Author: vmeenakshi jayakumar

FOOD FOR THOUGHT – SMILE

Image result for smile of maha periyava

A Smile costs nothing, but gives much.  It enriches those who give it.  It takes but a moment, but the memory of it sometimes lasts forever.  None is so rich or mighty that he can get along without it, and none is so poor but that he cannot be made richer by it.

A Smile creates happiness in the home, promotes good will in business and is the cornerstone of friendship.  It can perk up the weary, bring cheer to the discouraged, sunshine to the sad, and is nature’s best antidote for trouble.

Yet it cannot be brought, begged, borrowed or stolen, for it is something that is of no value to anyone until it is given away.

When people are too tired to give you a smile, give them one of yours.

No one needs a smile so much as he who has none to give.

Food for thought

 

EASY AND DIFFICULT

 

Image result for thiruvalluvar
Easy is to get a place in someone’s address book or phone;

Difficult is to get a place in someone’s heart.

East is to judge the mistakes of others;

Difficult is to recognize our own mistakes.

East is to talk without thinking;

Difficult is to refrain the tongue.

East is to hurt some one who likes us;

Difficult is to heal the wound.

East is to keep friendship with words;

Difficult is to keep it with meanings.

East or Difficult Learn to Manage.

—- Thiruvalluvar.

Story time – The story of three skulls.

The story of three skulls.  : Once a Raksasa appeared in the Darbar of Raja Vikramaditya with three skulls and told him that he would kill all the Pandits in his court if they were not able to select the best skull amongst the three within a week.

Image result for vikramaditya and betal

Vikramaditya agreed to the proposal, and at once called all his Pandits and gave them the message of the Raksasa.  All the Pandits trembled with fright when they heard the message of the Raksasa.  But, fortunately, there was one intelligent Pandit, Rajarama Sastri by name.  He gave solid encouragement to all Pandits and told the Raja that he would select the best skull for the Raksasa without any difficulty and quickly.

After seven days, the Raksasa again appeared to the Raja’s palace.  Pandit Rajarama Sastri entered the platform and said: “The skull in which this iron rod could enter from one ear to the other is the worst one.  It is not worth even a farthing.  That skull in which the iron rod would pass from one ear towards the mouth is the middling one.  And that skull in which this rod wold pass from one ear to the heart directly is the best of all.”  He then handed over the best skull to the Raksasa.  the Raksasa bowed and hung his head in shame and left the Darbar.  The Pandit was, of course, honoured by the Raja with rich presents of gold, shaws and cows.

MORAL OF THE STORY is that those who hear religious instructions through one ear and and allow them to pass through another ear without further thinking and practice of those valuable instructions are worthless people, like the worst skull.  Those who hear the instructions through one ear and talk on these subjects at least occasionally are the middling class, like the middling skull.  But, those who hear the instructions through one ear and and allow them to pass deeply into their very hears and practise them in right earnest are the best class of people, like the best skull.   — Swami Sivananda

Coming again to my point, mere reading, and talking on the subject of success in life and God-realisation will not do.  We will have to put into practice immediately whatever we have learnt from these stories and become an exalted Yogi or a Jnani.

Food for thought

SRI PARAMAHANSA YOGANANDA SAYS:

Image result for paramahansa yogananda images

There is a way of detachment you must practice; from the character flaws and habits grated onto your soul through the influence of your environment and ungoverned subconscious mind.

Introspect daily;

Sit down and analyze yourself deeply.

Find out whether you are a slave to the sense, always controlled by a craving for some pleasure.

Each one of you has some particular inclination to conquer.  Perhaps you are too greedy, or too sexually conscious, or you love flattery or are prone to anger.

If you sit quietly and ask yourself, “What is wrong with me?  What am I like, and why am I this way?”.

You will begin to understand yourself clearly.

And once you begin to identify your weaknesses, do not be overcome by discouragement instead, use your sword of wisdom and discrimination and your will power to get rid of those bad habits.

 

 

 

story time : Jayamala

The Story of Jayamala

There was a king named Jayamala who loved Krishna with all his heart.  He followed with unfailing devotion, all the rites and ceremonies associated with the adoration of Sri Krishna, whom Jayamala worshipped under the name of Syamalasundara.  Completely satisfied with his own Deity, he never directed his attention to any other God or Goddess.  One of the inflexible rules of his devotions was to worship the Deity daily till almost midday.  He would never deviate from this practice, even at the risk of his wealth or his kingdom.  Learning this secret, an enemy king invaded the kingdom during the morning hours. Jayamala’s soldiers could not fight without his command; so they watched the invasion silently.  Slowly the enemy surrounded the moat of the capital; yet Jayamala  did not come out of his shrine room.  His mother came to him and wept bitterly, trying to persuade the king to fight.  He said to her calmly: “Why are you worried? Syamalasundara gave me this kingdom.  What can I do if He had decided to take it away? On the other hand, none will be able to do me harm if He protects me.  Our own efforts are vain.”

