aham atma

Lord Muruga is a Vedic Deity and is above language restrictions

2010-08-24T12:00:00.000-07:00

Shatbhadram Dwadasha Bhujam Ashtadasha Vilochanam
Roopam Angeekritam Shubham Lokaanaam!

- Sri Sri Vyasa Bhagawan on Lord Muruga

The three Gunas... Satwa, Rajas, Tamas

2009-07-10T10:12:00.000-07:00

an explanation for the three gunas came up right in front of my face when i was in a bus

the scenario here is that we find a very pretty girl and we cannot control our emotion towards her
(this itself is an expression of Rajo Guna... but lets reserve it so that i can throw some insight into the gunas)

* the Satwa Guna is basically attachment to goodness *
so a person who is in this mode will start composing poems on the girl's beauty and singing songs like "Aisi Haseen Chandini Pehle Kabhi Na Thee" (which is by the way an extra-ordinary Kishore Kumar song). he may even start worshipping her and pray for her welfare. he will say i am not so good for her, may God bless her with a good suitor.

* the Rajo Guna is basically attachment to sensual actions and their fruits *
so a person who is in this mode will start meticulously preparing to qualify himself for her, dress up very well, be sentimental when she does not respond, follow her to her home, discuss with her parents, fantasise on her etc. etc.

* the Tamo Guna is basically finding happiness in being ignorant *
so a person in this mode will try to hurt her beauty if she does not care for him. he may contemplate on using acid on her face. he may subtly harm her or her suitors. he may try to rape her etc. etc.

the Divine person will not care for external beauty. he will say "beauty is short lived and causes complications in relationships. people grow old and wither away. God is the only One who is truly and eternally beautiful"

An eventful day in my life!

2009-06-14T10:24:00.000-07:00

Today was a very eventful day in my life. Incidentally I went to Giri Trading Company to buy some goods. When I came out and walked near the Kapaleeswarar temple, I prayed to the Lord to bless me with His Darshan some time in the near future when it felt to me like "Today is the day". I prostrated to the Lord and walked inside the temple. When I reached the Lord's presence, I was asked to sit near the inner sanctum sanctorum. I silently sat there in His presence and was grateful for Him allowing me near Him! Great is God, unseen are His acts of Grace. Fortunate are His servants and lovers!

Is Dakshinamurthi Buddha!

2009-06-14T10:18:00.000-07:00

Sri Dakshinamurthi is Lord Shiva and an epitome of Mauna. His Upadesa is Mauna. An Upanishad named Sri Dakshinamurthi Upanishad is dedicated to the Lord. This occurs in the Krishna Yajur Veda. Some people say that Dakshinamurthi is the Buddha. God is everything that is glorious, in that way we can say this. But Sri Dakshinamurthi is Shiva Himself. And there is Vedic treatise that emphasises His excellence. So don't believe it when someone says He is not a Hindu God. Of course neither Him nor the Buddha would care for such things... themselves being immersed in Silent Bliss!

Chiranjeevis and what they indicate to us mortals

2009-04-28T01:26:00.000-07:00

In the Hindu mythology the following people are Chiranjeevis meaning immortals.

Each one of them represents a quality which itself is immortal and beyond time adn will always be present as long as humans are there!!

(i) Sri Parasurama - Spirit of revolt over injustice (karthaveerya arjuna and other kshatriyas tormented the brahmins)
(ii) Sri Hanuman - Quality of service supported by strength and humility (Hanuman served Sri Rama all the time)
(iii) Sri Vibhishana - Penitence and willingness to give up one's evil surroundings for the sake of goodness
(iv) Sri Vyasa - Supreme Knowledge, Wisdom, Scriptural Authority
(v) Sri Markandeya - Overcoming fate or destiny (prarabdha) through surrendering and identification to God (Lord Shiva)
(vi) Sri Mahabali - Self Sacrifice and offering himself to the Lord
(vii) Aswaththama - He stands for non-forgiveness and mercilessness. Non-forgiveness or non-acceptance of defeat and unquenched revenge will result in eternal doom. This is a contemptible quality

After going around now Evangelism is at God's doorstep

2009-04-18T22:12:00.000-07:00

Christianity has wiped out traces of every native religion across the world. Be it in Europe, Middle East, China, Philippines, Latin America or elsewhere. By running the "road roller" this religion has attempted to integrate all people but subsequently destroyed native cultures and native spiritual practices in the name of One God, One Son and One Holy Spirit! Even the native traditional medicinal practices, natural remedies, home medicines have been wiped out by Christian aggression. Christians use the following "punchlines" for achieving their *holy* agenda

- Become more fashionable... embrace Christianity
- Your Gods don't solve any of your problems
- Non-worshippers of our God (Jesus) are worshippers of Satan!
- Business, education, health are all gifts to the world from Christians
- Only Jesus is the path. Bible is the book

My retorts to these machinations are listed below

Fashion is part of change, civilizations will change without doubt, but core values like Truth, Honour, Liberty, Justice, Godliness and Equality are the same

Gods do not solve our problems. We create them and get entangled in them. When we are unattached to consequences of our actions what can affect us? The Gods are there to elevate us from the animal birth to Divine consciousness. For this the Hindu Dharma has prescribed numerous paths

God is the Creator of one and all. Satan is inside us and so is God. How can anyone who worships with goodness at heart, unity, love, peace worship Satan? Even if he unknowingly chants Satan's mantra, the implicit goodness will it not direct him to God? Or will God not be bounden to direct to good person towards Himself?

