Cosmic Consciousness

Deepam Param

2009-10-17T06:51:00.000-07:00

Sights and sounds

As crackers light and fireworks flower around

In celebration of this festival of lights

I remember the verse

Deepam Jyoti Param Brahma Deepam Sarvam Tamopaham

Deepena Shashwate Sarvam Sandhya Deepam Namostute

Light is the manifestation of the supreme brahman

Light dispels all darkness around

By the light everything gains permanence

That light of unity of the yin and the yang

I worship with hands together.

Shubham Karoti Kalyanam Arogyam Dhanasampadaha

Shatru Buddhi Vinashaya Deepajyotir Namostute

That light which grants auspiciousness and success

That light which keeps me healthy and bestows wealth

That light which destroys all the negative thoughts in my mind

That light of the lamp I salute with hands together.

Light each cracker that may burst with all the darkest thoughts

Like a bubble that exposes the mind to consciousness

Light each flower pot that brings out the flowering of creativity within

Light each rocket that zooms the mind shooting to the depths of consciousness

Yad Bhavam Tad Bhavati|

What you see that you become

See the light and become it.

Here the fireworks and become the silence that follows.

Taste the sweets and the savouries

So you are a combination of the sweet and the otherwise

Smell the fragrance of celebrations

That take you to the depths of your being

Hug your friends and enemies

That you know that you and the other are just one

Consciousness and that's it! - Swahilya Shambhavi.

Nirvikalpa Samadhi, and Pancha Koshas

2008-12-10T11:05:00.000-08:00

Vikalpam means difference, divide etc. 'Nir' means without. Nirvikalpa hence means without any difference.

In savikalpa samdhi, though the soul unites with the God, it still feels its identity. In nirvikalpa, it senses nonduality. Hence this is supposed to be highest stage in Ashtanga Yoga (as propounded by Sri Patanjali).

This state is indeed extremely challenging to obtain.

We are built of five 'koshas' or sheaths (or layers). (maya is not maaya / delusion.)

1. 'Anna'maya kosha
2. 'Praana'maya kosha
3. 'Manon'maya kosha
4. 'Gnana'maya kosha
5. 'Ananda'maya kosha

'Annam' means rice / food. So, our physical body is referred to as 'anna'maya kosham. This sheath can be contained by Yogic postures / asanas / Hatha yoga kriyas.

'Praana' implies the 'praana'shakthi. Praana is usually mistaken for air. Air can be compared to a horse and 'praana' to be the rider. In India, when people die, it is normal to hear the quote 'praana' has left. It is 'praana' that sustains life. This sheath is obiously subtler than 'anna'maya kosha. This can be conditioned by pranayama (Kriya Kundalini Pranayama).

Manas implies mind. So, the sheath subtler than praana is the mind. So, 'manon'maya kosha imlies our mind. You would have noticed that when we are tense we breath fast and when we are relaxed, we breath deep and slow. Thus, the mind has effect on Praana. So, the reverse is also true. When we breath slow and easy, the mind gets controlled. This is the principle of pranayama. This sheath can be conditioned by Dhyana (meditation) Kriyas.

Gnaana implies intellect. The sheath subtler than mind is intellect. Intelligence usually should control the mind. But, mind is usually not controlled and is driven by the senses. When the intellect governs the mind, only good things happen. This sheath can be conditioned by Kriya Mantra Yoga by repeating mantras and by
contemplating on vedic truths.

The subtlest of all is the 'ananda'maya kosha or the bliss sheath. This is indeed the soul. This can be conditioned / realised by Kriya Bhati yoga.

Only when all the five koshas are transcended, AND, the ego is completely eliminated, can one attain Nirvikalpa Samadhi

PS:-

[1] This is the edited form of a post in my Yahoo Group - Murugavataar Babaji

[2] Terminologies used are based on Kriya Yoga

Paripalayamam Ibha Raja Mukha!

2008-09-07T01:56:00.000-07:00

It was about 8:00 pm when I left office, a day before Ganesh Chathurthi... It started to drizzle as I stepped out of office - So, I returned and kept my bag with laptop back in my office and started to walk without any load.

I asked for a couple of autos, and none decided to take me to my home back (it was a bit far from my office) - When a middle aged guy walked up to me and told me - 'Why do you want to waste money? Go to the bus stop at the end of the road, and take 296!' - I thought, may be I should do the same. I got a relatively empty bus (I could find place to stand, without stepping on others!). And by the time I got down at the destination, it was raining cats and dogs and people were running for cover. But, I decided to enjoy Mother's love fully! I started walking the final 2.5 kms from the bus depot to my home. I got curious looks from people standing below shops lining the road.

But why would I care? I am definitely not melting in this rain! Where else can I connect with Mother and Father in Sky? The road started getting empty as I walked towards my home. I started singing to my heart's content - Nobody to hear except for Father and Mother.

Finally after singing a couple of songs, I started singing 'Giriraja Sutha Thanaya' by Sri Thiagaraja Swamy on Sri Ganesha. (May be I'll translate this song sometime later - It is a beatutiful song)

I then reached anu-pallavi (Paripalayamam Ibha Raja Mukha) - Protect me! (One who has) Face of an Elephant King.

I did not explicitly ask for any protection! I then realized that the last 500 metres to my home did not have any street lights (depite being in a main road!) and it would be pitch dark during the rain.

I did not even realize that I was asking for protection - I just maintained singing the 'Paripalayamam Ibha Raja Mukha' - Just before stepping into the dark section, one guy came on a TVS champ (moped) and stopped next to me - He asked me where I was going. And I told him where I was. He asked me to hop on to the moped and he dropped me right in front of my apartment and then left! It was still raining heavily! I did not know why the guy in the moped was out in the rain. Only then it struck me what I was singing!

Sri Ganesha, the elephant faced God is indeed the swiftest in sending help! He is my favorite little God - He might be too big to understand, but he is cute and small enough for illiterate like me to approach.

I also realize that it is not required to 'ask' for help from Father. He just sends help when we require, not just when we ask for it! Does a Mother wait for her kid to ask for food to give food?

We just need to open out heart to let the Grace flow!

Image

Karman Eva Adhikaraste

2008-08-23T07:03:00.000-07:00

Sri Bhagawat Geeta is indeed the Song of the Divine - Where else can we listen to the Lord of the Universe speaking to us in clear words?Seers (Rishis) listen to the Words of the God and pass it on to us. These are what we got as Vedas. Since the source of Vedas is not human, they are often referred to as 'Apaurusheya' (not originating from humans)

But, Bhagawat Geeta is a special Song where the Lord directly talks to us(Jeevas).

It is indeed laid out by Great Satguru Lahiri Mahasaya and Unfathomably great Mahavatar Babaji that all people practising Kriya Yoga should atleast read a few passages from Sri Bhagawat Geeta DAILY.

Each Verse of the Song bursts with power to provide Salvation. Each Verse has the capacity to take us to the Infinite. There are some that provide solace to me when I am lonely, some cheer me up, some direct my thoughts back to the Divine. Whenever I am sane and I am sad, I look forward to the Voice of the Lord to Guide me.

A word that provides me solace and advise whenever I try too hard anddo not succeed is this:

"Karmanyeva adhikaraste ma phaleshu kadachana
Ma karmaphalahetur bhurma te sangostvakarmani."

The Great Lord says, "Karman Eva Adhikarasthe" - You have control only over your actions. This does indicate, the God was kind enough to offer us free will. There is no point doing evil and claiming Goda sked me to do it. Sri Krishna Paramatma says that we have control only over the actions and NOT over the results. IMO, He does not say, do things without expectation. An action done without a goal will not yield good results. The action should proceed towards a goal or a cause, and we have complete control over our actions. (conditioned by our own Vasanas acquired over many many births)But, we cannot control the results. The Lord grants us the results based on many factors (infinitely large) that are not under ourcontrol.

God does not give results randomly. He only says the outcome of an action is not under our control (sounds like Quantum Physics to me!) . Does that mean we can give up action? The answer is a thundering NO - Arjuna did not toss his Kanteepam (his bow) and retire to Sanyasa after listening to Bhagawat Geeta. He took his bow and fought themost valiant battle.Lord does not discourage us. If we put in the effort, the most Merciful One will grant the fruits.We should do our duties with utmost sincerity, hard word and devotion. If we do not attempt we will not get any result. Not doing duty is not what the Lord preaches.

Do what you can do your best - But, Do not have the results of the action as your motive. Dedicate all the results to Lord. By dedicating the results of all actions to the Lord, we will be purified. This is the end result of Karma Yoga.

May Sri Krishna, Lord of Infinite Mercy, The Most Beautiful One, Charmer of the Gopis and Radhas, The Charming Kid who Danced on Kalinga, The Upholder of Dharma in the Universe Grant us theUniversal vision to see Him in All and All in Him. Sarvam Sri Krishnarpanamasthu! Hare Krishna!

Sri Nataraja's Grace...

2008-08-02T00:36:00.000-07:00

[I posted this earlier in my YahooGroup - I thought I could share it with a wider audience]

As I was meditating over Lord Nataraja, esp moved by His Grace in recent times (which extends even to this mundane world), the poem(?)below sprang into my mind. I thought I should share it with you.

Sri Nataraja - The Lord of Dance

Who can understand the Grace of The Lord,
The Lord of Dancers, Sri Nataraja,
Whom even the greatest Gods and Immortals adore,
Admiring the Lord who seems very close, yet so far in comprehension,
Blessing even the forgetful, Apasmara
Who forgot His Presence,
Whose right hand asserts to His devotee, Abhaya, 'Fear not!'
And, whose left hand points to the essense of all Knowledge,
The purpose, The means, The Fate, The Abode of All - His Left Leg,
Which has been raised,
To offer salvation to all miseries,

Him I praise,
Who conferred Bliss to Sri Patanjali and Vyagrapadhar,
In Chidambaram, The reflection of Kailash, on Earth,
The Lord, who captured my heart with His endearing smile
Protecting me always, Though I have done
Naught to earn His Grace,
Who supports me, the most undeserving one.

He asserts, 'Why Fear, when I am Here?' ,

His Dance, pervades the entire universe,And Transcends it.
Dear Devotee,Forget not the Father,
Who will never Forget you,

When millions of years of penance,
Of Greatest Sages, have not exposed
A Glimpse of His Glory,
A tear, A cry, For Help,
From a person, even the most undeserving,
Brings Him running for Help.

Fools talk if the Lord is the Greatest,
Doing petty comparisons.He Blesses even them.
People say He is revealed only by Vedas,
While the Vedas themselves stand,Awed,
By His Glory,
Ashamed of not being able to portray

A ray of His Grace.

There is no need for Mantras
Nor Tantras, Nor Yantras.
All that is needed,I assert,
Is a heart that yearns for His Grace.
Fear Not.
Call Him once.
And make Him yours.

Sri Subrahmanyoham
Sriram V Iyer

PS:- Image Attribution: Copyrighted to Himalayan Academy Publications, Kapaa, Kauai, Hawaii.

2008-05-31T23:03:00.000-07:00

What is mind? What is soul? Are these delusions?
Is Father Real? Who is the Supporter?
--------------------------------------------------------------------

When the heart sinks in sorrow,
When the Maya takes over,
When the darkness seems endless,
When Hope seems distant,

When tears well around the eyes
When the soul cries out for support,

Father consoles us by talking to the heart
He voices his thoughts by the sound of the gentle breeze
Or by the raging storm
A distant bickering light
Call from a friend
Voice of a baby
Splendor of the sun
Might of the ocean waves
Or the Voidness in the heart
When no thoughts arise

When the going gets tough,
Fear not my friend
It is not you who carry the problems
It is the Father who carries you
And your problems

Why grope in the dark for support
When, it is the Father that does not blink
Not to lose the sight of the child even for a moment
Will He let you fall?

In Him, I rest
Sriram V Iyer

Brahman

2008-03-21T21:02:00.001-07:00

I Am

I pace up and down

Mind enveloped by consciousness

But feet move around fast

The expanse contains my solar system

The solar system contains my earth

The earth contains my country

The country holds my State

The State holds my city

My city holds my street

And my street my home

In my home that holds this body

Pacing up and down

I am seeing from within this frame

The whole universe and beyond

I see myself through the eye of my mind

I Am All Myself.

- Swahilya Shambhavi.

(Patanjali Yoga Sutra, Vignana Bhairava Tantra, Tirumandiram, Bhagavad Gita, swahilya.soulmate@gmail.com)

Shiva...

2008-03-04T20:32:00.000-08:00

...Consciousness

The time has come

When they celebrate

The Auspicious One

Shiva, Kaivalya, Bhairava

Are some of his thousand names

He is formless, yet we see him

In the form of rising earth

Standing out like a cylinder of energy

Touching the space in Consciousness

The Linga is his form

That confines not his boundaries

But just to remind us that he is

The expanse beyond all forms

Soon his night of glory approaches

And they chant where they know him

From many corners of the world

Shambho Mahadeva

The sit up spine erect

All night in awareness

To receive all his abundance

Celebrating the Lord with the Universe

Those that know him chant and sing

Those who do not just are his silence

When they breathe in the air touches him

And touches the world again

Filled with his fragrant presence.

- Swahilya Shambhavi

(Photo: You can see him anywhere, all elements are his form.)

(Patanjali Yoga Sutra, Vignana Bhairava Tantra, Bhagavad Gita, Satsang in Chicago, Himalayas, swahilya.soulmate@gmail.com)

..to be continued

2008-02-21T06:14:00.000-08:00

Dear Readers
Vignana Bhairava Tantra will continue on a separate blog, http://www.vignanabhairavatantra.blogspot.com
The earlier posts and comments have been updated there.
You are most welcome.

Vignana Bhairava Tantra - VII

2008-02-20T21:56:00.000-08:00

Shiva speaks....

Bhairava Uvacha:

Sadhu Sadhu Twaya Prushtam Tantra Saaramidam Priye

Goohaneeyatamam Bhadre Tathapi Kathayamite

Yatkinchit Sakalam Roopam Bhairavasya Prakeerthitham

After hearing Parvati speak and ask questions, Shiva says, "Good, my beloved lady, What you have asked me is the essence of Tantra. I will now give you the most secret knowledge - auspicious one. I will tell you about the different forms of Bhairava," says Shiva.

Here the sharing of the highest wisdom of consciousness is happening between the lover and the beloved. This is the factor that makes the Vignana Bhairava Tantra accessible to all. Shiva is able to explain the nuances of experiencing consciousness through many ways, subtle, intricate and with innumerable methods for the understanding of people from all walks of life. He uses examples and instances from the experiences of different lifestyles of the householder, husband and wife.

Though the Tantra is open to everyone and consciousness resides in every being, knowledge of meditation bestows a certain energy and power to the individual who practices it. The power, if used unwisely, can cause harm, confusion or even bring destruction to oneself primarily and to others too. So the purity of the one who receives the knowledge is of utmost importance here. Purity here means, the use of the knowledge for one's own evolution, deeper into the self and not for any good or bad actions in the world. - Swahilya Shambhavi.

(Bhagavad Gita, Patanjali Yoga Sutra, Himalayas, swahilya.soulmate@gmail.com)

Vignana Bhairava Tantra - VI

2008-02-13T11:59:00.000-08:00

The end of questioning

Nahi varna vibhedena Deha bhedene vaa bhaveth

Paratvam Nishkalatvena Sakalatvena Tadbhaveth

Prasadam Kuru Me Natha Nih Shesham Chindhi Samshayam

*****

The param or quality of consciousness should be beyond the division of colour, of forms. The consciousness is indivisible and hence it cannot be the different parts of colours, forms and sounds, says Devi.

Thus describing all that she knows, of names, forms, sounds, energy and of the transcendence of consciousness, she appeals to Lord Shiva to bestow his grace and completely remove any doubts from her mind. The mind knows no rest until it knows the truth, nothing but the truth and the whole truth! - Swahilya Shambhavi.

(Patanjali Yoga Sutra, Bhagavad Gita, Himalayas, swahilya.soulmate@gmail.com)

Vignana Bhairava Tantra - 5

2008-02-08T18:26:00.001-08:00

Transcendent or Immanent or Both?

Paraparayah Sakalam Aparayascha Va Punaha

Paraya Yadi Tadvatsyaat Parathwam Tad Virudhyate

*****

Devi questions if consciousness is present in the now or whether it transcends everything. "Is your reality immanent and transcendental at the same time? If it is immanent, present here and now, it is a contradiction that it is transcendental," she says.

While she questions Shiva of his reality, which is actually her reality and everyone else's too, it is also the technique of asking too many questions, marking the pros and cons. By generating a confusing bundle of thoughts, an experience of clarity is possible.

By Para, she means consciousness and apara means matter, form and name, the earth and all forms of manifested Universe. Her question her is, "Which is the truth - the form or the formless?" - Swahilya Shambhavi.

(Bhagavad Gita, Patanjali Yoga Sutra. (swahilya.soulmate@gmail.com).

Vignana Bhairava Tantra - 4

2008-02-04T17:52:00.001-08:00

Can the truth be realised through energy?

