Why I am miserable

Osho on why I am miserable:

You ask for boredom because you ask for repetition. Something happened; for example, you were sitting, and the first star of the evening was becoming visible. And you watched. And it was a quiet evening; and it was cool and birds were returning back to their nests. And it was silent and it was very musical and you were in tune. Just watching the star becoming visible you felt beautiful.  Now, you have tasted something—you will gather it like a treasure. THIS treasure will make you miserable.

First, you will hanker for it again and again. That hankering will create misery. And it cannot be repeated by your hankering, remember—because it happened only because there was no hankering in you. You were simply sitting there not knowing what was going to happen. It happened in a state of innocence. It happened in a state of nonexpectation.It happened because you were not looking for it. That is a basic ingredient in it. You were not looking, you were not asking. In fact, you were not desiring—you were simply there. Suddenly you became aware: the first star. And IN that moment when you became aware of the first star, you were not thinking that it was happiness, remember that too. That comes later on; that is a recapitulation. In that moment you were simply there— not happy, not unhappy, nothing. These words don’t mean anything. Existence is so vast that no word is meaningful about it.

But then it is gone and there remains a memory. And you say again and again, “It was beautiful—how beautiful! how divine!” Now a desire arises to repeat it every evening.  Next day you are waiting again, but now the whole situation has changed: you are waiting for it, you are looking for it. You want to repeat the old experience. Now, this is something new which was not present in the previous experience. So this won’t allow you. You are looking too much. You are not relaxed; you are tense—you are afraid you may miss the first star. You are apprehensive. You are worried whether it is going to be again or not. It is not going to be.

First, it is not possible now because you have lost that innocence, that unexperienced state where no memory existed, where past was not, where future was not. Secondly, if some day it is repeated it will be boring because it will be a repetition. You have already known it. The beauty is in the new, it is never in the old. The beauty is in the fresh, it is never in the dead. The beauty belongs to the original, never to the carbon copy. The beauty is when an experience is firsthand, not secondhand. Now, if it happens at all, it will not make you happy; it will be a secondhand experience. And remember: God is never secondhand. God is always fresh.

To know that God in the beauty of the evening, or in the beauty of a bird on the wing, means you have to be absolutely innocent. The past has to be completely dropped and the future is not to be allowed to interfere. Then, and only then, there is beauty and there is benediction, there is blessing, there is happiness and bliss.  Once you experience something, you start asking for it, you become a beggar. Then it will never happen. And you will carry the memory like a wound.  Have you watched it? Watch it: whenever you are happy, in that moment you don’t know it is happiness. It is only afterwards, when the experience is gone, faded away, is no more, then mind comes in and starts looking for it, starts comparing, evaluating, judging, and says, “Yes, it was beautiful! so beautiful!” When the experience itself was present, mind was not present.

Happiness is when mind is not.

( The Dsicipline of Transcendence vol. III discourse 9)

Mullah Nasruddin

Osho weaves in lots of  Mullah Nasruddin jokes into his talks. The Mullah has a way of answering questions, with a lateral insight that confronts our common sense but still makes some sense. In fact Osho explains how the Mullah is a metaphor among the Sufis for "wise in foolishness, foolish in wisdom".

The picture shows Mullah sitting backwards on his donkey. The occasion is that he is going to a religious conclave with all his disciples. Many masters are on their way, but Mullah's riding backwards causes much mirth. When someone asks him why, he replies.. 'I am a master only because of my followers. I cannot ride in front turning my back on them, and it is not right that I follow behind my followers. That is why this is the best solution!'


Here is a typical Mullah joke:

 Mulla Nasruddin's wife drags him to a movie house. And in the picture, the hero hugs and kisses the heroine so gracefully, so sweetly, that immediately Mulla Nasruddin's wife turns to him and says, "You never do that to me." Mulla Nasruddin says, "You don't understand -- he is paid. Am I paid?"

But the wife is also a rare one and retorts, "Paid or not paid, you don't know that in real life also they are husband and wife." Mulla replies, "My god! If in real life also they are husband and wife, then he is a great actor. I can certify that he is a great actor."

A long time ago

What an exquisite sculpture! This is a photo I took in Musee d'Orsay in Paris 18 months ago. You can read about this sculpture at their website.

I think this photo captures the essence of my working life, which is 35 years long as of today.
I have always been in international marketing, always in high technology. This has given me opportunities to travel widely across Europe, Asia, Africa and America. I have met so many talented people, listened to such exquisite music, and seen such great art. Nature, in all its splendour like the Victoria Falls in Zambezi, to the incredible Great Wall, to the wonderful beaches of Australia, to the fascinating Disneyland in a few places.....

I wrote ten years ago, when I had completed 25 years of work, what life had taught me:

Do what you love. Love what you do. Deliver more than  you promise.

The incomparable Scott Adams and Dilbert

If you don't yet get your daily dose of Dilbert by mail, you're missing the best humour around for guys like us!
Subscribe here. And enjoy this strip!

Varadadasa- M.D. Ramanathan, the composer

 (Photo from The Hindu "MDR, mythical music maker")

There is a very informative website about this unique musician and composer.
Here is a lovely concert of his posted here

There is a wonderful composition of MDR sung by KVN, in lovely Kedaram, with lilting words and a scintillating chitteswara.      Enjoy it here!

2020 Nobel Peace Prize

Nero- Modi's inspiration

Today, 1 April 2020, is a momentous day in the 10,000 year history of India. Bharat Ratna Modi has been conferred the Nobel Peace Prize. What!? Are you surprised? That means you have been sleeping for ten long years, my friend.

Just after completing 12 auspicious years of IPL cricket, Modi was conferred the Gold Pass Bharat Ratna early this year. This is a new category created since his accomplishments go far beyond what anyone else in India has ever achieved. I will, in the interest of time and space, list just three.