The hard work of scientists and engineers has resulted in this "convenient" world. But if you look at the third world countries, we can see what a havoc has been unleashed by uncontrolled engineering which is a child of science. There is rampant scarcity of water, pollution, spread of disease and so many additional burdens man has to carry just so that his life can be convenient! In olden days the air was pure, water bodies were themselves sources of drinking water and food was very pure and sustaining.

God cannot be owned by anyone. We are all His children. There are so many great avatars and men born in India like Sathya Sai, Shirdi Sai, Kabir, Sivananda, Appayya Dikshitar, Thyagarajar, Ramana, Ramakrishna, Vivekananda, Aurobindo, Sadasiva and so on. Are they inferior to anyone? Can one child claim ownership of the mother? Mother's love embraces all her children despite their natural evil tendencies. Even more so is God's inexplicable love for His Creation. Also there are many jewels and immaculate treatises in the Hindu religion. Can one claim that the Bible is holier? Is it not like God's garment claiming it is superior to His diadem?

Bharath is God's own country. It is a great traditional bastion for God and for Dharma. The Evangelists are at God's doorstep waiting to hand Him the translated, incomplete, aggressive and uncompromising Bible and convert Him! The people are here to force the cook to eat bread and wine asking him to throw away the tasty Payasam he just cooked with his own hands! How this is going to end will be an interesting and revealing event!

God does not need followers

2009-03-28T03:12:00.000-07:00

Yesterday I was thinking if God really needs any people to follow Him. When He is Bliss Absolute, Always Ecstatic, Having everything one would need, Fully aware of the past, present and future and fully in control of everything what is the need for any followers. One aspect of God's followers is that He wants the following

- To reveal the true Blissful Nature of all beings since we emerged from Him
- To satisfy the beings for their craving for the Infinite.

Since God is the only way of satisfying one's desires whatever they may be in whatever abundance they may be or to whatever level they may be, God expects people to follow His advise so that they may reach Him and feel content and satisfied! Great is God, great are His ways, Great is His honour and Great is His Love!

Plea of a dying man!

2009-02-16T22:56:00.000-08:00

Plea of a dying man:

Mother, I cried for food when i was born,
In life I was happy and sad and was torn,
Betwixt extremes of pleasure and pain
Youthfulness sometime made me vain.
Aged though i became with time
Never have i committed an heinous crime.
Now Thou orders thine forces to snatch me away
From this peaceful life when my hair is grey.
Tell me what grave sin didst I do
To give my breath away to You?!

Mother Nature's reply:

My son of wonderful pain
Hasn't thee not seen men that art vain
Foolish pursuits are their lot
In the world's magical Net ther are caught.
No wonder when playing life's game
Only some become great, many remain same.
Alas only to serve thine flesh hast thou lived!
This body which dies at a rapid pace
Is but made of clay, water, air and space!
Now when I demand these things back
To give it up why art thou slack?
Hast thou been granted a boon for serving God
Or the great Masters who on earth didst trod?
By such acts alone, immortal, one becomes
The rest are then ordained to be content, with whatever comes!

Did you see something bigger than you?

2009-01-22T20:42:00.000-08:00

See the poor man, wife with glass bangles carrying an infant
Living a bare existence but smiling and cheerful
Innocent, living frugally, inside worn out clothes
Did you see him bigger than you?

See the cows, grazing in the pastures
Playing on the verdant greenery, mooing,
Udders filled with nectar for all humans
Did you see them bigger than you?

See the tree, standing still, bearing fruit
Breathing all this poison and giving us pure breath
Diligently doing its task, flowering to our delight
Did you see the tree bigger than you?

See the mountain standing tall, motionless
Ever in meditation, commanding the clouds to stop and rain
You can see it from far away, like the fame of great men
Did you see the mountain bigger than you?

See the air around you, moving everywhere
Giving life to the thousands of forms in the planet
Sustaining them from time immemorial this humble air
Did you see it bigger than you?

See the sapid ambrosial water, showering on us as rain
Eternally flowing in the rivers, in the streams,
In the ponds, flowing into our homes, quenching thirst
Did you see it bigger than you?

See the earth, wide and far, supporting all
See it bear everything huge and small, even diggers!
Patient, persistent, turning dirt into beauty
Did you see it bigger than you?