Nadabindumayam Vapi Kim Chandrardha Nirodhikaha

Chakrarudham Anachkam Va Kimva Shakthiswaroopakam

A letter is a combination of sound and silence. Same are all the names and forms we see. Parvathy wants to know if the eternal truth is in the form of letters, sounds and shapes. She asks if they are in the various major energy centres of the body, beginning from the tip of the spine to the top of the head, called by seven names as Muladhara, Swadhishtana, Manipura, Anahata, Vishuddhi, Agnya and Sahasrara.

Or is it through the form of pure energy that one realises your real form? Energy is a beautiful word to express that which cannot be seen, but simply experienced. We say a bubbly child is in a high state of energy. The energy of a big wave cannot be seen directly, but understood by observing the height, depth, volume and force with which it crashes on a rock. When you put on the switch, the light burns bright. You may be able to see the connecting wires, but not the electricity that causes the light to shine.

Devi asks if the truth can be realised by focussing on the sound and silence of the mantra, or by the sound that always exists in the heart beat or by focussing on the different energy centres of the body. - Swahilya Shambhavi.

(Bhagavad Gita and Patanjali Yoga Sutra. (swahilya.soulmate@gmail.com)

Vignana Bhairava Tantra - 3

2008-01-30T18:46:00.000-08:00

Where is the truth?

Kim Va Navathmabhedena

Bhairave Bhairavakritau

Trishirobheda bhinnam va

Kim va Shakthitrayathmakam

*****

How can your reality be perceived? Parvathy asks Shiva if it can be known through the nine states of consciousness which include time, energy, name, knowledge, memory, sound, seed, wave or the individual soul or the nine forms of energy which include the energy of action, the energy of tranquility and space, the transcendent energy.

Or is it through knowing the three forms of energy flow in the body called the Ida - feminine, Pingala - masculine and Sushumna - the tranquil neutral force.

The whole existence and the individual can be described in just one way. There is pure consciousness to begin with, everywhere and passing through everything and which is beyond understanding by the mind. From the pure consciousness emerges the flow of thoughts, which is the energy of the mind. That creates the Universe at large and governs the functioning of each individual.

The questions raised by Parvathy does not mean that she is not aware of what the superconscious state of being is and she wants to know about it. It is like a drama in this context, where all the actors know the whole story. Yet they act out their part to keep the suspense alive for the audience. Deeper and deeper questioning can help to increase the clarity of understanding, at the end of which the truth reveals itself effortlessly.

(May visit for Bhagavad Gita and Patanjali Yoga Sutra- Swahilya Shambhavi (swahilya.soulmate@gmail.com)

Vignana Bhairava Tantra - 2

2008-01-25T12:49:00.001-08:00

Restless until the truth is experienced

Adyapi Na Nivruttome Samshayah Parameshwara

Kim Rupam Tahthwato Deva Shabdharashi Kalamayam

*****

Even after hearing everything, my doubts are not dispelled. What is your real form, oh Divine one? Are you the energy contained in the sounds of all the letters?

Akshara is the letter which contains the energy. Sound is the first manifestation of energy in the field of consciousness. Parvathy's doubts about the true form of the essential truth is not cleared. Unless the experience of truth happens directly, the mind is never sure and does not rest, calm down or stop its search. Despite having an understanding in terms of knowledge, Parvathy's question canards to Shiva continue, on the name and form of the ultimate truth. - Swahilya Shambhavi.

The Vignana Bhairava Tantra

2008-01-20T20:50:00.000-08:00

Liberation through Expansion

Tantra is the most misunderstood word today. What is believed to be some gimmicks performed in the name of black magic or witchcraft etc. is actually another word for Yoga, through expanding and liberating the mind. Tanotu - Trayate. What protects by expanding is called Tantra. It is a tool or a technique. Just as we say Chanakya Tantra, for the art of administration, Tantra is the art of meditation.

A post that happened by chance on this blog, instead of on Aham, sparked this idea of continuing to write on the Vignana Bharava Tantra. It is the science of Yoga that encompasses life around. It is the yoga that helps you to tune in to the day-to-day sights and sounds. It does not expect any solitary confinement to practice meditation, but shows the way for a life of meditation now and here - as you see the sky, the earth, the mountains and rivers, as you experience the different moments of joy and sorrow.

Shri Devyucacha:

Shrutham Deva Maya Sarvam Rudrayamala Sambhavam

Trika Bhedamasheshena Sarathsara Vibhagashaha.

*****

This whole exposition of the Tantra is written in the form of a conversation between Shiva and his wife, Parvathy. Just as Arjuna poses questions to Sri Krishna, Parvathy quizzes Shiva, the Master of Yoga, on all that she needs to know about the mind and consciousness.

She says that she has now listened to everything that has emerged from the Rudrayamala Tantra, the three divisions of energy as Iccha Shakthi - the energy of desire, Kriya Shakthi - the energy of application into action and Jnana Shakthi - the energy of knowledge. Also, she has learnt about the divisions of the several layers between matter and consciousness.

There is knowledge of meditation from the books we read and the talks we hear. But the knowledge needs the grace of the Guru to be assimilated into a personal experience. The Vignana Bhairava Tantra is the result of a similar experience with knowledge and the different ways of assimilating it. - Swahilya Shambhavi.

(You may wish to visit Bamboo Wisdom for a verse by verse commentary on the Bhagavad Gita and Aham for a series on the Patanjali Yoga Sutra.)

Vignana Bhairava Tantra - 10

2007-10-19T09:47:00.000-07:00

Become one with empty space

Vyomakaram Swamathmanam dhyayeth dighbhir anavritam

Nirashraya Chethi: Shaktihi Swaroopam Darshayeth Thada

*****

The noise from the television between the four walls of the drawing room, people chattering away or fighting - the resulting confused thought patterns can play havoc. Tune into the space within, says the Tantra. But how does one know that space within. Meditation. With the eyes, look out into the vast blue sky. It is nothing but one's own form, just as the earth is one's body, the air is one's breath, the water is the fluids of the body, the fire is the heat that burns and digests and the thoughts are one's mind, the empty space within is nothing but the same empty space without. Far away from our sight, it looks blue during day, grey in the evenings and dark at night. It is nevertheless, colourless empty space. Nothing else. Be with that space.

Into the form of space, ether, one' own self, when one meditates being supportless in all directions shakti in the form of consciousness is then revealed

one that is closest to consciousness - our true being is nothing but that. - Swahilya Shambhavi.

2007-10-19T02:03:00.000-07:00

NAVARATRI

Nine days of gaiety and fun
Of celebration
Of Life and Creation

Worship Creation in all its splendor
In all its aspects
As a Creator, Conserver, and Destroyer
(Saraswati, Lakshmi and Durga)
Simply Mother

Expressions of the One Cosmic Truth
To see Her hand in the lifeless dolls
And worship them in reverence
And in the women all around
Old and young
Meet and wish them in the same reverence
The subtle expresses through the gross
Truth can be experienced in Creation
As the created seeing Creation
The one

When the priest becomes a lady

2007-07-14T21:01:00.000-07:00

Click on photo to enlarge

Thiruvanaikkaval, Srirangam:

We walked into the temple, the thick stone walls beat out the heat. The cool dark interiors were most welcoming for any tired traveler seeking the blessings of the Lord. Its a small temple but here we witnessed tradition in full swing. It was the time for the Uchyakala puja, at the stroke of 12.00pm

It was not a Cinderella we saw, but quite something else. Having completed the worship and abhishekam of the Mother goddess at the Amman shrine, a priest came dressed in a maroon silk saree with rudraksha beads round his neck. Two beaded necklaces hung down from a well covered chest and a benign look on his face made him look very close to the Goddess Herself.

He walked in gracefully, his calm face adding to the charm. He wore a crown on his head, a brilliant maroon velveted crown with semi precious stones depicting Lord Shiva Jambukeshwara on it. He carried a pot with water almost making it appear like Parvati, the consort of the Lord who had descended to bathe Him with her very hands. He looked divine, straight out of the 11th century walking into the temple today.

The thick wooden doors creaked open, and he slipped through while the crowd savored the spectacle they had just witnessed. We waited for a few moments more, understanding why he was dressed that way when the doors were thrown open to all.

The very incarnate of the Goddess who had bathed the Lord now held the flame up to Him. The Arti started and each lamp with a million tiny flames was served up in circular motion to the Lord who stayed behind a grill window. The fire rose into the air, the smoke clouding the interiors, a figure raised his hands, adorned with a crown on his head that was taken straight out of Krishnadeva Raya's closet. I wondered what else there was hidden within these small towns that boast more of our living culture than the cities.

Minutes after the flames rose, and the bells rang, the crowd was allowed to visit the sacred shrine of the Lord representing water. We all moved in, taking our respective queues but no where could we set eyes on that Goddess again. She was just gone.

P.S. This is just my rough attempt to capture that moment to you. Please excuse lack of proportion in the sketch.

I thought...

2007-05-26T11:40:00.000-07:00

...but things went different

I thought I would post my thoughts on the movie Periyar in Cosmic Consciousness, but somehow this link did not happen that time when I logged in. But now I see that C-C is listed in my blog too. It is because of the shift to Google. So a post on what made Periyar the person that he was, is the latest on my Aksharam.

I have quite a few things to say. One is that I have started a blog called .soulmate. A site where I will be writing about the events related to spirituality happening in Chennai, as much as I can cover with pictures.

In my regular blog Aksharam, I'll continue to post my own thoughts and ideas, with pictures, as I have done before.

There is another blog which I recently started. It is a news blog between the lines and around too. This will have articles about the news stories that I write in The Hindu, with further insights and links to the published article and additional photographs that I have taken. I look forward to dropping in here often with more posts.

Any suggestions, members of Cosmic Consciousness may keep in touch with me at swahilya.soulmate@gmail.com.

Thank You.

A moment with Lord Shiva within

2006-12-05T00:14:00.000-08:00

A moment of stillness
All time stops,
the world freezes
I take a single breath
A fresh breath of life
As I look around me
People lost in their worlds
Of suffering, expectation and misery
Walk aimlessly through their lives

It’s a pause in time
A moment of awakening
When all else just sleeps
An enveloping calm
A cocoon of peace
As I walk through this forest of people
Careful not to disturb

To each his own
Clinging to anything
Familiar worlds
An escape from all fears
Of darkness, of loneliness, of lull
A fear so thick
Like a blanket it clouds
Their sense of reason to live free

An aimless life
Of meticulous effort
An endless desire to please
All those around
To suffer the pain of bondage
Seeking all around
A sense of approval
A sense of acceptance
Of their pathetic selves.

Oh wake up fair people
The world is a great place to be
If love be thy first mantra to see
To show all around
Nothing changes but the self
The world at large fails to see
The truth in these words
The silent path to peace

This moment of pause
My silent world beyond
all the madness around me
A world free from all
A world where the Gods reside
The heavens thrown open
The celestial dancers perform
A hall of glory and knowledge
A hall within me

A hall so bright with knowledge
A land so pure with the truth
A complete life of immortality
A complete world of potency
Where every moment is
A shining pearl of experience.

Life in my body,
fresh air in my breath
A shine to my skin
A twinkle in my eye
An ever-lasting smile
Sweetness grows in my heart
As nectar of love flows forth
Cleansing away all my misery

A body so pure, a mind so clean
A heart so free, for every one to see
Words in poetic motion flow
Give rhythm to my feet
The lord dances in
A world of pure energy
Such is the beauty within
Is it so tough to see?

A single moment of pause
A whole new world revealed
A moment of experience
To know and to believe.
While the darkness sets in
The light shines within me
Where all roads end
I am the path to Myself
Where all misery halts
I am the freedom within

The lord shines within me
The Lord speaks to me
The Lord dances in my heart
The Lord lives for all to see
That silent potency I finally touched
So unknowingly so carelessly
I feel so light and warm
I feel I have set myself free.

A night with Nava Shakti - Chamunda

2006-10-26T11:04:00.000-07:00

She woke up in cold sweat,
What was that?
All she remembered were those eyes.
A man moved around,
A lightning in the dark, two eyes so powerful
Swept the air as they danced to his beat.
He resounded again...

damadamadama | damadamadama | damadamadum |
damadamadama | damadamadama | damadamadum ||

She stood, silent looking at the sea,
The waves advancing with force washing her feet,
Giving additional rhythm to the drumbeat.
The moon swayed in the night sky,
Tossing among silent clouds
As the wind whistled on.
The mridangam beat reverberated in her mind...

She raised her feet, looked up to the air and called to the Goddess Chamunda.

Oh Mother
Help me perform the very dance,
The dance of fury
The dance of lightning
Those very steps that you walk...

damadamadama | damadamadama | damadamadum |
damadamadama | damadamadama | damadamadum ||

The feet raised, the body moves
The muscles wake up
To the calls of the night
The cat moves in stealth
Chamunda descends

damadamadama | damadamadama | damadamadum |
damadamadama | damadamadama | damadamadum ||

The dimly lit cloudy stage
The wet floor with waves
The slow beat in the waters
A trident gold the goddess awakes
The spirit invoked

damadamadama | damadamadama | damadamadum |
damadamadama | damadamadama | damadamadum ||

The muscles like a panther move
The feet agile, the body smooth
The steps sure, the earth resounds
Sending ripples through the wind
The fury within pours forth

damadamadama | damadamadama | damadamadum |
damadamadama | damadamadama | damadamadum ||

Together the beat, together the step
They yield the trident of death
The eyes glow, the limbs move
The grace within unfolds
The bodies arch back, and then attack

damadamadama | damadamadama | damadamadum |
damadamadama | damadamadama | damadamadum ||

A red glow in pure white skin
The Goddess shimmers in gold
A deadly trident circles around
Her deft hands behold
The power within

damadamadama | damadamadama | damadamadum |
damadamadama | damadamadama | damadamadum ||

The flames light up, the gods descend
The sea recedes and comes forth again
The clouds move, the moon reveals
The bright eyed goddess moves
Crossing the man in rhythmic outburst

damadamadama | damadamadama | damadamadum |
damadamadama | damadamadama | damadamadum ||

Their backs meet, their feet retreat
The tridents move like lightening
Circles of light that never meet
As they unite and depart
The energy within overflows

damadamadama | damadamadama | damadamadum |
damadamadama | damadamadama | damadamadum ||

The tiger moves, in similar step
As she takes her feet through the air
Her grace her light her charm revealed
She moves in fury
Her feet sink in the sand beneath

damadamadama | damadamadama | damadamadum |
damadamadama | damadamadama | damadamadum ||

Such force, the tremors felt
The heart pound the heat rises
Her skin glows, her dress in red
Sways to the wind as she flows
The trident now her halo holds

damadamadama | damadamadama | damadamadum |
damadamadama | damadamadama | damadamadum ||

The gods witness the performer go
The man gives the beat to her feet
Her moves so easy her mind so calm
That sways with such delicacy
Through the shaken air

damadamadama | damadamadama | damadamadum |
damadamadama | damadamadama | damadamadum ||

Such grace unknown, such power not felt
That brings the great gods to earth
Lord Shiva beholds her silent steps
The shastras of bharata unfold
The dance of fury, the dance of vigor

damadamadama | damadamadama | damadamadum |
damadamadama | damadamadama | damadamadum ||

The moon hides, the sea calm
The man bring down the rhythm
The dance concludes the body weakens
Chamunda withdraws from the being
A miracle engulfed into the silence again.

damadamadama | damadamadama | damadamadum |
damadamadama | damadamadama | damadamadum ||

Photo courtesy: Glossary of Indian Art | Shunya.net

2006-10-09T21:07:00.000-07:00

Karma Bhakti or Jnana
The way of devotion or the way of selfless work or the path of knowledge
All or one ?

Each is a part of the other integral
Bhakti matures into knowledge
As knowledge matures into Bhakti
In every seeker

Knowledge of the One undivided Divine
In apparently divided forms
Is the root for selfless work

Knowledge and love that the Divine ordains
Forms the basis for renuciation of fruits of action

Should I wish to eat a sweet can I eat just sugar?
There is the milk of knowledge
the ghee of selfless work
That makes a sweet a treat to eat

Ultimately in that union with the Divine
Encompasses all the paths

Devi Sureshwari...

2006-10-05T09:41:00.000-07:00

....Bhagavati Gange!

Yet again, one more time I had the opportunity to visit the immense Himalaya and touch the feminine waters of the Ganga. Travelling in a boat across the Ganga at Rishikesh, watching with delight, the Ganga Arati by the devout on the banks every evening, floating diyas in flower cups that are sailing like lamps of joy on the waters. While on my blog Akshara, I have begun writing about the Himalayas, here on Cosmic Consciousness, I feel like writing on the malleable, ductile, fluid, chirpy, bouncy, serene, violent, forceful, quiet, elegant, charming, mind-numbing Ganga that can take the one meditating on her to the state of Samadhi in a trice.
So in many many forms, the Ganga will begin to flow....

