ஸ்ரீ லலிதா த்ரிஶதீ - ஸ்லோகம் - 53 (273- 277)
LT 53
273-277
273 : லப்³தா⁴திஶயஸர்வாங்க³ஸௌன்த³ர்யா
அம்பாளின் திருமேனியின் அழகை 1000 சௌந்தரிய லஹரியின் மூலமாகவும் வர்ணித்து முடிக்க முடியாது . பல பிறவிகள் நாம் எடுக்க வேண்டும் - பல யுகங்கள் முயற்சி செய்யவேண்டும் . ஒப்புயர்வற்ற அழகு வாய்ந்தவைகள் அவள் அங்கங்கள் . அவளின் கருணையைப்போல அவ்வளவு அழகு நிறைந்தவை அவள் திருமேனி .
274 லப்³த⁴விப்⁴ரமா
ஸ்ரீ லலிதையாக இருந்துகொண்டு இந்த உலகம் என்னும் மாயமான விளையாட்டை நடுத்துவதில் அவளுக்கு நிகர் அவள் தான் . எல்லாமே மாயை என்று தெரிந்து கொண்டும் நம் மனம் அழியக்கூடிய விஷயங்களில் தான் அதிகமாக ஈடு பாடு கொள்கிறது . நாமாக இந்த மாயையில் இருந்து விடு பட முடியாது . அவளை சரணடைதால் மட்டுமே முடியும் - நாம் கேட்ப்போமா என்று காத்துக்கொன்டிருக்கின்றாள் .
275 : லப்³த⁴ராகா³
நம்மை காக்கும் ஆசை மிகவும் அதிகமாகக்கொண்டவள் .
276 : லப்தபதி
சிவகாமேஸ்வரரை பதியாக அடைந்ததில் மிகவும் பெருமை படுபவள்
277 : லப்³த⁴னானாக³மஸ்தி²தி:
எல்லா ஆகமங்களின் பொருளாகவும் இருப்பவள் .
273. Om Ladhaa Thisaya sarvaanga Soundaryaayai Namaha
Salutations to the Mother, who is the
breathtaking dazzling Transcendent Beauty with all the Samudrika Lakshanas.
Devi is the Supreme Beauty who has none equal to or higher than her.
274. Om Labdha Vibramaayai Namaha
Salutations to the mother who enacts the Drama of Creation, Protection and Annihilation out of her will in the most playful way. All the world's drama is child's play for her with out any effort because she is in every thing , every where, and at all times.
275. Om Labdha Raagaayai Namaha
Salutations to the Mother, who has Attained what she Desired. Devi thought 'I should become many' and thats how Crores of Universes were Created. The Creation was her Desire and it was fulfilled.
276. Om Labdha Pathyai Namaha
Salutations to the Mother,
who desired Lord Siva as her Consort at her Will.
277. Om Labdha Naana Gamasthithyai Namaha :
Salutations to the Mother, who achieved the state of being worshiped by the Vedas and Agamas. Karma, Bakthi, and Jnanam, which are connected to Agamas and Vedas are made to understand directly, through Guru Upadesam , through Scriptures and the Knowledge of Para Brahman. The Vedas and the Agamas are the means to realize our Souls. Devi who is the origin and who dwells in the Vedas leads us to their Existence.
* 273 * Labhdahika sarvanga soundarya - She who
is the supreme beauty by her will
* 274 * Labhdha vibrama - She who enacts the
play of maintaining the world
* 275 * Labhdha raga - She who has desires
* 276 * Labhdha pathi - She who has Shiva as her
husband
* 277 * Labhdha nanagama sthithi - She who leads
to existence of scriptures
Comments
The great Indian teacher *VYASACHARYA* has written 18 Puranas and many Upa-Puranas containing very interesting stories about Gods, Kings and others into which he has very intelligently packaged Vedic and Vedantic ideals with a view to resurrect Hindu values (Sanatana Dharma) which were lost due to Kurukshetra War (3102 BCE) in which lakhs able-bodied soldiers perished. The most popular being *BHAGAVATHAM MAHAPURANAM* containing about 18000 verses divided into 12 parts. It was suggested that the stories from the Bhagavatham can be summarized through WHAT’S UP so that many people (particularly the younger generation) who are not exposed to our rich culture, can benefit from it. Those who are fortunate to come in contact with our scritpures will find how rich the Sanatana Dharmam (Hindu) culture which has effective answers to most of the human problems. In fact, it can serve as an ideal stress-buster for today’s busy competitive life. Therefore, on the most auspicious GANESH CHATURTHY Day (29-8-2014), we started this exercise. Thanks to the continued mercy of Lord Ganesha, we completed the exercise on 21-6-2015 in which 298 issues were dispatched daily without break even for a day. The feedback from thereaders was very encouraging. Uniformally everyone felt that they all benefitted by reading the one-page which reached them early morning around 6 AM daily for 10 mnonths.