See the fire which cooks the food
See it light holy lamps and give light
See holy wise men offering sacred oil into it
Did you see it bigger than you?

Did you see the sky with its unheard sounds?
Humming holy vibrations into everything
Supporting one and all and totally unaffected and vast
Did you see it bigger than you?

In charity, in forgiveness, in honour, in fame
In patience, in tolerance, in kindness, in generosity
In strength, in valour, in pleasure or in non-violence
Did you see something bigger than you?

Plea to the All Powerful Lord Narayana!

2008-11-28T03:44:00.000-08:00

O Narayana how art Thou getting sleep on the Shesha Naga
Did Mother Yasoda sing such a beautiful lullaby?
Shouldn't she have awakened you to the urgent call of a hurt Nation?
Everyone here is running helter skelter, Mother Ganges is bleeding!
The Nation and Mother India are bleeding, they are Your children!
To save Gajendra Thou hurried, fully armed with mace and discus on the Garuda
To save Prahalada and to save Arjuna Thou descended
Even as a half-animal as Narasimha, and as the bewitching Lord Krishna
Now, when the entire Nation is in great torture from within and without
Whence art Thou? Just now when Thine Great and Holy Bravery is needed?!
Aren't Thee able to travel fast? Is Thine vehicle, Garuda hurt too?
Can even Garuda be hurt? Did he forget how he routed the Devas for the nectar?
Where art Thou, O ever valourous, O ever Charming One, O Madhava!
O Krishna, the one of charming countenance and extraordinary deeds!
Purushottama! O giver of nectar, O Father Thou served it physically to the Devas
And spiritually in the form of the Bhagavad Gita to all beings!
Where art Thou? Did some devotee imprison Thee,
In her heart out of possessiveness for Thee?
Tell her the Fate of this sacred land of Bharath, plead with her
Let her release You so that You can come hither real fast.
Or was Mother Yasoda's song so sweet that Thou went into Samadhi?
O Yasoda wake Thine Child up and send Him here, we are in grave distress
We need Him, our very dear Lord, the Universal Saviour.
As Narasimha when He arrives, as Parasurama and Sri Rama
These foxes, hyenas, jackals which whine and make merry
Will panic, run helter skelter and perish... Dharma will be established!
O Lord, please come soon, Have Mercy, bestow Bharatham with Peace!
Om Shanthi, Shanthi Shanthihi!

Be Desire Free

2008-09-01T12:37:00.001-07:00

The longing for more, the hankering
The craving for this and the acquiring of that
The love for them and the hate for them
This swaying and tossing, this desire

The sadness, the pain, the sickness
The defeat, the ignominy, the strife
The disrespect for the worthy, the hate
This dangerous enemy inside, evil desire

Like the weeds that grow tormenting the garden
Like the river that swells into a deluge
Like the clouds the cover the pristine sky
Unsettling the divine purity, this unstoppable desire

The worry that the people will change
The worry of the conversion of minds, instability
The fear of ridicule, ignominy and failure
This worry seizing the mind, this root called desire

When more is fed into this fire
It blazes forth and engulfs and craves
Unsatisfied and unfettered it goes on
Fuelling the mind, this fire of desire

Her forms are unknown, her appearance is unknown
She comes like a beautiful maiden
Goes away taking everything, this ugly demoness
In the mind, know her to be desire

Is this the plight that the Yogis fear
These appearances everywhere, the fuel
The five senses being the different tongues of the flame
The root of the heat being the ego, this desire

O whence will I shut my doors to this dangerous lady
Ignoring her beauty and her bewitching smile
Using the sword of detachment, mercilessly decapitate her
When from worries, from fear, O when will I be desire free!

O Indians have self esteem and self respect! Rise!

2008-08-15T12:00:00.000-07:00

I prostrate to the great Mother India who embraced all children into Her fold, who gave birth to great souls like Sadasiva, Samkara, Ramakrishna, Vivekananda, Samartha Ramadasa, Tukaram, Shirdi Nath, Parthi Nath, Sivananda, Ramana, Yogananda, Bhusunda, Asaramji, Baba Ramdev and other sages and saints... prostrations again and again. O INDIANS HAVE SELF RESPECT, SELF CONFIDENCE AND SELF SATISFACTION, YOU ARE BORN IN GOD'S OWN COUNTRY! SEE HOW THE CHINESE RESPECT THEIR LAND, PROTECT YOUR SELF ESTEEM, BE GLORIOUS! JAYA BHARATHAM! O NARAYANA, PROTECT THIS NATION!

Some of my quotations ...

2008-08-05T15:14:00.000-07:00

"your real home is inside u... visit it sometimes and keep it clean, u have to go back and live there some day or other!"

"i am the vast sky on which the clouds of thoughts pass by..."

