><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "gaura_timesregular",serif; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica;"> </span><span face=""Nirmala UI",sans-serif" style="color: #333333;">नराणाम्</span><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "gaura_timesregular",serif; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica;"> </span><span face=""Nirmala UI",sans-serif" style="color: #333333;">॥</span><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "gaura_timesregular",serif; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica;"> </span><span face=""Nirmala UI",sans-serif" style="color: #333333;">११</span><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "gaura_timesregular",serif; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica;"> </span><span face=""Nirmala UI",sans-serif" style="color: #333333;">॥</span><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "gaura_timesregular",serif; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p align="center" style="background: white; box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0cm; text-align: center;"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "gaura_timesregular",serif; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica;"><span style="font-size: medium;">bhava-jaladhi-gatānāṁ
dvandva-vātāhatānāṁ<br style="box-sizing: border-box;" />
suta-duhitṛ-kalatra-trāṇa-bhārārditānām<br style="box-sizing: border-box;" />
viṣama-viṣaya-toye majjatām aplavānāṁ<br style="box-sizing: border-box;" />
bhavati śaraṇam eko viṣṇu-poto narāṇām</span><o:p style="font-size: 18pt;"></o:p></span></p><p align="center" style="background: white; box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0cm; text-align: center;"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "gaura_timesregular",serif; font-size: 18pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica;"><br /></span></p>
<div style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #351c75; font-family: times; font-size: medium;"><i><b>Travelling in this sea of birth and death,</b></i></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #351c75; font-family: times; font-size: medium;"><i><b>Being tossed hither and thither ,</b></i></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #351c75; font-family: times; font-size: medium;"><i><b>By the cyclone of love and hate,</b></i></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #351c75; font-family: times; font-size: medium;"><i><b>Carrying the heavy care,</b></i></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #351c75; font-family: times; font-size: medium;"><i><b>Of son , daughter and wife ,</b></i></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #351c75; font-family: times; font-size: medium;"><i><b>And being drowned ,</b></i></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #351c75; font-family: times; font-size: medium;"><i><b>In this troublesome sea of attachments,</b></i></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #351c75; font-family: times; font-size: medium;"><i><b>The only boat to save us is our Lord Vishnu</b></i></span></div><span style="font-family: times; font-size: large;"><div><span style="font-family: times; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>Let us pray that Shri Rama bless us with the simple yet deep faith of Kevat! <br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEi9OnNC5-jKRLO9csL3WHKfCLGvTZa2D4uD7rsOi9-Pvaq6vnKcvHvQEx9e08q9X-YjP6myNrMMwgxuhSdQtXZ_SNmNnltvxx8pWLlVOWrU0kWdkWhSpHNsZ4rTF1sfM5YI0YSpdrga9ryXzplQlGmikUw-AG-L0KDYe9PYFVI2SI5x7VYvfy3X-SNwYg6H" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img data-original-height="360" data-original-width="640" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEi9OnNC5-jKRLO9csL3WHKfCLGvTZa2D4uD7rsOi9-Pvaq6vnKcvHvQEx9e08q9X-YjP6myNrMMwgxuhSdQtXZ_SNmNnltvxx8pWLlVOWrU0kWdkWhSpHNsZ4rTF1sfM5YI0YSpdrga9ryXzplQlGmikUw-AG-L0KDYe9PYFVI2SI5x7VYvfy3X-SNwYg6H=w400-h225" width="400" /></a></div><br /><br />
</span><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p></div></div>Anuhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09173824279783857663noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6561941100548249698.post-90287511278500000532024-02-05T22:46:00.003+05:302024-02-05T22:46:57.031+05:30The One who Tasted the Lord!<span style="font-size: large;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEj1cxwYQAL9wtTTAYSLtabxrd62x3-ogvR7CVTaUKSuBIiyCkKNvj_KsFEO3NmEYrkHHEU_2N3vEfSp-_LbpW6pACSzqKuMdqwadjTQsvMbmiL17151BmPbD7thBp7Ad8niKQkK7Vw6nsQ5qvfPwP9RzISMtqyUi30sldbd63ZBbsHeBSihb-hzm_zxiX6T" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img data-original-height="1093" data-original-width="784" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEj1cxwYQAL9wtTTAYSLtabxrd62x3-ogvR7CVTaUKSuBIiyCkKNvj_KsFEO3NmEYrkHHEU_2N3vEfSp-_LbpW6pACSzqKuMdqwadjTQsvMbmiL17151BmPbD7thBp7Ad8niKQkK7Vw6nsQ5qvfPwP9RzISMtqyUi30sldbd63ZBbsHeBSihb-hzm_zxiX6T=w287-h400" width="287" /></a></div><br />A young boy ran into the Srirangam temple, yelling from afar to catch the Bhattar’s attention. <br /><br />“Swamin, come fast, everyone is waiting for you at the Aryabhatta Gate!” <br /><br />“What happened? Why the hurry?” <br /><br />“Some people have come from Tirupati, carrying an utsava murthy looking just like ours! And they’re calling him AzhagiyamanavAzhan and claiming that He is the Lord of Srirangam!” <br /><br />Bhattar and the boy rushed to the site of the pandemonium. A clash of words had broken out between the visitors – the Kodavar family of Tirupati, and the residents of Srirangam. <br /><br />“We have our utsava murthy, our ThiruarangumAzhagiAr here already. Who is this Lord whom you bring?” thundered the Srirangam side. <br /><br />“Sixty years ago, the Srivaishnavas from Srirangam were fleeing from the Mughal invaders. At the risk of their lives, they brought AzhagiyamanavAzhan to us, and all these years, we protected Him. Now that the danger of the invaders has passed, we wish Him to be installed in His rightful home!” came the firm reply from the Kodavar family members. <br /><br />Everyone looked to Bhattar for the solution, but he was equally clueless. The issue was taken to the king. <br /><br />“Look all over the kingdom! Find anyone who was living in those days during the Mughal invasion!” ordered the king. “Let us see if we can ascertain the truth of this claim.” <br /><br />News spread of this strange turn of events. <br /><br />An old washerman of the Srirangam temple tottered towards Bhattar. <br /><br />“I was a young boy during the Mughal invasion. I can help you find out which is the original utsava murthy.” <br /><br />“You! But you are blind! You can’t even see the form of the Lord!” <br /><br />The old washerman explained his plan. Preparations were made at once. </span><div><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-size: large;">Thirumanjanam (ritualistic bath of the Lord) was performed to both the utsava murthys. </span></div><div><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-size: large;">The devotees waited with bated breath. </span></div><div><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-size: large;">Water was wrung out of the clothes of the two utsavar murthys. </span></div><div><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-size: large;">Bhattar offered this </span><span style="font-size: x-large;">thirumanjana teertham </span><span style="font-size: x-large;">of the newly arrived murthy AzhagiyamanavAzhan </span><span style="font-size: x-large;">to the blind old washerman.</span></div><div><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-size: x-large;">No sooner did he swallow it, then the old man sang out in ecstasy.</span><br style="font-size: x-large;" /><br style="font-size: x-large;" /><span style="font-size: x-large;">“NamPerumal! This is our Perumal!" </span></div><div><span style="font-size: x-large;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-size: x-large;">"Are you sure?" asked a few doubting voices.</span></div><div><span style="font-size: x-large;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-size: x-large;">"Yes, I'm sure! All those y</span><span style="font-size: x-large;">ears ago, before the Mughal invasion, everyday, my father used to give me the tirumanjana theertham of the Lord. Today, I recognize that same old taste in the teertham of this murthy!" cried the blind old washerman.</span></div><div><span style="font-size: x-large;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-size: x-large;">After sixty long years, the Lord’s original utsava murthy had finally returned home.</span></div><div><span style="font-size: large;"><br />And that is why till today inside the sannidhi, we have the rare sight of two utsava murthys being worshipped.</span></div><div><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-size: large;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEh6I119O0Um2Pb_6kDKH4kUR-nX69YQx5pGYyOG_vhQDvuu_ANGLgoDbCBFdTePu5KWg9Cvj4x0JMbKtENN8uJEiRRnt0-3OPvkO9mPJ9lNiSG7SH92Huy4ZFDqgN5HJDJjO1O_JSmy7aX83bipwJBoN0KNepFfvEU7KNF2Ea9s6Txyk0rVwdHeqNfAkjjW" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="" data-original-height="210" data-original-width="300" height="280" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEh6I119O0Um2Pb_6kDKH4kUR-nX69YQx5pGYyOG_vhQDvuu_ANGLgoDbCBFdTePu5KWg9Cvj4x0JMbKtENN8uJEiRRnt0-3OPvkO9mPJ9lNiSG7SH92Huy4ZFDqgN5HJDJjO1O_JSmy7aX83bipwJBoN0KNepFfvEU7KNF2Ea9s6Txyk0rVwdHeqNfAkjjW" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Image and information: https://kshetrapuranas.wordpress.com/2009/03/07/the-saga-of-thulukka-naachiyaar-sri-rangam/</td></tr></tbody></table><br />How great is the glory of this old washerman's devotion that he could not see the Lord, but he could taste Him! <br /><br />In honour of his invaluable service, the washerman was given the name “Eeram Kolli” – which means “the one who recognized wetness”. <br /><br />This incident brings to light how devotion can make even a blind man “see”. <br /><br />But equally, important, it opens our eyes to the enormous efforts our ancestors took and the sacrifices they made to protect our Sanatana Dharma. <br /><br />The least we can offer in homage is to lead our lives according to the teachings of that Sanatana Dharma. <br /><br /> <br /><br /> <br /></span><br /> </div>Anuhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09173824279783857663noreply@blogger.com16tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6561941100548249698.post-13643662160779136232024-01-29T18:28:00.005+05:302024-01-29T18:28:47.087+05:30How the Banana Leaf Got its Form<span style="font-size: large;">The battle of Lanka had ended.<br /><br />Ravana had been killed. <br /><br />Vibheeshana had been installed on the throne of Lanka. <br /><br />He had requested Rama to stay in Lanka for some time, but his offer had been politely declined. <br /><br />The Lord was in a hurry to return home, because the 14 years of vanavaasa were getting over the next day, and the desperate Bharata was waiting anxiously for the return of his dear brother. <br /><br />Bharata had even taken a vow that if Rama did not return on the promised day, he would jump into the fire and give up his very life! <br /><br />Now Rama and Seeta along with Sugreeva, Hanuman, Vibheeshana, and hundreds of vanaras were in the Pushpaka Vimana, hurrying to Nandigrama. <br /><br />Why Nandigrama? Why not Ayodhya? <br /><br />Because Nandigrama is where the devout Bharata had installed the Rama padukas in whose name he was supervising the kingdom’s administration.</span><div><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-size: large;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiMYpbEal93uxstnD_wUY2Pf_KVty6JuTKxnVwpwMq8IhkQWzD85tkwwx-Dos-7c-88atTBGHDjCucv4WyLYmOZZI03f9UnwtyRdoW45tvmSM6bjIx_IHsjnKMcFKfsSmATRdrZyAAlJkm2xhTsDSC3MSiFc0JVxgwQIDj2a6TiRhtLpEzy01LyagtnPz6g" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="" data-original-height="999" data-original-width="1435" height="223" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiMYpbEal93uxstnD_wUY2Pf_KVty6JuTKxnVwpwMq8IhkQWzD85tkwwx-Dos-7c-88atTBGHDjCucv4WyLYmOZZI03f9UnwtyRdoW45tvmSM6bjIx_IHsjnKMcFKfsSmATRdrZyAAlJkm2xhTsDSC3MSiFc0JVxgwQIDj2a6TiRhtLpEzy01LyagtnPz6g" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Image: https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/0/05/Alone%2C_Bharat_worships_the_sandals.jpg</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><br />As the Pushpaka Vimana passed by the ashrama of Rishi Bharadwaja, the revered sage invited Rama to visit. Every moment was precious because dear Bharata was waiting, but how to refuse the hospitality of the great seer? <br /><br />Rama found a way out. <br /><br />He accepted the rishi’s invitation, but sent Hanuman to Nandigrama, to console Bharata with the news of their imminent arrival, and to explain the reason for the slight delay. <br /><br />Yet again, Hanuman played messenger. Task completed, he returned to the sage’s ashrama. <br /><br />Everyone had sat down to lunch, but there was no place for Hanuman, so he was told to please wait, and eat with the next batch. <br /><br />Would Rama be able to bear this situation? No way! <br /><br />He beckoned Hanuman to come and sit opposite Him. Using His nail, the Lord of Vaikuntha drew a line along the middle of the banana leaf, inviting His dear devotee to share His meal in the same leaf! That nail which had once destroyed the evil Hiranyakashipu to protect one devotee Prahlada, now became an instrument to create yet another example of the Lord’s affection for this devotee, Anjaneya! <br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhh4FRgJDVlId9lU0zQdbW7C1DeQIpqkrGZ_pQCtxMkgqIWeD1KePSBBWvpDSQH-LT3Vn23Ha9q-kjZ2RaILW8cVbYBlWHWqNrASaX99io2zLcPkoImKL0vdCNisT1dARHNUCyqN6Tldi8QWZDX8z0OUzIVIqawrsvpmvX1wsqoGxpxNuTdzHDxa7cKkme9" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="" data-original-height="2962" data-original-width="3829" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhh4FRgJDVlId9lU0zQdbW7C1DeQIpqkrGZ_pQCtxMkgqIWeD1KePSBBWvpDSQH-LT3Vn23Ha9q-kjZ2RaILW8cVbYBlWHWqNrASaX99io2zLcPkoImKL0vdCNisT1dARHNUCyqN6Tldi8QWZDX8z0OUzIVIqawrsvpmvX1wsqoGxpxNuTdzHDxa7cKkme9" width="388" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Image: https://devamrutam.blogspot.com/2021/04/rama-shares-his-food-with-hanuman.html</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><br />Until then, it is said, the banana leaf was one big leaf without any partition. Thanks to the line drawn by Lord Rama for Hanuman, we now have the typical pattern of the banana leaf with a prominent midrib separating a single leaf into two distinct parts. <br /><br />This event is described by Tirumangai Azhwar in his composition, the Periya Tirumozhi as he prays to Lord Ranganatha, begging Him to shower this same grace on him! <br /><br />The Lord of the entire Universe, performed the action of “Sahabhojanam” – sharing His meal – with a mere vanara! How great is His love for His bhaktas! Can we ever manage to sufficiently praise this quality of the Lord – the gunam of “soulabhyam” – the quality of being easily accessible to one and all! <br /><br />He stayed in a tent for decades, content with the home given to Him, blessing all of us, nonetheless. Today as He is housed in a grand structure and accorded all the respects and glory due to Him, He continues to smile and bestow that same benevolent gaze and grace on all of us.</span></div><div><span style="font-size: large;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEj26dVccQE5VIxBASaRWT9jFOK-5ZueTOf5iOu-_66fRz-RAMfQ0yMktsl6zS_2Isf2Rxdw0YMEl1pCSZ3YZGcu45u_ViYQAAhSPNyM5usgZaaNZob7BbB6rauUDAesIWBq9WTAJI29zaLfuKLRI7Km0rCa-X2Y_dY5toHG8LC8Tg6Wd3QpfW-snBsaq1bG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img data-original-height="338" data-original-width="600" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEj26dVccQE5VIxBASaRWT9jFOK-5ZueTOf5iOu-_66fRz-RAMfQ0yMktsl6zS_2Isf2Rxdw0YMEl1pCSZ3YZGcu45u_ViYQAAhSPNyM5usgZaaNZob7BbB6rauUDAesIWBq9WTAJI29zaLfuKLRI7Km0rCa-X2Y_dY5toHG8LC8Tg6Wd3QpfW-snBsaq1bG=w400-h225" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Image: https://static.toiimg.com/thumb/imgsize-23456,msid-107123172,width-600,resizemode-4/107123172.jpg</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><b><i><span style="color: #2b00fe;">Jai Shree Ram! Jai Siya Ram!</span></i></b></div></span><br /> </div>Anuhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09173824279783857663noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6561941100548249698.post-27989154882972702862023-10-08T22:02:00.001+05:302023-10-08T22:02:29.426+05:30How to Win Over the Lord?<span style="font-family: times; font-size: large;">The fighting was at its peak in the Kurukshetra war. Dronacharya had just been killed, and his son Ashwatthama was in a rage. In his fury, desperate to wipe out the Pandava army, he hurled the most powerful weapon in his arsenal – the Narayanaastra.<br /><br />More dangerous that either the Brahmaastra or the Pashupataastra, this Narayanaastra made the sky dark, and a strong wind ripped through the battlefield. Against the darkness, thousands of chakras, gadhas, arrows and other weapons appeared like lightning in the sky, ready to rain death on the Pandava side.<br /><br />The Pandavas, as always, turned to their one and only refuge Krishna, for guidance. <br /><br />He knew that astraa too well, for, didn’t it bear His name?<br /><br />“All of you throw down all your weapons! Remove the tiniest thought of resisting the weapon from your minds! Fall to the ground in surrender to the weapon!” came His strange order.<br /><br />Unresisting, all of the Pandava army immediately obeyed the order. And what a surprise! The weapons hovering in the sky began to slowly disappear. <br /><br />But suddenly, there was a rain of arrows from the sky on the pandava Bhima. <br /><br />Why? <br /><br />Because he held his gadha (mace) high, unbending, challenging the might of the Narayanaastra.