Saturday, December 31, 2011

BAGHAVATHAM- AN OVERVIEW

BAGHAVATHAM IS THE ESSENCE OF ALL PURANAS[18 PURANAS]IT'S DEVOID OF FICTION,OR UGLY TALES.IT'S EQUALLY VALUED BOTH BY VAISHNAVAITES AS WELL AS SHAIVAITES.BAGAVATHAM  IS FULL OF VEDANTA AND DEVOTION[JNYANAM AND BAKTHI] VERSES ARE FULL OF DEEP MEANING IT FASCINATES  ANYBODY WITH AESTHETIC CHARM AND VIRTUES OF DEVOTION. ITS VALUED BOTH BY SCHOLARS AND SADHU SANTS[ OFTEN VYASA'S VERSES ARE PREGNANT WITH DEEP MEANINGFULL JNYAN AND BAKTHI. THERE ARE 14 COMMENTARIES. NO OTHER PURANAS HAS SO MANY COMMENTARIES.HENCE TRADITIONALISTS HAVE ACCEPTED BAGAVATHAM AS VALID .RAMANUJA  QUOTES FROM BAGAVATHAM IN HIS GREAT WORK VEDANTATATWASARAM.MADHVA HAD COMMENTARIES ON BAGAVATHAM  ADI SHANKARA IN PRABODHASUDHAKARAM QUOTES BAGHAVATHAM AT MANY PLACES. INCIDENTALLY VEDAVYASA WAS NOT SATISFIED EVEN AFTER WRITING THE GREAT MAHABARATHA. HE SURELY WANTED COMMON MAN TO UNDERSTAND THE DIFFICULT TATWAS THAT ARE SAID IN SATRAS. IN A LUCID STYLE  HE GAVE HIS RACHANA CALLED BAGAVTHAM WHICH TALKS OF KRISNA'S LEELAS AS A FULL AVATHARA. WHOSOEVER HAD CONTACT WITH HIM ATTAINED MUKTHI. WHETHER IT BE THROUGH PREMA,ANGER,JEALOUSY,FRIENDSHIP, ENMITY, HE GAVE EVERYBODY MUKTHI WITHOUT ANY DIFFERENCES. THIS BAVA OF KRISHNA IS HIGHLIGHTED IN BAGAVATHAM. IT STARTS WITH JANMADYASYA YATOANVAYAADI TARATHA SCHARARTTHESHVABHIJNYA SWARAD,TENE BRAHMA HRUDA YA ADI KAVAYE MUHYANTHI YATSUURAYAHA.[ WE MEDITATE ON THAT TRANSCEDENT REALITY FROM WHOM THIS UNIVERSEMANIFESTS, IN WHOM IT ABIDES, INTO WHOM IT,S RESOLVED. BECAUSE HE IS INVARIABLY PRESENT IN ALL EXISTING THINGS AND IS DISTINCT FROM ALL NON ENTITIES WHO IS SELF CONSCIOUS AND SELF EFFULGENT WHO REVEALED TO BRAHMA[THE FIRST SEER] BY HIS MERE WILL  THE VEDAS CAUSE BEWILDERMENT EVEN TO GREAT SAGES  IN WHOM , THREE FOLD CREATION[SATWA,RAJAS,TAMAS] THOUGH  UNREAL , APPEARS AS REAL.MAY THAT ACHYUTA[ ONE WHO IS NOT TOUCHED BY MRITYU[ DEATH] GIVE IMMORTALITY TO THOSE WHO DOES BAGAVATHAM  PARAYAN WITH UTMOST DEVOTION.

Tuesday, December 20, 2011

GURU

GU KARASCHANDHAKAROHEE,RU KHARASTHEJA UCCHUATHE, AJNYANA GRASAKHAM BRAHMA, GURUREVA NA SAMSHAYAHA.IT'S TO BE NOTED THAT SYLLABLE GU STANDS FOR DARKNESS.RU SEANDS FOR LIGHT. THERE IS NO DOUBT THAT GURU INDEED IS SUPREME KNOWLEDGE, THAT WILL SURELT DISPELS DARKNESS OF IGNORANCE.-----GURU GEETA-----VERSE 33.

Wednesday, November 30, 2011

MUNDAKOPANISHAD--THIRD CH-SEC-2 VERSE-6

VEDANTHA VIJNYANASUNISCHITARTHA HA; SANYASAYOGADH YATHAYA SHUDDHA SATWAHA; THEY BRAHMALOKESHU PARANTHAKALE, PARAMRUTHA HA PARIMUCHHANTHI SARVE.-------------A VERSE FROM MUNDAKA TALKS ABOUT IMMORTALITY THUS;  THOSE ASPIRANTS WHOS'E NATURES HAVE BEEN PURIFIED BY A LIFE OF RENUNCIATION AND WHO ARE WELL ESTABLISHED IN THE SELF OR BRAHMAN, THAT FORMS THE SOLE QUEST OF ALL VEDANTIC STUDIES-THEY ATTAIN IMMORTALITY IN BRAHMAN AT THE TIME OF DEATH, REALISES THAT HE IS NOT THE BODY AND THEREFORE DEAD TO THE BODY CONCEPT. HE IS NOT EFFECTED BY PRARABDHA KARMA OR RATHER SANCHITA OR AGAMIKA KARMAS[ HE IS ABSOLVED OF ALL BONDAGES HERE OR HEREAFTER, HENCE HE IS NOT REBORN]. HE IS LITERALLY A   FREE MAN, NOT BOUNDED BY BIRTH AND DEATH CYCLES.

Monday, November 21, 2011

NAMA SMARANA[IT'S SIGNIFICANCE]

---NARAYANEEYAM DASAKAM92-VERSE 6-------SAYS THUS------=-OH, SLAYER OF MURARI, OH, FULFILLER OF ALL DESIRES, WE ARE LUCKY ENOUGH TO BE BORN IN KALIYUGA, IN WHICH EFFORTLESSLY  BY CHANTING LORD'S GLORIES,NAMES ETC, PEOPLE CAN GET THY GRACE. EVEN THOSE BORN IN OTHER 3 YUGAS, WISH FOR A BIRTH IN KALIYUGA, OH, LORD, DO NOT TEMPT US WITH SWEET POISON OF SENSE ENJOYMENTS, WHEN BY SOME GOOD FORTUNE WE HAVE BEEN BORN IN THIS KALIYUGA, IN WHICH LIBERATION IS EASIER TO ACHIEVE THAN IN OTHER YUGAS. [HERE  NARAYANA BHATTATHIRI  TALKS ABOUT ONE OF THE QUALITIES OF  A BAKTHA, WHEN OTHERS CROSSES THE SAMSARA, THRU DIFFICULT PATH LIKE KARMAS, JNYANA, SANKHYA, AND VARIOUS OTHER MEANS, THIS BAKTHA SIMPLY CHANTS LORD'S NAMES, LISTENS TO HIS LEELAS, AND DOES HIS CHITTAVRUTHI, THEREBY ATTAINS SAYUJYA OR PARAMAPADA, VERY EASILY.

Friday, November 11, 2011

AVIAL

CUT TO LONG PIECES OF WHITE PUMPKIN, RED PUMPKIN,PODAWAL,DRUMSTICK, ETC, ADD LITTLE SALT AND PRESSURECOOCK. THE SAME. TAKE THE TAWA. PUT SOME OIL, ADD 4  CHILLIES[GREEN],CUMIN POWDER,BENGALGRAM[CHANA DALL], SAUT IT AND ALONG WITH GRATED COCONUT, PUT IT IN THE MIXY AND GRIND WELL MIXTURE. ADD THIS PASTE TO ALREADY PRESSURE COOKED VEGGIES, PUT KADIPATTHA AND BOIL THE SAME FOR TEN MINUTES. ADD BUTTER MILK OR CURD[IT SHOULD BE SOURLY]. YOUR AVIAL IS READY. ENJOY THIS KEARALA RECIPE.       

Sunday, November 6, 2011

KARTIK SHUKLA EKADASHI ON 6TH NOVEMBER

EKADASHI FASTS ARE DONE FOR CLEANSING OF OUR MIND AND BODY. NORMALLY WE DON'T GIVE REST TO OUR SYSTEMS.  ONE OF THE TAPAS IS FASTING ON EKADASHI, AND REMEMBERING NARAYANA'S NAME CONSTANTLY. IT WAS NARADA WHO GAVE DWADASHAKSHARI MANTRA[MANTRA HAVING 12 LETTERS] OM NAMO BAGHAVATHE VASUDEVAYA  , TO DRUVA, WHO MEDITATED UPON THE THE LORD  FOR FIVE MONTHS. IDEAL IS TO FAST WITH FRUITS AND MILK. FOR OTHERS ONE CAN HAVE SABUDHANA. NOW IT'S PREPARATION----------------. SOAK 1 CUP SABUDHANA WITH 3/4 CUP OF WATER OVERNIGHT. NEXT DAY CUT TO PIECES TOMATOES,BELLPEPPER,POTATO,ETC INTO FINE PIECES. POUR SOME OIL AND FRY THE VEGGIES AND SAUT IT  ADD SALT, MIX IT WITH SABUDHANA IN FLAT VESSEL . PRESSURE COOK TILL YOU HEAR ONE WISTLE. MIX WELL AND ENJOY REMEMBERING GOVINDA. TELL ME WHETHER YOU HAVE SUCEEDED?

Thursday, November 3, 2011

UPANISHAD

 A STUDY OF BRAHMAN BY WHICH AVIDHYA[IGNORANCE] IS REMOVED ALONG WITH PAST IMPRESSION[SAMSKARA] IS POSSIBLE. THERE ARE TWO PORTIONS OF VEDAS. KARMAKANDA AND JNYANA KANDA. THE LATTER PART OF THE VEDAS DEALS WITH KNOWLEDGE OF BRAHMAN AND THIS CALLED UPANISHAD.THIS UPANISHADIC KNOWLEDGE IS PASSED ON FROM TEACHER TO HIS DISCIPLES, AND STUDENT HAS TO SIT VERY CLOSE TO HIS GURU.THERE ARE MANY UPANISHADS RELATED TO DIFFERENT BRANCHES OF VEDAS.. SOME OF THE BRANCHES ARE NOT AVAILABLE..ADI SHANKARA COMMENTED UPON ELEVEN UPANISHADS[ISA,KENA,KATHA,PRASNA,MUNDAKA,MANDUKYA,TAITTIRIYA,AITAREYA,CHANDOGYA,SVEASVATARA, AND BRIHADARANYAKA]. UPA MEANS TO SIT NEAR. NI INDICATES NISCHAYARTAM [DEFINITE]  KNOWLEDGE. SADH STANDS FOR BRAHMAN OR CONSCIOUSNESS. HENCE THE WORD UPANISHAD.

