Anaahata - The Heart Chakra

For long we have heard much about the heart centre in Kundalini Yoga. It is called the Anaahata Chakra. Anaahata means the "Not-struck sound".

How does the Heart or Love Chakra sound, without a sound!? 

The best explanation is here. From Ishwar-ji, who else 🙏❤️🙏

The Third Eye

॥ महामृत्युञ्जयमन्त्रम् ॥

ॐ त्र्यम्बकं यजामहे 

सुगन्धिं पुष्टिवर्धनम्   ।

उर्वारुकमिव बन्धनात्

मृत्योर्मुक्षीय मामृतात्   ॥

This is a lofty prayer taught by sadhus and mahatmas as a powerful chant to ward off disease and death. It is one of the most famous prayers to Lord Shiva, known as the Great Destroyer also. 

Meaning (my translation) :

Om! We worship the Three-eyed Lord

Who grants us the fragrance of life, Enhances our nourishment by nature, 

Oh Lord! Release us from the bondage of death which is akin to a cucumber falling off naturally from its creeper; 

but not from our immortality as we are made in Your image! 

I have recently developed a new interpretation of the Three-eyed Lord and this prayer. 

Shiva has three eyes. Usually they are called sun, moon and agni. 

वन्दे सूर्य-शशाङ्क-वह्नि-नयनम् वन्दे शिवं शङ्करम् 

It is often seen that the two eyes of God (Vishnu, Shiva...) are called the sun and the moon. This is our way of connecting these celestial objects as reminders of God. 

Shiva's third eye is called agni because when He opens it in anger, He burns down everything. That is what happened to Manmatha when he was chartered by the gods to go help Parvati in her propitiating Shiva when she was seeking His hand. Manmatha with the help of Vasanta (spring) tried to smite Shiva with his arrows of love. Shiva wasn't pleased when disturbed in His meditation and opened His third eye which instantly burned Manmatha down. 

But here is my new interpretation. All creation - man and nature included- is a projection of God's creative intelligence. We call creation the Leela or sport of Ishwara which may be loosely translated as God. 

This paradigm of creation is human-centric because all our perception is anyway human-centric, including our conception of God. 

Man experiences three realities in this creation:

One is energy. There is no creation without energy. The most powerful symbol of energy is the sun.

Energy is key to all material activity as well as material transformation. In fact matter is another manifestation of energy at various levels. There is a very great amount of energy stored in every atom. Even man can function only by using his physical energy in this world. (पुष्टिवर्धनम्) 

Creation is also life. Life is nourished by nature. Nature is the magical interplay of the five elements to create this biological and physiological world and its sustenance. Famously this is compared to the moon. Natural to life is attraction, nourishment, co-habitation and procreation. This is a key aspect or Ishwara's Leela. (सुगन्धिम्) 

The third and most important in the human-centric creation is what we call awareness, intelligence, and the experience of will. This is what differentiates man as the pinnacle of the life order and what makes him an image of God (अमृतम्). This awareness of one's soul or the immortal component of our existence is what makes a man seeker. The realised masters tell us everyone is making this same journey to discover one's immortality, whichever path we take. Sooner or later each one gets there. This is the inherent motive-force in man. This I call Agni or fire. Remember man differentiated himself from all other forms of life by making fire. He uses fire to sustain himself. He offers fire worship to invoke God.  

अग्निमीळे पुरोहितम् 

 So when I think of the Three-eyed God (त्र्यम्बकम्) I know he gives me energy (पुष्टिवर्धनम्) , he gives me life (सुगन्धिम्), and he gives me the fire of intelligence (अमृतम्) to seek my path back to God. 

Glory to the Three-eyed God! 

Glory to Ishwar-ji! 

Postscript: This concept is clearly discussed in the Bhagavadgita. Krishna explains it in detail in the 15th Chapter which is called Purushottama Yoga. It discusses creation, Ishwara and the path back to Ishwara. 

Birthday जन्मदिनशुभेच्छा song

जन्मदिनमिदम् अयि प्रिय सखे / सखि ।

Today is your birthday, oh my dear friend!  (man/woman respectively) 

शं तनोतु ते सर्वदा मुदम् ॥ १ ॥

May your prosperity and happiness increase always! 

प्रार्थयामहे भव शतायुषी ।

We pray that you live to be a hundred! 

इश्वरः सदा त्वां च रक्षतु || २ ||

May God always protect you! 

राष्ट्रसेवया कीर्तिमार्जय  |

By serving the nation, earn your fame! 

जीवनं तव भवतु सार्थकम् || ३ ||

May your life be fruitful and fulfilled! 

Composed by Pujya Swami Tejomayananda, Chinmaya Mission

(Sung in Yaman, May versions on You Tube) 

The Inner Infinity

There is no way I can describe my inner infinity. But here is a try. 

Of endless brightness, a golden pink glow is my inner sky. 

With no dimension, pure consciousness, am I. 

In total bliss, in His love, I fly. 

Radiant, fragrant, resonant, 

Blissful, overflowing love - 

To describe is beyond my ability. 

Simply totally alive, eternal, all seeing, inner eye. 

An invisible switch that I can apply

To step into the sunny reality of I and my, 

Or to fly in His infinite inner endless sky. 

ಕೊಂಬೆಗಳ ಮಧ್ಯ ಕಿರಣಗಳ ಇಣುಕು

(ಡಾ. ರೋಹಿತ ಶಾಸ್ತ್ರಿಅವರ ಛಾಯಾಗ್ರಹಣ, ಮೈಸೂರು)

ಮಾನವನ ಮನಸಿನಲಿ

ತರತರದ ತೊಂದರೆಯ

ತೊಡಕುಗಳ ತಳಮಳದಿ

ತಿಳಿಯಾಗಿ ತೆಳುವಾಗಿ

ತೋರ್ಪ ಆಶಾಕಿರಣ

ದಾರಿದೀಪವೊ ನಿನಗೆ

ದುಗುಡಮತಿಯೇ!

Song on Cauvery (written same day on 2016)

My song on Cauvery:

Oh Cauvery! Goddess of the South! 

Blest are we that you descended on earth. 

Born in the verdant hills, with mist-kissed tresses, 

You frolick in dense forests and fertile fields, 

It is not just sweet water 

that you give us, Mother, 

You are our life breath. 

Every grain of rice we eat, 

Every drop of milk we drink, 

Every fruit, root and leaf,

Nourishes us with your sweetness. 