<br /><br />As always, Krishna stepped in to save the situation. </span><div><span style="font-family: times; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: times; font-size: large;">He pulled Bhima to the ground and forced him to bow his head and fold his hands in prayer.<br /><br />Immediately, the sky cleared, the sun shone bright again, and all the weapons from the sky disappeared. <br /><br />Ashwatthama was stunned. The most powerful weapon in his arsenal had failed against the Pandavas! <br /><br />What was the reason?<br /><br />The Narayanaastra is the weapon of Lord Narayana. It is indeed the most powerful weapon in the world. Yet, there is something stronger than that, something that renders even the Lord powerless. <br /><br /><i><b><span style="color: #351c75;">Sharanaagati. Surrender. <br /></span></b></i><br />When we surrender to the Lord, He becomes powerless.<br /><br />No longer is He able to look at our doshas (faults) and our papas (sins). <br /><br />Karuna floods His heart, and He forgives all and accepts us unconditionally.<br /><br />The gesture of prayer with hands folded in supplication is called “Anjali mudra”.</span></div><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgr8ijyitWlz2OBCms3CRinYUrwSIT3v53kp_tvaPX4tFQkfnbhE7jzz0NtaDqnjHByETP2_dQg0Y4s6PVlIfwPi_WZGaxzhUaPQFUeC7Mldw4xbEH5JFlVCRzpF71dltcD8d-l2jb-IiR4Mo1urxtWdPffd_uL2odk0qKwskHGhLnTGErQXIdVWDs4zc6o" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em; text-align: center;"><img data-original-height="225" data-original-width="225" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgr8ijyitWlz2OBCms3CRinYUrwSIT3v53kp_tvaPX4tFQkfnbhE7jzz0NtaDqnjHByETP2_dQg0Y4s6PVlIfwPi_WZGaxzhUaPQFUeC7Mldw4xbEH5JFlVCRzpF71dltcD8d-l2jb-IiR4Mo1urxtWdPffd_uL2odk0qKwskHGhLnTGErQXIdVWDs4zc6o=w400-h400" width="400" /></a><span style="font-family: times; font-size: large;"><br />“Am jalayati iti anjalihi” – that which makes the Lord melt, is anjali.<br /><br />Rishi Bharadwaja says<br /><br /><i><b><span style="color: #990000;">“Anjalihi parama mudra, kshipram deva prasaadini” <br /><br />“The anjali is the best of all gestures and speedily secures on us the loving favour of the Lord”</span></b></i><br /><br />Let us make it a practice to offer the anjali mudra to the Lord, and surely He will grace us with His blessings.<br /><br />And perhaps with His grace, if we are able to surrender unresistingly when people of this world rain down the weapons of their angst on us, maybe our lives will also become easier!<br /> <br /><br /> </span><p><br /></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><br /><p></p></div>Anuhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09173824279783857663noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6561941100548249698.post-53791666457906005222023-10-01T19:51:00.008+05:302023-10-01T19:53:23.377+05:30The Most Expensive Fruit<p><span style="font-family: times; font-size: large;"> <span>“Tasty juicy naagapalam! Come and buy my nectarine naagapalam!”</span></span></p><span style="font-family: times; font-size: large;">Krishna was thrilled to hear the familiar call of the fruit-seller of Gokul. Always, Father Nandagopan would buy his son’s favourite jamun fruit from this lady. Today, he was too busy with other work and so, he instructed little Krishna to handle the business himself. <br /><br />“Run to the backyard, Kanna, and bring some grains to give the fruit-seller. In return, she will give you as many fruits as you want!”</span><div><span style="font-family: times; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: times; font-size: large;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgSbth115lOsNDeOZMaEQJwJM9Zit3SqOOCwkkbb2hxbn3qOUZRXyf19ZfIEb-Yaa_VYdXqwix5ih8q8DtsfuSc3ZRqCza0u49rlGI44rXKNHShUikfcR2gxkKD4mxt3TV87VPPSSDkiaKrlcH7OyONJG7VOStLzos32VMTjoZ2JrGM4-9ei7DXTmU_xMdx" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img data-original-height="180" data-original-width="222" height="324" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgSbth115lOsNDeOZMaEQJwJM9Zit3SqOOCwkkbb2hxbn3qOUZRXyf19ZfIEb-Yaa_VYdXqwix5ih8q8DtsfuSc3ZRqCza0u49rlGI44rXKNHShUikfcR2gxkKD4mxt3TV87VPPSSDkiaKrlcH7OyONJG7VOStLzos32VMTjoZ2JrGM4-9ei7DXTmU_xMdx=w400-h324" width="400" /></a></div><br />Baby Krishna sped to the backyard and dipped both His tiny hands into the sack of grains. In a hurry to savour His favourite fruits, He ran with the grains in His cupped hands to the courtyard of the house, unaware that most of the grain was spilling to the ground. <br /><br />Finally reaching the fruit-seller, with a huge flourish, He emptied whatever little grain was in His hands into her fruit basket. <br /><br />“Give me the naagapalam, Grandma!” He demanded. <br /><br />“Oh, I will, but only if You give me something in return,” said the old woman with a calculating look on her face. <br /><br />“But I already gave you the grains that my father said I should give!” complained little Krishna. <br /><br />Gesturing for the little boy to step closer, lowering her voice conspiratorially, the fruit-seller voiced her very specific demand. <br /><br /><i><b><span style="color: #990000;">“Grant me moksha, and I will give you the naagapalam that You so love!” she whispered. </span></b></i><br /><br />Krishna blinked His eyes in surprise. Never in the history of His entire creation had anyone made such an outrageous demand! <br /><br />“Naagapalam in exchange for moksha!! Do you think moksha comes so cheap, Grandma?” He asked, a tender smile tugging at the corners of His lips. “Besides, how do you know that I can grant you moksha?” <br /><br />“Don’t think that You can fool me with Your sweet words, O Lord! When You were emptying the grains from Your tiny hands into my basket, I glanced at Your palms. You think I didn’t see the sign of the chakra on Your right palm and the shankha on Your left palm? I may be old, but I’m smart enough to know what that means!” <br /><br />“Well, what does it mean, Grandma?” <br /><br />“That You are the Lord Srimannarayana Himself who has descended from Srivaikuntha! Now tell me, do you think I’m foolish enough to lose this opportunity to get the coveted prize of moksha from You?” <br /><br />“You have won my heart, Grandma! Ok, done! Your wish for moksha is granted!” <br /><br />And so it came to pass that an unlettered, simple old fruit vendor of Gokula attained liberation from the cycle of birth and death to gain eternal service of the Lord in Srivaikuntham. <br /><br />That which eludes the great jnanis poring over the Vedas and Upanishads, the great yogis engaged in arduous penance and the deities like Brahma and Indra with all their opulence, was attained by this innocent fruit-seller of Gokula. </span></div><div><span style="font-family: times; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: times; font-size: large;">How? </span></div><div><span style="font-family: times; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: times; font-size: large;"><i><b><span style="color: #351c75;">By the sheer force of her love for the Lord! </span></b></i><br /><br /><span style="color: #990000;"><b><i>Can we learn to foster such love for Him in our hearts, too? </i></b></span><br /><br /><i>Note: This narration is based on an account of this episode in Part 378 of the Srimad Bhagavatam series of Sri U. Ve. Velukkudi Krishnan Swamy. I'm assuming it is based on the Azhwars' (Tamil saints') experience of the Lord's leelas, because in the actual text of the Srimad Bhagavatam (SB 10.11.11), the story is that in exchange for the fruits, Krishna filled the fruit seller's basket with jewels and gold. However, for the true bhakta, it is moksha that is the ultimate desire, and not any worldly jewel or gold!</i><br /><br /> <br /></span><br /> </div>Anuhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09173824279783857663noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6561941100548249698.post-23388910130267794182023-09-24T17:34:00.004+05:302023-09-24T18:02:35.695+05:30The Blemishless Luggage of Bharata<span style="font-size: large;">All arrangements were finally in place. Bharata stepped forward to receive the blessings of his parents and Guru Vasistha before embarking on the journey to Kekaya desha, the land of his maternal uncle. Just as he finished paying his obeisance, there was a slight commotion.<br /><br />Shatrughna stood in front of all the elders, with a bowed head and folded hands. <br /><br />“Please grant me too your blessings,” he requested softly. <br /><br />“Why? Where are you off to?” demanded the Guru. <br /><br />“I’m accompanying Bharata on his journey.” <br /><br />“But we have not taken you into consideration while finding the auspicious day for travel! Today was a good day as per Bharata’s horoscope. Now, if you are going along, we will have to check the charts to see if today is the right time for you to travel!” <br /><br />In a soft voice full of conviction, Shatrughna replied. <br /><br />“With all due respects to the Guru, I would like to ask if the rules demand that a prince check the horoscope of the luggage he carries along on the journey?” <br /><br />Everyone was confused, but Guru Vasistha nodded his approval and let young Shatrughna proceed with Bharata on the journey. <br /><br /><i><b><span style="color: #990000;">Such was the humility of Shatrughna that he considered himself as nothing more than a piece of luggage that would accompany Bharata!! </span></b></i><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgbE3y3haEqM8x2YTD8VFmjCtSvJY2WM2Adi9mpfVi0ZuU-FOXXsSxJCR6a-p9BypsyVlmLJKovNE6qcjTUX64vjjyTY6bdBXK1A6YzUXMRAuu0dKHhaUdWRudc5vFr9hw-2jeRL9lxbDwUYFeytjS3cFLZ1IiYCR117HMDQN8Zx3mtXAjqxyKByr3KzckY" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img data-original-height="461" data-original-width="602" height="307" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgbE3y3haEqM8x2YTD8VFmjCtSvJY2WM2Adi9mpfVi0ZuU-FOXXsSxJCR6a-p9BypsyVlmLJKovNE6qcjTUX64vjjyTY6bdBXK1A6YzUXMRAuu0dKHhaUdWRudc5vFr9hw-2jeRL9lxbDwUYFeytjS3cFLZ1IiYCR117HMDQN8Zx3mtXAjqxyKByr3KzckY=w400-h307" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Shatrughna with flowers, ready to serve!</td></tr></tbody></table><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">"GacchatA mAtula kulam BharatEna saha anagha:</div>ShatrughnO nitya ShatrughnO neeta: preeti puraskrita:" <br /><br />In this shloka, Sage Valmiki says that Shatrughna was <b><i><span style="color: #351c75;">“taken” </span></i></b>by Bharata to his maternal uncle’s kingdom, and it gives us a glimpse into how completely the younger brother had surrendered to the elder one, that he was no more an entity than a piece of luggage in the entourage traveling with Bharata! <br /><br />When Bharata brought the padukas of Lord Rama, and installed them at Nandigram, refusing to enter Ayodhya till his brother returned from vanavaasa, it was the devout Shatrughna who managed all the activities of administration and took care of the welfare of the mothers, on behalf of Bharata. <br /><br />The Srivaishnava acharyas draw our attention to how, if Lakshmana was steeped in <b><i>“Bhagavad-bhakti”</i></b> (devotion to Lord Rama), Shatrughna was immersed in <b><i><span style="color: #990000;">“Bhaagavata-bhakti”</span></i></b> (devotion to the Lord’s devotee, Bharata). <br /><br />The name Shatrughna indicates that he was a destroyer of enemies. Sure, Rama and Lakshmana destroyed many rakshasas, but except for one Lavanasura, there is no description of any other enemies killed by Shatrughna. Then why this name for him? <br /><br />The aachaaryaas explain that this was because he had destroyed those dangerous inner enemies – kaama, krodha, lobha, moha, madha and maatsarya – the six foes of lust, anger, greed, attachment, pride and jealousy. <br /><br />The shloka mentioned above also refers to Shatrughna as “anagha” – the one without a blemish. The aachaaryaas explain that this indicates that he was free from the fault of “Raama-bhakti”! <br /><br /><i>Isn’t it blasphemous to say so? </i><br /><br />No, comes the vociferous reply from the aachaaryaas. Shatrughna’s whole life revolved around service to Bharata – service of the Lord’s devotee. In this scenario, “Bhagavad-bhakti” would be an unnecessary diversion that would interfere in his performance of “Bhaagavata-bhakti”. <br /><br />The Lord is full of divine qualities. Serving Him and practising devotion to Him is therefore not very difficult. But the devotee of the Lord, who is as human as you and me, being able to serve him is not as easy and therefore, truly a test of our devotion. <br /><br /><i><b><span style="color: #351c75;">Can we try to inculcate the spirit of Shatrughna, work on destroying our inner enemies, and try to be of service to those who are bhaktas of the Lord?</span></b></i></span>Anuhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09173824279783857663noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6561941100548249698.post-70734316521049118472023-09-17T19:51:00.000+05:302023-09-17T19:51:06.721+05:30Providing for the Provider<span style="font-size: large;">Swami Ramanuja frowned. Something was wrong. Lord Ranganatha did not have His usual radiant look. He looked quite dull, almost ill.</span><div><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-size: large;">Swami questioned the priest about the prasadam that had been offered to the Lord that day. <br /><br /><i><b>“Daddojanam”</b></i> came the reply, indicating that curd-rice had been the offering. <br /><br />“And? Anything else?” persisted the great Acharya <br /><br />“Oh, I forgot! Yes, we also offered Him a few of His favourite <b><i>Nagapalam fruits</i></b>!” indicating that the jambhul or Indian blackberry fruit had been fed to the Lord. <br /><br />Swami Ramanuja was upset. <br /><br />“No wonder Ranganathar looks ill! The combination of daddojanam and nagapalam must have given Him a cold!” <br /><br />Immediately the Acharyar sent for the vaidya (physician) and instructed him to prepare a kashayam (herbal decoction) for the Lord! <br /><br />Only after the kashayam had been offered, and the Lord had regained His usual bright look did Swami Ramanuja leave the temple!<br /><br /> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhPOzWiIHP3AogUOzNEfSOV327gNMZ6SwfAO93V4DG3AGrr0tgvn_mY92iIQu_16NdWMtKUR-0KaiCQoM-UijlRVUeVTGqDpXIQYxUOD5iDVUMkQoNhm97_y2CdYsd18cVo-DL_yZm0Z3UMd01KROEmChJDrWfB67m4wMbiI83F775DDu1QvPvy_q8ge9xu" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img data-original-height="864" data-original-width="720" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhPOzWiIHP3AogUOzNEfSOV327gNMZ6SwfAO93V4DG3AGrr0tgvn_mY92iIQu_16NdWMtKUR-0KaiCQoM-UijlRVUeVTGqDpXIQYxUOD5iDVUMkQoNhm97_y2CdYsd18cVo-DL_yZm0Z3UMd01KROEmChJDrWfB67m4wMbiI83F775DDu1QvPvy_q8ge9xu=w333-h400" width="333" /></a></div><br />It was time for the Lord’s evening worship. Nadadoor Varadaguru waited inside the garbhagriha (sanctum sanctorum) of the Varadaraja temple at Kanchipuram. The priest hurried in with milk to offer to the Lord. <br /><br />Suddenly, Varadaguru moved forward and snatched the vessel from the priest’s hands. The priest was shocked at this sacrilege, but before he could give words to his ire, a strange sight met his eyes. <br /><br />Tears were streaming down the face of Varadaguru! <br /><br />In a trembling voice, Varadaguru questioned the priest, “How can you give such hot milk to the Lord? Will it not burn His tender tongue?” <br /><br />As Varadaguru proceeded to fan the milk to cool it down, a divine voice called out. <br /><br />“Amma!” <br /><br />Both the priest and Varadaguru looked up in surprise. <br /><br />Moved by the vaatsalya (motherly love) of Varadaguru, it was Lord Varadaraja Himself who had lovingly called out like a child to it’s mother! <br /><br />And ever since that day, the devout Nadadoor Varadaguru came to be known as Nadadoor Ammal. <br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgtMj1BPBCXbaX8iF-zlaMga6TTutSmSEE3ySWttEFHT08dxcdsLZ2S-wTqNpGKw2O4s6pLCHVWpuAJxQBwaxrOMcB7Ao8hrTUlzAbTduMotQ9h925fu1fxGNQaZy0EZE7ijFdDNOBlU8WjQUf7_MiewoaHI4bkh9TF27t9sNs7BTkESYcLc4tHBrJu1vPh" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img data-original-height="1024" data-original-width="733" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgtMj1BPBCXbaX8iF-zlaMga6TTutSmSEE3ySWttEFHT08dxcdsLZ2S-wTqNpGKw2O4s6pLCHVWpuAJxQBwaxrOMcB7Ao8hrTUlzAbTduMotQ9h925fu1fxGNQaZy0EZE7ijFdDNOBlU8WjQUf7_MiewoaHI4bkh9TF27t9sNs7BTkESYcLc4tHBrJu1vPh=w287-h400" width="287" /></a></div><div><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>We pray to the Lord for all kinds of help. We are always seeking this and that from Him. <br /><br /><b><i><span style="color: #351c75;">Have we ever thought of caring for His needs? <br /></span></i></b><br />That Supreme Lord has left all the comforts of Vaikuntha and descended to this earth to bless us. That One who is the Master of the Universe resides in the place we create for Him – whether in the temple or in our tiny pooja room – ready to accept whatever we offer Him. <br /><br /><span style="color: #351c75;"><i><b>What do we feed Him every day? </b></i></span></span></div><div><span style="color: #351c75; font-size: large;"><i><b><br /></b></i></span></div><div><span style="font-size: large;"><i><b><span style="color: #cc0000;">Do we feed Him every day? </span></b></i><br /><br />In the Bhagavad Geeta (3.13), Lord Krishna says, <br /><br />यज्ञशिष्टाशिन: सन्तो मुच्यन्ते सर्वकिल्बिषै: |<br /> भुञ्जते ते त्वघं पापा ये पचन्त्यात्मकारणात् || <br /><br />yajña-śhiṣhṭāśhinaḥ santo muchyante sarva-kilbiṣhaiḥ<br /> bhuñjate te tvaghaṁ pāpā ye pachantyātma-kāraṇāt <br /><br />The spiritually-minded, who eat food that is first offered in sacrifice, are released from all kinds of sin. Others, who cook food for their own enjoyment, verily eat only sin. <br /><br />Let us cook with the consciousness that it is for the Lord’s pleasure.