Wednesday, November 2, 2011

WHAT IS BRAHMAN?

IN ADVAIDA BRAHMAN OR SELF IS SAID TO BE THE ONLY REALITY. AND WHATEVER IS OTHER THAN THAN SELF IS MAYA OR ANITHYAM.PURE KNOWLEDGE OR CONSCIOUSNESS CONSTITUTES THE ESSENCE OF SELF AND THIS CONSCIOUSNESS IS REAL. IT'S BEYOND ALL CHANGES,MODIFICATIONS,HENCE REAL. THE SELF IS NIRVISHESHA[CANNOT BE CHARACTERISED]NIRGUNA[DEVOID OF ANY QUALITY]NISHKRIYA[INACTIVE]NIRVIKARA[WITHOUT MODIFICATION]SHUDDHA[WITHOUT ANY IMPURITIES]SATCHITANANDASWARUPA[EXISTENCE-CONSCIOUSNESS,ETERNAL HAPPINESS . PURE AWARENESS  IT IS NEVER NEGATED.CONSCIOUSNESS ALONE EXISTS.THERE IS ONE AND ONLY ONE CONSCIOUSNESS HENCE ADVEETHIYAM. ACCORDING TO ADI SHANKARA THERE IS BRAHMAN AND BRAHMAN ALONE.[AKHANDAM SATCHIDHANDAM AVANGH MANAS GOCHARAM, ATMANAM AKHILADHARAM, ASHRAYE ABHEESHTTA SIDDHAYE.]ATMA CANNOT BE DIVIDED,IT'S SAT-CHIT ANANDA, WORDS CANNOT DESCRIBE SINCE NOT AN OBJECT,MIND CANNOT REACH THERE,WHOLE UNIVERSE IS BASED ON ATMA,ONE WHO TAKES SHELTER IN BRAHMAN IS ALREADY  A SIDDHA.

ART OF COOKING

DEAR FRIENDS I TRIED UTTAPPAM. MANY DAYS I WAS WONDERING WHY I CANNOT MAKE     UTTAPPA AS DONE BY SHARAVANABHAVA CHAIN OF HOTELS. RECENTLY I TRIED AND SUCCEEDED TO SOME EXTENT.IT CAME OUT WELL. IT'S V.SIMPLE.FIRST CUT TO SMALL PIECES[FINE] BELLPEPPER,GOBI,TOMATO,CARROT. FRYTHESE PEICES IN 2 TEASPOON OF OILSAUT IT WITH RAYEE, UDID DALL,CHANA DALL, HALDI POWDER ETC. KEEP ASIDE WHEN FRIED AND TRANSFER TO A VESSEL. NOW HEAT THE DOSA THAVA PUT THE THICK BATTER OF DOSA ON THE THAVA PUT 1 SPOON OF OIL, ADD FINE PIECES OF BHAJI  ON THE DOSA. AFTER SOMETIME REVERSE THE SIDE. HEAT FOR SOME TIME, . YOUR UTTAPPAM IS READY. ENJOY  AND DONT FORGET TO INVITE ME.

Sunday, October 30, 2011

MAYAVADI

Those who believe that the effect as such is not the real transformation of it's material cause is regarded as mayavadins or vivartavadins, Advaitavadins are very often misunderstood and described by many schools as mayavadins.but this is an inaccurate statement.Vada or theory refers to reality.all the other communications which  we use are only tharkas, inference, etc.BUT  MAYA according to ADVAIDA VEDANTA IS neither real nor unreal. it's anirvachaneeya[cannot be explained through words] it's neither real or sat, nor unreal or asat. it's indescribable.IT'Snot real as it is  not permanent, and what is real cannot be negated also.IT'S not  unreal like the son of a barren woman, as it's  effect . world appears and is percieved, so maya is not relly a theory. IT'S an account of an appearence.THAT'S WHY THE ADVAITINS are found to say"VAYAM BRAHMAVADINAH, NATU MAYAVADINAHA.[WE BELIEVE IN THE THEORY OF BRAHMAN AND NOT IN THE THEORY OF MAYA.]IMPLICATION IS THAT ADVAITINS accept non-dual Brahman  as the only reality and everything is false.

Thursday, October 27, 2011

MEDITATION ON BRAHMAN

BRAHMAN, WHICH IS THE SUBSTRATUM, ON WHICH THE UNIVERSE APPEARS. IT'S THE CAUSE [BOTH MATERIAL AND EFFICIENT] OF THE UNIVERSE, INTO   THE SAME IT MERGES, WHICH ITSELF IS WHAT APPEARS AS THE UNIVERSE, HOWEVER BRAHMAN TRANSCENDS THIS UNIVERSE, WHICH CANNOT BE DESCRIBED IN WORDS, NOR EVEN CONCEIVED BY MIND.,WHOS'E TRUE NATURE EVEN GODS AND GREAT SAGES DO NOT KNOW, NOT TO SPEAK OF LESSER BEINGS; MY SALUTATIONS YOU KRISNA, WHO ART BRAHMAN ITSELF.[NARAYANEEYAM-98-1ST VERSE[NISHKALA BRAHMOPASANA].

Sunday, October 23, 2011

KRISHNA TO NARADA[ASSOCIATION WITH HOLY MEN]

RELATIONSHIP WITH GODS THROUGH VEDIC RITUALS BRING IN GOOD AND BAD RESULTS. WHEN DONE CORRECTLY ACCORDING TO SASTRAS, AND NOT OTHERWISE.BUT ASSOCIATION WITH HOLY MEN WHOSE MINDS ARE ENTIRELY ON ISHWARA, ENDS ONLY IN GOOD.DEVAS BLESS MEN ACCORDING TO WHAT THEY ARE GIVEN AS OFFERINGS IN RITUALS.JUST AS SHADOW OF A FORM CORRESPONDS TO SHAPE OF THE FORM. THE FAVOUR OF DEVAS CORRESPONDS TO RITUAL PERFORMED. BUT HOLY MEN BLESS THE AFFLICTED OUT OF LOVE, AND NOT FROM CONSIDERATIONS OF ANY SELFISH GAIN FOR THEMSELVES.[BHAKTHI RATNAVALI BY VISHNU PURI]

Friday, October 14, 2011

VEGETARIANISM IN HINDU SCRIPTURES.

There is a reason why vegetarian food is promoted in early scriptures.Generally Brahmins are prohibited in scriptures completely from meat eating. Others are also permitted to have meat in a little quantity occasionally.Thus non vegearianism is not permitted in our culture.Man's teeth and internal organs are not fit for recieving and digesting meat.Excessive meat spoils the digestive system.When animals are killed they are highly stressed, and they secrete various poisonous fluids in their body, and when we eat the same our health is naturally affected by poisonous secretions.Also what right i have to kill the animal when i  cannot create the same.The right for creation and destruction lies with Ishwara alone. For him  all beings have the same value, there is nothing big or small about it. Therfore it's better if we end animal cruelity.

Wednesday, October 12, 2011

WHY AGNI HOTRA?

ASHES FROM AGNIHOTRAM ENRICHES POTASH AND NITROGEN. IT CAN BE USED AS A GOOD MANURE. EARTH WORMS GROW  THRU ASH IN LARGE NOS, AND THEY TURN ORGANIC WASTES INTO MANURE. SMOKE OF AGNIHOTHRA PURIFIES THE ATMOSPHERE AND OZONE AND BECOMES RESPONSIBLE FOR TIMELY RAINS.IT HAS BEEN PROVED THAT PHYSICAL AILMENTS, SICKNESS,AND DEASES BECOMES LESS IN HOUSES WHERE AGNIHOTHRA IS REGULARLY PERFORMED. IT RENEWS THE BRAIN CELLS, REVITALISES THE SKIN, PURIFIES THE BLOOD AND PREVENTS GROWTH OF PATHOGENIC BACTERIA. IT ERADICATES BACTERIA AND MICRO-ORGANISMS. THIS WILL LESSEN THE EFFECT OF ATOMIC RADIATION TO A GREAT EXTENT. IT KILLS THE GERMS OF T.B,MEASLES, SMALLPOX AND COW-POX. IT LEADS TO THE PURIFICATION OF AIR, SOIL, AND WATER. THERE ARE VARIOUS PAPERS WHICH DISCUSESS THE EFFECTS OF AGNIHOTHRA. TWO SUCH WORKS ARE--AGNIHOTHRA THE MESSAGE OF TIME  BY DR. MADHUKAR P.GAIKWAD AND THE INTEGRAL SCIENCE OF YAGNA BY YUG NIRMAN YOJNA.

Wednesday, September 28, 2011

RISHIKESH

About 24 miles from Haridwar is Rishikesh.,which leads to Gangotri,Kedarnath, and Badrinath. Rishikesh is famous for BHARATJI'S temple.which is said to be established by Sri Shankaracharya. Rishikesh is full of sadhus.The forest university of Swami Shivanandaji and his divine life mission are quite famous.The modern town of Rishikesh has undergone lot's of changes. earlier we never used to see even bread[29 yrs ago]. Now u get everything under the sun.place to be seen  are Lakshman joola, over the river Ganga, Ramjoola, all these places are haunted by Monkeys, who are always on the move and make the place lively. watching them is great fun.  Swami Dayanand Ashram is roughly 3 kms from Ramjoola., near Andhra ashram. This Ashram is very neat and clean. The Ashram invariably has lot of camps from various Sadhus, who take classes of Vedanta . Also there are various camps for sanskrit studies, yoga etc which are usefull for mankind.The Ashram over looking the Himalayas are a beautiful site to be seen from ASHRAM benches. The GANGA flows with great force making gurgling noises' with lot's of big waves. The temple at the Ashram is Dakshinamoorthy, who reveals remaing silent teaching Brahmavidya to students who are intested to know Atman. There is serenity of peace and tranquility while you are at this temple.  It' to be noted that  i am visiting Rishikesh after a gap of 15 yrs. Ganga arthi at Paramarth sadan is vey beautiful sight, which nobody caan forget. Every day ther is Ganga arathi. Ganga IN uttaranchal ais worshipped as LIVING GODESS.

