Whiteline Journal English - August 2010

Whiteline JOURNAL

.4

Issue 6

August 2010

Price : Rs. 15

The Ramayana ‘Maasa’

Founder Editor

H. Kondeth

Chairman Anil Raghavan Chief Editor Premlal Editor C. Vimal Kumar Associate Editor Nanappan Manjapra Consulting Editor (Business) Dr. Raja Roy Choudhury Consulting Editor (Health) Dr. Pranav Subscription Sindhu J. Mannadiar Thiruvananthapuram Bureau Monayi G.K. Baiju S. Pattathanam Kochi Bureau Dr. V.M.R. Nair Thrissur Bureau M.N. Rajendran

Ramayana is considered as the most popular epic of India, respected and read widely through the length and width of this country. When other scriptures are read by selecting some auspicious time Ramayana is recited without any restrictions of time but purity of body and mind is observed.

Everybody knows that Rama is an incarnation of Maha Vishnu –the God as a human being. The story of Ramayana is centred around King Rama but its effectiveness in the populace is greater than any other epic.

Taking advantage of the seasons, occupation and leisure, our ancestors had suggested a method to become more spiritual while living with the materialistic life in the physical world. In Central and North India, Ramanavami is selected for worshiping Rama for about 9 days with special attention and this occurs during the month of April. In the South during a full month of ‘Ashaada’, i.e. middle of July to mid August , it is called as Ramayana ‘Maasa’ (month) and at this period people devote conveniently for reciting this noble epic at home since there is no farming activity at that time. The 'Pravasi' (migrant) Hindus of the South must be observing this ritual at least in a limited scale wherever they are residing.

Ramayana prepares the reader to face the realities in life boldly and diligently and helps to understand the real life situations without actually facing the difficulties and can study the multifaceted psychology of different types of people, animals and the world at large. It helps to understand the real love towards Parents and the siblings, the performance of duties without reward or favours, sacrificing all the pleasures to upkeep the dignity of the position warranted and even at the risk of personal life fighting for the well being of the people around. It is also advised to direct our activities to purify our mind by devoting time for spirituality- that is prayer.

Let us emulate the qualities of that supreme person –Rama to gain virtues in our life.

Middle East Bureau Chief Preman Illath Layout & Graphics K. Jayaprakash Sudheesh P.B. Staff Photographers Dani K. Davis Lenin Joseph

Chief Editor

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CONTENTS We are born carrying within us a bundle of ignorance and false knowledge, and being misled by inborn influences. So the first attempt should be to free ourselves and gain ‘true knowledge’ which is God itself.

Karna in Mahabharata and Ion in Greek mythology are great parallels

8

Life After Death

22

6

THE CHAR DHAM YATRA: AS SEEN IN A DIFFERENT PERSPECTIVE 12

Dr. C.N.N. Nair Karna’s father, the Sun god, knew of Indra’s plans and in a dream cautioned his son but Karna decided that even at the cost of his life, he would certainly never refuse a Brahmin anything he

P.B. Radhakrishnan

PACHU MENON These days an avid curiosity and streaks of adventurism more than anything else decides such journeys to shrines or holy places. Devoid of any devotion, it is a general trend to have groups of travellers chalking out an itinerary to cover all these sacred places in the shortest possible time.

THE SCIENTIST PRESIDENT 15 K. R. NARAYANAN

GIANTS NO MORE !

He has been a member of Indian Academy of Sciences, Astronautical Society of India and many other professional bodies. He has many research papers and scientific documents and three books to his credit.

Vyam and ayurveda 32

He was not given a seat for the recent Parliament election by the party because of his ill health but he was promised a Rajya Sabha seat which he rejected.

Dr. Pranav Shimpi

In accordance with physical medicine if a person does certain exercises to a certain limit under a proper supervision then his drug dependency can be reduced or stopped and he can be put on alternative management or cured.

K .D. SKANDAN Whiteline JOURNAL

CONTENTS

HINDU DHARMA

Tulsi Ramayan & Tulsidas Jayanti 18

Their role is suggestive in nature. They cannot impose any rituals on the devotees or on followers. They can give guidance and directions which may be accepted or rejected.

AN INTRODUCTION

V.N. Gopalakrishnan

TO RAMAYANA 24

The literary legacy of Tulsidas has been highlighted by Acharya Ram Chandra Shukla in his critical work Hindi Sahitya Ka Itihaas.

Swami Sathyananda Saraswathi

SREE NARAYANA GURU AND HIS IDEALS

A Good Samaritan

21 V.R. Harshan After a fortnight I received a letter from Tardeo, Mumbai. The contents of the letter enthralled me. That was joyful jolt. My certificate file was safe and secure in the hand of the sender of the letter, Mr. Sakaram who had suggested me to collect it in person from him.

NO PROBLEM !

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34

37

Guru Nityachaitanya Yati

In the same manner one who cannot popularize some of the basic writings of Narayana Guru which are given in his subtly treatises such as Arivu,

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GODDESS

MOOKAMBIKA Thodupuzha K. Shankar

19 Significance of Naga Panchami Naga Panchami is mentioned in the Bhavishya Purana and as per a legend, ploughing is forbidden in the field on this day.

V.N. Gopalakrishnan

39 HOW TO STUDY Dr. V.M.R. Nair

40 Speedy

Disposal

C.K. Damodaran Pandalam

Moni Bhushan

Problem is nothing but your inability to perform or cope up with a physical, emotional or mental dimension. It’s all about management! Yes management!

Till the moment you don’t know how to manage it, it is a headache, a big problem for you.

August 2010

41 MIND

YOUR MIND

Sreenivas R. Chirayathmadam

42

Music & Colour Jyothi Ramachandran

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COVER STORY

Life After Death

P.B. Radhakrishnan

F

rom time in memorial, the two phenomena – Life and Death , have taken a strong influence in the human mind and it keeps us busy doing all sorts of research unendingly. Spiritually, the world is constituted with two types of materials (objects): the animate and inanimate. There is a time frame given to the life span for the existence of these objects and there is nothing eternal other than God in this world. We are concerned with the life of animate objects in this context.

Man, though claim to be the superior creature of the world with many qualities, will shudder by the mere utterance of the name ‘death’, but at the same time many Sages have outwitted the death by practising spirituality in life. It is said that man reached the status of human being after having undergone the cycle of life and death as inferior creators (insects or animals) many times in the earlier

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We are born carrying within us a bundle of ignorance and false knowledge, and being misled by inborn influences. So the first attempt should be to free ourselves and gain ‘true knowledge’ which is God itself. lives. By the time we realise the process of human life, death and rebirth, the subject must have evolved many times through this cycle. Once born as humans, the effort now is to become God-like to defeat death. So life- not death, is the starting point for human

being and ‘ life is to be an end in itself’.

All religions believe in birth, death and rebirth. Religion is a social organisation binding man to attain ‘liberation/salvation/moksha from life or union with God’. We are born carrying within us a bundle of ignorance and false knowledge, and being misled by inborn influences. So the first attempt should be to free ourselves and gain ‘true knowledge’ which is God itself.

We require true guidance to achieve our goal in our journey to find out the reality or the truth. Saying goes- “God is truth”. Our unending quest is to realise God in life itself. Here come the ‘Sages’ and the ‘Incarnations of God ’ for our help and guidance. There exist many Gospels for us to refer.

Upanishads, epics like Mahabharath , Bible and Koran will take us to the correct path. Spirituality is a science and it is practiced through the religions. By reading the contents of the religious books alone the enthusiasts cannot master spirituality and knowing this, our great teachers like Shree Shankaracharya, Shree Ramakrishna Paramahamsa, Swami Vivekananda, Swami Chinmayananda and others have offered the interpretations of the Vedanta/Upanishads in a palatable form freely as a service to the humanity. They by doing this proved that “ service to society is a service to God “ or “by Jana seva means it is Janardhana seva”.

Our ancestors have made thorough studies of human life which is full of miseries, strife, restlessness, hatred and grief and came out with a soluAugust 2010

tion to make it enjoyable, long-lasting and beneficial to the entire world. They have understood the human conditions or situations thoroughly and remedies have been suggested to us to follow. Gauthama Buddha had given us the advice to “renounce all our desires for pleasure and make life pleasant”.

He even exhorted not to follow his words and find out the actual bliss by self and become God-like”.

Shri Shankara had elaborately advised us his ‘Advaitha’ in line with this and aim to claim- “Aham Brahmasmi”. Acharya’s narration about the process of Life and Death is worth to mention here in this context from his book “Bhaja Govindam” : “Punarapi jananam, punarapi maranam, punarapi-------“ (‘repeated births intermixed with deaths and undergoing all types of miseries in the world....etc.”)

Many Teachers (Gurus) have advocated us to follow a unique method

Since purity of mind is to be attained, the bad tendencies like ego, lust, jealousy, pride, hypocrisy and fear should be discarded and divine virtues should be inculcated at the earliest. to get freedom from this bondage of death by imbibing in us the desired ‘Spirituality in life’. First and foremost of it is to conquer ‘our conscience’.

Conscience is nothing but our own thinking only. We must cultivate pure thinking and the mind should be under control and have devotion to the virtues of life. To make mind pure and clean, it should be filled with pure thoughts. “Cleanliness is next to Godliness” and “the heart of a good man is the sanctuary of God”. Consider that God is universal and resides in every other man and so do not harm our fellow-being. Understand the reality that

we are a very humble being and notat-all powerful to do anything without the blessings of the ‘Almighty’ I.e.

God. This thought will eliminate the ‘ego’ in us. When one is weak, the best policy to make powerful is to associate with the strong (Almighty). In other words join with the Almightythis is “Yoga”, in the simplest meaning. We are “sukshma shareera” (subtle part – the materialistic self) when joined with the “sthoola sharira” (gross part –‘the Atman’), we become a bigger part and are inseparable from the mighty gross part. We have to give importance to our duties next.

In the shadow of spirituality – one has to submit himself to the wishes of the omnipotent that is pervading in the whole universe- that is God. What ‘Geetha’ advises us is to do our duties without expecting any reward or return on our actions. As the subject passes through the stages of life, the enlisted duties of the ‘shastra’ have to be performed diligently befitting to the responsibilities entrusted thereby - and maturing through the stages to attain “Moksha” (Liberty/Freedom from death).

When one starts to perform spiritual (Godly) acts, the death will be away and can not have any control on the God’s domain and the subject will start enjoying eternal bliss. Death is only a faithful servant of God but it has been bestowed with the duty of selecting souls for the next series of births. If you had done your duties(karma) without any desire of rewards, with pure heart and compassion to other beings, then you can be sure of breaking the vicious circle of birth and death and reach an eternal life. To set the goal to achieve spirituality, some prerequisites are to be observed. It is advised to have a strong desire to live a spiritual life and such desire should be started without postponement. Every human being is born with some left over tendencies (latent tendencies - “the Vasanas”), good and bad- from the previous birth and we have to make strong the noble tendencies in us before other bad tendencies capture it and lead us to our doom.

Since purity of mind is to be attained, the bad tendencies like ego, lust, jealousy, pride, hypocrisy and fear should be discarded and divine virtues should be inculcated at the earliest.

We conclude with the words of Rabindranath Tagore -“ that the infinite reality finds its revelation in the deathless form of joy.”

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View

Karna in Mahabharata and Ion in Greek mythology are great parallels

Karna’s father, the Sun god, knew of Indra’s plans and in a dream cautioned his son but Karna decided that even at the cost of his life, he would certainly never refuse a Brahmin anything he asked. When next morning, an old Brahmin approached him and asked for some gifts of his choice, knowing fully well who he was, Karna granted his wishes.

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Dr. C.N.N. Nair

A

nation’s heritage is stored and reflected in its literary past. Every major literary work in any time and in any place mirrors the lives and times of the people of whom the work is composed. Much can be deduced from apparently simple and innocuous references. Thus we refer to the great ancient literary works of every nation to know much more than the story content. Mythologies, epics and legends thus aid us to explore the seamless minds of the ancient seers through their works which may not be evident in the preliminary glances.

And, once we proceed in that direction, we are astonished at the parallels that existed in the thought process of our ancestors who were geographically and physically far apart. No convincing explanation can satisfy this ‘convergence of great ideas’ which only can come from a common source which bind the whole of humanity.

Thus we notice some very striking similarities in situations, incidents and stories recounted in our mythologies and those of the west, especially from the Greek. In this article, we will examine one such story, all too familiar to Indians and one, not so very popular even to the lost Greek civilization.

The Indian story is about Karna, the un-wed son of princess Kunti and the sun god Surya, the highly lamented hero of Mahabharata. The corresponding hero is Greek mythology is ION, son of an un-wed prince Creusa and their son-god, Apollo.

Although the story of the ill-fated prince Karna is too well-known, we will encapsulate it in the following paras for easy retrieval.

It was the practice in those days to employ royal maidens in the service of honoured guests like sages in royal families. Princess Kunti, the adopted daughter of King Kuntibhoja

was, once, thus employed to serve the redoubtable, angry sage Durvasas.

In the end, the sage was extremely pleased with her service and when departed, he taught her five charms -mantras- of great power. The effect of each was, by chanting it, a specific god would be drawn towards her and out of this union, she would beget a son. Soon after the sage left, princess Kunti, though unmarried, out of mere curiosity, experimented with one of the charms. She invoked the Sun god who manifested in all glory in front of her. Though Kunti tried to protest that her intensions were innocent and it was only a maiden’s folly, the power of the mantra prevailed; Sun god embraced her and a son was born her. Fearing scandal, the unwed princess, reluctantly though, had to get rid of the child. She set afloat the infant in the nearby river Aswa, which eventually merged with the river Yamuna.

Downstream, a childless couple Adhiratha and his wife Radha spotted this infant, took it home and brought it up under the name Vasushena. Adhiratha was just a stable manager attached to the Kuru palace. The child had, since birth, shining armour and golden earrings on it – divine gifts.

Vasushena – also known as Vrusha-, grew up as a fine warrior. He acquired special mastery in archery.

In this, he became disciple of the Kaurava gurus, Dronacharya and Kripacharya. That extra affection which Dronacharya bestowed on Arjuna, his favourite disciple, was the starting point of intense rivalry and mutual jealousy between these two towering masters of the art of archery. To excel Arjuna, Karna sought the discipleship of another master, Parasurama and fraudulently obtained same. But that only ended in disaster. He had to return with a curse that that art which he learnt from Parasurama would be of no avail to him at his critical moment. Again, he unwittingly incurred the wrath of another sage who cursed him that at the fatal moment, his chariot would sink in the earth. Thus, besides being unfortunate in being cast away by his own mother and brought up in low situations in life unworthy of his princely birth, Karna also was chased by these curses like his own shadow till his end. Karna was the embodiment of strong will, supreme confidence of mastery, dedication to true friendship, endearing behaviour and above all, unselfish generosity.

During an initial exhibition of prowAugust 2010

ess, Karna had displayed dexterity in archery superior to Arjuna and he demanded to have a duel with him. But Karna’s apparent low birth stood between him and glory and he was thoroughly humiliated. Kunti, who was present, did recognize her first son in Karna, but maintained her silence.

On this occasion, realizing that Karna will be a tower of strength at his side against the Pandavas, Duryodhana came forward with unbound generosity and crowned him as King of Anga.

In return, Karna offered eternal commitment of friendship to Duryodhana.

Even when he was sure that Duryodhana was in the wrong, Karna stood by his side. In the infamous scene of

game of dice and subsequent disrobing of the queen Draupadi, Karna was seen fully supporting Duryodhana.

After thirteen years of exile, the Pandavas returned demanding half the kingdom. Duryodhana stoutly refused. Despite all mediations, war became a reality. Lord Krishna personally visited the Kaurava durbar and pleaded dispassionately for peaceful settlement of the issue to avoid a disastrous war- but to no avail.

