Sunday, September 25, 2016

Mokshamu-galada

 Mokshamu-galada

 (Is deliverance within reach?)  

A Short Story by Dr. Sukumar Canada


 
When his mind returned from wandering aimlessly like a meandering stream, the concert was over, the auditorium, almost empty.  The singer was getting up, a smile on her face, hands moving quickly to straighten the shimmering folds of her sari before coming together in a  “Namaste.” The tranquil notes of the raga Saaramathi lingered in his mind, filling it with contentment.

 Those were busy days at work, but he would never miss these classical concerts.  The composition “Moskhamu-galada” in the raga Saramathi,  that he had heard two days ago was still dripping a deep inner feeling of aesthetic joy  in his heart much like a tree full with green thick leaves that drip resonant rain drops even after the rain has stopped for a while. 

 Even during the long meetings in the office, Saaramathi was very much present in his mind murmuring like a dove, making a base note for all his activities.  Many years ago, he had listened to it for the first time during his student days in a concert by Mani-Krishna Swami at the Sadguru-Sangeetha-Sabha, in his college town. 

 What is Moksha?  Is true liberation attainable by everyone in this world?  How could he attain it through music as he had neither the depth of knowledge not the purity of devotion that inspired great musiciansHe had not wasted his time on such silly matters until then!.  Hadn’t he been busy always?

 He did not need any company to go to a concert.  A world where he was totally alone—that is what musical nights gave him, and he was intoxicated by the completeness he felt during those concerts.  His friends knew it was useless to invite him to parties on Sundays, the days he had set aside for concerts.  When he drifted like silk cotton through the aerial byways of Saaramathi raaga, his mind was closed off to the rat race that was his life during the workweek.

Then, why was it different now? Anyway, now there was nothing to ponder about. 

 He had no energy to write a letter of resignation.  What could he write?  To whom?  He got into the train without any reservations or even a ticket.  The train was not crowded—it was the first-class compartment.  He could go to the terminus on this long-distance line.  He knew it went south—the scent of jasmine filled the air.  When the ticket examiner arrived, he gave him more bills than necessary as if he was paying back debt from a distant past. In no time, he was given a berth for the night.

Until now he had never gone anywhere without proper planning. Now nothing mattered –work, responsibilities, friends, the family far away, nothing.  Let the rest of his life, six or seven months, be just for himself, alone. Who had told him the story of Pareekshit, the king who found that he had only seven days left to live? Seven days to wait for the serpent Thakshaka to sink its fangs into his flesh?.

“What you have in hand now is a multi-million dollar project.  If this goes well, you will gain money and recognition that will last your whole life,” Promilla Mathur had told him in a special meeting.  He was going to have the complete responsibility.

Now, it is clear that all these calculations are meaningless.  Everything had happened according to plan in his life—until now.  He was used to winning one victory after another.  Recognition came to him from everywhere.  With the ideal IIT–IIM combination at the core of his credentials, the jobs he got were always the best.    He never stayed in one job for more than two or three years—he was constantly on the move, his salary and perks getting heftier with each move.  But here, in the present job, he was finishing up the sixth year. He had actually enjoyed the frantic pace of work, and the ever-increasing responsibilities and the financial package and perks accompanied.

Physically, he had never felt better, and as always, had tried to laugh it off when Dr. Suman made his annual call two weeks ago asking him to come down for a routine physical. What do I need a physical for?  He was confident no illness would ever touch him. He was fit and had never even had the bad flu his entire life. But Dr. Suman insisted.  ‘You are about to hit thirty-five.  Just for the sake of keeping records, we should take some X-rays and do some bloodwork.  Just for the record!  I don’t understand you guys—and I have one at home too—no ties, not a care in the world. ‘I like being on my own’ he says. ‘Work hard, play hard’.

Eventually, he had relented and went in for the tests Saturday afternoon just because he did not want to say no to the doctor who was his uncle’s college classmate. 

Then, this morning, the unexpected phone call came.  “You should come here as soon as possible.  Even if you are very busy, please show up, Okay?”  Dr. Suman sounded tense, stressed. The high of the past weekend’s concert had not quite left his system.  “Mokshamu- galadaa.”

The doctor had asked him to call off all his appointments and cut the call short without getting into any details.  How could he postpone his meeting with the clients from Atlanta?  Time is money.  What does the doctor know about IT projects?

“Uncle, I will come in the evening.

When he met the doctor at his home late that evening, the doctor seemed unusually quiet

“Is everything ok?  Are you feeling all right?

“Oh - yes.  Nothing to worry about, but, look, we should test your blood once again.  The sample we took last week was abnormal.   There is no way those results can be right.  Still, we have to rule out everything.”

“Uncle, tell me, what is wrong?”

After some persuasion, the doctor said:  “It seemed like there was some abnormality in your blood sample.  But we should test it again—at another lab.  I will give you my report later.

Before leaving, he handed a hundred rupee bill to the young lad who managed the office for the doctor and got him to make a quick copy of the main page of the lab report without the doctor’s knowledge.  By the time he got to the car parked in the lot next door, he had seen the note scribbled at the end of the report  “Abnormal.  Six months, or seven at the most.  Re-test to confirm.”

First, it sounded like a mere joke.  Labs make mistakes, as the doctor had said.  It could be somebody else’s report —he did not have a copy of the front page anyway.  ‘No, let me face it, why should I try to pass a tragedy destined specifically for this life onto someone else?’

The number seven stuck to his consciousness.  Seven more months!.  The seven day reading of scripture, the saptaaham he attended as a child with his father and forgotten all about, came back to him in a rush.  Three lines, three short lines, from the seven long days of storytelling kept echoing in his head.   “You dishonored a nobleman, and your end will come on the seventh day from today. Death by snake-bite!.  The serpent Thakshaka will execute the curse.”

Was this perhaps the punishment for wrapping the snake of arrogance around one’s own neck?.

All of a sudden, everywhere it was as quiet as a windless ocean.  Silence, and as far as the eyes could see, it was nothingness.  He did not remember getting into the car, or turning the ignition on—when the noise of tires screeching to a halt startled him, the car was in front of his apartment building. Today, he reached home real quick.  There were no traffic blocks on the way.  Or were there?