</span></div><div><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-size: large;">Let us offer what we cook to Him first and then consume it as His prasadam, with gratitude for all He has given us. <br /><br />When we do this consistently, surely the Lord will bless us with the ability to experience Him as a living presence in our life with the same bhaava as Swami Ramanuja and Nadadoor Ammal. <br /></span><br /> </div>Anuhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09173824279783857663noreply@blogger.com12tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6561941100548249698.post-6865483897207636932023-09-10T22:24:00.000+05:302023-09-10T22:24:06.396+05:30Keeping vs Breaking His Word<span style="font-size: large;">“Arjuna, it’s high time you began to seriously fight Bheeshma! Have you forgotten your vow to destroy the Kaurava side?” thundered Lord Krishna. <br /><br />“Yes, I’m doing my best, Krishna!” came the meek reply from Arjuna who couldn’t summon the will to harm his great-grandfather. <br /><br />Arrows flew thick and fast. <br /><br />So far, Bheeshma’s arrows had been merely grazing the surface; now the grandsire took serious aim, and the missiles began to pound, threatening to cause bodily harm to Arjuna. <br /><br />Throwing down the reins of the chariot, Krishna jumped down. <br /><br />Grabbing the wheel of a broken chariot He charged towards Bheeshma, determined to put an end to him. <br /><br />Seeing this, Bheeshma put down his bow and with a smile, and welcomed Krishna. “What bigger fortune will I have, O Madhava, than to be killed by Your divine hand?” <br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEi6uSENae0l6AnUuEb5rkHuh1p-bRLWzyyu0wIz9Az4pIKxjVW8p5pI9RLzAuCqW1zyAwXERFLCJj0rGRjnt_LA2FBm-7uWZ2pTCo0yuwIZjiR6qNtDeo-qsx0DOJk358JWzgltsWMPP-zj2wSE7YCfMQdIkSgImQeShmPgk1BfeZV-OKDeHIwLgJ1QEmR-" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img data-original-height="1205" data-original-width="1920" height="251" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEi6uSENae0l6AnUuEb5rkHuh1p-bRLWzyyu0wIz9Az4pIKxjVW8p5pI9RLzAuCqW1zyAwXERFLCJj0rGRjnt_LA2FBm-7uWZ2pTCo0yuwIZjiR6qNtDeo-qsx0DOJk358JWzgltsWMPP-zj2wSE7YCfMQdIkSgImQeShmPgk1BfeZV-OKDeHIwLgJ1QEmR-=w400-h251" width="400" /></a></div><br />Watching these events, Arjuna was shaken out of his complacence.</span><div><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-size: large;">Rushing towards Krishna, he begged, “No, Krishna, don’t do this! Don’t you remember that you have taken a vow that You will NOT pick up weapons in this yuddha? How can You break Your Word thus?!?” <br /><br />Placated, Krishna returned to His chariot and the war continued. <br /><br />The Lord is said to be “Satya Vaakyan” – One who is always true to His word. <br /><br />Why then did He take the decision to forego His word to abstain from fighting in the war? <br /><br />Because the Lord possesses another quality that He values far more than His word – the quality of “Aashrita Paaratantrya” – One who is dependent on the wishes of the devotee who seeks Him! <br /><br />In Srimad Bhagavatam (9.4.63), the Lord says <br /><br /><span style="color: #990000;">“Ahaṁ bhakta-parādhīno” </span><br /><br /><span style="color: #351c75;"><i><b>“I am completely under the control of My devotees.” </b></i></span><br /><br />Bheeshma was an ardent devotee of the Lord. <br /><br />Bheeshma had taken a vow that he would either kill Arjuna or force Krishna to pick up arms in the war. <br /><br />To keep the word of this great devotee, the Lord was more than willing to give up His word! <br /><br />Now Arjuna was also dear to Krishna; so, when Bheeshma’s arrows threatened the very life of Arjuna, He didn’t think twice before charging at Bheeshma to protect His devotee Arjuna. <br /><br />In the Bhagavad Geeta (9.31), the Lord has proclaimed: <br /><br /><span style="color: #990000;">कौन्तेय प्रतिजानीहि न मे भक्त: प्रणश्यति || <br /></span><br /><span style="color: #990000;">kaunteya pratijānīhi na me bhaktaḥ praṇaśhyati <br /></span><br /><span style="color: #351c75;"><i><b>“O son of Kunti, declare it boldly that no devotee of Mine is ever lost.” </b></i></span><br /><br />Why is the Lord asking Arjuna to declare this? Why doesn’t He declare it Himself? <br /><br />Because He knows that He may break His own promise, but nothing in the world will drive Him to break the word of His devotee! <br /><br />What bigger reassurance do we need of the Lord’s unconditional loving acceptance of us? Isn’t this reason enough to motivate us to become His bhaktas? <br /><br />On today’s divine occasion of Ekadashi, let us pray for the Lord to bless us with such bhakti! <br /><br /> <br /><br /> <br /><br /> <br /><br /> <br /><br /></span><br /> </div>Anuhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09173824279783857663noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6561941100548249698.post-9925147673623290432023-09-03T17:22:00.002+05:302023-09-03T17:22:48.739+05:30The Loving Churner<span style="font-size: large;">It had been decided. The ksheera sagara (ocean of milk) was to be churned by the devas and asuras to obtain amruta (nectar).<br /><br />Vasuki, the king of serpents coiled around Mandara mountain and the churning began at a rapid pace. <br /><br />But soon Mandara began sinking into the ocean. <br /><br />The Lord incarnated as a huge tortoise, Kurma, and slipped below Mandara to provide base support and the churning resumed.<br /><br />But as the churning intensified, Mandara began to sway unsteadily, threatening to jump off the back of the tortoise.<br /><br />Lord Vishnu now took a 1000-handed form called Ajitha and held the mountain firmly in place so that the churning could proceed.</span><div><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEheI7YXThl6S-F-ooxiQIg2qkGPgacqmIzR3tMjBhJU5S8F0wiocelgc2HlIvewqK3dwZzL-IC17vJ3PPalmbeMsiSjVc9YHciN1C2gi2TOx1nP4dNwTJeKj-477zRprnbwuOzFrJU8sooV_Qjbgb3naEX2czNOTkfCvWL17jD2BUwG710szsxqPT2EqpSE" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img height="297" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEheI7YXThl6S-F-ooxiQIg2qkGPgacqmIzR3tMjBhJU5S8F0wiocelgc2HlIvewqK3dwZzL-IC17vJ3PPalmbeMsiSjVc9YHciN1C2gi2TOx1nP4dNwTJeKj-477zRprnbwuOzFrJU8sooV_Qjbgb3naEX2czNOTkfCvWL17jD2BUwG710szsxqPT2EqpSE=w400-h297" width="400" /></a></div><div><span style="font-size: large;"><br /><br />Cut to the Lord’s incarnation as Krishna.<br /><br />A young gopi is arranging her pot filled with curd and setting up the churning rod and rope. As she settles in place, and begins to churn, that notorious maakhan chor (butter thief) rushes in. With a sweet smile, he begs the gopi, “Please, can I help you churn the butter?”<br /><br />She knows He is there to rob the butter and yet, she has no defense against that charming twinkle in His eyes. Her heart melts. She lets Krishna join in the churning. Singing, swaying, huffing and puffing, and laughing, together, they churn the curd in the pot.</span></div><div><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-size: large;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEg07431ewRsVzm75vTunatrchuM0tS5EXWIa07sADPL4mDRBNDA4SBDHpalY5meZn3jjd-QmGUp4cYoApip60C-vPgUgLrUG2K_jOx8w5WktB0T8_ZTi1iTNcV_culkT0TJaQLiO9QOfZ9JCC8DurYiNZzQI4eEoIYOwOJmXUl87IQUUFM1_y8ytpxgmRx4" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img data-original-height="392" data-original-width="535" height="293" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEg07431ewRsVzm75vTunatrchuM0tS5EXWIa07sADPL4mDRBNDA4SBDHpalY5meZn3jjd-QmGUp4cYoApip60C-vPgUgLrUG2K_jOx8w5WktB0T8_ZTi1iTNcV_culkT0TJaQLiO9QOfZ9JCC8DurYiNZzQI4eEoIYOwOJmXUl87IQUUFM1_y8ytpxgmRx4=w400-h293" width="400" /></a></div><br />Kulasekhara Azhwar marvels, comparing these two leelas of the Lord in two different avataras. <br /><br />He took a 1000-armed form as Ajitha and single-handedly churned the ksheera sagara to bring forth amruta. <b><i><span style="color: #cc0000;">He needed no help from anyone then! </span></i></b><br /><br />Yet, during Krishnavatara He chose to sit with an ordinary gopi, helping her to churn butter! <br /><br />What is it that motivated the Lord to do this? </span></div><div><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="color: #351c75;"><i><b><br /></b></i></span></span></div><div><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="color: #351c75;"><i><b>Wasn’t it the unconditional love of the gopi, who rejoiced in His mere presence, seeking nothing from Him? </b></i></span><br /><br />The devas sought the Lord to acquire amruta, so that they could gain immortality. The gopis sought the Lord not to gain anything from Him but instead, to offer Him their affection with overwhelming devotion. <br /><br />The Lord provided the amruta for the devas, but whose actions do you think pleased Him the most?<br /><br /><span style="color: #351c75;"><b><i>Can we learn to cultivate the innocent bhakti of the Vrajavaasis?<br /></i></b></span><br />In the Bhagavad Geeta (4.9), Krishna says:<br /><br /><span style="color: #cc0000;">जन्म कर्म च मे दिव्यमेवं यो वेत्ति तत्त्वत: |<br /> त्यक्त्वा देहं पुनर्जन्म नैति मामेति सोऽर्जुन ||<br /><br />janma karma cha me divyam evaṁ yo vetti tattvataḥ<br /> tyaktvā dehaṁ punar janma naiti mām eti so ’rjuna</span><br /><br /><span style="color: #351c75;"><i><b>Those who understand the divine nature of My birth and activities, O Arjuna, upon leaving the body, do not have to take birth again, but come to My eternal abode.<br /></b></i></span><br />As we prepare for Krishna Janmashthami that’s coming up on September 6, 2023 let us contemplate on this and other leelas of the Lord and drown ourselves in the experience of His divine glory!</span><br /><br /> <br /><br /><br /></div>Anuhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09173824279783857663noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6561941100548249698.post-19825252924031682382023-08-27T18:19:00.001+05:302023-08-27T18:22:41.347+05:30What Can We Offer Him?<span style="font-family: times; font-size: large;">Vidura couldn’t believe his eyes! His joy knew no bounds! </span><div><span style="font-family: times; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: times; font-size: large;">Krishna, the Lord Himself, had come to Vidura’s hut! </span></div><div><span style="font-family: times; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: times; font-size: large;">After finishing His task as <i><b>‘Pandava-doota’</b></i> – the messenger from the Pandavas, seeking to avert war, Krishna had rejected the invitations of everyone right from the young Duryodhana to the grandsire Bheeshma. He had chosen to come to his, Vidura’s humble abode!<br /><br />Ushering in Krishna, Vidura ran to ready the asana for the Lord to sit. Krishna looked on in amusement as Vidura kept on critically examining the seat, blocking Him from actually sitting down. <br /><br />“You seem to be searching for something, Vidura?” He smiled.<br /><br />“Yes, my Lord! After having served under Dhritarashtra and Duryodhana for all these years, I’m worried that their habits may have rubbed off on me. Who knows if I may have placed a pin or a needle in this chair to hurt you?” sighed Vidura as he shamefully remembered how just a few hours ago, Duryodhana’s plans to capture Krishna had been foiled by the Omniscient Lord.<br /><br />Finally, Vidura let the Lord sit down. Kneeling in front of Krishna, he picked up a banana from the fruit bowl on the side table, to offer it to the Lord. Lost in this magical moment of being in the Lord’s presence and having the rare opportunity of serving Him, Vidura began peeling the fruit to offer to the Lord. <br /><br />The Lord too happily accepted and ate what Vidura offered Him, a sweet smile playing on His lips all the time. <br /><br />“What are you doing?” came the shocked voice of Vidura’s wife, jarring him out of his happy contemplation of Krishna’s divine face.<br /><br />“Why, I’m offering fruits to the Lord,” he turned to say to his wife, wondering why she was asking such a foolish question.<br /><br />“Just look at what you have offered Him,” she whispered.</span><p></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgmXg_t7lqMNr-L7GK5sIrSgtl_wgXKL3vSTIOHWEWC8NjLYgBN8g6htQSS0QxPJJH7NH49yNB-tSNqBN3YKs-tyzX90umCE08Kc54iCIditmzc4w45L3x7BS0KILwKgaFvFGHsN8RC_KdL2VVXuDaPgkEhpWwz75ZWzFu767FeSdCNwQCOglhr1BQ8UAIH" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: times;"><img data-original-height="1024" data-original-width="1157" height="567" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgmXg_t7lqMNr-L7GK5sIrSgtl_wgXKL3vSTIOHWEWC8NjLYgBN8g6htQSS0QxPJJH7NH49yNB-tSNqBN3YKs-tyzX90umCE08Kc54iCIditmzc4w45L3x7BS0KILwKgaFvFGHsN8RC_KdL2VVXuDaPgkEhpWwz75ZWzFu767FeSdCNwQCOglhr1BQ8UAIH=w640-h567" width="640" /></span></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: times;">Image courtesy:Chinnajeeyar.org</span></td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-family: times;"><br /><span style="color: #990000; font-size: x-large;"><i><b>Lying in a pile on the floor were all the fruits Vidura had discarded even as he had lovingly offered the banana peels to the Lord!</b></i></span><br style="font-size: x-large;" /><br style="font-size: x-large;" /><span style="font-size: large;"><span>Vidura was aghast! “Oh, what a sin I have committed! How did I come to err like this? O Lord, please forgive me. I don’t know what came over me to commit such a sacrilege,” cried Vidura.</span><br /><br /><span>Now he picked up the next banana carefully, peeled it and made sure he was handing over the fruit and not the peel to the Lord.</span><br /><br /><span>“Enough, Vidura! I can’t eat any more. I’m full,” exclaimed Krishna.</span><br /><br /><span>“But I only gave You the peels,” cried Vidura, ashamed of his crime.</span><br /><br /><span>“How innocent you are Vidura!” declared the Lord. “I’m the One who ate the entire universe at the time of pralaya (the great deluge). Do you think you can appease my hunger by giving me fruits or their peels? <i><b><span style="color: #0b5394;">Nay – it’s your bhakti, your sincere heartfelt devotion that has filled my hungry stomach!”</span></b></i></span><br /><br /><span>In the Bhagavad Geeta (9.26), the Lord says</span><br /><br /><span style="color: #990000;"><span>“पत्रं पुष्पं फलं तोयं यो मे भक्त्या प्रयच्छति |</span><br /><span>तदहं भक्त्युपहृतमश्नामि प्रयतात्मन: ||”</span></span><br /><br /><b><span>patraṁ puṣhpaṁ phalaṁ toyaṁ yo me bhaktyā prayachchhati</span><br /><span>tadahaṁ bhaktyupahṛitam aśhnāmi prayatātmanaḥ</span></b><br /><br /></span></span><p></p><div style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="color: #0b5394; font-family: times; font-size: large;"><b>"If one offers to Me with devotion a leaf, a flower, </b></span></i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="color: #0b5394; font-family: times; font-size: large;"><b>a fruit, or even water, </b></span></i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="color: #0b5394; font-family: times; font-size: large;"><b>I delightfully partake of that item </b></span></i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="color: #990000; font-family: times; font-size: x-large;"><b>offered with love </b></span></i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="color: #0b5394; font-family: times; font-size: large;"><b>by My devotee in pure consciousness."</b></span></i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><span style="font-family: times; font-size: large;">The Lord is the Prabhu – the master and owner of all in the Universe. Is there anything He doesn’t have? </span><p></p><p><span style="font-family: times; font-size: large;">Nothing! </span></p><p><span style="font-family: times; font-size: large;">Except perhaps one thing – the ability to offer bhakti to Himself!</span></p><p><span style="font-family: times; font-size: large;">That, then, is probably the only edge we have – <i><b><span style="color: #990000;">we can offer Him our whole-hearted, single-minded devotion.</span></b></i> </span></p><p><span style="font-family: times; font-size: large;"><span>And that is exactly why the Lord cherished the banana peels offered by the devout Vidura.</span><br /><br /><span><i><b><span style="color: #990000;">Can we start working to develop the devotion of Vidura?</span></b></i></span></span></p></div>Anuhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09173824279783857663noreply@blogger.com12tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6561941100548249698.post-77955923614067829782023-08-20T16:14:00.006+05:302023-08-20T16:16:01.216+05:30His Bondage and Our Liberation<span style="font-size: large;">It was time for Lord Ranganathar’s <i>thirumanjanam</i> or holy bath. The curtains were firmly closed as the temple priest went about the ritual. Suddenly, he noticed a movement near one end of the drapes. The most respected acharyar of the Srivaishnavas, Sri Nanjeeyar, was peering at the Lord’s unclothed form with undisguised curiosity! <br /><br />Shocked, the priest questioned this irreverent behaviour. <br /><br />Pat came Sri Nanjeeyar’s reply, “I’m searching for the mark of the rope with which Mother Yashoda tied baby Krishna to the grinding stone, which gave Him the name of <i><b><span style="color: #cc0000;">‘Damodara’</span></b></i>!” <br /><br />The priest was perplexed. Mother Yashoda had tied up the naughty baby Krishna to the grinding stone in Dwaparayuga. How could the acharyar hope to find it on the holy form of Lord Ranganatha in this Kaliyuga? Probably Sri Nanjeeyar was so steeped in devotion that he got the two mixed up? <br /><br />“But why are you seeking that rope-mark with such desperation? How does it matter whether you find it or not?” <br /><br />Engrossed in his vision of the Lord, Sri Nanjeeyar replied, “If that mark is there – it means that for all His supremacy, the Lord is certainly within our grasp! If Mother Yashoda could tie Him up, then even we can do the same!” <br /><br />“What rope will you use?” asked the priest indulgently <br /><br />“Rope?” laughed Sri Nanjeeyar. “Do you think Mother Yashoda tied baby Krishna with a physical rope? <i><b><span style="color: #cc0000;">Why, it was her love that tied Him up!