There followed three major developments which would have shook even the most determined. From Lord Krishna Himself first and later from Queen Kunti, his own mother, he came to know the truth about his birth. That he was the first son of Kunti and hence the eldest of the Pandava’s thoroughly unsettled and disturbed him. Both Krishna and Kunti attempted to persuade Karna to switch loyalty over to the Pandava camp where he would be respected as the eldest and would be the crowned as King. Karna’s resolve was not to be shaken. True, he now had to fight his own brothers whom he had all

along wronged along with Duryodhana. He gently told Krishna that conscious as he was that he would have to meet his end in the war, he would not desert his dear friend and benefactor Duryodhana who had all along trusted on his might. To Kunti, he promised that changing side at this juncture was impossible but he would ensure that his arrows would not kill any of the Pandavas excepting Arjuna, so that ‘ Both before and after the war, Mother, you will have five sons. Either Arjuna or Karna only will survive this war. I will not kill the other four even if I get ample chance.’ On his part, Karna extracted a promise from Kunti that she would continue to keep the secret of his being her eldest son because, ‘If Yudhishtira knew the truth, as one who is a stickler to Dharma, he would never fight me and would retire from war. Anything I would get, I would surrender to Duryodhana. So better let the war take place and righteousness prevail in the end.’

It was well known that as long as Karna had the ear-rings and the breast plate which were divine gifts from his birth, he was invincible. Lord Indra, father of Arjuna, Karna’s chief rival, was perturbed about this aspect.

It was also well known that Karna could not refuse if any one asked for anything from him. This unmatched generosity had earned him the title ‘Daanvir Karna’. So, Indra decided to approach Karna seeking his two congenital gifts in the guise of a Brahmin.

Karna’s father, the Sun god, knew of Indra’s plans and in a dream cautioned his son but Karna decided that even at the cost of his life, he would certainly never refuse a Brahmin anything he asked. When next morning, an old Brahmin approached him and asked for some gifts of his choice, knowing fully well who he was, Karna granted his wishes. Indra manifested and demanded Karna’s breast plate and the ear rings. Without hesitation, Karna severed them from his body and handed over to the Brahmin. Pleased with his devotion to stick to his promises even at peril to his own life, Indra presented him in return with a matchless spear –Vyjayanti Sakti- which could be used just once.

The war began. For the initial ten days, Karna kept away from the battlefield as long as Bhishma was the commander in chief. After his fall and with his blessings, Karna joined the war. Drona fell on the fourteenth day. On the fifteenth day, Karna was

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installed as the commander in chief of the Kaurava army. True to his word, though he got opportunity, he let off his four brothers. His moral dilemma was clear. To them, he was the feared warrior whom they kept on taunting as ‘Sutaputra’ – son of a charioteer.

While fighting them, he was always remembering the promise given to his mother and he playfully toyed with them, cornering them to a state of total helplessness and then kept laughing at their incompetence on their face to their great annoyance and disbelief!

Even the deaths of his beloved sons Chitrasena, Satyasena and Sushena who fought for Kauravas and were killed by Pandavas, could not change his resolve. He had only one goal – to fight and kill Arjuna, to prove that he was the superior warrior; to settle a score which began during that early childhood exhibition match. He was, at the same time, prepared to welcome a hero’s death in this pursuit should it so happen. He had specially reserved the spear Vyjayanti sakti to be used only against Arjuna but, on one occasion, on the heat of the war, he had to use it in order to save the Kaurava army from decimation by a son of Bhima –Ghatotkacha. He had kept a special arrow , Naagastra- to be used only against Arjuna but at a critical moment, Krishna, Arjuna’s charioteer, miraculously saved him from this deadly dart. As a special favour and on his specific request, another great warrior, Salya, the uncle of Nakula and Sahadeva in the Kaurava camp, was persuaded by Duryodhana to be Karna’s charioteer during the crucial sixteenth day of the war. Much of the time, while driving his chariot, Salya engaged in derisive comments about Karna’s bragging and lack of skill so as to demoralize him when confronting Arjuna. There was no way to defeat Karna and on that day, he appeared truly invincible.

And then fate intervened. Karna’s hour had come. During the fierce battle between Arjuna and Karna, both were bleeding profusely and both were determined not to yield or withdraw.

Then suddenly, Karna could not recall the crucial art of special archery learnt from Parasurama whose curse began

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operating on him. While he was thus struggling, suddenly the second curse too descended on him. The wheels of his chariot sank in the muddy field. It refused to move. Karna had to drop his bow and arrows and descend from the chariot and attempt to help raise it from the mud. While doing so, he pleaded with Arjuna to cease fighting and hold his arrows until he is back on the chariot with arms. ‘That is fair warfare’- he pleaded with Arjuna.

When Krishna heard this, he began recapitulating the various scenes in the past when Karna, in utter disregard to Dharma, perpetrated iniquities on

the guileless Pandavas. ‘Where was your sense of Dharma and fairness, when queen Draupadi was dragged into the royal durbar by Dushassana? Didn’t you encourage him and laugh in derision at her plight when she was being disrobed? What right have you got to talk about Dharma now. Does it become handy only when it suits you?’ Krishna went on. Arjuna, recalling those moments was incensed.

‘No enemy is more dangerous than him. He deserves no mercy. Shoot now.’ Krishna told him. Somewhat reluctantly, yet impelled by the burning, accumulated anger of thirteen long years, Arjuna shot an arrow at the unarmed Karna and severed his neck. Thus fell on the battlefield of Kurukshetra, one of the finest warriors whom destiny mocked since his very birth most undeservingly.

He kept his word. His dedication to Duryodhana was absolute. He knew that his subsequent royal status – as the King of Anga- was a gift from that senior Kaurava prince at a very crucial moment of his public humiliation and not even his very life was adequate 10

reward for that generosity. Therefore he sacrificed every possession for that friendship. In fact, his burning anger was against destiny all throughout.

His response to his mother Kunti’s request showed the noblest side of his character. The awareness that he has to fight with his own brothers would have shaken his will. A number of adverse factors conspired against him and failed him at the crucial moment.

But, nothing mattered to him and, in the end, he repaid the debt with his life. Humanity honours Karna as it does few other warriors because of his nobility, valour and dedication.

What the poet of Pausanias Periegeta sang of the end of Hercules – a Greek hero of immortal fame‘He is now a god, his woes and his toils are over, He lives where the other dwellers on Olympos live, Immortal and ageless..’

Seems to be equally true of Karna!

Interestingly, there is another story with a similar baseline in the Greek mythology.

The great tragedian, Euripides (484-407 BC) had written a play based on this – “ION”.

It varies in the conclusion inasmuch as while Karna had to suffer a glorious death, Ion was just saved at the critical time and lived on in full glory.

The treatment of two almost identical stories by these two great civilizations exhibit the inherent nature of value systems enjoyed by them respectively as we will see from below.

Erichthonus was believed to have been the son of mother Earth. As an infant, the gods sent two serpents entwined to guard him. Thereafter, all sons in his lineage were adorned with a golden necklace with entwined serpents. Erichtheius, king of Athens, was the son of Erichthonus. He had a beautiful daughter Creusa. While a maiden, Phoebus Apollo, the sun god was infatuated of her beauty and he ravished her in the Long Rocks.

Creusa became pregnant, but had to keep quiet as per Apollo. After the child was born, she had it abandoned in the same rock cradle where she was ravished. But the child was adorned with the golden twin-serpent necklace and was wrapped in a shawl woven by Creusa as a young girl. Creusa was, naturally scared to enquire what happened to the child. Apollo managed to get the child in all wrappings, trans-

ported to the temple gate at Delphi with the help of Hermes, the divine Messenger. The child, named ION, was taken care of and brought up in the temple of Apollo by the chief priestess. He knew none but the priestess and the deity – and had little to do with the passing visitors. The temple at Delphi was considered as the centre and naval of earth. All manner of visitors thronged to consult the oracle of Delphi to solve the various riddles of their lives. Ion grew up within the temple doing minor services like sweeping the temple precincts and other related services. He considered himself as Apollo’s slave.

Creusa eventually married king Xuthus, son of Aeolus.

The couple had no children.

They both came to consult the oracle of Apollo at Delphi regarding this.

Creusa had a secret question to Apollo too. What happened to their child?

Was he alive? Where? But she had to be discreet. She introduced this topic with Ion who chanced to meet her. Then her husband, Xuthus came. After consulting the oracle Xathus came out and sighted Ion and then he rushed at him and embraced him.

Ion was nonplussed! Xathus told him that he requested the Oracle of Apollo at Delphi to give him a son and he was

told the first person whom he saw after coming out would be his son! Ion had to believe the oracle. Despite his protests that Creusa would be unhappy, Xuthus declares a celebration party. When Creusa came to know about Apollo’s oracle, she was terribly unhappy because she too was hoping to get news about her long lost son. Then her ladies convinced her that Ion must be a son of Xuthus by some slave gi rl and he was keeping it a secret f r o m

her so long. Enraged, Creusa entrusted her confidant slave to poison Ion’s cup during the celebrations. The plan misfired; the plot was uncovered. The slave, caught redhanded, admitted it was Creusa who handed over the poison. The whole assembly was after her for revenge. She took refuge in the sanctuary of Apollo, hotly pursed by the aggrieved Ion and

others. At this stage, the prophetess appeared appealing for calm. She produced the cradle clothes packet with which she originally found him as infant at the temple gate and asked him to locate his mother using the same.

This was given to him as per Apollo.

Creusa saw them and instantly recollected that it was the same in which she wrapped her infant while leaving it in the rock cradle. After some arguments and explanations, the truth was known. Ion was the infant which Creusa left at Long Rocks and Apollo brought to Delphi.

Ion was exceedingly happy to have found his mother; and was happy further that he escaped matricide. Creusa rejoiced at getting back her son. Still Ion wanted more proof directly from Apollo but instead, goddess Athena appeared and clarified to all that Ion was Apollo’s son by Creusa.

Apollo gave him away to Xuthus to establish him in royalty.

Goddess Athena told Creusa to install Ion in throne in Athens.

She further told that Creusa and Xuthus would have two sons – Dorus and Achaeus, who will establish illustrious lineage.

As we have noted, the parallel of God Sun having a son through unwed, virgin princess and that son surviving initials attempts to snuff out his life and growing up to glory is striking in the case of our Karna and the Greek’s Ion.

Morning Walk

I really don’t know how many of you have been ‘chronic walkers’ all through your life. I choose a medical-vernacular here for the simple reason that the habit of walking, whether it is at the break of dawn or late in the evening, has never been a voluntary routine. Fitness freaks may argue otherwise, but then I would consider the mania for transforming oneself into a muscular hulk and showing off steely sinews, bulging biceps and a six-pack abdomen only as a passing fad of the youth. Morning walks are primarily therapeutic prescriptions doled out by the doctors to maintain ones ‘pathological parameters’ - or at least that is what I presume it is. A rise in the fasting blood sugar level, changes in the lipid profile or an erratic blood pressure reading is a ready prognosis for recommending a morning-walk. The practice of utilizing even the curative measures according to one’s convenience has evolved the system of converting the morning stint into an activity that may be undertaken at an agreeable time - otherwise there is nothing called an ‘evening walk’. The inclination to treat these ‘sessions’ merely as recuperative exercises is what makes me comment that getting addicted to walking has never been a ‘willing venture’.

One needn’t be an ex-service personnel to indulge in early morning forays. The gulp of fresh air, the atmosphere yet to be polluted by the first whiffs of the diesel fume exhausts of motorized vehicles; when the avian friends are not afraid to make swooping sorties into thickets and bushes – this time of the day is God’s own world in full bloom!

A time to be in perfect harmony with nature, we will find that a morning walk is all this … and more!

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Pilgrimage

THE CHAR DHAM YATRA: AS SEEN IN A DIFFERENT PERSPECTIVE PACHU MENON

I

always thought tourism was a recreational travel; a vacation, a sight-seeing jaunt to enjoy those places of interest which manage to get profusely plastered on travel brochures and those that are vividly described by the National Geographic and other such channels …

That is, until I heard about Medical tourism! Even thereafter, for quite sometime I could not decipher the order of words to arrive at a plausible explanation. Doctors and a leisure spree; come on don’t pull my legs! Who, in their sanest of minds, would prefer an outing to hospitals, and for relaxation?

But, as the term caught on, thanks

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to the travel agencies and the mass media, I realized that medical tourism is nothing but a way of describing the rapidly growing practice of traveling across international borders to obtain health care; and at rates that are most affordable. Incidentally, India is one of those preferred destinations for medical travel.

It is when I decided to give a little shade of religious undertone to my otherwise humdrum existence and thought of embarking on the Char Dham Yatra that I became aware of another aspect of tourism – Religious tourism! Then prey what might be a pilgrimage?

Pilgrimage has been described as “a long journey or a search of 12

a great moral significance. It is a journey to a shrine of importance to a person’s beliefs and faith.”

Religious tourism has been explained “as a form of tourism whereby people of faith travel individually or in groups for pilgrimage purposes.” The annual Hajj pilgrimage in Mecca, Saudi Arabia, has been mentioned as the world’s largest form of mass religious tourism.

Where does this abstraction begin, and subsequently lead to?

Does this imply then that a pilgrimage is nothing but an extended format of tourism?

Well, in that case I might as well say that I went on a pilgrimage ……………as a tourist!

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he exhilarated feeling as one would be the most revered were they the priests and the temple authorities descends the treacherous to ever return from this arduous trip. have in no way served to erase the curves of the roads dug out Considered the most pious, such peo- feelings of despondency rife in the from the precipitous moun- ple would be the toast of their locali- public mind, nor has the state admintainous cliffs after having paid obei- ties with the region abounding with istration been able to check the ramsance at each of the four holy shrines tales of their steadfast belief in the pant commercialization of everything of Yamunotri, Gangotri, Kedarnath Supreme Being and how the Gods in held religious by a devout populace. and Badrinath that comprises the all their benevolence thought it worthOur Garhwali (pronounce it as Char Dham Yatra does not however while to make them aware of their di- Gadhwali) taxi driver very unabasheclipse a fervent wish of every pilgrim vine presence. edly claiming that the first three that the Hindu Gods would have done These days an avid curiosity and months of a year were spent by the better to have chosen an abode in the streaks of adventurism more than citizens here fending for themselves lower plains than deciding to settle anything else decides such journeys engaging in agriculture and other achigh upon snow-clad peaks, with ava- to shrines or holy places. Devoid of tivities, with the other nine months lanches, chilly winds, a discerning any devotion, it is a general trend to being a story of total dependence on lack of oxygen and sub-zero tempera- have groups of travellers chalking out visitors from outside to their state, untures greeting the devotees at every an itinerary to cover all these sacred derlined the impact of tourism in Utstep of the pilgrimage. places in the shortest possible time. tarakhand.

One could well draw solace from Apparently there is no need for man to Nevertheless it is indeed a matter the fact that of consternation that where the saints for a region that conThese days an avid curiosity and streaks of adven- siders the Char Dham and sages spent thousands of Yatra to be the backturism more than anything else decides such journeys bone of thriving reliyears in penance seeking tourism in the to shrines or holy places. Devoid of any devotion, it is gious a holy revelastate attracting miltion, we mora general trend to have groups of travellers chalking lions of pilgrims each tals have all the year from within the advancements out an itinerary to cover all these sacred places in the country and across the of science at world, nothing much shortest possible time. our disposal to has been done to alreach the icy leviate the deplorable pinnacles in the conditions that greet blink of an eye. The saffron robes and seek God, for this is the age where the the wary traveler at every step of the matted locks, the ash and vermillion Gods solicit ‘humanly intervention’ grueling and highly demanding trip. smeared foreheads are guises fawned for their sustenance. To be more preAs we made our way to Haridupon now, or are at best exhibits of cise, were it not for the multitudes that war, ‘the gateway to the Gods’, large an ancient tradition that typifies spiri- throng its sanctified portals, shower- boards proclaimed that we were now tuality. One would today ridicule the ing the presiding deities with riches in in Dev Bhoomi, the hallowed land of years of torturous trek embarked upon cash and kind, such places of worship the Gods. Posters of bearded Babas, by those bound by faith, braving the would lose all relevance. Let us accept many of them with unpronounceable inclement weather and wild beasts, to it – piety and compassion that brings names but nevertheless with the sufseek the blessings of the Lord. about devoutness in man is a non-ex- fix of ‘anand’, smiles down on one all It is altogether a different matter istent quotient in the present age. along the route, giving one an inkling that during those days such people Moreover, the callous attitude of of the proximity to the holy land of August 2010

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the Hindus.

