How God created the World!

I am fortunate to be a student of Dr. Sowmya Krishnapur in the Vyoma Labs online course on the Mahā-kāvya of Śrī. Vedanta Deśika, The Yādavābhyudaya. It tells the story of Bhagavān Ṣrī Kṛṣṇa in 24 Sargas comprising 2500+ślokas. 

The way the great poet introduces the hero of the epic poem is this:

क्रीडातूलिकया स्वस्मिन् कृपारूषितया स्वयम् ।

एको विश्वमिदं चित्रं विभुः श्रीमानजीजनत् ॥१ - ०९॥

The supreme Lord, with His limitless powers of creation, sustenance and dissolution, dipped his sporting brush in the infinite colours on His palette of compassion, and painted this creation within His own Being, by Himself with no other medium or aid, by the resplendence of His Consort of Prosperity and Grace. 

As the teacher was explaining this verse, my mind went to the first verse in Bhagavān Ramānuja's Śrī Bhāṣya :

 अखिलभुवनजन्मस्थेमभङ्गादिलीले....That Lord who sports in the creation, sustenance and dissolution of this entire universe...

I recalled also the several times that Bhagavān proclaims in the Śrīmad Bhagavadgīta how He has created this world and its relation to Him :

एतद्योनीनि भूतानि सर्वाणीत्युपधारय । अहं कृत्स्नस्य जगतः प्रभवः प्रलयस्तथा ॥ ७-६॥
मत्तः परतरं नान्यत्किञ्चिदस्ति धनञ्जय । मयि सर्वमिदं प्रोतं सूत्रे मणिगणा इव ॥ ७-७॥

Understand Me to be the creation and dissolution cause of all this creation and all beings born in various wombs. There is nothing beyond Me, as indeed, everything is within Me like many gems strung in a necklace . 

 

मम योनिर्महद् ब्रह्म तस्मिन्गर्भं दधाम्यहम् । सम्भवः सर्वभूतानां ततो भवति भारत ॥ १४-३॥ 

 The primordial Nature is but my womb wherein I place the seed and cause all creation.  

 

 गतिर्भर्ता प्रभुः साक्षी निवासः शरणं सुहृत् । प्रभवः प्रलयः स्थानं निधानं बीजमव्ययम् ॥ ९-१८॥

 For all, I am the Destiny, the Provider, The Lord, the Witness, the Abode, the Refuge, the Friend, the Creation, the Dissolution, the Habitation, and the Treasure as well as the Inexhaustible Seed. 

 I do believe that the spirit of the verses quoted from the saints aligns perfectly with the message of Bhagavān in the Śrīmad Bhagavadgīta. I am immensely lucky to be studying this under an incomparable teacher, Dr. Sowmya Krishnapur.

 

Bernard Shaw and the Nobel Prize

Ravana in Shiva Purana

Asutosh Rana as Ravana in Hamare Ram theatrical play

Was Ravana the supreme devotee of Shiva? Read Shiva Purana (Motilal Banarasidass)

Corrections:

सुवर्णमधुपर्पटिका - Soan Papdi

Ever since I discovered Soan Papdi in Indra Cafe, Mysore, as a teenager, I am simply fascinated by this multilayered sweet that melts in your mouth. It is indeed a paradigm for all creation - a multilayered multiverse in which Bhagavan lives and breathes in His eternal Leela or sport! 

This is what Perplexity.AI says:

Soan Papdi is a delicate, flaky Indian sweet made from besan (gram flour), maida (plain flour), ghee, and sugar syrup, flavored with cardamom and garnished with nuts. It is best enjoyed fresh during festivals like Diwali.

I have just christened this heavenly delicacy in Sanskrit:

सुवर्णमधुपर्पटिका

Don't forget to eat Soan Papdi during this Deepaavali! 

🙏🙏🙏

Four Brothers

Sri. Atmaram had four sons. He was indeed so attached to them that they entirely fulled up his consciousness.

The eldest was Chitta. Chitta had a headstart compared to others as he remembered his grand-parents and even his great-grandmother. He was full of the family's old stories and lived with a deep sense of Khaandaan history. You wouldn't guess it when you saw the brothers together, but Chitta always had an influence on the decisions made by the other three.

The second one was a vain fellow. He was born when Sri. Atmaram was already well established in life. He named his second son Aham. Aham struck everyone as full of I-Me-Myself. The brothers had to find a way to live and play together "around" Aham's sense of self-importance.

The third was Buddhi. Buddhi was a clever fellow, able to study well, and played brain games like chess. He would always find a way to tackle any problem they faced, and honestly, the brothers always looked up to him for solutions, whenever they came up against any challenge.

The fourth was irrepressible. He had been named Manas. He was full of fun and was always ready to party. He made friends easily and broke up too in a jiffy. A most outgoing sort of fellow, Manas was the life and soul of any party. But whenever he was upset, or had to be reasoned with, only Buddhi could deal with him.