Sunday, September 18, 2011

HARIDWAR OR HARADWAR-----

HARIDWAR OR HARADWAR[VAISHNAVITES CALL IT HARIDWAR' FOR SHAIVAITES IT'S HARDWAR] This sacred place is roughly 230 kms from Delhi-Dehradun  Road.It's better to go by RAJDHANI IF U ARE A BOMBAY MAN. DEHRADUN    express TAKES  2 days to reach Haridwar. From DELHI , better to catch interstate buses from Kashmiri-gate. autos charges 50 rupees. Buses charges only 160 rupees for Rishikesh. we were cheated by a private bus as we went opp to Newdelhi stn. THE bus journey was horrible He charged us 450 rupees  each, and it took 10 HRS . WE STARTED FROM DELHI AT 10 A.M AND REACHED RISHIKESH AT 7.30 p.m.    here i shall talk about Haradwar. It's said that Lord Shiva placed  the falling Ganges on his head at Gangadwara, so that people could be protected. This is the sacred river Ganga. PEOPLE approach her with a pure mind and pay respects to mother Ganges. THIS encient  CITY OF HARDWAR is situated on the bank of the Ganges at the foot of the SHIWALIK RANGES. The river Ganges moves for about 200 miles in the mountains and gushes out at this place into open plains.The famous legend of Bhagiradha is asociated with  Ganga..On account of KAPILA MUNI'S curse , the anccestors of Bhagiratha were burnt here. For their  salvation, he brought down Ganga. In order to lessen the force of the river, lord SHIVA held her in his matted hair..Thereafter she was lead by BHAGHIRATHA to liberate his ancestors.Ganga  asked Bhagiratha "please show me the way i shall flow now" It was BHAGIRATHA who laid down the for the river perhaps with his engineering skill and brought river Ganga to the place where she flows now. Haradwar is known as the place where sage Kapila lived who burnt THE SONS OF SAGARA.  who were in search of their sacrificial horse stolen by Indra AND TIED UP BY HIM AT  the hermitage of KAPILA.Taking sage Kapila to be thief , the sons of sagara prepared to attack him..kAPILA CAME TO KNOW OF THEIR RESOLVE AND BURNT THEM.Subsequently Bhagiratha brought down the Ganga and liberated them from their sins. The abode of sage KAPILA is still ponted out at a place called KAPILASTHANA.Near the harki pairi isthe gangadwara temple where it washes of the pada of VISHNU, THE IMPRINT OF LORD VISHNU  is shown on a stone wall.  Nearly 10 mts from HARI KI PAIRI  is the famous MANASA DEVI MANDIR. here   it's on a big mountain wherein ropeways are reaching the temple premises. there is also a walkway which is very hard and long tedious journey.     well I SHALL COV ER  RISHIKESH in my next blog.

Saturday, September 3, 2011

REAL LOVE

GOPIS  SAID"SOME LOVE IN RETURN THOSE WHO LOVE THEM. WHILE OTHERS DO JUST REVERSE.[TO LOVE EVEN THOSE WHO DO NOT LOVE THEM].OTHERS DO NOT LOVE EITHER. TELL US LORD WHAT'S LOVE.KRISHNA REPLIED. THEY WHO LOVE ONE ANOTHER FOR MUTUAL BENEFIT RELLY LOVE THEIR OWN SELF AND NONE OTHER. THEIR ACTION IS SOLELY OF SELFISH INTEREST.NEITHER GOODWILL NOR VIRTUE PLAYS A PART THERE.THEY WHO ACTUALLY LOVE EVEN THOSE WHO DO NOT LOVE THEM ARECOMPASSIONATE AND LOVING LIKE ONE'S OWN PARENT.THERE IS A BLAMELESS VIRTUE  AS WELL AS GOODWILL OPERATING THERE.PLEASE UNDERSTAND THESE  MY DEAR GOPIS.SOME INDEED DO NOT LOVE EVEN THOSE WHO LOVE THEM.THEY ARE EITHER SAGES REVELLING IN THEIR OWN SELF[having no knowledge of external world.]OR THOSE  WHO HAVE REALIZED THEIR AMBITION[THREFORE FREE FROMALL CRAVING OF ENJOYMENTS THOUGH CONSCIOUS OF EXTERNAL OBJECTS] OR DULLHEADS[WHO ARE INCAPABLE OF APPRECIATION OF OODNESS DONE TO THEM] OR UNGREATFUL PEOPLE [WHO BEAR  ENEMITY TO THEIR OWN BENEFACTORS THAT ARE AS GOOD AS THEIR PARENTS. THOUGH CONSCIOUS OF THEIR SERVICES.] [RAS LEELA-32-BOOK TEN BHAVATHAM -VERSE 16,17, 18]

Sunday, August 21, 2011

krishna Mantra

King  Kulashekara [a great devotee of Krisna] says ' o tounge, please chant constantly the mantra composed of Sri Krisna's names.This is  the only mantra for destroying our enemies[our own negative thoughts],The mantra worshipped by every word of the upanishads, the mantra that uproots smsara, the mantra that drives away all darkness of ignorance, the mantra for attaining all prosperites, the mantra for curing those bitten by  poisonous snake of worldly distress, and the mantra for making one,s  birth in this world sucessful.[HARE KRISHNA,HARE KRISHNA, KRISNA KRISHNA, HARE HARE] Today is Kishna janmashtami, his birth is peculiar He was born  on ashtami, which is  the rainy season  which has dark clouds, and his birth looked like rays of brilliance emanating from his  lustrous body, covering the sky..When all the quarters had been cooled well by rain waters and people were overwhelmed with joy and they had been wishing for Lord's incarnation, the remover of sorrows  of all three worlds[ manushya,asura, deva, lokas] did appear ojn the earth at mid night, when the moon was rising.Let us rejoice his birth with pure joy and purity of heart and enjoy this great festival.

Wednesday, August 17, 2011

BHAKTI YOGA[FROM SHVETASHVATARA-UPANISHAD.

LORD is the soul of the universe. He is immortal. He  is the ruler of this vast universe. He is All-pervading, protector of vishvam the universe., the eternal ruler. none else is there to govern the world eternally. He who at the begining of creation projected Brahma[universal consciousness] and who delivered the vedas unto him, i am seeking liberation and i am taking shelter unto the effulgent one, whose light turns the understanding towards atman.------Bhakthi yoga is a real search after the Lord, a search tht begins, continues, and end in love. As per  Narada it is intense love towards god.[ PARAMA PREM BAKTHI ]                                                When a man gets it he loves all, hates none. becomes satisfied for ever. This love is not earthly  benefits, because so long as worldly desires last, that kind of love does not come. Bhakthi is greater than karma, yoga, because these are intended for an object in view. while Bakthi is it,s own fruition, it,s own means and it,s own end.

Wednesday, August 10, 2011

KOTHAMBIR VADI[ A MAHARASHRIAN FOOD]

Dear guys, i tried  a maharashtrian dish called Kothambirvadi. It's very easy to make. take 1 cup of  besan powder, add 1 cup of water and add dhaniya leaves[Kothamalli leaves] pl note that kothamalli must be cut into fine small pieces and steer well till a fine batter like that of idli mavu. u can add little of Eno salt for little fermentation- keep the batter for 1 hour.  Take a flat vessel put some oil at bottom and side portion of the vessel, so that batter that is transferred will not stick the vessel. pressure cook the batter for 4 or 5 wistles and remove the vessel from pressure cooker cut the batter. it will come as square pieces. fry this pieces in oil and Kothambir vadi is ready. This i tried today' and it came  out to be very much  successfull. pl note u should add salt, little of mirchi powder etc to the batter before pressure cooking. YOU MAY TRY. THIS VERY EASY TO MAKE.

KATHOPANISHAD[DIALLOUGES BETWEEN YAMA ANDNACHIKETA]

Yama is the lord of death. It is his duty to see that people are rightly judged.He sits in judgement on the actions of all living beings.A young seeker after truth dares go to to the god of death for knowing the truth about nature of human soul and it's destiny. BY constant questioning and by a simple straight forward question of his own, he persuades Yama to part with mystic knowlrdge about soul and supreme spirit. He also gets the course of the pathway to the realization of great truth.It is this pathway that later devoloped into the more scientific Yoga school of Patanjali. This story describes the adventure of young Nachiketa.

Thursday, July 14, 2011

JIVESHWARA BANDHAM

THE REFLECTION OF BRAHMAN IDENTIFYING WITH BODY IS JEEVA.JEEVA BY  NATURE TAKES ISHWARA AS DIFFERENT FROM JEEVA,HERE THE SELF IS CONDITIONED BY AVIDYA IS CALLED JEEVA.WHEN CONDITIONED BY MAYA IS CALLED EESHWARA. SO LONG AS IDEA  OF DIFFERENCES BETWEEN THESE TWO ARE THERE ONE IS NOT FREE FROM FROM SAMSARA. WHICH IS OF BIRTH AND BIRTH. HENCE ONE SHOULD NOT ACCEPT THAT EESHWARA AND JEEVA ARE DIFFERENT. NOW THE PROBLEM HOW DO I KNOW I AM BRAHMAN? TATHWAMASI VAKYAM EXPLAINS THAT YOU ARE THAT BRAHMAN WHICH IS THE ULTIMATE TRUTH.

Tuesday, July 12, 2011

WHAT I PERCIEVE FROM BHAJA GOVINDHAM

BHAJA GOVINDHAM IS THE  BASIC TEXT  ATTRIBUTED TO ADI SHANKARA.HE PRESENTS SAGUNA BRAHMAN BY MANIFESTATION OF ISHWARA [GOVINDAM]  ,WHO IS PRESENT IN EACH AND EVERY BEING OF THIS UNIVERSE, WHICH IS VERY VAST AND UNIMAGINABLE.NOW HOW DOES ISHWARA MANIFEST? WELL FROM NIRGUNA BRAHMAN ALONE. ONE CAN UNDERSTAND THAT SOMETHING WILL MANIFEST ONLY FROM  A CHETANA VASTHU. AND THAT SENTIENT BEING IS BRAHMAN[NIRGUNA]. THEREFORE WHAT YOU SEE IN THE UNIVERSE IS THE MAYA POWER IN THE HANDS OF THE LORD. AND THAT IS CALLED SAGUNA BRAHMAN. THE OTHER IS NIRGUNA BRAHMAN IS THE SUPREME REALITY, WHICH IS THE BASIS OF ALL MANIFESTATIONS.

Sunday, July 10, 2011

MEDITATION ON NIRGUNA BRAHMAN-----VERSE-98

YASMINNETADH VIBHATHAM, YATHA EEDAAM BAVADHYENA, CHEDHAM YA  YETADH, ASMADH UTTHIRNA ROOPHA, KHALU SAKALAMIDHAM BHASITHAM YASYA BHASA, YO VACHAAM DHOORA DHOORE, PUNARAPI MANASAM YASYA DHEVA MUNEENDRAHA, NO VIDHYUSTHATHVA ROOPAM, KIMU PUNARAPARE, KRISHNA, TASMIGH NAMASTHE!----------- Here B attathiri is  talking about the Brahman, which is the substratum on which jagath appears,     which i9s also the cause of the jagath, into the Brahman alone the universe merge and brahman alone appears as the universe and it also transcends this universe, which cannot be described by mere words, nor you can consceptualise in the mind, whose nature even gods and sages do not know, not to speak olesser beings. I salute you, oh! KRISHNA, you are that Brahman itself.