Recently, there were repeated requests from several readers who missed GLIMPSES FROM BHAGAVATHAM that we should resend the same so that they can enjoy it on a daily basis. There was also request from some who wanted to re-read the same material once again. Seeing Lord Vishnu speaking through them, we have decided to resend the Glimpses from Bhagavatham from tomorrow.
We pray to Lord Vigneshwara, Goddess Saraswathi and Guru Vyasacharya that our efforts to disseminate the Vedic and Vedantic essence of our Sanatana Dharmam contained in the Bhagavatham should reach many more interested people. Hope this will prove beneficial to all of them.
[Note: The original write-up as made available daily to the ardent readers which made a serious effort to stick to the contents of the Original Bhagavatha Puranam retelling the contents in the same order as Vyasa wrote is reproduced here. No changes have been made in this except basic editing to correct spelling mistakes and grammer
With warm Regards R. Hariharan
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*DISLOCATION CAUSED BY MAHABHARATA WAR.*
Bhagavatha Maha-puranam will be appreciated well when we become fully aware of the circumstances which prompted the great author Vyasa-Acharya to take up this huge exercise. Mahabharatha war was not just a fight for the kingdom of Hastinapura between cousins of the Kuru dynasty - it was the FIRST WORLD WAR of the Civilized world involving more than 200+ kings, chieftains, clan-leaders, commanders and captains who occupied the fertile lands along the Saraswathy-Indus-Ganges River vallies extending from Afghanistan (Gandhara Desam) to East Bengal in the Indian Sub-continent (Bharata-varsham). The battle which lasted for 18 days involved more than 20,00,000 able-bodied trained men (18 Akshaunis) in their prime of youth - mainly from the upper castes. The mass destruction was such that hardly a few survived the annihilation. This meant 20 lakh families lost their earning members. In the resultant dislocation and confusion, the wives, sisters, daughters and mothers became destitutes. Cowards who did not take part in the War - mainly Brahmins along with some members of the trading community (Vaishyas) supported by corrupt and weak administrators (Khatriyas) took charge of society. With no effective law enforcement agency to stop them, women were abused as never before. Men became Naraka-asuras (today known as Goondas) imprisoning scores of women and denying them even basic human rights. This leader-less confusion and chaos continued for more than 500 years. Result: The Hindu joint family culture (Kula-dharma) and traditions of Hindu Sanatana Dharma scrupulously nourished for over 5000 years (with women taking the lead) were lost irretrievably. There was no governance and no law and order. Brahmins along with rich Vaishyas supported by weak and corrupt administrators ensured that Shudras and women were ill-treated – they were denied even basic human rights. Soon after the war the 5 Pandava Princes (who survived) under the personal guidance of Lord Krishna slowly conquered and annexed some part of North India and brought about some semblance of order – this took 25 years. To commemorate this, Yudhishtira performed the Rajasuya yajna. Finding himself too old, Dharmaputra established the young Parikshit (grandson of Arjuna & son of Abhimanyu) as the King at Harthinapuram and went away to the forst along with his brothers. Krishna too died in Dwaraka. Naturally a great responsibility was thrust on the young shoulders of Parikshit for re-establishing law and order and to protect the weak. It was a great challenge. [Note: Readers must visualise the circumstances in which king Parikshit (central figure of Bhagavatham) took charge and the challenges he faced to appreciate the intricate stories and interesting incidents which have been included in this great Mahapuranam.] [With warm regards: R. Hariharan
*PARIKSHIT’S UNUSUAL BIRTH:*
At the fag end of the Mahabharata war, Ashwathama vowed to destroy all Pandava heirs to avenge the death of his father Dhronacharya. He then brutally murdered all the Pandava children in the night while they were fast asleep which was contrary to Yudha-dharma (rules of war). Then he dispatched his powerful fire-emitting missile (Agneyastra) to destroy the only remaining Pandava heir, the child inside the womb of the 16 year old charming Uttara wife of Abimanyu (Arjuna’s son). Abhimanyu was killed by the Kauravas in the war by stealth. Lord Krishna (whose sole mission is to protect the righteous, destroy the wicked and resurrect dharma) reduced himself to the size of a thumb and went round the fetus emitting fire – nullifying the missile-fire. Thus, Lord’s mercy saved Parikshit – so he was named ‘Vishnu-raatan’ [one saved by Vishnu]. He was popularly called “Pari-ikshita” as the child in the womb was ‘trying to identify the nature of the thumb-sized person’ who went round protecting him. [Pari = 4 directions; Ikshita = looking out for]. [Note: Vyasa has hinted at 2 things here: (1) every child in the womb (like Parikshit) is protected by the Lord from all external dangers - otherwise how can such a fragile thing survive all the shocks? (2) Upanishads refer to the soul inside us as ‘thumb-sized Lord’ just to help the sadhakas concentrate and (3) every one of us enters this world with the knowledge of the Lord (totality). But His power (Maya) temporarily hides Him from us like a cloud covering the sun. Maya is called ‘igorance’ and ‘knowledge of the Lord’ nullifies it to reveal Him. Maya will allow us to know what we sincerely want and work hard for. For example, ignorance of mother is removed by knowledge about her, ignorance