Ramdev Baba, the yoga-guru, who makes no bones about being as keenly interested in cleansing the political system of the country as he is in ensuring a very healthy life-style for every countryman through his highly popular yoga sessions, and his sprawling ashram that could put the best of starred luxury hotels to shame with its immaculate style and conception, enjoys an iconic stature here.

The National Highway stretch between Haridwar and Rishikesh, ‘the place of the sages’, is dotted with temples and ashrams with the most intrinsic of architectural designs that gave the expanse its distinct religious flavour. The wide roads and esplanades lined with miles of arched trees however emphasized the brisk pace of developmental work carried out.

Amusement parks and sophisticated eateries gave away the rapid urbanization brought about by the unchecked mania for touting religion as a tourism-promotional venture.

Dehradun; then the highly enjoyable motoring on the meandering curves of Mussoorie, gasping in awe at the splendour of the Kempty falls, finally gives way to hilly terrains.

The Char Dham Yatra from here on is a test of the maneuvering skills of any motorist, with steep climbs, blind turns and sudden drops characterizing its natural path. The narrow well-laid roads lend credence to the abilities of the Border Road Organization, credited with all such perilous works carried out. Landslides, a regular feature

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here, and the subsequent clearing of the rock and rubbles and widening of the thoroughfare appear to be yearround affairs; hectic works on a couple of Hydro-electrical projects along the way adds to the melee.

Streams that seem to careen out of mountain niches, rapids and turbulent rivers frothing white to muddy brown in confluence and a series of towering peaks in quick succession that defy the sense of equilibrium and makes one dizzy, are the only sights that greet the traveler on drives that appear non-ending. An occasional sighting of wild animals create a commotion out of the awe generated breaking the somberness of nature’s grand canvas. Intermittent spans of mountain ridges and crests elegant in pristine white of the snow add magnificence to the serene locales.

If one is to enjoy this scenic radiance from a tourist’s perspective, the Garhwal Himalayas affords this and much more. But it is when the Uttarakhand government professes to take various steps to preserve the religion and culture of the state that one gets befuddled. For, in the guise of showcasing the Pauranic resplendence that 14

has been attributed to the region, the state government has ensured that it has economically exploited the religious culture and the geographical importance of the state to the maximum.

Can there be any confusion in ones religious beliefs that there is an apparent need for a grand commercialization of the tenets held dear by a devout? Will publicity campaigns serve to waken ones religious consciousness? How can tourist inquisitiveness ever be mistaken for religious fervor? Descending on these places of worship with flash-bulbs ablaze on the one hand and braving the fiery weather conditions to get a glimpse of the Lord on the other could never be thought of in the same breath. This is exactly what is happening, slurring the very concept of the Char Dham Yatra!

A complete insensitivity to basic hygiene greets pilgrims all along the way. Though not virtual personification of cleanliness, Gangotri and Badrinath needs a special mention here – at least authorities there cannot be blamed for not having tried to reign in some sense of purity and sanitation in their vicinity. Kedarnath, one of the most revered shrines, is a story

of nullhas of grime and dirt flowing in rivulets in every direction possible.

One has to cope with the uneven road leading to the shrine and a conspicuous lack of drainage facility. Worst still are the temporary quarters put up for the travellers that resemble islands between mazes of these gutters; multitudes of canteens do a brisk business on their ‘banks’, charging exorbitantly for the food items. to be continued....

THE SCIENTIST PRESIDENT

K. R. NARAYANAN

He has been a member of Indian Academy of Sciences, Astronautical Society of India and many other professional bodies.

He has many research papers and scientific documents and three books to his credit.

August 2010

A

n opportunity to read Dr. A. P. J. Adbul Kalam’s “Wings of Fire” would ignite the desire in any one to learn more about this simple humanitarian person, who became a reputed Space Scientist and later rose to become the head of a great Democratic Republic of the world. Some information on this great Scientist - President of India, collected from different sources, are compiled and presented in this document.

“Wings of Fire” is the autobiography of Dr. A.P.J. Abdul Kalam written with Arun Tiwari. This book was published by the University Press India Ltd., in 2002, and distributed by the +Orient Longman Pvt. Ltd. This autobiography first published in English, has so far been translated and published in 13 Indian languages, apart from Braille. A Chinese edition of `Wings of Fire’ was translated by Ji 15

Peng under the title `Huo Yi’.

It is an important as well as an inspirational work, because of many reasons. In the first instance, it depicts the raise of a humble but intelligent lad, molded by the primary school of Rameswaram, Schwartz High School, Ramanathapuram , the St. Joseph’s College, Thiruchi, and Madras Institute of Technology (MIT) of the then Madras, discovered by Dr.M.G.K.Menon and later nourished

by Dr. Vikram Sarabhai to real greatness in the field of space craft science.

It is also the autobiography of the architect of the Satellite Launching Vessels (SLV) - SLV-3, Agni, Prithvi, Akash, Trishul, and Nag – that have become household names of India and have raised the Nation to the level of Missile Power of international reckoning. It tells the story of a “Karma Yogi” who acquired nothing and possessed nothing – even a family, sons

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or daughters – but did only his duty in the interest of his nation. In addition, is the story of a kind soul whose only wealth is the reputation in his profession, that of his country and his love for the children.

And, above all, it is the story of an Indian, who held highest office of the country and strived to bring in technological up-gradation and to prepare the younger generation to face the scientific challenges of the new millennium

Fellowships of many professional institutions.

An Indian of Highest Order:

The Story of a Scientist: Dr. Avul Phakir Jainulabhudin Adbul Kalam was born on the 15th October, 1931, at Rameswaram in Tamilnadu. He had his primary education in Rameswaram and had his high school education in the Schwartz High School, at Ramanathapuram.

He did his B.Sc. at the St. Joseph’s College, Thiruchi, and DMIT in Aeronautical Engineering at the MIT, Madras, during 1954-57.

Kalam joined the Defence Research and Development Organization (DRDO) of the Union Government in 1958. During 1963-82, he served the ISRO in various capacities. As Project Director, SLV-3, he was responsible for carrying out the designing, development, qualification and flight testing of 44 major sub systems.

In 1982, as Director, DRDO was entrusted with the Integrated Guided Missile Development Programme. He conceived the programme constituting 5 major projects for meeting the requirements of the defence services and for establishing re-entry technology.

The development and successful flight test of Prithvi, Trishul, Akash, Nag, and Agni established the indigeneous capability towards self reliance in defence preparedness. The successful launching of ‘Agni’ surface-tosurface missile is a unique achievement which made India a member of an exclusive club of highly developed countries. Thus, through SLV and Guided Missile Programme, a solid foundation was laid for the indigenous testing and development of high technology Aerospace Projects.

An Advanced Technology Research Centre (Research Centre Imarat) was also established by Dr. A.P.J. Abdul Kalam as an extension of DRDL to un-

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dertake development in futuristic missile technology areas. He has also established a unique 3 tier management structure to integrate and commit technologists, academic institutions, Industries etc. As a crowing glory to all his achievements, he was appointed Scientific Advisor to Raksha Manthri (Defence Minister) and Secretary to the Govt. of India, Dept. of Defence Research and Development.

He has been a member of Indian Academy of Sciences, Astronautical Society of India and many other professional bodies. He has many research papers and scientific documents and three books to his credit.

Awards and Honors: Dr. Kalam is one of the most distinguished scientists of India with the unique honor of receiving honorary doctorates from 30 universities and institutions. He was awarded the coveted civilian decorations - Padma Bhushan (1981) and Padma Vibhushan (1990) and the highest civilian award of the country, Bharat Ratna (1997).His other prestigious awards include Dr.Biren Roy Space Award, Om Prakash Basin Award for Science and Technology, National Nehru Award, Arya Bhatta Award. He is also a recipient of several other awards and 16

the

Dr. Kalam became the 11th President of India (2002 to 2007). He had a vision to make India a highly developed country. He had given his plan of action and a road map for realizing his vision.

India always looked to Dr. Kalam for inspiration and guidance. He travelled extensively in India meeting people from all walks of life and, more particularly, students from the urban and rural areas and the remotest corners of India. He had a great faith in the younger generation of the country and strived continuously to ignite in them the mission of national development, by interacting and talking/discussing with them any where, including the Rashtrapati Bhavan.

His advice to the youth of the country always has been: “dream, dream and dream and convert these into thoughts and later into actions”.

Dr. Abdul Kalam is praised as a ‘welder’ of people and a Gandhian Missile Man by R.K. Laxman, in his cartoon in the “Times of India.” When Laxman went to the Rashtrapati Bhavan to receive Padma Vibhushan, he presented Dr. Kalam with the sketch done by him for The Times of India, showing the Common Man garlanding the President Kalam. Dr. Kalam had seen it in the paper and had expressed a desire to have the original. When Laxman gave it to him, he promptly framed it and put it on his desk. His comment was characteristically selfdeprecatory: “The common man garlanding a very common man.’’

As a humanitarian, with his extreme simplicity and easy access, he had become the peoples’ scientist president. Like Gandhiji, Dr. Kalam believes in simple living and high thinking. He is a very liberal and broad-minded person who has complete trust and faith in secularism. He cites from the Bhagvad Gita as often he does from the Holy Koran. “For great men, religion is a way of mak-

ing friends, small people make religion a fighting tool”, he seems to have remarked. Many people used feel that Dr. Kalam is a very rare combination of art, science and humanity!

Dr. Kalam’s Vision:

India has to have a vision to become a developed nation. A good dream for our young people is the vision. Can we ignite our young minds? These are the thoughts that frequently ‘fire’ the mind of India’s missile man and the Bharat Ratna awardee ((1998) - Dr. A.P.J. Abdul Kalam.

In an interview to Science Express, the man who built biting molars and awesome muscles into India’s missile programme outlined the vision he had of India of tomorrow. “Whenever there is a goal, the dynamics of performance changes, Technology is the economical strength of the nation”, says soft-spoken Kalam. “India has people of high caliber and intelligence. The only thing required is more facilities in our labs, government funding and good leadership in scientific areas.”

After a pause, he fires another missile: “Most importantly, determined youngsters.” No wonder he advises the youth of the country to “dream, dream and dream and convert these into thoughts and later into actions.”

Kalam’s advice to the youngsters of the nation is to “think big”. “We are a nation of a billion people and we must think like a nation of a billion people.

Only then can we become big.”

Dr. Kalam, who was the Scientific Advisor to the Defence Minister and Secretary to the Govt. of India (Defence Research and Development), is the second scientist to receive the Bharat Ratna, the highest civilian award, after the late Dr. Homi Jehangir Baba.

August 2010

Reusable Missiles:

Having rolled out sophisticated missiles at regular intervals, Kalam turned his Reusable Missiles dream into a reality. Like the space shuttles, the reusable missiles can carry war-heads to a pre-determined target, deliver the fire power and return for another run.

The reusable missile’s close ‘cousin’ is Nishant - the Remotely Piloted Vehicle (RPV) or a one-time-use missile that can thumb its nose at even sophisticated radars. The Missile, “Agni”, the crown of the IGMDP, is being given top priority and DRDO scientists have been able to indigenously produce the composite material which could withstand temperatures upto 3500 degrees celsius during the flight of the missile This great scientist attributes his success to his parents and the team which worked relentlessly to achieve the goal. Science, according to him, is a global phenomenon. He feels there are a few areas where India can develop its core competence. These areas are software engineering, computer products and design, agriculture and food, aviation, defense research and space technology and chemical engineering. “This will lead to a highly beneficial economic and social progress for the nation,” says Kalam.

The man who said, “Friends, you now have the fire to torch the Agni” turns out to be extremely shy. His love for the Bhagavad Gita and the long mane almost gives the missile man the halo of a saint. In fact, his views on technology and life make him the copy book saint of science armed with Brahmastras and the power to heal wounds. That is another passion of Kalam-using missiles that maime and kills to give a fresh hope to the dis17

abled. Kalam using the technology behind fire-spewing missiles to build artificial limbs and spring-like coils - the stents to keep the heart vessels open. He used the light weight carbon-carbon material designed for Agni to make calipers for the polio affected.

The technology used for defence imaging systems can be used for medical imagery which is yet another value product, he says. “We are also working on a cost-effective lighter substitute for the Jaipur foot,” he also added. He is of the opinion that a mission oriented programme should be chalked out where in medical equipments and their maintenance should grow out of indigenous technology, thus making us self reliant. “If India has to become a developed nation it has to have overall development. That includes the field of medicine, defence technology and everything else,” said Dr. Kalam once in a matter-of-fact tone.

The Artist - Writer: Dr. Kalam is a multifaceted personality. In addition to his reputation as a world known scientist, he is very fond of literature and loves poetry. He has himself written poems in Tamil. In addition, Dr. Kalam loves and knows carnatic music and has been a Veena player as well.

He very clearly articulated his thoughts on equipping and preparing the county for the future through his books like India 2020: A Vision for the New Millennium, Wings of Fire: An Autobiography of A. P. J. Abdul Kalam, Ignited Minds: Unleashing the Power Within India, Guiding Souls, Indomitable Spirit, Inspiring Thoughts, You are Born to Blossom, and the like.

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Tulsi Ramayan &

Tulsidas Jayanti

V.N. Gopalakrishnan

T

ulsidas Jayanti is a popular festival held all over India on the seventh day of Shukla Paksha Shravan. The festival was celebrated on July 23 this year in honour of Tulsidas, a great poet-saint who wrote Ramacharitamanas (Sacred Lake of the Acts of Rama). It is popularly known as Tulsi Ramayana and is the greatest achievement of medieval Hindi literature. It expresses the religious sentiments of Bhakti to Lord Rama. His poems give expressions both to monistic Advaita doctrine as well as to the polytheistic mythology of Hinduism. His eclectic approach to doctrinal questions meant that he was able to rally wide support for the worship of Lord Rama.

Sage Valmiki narrated the story of Lord Rama in the Ramayana and after him many poets have retold it.

However, Tulsi Ramayana is one of the most venerated Ramayanas. He is regarded as an incarnation of Sage Valmiki. In Bhavishyottar Purana

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(Pratisarga Parva, 4.20), Lord Shiva tells Parvati how Valmiki got a boon from Hanuman to sing the glories of Lord Rama in the vernacular language in Kali Yuga. Nabhadas, author of Bhaktamala, describes Tulsidas as an incarnation of Sage Valmiki born again to explain Ramayana in the vernacular language. Tulsidas used Awadhi (a dialect of Hindi), Bhojpuri and Brijbhasa in his works. Like many translations of the original Sanskrit Ramayana, Ramacharitamanas is read with reverence in many Hindu homes and is also called Tulsi-Kirtan-Ramayan.

Though Ramcharitmanas is the immortal creation of Tulsidas, his other works are also considered as important. Tulsidas wrote overall 22 different works out of which five are longer and six works shorter including Dohavali, Kavitavali, Gitavali, Krishnavali and Vinaya Patrika. Most of them deal with his devotion to Lord Rama. Tulsidas’ most read work, apart 18

from the Ramayana is the Hanuman Chalisa, a poem praising Hanuman.

The literary legacy of Tulsidas has been highlighted by Acharya Ram Chandra Shukla in his critical work Hindi Sahitya Ka Itihaas. The entire collection of compositions by Tulsidas has been translated into English

by Binda Prasad Khattri (1898-1985) but the work is yet to be published.