Image result for krishna on horse

Actually, in the meantime, Syamalasundara, the Deity Himself had taken the King’s horse from the stable and had ridden fully armed to the field.  Alone He faced the hostile king and alone destroyed his army.  Having crushed the enemy forces, the Deity returned to the temple and fastened the horse nearby.  Jayamala, on completing his worship, came out and discovered the horse there, panting and covered with sweat.  “Who has been riding my horse?”  He demanded.  “Who brought it to the temple?”  The officers declared they knew nothing about it.  In  a pensive mood the king proceeded to the battlefield with his army and there found the enemy, with the exception of their leader, lying dead. He was staring uncomprehendingly at the scene, when the enemy king approached, worshipped him and said: “Please permit me to tell you something.  How could I fight? You have a warrior who could conquer the entire world.  I do not want your wealth or your kingdom; indeed I will gladly give you my own, if you will tell me about that Blue Warrior, your friend.  No sooner did I turn my eyes on Him than he cast a spell on my heart and soul.”  Jayamala then realized it had been none other than Syamalasundara that had appeared on the battlefield.  The enemy king understood too.  He worshipped Jayamala and through his blessings received Krishna’s grace.

MORAL OF THE STORY:

Belief brings miracle.  We must do our daily routines.  Nitya karma.  Balance will be taken care of by God.

 

 

 

FOOD FOR THOUGHT – POWER OF PRAYER

THE POWER OF PRAYER

 

Image result for maha periyava doing prayer

 

GOD HIMSELF …………………………………

Get up early in the morning and repeat some prayers. Pray in any manner as you like.  Be as simple as a child.  Open the chambers of your heart.  You will get everything.  Discard all types of bad thoughts.  Pray fervently now, start from this very moment.

Prayer can do miracles.  Pray from the bottom of your heart.  Cultivate a meek receptive attitude of mind.  Prayer with such an attitude of mind is, at once heard and responded to by GOD.  You must have a strong conviction in the omnipresence and omnipotence of God.

Prayer is the effort of man to commune with the Lord.  Prayer is a mighty spiritual force.  Prayer frees the devotee from any form of fear.  Prayer keeps the mind in tune with God.   He who prays regularly, has already started the spiritual journey towards the everlasting peace.

 

 

 

Food for thought

Success

The whole secret of real peace, true happiness and real success is faith in Self-confidence or GOD.

When we will come to have faith in the grace of God and begin to act in conformity with the Divine Will, all the Divine forces will start helping us and success will kneel-down before us and court us.

When faith in God develops in us, we will feel that God is shouldering the entire responsibility of our well-being, immediate as well as future, that He is guarding us against every chance of a fall.  Then a natural sense of fearlessness and carefreeness will dawn on us.

Sakti Upasana

 

Image result for goddess bhavani with Adi sankara

A devotee wanted to pray, “O Bhavani, please bestow on me, Your self, a compassionate glance”.   So he began with the words “Bhavani tvam”.  So eager was the Goddess to fulfil Her devotee’s wish that She did not realize that the devotee’s pause after “tvam”, meaning “You”, was only the interval between successive words Taking the request as complete, She immediately granted him “Bhavani-tvam” or the state of being Bhavani: that is, She made him one with Herself.  Bhagavatpada has stated this in His Soundaryalahari.

NARADA AND MUSIC

This is followed by the Pancha Geetam

The Venu Gitam which precedes the above Vrata in X.21.7-19.

The Pranaya Gitam29.31-41 & X.30.5-34 before Rasalila.

The Gopika Gitam31.1-19 before Rasalila effacing their ego & leading to Rasalila

The Yugala Gitam35.2-25 after Rasalila during day time.

The Bramara Gitam47.12-21

          Therefore,  Krishna’s  Rasalila with the Gopis takes place only after they have completely rid themselves of their sense of ego and self importance.  Patanjali describes yoga as : citta vritti nirodaha,  and what Krishna does in the Rasalila is calming the Gopis mind of Kama and Sushupti i.e. desire and sleep which are two modes of the mind which people without devotion and Sadhana cannot overcome.  Thus, Krishna makes the Gopis yogis through the Rasalila. 

1.  Thus, we find that the Gopis did not have any noble lineage (Janma), they did not have any yogic prowess (Aishwarya), they did not have any knowledge (Sruti), they did not have any wealth (Shree), like Narada and others but yet, they attained the Lord within a short period of 11 years.III.2.26..  Sri Krishna Himself  praises the Gopis in X.32:

“ 21. O Gopis!  It was only to strengthen the longing for me in you, who have left your name, prospects and position in this world – left what the Vedas promise as reward in the hereafter for following their dictates, and left also your home and relatives for my sake – that I disappeared from your vision.  It was only to serve you invisibly by hearing your prayer and seeing your actions.  O dear ones! Do not make it a ground of complaint against me, who am all love for you.

  1. Even by service for countless divine years I cannot pay back to you anything equal to your glorious act of self-surrender, prompted by love untarnished by any blemish of selfishness and breaking the ever powerful chain of attachment for home and worldly concerns.  As I cannot pay back the debt, may your generous act be its own reward.”