of nursery rhymes, Algebra, financial /engineering subjects etc. with their knowledge. So we have a choice (free-will) as to what knowledge /skill to acquire and work for. How do we exercise this choice today? We work hard to gain knowledge and to procure worldly things like wealth, power, position, possessions, relatives, etc. which are temporary (subject to time and depreciation). But we do not seek that knowledge (about Lord or Truth) which gives us permanent freedom. King Parikshit (when confronted with sure death) sincerely wanted to get that knowledge of the Lord. Responding to this sincereity, Shuka Maharshi appeared from nowhere (thanks to Maya) and refreshed his knowledge through Bhagavatha Mahapuranam. But we need not wait till that last moment! We have a choice to start much earlier. We can, in fact, start today – right now – because self-knoweldge presupposes introspection which needs a sharp intellect which we humans have. But most intelligent humans use it to know the world and they are also successful – so moving towards spirituality is given a very low priority. Most people therefore die away without any exposure. The handfull who are fortunate to get exposed do benefit immensely. Hence this attempt to expose the young to spirituality through Bhagavatham stories. [With warm regards: R. Hariharan
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*AUTHENTICITY OF BHAGAVATHAM:*
At the outset we should answer the following questions to know more about Bhagavatham so that today’s young generation can be convinced that it is worthwhile allotting at least a few minutes daily to become familiar with this great scripture: (1) How authentic is this Bhagavatham? (2) What are its contents? (3) What benefits we can get by reading/listening to it; and (4) How these benefits will reach us? Vyasacharya has stated that Bhagavatham has originated from the Lord Narayana who directly transmitted the knowledge in it through a ‘vision’ (without the medium of mind or intellect to ensure no transmission losses) implanted directly into the intellect of Brahma, the architect of the universe. Brahma then passed it on to his mind-born son Sage Narada in the form of a ‘Chatu-sloki-Bhagavatham’ (Bhagavatham Concentrate in 4 verses) with clear instructions ‘to dilute it with beautiful illustrations, interesting stories and captivating incidents and then package it in a colourful brochure called Bhagavatha Mahatmyam and pass it on to ordinary human beings in such a way that “they will cultivate Bhakthi (devotion) to Lord Vishnu”. Narada outsourced this job to the sincere and hard-working Krishna Dwaipayana who later became famous as Vyasacharya. [Note: Why and how Vyasacharya was chosen for this onerous job is an interesting story which we will discuss later]. Vyasacharya compiled the great Epic and transmitted it in small daily doses of (one chapter per day) in the daily evening Satsanghs to his students who included Shukacharya (his son), Romaharsha (Suta), Vaishampanayana, Jaimini and others. While Shuka chose to repeat the same verbatim to Parikshit (who was under a curse to die of snake bite in 7 days), Vaishampayana, Suta and others broadcasted it to the general public – once again through daily evening 2-hour sat-sanghs. Our version of the Bhagavatha Mahapuranam has come to us from Romaharsha. There is one more interesting proof as to why the Book contains fundamental truth (knowledge) about the Lord. The most beautiful Lord Vishnu (the manifestation of formless Narayana) has confirmed that ‘His avatharam as Krishna has personally entered the Book’ [Prakthyaksha Krishna eva hi]. This means whatever Krishna-avatharam represents is condensed and included in Bhagavatham. This also means that Bhagavatham teaches all that is disseminated by the Lord through our scriptures. We will make a sincere attempt to ‘dis-cover’ the truth intelligently hidden inside stories and other anecdotes. We will also adopt (following Vyasacharya) a strategy of “one-page-per-day” which will reach you through ‘Whatsap’ daily early morning. Thus, having a divine source, Bhagavatham is as authentic as Vedas, Upanishads and Bhagavad Gita which have also originated from Lord Narayana. [With warm regards: R. Hariharan]
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*WHAT BHAGAVATHAM CONTAINS?*
Vyasa has said stated Bhagavatha Mahapuranam has originated from the Lord himself just like Vedas, Upanishads and the Bhgavad Gita. He has also confirmed that Lord Krishna has personally entered this book? What does Vyasacharya mean by these statements? What is Lord Krishna really? Is it that baby born to Vasudeva and Devaki in the prison in Mathura? Or is it that Krishna who killed several rakshasas sent by Kamsa in Brindavan? Or is it that Gita-acharya who revealed the ‘knowledge of the self’ (Brahma-vidya) to Arjuna in the battle-field? None of these! Vyasacharya has hinted at the beginning itself that the form of Lord Krishna represents pure knowledge or tatwams which are intelligently hidden inside its pages. The readers (listeners) will have to introspect to ‘disocver’ Him and absorb him. So we must break open the hard-shell of the stories etc. and unravel the pure knowledge which is Lord Krishna. How to do that? No short-cut or capsule programmes are available! We will have to repeatedly listen to Bhagavatham stories (sravanam) which are symbolisms leading to the deeper meanings and then spend time sufficient absorbing the inherent tatwams (mananam). While sravanam attracts us to the Lord’s form (Bhakthi) leading to a religious way of life, those who apply their mind to know the deeper meaning become spiritual and discover the truth hidden inside (Jnanam).