These four brothers - Chitta, Aham, Buddhi and Manas, were the inner courtyard as it were of Sri. Atmaram's world.

Everyone therefore said, "If you want to convince Sri. Atmaram about anything, go to his four sons. They will convince him." 

What is the meaning of wealth?

 We often equate wealth to riches in gold, property, stocks and bank balance. But is that the real meaning of wealth!?

Wealth is what determines how you give. Yes, I mean, How you give.

To give, you have to be wealthy. Even if you have only a penny with you!!!!

Śrī Venkateśa Suprabhātam

The article in Outlook: https://www.outlookindia.com/national/india-news-the-prayer-song-enterprise-the-curious-history-of-the-suprabhatam-news-375358

Here is a Perplexity.AI summary of the article "The Prayer Song Enterprise: The Curious History Of The Suprabhatam" from Outlook India:

The Venkatesa Suprabhatam is described as one of India's most popular prayer songs with an intriguing history.

Its origins trace back to a short morning wake-up verse in the Balakanda of Valmiki’s Ramayana, where sage Vishwamitra wakes Lord Rama.

In the 15th century, poet Prativadi Bhayankar Anna from Andhra Pradesh composed additional stanzas, associating the Suprabhatam with the Tirumala Sri Venkateshwara Temple in Tirupati, where it became part of morning rituals.

For centuries, the song remained a relatively private recitation until it was recorded and broadcast. The earliest known recording was by PV Ananthasayanam Iyengar, intended for teaching MS Subbulakshmi.

The song's transformation into a national phenomenon occurred with MS Subbulakshmi’s iconic 1958 recording broadcast on All India Radio, turning it into one of India's most beloved and best-selling devotional tracks. (a total of around 35 crores recorded views on the several YouTube uploads).

The popularity of the Suprabhatam, alongside other devotional recordings, highlights a powerful enterprise of spiritual music in India, with MS Subbulakshmi recognised as a leading figure in this genre.

Today, the Suprabhatam remains a daily ritual in millions of households, underlining the blend of ancient tradition, temple heritage, radio/recording innovation, and musical brilliance that brought it to the masses.

***

If one wants to learn the chanting, there is an excellent course online by Vyoma Labs.

I attach herewith two very useful links:

Prayer text in Devanagari 

MSS Rendition:

|| Oṃ Namō Venkateśāya ||

नमस्ते दा वत्सले मातृभूमे

नमस्ते सदा वत्सले

(I have given the word-splits for easy understanding.)

नमः ते सदा वत्सले मातृ-भूमे                                                   

त्वया हिन्दु-भूमे सुखं वर्धितः अहम्

महा-मङ्गले पुण्य-भूमे

त्वद्+अर्थे पततु एषः कायः

नमः ते नमः ते ***

प्रभो शक्तिमन् हिन्दु-राष्ट्र-अङ्ग-भूताः

इमे सादरम् त्वाम् नमामः वयम्

त्वदीयाय कार्याय बद्धा कटी इयम्

शुभाम् आशिषम् देहि तत्पूर्तये ***

अजय्याम् च विश्वस्य देहि ईश शक्तिम्

सुशीलम् जगत् एन नम्रम् भवेत्

श्रुतम् च एव यत् कण्टक-आकीर्ण-मार्गम्

स्वयम् स्वीकृतम् नः सुगम् कारयेत् ***

समुत्कर्ष-निःश्रेयसस्य एकम् उग्रम्

परम् साधनम् नाम वीर-व्रतम्

तदन्तः स्फुरतु अक्षया ध्येयनिष्ठा

हृदन्तः प्र-जागर्तु तीव्रा अनिशम् ***

विजेत्री च नः संहता कार्यशक्तिः

विधाय अस्य धर्मस्य संरक्षणम्

परम् वैभवम् नेतुम् एतत् स्वराष्ट्रम्

समर्था भवतु आशिषा ते भृशम् ***

भारत् माता की जय् !

Oh, my ever-loving motherland! Obeisance!

You have raised me happily in your Hindu bosom. 

Oh, greatly blessed and sacred motherland! 

This body of mine shall prostrate in your cause. 

Obeisance! Obeisance! **

Oh, powerful Lord! We, belonging to

This Hindu land, offer you our respectful obeisances!

Our waists are girdled, ready in your service,

Give us your blessing to fulfil our duty! **

Oh, Lord! Give us unconquerable strength, 

The nobility that earns the world’s due respect. 

Such learning, too, empowering our progress

In our chosen path, although it's ridden with thorns. **

It's valour alone that is the singular, 

Supreme and certain means to all-round prosperity.

To that end, may an unshakeable dedication

Arise in our hearts, and stay forever awakened,

Intense and unceasing. **

Victorious shall be our collective endeavour

Resolved in protecting our Dharma well!

Confer on us your boundless grace that

We take our nation forward to her supreme glory! **

Glory to Bharat Mata!