2006-09-27T21:13:00.000-07:00

Define, Refine and Redefine??

This funny thing about definitions
Elevates some demote some
Draw lines where there are none

Pluto till yesterday was a planet of great fame
Now not even a name
Just a number
Like a million more numbers

‘Pluto’ will be what it is
What it always ‘was’

Never mind the miniscule man
Who defines and ‘redefines’
Nature
Nature is beyond the grasp of definition

A mystery to be tasted and relished
Every moment like a toddler does
In wonderment and gratitude
Not solved and resolved

‘Pluto’ is
Just as the Truth is

Never mind the million definitions
Interpretations

Of the Truth that is

2006-09-15T06:11:00.000-07:00

Many to One

Different paths to One?
Three crores of Gods?
When divisions are many
There will be many paths to the same.
For each takes the path that is closest to him.
Miracle is that there is one for everyone,
Each is drawn to the One
that appeals to his inherent nature.
Just as iron is attracted to a magnet
Simply on its own.
To its own

We all reach the same One
Whatever be the path we tend to walk on

Expression in Abhinaya, the art of Bharata.

2006-09-06T18:36:00.000-07:00

Kanchipuram, 1 hour from Chennai:

This is a brimming temple town, which hosts temples to all the Gods. This was the first time I had entered Kamakshi Amman temple. A small temple with at the most two prakaras, Kamakshi Amman temple is one of the more popular temples in Kanchipuram.

Its a lovely town, where every street has a shrine attributed to the Gods. The Pallavas were meticulous about building temples, making sure that Amman, Shiva and Vishnu got temples exclusively associated with them.

I walked in slowly observing the changes that had come about to the Amman temple. Old granite rocks had given way to modern glossy granite finish; stark rock had given way to color at places. Oil lamps had given way to tube lights that lit the interiors, the silence had given way to strong fans and voices of devotees, the pillared halls had given way to meandering queues separated by metal rods, and the Goddess's divine blessings had given way to "Archana" tickets.

Every thing had changed, from what had once been Pallava except the inner most sanctum and the ardhamandapa that preceded it. These chambers alone were dark, silent and carried a red hue of kumkum along the walls and floor. The ardhamandapa carried the priced Sri Chakra engraved in gold and installed within an octagonal pitha in front of the Goddess while another Sri Chakra lay beneath her feet, unknown to the world.

The Sri chakra was installed here by Adi Shankara to calm down the ughra swarupa of the Amman, that which resembles the Kali swarupa by day. Amman, a silent potent form, who resides within these walls, has the moon dancing on her mukuta giving a very tantrik feel to the chamber. The fire of the oil lamp blazed large flames that lit her ever-shining face, the chandan glowing in every flicker of the flame that seemed to dance in her praise.

It cast a spell, a silent spell that brought to life the very dance form of Bharata. The glowing light of the oil lamps brings alive a form of Amman draped in a madisaar covered with flowers in cosmic conversation with her only devotee who performs silhouetted in an ambience of Divine love.

The language of Bharatnatyam, the emotions in abhinaya, the speech in his very eyes as they dance along reflecting every human emotion that melts one's heart to the Divine Mother.

Around the pitha he places his feet, agile and light to the thundering beats of the mridangam, a slender form merges with the Goddess every move waking the mind to a lesson unknown, to a world unknown, to energy potent as he touches Amman, and casts a spell around.

The world falls at her feet, the drums resound, the power of the Sri Chakra is brought to life from within the Pitha, and Amman changes her form from Ughra to calm and resides within her home, the Mother touches my heart as the silhouetted form dances in vigour and the "chalangai" drive the beat down my spine. Tiny droplets of water wake the cells, the heat rises, a dialog in bharatnatyam wakes the air around to a silent world unknown thundering into the rhythm of the ancient drummers realm. The form sways, the fingers blooming into various mudra, a silent word spoken as the back arches to perform a rhythmic expression of complete devotion.

An ancient world brought to life, giving a wake up call, there is more to the aesthetics of living... its perfection within the chamber of Kamakshi Amman.

2006-09-05T01:45:00.000-07:00

Guru Brahma Guru Vishnu
Guru Devo Maheswarah
Gurusakshat Parambrahma
tasmai shree Guruve namah

Teachers all
The one who creates
The one who sustains
The one who dissolves
Disperses learning

All that you witness
The Creation around are teachers too
The One that imparts in form as a Master too
The Eternal Brahman
Salutations to all

A simple mantra but what depths!!
The jnani who experiences the Truth, the one who sustains it for posterity are teachers too.

From Cooum...

2006-08-24T09:09:00.000-07:00

...to Cauvery

Was just wondering what I would write for Ganesh Chaturti. Well I had a lovely time recently
walking up the Kailash of the South, as they call it - the Rock Fort Uchi Pillaiyar Temple in Tiruchirapalli.
From the stagnant waters of the Cooum in Chennai, I travelled by the banks of the gurgling waters of the Cauveri, almost on a temple tour...visiting two ancient Parikara Sthalams at Tiruvedikkudi and Tirunaraiyur in Kumbakonam, the Brihadeeshwara, Kothandarama and Mariamman temples in Thanjavur, Uchi Pillaiyar and Thayumanaswamy temple, silence at the Mouna Swamigal Mandapam in the same hill, the Akhilandeshwari and Jambukeshwarar Temple and finally the Sri Ranganathar temple in Sri Rangam.
In a span of just one and a half days of walking the temples, my mind was filled with the divine images with all their beautiful alankarams. The moment I closed my eyes back home, all I could see in my mind's eye was the reclining, seated or formless presence of all the gods I saw...I felt like I was a member of such a big divine family.
Though the rock looks formidable to climb, the first few steps to the Thayumanaswamy temple were steep. But the two flights of rock stairs leading to Ganesha are simple yet simply superb. The fish eye lens view of the whole temple city of Tiruchi with towering vimanas on all sides, the beautiful Cauveri threading around on one side and the wisp of chill air streaming through the grills from behind the Ganesha's sannidhi where I sat in meditation...hmm...it was simply divine and beyond words. A great prasadam even before Ganesh Chaturti it was for me.

2006-08-17T23:04:00.000-07:00

Nurture the body
Anoint this body

Nurture the mind
Anoint the mind with
The divine name

GIFTS GALORE

The body is a gift
This breath is gift
This mind is gift
Intellect is a gift

To be cherished
Not perished
To be used
Not abused

Instruments all
To search for the divine within
And aroundUnite as one

Dip in the sacred river

2006-08-14T23:50:00.000-07:00

Haridwar: Along the Ganges

Going back to the north after about 10 years was indeed very nostalgic as I walked out of Delhi airport to take a car to Haridwar. I had heard a lot about this place and it seemed to be my year for cleansing! If Rameshwaram was not enough, I found myself looking forward to a dip in the Ganges as well.

Ah! The Ganges, I had read so much about it in the books, the great River Goddess, the Goddess who washes off our sins, the river that takes a millions souls to heaven. The river that is now polluted, the river that purifies the soul, the Ganges. I wondered about the Ganges as I sat in the car and headed towards Haridwar. The land of the Kumbh Mela, the land where a thousand Rishis have come to sing countless praises of this mighty river. It felt strange as I thought of Shiva Gangadhara, as Ganges stayed locked into his knotted hair till she was finally set free to flow down to Bhuloka and wash away the sins of Bhagiratha's ancestors by flowing over their ashes and releasing them to heaven.

It was clearly the reason why we continue to burn bodies along its ghats... A hope we reach heaven and not come back in rebirth to suffer another life. Thoughts went by furiously about how mythology has shaped our lives, about how Rishis left stories behind for us to follow a way of life and about how we try so hard now to recollect all this and give up saying we dont need it in this age anymore. I looked out of the window to see the car zipping through greenery, with mad highway traffic almost killing people on the road.

And then the excitement mounted, I was reaching Haridwar, a land I had once visited, of which I knew nothing now but looked out expectantly from the car hoping to catch a glimpse of the Ganges. My heart started to pound, the excitement rising ever so high to see one of the most celebrated rivers in the Indian mind. Ganges appears every where. In ritual Ganges is worshipped first while bathing with the words "Aham Gangai Namaskaromi". Ganga devi is worshipped during ritual with certain hymns attributed to her. Ganges appears as a Goddess on the carved brackets of pillars at temple entrances as well as on cave temples across the country. Ganges stays locked in Shiva's Jatamukuta in ancient sculptures of Shiva Gangadhara and Ganges water is the purest in temple ritual.

The power of Ganges was just fictitious till now until I entered Haridwar to take a dip in this Great river. The first sight of Ganges sent goose pimples through my skin. She spoke pure volume and power. The ghats at Haridwar seemed to be built to just direct her carefully but not enough to try stopping her.

As I descended into the river down the Ghat steps, the chilling waters of the Ganges just ate into my marrow. Oh God this was not simple and I was there for a "Darpanam" in the Ganges and it suddenly appeared tougher than I thought. The steps are steep, and the iron rods are too far away to reach. My knees and feet had to brave it, the current was a little too strong.

Six steps down and shivering in the water with the temples of Haridwar towering above at the other end of this vast river was an experience in itself. I felt small, weak and shivered as I held onto my dear self and prayed to the Goddess to not get any stronger on my knees.

While I said my prayers I admired her. Ganges has character, she is wild and furious and reveals the same power that Bhagiratha had prayed to Lord shiva to help control. They say she would have destroyed Bhuloka and washed away this world... I would believe that. She had the power to do anything as I watched her flow by so fast. She was not going to stop.

She is mind blowing and daring at the same time, challenging anyone to enter her waters. She is beautiful and defines the power of a Goddess in a single force. She is well respected and speaks a world so different from what we live in. A world so pure, so full of faith, so close to my heart and yet so far away. I am speechless when it comes to describing the Ganges. She is an experience, blessed are those who step into her waters for her waters just cleansed the mind and soul.

Ganges is truly a Goddess well worth worshipping. Simply Divine.

"Aham Gangai Matha Namaskaromi"

Kathopanishads | Discourse at Ramakrishna Ashram Part - II

2006-08-10T22:51:00.000-07:00

Achieving Divinity is:

To recognize the Eternal amidst the ephemeral And to recognize that force or
power that gives the fruit of actions effortlessly alongwith grace.
This power to achieve Divinity is recognized by "Dheera". Eternal peace is for those
who recognize the underlying Unity.

"Dheera" is a very familiar word to one who is familiar with Sanskrit Holy scriptures. "Dhee" means higher intellect.

Sri Ramakrishna Paramahamsa has an interesting similie to distinguish higher intellect from intellect. An intellect which is used for simple things like calculating profit and making money is like "thin curd". Chchaas in hindi, Majjige in Kannada, Majjiga in Telugu and Mor in Tamil. An intellect that is focused on achieving God is like "thick curd". Dahi in Hindi, Mosaru in Kannada, Perugu in Telugu and Thayir in Tamil.

"Dhee" appears in the Gayatri Mantra also. "..Dheeyo yonaha prachodaya aath".

Somebody once asked a learned monk, "What is the immediate benefit of living a morally upright life?". The monk answered, "It sharpens and brightens the intellect. Thus making it ready to achieve Divinity". To achieve the higher intellect we could start living a morally upright life.

"Dheera" is a person who has turned his attention within to make the discovery of inner Reality. "Dheera" is one who is a "viveki" (One with the power of discrimination).

The Mind is an interesting thing if you can call it one. It has the ultimate power of discrimination. But that power is dependant on the atmosphere in which the Mind is. Outside that atmosphere the mind might not be able to attain the same level or power of discrimination.

Sri Ramakrishna Paramahamsa used to give a simple example to illustrate this: A sail boat in ordinary condition can be easily directed with the help of changing the direction of sails. But when the wind is blowing heavily, it is tough to control the direction of the boat. Similarly the wind of Senses hijacks the "Buddhi" to somewhere else. Senses are the means to identifying the external world. Once the senses become our Master, we become their slave. Senses are like Horses tied to a chariot controlled by a charioteer called "Buddhi". If the horses begin driving the Chariot then the charioteer should start controlling. But usually, it doesn't happen. The horses go where they want, the charioteer just follows.

Wherever the "Buddhi" dominates the power of will is seen. It is the "Buddhi" - the Power of discrimination to be cultivated to attain the higher intellect. The greater the Self-Control, the Greater the Buddhi.

People are generally heard saying, "Kathopanishad says God is everywhere, then why cannot we see God?" In simple words, not everybody can see God. We are not competent "Yogyata" to see God. We need to develop the competence to see God. When a person has developed that "Dhee" - intellect and courage - only then can he make the search of Shashwatha Shantihi - Eternal Peace.

In their ignorance people make the sin of considering, the changing as the Unchanging, impure as the Pure, Source of unhappiness as happiness and loss of Eternal Reality is mistaken to be Eternal Reality (meaning that Body is considered to be The Aatma) .

The Original Sin is to consider the Body as the Aatma. After this sin happens, everything else just follows. Once a person is into this Sin, he gets only ephemeral happiness. Camels have this desire for thorny plants for food. Whenever they eat those plants they are happy that they are eating what they wanted. But those thorns prick their mouth and they start bleeding. This is ephemeral happiness.

He, who has the ability to discriminate the Eternal from the ephemeral, destructible from the indestructible and is able to find Nitya amidst Anitya is the one will experience Shashwatha Shantihi eternal peace and not the others.

Kathopanishads | Discourse at Ramakrishna Ashram Part - I

2006-08-09T03:16:00.000-07:00

After a long time I attended the discourse at Ramakrishna Ashram on Kathopanishads by Swami Atmashraddhananda. Here is a write-up of whatever I understood there. Swamiji started off with reading out the sloka and then started explaining it in his inimitable style of raising questions and answering them.

Those who have not known the (nitya in sanskrit)Reality of eternal truth will never find peace - eternal happiness in other words. As long as we think that Reality and we are something different we will never see it. Reality is inside us, rather reality is us and we are reality. This Reality is permanent, it has no beginning and has no end. Hence it is the ONE. Eternal peace is for those who see the Reality and not for those who discriminate.

Spirituality is a quest for the Reality. It begins with the question "Is there something Real in this world?" and finding the answer is the end of the journey. Let's take the learning curve of a child for example. He begins with an understanding of the moving and the non-moving. A cat moves and a table doesn't. Pleasurable and not-pleasurable is the next stage. Here he does not think whether it is beneficial or not, it is all about pleasure. Next stage is Good or Bad. And so on there are various stages. But very few people can come up with the question of Real or Unreal.

More often than not, when a person undergoes a very strong experience is when he comes to this question of Real and Unreal. For others it is just between pleasant and unpleasant. For others it is all matter(that which can be sensed through our senses). But as per our Upanishads and other Holy writings of the Hindu Religion and according to the Lord Yama, it is Nitya from which everything has come. All material is a form of thought. The Upanishad thought varies from the mechanistic thought in this manner about Nitya.

He, who has the ability to discriminate the Eternal from the ephemeral, destructible from the indestructible and is able to find Nitya amidst Anitya is the one will experience Shashwatha Shantihi eternal peace.

A small story to better understand eternity and the ephemeraless. The Lord of Rightenousness Yama wanted to teach the Pandavas a lesson. While under exile, the Pandavas wandering in the forests felt thirsty and so they rested under a tree. Yudhishthira instructed Nakula and Sahadeva to find if there was any water source nearby. Nakula and Sahadeva climbed to the top of trees and surveyed the surrounding. They couldn't find any water per se but they saw a certain kind of trees that grew only near water sources. This also points to the knowledge of flora and fauna that the people of those times had. They inform Yudhishtira about the same and they proceed towards the spot to find a lake.

In the meantime, Lord Yama has taken the form of a stork and is standing nearby the lake. Sahadeva proceeds to get water for all of them. Then the stork speaks. Ok, let's just assume that they understood each other's language if you find a stork speaking to be so illogical. It is an altogether different topic that we don't understand a fellow human being's language itself! A stronger indication of the harmonious living between the flora and fauna and the human beings.

The stork says, "I will ask you a few questions. After you answer them
successfully, you may take water from here and go".
But Sahadeva is in such a thirsty state and also seeing his family members
state he just ignores the stork and bends down to collect water. As soon as he
comes in contact with the water, he falls down dead!
The same fate befalls Nakula, Bheema and Arjuna.

After waiting for an inordinately long time, Yudhishtira himself makes it to the lake and encounters the stork. Immediately he realises that it's not an ordinary stork. And he pauses to take the quiz voluntered by the stork. This quiz is the famous "Yaksha Prashna" that we have come to know of. One question in that quiz was related to eternity and ephemralness.

The Stork (in-the-form-of-Lord Yama) asked, "What is the latest wonder?"
Yudhishthira answers, "People die daily around us yet no one believes that
he is going to die"

Later on, Lord Yama shows his true form to Yudhishtira after being pleased with his answers. And also brings all his brothers back to life. The point here is that, we are Eternal (Nitya). But this Body is not. We realize that we are eternal but restrict the understanding to our body-mind consciousness and hence we are fearful. When we approach Divinty we become fearless. Identification with Anitya is why we never see the Eternal Truth.