All the known facts of Tulsidas’ life are critically discussed in the introduction to Ramayana published by the Nagri Pracharni Sabha. F.S. Growse has translated the work in English in 1891. Hill, Grandsay, Atkins and Allwyn also have rendered English translations. Edwin Greaves has written Notes on the Grammar of the Ramayan of Tulsidas in 1895. Alexander Barranikov, a Soviet Academician translated the work in Russian.

Dr (Mrs.) Shalont Vodvil, a French scholar has written a book titled “The Basis of Tulsidas’ Ramcharitmanas: A Critical Literary Study.” Dr Ca-

mille Bulcke, a Belgian by birth wrote a book on the epic in Hindi titled Utpatti Aur Vikas. Gandhiji has referred to ‘Ramacharitamanas’ as the greatest book ever written.

Tulsidas was well-versed in Vedic lore, philosophy and mythology.

There is a belief that by virtue of his devotion, Tulsidas could meet Anjaneya, the renowned devotee of Lord Rama during a recitation of the Ramayana. It is believed that Anjaneya helped Tulsidas to see with his own eyes Lord Rama and Lakshman. According to another legend, Tulsidas was thrown into a jail as he refused to perform a miracle for Emperor Akhbar but an army of monkeys attacked the jail and set him free!

Tulsidas was a personification of humility and he professed himself the humble follower of his teacher,

Narahari Dasa, from whom as a boy, he first heard the tale of Lord Rama’s exploits that would form the subject of his masterpiece. Tulsidas pointed out that there is no inconsistency between devotion to Lord Rama and Lord Shiva. While worshipping Lord Rama as supreme in his writings, he also paid attention to Lord Krishna and Lord Siva. According to Tulsidas, the name Rama is bigger than Lord Rama himself because ‘Rama’ is a mantra, a sound, the repetition of which can lead one to higher state of consciousness.

Tulsidas was born in 1532 in Rajpur in Uttar Pradesh to Hulsi Devi and Atmaram Shukla Dubey and the child was named Rama Bhola. As per the legends, his mother died the day after his birth and that Rama Bhola was wet-nursed until the age of five when he was given over to Narahari Dasa, a

wandering sadhu. He re-named him as Tulsi Dasa (Servant of the Tulsi plant) and from him, Tulsidas learnt the story of Lord Rama. When he grew up, he lived as a householder and married Ratnavali, daughter of Dinabandhu Pathaka He had a son named Taraka, who died at an early age. In later years, Tulsidas became the head of a monastery in Kashi and passed away in 1623.

Tulsidas is considered a world poet as he brought a subject to the common people in their own language.

He brought the spiritual message that helped establish rapport among the various devotional streams and practices.

(The author is a freelance Journalist and Director, Indo-Gulf Consulting. He can be contacted on telegulf@ gmail.com)

Significance of Naga Panchami

T

he festival of Naga Panchami is celebrated to pay respect to Nagas (serpants). It is celebrated in many parts of India especially in Bengal, Maharashtra and in the South. It is also known as Nagula Panchami Puja and is observed specially by women. Naga Panchami is the festival which is celebrated on the fifth day of the lunar month of Shravan which falls in July-August as per the Gregorian calendar (Naga means serpent and Panchami is fifth day).

During this time serpents come out of their burrows that get inundated with rain water and seek shelter in gardens and many times in houses thereby posing a problem to the humans. Snake worship owes its origin to man’s fear of these reptiles but Hindu mythologies are filled with stories and fables about them.

In India, snakes are revered and temples have been erected in their honor. The association of snakes, gods and humans in the legends have promoted the belief that snakes have an eternal attachment with the Hindu religion. The thousand-headed Ananta is Vishnu’s couch and holds up the earth, Shiva temples are the favoured places for veneration as snakes are considered dear to Lord Shiva. There

August 2010

is also the popular belief that Lord Krishna defeated snake Kaliya on the Naga Panchami day.

The five Nagas worshipped on Naga Panchami are Ananta, Vasuki, Takshaka, Karkotaka and Pingala.

People worship the snakes which are believed to be hiding in the holes of anthills. Because of the fear of snakebites, Nagas are elevated to a divine status. A five hood snake is made by mixing gandh (a fragrant pigment), halad kumkum (turmeric powder), chandan (sandal) and kesar (saffron) and placed on a metal plate and worshipped.

Naga Panchami is mentioned in the Bhavishya Purana and as per a legend, ploughing is forbidden in the field on this day. In the Ashvalayana Grihyasutra, the Paraskara Grihyasutra and other Grihyasutras, a rite called Sarpabali or offerings to serpents was performed on the full moon night of Shravan.

Followers of Nagas worship Naga Devata (cobras) with devotion on this day. They visit temples and snake pits (valmeekam) and offer prayers. Milk and silver jewellery is offered to the cobras in order to seek their protection. The snake god is offered milk and turmeric on the Naga Panchami

19

day and the devotees also observe fast on this day. People also observe Naga Panchami Vrata and some avoid salt and deep fried items on this day.

There is a belief that unmarried women who undertake Naga Panchami Vrat and do the puja to Nagas will get good husbands. Others fast on Naga Chaturti day, which falls a day before.

Some Hindu communities in South India have an elaborate oil bath on the day. Worship of Nagas is a constant reminder to humans to live in harmony with nature. The ideal way to worship Nagas is by protecting the forests and grooves that are home of snakes and other animals.

In India, snakes are revered and temples have been erected in their honor. The association of snakes, gods and humans in the legends have promoted the belief that snakes have an eternal attachment with the Hindu religion. The thousand-headed Ananta is Vishnu’s couch and holds up the earth, Shiva temples are the favoured places for veneration as snakes are considered dear to Lord Shiva. There is also the popular belief that Lord Krishna defeated snake Kaliya on the Naga Panchami day.

The five Nagas worshipped on Naga Panchami are Ananta, Vasuki,

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Takshaka, Karkotaka and Pingala.

People worship the snakes which are believed to be hiding in the holes of anthills. Because of the fear of snakebites, Nagas are elevated to a divine status. A five hood snake is made by mixing gandh (a fragrant pigment), halad kumkum (turmeric powder), chandan (sandal) and kesar (saffron) and placed on a metal plate and worshipped.

Naga Panchami is mentioned in the Bhavishya Purana and as per a legend, ploughing is forbidden in the field on this day. In the Ashvalayana Grihyasutra, the Paraskara Grihyasutra and other Grihyasutras, a rite called Sarpabali or offerings to serpents was performed on the full moon night of Shravan.

Followers of Nagas worship Naga Devata (cobras) with devotion on this

day. They visit temples and snake pits (valmeekam) and offer prayers. Milk and silver jewellery is offered to the cobras in order to seek their protection. The snake god is offered milk and turmeric on the Naga Panchami day and the devotees also observe fast on this day. People also observe Naga Panchami Vrata and some avoid salt and deep fried items on this day.

There is a belief that unmarried women who undertake Naga Panchami Vrat and do the puja to Nagas will get good husbands. Others fast on Naga Chaturti day, which falls a day before.

Some Hindu communities in South India have an elaborate oil bath on the day. Worship of Nagas is a constant reminder to humans to live in harmony with nature. The ideal way to worship Nagas is by protecting the forests and grooves that are home of snakes and other animals.

Manasa Devi, the snake goddess, is worshipped on this day in Bengal, Orissa and several parts of North India.

Nagaraja, Ananta and other snake deities are worshipped in other regions.

Naga Panchami is also celebrated in Nepal and the Nepalese believe that by worshipping the Nagas, or Serpent Kings, their relationship with gods and nature would be secured for their survival.

The Naga culture was fairly widespread in India during the pre-Aryan days and continues to be an important segment of worship in certain areas.

The Indo-Aryans must have subsequently incorporated snake worship into the Hindu culture.

(The author is a freelance Journalist and social activist. He is also the Director, Indo-Gulf Consulting and can be contacted on telegulf@gmail.com

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20

Experience

A Good Samaritan

V.R. Harshan

I

t was December and a very cold day. Winter sun already went down. The Poona station was brightly lit. I was sitting alone on a concrete bench fixed to the platform holding a file that carried my original certificates. I had come to attend a written test and an interview as well for selection into Indian Navy.

The test was hard and the interview harder but I could manage and was hopeful.

The atmosphere around was noisy due to the yelling of passenger at each other, crying of ever so many vendors of tea/coffee/snacks and the frequent and multilingual announcements of the railway. Yesterday’s night journey from Mumbai to Pune was sleepless and hopeless. I couldn’t even sit properly. Today’s running around added to my exhaustion. I felt very tired. I leaned on the bench. I dozed off...

Passenger’s commotion woke me up. Train just arrived. I saw people rushing to the doors. I got up and ran.

One way or other I boarded the train and managed to get a seat.

After while the train moved with a whistle and gradually roared. When the train reached kirkee station I got the shock of my life. In the melee I forgot of the file. I lost it. What and idiot I was! Throughout the journey August 2010

I was sleepless and restless. I soon realized that my future now hung in the air. I would not get any decent job anywhere unless I produced the original certificates.

I reached Mumbai dejected and depressed. I narrated the incident to my friends. They advised me to write to the concerned universities for issuing duplicate copy of certificates. I followed their advice. I applied for duplicate certificates. I knew that it would be months when I received them. Nevertheless I waited... but in vain.

After a fortnight I received a letter from Tardeo, Mumbai. The contents of the letter enthralled me. That was joyful jolt. My certificate file was safe and secure in the hand of the sender of the letter, Mr. Sakaram who had suggested me to collect it in person from him.

The very next day I left with my roommate Mr. Sivaram. After about an hour’s journey by tram we reached the house of the Good Samaritam at...

When we pressed the calling bell middle aged man opened the door.

With due regards and respect we introduced ourselves. Mr. Sakaram offered us seats. We exchanged pleasantries. During the conversation he

21

explained that he had been on a visit to Poona and while he was waiting for the same train for Bombay on the fateful day he happened to find a file lying on the platform and picked it up and brought home. He disclosed that he could contact me from my address on the file.

Mr. Sakaram’s Wife served us tea.

While we were sipping tea he go up went inside and came out with the file. With a singular smile and paternal look he gave me the file. We thanked him profusely and as a mark of gratitude we offered him a packet of sweets. In the evening I hosted a small tea party to my roommates.

After a week I received a letter from Recruiting Office. It said that I was selected for Indian Navy, and was asked to report to the Recruiting Officer at Visakhapatnam. It also directed me that I should produce all my original certificates along with the copies to Recruiting Office. I boarded the train to Visakhapatnam with a new lease of life.

Even after fifty years, I am afraid of thinking about that incident. What would have happened to my life if those certificates were lost forever!

But for that man, Mr. Sakaram that the table of my life changed for good.

I am eternally debtor to him.

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Personality Development

GIANTS NO MORE !

He has been an acute diabetic and his graph started going down with ill health, no respect nor position, no fire left and so on. He was not given a seat for the recent Parliament election by the party because of his ill health but he was promised a Rajya Sabha seat which he rejected.

K .D. SKANDAN

G

reat falls (van veezchakal) of men who were in the limelight once because they do not want to retire and wish to cling to power and the chair they occupy, compels attention. There is a saying in Malayalam “swaram nannayirukumbol pattu niruthanam’ (stop singing before the voice breaks down). There is also a saying ‘vinasakale vipareetha budhi’ (when the end is near mind gets irrational) - otherwise, it will be an inglorious exit after a glorious innings.

The names I can think of are: Dr. P. C. Alexander, holding high positions in government and lastly getting nominated to the Rajya Sabha with the support of ‘Shiv Sena’ - the reason: the Congress party did not nomi-

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22

nate him to the Presidentship of India; and our retired Chief Election Commissioner, the great Mr. T. N. Seshan; from the co-operative sector, if it was Dr. Verghese Kurian; from the corporate sector, it was Mr. Russi Mody (the Tata Group) and Mr.Ajit Kerkar (CMD of the Taj Group of Hotels ) One more addition to this list is none other than Mr George Fernandes whom I knew from a distance from 1960 and closely from 1971, when he contested the Parliamentary seat of South Bombay against Dr. N. N. Kailas and independent candidate Mr. Naval H. Tata. In the previous election held in 1967, he had defeated the famous Mr. S . K. Patil of the Congress

and earned the name of ‘George- The Giant Killer’.

At one time, he was so powerful that giving a signal, he could stop the pulse of Bombay in a second, holding the Presidentship of the B.E.S.T, transport and power supply trade union, Municipal Corporation of Greater Bombay, the Bombay taxi union and many other essential services. Mumbai was under his thumb till he shifted his ‘Karmabhoomi’ from Bombay to Delhi.

From there, it was an extreme ‘U’ turn, from extreme left to the extreme right, the BJP, via the Janata party, and then to Samata and then to Janata Dal (U) of Mr. Nitish Kumar. During this period, he was railway minister and then became the industry minister, sharing seats with none other than Mr. Morarji Desai who did not like GF at all from his Bombay days.

But, in politics, there is no permanent enemy and no permanent friend - only permanent acquaintances !! He rubbed the Indian industrialists on the wrong side and called them rats at a FICCI meeting when he was the industry minister, which the former had to swallow along with their pride.

GF got married to Laila Kabir (daughter of Prof. Humayun Kabir who was the Science and Technology Minister in Pandit Nehru’s Cabinet).

Though not invited, Mr. Naval Tata sent him a letter of good wishes and, as he expected, never got a reply (Mr Tata’s actual words were that ‘civility demands that I should send him a letter of good wishes, though during the election campaign he has beaten me below my belt!!). However, I must mention, GF supported the Tatas for the first 500 MW project of the Tata August 2010

Power Company at Trombay and, but for him, the Konkan Railway would not have materialised. He won from Muzzafarpur constituency in Bihar to Parliament six or seven times under the symbol of Samata and Janata Dal (U). He was also the convenor of the NDA . He was arrested several times and sent to jail while in Bombay and arrested by Indira Gandhi during the emergency in the Baroda Dynamite case, along with Mr. Viren Shah, CMD of Mukand Iron and Steel Co. Ltd., who became the Governor of West Bengal under the Janata party government.

He has been an acute diabetic and his graph started going down with ill health, no respect nor position, no fire left and so on. He was not given a seat for the recent Parliament election by the party because of his ill health but he was promised a Rajya Sabha seat which he rejected. The old and sick lion or the old war horse filed his nomination as an independent in the same constituency and lost his security deposit. Reports say there were no agents for polling or counting for him. It was a disgraceful and humiliating end.

I am extremely sorry for his present state, but he himself is responsible for this. That is why I mentioned what I did in the opening paragraph of this note.

Since writing, he has succumbed to the pressure of his party leaders and accepted the Rajya Sabha membership. He is now undergoing treatment at an Ashramam. There is a dispute to his properties within the family and Ms Jaya Jetley who looked after him all these years in the absence of 23

his wife. And the latest is the fight between women, one his wife Leila Kabir Fernandes vs Jaya Jaitley who has been a companion to him for the last nearly twenty years. It is sad and unfortunate dirty linen is being washed in public !! It is reported that his brothers have also joined the ring.

The latest is that the Delhi Court has asked his wife Leila to produce him in the court. The leader is caught in a tug of war between his wife and his siblings and longtime companion Jaya Jaitly on the other. On July 5, The Court ordered that he can continue to stay with his wife Leila but his brothers can visit him as and when they want. Nothing is said about his Companion Jaya Jaitly. The judge was of the view that no further orders are warranted and the existing arrangements will continue till the time all the pending applications are heard and decided.

Should we not learn from others’ experience???

There are exceptions to this and, as far as I can remember, one is Dr. M. S. Swaminathan. He was DG of the Indian Council of Agricultural Research and later the Chairman of FAO Council from 1981-85. He conducted himself very well in all the positions he held and gracefully retired. He now has his own foundation in Chennai rendering his service experience on food and agriculture to many states in India and our neighbouring countries.

Apart from this, he is also a trustee of the Ford Foundation, with Mr. Ratan Tata from India, and the Dorabji Tata Trust. A glorious innings so far!!!!

