A fine verse signifying 'relativity'

November 10, 2006

ShrIgurubhyo namaH

In the SrImad-bhAgavatam there is an enchanting verse that signifies

what is known as 'relativity'. The verse is in the setting where The

Lord, Sri Krishna enters the wrestling arena of King Kamsa of Mathura.

(Kamsa is going to be killed in the sequel) The Lord, along with Sri

Balarama, His brother, has just killed the mightly royal

elephant 'kuvalayApIDa'. Holding the slain elephant's horns, the Lord

appears in public view. This is how each segment of the variety of

people assembled there viewed the Lord Sri Krishna, each one from

one's own coordinate system:

First the verse and then the translation:

mallAnAm ashaniH, nRiNAm naravaraH, strINAm smaro mUrtimAn

gopAnAm svajano, asataam kShiti-bhujAm shAstA, sva-pitroH shishuH |

mRityur-bhoja-pateH, virAD-aviduShAm, tattvam param yoginAm

vRiShNInAm para-devateti vidito rangam gataH sAgrajaH ||

Canto X, Chapter 43 verse(17): For the wrestlers He was the deadly

vajra-weapon, for the men He was the best, for the women He was Cupid

incarnate, for the cowherds He was a relative, for the impious rulers

He was a chastiser, for His parents He was a child, for the king of

Bhoja (Kamsa, the Lord's maternal uncle) He was death, for the

unintelligent He was the gross of the universe, for the yogîs He was

the Supreme Reality and for the VrishNis He was the most worshipable

deity - these ways understood He entered the arena together with His

brother.

With pranams to the Divine Brothers Krishna and Balarama,

subbu

Om Tat Sat

November 10, 2006

PranAms Satsanghis!

After reading this devotional post , can one be 'silent' anymore -

Yes , when Krishna Paramatma's praises are sung abd his 'lila' is

glorified, how can a true devotee of Sri KRISHNA be 'quiet' ? -

so , i decided to break my self-imposed mouna vrata to join with our

beloved Subbuji in singing the praises of the Lord - after all, the

mouth has only one purpse - to sing the glories of Bala mukunda

hands have on;y one purpose to Serve or write about the glories of

Sri Janardana !

Yes! Subbuji is absolutely right! In Bhakti literature , there are

Six bhavas ( emotions) in which devotee seeks a relationship with

his Ishta -nishta or chosen deity !

These are :

1- Santa bhava - In this type of realtionship, the devotee

approaches the lord in an emotion of peace and tranquility - such

was Yudhistra's attitude towards Krishna BHAGWAN !

2. Dasya Bhava - in this kind of realtionship, the devotee

surrenders his whole body and soul to his lord and master and seves

him hand and foot - such was Lord HANUMAN'S attitude towards Lord

RAMA!

3. Sakhya bhava - in this mood, the devotee considers the LOrd as

his 'equal ' and a close friend or confidante . Such was Ajuna's

attitude towards his friend Sri KRISHNA !

4. Vatsalya bhava , in this relationship , the devotee approaches

the lord as his or her own child and assumes the role of a parent !

Such was Yasodha's attitude towards her yasodhanandana ! She loved

to take care of him as her own Child!

5. Kanta bhava - the love of a wife towards her husband - this was

the bhava in which Sita devi approached her Lord Janaki Rama !

6. Last but not least - Madhurya bhava or Sringara bhava - Here the

devotee thinks of the lord as her own beloved or lover - She adores

him ! She always thinks of him and cannot be even seperate from him

for one moment . This was the bhava that Srimarti Radharani or the

gopis had for their lord and master Radhakrisha or Gopikrishna !

this is supoosed to be the most 'UTTAMA' BHAVA and is not to be

confused with ordinary love of a woman for a man - this is

transcedental Love - in Sufi literature , many sufis like Rumi ,

Hafiz ETc refer to the lord as their beloved and the 'edding night'

that sufis speak of refers to the union of the individual soul with

the supersoul!

May i also now join Subbuji In quoting a few lines where we express

a 'relationship ' with the Lord !

Adi Shankara Bhagvadapada Sings in Sri Annapurnashtakam

mAtA cha pArvatI devI,

pitA devo maheshvarah;

bAndhavAh shiva-bhaktAsh cha -

svadesho bhuvana-trayam!"

Our mother is Goddess Parvati

Our Father is God Maheshvar.

Our friends are all the Shiva Bhaktas,

Our homeland is the entire three worlds.

A hindu prayer goes thus

Twameva mata cha pita twameva

Twameva bandhuscha sakha twameva

Twameva vidya dravinam twameva

Twameva sarvam mama devadeva!

You are my mother and my father

You are my friend and my relative

You are knoledge, you are wealth

You are my everything, O God of Gods!

In Madhurashtakam, Vallabacharya approaches Lord Krishna in the mood

of a Gopi and finds everything 'sweet' about his ishta-

nishta 'SWEET'

Adharam Madhuram, Vadanam Madhram,

Nayanam Madhuram, Hasitham Maduram,

Hrudhayam Madhuram, Gamanam Maduram,

Madhuradhipather Akhilam Madhuram

Sweet are thine lips, Krishna,

So is thine sweet cherubic face,

Sweet are thine jet black eyes, Krishna

So is thine soulful laugh,

Sweet is thine loving heart, Krishna

So is thine beautiful gait,

Hey king of all sweetness in this world,

Everything about Thee is sweet.