Friday, July 1, 2011

THE SELF ALONE IS ETERNAL

ATMA HI NITYO, AKHILALOKA SAKSHI, SA, EVA JAGATHAHA,PARAMASHRAYOPI, EVAM VIJANANA,SATASADH VIVEKHI, BAVATHEEHA SIDDHAHA,PARAMARTHA DARSHI.---------JNANASARAHA.---------This is a verse which highlights atma as immortal. teacher says that the self is eternal and it is the witness of the entire universe. the whole world is depended on this truth called sakshi. with this understanding one should  know what,s real mand unreal, through constant vichara. then alone  an individual  becomes the seer of  absolute trufh. The self is eternal which is ever permanent beyond time and space. it,s birthless, therefore no death is there. the self is always existing. witness means self evident and is consciousness alone. the entire world is illumined by sakshi or wit6ness. what,s jagath? jayati,gacchathi,thishtathi, ethi jagath,[ which is born, disappears,  and seems to exist at a particular movement.] Thus the entire jagath is dependent on self or atma alone.

Sunday, June 26, 2011

DEEKSHA [INITIATION]

IN Hindu tradition there are several ways of deeksha or initiation. dekksha is given by guru except in case of one of the mantra deeksha ie Gayatri usually. mantra deeksa can also be given by GURU. student has to repeat this mantra for several years daily to understand the trufh that,s mentioned in our sastras.nayana deeksa is given through just by mere glance of guru. this also called nayana deeksa.or matsya deeksa. fishes lays eggs in the river and goes for swim in search of their food. meanwhile it just gives a glance towards, it,s eggs. and the young ones hatch out, sucessfully. another deeksa is kukuta deeksa or  sparsa deeksa. wherein hen sits on the eggs gives them warmth and young ones hatch out. then thre is smarana deeksa like that of the tortoise. tortoise lays eggs on shores and goes into the sea. later it just thinks what will happen to the eggson the shore? will they get food? tortise by  merely  thinking alone the young one hatch out. then there is pada deeksa . one can get deeksa through guru,s pada or legs. in case of SAINT KABIRDAS HE GOT PADA DEEKSA FROM HIS TEACHER  swami Ramananda. kabir thought  a wonderful way to get pada deeksa of guru. his teacher used to take bath in  Ganges at early hours it was ptch dark. kabir slept on the footstepos of  Ganga. guru trampled upon  Kbir and said  SHIVA-SHIVA! immediately thanked swamiji and wrote several poems or dohas which is valued till today.This does not mean other deeksas cannot be given. several gurus decides his own way of deeksa to his disciple.   incidently Totakacharya  recieved sparsa deeksa from his teacher ADI SHANKARA. This shows our  Guru shishya parampara was always intact in hindu tradition.

Wednesday, June 15, 2011

lift me up from samsara sagara

shri krishna  rukminikantha, gopijana manohara, samsara sagare magnam mamuddhara jagath guro!------This is an invocation to SRI KRISHNA from gopalapurvatapani upanisad.. this is one of the rare one which i have not come across.  here the saint is  addressing krishna,the beloved spouse of Rukmini, the captivator of the hearts of gopis, oh! lord of the universe lift me up from this samsara [births and deaths] as i am submerged deeply. Here author  says that due to my previous karmas i have taken the birth. as such even in the womb of my mother i was uncomfortable. ofcourse even after birth i had to face sukha and dukhas, which afer all were temporary as these were based upon  my vishaya vasnas. which any way doesn,t give me immense happiness. now i find that only supreme lord can lift me up from the world of plurality. so i sincerely pray to you  to mlift me up so that i can understand  the supreme reality.Jagat guro stands for Krishna the supreme teacher who gave Arjuna the upanishadic sara in Baghavath Geeta.

Monday, June 13, 2011

sadhana panchakam

in the first verse ADISHANKARA says study the vedas  daily,perform actions with karma sanyasa attitude.[mostly shastras ordain certain karmas to be done]dedicate karmas that you do as worship unto the lord.Renounce those that are too much attached to you. wash away your sins from your heart. recognise that the pleasures of sense-objects[samsara vishayas] are riddled with pain. seek the self with consistent vicharas and interest. Escape from bondage of home. here home means body, mind and intelect.we always take shelter in body,mind or intelect, which are really inert. they get the chetanatwam only due to brahman. or atma which is the supreme reality.. These are some of the sadhanas that should be done before dhyana or contemplation.

Thursday, June 9, 2011

SEEK GOVIND SEEK GOVIND

भागवत गीता  किंचित अधीता ,गंगा जल  लव à¤•à¤¨िका  पीता , à¤¸à¤•ृदपि  à¤¯ेन    à¤®ुरा à¤†à¤°ी à¤¸à¤®à¤°्चा ,क्रियते à¤¤à¤¸्य यमेंन न  à¤šà¤°्चा , à¤­à¤œ  à¤—ोविन्दम भज गोविन्दम à¤—ोविन्दम भज मूड मथे -------THIS 20TH VERSE FROM BHAJAGOVINDAM, IS ATTRIBUTED TO HAVE BEEN GIVEN OUT BY ANANDAGIRI , ONE OF THE SHISHYA OF ADI SHANKARA.TWELVE VERSES OF BHAJAGOVINDAM IS CALLED DWADASHA MANJARI IS AUTHORED BY SHANKARA HIMSELF. REST OF THE18 VERSES ARE COMMENTED BY HIS DIFFT SHISHYAS OF HIS TIME.----------------------------------------------------------IN UR LIFE TIME READ AND UNDERSTAND AT LEAST SOME IMPORTANT PORTIONS OF BAGAVATGEEA.ATLEAST HAVE A SIP OF GANGA JAL.ATLEAST WORSHIP MURARI ONCE ,THEN WHERE IS THE DISCUSSION OR QUARREL WITH YAMA ,LORD OF DEATH.----HAVE INTELECTUAL DISCIPLINE BY REFLECTING UPON MAHAVAKYAS OF GEETA, HAVE CONTINUOUS FLOW OF POSITVE THOUGHTS LIKE GANGA PRAVAHA[CONTINOUS FLOW OF WATER WITHOUT INTERRUPTION] PRAY AND SURRENDER UNTO MUARI[KILLER OF DEMON MURA] WHICH IS OUR OWN AHANKARA OR EGO. IF SOME OF THES THINGS ARE FOLLOWED THEN THERE IS NO WORRY OR DISPUTE WITH YAMA OR LORD OF DEATH. WHICH  MEANS U ARE FREE FROM SAMSARA, AND UR THOGHTS ARE ALWAYS ABOUT SUPREME LORD. THEREFORE BHAJA GOVINDAM U FOOL INSTEAD OF WASTING UR LIFE IN UNNECESSARY ARGUMENTS.

Thursday, June 2, 2011

ABOUT BHAGAVAN

AISVARYASYA SAMAGRASYA VITTASYA YASHAH  SRIYAHAH     JNYANA VIJNYANASCHAPI SHANNAAM BHAGHA ITEERANA.     IN our shastras lord is defined  as one who controls wealth. He must have a good name evrywhere. He must have good personality. He must have deep knowledge on all secular matters. He must have atma jnaana. this sloka apears in yogavasishtam, where Rama asks vasishta to define ishvara.

SATKARMAJANYAM

This body is the result of action done in the past. The human birth is the finest in the creation. IN THIS BIRTH, we have choice to evolve or devolve.We are endowed with a subtle intellect that can discriminate between right and wrong, real and unreal etc. and attain the supreme truth. This human birth is surely the result of good actions done in the past. Knowing it's uniqueness one should not waste this precious birth but achieve the purpose for which we gained this body.This is called satkarmajanyam in sanskrit.

Thursday, May 26, 2011

Devotion of Thotakacharya

Thotakacharya is one of the favourite shishya of Adhi Shankara.Shankaracharya used to conduct his satsangh at various places along the riverbanks or at mountains. Thotaka' main job was to do seva to AdiShankara like washing his saffron robes. one day the students were ready for the class of vedanta. Shankara was uncomfortable and was looking here and there, but did not start. his scholarly shishya padmapadha was looked upon by others to ask ADI SHANKARA, why the class is not yet sarted.Shankara replied where is my GIRI!  it seems THOTAKAS'S SRADDHA WAS  SO GREAT THAT HE IMMEDIATELY REMEMBERED THAT HIS TEACHER WANTS HIM.he ran towards BHAGAVATPADHA  and sat down . Padmapadha commented why wait for one who is not there at the moment? to this shankara replied you don't know about the shraddha of Thotaka who places immence faith in guru vakhya and veda. it seems shankara asked thotaka what he understood all these days. He presented a ashtakam in thotaka metre. then on this became a famous work  called thotakaashtakam which is very famous work. what i mean to say is your immence faith in vedas and guru vakyas, can make you t5o gain knowledge of self.shraddha alone can save you from this world of samsara.

Wednesday, April 27, 2011

TATWA BODHA

Tatwa Bodha of Adi Shankara is the basic text that vedantists  start, so that many of the defenitions that Shankara uses is explained very lucidly and clearly. say for example. Maya is defined as ya ma' sa maya.-----THAT WHICH IS NOT REAL.does it mean it's unreal, no, it's not unreal. as you see it right in front of your eyes.it's apparent reality like my tee-shirt. tee shirt has a form and name. but ot depends upon the fibre which is satyam. hence fibre is the reality with respect to tee shirt. in the same way this jagat which you see is also maya, since it has name and form. but it depends upon conciousness which is the reality. hence that which is not real is maya.it's also called anirvachaneeya, that which cannot be explained in a single shot.that which you experience in this world is also maya only.

Saturday, April 16, 2011

SYSTEMATIC APPROACH TO VEDIC WISDOM

Dear friends i have been always thinking to start a vedanta class at my residence by any eminent sanyasi. I am now fortunate enough to start the same under ACHARYA VASUDHA.The classes aim at systematic unfolding of the ancient Indian wisdom to all participants centered on the principles of 3 L'S[LISTENING,LEARNING AND LIVING].Acharya vasudha is aphd in clinical Hypnotherapy who practised as a therapist for several years.Earlier she worked in the Events Management Division of the TImes of India group.Eventually when the call call to explore mysteries of universe and it's function intensified in her, she dedicated herself to the studies of vedas and today she is an accomplished Acharya holding several classes to the benefit of Navi MUMBAI spiritually.her e mail---vivavedanta@gmail.com her blog is acharyavasudha.blogspot.com------The vednta classes will start from 21st April on all Thursdays from 6.30 p.m to 7.30 p.m-the subject is TATVA BODHA OF ADHI SHANKARA.The venue is my residence. This for your information .