</span></b></i> When she struggled at first for so long to get the rope to go around Him, how was it that within an instant she had Him tied to the stone? Wasn’t it His willingness to be tied that made the impossible, possible? And what was it that made Him willing? Wasn’t it the infinite love of Mother Yashoda?” <br /><br />Even as the baffled priest looked on, Sri Nanjeeyar walked away with a smile, leaving us with a valuable lesson.</span><div><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUSGle2BaumLgMYKHK6UVXjVNRT9pFBfvAI3HTZ-sJBinoaIqZEYW9aL1LFFiMKviki6TxG0nUDKorLY-1XifOQjcgSexoiLdCc7vXUCtb_-zvAjWswuIS4whr1U7TfsMFqzvVCzMj89a2Adbo9Q-fAOxltxx3PYFbm9VE_Knk_UqEQ_70iVqBzvoYNfEr/s939/damodara.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="939" data-original-width="733" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUSGle2BaumLgMYKHK6UVXjVNRT9pFBfvAI3HTZ-sJBinoaIqZEYW9aL1LFFiMKviki6TxG0nUDKorLY-1XifOQjcgSexoiLdCc7vXUCtb_-zvAjWswuIS4whr1U7TfsMFqzvVCzMj89a2Adbo9Q-fAOxltxx3PYFbm9VE_Knk_UqEQ_70iVqBzvoYNfEr/w384-h400/damodara.jpg" width="384" /></a></div><span style="font-size: large;">In this world we find that anyone who has great power is often not accessible and one who may be very accessible to us does not have any great power. </span><div><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span><div><span style="font-size: large;">But the Lord is an exception.</span></div><div><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-size: large;">He has a unique combination of two qualities – <span style="color: #cc0000;"><b><i>Paratvam and Saulabhyam – Supremacy and Accessibility</i></b></span>. He, the Supreme Lord, the One who destroys the bondages of jeevas in this samsara, allowed the love of Mother Yashoda, to bind Him to a grinding stone! </span></div><div><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-size: large;"><i><b><span style="color: #990000;">In His bondage, then, lies the secret to our liberation! </span></b></i><br /><br />In this world we find that people don’t like to exhibit their weaknesses. The Lord is exactly opposite – He proudly took the name “Damodara” that openly proclaims His punishment at the hands of His mother! He sports the mark of the ‘damam’ or rope around His ‘udara’ or stomach, as an abharanam, an adornment! <br /><br /> Let this nature of the Lord give us eternal hope like it did to Sri Nanjeeyar – if we try to bind Him with unconditional love, wanting nothing in return, won’t He release us from the bondages of samsara? <br /><br /><br /><br /><br /> <i>Reference: Srimad Bhagavatam (Tamil) series of Sri. U. Ve. Velukudi Krishnan Swamy, Part 374<br /></i><br /> <br /><br /> <br /><br /> <br /><br /><br /></span></div></div></div>Anuhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09173824279783857663noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6561941100548249698.post-11312675321319128992023-08-13T13:51:00.001+05:302023-08-13T14:36:30.787+05:30Amazing is Her Karuna!<span style="font-size: large;">“Hey Monkey!” She blurted in angst. <br /><br />He was shocked! <br /><br />Different names had been used over the years to describe his qualities – he was Vayuputra, AnjaneyA, SankatamochanA, Dheera, DaityakulAntaka, HanumAn, the Nava-vyAkarana-Pandita, master of the 9 grammars – and here was someone he revered as his Mother, addressing him by such a lowly name! <br /><br />Yet, respectful as ever, Hanuman paused to let Mother Seeta finish what She was saying. <br /><br />पापानां वl शुभानां वl वधार्हाणां प्लवङ्गम <br />कार्यं कारुण्यं आर्येण न कश्चिन् नापराध्यति <br /><br />pApAnAM vA shubhAnAM vA vadhArhANAM plava~Ngama || <br />kAryaM kAruNyamAryeNa na kashchinnAparAdhyati | <br /><br />Valmiki Ramayana, Yuddha Kanda, 113-46<br /> <br />"Hey Monkey! Whether someone is a sinner or a virtuous person or even a person who deserves death, the noble person will show mercy on them, for, there is none who never commits a wrong."</span><div><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-size: large;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiBLL3pknZPUe4oEgMv6XYAhSKuuJQJY2LGiGDI9FrS4MgkrKc17xSJWAwvJFa3JHROv8EUYYh3_pJhGzvtsNAaZkMMrcRP00uYtDl64xykNtvCbtAlvkasXSi8_BoP3kXZXMwKk2W27BE4VjL92OmGX-9UxnYC_RtcUihE2zgLiHlV--VEDPVqHGhBPvhz" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="478" data-original-width="448" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiBLL3pknZPUe4oEgMv6XYAhSKuuJQJY2LGiGDI9FrS4MgkrKc17xSJWAwvJFa3JHROv8EUYYh3_pJhGzvtsNAaZkMMrcRP00uYtDl64xykNtvCbtAlvkasXSi8_BoP3kXZXMwKk2W27BE4VjL92OmGX-9UxnYC_RtcUihE2zgLiHlV--VEDPVqHGhBPvhz=w375-h400" width="375" /></a></div><br /><i><b>Why did Mother Seeta call Hanuman a monkey? <br /></b></i><br />They were in the Ashoka vana after the Rama-Ravana yuddha was over. <br /><br />Ravana had been killed, and Hanuman had come to give Her the good news. She was thrilled and wanted to reward him, but right then, had nothing to give. <br /><br />Understanding Her dilemma, Hanuman said there was one thing She could grant him – permission to destroy the rakshasis who had been torturing Her day in and out for all these months. <br /><br />It was in reply to this request that Mother Seeta chastised Hanuman with that pejorative term ‘monkey’, for wanting to punish the rakshasis. She went on to explain Her stance: <br /><br />“The rakshasis were only obeying the instructions of their king Ravana. Now, when Vibhishana becomes king and orders them to show me respect, they will act accordingly. Why punish them for obeying orders? The truly noble person is the one who shows karuna or compassion on all – whether a virtuous person or a sinner or even someone who has acted in a manner that deserves death as punishment.” <br /><br /><i><b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">“There is no one who has never committed a wrong!” She proclaimed. </span></b></i><br /><br />Hanuman was intrigued. “What wrong have you committed, Mother? Or Lord Rama?” he asked. <br /><br />“When I had Lord Rama with me, I desired the golden deer – that was my mistake. Then I spoke harsh and undeserving words to Lakshmana – that was also my mistake. Lord Rama should have known the golden deer was a ploy, and yet He went chasing it, giving in to my request, that was His mistake!” <br /><br />“Even you Hanuman, for all your devotion, have also committed a wrong,” <br /><br />Again, Hanuman was shocked. What now? <br /><br /><i><span style="color: #e06666;"><b>“You have stood here with me, talking about the wrongs done by all, that is your flaw!” She smiled. </b></span></i><br /><br />Thus, with a patient firmness, Mother Seeta, the very epitome of karuna or compassion, gave the entire world an ideal to live up to. <br /><br />Could we try to practice even an iota of such kindness in our lives? </span></div>Anuhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09173824279783857663noreply@blogger.com16tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6561941100548249698.post-81165256843643556592021-07-24T12:54:00.000+05:302021-07-24T12:54:00.805+05:30Gurupournima Series: Day 5: Considering Everything as Guru’s Property: Dhanurdaasa and Ponnachi<span style="font-size: large;">Gurupournima will be celebrated on July 24, 2021. This is the special day in the life of all saadhakaas to honour their Guru or Acharyar. To do this in the most effective way, it is critical to develop in ourselves the qualities of a shisya or disciple. As a buildup to that, by the Guru’s grace, I will be putting up one blog post everyday from today till July 24. I pray that the Guru tattva blesses us all to be able to understand, imbibe and practice these qualities in our life to be able to make maximum spiritual progress. <br /><br /><span style="color: #cc0000;"><b>Quality 5: Considering Everything as Guru’s Property: Dhanurdaasa and Ponnachi </b></span><br /><br />Dhanurdaasa was one of Swami Ramanujar’s dearest disciples so much so that the Guru would lean on him as he came out of the Kaveri river after finishing his bath. Some of the other disciples resented this because Dhanurdaasa who was a wrestler was not a Brahmin by birth. The Swami understood this and wanted to teach them what are the true merits that adorn a shishya and render him, dear, to the Guru. <br /><br />Swami Ramanujar arranged for the clothes of these disciples to go missing from the clothesline during the night. The next morning, the shishyas were furious and soon got around to blaming one another for the robbery. The Guru called them and told them to go that night to the home of Dhanurdaasa and steal the jewelry worn by his wife Ponnachi to have the means to procure new clothes. <br /><br />Swami Ramanujar summoned Dhanurdaasa and engaged him in a deep discussion through the night.</span><div><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhU3hpRf-gQdFSEQChHMfbxtKfP2VbZ0sDU_SccatZ5BXN5N-deXSc23dnGpRLcCKWiDVqB0xxrS1zqZ22vIN6daAQajTONgLTEEY7Wsobz54VCROd0PvWB-FL_h-nzJHvNJK3_aRiR9KoT/s1067/dhanur1.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="800" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhU3hpRf-gQdFSEQChHMfbxtKfP2VbZ0sDU_SccatZ5BXN5N-deXSc23dnGpRLcCKWiDVqB0xxrS1zqZ22vIN6daAQajTONgLTEEY7Wsobz54VCROd0PvWB-FL_h-nzJHvNJK3_aRiR9KoT/w480-h640/dhanur1.png" width="480" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span><span style="font-size: medium;">Image courtesy: https://www.tamilibrary.com/ramanuja-comic/<br /></span><br /><span style="font-size: large;">The disciples carefully removed the ornaments on one side of her body. Suddenly Ponnachi moved in her sleep, turning over to the other side. Not wanting to be caught red-handed, the ‘robbers’ ran away from that house and back to the matham. Learning of their arrival, Swami Ramanujar then dismissed Dhanurdaasa for the night. He called the disciples and told them to follow him and watch the proceedings at Dhanurdaasa’s house. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-size: large;">Dhanurdaasa’s wife received him when he reached home. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-size: large;">“What is this strange way of dressing? Why do you have ornaments on only one side of your body? Where are the other side ornaments?” he asked. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-size: large;">“Oh, when I was fast asleep, some poor Srivaishnavaas came in and began removing my ornaments. I became awake but lay still and let them take the jewels because I thought that they must be in grave financial distress to do something like this. Then I thought that I should make it easy for them to take the jewels from the other side of my body too, so I turned, but they ran away.” </span><br /><br /><span style="font-size: large;">Dhanurdaasa was furious. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-size: large;">“Foolish woman! You lost a great opportunity to serve the Srivaishnavaas! Why did you have to move? If you had lain still, they would have found a way to remove the other ornaments, too!” </span><br /><br /><span style="font-size: large;">“But, I was only trying to help them take the rest of my jewels too!” cried Ponnachi. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-size: large;">“What a sense of ego you have! You thought the jewels were your’s! Isn’t everything we have belongs to the Guru? Did you forget that all things we have don’t belong to us, but have only been entrusted to us to take care of them as the Guru’s property?” </span><br /><br /><span style="font-size: large;">In tears, the couple ran to the matham of Swami Ramanujar and threw themselves upon his feet, begging forgiveness. The other disciples were stunned at the sight. The Guru lovingly raised Dhanurdaasa and his wife and asked them to explain what the problem was. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-size: large;">“Acharya! We both have committed a great sin! We are unfit to be your disciples! When you sent your disciples to take your things from our house, Ponnachi should have let them take whatever they wanted, without interfering in the process. But we have failed to do so. Please pronounce a curse on us for this grave offence!!” </span><br /><br /><span style="font-size: large;">Swami Ramanujar turned to the other disciples.</span></div><div><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLzaXcnjP0ffnw6rO85WPBhIeSZzLPGYc7UEL3pyP4UMT4eRx84pWuhMIOHURWceqA4pXEWnRtsfcpzs75ETrNQ-5Fd0HUkmrygSsEXjIYR-OC1n696ilPar3S_hJpqWCfkjrSSFfrnDY0/s763/dhanur3.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="763" data-original-width="576" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLzaXcnjP0ffnw6rO85WPBhIeSZzLPGYc7UEL3pyP4UMT4eRx84pWuhMIOHURWceqA4pXEWnRtsfcpzs75ETrNQ-5Fd0HUkmrygSsEXjIYR-OC1n696ilPar3S_hJpqWCfkjrSSFfrnDY0/w484-h640/dhanur3.png" width="484" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large; text-align: start;">Image courtesy: </span><span style="font-size: large; text-align: start;"> https://www.tamilibrary.com/ramanuja-comic/</span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><span style="font-size: large;">“Do you now understand why I lean on this man after my morning bath in the river? Even River Kaveri cannot purify me as completely as the touch of this pure man Dhanurdaasa!” </span><br /><br /><span style="color: #674ea7; font-size: large;"><b>Points to ponder </b></span><br /><br /><span style="font-size: large;">How complete was the surrender of Dhanurdaasa and Ponnachi that they had absolutely no attachment to their belongings! All they focused on was the desire to serve even those who resented them. Can we aspire to develop such a vairagya (detachment) and seva (service) that can accelerate our spiritual progress? </span><br /><br /><span style="font-size: large;">Let us pray for divine grace to develop such a spirit like Dhanurdaasa and Ponnachi! </span><br /><br /><span style="font-size: large;">To know more, read here: </span><br /><br /><a href="https://guruparamparai.wordpress.com/2013/02/22/pillai-uranga-villi-dhasar/" style="font-size: x-large;" target="_blank">https://guruparamparai.wordpress.com/2013/02/22/pillai-uranga-villi-dhasar/</a> <br /><br /><a href="https://kazhiyurvaradanblog.in/2017/01/04/pillai-urangavilli-dasar-the-disciple-of-swamy-ramanuja-whose-wisdom-was-blinded-with-deep-love-for-the-supreme-lord-a-divine-pastime/" target="_blank"><span style="font-size: large;">https://kazhiyurvaradanblog.in/2017/01/04/pillai-urangavilli-dasar-the-disciple-of-swamy-ramanuja-whose-wisdom-was-blinded-with-deep-love-for-the-supreme-lord-a-divine-pastime/ </span><br /></a><br /><a href="https://vidsvur.wordpress.com/2020/03/30/dhanurdasa-the-ramanuja-series/" style="font-size: x-large;" target="_blank">https://vidsvur.wordpress.com/2020/03/30/dhanurdasa-the-ramanuja-series/</a> <br /><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><br /> </div></div>Anuhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09173824279783857663noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6561941100548249698.post-65965639057200606922021-07-23T15:27:00.000+05:302021-07-23T15:27:08.610+05:30Gurupournima Series: Day 4: Patience and Openness to Correction: Jiva Goswami <span style="font-size: large;">Gurupournima will be celebrated on July 24, 2021. This is the special day in the life of all saadhakaas to honour their Guru or Acharyar. To do this in the most effective way, it is critical to develop in ourselves the qualities of a shisya or disciple. As a buildup to that, by the Guru’s grace, I will be putting up one blog post everyday from today till July 24. I pray that the Guru tattva blesses us all to be able to understand, imbibe and practice these qualities in our life to be able to make maximum spiritual progress. <br /><br /><span style="color: #990000;"><b>Quality 4: Patience and Openness to Correction </b></span><br /><br />Jiva was a loving disciple of Srila Rupa Goswami, one of the revered 6 goswamis of the Gaudiya Vaishnava sampradaay (sect). Jiva was well versed in Samskrita, philosophy and logic and yet, served his Guru with humility and dedication and fierce loyalty. <br /><br />Once, the senior Vaishnava Vallabhacharya visited Srila Rupa Goswami in Vrindaavan as he was writing the text called Bhakti Rasaamrita Sindhu. Jiva was fanning his Guru and therefore, privy to their conversation. Vallabhacharya pointed out what he considered as some errors in the writing, and Srila Rupa Goswami happily handed over his text to the senior Vaishnava, asking him to go through the entire writing and make all corrections as he saw fit. <br /><br />When Vallabhacharya left for a dip in the Yamuna river, Jiva followed him and engaged in a discussion with the venerable Acharya, pointing out how the verses penned by his Guru were actually correct. For each flaw that Vallabhacharya pointed out, Jiva had the perfect answer to counter the objection and the senior Vaishnava was thoroughly impressed by the young shishya’s learning as well as his loyalty to his Guru. <br /><br />Vallabhacharya returned to Srila Rupa Goswami, and handed back the text to him, recounting the entire episode. Hearing this, the Guru’s face turned dark, and with a cold voice, he turned to Jiva. <br /><br /> “You sought to correct the great senior Vaishnava? He was kind enough to edit the writing for my benefit, but you have hurt him! You have no control over your anger. If you must get angry, let it be on your own impatience instead of on others! There is no place for such an upstart in a holy place like Vrindaavan! Go away from here and go back to wherever you came from and return only when you have learned patience!” <br /></span><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcKo1eq1ei5GlRp1X2BcTqwlKpOwedyzMBKj9XmGw-iocj_aiRflSr7Xr3bYBgGw3_CWkLIh9dNdrhwq53ORiq-qedUtJPO4jyS4f7AgjCSFR9taxM6AWgT7-1XLvzLVH5_gglvm8Ojdq_/s578/rupa.