It explains that the entire universe is made up of two aspects – the outer cover of body-mind-intellect-material world and the inner Pure Chaitanyam or Consciousness (God) called Vishnu. Vishnu cannot be experienced by us with our sense organs because Chaitanyam is beyond senses. God is available always mixed with matter or Prakrithi. This combination can be compared roughly to the South Indian Modak (Kozhakkattai). The inner part is made from jaggery and coconut which is extremely sweet and aptly called ‘poornam’ (full) – the outer cover is the tasteless atta which holds the Poornam in place. Without atta the poornam will not be held in place – but it is poornam which makes the atta palatable! In the case of this sweet-dish, we are able to distinguish the two parts very easily – so intelligent young children discard the outer cover and enjoy the poornam inside. But in the universe, the Chaitanyam is not visible - but only body-mind covering is experienced. Further, the cover has absorbed some sweetness from the Lord inside due to long association and we enjoy this ananda-mayam and become satisfied!! Bhagavatham through very interesting stories points out to us the extreme sweetness of God (Vishnu) who is the Poornam. This is illustrated by Krishna Avatharam called the “Poorna Avatharam” – the sweetest and the most delicious. Bhagavatham also demonstrates that those who believe only in the outer world and forget the God inside (Humans, Demons, Rakshasas etc.) will get only temporary happiness (just like eating the outer cover of Kozhakattai and being satisfied with it) – they are missing the great beauty and truth that is inside. But those who are able to know the real anandam (‘sweetness’ or God) will be rewarded with permanent bliss. They will be stress-free and ever peaceful. We will make a sincere effort to bring out this pure anandam in the following pages. [With warm regards: R. Hariharan
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*HOW CAN BHAGAVATHAM BENEFIT US BY ‘MERE’ LISTENING?*
The teachers of Bhagavatham have popularized the belief that Bhagavatham will give benefits to those who merely listen. It is even believed by some that merely being present in the palce where Bhagavatha Upakhyanam is taking place will be sufficient to become spiritual. Vyasacharya has stated: “There is a Karna-nadi (nerve inside the human ear) which directly connects both our ears to the Spiritual Heart (behind the physical heart). Being very subtle (sukshmam) it can carry only spiritual (sathvik) messages. This nerve which was in active use in Sat Yuga [Selfless age] was used only intermittently in the Treta Yuga - but was progressively neglected in Dwapara Yuga. With the exit of Lord Krishna from this world and as Kali Yuga commenced, human mind was exposed only to filth of the material world. So karna-nadi got completely blocked. Today, in the middle of Kali Yuga we are not even aware of its existence! Having remained blocked so long, it needs serious effort to get cleaned. (Similar to cleaning the blocked kitchen sink outlet with a rubber-funneled hand-pump). Now, what is the spiritual heart? It is the subtlest aspect of our intellect and acts like a mirror which reflects the power of the Lord. While selfless acts polishes it, every selfish act increases dirt on it. We have accumulated so much dirt over several births that this internal reflector (anta-karanam) has become dull. When the subtle but sharp spiritual message of Bhagavatham (and other scriptures) supported by the power of the Lord is bombarded through our Karna-nadi, the blocked channel gets cleaned and then the message reaches the spiritual heart. Then it serves as the duster to clean the internal reflector. Given sincere and persistant effort, slowly the reflecting surface gets purified. Needless to say, the intensity of the cleaning effort required will depend on the dirt accumulated both on the channel and the reflector. A heart which has fully absorbed the Truth from Bhagavatham will get purified quickly and will shine like a mirror. It will reflect the full glory of the Lord which is Pure Bliss. If the heart is spotless (shuddha satwam) then the reflector will become as powerful as the reflected (Lord). To drive home this point Vyasa has included many interesting stories (case-studies) where Bhagavatham has helped clean the dark interiors of bad humans who are much worse than most of us. [Even a ghost reaches Vaikuntam by listening to Bhagavatham continuously for 7 days]. So, every one of us will be able to identify with one or more of the characters. Naturally, many bhaktas will be convinced and at least some of them will take up the serious study of this scripture. From tomorrow we will discuss some of these case studies and analyse them. These stories will definitely make us very hopeful of receiving the God’s mercy. Needless to say, the stories serve as attractive containers which carry different aspects of the permanent truth called Krishna or Vishnu. [With warm regards: R. Hariharan