You harbour no malice. 

You give freely to all. 

But you have us as your children. 

We cannot but fight. 

We tear, burn and destroy. 

We want to starve each other. 

Did you feed us this greed? This hate? 

Will your waters douse

The raging flames of our fate!? 

Or will you just dry up

And return to heaven

Before it is too late?

How I fixed my desktop mic problem

I realized early on during the lockdown that I would be doing a lot of webinars and video conferences. My MacBook Pro is excellent. My mobile phone Oneplus 7T is very good especially its front facing HD camera. But I wanted a Windows PC also to have this facility.

My HP All-in-One is very good but I had broken off the audio 3.5mm jack in the headset socket some time ago inadvertently. So the audio was disabled. The broken bit stays inside the socket and even an expert couldn't retrieve it. 

So??? 

I did the following:

1. Reinstalled Windows 10 and upgraded the RAM to 8GB. Total cost of parts and services ₹2400.- But still audio dead. 

2. Connected my Fenda 330BT 2.1 speaker system via Bluetooth to HP. It works well but I still had no mic and no headphone functionality.

3. Bought the USB to mic+headphone adapter as shown in the pic for₹289.- on Amazon.

     It arrived today. I inadvertently dropped the green item while opening the box. It promptly broke up😧but luckily only the case was broken but not the PCB or Jack's inside. I applied a cello tape solution and I connected it to the HP PC. 

I have a stereo collar mic from Sony bought many years ago (helps HD recording on my DSLR and PC etc.)

Connected it to the PC. Started Audacity. It works! It records in stereo! 

I have headphones I can connect to the other port on the USB adapter. I am. All set now for Audio and Video conferences! 👍👍👍

Old Tirupati video

 

No Math

Have you thought about it? The word माया (māyā), which describes the world we live in, comes from the Sanskrit verb मीय् which means to measure.

So the world of math is our world. I have been mouthing a pet theory for many years now, which says that EVERYTHING in this creation has a self-limit switch. So everything has a "measurable" limit of performance, magnitude, or duration. 

Well I thought this morning, are there things amidst us which don't allow arithmetic? 

Sure! 

1. At some. point, lies DON'T ADD UP. 

2. You cannot SUBTRACT from the time on your hands. You can only change what you do.

3. Mountains don't multiply. In fact I think they don't like to multiply. 

4. You cannot divide a fountain. You can only replace it with several smaller ones, but not divide it as it is. At least an honourable, self-respecting one, not one that has sprung from a leaky garden hose. I mean a grand one like this in Geneva.... 😊

The Archer Pose :आकर्णधनुरासनम्

Happy Teacher's Day!

What makes a great teacher? A question that is relevant on 5 Sept.

1. The teacher loves to teach.

2. The teacher constantly invents new ways to teach.

3. The teacher knows the student's capacity.

4. The teacher wants the student to progress.

5. The teacher shows the way, but lets the student walk the way. .

6. The teacher reminds the student of the goal.

7. The teacher inspires by example.

8. The teacher is the face of a tradition where he was also once a student.

9. The teacher instills reverence for learning.

10. The teacher likes the student to excel him and take the knowledge tradition forward.

Bhagavan Krishna is the best teacher known to me.

Happy Teacher's Day!

Rangoli

Business Dharma (धर्म)

I was recently trying to convey to a colleague why we find it so hard to build a successful business even for great products. It is typical for a technology company to study existing products in any space and come up with a better gizmo. This is true not only for gadgets and medical devices and such systems. It is true for business software, service solutions of all kinds, offshore tech. services, consumer products and even businesses like restaurants. 

The problem starts with thinking that a better gizmo creates instant demand. Come on, after all, customers aren't stupid, right? The moment they see a better box, they would know it. They are EXPECTED to know what's good for them, after all.

Well, my response to this hypothesis is, SORRY, IT'S PLAIN WRONG. You see,  even the customer is a human being. He thinks and acts based on emotions, felt needs, changing priorities, circumstances, pride, prestige, insecurity, fear, doubt, and peer pressure. Therefore the way he perceives your product is a very complex emotional mind-scape and very very few marketers get it right. Remember that the Bollywood moghul, Raj Kapoor, famously said that he didn't understand why Bobby succeeded, and why Mera Naam Joker flopped. He had the best sense what the public wanted, and yet he failed.

The great businesses do not hesitate to engage with customers. This is true before we make a product, and even more important on an ongoing basis after we launch products. This is not just advertising and publicity but serious voice of the customer and mind of the customer thing. Even Steve Jobs, who went with his instinct for what the customer wants and didn't believe in focus groups and such, conceded it was the most important thing for a business to live in the immersive world of its customer to understand his psychology intuitively. 

The best products in any space are not the most feature-rich or most elaborately engineered. The value proposition is not a simple price-benefit equation but a complex dance between the seller and buyer that is multi-layered. 

I could illustrate this with the example of the iPhone, of which I was one of the earliest customers in 2007. The iPhone addressed the customer's need for consuming the benefits of the connected digital world without the hassle of a clunky box called the PC. It met the need for a reliable and efficient hand held device that was wireless phone, music player, camera and browser with email. The result was that at $800, a pricey little device put in your hands did so many things so well and cost as a replacement much less than the cost of a number of boxes you would have used otherwise. Add to it convenience and pride of ownership.

All the modern e-commerce we talk of, social media, You Tube, everything we take for granted today stemmed from that one successful mapping of a consumer psychology. This is called in Hinduism काम. 

Once we have a grip on the psychology, we move on to firmer ground. This is the technology piece.  So if I want to make a sugarless sweet drink for example, or the most comfortable uncrumple-able cotton shirt or the best mobile phone experience, I can go to the design board and work on the science and technology of how to make the features and specifications tick. I can measure what it needs to be. This is hard. But this technology piece seems at least a predictable thing. So it is like कर्म Karma theory. Cause-effect, input-output. 

But it can be a complex equation too, and getting it right, doing failure analysis, and stacking the quality function deployment equation for most competitive positioning, is a scientific game and we need to play here smartly. Here also, customer-driven measurements like conjoint analysis are needed. I have seen big and small businesses fail here, in their hurry to get to the market, showing a lack of fortitude to work the harder details like safety and reliability, and a rush to impress investors and please salesmen.