He made no attempts to find out a reason to discuss it with someone.  He had some cash stashed away in the apartment- money meant for buying a house by the river in his village.  He made his way to the bank—the bank was closed for the day, and the building seemed deserted.  Before the regular guard could finish his “hello” and “how are you,” he gave him a hundred rupee note and walked over to the ATM. 

Once back home, it didn’t take him long to pack. He left the key as usual with the security guard of the building and walked straight to the train station.

There is no use worrying, he knew.  No need to tell anyone. Live life to the fullest. He wanted to enjoy the life that he had not known until then.  Seven months to live; no work; no responsibilities.  Enjoy it to the maximum. That was the way to go.

When did the mind get so much strength?  Or had he aspired for this kind of an escape in the past without being aware of it?

As soon as the train left Mumbai City, sleep took over him for some reason.  When he woke up, it was past five in the morning.  The train had stopped in a village in Tamil Nadu. He got off.  An unknown place!. No one would recognize him.

The young tour guide he met at the station, Manivannan, knew every nook and cranny of the village well and found him a tiny house to stay. When he found out it was up for sale, and the owner was letting it out till he found a buyer, he bought it, paying more than the asking.  In the beginning, he kept the neighbors at a distance.  Although he knew that the bottles that Manivannan bought him were overpriced, he paid him what he asked for. The women Manivannan brought over had the Tamil vivacity.  But all that lost their appeal in a short time.  Days passed by, with no Internet or newspaper to bother him; he had left his phone at the apartmen

No, there were no signs of fatigue in the body, he thought.

Somehow, gradually, he started becoming a member of the village.  The villagers got used to his Malayali-Tamil that murdered their language.  Folk began to consider him as a “man who knows things.”  Under his initiative, arrangements were made to start a computer center for the village youth, and the night before it opened, he left the village.  While setting up the web page for the new center, he had come across a web feature that mentioned his disappearance. “It is being suspected that the IT manager who disappeared suddenly might have been kidnapped by extremists.” 

Four out of the seven months that the doctor had granted were over. There was another trip to take.  And there was a limit to the allotted time.

When he reached the shores of Godavari River in Andhra, he bought a sacred thread and slipped it over his head. He felt no remorse about the charade. He didn’t want any rejections anywhere just because he was not a biological Brahmin! Inside the inner sanctum of temples, in the temple kitchens and dining halls, nobody stopped him.  He felt a thrill at becoming a character in a cartoon.  While performing the yoga and breathing exercises along with some of the pilgrims, he chuckled inside.  What for does he need good health?  At this stage, of what use is it for the body to develop good habits such as exercise and yoga?  Only days, a few weeks…

It had been days since he checked how much money he had left.  When the small cloth bag he carried felt weightless, he discarded that also.

Later, in the courtyard of a temple on the shores of the river, a bearded sanyasi, who had just finished his discourse looked intently into his eyes and asked, “Do you want to come with us?”

Is it time for him to leave yet?  The sanyasi’s beard had only just begun to become gray.  Is this swaamiji capable of guiding him?  Even if he was led astray by the monk, who is really going astray, and for how long?

He followed the monk on to the train, ordinary class, to Haridwar.  Those in ochre robes needed no tickets to travel in Northern India.  A dip in the river Ganga gave him the kind of solace and contentment a vivacious woman or an array of fancy food could never give.  Every day, he joined the sanyasi and other seekers in the ritual sun salutations.  Again, training in Pranayama, Uddiyaanam,  and Shavaasanaa, The corpse posture.  (The American follower of the Swami often says:   Shavaasanaa!  That is my favorite yoga!”)

Managing the mind was not on the IIM’s curriculum, he thought, and it was unchartered territory for him.  When the swaamiji spoke about it, it was not mere advice.  During a chance that came almost like a predestined event, he mentioned the infinite possibility of human consciousness.

While listening to those words, he felt like these are the same thoughts he had had throughout his life.  Among mental phenomena, the most important is emotion.  Then comes Buddhi, the guidance of the intellect.  After that comes the sense of “I” which wonders what use do emotions and a sharp intelligence serve.  Only after that would the sun of discriminating intelligence, VivEkam would rise.  This gives the seeker the gift of development of the soul.  It is a stage that one comes to through observation and control.  None of these are created anew.  All these are stages of evolution denoting a step by step progress and these do pre-exist in our consciousness.

Days were passing by. Of the seven months, only seven days remained.  He made an attempt to arrest the mind in an invocation mode using the mantras known to him.

“What are you thinking about?  Do you feel like you want to end journeys of all kinds?” swaamiji was asking.  As if reading his mind, the swami continued:

“Fear (bheethi) has no place in consciousness.  Happiness (preethi) is what deserves a position in the mind – that is one’s own happiness.  There is no need to impart that to others.  If the others want it, then we should give them a chance to part take in it, with no reservation.  That is all”. 

The swaamiji did not ask anything about the beginning of his journey.  And he did not want to initiate his story either.

All of a sudden, the swaamiji said:   “Do you know the story of King Pareekshit’s laying the dead snake on the shoulders of Sage Sameeka?  That is a projection of “inertness” – jadata – on chaitanyam , the living consciousness”.  That is a fallacy of the mind.  That is all.  The seven day limit to life!”Without taking the story anywhere, the swaamiji dived into Ganga waters and was gone.  Expert swimmer?  Or an expert diver that runs away from situations?

When had he begun to pray?  He had never prayed for a change in fate—this sudden realization hit him then.  He did not desire to prolong his life either.

On the shores of Ganga, there are a few pristine locations, known only to some advanced sanyasis.  At those Ghats, the crystal clear Ganga obeys no human restraints, and the chains typically anchored at the sloping steps to help pilgrims are absent.

His head and nerves were swimming playfully in the waves of cold Ganga.  The mind was awakening with more power than ever. He felt like new sources and springs of energy were suddenly forming inside.  Is this the celebratory exuberance of the life particle that was about to take off from this hollow nest like a bird?