Thursday, April 7, 2011

ANNA HAZARE PEOPLE'S GANDHI

Dear friends, after nearly 63 years of long slumber many citizens want to feel the real freedom.they have already seen the corrupt governments of Egypt,Lybia, Yemen,  and several other small nations whos'e sincere citizens being fed up of their governments have been organizing several protests against corrupt rulers.In India too Anna Hazre has started  a movement to teach a lesson to the corrupt politicians[both Ruling and OPPOSITION]. Anna  has started a fast unto death from 5th april at Delhi against corruption.He is supported by Swami Agnivesh, kiranbedi and several other non political leaders. They have not allowed single political party in their stage and their fight against corruption.Govt already has given in  to agree to form commission of civil society members. , which is the first demand of  Anna.Here in vashi we have started a movement  to support Anna. from tommorrow onwards at 8.30 a.m daily at the public garden of sector-9. Kiran bedi says that it's not only businessmen and industrialists are paying taxes. the common poor people of India are paying taxes even on match boxes.Hence they are answerable to people. corruption is rampant in this country. HERE is the sincere movement of Anna Hazare against corruption. It's our duty to support such sincere non political leaders, otherwise the country will go to dogs. IN this country opposition always organises walkouts  even when th budgets of the nation which is the   most important agenda for the nation. The ruling party passes the bill since it's their own majority is present in the house.Thus both ruling and opposition are corrupt. I  am really glad  that NOW COMMON MEN ARE ON THE STREET TO FIGHT OUT CORRUPTION.

Tuesday, April 5, 2011

various types of vedic chanters

There are six classes of vedic chanters.Those who recite vedas musically.Those who recite very fast. Those who shake their heads unnecessarily while reciting vedas.Those who don't know the meaning of their chants.lastly those voice is very poor.+
These are some of the mistakes done by chanters.. hence care should be taken to study from a good traditional guru, who knows chanting well and can also give you the meanings with clear thoughts.
--the verse is-----geethi sheegri,shira kampi,thatha likitha patakaha,anarthajnyaha,alpakantascha,shad ethe pataka damaha.

Sunday, April 3, 2011

BELLS IN TEMPLE

In most temples there are one or more bells. devotee rings the bell as soon as he enters and goes for darshan.. now why bell in a temple.? is it to wake up god?lord never sleeps. is it to inform that you have come?well he he is all knowing that's why he is god. HE welcomes all at all times as he is lord. then why should you ring the bell.?you be informed well about this.The ringing of the bells produces auspicious sounds such as om.Even while arathi we ring the bell..THE sound of the bell can drown all all unwanted or irrelevant noises and other dirty comments of the worshippers, adds concentration and inner peace..There is a verse in sanskrit.------AGAMARTHAM THU DEVANAM   GAMANARTHAM THU RAKSHASAM, DEVATHA POOJANARTHAYA    GHANTA NATHAM KAROMYAHAM.I ring this bell indicating invocation of divinity in me,so that virtuous force may enter my heart, and with this power of lord let me ring the bell and worship the all-mighty.

Wednesday, March 30, 2011

ANANDA

Anantham anantham is the one that is  said in our vedas.this happiness does not have  a limitation.it's limitless. it has no purpose unlike other happiness we derive from this outer world called vishayananda. it's born out of a particular vishaya, as long as the the object exists this vishayananda exists whereas if i have no purpose to achieve, then ananda ie manifested is real, as i always want to get something out of my seeking for my happiness from say a job, a degree, fame, etc wherein we after something ie based upon the impermanent things. sometimes i am happy for no reason. i did not pursue for any happiness, even then i was happy for there was no purpose. if i had any purpose , then my happiness is very limited. as having achieved the same, i will again go for some other material pleasures.There is no end for pursuit of our happiness. We have been doing the same mistake for years together. days, months,years pass bye still we are not happy. the problem is created by our own mind and it can be solved by you alone.our main difficulty is we want reason, why it's like this? IN SPIRITUAL TRUTH THERE IS NO REASON.truth happens. and it's immortal.you dont have to search for ananda. you are ananda. atma is ever permanent it has no death. mind and body may die but atma is immortal.ananda that comes without any purpose is real annda, Earlier i had blogged about sath, and chith.  to day i had blogged about  ananda. although i talked about sat, chith, ananda, relly they are one and the same only. it's swarupa of atma or self. hence self is supreme.

chith

chit is awareness.very often we are not aware about what's happening. for example  take our own breathing. generally we are not aware about our breath. but breathing takes place continuously.hence awareness is very important for your spiritual progress.normally as a jeeva[individual]  suppose we are in the temple we are worried about home, like whether i have closed the gas or door of the house e.t.c. which means we are not aware of the present, like when in temple you are supposed to pray to god. but since i am not in the present moment i am worried about the future. with a net result that i cannot  get any satisfaction whatsoever.neither in the temple nor in the home. what's important is to live in the present moment, then only your actions are fruitful. anyway knowledge also happens at a  particular moment only. even if we search for truth for many years, it clicks only at a particular moment. hence that moment or awareness is the truth. also if i think about even my death, say suppose i think say after 20 or 30 years, literally every day i am dying since worried  abut my death. however if i am ready to die any moment' then i am not at all worried since i am ready at any moment. what i want to say be aware of all unpleaseant things also, it should not disturb us. we should be aware of both good and bad.

sath

that which is permanent is called sath. our shasthras say that  while we see so many things in the universe, actually it is jadam[inert]. so whenever we prepare our bio-data- firstly we give our name. secondly age, qualifications, experience, e.t.c. but really speaking none of these are permanent. even people change their names, age also increases even after ur biodatas are given as u do'nt get jobs immediately.u may be adding qualifications, experience change with no of years, so none of them is permanent. hence we update the biodatas very often, but one thing does not change, that i does not change. as everything revolves round ur own self. this i from ur childhood to ur old age remains the same. it does not age, it is beyond time and space. hence it,s immortal. self does not have change. it  is ever permanent. therefore it's satyam. it is present in all  times ie yesterday ,today and tomorrow. we search for those happiness based upon what we see in the world. that's why we are unhappy to get real happiness. if u inquire into ur self u wll attain permanent happiness ie  called Ananda. but ananda cannot be obtained without awareness, ie chit.we shall about this later.

Wednesday, March 23, 2011

Vedanta: Vedanta: Jon Higgins - Govardana Giridhari - Darba...

Vedanta: Vedanta: Jon Higgins - Govardana Giridhari - Darba...: "Vedanta: Jon Higgins - Govardana Giridhari - Darbari Kanada..."

Vedanta: Jon Higgins - Govardana Giridhari - Darbari Kanada...

Vedanta: Jon Higgins - Govardana Giridhari - Darbari Kanada...

Jon Higgins - Govardana Giridhari - Darbari Kanada

Anthar bahischita sarvam, vyapya narayana stitaha.

This is a verse from Narayana suktham.Narayana is antharyami[one who resides inside] which means he is the consciousness.He is also outside you in each and every jeevas{bahischita sarvam]. he is manifested [vyaptham] in and through every object. In fact he is existence, due to which all objects are seen by you.That is the reason why Bheeshma addressed partha or Arjuna and told him that i can see Krishna externally just as any body else ie in every object i see him. but really he is in the cave of my heart, which means narayana is atma. he is immrotal , he is not bound by time or space. he was always there, will be there and is there always.since BAHEESHMA was hihly realised soul, he waited till Uttarayana to cast away his body, knowing fully that krishna is the supreme reality.

Monday, March 21, 2011

DRIKH-DRISHYA VIVEKHA

VERSE;---ASTHI BHATHI, PRIYAM RUPAM, NAMACHETHYAMSHA PANCHAKHAM,ADYATHRAYAM BRAHMA RUPAM, JAGADRUPAM TADAHVAYAM------Well in physics if you want to know about any object, two factors are necessary.the subject and the object. where as in vedanta  we have five factors that are necessary to know any object. it's much deeper than science.(1) asthi----to know about the object' first there should be existence, otherwise you cannot see an object.(2)bhathi;----shines as  a particular object distinct from other objects. for example--A FAN- fans can easily be identified from all other objects. hence bhathi.(3)priyam:  if i talk about fan and your attention is somewhere else like in the sky, you will not know about the fan. hence it should be dear to you. then only you can see (4). RUPAM;----any object in the world should have form otherwise you cannot objectify. (5) NAMAM;---- NAME----every object should have a name. otherwise you will not know the object. hence nama. Thus five factors are existence,shining as object,dear to me, form and name.. in this first three factors asthi, bhathi, priyam, are the nature of Brahman, and the latter two factors namely nama rupam is the nature of jagath or world., which is in the sway of maya. name and form changes you see the world. but first three cannot be seen, but it,s the basis for your seeing the objects.

war situation in libya.

DAEAR FRIENDS, i have observed that world situation is not that good. either the-peace is destroyed by natural calamities sent by lord or man made calmities like which we have seen in Libya war and  earth quakes of Japan. be it be any nation either the politician or natural forces are there to destroy' which only shows there are  no permanent solutions to any situation.Hence what should we do to this situation when sometimes it can disturb us.My view is that we should go for our self improvement alone. Let world be under any situation that we cannot change' then it's better that we change our attitudes towards everybody. we shold have a smiling face' try to have inner peace through yoga and meditations which give a mental condition that will make us prepared to face any situation. Let us not be a weakling under any situation. better bve bold and face situations as it comes and goes.Let's take the world as a stage wherein many actors play roles that are supposed to be played by them and enjoy the drama rather than give a serious reality to drama seen by you. Enjoy any situation as we have really no control over either man made or natural calamities. i feel it's better to pray lord to to give peace both inner and outer world though in reality these are very small situations when compared to realisation of truth of self which is the greatest truth of all. Our shastras and  a good guru can show the right path. lets try to find out that truth which is iimortal ie is your own atma or self.

OM SAHANA BHAVATHU SAHANAU BHUNAKTU

verse from KATHA UPANISHAD ;  Om sahanavavathu; sahanau bhunaktu; sahaviryam karavavahai; Tejaswinavadhitamastu; ma vidvisavahai ,Om santih'santih. santih----------------  Om, may Brahman protect us[teacher and student] both. May Brahman                                 nourish us both. May we both acquire energy (as a result of thus study.)May we both become illumined(by the study)May we not hate each other. om. peace. peace. peace.  This peace invocation havinspired thousands of teachers and students engaged in pursuit of knowledge and excellence of character for thousands of years. it is a co-operative effort of both teacher and student. the invocation  expresses the idea of education as the achievement of knowledge and excellence of character in the context of a harmonious relationship between teacher and student.The giving and recieving of knowledge leads to remake the man depending on the stimulus of guru-shishya relationship.The teachert gives and sdtudent recieves not only ideas and informations but inspiration as well.In reality  teacher and student are peronalities.Education, according to our sages is lighting of one lamp from another lamp.