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*Case study No.1: STORY OF ATMADEVA AND GOKARNA:*
Atmadeva, an intelligent Brahmin boy graduated from a famous Gurukulam on the banks of Tungabhadra had specialized in the conduct of rituals (Mimamsa). His expertise in the conduct of yagas/yajnas made him famous. He married Dundubhi, a beautiful girl with modern ideas. She persuaded her husband to visit only rich households where he could extract exorbitant ‘dakshina’. To earn more wealth, Dundubhi persuaded her husband to continuously go on business tours to rich houses even in far away villages. Soon they became extremely rich and bought a big house. The lady bought many expensive dresses and heavy ornaments regularly. They lived happily for 25 years. But Atmadeva was unhappy that they had no children. So he persuaded his wife to resort to charity regularly. Even after giving away almost half the wealth, they could not get a child. Atmadeva soon got disgusted. In one of his tours he met a great sanyasi and after confessing his problems, he requested him to bless him with a child. Looking closely at Atmadeva’s face that honest man predicted: “You will not get a child for the next 7 lives”. Atmadeva was shocked. But he pestered the sadhu to bless him. He even threatened to commit suicide if he was not given the boon. The sanyasi saw God’s wish and put all his powers in a fruit and told him thus: “Let your wife eat this. Thereafter for one year she should eat only cereals once a day and should follow a spiritual life. She will be get a son”. Happy husband returned home and giving the fruit to his wife faithfully repeated the conditions. Soon he went on a long tour as usual. Dundubhi was confused. She discussed her problem with her pregnant sister (who was poor). She said “If I eat this fruit, I will become pregnant. My body will lose shape. Further, I cannot live without my regular heavy meals. Since I am staying alone suppose robbers attack the house how can I defend with a big stomach – all my jewellery will be stolen. Further childbirth will be very painful. So it is a curse for a women to become pregnant. It is better to be sterile or even be a widow. But what can I do now?” The impoverished sister saw an opportunity to make money. She said “Since you are in difficulty, I will help you. My child will be born in the next 8 months. I will give it to you. You give some money to my husband as compensation. Later I will stay with you to breast-feed the child for some months. Since your husband is a simpleton and mostly away on tour you should be able to manage it without much difficulty. Spread the rumour in the village that you are pregnant and are advised bed-rest. Keep away from contacting the outside world. As for the fruit from the Sanyasi, give it to the cow so that we know whether it is really effective.” Dundubhi thought for a long while. She was confused. Did she finally agree to the idea? Or did she see through the game of her sister? [With warm regards: R Hariharan
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Dumdubhi took to her sister’s idea like fish taking to water! She did as advised and hoodwinked her trusting husband who continued to be busy earning more money for the soon-to-expand family. The divine fruit was fed to the cow. After 8 months, the sister gave birth to a boy. Without waiting for her husband’s return from tour, the child was named Dundukari (product of Dhundhubi). Cow too gave birth to a boy with human body but with cow’s ears – he was named Gokarna. Villagers wondered at this double blessings to the Brahmin family. “O! Look at Lord Vishnu’s mercy. He has blessed the couple twice. Even their cow has given birth to a human baby. Must be the effect of charities they performed. Lord has forgiven their past unrighteous acts.” The sister stayed in Dundhubi’s house and acted as wet-nurse for which her husband charged a fat fees to Dundubhi – she paid this easily without the knwoeldge of her husband. Both sons grew up fast and went to the nearby Gurukulam. Gokarna was very studious but Dundukari ran away from Gurukulam and preferred to stay in the house and be pampered by his mother. Even as a teen-ager he took to drinking, gambling and spending time with prostitutes. After graduating from gurukulam Gokarna became a Vishnu Bhakta and went on a pilgrimage. Fed up with the atrocities committed by his son, Atmadeva too gave up his house and went away to Himalayas never to return. Soon Dundukari gambled away all his mother’s property. Fed up with his behavior, his mother committed suicide. His best friends, the 5 prostitutes, moved into the house. He mortgaged the house and gambled away the money. Thereafter to meet the demands of the prostitutes he started robbing the neighbors. Fearing capture by the king, the prostitutes one day brutally stabbed Dundukari. Then they burnt down the house along with his