So OK, we understood the customer psychology, we designed with the best technology, and our product is ready. Does it guarantee success in terms of market share, profits and growth? This is economics. This economics bit is called अर्थ.

Economics is the tricky piece. The reason for the failure of economics world over is that people are thrilled to be unpredictable and don't care for the economist's predictions. Ask any lady who goes to a saree shop and sees about 25 sarees just for a lark and walks out without buying anything. 

In the '90s, Steve Jobs failed. His ideas were well before his time. I know someone who had invested all his savings in Apple stock and lost everything in mid '90s. He came back to India to start from scratch. Imagine if he had held on to Apple stock till today. 

Every attractive advertisement for mutual funds begins by saying one should be smart and invest in mutual funds. But the last bit says, "please note past performance is no indicator of future results and all risks are the investor's alone." This should show us how unpredictable market success is. 

The fact that market success is not a direct function of either technology or psychology as we understood it in the first instance makes for the world of business we are in. So many experts and economists make a living explaining why you went wrong, all with a perfect 20/20 vision of the past. All their glib talk stops when you ask them, "tell me, what will succeed next? Can you tell me what is the winning formula for the next business success?" Their humming and hawing starts and they hastily collect their cheque and walk out. 

The wheel of all business activity or business धर्म goes round these three - psychology= काम, technology= कर्म, and economics=अर्थ. I have quoted the traditional Hindu terms for these three aspects, and used the nearest equivalents in English. Economics is a word associated with micro and macro behaviour and does not exactly represent business uncertainties I am talking of. Maybe one can come up with a better word.

So in summary, what I am saying here is that unless we do a good job of understanding psychology, we won't get technology right. And even after we get psychology and technology right, the vagaries of the market place may stop us from achieving the business or economic success we planned for. We have to be humble enough to accept this, and focus on what we can do right = engage with customers constantly and understand them. And use all the technology to come up with the best product or service. And keep engaged, and not give up easily. May be that will give us better economics. But the wheel moves on. 

Post-edit: There can be a question. Even if this model works for businesses like milk biscuits and soaps, which are B2C, i.e. we address the consumer and meet his needs, does it apply to B2B or a business to business situation? Like selling advertising space to a tyre manufacturer who supplies tyres to car manufacturers? Where does psychology come in there? 

Ask any seasoned campaigner in this space. Buyer or Seller. He will tell you how much psychology played a role in choices and decisions.  It may be a simple price game or spec game sometimes. But the relationship built over time and the projected success or failure of the relationship or business alliance will be a clincher. That is the logic behind giving freebies, inducements and such. I don't mean this in a corrupt way. Eventually, in a Dharmic way, we can conduct our transactions by focussing on the psychology and architecting the technology. Communication is the current that runs through all this, and one cannot emphasise too much this: how well we communicate will determine the positive momentum in any B2B relationship also.

The Sanskrit magnet

In today's Vijayavani, Dr. Bhuvaneshwari Hegde,  a professor of economics in Mangalore and a popular writer and speaker, has written about her recent introduction to Sanskrit and its power.

I summarise here for those who don't read Kannada:

Having taught economics for a couple of decades, she was wondering how reading Kautilya, the world's most insightful politico-economist, in the original Sanskrit would be so wonderful. 

Meanwhile, the case of a neighbour's child who stammered and was ridiculed by all as "Uggappa" (stammered), made her go and get help from a psychologist and therapist for the neighbour's child. That wise doctor advised that the child should be taught to chant Sanskrit shlokas, as it would significantly improve his speech, remove stammering, and make him also intelligent and confident. Once they followed the advice, this proved to be the truth and the magical transformation of the boy was noted with wonder by the professor.

And recently, after an apartment neighbour succumbed to Covid, she was herself sufficiently flustered to go back to the same therapist. Smilingly, he recommended her also to start learning Sanskrit, a cure-all. Accordingly, she approached her colleague and long-term friend Mrs. Vishwas. She enthusiastically enrolled Dr. Hegde into the online "Samskrita  Sambhashana Shibira", which opened up a wonder world of Sanskrit and also helped Dr. Hegde make friends worldwide among similar professionals and seniors of great accomplishments who belatedly espoused learning Sanskrit. Dr. Hegde also managed to compose a couplet on Covid in Sanskrit! 

Dr. Hegde benefitted in more ways than one. She came to know of the late Dr. Shyama Shastri of Mysore, the great unveiler of Kautilya's ArthaShastra deciphered from age-old manuscripts. He was awarded doctorates and Mahamahoadhyaya honours for his epic labours. Even Gandhiji had applauded the man.

Dr. Hegde also came to know about the wonders of Sanskrit, including the purported first use of the phonograph by Edison to record the first verse of Rigveda recited by Max Mueller (I doubt this story). And the compendium of Sanskrit history nuggets by Sri. Janardana Hegde. 

I am really glad I also started this journey 4 years ago, and have benefitted by reading the books of Sri. Janardana Hegde and Dr. Vishwas, luminaries of Samskrita Bharati. 

God bless all the proponents of Sanskrit! 

Om Chanting at 440 Hz

Independence Day

 

Vidura Neeti

The Vyasa Vihara with Dr. Ganesh continues. He is speaking about Vidura Neeti wherein Vidura comes at night as requested by a sleepless Dhritarashtra to give him sagely advice. This is in Udyoga Parva just before all hell breaks loose as Kauravas refuse to budge.

Among many gems of great advice, covering all aspects of human conduct, social and political and economic order, and wisdom for a ruler, I found the shloka shown above to mean a lot. 

This shloka shown above says that truly श्रियः prosperity is fostered and protected in one's life only by observance of seven virtues:

धृतिः — Fortitude and steadiness

शमः  — Temperance and self-control

दमः  — Not yielding to temptation and provocation 

शौचम् — Cleanliness in body and mind

कारण्यम् —Compassion 

वागनिष्ठुरा —Speech not hurtful

मित्राणाम् अनभिद्रोहः —Non-betrayal of friends

These seven virtues preserve and nourish prosperity just as the right ingredients build up and hold the altar fire. 

Ishwar-ji And Bhagavadgita

I am indeed blessed to have been touched by Shri Ishwar Puri-ji, the perfect living master of the Sant Mat Surat Shabd Yoga. He is a living God, 94 years old, and travels internationally all year round. His talks are like lightning strikes on our ignorance, and  he is so full of love that it is beyond description. Ever since I met him in October 2019, my life has been transformed. 