1. Single-handedly, Modi has abolished all class, caste, language, age, religion, state, slum-condo, male-female, educated-illiterate, urban-rural differences, India is one large happy nation of 1.5 billion people, and all are rich.
2. How rich? There are twenty IPL teams, and they play four seasons called Pongal, Baishakhi, Bhai Duj and Diwali, each lasting 90 days, with one day gap in-between. Each Indian, coded with Nilakeni's UID, has a choice of any number 1-20, and he will be a stake holder in one of the 20 teams. The annual income of IPL has swelled to 3 trillion rupees and if you do the math, you will find that per capita income is 2000 rupees which when converted at the current exchange rate of 1 Rupee= 100 US Dollars, equals 200,000 dollars.
3. The entire world has adopted India as an economic miracle model and IPL has replaced almost all medieaval activities like IT and Bio Tech as the top career and economic occupation. Poor countries like USA are used to outsource all such activities. All food and clothing is imported from China.

The two major universities, Indobash University of Australia, and Chung Hua University of PRC, each run 1000 higher institutes of learning in India. People no longer aspire to go to ITI, IIT, NIIT, IIM, AIIMS, ISB etc. The in-thing is an IPL course in one of these 2000 universities.

India has also ushered in free, universal education. All education is cleverly delivered through tele-text, multiplexed through the year-long broadcast lasting 9 hours every day. All can study while they watch the Cameron Immersive 4D Experience broadcast of IPL. They just need to flick the tele-text button and rich educational media content is piped in, in little chewy nuggets calle Chyawanprash Gold IPL modules.

The greatest accomplishment of Modi is that he has brought together all the temples and Swami Sri  Anand Babas of the country into one maelstrom of religious tolerance and cooperation. For example, the Tirupati temple has sponsored the diamond Srivatsa toss coin. The coin itself is tossed by one Swami Sri Anand Baba.

The science and technology missions have also advanced. The Space and Nuclear Mission teams under an able statesman-scientist have developed the Mareech IPL ball and the Vajra IPL bat. The ball uses fusion propulsion and AI sensors along with 4D HD cameras. It can be navigated by thought chips implanted in the bowler's brain. And it faces the might of the nanotechnology Vajra bat which has microtransducers that can hit the ball to near-escape velocity.

IPL matches are not cheap to attend. Tickets are sold out 4 years in advance and cost over 10,000 Rupees each. So people prefer the 4D Immersive Imax mini television shaped like a planetarium dome and installed in each drawing room. It is truly realistic.

The players have shooting star careers, but they last only a few matches. The self-worth damage, bruises and bleeds in a match are enough to send even a Tendulkar retired hurt. No problem. The FRM Academy conducts fantastic rehab medicine clinics all over the country for the stars to recover. There they are entertained by classical musicians and dancers as that type of art has been proved to be soporific and healing.


Bollywood is long gone. Willow-wood Academy of Apsara Arts trains female dancers and male commentators to present entertainment and theatre during every match. Admission is strictly on recommendation and influence.


I can hear you ask, "what about the Peace Prize?" I almost forgot to mention that Prof. Lal unearthed an unpublished manuscript of Mahatma Gandhi written in London in 1886. There Gandhi proves that Mahabharata war was simply an allegory for cricket. There were teams, captains, field placements, and inspired clashes. There was a commentator, and also a teleaudience. TRP ratings were quite good and the whole world participated. Given this robust boost of faith to IPL, all wars have ended. Iraq's differences with the rest of the world, Pakstan-India skirmishes, America's engagements in Afghanistan, all have ended peacefully. Today wars are over. People engage in IPL so all passions are dissipated on the cricket field. Hence Obama himself was instrumental in Modi's getting the Nobel.

Footnote: Today's Hindu carried a letter to the editor. One disgruntled old man writes that Modi is like Nero, who laughed when gladiators died in the arena, just as Modi laughs all the way to the bank after modern-day players are killed in IPL. The man also complains that India's religion of cricket is a waste of time and we should go back to medieaval times when people played on play-grounds and read books. I think this country will never get rid of these ancient prejudices.

Devotion to Rama

Those fortunate to listen to KVN's concert  in the wonderful Parvathi blog would hear a lovely shloka sung by KVN with some great violin accompaniment of T.N. Krishnan (Ragas Shahana, Varali, Natakurinji, Ahiri, Sindhubhairavi). This shloka, I must confess, is new to me. After I heard the music, I searched and discovered that this is the staple of many singers today. I delved into its meaning, and this is my take on it.

jAnAti rAma tava nAma-ruchiM maheshaH
jAnAti gautamasatI tvat-charaNa-prabhAvam        |
jAnAti dorbala-parAkramaM Isha-cApaH
jAnAtyamOGa-paTu-bANa-gatiM payOdhiH            ||

"Oh Rama, Shiva knows the sweetness of your name. Ahalya, the wife of sage Gautama, knows the resurrective power of your feet's touch. The divine bow (it could well be Shiva's bow or also Vishnu's bow- Parashurama gave it to Rama) knows the valour of your powerful arms. And the ocean well knows the infallible power of your sharp and forceful arrow".

It is an interesting prayer. Shiva chants Rama's name, and extols it as equal to the entire Vishnusahasranama according to tradition. Although Valmiki Ramayana mentions no special relationship between Rama and Shiva, ever since Tulsidasa dedicated his magnum opus to Shiva's inspiration, Hindus believe in the mutual worshipful attitude between Rama and Shiva- as deified in Rameshwaram.

But what's in a name?

Bhagavadgita says that the ultimate yagna is Japa or chanting. There is a story about Kabir. Once Kabir was away on travel, and a devotee approached his son Kamal. He asked Kamal, in the absence of Kabir himself, for some spiritual instruction. Kamal told him, "all it takes is for you to chant Ram! Ram!".  
On his return, Kabir asked Kamal if there had been any visitors. Kamal told of this devotee and his advice to chant Ram Ram. Kabir was incensed. He said, "Kamal, I am disappointed in you. You asked him to chant Ram! Ram!? Why twice? Does it mean you don't believe in its power if it is chanted once? Isn't once enough?"

A tremendous story. And then we have this song of Purandaradasa, reproaching Rama in a nindaastuti.. "Oh lord, why bother supplicating to you and dealing with your teasing and taunt? The power of taking your name alone is enough!"