half-dead body. They went away taking whatever was left. As the body was not cremated and the anthya karmas were not performed, Dundukari became a ghost. Thanks to its past mis-deeds, the ghost was restless and was running from pillar to post inside the dilapidated house. It was suffering so much pain all over that it started shouting “O Lord”, “O Lord” continuously. No one dared to come near the haunted house. When Gokarna heard about the death of his mother and brother, following the scriptures, he sincerely performed Gaya Shardham for their final deliverance. He also performed tharpanams in all the religious places he visited and paid the Brahmin Priests whatever he had as dakshina. After several years, Gokarna came back to his village. Though stopped by the villagers, Gokarna argued that he had performed Gaya Shrardham and so there should be no fear. He then spent the night inside his house. The ghost tried to frighten its brother but failing to do so confessed to him and sought relief from him. Is there any relief at all for the cursed soul of Dundukari? [With warm regards: R. Hariaharan
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Gokarnan was worried. He sincerely wanted to release his brother from the sufferings. But he was confused as to why despite performance of Gaya Shrardham, the soul is not free? Was there any shortcomings? But he had meticulously followed the instructions of the Priests at Gaya. Yajur Veda clearly states: “Gaya Shrardam guarantees final relief to the soul and assures a place for it in Heaven.” Believing in it faithfully, even today millions travel to Gaya and undergo all the hardships. The Priests in Gaya take full advantage of this and fleeze the faithful relatives wanting to perform the ritual to release their cursed relatives’ spirits from Earthly bondage. Additionally, Gokarna had also performed Tharpanams in all important religious places in North India. Why then the Ghost of Dhundukari is not released? Worried and confused Gokarna called for a meeting of the village elders well-versed in rituals the next day. Even after deliberating for the whole day, they could not give him a satisfactory explanation. The sincere brother then personally looked up the contents of the scriptures. Nothing in them helped him. As a last resort he even consulted the astrologers and paid a huge fee demanded by them. They could not solve the problem. Finally, Gokarna surrendered to Lord Vishnu and meditated on Him. It was revealed to him that the answers to these worldly questions will be available from the Sun-God. Gokarna, using his yogic power stopped the Sun’s movement and sought an immediate solution for his problem. Sun-God, who was pleased with the sincere and selfless efforts of Gokarna to release the spirit of a cursed relative, answered thus: ‘My dear child, there is a simple solution. Please conduct a BHAGAVATHA SAPTHAHA-YAJNA. When the ghost is exposed to concentrated spiritual medicine for 7 days, it will be relieved’. Gokarna arranged for the yajna in the open ground under a shamiana which was attended by hundreds of Vaishnavas. On the first day, Dundukari’s ghost arrived early and being gaseous entered the empty bottom hole of a nearby bamboo with 7 joints. At the end of the first day of the yajna, surprisingly the bottom joint of the bamboo split with a crackling noise. Similarly after each day one joint cracked and on the 7th day when the yajna was completed, the top joint also gave way. To the surprise of all the onlookers, a dark and shining person emerged from inside the bamboo dressed in expensive yellow silk, wearing a crown and various other expensive jewels. Soon a beautiful chariot came down from Heaven to take the ghost directly to Vaikuntam. Gokarna was also surprised. He asked the Vishnudhootas, the chariot attendants: “O wise men! Please explain your action. Hundreds of people have listened to Bhagavatham with shraddha for the past 7 days – why then this special treatment to a sinner ghost that he is being taken to Vaikuntam directly?” Vishnudhootas’ explanation surprised Gokarna! [With warm regards: R. Hariharan
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8th March
*Worldly Things will Never Give True Satisfaction*
One’s own experience is, of course, the most dependable of experiences. It will generate cautiousness, fortify faith, stimulate spiritual effort, and bring God nearer. The saints have advised us time and again, but do we feel the same pressing need for God which they felt? As we go about our daily business of life, do we think of God as an essential requirement? If we reflect on our own life, we find that we have grown to the present age, have had education, obtained employment or set up business, married and got children, acquired a house, property, furniture, and other amenities of pleasure and recreation, and so on; and yet there is something that we think we lack, something that we desire. Is this desire ever going to end?