Bhagavan Shri Krishna has come to me in the form of Ishwar-ji. I am writing this article after much hesitation, but I wanted to list shlokas of the Bhagavadgita, the song of God, that closely reflect the message of Ishwar-ji as I have understood him. His You Tube videos are available at Isha News Media. 

I request dear Ishwar-ji to excuse me for any mistakes. 

सर्वयोनिषु कौन्तेय मूर्तयः सम्भवन्ति याः ।

तासां ब्रह्म महद्योनिरहं बीजप्रदः पिता       ॥ १४-४॥

Oh Arjuna, all creatures, born in whatever wombs, are born out of the womb of Brahman and I (Ishwara=God) am the one who plants the seed of everything. 

प्रकृत्यैव च कर्माणि क्रियमाणानि सर्वशः ।

यः पश्यति तथात्मानमकर्तारं स पश्यति     ॥ १३-३०॥

Nature, consisting of the mind, is the cause of all experiences and actions. The one who experiences himself as the non-doer Soul within, he sees truly. 

शरीरं यदवाप्नोति यच्चाप्युत्क्रामतीश्वरः ।

गृहीत्वैतानि संयाति वायुर्गन्धानिवाशयात्   ॥ १५-८॥

Every soul that takes up a body and departs at death carries with him the mind, full of memories, tendencies, and his karmas, just like the wind that blows always carries the fragrances of all it touches. 

स्पर्शान्कृत्वा बहिर्बाह्यांश्चक्षुश्चैवान्तरे भ्रुवोः ।

प्राणापानौ समौ कृत्वा नासाभ्यन्तरचारिणौ ॥ ५-२७॥

The way to meditate is to withdraw attention completely from all external objects and to focus on the inner eye behind the eyebrow centre. And balancing one's breath to calm the mind, to contemplate the Ultimate. 

योगिनामपि सर्वेषां मद्गतेनान्तरात्मना ।

श्रद्धावान्भजते यो मां स मे युक्ततमो मतः   ॥ ६-४७॥

Even among yogis who meditate on the Soul, the one who is totally immersed in Me (Ishwara, the Supreme Soul) with love and devotion, is the greatest meditator. 

यतः प्रवृत्तिर्भूतानां येन सर्वमिदं ततम् ।

स्वकर्मणा तमभ्यर्च्य सिद्धिं विन्दति मानवः ॥ १८-४६॥

The way to live in this world is to serve, with all one's actions, that Iswara, who is the cause of all creation and who permeates everything as the Super consciousness. 

अनन्याश्चिन्तयन्तो मां ये जनाः पर्युपासते ।

तेषां नित्याभियुक्तानां योगक्षेमं वहाम्यहम् ॥ ९-२२॥

Those who abandon every other thought and meditate on Me with love and devotion - I shall Myself take care of all their here and hereafter in all aspects (life and salvation). 

Love and devotion are the way to reach Ishwara! 

Kalidasa learns a lesson

This legend is about the greatest Indian poet, Kaviratna, Kalidasa. 

Kalidasa is proceeding on a long journey in the hot sun and is very thirsty. He sees a woman drawing water from a well.  He goes to her and requests that she give him water to drink. He is surprised when the woman says in return that she doesn't know him.  "Please introduce yourself and only then can I give you water." 

Kalidasa, the poet laureate, replies, 

" I am a traveller. (ಪ್ರವಾಸಿ)." 

The woman replies, "Sir, there are only two travellers on earth. The sun and the moon. They travel forever, regardless of anything." 

Kalidasa says, "Then I am a guest. (ಅತಿಥಿ)". 

She replies, "Sir, there are only two guests in this world. Youth and wealth. They come without announcement and go away the same way." 

Kalidasa says, a bit peeved, "Then I am Forbearance. (ಸಹನಶೀಲತೆ)." 

The woman is undeterred. She says, "Sir, there are only two embodiments of forbearance.bMother earth and the tree. We trample on earth and cut down trees. They bear it without complaint." 

Kalidasa says, "Know me to be stubborn. (ಹಠವಾದಿ)" 

The woman smiles and says, "Sir, the only two things that never listen to anyone and carry on are: one's hair and one's nails. They grow stubbornly." 

Kalidasa has come to the end of his wits. He says, "Then take me for a fool! (ಮೂರ್ಖ)." 

The woman says," Sir, surely you should know that there are only two real fools on earth. The incompetent king who doesn't know he is a fool. And his minister who goes on praising him, even when the king is a fool. "

Kalidasa says, in desperation, "At least, can I say I am a human? (ಮನುಷ್ಯ)"

The woman gives him water to drink. And reveals herself to be Goddess Saraswati. She says, "The greatest recognition for anyone is to be truly human." 

Bring up your kids rolling in wealth. They will become perhaps rich. But bring them up in tough circumstances, make them human. 

Sri Gurupadukastotram

This glorious prayer to the sandals/footwear of the Sri Guru has been composed by the colossus 

Jagadguru Sri Sachchidananda Shivabhinava Nrisimha Bharati Swamiji of Sringeri Math.

We recently went through this great composition as we were taught by Swami Tejomayanandaji of Chinmaya Mission. I am therefore inspired to write this blog. I shall attempt to give the shloka meanings word-by-word and my own understanding.

1.

• नालीकनीकाशपदाधृताभ्याम् - the pair of footwear that bear the lotus-like feet (of the Guru)
• नारीविमोहादिनिवारकाभ्याम् - that remove the infatuation with women (/men) and so on,
• नमज्जनाभीष्टततिप्रदाभ्याम् - that confer fulfilment of a series of desires for devotees who bow down,
• नमो नमः श्रीगुरुपादुकाभ्याम् - to that sacred pair of footwear, our repeated obeisances.

2. 

• शमादिषट्कप्रदवैभवाभ्याम् - that have the glory of conferring Shama and other six-fold virtues to the seeker,
• समाधिदानव्रतदीक्षिताभ्याम् - that are vow-bound to confer Samadhi on the true seeker,
• रमाधवाङ्घ्रिस्थिरभक्तिदाभ्याम् - that grant us firm devotion to the feet of Narayana, Lord of Lakshmi,
• नमो नमः श्रीगुरुपादुकाभ्याम् - to that sacred pair of footwear, our repeated obeisances.

3. 