"from outer space i am invisible, from inner space, infinite"

"the difference between an ordinary being and a spiritual being is... the ordinary being expects the world to be as he wants it, the spiritual being tries his self (mind) to be how his Spirit (Atma) would want him to be!"

Avvaiyar questioned by Lord Muruga

2008-08-02T15:53:00.000-07:00

What is rare?
Rare is human birth
Rarer is birth without physical (and mental) defects
Rarer is getting knowledge and wisdom after having born like this
Rarer is after getting wisdom and knowledge is doing penance (Tapas) and charity (Daanam)
If one does penance and charity, the doors of the higher regions of the gods will open for them!

What is evil (or dangerous)?
Poverty is evil
Poverty during one's childhood is worse
Disease is worse than this
Worse evil than this are uncompassionate and cruel women
Worst is to eat from the hands of such women

What is "big"?
The earth is big
Bigger is Brahma who created it
Bigger is the Lord Vishnu who has Brahma in His Navel Lotus
Bigger is the Milky Ocean in which Lord Vishnu Rests
Bigger is the sage who drank up the ocean in his palm (Sage Agastya)
Bigger is the Pot (Kalasha) - from which the sage was born
... and so on
Biggest is the Devotee in whose heart the "Lord", God resides

What is Sweet?
Sweetness lies in loneliness, aloneness
Sweeter is worshipping the Sun (Aadi) at dawn
Better is company of the wise
Better is contemplating and seeing the wise (probably like Socrates) night (dreams) and day (during waking)

What is New?
Music with meaning is always new
Music about You (Lord Muruga) is always new
What the Blessed poets drunk in the ambrosia of Tamil sing about You that is new
The beauty that emerges from the Divine Name of Muruga is New
The Smile the plays on the Youthful Form of the Lord (Muruga) is New
The Divine Mothers (six mothers) who gave birth to Thee, to them your pranks (Leela) is New
For God, your Father (Eswara) your spear (Vel) and emblem (Peacock) are New
For Sunday and Monday your Divine Body is New
To the ones who join in His Service (Lord Muruga), His Grace is always New
.... and so on
That begins in the end and ends in the beginning...For the ones who know this
The knowers of this three phases of Time (Past, Present and Future) your Divine Form of Six Faces is New!

Check out the classic You Tube video in

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O-zgx1UuvN0

Faults of the Congress Party - by another Tom, Dick or Harry

2008-07-11T08:57:00.000-07:00

the Congress are the most God-forsaken, pitiable political party I have ever seen... let me recount their faults

* as an inheritance from the British these are the guys who always "divide and rule" based on Hindu/muslim, upper/lower caste reservations
* they NEVER have helped the majority people and appeased the minorities
* they have never ever been strong in border related issues (kashmir/assam/bengal/tibet)
* they have always underestimated the power of the local native people of the country in Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, Assam, Gujarat, Punjab and so on
* they have propagandised the Nehru family under the guise of "Gandhi" and made it the only option left for the poor people
* in the name of secularism they have given a free hand to Christianization of the country's villages!
* they have not saved any people from the terrorist acts raging across the country ever since they came to power (mumbai/varanasi/jaipur/hyderabad/bangalore)

I pray to God, Rab, Jesus and Allah that this party is totally routed in all the elections. May the good and the honest politicians from all the other parties prosper and taste victory and may the Indian people be happy and prosperous and loving. May the whole world be benefited from the peace flowing from India!

WHEN I BECAME THE SKY

2008-05-31T00:02:00.000-07:00

when i became the sky
i embraced all things
became wide and wide and wide
embraced the sun moon and the stars

when i became the sky
the day became my eye and the night my eye
the earth was but a speck
and everything became "what the heck"

when i became the sky
fears were clouds that flitted by
good, evil, ugly, dirty, filth
were all nothing but zilch

ghosts, goblins, men, animal
plant, tree, flower, river
ups, downs, highs, lows
all were one when i became the sky

when i became the sky
the walls were but lines, the mountains dots
the rainbow was my vesture
when i became the sky

who can swallow the sky
who can make the sky impure
who can shout, slander, arraign
when i became the sky

when i became the sky
i exist ever and ever unchanging
non dual ever full in total acceptance
i became the sky, that's why

Anbe Sivam (Thirumoolan's verse) sung by Vairamuthu a great Tamil Poet

2008-05-25T21:51:00.001-07:00

Yaar Yaar Sivam
Nee Naan Sivam
Vaazhve Thavam Anbe Sivam
Aatthigam paesum adiyaarkellaam sivamae anbaagum,
Aatthigam vaesum nallavarukkoe anbae sivamaagum,
Anbae sivam, anbae sivam, endrum,
Anbae sivam, anbae sivam, engum,
Anbae sivam, anbae sivam, endrum,
Anbae sivam, anbae sivam, engum,