One more day till the seven-month deadline of this ‘project’!  For the farewell, waves of the river– the Mother Nature, Ganga will be more than enough.  For some reason, he thought about Mani Krishnaswaami singing the elaborate aalaapana of the raga Saramathi. Her face resembled that of his mother’s.  He was still the three-year-old boy who used to push his one-year-old sister from his mother’s lap to sit there as she recited “Agrey pashyaami,” so he could touch the veins on her neck. He would finger those veins one by one until she went through the Keshaadipaadam as the finale. He could still feel the vibrations of her throat and the sad monotone was very much alive in his heart.

When he climbed up to the riverbank, he saw the familiar sight of a burning funeral pyre in the distance.  The crowd gathered around the pyre seemed quite affluent—this pyre is destined to burn to the end.  He thought. Weren’t the half-burnt corpses thrown off into the river those of the poor?  The disparity in life seems to follow through in death.  The faces of the wealthy are full, round, and colorful while those of the poor are always black and white as in a Satyajit Ray movie that would go for national awards.

For today’s meal, he did not have to go anywhere else—funeral rites of the wealthy always involved a feast for the poor. And for tomorrow—there may be no need for a meal at all.  Tomorrow, what is left will be the empty shell, ready to be offered to the sacred Agni - the eternal fire that is ever ready to burn up even the intestinal fire inside the living body.

Along with the other alms-seekers, he went up to the group near the pyre and extended his palm for the food.  The hands that served the rice wrapped in banana leaf seemed familiar.  He held himself back. He should not let the past, the familiar thoughts and faces stain his mind.

Yes, that was Dr. Suman.  Suddenly he turned around and walked away as fast as he could.  He felt that he would not be able to tolerate the doctor’s advice, scolding, and words of sympathy any longer.  He did not need them anymore either.  For the last journey, the most pleasant place to rest would be the lap of the Cosmic Mother than the clinical security of a hospital.  Then, the doctor ran toward him after throwing away everything in his hands and stopped him.

“I was in doubt right from the beginning.  The lab result was a mistake.  I was wrong.  You have no illness.  It was my son who was sick.   I came here with his body.  The corpse burning in that pyre is his.”

He was surprised that the doctor was so calm as he uttered these words. He was also surprised that this news did not shock him either. He wasn’t elated or sad. His mind felt only the lightness of the feeling of listening to a story, although familiar, that was slowly opening as if it was a flower with its petals one by one, like that of a blossoming flower

“The names got mixed up for your blood sample.  The error was committed by the clerk in the lab.  In fact my son had only a limited time left to live!  We took a long time to find out that about him.  He left one day before the seven months I had predicted in the report.  We discovered the identity error in blood sample only this past week.  As you know, we all have been in a rush all the time.  And he was just like you, busy, winning everything that he put his hands on.  I feel now that he lived fully well only during the last seven days of his life.  Till then he had been running around all over to establish his own empires.  But at the end we opened up.  I did not know that there were so many things to be said between us.  Neither did he.”

The body has been made strong through yoga, with a matching mind made perfect through meditation.  Is this what they call Moksha ? Who promised moksha in seven months?  Am I the owner of this life force that has been projected onto the eternal consciousness?

 

Saturday, September 17, 2016

കവിത - നമസ്തേ നമസ്തേ!



ജന്മഭൂമി ഓണപ്പതിപ്പില്‍  (2016) കവിത - നമസ്തേ നമസ്തേ!









നമസ്തേ... നമസ്തേ... 

ഡോ. സുകുമാര്‍ കാനഡ 


ആശാനഭസ്സിലെന്‍ മാനാഭിമാനപ്പെരും തീയി-
ലാളിത്തിളച്ചാവിയാവും മനസ്സേ, നമസ്തേ. 
അത്യുഷ്ണ വാതത്തിനായു,മതുപോലൊരിത്തിരി
ക്കാറ്റിന്റെ ശീതത്തിനായും കൊടും തപം ചെയ്യും
മനസ്സേ, നമസ്തേ; നമസ്തേ... നമസ്തേ...

കാലത്തിനതിവര്‍ഷമാരിയിലതിദ്രുതം
വന്യമാമേതോ കയങ്ങളിലാണ്ടാണ്ടു പോവാ-
നുഴറിപ്പെരുംപാച്ചിലായിക്കിതയ്ക്കും 
മനസ്സേ, നമസ്തേ;   നമസ്തേ... നമസ്തേ... 

ഓടിയുഴന്നൊടുവി,ലെപ്പൊഴോ, എങ്ങാനു,
മൊരുപിടിമണ്ണിലായ് ,വിശ്രാന്തിപൂകുവാന്‍ 
ഒരു ചുടല വെന്തതിന്‍ ചാരമായ് പോലും, 
തപിക്കാ,തൊരിക്കലു,മതോര്‍മ്മയായ്  തീരാതെ 
തന്നിലേയ്ക്കായിച്ചുരുങ്ങി,യൊതുങ്ങി,യൊടുങ്ങാനൊരുങ്ങും 
വപുസ്സേ, നമസ്തേ;  നമസ്തേ... നമസ്തേ... 

കര്‍മ്മങ്ങള്‍, ബന്ധങ്ങള്‍, സഞ്ചിതം
സര്‍വ്വവും കാലാനുസാരികള്‍ 
കാലന്നു പോലുമേ കണ്ണില്‍പ്പെടാത്തതാം തപ്ത ജന്മങ്ങള്‍ 
തമ്മി,ലൊട്ടൊന്നു,മൊട്ടിയു, മൊട്ടു,മൊട്ടാതെയും
വെറും കൊള്ളക്കൊടുക്കലിന്‍
പാപസാമ്യക്കണിശ നിശിതമായ് വേരോടി
നേരിട്ടറിയുന്നതാം  കര്‍മ്മബന്ധങ്ങള്‍;
നമസ്തേ, നമസ്തേ; നമസ്തേ, നമസ്തേ... 
  