One person takes up service, another becomes a doctor, or an advocate, or a shopkeeper; this, admittedly, is not because otherwise the employer could not have got anyone to serve him, or because a patient would have to go without a doctor, or because the client would be without an advocate, or a customer would be without some particular article. In other words, whatever one does is not done for the sake of the deed but with the ultimate motive of obtaining for one’s own self some kind of happiness or gain. We find, however, that the expected fruition, namely, happiness or contentment, is never attained, despite lifelong strenuous toil. Life comes to an end, leaving a sense of something yet not done, a sense of incompleteness of achievement. Does a man ever feel that he has obtained all he wanted and no longer needs anything more, that he is perfectly contented with what he has? There is at least the gnawing anxiety that it should never diminish, never perish.
Remember that everything in this world is incomplete, imperfect, impermanent; and therefore, no matter what we earn and however much, satisfaction can never result from it. How can a collection of things all intrinsically imperfect yield the satisfaction of perfection? If a mental hospital has two hundred patients as inmates, how far would it be justified to say that an addition of a hundred more lunatics would make up one sane person?
It is impossible to predict how much would suffice for a man to secure contentment. On the other hand, if we learn to be contented with what we have, we will always have enough.
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7th March
*Divert some of the Tenacity of Prapancha towards Parmartha*
Marriage is a highly sacred social institution, aiming as it does at the spiritual uplift of two souls. The disciple concurs completely with the wishes of the Sadguru; the same relation should exist between a husband and wife, for the latter surrenders herself to the former in all respects. Nevertheless, it is unrealistic to expect marriage to yield unalloyed happiness on the material plane; it is just not possible. Everyone feels that the world has been created only for his or her pleasure; this expectation evidently cannot be realized.
All human effort has in the ultimate analysis the aim of obtaining happiness; but although we understand wherein true, durable happiness lies, we turn a blind eye to it and look to individuals, things, and situations, for happiness. As a matter of fact, true happiness, which can come only by reunion with God can be obtained with only a fraction of the tremendous effort and perseverance which we lavish on worldly matters and their fleeting pleasures. The means we employ for seeking happiness which is only short-lived and imperfect, eventually cannot but entail misery in one form or another. Let us henceforth concentrate our attention and efforts on happiness which is durable and untainted.
Everything in this world is regulated by rules and limitations. To seek to transgress them is to upset their organization and orderliness. Thus, everyone in a family has a specific standing and duty. The home in which these are properly observed is a well-ordered house; such a home will, by and large, be a happy home for all. Suppose we build a house and provide doors, windows, and ventilating openings; now, if these small openings and windows protest against this ‘discrimination’ in their respective sizes, and decide that all of them will become no less than the size of the doors, the house will become an intolerable, unmanageable mess. Similarly, a home in which all claim equality and independence of opinion, and where age and seniority of relationship are disregarded, cannot remain an orderly unit. As the saying goes, a house divided against itself falls. So the general atmosphere of our home should be pure, peaceful, and marked by sacredness of love for each other and for God. This love should be part of selfless universal love, untainted with attachment or selfishness; to walk thus in love is to walk towards God.
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6th March
*How to Annihilate Desire*
Sometimes there is something which we know to be wholesome for us and conducive to our good; if we still disregard it, evidently it is highly improper; nay, it is a veritable sin. We are told that the desire that stands uppermost in the mind at the moment when life quits the body, determines what the person will become in the next birth. We are thus born in desire, and die in desire, while during life, all our actions are prompted by desire. Desire thus dominates and pervades our entire life. How then can we free ourselves from its clutches, when it is part and parcel of our very being?
What distinguishes man from all other classes of being is the faculty of discrimination between good and bad, wholesome and harmful. That we disregard the judgment of this faculty and continue to yield to the dictates of ego and desire, is where we go wrong. The ego permeates our thought so thoroughly that we treat everything as made for us, belonging to us; and we continually talk of ‘my’ wife, ‘my’ children, ‘my’ home, and so on without end. We pamper the ego so much that we expect everything/and everybody to exist only to please us; which of course, just cannot be. We expect all pleasure and only pleasure, no pain and no displeasure. We do this despite our knowledge and experience to the contrary, and do not hesitate to use fair means and foul to that end. This in turn fosters more and more desire, that is pride, and ego. We must break this vicious circle by annihilating ego. This ego has so thoroughly diffused into our being and is so subtle in form that it needs an equally subtle and penetrating remedy. Nama is that remedy, peerless in subtlety and efficacy. It is closest to God. And yet we do not take to it with love and steadfastness. Not that we do not know it, but we seem to have an innate aversion for it. Let us bear in mind that God is the sole doer; this ceaseless awareness is sure to eradicate ego. Therefore, let us take to Nama with determination and love. One who lives in Nama succeeds in annihilating desire and its consequences.
