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.

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.

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.

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.

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.       

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?

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.