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="578" data-original-width="500" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcKo1eq1ei5GlRp1X2BcTqwlKpOwedyzMBKj9XmGw-iocj_aiRflSr7Xr3bYBgGw3_CWkLIh9dNdrhwq53ORiq-qedUtJPO4jyS4f7AgjCSFR9taxM6AWgT7-1XLvzLVH5_gglvm8Ojdq_/s320/rupa.png" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: left;">Image courtesy: https://www.brajrasik.org/articles/588e423558f4ac271a08b951/when-roop-goswami-personally-graced-jiva-goswami-control-his-anger-and-to-be-more-patient</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><span style="font-size: large;">Jiva was in tears because it was to support the Guru that he had sought to correct what he believed to be the arrogant proposals of Vallabhacharya. Now, hearing the same Guru’s words, he felt shocked to realize that he had committed the great sin of interfering in a way that displeased his Guru! He realized that he had to yet develop the patience and willingness to listen that his Guru expected of him.<br /><br />Jiva immediately went away from Srila Rupa Goswami’s ashram and took up residence in a crocodile hole in a place called Nanda Ghat. He would fast most of the time, and occasionally obtain wheat flour by bhiksha (begging alms), mix it with little water from the Yamuna, and drink the gruel. All his time was taken up in praying to Lord Krishna, singing bhajans, chanting the Lord’s name, and in crying out loud to his Guru Srila Rupa Goswami, begging for forgiveness for his mistakes. <br /><br />One day, another of the 6 goswamis, Sanatan Goswami passed that way. He was Rupa Goswami’s elder brother. He brought Jiva back to Vrindaavan, negotiated on his behalf, and engineered the reunion of the repentant, now wiser shishya with his dear Guru. Srila Rupa Goswami forgave the errant Jiva and blessed him and the latter went on to become one of the future goswamis who himself authored several treatises of the Gaudiya Vaishnava sampradaay. <br /><br /><span style="color: #674ea7;"><b>Points to ponder </b></span><br /><br />If we put ourselves into the shoes of Jiva as he was being banished from Vrindaavan by his Guru, we would probably think that the Guru’s action was extremely unjust. Reading this story, we are probably wondering if it was fair of the Guru to give such a harsh punishment to the disciple who was correct in principle regarding the philosophical points, more so when he was trying to support you! <br /><br />However, in spiritual practice, being correct on a matter of philosophy is not as important as having the attitude of humility and being open to correction. Srila Rupa Goswami, the Guru himself, was willing to let his writing be scrutinized by his senior Vallabhacharya and it is exactly this spirit he wanted the young Jiva to cultivate. </span><div><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-size: large;">An egoistic seeker (saadhaka) and equally, an egoistic Guru, are probably the most dangerous type of oxymoron! <br /><br />In his famous work, the Upadeshaamritaa, Srila Rupa Goswami writes: <br /><br /> </span><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0aeJEw3Cpdi4aBPJSAIWEPm7-tK2f3mB6KoTDYGMXzVWOtg6MKjaL4gBzbGAX0bnd4o3gYcooKDJOrVhzTdwL0M7h5X711qH8cfjVqStyxoW_SNQSWslPwflLNpqms6WIu6LiLnNXwj6P/s578/rupa_quote.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="578" data-original-width="500" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0aeJEw3Cpdi4aBPJSAIWEPm7-tK2f3mB6KoTDYGMXzVWOtg6MKjaL4gBzbGAX0bnd4o3gYcooKDJOrVhzTdwL0M7h5X711qH8cfjVqStyxoW_SNQSWslPwflLNpqms6WIu6LiLnNXwj6P/w554-h640/rupa_quote.png" width="554" /></a><span style="font-size: large;"><br /><br />Let us pray for divine grace to meet a Guru like Srila Rupa Goswami who will point out our faults and help us achieve perfection as a shishya! <br /><br />To know more about the goswamis and this incident, read here: <br /><br /><a href="https://gaudiyahistory.iskcondesiretree.com/sri-jiva-goswami/" target="_blank">https://gaudiyahistory.iskcondesiretree.com/sri-jiva-goswami/ <br /></a><br /><a href="https://www.vcm.org.in/blog/jivagosvami-a-brief-sketch/" target="_blank">https://www.vcm.org.in/blog/jivagosvami-a-brief-sketch/ <br /></a><br />https://www.brajrasik.org/articles/588e423558f4ac271a08b951/when-roop-goswami-personally-graced-jiva-goswami-control-his-anger-and-to-be-more-patient</span><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /></div>Anuhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09173824279783857663noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6561941100548249698.post-12219364899950641862021-07-22T20:49:00.004+05:302021-07-22T20:49:50.512+05:30Gurupournima Series: Part 3: Willingness to Face Even Danger to Serve Guru: Chatrapati Shivaji Maharaj<span style="font-size: large;">Gurupournima will be celebrated on July 24, 2021. This is the special day in the life of all saadhakaas to honour their Guru or Acharyar. To do this in the most effective way, it is critical to develop in ourselves the qualities of a shisya or disciple. As a buildup to that, by the Guru’s grace, I will be putting up one blog post everyday from today till July 24. I pray that the Guru tattva blesses us all to be able to understand, imbibe and practice these qualities in our life to be able to make maximum spiritual progress. <br /><br /><b><span style="color: #cc0000;">Quality 3: Willingness to Face Even Danger to Serve Guru </span></b><br /><br />Samartha Ramdas Swami had several disciples, of whom the most prominent was Chatrapati Shivaji Maharaj, the great ruler of the Maratha Empire. One day, the Guru was traveling with his disciples through a forest when suddenly, he clutched his stomach and began to groan with pain. The disciples quickly took him into a cave to rest and asked him of the medicine that would help to get rid of his ailment. Samartha Ramdas Swami responded that it was too difficult to obtain the remedy and that they should not bother to obtain it. <br /><br />In the meantime, Shivaji had come to the ashram to seek blessings from Samartha Ramdas and hearing that he was traveling, decided to meet him at whichever place he was. He arrived at the cave to find the Guru in great distress. <br /><br />“Is there any medicine for this pain, Gurudev?” he questioned. <br /><br />“No Shiva, there is no easy remedy for this rare illness. The only one medicine is too difficult to obtain, so it’s okay, please don’t worry about it,” replied Samartha Ramdas. <br /><br />“Gurudev, please tell me what the remedy is. I cannot bear to see you suffer like this. I will try my very best to get the medicine for you,” insisted Shivaji. <br /><br />“Only the fresh milk of a tigress can cure my pain,” said the Guru. <br /><br />Shivaji Maharaj picked up a kamandalu (ascetic’s water pot) and bowed down to his Guru and left immediately. After going deep into the forest, he saw two tiger cubs and soon the tigress herself appeared, and began to growl seeing the intruder. Shivaji bowed down respectfully to the tigress and spoke softly to her, “Mother, I have not come to harm you or your cubs. I need your milk to cure the stomach ache of my Guru. Please grant it to me and after I have given it to my Guru, I will come back to you, and you can eat me if you wish.” <br /><br />Sensing the kindness of his words, the mute tigress stood quietly purring, and let Shivaji milk her and fill his kamandalu. He returned to the cave and offered the milk to his Guru who blessed him, and then, threw a pointed look at all the other disciples standing there. <br /><br />The entire episode of the stomach pain had been faked by the Guru! The other disciples thought that Samartha Ramdas doted on Shivaji because he was a king unlike them commoners. However, the Guru wished to show them that it was some particular qualities of Shivaji he held dear.</span><div><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzqOL52Wk9pWlZMBTO_4PkFeH6xw6I8_B11ppGOzR2K6J8DUsOKitpcrpCF6Gs0rcCycPim-26IcbS25XRc0ybZREpV1Q8KsBsEztWAE19y4kdDnXUYYg0WveaU_rBZKnVUBFoMNMGvFZY/s578/shivaji.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="578" data-original-width="461" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzqOL52Wk9pWlZMBTO_4PkFeH6xw6I8_B11ppGOzR2K6J8DUsOKitpcrpCF6Gs0rcCycPim-26IcbS25XRc0ybZREpV1Q8KsBsEztWAE19y4kdDnXUYYg0WveaU_rBZKnVUBFoMNMGvFZY/w510-h640/shivaji.png" width="510" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr></tbody></table><b style="color: #351c75; font-size: x-large;">Points to ponder</b><span style="font-size: large;"><br /><br />Even when the task appeared to be impossible, Shivaji Maharaj did not quit. He was willing to go to any length – and to even sacrifice his very life – to render service to the Guru. This quality of being willing to face anything, even danger, to serve him, is what endears the shishya to the Guru. <br /><br />In fact, a famous saint Shri Bhaktaraj Maharaj of Indore, has proclaimed that “Guru sets the question paper for the shishya, inspires and guides him to answer the questions, and then declares him as having passed the exam! Such is the grace of the everloving Guru!” <br /><br />Let us pray for divine grace to develop a spirit of Guruseva like Shivaji Maharaj! May the Guru bless us to keep away from the jealous attitude of the other shishyas! <br /><br />To know more about this incident, read here: <br /><br /><a href="https://www.myculturestory.com/story/story-of-guru-and-disciple/story-of-chatrapati-shivajis-obedience" target="_blank">https://www.myculturestory.com/story/story-of-guru-and-disciple/story-of-chatrapati-shivajis-obedience <br /></a><br /><a href="https://powerfulvlog.wordpress.com/2019/12/24/have-you-know-this-beautiful-story-the-tigress-allows-shivaji-milk-her/" target="_blank">https://powerfulvlog.wordpress.com/2019/12/24/have-you-know-this-beautiful-story-the-tigress-allows-shivaji-milk-her/</a></span></div>Anuhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09173824279783857663noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6561941100548249698.post-39233540874967561082021-07-21T19:10:00.000+05:302021-07-21T19:10:42.710+05:30Gurupournima Series: Part 2: Caring for Guru's Welfare: Kidaambi Aachaan<span style="font-size: large;">Gurupournima will be celebrated on July 24, 2021. This is the special day in the life of all saadhakaas to honour their Guru or Acharyar. To do this in the most effective way, it is critical to develop in ourselves the qualities of a shisya or disciple. As a buildup to that, by the Guru’s grace, I will be putting up one blog post everyday from today till July 24. I pray that the Guru tattva blesses us all to be able to understand, imbibe and practice these qualities in our life to be able to make maximum spiritual progress. <br /><br /><b><span style="color: #cc0000;">Quality 2: Single-minded caring for the Guru’s welfare </span></b><br /><br />Swami Ramanujar was a sanyasi and as ordained by varnashrama guidelines, every day, he would consume only that food which had been received by Unchavritti, or the act of begging for alms. A few people were unhappy with the order that Swami was trying to bring to the administration of the Srirangam temple. They decided to do away with him by poisoning the alms he received. The wife of the person who hatched this plan was a pious woman who revered Swami Ramanuja but she was threatened into compliance by the husband. <br /><br />When Swami Ramanujar came that day, with trembling hands and tears streaming down her face, she offered him the bhiksha (alms) by covering the poisoned part with a leaf, indicating that it was not fit for consumption. He got the message and threw the bhiksha into the Kaveri river and decided not to go for Unchavritti from then on. <br /><br />Hearing about this incident, Swami Ramanujar’s Acharyar Thirukoshtiyur Nambi rushed to meet him. In the scorching midday heat, Swami Ramanujar and his shishyas went to receive him, and seeing his Acharyar, Swami prostrated at once, heedless of the hot sand on the bank of the Kollidam river. <br /><br />It is the norm for the shishya to offer prostrations until the Acharyar asks him to rise. To everyone’s shock, Thirukoshtiyur Nambi didn’t utter a word, and let Swami Ramanujar continue to lie on the buring sand. <br /><br />Suddenly, a voice rang out, reprimanding the elderly Acharyar, “Your Holiness, is this the way to treat a shishya? Won’t you ask him to get up? If such a code devoid of humanity is your norm, I don’t care for such absurd rules.” <br /><br />Before anyone could react, the speaker, a disciple of Swami Ramanujar, rushed to lift his Guru onto his back to cushion it from the hot sand, placing instead his own body on the ground. <br /></span><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNCJpmtdL7ey9iRCzTre2B-L4iXHCxzJ6wfIO06BpEJ1fwgUdPSDpfwE2PsBcmf1q41nyQb-NZNs-r89x0Wnky5mx0HAYfovj0H16q7OsxjewDBKPQIUfVW7lzXc20AGCReti_E9VTN585/s820/kidambi+achan.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="578" data-original-width="820" height="283" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNCJpmtdL7ey9iRCzTre2B-L4iXHCxzJ6wfIO06BpEJ1fwgUdPSDpfwE2PsBcmf1q41nyQb-NZNs-r89x0Wnky5mx0HAYfovj0H16q7OsxjewDBKPQIUfVW7lzXc20AGCReti_E9VTN585/w400-h283/kidambi+achan.png" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Image courtesy: <a href="https://kazhiyurvaradanblog.in/2020/05/05/kidaambhi-acchaan-to-madappalli-acchaan/" style="text-align: start;">https://kazhiyurvaradanblog.in/2020/05/05/kidaambhi-acchaan-to-madappalli-acchaan/</a></span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><span style="font-size: large;">This fearless disciple who had only his Guru’s welfare in mind to the oblivion of everything else was Pranathaarthiharan. Due to this incident, that showed his fatherly concern for Swami Ramanujar, he came to be called as Kidaambi Aachaan (aachaan means father). <br /><br />Seeing the Guru nishtha (devotion) of the disciple, Thirokshtiyur Nambi smiled. He proclaimed, “I have found the right person who can take care of our Ramanujar with care and devotion! My son, I hereby appoint you as Ramanuja’s cook and bodyguard.” He then instructed Swami Ramanujar not to go for Unchavritti from that day. <br /><br />Entrusted with this important task of cooking for his Guru, and being in charge of the kitchen, Kidaambi Aachaan also got the name of Madapalli Aachaan (madapalli means kitchen). <br /><br />In those days, when anyone was having food in the matham, and wanted water, it would be poured directly into their mouth. Observing Kidaambi Aachaan serving water by standing at the side of the person, Swami Ramanujar ran there, and reprimanded Aachaan by saying, “Pour the water standing in front of the person, so that it is easier to control the water flow in a manner that makes it easy for the devotee to drink!” Kidaambi Aachaan immediately complied, and expressed his joy, saying, “I’m totally unqualified to serve the Srivaishnavaas and yet, Swami Ramanujar is engaging me in kainkaryam (seva) and correcting me. I’m most grateful to my Acharyar!” <br /><br /><span style="color: #674ea7;"><b>Points to ponder </b></span><br /><br />Kidaambi Aachaan was an ideal and obedient shishya and therefore, had great respect for the Guru of his Guru too. Yet, he did not let this respect stop him from questioning Thirukoshtiyur Nambi about what he saw as injustice to his Swami Ramanujar – such was his Guru bhakti! <br /><br />Another aspect we need to understand is that Kidaambi Aachaan was the nephew of Swami Ramanujar’s maternal uncle’s wife. He was well versed in the scriptures and a great scholar. Yet, by the decree of Thirokoshtiyur Nambi, he spent his entire life after this incident cooking in the matham’s kitchen. A true shisya sees his highest good in caring for his Guru in any and all ways possible; all work done to achieve this goal is no longer a task, no longer high or low, it becomes seva (service) to be rendered with utmost zeal and joy. The water incident also shows his humility and willingness to be corrected. <br /><br />Often in worldly life, when we show our capability, we get handed over a special responsibility that means extra work for us, or work that we don’t really like doing. Over and above that, when our mistakes in doing such work is pointed out, we feel disgruntled and even angry. Can we, in such situations, cultivate the attitude of seva and a willingness to accept our errors and bear all our responsibilities as an offering to the Guru? <br /><br />Let us pray for divine grace to develop such a spirit like Kidaambi Aachan! <br /><br />To know more about Kidaambi Aachaan, read here: <br /><br /><a href="https://guruparamparai.wordpress.com/2013/03/31/kidambi-achan/" target="_blank">https://guruparamparai.wordpress.com/2013/03/31/kidambi-achan/ <br /></a><br /><a href="https://kazhiyurvaradanblog.in/2019/04/18/kidambi-achan-the-disciple-who-had-fatherly-affection-for-swamy-ramanujar/">https://kazhiyurvaradanblog.in/2019/04/18/kidambi-achan-the-disciple-who-had-fatherly-affection-for-swamy-ramanujar/</a> <br /><br /><a href="https://kazhiyurvaradanblog.in/2020/05/05/kidaambhi-acchaan-to-madappalli-acchaan/">https://kazhiyurvaradanblog.in/2020/05/05/kidaambhi-acchaan-to-madappalli-acchaan/</a> <br /><br /><a href="https://www.thehindu.com/features/friday-review/religion/devotion-to-preceptors/article2880349.ece" target="_blank">https://www.thehindu.com/features/friday-review/religion/devotion-to-preceptors/article2880349.ece</a></span><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br />Anuhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09173824279783857663noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6561941100548249698.post-38943021488874318452021-07-20T14:22:00.001+05:302021-07-20T14:23:57.572+05:30Gurupournima Series: Part 1: Obedience to the Guru: Daasharathi<div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;">July 24, 2021 is the day of Gurupournima . This is the special day in the life of all saadhakaas (spiritual aspirants) to honor their Guru or Acharyar. To do this in the most effective way, it is critical to develop in ourselves the qualities of a shisya or disciple. As a buildup to that, by the Guru’s grace, I will be putting up one blog post every day from today till July 24. I pray that the Guru tattva blesses us all to be able to understand, imbibe and practice these qualities in our life to be able to make maximum spiritual progress.