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ஸனகாதி முனிவர்களா ? பிரம்மா வா ?
முப்பது முக்கோடி தேவர்களா ? கந்தர்வர்களா ? ரிஷிகளா ? சித்தர்களா ?
நாரதரா ? சரஸ்வதியா ? திருமகளா ?
ஆதிசேஷனா ? கருடனா ? நந்திகேஸ்வரரா ? ஹம்ச பறவைகளா ?
யமனா ? குபேரனா ? திக்பாலர்களா ?
கவிஞர்களா ? வித்வான்களா ? பண்டிதர்களா ?
எவ்வளவுதான் உனை புகழ்ந்தாலும் அது கடலில் ஓர் உத்திரிணி அளவு தான் !!!💐💐💐
இதே மாதிரி அபிராமி பட்டர் அபிராமி அந்தாதியில் 97 வது பாடலில் இப்படி சொல்கிறார்
ஆதித்தன், அம்புலி, அங்கி, குபேரன், அமரர்தங்கோன்
போதிற் பிரமன், புராரி, முராரி, பொதியமுனி,
காதிப் பொருபடைக் கந்தன், கணபதி, காமன் முதல்
சாதித்த புண்ணியர் எண்ணிலர் போற்றுவர் தையலையே.🙏🙏🙏
During my school days, I used to visit this temple every Friday.
The Goddess is incredibly powerful, and the temple also has sacred sannithis of Panchamukha Hanuman Ji and Panchamukha Ganesh Ji.
My uncle was an active member of the temple, and now, we are coordinating with Swamiji and Sri Sri Guru Ji for the renovation and construction work.
It’s truly fulfilling to be part of preserving and enhancing this divine space. Let me know if you’d like to visit sometime
பொன்னொளி சிந்தும் பரம்பரை தேவி
பவப்பிணி தீர்க்கும் பராபரமே,
புதுக்கோட்டையில் பிரகாசிக்கும் முத்தே
மந்திரம் உந்தன் திருநாமமே,
மறுபிறவி தந்திடும் தயாமயியே
திரிசூலம் ஏந்தும் சிவகாமியே,
சிறப்புடை யோகம் அருளும் அம்மே
கலை, அறிவு, பக்தி கொடுக்கும்,
கருணை மழை பொழியும் அன்னை!
உன்னை வாழ்த்த எம் சொல்லேது?
உலகமெலாம் போற்றும் ஒளி தேவி!!!!!🙏
The Lingodbhava story of Shiva, Vishnu and Bramha is well known..
Briefly put it starts from the argument between Bramha and Vishnu as to who is greater.. To resolve the dispute Shiva appeared as a pillar of fire/light ..and declared whoever formed the end of pillar would be the greater
Vishnu took the form of Varha and started digging down and Bramha took form of Hamsa and started flying upwards. Neither could find the end . But while Vishnu came back and honestly mentioned about his inability to do so Bramha lied.. This resulted in Bramha loosing his head.
Few things can be grasped and understood from this story .
Firstly If flight of Bramha upwards is considered as pursuit for Gyana and the digging of Varaha as pursuit of desire ..One thing becomes clear that everything be it best of knowledge/Wisdom or basest of desire its Shiva.. Hence Sarvam Shivamayam..
Second the thirst for desire and Gyana is fueled by same fire but there is no end to either the more we pursue more the fire burns.. So the only option remains is to submit to this fire, this pillar of light..The Shiva.. and it is where Gyana and desire merge..
Finally on a lighter side , and ironically so atleast desire is honest that there is no end to it . Also the pursuit is a honest pursuit and ultimately it will realise that Shiva is the ultimate desire.. Gyana on other hand becomes arrogant and tries to fool the source of Gayana itself and ends up loosing its head..
From this it follows that Vishnu realising Shiva is the ultimate desire becomes source of Auspicousness.. and Bramha's head becomes a begging bowl in hand of Shiva which only falls of in Kashi.. So more than anything Kashi frees/liberates one from the apasmara of Gyana .. and how does Shiva do it by giving Rama mantra..
What is Rama mantra.. "Submit to Shiva"..
Ramayana is this Pillar of light/fire story in other form.. Rama is the pillar of fire.. Its Anjaneya and Ravana who go in search for where it ends.. for Anjaneya it ends at Shri Rama's feet and Ravana looses his head metaphorically and litreally too...May be that's why Shri Rama even though a Vishnu Avatar seems so much like Shiva.. In Mahabharata the same format is reiterated with Krishna being that pillar of light but with slight more complexity
Jai Shri Rama..
Hara Hara Mahadeva.