Another name which comes to my mind is the great legend Mr Sunil Manohar Gavaskar. Though he cannot be compared with others for the age factor, he called it a day gracefully and in a dignified manner at a comparatively young age. He still continues to serve the game with his commentary and writings. To reach the top is not important but ” to remain there is “ and he is still there at the top !!

Yet another person who is keeping his name in tact is Mr E. Sreedharan who spent most of his years with the Indian Railways. He was the CEO who is responsible for building the Konkan Railway. I am pleased Government is making use of his varied and deep experience in the Delhi Metro system. A great technocrat and administrator !!.

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Spiritual SAT GURUVE NAMAH

AN INTRODUCTION TO RAMAYANA

Swami Sathyananda Saraswathi RAMAYANA the first and the noblest of the epics is a matereal and spiritual cogency that glorifies the sublime principle of non- dualism. It is a truth that is comprehensible at the supra-mental stage. One who is cursed will come out of the hell of grave mis¬takes deep-rooted and reflected intermittently in his life by hearing him sacred name RAMA. One gets from the grip of grief and feels himself relieved from its clutches. A man who fails give up to his ego and merge with the supreme with deep devotion plunges into the waters of Sastras the different branches of knowledge

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; never sees his shelter, never knows the Almighty, never comes out realised and never appears luminous.

The pride and greed, grown out of passion, power and pelf will be overthrown by the power of devotion.

RAMAYANA teaches us how to combine and compile the different sections of yoga into one for a unique universe and su¬preme cause. Thus the prime object of the text is to find out and promote unity in diversity.

This great text again teaches us how to develop strength and steadiness, vigour and vitality, wit and wis¬dom

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and to promote and proclaim the state of supreme luminosity. The unit- universal relation is properly discussed and disclosed in Ramayana. The place of an individual in the supreme cosmic order is correctly. viewed and confirmed. The system for the develop¬ment of an individual unit to cosmic entity has shed light on the concept of supra-manhood. The indivisibility and invisibility of the mystery of the universe is symbolically suggested and scientifi¬cally introduced. Dualism is taken up us an abode of Non-dualism

I

n order to discuss and reveal the truth. Dharma as the nucleus of microcosm and macrocosm is accepted and respected. The regularised pattern of universal structure is ethically viewed and materially arranged. The spiritual and temporal disciplines are experimented in individual and family life. The successful effect or the experiment of their association and morality has given shape to the concept of a universal society.

The influence of morality has its implications in all walks of life. The indiscipline of the negative forces which are always at work against this cordial association has been critically noted.

The expected experiences in individual life, in family and in society are successfully made effective. The v 7 subjectivity and objectivity of human nature are separately assimi- ‘ lated, relatively explained and unified. The negative forces and posi¬tive value of human life are interpreted in relation to their inter-action. The mystical vision of the primordial and dissoluble systems of the universe shed light on the mystery and develop into a science of the cosmos. Ramayana, the great epic has adopted an infrahuman method with a scientific perception that culminates into perfection. The mystical style of expression with ethical values of explanation highlights the sacred book. It obeys the values August 2010

and principles of time, but goes beyond the temporal limitations.

Hu¬man mind is taken as a subject of discussion for which the material world is used as its field of operation.

The qualities of human mind are personified characters of Ramayana. The heroes and heroines are significant as symboli¬cally suggested qualities in individual and cosmic order of life. The materials capable of giving pleasure and pain are specifically introduced and instructions to a luminous ethical thinking are offered. The individual and cosmic minds and their constitutions and quali¬ties are critically viewed.

The tools and instruments used for this noble operation are selected and drawn from different ranks and walks of life. The animate and the inanimate are included in it. Rshis and Rakshasas of Devas and Asuras, Men and Monkeys, Emperors and Empires. Mountains and seas, all are dignified as useful and effective participants in this mystical operation.

From material, mental and intellectual stages it reaches up to a superior and supra-mental stage. This is a gradual process and progress from the material to the immaterial, the divisible to the indivisible, the visible to the invis¬ible and from the mental to the supra-mental stages. The unity and the uniqueness of this great work are linked to a centre of luminous sublimity and that is RAMA. The contribution of a greater person¬ality with all of its diversities ever keeps the driving of a primal cause. Both the humility and the nobility of human nature are taken as channels of equal importance to attain the supreme stage.

Rama is placed and specified as the nucleus and the central figure of the great mystical science explained in the form of an epic.

Primarily this outstanding work describes the story of a Royal family glimmered in the historical background that illumi¬nates an interior region of its spiritual atmosphere. Yet it goes far deeper and wider into an area of operation that may form the frame of an ideal family and ideal state. In short the history and mystery of the Universe are necessarily explained and compiled within the frame work of a family story. The beauty of this great work and the skill with which it is done are great indeed.

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This great work has its visibility to make a note how a history is changed into a philoso¬phy.

Adhyathma Ramayana is in the form of a conversation between Lord Shiva and his wife Parvathy, the cosmic mother, heard and reported

by Brahma to Narada , the realised.

The traditional origin of Adhyathma Ramayana is Brahmanda-purana.

It begins from the 61”’ achyarya of the first part of the Purana. Though mod¬ern scholars are of the opinion that Ramananda of the 14lh century is the/ author of Adhyathma Ramayana, the prominency goes to Lord Vyasa himself. Excluding Uttara Kanda, all the other six kandas of this great text cosist of 56 sargas with about 3643 verses.

Ezhuthachan’s poetic style in translation and his devotional expressions scattered over the six Kandas do not fit into the claim of Uttara Kanda to be his. Adhyathma Ramayana is couched in highly devotional and philosphical verses. All the praises and prayers bestowed upon Rama, befit his as a Superman. The concept of Rama and thai of Brahman are given equal importance. Rama is respected as Parampurusha or Paramatman. Nondualism is respected as the supreme school of thought and promoted as the prominent path of truth. Devotion and the divine grace jnana are given equal impor¬tance as the essential features to attain salvation. Ramayanas, written is other languages have obtained greater influence from the specified nature of this text.

The poetic beauty carved out in verses are adorned with and tuned to the philosophical and spiritual goal of the work. Within the frame work of the history of a royal family, the disciplining of an individual upto cosmic order is implicit. The mystical goal of man and the mystery of the Universe are intertwined. The symbols and syllables used and arranged in poetic verses are expedient to the elevated aim of supermanhood.

Rama as the superman and the concept of progress from duality to nonduality never allows the personality to be split into the personal and impersonal. The dual is implicit in nondual. The explicit)’ and the implicit are respected as one and the same in the concept of Rama.

The concept of Rama in Ramayana.

Rama is the incarnation or Avatar of Maha Vishnu. Avatar is an action of

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coming down from a higher plane to the lower. Here the impersonal becomes the personal but without losing the supe¬rior and impersonal effect of the primal. Here the person is endowed with all virtues. He is courageous, knows the discipline of Dharma and gains currency from truth and wisdom. Bestowed with splendor and velour this great one is free from jealousy and anger. He is a defender of Dharma and offender of foes and evils. As a warrior he is terror, as a ruler he is just and to the best of this attempt he protects his country. He sowed the seeds of Dharma in the minds of thousands.

Rama was born as the son of Dasaradha in the line of lakshmana.

Rama became an object of charm and splendor for the (people of Ayodhya/The blossomed blue petted lotus, bloomed in summer seemed 10 be blushed and paled in the luminous beauty of his handsome Rama. I was attractive, dignified and impressive. As an ideal son 10 accomplish his daily duty no one was identical to young Rama.

Rama as a spiritual cognate: The luminosity of the word ‘Rama’ is not entirely expres¬sive. But it is worthy to make an attempt to bring out the meaning of the noble word.

Let us take it as a spiritual cogent of the two seed-syllables ‘Ra’ and ‘Ma’.

These are the syllables used in two great Mantras chanted as ‘Aum Namo Narayanaya’ and ‘Aum Namasivaya’.

‘Ra’ the seed syllable is used in the Ashtakshary Man¬tra. ‘Aum Namo Narayanaya’. The word Narayana has a number of meanings. If the seed syllable ‘Ra’ is removed from the Mantra Aum Namo Narayana; it will be changed into another word ‘Na-ayanaya’ which will hear quite a negative meaning that is unit lord chaining and salvation. Similarly if the seed syllable ‘Ma’ is removed from ‘Nama Sivaya”. it will be changed into ‘Nasivaya’, with un-auspicious meaning.

Spiritually illumined meanings of the two words are supplied by the two seed syllables ‘Ra’ and ‘Ma’ working as luminaries to form of the word Rama, its ethical com¬ponents. Rama the name and form of a superman, lie embedded in the minds of thousands with art emblazing charm. In another definition Rama is an all-pervading current of life that inspires and generates anything alive. ‘Ra’ the seed syllable has its significance in tantric

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science as a symbol for fire. Fire, one of the elements of creation, has diversified forms and functions.

This fireworks in the body as an agent of digestion to pro¬mote vigour and vitality. The cognition ‘Ra’ and ‘Ma’ explains the communion of the concept of ‘Purusha ‘ a “Prakrithi’. It explains the stabilizing and mobilising principles of the Universe. The primal cause Paramatma, and its expression are discussed through the seed-syllable ‘Ra’ And ‘Ma’. ‘Ra’ signifies the fire of

The qualities of human mind are personified characters of Ramayana. The heroes and heroines are significant as symboli¬cally suggested qualities in individual and cosmic order of life. The materials capable of giving pleasure and pain are specifically introduced and instructions to a luminous ethical thinking are offered. The individual and cosmic minds and their constitutions and quali¬ties are critically viewed. knowledge and ‘Ma’ the prosperity. The knowledge illuminates all the bodies of the universe and gets them into the lines of their re¬spective activities for the promotion of Dharma.

Finally we have to conclude that Rama is the embodiment of Dharma or Dharma is embodied in Rama.

Rama the noblest of Ragusa is the Supreme-self, the pure consciousness, the bliss devoid of all adjuncts. He is a witness to his own Maya and not a victim. He is the one without a second, the absolute, whom the senses cannot perceive. Devoid of impurities and evils Rama is steady, stable and steadfast. He is free from nescience and even from the stain of ignorance.

He is beyond the reaches of physical comprehension and presents himself as an all- pervading spirit, omniscient, and omnipotent. He is omnipresent also.

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Seetha Devi is the Maya of Sree Rama. As Rama is respected as the ‘Adipurusha’ Seetha is to be respected as the ‘ Adya Praknthy’ or the ‘Moola Prakrithy’ , the primal cause that is the material and efficient cause of creation that appears in the form of Maya cosmically and vidya and Avidya individually. Vidya is from the ‘Satwic” and Avidya from Rajasic’ and nescience from the ‘tamasic’.

Maya is an exposition and imposition of the supreme, exposition in the form of Avidya and imposition is the form of individual ignorance. The work of creation placed upon the Supreme is a super-imposi¬tion by the power of Maya.

The supreme which is the substratum is neutral to any con¬stituents of Maya. The metamorphosis is not at all installed in the supreme. But it is the illusory constituents of Maya that undergo transformation. The invariability and immutability of the Supreme and the inconsistency of Maya are identically discussed and dis¬closed.

In this great epic, Rama is contemplated as the Supreme Self from the very beginning, born himself as the four handed Mahavishnu without any imperfection of human birth. The real Seetha hidden in the Fire Diety and the illusory double adbucted by Ravana are only to project and promote the prominency of Rama. Rama’s departure from the palace to the warfield of jungle and Lanka was finally proved as a pilgrimage to the field of Dharma.

The varied symbols, suggestions and fictions in Adhyatma Ramayana have a strategic importance to explain the difference between the material and the spiritual worlds. The highlighted in¬troduction about Rama helps us to get a real vision of Rama im¬plied in incarnation. The self-illumined and cheerful will of Rama to sacrifice himself for others has its indomitable influence in In¬dian culture. The audacity and recklessness of impudent impulses with selfish and unbounded attraction of occultism is contrasted with the controversies between the Asuras and Suras (Devas). The self-motivated egoism and self-illuminated altruism with their progenitorial power of actions proclaimed pertinacious and pervad¬ing nature of human mind by introducing the controversial figures of Asuras and Suras. to be continued...

Spiritual

GODDESS

MOOKAMBIKA

nama: shankhachakrabhayabhishta hasthe namasthe ambike gourisha padmasanasthe nama swarnavarne prasanne sharanye namasthe mahalakshmi kolapureshwaree

Thodupuzha K. Shankar MOB: 09820033306

August 2010

M

ookambika Temple at Kollur, the world renowned place of worship of the presiding deity Devi Mookambika , situated at the captivating sylvan foot–valley of the Sahyadri mountain range, well-known for the thick collection of tall hefty trees, stretching around and swaying so rhythmically in the salubrious breeze, and modestly beckoning bands of devotees from all over the world every day !

The graceful, sprightly idol of the benevolent deity Goddess Mookambika seated in the lotus posture within the sanctum - sanctorum, holding, the divine Sankha and Chakra and bestowing propitious boons to millions of devotees, thronging at the temple well-known for the sacred environs and fascinating panorama !

The multitudinous influx of devotees, forgetting all their woos and 27

worries standing so attentively before the Goddess , completely engrossed in a state of trance, inspired by spiritual inebriation for some moments, ecstatically dozing in the magic spell of devotion ! Then, the perennial Souparnika river, emanating from the Kutachadri hills magnificently, replete with waves surfing with coolness and rejuvenating herbal properties !

Whenever someone speaks about a pilgrimage to Devi Mookambika Temple, with all the ethos at the back of his mind, for a layman who has visited the temple at least once, all these thoughts, will suddenly start flashing before him. And, these thoughts of the temple , the verdurous kutachadri mountain range and the holy Souparnika river, transform into a combination of thoughts which generate ineffable spiritual intoxication or pleasure in the life of a devotee and this pleasure provides

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him an insatiable experience. There is no second opinion that in the life of a veritable devotee, devotion and means of developing devotion are the two important primary objectives. Right from the common man to the one who has scaled the pinnacle of glory , despite obstacles , every one leaves the temple with a sense of self content and carries the blessings of Devi Mookambika in abundance. The devotees line up patiently for hours together to capture a glimpse of the graceful Goddess Mookambika who is bounteously bestowing prosperity and spiritual serenity. After the prayers and the customary fumigation of camphor soon after the twilight, the devotees quietly disperse after receiving the prasadam which is served in the adjacent dining hall . Even after returning , every devotee’s ardent prayer to the Goddess will be to grant another opportunity to have a glimpse of her radiant face. In short , it is the eternal seat of the ever resplendent deity whose temple surroundings are panoramic and endowed with scenic beauty which shines as the centrifugal force of attraction to the multitudes of devotees . The whole landscape in which the temple is situated is collectively known as Kollur village The serenity –gifted Kollur village is situated at the foot –valley of Kutachadri Hills in the north east direction in the Udippi Dist 140 kms away from Mangalapuram which was the territory of mangala Devi . In this epoch of advanced transport facilities , devotees from all over the country as well as from other countries are flocking in myriads to the temple like the waves of the ever-flowing river Souparnika with all her splendor and mythological importance.

According to the legends available, this place was earlier known as ‘Aranyapuram’. There was a sage by the name ‘Kolamaharshi’ who was once engrossed in a state of prolonged transcendental meditation on Lord Shiva. Having pleased with his undeterred devotion , Lord Shiva appeared before him and ordained him to worship devoutly Goddess Parashakti the omnipotent deity to invoke her blessings .. Lord Shiva also installed a Shreechakra on the self-evolved Jyotirlinga and admonished him to worship every day and disappeared. Lord Shiva had also

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advised him that there would be the everlasting presence of Goddess Parvati in the Jyotirlinga and should henceforth worship it intensely , besides the daily poojas as well as anointing and consecrations. Thus, it is believed that Kolamaharshi ardently worshipped the Jyotirlinga in the place which was initially known as Maharanyapuram and became Kolapuram subsequently .