Idhayam enbathu sathaithaan endraal erithalal thindruvidum,
Anbin karuvi idhayam endraal saavai vendruvidum,
Yaar yaar sivam? Nee naan sivam,
Anbin paathai saernthavanukku mudivae illaiyadaa,
Manathin neelam edhuvoe, athuvae vaalvin neelamadaa...

the meaning of the song is
Who, who is Siva
You and I are Siva
Life is Penance, Love is Siva
For the Theists, Siva is Love
For the Atheists Love is Siva
Always, Love is Siva, Love is Siva
Who, who is Siva(O Man Realize) You are Siva
If the heart is made of muscle it will die
If the heart is an instrument of Love, it overcomes Death (as Siva, Eswara did)
The ones who reached the path of Love do not reach the end (are Eternal)
How broad is your mind, such is the breadth of your Life

Love is God, God is Love

GOD BLESS ALL!

check out the song in http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bk3I9Pjhh_E&feature=related

The Ring Master

2008-05-11T21:05:00.000-07:00

Where is the Ring Master
The jungle where all beings are wild
Where is the lone Yogi from the cave
Where is the ring master?

The lusty elephants are on rut
Totally uncontrollable when they run
Huge tusks and heavy footfalls
Trampling everything tree, serpents, all

The angry lions bare their fangs
Their roars shudder the innocent ones
Baying for blood they breathe
Flesh in their claws deer beneath

The envious jackals they watch
Leering at the lovely deer's dance
Subtly loathing other animals beauty
Craving for death and final booty

The hyenas are ever hateful
Of zebra, deer and all moving things
The bare their fangs and trickle spittle
The team gathers to wreck vengeance

The swarm of locusts they gather
On villagers grains, grams and fodder
Eating everyting in their unfulfilled greed
Denying crops and food for those who need

The proud peacock prunes its feathers
Forgetting the blessings of the heavens
Thinking itself to be the most handsome
Wandering the forests ever lonesome

O where is the Divine Yogi
Where is the ring master
In which cave is he meditating
Where is the ring master?

These animals were supposed to obey
The calls of the ring master today
In utter silence of his mind
Dangerous beasts hard to find

Art thou reclining O Yogi
Where is thine grandeur
Seeing the animals amuck
Why doesn't thou crack thy whip

Once the jungle goes astray
It leaves death and despair in its way
Can thou frail Yogi do anything now
Get control of the beasts somehow!

I know thad the Yogi is aware
His ways are never shown bare
Silently in his deep meditations
He rules the beasts with divine incantations!

In this the forest is my mind, the beasts are the Arishadvarga, the Yogi is ME :-)

Excellent Response in favour of Vegetarianism in TOI

2008-05-07T22:27:00.000-07:00

Go veg to prevent grain drain I refer to ‘Bush hits out at Indian appetite’ and ‘US diet five times richer than India’s’ (May 4). A solution to this problem is to go vegetarian, if not completely, at least partly. The benefits are twofold. We reduce grain consumption for rearing animals and the ratio is about 8 kg of grains produced for 1 kg of meat. In 2006, a UN study cited that meat consumption was one of most significant factors in global warming. Scientists declared that raising animals for food was responsible for more greenhouse gases than the entire transportation sector. In another study, the University of Chicago said that adopting a vegetarian diet can reduce carbon emissions by 1.5 tons per annum. We can radically reduce our carbon footprints and grain drain by the choices we make three times a day, when eating breakfast, lunch and dinner. Rising affluence has changed our eating patterns. The world has ample grain stock to meet our requirements, but not our lifestyles. H N Ramakrishna, VIA E-MAIL

A great man called Socrates... the light among intellectuals

2008-05-06T00:11:00.001-07:00

Socrates was "terminated" because he was against Democracy. He said "when u have illness do u take majority vote to take a medicine, u consult a doctor. likewise when u have to study u look for the best teacher... then why do we take public opinion when it comes to governance which is the single most important thing... which affects every human being in the country?"... the result of this analysis of a wonderful Philosophy by a wonderful man called Socrates... is here for all to see... see how Democracy is causing the Royal Indian Horse to sleep blissfully when the pressing problems called corruption, border encroachment, internal feud, delusion of the masses, ego of sick men and women, criminalization of public money and public property, happiness in false achievements (media and films), pollution of rivers, violation of pure and good men, discontentment among old, children, educated and others, disrespect and insult for genuinely holy men, pretty women posing as chaste etc. etc. I think this is the right ingredients for total and complete devastation of the human race, the final object of Kali Yuga… only God can save the country, not Manmohan, Sonia, Chairman Mao or Bertrand Russell!

How I responded to Universal Ramayana in Times of India

2007-10-13T12:15:00.000-07:00

There was this article which left me sad for two days ... why do the Hindus have to be logical but not any other religious believers? That too why do they have to suffer in their own land? What harm have they done to anyone? Check out this outrageous article "Universal Ramayana" in Times of India. I think its time we disallow "unauthentic" people to write about our religious beliefs.