What is this chant power?

To my yet unwise mind, it means an act of surrendering your wants, thoughts and this continuous bargaining with God. Just chant and be happy! Shiva, the sage and intellect, knows ultimately the power of chanting in surrender.

Then comes the fallen woman Ahalya. She cringes in stone until her resurrection. No sinner needs to lose hope. God always comes sooner or later. That again calls for patient surrender.

To me the divine bow is an allegory of our ego and sense of power. All that is broken in God's hands. So better bend in prayer than be broken! Again surrender.

Rama's arrow is infallible. It can vanquish even the ocean of troubles we face... all in our sense of I and mine. That is the ocean of world'ly troubles.

The story is all about surrender. Take God's name, and surrender. Or surrender to existence, and don't push the river.

The invention of lying

I saw this movie on the plane recently. I think it is telling. It is written and directed by Richard Gervais, the English comedy actor. The Invention of Lying ( paraphrasing Wikipedia) is set in an alternate reality in which no one has ever lied and where people speak their minds, blurting out very blunt remarks and opinions that people in the real world would normally keep to themselves. The concepts of fiction, imagination, and speculation do not exist which results in the movie industry being limited to documentary-style historical readings, with television commercials being straightforward, and an absence of religion. In a hilarious parody, the movie features an ad for Coke. Coca-Cola’s advertising slogan is “Please continue buying Coke–it’s very famous” ! and then there is one for Pepsi too..”Pepsi–when they don’t have Coke.”

The protagonist Mark  is a proverbial loser, with neither looks, charm, nor talent as a movie script writer, and cannot impress his reluctant date. Here is the Youtube video from the movie:

The trailer: The invention of lying

 He begins to lie when his bank teller (remember there''s no lying there) says the computer is down and how much balance does he have.. and Mark makes up $800 when he has about $300 in the account. Thus begins a wild ride for him as he starts turning his life around by simply lying... and finally he makes up, to cheer up his dying mother,  a lie about  "The Man in the Sky" who can give you boons and alter your future... Soon he is hailed as a messiah by the town.. an oracle who can interpret for you the man in the sky!

I have been thinking about how our concept of an all loving, all giving personal God is constantly challenged by our real life experiences, and how we find, except our own childhood beliefs of religion, all concepts of God according to "other" religions pure poppycock.

So what can I believe in? I quote Osho, from his talks, "The Discipline of Transcendence" :
It will be easy if you understand Lao Tzu's concept of tao, or if you understand the vedic concept of rita. There must be something like a law which holds everything together. The changing seasons, the moving stars... the whole universe goes on so smoothly; it must have a certain law.

The difference has to be understood. Jews, Christians, Mohammedans, Hindus, call that law 'god'; they personify it. Buddha is not ready to do it. He says to personify god is to destroy the whole beauty of it, because that is anthropomorphic, anthropocentric attitude. Man thinks as if god is just like man -- magnified, quantitatively millions of times bigger,but still, like man.

God is not a person. You cannot annoy him and you cannot buttress him, you cannot flatter him. You cannot persuade him to your own way. Whether you believe in him or not, that doesn't matter. A law exists beyond your belief. If you follow it, you are happy. If you don't follow it, you become unhappy. Look at the austere beauty of the concept of law. Then the whole question is of a discipline, not of prayer. Understand the law and be in harmony with it, don't be in a conflict with it, that's all. No need for a temple, no need for a mosque, no need to pray.

If you obey, you live in heaven. If you disobey, you live in hell. Hell is a state of your own mind when you are antagonistic to the law, and heaven is also a state of your own mind when you are in harmony.

Coming back to lying, Osho again says elsewhere something VERY significant. "Satyameva Jayate". This expression is on Indian currency notes and is India's official motto. But in the real world falsehood seems to be winning! How do you reconcile this? Osho says, in the real world, people are cunning. They wait to see who wins, and  interpret "Satya" only after seeing who wins...in other words, the winner is always right! That is the misery of our world. No wonder we invented lying!!!!!!

Rama Setu and Pokhran Blast

How did Rama cross over to Lanka to fight Ravana? Ramayana says the monkeys built a bridge. DMK politicians say that the entire story is imaginary. I quote from rediff.com:

Tamil Nadu's Chief Minister M Karunanidhi on Saturday cautioned the Centre against paying heed to "religious fundamentalist forces" on the Ram Sethu issue. The Centre should not bow to such pressure and give up the Sethusamudram Ship Channel Project, Karunanidhi said in Yercadu on Saturday.

Quoting former prime minister Jawaharlal Nehru, he said Ramayana was a story based on the fight between Aryan and Dravidian races.

"Lord Ram is an imaginary character and Ram Sethu is not a man-made bridge. The Centre should not do anything to disturb the Sethusamudram project," he said.

And then there are folks who download a NASA satellite picture and worship it as proof of the Rama Setu.

I was discussing Ramayana recently with my family. Someone said Hanuman carried Rama and Lakshmana on his shoulders across to Lanka. I felt this couldn't be, as Rama would have liked to motivate the army by leading from the front and walk it. Would it not be otherwise ironical that the monkeys went to great trouble to build a bridge and Rama did not walk on it?. I remembered my childhood reading also that he had walked. Anyway I went online and searched the original Ramayana of Valmiki. Great reading!

First Rama prays to the Ocean to open up and give way. When his prayers are not answered, he takes up his bow and threatens the Ocean, fiercely. This is so well captured in Ravi Varma's painting in the picture above.
And what follows is very interesting.
I quote excerpts:

Then, Rama spoke these harsh words to the ocean: “O, ocean! I will make you dry up now along with your nethermost subterranean region. A vast stretch of sand will appear, when your water gets consumed by my arrows..”

….Then, Sagara (the ocean god) himself rose from the middle of the ocean as the sun rises at dawn from the huge mountain of Meru…and spoke the following words: “O, beloved Rama! Earth, wind ether, water and light remain fixed in their own nature, resorting to their eternal path. Therefore, I am fathomless and my nature is that it is impossible of being swum across. It becomes unnatural if I am shallow. I am telling you the following device to cross me. Neither from desire nor ambition nor fear nor from affection, I am able to solidify my waters inhabited by alligators. I shall make it possible to see that you are able to cross over. I will arrange a place for the monkeys to cross me and bear with it. As far as the army crosses me, the crocodiles will not be aggressive to them.”