Continued in Part - II

Temples - A perspective

2006-08-09T01:02:00.000-07:00

Temples come in different shapes and sizes. There are the famous and the remote, the big and small, common and unique. Each temple has its own personality.

As the car turned left, I could see the Gopuram (Main Entrance) of the Chidambaram temple. A thrill shot down my spine. It is not a religion oriented feeling. I have felt the same at a church in Ahmedabad/Velankanni, mosque in Chennai and temples all over India.

I will type what I feel about a place of worship - called Temple in general.A temple is a structure reserved for religious or spiritual activities, such as prayer and sacrifice, or analogous rites (as in masonry). It is a general term for a house of worship. - Thanks, Wikipedia.

As I enter the temple, I see a huge courtyard. I sit down and think about why am I mad about temples.Religions have been found temples as an attempt to bring discipline into the lives of its followers. Temples help us cultivate and maintain the discipline.

Temples bring about a sense of awe about the glory of God who is present within each one of us.Let us take a famous temple like the Brihadeeshwara temple at Tanjore: After roughly 1000 years since completion this temple still inspires awe about how man can create such an architectural marvel. After one starts admiring the building, there is a feeling of awe about how God who is housed in the temple must be bigger.

If they were not getting satisfaction why must people sacrifice their joy to construct such a monumental edifice as an offering to God. What does life contain - a feeling of loneliness, a place to fill up pent up emotions, joy of living and a sense of achievement. All these feelings are reflected in temples through various art forms.

As people of different kinds walked by, I got a feeling of amazement - how many people would have visited this temple and prayed for success, land, wives and what not. All of them would have carried out prayers, felt happy when their prayers were answered, felt sad in case of misfortune. In all these years, the chidambaram temple would have seen so much of human emotion.The temple is a standing image of human successes/failures and excesses/shortages. Prayers definitely have theraupatic value as one thinks about his own life in this environnment, he comes up with plans to succeed and ways to improve.

Finally there is a feeling of emptiness, a kind of satisfaction and responsibility.The loneliness which characterises one's life is temporarily lost. When a human mind concentrates on anything, he becomes successful in it. Temples helps one to concentrate on one's own life and carve out paths of success.This is the success of a temple as, one feels happy at the end of the visit.

A kind of realisation sinks in...that after all the dance is done, what is left is plain emotion. Temples help in understanding life better

True Artist

2006-08-08T22:37:00.000-07:00

wheels within wheels -

when i try to gauge the intricacy and skill needed by the Divine, to have woven out of Himself, in His own image, and with His own substance of Truth-Consciousness-Bliss this beautiful world and its people and other life forms, not to forget all inanimate and animate components too, i am filled with a tremendous wonder and awe, a supreme gratitude and a conviction and certitude that "God is Here, not just in Heaven - and all IS indeed right with the World!"

Mukthi Is of Four Kinds

2006-07-31T06:32:00.000-07:00

Worship, with fixity of consciousness and purity of feeling and free of all extraneous thought, becomes itself Bhavasamaadhi. As a result of this Bhavasamaadhi, the Lord appears before the inner eye of the devotee, in the form which he has chosen for worship. The vision is not merely a matter of imagination, it is a “face-to-face” experience. Without difference of location, he can abide in the presence of the Lord, in the self same place. This is called Salokyamukthi. Besides being always with the Lord, as in Salokyamukthi, Bhakthas realise all that they see as the glory of the Lord. The experience is referred to as Samipyamukthi. Existing ever with the Lord, witnessing always the glory of the Lord, and becoming suffused with God-consciousness is Sarupyamukthi. This is the final fruit of Bhakthi Sastra. But at this stage, there is yet a trace of differential feeling. So, the Adwaitha Siddhantha will not admit it as the highest. Simply because the Bhaktha has Sarupya or the same Rupa as the Lord, we cannot take it that he has the powers of Creation, Preservation and Destruction, which the Lord possesses. It is only when all trace of difference disappears, and unity is attained that the highest stage is reached. This is what is called Sayujya. This comes of Divine Grace, won by the Essence of the sadhana of each. It cannot be claimed as the fruit of effort. The Bhaktha will aspire for this merging or Aikyam. He wishes to serve the Lord as he pleases and to experience the joy of the Form which he has attributed to the Lord. But the Lord out of His Grace, gives him not only Salokya, Samipya and Sarupya but also, Sayujya! Bhakthi Marga results also in the attainment of Brahma Jnana. Even if the Bhaktha does not crave for it, the Lord Himself vouchsafes it to him. The Sayujyamukthi is also referred to as Ekanthamukthi.

-Prema Vahini by Bhagwan Sri Sathya Sai Baba

2006-07-10T20:43:00.000-07:00

GURU PURNIMA

Remember this day with gratitude and reverence

Remember my Master’s ever-smiling form
His Compassion for one and all
His boundless Grace
He kindled a lamp in me
Of Love
Of Truth
Of Knowledge

Remember all Masters
for the Truth they unfold
In their Eternal Presence
With gratitude and reverence

Some with a name
Buddha, Christ Kabir and many more too
The nameless rishis of yore too
Who express the Truth that is
Simply with no intent
For a patent

Reverence for the Truth
That flows
Through them
And reaches
Just as the Ganges
Flows down from Shiva’s locks
Eternally
To reach each and every one
That wishes to Know

HAPPY GURU PURNIMA!

Sri Aurobindo and ...

2006-07-07T09:19:00.000-07:00

.... the Mother

After a long time, I went one day. It was to one of my favourite destinations - Pondicherry. And as it has been always, the travel has been mindless or rather totally mindful or may be even beyond mind. Got back from night duty at 1.30 a.m and was vaccilating whether to spend my off day travelling to Pondicherry from Chennai or not...

1.30 a.m. slowly drifted to 3.30 a.m. and I was feeling so fresh with not a wink of sleep in over 24 hours! And the wake up call of the cuckoos was ringing in my ears and I decided to push off.
Got ready, took the 5.45 a.m. bus to Pondicherry via the East Coast Road. Reading Savitri, watching the sights of the Bay of Bengal and looking at a Tamil film running on the DVD in the bus, I reached Pondy by 9 a.m.
Sat at the Samadhi for an hour in meditation. No thoughts but just being. And then walked out quietly to amble along the rocky beach waters skirting the Union Territory. And when I returned to Chennai by 4.30 p.m. and had a really sound sleep for an hour and a half like never before. It was a quiet journey to the home of my Spiritual Mother.

2006-06-13T05:21:00.000-07:00

The Da Vinci Code--

So much has been said and not said too about the book and the movie. A hue and cry about something actually trival. Truth comes sometimes from the mouth of babes too many a time. My child innocently asked ‘ Mummy so what if Jesus was married, does that make him less of a God? Krishna was married. too!” Yes indeed!

Masters come into being just express the Truth. To know Jesus for the Love and Compassion he spoke of is to know him. The rest is just trivia. The essence of the Master lies in his teaching.

An Ode to Mangalam Pati

2006-06-02T05:12:00.000-07:00

Srirangam Tamil Nadu, time unknown:

Mangalam Pati is an orthodox lady I heard, oval faced, lean, always in a 9 yards saree and wearing gold frame spectacles. She has sharp eyes, is disciplined and is everything an orthodox tyranical pati should be. She wears a small gold chain around herself and a larger beaded gold rudraksha around her neck. She rules the family, her laws are orthodox but not to everyone, its only to the deserving. For mangalam pati teaches only the deserving, the essential meaning of life. Learning is a tough game, with a million "thopakarnams" thrown in along with innumerable "kuttus" should you make a mistake, but its only now when we are old that we realize how much that training helped.
An old pati in an age old agraharam. Mangalam pati does not come downstairs at all. She doesnt talk to all, well not to anyone at the first meet. When one goes to meet her, they wash their hands and feet and preferable have a shining jadagam against their name. Mangalam pati loves jadagams.

She has a soft corner for one of her grandsons, and what a soft corner it was. He was made to learn the laws of orthodoxy, the laws of karma, the laws in the dharma shastra, the laws of the agamas...lets say the laws of good living in short, of course with his fair share of "thopakarnams" and "kuttus". Mangalam pati taught him to face the world, the world of karma, giving lessons on defence strategies of parigarams. Mangalam pati taught all she knew to the grandson she loved the most.

It was another silent evening, the sun had just set. Mangalam pati lit the oil lamp and sat silently in her room. A sacred room I would say. The children ran around the house proclaiming to all not to go upstairs for Mangalam pati was talking to Lord Ganesha! No one dared to disturb her, except her most favourite grandson. He took the guts to walk up to her room.

In the silent room sat Mangalam pati, the oil lamp light glittering in her gold spectacle frame. Not a sound, not a movement in the air. Her rudraksha gently formed a stream of gold to the floor.

And on the floor lay a yellow line ever growing.

A simple sight, a profound moment. Witnessed by her only favourite grandchild. Never again questioned and hushed away, the yellow line had more than a line to say.

Grantham, the ancient language of the Gods has strange ways of sending the message across. In a matter of hours the day was gone, the world moved on and Mangalam pati sat silent, enlightened. What a life! Mangalam pati was indeed a very dynamic woman.

One fine day, her grandson went for his dance performance. He insisted she come to see it and in a gentle voice she said "You go ahead, I will come". That was the last he saw of her. Mangalam pati died that night, but she had done well for herself. The Lord took her with Him, to his Abode, Kailasa.

I sat listening to this story on Mangalam Pati, I believed I had never met Mangalam pati and yet I knew her so well. Mangalam pati was my only connect, to the strange new world I live in now. Strange it is, blessed I am, to have once been her grandchild.

Mangalam pati, mangalam mangalam.

2006-05-22T03:04:00.000-07:00

Where was one born like You?
Unique in physique, so handsome
Manners so winsome
Wit and wisdom You have in plenty
Both insight and intellect too
Child-like innocence
Born of love and devotion
No task is impossible
For you love for no reason
Such is your Love and devotion
Second to none
Even crossed a mighty ocean
And lifted a mountain
Your voice can be a gentle whisper
Or a roar like thunder
Kingdoms you possess none
Kings you created many
Yet You reign supreme
In the hearts of mankind
Eternally,
This heart sings joyfully
Jai Hanuman
Jai, Jai Hanuman

Banaras...

2006-05-15T02:47:00.000-07:00

....a film of silence

Banaras was a film my friend wanted to go to, impressed by a newspaper review talking of its spiritual subject matter. But in a famous theatre in Chennai, we landed on the second day, thinking we could get tickets, but the show had already wound up as the manager said there were 419 vacant seats for the next day. It was not quite a disappointment, as we spent the rest of the evening walking through the caves of Ice House, converted as the Swami Vivekananda's memorial. And then drove to the Marina nearby.
Wanting to see the film anyway, I got it on a DVD and a beautiful film it was indeed. The mystic love story, directed by Pankuj Parashar, story and screenplay by L.C. Singh, music directed by Himesh Reshammiya and lyrics by Sameer, the film is about the relationship with humans, with god, the relationship of Buddha, Kabir, Tulsi and Shankaracharya, with the holy city of Banaras. The beautiful title song and the placid waters of the Ganga captured by the photographer, (whose name I cant find) and the overall silence of the film makes it meditative to watch.
It is about the relationship of Shwetambari (Urmilla Matondkar) who dotes on her rich Brahmin parents (Dimple Kapadia and Raj Babbar), studies science with passion at the University in Banaras. She meets Soham (Ashmit Patel,) a mystic believed by Banaraswasis to be born in a low caste, the protege of Babaji (Naseeruddin Shah), who puts in him the seed of the soul and grooms him in the knowledge of the self.
The story of their love, ends tragically for obvious reasons. Shattered and raging mad, Shwetambari turns her mind inward, moves on to become a Guru in an ashram in Mauritius. 17 years later, this world teacher returns to her home, with no anger, to see her father breathe his last.
The movie is sprinkled with the droplets from the essence of spirituality. The best is when Babaji gives a seed to Soham and tells him: This bij contains life. When nurtured with water, air, sunshine, soil and love, it grows into a big and beautiful tree, yielding fruits, flowers and shade. But if opened, there is nothing in it. And that's for life too....
- (Swahilya)

Success in Life

2006-05-01T02:09:00.000-07:00

Success in Life

There was a talk on "What is Success in Life?" by Swami Dayananda Saraswathi yesterday at K.L.N. Prasad Auditorium, Hyderabad. I will try to articulate the 40-minute speech here. The learned and well-versed Swamiji laced his speech with characteristic humour and made it sound quite down-to-earth. Though I felt he could have avoided unnecessary swipes at other religions, as my uncle said after the speech, "Somebody needs to protect Hinduism too". Maybe it's true. I am thinking.

The Chief Guest of the evening, Hon'ble Justice L. Narasimha Reddy tried interpreting the topic in his way and gave his ideas on it. He said, "Success is something that is achieved on meeting Goals. An individual fixes a goal before starting out and at the end if he has achieved whatever he had set for himself, then success is achieved." Fair enough we thought. We applauded.

Then Swamiji began.

What is Success? You have a desire. You achieve it. If the means of achieving that desire are within the confines of Dharma, then it is a success. That's all. That's why you need people like hon'ble Justice! [Pointing to the chief guest of the day!Audience is impressed. Laughter all around. Appluase follows!]

In life, we play multiple roles. A father, an employee, a son, etc. There are homes in which "Father is coming" is announced as if some ghost is coming. And as if on cue, the children rush into their rooms hiding from their father. Everybody is running to take shelter somewhere. The only person to come out is 'the dog' of the house! Ah! What a success! [Audience is in splits! Applause follows!] In some cases, even the dog runs for shelter! [More laughter, more applause!] With the tail in between its legs! [Laughter! Applause!]

There are some religions where it is preached, "Don't have any desires. Be desire-less. The state of desireless-ness is happiness. Between the fulfilment of one desire and the beginning of another desire is defined as happiness."

Don't have any desires is like saying,"You are having an headache? Cut off your head!". Ha! Ha! Ha!

Now you laughed. What desire did you fulfill you tell me?! You were happy, you laughed. Sometimes, happiness can also be achieved by not fulfilling any desire.

Have desires. It is healthy to have desires. If you have desire you will experience failure. You will learn how to come out of it. You will grow as a person. But make sure the means to achieve your desire is within the confines of Dharma.

We, human beings, have two things to do. We have to survive, and take care of ourselves to follow Dharma. Because there are predators all around. Be careful. They are waiting to prey on you.

But we have one more thing to do. "Make-up". If we don't have hair, we do some farming on our head to help hair growth. If we have some hair left, then we need to comb it from one side to another. If we have to hear a swamiji speak we need to comb our hair, put on a good dress and come. So, that means we have three things to do. Survive, take care and make-up! [Audience is almost on the floor laughing!]

What is Dharma you might ask. The Dharma being referred to here is Samanya Dharma. Lord Krishna has said, "I manifest myself in the form of desire in you. I am desire". But before that he says, "I manifest myself in you as Samanya Dharma".

What is Samanya Dharma? In order to have a desire you need to examine if it falls under the confines of Samanya Dharma. It is something like the "Law of Gravitation" that a baby monkey knows. Have you ever seen a Mother monkey tell it's baby monkey, "See, you will need to hold on to me tightly. Otherwise gravitation will pull you down and you will fall". Have you ever seen a baby monkey ask, "What is gravitation?"!

Similar to the knowledge of gravitation to a monkey, is the Samanya Dharma to a Hindu. Why is it called "Samanya"? Because it is "Samana" to all. "Samana" means common to all. It exists in everybody. In Hinduism, ends does not justify means. Never. The means have to be as righteous as the end being achieved.

Finally, success is following Dharma to achieve a desire.
[Applause! Applause! Applause!]

Grace

2006-04-26T10:58:00.000-07:00

when we live
the Divine
with the
effortless,
silent
spontaneity of a rose
blossoming,

then
our earth
becomes
a heaven.

2006-04-12T21:29:00.000-07:00

Tatpranamami Sadhashiva Lingam

The One
The primordial form that supports all forms
From which arose the plant
The Man and the ant

The Protector of all
Earth, Air, Water
Space and All
Sun and Moon
Expressions

The One from which
All forms arose
The formless that
Supports all forms

The Formless that
Enfolds all
Into which Dissolve
All

The One
LINGAM

The formless subtle Divine that embraces
The forms around from within and around
Surrounds
Three eyes has my Lord
One to see around
One to see within
One to see just One

Offerings to Lord Shiva.

2006-04-09T00:11:00.000-07:00

The realm of Vishvakarma
revealed to man a world of secrecy
brought down in stone.
Sinking the energy into the rock
from a world deep within my being.

I step towards it
gate by gate
cross each entrance with a heavy heart,
there is devotion, ther is fear
to truely realize what lies within.

As I enter, He cuts out the light
Images smile down from the walls
the Lord appears in various forms
to guide me through the darkness.