ഒരിത്തിരി കരഞ്ഞും ചിരിച്ചും
പ്രണയിച്ചു പേയാടി വന്നെന്നെ മാടി വിളിച്ചും
നിറനിലാ സ്വപ്നമനുരാഗരാഗം നിറച്ചും
കവിതയില്‍ കാതരം വന്നുദിച്ചും 
ആണായി, പെണ്ണായി, രണ്ടിന്‍റെ-
യതിരുകളുമില്ലാതുയര്‍ന്നതാം സൌഹൃദ
സ്നേഹരാഗങ്ങള്‍; നമസ്തേ, നമസ്തേ... 
  
തിക്തമാമനുഭവച്ചൂടിന്റെ തീരാത്തുടര്‍ക്കഥയില്‍ 
എന്നുമൊരു രംഗമിവനെപ്പൊഴും തന്നു 
തന്‍ വേദികളിലെന്നുമിവനുണ്ടെന്നുറപ്പിച്ചു
മാറ്റുരയ്ക്കാനായി മാത്രമൊന്നാടിച്ച
വ്യര്‍ത്ഥയുദ്ധങ്ങള്‍ തന്‍ സംവിധാന പ്രഭൃതിവൃന്ദം
സഖാക്കള്‍; നമസ്തേ... നമസ്തേ... 
ഉണര്‍വ്വിന്റെ നേര്‍വഴികള്‍ കാട്ടും
നെരിപ്പോടു നീറ്റി,യെ,ന്നുള്ളൊരുക്കാന്‍
അന്ധകാരാന്ധ്യത്തിനന്ത്യം വരുത്താ-
നകം വിശ്വമാക്കാന്‍, നിസ്സ്വാര്‍ത്ഥ
സ്വാര്‍ത്ഥത്തിനാലകം ധന്യമാക്കാന്‍ 
അറിവുമടയാളവും തന്നു ദൂരത്തു താരകളെ
വിരല്‍ ചൂണ്ടി നിന്നതാം സുകൃത ഹസ്തങ്ങള്‍; 
നമസ്തേ... നമസ്തേ; നമസ്തേ... നമസ്തേ;

ക്ഷരമാകു,മക്ഷരക്കെട്ടുകള്‍ക്കപ്പുറത്താ 
ദിമ വിദ്യാ,വിചാര,സരിത്തുകള്‍
അക്ഷരാതീത,പ്പൊരുളാ,മുണര്‍വ്വിന്റെ
ആലക്തിക പ്രഭാ മിന്നല്‍പ്പിണരുകള്‍   
ആറിത്തണുത്തുപോകാതകം നീറ്റി,
യല്‍പ്പാല്‍പ്പമാനന്ദമേകുന്നതാമാറു* വഴികളില്‍ 
കാലത്തെ വെല്ലുവാന്‍ വെമ്പലുകളില്ലാതെ, 
കുറവൊന്നുമില്ലാതെ, അറിവിന്നറവാതി-
ലല്‍പ്പാല്‍പ്പമായിത്തുറക്കുവാ,നുയിരിനെ
ഉണര്‍വ്വായുയര്‍ത്തും വചസ്സേ, നമസ്തേ... 
അറിവിനെ ഉണര്‍വ്വാക്കുമാദിപ്പൊരുളേ, നമസ്തേ...
നമസ്തേ... നമസ്തേ; നമസ്തേ... നമസ്തേ... 

*ആറു ദര്‍ശനങ്ങള്‍

Friday, September 16, 2016

Thiruvonam celebration at home in Kerala





THIRUVONAM is a major festival, an opportunity to celebrate culture in various levels based on the mental make up of the person celebrating it. In our family home in Kerala, the celebration is an occasion to invite and establish the presence of Lord in our heart and home. Please see a few photos of the Pooja at my sister's home a couple of years back. My brother in law was in charge. Oldest member of the family does the pooja that starts usually at around 4 am. The front yard near the Tulsi is cleaned the night before and lots of thumpa leaves are kept ready to arrange a bed for the visiting dignitaries. Three or four conical shaped moorthy's are also made ready. Usually they are made of fresh clay. We used to have fun making those 'prisms'.

In the morning after his prayers, my father used to sanctify the area with freshly made rice flour milk. Then he makes the bed of thumpa leaves and arranges the moorthy's. Brahma, Vishnu , Siva and Ganapathy are represented with those.
After an elaborate ritualistic pooja, a freshly made ada (rice cake with jaggery) will be offered to the Lord. Once the Lord Vishnu as Vamana has been consecrated there, my father used to come inside the house, and close the door.
Again he will sneak out through the back door without us kids noticing it - then he comes around the house and knocks at the front door. We ask - who is there? He answers - Here is Mahavishnu. Then he asks, who is inside? We take turns in saying all kinds of answers- one may say his name, other may say Hanuman, etc. until he hears 'here is Mahalakshmi', when he opens the door and enters the house symbolizing the entry of the Lord. Mahabali also is supposed to be coming with the Lord Vamana. Usually there will be a large palm leaf umbrella symbolizing Mahabali's presence. The sweet ada is for us to eat - no, not that fast...., only after feeding our cows and cats.


I just talked to my sister a few minutes back. Yes, the Lord has made His appearance this year also without fail.....
Happy Onam to all.

Thursday, September 8, 2016

Mahabali- the demon king - an inspiration even for Sri Rama.


Mahabali- the demon king - an inspiration even for Sri Rama.

The black and white style delineation of Devas and Asuras (Gods and demons) can be seen only in the outer shell of Indian scriptural stories.  The behaviours of gods and demons in scriptures have always been portrayed with different grades of grey – some relatively good and some seemingly bad. When the virtues are high, one becomes a Deva and when the vices are high, a demon. For example, Ravana was a great intellectual (equivalent to ten heads working together), a great musician and a devotee of Lord Siva. But his fall was due to ego, lust and arrogance. Many other asuras also have such varying shades of qualities. Even Kamsa, the evil uncle of Sri Krishna turned into a great philosopher when talking to Krishna’s parents Devaki and Vasudeva immediately after their wedding. Mahabali’s own grandfather Prahlada was an ardent devotee of Lord Vishnu, who was instrumental in the Lord appearing as Narasimha.