My two cents that was sent to the editor goes as follows

----------------------------

For centuries Indian saints have worshipped the most compassionate Form of the Lord in Sri Rama. Great penances have been done and noble virtues have been attained purely by the Power of the Lord’s Name. Samartha Ramadasa, Tulasidasa, Thyagaraja, Bhadrachalam Ramadasa and such holy souls were great devotees of Sri Rama.

By scientific analysis we stand to ruin cultural and traditional values. Don’t we see Science and Industrialization as instrumental in causing Universal Pollution and destroying simple living of human beings by burdening them with unnecessary accoutrements?

Given the present day predilections to destroy icons, there is urgent need to resuscitate ideals in human beings. Ethics should be given more priority than Engineering. Faith and Unity need the pure ambrosia from our hearts in the form of Godliness and Virtues. Lord Rama is an exemplary ideal for us. When one considers Sita Rama as one’s own divine Father, where is the question of researching on His existence. Do we do the DNA check for our kith and kin?

Let us give up on such "scientific" pursuits and focus on the great human ideals and matchless character of Lord Rama and ennoble ourselves. Let us not unnecessarily use science and empiricism as a weapon against religion and lose the joy of living a noble and blissful life in this speck of a moment called human life. Let the Lord Rama bless us with more discrimination and moral strength.

--------------------

read the Universal Ramayana ... actually a dilution of Sri Rama's greatness from an "intellectual" non Hindu

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/Universal_Ramayana/articleshow/2440590.cms

This is what I wrote about the Hindu Caste System

2007-04-01T10:55:00.000-07:00

Dear Sir, the four types of work - pursuit of divinity, governance, business and labour will exist in any system. It will exist in the US, in the UK, in Pakistan, in Sri Lanka, nay even in China! ...

Lord Krishna is beautiful and brilliant beyond imagination and He is beyond the ability of our highly limited intellect and sick mind. Let us please pay respect to Him and not cast Him (God) in bad light.

Every cause will have an effect. Every action will bear fruit, good and bad. Every soul has to take multiple births according to its Karmic tendencies. The Hindu religion never said the Brahmins are always superior, in fact it warns that good actions lead to good results and evil actions result in evil results. No politician or king can alter this "cause and effect" situation. An evil brahmana and a good "sudra" will reap evil and good results respectively. A brahmana may be born as a Vaishya and a Vaishya may become a Kshatriya in his/her next birth. Let us not be shallow in our thinking and cast aspersions on the great Hindu Philosophy.

There are only two sections of people in this world. They are the good and the godly and the evil and the demoniacal. Good will prevail over evil. Sathyameva Jayathe. The Hindus will overcome any type of difficulties because they never harmed anyone and they are the followers of Ahimsa, Dharma and Sath Karma!

What I posted in orkut and the website

2007-03-18T23:15:00.000-07:00

Dear friends,

I did not see anything wrong with the image.

http://www.merinews.com/bigSearchImage.jsp?imageCount=0&search=default&imageID=429

Nearly 50% of this country is filled with fools and non-patriots. A 25% of this country is undermining its religious traditions and going against the Hindu religion. Another 25% are fighting over territories and languages like Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Jharkhand, Assam etc. etc. I think the country is already gone to dogs. There is corruption even in the Army, which is supposed to be the most noble profession! Above all this our Congressmen and Communists are the most wonderful among the citizens and enabling all the good people to become better by the day and are assisting in the Nation's progress. A woman cannot go to the market without being teased. Pack of dogs hunt down innocent children. Pack of human beings torture other human beings. The government is a sick elephant incapable of moving itself and dispensing justice. "When a person's blood does not boil at all these things, how come it boils when a great spiritual lady has the flag at her feet?" I think we should not be part of such propaganda. I don't consider this lady inferior to even Jesus. I think she is a great lady, and her blessings are needed for this country to revive itself from the bad shape it is currently in. God and Saints are above all things, above the differences of land, language, caste, creed and religion. We need their blessings so that the country is saved from immorality, doom and destruction. Let us not be shallow men who see everything superficially and forget the "tathwam".

May the Divine Mother bless the country. Jaya Bharatham!