</span></div><span style="font-size: large;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="color: #cc0000;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="color: #cc0000;">Quality 1: Obedience to the Guru</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Atthuzhai, a newly-wed young girl, came to her father Periya Nambi in tears. “My mother-in-law taunted me today because you did not send a servant maid as part of my dowry.”</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">The stoic Periya Nambi replied, “I have no solution for this. Ask your Acharyar.”</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">So Atthuzhai approached Swami Ramanujar. He instructed his shisya Daasharathi to accompany her to her home and to stay there as the bride’s maid, doing all the necessary tasks. Daasharathi dutifully followed his Guru’s instructions and performed all the work entrusted to him earnestly with sincerity.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">One day, someone in Atthuzhai’s house was reciting the scriptural texts in an erroneous manner. With great humility, Daasharathi demonstrated the correct manner of recitation. Everyone who heard him was shocked to realize that he was such a learned person! Until that moment, everyone in that house had thought him to be just a nondescript person sent from Swami Ramanujar’s matham as Atthuzhai’s servant!</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Atthuzhai’s mother-in-law was extremely repentant and went to Swami Ramanujar to apologize and requested him to call back Daasharathi to the matham.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqIYbeGQsJUWr9DgDzl7ZdPH5dIhJZ9eFPeht1U9d-ccvzid43g5Ztf6t-e57ghuJYM_6tRFTuydnVNde5sr7MAmDuyEt_RIAlxWfGKsHrORGn707zsHHs0j9h6Wa9DxKiktegsCnA3GTa/s722/mudali.png" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="578" data-original-width="722" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqIYbeGQsJUWr9DgDzl7ZdPH5dIhJZ9eFPeht1U9d-ccvzid43g5Ztf6t-e57ghuJYM_6tRFTuydnVNde5sr7MAmDuyEt_RIAlxWfGKsHrORGn707zsHHs0j9h6Wa9DxKiktegsCnA3GTa/w400-h320/mudali.png" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Image courtesy: <a href="http://www.mudaliandan.com/images/dasarathi/Mudali%20Vaibhav%202014%20-%2023%20copy.jpg" style="text-align: justify;">http://www.mudaliandan.com/images/dasarathi/Mudali%20Vaibhav%202014%20-%2023%20copy.jpg</a></td></tr></tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="color: #674ea7;"><i><b>Points to ponder</b></i></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Daasharathi, was Swami Ramanujar’s nephew (sister’s son) and his first disciple (so he was also called Mudaliaandaan).</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Against this background of Daasharathi, let us put ourselves into his shoes.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Can we try to imagine the feelings that may be invoked in a person who has to move from such a ‘prestigious’ position to working as a servant in someone’s house?</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">What was the quality that made Daasharathi able to happily render service in Atthuzhai’s house?</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">What was the quality that prevented him from indulging in a display of his actual calibre to Atthuzhai’s family?</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">When I heard this story first, it taught me how intense one’s Gurubhakti has to be to allow one to blindly obey the Guru’s instructions and to do it in the most effective way possible without letting one’s ego interfere in the process. Indeed, this is the definite pathway to destruction of our ahambhaav or sense of ego.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgX9Pw8W5aVM5pCCEbAJRcD5toJrp6_B24mbBTh248SDA0_5Mu3uBuz1bMUNiSCyU38gMCc_xZbmGFRiyM1uiS0U268MKpbVGCG8LGJHG8JIEK_ZqhT1OLwyBuEAPCT_jMFJdZDiVPH31Ye/s661/mudaliandan.png" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="578" data-original-width="661" height="350" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgX9Pw8W5aVM5pCCEbAJRcD5toJrp6_B24mbBTh248SDA0_5Mu3uBuz1bMUNiSCyU38gMCc_xZbmGFRiyM1uiS0U268MKpbVGCG8LGJHG8JIEK_ZqhT1OLwyBuEAPCT_jMFJdZDiVPH31Ye/w400-h350/mudaliandan.png" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Image courtesy: <a href="http://www.mudaliandan.com/images/dasarathi/Mudali%20Vaibhav%202014%20-%2023%20copy.jpg" style="text-align: justify;">http://www.mudaliandan.com/images/dasarathi/Mudali%20Vaibhav%202014%20-%2023%20copy.jpg</a></td></tr></tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br style="font-size: x-large;" /></div></td></tr></tbody></table><div style="text-align: justify;"></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Reading this anecdote, it is not surprising that Mudaliaandaan was so dear to Swami Ramanujar. In the Srivaishnava Sampradaayam, the Acharyars carry a ‘Tridandam’ made up of three small wooden sticks to symbolize the Tattvatrayam (three components of the Vishistaadvaita philosophy) – chit (sentient beings), achit (insentient matter) and Eashwara (Brahman or the Supreme God). Swami Ramanujar always called Mudaliaandaan as his Tridandam!</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">So impeccable and blemish-less was the service of Mudaliaandaan to his Acharyar that he is considered as the paadukaa (lotus feet) of Swami Ramanuja’s paadukaas!</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Here is what the humble Mudaliaandaan said about his Acharyar,</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><i><b><span style="color: #8e7cc3;">"Oru malaiyil ninru, oru malaiyil thaavum simha shareeraththil janthukkaL pole bhaashyakaarar samsaaralanganam paNNa avarOdundaana kudalthudakkaale naam udhdheerdaraavuthomenru muthaliyaandaruLi-ch-cheytha paasuram"</span></b></i></div> <div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Rough translation: “When a lion leaps from a mountain to another, all the creatures that live on his body go with him. Even so, when Swami Ramanujacharyar transcended this world, all of us who are associated with him benefit from this as well.”</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Let us pray for divine grace to develop such intense obedience and Gurubhakti like Mudaliaandaan!</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">To know more about Mudaliaandaan, read here:</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><a href="http://www.mudaliandan.com/dasarathi.php">http://www.mudaliandan.com/dasarathi.php</a></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><a href="https://anudinam.org/2016/10/19/guru-parampara-series-bhaghavadh-ramanujacharya-part-6/">https://anudinam.org/2016/10/19/guru-parampara-series-bhaghavadh-ramanujacharya-part-6/</a></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div></span>Anuhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09173824279783857663noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6561941100548249698.post-31790760560507153612021-06-06T13:27:00.000+05:302021-06-06T13:27:15.832+05:30Saved By The Grace of Krishna<p><i><span style="color: #2b00fe; font-family: helvetica; font-size: medium;">I chanced on a wonderful story narrated by <a href="https://twitter.com/AnuSatheesh5/status/1400069830170988550?s=20" target="_blank">AnuSatheesh on Twitter</a>, and thought, “What better way to get back to blogging
than by sharing this story with my readers?” So, here goes….</span></i></p>
<span style="font-size: large;">There was once a poor farmer who had somehow acquired a habit of chanting “Krishna, Krishna” at all times. He did not have particularly deep devotion, but just because he felt good chanting this, he continued to do so. <br /><br />When a famine struck that place, the farmer found himself struggling with no work to do, and no food to eat. He visited an astrologer to find out what the stars had in store for him. Studying the farmer’s horoscope, the astrologer was confused and didn’t know what words of solace to offer the poor man. “Come back next week, and I’ll be able to tell you what to expect,” he said, bidding goodbye to the farmer. <br /><br />The next week, the farmer was back, and the astrologer was shocked to see him there. “Tell me all that happened with you in the past week,” he demanded. <br /><br />“On my way back from your house, I was caught in a downpour,” started the farmer. “To shelter from the rain, I stepped into the only structure there – an ancient, dilapidated Krishna temple. Seeing the sad condition of that place, I had the thought that when I get enough money, I’ll arrange for the renovation and Kumbhaabhishekam (consecration ceremony) of this temple. Suddenly, I heard a loud, angry, hissing sound, and as I desperately looked for the source, my eyes fell upon a huge snake in the temple roof. Scared for my life, I rushed out of the temple!” <br /><br />“What happened after that?” the astrologer asked. <br /><br />“No sooner had I run out of the temple, than the whole structure collapsed to the ground, and I was left shaking, wondering at my narrow escape!” <br /><br />The next moment, the astrologer fell at the farmer’s feet. <br /><br />“What are you doing, Swami?” cried the shocked farmer, hastily stepping back. <br /><br />“Great indeed is the grace of Krishna, and blessed are you to have His anugraham!” <br /><br />“How do you know that?” asked the farmer. <br /><br />“When I saw your horoscope last week, I could make out that your death was near. Building a Krishna temple was the only parihaaram or remedy to avoid it. You were already struggling for your livelihood, how could I tell you this parihaaram? So, I simply told you to return after a week.”</span><div><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiErOTyYm1E6rqELtdsEIm7TgG7QKwQp339CERcQkTPDjIiuFEHXBZze-5z4bT0bpFBdSOkgiDNWnBHjNpC_mkFrALDLL5m9hs6KiKOKlTNOCuv0iZ76SMMj3jVppK77uNpcdR502O8QVHT/s960/krishna.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="960" data-original-width="720" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiErOTyYm1E6rqELtdsEIm7TgG7QKwQp339CERcQkTPDjIiuFEHXBZze-5z4bT0bpFBdSOkgiDNWnBHjNpC_mkFrALDLL5m9hs6KiKOKlTNOCuv0iZ76SMMj3jVppK77uNpcdR502O8QVHT/w300-h400/krishna.jpg" width="300" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span><br /><span style="font-size: medium;">Can we grasp what had happened here? </span><br /><br /><b style="font-size: large;"><span style="color: #2b00fe;">Krishna came as the snake to protect the farmer from dying in the temple collapse! <br /><br />Krishna accepted the Kumbhaabhishekam that the farmer performed merely in his mind! </span></b><br /><br /><span style="font-size: medium;">Even though he had no deep devotion, the farmer kept chanting Krishna’s name and this, along with his one moment’s desire to serve Krishna, is what protected him and averted disaster. </span><br /><br /><span style="color: #2b00fe; font-size: large;"><b><i>If doing something without much involvement can give such rewards, can we even imagine the fruits we can reap, when we chant Krishna’s name and pray to Him with love?</i></b></span></div>Anuhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09173824279783857663noreply@blogger.com33tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6561941100548249698.post-45655433741739858342020-09-27T12:17:00.001+05:302020-09-27T20:02:49.148+05:30Of Living and Dying and Continuing to Live in Others' Memory<span style="font-size: large;">Recently, a college mate shared the news of the demise of one of the lab assistants of the college where we studied. In passing, he mentioned about how this person was the one who never provided us with distilled water that we needed for our experiments; as a result, we always had to ‘steal’ it from the lab when he wasn’t around. Someone else remembered how he would always shout at us. <br /><br />A third person then stepped in to say, “We ALL remember him….despite what my teenage thoughts may have made me say or feel, in retrospect, I’m thankful for the role he played, in giving me the life I live today.” This, I feel, is an amazing response, and quite the benchmark for how we ought to feel about all the unpleasant people we encounter through our life journey. Easy to say, but quite very difficult to practice. <br /><br />But this discussion also set me thinking about something I read recently. Stephen Covey in “The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People” asks readers to visualize the event of their own death. He then asks you to imagine <i><b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">“What you would want people from your family, friend circle, workplace, and any community organization to say about you and your life? What character would you like them to have seen in you? What achievements would you want them to remember? What difference would you like to have made in their lives?” </span></b></i><br /><br />Over the past couple of days, social media has been full of eulogies for the great singer S. P. Balasubrahmanyam and what is astounding is that so many of them are from ordinary folk you and I know. SPB touched people through his music but unknown to many of us, he was also deeply involved with helping others – whether it was sponsoring chess champion Vishwanathan Anand’s team in the national team championship in 1983, or raising funds for charitable causes through his stage shows. Did you know, for example, that he set up the SPS Charitable Foundation in memory of his father? Through this platform, he was involved with providing financial help for a plethora of organizations involved with education, palliative care, serving the disabled, flood relief, cine musicians, orphanages, and on and on the list goes. </span><div><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMe3UorzcuH6vYEWmFwEQ0dAjmkZfN0DGWJoWuHSE2SatTpZ0z1nyNRKEOWVchVY3fNKe_cHzK9kWQzeOxVJi_qyO5FOnuHABm4Sj2YzAyLv1u4eCVFSAbFA6t3qZvf_HJD2bpPoikuMPo/s900/SPB_Express_Illustrations.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="450" data-original-width="900" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMe3UorzcuH6vYEWmFwEQ0dAjmkZfN0DGWJoWuHSE2SatTpZ0z1nyNRKEOWVchVY3fNKe_cHzK9kWQzeOxVJi_qyO5FOnuHABm4Sj2YzAyLv1u4eCVFSAbFA6t3qZvf_HJD2bpPoikuMPo/s320/SPB_Express_Illustrations.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Image courtesy: The New Indian Express<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><span style="font-size: large;">I watched a video clip on Twitter in which SPB is seen surprising a blind fan hailing from Sri Lanka. Another video showed me the legend’s humility as he touched the feet of the ‘doli’ bearers who were to carry him to the Sri Ayyappan shrine at Sabarimala. I read online about how, in August, when SPB’s health condition was steadily declining, the same temple did something it had never before done – it performed a musical puja to Sri Ayappan for SPB’s recovery, and after this, one of the temple musicians rendered the Naadaswaram to his award-winning “Shankaraaa….naadashareeraa…” <br /><br /><i><b><span style="color: #38761d;">Well, if we had to correlate SPB’s life with Stephen Covey’s questions……you can fill in the blanks for yourself. </span></b></i><br /><br />I haven’t told many of you this. On the night of 5th September this year, my nephew Shreeharsha passed away from issues that traced their origin to long-standing health problems. He used to write, too, and had even penned a piece of our visit to Haridwar and Rishikesh in 2015. (You can <a href="http://akwrite.blogspot.com/2015/06/yaatra-2015-part-4.html" target="_blank">read that post here</a>) <br /><br /> In his short journey of 31 years, he touched all our lives with his unique wit and humor and inspired us by his refusal to let his physical handicap limit his abilities to enjoy life and true to his name, spread joy. Harsha was a great fan of the Bengaluru Football Club, and a vociferous supporter, often traveling to different parts of the country to support his beloved team. Closer home, he was the inspiration for my son to get actively involved with football. </span></div><div><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqgui0-ANaTBrww2G-jC_mIKMouqUkJEt0PPlOL_WCX6iJV3zf3fYhDHrcIP5iyVCCdn8uY8BCZOhK0cpyzs0F3AC3oLkhJVXdvh-eBJ27LNIrXbm0Z4q6lNvFVXmjLbay12k4tgnDx9UP/s526/harsha.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="526" data-original-width="526" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqgui0-ANaTBrww2G-jC_mIKMouqUkJEt0PPlOL_WCX6iJV3zf3fYhDHrcIP5iyVCCdn8uY8BCZOhK0cpyzs0F3AC3oLkhJVXdvh-eBJ27LNIrXbm0Z4q6lNvFVXmjLbay12k4tgnDx9UP/s320/harsha.jpg" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-size: large;">After Harsha’s demise, we, his family, grieved his passing, reminiscing about the things he did and said and the way he lived. Quite surprising to us was the outpouring of grief from his larger circle of friends and even mere acquaintances. Twitter and Facebook were filled with posts from his friends, colleagues at all the places he worked and of course, hundreds of BFC fans. A common thread that ran through all their remembrances was his positive spirit and ability to make people feel comfortable after just a few minutes of interaction. <br /><br />As I told my niece, Harsha’s sister Rajashree, about this phenomenon, she exclaimed, “I wonder where he found the time to do things to create such an impression on so many people!” As we pondered over this question, it struck me that <i><b><span style="color: #cc0000;">impressions get formed by what one IS as a person – when that is impactful enough, there is never the need to DO something separately to create an impression.</span></b></i> <br /><br />Whether it was the lab assistant or SPB or Harsha or me or you whenever our time comes, it is the way we live our lives, the things we do and say as we pass through this life’s journey that will sustain in our wake.</span></div><div><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwVEeJOMaQ1YEx8va0jFOUmkaptWAGtjkfuhgmiu68_kWedwa_qMweFU1-ccFVkDSllHE0aR4pN2O9LNaArFwKr5n_HGQLOMoRkmzq640tZotiJ1hDXfAlywzLrB-rFlkK6m94Tc-kOhE_/s960/pass+this+way.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="960" data-original-width="720" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwVEeJOMaQ1YEx8va0jFOUmkaptWAGtjkfuhgmiu68_kWedwa_qMweFU1-ccFVkDSllHE0aR4pN2O9LNaArFwKr5n_HGQLOMoRkmzq640tZotiJ1hDXfAlywzLrB-rFlkK6m94Tc-kOhE_/w300-h400/pass+this+way.png" width="300" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>Anuhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09173824279783857663noreply@blogger.com26tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6561941100548249698.post-73087625677666223892020-09-05T09:23:00.004+05:302020-09-05T09:24:50.081+05:30On Being a Teacher in the Pandemic<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: large;">I enter my ‘Classroom’, but I’m not going to stay there for