Mahabali, the asura king who is one of the heroes of Onam celebrations was not just an ordinary demon. He was in fact an inspiration even to Sri Rama according to Yogavasishtham. Sri Rama, the mighty Prince of Ayodhya was a young man with a lot of questions and worries about the futile nature of human endeavours. But Rama got a direction in life as he received knowledge of the highest order from the story of Mahabali. How can a demon king become a role model for the Lord himself? In the ‘modern’ stories of Onam, the Lord Vamana, an Avatar of Vishnu is the villain who banished King Mahabali to the netherworlds depriving him of the kingdom he ruled so well with equality and prosperity! Mind you, Sri Rama is another incarnation of the same ‘ruthless’ Lord Vishnu!

Interestingly, only in Kerala, the story goes like this and it has been popularized by the media and popular literature. Kerala was not even formed until Lord Bhargava Rama’s incarnation. Lord Vamana’s avatar occurred way before the formation of Kerala. So how can Mahabali be the king of Kerala? In other parts of India and in the holy scripture Bhagavatham where the story of Bali appears, the Lord’s incarnation was to bless Bali, leading him to the higher path of knowledge.  King Bali was already a noble soul with lot of great qualities and spiritual power. But he had an air of arrogance in him that prevented him from achieving the greatness he possessed. So the Lord came to his rescue and gave him a lesson to lift him up above the mundane. He was a benevolent king, but fully immersed in the material life and merry making. Obviously, his subjects also followed his philosophy of life. Thus in his kingdom, there were no higher pursuits of life. Material prosperity brought arrogance in him that he wanted to show that he can satisfy all material needs of people. ‘Once I help someone, there should be no need for him to seek help from anyone else.’ He insisted. He did elaborate fire rituals and gave ample gifts to all who came to see him.

As the story goes, Mahabali’s time to rule the three worlds had come to an end. He had been ruling the heaven, hell and the earth for long. But he was too contented with his position and not showing any sign of passing on the kingdom to the next Indra in waiting. So the Devas (enlightened beings) requested Lord Vishnu to intervene.  So, Lord Vishnu took the guise of a young mendicant goes to see King Bali and asks for enough space – just three step measure of land- to sit and meditate. ‘Take as much as you want, I don’t want you to ask others for anything, anymore.’ was the king’s response. The Lord lifted his leg and measured the whole earth in one step and with the second step the heavens. There was no space to put his third step and by then Bali understood the drama (divine Leela) and bowed his head in reverence in front of the Lord. He sacrificed his ego and got ‘paada anugraham – blessings by the touch of Lord’s foot’. This is how the king Bali became Mahabali – the mighty one. He was sent to another place (Suthalam- noble abode) where he was asked to do penance for some time until his turn to rule the worlds again. During this time, the Lord was his personal guardian.

Because of the spiritual strength he already had, Bali was least bothered about the loss of his kingdom as he was not really attached to it.  When the Lord appeared as a dwarf mendicant and took away his kingdom, he didn’t lose his character. Mahabali became even nobler by being detached to the future material prosperity (kingdom) that was offered to him when his turn comes. But when he has to rule the three worlds, he would do it with equanimity and without any attachment. It is this attitude of contentment (sthitha prajna) that was an inspiration to Sri Rama. Sage Vasishtha tells Rama to learn the art of true sacrifice from Mahabali. This sacrifice is not something that he is forcing himself to do. It comes naturally to him. He is contented with whatever comes in his way whether it is comfort or hardship. In fact Bali was already a self-realized soul with no ‘need’ for material comforts of the three worlds. But a smoke of arrogance happened to hover over him in the course of time and that led to his fall and eventual transformation. He wasn’t overly elated when he was ruling in the role of Indra. He wasn’t perturbed when Lord Vamana took away his Kingdom and when he realized that he will have to wait eons before getting his position back. This is how Mahabali became the role model for Sri Rama, the ‘Maryada purushotthaman- the noblest human’. In Sri Rama’s case, when he was offered the kingdom by his father Dasaratha, he wasn’t overly elated. He accepted that as his duty to his country. He wasn’t upset either when the kingdom was taken away for fourteen years by his step mother. He took that as his duty to his father. Mahabali gave up everything that he ‘owned’; but that sacrifice is insignificant compared to the sacrifice of his ego. It is this Mahabali who needs to be remembered in Onam. In the higher pursuit of knowledge he became a role model for Sri Rama.

In fact, in Indian scriptures, you will not see total villains per se – but the characters would express various shades of valour and villainous nature. So let us not belittle the wonderful story of spiritual inspiration depicted through Mahabali and Vamana to a story of deceit and deprivation. Mahabali is not a comical character as portrayed by many a media nowadays. He was an inspiration to all, including Lord Rama.

തിരുവോണ മഹിമ 

the Significance Onam

Thiruvonam, popularly known as Onam, is the national festival of Kerala, celebrated with pomp and splendor by Malayalees all over the world. Onam is celebrated in the Lunar month of Chingam (August - September ), when the star Altair (Thiruvonam) in the constellation of Aquila is on the ascendant. The legendary origin of the festival dates back to the Tretayuga -to the day Vishnu, the sustaining power behind the universe,  incarnated as Vamana.

Mahabali (the one with great strength) was born in the Tretayuga as an Asura, Asura being defined as one reveling solely in the material world. Through severe penance Mahabali acquired stupendous powers and became the invincible king of all worlds. He was a benevolent king and it is said that his subjects enjoyed supreme levels of material comfort and well-being. 

മാവേലി നാടുവാണീടും കാലം 
മാനുഷരെല്ലാരും ഒന്നുപോലെ 
കള്ളവുമില്ല ചതിയുമില്ല 
എള്ളോളമില്ല പൊളി വചനം 

Poverty and hardship were non-existent and people indulged themselves in endless merrymaking, so much so, that any further pursuit in life was neglected. Spiritual and intellectual evolution came to a stand-still, as the humankind blissfully immersed itself in an ocean of material wealth. To jolt them out of this condition, Vishnu, upon requests from the Devas or the Enlightened Beings, incarnated as Vamana, the short and diminutive.