• नृपालिमौलिव्रजरत्नकान्तिसरिद्विराजज्झषकन्यकाभ्याम् - that are like a pair of divine mermaids shining in  shimmering waters as they dazzle amidst a series of glittering crowns of a line of kings bowing down to the Guru for his grace,
• नृपत्वदाभ्यां नतलोकपङ्क्तेः- and that, equally, confer lordship to the line of even ordinary devotees bowing down to the Guru ,
• नमो नमः श्रीगुरुपादुकाभ्याम् - to that sacred pair of footwear, our repeated obeisances.

4. 

• अनन्तसंसारसमुद्रतार​-नौकायिताभ्याम् गुरुपादुकाभ्याम् - that divine pair of footwear of the Guru that function as the boat to save us from the endless seas of worldly bondage,
• वैराग्यसाम्राज्यदपूजनाभ्याम् - and confer on us the kingdom of dispassion when worshipped,
• नमो नमः श्रीगुरुपादुकाभ्याम् - to that sacred pair of footwear, our repeated obeisances.

5.

• पापान्धकारार्कपरम्पराभ्याम् - that are like a series of suns to dispel the darkness of sinful and ignorant acts,
• तापत्रयाहीन्द्रखगेश्वराभ्याम् - that are like Garuda, lord of birds, to the mightiest of serpents that are the three-fold troubles faced by mankind,
• जाड्याब्धिसंशोओषणवाडवाभ्याम् - that are like the mythical submarine fire that dries up the ocean of man's inertia in spiritual matters,
• नमो नमः श्रीगुरुपादुकाभ्याम् - to that sacred pair of footwear, our repeated obeisances.

6. 

• कवित्ववाराशिनिशाकराभ्याम् - that are like the moon who inspires the sea of poetic and spiritual insight to wax,
• दारिद्र्यदावाम्बुदमालिकाभ्याम् -that are like a series of rain-bearing clouds to put out the fire of misery and wretchedness of man,
• दूरीकृतानम्रविपत्ततिभ्याम् - that ward off the dangers faced by devotees,
• नमो नमः श्रीगुरुपादुकाभ्याम् - to that sacred pair of footwear, our repeated obeisances.

7.

• नता ययोः श्रीपतितां समीयुः - those bowing down to which pair acquire immeasurable prosperity akin to Lakshmi's consort Vishnu,
• कदाचिदप्याशु दरिद्रवर्याः - even when they may be indeed the most wretched lot at present, 
• मूकश्च वाचस्पतितां हि ताभ्याम् - and alike, a dumb mute becomes the lord of eloquence, bowing down to the pair,
• नमो नमः श्रीगुरुपादुकाभ्याम् - to that sacred pair of footwear, our repeated obeisances.

8. 

• कामादिसर्पव्रजभञ्जकाभ्याम् - the pair that destroy the serpentine enemies of man like lust,
• विवेकवैराग्यनिधिप्रदाभ्याम् - and graciously grant the immense wealth of discrimination and dispassion to the devotee,
• बोधप्रदाभ्याम् द्रुतमोक्षदाभ्याम् - that confer wisdom, and quickly enable liberation of the bound soul,
• नमो नमः श्रीगुरुपादुकाभ्याम् - to that sacred pair of footwear, our repeated obeisances.

9.

• स्वार्चापराणामखिलेष्टदाभ्याम् - to the one dedicated to contemplation of the Self, they grant all desires (which will naturally be of a spiritual nature),
• स्वाहासहायाक्षधुरन्धराभ्याम् - they bear the immense weight of Lord Shankara himself (with fire as his  third eye), as his footwear,
• स्वान्ताच्छभावप्रदपूजनाभ्याम् - and they on worship grant one infinite felicity of revelling in the Self,
• नमो नमः श्रीगुरुपादुकाभ्याम् - to that sacred pair of footwear, our repeated obeisances.

We can see that the Sringeri Swamiji has poured great spiritual instruction into this prayer. He has described the immense glory of even the footwear of the Guru and how worshipping them frees us from bondage and takes us to liberation and grants us true devotion.

My thoughts on going through this prayer are as follows. God, as we intuit Him, in infinite glory, is beyond thought and perception for us. In His infinite grace, to redeem us, He manifests as the Guru in human form. The Guru is glory himself as he attracts us, gives us the right direction, insight, and liberation, constantly guiding us through this world of delusions and attractions and addressing our sense of being impoverished.

Even as we say this, we can at once see that even the Guru is thus beyond our comprehension. He is God in human form. The only thing we can express to him is devotion. But our devotion is in too small a measure even to reach him. So an immediate and ready opportunity presents itself to us: to worship his footwear! His footwear appear to be of material access, but indeed they hold within themselves all the power to grant us devotion, insight, and even liberation. Liberation from a sense of want and incompleteness, and liberation in the form of realising Sat-Chit-Ananda-Brahman.  So it is an easy beginning for us to worship the Guru's padukas.

Om Tat Sat!

Postscript: Some versions of this Stotram have a different sequencing of verses. For example Chinmaya Mission. The sequence shown here is taken from the 1913 publication of Sri Vani Vilas Press, Srirangam. This press was set up by a disciple of the Sringeri Swamiji, the author of the Stotram. I therefore believe this is the original. 

Shatavadhani Dr. R. Ganesh on Mahabharata - Amazing Narratives

Dr. Ganesh (Wikipedia) has been discoursing on Vyasa's Mahabharata  now for over a month. His reverence for Mahabharata is evident, and he is the right speaker on such an encyclopaedic work of India's greatest rishi poet. He reads extensively from the critical edition and also many other sources, with his own highly insightful interpretations. This series, which will continue for many more weeks, is all mercifully archived on You Tube and I share the embed link above to one of the episodes I liked very much.

Mahabharata is full of wonderful stories and episodes apart from the main narrative of Kauravas and Pandavas. Dr. Ganesh says that Mahabharata excels Upanishads, Puranas and all other literature for its immeasurable breadth and depth of narrative on almost all human affairs.

In this lecture, he covers the story of how the Ashvini Devata twins were secured the rights to Soma Havis by Sage Chyavana, son of Bhrigu Maharishi. Chyavana during his austeries invented and  partook of the herbal preparation we now call by the famous name of ChyavanPrash. 