Krishnan

Poem - The Necklace

2007-03-14T09:01:00.000-07:00

Wrote a poem, have only my inspiration to blame :-)

God is the central ornament in The Necklace, the most brilliant
Saints are the gemstones (like Samartha Ramadasa, Sivananda, Ramakrishna, Socrates, Sadashiva, Thyagaraja, Meera) of pearl, ruby, sapphire, emerald, cats-eye set alongside The Central Piece (Him)
Thread is the bond of unexplainable Love that exists between the central piece and the other gems of The Necklace
Mystery is verily this thread
Gold is the or austerity on which gems (called Saints) are set
Lustre is the pure shine of accomplishment, of perfection and joy and bliss The Necklace displays
Time (by its travails and tribulations) fashions the shape and size of the various gemstones
Mother Earth proudly adorns The necklace (as a symbol of the Union of God and Saint )
Guests are the mortals whom She beckons to marvel at the necklace
Thieves are the guests who want to own this necklace
Rulers are the guests who guard The Necklace so that Mother Earth can wear it in peace
Good men are the guests who slowly assist the bringing of another gemstone to the necklace
Bad men are the souls who speed up the bringing of some other gemstone to the necklace
Traders are the guests who discuss the virtues of each gemstone and estimate its value
Poets are the guests who are authorized to finally determine the value of the necklace
Language is the currency of these poets

Short Story - The Slave and the Wise Old Man

2007-02-10T21:35:00.000-08:00

The Slave and the Wise Old Man

A rich man once freed his slave since he was very happy with the slave's services. The slave was given a ship and riches with which he could make a happy living.

Thus gifted, the slave steered the ship to find a new island with the hope of establishing a new life. But as fortune would have it, his ship was caught in a storm which dashed his ship and also his hopes of prosperity. As a consequence of this he was marooned in an island.

The island was a peculiar one in the sense it was customary here that whoever marooned in this island would be garlanded and made king for an year and then banished to a nearby island, uninhabited and full of wild animals, after that for the rest of their life. Our slave was thus coronated with regal merriment, but he did not know that his luck would stand him only for a year in good stead.

A wise old man of the island who had seen many a king thus banished, seeing the good nature of the erstwhile slave and now new king, intending to do good to him, apprised him of the malicious custom of that island and that all the pleasure here would last only an year and death was certain to overcome the slave-king after his banishment.

The slave in turn thanked the wise old man for his warning. He did not stop with that. Being wise and desiring more than just the temporary pleasure for that one year, he asked the old man for a solution so that his term in the island would be better for a long time.

The old man advised. "O king live not this year a life of merry making and wantonness but plan to re-construct the other island and make it habitable with the help of your citizens and workmen so the next year in that island for you would be safe and comfortable"

The "slave" glorified the wise old sage, thanked him for his invaluable advise and pleaded with him to always be with him to share his wisdom every time. The old man acceded to his request and said it was his will to always accompany and guide the ones who hearkened his words.

The slave then acted according to the wise old man's advice. He called his dutiful citizens and reconstructed the uninhabitable island that had devoured many a king before him. He planned and created settlements, gardens, water bodies, agricultural land for crops, safe houses and built for himself, a palace in the erstwhile inhospitable island. He also trained an able army for protection from the dangerous creatures in the island. He thus made a wonderful haven of the erstwhile dense uninhabitable forest where he would have to have lived in the next year.

At the end of his term, he moved to the island and lived happily and ruled wisely and was always wary of too much pleasure and put long term welfare, ahead of petty pleasures. He consulted the wise old matters on all matters and lived a life of harmony.

Moral of the story

The slave is each one of us. The rich man is fortune or Providence which blesses us with a good life. The storm suggests that life is full of vicissitudes. The one-year island-term is the allegory for our tenure on earth. The old man is God (and wise men who are one with Him). The uninhabited cruel island is our future. The acts of building palace, agricultural land etc. are the good actions one performs according to God's injunctions so that after death our residence elsewhere (in heaven) is peaceful. God always protects those who seek protection that is why the old man seems to say he would live with the ones who listen to him.

"Let us do good and live according to the will of God and not be engrossed in pleasure forgetting the future"

India is the oldest heritage in the world - which I posted @ Orkut

2007-02-10T05:24:00.000-08:00

The Indian civilization is the oldest living civilization. It is the blossoming of a variety of flowers in one garden, nurtured by the Lord and which perennially emanates fragrances of equanimity, joyfulness, peace, contentment and simplicity to the whole world. India is the land of the Gods and the origins of Yoga, Dharma, Nyaya, Sankhya and great texts. India is the land of Sanskrit, of great and holy rivers. The crest jewel of India is the Himalayas from where the Lord of Kailasa protects the entire Universe. India is the land where Mother is worshipped as God. India is where the great sages trod and decided to make their home. Adi Samkara, Shirdi Sai Nath, Parthi Sai Nath, Vivekananda, Ramakrishna, Samarth Ramadas, Meerabhai, Guru Nanak, Jnaneshwar, Tukaram, Meher Baba, Appayya Dikshitar, Chaitanya Mahaprabhu, Sadasiva Brahmendra, Saint Thyagarajar, Bhadrachalam Ramadas, Ramana Mahaishi, Namadeva, Kabir, Surdas and so on... and such innumerable saints and holy men were born in this most Divine land. The ancient kings never persecuted their men. They lived in harmony with nature. All humans are treated lovingly here. Duty and Dharma was given a high precedence even by the Lord Krishna who gave the Bhagavad Geetha to erring souls for their upliftment.