Wednesday, March 16, 2011

HEAT IN MUMBAI

Dear guys, i have to inform u all that heat is very much unbearable, sometimes it touches 38 degree celicious. it seems rainy season also will be severe. there is enough heat due to global warming. now how to tackle? there should be water harvesting in each and every colonies or big societies. it makes the ground wet and keep the soil in good condition for plants to grow, so that enogh green trees are there   to keep the atmosphere  in fine condition

Tuesday, March 15, 2011

HIGH COST OF LIVING

Dear guys, when i am back to India i find all things have become costly.veggies,oils,fruits and all the food products  arehooting vertically. gone are the days of simple living. now every body,wether pauper or millianare all wants  to enjoy.now poor are asking why i should not enjoy? so costs are sky rocketting. but one good  thing that economists  are fully confident is about our youthful population. we do have millions of people who are in the bracket of 15-to 20 years. they can contribute alot in the labour sector. there is no shortage of labour. u can hire for any project very easily. our education schools have improved in quality and in quantities. many are investing in education, with a net result  that terachers do have a high demand in any state in India, which itself is a good sign. however we should learn a lot of discipline from other nations. we are v. poor in discipline. so if  we improve in self discipline i feel we are competent to face any challenge. already there are nearly 20 billionares in the world econmic surveys. hence we can become devolped nation if we are sinciere. now the question is are we?

Friday, March 11, 2011

DAYS IN NEW JERSEY

New jersey  is a busy city with criss-cross roadways. you can find many a concentration of gujeratis and other indians. if you are in n.j you will never miss india. in n.j i was with satish from dec. to march at his sea caucus residence. this was very helpful for me, for i was able to pass my time very easily, specially roaming around riverbed along with mr. tiwary  who like me had come from india. we were mostly at library or going for walks together. n.j has many Hindu temples. i  visited all the temple except n.y. temples. i couldn't go since always there were nine snow storms and temps were always below 0 deg. However  i could really enjoy my stay due to lord's mercy. i  am starting on 12th march and reach mumbai on 13th.

Tuesday, March 8, 2011

IST SHRADDHAM OF MY WIFE PARVATHI---5T,6TH.7TH

Dear friends, i have to inform you all that my wife's ist shraddham was done at stroudsburgh at Pennsylvania,  at sringeri sharadha devi temple. the functions went of just as normally being done in india. learned priests are available in U.S.There is a separate building  near the temple wherein shraddha karmas are done. MY children[both vaidyanathan and narayanan] and their wives  were very much involved, and the functions went of smoothly. i am thankful to many of my relations and friends, without  their blessings it would not be possible to do the karmas. thanks to one and all.

Friday, March 4, 2011

Dakshina moorthi stotram----[meaning of 5TH VERSE]

Deham pranamapeendriyanyapi chalam buddhim cha shunyam viduhu, sthree balandajadopamasthavahamithi brantha brusham vadinaha, maya shakthi vilasa kalpithamaha vyamoha samharine, thasmye shree gurumurthaye namaitham shree dakshinamurthaye!                  My prostration to the divine Teacher,sri Dakshinaoorthy, one who removes all the terrible misconceptions, created by the deluding play of Maya-in those who are intellectually innocent  as a woman-child-blindd-idiot and consider their body or prana as the reality,or their senses or their ever-changing  intellect or as mere void(shunya) and through error(misconception)--declare them to be the only reality.   A subtle intellect, suppoted by urge for spiritual quest and pure heart alone can expect sucess therein  and hope to achieve the goal of knowing the eternal truth of supreme reality.  

Saturday, February 26, 2011

Hnduism not authered by man[APAURESHAYAM]

Each  religion has a founder and his writings and preachings are authentic to the followers.in some religions even the book is worshiped and enshrined in temple, like Sikhism wherein holy book is worshiped as "granthsahib". almost all religions does have their own         particular text showing the path  to salvation. so there is an authoritative book on which one's religion is based.hence it's very easy for many people from other religions' except Hinduism.The Christians follow Bible,Muslims the Koran Buddhists  follow Dhammapada and the par sees "Avesta"but Hindus  do not have a similar ready answer.This is due to the fact it's not authored by a single man[APAURESHEYAM].some of the Hindus consider Ramayana as sacred text,others 'bagavath geeta"yet others follow Vedanta as sacred text.thus  for a Hindu  a confusion can arise as others have only one sacred text.HENCE we call this as apaureshyam which means not authored  by an individual.Hinduism does'nt talk about only rituals' it also talks about Dharma. to study dharma we have to refer dharma pramana.[that which gives true knowledge of dharma]. there is a verse  which goes thus; [Angami vedas chatvaro, meemsa, nyaya vistaraha, puranam dharma shastram cha, vidya tahe chaturdasha." there are 14 sacred texts, which explains our Hinduism. These are four vedas, six vedangas or auxillaries to Vedas like "SHIKSHA" which is euphony and pronounciation,vyakarana or grammar,chandas or metre,Niruktham or etymolgy, jyotisha or astronomy,kalpa or procedure,meemamsa or interpretation  of vedic texts, nyaya or logic, purana or mythology, dharma sahstras containing code of conduct. these are available in the above sacred texts. hence these are called "vidyasthanas"

Wednesday, February 23, 2011

a good vegetarian fruit salad

dear guys, i recently tried  fruit salad[i  name it as fruit chat], which came out  very successfully. you may try the same and enjoy with your family.[1] take one apple, peel the skin,remove the seeds and cut the apple into small pieces[2] take one banana, peel the skin, and cut the banana into small pieces.[3] take one peer remove seeds, and cut it into small pieces.[4] take orange, peel the skin, remove seeds and cut it into small pieces.[5] take  quarter piece of pineapple, remove outer skin,and cut it into pieces.[6]take some 20 to 30 grapes.[7] take four dates cut it into small pieces.[8] take one lemon ,squeeze the liquid into a vessel.[9] take  20 to 30 pomegranate seeds.[10] take  one spoon of chat masala [11] take half spoon salt , add the same to the fruits .Now mix the entire contents in a big bowl. keep the bowl in fridge for two hours for chilling.[not necessary for cold U.S climate]. enjoy the same. the process of cutting the fruits takes only half an hour, and you can avoid drudgery of cooking in the kitchen for a change.

Sunday, February 20, 2011

Dakshina moorthi stotram----[verse meaning of nana chidra gadodara]

dakhina moorthi stotram  is a tribute to the great teacher[guru] who unfolds the supreme truth. one of the shloka is "Nana chidra gadodara sthitha maha, deepa prabha baswaram, jnyanam yasyathu chakshuradhi karanam dwara bahi spandase, janameethi tameva bandamanuvad yethath samastam jagath, thasme shree guru moorthaye namayidham, shree dakshinamoorthaye!-----well imagine a lamp is inside a big pot, wherein lot's of small holes are there, we can see as many rays  as possible. now there is only one lamp, that has been lightened up, but  for us it appears as if there are number of rays Adi shankara says  we are seeing this phenomenon of plural entities due to our senses like  eyes,ears etc which  reports to our mind the external world. then i say i know  this and i do not this  both the phenomenons are objectified  by one entity called atman or supreme truth. . it's like one sun  and several pots of water. and in each pot  we see the sun. in reality there is only one sun, but it appears as if there are many suns. this is due to the power of maya  that plays a part, it covers the satyam, and when this covering or ignorance is removed the supreme truth prevails. to the supreme truth called Dakshina moothy [adi guru] i pay my obeisance.

Friday, February 18, 2011

yoga and it's importance

yoga is derived from it's root yujir in Sanskrit' which means to merge or join or unite.it's the union of individual soul with eternal reality or supreme truth. this was practiced in India nearly for ten thousand years. Yoga frees our life's sorrows and prevents diseases and fluctuations of the mind..it gives us composure and inward unity in various life struggles.it's the art of knowing one self and knowing the eternal truth.it's also the study of body,mind and intellect. it's  a way of life,wherein arts and science meet.Sage Patanjali attributed eight limbs to yoga[Ashtanga Yoga] that are inter dependant but all leads to  one goal.THESE ARE [1]Yama----conduct towards others (social discipline)---[2]Niyama---conduct towards oneself or individual discipline.[3]Asana---practice of poses(physical discipline)---[4]pranayama---the breath control (mental discipline)--[5] prathyahara--withdrawal of senses(discipline of senses)-[6] Dharana---concentration of particular object. [7]DHYANA----MEDITATION [8] SAMADHI----SELF REALIZATION-----the absence or sickness of any one limb leads to health problems.

Wednesday, February 16, 2011

THE BRIHADARANYAKA UPANISHAD

king janaka offered the competitors a prize of thousand cows with 10 pieces of gold hanging from each cow to ascertain vedic truths .thousandsake the cattle participated,specially from kuru-panchala, the strong hold of vedic learning.those who were ready for answers were grilled with intense questioning. the failure to answer would result in the explotion of pretender's head., so naturally many scholars were afraid.surprisingly one local was Yajnavalkya, who was with his assistant to take the cattle home.very little was known about him  at janaka's contest.he was to retire to forest  to meditate along with his wife Maitreyi. Priests wanted to test him. Hotri the chief told yajnavalkya" tell me-when this whole world is caught in the grip of death,how can the patron of the sacrifice free from it's grip? Yajnavalkya replied "by means of the hotri priest- that is by means of fire., by means of speech. so this speech- it is this fire here. it is the hotri priest' it is freedom' and it is complete freedom"ashvala  the hotri was the connection between his role at sacrifice, fire he controlled, and speech which he knew best' it had to be good to hear specially the king being present,that complete freedom from death{for the sacrificer-the king]' would be gained through hotri's own ritual work . The  questions like verses,oblations, songs and gods involved in the sacrifice,and their meanings etc were  answered by yajnavalkya who culd perform the yajna single handedly.. THE display of yajnavalkya's knowledge was so autoritative that Ashwala king's priest fell silent and sat down defeated . ARTHABAGA another priest asked yajnavalkya" tell me when  a man dies his speech disappears into fire, his breath into the wind, his sight into the sun,his mind into the moon, his hearing into the quarters,his physical body to the earth, his atman into space, hair into the plants,blood into the water. Yajnavalkya replied i cannot reply in public.take my hand follow me to discuss in Private. what they talked about was  karma.the sage told him "A man turns into something good by good action and into something bad by bad action--[Brihadaranyaka upanishad 3.2.13]