It was during this period coinciding with the events narrated earlier that there reigned an atrocious demon by name Kamhasura, who by dint of his austere penance , propitiated Lord Shiva and acquired tremendous operational powers and potentialities and let loose a volley of atrocities and became an effing nuisance to the subjects .In order to put an end to all his misdeeds and restore peace , Parashakti assumed the form of Tripuradevi . Frightened at the sight of the Goddess in that form , Kamhasura embarked upon austere penance once again on Lord Shiva to achieve the boon of immortality .Seeing this , the scared devas started rigorous penance on Parashakti to find some viable solution to their woos. With the result, Devi cursed him and made him a permanent dumb. Thereafter, he was known as Mookasura the dumb demon. Even after becoming a dumb , he continued to terrorise the people . At this stage , annoyed with his cruelties, the Devi beheaded him and granted him moksha . Ever since his redemption , because She killed Mookasura , Devi was being known as MOOKAMBIKA. Besides the poojas performed for the Devi , rituals are performed every day for Mookasura too who attained a deity after he was slain by the Goddess .

The river ( Souparnika ) emanating from the crest of Kutachadri Hills splits into two holy rivers viz ,Kashi theertham and Agni Theertham which, by virtue of their confluence on reaching the precincts of Mookambika Temple , become the renowned Souparnika river . Agnitheertham is a small river flowing northwards, by the side of the eastern entrance of the temple.

Garuda or Souparna , the mythological vehicle of Lord Mahavishnu, meditated on Goddess Parashakti on the sacred banks of the river and also because the river is flowing through this holy land ,the 28

river gradually acquired the name Souparnika . Garuda or Souparna is a significant icon in the Indian philosophy. The real meaning of the word Garuda is ‘ Truth .However, those important informations viz Kollur for the place where Kolamaharshi worshipped Parashakti , Souparnika for the river flowing through the region where Souparna meditated and Mookambika for Parashakti , who assassinated Mookasura (Kamhasura) and elevated him to the status of other divine forces , may be little known to many of the devotees who throng the temple every day.

On the crest of the Kutachadri hills , there is a very old Mandap (dais) constructed with granite . This Mandap is called the ‘Sarvajnapeetam’ or ‘sankarapeetam’. it is believed that Adisankara did meditation in this Mandap, One can vividly behold stones arranged so gorgeously in an order in the shape of Sreechakra on the roof of the Mandap. There are other holy places in and around viz Ssidheswar Temple , Umadevi Temple ,Ganapathy cave,Chitramoola cave,Mahatheertham, Masthiktta etc.

It is an irrefutable fact that however one makes efforts through out his life , he cannot cover all the temples on earth .Though it verily promotes augmentation of spiritual knowledge and devotion , a lay man who is already struggling in a whirlpool of problems ,cannot accomplish his desire for various social, economic ,official and other reasons or other inevitable responsibilities in life. It is believed that it was proximate to the site of the Jyotirlinga which is a personification of Adiparashakti , that Devi Mookambika made revelation of Her divine presence or identity with a graceful radiance around Her to Adi Sankara .It is also believed that Adi Sankara wanted to take Her to Kerala but , could not as he violated Her initial condition while accepting his request , not to look back while escorting Her . As Devi Mookambika did not accompany but disappeared abruptly , Adi Sankara , later with the power of his intuitive perception or subconscious image of mookambika, made the Quadri-handed panchaloha idol of the Devi, holding Shankha and Chakra and installed it just behind the Jyothirling . There is a Saraswati mandap adjacent to the sanctum-sanctrum where musicians ,poets and other

erudites assemble and display their talents from time to time . As every one knows, world renowned songster and classical maestro Dr.K. J. Yesudas visits this temple and presents musical performances every year. In 2009, December also, his team consisting of seventy eminent musicians from Kerala presented music performance to mark his 70th birth day in the presence of a large audience .

It is traditionally believed that Goddess Mookambika leaves the temple at 7.30 in the night every day for Chottanikkara temple and returns before the next dawn . Chottanikkara temple is situated on the outskirts of Cochin and is a renowned and popular centre for pilgrimage where devotees from all over the country throng every day to get a glimpse of the deity known as Chottanikkara Bhagavati , the presiding deity of this temple .Soon after the departure of Devi , the priest of the Mookambika temple distributes a concoction, prepared by compounding the essence of ginger with jaggary and other spices , to the surging devotees. It is firmly believed that this concoction is a wonderful panacea for all stomach ailments and general health .

In close succession to this , the prasadam of rice , served in the adjacent hall , with some delicious dish usually Rasam , is also very important for which the devotees wait patiently in a queue for a long time .

The prasadam , piping very hot , is served on clean plantain leaves very systematically , but so swiftly

in batches . Unless one is so quick , he or she cannot finish consuming the full quantity . Exceptionally , one could see a few devotees generally , the women folk , consuming the prasadam on the bare floor after sprinkling some water and haphazardly bailing the mud or dust to either side. This strange practice which may surprise everybody , is said to be in return for some special favours received( mostly curing of some chronic ailments or overcoming some problems or marriage in the family ) on their vow made to the Goddess. Some people comment that this unscientific and unhygienic practice is the result of hasty vows without thinking about the practicability or the rationale behind it even in this advanced century .More also it drives home the fact that the people have not come out of their paradigms or are still slumbering within the strong barricades of superstitions .

Devi Mookambika is always regarded as the repository of wisdom ,solace and serenity and continues to be a cynosure to millions of devotees the world over who look upon Her for spiritual power , lore and inner happiness . Of course , no deity can ever remove the miseries and maladies of any body who has acquired them through his actions in his present or previous birth , but , continuous prayers and disciplined spiritual practices can alleviate the intensity and hardness to some extent and wishfully help look forward for a better life in the next birth . So one has to contribute regu-

larly to his spiritual bank Account like a saving bank account , to draw whenever need arises. Goddess Mookambika who also helps the devotee to overcome limitations if any, in life and provides wisdom and all prosperity , is regarded as the divine combination of Goddess Saraswati ( Goddess Minerva identified with the Greek Goddess of wisdom Athena ) and Goddess Laksmi who grants both to the seekers .She is the Alpha and Omega .

Thus, as a beacon for the development of devotion and attainment of spiritual ecstasy, the Mookambika Temple is situated at the valley of the Sahyadri range of mountains, in the sacred lap of Kutachadri and on the holy bank of Souparnika with all its ravishing beauty and scenic splendor. Within the sanctum-sanctorum, gracefully seated is Devi Mookambia with all Her divine glories and resplendence as a cynosure to the whole world with an intuitive message to every devotee who leaves the temple after the darshan : “Ye Devotee, come again and again�!

Let us all now recite this stanza with at most attention :nama: shankhachakrabhayabhishta hasthe namasthe ambike gourisha padmasanasthe nama swarnavarne prasanne sharanye namasthe mahalakshmi kolapureshwaree

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Whiteline JOURNAL

NO PROBLEM !

Moni Bhushan

T

here is no matter in this world called “problem”.

There can’t be. What is a problem? How would you define it? I think it’s just the inability to do or cope with something, be it emotional, physical, mental, or even spiritual.

There can be issues in your life, but never problems. They become problems when you haven’t taken care of the issues. When you are reluctant and rigid to adapt, and leave them unattended—your life issues become problems and finally a threat to your own survival, and they threaten to make you dysfunctional in one way or the other. These are the traits of any problem, aren’t they? They tend to make you dysfunctional. But what if you don’t reach this state of dysfunctional existence and do something about it right at the start of these issues?

Okay, let’s see. What are things in your life you want to call problem?

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Problem is nothing but your inability to perform or cope up with a physical, emotional or mental dimension. It’s all about management! Yes management! Till the moment you don’t know how to manage it, it is a headache, a big problem for you.

The moment you get into the problem and do whatever is necessary to adapt, it ceases to be a problem for you.

Now we aren’t talking here about your son not getting a first class in school or college. That’s not your problem, that’s his problem. You are just coming in the way of your son 30

and his problem! Let him take care of his life issues. Get out right now and give me your problems. Don’t say your wife doesn’t love you as much or the husband doesn’t care for you as much as he used to. Those too are not problems; they are rather personal understanding of the eternal nature of “change”. Any change tends to disturb you because you don’t want things to change. You want to be safe and untouched in whatever situation you are and so don’t welcome any change.

Then it becomes a problem. But the change will still come. So why don’t you shift a bit and accommodate that change; shift a bit and adjust? That’s all you are required to do. Once you shift you are in tune with the change and it no longer remains a change or a problem but becomes a “regular”. If you don’t shift that change is going to become your problem, anyhow. So, you must always do that—make way for change and let it become a regular with you, than let it remain a problem forever.

So then, what really is a “problem”? What you call problems are nothing but your regular life issues.

The ones you are supposed to deal with and you can do that with ease.

Look at it like this. Cooking isn’t a big job; neither is cycling, swimming, reading or jumping, accounts or why, even rocket science!

Most of these are the regular chores or activities all of us do with ease all the time. It’s not a problem to us because we have learnt to deal with them and therefore they have become “regulars” for us. But it can be a problem to someone else. For example— for someone who doesn’t know how to even make tea, cooking can be a big problem. Similarly, a child who does not know how to push the cycle it can be a big problem. For an old man jumping can be a big problem.

For the commoners accounting and rocket science can be a big headache.

Do you see what I am trying to bring you at? All I want to say is that when you can't or don’t know how to do a certain thing it becomes a problem for you. The moment you acquire the skills to cope it’s no longer a problem.

It simply becomes a regular!

Problem is nothing but your inability to perform or cope up with a physical, emotional or mental dimen-

sion. It’s all about management! Yes management! Till the moment you don’t know how to manage it, it is a headache, a big problem for you.

The moment you get into the problem and do whatever is necessary to adopt, it ceases to be a problem for you. Think about it. Apply to whatever problems you have in your life and ask yourself—have I done what I was required to do? Have I shifted to adjust with the issues? When you ask this honestly to yourself you will notice that for most of the situations that still remain a complicated problem in your life, you haven’t really, honestly shifted and made way even one bit!

You have been reluctant, rigid. That’s why issues have become problems and have not yet become a part of your regards. And for those that still remain a problem for you even after you have shifted and made way—you will notice that you are unnecessarily worrying about something you can do nothing about! You are simply worrying about it when you know you have done your 100% best and from your side its over.

Do you see what you have done with yourself? Even after you have shifted you haven’t really allowed the problem to settle down. You are still living it in your mind when you know

its now not your job anymore. Just do your best and forget the rest. You will see you are problem-free, once you attune yourself to this confidence and start living it from this minute itself!

99% percent of our problems are capable of becoming regulars. Only 1% is unpredictable and unmanageable, because existence has its final say. But rest all are regular life issues, simply waiting to be managed. Manage them and make them regulars, rather than sit on them with reluctance and let them become problems.

You know they are like cricket balls, when you are at the batting end. The balls being thrown at you are the issues. You have to do something about them and get a run further. If you do that you not only have avoided the problem, but have also come close to winning. But if you get scared of the ball and just sit there while it comes on your head it’s going to become a big problem for you! Not only will you get out, you may also get injured badly, and most importantly, you will definitely lose the big game, as well!

(The author is the Web Editor of leading Film and Lifestyle websites and writes prolifically on varying topics, from general social issues to spirituality. You can write to her moni. editor@gmail.com )

TThhee VVThe ooiicc ee ooofff Taste M a h a rMumbai ashtra

EvERy WEEk

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Your

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Health

Vyam and ayurveda Dr. Pranav Shimpi

Consultant Editor - Health (MS. CVR (UK), BAMS, DIP. NUTRITION, DIP. FITNESS MGT, DIP. SPA THERAPY, CERT. REKHI)

A

yurved and yog not only talks about Diseases and their management but also talks about the implementation of a healthy life style which has both curative as well as preventive advantages. The aspect of exercise which is used in ayurveda and the aspect of asanas which is used in yoga aids in serving this purpose to a large extent.

Ayurveda speaks about vyam and states its importance by saying that it increases the kanti, prabha and bala and ayushya, it also categorises the amount of vyam which an individual should do in different seasons of the year by stating that vyam should be done “ardha shakti” in the hemant, shishir, and vasant hritu and it should be done to less than this amount in the grishma, varsha and sharad hritu till there is moderate amount of sweat. On the other hand yoga talks about doing asanas in order to attain suppleness,

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In accordance with physical medicine if a person does certain exercises to a certain limit under a proper supervision then his drug dependency can be reduced or stopped and he can be put on alternative management or cured. increased flexibility and relaxation of the muscles initially on a physical level in Hatt yog and later to the spiritual level in the gyan yog. Thus vyam has for generations been a very crucial part of the Indian culture.

However if vyam is done to more than a certain level or incorrectly or in any way which may be perceived as 32

physically or psychologically stressful then it can have serious negative consequences and might even cause an disability for life.

In today’s world it has been noticed that the practice of medicine has been more oriented towards the prescription of drugs for the management and treatment of various diseases.

Moreover, there is encouragement to the uptake of drugs which in a way are making individuals more handicapped and dependent, in addition there are many side effects of these drugs some life threatening and others simply diminishing the quality of life of a person.

Hence it is important to come up with better options which are less invasive and have similar effect on disease treatment and management point of view. One such simple option is exercise. It has been mentioned in ayurveda and yoga and evidentially proved by modern science that pre-

scribed exercise can be effectively used to remain disease free and to manage and treat various diseases.

The science of modern medicine which deals with this is called “physical medicine” In accordance with physical medicine if a person does certain exercises to a certain limit under a proper supervision then his drug dependency can be reduced or stopped and he can be put on alternative management or cured. This prescription depends upon the persons likings and the FITT principle along with consideration of the ficks equation.

However, for a fit individual less monitoring is required and thus the option of exercising at home or in his vicinity becomes easier. For any person who is fit and wants to continue to be fit he must do a combination of aerobic as well as strength training exercises along with certain flexibility exercises. However it is not possible for a person to afford that kind of time to exercise in today’s hectic world.

Hence here are few ways by which a person can exercise at home and keep himself healthy.

period of 15 to 20 min. these exercises are basically done to keep your heart and the blood vessels fit.

The guidelines state that a person should burn 300 calories/ day or 1000 calories per week in order to maintain is cardiovascular or aerobic fitness. So if a person has to keep his heart fit he must walk, jog, run, climb stairs to an extent that he will spend 300 calories per day. This target can be achieved by simply brisk walking/ jogging/ running 5 km/ per day. But that is not the only option you can also do stepping on a box stepper or staircase, climbing stairs is a very good alternative form of exercise for people who cannot walk long distances. Another option to people who have problems with their knees is to cycle on a cycle ergometer or swimming. For others who might feel lazy to do this an option of walking home from work, using the stairs instead of lift can also be an option.

Aerobic exercises should usually be done for three days in a week while the body should be allowed to rest for the remaining time.

Aerobic exercise:

Resistance exercise is defined as any planned movement of a one or multiple muscle which causes its contraction and relaxation against a certain resistance or weight. For some people this can be done by the use of artificial resistance like dumbbells,

Aerobic exercise will include exercises which include the continuous movement of one or multiple large muscle groups of the body such as the buttocks, thighs, chest muscles for a August 2010

Resistance exercise:

33

barbells and various machines while for others who would prefer doing it at home it can be done by using your own body weight by doing exercises such as suryanamaskar for the whole body, or dips pull ups, push ups for upper body muscle where as sit ups, and leg raise for lower body muscle can easily be done. For people who are lazy to do this another modification will be filling up a bucket of water and carrying it to water the plants in the vicinity. Or just lifting a a book from a lower shelf and placing it on a upper shelf might do the trick.

Resistance exercise should be carried for 2-3 days in a week for not more than 3 sets of 10 repetitions.

Flexibility exercises: These are very important as they keep the body more active and mobile they include the stretching various body parts this should be done with the help of yogasanas, but it has to be remembered to consult a yoga therapist who will prescribe them with the right asanas and train them to do these asanas.

A usual curriculum should include ½ hour of the day dedicated to exercise out of which first 10 minutes of every day should be given to flexibility exercises, 15- 20 minutes to the aerobic exercises for 3 days/week and resistance exercise on other 3days and that is all it takes to keep fit.