As today's youth, it is our most important duty to protect the Indian heritage. Temples may be razed down with force, aspersions may be cast to confuse and sow seeds of doubt, but the great Nation called Bharatham should always shine in our hearts where it cannot be destroyed by any one! Let us pledge to remember the greatness of this ancient land and live in harmony and with love even in the perilous society, aptly termed Kali by the great Rishis of yore

God Bless Bharatham! Jaya Bharatham!

The Resplendent and Divine form of Sriman Narayana

2007-02-05T09:54:00.000-08:00

The most auspicious Lord of all Jeevas (worldly beings), Sriman Narayana (God with Form) took a wonderful four-armed Form which is most pleasing to the eye. Here is my description of it.

The Lord stands on a pedestal indicating that He is above all.
The Lord has a conch shell in His upper left Hand indicating that He is the Originator of Naadam or Omkaram or primeval sound which is the Cause and Dissolution of the Universe
The Lord holds a Chakra in His upper right Hand indicating that He is the Supreme Master of Time or the cycles of Time
The Lord holds a mace in His left lower Hand indicating that He is willing to fight for the victory of virtue and for the establisment of Dharma. But it is in His left hand because it is His Last Resort!
The Lord holds a lotus in His lower right Hand indicating that He is the most detached, like how a lotus is detached from the water and rises above it.
The Lord sports a bewitching smile which indicates that He is compassionate and merciful and well wisher of His Devotees, namely all creation
The Lord wears various costly ornaments indicating He is extremely wealthy and is a bestower of wealth
The Kaustubha in the Lord's chest indicates that He is extremely fond of the Rishis and even adjusts to their whims and fancies.
The tilak in the Lord's Forehead indicates He is most ethical and cultured among all

May the Glorious Lord bring Peace to all. Om Shanthi Shanthi Shanthi. Sarve Jana Sukhino Bhavanthu!

Old is Gold

2007-01-31T21:39:00.000-08:00

Wanted to share with you my conversations with a relative who is 83 years old and who is a "Bhagavathar" - carnatic music singer of olden days (old is gold)

I had a small book of Swami, Sri Sathya Sai Baba, titled "Become Me" and showed it to him when I first met him. I abruptly asked him if he knew about "Him". Then pat came a somewhat frustrated reply which meant something like "how can anyone not know Swami?". He went on to share some experiences Baba's devotees had. How a lady from Durban, who visits Puttaparthi in frequent intervals, was saved from some wicked men, and thus was blessed with Baba's Grace and how a child's mother was saved from the fire accident when he was in Baba's presence, and so on. Baba asked a 10th standard student to explain this sentence "I saw a saw to saw a tree, such a saw I never saw" it seems... this relative wondered to what detail Baba's knowledge seems to be.

I started another thread about Saint Thyagaraja ... and he even talked about how Thyagaraja reached Godhead and cast his body away.

Two nice incidents about Lord Rama were told by him. One is that Sri Guha was the only person who was granted the vision of the "Manthahasam" or bewitching smile of Sri Rama. He said that it seems when the Lord was about to climb on to Guha's boat by ascending on a piece of stone, Guha request Rama to take care lest the stone become another lady by contact with the Holy Feet, to which the Lord laughed. Even rishis crave for this sight, so it seems. I am not able to recount very well thanks to my limitations in using English. But it filled me with some inexplicable happiness to hear this.

Also, another incident is when Lord Rama sees Tataka as a mother and is unable to use the "astram". Vishwamitra goads Sri Rama to kill Tataka and when he sees the locks of hair falling on Lord Rama's forehead and His expression after that, he is simply transported to ecstasy (Samadhi).

The elderly relative recounted to me many incidents where "dead" people came back to life after being taken to other planets or should I say planes. It seems when a man died and went "up" he saw a bearded man, beard almost touching the floor who said "Visargaha" in Sanskrit and the dead man only remembs coming back into his body, this after 12 days of unmitigated fever and subsequent "death".

One other incident about Fate is worthy of recounting to you. The sage Vasishta's disciple was sad one day and when the sage enquired the reason for his despondence, the disciple admitted that he was destined to die at 10:30 am (time is concocted by me). Vasishta becomes "upset" and immediately goes to the abode of the Lord Yama and enquires the reason for his disciple's Fate. Yama declares that it is God's wish and requests Vasishta to check the annals ("ettu chuvadi" in Tamil). Yama also declares that whatever time mentioned in that record cannot be overridden by Yama Himself. Vasishta searches for tha annals and gets his disciple's record and finds written therein "When Vasishta reads this, his disciple will die". It is 10:30 am by the earthly standards that moment

What a fortune! This elderly person told me he sang before Sri Ramana Maharishi! I have invited him to our house to share his wonder-full experiences with us in the family. What a fortune!