Then, Rama spoke to that ocean as follows: “Listen to me. This great arrow should not go in vain. In which region should it be descended?"

Hearing Rama’s words and seeing that powerful arrow, the large splendid Ocean spoke the following words to Rama: Towards my northern side, there is a holy place. It is well known as Drumatulya, in the same way as you are well known to this world. Numerous robbers of fearful aspect and deeds, having the sinful Abhiras as their chief, drink my waters there. I am not able to bear that touch of those wicked people, the evil doers, O, Rama! Let this excellent arrow with out vain be released over them there."

 Hearing those words of the high-soled Ocean, Rama released that excellent and splendid arrow towards that place as directed by the ocean. The place where the arrow, whose splendor was akin to that of a thunder and a thunder bolt, was descended by Rama- that place is indeed famous as desert of Maru* on this earth.

* Maru—Malwar in Rajastan (India).

The earth there, pierced by the dart, then emitted a sound . The waters of the penultimate subterranean region gushed forth from the mouth of that cleft. Then the hollow became known as Vrana. Water constantly seen, gushing forth from it resembled seawater. A terrific splitting sound was born in that place. Water was dried up in those cavities, as a result of hurling of that arrow by Rama. That desert of Maru became famous in the three worlds.

….While that cavity was burning, Ocean the lord of rivers spoke these words to Rama who knew all scientific treatises.

“O, excellent man! This one, named Nala, a glorious person, is the son of Vishvakarma; who was given a boon by his father and is equal to Visvakarma. Let this greatly energetic monkey build a bridge across me. I can hold that bridge."

Then, being sent by Rama, under Nala’s leadership, hundreds and thousands of monkey heroes jumped in joy on all sides towards the great forest. Those army-chiefs of monkeys, who resembled mountains, broke the rocks and trees there and dragged them away towards the sea. Those monkeys filled the ocean with all types of trees …The huge bodied monkeys with mighty strength uprooted elephant-sized rocks and mountains and transported them by mechanical contrivances. The water, raised up due to sudden throwing of mountains in the sea, soared upward towards the sky and from there again, gushed back. The rocks befalling on all sides perturbed the ocean. Some others drew up strings a hundred Yojanas long (in order to keep the rocks in a straight line.) Nala on his part initiated a monumental bridge in the middle of the ocean. The bridge was built at that time with the cooperation of other monkeys, of terrible doings. Some monkeys were holding poles for measuring the bridge and some others collected the material. Reeds and logs resembling clouds and mountains, brought by hundreds of monkeys, lead by the command of Rama, fastened some parts of the bridge.

Monkeys constructed the bridge with trees having blossom at the end of their boughs. Some monkeys looking like demons seized rocks resembling mountains and peaks of mountains and appeared running hither and thither. Then, a tumultuous sound occurred when the rocks were thrown into the sea and when mountains were caused to fall there. On the first day, fourteen Yojanas of bridge were constructed by the monkeys speedily, thrilled with delight as they were, resembling elephants. In the same manner, on the second day twenty Yojanas of bridge were constructed speedily by the monkeys of terrific bodies and of mighty strength.

Thus, on the third day twenty-one Yojanas of the bridge were constructed in the ocean speedily by the monkeys with their colossal bodies. On the forth day, a further of twenty-two Yojanas were constructed by the dashing monkeys with a great speed. In that manner, on the fifth day, the monkeys working quickly constructed twenty-three yojanas of the bridge up to the other seashore.

…The celestials and Gandharvas, the heavenly musicians saw Nala’s bridge, having a width of ten yojanas and a length of hundred yojanas and which was very difficult to be built. The monkeys taking long leaps and short leaps shouted in joy. All other beings saw that construction of the bridge across the ocean as unimaginable, impossible and wonderful, causing their hair to stand on end in amazement.

….Thereafter, Sugriva on his part spoke to Rama, the truly brave man as follows: “O, valiant man! This ocean, the abode of alligators, is indeed vast. You ascend the shoulder of Hanuman and let Lakshmana ascend the shoulder of Angada. These monkeys can hold both of you while flying in the sky.”

Rama the glorious and righteous man, wielding a bow along with Lakshmana together with Sugriva, went in front of that army. Some monkeys went along the middle of the bridge. Some others went along the sides. Some others were jumping into water. Some others marched forward on the path. Some monkeys entered the sky and aviated like Garuda the eagle.

……The celestials, Siddhas and others exalted Rama, who was duly respected by kings with their auspicious -words as follows: “ O, king! Defeat the enemies. Rule the earth and ocean eternally for years.”

I remember reading somewhere the theory of scientists about the deserts of Rajasthan and how Indus Valley Civilization disappeared. The scientists are struck by the type of sand dunes and how they resemble the sands on a beach. In fact they theorize that there was a meteor strike and that reduced the sea waters there into sands of the desert. Is it not uncanny that Ramayana talks of Rama's super-powered arrow striking the ocean into Maru or the Marwar region as we know today? And some coincidence this - that India's first nuclear explosion took place in Pokhran!


Finally, Rama, as narrated in the Valmiki story, walked ahead of his army. A true leader who led by example!

What can I do?

After seeing 3 Idiots, I was constantly thinking what can be the mantra for our country, which everyone can understand and implement in their lives, to make India a greater and happier place?

Indira Gandhi launched a 20 Point Programme. Nothing much happened. Some big name technocrats have written Vision 2020. I don't think it really reaches everyone. And often we hear mantras like Garibi Hatao etc.

I have come up with the mantra as follows:

What can

I

do?

Create

Clean

Care

Create: I think the need of the hour is for everyone in India, starting with myself, to become more creative and productive in everything we do - it may be as simple as making a cup of tea or designing a drone helicopter. 
And just like our ancestors made children because every extra mouth to feed also brought with it two hands to work in the rain-fed fields, today we can change our mindset about the population as the world's greatest workforce with democracy, education and opportunity that no other country can match.