A step at a time a coconut in hand
I carry myself, my being with flowers
I am an offering I make to the Lord
to be one with Him in complete conciousness

The air is still, there is not a soul
the lamp lights dont flicker the walls are bare,
the world is silent
and the sacred hymns reverberate

there is fragrance in the air
there is warmth in the room
the Lord resides silent and still
the flames reveal the formless in stone
drawing me closer to Himself

My body behind, my soul in hand
the priest raises me into the air
he pulls off my ego
my curtain of illusion
and in a rhythmic flow of prayer reveals
to my third eye
the energy deep within.

The air stirs in vigor
as I dash to the floor
my ignorance broken,
my being revealed
the juice of potent energy flows out
to merge with the Lord

I do not exist in my body
I left that far behind
there is no breath, there is no thirst
there is no hunger, I know not fear
the priest raises the fire

My path to heaven
The Lord awaits at the door
to hold my hand
and lead me into a constant world
of complete conciousness.

***************************************
P.S. An offering of coconut and flowers is always made to the Lord at the main shrine. This is a possible significance.

2006-04-08T02:27:00.000-07:00

In Sound, In Silence .................
Truth that is

The sage searched for wisdom in solitude
I search in the multitudes ........
Of people, situations, relationships that surround

There is solace in the silence of the woods
Solace in the din of the kitchen

Krishna spoke of the highest wisdom in a battlefield
Of human emotions, of anger, jealousy and hatred

The same that the sage wrote in the woods

After all happiness is a state to be in
Live in

Idam Shareeram...

2006-04-05T11:31:00.000-07:00

...Kshetram Ityabhidhiyate

I was contemplating on the words, "The distance between 'What is,' and 'What should be', is the cause for all misery. (Akshara)

I am trying to see first about the "What is." "What is" is Who Am I - Aham and what is around me - Idam. When I close my eyes and ask "Who am I," I see that it is happening in a field which is not my body. The eyes are closed and the "Who am I" is a thought that is present inside the capsule of a body and breath.
"Who am I," is a thought. "You are there," is a thought. Everything associated with the 'I', 'Me', Mine, You, Yours, They Theirs, Its, are mere thoughts. And all the thoughts happen in the same place, within me. I am seeing, I am touching, I am experiencing, I am breathing, I am smelling, I am tasting, are all wrong. Or rather, they are just thoughts. The I is itself a thought. A thought wave, born out of the ocean of existence. Which does not speak, and has no name. The 'What is' has no place, because, there is "nothing; and if there is no "What is," then the scope for 'What should be' is also gone. I feel there is an ocean up to my chest and from that ocean a wave of thought rises.
This body and mind is the fertile field for planting, nurturing and growth of thoughts.
- Swahilya.

Gnana Karma...

2006-03-30T10:16:00.000-08:00

....Sanyasa

These few days gave me a wonderful opportunity to spend quiet hours at the feet of my Guru, Swami Akshara, contemplating on the meaning of the Yoga of Action in the spirit of Renunciation with Wisdom - the Gnana Karma Sanyasa Yogam in the fourth chapter of the Bhagavad Gita.
Here come the most famous verses - Yada Yada Hi Dharmasya, Parithranaya Sadhunam and Brahmarpanam Bramha Havihi. The motto of the IIT - Siddhir Bhavati Karmaja is taken from this chapter of the Gita.
Gita is amazing to just chant, but the explanation of Yoga, verse after verse is fulfilling.
The Gitopadesham in this picture was taken at the Swami Vivekananda Yoga Anusandhana Ashrama (SVYASA) at Bangalore, where the camp was conducted. The place at Jigini, an hour's drive away from Bangalore is a deemed University, that offers degree and diploma courses in Yoga.

Diamond Tears

2006-03-29T21:47:00.000-08:00

when we reject the Supreme Divine Mother,
and embrace the mediocre,

the vacuum created thus,
is filled by
a black night,
an unplumbed sorrow,
a crimson pain

...but...

...we still live...

The Mother Goddess -
She gives us the strength to live without Her...

Life is

2006-03-17T03:09:00.000-08:00

"A laughter from the immortal heart of Bliss"

-Sri Aurobindo

2006-03-14T05:03:00.000-08:00

Butter
Laughter and tears side-by-side
Circles the wheel of life
Every situation is a churner
Just like the churner
That separates butter
From curd
Then comes butter pure and white
That my Lord Krishna loves
Its just the Truth that He is
Let us too turn into that butter

Deepam Jyoti...

2006-03-09T10:24:00.000-08:00

...Param Brahma

Deepam Jyoti Parambrahma
The particles of the Param
That get ignited and shine
Revealing the light embedded in space
The lamp that reminds us
Of the light that is everywhere

Deepam Sarvam Tamopaham
The light that shines bright
Not removing the darkness
But expressing its presence
As the ever existing light
Everywhere and at all times

Deepena Sashwathe Sarvam
Everything resides in this light
And the light indeed is everything

Sandhya Deepam Namostute
That light and no light
The threshold of day and night
I worship you.

Shubham Karoti Kalyanam
May you bestow upon me
Auspiciousness and victory

Arogyam Dhana Sampadaha
Health, wealth and prosperity

Shathru Buddhi Vinashaya
May you destroy that enemy within
Residing in my mind
That holds me from progressing

Deepa Jyotir Namostute
I worship that light of the lamp
That dispels the darkness
In my mind.

- Swahilya

Shore temple - a never ending saga

2006-03-07T03:24:00.000-08:00

When there is a convergence of two sciences, a truth is revealed.
When there is a merger of two resonating sounds the reverberation is felt.
When there is a culmination of thoughts between two minds a realization engulfs you.

Shore temple Mahabalipuram: Such was the state when i revisited Mahabalipuram yesterday. There was knowledge in the air, realization in the mind and excitement in the heart! I have visited Mahabalipuram too many times, and i have most often been the guide, telling people what to look for.

This time I went with my Guru since he had not visited the place. I thought i was an expert when it came to the Art History of Mahabalipuram. Strangely this time i maintained silence. There was this long moment of truth when two sciences met, when i spoke on the basis of temple architecture and iconography and my Guru spoke on the basis of ritual. Ritual covers all the loop holes that art history misses out. This was clearly evident during our visit.

Art history helps to locate artifacts, and sculptures and gives the logical approach, ritual helps to explain them through subtle reality. This time the Shore temple had added a lot more meaning to my quest. It felt more like the jigsaw puzzle of truth was hidden all around it and prominently exhibited itself at the same time to all those who cared to take a deeper look.

Now let me explain. When you visit the Shore temple or any other old temple for the first time, the thrill has just begun. The first stage is of discovery. A visual display to the imagination you held about that place is now guided by the experience.

The subsequent few visits, display the most prominent facts to you, in the case of the Shore temple it would be two temples, assimetrically placed. Life size Nandis around the main wall and yalis along the walls of the temple. The temple has a platform, on which is the bhiti(wall), with niches and capitals with statues within them. A shrine chamber(garbha griha), with a path of circumambulation and maybe a vestible(antarala in larger temples). A strange reclining Vishnu on Ananta is sandwiched between the two Shiva shrines.

If the intrigue has lasted long enough and has made you look into books to look for what all this is about, then slowly more is visible. Built around 6th to 7th century AD, under the Pallavas, it was patronized by Narasimhavarman and Mahendravarman. The temple still follows the canons of architecture very strictly. It reveals a three tired roof and a five tired roof with strange architectural elements. Small heads called Kudu(tamil term, not sanskrit) figures lace the kapota (the base on which the roof stands). At this point all eyes are on the walls, which are profusely sculpted and the Vimana(roof) which is imposing and magneficent. You will realistically spend the next three years wondering about all the sculptures, their names, who they are and what are the stories behind them. You will find forms of Shiva you never heard of.

Lets assume you got the right books and stuck to them. The Pallavas were initially vaishnavite followers and later turned to Shaivism. Hence the sandwiched Vishnu is carved onto the bedrock and existed well before the temple took shape. Soon the attention shifts to the dwarapalas who are resting their body weight on the walls. Lions and elephants hold up the temple on thier backs and ganas are found every where. The linga is a three part stone of which the third part is embedded within the yoni and cannot be seen. What remains here is the depression in the floor. The panel inside the Garbha griha is Somaskanda panel. Mahishasuramardhini is found carved into the heart of a Lion on the side of the temple.

Conclusions: tolerance to different faiths, enough to leave two deities within the temple complex even if that was not precribed in the canons. Acceptance of the mother goddess cult as another equally potent cult by all faiths( that believed in male deities). Lesser gods like gandharvas and nagas suddenly appear on the walls and how did you miss them all along when they were so prominent!!

Then comes the next enlightenment! You just read about the Chalukyas who were contemporary to the Pallavas and therefore there is a sharing of ideas. The plinth is in chalukyan style and so is the science of carving dwarapalas though the style is pallava. How do we know that? One name strikes out of chalukyan guilds that coexisted with pallavas. Baladeva was a well known sculptor who specialized in carving dwarapalas and autographed his sculptures in pattadakkal. The same style is visible here.

Conclusion: an exchange of ideas and technique between the art worlds though there was war between Pulakesi(Chalukyas) and Mahendravarman(Pallava).

If this was not enough, well you have just about scratched the surface. You start looking at the ground plan, and the evolution of the temple. Judging by all the elements of architecture and going back into ancient architecture, the truth hits you that this was originally Buddhist architecture. The same elements take a functional position in Buddhist monastried in Ajanta and Bedsa. Meanwhile you might learn about the true nature of the Shiva Linga as being a part of Phallic worship and that you are actually worshipping the miracle of Procreation, no not the grose act but the subtle reality that governes it. Now the SomaSkanda panel suddenly makes more sense.

So now there is more to it, Phallic worship was a tradition as old as the Indus valley and there rose several subsects of Shaivism like Ligayats, tantriks and Pashupatas among others who had subtle differences in their rituals. The mother goddess cannot be eliminated and her form can be seen as Parvati, durga and Kali. It is also interesting that Somaskanda is another name for Muruga. And yes, Muruga was originally a dravidian war God before he got christened into the Shiva pantheon while Ganesha is a demi God who has now been elevated to God status with popular belief. None of them were born from the union of Shiva and Parvati.

There are many parallel thoughts running in your mind by now. One would be the connection of the Shiva Parvati icons with the philosophy of Kundalini yoga depicted through the Somaskanda panel. The meaning of life as we see it through the Mahishasuramardhini panel. The undying presence of Shiva and Parvati whose origins cannot be dated. And finally the presence of copulation scenes on some temple walls. Why is sex depicted too blatantly when our mindsets are against nudity.

It takes a long while for this one, the hidden presence of yantras all over the place which has ever so remained a secret. That the scenes on the Khajuraho temples were to hide this truth so that we, the uninitiated never get to see what is behind them(works brilliantly). The presence of a mandala that is at the ground plan of the temple. The presence of forms of Lord Shiva selectively places in various niches.

Every thing had a reason... and then my Guru spoke.

Sri SitaRama Vaibhavam

2006-03-02T23:47:00.000-08:00

Sri SitaRama Vaibhavam is a blog that narrates the Ramayana with a heartfelt supreme devotion for Lord Sri Rama and Sri Sita. This has been written by a person tender in years, but of immense understanding and maturity concerning all things spiritual - Anand Ramamoorthy.

I think that every single human being who is a devotee of the Supreme Lord or who is even just a lover of tales well-told, should throng this blog at once!

In my opinion it is an excellent blog, a joy to read each and every chapter starting from the first of course!

I would make a humble request to all that they start at the very beginning of the archives in July 2005, and read from his first post "Welcome" dated 1st July, 2005, and go on upward to read the whole epic, written in an exhaustive, elaborate, deliberate and careful style.
Not to mention with a heart and mind full of dedication and devotion for Sri MahaVishnu.

A beautiful blog. Not to be missed by anyone.

A blog that deserves to be nurtured and visited as and when new posts keep coming up until the day of coronation of Sri Rama and Sri Sita.

Brahma Murari...

2006-02-25T09:04:00.000-08:00

...Surarchita Lingam

The most fascinating Lingam
And the lilting Lingashtakam
Which has swayed me since childhood
The more I chant that
The more I realise from within
What the Lingam means
It means at times fire
Sometimes, it is a clod of earth
Water is also Lingam
And so is Air
The dome of the sky
Is the biggest Lingam of Space
There is the Lingam of the Mind
The cosmic form of the thought energy
The biggest Lingam ever is
The Athma Lingam
That is everything
Exclusive and Inclusive
Humbly though,
It may appear as Nothing
It is all the sounds put together
But quietly, it poses as Silence
It is the compendium of
All knowledge and wisdom
But its meek form
Does not reveal all that it knows.
It is all. It is one. It is none.
The Lingam is no stone
But the live energy within.

- Swahilya.

2006-02-24T00:19:00.000-08:00

Dasha Avatar

Ten avatars did I take
To show just this
I reside in all
Love all

Took myriad shapes and forms too
The fish contains me too
The tortoise too

The lion and the man
The Brahmin and the warrior

The King and the Cowherd

I express through
All
Just me
Just me
Eternal Truth
As One

Temple characterestics and iconography

2006-02-22T03:51:00.000-08:00

3rd century BC to 14th century AD: The backbone of temple architecture is the presence of Guilds across various kingdoms in India. Their orders come from the royal architects and funds come in from the ruling patronage. Architecture and sculpture sustained their expression on temple stone walls and pillars by the Guilds. Kings didn't define the kind of temples to be built but patronized them, but the Guilds gave the temples and monasteries their form and structure by following the canon's of architecture laid down by the ancients, with respect to their faiths.

Therefore if a King wanted a shaivite, vaishnavite, devi, buddhist, or Jain shrine, they just had to give the orders for it, the rest was taken care of by the Guilds. Hence the characteristic features of each of these temples would be as follows:

Shiva temple (before the Cholas):

The deities to look for in a Shiva temple would be, the Shiva linga stone within the Garbha griha, which is strictly the aniconic symbol. Shiva in human form is never found within the garbha griha.
The wall behind the Garbha griha will always have the Lingodhbhavamurti (depicting Shiva's supremacy over Vishnu and Brahma).
The Vahana is Nandi
The south wall will always have devi/ Mahishasuramardhini. She was later replaced by Parvati.
The north wall depicts either Ganesha and Karthikeya or other forms of shiva like Dakshnamurti, Trimurti or Harihara(this order changes from temple to temple). Older temples depict only Shiva on all walls. The devi in the form of Parvati is depicted standing with him (Kalyanasundaramurti) or ardhanarishwara, else she is depicted as Durga/Kali dancing with Nataraja.
The others: Saptamatrika only in ancient temples, Bhringi on some walls but not in a niche, Chandikeshwara, Rudra, Ganesha, and Karthikeya in separate shrines if they are not on the niches of the main sanctum.
If there are depictions of Vishnu and Brahma, they would be in praise of Shiva or in submission.
The only exception with any reference to the Ramayana is Ravana Anugrahamurti where Ravana is depicted shaking mount Kailasa. He was an ardent Shiva Bhakta.
Nayanars take their place on the precinct.
108 lingas are placed in a single location or around the main shrine.

Post the Chola period; Devi got a seperate equally large shrine next to Shiva and Vishnu shrines within the main temple. (eg: Brihadeshwara temple under Rajaraja Chola originally had only the shiva temple, the sub shrines were added later by Sembian mahadevi, a Chola queen and then later by Vijayanagar and Nayaka rulers.)

Vishnu temples:

The dashavatara is found on all the exterior walls of a Vishnu temple, as well as on the pillars.
Large depictions in older temples would include Trivikrama/Vamana, Narasimha, Vishnu seated on Ananta.
Vishnu within the shrine chamber(garbha griha) is depicted lying on Ananta in the cosmic sea, else he is depicted standing in Samabhanga pose (standing straight backed with hand resting on mace).
Vahana is Garuda
Devi is often depicted with him in the Varaha form.
Krishna is very rarely depicted, if at all as Krishna Govardhana and krishna stealing butter.
Scenes of the Ramayana adorn the outer walls, but do not occupy the niches.
Icons of Shankha and chakra can be seen around the temple.
Garuda and nagas are often depicted, nagas specifically are in submission.
Hanuman is sometimes depicted in Vishnu temples, either on pillars or atop the dhwajastambha in the place of Garuda. He is a Shiva incarnate in possible submission.
Alvars are depicted on the temple walls and pillars.

Devi temples:

Mostly depict various forms of the Devi, in soumya(soft) rupa and krodha(fierce) rupa.
The central shrine is either Bhuvaneshwari (soumya rupa) or Durga/ Kali(fierce form)
All devis in shrines mostly face south, be it from garbha griha, or in niches of shiva temples.
Very prominent scenes in ancient temples would be the scene of decapitation where a devotee is seen chopping his own head and sacrificing his life to the Mother. (Orissa, Mamallapuram)
Copulation scenes on the outside of temples, or alternatively Kanyas in seductive poses. (Konark and khajuraho)
Very rare depictions of Shiva lingas, which is almost close to negligible.
Vahana is a lion.
Walls are adorned by worshippers, both royal and common folk.