too long. I’m only there to “Share something with my class” – the “Joining info”
to let them enter the “Meeting” I’ve started on Meet. I toggle buttons to move
back to the “Meeting” and wait for the students to arrive so that I can “Admit”
them in. </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #8e7cc3; font-size: large;"><i><b>I miss the luxury of having students waiting for me
to arrive. </b></i></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: large;">They arrive in one’s and two’s, but I can’t see or hear them
– their cameras and microphones are turned off in the new classroom etiquette,
and I won’t hear them talk until I invite them to do so by wishing them “Good
morning, students!”.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #8e7cc3; font-size: large;"><i><b>I miss hearing their loud chorus of “Good Morning, Ma’am”
that is capable of pushing everything beyond that moment from my mind.</b></i></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #8e7cc3; font-size: large;"><i><b>I miss
being able to smile at them and having them smile back, creating an infectious
high energy vibe. </b></i></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #8e7cc3; font-size: large;"><i><b>I miss the unconscious scan my eyes and 6<sup>th</sup> or 7<sup>th</sup>
sense would run over the class to measure their energy and interest level so
that I knew how to amp up or down my pace of teaching</b></i></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: large;">Some students take time to arrive. It’s no longer the “I
missed the bus” or “I got stuck in a traffic jam” excuses. The ‘rate-limiting-step’
has morphed – it’s the speed of their mobile network service provider that’s
the culprit for their delay. </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: large;">Three minutes into the “Meeting”, about 80% of the class is
in, so I decide it’s time to “Present Now” and choose “Present a Window” as I
unmute my microphone and wish the class “Good Morning”. A few return wishes
reach my ears. I don’t “Turn on my camera” because of various reasons that
range from ‘no dress code for teaching from home’ to ‘family member dashing into
and out of the bathroom nearby’. But the most important reason for not enabling
video is that connectivity is always more stable with the video off. </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #8e7cc3; font-size: large;"><b><i>I miss having my class look at me while I’m teaching. I
wonder if they miss it too, and wonder if the energy in my voice is enough to
sustain them through the hour. I pray it will suffice.</i></b></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: large;">I continue to explain what is there in my presentation. I’ve
sat up till midnight of the previous day to make sure that along with the text,
my presentation contains diagrams and tables and graphs to help the students
understand the topic better. I ask questions in between to make sure that they
have understood what I’m explaining. </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #8e7cc3; font-size: large;"><b><i>I miss being able to judge my students’ understanding – or
lack of it – from a mere glance at their facial expressions. </i></b></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: large;">I toggle between parts of the presentation as I go back and
forth to emphasize an earlier point to explain the present one. I try to keep
each slide in place for at least half a minute to make sure that all students –
even the ones with a slow network – are able to see what I’m talking about. </span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxL0tLeomPC-6MlW2NTO-QvlidMHzv2ABlNmuhBU7A2saQo-XdfcPYGS7SdZrZB3RQDOH2rAKElFKVYaGylB5KIWvS-LrQtKceBMp8MM8MX61xD_DQuCgcilZthZdOmC704BLHDPjn8xhc/s519/teachers+day.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="261" data-original-width="519" height="314" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxL0tLeomPC-6MlW2NTO-QvlidMHzv2ABlNmuhBU7A2saQo-XdfcPYGS7SdZrZB3RQDOH2rAKElFKVYaGylB5KIWvS-LrQtKceBMp8MM8MX61xD_DQuCgcilZthZdOmC704BLHDPjn8xhc/w625-h314/teachers+day.png" width="625" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #8e7cc3; font-size: large;"><i><b>I miss the way I used to walk from one side to another to
connect the concepts I’ve explained by writing on the blackboard. </b></i></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #8e7cc3; font-size: large;"><i><b>Which reminds
me – I miss my chalk piece and duster, too. </b></i></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><i style="color: #8e7cc3; font-size: x-large;"><b>I miss the dust of the ‘dustless’
chalk getting into my eyes when I rub the board. </b></i></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #8e7cc3; font-size: large;"><i><b>I miss the polka dot spray the
white dust created on my shoulders. </b></i></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #8e7cc3; font-size: large;"><i><b>I miss having to wash my hands free of the calcium
carbonate (instead of the <span style="background: white; line-height: 115%;">SARS-CoV-2 I’m now trying to keep away).</span></b></i></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: large;">After about 48 minutes of class, I decide to stop. When I
myself cannot sustain talking for an hour, how can I expect my students to listen
for so long? I check if they have any doubts. I ask if they have received the
notes I sent. I tell them about some PDFs and links I’ll be sharing after the
class. And finally, I say, “Let’s close today’s class” and give them permission
to “Leave”. There’s a smattering of “Thank you, Ma’am”s that I hear as I click
the red telephone icon to myself “Leave” the “Meeting”.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #8e7cc3; font-size: large;"><b><i>I miss the days when I’d overstay my time in class because
we were discussing something important about a problem the students faced.</i></b></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #8e7cc3; font-size: large;"><b><i>I
miss the impromptu activities and games I’d sometimes have them play to learn
an important life skill because either of us was too bored to study heavy-duty
pharmacy syllabus. </i></b></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: large;">We’re only teaching theory now in our online classes.
Practical experiments will be done whenever regular college starts. </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #8e7cc3; font-size: large;"><b><i>I’ve been missing the smell of chemicals that would cling to
me after a lab session. </i></b></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #8e7cc3; font-size: large;"><b><i>I’ve even begun to miss the headache that would result
after hours of non-stop peering about three times per microscope multiplied by
20 microscopes, repeated thrice a week. </i></b></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: large;">The only headaches I have now come from
staring at a screen that connects and yet separates me from my students. </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: large;">I’ve just begun teaching a new subject - Pharmaceutical
Microbiology. And thanks to what I’m learning anew, as I write this blog, <span style="color: #cc0000;"><i><b>I
realize that as a teacher, I’m not the strict autotroph I thought I was. I can’t
make all of my own energy – I need to draw quite a bit of it from the emotional
connection that grows as I interact day in and out, face-to-face, with my
students. </b></i></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: large;">On this Teacher’s Day, I’d like to thank all the students I’ve
taught in all these 20 years before the pandemic. You’re the ones who made it a
most memorable journey for me, and those memories will always stay special.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: large;">To the students I’m now teaching through a virtual medium,
thank you for your cooperation, and hopefully, we’ll be able to connect better
by the time we’re through this semester.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: large;"> </span></p>Anuhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09173824279783857663noreply@blogger.com12tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6561941100548249698.post-49007686994605006042020-08-29T22:15:00.002+05:302020-08-30T07:41:56.006+05:30Learning from Nandi<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<span style="font-size: large;">A few days ago, I went to Malleshwaram to buy yellow Srichurnam for my father-in-law. In case you don't know what it is - Srichurnam is the yellow or red tilak sported by Srivaishnavas on their forehead.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">On the 8th Cross off Sampige Road, there are shops that sell all pooja/Hindu-ritual related items, and you can recognize them by the typical "cones" they have of turmeric and vermilion - arashina/haldi and kumkum. </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">It's been ages since I had an occasion to visit these shops, but I knew the Srichurnam and some other items I wanted would definitely be available there. Now there are 3 shops of this type right next to each other and on a whim, I chose to go to the first one I saw as I approached the trio. </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">A young boy was sitting there, and very pleasantly, he gave me the items I wanted and told me the amount I was to pay. Just as I was drawing money out of my purse, he extended a Haldi-Kumkum set towards me and said, "Madam, Arshina-Kumkuma togoli." He was asking me to take or apply the turmeric and vermilion in the gesture that is so very common in South Indian homes when married women visit. </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">I was a little surprised, and my mind ran through the possibilities of it being some festival day. But I couldn't find anything significant about that day, so I simply asked the boy whether there was something special in their shop that day and the reason why he was offering the arashina-kumkuma to me. </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">He replied that it was a practice he had cultivated, and he offered it to any "Sumangali" or married woman who came to purchase things from his shop. </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Such a simple gesture, but it made me feel so good and "at home". </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">As I talked a little more with him and asked permission to take the picture of him in his shop with the Arshina-Kumkuma set, I learned a little more about him. His name is Nandi, and he has studied till 1st PUC, but couldn't continue studying (although he desperately wanted to) because of his family's financial difficulties. Now, he mans the shop but has fond hopes of answering the 2nd PUC exam privately. He also said he is looking out for a good job. </span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUcR7G39VK2IJBoU1cFq04aqcb3pQRlXFxurcD3nq7ml0y8hp382FOer05HU8wTKlSKhLUgrnn6zUuuYEM6gIPpXcrvkuM7rVwpjJYYZqKnsIj-HZSWPqeSBjryHfn90CMtdrWda8TGu7G/s1600/nandi+1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUcR7G39VK2IJBoU1cFq04aqcb3pQRlXFxurcD3nq7ml0y8hp382FOer05HU8wTKlSKhLUgrnn6zUuuYEM6gIPpXcrvkuM7rVwpjJYYZqKnsIj-HZSWPqeSBjryHfn90CMtdrWda8TGu7G/s320/nandi+1.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Chatting with young Nandi, I was struck by how our culture survives because of such people who continue their traditional practices. Despite having his own set of problems, he was smiling and pleasant and had a positive spirit which I'm sure will take him far ahead in life. </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">I said as much to him and told him to keep up his efforts to study. I wished him saying "Devaru volledu maadali" - which translates into "May God bless you with good things." </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">I left the shop with not just my Srichurnam but also with a fond memory of one simple gesture that warmed my heart and a lesson about staying positive even in the face of difficult situations.</span></div>
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<i>Edit: One of my friends Dr. Nirmala, wrote to me after reading this post. </i><br />
<i>"Really touching.</i><br />
<i>Had the same experience when I had visited.</i><br />
<i>When I offered him some extra money , he refused</i><br />
<i>Was really taken aback by his self esteem." </i><br />
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Anuhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09173824279783857663noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6561941100548249698.post-90246935171707279232020-07-12T18:07:00.000+05:302020-07-12T18:07:03.102+05:30A Sunday's Learning from Mrs. P<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<span style="font-size: large;">"Madam, Madam!" a voice floated in through the window. </span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">Something about it told me this was one of those salespersons who go home to home with their products. It was a slow Sunday morning, so I opened the door to see what the matter was. </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Outside my door stood an elderly woman, whom I guessed to be in her fifties. In her hands were 2 small plastic bottles that held a green-colored liquid. She thrust them towards me and began her marketing spiel about the newly launched herbal disinfectant and even opened one of the bottles for me to smell the liquid inside. </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">I had enough stock of floor disinfectant for another month at least; but something about the way this woman talked got my attention. Mrs. P was delivering her sales pitch in a manner unlike any salesperson I'd come across till then. </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">There was a quiet dignity about her, a genuineness in her selling that made it sound like she wasn't actually selling, but just informing you of something for your good. Perhaps that is the reason why I couldn't refuse her, and ended up buying 4 of those bottles.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">As the money exchanged hands, I couldn't resist asking Mrs. P the question that had been uppermost in my mind. But I tried to couch it in polite terms to avoid hurting her. She was just as dignified in her reply. Her eyes clouded over, but still, with a calm smile, she explained how she had begun working in her late forties due to family problems. And that she had continued working even after the children started to earn, because she didn't want to be a dependent.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">With a twinkle in her eyes, she asked me to guess what her age may be. </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">"Hmmm...55?" I suggested.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Her smile grew wider. "No, 68," she corrected.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">I was shocked, because she didn't at all look that age! I found myself wondering even more at her positive and happy spirit. Yes, she had difficulties, but just see how she was cheerfully going about coping with them! I said as much and expressed my happiness at having met her, because I had learned something from her. </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">She smiled again and folded her hands in the typical 'Namaskar' mudra. </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">"Thank you, Madam, for your kind words," she said, "It is the good wishes of people like you, and God's blessings that are my biggest strengths!"</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">I was so lost in the wonder of this amazing encounter that I forgot to ask if I could click a photo of her. By the time I realized, she had moved away from the gate. From my frantic efforts, I caught just a glimpse of her through the window.</span><br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh31kSoB9rPcxEHeyhNiPlplFaMWMiwEiVKtDllGjpY5BrpkiCbWoTu89TdxuIb7AM80KoSp-8iEM336ul5fapEGCP6zmf1Re2YPbAex1NvHwfR9Z3gJJeX3vlJTlih2IzsqK8och55uQT1/s1600/P.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh31kSoB9rPcxEHeyhNiPlplFaMWMiwEiVKtDllGjpY5BrpkiCbWoTu89TdxuIb7AM80KoSp-8iEM336ul5fapEGCP6zmf1Re2YPbAex1NvHwfR9Z3gJJeX3vlJTlih2IzsqK8och55uQT1/s320/P.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">And Mrs. P goes marching on....!</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br /><span style="font-size: large;">I've preserved this photograph as a reminder of how one must face adversity with dignity and cheerfulness and a sense of counting our blessings.And I'm sharing it with you dear readers, to pass on the same positive spirit to you, too.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">When the COVID-19 lockdown began, I couldn't help wonder about what Mrs. P was doing, and how she was coping. Given her positive attitude, however, I'm sure she would have found some way to still stay cheerful!</span><br />
