search in mortar 1

[Guest guest]

Dear srivaishNavap perunthagaiyeer,

 

Generally for learning any thing and everything, in olden days,

people have to approach a guru, in his vaasasthalam [residing place] -

pay respects to him every day when they arrive for learning [anjali -

saashtaanga praNaamam or dhandam as it is called] and then start the

learning process. While leaving the guru for the day, again the

students have to pay respects and then leave for the day. When

finally leaving the guru, after completing the course of study, they

have to pay some guru dhakshiNa as per their capacity or as demanded

by the guru or guru's wife. Just recall the command to sri

krishNa `bring my dead son as your guru dhakshiNai', the guru

pathni's askance to sri krishNa since guru saandheepani did not want

anything from the lord.

 

Generally the gurus will be `maharishis' and as such they will be

living in aasramams in forests or on the riversides. So commuting

from their own place or from nearby was more a difficult task in

those days. As such the students carried out the gurukula vaasam

method –staying in guru's place. Furthermore the teaching is through

oral method – spoken by teacher repeatedly, heard by the students

repeatedly and `by hearted' by the students. The vEdhaas and

upanishadhs, hence, are called sruthis and smruthis. As such the

learning was a little bit slow process.

 

So the vEdhaas and upanishadhs and their rich meanings were taught

over a stretched period of time, and as such were made available in

the rishis' aasramams. Sometimes these vEdhaas and upanishadhs

themselves were called `forests' since taught in forests, also since

it is difficult to get at the meaning without searching quite a lot.

 

Compare that with present day systems. We turn to a textbook or

dictionary or encyclopedia for understanding about any new thing

easily [in the previous 21st century]. Separate lexicons are

available for almost all subjects. That made the learning process

simple.

 

In the 22nd century, we take even more simpler route - nowadays – do

the prapaththi or take sarNaagathy route as in sree vaishNava

sadhaacharam - surrender to Mr. Computer the super lord, through the

aachaaryan Mr. Mouse, who operates at the command of the lord, takes

us through the archiraadhi maargam for a fast moksham viz. Dr.

Google.

 

All the gnaanam - the thathva thrayam – 3 secrets – the data or

matter, to be learnt, is all placed by that super lord in a flash for

learning by us, the dhaasaboothaas, and the mahath aachaaryan Mr.

Mouse again guides us to sift through. Without this lord and the

teacher, the life has become dull these days. May be the wife's face

is not seen for that particular day but not a day passes out without

seeing at least once this lord and the teacher.

 

I could hear the murmur – hey, all these are known to us. What is the

point you want to give? Yes. The point is – vEdhaas and upanishadhs

and their meanings were available tied to a mortar – the grinding

stone - [ural] in a remote village where ignorant ladies were

dominant. Now I wonder – how is that I missed this all these days –

because in our house also we had a big ural – we lived in a village

where many ignorant ladies were there. I could have learnt these

vEdhamas and upanishadhs better and in an easy manner.

 

Also I have to change my opinion because the verse says the vEdhams

and upanishadhs are not stored in machines called computers these

days, nor in rishi's brains in those forest aasramams those days.

 

Now read the verse -

 

varam imam upadhesam aadhriyadhvam nigama vanEshu nithaantha

chaarakhinnaa: |

vichinutha bhavanEshu vallaveenaam upanishadh arthham ulookhalE

nibadhDham ||

2-28 krishna karnaamrutham by leelaa sukhar

 

meaning: hey folks, do not roam in the forests and get tired –

forests called vEdhaas and upanishadhs – take this advice and

practice – search for the `meaning' of the vEdhaas and upanishadhs,

being tied to the mortar – [ural] in the houses of gOpees.

 

Now a point arise – if we are going to search in many houses, how

that `meaning', will be available in all places – for it is singular –

arthham. If it is tied to one particular ural – grinding stone it is

ok. Then there must be many meanings. Not one. Yes, says the author

in another verse now read that verse.

 

anthargruhE krishNam avEkshya chOram badhvaa kavaatam jananeem

gathaikaa |

ulookhalE dhaama nibadhDham Enam thathra api dhrushtvaa sthimithaa

babhoova ||

2- 51 krishna karnaamrutham by leelaa sukhar

 

Meaning: one gopee seeing krishNa stealing butter caught him and tied

to a mortar in her house. Then she upon closing the door [so as not

to allow krishNa escape] went to his mother [yasOdhaa] to report. Lo!

She was stunned to see krishNa tied to mortar there also. [yasOdhaa

standing by side?]

 

Now, I know you are going to ask me Sir, in the bhaagavtham only

yasOdhaa tied krishNa to mortar. Now this author says in two places

two different persons – one yasodhaa and another gopee – tied him. Is

it correct?

 

Let us see the answer in next post.

 

Dhaasan

 

Vasudevan m.g