Clean: And then comes the need to clean up our act- be it metaphorically in terms of honesty and fairness in all dealings to the actual act of cleaning up roads and homes and schools. Clean also tucks into itself the concept of economy, ecology, and reduce-reuse-recycle.

Care: And finally, all this creativity and cleaning up cannot really produce good outcomes unless we are caring and loving.

The creativity that touches everyone instantly is music. I have posted a slide show of the photos I have of some beautiful ceramic icons I picked up in Korea after attending some resonant Samul Nori drummer sessions. See the power and passion in these pictures of musicans playing their traditional Korean Tala Vadya Cutcheri!

PS: The three words Create Clean and Care are akin to our Hindu trinity of Brahma Shiva and Vishnu. We can do a lot if we believe in the God that resides in each of us!

The valour of a musician

(The painting worshipped through great music at Parvathi, Mysore)

From: http://www.ecse.rpi.edu/Homepages/shivkuma/music/sogasuga.htm

Ragam: Sriranjani (22th Mela janyam)

ARO:  S R2 G2 M1 D2 N2 S ||

AVA:  S N2 D2 M1 G2 R2 S ||

Talam: Rupakam

Composer: Tyagaraja

Version: M.S. Subbalakshmi

Lyrics courtesy: www.sangeetham.com

Pallavi:

Sogasugaa Mridanga Taalamu Jata Gurcchi Ninnu Sokkajeyu Dheerudevvado

Anupallavi:
Nigamashirortthamu Galgina Nija Vaakkulato Svara Shuddhamuto

Charanam :
Yati Visrama Sadbhakti Virati Draakshaarasa Navarasa Yutakrtiche Bhajiyinche Yukti Tyaagaraajuni Taramaa (Shree) Raama

The composer musician Thyagaraja is in a mood to celebrate the valour of a musician. He asks Rama, “who can be so brave as to sing and entertain you in the right way?”

He begins by talking of the mridanga tala-synchronized music. I have heard many musicians quaver at the thought of a fierce mridangam accompanist. They would prefer one who simply keeps the beat and does not scare them off the cue points. They surely don’t wish to be “led” by the mridangam player.  But then, the charm of a great singer accompanied by a resonant and sympathetic mridangam accompaniment is surely music for God’s ears. 

Then, straight away, Thyagaraja talks of the other extreme of cosmic music… the crest jewel of the Vedas (the cosmic Omkaara). The one who can evoke that music of the spheres by singing the pure notes with the right words and by weaving in the alliterative phrases, the pregnant pauses, the rich melody akin to pure grape juice (like the one served in MTR in silver tumblers)…..

But to do all this you need to have true devotion. You cannot be an egoistic technician of music. You also need to have an ability to wean yourself away from this world and dip yourself in a Godly mood.  You need the skill to do this, which is a bigger skill, much bigger than the skill of a successful concert musician.  Then you become the king of renunciation… a true Thyagaraja. That is the valour of a true musician!!!

Remember that this is raga Sriranjani. It means both 'that which richly pleases' and "that which pleases a truly enriched one".  

I think Hanuman had this valour. He brought Sanjivani, not just grape juice for Rama. He dared to cross the ocean and tackle Ravana's army to meet Sita and bring the glad tidings.  Thyagaraja praises Hanuman's knowledge of the Gita as well as Sangita. What a valiant one indeed. 

Want to listen to such music? Click here to hear MSS sing in Parvathi, Mysore (1967 chamber concert).

Raga is melted grace from God!

I am listening to some wonderful Sankarabharanam thanks to this blog from Parvathi, Mysore. I am discussing the grandeur of a well-presented raga with my wife. She then narrates something she read in the Hindu.

I love this story so much I reproduce the portion here:

The Puranas present the Ganga, Yamuna, Saraswati, Godavari, Narmada, Sindhu and Cauvery as the most sacred of rivers. Indisputably foremost among them is the Ganga. The myth concerning the genesis of the Ganga in heaven and the legend of its descent on earth, prominently highlight both the roles the sacred water is expected to play in the life of man - as the giver of life and remover of sin or curse.

While the legend of the descent of the Ganga in response to prayers of Prince Bhagiratha, whose ancestors had been reduced to ashes by Sage Kapila, and the sublime flow resurrecting the dead is popular, the mystery of the Ganga possessing that power may not be that widely known. Once while returning to the heavens after one of his trips to earth, the sage Narada saw a group of beautiful beings in a hidden Himalayan valley. His closer observation showed that every member of that group had lost a limb or bore some other mark of torment. At the sage's repeated request the supernatural beings narrated their woes. They were ragas and raginis, the spirits behind the musical modes. Every time a musician sang with vanity or twisted the modes, the concerned being received a blow. Thus had they been maimed by generations of musicians. Narada - embarrassed because he was a musician himself - asked them what could undo the wrong they had suffered. if only they could have an opportunity to listen to the perfect musician, they said. Who was the perfect musician? None but Lord Shiva, the source of music. At Narada's appeal, the God agreed to perform, but on condition that he must have at least one perfect listener in his audience. Who were the perfect listeners? There were only two of them - Brahma and Vishnu and both were only too happy to report at Kailash along with the ragas and raginis.

As Shiva began to sing - no words can ever describe the vibrations his song created - something unexpected happened. Vishnu became so thoroughly identified with that flow of that music that if not his body, his aura began to melt down. Brahma captured it in his Kamandalu and preserved it. That is the divine stuff that became the celestial river and later flowed down to earth, once again Shiva playing a unique role in the process as the first absorber of the shock of that mighty descent.

This is the myth that justifies the dead returning to life, figuratively establishing that nothing was impossible for the Grace flowing from the Divine, that death could be vanquished only by that supreme power.

Raga is a man-made concept. It exists in some form or other in every type of classical music, albeit it may be not so well structured as in Carnatic music.