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Anuhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09173824279783857663noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6561941100548249698.post-27541766512823351652020-06-03T00:04:00.000+05:302020-06-03T00:04:09.194+05:30How to Go From Monkey to Monk: Keep Your Eyes Closed?<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<span style="font-size: large;">Covid-19 lockdown is a mixed bag for us teachers. We’ve had to adapt quickly to teaching online, and are slowly learning the art of balancing college work and home work when working from home. <br /><br />During these trying times, the silver lining has been the opportunity to upgrade our own knowledge, free from the restrictions of <i>desh</i> and <i>kaal</i> (place and time), thanks to the plethora of webinars/online conferences being conducted by institutions across the country and the globe. <br /><br />Yesterday, I attended Day 1 of a 5-day Faculty Development Program, hosted by GIET School of Pharmacy, Andhra Pradesh. <br /><br />Dr. B. G. Nagavi, one of the most distinguished innovator-teachers of the pharmacy profession in recent times (and so much more – you can check his profile here<a href="https://www.blogger.com/goog_1509735635"> </a></span><a href="http://hesdarcenter.com/promoters/">http://hesdarcenter.com/promoters/</a><span style="font-size: large;">), was doing a presentation about education research. <br /><br />While talking about the very important role of a teacher, Dr. Nagavi played a video, narrating an anecdote from a teacher’s life. <br /><br />Here’s the summary of the story; if you want to hear it for yourself, click this link <a href="https://youtu.be/yf-AlywtY5g">https://youtu.be/yf-AlywtY5g</a><br /><br /><br />A young man walked up to an older man at a gathering and introduced himself, saying, “I’m one of your students.” The teacher greeted him and asked about what the young man was now doing. <br /><br />“I’m into education. I’m also a teacher.” <br /><br />“Great! So what inspired you to go into education?” <br /><br />“You!” <br /><br />“Me!? How?” <br /><br />The young man answered, “One day a boy in our class brought a new watch to school. I liked it a lot, and because I wanted it, I stole it. He realized the watch was missing, and complained to you, the teacher. You announced the news and asked whoever had stolen it to return the watch. <br /><br />I didn’t return it. <br /><br />Then you closed the classroom door and asked all the kids to line up facing the wall. You ordered us all to close our eyes tight until you had finished searching through all our pockets. We did as you said. You went from one boy to the next, looking through the pockets and when you came to me, you found the watch in my pocket! Yet, you kept moving through every child’s pockets and at the end, you announced the watch had been found, and handed it over to the rightful owner. <br /><br />You never said a word to anyone about it. That day, you saved my dignity. I was ashamed of myself and decided not to do such a thing again. But you never ever asked me about the incident, either. You saved my soul by your action. I learned how a real educator must be and because of you, I was inspired to go into the teaching profession. <br /><br />I’m sure you remember this episode, so you must remember me, Sir?” <br /><br />The teacher replied, “I remember the event you mention. But I don’t remember you. Because that day, while going through the children’s pockets, <b><i>I closed my eyes, too</i></b>.” <br /><br />This story is meant to drive home the message of how wonderfully inspiring teachers can be. It is supposed to make us teachers more aware of how our actions can impact our students. <br /><br />For me, however, it triggered an even deeper realization of how vital it is for teachers to be self-aware. <br /><br /><b><i><span style="color: #351c75;">“I closed my eyes too!” </span></i></b><br /><br />What a sensitive, thoughtful, and loving act by the teacher! <br /><br />How self-aware must this teacher have been, to realize that he is likely to be affected by knowing who the offending student is! <br /><br />How strongly the teacher must have been motivated to not let himself get prejudiced by one wanton act of a young child! <br /><br />What an immense control of mind he must have possessed to decide <span style="color: #073763;"><b><i>he didn’t want to know</i></b></span> who the errant child was! <br /><br />Can we even imagine the degree of self-awareness, and goodness of heart and magnitude of self-control someone needs to be like the teacher in this story? <br /><br />Even as these thoughts raced through my mind, I was struck by another, deeper one. </span><div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Can I learn to be like this teacher in the other areas of my life, too? </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Can I unlearn the tendency to notice the unpleasant things people do, can I stop mentally branding them, and give them another chance to become their better selves? </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Is this the ‘key’ that I must lose, to make the transition from ‘Monkey’ to ‘Monk’?</span></div>
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Anuhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09173824279783857663noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6561941100548249698.post-70961762137453178992020-04-26T14:52:00.001+05:302020-04-26T14:52:45.552+05:30Of Their Needs and Our Wants and Akshaya Tritiya<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<span style="font-size: large;">In school, we had a lesson on the short story by the world-famous Russian author, Leo Tolstoy. The story was called “How Much Land Does a Man Need?” Many of you may have studied this, too. If not, you can read the entire story here. <a href="http://parentingtuneup.org/sites/default/files/pdfs/Play_Serious/Stories/How_Much_Land_Does_A_Man_Need.pdf">(Link to story)</a><br /><br />Here’s the gist of the story. A farmer Pahom goes to the land of the Bashkirs who have a startling offer – by paying 1000 rubles, he can begin walking at sunrise and cover as much area as he wants, and it will all be his, provided he returns to the starting point by sunset the same day. <br /><br />The delighted Pahom starts off and in his greed to cover a huge area, doesn’t realize how the time is running. Exhausted and on the verge of losing his breath, he somehow manages to drag himself back to the starting point even as the sun sets. The Bashkirs cheer at his feat, but Pahom drops dead, and is buried in a grave that measures a mere six feet – that’s all the land he finally needed!<br /><br />That story gives us a window into the difference between a want and a need. In the good (?) old days, people slogged all their life to meet their needs, rarely having the resources to fulfill their wants. Yet, life was relatively more peaceful. </span><div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">In today’s times, people have grown more prosperous and we find that the line between “want” and “need” is growing more and more blurred by the day. No wonder then that peace has flown out the window.<br /><br />We are bombarded constantly by stimuli that drive us to consume, without any pause, to contemplate over what it is that we are consuming, and whether it is something we truly need. “I buy, therefore, I am,” has become our mantra. Consumption is good for business; and business drives the economy and of course the economy has to be on the up and up. <br /><br />During this lockdown, when access to goods has been forcibly curtailed, many people have begun re-discovering that they can actually make do with very little. And this realization has led them to ask a pertinent question, which this image so eloquently asks. </span><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj046STFcX2CfKNsRD-bV4ZmDLMglrAlyEM9Vl3Dc1mrk8Bv973pGxzyGK-quJERwmKFK5tUpOPQSazy0puTuXwAuyUpJZyUQSbuJglzlK7bCbx6ZfQHARfamIDZ7C7mhO9HJdCaZAuGjKN/s1600/econ1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-size: large;"><img border="0" data-original-height="789" data-original-width="1080" height="291" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj046STFcX2CfKNsRD-bV4ZmDLMglrAlyEM9Vl3Dc1mrk8Bv973pGxzyGK-quJERwmKFK5tUpOPQSazy0puTuXwAuyUpJZyUQSbuJglzlK7bCbx6ZfQHARfamIDZ7C7mhO9HJdCaZAuGjKN/s400/econ1.jpg" width="400" /></span></a></div>
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<span lang="EN-IN"><span style="font-size: large;">The English
novelist Matt Haig has an answer to this question. Read and contemplate over the connection he points out between the economy and happiness.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbrs0Y3Jb-_JsvxKUi4TdxHfpt00dzYCxLFU8k4V6AgrC3Qk280XOKjgtRSlvuGJHlOHtMt070Q0H9AVb902Szyo5nyGo2STYMg-0BWDYchmzyd1qHT_H_b6YIkzE9ESmKeuVZhsUwlg5E/s1600/econ2.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-size: large;"><img border="0" data-original-height="443" data-original-width="332" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbrs0Y3Jb-_JsvxKUi4TdxHfpt00dzYCxLFU8k4V6AgrC3Qk280XOKjgtRSlvuGJHlOHtMt070Q0H9AVb902Szyo5nyGo2STYMg-0BWDYchmzyd1qHT_H_b6YIkzE9ESmKeuVZhsUwlg5E/s640/econ2.jpeg" width="478" /></span></a></div>
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<span lang="EN-IN"><span style="font-size: large;">Today is
Akshaya Tritiya - an auspicious day. The word ‘Akshaya’ means ‘that which does
not diminish or end’. Unfortunately, the significance of this day has been
hijacked by a segment that is believed to be a major ‘driver’ of the same ‘economy’
that we’ve been discussing. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-IN"><span style="font-size: large;">In the cacophony created by these drivers, we have forgotten that Akshaya Tritiya is a day meant to be spent on performing rituals for the ancestors, and in doing
‘daan’ or donation and charity. People now pride themselves on their ability to
while away this day in hoarding wealth in the form of gold. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-IN"><span style="font-size: large;">If you wish
to celebrate Akshaya Tritiya in the real sense, especially in these times which
are difficult for so many who are less-blessed than you, here are a few genuine
causes to which you can donate any amount of your choice.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span lang="EN-IN">1. </span><span lang="EN-IN" style="text-indent: -18pt;">Indic Collective is providing
monetary help to the needy persons who are part of the temple ecosystem – the
flower sellers, the musical instrument performers, the servitors, and the
temple priests - and whose livelihoods have been disrupted by the lockdown</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Donate here: <a href="https://www.indiccollective.org/temple-support-covid-fundraiser/">https://www.indiccollective.org/temple-support-covid-fundraiser/</a></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">2. <span lang="EN-IN" style="text-indent: -18pt;">Youth for Seva is serving food
(Annadaana Seva) to the needy who are unable to earn their livelihood due to
the lockdown.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Donate here: <a href="https://www.youthforseva.org/COVID-19-Annadana-Seva">https://www.youthforseva.org/COVID-19-Annadana-Seva</a></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">3. As announced by the PM of our country, the <span style="text-indent: -18pt;">PMCARES fund is dedicated to providing quality treatment and for research
on ways to beat COVID-19</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="text-indent: -18pt;">Donate here: </span><a href="https://www.pmcares.gov.in/en/">https://www.pmcares.gov.in/en/</a></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">I've always heard my elders say that on the day of Akshaya Tritiya, one must do things that one wishes to have/keep doing in plenty for the rest of the year. So, now you know why I've written this blog today! 😄😄</span></div>
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Anuhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09173824279783857663noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6561941100548249698.post-31848606669401776802020-04-08T23:19:00.003+05:302020-04-08T23:19:41.303+05:30Overcome the Hanuman complex!<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="font-size: large;">We all know that in the Ramayana, it was the mighty Hanuman who jumped across the ocean, reached Lanka, and located Sita who had been captured by Ravana. What is less commonly known is the part that went before he took that great leap. <br /><br />Seeing the huge, unending ocean, all the vaanaras felt dejected. Not a single one thought himself capable of the energy to cross it and come back. <br /><br />Then, the eldest of the party, a bear called Jambavan, turned to Hanuman and asked, “You too feel you’re incapable of this feat, Hanuman? You have amazing powers; you’re </span><span style="font-size: large;"><b style="font-style: italic;">Pavan Putra </b>-<b style="font-style: italic;"> </b></span><span style="font-size: large;">the son of the Wind God – but you’ve forgotten these powers. Now is the time to remember and make use of them!” <br /><br />Saying so, Jambavan narrated the story of Hanuman’s birth and childhood prowess. <br /><br />Anjana was an <i>apsara</i>, who, through a curse, had become a monkey maiden. She was married to the monkey King Kesari. When Raja Dasharatha had performed the <i>putrakameshti yagna</i> for begetting children, as per Lord Shiva’s instruction, a portion of the payasam was carried by Vayu (the Wind God, also called Pavan) and delivered to Anjana. After consuming the sweet, in due course, Anjana gave birth to a son who was courageous, strong, intelligent, and also extremely naughty. <br /><br />When still a child, Anjaneya (the son of Anjana) flew high into the sky, intending to eat up the Sun which looked like a ripe fruit. Afraid of what would happen, Indra hurled his thunderbolt at the child, breaking his jaw – giving him the name Hanuman. <br /><br />Vayu was angry at how his son had been treated, and stopped the winds from blowing over the world; life came to a stop. Indra apologized. He and the other deities all came to bless the child Hanuman with many boons that made him even more powerful. <br /><br />Armed with these special powers, Hanuman’s antics increased. He would play pranks on innocent persons but one day he went too far and a meditating rishi was his target. Angered by this mischievous behaviour, the rishi cursed Hanuman, saying he would lose all his special powers including the power of flying huge distances. <br /><br />Aghast, Hanuman and his mother Anjana prayed for the rishi’s forgiveness. He relented, and proclaimed that Hanuman would not lose his powers, but would lose his knowledge of his own powers; at the time when they were desperately needed, he would be reminded of them by some wise person. <br /><br />Now, on the ocean shore, Jambavan gave the timely reminder to Hanuman. Assuming a gigantic size, he flew to Lanka and the rest….is the remaining part of the Ramayana. </span><div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Pic courtesy: Quora</td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: large;">One of India’s famous psychiatrists, Dr. N. N. Wig, dubbed this lack of knowing one’s true potential as the <b><i><span style="color: #351c75;">“Hanuman Complex.” </span></i></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">He would encourage the patients who came to him, by explaining how, like Hanuman, they are inherently capable of overcoming the problems they face; only thing is that their illness has temporarily made them feel weak, so they have forgotten their own capability. In other words, the power to change their lives rests within themselves; all they need to do is re-discover this power and make the necessary efforts to change. <br /><br />I first heard of Dr Wig in the year 2011 when I was writing an article about 10 famous doctors of India. This idea stayed with me ever since, and I realized that it applies to not just patients, but to most common people. <br /><br />During all these years of teaching youngsters, I have made use of Dr. Wig’s “Hanuman complex” and indeed, found that it works miracles for their self-esteem and confidence. <br /><br />Today, as I watched this awakening of Hanuman happen in the Ramayana serial on TV, I had the impulse to write this post. And some parts of our country are celebrating <i>Hanuman Jayanti</i> today, so what better occasion for this post? <br /><br />I’m definitely not as wise as him, but I’m trying to be a Jambavan to all of you reading this. <br /><br /><b><i><span style="color: #274e13;">“You are capable of great things! Awake and realize your true potential! Grow and do good to yourself, and to the whole world!”</span></i></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">To read Dr. Wig's article, click here </span><a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2912672/pdf/IJPsy-46-25.pdf">https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2912672/pdf/IJPsy-46-25.pdf</a></div>
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Anuhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09173824279783857663noreply@blogger.com3