Duirng his severe and long austerity, a huge anthill grows over Chyavana much like in Valmiki's case. Just then Sharyati Maharaja with his entourage arrives in the forest. His only daughter Sukanya is wandering around and comes across this peculiar anthill. She peeps into its holes and sees two shining objects ( Chyavana's eyes). Curiously she pokes a stick at the objects and blinds Chyavana.. An enraged Chayavana  curses her entire family that they should lose the ability to excrete and defecate for her sinful act of blinding him. Sukanya confesses to her father that she had poked the sticks to prise out what she thought were shining insects but it turned out to be the sage's eyes that shone from within. 

At the king's pleading for revoking the curse, Chyavana agrees provided young Sukanya becomes his wife and takes care of him. A contrite Sukanya agrees, despite her being a young, beautiful, princess, and this sage being very old and blind. Dr. Ganesh comments that the Bhrigu lineage was full of sages who were easily incensed, and this princess showed a great responsibility in atoning her inadvertent misdeed and making up to sage Chyavana. 

After some time, the famed twin gods Ashvinis arrive there. Throughout Vedas and Puranas, they are known to have rendered great service and healed many. When they see this beautiful young princess serving her old and blind husband, they are curious. They offer to redeem her and offer that one of them can even marry her. But she flatly refuses, saying she is devoted to her husband and in fact, if they are indeed endowed with divine powers, let them kindly restore youth and eye sight to her husband, Rishi Chyavana. They smilingly agree, and take Chyavana for a dip in the nearby lake. When the three emerge, they are all identical in youth, splendour, and divine ornamentation and dress. They ask her to identify her husband. With her Pativrata insight, Sukanya is easily able to identify the sage. Dr. Ganesh comments here that external appearance is secondary when someone or some subject is close to someone's heart. He says how scholars, goldsmiths and others have an insight and not dependent on external data. 

Sage Chyavana, in his gratitude, offers to secure for the Ashvinis the Soma Yajna offering which has been so far denied to them by Indra. This is an audacious effort, and Dr. Ganesh comments that the Bhiru clan is well known for such courageous and impossible aspirations, In fact, only by striving for something normally beyond one's reach can one discover one's true potential and also realize where the divine comes in and when the human effort stops short. Only then does true Bhakti dawn in one's heart. He quotes, " साहसे श्रीः".

Thereafter Chyavana requests his father in law, the king Sharyati, to join him in the conduct of the Soma Yaga where he will offer the Soma to the Ashvinis. At this stage Dr. Ganesh tells us that traditionally, medicine men are considered a bit impure as they deal with the sick and even the dead. This prejudice is the reason that the Ashvinis have been kept out of Soma Yagas thus far. Indra refuses to let the Ashvinis partake of Soma, saying they are mere workers going around communities seeking to do good and do not exhibit the dignity warranted by the status of Devas. At this stage, Dr. Ganesh quotes the story of Kannada's great litterateur and humourist T.P. Kailasam, who had returned with high qualifications in geology from England and was appointed in Kolar Gold Fields as an officer. But the local brown sahibs and the English frowned on his practice of spending his evenings singing his huge collection of songs and folklore with his harmonium, inviting one and all to his courtyard. Of course Kailasam didn't budge.

Dr. Ganesh also quotes the case of Prof. B.G. L. Swamy, (son of Dr. D.V. Gundappa, a great force in Kannada culture and literature), who headed the botany department in Madras University. Not being one for formalities, Dr. Swamy always went about in his Khaki shorts and short, a true scientist. When an English delegation was visiting, he was requested to stay out of the way as his demeanour would spoil the decorum needed for the occasion. He stayed quietly in his lab, which he had constructed behind a cloth curtain in his office. As the visitors came around for inspection, they were curious to see what was behind that curtain. When they saw him and his lab, they were delighted and told the officials that he truly exemplified the idea of a science professor in England.

This episode of Chyavana highlights what kind of prejudice and false dignity can run in our lives. This story should not be construed as a struggle between gods. 

Continuing the story, Indra is incensed as Chyavana begins to offer Soma to the Ashvinis. He comes to strike Chyavana with his Vajrayudha. Chyavana  uses his Tapas power to freeze Indra and his upraised Vajra. He also wants to teach him a lesson and conjures up a big Pishacha monster who comes to swallow Indra. His mouth is miles wide and with terrible fangs. Indra is terrified and relents with an apology. Chyavana releases Indra to Indra's great relief. Indra admits the Ashvinis to the circle of Devas who can partake Soma havis and the Ashvinis are properly accepted.

Dr. Ganesh shows that such acts of selfless righteousness, full of magnanimity, are seen only in great sages and in neither gods nor men nor demons. Even the way Brahma gave the Natya Shastra only to Bharata Muni and not to gods or men or demons is an example of how rishis and sages of great Tapas prowess and universal magnanimity are a cut above the rest. They stand above the triumvirate of mortals, gods and demons in Hindu Dharmic world purely because of their selflessness and Tapas prowess they use for universal good.

Meanwhile what happened to that Pishacha monster? Chyavana, having created him, needed to give him his food too. He told him to get his food from the four misdeeds of men - drinking (surapana), promiscuity (lampatya), gambling ( aksha) and hunting ( mrigayaa). Such acts present those men as fodder to this monster. 

I wanted to share this story and give the link to Dr. Ganesh's talks. His talk series is simply wonderful for immense knowledge, insight and a sense of pride it invokes in our culture.

By the way we are Bhargavas in our family gotra! Our Pravara Rishis are Bhrigu, Chyavana, Apnavaana, Aurva and Jamadagni.

Three Principles

Bhagavadgita for Today's Youth

Why Sanskrit?

(Source: Christie's catalogue - Internet)

My father, Prof. S. S. Raghavachar of Mysore University, was a renowned and prolific scholar in Hindu as well as western philosophy. He hailed from a traditional Sri Vaishnava family, the fourth Sthanika in Melkote. He lost his father at the age of three and had to go to Mysore for education and to make ends meet. 

His many works published by Ramakrishna Mission and Mysore University have seen multiple reprints and bear testimony to his scholarship. He seemed to me to have been born with a deep knowledge of Sanskrit and Hindu scriptures. 

I was raised in front of a temple and am a natural "Hindu temple-goer". My love for shlokas and Carnatic music did not automatically translate to learning Sanskrit. One reason was I wasn't close to my father. I inherited a love for Kannada from my mother and even wrote poetry when I was ten. 

When I had to choose a second language in eighth standard, my father insisted I take Sanskrit. I wanted to take Kannada. But he prevailed. That is the ONLY educational intervention he ever made in my life. 