Buddhist shrine - cave temples:

Buddha depicted in certain mythological events like Miracle of Sravasti(buddha multiplies himself a 1000 times to beat his religious rivals including Mahavira), Parinirvana(Buddha in the state of Nirvana), Temptation of Mara(Buddha attacked by the three damsels and a whole demon army sent by Mara), Buddha begging alms from his wife. Most often depicted are Buddha giving a sermon or standing.
Profusely painted on walls are the Jataka tales of Buddha's past incarnations.
Padmapani and Maitreya come in later.
There are no vahanas.
Older Hinayana phase elements to look for are stupas, pair of slippers, pair of feet, and a bodhi tree with a pair of feet beneath it.
Hariti and Panchika, where hariti has a child on her lap. She is the Goddess of smallpox, a child eating ogress whom Buddha converted into a protector. Panchika is her consort and also very well known as Kubera yaksha.

Jaina temples and caves:

Jain tirtankaras and more tirtankaras.
Gomateshwara and parshvanatha are a vew well known tirtankaras who can be seen in the Garbha Griha and on the walls of the cave temples.
Sculptures are mostly nude.

Nagas are found everywhere, and so are river Goddesses, mithuna couples and gandharvas.

2006-02-16T03:42:00.000-08:00

THE DIVINE MOTHER

Ya devi sarvabhutanam daya rupena samisthita
Namastasyi, namastasyi namo namah.

Oh Goddess who manifests as Compassion in all beings
Salutations to you, Salutations to you.

Ya devi sarvabhutanam shakti rupena samisthita
Namastasyi, namastasyi namo namah

Oh Goddess who manifests as strength in all beings
Salutations to you, Salutations to you

Ya devi sarvabhutanam dhairya rupena samisthita
Namastasyi, namastasyi namo namah

Oh Goddess who manifests as in courage all beings
Salutations to you, Salutations to you

Ya devi sarvabhutanam shanti rupena samisthita
Namastasyi, namastasyi namo namah

Oh Goddess who manifests as silence in all beings
Salutations to you, Salutations to you

Ya devi sarvabhutanam shraddha rupena samisthita
Namastasyi, namastasyi namo namah

Oh Goddess who manifests as devotion in all beings
Salutations to you, Salutations to you

(Seeing the wonderful picture of the The Divine Mother, posted by Parvati I couldn't help posting my favourite prayer, a hymn from the Devi Mahatmayam which helps me to see The Mother in all beings around me)

The Divine Mother

2006-02-15T05:44:00.000-08:00

"Her smile could persuade a dead lacerated heart

To live again and feel the hands of calm..."

- Sri Aurobindo

Shrines within Girivalam

2006-02-12T20:45:00.000-08:00

Girivalam, in silence: On a full moon night Thiruvannamallai has a charm of its own. On one end it hosts a million pilgrims who walk the sacred path of Girivalam, and on the other nothing stirs in its silence. Every experience revolves round the sacred hill that hosts far more shrines than whats found scattered around the sacred road. We find all the Gods here, starting with Ganesha, leading the way to the Mother Goddess to Shiva Lingas scattered all over, popularly called the Ashta Dikapala Lingas. Krishna occupies a special seat near a temple tank along the road.

So what makes Girivalam so interesting! A walk down the paths that lead towards the hill off the main road, covered with trees and forests have more shrines than what we would imagine. One such mud road stands silent, with a lot of thorny bushes blocking the pathway with a forbidding picture a Kali at the entrance.The first though is that there could be a shrine for the Goddess further inside, maybe with a stone altar in front of it for animal sacrifice. But interestingly it is quite a different story. We decided to walk into the forests surrounding the hill and debated on what we would do should we encounter some wild animals or snakes in the early evening. Our heated discussion came to an abrupt end when we came upon a silent pond, bathed in traquility far away from all mankind right in the middle of nowhere!

A silent square pond with lots of fish and frogs, green with life with low branches of trees almost kissing its surface brimming with life... we could have almost taken a dive into its cool waters. The pond looked deep and clean as the sun's rays penetrated through the green canopy of leaves. Along the side were large stones with arrows pointing in a direction that indicated this was the ancient path of Girivalam around the main hill. This peaceful setting, the ancient path that disappeared into the forest, shielded from all the noise against the hill, also had a dilapidated house next door with a gaping hope to the side. As we explored the place, we found that the gaping hole led down a stairway to rooms under the earth right next to the pond. Too close i thought. Filled with rubble with the cieling almost falling in, we decided not to get too adventurous and came out of it hoping not to meet any lizards of snakes on the way out.

Once outside, this tranquil little place, spoke of an underground chamber right beneath our feet. We were just left to wonder what it could have been used for! Excited about the find but a little disappointed since we did not find any shrine for the Goddess, we walked back to civilization promising to come back here surely some day.

We drifted through the evening as we saw the full moon slowly climb up the sky from behind the great hill lighting up the whole forest again after the sunlight dimmed out. The night was silent with a cool breeze drifting through the trees. Clouds scattered around the sky drifted over the peak of the hill almost giving it a natural halo that revolved around it for a long while. It was a fantastic sight!

We walked to the Kannappa nayanar shrine embedded deep within the forest, our path now lit up brightly by the moonlight. Kannappa nayanar shrine stood silently ahead, with a stairway leading up to the small sanctum. We walked up slowly, after our conversation merged into the silence. None of us spoke, for what we experienced was true beauty and tranquility at its best.

We sat back on the stony floor, each to himself, bathed in the streaming moonlight, looking over the canopy of trees. The gentle breeze brushed over us leaving behind a cool comfort. The magestic hill stood behind, as my eyes rolled over from the floating clouds outside to the chamber within. A silent Kannappa Nayanar looked straight at me through the small shrine where a small oil lamp lit up his face and his silver plated eyes. It was simply awesome! Kannappa Nayanar stood there, reminding us of lost potency in spiritualism that once rules these lands.

Girivalam will live forever reminding us of every saint who made a mark in our history! Walking the same path is a choice we make.

Namaste...

2006-02-11T10:36:00.000-08:00

...Ganapathaye

You are the Lord of the Mind
You are seated at the root of things
In the Mooladhara Chakra
Where there are the blocks
Of your creation
And from whence you show the way
For clearing the same blocks
You are the creator, preserver and destroyer
The wisdom and consciousness
The most playful Ganesha
You are indeed the embodiment
Of the formless Param
In the bliss of form
Of joy and bliss.
I bow down to your grace
That all the obstacles on my path
Be cleared to let me soar
Higher and higher and
Ever so higher
To be lost in Your grace.

- Swahilya

simple.

2006-02-08T23:22:00.000-08:00

one two three four....
one step forward.
one step onward.
all steps godward.
that's my life.

Wisdom through Grace

2006-02-06T00:08:00.000-08:00

what is the Truth behind diversity?

why is there this sharp sense of difference at all?

why did the original Unity split at all?

if Unity and Oneness are such wonderful and divine states, what is the raison detre for these infinite splinters of the One?

a million questions swirling inside me all the time, all the time...with no answers in view

no answers...but only an innate wisdom compellingly there -

a profound wisdom tells me that
to live the Oneness , is to live the strength and power in that Unity
.
.
and
.
.
as by a miracle, the Unity handles with ease the impossibilities
of the Diversity
.
.

'The Divine Worker' by SRI AUROBINDO

2006-01-31T06:18:00.000-08:00

I face earth's happenings with an equal soul;
In all are heard Thy steps: Thy unseen feet
Tread Destiny's pathways in my front. Life's whole
Tremendous theorem is Thou complete.

No danger can perturb my spirit's calm:
My acts are Thine; I do Thy works and pass;
Failure is cradled on Thy deathless arm,
Victory is Thy passage mirrored in Fortune's glass.

In this rude combat with the fate of man
Thy smile within my heart makes all my strength;
Thy Force in me labours at its grandiose plan,
Indifferent to the Time-snake's crawling length.

No power can slay my soul; it lives in Thee.
Thy presence is my immortality.

2006-01-30T15:49:00.000-08:00

JUST ONE
Rama was a prince in every sense
Second to none in virtue and wealth
Beauty and Grace
The best of everything
Came to him
Love beyond expectation
From all

Yet---
He did suffer trials and tribulations too

Just to show
That sorrow and joy come to even God
Should he step in as man on earth
This birth is but unique

For its in the land of opposites can one seek

That One without opposites
The Truth that is

Kitchen...

2006-01-27T20:33:00.000-08:00

....Zen

Cutting vegetables
Reducing them from
Whole to tiny parts
Has always been
A meditation of sorts
Teaching the most
Valuable lessons in Zen
What was nowhere
Were sown as seeds
On a carefully tilled soil
They were nurtured
And grown with care
By different faculties
Of the Cosmic force
And from within
Thin stems came forth
Gentle flowers
Which contained within
Fruits and then the same seeds
The fruits and leaves
Travelled through many a hand
And here they are so beautiful
Of different colours on my kitchen counter
Ready to go for yet another process
Of transformation in heat
Until they get ready for the dining table
The Changeless Essence
Yields itself to such
Apparent changes
In name and form.

- Swahilya

A prayer...

2006-01-26T11:19:00.000-08:00

...to Mahavishnu and Mahalakshmi

Vidyavantham Yashasvantham
Lakshmivantham Janamkuru
Roopam dehi Jayam dehi
Yasho dehi dwisho jahi.
Dehi Sowbhagyam Arogyam
Dehi me Paramam Sukham
Roopam dehi Jayam dehi
Yasho dehi dwisho jahi.

An apology..

2006-01-24T10:26:00.000-08:00

...and a post

I begin with an apology, for not posting so long on this blog. It was for no other reason, but just that I wanted to contribute uniquely here and not just copy what I post on Aksharoham. But now, the divine has blessed me with more technology, a laptop with internet on my mobile phone, a digital camera to click and transfer to the laptop and just the mind to make good use of the technology. I resolve to make good use of them, with gratitude. So from here I go:

Offerings

Patram Pushpam Phalam Thoyam
Yo Me Bhaktya Prayachati
A leaf, a flower, a fruit or just water
Is all that I ask of you
A leaf is one each day
Out of the tree of life
A flower an expression of your soul
A fruit is that which you yield
The essence of your being
And water is all that you can take
Of me and give back unto me.
The greatest offering
Yourself unto Yourself.
Nothing more, nothing less.

- Swahilya.

A circle of Constants...

2006-01-23T21:04:00.000-08:00

This is not about temples, but about the Self. I went back to Google search, to refresh my decaying knowledge in Math and went through circles again. There was something about it, not about solving the toughest problems, not about the complexity it can take you into but that one simple thing that we call a Constant, often taken for granted but never explained. This time i chose to make a connect.

There is a constant in everything, including our lives, the concept of circles just being another such example of how varied their behavior is and yet there is a Constant that seems to give character to them.

Its very similar with us. The thirst for truth brings a variety of opportunities into our lives at various stages which need not be socially acceptable. There are many moments when people comes face to face with themselves wondering whether they should make that move towards the truth or continue in their routines. Its a choice you make based on the trust you have in yourself to look for this Truth or Constant, and the courage you have to disconnect with your familiar world.

Yes, the familiar world that you define as home, and all the people and components that go into its making. You might have made it yourself during the hunt for your Constant, that which largely is a subconcious search surfacing on and off while it remotely connects with events in your life. Those are your moments of absolute excitement, excitement you cannot explain but just emote. There is a Constant within you, not necessarily defined with a formula, or given a form(religion tries to do that for you). I grew to realize this in a warped sort of way.

My first definition of a Constant as i saw it was with family, but it brought in its own share of problems/ instability and didnt seem to follow the definition i had laid out for it either in reality or conceptually or in subtle reality. I realized somewhere that family was not where the Constant was, as it was more of an external element and not entirely my own. I moved my Constant away from people and home, realizing pretty fast that they were incapable of such position purely on the grounds of expectation and rule sets laid down by role play- family, marriage, etc.

Somewhere down the line it dawned on me that my work, which i possible considered as my Constant for a while, was not the right place either. I ended up getting into more of people management since actual performace was being taken as a given. I also realized that my Constant doesn't depend on whimsical people around me for my Constant is way too important to be tossed around.

So here I am, redefining my Constant to myself, its something that is purely mine, and does not call for outside interference, that is anyone beyond me. My Constant is that which stays with me and i derive my energy from it to define myself, to live, to understand, to perform, to survive and make myself concious of it every moment in the day. My Constant is not for me to share, but for me to help anyone look for their own.

My Constant is formless, and i have chosen to define as Shiva, nothing more, nothing less. My Constant is visible in the Beauty of Lord Shiva, its defined in his dance, its felt in his fury, its awakened in his third eye.

Inner Light

2006-01-19T22:12:00.000-08:00

“People are like stained-glass windows. They sparkle and shine when the sun is out, but when the darkness sets in, their true beauty is revealed only if there is a light from within.”
- Elisabeth Kubler-Ross

Cosmic Consciousness - A poem by Sri Aurobindo

2006-01-18T23:56:00.000-08:00

I have wrapped the wide world in my wider self
And Time and Space my spirit's seeing are.
I am the god and demon, ghost and elf,
I am the wind's speed and the blazing star.

All Nature is the nursling of my care,
I am struggle and the eternal rest;
The world's joy thrilling runs through me, I bear
The sorrow of millions in my lonely breast.

I have learned a close identity with all,
Yet am by nothing bound that I become;
Carrying in me the universe's call
I mount to my perishable home.

I pass beyond Time and life on measureless wings,
Yet still am one with born and unborn things.

2006-01-16T19:23:00.000-08:00

‘Pain and pleasure
Spur and obstacle
In the quest of One
Pain spurs on
Pleasure deludes;
Bliss eludes’
Some do perceive such
Acceptance of both
Reject none
Awareness of both
Is to transcend both
For they are One

Our Home

2006-01-14T11:04:00.000-08:00

I think that this post is sort of relevant with reference to my previous post on pain. So here goes -

When I hold a flower in my hand and just look at it, a sense of expansive peace fills me.

In this world of constant movement and never ending setting up of goals, working towards them, reaching and achieving these targets, whether in our chosen work or in our personal pursuits or personal relationships, we need a reinforcement from a sustaining source of quietude, from a peace that passeth all understanding, from a calm like a block of ice.

All the infinite activity is built on a foundation of an unshakeable stillness.

Somehow in spite of the immeasureable energy that is an innate component of Nature, anything of Nature - be it the never-still oceans, the never-moving mountains, the beautiful star like flowers, the sky scraping trees, the sweet innocence of all animals big or small, ferocious or gentle - smoothens our care-worn anxious brows, calms our nerves, makes us go back to our still depths.

Communing with Nature and becoming one with it is not something that is tangential to our human personality, foreign to our true selves.

Nature is our identity and our origin.

Going back to Nature is like going back home.

I feel complete and content.

Spirituality and Art : Healers of Pain?

2006-01-13T21:16:00.000-08:00

How does an artist have the capacity to reach those depths, where you keep your pain secure?

How does an artist soothe your pain without any effort? Is it because through the plumbing of his own depths for inspiration, the artist has now become a healer?

Or does an artist pervertedly see just the pleasure even in extreme agony? Probably that's why he is able to reach it and heal it?

Not at all.

An antidote for pain is not pleasure. Mainly because pleasure always only skims the surface of the being, it doesn’t reach far enough anywhere to handle any serious psychological negatives.

Pleasure's effect is always intense maybe, but very temporary, more an anesthetic than a surgery removing the root of the cancer and the cancer itself.

Pain may be superficial, but mostly it is unbearable and very deep. I am speaking about psychological or emotional pain. All of us of course know about the absoluteness of our bodies' pain.

On the contrary, I think that they (pleasure and pain) are unconnected to each other except in perhaps the fact that chasing after the object of pleasure more often than not, whether you obtain it or lose it, gives you pain.

An antidote for pain is simply the removal of the pain itself, removing the cause of pain is dicey, because an object can be both a source of pain and pleasure at different times.

Here, in what I have written, I speak about two depths, which might not necessarily have the same coordinates.
One is that of the observer of the art - the depths where his pain is hiding, or where he has successfully hidden his pain.The other depth is in the artist. The depth from where his inspiration comes. It is a positive creative level. At least where his work is concerned.

But if it is not the depth of his soul that he has sought to convert the vibration into an object of creation, but only his vital / life force level (traditionally between the Naabhi and the Moolasthaanam), then that level has the capacity to stretch the artist to the opposite effect of extreme agony too.

Whereas, if the source of the artist's creative genius is his soul, not his mind, not his emotions, nor his vitality - the latter mentioned only act as instruments to convert his soul inspiration to three dimensional art - then he is not the usual dangerously unbalanced creator that we see, but is harmonious in his own person, and in what he projects in his work.

Now to the pain in us and the artist being a healer.

Pain is often healed by the understanding of the pain by another person who himself has experienced it.