Tuesday, February 15, 2011

Gaya stands an impressive temple

queen  Ahilya Bai of Indore built this temple in 1787 following her visit to gaya.this temple is known as vishnu pad temple.the foot print of Vishnu attracts thousands, and many Hindus offer rice balls[pinda] on the first anniversary of the deceased , for their happy afterlife.why do they do? in vayu purana, king of demons Bali controlled many world .. Vishnu incarnated as Vamana asked Mahabali, on behalf other gods as much space  as he would cover in three strides. mahabali was glad enough to give the same. the first covered the entire earth, the second atmosphere,the third covered heaven.Revealing himself as Vishnu, then sent the demons to hell, and he himself became master of three worlds. one of the steps has been traced on the ground in Gaya.  in one of the Upanishads there  is a mention of Vishnu's strides.[thretha nidhate padam]

feb-15-- a day that i can't forget[2010]

it is with a deep sorrow that i remember feb-15th last year that my wife  parvathi  expired due to cancer.. well i remember those days, when we began our wedded life during nov74. we were extremely happy and were on the top of the world. every year we took opportunity to enjoy the holidays away from the hurry-berry  city to  either hill stations or to temples of south India. our two darlings were born during 77 and 79. our concern was educating them. my wife always wanted the best education for them and i can say confidently that she was a driving force to my children for their higher studies, incidentally my role was very small.but for her efforts, they would not be what they are today. then came their marriages again we were blessed with right daughter-in-laws. then it was in august 2008 that she was struck with 4thstage cancer.i was inwardly very much worried,but she never was weak. she became more courageous[ it was her habit to rise and face any situation boldly] she fought her disease for nearly 2 years, along with her i was also running after doctors,nurses,hospitals etc. very often she was worried about me , as i was always detached from my family rumblings, except for last two years. she always used to say  that i do not know anything  about our family, which was a harsh truth. now i missed my past 35years of joint venture of married life. her end came suddenly, she was just suffering from pneumonia and could not come out of it and passed away on 15th feb. i always remember her good nature in correcting others whenever they were wrong be it be  her relations friends or husband. her interest in children were exemplary she was highly respected as a senior most teacher by udyachal school of vikhroli. her reputation was known in godrej management and soonu bhen the director of godrej called me for  a meeting with her after her demise for 45 minutes, and told me about their concern in loosing one of their best teachers. well today  i remember her with a deep sorrow.somebody asked me hows  my life now? my answer was can you write anything without a paper or any medium whatsoever?------v.veeraraghavan

Monday, February 7, 2011

Brihadeeshwara temple-----1000 years- still strong

brihadeeshwara temple of lord shiva  was  built by Rajaraja chola of south India during the year  1010 A.D in Tanjore. brihat literally means big in sanskrit. eeshwara=the lord. thus brihateeshwara means the big lord(powerful and limitless lord.) this temple stood the vagaries of nature for more than one thousand years.this has been included in the category of heritage monument and unesco has undertaken project to restore north side of the temple giving   a face-lift  for the old structure. and the work is completed already. T[his Temple not only welcomed the powerful kings of the south in earlier days, but also attracted many poets and common men for worship of the powerful lord. this temple has a height of 215 feet and visible from any  area in Tanjore, perhaps the only temple having this characteristics. This temple also has the second biggest nandi(bull) in front of the temple tower.Archaelogical survey of india says the temple in it's purest form represents the Dravidian architectural  beauty. and it is in excellent condition, even after 1000 years.

Wednesday, February 2, 2011

the saffron cloth of sanyasins----a hindu tradition

saffron indicates the inner attainment of the goal which one wants to reach. it indicates one who is not interested in worldly  achievements.it is an open declaration that one is dedicated to lord and realization of the self.it means body and mind are consumed by vairagya[detachment] and one does not belong to any nation,caste or creed,sect, or religion.however cloth is only a symbol that indicate a state of non attachment.. the snyasin's inner change of attitudes that are important. in that state they do not expect or demand anything from anyone. in sanyas one should totally give up ones own ego. sanyasi is one who realizes. kashaya that everything is brahman(supreme consciousness). kashaya indicates pure knowledge that can burn down the ignorance. snyasi has to detach himself from relations. for him there is no sukha or dukha. he is free from dualities. not supposed to complain about hot or cold sanyasi either has to teach,or learn  from sastras everyday.he symbolizes the truth. sanyasi  cannot hurt anybody through mind,body, or actions. above all he should be nonviolent.there are various types of sanyasa like vidvat sanyasa, vivideesha sanyasa, apatsanyasa  e.t.c. since sanyasis have given up the worldly  attachments it is the duty of society to sustain them and take their  blessings, since they represent the real knowledge.

Tuesday, February 1, 2011

wisdom from life experiences-chapter93-verse no:1

bandhu sneham vijahyam, thava hee karunaya, thvayu paveshidhatma,   sarvam thyakthya chareyam sakalamapi jagadhveekshya mayavilasam.  nanathvadh branthi janya sathi kalu  gunadoshava bodhe vidhirva,  vyasedho va katham thou thvayi nihithamathe, veetha vaishamya budhehe:--verse-1-ch-93-----narayana bhattathiri who was the author of great work called narayaneeyam(bhagavatham condensed in 100 chapters ,- roughly around 1033 verses representing various school of thoughts, says: if thou be gracious, i shall abandon my love and attachment for all my relatives. with my mind merged in thee, i shall abandon everything and wander about, viewing the whole universe as an expression of maya thy mysterious power. the compulsions of the ought and the ought-not(vidhinishedas) of the scriptures are applicable only in the sphere of multiplicity born of false understanding. how can they govern one whose understanding has been merged in thee and has transcended  the consciousness of differences?

how to go beyond thoughts-- a view

thoughts are really inert. they derive their power from the Atman. our thoughts are our own creation.we make them real by co-operating with them. if we withdraw our support, they dissolve. just observe the thoughts closely, but don't label them. then you will see them gradually going away.mind has been accumulating thoughts and desires for ages, through different bodies to which we take birth. all these emotions are buried deep within.when you try to make the mind still through meditation,thoughts slowly come to the surface.it's like cleaning a floor or mirror, wherein dirt is collected over a period of time. keep cleaning the thoughts as the accumulate every day' gradually they will disappear. in fact i would    say even if they come up , once you see them it is easy to remove them. but here patience is very much essential. be persistent and keep performing  sadhana. in due course  one can gain strength to surpass them. anyway what is mind? it's just a collection of thoughts. nobody can locate the mind.so in   meditation we are just witnessing thoughts without identifying them.

Monday, January 31, 2011

moksha through devotion----mukunda mala--by- saintly king kulashekara

saintly king kulashekara was one of the twelve alwars, who ruled his state Travancore. he was a great devotee of lord krishna. wrote a famous work called mukunda mala(mukthim dadathi eethi mukunda). mala means garland. thus the apt caption moksha through utterances of lord's name and his remembrance always in our conscious mind.kulashekara was king of Travancore  belonging  to chera  dynasty.his work mukunda mala  is  so beautiful that even today(more than thousand years), speaks to us with fresh voice of eternal truth.it gives you  a search unto you and the lord.. he says the best treatment for your disease of birth and death is  devotion to lord krishna. when  you drink this medicine , it bestows complete and final liberation. the first verse starts like this.---------------------------------shree vallbhethi  varadethi dayaparethi,bhaktha priyethi bhavaluntana kovidhethi.---nathethi nagashaynethi,jagannivasa, aalapinam prathidinam kurumam  mukunda.----meaning-----oh! mukunda! my lord, let me become  a regular chanter of your name forever.you are known as sri vallabha(very dear to lakshmi),varada(the bestower of various boons),dayapara(who is always merciful),bhakthpriya (dear to devotees) bhavaluntana kovidha(who is skillful in  looting the  samsara of birth and death(all dualities), natha--the supreme lord. jagannivasaa( basis of entire universe),nagashayana--(one who sleeps on the serprnt bed). saintly kulashekara thus calls for realisation through  utterances of  lord's name whenever you get time.

saintly king kulashekara----[one of the twelve alwars of tamil nadu]

king kulashekara  lived more than thousand years in south india. his famous work mukunda mala talks about  the absolute truth which is supreme lord krishna. he talks about eternal truth, and how to seek lord. he talks about the relationship between lord and us. he says it's only the leelas of krishna and his keertans, which will  release us  from the disease of birth and death. even yogis has recommend  his name for the disease of samsara.  yajnavalkya  says the best medicine for understanding boundless eternal light  when drunk with devotion bestows complete and final liberation. just drink it  and enjoy. kulashekara starts with a prayer to lord.  oh! mukunda my lord  please let me become a constant reciter  of your name people address you as srivallabha(one who is dear to lakshmi) ,the bestow er of boons(vara), one who is merciful always, one  who is bhakta priya (dear to his devotees), and lastly,one who is plundering our repeated karma of birth and death.   he is natha (supreme lord), the lord who is sleeping on the serpent bed(naga shayana) ,jagnnivasa( the whole universe  is based on him). what is mukunda? in sanskrit not a word exist without meaning. it"s mukthim dadathi ethi mukunda ie  one who liberates us from the worries of birth /death.

Sunday, January 30, 2011

graha yajna and navaraha

i am giving the image of the  things that are used in the navagrahayajna. this can be useful for your record

Saturday, January 29, 2011

self consciousness---an overview

your own existence is the most convincing proof of consciousness. can you deny your own existence? no because even your denial is a proof  that you exist.isn't it? suppose somebody asks"hey are you there? your reply" no i am not .here  even the negative answer becomes clear evidence that you are very much there. you don't need to ascertain it.just reject it and it is proved. so the Atman(self) cannot even be doubted. hence Vedas say "atma vare shrotavya,mantavya. to  know about self one must listen to sastras and meditate upon.listening again depends upon certain amount of faith. if i want to learn maths, i go to a maths teacher, and he says 1plus one is two. first instance i have to have faith. if i question him and asks why not 1 plus 1 is four, it is definite that i cannot learn maths. so i should have  faith in my teacher also. then it works. hence the importance of good teacher who reveals the between lines of mantras. then having known the meanings  it is to be owned up.therefore mantavya.teacher pointing towards the moon tells me it is sun. here i doubt him. i give it a thought and say no it is moon only. now teacher is really happy since it is not the blind belief that i have.  now i can do a vichara. within the framework of satra.       that's how teacher builds up the confidence of his students. hence sastras definitely works  for those who believe, but it is not blind belief also. such is the power of sastras.