I had the best of Sanskrit teachers. Sri. Anantacharya at BHS. Sri. Iyengar, Sri. Somayaji and Sri. Ramaswamy in Mysore. I scored high marks in Sanskrit. But I had a great aversion to Hindi. 

My educational and career paths took me to IIT, IIM, and later a busy international corporate career. My association with Sanskrit was merely through Carnatic music, shlokas and love for Kannada which abounds in Sanskrit words. I also prided myself that I had an instinct for understanding Sanskrit expressions. So as I read Bhagavadgita and other scriptures and literature I managed to work out the meaning easily. 

After ending my corporate career, in 2015, I attended the Bhagavadgita Marathon in Sidhbari Chinmaya ashram. We studied each shloka of the Gita thoroughly over several weeks under Swami Swaroopananda. 

In 2016 January, Sri. Rajiv Malhotra released his book, "The Battle for Sanskrit", in Aksharam - Samskrita Bharati, Bangalore. I was amazed at the work at Aksharam and enrolled for the Sambhashana Shibira. Since then there is no looking back. I have passed  the four Samskrita Bharati exams. I have a great online teacher too in Dr. Sowmya Krishnapur of Vyoma labs. I must say that Samskrita Bharati is an unbelievable organisation entirely run by volunteers and spreading Samskṛtam, as I shall spell Sanskrit henceforth in this article, globally. 🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏

I find many videos in YouTube on Why Sanskrit and The Power of Sanskrit. I thought I will share my own thoughts here. 

Before language comes life and life-style. A cultured society develops what is called Samskriti. Samskriti is a cultured way of life. Those who practise it have climbed a long learning curve over centuries and many births as a collective evolution. For a Shakespeare to appear in England or a Kalidasa in India, a cultural environment is required. Culture is the crucible for all great literature. This evolution is called Samskara. 
Samskara and Samskriti use a medium of communication called language. We can intuit that greater the Samskriti, greater will be the language. 

We can debate what is great. Is it military power? Is it fine arts and food? Is it science and technology? Is it conquest? All these fall in the first three purusharthas - Artha, Kama, Dharma. Moksha is an aspiration that comes from the fulfilment of these three. All these require a great communication medium. I would say that the language of a culture is great if the development of that culture leads to achievement of the four purusharthas. A better language leads to a better culture. 

What is a great language? It has a robust structure, a beautiful sound, a magnificent power of expression, an all-encompassing and all-absorbing power to grow with society. 

Samskṛtam has a perfect phonetic vocabulary. It sounds majestic and yet sonorous. It has a grammatical structure which is the envy of the world. It has a constantly "organically evolving" vocabulary of words that far exceed that of the English language. 

The saving grace is that all Indian languages, including Tamil which some believe originated before Samskṛtam, are the children of Samskṛtam. They share the alphabet, vocabulary and colour and sound of Samskṛtam in varying degrees. So when someone says the best Sanskrit scholars of today are non-Indians from USA, Europe and Japan and so on, I have difficulty in accepting it. Without Samskriti you can't get Samskṛtam. And vice versa. 

My understanding is Samskṛtam is the language of Bharatiya Samskriti. Without it, we cannot study and practise our culture. 

Consider this. The Rigveda is the oldest scripture known to mankind. It is chanted by scholars even today exactly as it was chanted 5000 years ago. That is because of the science of Samskṛtam. 

The oldest literature of the world is Valmiki Ramayana, composed several centuries before the Christian Era. Its beauty, melody and narrative impact are irresistible. That is because of the art of Samskṛtam. 

Mahabharata is the greatest epic of the world. Its universality is because of the expressive dimensions of our Samskṛtam and Samskriti. 

Panini created the structure of  grammar in Samskṛtam. Anyone who starts reading the sutras marvels at the rigour of Samskṛtam grammar. If Netwon's calculus led to the evolution of science and technology, Samskṛtam led to the development of medical, astronomical, mathematical, and architectural sciences. Our Indian branches of medicine, astronomy, mathematics, temple architecture, dance, music and sculpture, all are because of the power of Samskṛtam. I would even add the Indian cuisine and textile industry have their roots in Samskṛtam. This is an area for research. 


Samskṛtam is the body in which dwells the mind of Indian Samskriti, and the soul of our Samskara. Nothing more. Nothing less. Welcome to the land of Yoga, Moksha, and Samskṛtam. 

If you have sensed my passion for Samskṛtam, my purpose is served here. I will be a life-long student of Samskṛtam, by God's grace. 

Sanskrit: the true adornment of man

केयूराः न विभूषयन्ति पुरुषं हारा नचन्द्रोज्ज्वला:।
न स्नानं न विलेपनं न कुसुमं नालङ्कृता मूर्धजा:॥
वाण्येका समलङ्करोति पुरुषं या संस्कृता धार्यते।
क्षीयन्ते खलु भूषणानि सततं वाग्भूषणं भूषणम्॥

न विभूषयन्ति - do not adorn
केयूराः हाराः चन्द्रोज्ज्वलाः - Golden armlets and resplendent necklaces that match the moon in lustre
न स्नानं न विलेपनं न कुसुमं - neither baths nor fragrances nor bedecking with flowers 
नालङ्कृता मूर्धजा - nor foreheads decorated with prominent marks 
वाणी एका या संस्कृता धार्यते - his speech alone, that is distinguished as refined and cultured 
समलङ्करोति पुरुषं - adorns well the man
भूषणानि क्षीयन्ते खलु - all ornaments wear off in time, indeed, 
वाग्भूषणं भूषणम् - (So let man choose it) the true adornment of man is his cultured tongue. 

God's assurance

In today's reading of the Valmiki Ramayana, we came across this shloka:
सकृदेव प्रपन्नाय तवास्मीति च याचते।
अभयं सर्वभूतेभ्यः ददाम्येतत् व्रतं मम ॥६.१८.३३॥
When Sugriva cautions Rama against a ready acceptance of Vibhishana's request for refuge, Rama first asks everyone for an opinion, and only Hanuman suggests that Vibhishana cannot be spurned or tested in the circumstances and he should first be given refuge and also Hanuman says yhat in any case Rama is too powerful to come to any harm.