In a lighter vein: some creative artistes would like to break free from the fetters of ragas. They even want to create or re-name MODERN ragas. All this is no doubt by divine design or inspiration. I think this is what is meant by the words Raaga Swarupa Paashaadyaa in Lalithaasahasranaama. On the other hand, the prayer also calls Lalitha as Sarva-anullanghyashaasanaa! That means she takes the form of the bondage called raga, but she is also the one who makes the rules that are absolutely inviolable!

Travels of a Pierre Cardin Belt

Once upon a time, there lived a farmer called John Smith. His cattle farm was famous all over Jersey,  and he frequently won prizes in cattle shows in English Fairs. Time went by, and his handsome young son Peter broached the subject of his own future. He had heard good things about the grasslands, snow mountains and sunny beaches of  New Zealand. Soon, with his father's blessings, a dozen cows and a couple of bulls, Peter sailed to New Zealand.

Father Time now makes a fast forward  and we come to this century. There is no doubt Japan faces economic troubles, but every dinner table is still laden with Kobe Corn Beef or Peter's Angus. So it turns out that around the Lunar New Year, a worthy successor to the Jersey ancestry tickles Japanese taste buds and also lends her hide to the flourishing sea trade between Matsumoto of  Kobe and Shin Tsui of Sichun. The ship itself is owned and run by Park of  South Korea.

Tsui's nephew started a belt and shoe factory recently, and has won laurels from famous labels like Pierre Cardin. He makes lovely belts, with good grained cow hide, and it fetches him a princely sum of $2.50 per belt. He doesn't have to buckle up, as the Cardin brand gets the buckles from Italy itself.

Soon after being buckled, a 115cm long gleaming formal black men's belt makes its trip to Missassuaga in Canada. Just in tiime for the stimulus-driven Christmas season.

And what happens next? A handsome young statistician is shopping around in Toronto's biggest mall with his lovely wife. And he happens to see s sweaty fat salesman at the Men's Accessories counter! Voila! The statistician thinks of his brother in law (or Co-brother as Indians specify more exactly) with his vast girth crying for better upholstery.

The Pierre Cardin is taken and paid for, and thrown into the suitcase in a hurry since this B-in-L can't get a visa to cross over from Buffalo. The statistician makes some fast math and concludes he should drive his Hybrid Camry all at once to catch the distressed man. So they meet, hug and the statistician calculates in his mind that the bell curve for men's bulging torsos needs to be recast quickly to accommodate the muffin top like his B-in-L. But then, his estimation skills have served him right and 115 cm looks rather a good fit for the bulge losing its battle.

Bingo! After a lovely Indian temple orbit weekend tour, the US of A's international conclave bringing together a B1 Indian passport holder from Australia and a statistician from Canada concludes. And the B-in-L flies back on a reluctant United who do their best to lose his bag and delay his flight. But he is an intrepid B1 you see and so does make it back to Parramatta. The very next weekend, he wants to get his belt on. He finds that the holes are not right as his torso has shrunk a bit after the United experience. So he goes to the Westfield mall, gets some extra holes punched by a Czech and Fiji partnership shoe repair team, and is all set to shine in his new upholstery, the Jersey-Angus-Peter-NZ-Kobe-Japan-Korea-SiChun-Milano-Toronto-Statistician- Aussie- Czech-Fiji-Indian B-in-L-Buffalo belt!!!!!

An NRI Tree

My good friend Vishwa led me to this astonishing story of a Mysore Fig tree holding its sway in far-away Florida, USA. This tree is over 113 years old, and has a care-taker who is 93 years old himself. The entire family is proud of this Ficus Mysorensis, which rises over 90 feet in height and declares its majesty as well as its sweetness through its fig berries that are made into a jelly by the doting family!

We talk of NRI Indians and awards that they receive. Look at this unique NRI. He stands tall and proud and healthy, and is not bothered about dual citizenship or double taxation. A model for all of us indeed.

The Holy Fig tree, called Ashwattha, is sacred for all Hindus. In Bhagavadgita as well as in Vishnusahasranama, this tree is said to be a form of Vishnu himself. My mother used to say that an Ashwattha tree inside one's home garden could outlast the building itself and drive its roots even into the foundation.

I used to play under an Ashwattha tree as a boy. I was happy to see the same tree all over South East Asia and it may be here even in the botanical gardens in Australia.

Chaitanya compares the forbearance of a devotee to the patience and uncomplaining acceptance of a tree. What a noble thought indeed. Jagdish Chandra Bose showed how the tree could express dread at the arrival of the wood cutter with his axe.  Osho talks of how he used to talk to the Gulmohur tree in his college campus and how it would always welcome him.

Read this fairy tale from Hans Christian Andersen about the Christmas Tree. It is a fairy tale that imagines how a tree feels and aspires much like us. In this case the tree seems to have learnt to feel all the thoughts of the ever vulnerable man!

In closing, let me give an image of Bala Krishna, lying on a vatapatra (=Ashwattha leaf), sucking his own big toe!

Shaantaakaaram

Last weekend I was with four close companions in USA who took me to two Vishnu temples and made me recite Vishnusahasranama. They recite it daily and are devotees whose life exemplifies good values.

I came home and lit the lamp and played the wonderful Sahasranama record of Kishori Amonkar (Music Today). The way she has sung the dhyana shloka  Shaantaakaaram is so evocative. Listen to it here:

Shaantaakaaram sung by Kishori Amonkar

Today, after my companions' treat to me, and amidst thoughts of all that we discussed, my mind says:

I am stressed out so much by things and happenings, but my deity Narayana is the very embodiment of peace, eventhough he is lying down on a mighty serpent! He is not dependent on anyone else or anything else for bringing him beauty, as he has created the lotus flower himself from his navel and is verily immersing himself in its beauty. No wonder even the gods run to him for succour, he is their absolute master.  Not only that, he is the lord of all creation, and as expansive as the sky. His colour of the rain cloud informs of his grace that pours down on all. His very form is so auspicious for me to contemplate.

One so much at peace with himself, so creative and expansive, supporting the universe and showering grace, no doubt is the beloved of all prosperity. He seeks nothing, and yet all prosperity comes and woos him. He is full of love, and his eyes show it like two beautiful lotuses. This form is the ideal that yogis envision in their meditation.