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Religion

HINDU DHARMA Their role is suggestive in nature. They cannot impose any rituals on the devotees or on followers. They can give guidance and directions which may be accepted or rejected.

H

indu dharma is the oldest religion which by itself is not created by an individual. It is the way of life suggested by great Rushies of India for the last many thousand years.

The correct word for Hinduism is sanaathana dharma which means ever living dharmic values for life.

By precise definition each and every one who worships the Bhaaratha nation (India) as his mother land and holy land is known as a Hindu.

The place where hndus are living is known as Hindustan. A Hindu can be a believer, atheist, worship any god or goddess or not a worshipper, it is not compulsory to go to temple nor pray every day , and so on. A Hindu has got the choice to follow or not to follow the customs, rituals and traditions.

None can precisely tell when Hindu dharma / sanaathana dharma / Hinduism started so it is known as anaadi ( without beginning) it is alsoknown as apourusheya ( not created by men) and sanaathana ( ever existing) vaideeka ( based on Vedic knowledge) arsheya ( glorious) , aarya dharma ( noble religion) and so on

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In Hindu dharma there are many branches known as saaktheya ( worshipping lord siva) vaishnava ( worshipping lord Vishnu) and so on.

How ever they are all coming culturally under one unit of Hindu dharma even though some of the customs, rituals and traditions may vary.

The Varna And Caste Systems Hindu dharma is the only one where the society is stratified / classified on profession one follows. If one follows the profession of learning and teaching he is known as Brahmana; those who follow the path of protecting/ ruling the nation known a kshatriyas. those who are following the profession of business, agriculture and so on are known as Vaisyas and all other supporting /service works for the society like masonry/ carpentry/tailors / painters / etc are coming under sudras.

Unfortunately these four classes were wrongly termd as castes of Hindu dharma. They are varnas and anyone can change from one varna to the other.

For a glorious position in the society one need not be a Brahmana as it is well known that Lord Krishna, Lord 34

Rama, Bhagavan Veda Vyasa, Maharshi Aitareya, Swamy Vivekananda, Maharshi Aurobindo , Sree Satya Sai Baba , Mata Amrutanandamayee and many others are not born to Brahmana parents.

Hindus belonging to all the varnas, castes and sections go to the same temple and worship any god he like, follow the rituals as his forefathers used to follow. The traditions, rituals and customs which are not rigid rules of the religion but can vary depending upon the place, time and individuals.

The role of priests in Hindu dharma is not significant compared to other religions. Their role is suggestive in nature. They cannot impose any rituals on the devotees or on followers.

They can give guidance and directions which may be accepted or rejected. No punishment or penalty will be given for disobeying the priest or religious rules.

The Caste System The caste system in Hindu dharma was also purely based on the work they do, the masons, carpenters, fishermen, cleaners, wood cutters, toddy

makers and so on. None of this was rigid. Sometimes the mixed xhldreen of four varnas were also brought under specific caste and specific work was allotted for them. Their children also followed the work and known in their caste name. however anyone had the freedom to change the caste and even today it exists, if one is interested.

Just compare the following explanations also to understand the system in Christianity and islam: There are catholics, jacoobite, mathoma, seventh day advetists, salavation amry, pentacost and like this 1400 castes among the Christians in US and more than 150 castes in Kerala (India) christens. The shia, sunni, ahmadeeya, mujaahideen, sufi and many known and unknown categories are there in islam. There were many battles among difernt groups of chrisitans and also among muslims even though they have one god, one book, one prophet, one holy place of worhip. But in the hiduism no hndu fought each other in the name of caste.

for the family members together, vaanaprasthaasrama dharma for those who are leaving the home for social service and sanyaasa dharma for those who evoted as sanayaasi.

Again I would like to repeat another point the dharma / aachaara to be performed by an individual every day are known as prati dina dharma / aachaara, those to be performed every week are known as prati vaara aachaara/ dharma and thus prati maasa (monthly) dharma/ aachaara and prativarsha (yearly) dharma / achara and jeevitha dharma or aayushkaala (life long)dharma, those which are performed through out the life.

The dharma or aachaara to be performed by one and all are to be analyzed and justified based on three parameters . the place / location (desa), time (kaala) and vyakti (individual).

This is like the rule of physics which says that everything is evaluated based on time, space and the environment of the perceiver.

Concept Of Acharas & Traditions In Hindu Dharma Acharas / traditions / customs / rituals are followed in Hinduism for a happy prosperous long healthy social life as told in the scriptures. Many acharas are followed expecting spiritual enlightenment also, but not going to heaven or making the gods happy.

In the initial stages of education of these acharas, sometimes it is explained that one can get many things by making the god happy. This type of explanations are only for motivating the less educated and not meant meant for qualified persons.

The acharas of the mother , if compiled together is known as maathru dharma, those of father isknown as pitru dharma. Thus we can get putra (son) dharma, putree (Daughter) dharma , bharthru (Husband) dharma, patnee (Wife) dharma, Bhraatru (brother) dharma, Bhaginee (daughter) dharma, poura (citizens) dharma, raja (king) dharma, amaatya (Minister) dharma, achaarya (teacher) dharma and so on.

Further you can see vyakti dharma for individuals, gruhya dharma for family members, samooha dharma for society and raashtra dharma for the nation.

Further we have aasrama dharma brahmacharya aasrama dharma for students, gruhasthaasrama dharma August 2010

What ever dharma /aachaara one has to be follow is to be verified based on the above three parameters. Similarly if adharma is performed that also will be labelled as adharma based on the above three parameters. Killing a man is adharma, at the same time killing an enemy in battle field is dharma of kshatriya.

Detailed descriptions are given on the dharma of the four varnas and also for the samkara (mixed) varnas for Brahmana – kshatriya – vaisya and sudra varnas.

Ancinet Books On Achaara And Dharma The ancient books which describe all the dharma for the above category of people are given in kalpa saastra which is the 5th vedaanga. Four major kalpasutras which are the founda35

tions of all the dharmic principles are Bhoudhaayana kalpasutra which the oldest one, Aapasthamba kalpa saastra , generally accepted as the second one, Kaatyaayana kalpa saastra which is systematically written accepted as the third one and the most common and detailed one known as Maanava kalpasutra. The word sutra and saastra are permitted to use without any meaning difference. All these are also known respectively as Bhoudhaayana smruthi, Aapasthamba smruthi, Kaatyaayana smruthi and Maanava smruthi (Manu smruthi) . these were the books which are the back borne of the Indian culture.

The kalpa saastra has been divided into four parts. All the dharma of gruhasta / family members are described in gruhya sutra, which is an important part of the kalpa saastra. Those to be practiced in a nation is known as dharma sutra / dharma saastra, those to be practiced while performing yaagas and yajnaas are Sroutha sutra. These are the three major parts of kalpa saastra or Kalpa saastra = Gruhyasutra + dharma sutra + Sroutha sutra + other minor messages like praayaschitta All the above books were written thousands of years ago by great Rushies like Bhoudhaayana, Aapasthamba, Kaatyaayana and so on. Later on many Rushies specialized in each subject area and contributed for the kalpasutra. Here addition, deletion, modification and corrections are done and different Rushies have given different explanations and modus operandii for each dharma without much variations on the basic principles.

Some of the aachaara, dates / method / messages / role / etc of performing the aachaara vary exclusively because different Rushies have written their views in different books which might have composed during different periods of time, in different places of Bhaarath.

Many dharma are also given in epics, Ramayana and Mahabharatha; in puranas, upavedas, Upanishads etc which will be described later.

The above descriptions are given exclusively for informing that Hindu dharma/Hinduism is based on aachaaras / dharma which are nothing but the way of life not propounded by one or two individuals, saints, Rushies, but are the guidance of thousands of Rushies, written in thousands of books, written for many thousand years as many subjects . That is why

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it is not called as a religion but a way of life. ( We shall further discuss about the contents of the Kalpasutra when we explain Indian literature)

Scientific Logical & Rational Analyses Of Achaaras All the Hindu aachaara have got two factors in it; the physical / experimentable scientific factors (in Vedic language avidya) and spiritual / experienceable eternal factors (vidya). It is like the combination of bricks and cement used for constructing a house.

The bricks take the building to a higher level and the cement gives beauty, durability and strength for life. Here the physical factors elevate through psychological, physiological, family related, social, and national benefits.

The spiritual factors directly connect with mind, soul, peace and eternal truths of life.

Let us analyze and understand thoroughly these factors for scientifically evaluation of the aachaara (which are the base of the dharma).

Psychologically beneficial aachaara: prayer, blessings, chanting mantras, listening to mantra, listening and reading the ancient scriptures/ stories /events /experiences as given in Bhagavat Gita, Ramayana, Maha Bharatha and so on.

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Physiologically beneficial aachaara: Early waking up, prayer sitting on the bed, bhoo vandal, bathing, jalapaana vratha, prayer while taking food, sitting on non conductor for prayer, fating, changing food like in ekaadasi and so on Aachaara for building family relation: family prayer, celebrating festival and family felicitation with family members, pilgrimage, all the shodasa aachaara (16 sacraments) like garbhaadhaana, pumsavana, seemanthoonnayana, jaatha karma, naama karana, annaprasana, upanayana,vivaaha and so on.

Aachaara s beneficial for social bondage: All the Hindu festivals are aimed at brining the people together for sharing, caring and curing., inviting friends and relatives for all family functions, social functions, formal and informal functions, temple festivals, group pilgrimage, sapthaaha, Ramayana paarayana in temples, sivaratri/ navaratri / ramanavami / ganesotsava / onam / dasara / holi celebrations…are all the aachaara for social bondage.

Achaaras for national integration: prayer with chanting names of holy rivers, holy mountains, holy cities, great heroes, heroines, reading epics, the importune of pilgrimage and pilgrimage itself are all meant for national integration.

Aachaara meant for human well beings: even the prayer and service doing for one and all like lokaa samasthaa sukhino bhavanthu, sarvey bhavanthu sukhina, Maanava seva maadhava seva, jana seva janaardhana seva etc are all meant for bring people from all walks together.

The same aachaara can bring the benefits of more than one from the above category also like doing the pitru karma gives family relation, psychological benefits, and social bondage 36

Let us analyze each aachaara like doing sooryanamaskaara, putting chandan and bindi, doing yoga, pranaayaama, eating vegetarian food, reading Ramayana on a particular month, kumbhamela celebrations, pitru tharpana, doing namaskaara to parents, etc in which category / categories they may come.

There are spiritual factors too in the above aachaara like blessings / prayer / faith /mantra chanting / vrataanushtaana /pitru karma / and so on which give faith confidence, self consolation and useful for reducing tension and worries.

From the above points one can clearly understand that the Hinduism is the way of life and not a religion created by an individual or a group of individuals. It is the contributions of many Rushies / saints, on many subjects, given for the last many thousand years and continuously refined to suit the modern world and hence known as sanaathana dharma.

Hindu Literature For Christians the only book is bible, for Muslims the Koran, for Sikh Gurugrantha sahib, for Buddhists dharma paatha……. But for Hindus there more than 2000 foundation literature are there with 10,000 original commentaries (vyaakhyaana) and more than one lakhs sub commentaries (upaakhyaana). The common question asked by many is that why Hindus have so many books . the answer is simple hindus knew from time immemorial that one book, one saint or a literature written at a particular period cannot give all the needed knowledge for human being.

Many branches of knowledge should be written by many Rushies and they should be continuously refined too, by addition deletion, modification and correction.

The pivot and core of all the Hindu knowledge is Veda / Vedas . this word means ‘knowledge’ . there are four Vedas; Rig veda ( jnaana kaanda / compilation of great messages for individual, family, society, nation and for human race in Toto ), Yajurveda (karma kaanda, mainly the mantras for conducting yaagaas and many other rituals), saama veda ( Focus on the melodious chanting of the RigVeda mantras. This Veda is the base of all the Indian music) and Atharva Veda ( Mantras connected with society and social affairs). All the Vedas are written as poetical hymns.

Personality

SREE NARAYANA GURU AND HIS IDEALS It is common knowledge that one who has no basic education in mathematics and physics cannot successfully put his teeth into findings of Einstein. In the same manner one who cannot popularize some of the basic writings of Narayana Guru which are given in his subtly treatises such as Arivu, The Epistemology of Gnosis, and Darshanamala, The garland of Philosophic Visions.

A

ccording to the ancient tradition of India, after comparing the Guru to the Indian pantheon of gods, Vishnu, Brahma, and Maheswara, the rishis decided that the Guru par excellence can not be identified with any such symbolically caricatured idea. Hence they held that the true Guru is to be looked upon as the Absolute the incomparable one.

This ancient way of transcending all limitations is favored by us. Hence we pay our homage to the historical person Of Narayana Guru, just as we revere Gautma Buddha, Vardhamana Mahaveera, Socrates, Jesus Christ or Prophet Mohmoud and other great heroes of the world. We also pay our obeisance to Narayana Guru in recognition of the noble example he set before us as a person who lived in our own century. In fact, we place upon him the highest encomium for excellence of his teaching which is on par with perennial truth seen highlighted in great books like Vedas, the UpaniAugust 2010

Guru Nityachaitanya Yati shads, the writings if Confucius and Lao Tsu, the Pentateuch, which is accepted also in the Old Testament, The Bhagavt Gita, Zend Avasta, The Holy Qur’an and songs of various bards sung all over the world. Narayana Guru a new example before us by exhorting the acceptance of Absolute knowledge. Instead of putting his emphasis on theologically conceived God or any particular religious aspect of the concept, he always gave his first reverence to knowledge. In which ever way knowledge reveals itself, or is reveled to us, he had no hesitation in accepting it as the light that should ever lead man in his path to perfection.

Mathematical truths, whether of arithmetic, geometry, or algebra, are always honored by people universally, without deifying any particular mathematician. What people value is only the intrinsic worth of the truth revealed. Incidentally we may associate the names of great mathematicians who have made the world familiar 37

with certain mathematical laws, but we have not defied Euclid or Copernicus, Pythagoras or Galileo. We have great respect for those pioneers in mathematical search. In the same way we should see the perennial validity of the teachings of Narayana Guru rather than treating him as the expounder of any dogma and we should not make a fetish or clichĂŠ of what he said in certain context of his personal life.

Einstein made great contributions in theoretical physics. We have great respect for his genius, but that does not mean it is possible for everyone to have a full understanding of what he expounded as his general and special Theory of Relativity. It is common knowledge that one who has no basic education in mathematics and physics cannot successfully put his teeth into findings of Einstein. In the same manner one who cannot popularize some of the basic writings of Narayana Guru which are given in his subtly treatises such as Arivu, The Epistemology of Gnosis, and Darshanamala, The gar-

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land of Philosophic Visions. Even so the mystical works of Narayana Guru will remain some what closed books to many who have no mystical inclination, devotional discipline, or poetic vision. However we see a tendency now among the self-styled followers of Narayana Guru that every word he uttered be taught even though those who volunteer to teach cannot themselves make head or tail of what the Guru meant by his cryptic writings.

I cannot think of such sentiments as anything better than clannish and tribalastic enthusiasm which is not of much value if not to be discarded as only a snobbish or puerile tendency of cultist. Let us examine certain relevant questions which are again and again asked by people who take an interest in the life and teachings of Narayana Guru.

are still continuously growing wider and wider in bringing more and more people to a conscientization that is helpful in bringing radical changes in people’s social outlook. Of course, Narayana Guru did play his part excellently, yet he is not to be confused

Was Narayana Guru A Social Reformer?

If we study social anthropology, and the history of the evolution of political and economic theories of the world, we can say that in all of us there is a tendency to converse a value which gives us comfort in our social set-up and also an instinctive tendency to challenge certain social patterns of conventional behavior which offer inconvenience, discomfort, and cruelty to us. Thus potentially every person is at once a conservative as well as a reformer calling for radical change.

