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

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.

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.

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.

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.