By bowing down to him, I have no more fear of what transpires in my silly world. He is after all my sole refuge.

The Sydney Opera House

From Weekend Sydney

This is a magnificent structure, and Sydney is duly proud of it. It was conceived and largely built by Danish architect Jørn Utzon, who in 2003 received the Pritzker Prize, architecture's highest honour. The citation stated

“ There is no doubt that the Sydney Opera House is his masterpiece. It is one of the great iconic buildings of the 20th century, an image of great beauty that has become known throughout the world – a symbol for not only a city, but a whole country and continent. ”

The Opera House was made a UNESCO World Heritage Site on 28 June 2007. It is one of the 20th century's most distinctive buildings, and one of the most famous performing arts centres in the world.

Utzon won a contest to design and erect an Opera House, and conceived of a design which was easy to "manufacture" and erect. In fact the entire structure is largely cement, ceramic tiles and wooden interiors.  There is a plaque showing how the structure which evokes visions of sails blowing in the harbour actually is made up of parts of the surface of a sphere, which can be cleverly divided up. That was the way the tiles were made in Sweden and transported all the way here.

I understand that Utzon was accused of underballing the cost estimate, which was over-run several times, and he was in fact dismissed towards the end. Sadly, he was not even at the inauguration ceremony. You can read more about it here.

I attended a grand eight piano concert here. All Steinways. The atmosphere was electric. The Australian pianists as well as the presenter were a huge revelation. And finally, after we had soaked up a wonderfully rich feast of profound music, one of the pianists went up to the organ. The Sydney Opera House organ is perhaps the largest in the world, weighs tons, and looms impressively in that magnificent concert hall. The organ made an absolutely mind-blowing impact. And the eight Steinways sounded like a feeble chorus of priests propitiating God himself. Think of Vishwaroopa Darshana.

The organ is located so high that the pianist had refused to go up there as he would have to look down from such a great height into the cavity of that huge concert hall. He agreed to go and play, only after they agreed that he would be screened off from the audience. There was therefore a black screen behind him, but his dimunitive figure was nothing compared to the grand, glowing sight of that spectacular organ.

Steinway supplied the original piano that Edison used to record the first sounds on his phonograph. I think it was Handel's Messiah. Edison, world's greatest inventor, was amazed by the quality of sound that the piano could reproduce, and wrote,

What great works are wrought by man, and think of the One who made him!

Attachment 3.0

This is a photo I took in 2005 in a shop window in Barcelona. The photo shows luxury clothes, but also the expressions on the mannequins' faces is interesting. (You can see the reflection of the ubiquitous churches in the glass.). What are they thinking, or craving?

Now what do I intend to write about? About the human feeling of attachment. I think the evolution of man has seen a change in the way attachment is felt and expressed, and the nature of attachment itself. I think we are at a respectable version 3.0 now, and it is as problem ridden as any version of Windows!

What was Attachment Version 1.0?  Hark back to the days of our epics. They had attachment, but mainly to people, their families, their honour and their kingdom. They would die for their people. But people were not attached at that time so much to things. I mean creature comforts or objects of desire. Take for example King Janaka. He was willing to risk the famous Shiva's Bow, as long as he got a suitable man for his daughter Sita. So much so that Rama broke the bow, only to be congratulated by King Janaka.

You will notice that Hanuman found Sanjivani, that would bring the dead back to life. But he did not patent it or hoard it or brand it or sell it. He was singularly lacking in a business sense... but then nobody seemed to care for things at that time.

Even in Mahabharata, we do not find people holding on to things as much as to their positions of honour and prestige. So much so that Karna gave away his divine ornaments.

That was V1.0. Attachment to people and honour. Then came V 2.0. The times of Nadir Shah and the like. The way they looted kingdoms for a diamond. Pillaged for pearls. And killed own brothren for the goodies. With V 2.0, you were attached to your precious heirlooms, things like money and assets. If you see any vintage movie, they show how a man's will is read just after the funeral. Everyone gathers around, and nobody is mourning the death of the man as much as any denial of their share in the family fortune. They are willing to kill one another for it.

The entire modern economy developed on principles of wealth and security. This is classic V2.0, where you don't care for people as much as for your things. In fact you deal with the company, which is called an entity. People just don't matter!

Interestingly, the V2.0 was obseleted by the same people who created it. Of course they made lots of money as you insured your assets, and speculated on gain and appreciation of value. But nobody cares for you really, and how much you enjoy your things. In fact it is bad for the economy if you stay with things you love. It is better that you tire of them soon, sell them off, and buy new! The man who made this discovery was that magician who came selling Alauddin the new lamp for old.

So old is no longer gold. You need to replace or upgrade all the time. Not only do you upgrade your computer or TV, you upgrade everything... your clothes, your jewellery, your home, your job, your club membership, your car, your every single possession. Nothing is sacred, nothing is supposed to last. It is a replacement culture. So V 2.0 is dead!

Now we have V 3.0. You're attached neither to things nor people. In fact you don't know what you're attached to. You are in fact attached only to your self image. Your self image, or Avtar, is everything. You don't watch the same kind of movies, or listen to the same kind of music, or dine in the same restaurant. You are available to every kind of new experience. You are constantly connected to the entire world, and in fact MOST OF IT IS ONLY A VIRTUAL EXPERIENCE.  You hardly deal with real, palpable things. Your world is full of You Tube, Facebook, Twitter, Internet, Email, and blogs! You can relate only to your email ID and your Avtar. Nothing else matters or has any value. In fact this is the ultimate decadence of attachment... V 3.0. That means you are infatuated only with your self image. And this is not going to change ever... it does not matter what anyone thinks.... because there is NO REAL VALUE ANYMORE.

Alas, we have Attachment V3.0.  Do you agree?

Lalgudi G. Jayaraman

And there was a Lalgudi.

I am full of trepidation as I write this. I am writing about an extraordinary musical soul who lives amongst us and has created a wonderful legacy of music. He comes from a family of musicians, and his great grand-father was a disciple of Saint Thyagaraja. In fact Thyagaraja composed five magnificent songs while he was visiting this disciple in the village of Lalgudi.