Thursday, January 27, 2011

importance of education--verse-11---chanakya neeti-chapter-2

those parents are enemies of their children,who do not teach them letters and educate them.an uneducated person is spurned in the assembly of the learned. he is total misfit as a crane in the flock of stately swans. chanakya says education is the correct way of cultivating wisdom in young mind. an educated person knows about the world around him better and can conduct his life in a clever manner.He can deal with others smoothly  and it's not easy for others to trick a man of education. in gatherings an uneducated person is quickly spotted by his silly talk. such persons curse their parents all their lives.

Wednesday, January 26, 2011

eight types of wedding as per sastras---source--MADHUVE-MADHURA BANDHANA-

scriptures talk about  eight types of weddings.[1-]-Brahma---most purest form of wedding,wherein the bride was given by her father to a man of character,learning, whom he invites voluntarily and receives him respectfully, and in turn groom will  not take anything in return[.2-]-arsa- in this brides father recieves a pair of cattle from bridegroom for certain use as ordained in sastras for some sacrifices.however it was not a price for the bride.[ 3-]--daiva---the bride was given as a sacrificial dues to a priest.-[-4]- prajapathya---in this form of wedding, the rights of bride and groom were secured. the groom approached the bride's father, who agrees to the marriage after fixing certain conditions. [5-]--asura--the groom's family gave money to the bride's family in return for the bride.[-6--]-raksasa---here the bride was captured by force and her relatives were killed or injured  also  this wedding was also perfomed without rituals.  [7-]-gandharva---this is a wedding between man and a woman with mutual consent and witout religious rituals.[--8-]-paisacha---a wedding performed while bride was asleep,unconscious,drugged, or mentally unstable and without religious rituals. this was the lowest form of marriage.. according to manusmriti, the first four kinds are appropriate in society. and often gave most fruitful results. the children born from such weddings were blessed with good looks,character,health, and satisfaction.-

Wednesday, January 19, 2011

three basic texts----prasthana thrayee

prasthana means basic texts. three basic texts of vedanta are upanishads,bhagavat geeta and brahmasutra. together they are called prasthana thraya. of these,[1]-- upanishads constitutes shruti prasthana(reavealed texts)Sruti means that which is to be heard, that which is revealed.vedanta is the name given to them. because they are the end(aim as well as concluding parts) of the veda.(vedanta)[-2-]-the second text is bhagavat geeta.it is given a status which is almost equal to that of upanishads.it occupies a unique place of vedanta tradition.. in fact a popular verse compares the upanishads  as cows,bhagavatgeeta as milk, lord krisna as milkman,arjuna as calf  and the wise people to the partakers of milk. adi shankara describes bhagavatgeeta  as the essence of the teachings of entire veda.(samastha vedartha sarasangraha bhutam). as this text forms a part of mahabaratha, which is a smrithi(to be remembered), it is called smrithi prasthana.-[-3-]--brahmasutra is a nyaya(logical) prasthana, because it gives teachings of vedanta in a logical order.this work is also called vedanta sutra,bhikshu sutra, since who are most competent to study it are the sanyasins. it is also known as uttaramimamsa sutra, since it is an inquiry into final sections of vedas. the author of brahmasutra is vedavyasa, who codified the vedas.

Saturday, January 15, 2011

sleep benefits

 scientists have long debated precisely how sleep improves the brain performance, at the cellular level.one camp argues that sleep reduces the unimportant connections between neurons preventing brain overload. another camp maintains that sleep consolidates memories from previous day..sleep is  an active process that reduces the activity in the brain. it allows the brain to recover from past experiences.during sleep the brain would not have the ability to continuously  take in and store new information.it is this ability that  helps us to forget the unwanted experiences and storing the pleasant ones.sleep relaxes our nerves, that are over worked during awakening state. it relaxes  our mind and body in a natural way.

Thursday, January 13, 2011

pongal greetings

dear friends, i am wishing you all a happy pongal. let this new year bring you good luck and prosperities both mentally and physically.. i pray to lord to shower his choicest blessings to you.

Tuesday, January 11, 2011

value of youthness-----artha sastra of chanakya-chapter-17-verse-18

athaha pashyasi kim vruddhe, patitham thava kim bhuvi. re re murkha na janasi gatham tharunya maukthikam.----------an extremely  old woman who walked  with bend  back appearing to be looking down for something, was asked by a youth sarcastically."ancient lady what for you look down? lost something or dropped something down there? the old woman replied."fool, don't you know that  the pearl of my youth years is lost?. well i look for the same. only old people know the value of youthfulness. it is the most precious  stage of  one's life. the full realization of it's value dawns only when it's gone.  the best time for gaining any knowledge is during  youthfulness, when the mind and body is strong. the old age brings in various discomforts which will hinder learning process and therefore make use of  the youthfulness in  a nice way.

Sunday, January 9, 2011

dialouges between Rahuguna and jadabaratha---from bagavatham

soldiers of Rahuguna got a peculiar yogi, who was sturdy  and they thought he was without any job. they wanted him to carry the yadu king on the palanquin as the fourth man. he did not object. his mind was always in the supreme reality. there were many twists and turns, and the king was very uncomfortable.he commented in a mocking way to baratha"you are so thin, and walks so fast,it seems u have not eaten for a long time." jadabaratha understood  the arrogance of power.. he replied you insulted a  avadhuta  like me who is not bothered about wealth or power. i am not taking your insult. since i am not the body or mind i  am alpervading atman. but i would like to  remove this differences of raja and bruthya bava. do you think that those who are carrying  you really love you. they love your wealth. do not be carried away by their external behavior. if they really love you , even in sleep and dream state they should respect you. you know well that in  sleep  and dream state there is no difference between a king and a beggar. because of kama and artha they obey you in prajnya avastha(awkening state). but this is only one state.  you intended that i am not walking fast. let it be known that  my body is not walking. my legs are walking the way they want. iam not really walking , since my atma is always not connected with the body or mind.  i am the all pervading atman.there is no raja brithya bava  in other two states of dream and sleep. only in awakening state you see the differences. therefore i am not  your servant.  i am a master unto myself.. the king was astonished from the truth given by jadabaratha. he came down from palanquin and fell down at yogi"s feet.supreme reality does not differentiate servant or emperor.

Saturday, January 8, 2011

pain of death

people in the age of kali keep their eyes closed to the truth. one has to do little vichara on the phenomenon called death.the word janma means birth as well as death. ja stands for janma or birth.ma stands for marana or death.so its clear that once you are born death is sure, whether i like it or not.also any created entity has death, since it is within the realms of time and space.if you analyze death its  a matter that cannot be avoided. let me give a few examples in our own life. i was a child when born, i became a youth when i passed eighteen.which means my childhood died. i became a grihastha when i was a youth. i enjoyed my  family life for quite some time and i became old , again a death for my youthfulness. grihasthaashrama ended when i was old. no way i can avoid death. it follows me like my shadow whether i like or not. can i avoid this? yes i can if i leave my attachment to my mind and body.why then  so much fear about death?pl think.if i have attachment i am not ready to loose. if i detach from my thinking processes i am ready to let go.if one can be a witness of both attachments and detachments, then my fear disappears. a detached attitude makes death entirely different experience..meaningless dreams,desires and attachments in the old age will make the last days of such people  miserable and make it worse than hell. that is the reason why one should be contemplative and meditative in life.it will give us a capacity to go deeper into various experiences of life and makes it easier. avoid painful death by transcending attachments and detachments. be a witness of both likes and dislikes like a yogi. one can then avoid painful death or  engage yourself in bhakthi or devotion towards your ishtadevata or favorite lord.cross the world of birth and death through jnayana or bhakthi. adishankara says  bhaja govidham, bhaja govindham, govindham baja mootamathe, samprapthe sannihithe kale, na hi na hi rakshati dukrut karane. pray unto govinda, you fool, grammar will not help you in your last days. only govinda can help you from this smsara of birth and death.

Friday, January 7, 2011

hinduism

hinduism or sanathana dharma is so old that it started even before Aryans settled on the banks of river indus. roughly at least 2500-1500 b.c. Aryans spread their wings from Georgia(Russia) to present India. Aryan means noble. they refered  to aranyakas or forest books they were also ritualists.they refered brahmana portions.these are ritual manuals. the upanishads are meditative,philosophycal texts. vedas were known as shrutis, that which  has to be heard, or listened,these were divinely revealed texts. smritis are our puranas like  ramayana, mahabhratha, bhagavatam, etc. bagavat geetha incidentally is a smrithi, since it appears in mahabaratha which has to be remembered. our law books were dharma shastras Aryans later on settled in madyadesh.(madyapradesh). its to be noted that gita press which started in 1923 to popularize Hinduism has printed 300 million copies of literature, but will not publish vedas on grounds that these divinely revealed texts may not be tampered with by human beings.

Wednesday, January 5, 2011

caste system( manusmriti)

manu  the  great  king from whom people descended, incidently was  a sage too, formulated the caste system in earlier days with four main categories, differentiating people according to.their characteristics the shudras-those serving society, the vaishyas-those with skills and abilities that enabled them to be engaged in trade,commerce.and business. the kshatriyas-those who administrate and execute projects to protect the community at large, and the brahmins- those who are contemplative,philosophical,impart knowledge and perform religious rites.. its to be noted that a person could rise from lower group to a higher group and through criminal and antisocial behavior, descend groups.. manu said "neither birth nor sacraments study nor ancestry can decide whether a person is a brahmin or not. character and conduct alone can decide.

Tuesday, January 4, 2011

wealth that cannot be stolen

na chora haryam, na cha rajaharyam, na brathru bhajyam, na cha bharakari. vyaye kruthe  vardhatha,eva nithyam, vidhya dhanam sarva dana pradhanam.   wealth exists in the  form of knowledge . this wealth cannot be stolen by a thief. cannot be divided amongst brothers, and cannot become  burdensome the more one uses this wealth(teaches it) the more it multiplies. therefore wealth in the form of knowledge, is the greatest of all riches.

Sunday, January 2, 2011

coming of gopis for rasa lila-canto-65-narayaneeyam

the gopis of vraja looked upon krishna, not as parabrahman, but as their paramour, and yet they attained so soon to that state of liberation, which is the goal of the pramahamsas,through absorption of the mind in the lord. krishna,the embodiment of sat-chit-aananda,through any feeling or attitude(be it sex-love,anger,fear,friendliness, affection,servitude,or adoration) the seven types of bhakthi .here the relationship with paramour is explained.it embodies the  strongest form of affection overlooking all ethical norms in which considerations  of prestige,returns,security and even self-preservation is given up by a woman who goes away with her lover out of genuine and overpowering love,love of god and surrender under unto him should attain to this kind of uninhibited intense love and renunciation of self centeredness giving away everything to him and asking for nothing from him. and that's  the bhakthi of vraja gopikas