As Narayana Guru was a man of high sensibility , who had also a penetrating vision into the finest texture of the values of human excellence, he was naturally interested in changing all forms of crude interpersonal relationships handed over to us from our tribalistic days. It is true that Narayana Guru was in the forefront of a good number of pioneers in India who have advocated change. That shows not mean that without Narayana Guru India would not have changed. One can look at all the other countries that have undergone great changes such as China, Japan, the Pacific Islands, the Middle East, the African Countries and Latin America. In all these countries also the changes came through the worlds, actions and innovations of leaders who were of the same caliber of Narayana Guru. In one part of India, the southern most, Kerala and partly Karnataka and Tamil Nadu, Narayana Guru’s initiative made an impact on the younger generation of his time which raised the billowy waves of social transformation which

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with conventional social reformer. In fact the, the political significance in historical terms of changes brought about by Dayananda Saraswati, Ram Mohan Roy, Kesab Chandra Sen, the Gaekwad of Baroda, Gopal Krishna Gokhale, E.V.Ramaswamy Naikar and Mahatma Gandhi are remembered and accepted by the Indian people much more than what Narayana Guru could pose before the people of India. The change the Guru was bringing about was not of any spectacular kind. However the principle of change that the Guru initiated in the thought stream of humanity is more far-reaching even though it did not come with a bang of fury and tumult of insurrection. One distinctive mark of Narayana Guru’s way of transforming society lay in his impartial and neutral way of considering each man’s social, religious or moral stand from where he stood. He always respected the adherence of each man to his faith even though that faith was of little value to Narayana Guru.

Let us take for example Karl Marx and Mahatma Gandhi – two great leaders of the world who advocated change with entirely different vistas and methodology. Karl Marx’s main 38

submission was there are always two polemically polarized classes such as the bourgeoisie and the proletariat, exploiters and the exploited, the suppressers and the suppressed, and he put weight on the side of the suppressed, exploited and the proletariat working class. Of course, that shows a genuinely humanistic interest which is basically rooted in compassion.

His cause was to fight and establish the rights of the aggrieved. He is to be admired for his high sense of justice. Mahtma Gandhi saw the problem as a clash of interests between religious groups such as the Hindus, the Muslims and the Christians. Even among the Hindus he saw the clash precipitated in the form of social rivalry among classes called the varnas and occupational communities called jatis, and the growing rivalry between the untouchables and those who considered them selves to be privileged classes. Even when he advocated the same right for the Muslim and the Christian religions to exist, and the untouchables to be treated on par with any other person of the Hindu community, most people did not take him seriously because of his own partisan stand with the Hindus and with the caste Hindus within the Hindu religion. He was sincere to the core, but he unintentionally precipitated and perpetuated the inferior – superior class consciousness among the Hindus by calling one section Harijan.

Thus these great reformers did not see that the seeds of change which they planted had already within them the germs of antithesis, which instead of fading out in synthesis would only proliferate to bring a cyclic recurrence of divisions. It is in this respect that Narayana Guru is to be understood as one who always offered holistic solution in which he never labeled one group of people against another. Thus he was social reformer with a difference — a difference that is yet to be understood and appreciated. I do not say Narayana Guru made no miscalculation when he gave his blessings to people of a particular community to rally around him in his own name.

He did not see the danger of communalism entering through the back door which has now proved that the very ideals for which Guru lived are being drowned with ritualistic worship and euphonic of the so-called leaders whose vested interests have made his name highly commercialized.

to be continued....

HOW TO STUDY

Dr. V.M.R. Nair

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The brighter students put in more class room hours and worked as per the time table. Dr. V.M.R. Nair writes. . .

t was Harry Maddox who in his popular Book “How to Study�, published in 1963 described study as an art. We may not ascribe to his view. But all of us will agree that success in study very much depends on aptitude, hard work and effective methods of study.

Some children can do more work in a given time than others. This is largely a matter of aptitude, but aptitude is not the only factor. The capacity for hard work and study is determined by aptitude, effort, persistence, effective study methods and environmental factors. Many capable students fail, particularly in science subjects, because they do insufficient work or because they have never learnt how to study effectively.

What is the most effective method of learning from text books? Several methods are in vogue like simple reading and re-reading, underlining the main points and important details in the text or reading and then making August 2010

brief outline notes. As we all know, the best students were found to have more regular study habits. They attend the classes regularly. They revised their lessons the same day and did more preliminary reading and read more references suggested by their teachers to further enrich their understanding of the subject. They never neglected their weaker subjects and to top it all, they were found to be better disciplined in dealing with the given tasks. By contrast, the weaker students were less organized, had little idea of personal improvement and always complained about the syllabus and the teachers.

The brighter students put in more class room hours and worked as per the time table. You can, no doubt, improve your general efficiency by improving your general health, improving the direction and method of work by proper planning, developing interest in the subjects of study and reliving worry and tension by resolv39

ing personal problems and conflicts.

Efficient methods of study are worth learning not only for your immediate purpose of study but future too, because your habits of work will stay with you all your life. Those students who do well in academic work will do equally well in their chosen career later on. Efficient methods of work thus contribute to success in your studies as well as in your chosen career.

For completing the studies assigned to the students, they should make a long term plan covering the year’s syllabus and a weekly time table prepared afresh for each week. For the long term plan it is necessary to find out all about the lessons you will have to cover, the text books you must read, details about the practical work, if any and other requirements. You may not be able to elaborate these long term plans, but you should definitely have a broad picture of your years work.

Good teachers generally provide their students the outline of their courses

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Carnatic Music Series at the outset so that they know where they are going. A detailed time table should be made out at the beginning of each week in keeping with the changing requirements of your study and in the light of your own experience. Remember, it is no use making detailed plans of work that you are never likely to be put into practice.

The average study time per week is 35 – 40 hours. Arts and Commerce students may spend lesser time compared to Science Students. Engineering and Medical Students may have to spend 50 – 60 hours per week to complete their lesson plans. Unless you are an exceptionally bright student, it will be advisable to follow the general pattern of study hours mentioned above.

Experience showed that morning output is higher than afternoon.

Morning hours are easily the most valuable and the best time for serious study and work. Therefore it is worth making every effort to see that

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the morning hours are not wasted and all those minor work that can be done later in the day should be adjusted accordingly and morning hours should be exclusively utilized for study and study alone. During the course of continuous study, rest periods should be short in relation to the work period.

After working on a task for sometime, there occurs a distaste or disinterest for the subject. But if you resolve to take rest or relax for 5 to 10 minutes and then get back to study, I am sure you will get interest in the study. It is proved beyond doubt that much of mental fatigue springs from boredom and lack of interest in the subject rather than any real inability to continue the study.

People who handle a large volume of business generally commence their day with a period of planning and meditation. Such planning is necessary in study also, because the work is difficult and it can be best tackled through uninterrupted work period of

some hours.

Reading is the most important factor in study. Some can read fast and some others find it difficult to read fast. Difficulties in reading may be on account of your faulty eye movement or of a poor vocabulary or lack of understanding the subject matter. Improvement in reading can be effected by improving your work power. This can be achieved through more reading and writing.

Just resolving to work harder is not always effective. You can enhance your interest in studies by setting yourself both short term and long term goals by controlling all sources of distraction and by immersing yourself in your studies. Since unwillingness to settle down and study is the result of a wish to do something else, you should suppress the impulse to other activities. You may at the same time allot a fixed time for such suppressed activities without affecting your study time.

Speedy Disposal C.K. Damodaran Pandalam

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t happened years back!

I was then working as a Clerk in a Revenue office in Devikulam. I was quite new to that wonder land.

Devikulam is a separate world by itself with its special geographical features, its gigantic hills, extensive

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tea-gardens and incessant showers accompanied by chilly wind. Though it is a Taluk Head Quarters it looks almost like a sleepy village-town, Scarcely populated by Tamil speaking labourers.

In those days the office correspondence was in English. As in every Government Office, the pendency of files in our office was also very high.

Our Head Clerk was very kind and generous and this had helped me a lot in disposing many files. The intensive drive launched to reduce the pending file had also proved successful.

While things were going on very smoothly, I received one day a Tappal which contained among other letters, a letter in Tamil. I showed it to the Head clerk. The Head clerk who was very expert in reading Tamil could not decipher it in spite of 'strenuous' effort. I was at my wits end. Days had gone by; but I could not take any action on that paper.

At last I decided to take action on 40

that paper. I put up the paper with the following notes: ''This paper is put in by a poor Tamilian., No action is necessary. Hence this may be closed.''

I was happy that I could close a file so easily without bothering about the ABC of the contents of the letter! I was quite elated and slept comfortably that night!

Next day broke out with fresh news! the officer returned these paper with the following orders.

Giving a gist of the petition in English, the officer asked me to pursue action, as ''the poor petitioner wants immediate financial assistance from the Goverment.''

The officer was of late transfered to this office from Tamilnadu (an IAS officer) and he could easily read that letter.

He commented: ''Immature closure is unjust....''

MIND YOUR MIND Sreenivas R. Chirayathmadam

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ur actions depend upon the way our minds work!

So we have to learn how to control the mind! A sound mind creates even wonders which cannot be achieved by a troubled mind. To keep abreast of a sound mind we have to discover ways. To make the mind merry, we have to have entertainment through fun, picnics, good sceneries and especially music. The most dependable thing is music since it could be had any time by switching a record player, television or some other medium of music, on. Music is the best medicine for a troubled mind as well as a normal mind! Music has got that wonderpower that transforms any kind of mind into a calm and cheerful state!

A peaceful mind is like a very fertile land which produces lots of flowers and fruits etc. If one person is lacking peace of mind, then naturally it could prove to be infectious, especially when that person is the key functionary of a group of people or as a family-head, a company owner or any other establishment-owner or executive! Because, the others are dependent to his actions and orders! Hence it is very essential to make sure that our minds are having a nice and sound feeling to produce peaceful actions that would promote cordial relations and keep a peaceful atmosphere intact.

One of the alarming needs of our human race at present is to inculcate the study of a culture that teaches social manners such as respect to elders, giving always a chance to cordiality and peace, practical sympathy to the weak and disabled, respecting all sort work and those involved in August 2010

those, not giving any chance to egoism – by controlling the mind through self criticism – keeping abreast of the concept that promotes universal tranquility, respecting the right of the other ‘taxis’ living beings who have not been given thinking brains, unlike us, the humans, to live the way they are habitual in their habitats etc.

Once upon a time most of the Easterners were of the eating habit of natural food derived from the trees and plants – scientists world-over have proved that trees and plants do not feel pain if we humans or the other taxis-living beings cut it for consumption and instead it enjoys, since a single chop produces more of branches – though there is some dispute by an Indian scientist, that it feels pain and not enjoyment; however this has been proved wrong by the majority of international scientists. Their conclusion seemed to be that it was due to his mind of reservation for not to displease the nonvegitarians! But the truth holds good! Though most of the western fraternity of biological scientists belonged to habitual nonvegitarianism, they brought out the true result of their research work, time to time, impartially, matching their spirit of truth!

For a sound and divine mind, one has to be a natural-food consumer.

Most of the ‘animel’, fuel themselves by preying on their lesser species, hence is their animal-traits! ‘Animel’ do not have scientifically matured and thinking brains unlike the human species and the human has essentially to be vegetarian on the score that he/she cannot afford to behave, often like animel [animals]! The comparison41

studies have declared time and again that ‘those, who are habitual nonvegetarians, would have some kind of animal- traits in them! Whatever may be the justifications of the nonvegetarian protagonists, the facts of modern scientific revelations are definitely the eye-openers! But unfortunately for the East, till recent times, it had become a diehard habit to copy the West; lock, stock and barrel, purely because of the assumption that Westernism was the most advanced culture in the world and alas now it has come to a state in which this kind of acquired copying syndrome has become somewhat inerasable, although, the Westerners have learnt enough to propagate and practice what, we, the Easterners have now abandoned to honor our rich heritageous past to be something like that of mere ‘antiques’! World media have time and again been reporting the widespread kind of vegetarian-protagonist in the West and its practice, even by newer generations! When would we ‘like to realize’ that we were right with our rich past, of our customs and culture, since it has now been crystal clear with the endorsement given to it by none other than those who are conventionally non-vegitarians!

For an ever peaceful mind, one has to meet all those criteria explained above.

Now, I think, this is more than enough to mend the mind to be more and more humane towards ourselves as well as the other species of God, the nature and the earth, who obviously has entrusted the responsibility to be kind enough to be peaceful always and to realize the soul within.

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Philosophy

Music Music & Colour Colour &

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eople who have never seen an Indian wedding or attended an Indian gathering are amazed by one thing when they see pictures: the colour. The photos are vibrant with colour and shimmer everywhere, from the reds of the kumkum to the greenery, the white clothes of men to the yellow turmeric, the orange marigolds to blue, purple, red, green saris that span the rainbow.

Carnatic music and music concerts have their own colour. Women and men arrive to listen to music in finery, their jewels and clothing shimmering. The artists sit on a stage decorated with colourful cloths, and they themselves are decorated by shiny shawls in appreciation. The mridangam and veena bear velvet covers, and the cherry-brown of the violin gleams. Flowers in pink and red and white and yellow are bestowed as gifts to gods and artists, and the yellow lights dim as the concert begins.

During the concert, too, the swaras have colour. The drone, the stable base of any music, Shadjam or Sa, has a colour: light pink. It is the pale pink of dawn, or of birth, or the table rose.

It is the colour of the lime that artists smear on their betel leaves, which turns their mouths bright red. It is the energy of a furious korvai, and the pale pink of their cheeks when in the humid climate they sing a particularly beautiful, lilting phrase, and the audience blushes pale pink Sa in return.

Panchamam is the other drone note: pa. It is black, the colour of the night sky, and of the faces of gods. It is the

Jyothi Ramachandran shining hair of a goddess, singing as she combs her hair. It is the dark intent eyes of the mridangist, and the single eye of the mridangam, as they dance with the rhythm of the music. It is the deep, moist earth, and the ebony fingerboard of the violin. It is the intense concentration of the artists on their music, and only their music.

Other colours begin to fill in the in-between. White madhyamam, ma,

It is the colour of the lime that artists smear on their betel leaves, which turns their mouths bright red. It is the energy of a furious korvai, and the pale pink of their cheeks when in the humid climate they sing a particularly beautiful, lilting phrase, and the audience blushes pale pink Sa in return.

fills the room, as the dust rises from the bow of the violin. It is the clean, crisp shirts and dhotis of the male performers, and the marks on their foreheads. White is also the colour of purity of music and of the rava on the mridangam head, the ivory inlaid in the veena and the skin of the kanjira.

Parrot green rishabam, ri, brings brightness to the concert scene. It is somewhat rare, but seen in a silk shawl thrown all of a sudden onto the shoulder, and in the spring earth.

It is a vibrant leaf decorating the doorway, or folded and chewed.

It is the parrot that mimics the music, and the fresh phrases that emerge from imagination.

Yellow makes an appearance with dhaivatam. The godly colour of turmeric, and of the gods that smile down upon the music.

It is the sun, shining brightly and listening, and its child, a flame planted in respect. It is the mango and the laddu, offered with sincerity.

No concert would be complete without gold - in the zari of saris and dhotis, in the rings and necklaces worn with pride, the dangling chandelier earrings. It is the same gold that shines from their eyes as they discover a new nuance with glee, and the gold of the gods and goddesses adorned by each composer.

Nishaadam brings together all the colours - a mixed palette of every colour, joining together the previous scale and the next. The rainbow, because no colour can be enjoyed in isolation. After all, the word raga comes from the word for colour, and there are as many ragas as there are colours in the world!

Published by C. Vimal Kumar for Sar Multimedia Pvt. Ltd., 7 Prem Bhavan, 2nd Floor, 234/236, Narshi Natha Street, Masjid Bunder, Mumbai - 400009, printed by him at Meenakshi Printers & Designers, 5, Sarvodaya Garden, Off. Manpada Road, Dombivli East - 421201. Editor : C. Vimal Kumar

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