That was over 170 years ago perhaps. And today, there is a musician amongst us who is totally unmatched for his contribution to Carnatic music. Who am I to say this? Actually a nobody. But I cannot help express these thoughts as I listen to his music streaming from a glorious blog site. This is a 1970's concert with Palghat Raghu on the mridangam. Listen to it and you will take a few hours to recover from its musical impact. It is studded with gems.

Thanks to the great rasika and patron of the arts K. Srikantiah of Mysore Parvathi. The blog created by Vishwanath of New Jersey is a cornucopia of memories and music.

I attended three concerts of Lalgudi in Mysore in 1967-68 within a span of 3-4 days. I was so mesmerised, I sat close to the dais. And  I got his autograph. He signed with a flourish, the letter L shaped like a violin.

This great maestro has composed so many wonderful tillanas and other songs. He has given countless magnificient concerts. He has accompanied the great musicians like only he can. He has trained students who can hold their own today. He has created an incomparable solo violin style. The way he modulates the sound, the way he makes the violin speak the words... the way he creates a wonderful dialogue in the improvisation passages, bringing to our hearts the very God of music.... The way he coaxes the violin time and again to do even more...It is difficult to see where the bow and strings end, where the player begins and ends, and where God steps in and takes over.....

I remember an occasion when Lalgudi was playing in Krishna Gana Sabha. A suburban train passing by blew the strident whistle. At once he played the exact same sound and welcomed it to become a part of his raga essay...

I remember Lalgudi accompanying MDR in Bidaram Rama Mandira. MDR always had a packet of Kalkandu (crystal sugar) and dry fruits and so on, which he would strew in front of himself on the stage and occasionally pop some into his mouth with a delectable expression. Lalgudi would look out for a chance and steal a few pieces for himself and delight in them... the mridangam player would not be left behind either (I think it was TVG)...

Listen to the concert in the link. Each piece is a nugget. Kharaharapriya, Jayathasri, Mohana, Yadukula Kambodhi, Shanmukhapriya, the ragamalika in the end where he plays five octaves on the violin......Krishna nee begane....it is an endless treat.

Sometimes one is glad to be alive in THIS world. Where there is music and there is Lalgudi.....

Séraphine

Séraphine. This is a real story, made recently into a  famous French movie (7 Césars including Best Actress for Yolande Moreau) and I was lucky to see it on SQ233 enroute to Sydney.


Like so many French movies I have seen, the movie paints brilliant character portraits against a visually depressing imagery of buildings and spaces. The colours of walls are all dark dirty green or brown and black, and you wonder if you would like to be alive for even a few minutes in such a space, shorn of the bright hues and sunlit life basking under a blue sky (something you can count on here in Sydney).

But the characters are different. I don't understand French much, but their spoken words are so fine on my ears, and the captions help to follow the brilliant expressions and thoughts of the characters.

In this film, the main character Séraphine is an ageing woman of dull appearance and body language, trundling along, working to scrub floors and wash the laundry of her convent nuns in a stream, in a depressing town called Senlis in Pre-WW I days. But wait a bit, and she transforms herself in front of our eyes as she secretly paints in her dingy dark room by candle light. She is very masculine in all her gestures, and has no niceties about her; but two things are luminous always..her paintings in candle light and her eyes and face as she communicates with Mary in the church. The bright shapes of flowers and fruits in her paintings are so cheerful. There is some kind of a dynamic in the visuals as you think you are almost walking amidst these cheerful expressions of Mother Nature.

Séraphine the maid who has always hidden her artistic side from everyone opens up to her benefactor. Herr Wilhelm Uhde, a famous art collector and promoter hiding  in Senlis away from the bustle of Paris, discovers that this house maid is a gifted painter. He convinces Séraphine to concentrate on her painting and make enough works to hold an exhibition in Paris.

Séraphine, who embraces trees and sees visions of beauty as she saunters in the woods, now has dreams of living a life of comfort and elegance. She even rents a large and comfortable apartment. She orders a silk bridal gown in preparation for some dreamy ceremony with silver candles and so on she envisions. By the way, she is touching 60 and says she has no family at all.

But the WW not only  tears down many lives, it also destroys the art market so Herr Uhde is no longer able to promote Séraphine  as a great artist and get her to move up from the drudgery of a house maid's work to the comfortable life of a successful painter.

 The shortlived dream is dashed as Herr Uhde says there are no buyers now for her paintings. Séraphine is left alone to become eccentric and irritable. She is finally bundled off to a lunatic asylum. No one, neither Herr Uhde nor any of the town folk think of taking Séraphine  under their care and making her feel better in her last,dark days.

Luckily, Herr Uhde pays for the asylum to move Séraphine  into better quarters and she is able to walk into the wood peacefully and sit under a large tree as she counts her last days.




There are haunting questions the movie asks. What makes an artist? Whence comes the inspiration and talent?

How weak is man's nature, that we cannot sustain the spirit of creativity in the artist, and show them love and care when they need it most? Why does a Séraphine, or for that matter, van Gogh, go mad?

The Red Balloon

I chanced to see this very simple and imaginative short film. It was made in Paris in 1956 in an area rather bleak in appearance which highlights the contrast of a bright red balloon.

The story is a fantasy of a young boy chancing upon a red helium balloon with a mind of its own. The balloon wants to be with him all the time and he has a great deal of fun taking it to play and school. The balloon has intelligence and feelings too... I saw it fall in love with another blue balloon!

In the end some bullies chase, torment and finally kill the balloon. Thereupon all the balloons of Paris converge to cheer up the boy and in fact take him on an aerial trip!

The movie-maker Albert Lamorisse has kindled our imagination with an insight into how we actually subliminally relate to a universally attractive plaything like a balloon. He won an Oscar for screen play.. and there are VERY few words spoken in the entire film. Shows you how a picture is worth a....

You can find more about the film here. Better still, you can watch a You tube clip here.

Hercule Poirot's walking stick

Watch this, mon ami!

You tube clip