Being the pious king that he was, Mahabali frequently conducted Yagas and Yagnas to sustain himself. It was during one of these Yagas, called the Aswamedha, that Vamana, as a young boy seeking alms, approached Mahabali. Delighted at the prospect of pleasing a brahmachari, thereby getting his blessings, Bali egotistically offered the boy anything he wished for in the universe. In response Vamana asked for only that much land as could be measured in three steps by his tiny feet.  Even though he felt insulted by the simplicity of the request, Bali readily agreed to it. Sukracharya, the Guru of Asuras, realizing the true nature of Vamana, begged Bali to retract his promise. Mahabali, however, refused to dishonor his word and granted Vamana his wish. Upon this, Vamana grew to gigantic proportions and measured the heavens with one step and the earth with the next. There was no room left for the third step. Humbled and overcome with awe, Mahabali offered his head for Vamana’s third step. While his ego slumped, his devotional surrender to the Supreme Self and firm adherence to righteousness even in the face of total annihilation boosted his stature. He was consequently reprieved and graced with an honorable place in Sutala, the world coveted even by the accomplished souls living in heaven. Mahabali was also given the special privilege to visit his subjects once a year. Onam celebrates his annual visit, besides the Lord’s incarnation as Vamana. Thus, Onam reminds us not only of those days, when material wellbeing was at its peak, but also of 
the higher goals in life.

The celebrations start ten days ahead of Onam, and continue, in most places, up to three days after. The courtyard and surroundings are are displayed in every home. Street dances, mock fights and land and water sports are staged, and the whole community takes on an atmosphere of gaiety. The festival reaches a climax on the day of Onam, with a grand reception of Mahabali and the worship of Vamana.

The legend dramatically depicts many tenets of Hindu Philosophy. Mahabali symbolizes the human mind, sporting ego and Rajoguna*. This mind can be overcome by devotion and righteous deeds, thus paving the way for spiritual progress. God’s grace alone can transmute one’s mortal existence to that of eternal bliss. Mahabali, the mind, devoid of ego and surrendered to the will of the Supreme Self, personified as Vamana, was graced with eternal existence and supreme bliss.

*The three gunas (attributes) of human mind are Satva (the calm and virtuous); Rajas (the agitated and egotistical) and Tamas (the idle and ignorant). The evolutionary process is such that the idle mind progressively gets active and then calm and content. Though a benevolent King well liked by everyone, Mahabali’s progress was somewhat stalled at the second stage and the Lord showed him the path to total contentment.

Saturday, August 27, 2016

സത്യം വദ: ധര്‍മ്മം ചര:


Satyam Vada; Dharmam Chara

Speak the truth; walk the righteous path; be alert and vigilant; attain the goal of enlightenment.

In the land of Bharatha, known for raising mighty flags of righteous victory of dharma; in the land where victory songs of dharmic valor have been proudly extolled by generations, an embodiment of Vedic knowledge and Vedantic wisdom took birth. He dreamt of making the world into one perfect home shared by the whole of humanity by spreading the message of universal harmony. He considered everyone as his sibling and he was respected by all because of his discrimination and wisdom. He showed the world the way to find the nectar of bliss by living righteously in this world. He is none other than H. H. Swami Vivekananda. 

Within him, the powerful vision of universal brotherhood and harmony gave rise to the concept of unity in the diversity of world religions. Guided by this philosophy, he dared to address the whole world as his brothers and sisters. With the clarity of vision that discriminated between the righteous and non-righteous paths, he realized the eternal truth- That Thou Art. He extended this to the whole universe of movables and immovable. He is the embodiment of the wisdom of Self-discrimination. He is none other than the great sage H.H. Swami Vivekananda.

തിരുവോണക്കുളിര്‌

തിരുവോണക്കുളിര്‌


ആതിരക്കുളിരുലാവി വന്നു തിരുവാതിരയ്ക്കന്നു നീ
ഉള്ളിനുള്ളിലൊരു നേര്‍ത്ത രാഗസുധ എന്നിലൂയലാടി
മധുരമാമരിയ പുളകഹര്‍ഷത്തിലതിതരള,മരികേ
അഴകിയന്ന നിന്മു‍ഖവടിവില്‍ ഞാന്‍ കണ്ടു കുങ്കുമപ്പൂ

പൂമുഖങ്ങളിലൊരായിരം ദീപം തിരിതെളിച്ചപോലെ
കാമ്യമാമരിയ കാമനകള്‍ക്കൊരഴകിയന്ന പോലെ
മെയ്യഴകിന്നു മാറ്റുകൂട്ടുന്ന മയ്യുമെഴുതി നിന്നൂ
കാതരം നിന്‍ കരവിരുതുകള്‍ കവിതപോലെ സ്നിഗ്ദ്ധം

മെഴുകിയഴകിലൊരുക്കി വച്ചു പൂക്കളമൊരുക്കും വിരല്‍
പൂവു നോവാതെയിതളിതളാക്കി ചിത്രമാക്കുന്നു നീ
കാവുകള്‍ തോറും വീശിയെത്തുന്ന കാറ്റിലീണമായി
നീയാദ്യമായന്നു മൂളിയറിയാതെയെന്റെ നാലു വരികള്‍

സപ്തവര്‍ണ്ണങ്ങള്‍ നിന്നുലാവുന്ന സുപ്രഭാത വെയിലില്‍
നിന്നീറനായ മുടിയിടയില്‍നിന്നുമുതിരുന്ന മുത്തുമണികള്‍
ചേര്‍ന്നു പെയ്യുന്നു പൂമുഖത്തിലൊരു സ്വര്‍ണ്ണ ചാറ്റല്‍ മഴ
സദിരിലാരോ വിളംബ താളത്തില്‍ ആലപിക്കും വിധം

പദചലനത്തില്‍ നിന്റെ നെഞ്ചിലും ത്രിപുട താളമായോ
ദ്രുതമൃദംഗത്തിന്നതിരു വയ്ക്കാത്ത താള ഭംഗിയായോ
എന്നകമലരിലെ തേന്‍ നുകരുവാന്‍ ശലഭവൃന്ദമെത്തീ
അരികിലടികള്‍വെച്ചകലമറിയാത്തൊരകലമെങ്ങുപോയീ?