         After the destruction of Kamsa at Mathura, Krishna sends Uddhava to comfort the Gopis.  He is astounded at the Gopis devotion and says in X.47.:

  1. “These Gopis are indeed the only people who have attained the real purpose of a human birth in this world. For, in them is present that deep-rooted anguish of love (Mahabhava) for Govinda, the soul of all that exists.  This attainment is the aspiration of us all – the liberation-seekers afraid of Samsara, the sages of spiritual attainment , and we devotees.  We only aspire for it, but never attain it.  Of what consequence is birth is high social ranks?  It is only the intense feeling for the Infinite Being that matters.
  2. Where are these women, mere nomads of the forest, belonging to a promiscuous society? And where is this anguish of love (Mahabhava) for Krishna, the Supreme Spirit? It seems to be true that He bestows the Supreme God on one who resorts to Him wholly, in truth and in spirit, although he is without any understanding of Him based on learning.  Like a medicine, taken knowingly or unknowingly, love of God does produce its result irrespective of one’s learning or social status.
  3. Neither the lotus-perfumed beauties of heaven nor even Sri Devi, who is always engrossed in His love and service, ever got that degree of His grace which was the lot of these beauties of Vraja, who had the great blessing of being clasped by the neck by Him in the Rasa Dance, and being conferred the highest fulfillment of their life.
  4. May I be born even as a bower or creeper or blasé of grass in blessed Vrindavana (pullai piravi thara venum – Utthukadu Venkatasubbayar) where I shall be covered with the dust of the feet of these Gopis who abandoned the unbreakable bondage of love of their own near and dear ones and of adherence to the paths of virtue approved by society, and preferred to follow the way of Divine service, which remains only as an aspiration and a quest even for the Vedas and its followers.
  5. those feet of Bhagavan Krishna which are worshipped in their hearts by Sri Devi and by Brahma and great Yogis who have no desire yet to be fulfilled – those very feet of the Bhagavan were in the Rasa-meet applied to their breasts and embraced by these Gopis who had thereby all their sufferings assuaged.
  6. I salute again and again even the dust of the feet of the women of Nanda’s  cowherd settlement, whose loud praise of Hari’s  glories in songs in purifying all the three worlds.”

 

2. The Gopis thus clearly illustrate the saying in I.3.38 :

 

  1. “It is only the man who is without duplicity and who serves the Lord of limitless might continuously in love and submission (bhajeta tatpaadasarojagandham), that comes to realize Him in truth and in reality.”

And  Narada’s upadesa to Veda Vyasa in I.6.22 :

  1. “Great men have established that the supreme, imperishable consummation of all spiritual disciplines – be it austerities, scriptural study, sacrifices, Japa, gifts or discrimination – consists in the development of keen interest in contemplation and exposition of the glories and attributes of the most Exalted Being.” (Yad uttamasloka guna anuvarnanam)
  2. On the eve of the Krishna avatara, Brahma commands all the devas to be born on earth to be His helpers X.1.22..  The devas are born as Yadus with desire for enjoyment and so did not realize the divinity of Krishna even though in constant association with Him.  The Yadus took Krishna for granted to gain Janma, Aishwarya, Sruti and Shree that only made them arrogant and a burden to the earth.  In view of their minds being addicted to enjoyment and being votaries of pleasure and power,  wisdom could not be generated in them (Bhagavat Gita II.44) and so they were destroyed by Sri Krishna Himself.   The Pandavas were also devas who incarnated in Hastinapura.  They realized Krishna’s divinity and associated themselves with Him for material gain of their paternal kingdom and to rule the earth by performance of the Rajasuya Sacrifice.  They therefore had to suffer very much, witness hell and then go to heaven without liberation.  But Drona, the leader of the Vasus,  and his wife  Dhara, who were asked by Brahma to be born on earth as cowherds maintaining cattle, prayed X.8.49 :
  3.                 “May we have, in our embodiment on earth, that kind of supreme devotion to Sri Hari, the Lord of all, by means of which people easily overcome this misery of Samsara!”

And they became Jivanmuktas.

Therefore, the lesson to be learnt from Sahitya is that Manobhava with which actions are done is what determines the result of the actions.  The devas with a preponderance of sattva guna met with diverse ends based on their Manobhava.  In kaliyuga, the Upasana is His Kirtana without desires or eshanas for progeny, wealth and fame besides position or power.  That is why, all the Bhaktas incarnate as Vaggeyakaras and Saints and sing the glory of the Lord for Haritoshanam or His pleasure and not for any personal benefit.   Readers may refer to MahaBhakta Vijayam for further details.

 

20.It is therefore my humble supplication to all students, performing artists

and lovers of music to approach the subject with the following sankalpa :

        Haritoshana preeti siddhyartham sangeetham samarpayam

so that the Lord is pleased with them as He was with the Gopis to receive His grace and not suffer like Narada for over a thousand years with the entry of personal gain and glory in his heart as a performing artist.   It is my prayer that all Schools of Indian Classical Music include the Pancha Gitam of the Gopis in their syallabus for the spiritual upliftment of all students.

  • DR. V.MEENAKSHI JAYAKUMAR