Rama appreciates what Hanuman says and utters these words in this shloka:
एतत् व्रतं मम - This is my avowed practice that
सकृदेव - if even once,
तव अस्मि इति - "I surrender to you" -thus saying,
प्रपन्नाय याचते च - one comes seeking refuge and with a plea for protection,
सर्वभूतेभ्यः - from the entire world of beings,
अभयं ददामि - I shall give protection and remove his fear.

This very idea is reflected in the name name #455 in Vishnu Sahasranama - सुव्रतः. In fact the Lord says in Bhagavadgita ch. 9 that even a sinner, by turning to the Lord, quickly redeems himself.

Test based on Shuddhikaumudi

This set of flash cards help you to check what is correct and incorrect. Click on the card to turn it. Use the navigation to go to the next set of words.

Bhagavadgita and Covid-19

The Covid-19 has locked down all humanity and the crisis worldwide is deep and disturbing. 
This virus has scared everyone stiff. An intelligent response is as simple as A B C.
A: Avoid all contact with people and things that can infect.
B: Bar infection by wearing protection.
C: Clean yourself thoroughly and often.

This morning's newspapers show data that the world has over 3 million cases and nearly 210,000 deaths. India has over 28,000 cases and nearly 900 deaths. We are all locked down and have to do everything to stay positive until the crisis blows over.

I have always maintained that the Srimad Bhagavadgita, often described as the Scripture for All Mankind, gives me guidance in every situation. So I woke up this morning asking myself, what does Bhagavadgita tell me in the Covid-19 context?

I shall quote relevant portions of verses and show you what Bhagavadgita has to say. 

Bhagavan Krishna has a very simple approach: you have to take charge and deal with life's challenges by yourself. The mantra in other words is "right living and right doing", drawing from your inner resources. This is the right attitude or mindset.

So Krishna says, उद्धरेदात्मनात्मानं नात्मानमवसादयेत् (6.5) Raise yourself by your own devices. Do not do anything to harm yourself. So this tells one to take ownership and responsibility for one's own welfare.

When an external situation comes with pain and danger, Krishna's words make sense: मात्रास्पर्शास्तु कौन्तेय शीतोष्णसुखदुःखदाः । आगमापायिनोऽनित्यास्तांस्तितिक्षस्व भारत ॥(2.14) Your contact with external objects alone gives sensations of heat, cold, pleasure and pain. They come and pass, so deal with them with forbearance.

Now how can I have forbearance in suffering? This calls for the right perspective, the attitude of a wise one (Jnani).This attitude is described clearly: जन्ममृत्युजराव्याधिदुःखदोषानुदर्शनम् ॥ (13.9)  I have to recognise the existential realities of the cycle of birth and death, disease, and old age- and the consequent suffering. 

This wisdom propels you to withdraw yourself inside and search for your inner bliss despite all external situations: यदा संहरते चायं कूर्मोऽङ्गानीव सर्वशः ।इन्द्रियाणीन्द्रियार्थेभ्यस्तस्य प्रज्ञा प्रतिष्ठिता ॥(2.58) When a man withdraws his senses from external objects and stimuli like a tortoise draws his limbs and head inside, his wisdom is well established. No wonder everyone is saying these days that meditation brings inner poise.

When this practice bears fruition, you tap into your inner bliss. This is not escapism. This is rooted in a wise understanding of the circle of life and not allowing your mind to play the victim card: सर्वभूतस्थितं यो मां भजत्येकत्वमास्थितः ।सर्वथा वर्तमानोऽपि स योगी मयि वर्तते ॥ (6.31) Krishna is not saying you will find everything around you perfect and pleasant. He says when you have a universal and holistic compassion for all life, in whatever situation you find yourself in, you are a yogi able to connect with the universal reservoir of bliss.

Krishna also emphasises that you have to nourish yourself, occupy yourself, and entertain yourself wisely. युक्ताहारविहारस्य  युक्तचेष्टस्य कर्मसु ।युक्तस्वप्नावबोधस्य योगो भवति दुःखहा ॥ (6.17) Balanced food, recreation, and rest as well as activity ( Work from Home if you must!) is the yoga that removes distress. I have many friends who have engaged in creative pursuits and service to others in these difficult times. hats off to them!

By doing the right things, I am not merely helping myself, but actually serving the cause of society. Because, as Krishna says, यस्मान्नोद्विजते लोको लोकान्नोद्विजते च यः ।हर्षामर्षभयोद्वेगैर्मुक्तो यः स च मे प्रियः ॥ (12.15) The one who does not disturb society, and is not disturbed by others, gets liberated from excessive joy and sorrow and fear and excitement. He is indeed dear to God! 

Not only that. Such a responsible person sets a great example for others to emulate. यद्यदाचरति श्रेष्ठस्तत्तदेवेतरो जनः ।स यत्प्रमाणं कुरुते लोकस्तदनुवर्तते ॥ (3.21) The actions of a leader of the community are emulated by the community. Whatever he does becomes a standard of conduct, and others follow it.

This kind of a self-reliant, contemplative, and universally responsible, conduct leads to peace and bliss. I call it the best form of prayer. Such prayer brings the grace of all Existence. अनन्याश्चिन्तयन्तो मां ये जनाः पर्युपासते ।तेषां नित्याभियुक्तानां योगक्षेमं वहाम्यहम् ॥ (9.22) Those who pursue this prayer of right conduct with a single-minded focus, are always taken care of by Existence in the here and hereafter.

Srimad Bhagavadgita is my favourite book. The Song of God is for all mankind, for all time, for all situations.
॥ हरिः ॐ तत् सत् ॥

Post-Edit:
What about the Covid warriors? Doctors, nurses, policemen, service organisations, government officials, donors, people who are distributing food and medicines, and those who offer solace and support?

Does the Bhagavadgita not talk about them? of course Krishna says it emphatically:

यज्ञदानतपःकर्म न त्याज्यं कार्यमेव तत् ।

यज्ञो दानं तपश्चैव पावनानि मनीषिणाम् ॥ (18.5)

Krishna says that work as worship, charity, and work as a penance (in the face of hardship), should be pursued without let-up ever. In fact this is the duty of EVERYONE! This orientation to work as worship, charity and penance is what saves all humanity according to Krishna. 

But there is a cautionary note. Most of us do charity and service with an attitude of superiority or ulterior motive. This is extremely counterproductive. Our work will be defective, our expectations will never be met in the long run. So service and duty are one's birthright, done the right way!

So hats off to all Covid Warriors toiling selflessly!