അഞ്ചുതിരിയിട്ട ദീപമന്നു നീ സന്ധ്യയില്‍  തെളിച്ചു
കണ്ണിലായിരം ദീപഭംഗി കണ്ടാടിയെന്റെ മനവും
മുറ്റമാകെനിന്‍ പുഞ്ചിരിപ്പൂ നിലാവില്‍ മുങ്ങി നില്‍ക്കേ
മുഗ്ധ്നായ് ഞാനു,മാപ്രഭാപൂര ദീപ്തിയില്‍ മയങ്ങീ.

ചാറ്റല്‍ മഴയുടെ നനവ്‌



മംഗളപത്രം സണ്ണിക്കും തങ്കമണിക്കും

സംഗച്ഛധ്വം സംവദത്വം ......



ഐക്യമത്യസൂക്തം- മലയാളത്തില്‍ - സ്വതന്ത്ര വിവര്‍ത്തനം

- പദാനുപദ തര്‍ജ്ജിമയല്ല ഉദ്ദേശം. സംസ്കൃതത്തില്‍ ചൊല്ലുന്നതുപോലെ ഏകദേശം ചൊല്ലാനുമൊക്കുമെന്നു തോന്നുന്നു.
 
ജൂണ്‍ 21 അന്താരാഷ്ട്ര യോഗാദിനത്തോടനുബന്ധിച്ച് കേരളത്തിലെ ചില കോണുകളില്‍ ഐക്യമത്യ സൂക്തത്തെപ്പറ്റി ചര്‍ച്ചകള്‍ നടന്നു. അതില്‍ കേരളാ ആരോഗ്യവകുപ്പ് മന്ത്രിയോട് എനിക്ക്  കടപ്പാടുണ്ട്. അവര്‍ ഇല്ലായിരുന്നുവെങ്കില്‍ ഞാനീ 'വിവര്‍ത്തനയോഗ' ചെയ്യാന്‍ ശ്രമിക്കുകയില്ലായിരുന്നു. ഇതിനെപ്പറ്റി ഋഗ്വേദം നോക്കി പഠിക്കാന്‍ അവസരമുണ്ടായത് മന്ത്രിയുടെ 'മനസ്കത' കൊണ്ടാണ്. ('മഹാ' വിട്ടുപോയതല്ല.. മനസ്കത എന്ന്പറഞ്ഞാല്‍ മനസ്സിന്‍റെ അസ്ക്യത എന്ന് അര്‍ത്ഥം ശരിയാവുമോ എന്തോ!)

അഹം എന്ന കവിത - ഭാഷാപോഷിണി

Mahabali- the demon king - an inspiration even for Sri Rama.


Mahabali- the demon king - an inspiration even for Sri Rama.



The black and white style delineation of Devas and Asuras (Gods and demons) can be seen only in the outer shell of Indian scriptural stories.  The behaviors of gods and demons in scriptures have always been portrayed with different grades of grey – some relatively good and some seemingly bad. When the virtues are high, one becomes a Deva and when the vices are high, a demon. For example, Ravana was a great intellectual (equivalent to ten heads working together), a great musician, and a devotee of Lord Siva. But his fall was due to ego, lust , and arrogance. Many other asuras also have such varying shades of qualities. Even Kamsa, the evil uncle of Sri Krishna turned into a great philosopher when talking to Krishna’s parents Devaki and Vasudeva immediately after their wedding. Mahabali’s own grandfather Prahlada was an ardent devotee of Lord Vishnu, who was instrumental in the Lord appearing as Narasimha.

Mahabali, the asura king who is one of the heroes of Onam celebrations was not just an ordinary demon. He was in fact an inspiration even to Sri Rama according to Yogavasishtham. Sri Rama, the mighty Prince of Ayodhya was a young man with a lot of questions and worries about the futile nature of human endeavors. But Rama got a direction in life as he received the knowledge of the highest order from the story of Mahabali. How can a demon king become a role model for the Lord himself? In the ‘modern’ stories of Onam, the Lord Vamana, an Avatar of Vishnu is the villain who banished King Mahabali to the netherworlds depriving him of the kingdom he ruled so well with equality and prosperity! Mind you, Sri Rama is another incarnation of the same ‘ruthless’ Lord Vishnu!

Interestingly, only in Kerala, the story goes like this and it has been popularized by the media and popular literature. Kerala was not even formed until Lord Bhargava Rama’s incarnation. Lord Vamana’s avatar occurred way before the formation of Kerala. So how can Mahabali be the king of Kerala? In other parts of India and in the holy scripture Bhagavatham where the story of Bali appears, the Lord’s incarnation was to bless Bali, leading him to the higher path of knowledge.  King Bali was already a noble soul with a lot of great qualities and spiritual power. But he had an air of arrogance in him that prevented him from achieving the greatness he possessed. So the Lord came to his rescue and gave him a lesson to lift him up above the mundane. He was a benevolent king but fully immersed in the material life and merry-making. Obviously, his subjects also followed his philosophy of life. Thus in his kingdom, there were no higher pursuits of life. Material prosperity brought arrogance in him that he wanted to show that he can satisfy all the material needs of people. ‘Once I help someone, there should be no need for him to seek help from anyone else.’ He insisted. He did elaborate fire rituals and gave ample gifts to all who came to see him.

As the story goes, Mahabali’s time to rule the three worlds had come to an end. He had been ruling heaven, hell, and the earth for long. But he was too contented with his position and not showing any sign of passing on the kingdom to the next Indra in waiting. So the Devas (enlightened beings) requested Lord Vishnu to intervene.  So, Lord Vishnu took the guise of a young mendicant goes to see King Bali and asks for enough space – just a three-step measure of land- to sit and meditate. ‘Take as much as you want, I don’t want you to ask others for anything, anymore.’ was the king’s response. The Lord lifted his leg and measured the whole earth in one step and with the second step the heavens. There was no space to put his third step and by then Bali understood the drama (divine Leela) and bowed his head in reverence in front of the Lord. He sacrificed his ego and got ‘paada anugraham – blessings by the touch of Lord’s foot’. This is how the king Bali became Mahabali – the mighty one. He was sent to another place (Suthalam- noble abode) where he was asked to do penance for some time until his turn to rule the worlds again. During this time, the Lord was his personal guardian.