In spirituality, it is a fact that the higher you go, the more your capacity/power to handle the darker and the darkest regions in us. Like the mind per se because it is higher level of consciousness has a much greater power than the emotions to handle the problems of the body.The higher you get your inspiration from , the greater your light, your power and this tackles the deepest embedded pain, ignorance, dark emotions like anger, jealousy etc.

There are the depths and the heights. Height gives us power and knowledge, depths give us love and understanding, a sympathy, an identification, a compassion - all of which again leads to knowledge of the pain and the knowledge to remove it.

The Rig Veda says "As it climbs from height to height, there becomes clear to its view all the much that is yet to be done.”

The view is better, the insight grows and grows and we see then "Oh this pain here in the subconscious has to be nullified." Then you bring the knowledge of the heights down here to the low levels and transform them.

As to the artist, he is just slightly internalised. Nothing like a yogi or our gurus.
But even that helps in healing.

I had a concrete experience of this some time back. I was in a place inside where it was the period of agony before the calm of resignation. I was in quite a horrible condition. At that moment I just inadvertantly looked at a self-portrait of Vincent Van Gogh on the wall. It was a calender that had all the prints of his works.

You won’t believe it, just the split second look and my pain was removed without a trace. And it did not return at all.

That is exactly what I have written in this post - my personal experience of my pain (whose cause had nothing to do with anything that Van Gogh might know), and his painting, nothing spectacular, but just a portrait - it healed me completely.

From that day onwards it was as though an inner eye opened in me regarding paintings. I can see and know how deep the artist went to gather his motivation for the work. I don’t see the technical excellence I just see the paintings vibration and more importantly their effect on me. And then I stun myself by throwing my free judgement here and there "This is an excellent one", "This is rotten", "This is bad; that is good".

To open one's inner perception enough is to truly know...

We were looking at a lot of paintings for our renovated house. That started my already deep interest in painting as an art. I can stand and look at paintings for years together...

My explanation of pain and how it can be healed, is my opinion of what I think the process is.
There might be other explanations too.

But the ultimate solution to me is once again that of surrendering at the feet of the One Supreme Divine. This brilliant strategy works for everything and anything in this world!

It removes pain too - Totally. Completely. Efficiently.

And all these words melt away like snow in the sun...
These things happen in life...

Thanks are

2006-01-13T05:08:00.000-08:00

due to Arjuna for inviting me to be a contributor to this immensely important and inspiring blog Cosmic Consciousness. I do hope that I will be a worthy member, deserving the honour of being here.
Thanks again.

The Phenomenon Of Death

2006-01-10T09:05:00.000-08:00

vàyuranilamamçtamathedaü bhasmàntaü ÷arãram
OM krato smara kçtaü smara krato smara kçtaü smara

(May my) Prana melt into the all-pervading Air, the eternal Sutratman, and may this body be burnt by fire to ashes. OM! O mind! remember my deeds! O mind! remember, remember my deeds! - Isavasya Upanishad

Before I get deeply into the concept of death, astral world and reincarnation, lets see the definition of Death.

According to Swami Sivananada, death is separation of the soul from the physical body. Death becomes the starting point of a new and better life. Death does not end your personality and self-consciousness. It merely opens the door to a higher form of life. Death is only the gateway to a fuller life.

Birth and death are jugglery of Maya. He who is born begins to die. He who dies begins to live. Life is death and death is life. Birth and death are merely doors of entry and exist on the stage of this world. In reality no one comes, no one goes. Brahman or the Eternal alone exists.

Just as you move from one house to another house, the soul passes from one body to another to gain experience. Just as a man casting off worn-out garments, takes new ones, so the dweller in this body, casting off worn-out bodies, enters into others which are new.

Death is not the end of life. Life is one continuous never-ending process. Death is only a passing and necessary phenomenon, which every soul has to pass to gain experience for its further evolution.

Dissolution of the body is no more than sleep. Just as man sleeps and wakes up, so is death and birth. Death is like sleep. Birth is like waking up. Death brings promotion to a new and better life. A man of discrimination and wisdom is not afraid of death. He knows that death is the gate of life. Death to him is no longer a skeleton bearing a sword to cut the thread of life, but rather an angel who has a golden key to unlock for him the door to a wider, fuller and happier existence.

Every soul is a circle. The circumference of this circle is nowhere but its centre is in the body. Death means the change of this centre from body to body. Why, then, should you be afraid of death?

The Supreme Soul or Paramatman is deathless, decayless, timeless, causeless and spaceless. It is the source and substratum for this body, mind and the whole world. There is death for the physical body only, which is a compound of five elements. How can there be death for the Eternal Soul which is beyond time, space and causation?

If you wish to free yourself from birth and death, you must become bodiless. Body is the result of Karmas or actions. You must not do any action with expectation of fruits. If you free yourself from Raga-Dvesha, or likes and dislikes, you will be free from Karma. If you kill egoism only, you can free yourself from Raga and Dvesha. If you annihilate ignorance through knowledge of the Imperishable, you can annihilate egoism. The root-cause for this body is therefore ignorance.

He who realises the Eternal Soul, which is beyond all sound, all sight, all taste, all touch, which is formless and attributeless, which is beyond Nature, which is beyond three bodies and five sheaths, which is infinite and unchanging, self-luminous, frees himself from the jaws of death.

To be contd..

2006-01-08T21:27:00.000-08:00

Birth, Death and God

‘God’ is a presence
Not a person
Felt not seen
An experience of Love and warmth
Simply,
Ever-present, all around
Waiting to engulf,
Should you but allow

An awareness of this every moment,
Is Bliss here and now
Not in the distant future
Or in an unknown heaven

Why bother about birth and death
If this life is a dream
All the ‘lives’
Before and those to come are dreams too
The One Truth that encases all is ever-present
This birth or the next shall ever be in the arms of
The One.

Yet one more opportunity to experience that Love
Yet one more opportunity to merge
IN THE TRUTH THAT IS

DEATH - An Introduction

2006-01-05T00:58:00.000-08:00

AUM
DEDICATED
TO
LORD YAMA, MARKANDEYA, NACHIKETAS,
SAVITRI AND NANDI, THE ETERNAL
ATTENDANT OF LORD SIVA, WHO HAVE
ALL UNRAVELLED THE MYSTERIES
OF THE LIFE BEYOND DEATH
AUM

I have been always fascinated by DEATH. Its something that I contemplate every night on my bed. There were times, when I have imagined myself to be a corpse lying on my bed without any breath!I may sound abnormal - but that's the truth. I guess I am abnormal anyway - lol!I have decide to write about the most fascinating concept called DEATH. What is DEATH? What happens after DEATH? What is the astral world?What is reincarnation? I will be taking pointers from great spiritual teachers like Swami Sivananda, Swami Vivekananda and Sadhu Vasawani, who have written about "Life After Death".

Swami Sivananda states in his famous book "What Becomes Of The Soul After Death", that the concept of Paraloka-Vidya or the science about the departed souls and their planes of living is a subject of absorbing interest. It is a Mysterious Science which contains many secrets or hidden wonders. It has intimate connection with Panchagni-Vidya or the science of transmigration propounded in the Chandogya Upanishad. The doctrine of reincarnation or metempsychosis, transmigration of the soul and spiritualism come under the Paraloka-Vidya. Everybody is curious and anxious to know this science.

Great scientists, the inventors of many marvellous things, mighty Emperors who have done stupendous works, inspired poets, wonderful artists, many Brahmins, Rishis, Yogis have come and gone. You are all extremely anxious to know what has become to them. Do they still exist? What is there at the other side of death? Have they become non-existent or have they dwindled into an airy nothing? Such questions do arise spontaneously in the hearts of all. The same question arises today as it arose thousands of years ago. No one can stop it, because it is inseparably connected with our nature.

Death is a subject which is of the deepest interest to everyone. One day or other all must die. The terror of death overshadows the lives of all human beings. It brings considerably unnecessary sorrow, suffering and anxiety to the survivors who are anxious to know about the fate of the departed souls.

In the West also this question has aroused a great deal of interest and attention in certain scientific circles. Much investigation has been made. But the researches have, however, been confined more or less to find out whether or not the individuality survives and persists after the dissolution of the physical body. This has been proved in the affirmative by actual communication with the spirit world through science, mediumship etc.

A knowledge of this science will rob death of all its terror and sorrow and enable you to see it in the proper light and to understand its place in the scheme of your evolution. It will certainly goad you to find out suitable methods to conquer death and attain immortality. It will forcibly urge you to take to the study of Brahma-Vidya in right earnest and find out the true Master or illumined sage who can put you in the right path of Truth and explain to you the mysteries of Kaivalya or Brahma-Jnana.

You have suffered very much simply out of ignorance and superstition concerning this most important matter. If you go through this book carefully the veil of ignorance will be removed. You will be freed from the horrors of death.

The one aim of all Yoga Sadhanas is to face death fearlessly and joyfully. A Yogi or a Sage or even a real aspirant has no fear of death. Death is terribly afraid of those who do Japa, meditation and Kirtanam. He and his messengers dare not approach them. Lord Krishna says in the Bhagavad-Gita, “Having come to Me, these Mahatmas come not again to birth, the place of pain and non-eternity; they have gone to the highest bliss” (Chapter VIII-15).

Death is painful to a worldly man. A desireless man never weeps when he dies. A full-blown Jnani never dies. His Prana never departs. Your highest duty is to prepare for a peaceful life hereafter. Conquer the fear of death. Conquest of fear of death, conquest of death is the highest utility of all Spiritual Sadhana. Pray to the Lord to enable you to worship Him in every birth of yours. End the cycle of birth if you want everlasting bliss. Live in the eternal Atman and be happy for ever.

Bhishma had death at his command (Iccha-Mrityu). Savitri brought back Satyavan, her husband, to life through her power of chastity. Markandeya conquered death through worship of Lord Siva. You also can conquer death through devotion, knowledge and power of Brahmacharya.

(To be contd...)

Sri Shanmugha Chakram - An Explanation

2006-01-05T00:23:00.000-08:00

I was introduced to the wonderful concept of the Sri Chakram of Lord Murugan by my best friend Sriram. I would like to share this concept with you all.

Basically, there are two things involved for reaching the state of Samadhi:

1. Ascent of Spirit
2. Descent of Grace

Spirit is our soul. We can try to reach God by its ascent. This can be done systematically by Ashtanga Yoga, Kriya Yoga (The Right hand path). Or by Tantric practices (Vama Marga - The Left hand path).

The ascent of spirit can be represented by an 'upward-facing' equilateral triangle. The process of making the soul move higher is called Sadhana.

Once the soul has done its part thorough and NOTHING MUCH can be done by it, only then the Grace descends. When we become helpless and we are desperate to go higher, then the Grace descends. This is not under our control. The three Graces are:

1. Grace of Scriptures - Knowledge from the scriptures.
2. Grace of the Guru - By following his instructions
3. Grace of the Self - Surprising this is the Grace obtained by self effort.

Needless to say the last one is probably the most important one and will naturally invite the other two.

This can be represented by an equilateral triangle that faces downwards. When both of them merge we get the Chakram of Lord Murgan. (Notice two triangles - one upward facing and another downward facing). In that merging point - there is a bindu or a dot (In the above picture - the bindu is represented as Lord Murugan). This bindu signifies the Silence into which the sound of Aum leads.

Once when Ramakrishna Paramahansa was standing in a river along with a disciple. The disciple told that he wanted to see God immediately. Ramakrishna then pushed the head of the disciple inside the river. The disciple could not hold it for long. But Ramakrishna did not relax his grip. But finally, the disciple gave a mighty push and emerged out of water. He asked why Ramakirshna did that to him. Ramakrishna then told that, if he had a desire to see God equal to that of him to emerge from water he had before, then God would immediately come before him. :)

So, when we give up EVERYTHING, and with all our hope and power pray to God, then the union (Yoga, Anubhuti etc) is possible. Yoga, Kriya, Bhakti etc are means and not the end. God alone is true and He alone is important. Everthing else is trivial.

Thanks Sriram for this wonderful explanation you gave me in ur car :)

A moment longer at Elephanta caves, Mumbai.

2006-01-03T20:53:00.000-08:00

Elephanta caves, Mumbai: A moment longer at Elephanta caves can give a life time of happiness. Sounds strange, but when you discover the value of such an amazing monument, your mind rests on it forever. You know, these monuments scattered around our country side do not just stop with being tourist attractions but have greater value when we try to understand them a little more.

Art historians like George Michell, scanned the entire caves and brought out a book the beautifully represents Elephanta pictorially to the average reader. It has a few very interesting things about it that triggered my thoughts further on Elephanta, and it just blew my mind when i realized what i possibly found. I might be wrong, but i dont feel so.

Elephanta's main cave hosts a four doored chamber which contains an incomplete Shiva Linga. In front of it stands a hall of pillars rather unassuming to start with. I think the cave faces east and on the south wall is our very famous Trimurti. Is all this leading somewhere, maybe... Lets walk a step back, what is Elephanta caves all about?

Elephanta caves hosts a complete cave dedicated to Shiva, with 11 iconographic representations from his various mythologies, 11 out of 25 forms of Shiva have been depicted here. Ok, if you though Vishnu was 10 and Shiva was 1, let me correct this, Vishnu is 10 but Shiva is about 25 forms.
This does not end here, i do not know the reason for picking these particular sculptures, am yet to figure that out, but what i know is that, what George Michell tried to conclude in these caves was that the ground plan represented some sort of a mandala that looks like this.

The square on the left is the shrine chamber that hosts the Shiva linga within it. The point i am trying to make is that much as he hit the nail on the head and said it represented a mandala, i think he got it wrong diagramatically. Why do i say this?

For this we need to move away from pure are history and architecture towards ritual. The worship of Lord Shiva brings in the use of mystical diagrams like yantras to perform fulfilling worship of the Lord. The most auspicious yantra that represents Lord Shiva looks like this.

Now, counting the number of squares within this yantra we come to 25 (5x5) squares. Superimpose this on the ground plan of the cave, but not diagonally. The floor of elephanta now represents a living yantra, each square marked by a pillar at the corners, with the shrine chamber at the first square of row three, meaning square 11. (i hope you got the square) I think this number 11 is coincidental and may not symbolically represent the number of Shiva scultpures inside these caves. What remains a mystery to me right now is whether there was a lot more to this ritualistically or was this purely a representation to carry the tradition forward.

Now this might look normal and matter of fact to you. Well it does not look normal or matter of fact to me. I have woken up to this after 2 years of breaking my head on it, and man! this enlightenment makes a difference to me and makes me want to value these sculptures more than just beautiful depictions on stone. This is a hint of the potency that evolves when architecture and ritual combine which our ancestors have left behind for us, to take note of and pursue ( i dont mean to preach).

The more we soak ourselves in it, the more we dig deeper, the clearer it gets, and we are brought face to face with this potency. I cant explain this.. but i can only say its worth all the study i did, its worth all the frustration i have been through, its worth all the belief and faith i bank on! There IS something here to be looked at, cherished and valued.

2005-12-30T16:30:00.000-08:00

Light of Truth

One sun that brightens up not just this earth, but all the planets
In its fold
Just as One master illumines many

The stars that shine on at night are suns too far away,
They illumine too just as the sun
The sun too is a star

One Light as many stars
One Truth through many Masters
To sort, to chose is ignorance
He that stands with One
Close to his heart
Shall be illumined by the Truth that is Him
Just as easily as the sun warms this earth
Simply for reason, unasked
For a Master can’t help but shower
Love and Knowledge

2005-12-12T16:37:00.000-08:00

The Flame of Truth

The Fire the warms us
As the sun outside
And the subtle warmth within

Are but One

Eternal
Without beginning
Without end
To search for neither
Beginning nor end

Is to light the lamp
Of wisdom within

Today is kartigai

Thought to myself
'Have to light lamps tomorrow'
As I went to bed last night
Then came these beautiful words
That gently stirred me from sleep
To a gentle awakening

He presents Himself

2005-12-06T20:32:00.000-08:00

He presents Himself in the light
of the oil lamp
and yet i see only the darkness

He presents Himself like
a full bloom lotus
and yet i miss the fragrance

He presents Himself in
the twinkling stars
and yet i miss the glow in His third eye

He presents Himself with
the crescent moon
and yet i miss the calm silence

He presents Himself in
a firey dance
and yet i miss the madness

He presents himself with
grace within my mind
and yet i miss the rhythm

He presents Himself in
the chilling air
and yet i miss His warmth

He presents His knowledge
within His stony self
and yet i miss the wisdom

He presents Himself in
all nothingness
and yet i miss His truth

He presents Himself with
me through out my life
and yet i miss his presence

He presents Himself with
me in all completeness
and yet i feel the emptiness

He presents Himself here
to save me from me
and yet i dont see the difference.

2005-12-03T06:12:00.000-08:00

COSMOS
Man and atom seek
Fulfillment
Fulfillment is the engine that drives
Both atom and man
Into relationships
Material and spiritual

There is a cosmos within
A cosmos around
Complete parts of a complete whole

Fulfillment comes from within

Each seeks liberation
Liberation lies in
Sometimes giving
Sometimes taking
Or Just sharing
With another

Lets Count Our Blessings.