Because of the spiritual strength he already had, Bali was least bothered about the loss of his kingdom as he was not really attached to it.  When the Lord appeared as a dwarf mendicant and took away his kingdom, he didn’t lose his character. Mahabali became even nobler by being detached to the future material prosperity (kingdom) that was offered to him when his turn comes. But when he has to rule the three worlds, he would do it with equanimity and without any attachment. It is this attitude of contentment (sthitha prajna) that was an inspiration to Sri Rama. Sage Vasishtha tells Rama to learn the art of true sacrifice from Mahabali. This sacrifice is not something that he is forcing himself to do. It comes naturally to him. He is contented with whatever comes in his way whether it is comfort or hardship. In fact, Bali was already a self-realized soul with no ‘need’ for material comforts of the three worlds. But the smoke of arrogance happened to hover over him in the course of time and that led to his fall and eventual transformation. He wasn’t overly elated when he was ruling in the role of Indra. He wasn’t perturbed when Lord Vamana took away his Kingdom and when he realized that he will have to wait for eons before getting his position back. This is how Mahabali became the role model for Sri Rama, the ‘Maryada purushotthaman- the noblest human’. In Sri Rama’s case, when he was offered the kingdom by his father Dasaratha, he wasn’t overly elated. He accepted that as his duty to his country. He wasn’t upset either when the kingdom was taken away for fourteen years by his stepmother. He took that as his duty to his father. Mahabali gave up everything that he ‘owned’; but that sacrifice is insignificant compared to the sacrifice of his ego. It is this Mahabali who needs to be remembered in Onam. In the higher pursuit of knowledge, he became a role model for Sri Rama.

In fact, in Indian scriptures, you will not see total villains per se – but the characters would express various shades of valor and villainous nature. So let us not belittle the wonderful story of spiritual inspiration depicted through Mahabali and Vamana to a story of deceit and deprivation. Mahabali is not a comical character as portrayed by many media nowadays. He was an inspiration to all, including Lord Rama.

തിരുവോണ മഹിമ 

the Significance Onam

Thiruvonam, popularly known as Onam, is the national festival of Kerala, celebrated with pomp and splendor by Malayalees all over the world. Onam is celebrated in the Lunar month of Chingam (August - September ), when the star Altair (Thiruvonam) in the constellation of Aquila is on the ascendant. The legendary origin of the festival dates back to the Tretayuga -to the day Vishnu, the sustaining power behind the universe,  incarnated as Vamana.

Mahabali (the one with great strength) was born in the Tretayuga as an Asura, Asura being defined as one reveling solely in the material world. Through severe penance, Mahabali acquired stupendous powers and became the invincible king of all worlds. He was a benevolent king and it is said that his subjects enjoyed supreme levels of material comfort and well-being. 

Poverty and hardship were non-existent and people indulged themselves in endless merrymaking, so much so, that any further pursuit in life was neglected. Spiritual and intellectual evolution came to a stand-still, as the humankind blissfully immersed itself in an ocean of material wealth. To jolt them out of this condition, Vishnu, upon requests from the Devas or the Enlightened Beings, incarnated as Vamana, the short and diminutive.

Being the pious king that he was, Mahabali frequently conducted Yagas and Yagnas to sustain himself. It was during one of these Yagas, called the Aswamedha, that Vamana, as a young boy seeking alms, approached Mahabali. Delighted at the prospect of pleasing a brahmachari, thereby getting his blessings, Bali egotistically offered the boy anything he wished for in the universe. In response, Vamana asked for only that much land as could be measured in three steps by his tiny feet.  Even though he felt insulted by the simplicity of the request, Bali readily agreed to it. Sukracharya, the Guru of Asuras, realizing the true nature of Vamana, begged Bali to retract his promise. Mahabali, however, refused to dishonor his word and granted Vamana his wish. Upon this, Vamana grew to gigantic proportions and measured the heavens with one step and the earth with the next. There was no room left for the third step. Humbled and overcome with awe, Mahabali offered his head for Vamana’s third step. While his ego slumped, his devotional surrender to the Supreme Self and firm adherence to righteousness even in the face of total annihilation boosted his stature. He was consequently reprieved and graced with an honorable place in Sutala, the world coveted even by the accomplished souls living in heaven. Mahabali was also given the special privilege to visit his subjects once a year. Onam celebrates his annual visit, besides the Lord’s incarnation as Vamana. Thus, Onam reminds us not only of those days, when material wellbeing was at its peak but also of 
the higher goals in life.

The celebrations start ten days ahead of Onam, and continue, in most places, up to three days after. The courtyard and surroundings are displayed in every home. Street dances, mock fights, and land and water sports are staged, and the whole community takes on an atmosphere of gaiety. The festival reaches a climax on the day of Onam, with a grand reception of Mahabali and the worship of Vamana.

The legend dramatically depicts many tenets of Hindu Philosophy. Mahabali symbolizes the human mind, sporting ego, and Rajoguna*. This mind can be overcome by devotion and righteous deeds, thus paving the way for spiritual progress. God’s grace alone can transmute one’s mortal existence to that of eternal bliss. Mahabali, the mind, devoid of ego and surrendered to the will of the Supreme Self, personified as Vamana, was graced with eternal existence and supreme bliss.

*The three gunas (attributes) of the human mind are Satva (the calm and virtuous); Rajas (the agitated and egotistical) and Tamas (the idle and ignorant). The evolutionary process is such that the idle mind progressively gets active and then calm and content. Though a benevolent King well-liked by everyone, Mahabali’s progress was somewhat stalled at the second stage and the Lord showed him the path to total contentment.