2005-12-02T13:34:00.000-08:00

The last months has been difficult to say the least.... Without going into details, a close person in my heart said to me... "Every day I wake up, I am grateful for this house, my health, my loved ones, etc."

I was touched. It made me want to think for a sec.

I should be more grateful, a traveller to this blogpost "Padmasani" replied to my "Mind your own sexuality" said something that stands staring in my face. "Everything is how we look at it"...

I have heard this before.... Sounded like a cool idea, but come on, I used to say, lets get real.

Now when I just stop rambling it does make sense, the reason I used to and still do find that statement difficult to digest is becausue I am always ready to fight. Seems like my soul is a cornered prey, trying to fight desire, lust, the world, etc... What if I just be, not fight and not indulge.

The next week I am going to try something new. Try to be observant, grateful, try not scream when some on says/does something wrong to me. Just be. Will report my result.

Om Tat Sat.

P.S. Dec 1st was Worlds AIDS day. Please be safe and GET TESTED.

Let US be grateful

Birthday...

2005-12-01T04:40:00.001-08:00

...at home

Ever since I got a new apartment and named it after my Guru as Akshara Griha (Akshara's Home), I've been on the move. I used to love the vibrations of peace, calm and tranquility that surrounded the bright house which gave lots of room for a piece of the Universe inside it. My only job there was to do some cleaning and sitting quietly on a sofa in meditation. Everything else happened.Now, going around the city of Chennai on my car, I discovered that it was Akshara Griha that was moving around. The atmosphere around me at office, relatives' homes where I have stayed, friends places or wherever I went had the same character to it - cleanliness, order, peace, tranquility, joy, fun, alertness and energy. It continued in Mumbai where I stayed with a volunteer of the Akshara Foundation, Devika, in her 10th floor paradise at Kopar Khairane in new Mumbai. That felt like my home and not like someone else's. I visited the homes of other volunteers to be pampered with hospitality and everywhere I was at home in the smiles and hugs. Sitting on a steamer going around the Arabian Sea near Gateway of India, I was at home in the placid waters and the chill winds beating against my face.I continued to feel at home aboard Air India, listening to Hindustani Music and stories of Ganesha and Krishna being told by Karadi the Bear. Felt at home to see the smiling air hostesses, waiting to serve with a smile.At the Frankfurt Airport, the woman staff who said, "All passengers to Chee-ca-goo come to the left," felt like a familiar voice. Practising exercises at the lounge to break the monotony of constricting seats on the flight felt no different.Talking to a special child on board who told me to get some food for her as she was hungry and her guardians were sleeping, was a familiar scene of loving children whom I teach at the Aksharabhyas chanting classes in Chennai.At the O'Hare International Airport in Chicago, when a staff helped me with the luggage and accompanied me to the lobby to help me find out who has come to pick me up, was very much like what happened in Chennai and Mumbai when people helped me get my luggage on the trolley.Meeting my brother-in-law and driving home to Western Springs, to meet new-born Rishabh, his mother and grandmother was just like getting back home away from home.At the end of this all, keeping in tune with loved ones through Yahoo Messenger, e-mail and on my blog - I find that Akshara Griha is everywhere. I am now reminded of James A. Michener's autobiographical non-fiction the title and last line of the book are the same: The World Is My Home.

*****

Birthday...

2005-12-01T04:40:00.000-08:00

...at home

The calling - Darasuram Shiva temple

2005-11-28T21:18:00.000-08:00

Its a bright sunny morning,the smoke rises out of the kitchen as she gets the aroma of a delicious brahmin meal in the making. Her father heads to the temple next door, to do the routine abhishekam for the day, while her mother gets ready to weave the next silk saree.
She hums a little tune to herself as she freshens up and looks out at the trees dreamily as the shimering leaves sway in the gentle breeze. She watches the birds with colorful feathers sing to each other as they make home. Dressed and ready for the day, she pins up the jasmine flowers onto her head and tucks the davani onto her waist and walks out of the house to head to the temple next door.

Its an old temple, not too big, not small either but simply beautiful. She rings the big brass bell hanging down at the hall, its ring reverberating through the walls. Its a calling, to the Lord that she has arrived to serve him again. She sings a melodious tune to herself as she sweeps through the hall while her father offers abhishekam to the deity within. She advances near the main shrine, the most beautiful shrine she has seen and been close to all her life.

She walks through the silence as the cool breeze shuffles her hair. She watches the fire dancing gentle as it clings to the wicks of the oil lamps. She observes the dancers all along the walls as they perform for the Lord, movement that she had wished she could grasp, movement that she saw even through stone. They danced and played the drum, they went in rhythmic motion, she could swing with them and bring it all back alive, she could hear the music in her ears as she swayed with the wind following the poses on the wall.

True beauty, pure love, that no one could touch, pure music in her heart as she danced her way through the pillars, pure rhythm in the feet as she felt each sculptural pose in her fingers as she bent backwards feeling them on the wall. The wind rang the bells in gentle motion, the fires seems to join the dance flow, as the idols in the niches watched on to see her, the performer on the floor.

She walked into the darkness, closer to the lord, through the dark passage occasionally lit by patterns of sunlight. Her anklets made the only sound she could hear as she stepped closer to the Lord's chamber. She was now as close as she could get, in front of the dark room, where he stood. She looked at his stony self, a silent Linga, draped beatifully in the lamp light. The intoxication rising as she felt it right through her skin, rhythm still in her mind, she swayed with the beat as the Lord danced in her mind. The madness ever rising, the darkness giving way to the eternal light, she watched the the fire flicker into haze as she swooned to the floor.

She had looked out of the grilled windows all these days, longing for her prince, wanting to know which land he would come from. He had been here, right by her side, always there, watching her every step in pure bliss as He took her in His arms, every day as she swooned listening to the rhythmic beat in his feet.

**************************************************************
P.S. Darasuram hosts a shiva temple surrounding which live a lot of weavers who make our most famous silk sarees. This just brings alive the feelings of one such innocent life.

2005-11-27T08:30:00.000-08:00

Thanksgiving
Crafted with Love for me to behold
This vastness of Creation, to hold,
As my own

Have not hands that can hold
Have not eyes that suffice
To witness this grandeur
The Infinite splendor
Just gratitude for being
Just here and now
A part of Existence
As a part of Existence
Not apart
Just One

2005-11-17T16:33:00.000-08:00

Quest??
Searched for the Truth
For Silence
For Love

Searched for that which already is
Realization dawns
All I have to do
Is to simply be
Nowhere to go,
Nothing to do
Simply throw open the doors of this mind
And simply watch being enveloped
Both from within and around

From directions known and beyond
Silence descends
Ever so beautifully
Wiping out every thought and word firmly
Yet caresses even more gently
That the petals of a rose
No more thoughts, nor words

Laugh at the simplicity of this
Of the Truth that is

Now the laughter too fades from whence it came
Into the all encompassing Silence

2005-11-06T15:18:00.000-08:00

Within

The god that resides in the temple
Resides within
Amidst all the noise, and clamor
Clanging of temple bells,
Prayers said aloud,
Sits in blissful Silence

This body is a temple too
All forms around are containers too
Of the eternal divine
Look within
And amidst the sound around
There is Silence
Within the temple
Within this body
Just One

Agasthyam

2005-11-06T09:20:00.000-08:00

Agasthiar cult is an integral part of Shaivism. The Rishi Agasthiar is considered, the leader of the rishis and the siddhars.

Legend has it, when the divine parents Shiva and Parvati were getting married at Mt.Kailas, the worlds inhabitants gathered to witness the Holy wedding. Due to this, the earth orb swerved from its epicenter. Shiva ordered Agasthiar to travel to the south with His disciples and restore the balance.

Agasthiar settled down in PotiHills (courtallam) with HIS disciples.

நடுவுநில் லாதிவ் வுலகஞ் சரிந்து
கெடுகின்ற தெம்பெரு மானென்ன ஈசன்
நடுவுள அங்கி அகத்திய நீபோய்
முடுகிய வையத்து முன்னிரென் றானே.

The inhabitants of the world pray to Shiva, saying the earth-orb has swerved from its epicenter and HE should restore it, so that HIS children can continue to live peacefully.
Shiva spoke saying "Agastya!, You that sit in tapas, hasten to the globe's swerving side and restore the balance".

This is in Praise of the great Rishi:

அங்கி உதயம் வளர்க்கும் அகத்தியன்
அங்கி உதயஞ்செய் மேல்பா லவனொடு
மங்கி உதயஞ்செய் வடபால் தவமுனி
எங்கும் வளங்கொள் இலங்கொளி தானே

Unfailing at dawn
With the sun that doth in high heavens
Agastya light the fire divine;
He is the Holy Muni of North
Whence the Primal Fire was born;
And the radiant light, pervasive all

Technorati:Thirumoolar Thirumanthiram

Mind your own sexuality

2005-11-04T13:59:00.000-08:00

I recently had a uncomfartable conversion with a particular individual about my post "Have you seen GOD? _ Narendra Asked."

His first response after reading the second paragarph was. "Are you gay?". Since I thought this was an open minded spiritual blog post I honestly answered "Yes". This lead to the usual uncomfortable questions like "why you dont like women etc..."

Being gay is very difficult. It gets even worse in religious/spiritual circles. I was faced with extreme homophobia from a member of this blog-group today. I thought this group was to help each other in growing in spiritual life rather than being a begot.

Are people in this blog-group just pretending to be a open minded spiritual folks. It was my understanding that homosexuality or heterosexuality has to do with the body and not the soul. How can we talk about Zen-Buddha, Bhakti-Meera, Sages, Nayanmars, Rumi, Alvars all these people who had an underlying compassion to every one. And we cannot even show the same to each other.

What if I, being born in a brahmin family call my best friend who happens to be born in a lower class as lesser human. My Supreme Lord Krishna will be extremely hurt buy this. Didn't Krishna talk in the Geeta that one has to be SAMA-DARSHINAHA, see every one equal. How can we talk about Sankara who was talk by Shiva by example how to be equal. When we are ready to judge, call names and be phobic just because the person in front of you is different.

We are unfit to talk about spirituality if we are so closed minded.

Have you seen GOD? - Narendra Asked.

2005-11-04T13:56:00.000-08:00

This blog-post is in response to the "Karma" posting.

As you will see this is my first attempt to write a poem. So all the English majors please forgive me.

Part 1:

I went to the people of David,
Saved where they from the arid.
A good servant I became,
to master with no name.

I went to the man with a cross,
Savior's way is one with out loss.
Shun the men with whom I play
can't forget that I am gay.

I went to priest who prayed to the avatar,
He pointed to the altar from the far.
I prayed to the stone and He spoke,
or was it my mind playing a bad joke.

I went to Jain,
She said there is nothing to gain,
Watch my doings day to day,
To wash my sin from yesterday.

------

2005-11-03T09:12:00.000-08:00

In the name of God?

Walls with a strange graffiti
With the blood of innocents
Limbs strewn all around
Its not just playing spoilsport
Its plain savagery of the worst

What kind of madness is this?
To kill in the name of God!
Is to Kill God himself

Destruction is just that
Whatever be the goal
Spiritual or worldly

God does not require any pleasing
Nor propagation, nor protectors
On His behalf

If this is religion
Then let religion be damned!

Religion is just a means to unite
Not with anything outside
But deep within
To light a spark of Eternal Luminosity

Of wisdom
Of Love
That all that is
Is just me

An extension of me
Each is precious
As I am

Nothing ‘greater’ nothing ‘smaller’
In the world of the Infinite
The One Divine

Is there really a Karma system ?

2005-10-26T12:28:00.000-07:00

Is there really a karma system ? If it is there why is it there and is it really fair ? Is it really the way that we see it today?

Just a two days before I and Arjuna were talking about Karma - wherein he said that whatever bad happens it happens because of past karmas. I vehemently opposed him and it was completely out of the blue - whatever i said was just a flow of what my heart really believed - I have always believed that if you are doing something good do it, because you want to do that good - not because u will get some punyas [many do for that reason] and if you don't do something bad, don't do it because you believe it is bad and not because you will earn bad karmas [again many don't do it because they are scared, though that fear has constantly reduced over the ages]I feel that many just use the term "Karma" just to escape reality - just to escape from accepting the truth - what justice would be there - when a child is killed immediately after birth just because it was a girl - what was her karma ? One can say that it was her past karma - then what is the use of just being born and dying immediately - What about kids that are molested by their parents - what was their fault - and these kids grow more screwed up in their heads - in short leading to more bad karmas - Like this I can list out various scenarios that my mind throws up wherein i have no answers towards it.

Thousands are dying around us - Tsunami's, Earthquakes, Forest Fires, Hurricanes - Everytime we look up and question GOD. Should we ? Is that right ?

I told Arjuna that I believe that God is only interested in our spirtual life, not in our materialistic life, I don't believe that he is interested in whether we pass our examination or get a good job or earn money. I don't believe that there is an accountant sitting up there and keeping a count of how much good or bad we are doing. I believe that if we are spirtually stronger than automatically we become morally strong, automatically we don't do wrong, automatically we care about our environment, our surrounding. And we start understanding what happens, just happens, there is no rhyme or reason behind it. We need to just take it in our stride and prepare better for the next time. We are responsible for everything materialistic that happens around us and no one else - For some reason this logic makes sense to me more than anything else. God is there spirtually helping us to discover our inner self and make us better individuals - but thats it.

Everyone kindly give your inputs on it - As my friend venky said - start a controversy and you will learn more. And I know this is a controversial topic and a topic that will benefit all of us. Please think before you answer.

Dharma....

2005-10-25T07:52:00.000-07:00

...and Adharma

Morality, as the dictionary describes is a discrimination between the good and the bad. In our ancient parlance it is the difference between dharma and adharma. But even from the point of view of the words both in English and Sanskrit - Adharma contains Dharma and Immoral contains Moral.But it is a very very thin line to draw. Killing may be immoral for some, but it is a profession for another. Extra-marital relationships can be considered immoral in some countries, but there are many societies and civilisations where it is considered good cultural practice and service.In my deep contemplation of the Ramayana or the Mahabharatha, I discovered that the confluence of the good and the bad is a necessary process for evolution. There is no Ramayana without Ravana abducting Sita. Rama's fight with Ravana to establish Dharma is one such example of such a confluence - when two mighty energies meet, a positive and a negative force, there is a big spark created which ushers in a change in the environment.Similarly, in the Mahabharatha, there is no scope for the expression of the Pandavas, representing the good forces, without Duryodana and his group representing the evil forces. But just as the Sun supports all, good or bad, the wind blows for all good or bad, the rain visits evenly the high and the low terrains, space is present everywhere and does not denies itself for the bad - so there is a zone within that is the same in the good and the bad, the moral and the immoral - transcending all polarities. Done with the support of that presence within, in tune with it, in a state of Yoga, an act may be considered good or bad, moral or immoral by the society - but for the doer of such an act and thinker of such a thought or speaker of a certain word, it is the best that can happen at that particular moment of infinity.

-Swahilya

Thirumanthiram -- An introduction

2005-10-23T08:19:00.000-07:00

Thirumanthiram is composed of three thousand hymns which is, grouped under nine tantras.

Tantra One - The great saint Thirumoolar introduces Saivite philosphy in this tantra.
Tantra Two - The saint talks about HIS friend Agasthiar and dwells on the importance of Agastyan cult to the founding of Saiva Siddhanta system.
Tantra Three - Different yoga's and benefits of practising yoga are described.
Tantra Four - Dwells mainly on the mantra's and yantra's
Tantra Five - The Saint gives guidance to the realization of SHIVA in this tantra.
Tantra Six - Talks about Gnana and in praise of the GURU Shiva. (In Thirumanthiram, NANDHI is considered as SHIVA himself. Realizaing SHIVA is realizing One's divinity or the Divine that resides in you. The alternate explaination, is GURU is the Higher self. We pray to this GURU as SHIVA)
Tantra Seven - Deals with aspects of Kriya and Yoga
Tantra Eight - Deals with Jiva, indriyas and other aspects of knowledge that a sadhakan needs to pursue and experiences.
Tantra Nine - The bliss one experiences on realizing SHIVA is described here.

மூலன் உரைசெய்த மூவா யிரந்தமிழ்
ஞாலம் அறியவே நந்தி அருளது
காலை எழுந்து கருத்தறிந் தோதிடின்
ஞாலத் தலைவனை நண்ணுவ ரன்றே

Three thousand Holy Hymns Moolan composed in Tamil
Nandhi revealed to the world, for all to know
Those who wake early at dawn and sing the hymns, understanding the full meaning
Will Realize the Lord, who dwells in you.

Technorati: Thirumoolar Thirumanthiram

2005-10-22T10:33:00.000-07:00

RIVULETS

Knowledge and devotion
Rivulets that join
Enjoin the one divine
Blend together in symphony
One turns into the other in harmony
Simply two rivers
That flow
To the One