And finally, this is how the Sufi poet Rumi ibes his intensity and

love for his beloved , the Lord !

Love has nothing to do with

the five senses and the six directions:

its goal is only to experience

the attraction exerted by the Beloved.

Afterwards, perhaps, permission

will come from God:

the secrets that ought to be told with be told

with an eloquence nearer to the understanding

that these subtle confusing allusions.

The secret is partner with none

but the knower of the secret:

in the skeptic's ear

the secret is no secret at all.

In conclusion, let me ask you this ! Did you hear God's footsteps in

the last 10 days - this holy satsangha was pretty 'quiet' except for

a few posts from some regular contributors like Subbuji! I am sure

we will hear Shyamji's flute again now that his devotee has come out

of silence ! ( any pun intended is intentional ! who said 'silence

is not contagious ! i am missing posts from Shyamji etc)

Love and regards

ps - btw , those so called enemies of the Lord also think of Him all

the time although in a negative way ! For instance , Kamsa and

Ravana - but believe me , they also obtained 'moksha' when slain by

the lord! WE all know how Rama did 'prayachittam' at Rameshweram for

killing a great shiva bhakta!

advaitin, "subrahmanian_v"

<subrahmanian_v wrote:

>

> ShrIgurubhyo namaH

>

> In the SrImad-bhAgavatam there is an enchanting verse that

signifies

> what is known as 'relativity'. The verse is in the setting where

The

> Lord, Sri Krishna enters the wrestling arena of King Kamsa of

Mathura.

> (Kamsa is going to be killed in the sequel) The Lord, along with

Sri

> Balarama, His brother, has just killed the mightly royal

> elephant 'kuvalayApIDa'. Holding the slain elephant's horns, the

Lord

> appears in public view. This is how each segment of the variety

of

> people assembled there viewed the Lord Sri Krishna, each one from

> one's own coordinate system:

>

>a>

November 13, 2006

Pranams dear subbu-ji

To add to yours (and dhyanasaraswati-ji's) beautiful example(s)

here is another instance of perspective/standpoint

Sri Rama asked Hanuman: "Hanuman, what

attitude do you cherish towards Me?"

Hanuman answered :

"Dehadrshtyaa tu daasoham

Jivadrshtyaa tvadanshakah

vastutastu tvamevaaham

iti me nischitaa matih"

"O Rama! When I think I am the body, You are the Master and I am Your

servant, when I think I am the jivatman (embodied individual soul),

You are the whole and I am a part ; but when I have the Knowledge of

Reality, I see that you are I and I am You."

Humble pranams

Hari OM

Shyam

advaitin, "subrahmanian_v" <subrahmanian_v

wrote:

>

This is how each segment of the variety of

> people assembled there viewed the Lord Sri Krishna, each one from

> one's own coordinate system:

>

for the cowherds He was a relative, for the impious rulers

> He was a chastiser, for His parents He was a child, for the king of

> Bhoja (Kamsa, the Lord's maternal uncle) He was death, for the

> unintelligent He was the gross of the universe, for the yogîs He was

> the Supreme Reality and for the VrishNis He was the most worshipable

> deity - these ways understood He entered the arena together with His

> brother.

>

November 13, 2006

Thank you Shyam-ji for this wonderful example of Dwaita-Adwaita

bhakti - Sri Ramakrishna was fond of quoting this example all the

time - ( this is also narrated in the Gospel of Sri Ramakrishna.)

May i also point out in this context how the Gopis and Smt.

Radharani envied the 'Flute' in Sri MURALIDHARA'S hands ?

here is a sloka from SrimadBHAGVATAM CHAPTER 10:21 verse 9

Gopyah kimãcharadayam kushalam sma venur

dãmodarãdharasudhãmapi gopikãnãm I

bhungte svayam yadavashishtarasam hrdinyo

hrshyantvachoasrumumuchustaravo yathãryah II (9)

The Gopîs envy the flute, which is always held by the Lord either in

His hand or in His waist or in the hair knot on top of His head.

They envy the flute all the more because it drinks in the nectar of

His lips! They wonder what penance had been done by the flute to

earn a place on His nectarine lips. But, one Gopi says that Yamuna

(the holy river that flows in Vrindãvan) is more fortunate. Bhagavãn

used to visit Yamuna and take water from her in a small vessel

(`gindy'). But, Yamuna longed for His touch (`sparsha'). She did not

like Bhagavãn taking water from a vessel that deprived her of His

touch. Therefore, Bhagavãn took the water from her with His palms.

Later, holding the two hands behind His back, the Lord bent down and

drank water directly with His mouth, just as the cows and calves do!

He then spate out the water into Yamuna! How does one speak of this

fortune of Yamuna?

http://www.madhuramurali.org/swamigal/essay/ji_venugitam.html

In another sloka , Srila Rupa GOSWAMI praises the flute thus

sakhi murali visala-cchidra-jalena purna

laghur atikathina tvam granthila nirasasi

tad api bhajasi svasvac cumbanananda-sandram

hari-kara-parirambham kena punyodayena

— Vidagdha Madhava, Rupa Goswami

Hey flute-friend, what sort of good things have you done that such a

hard, dry piece of bamboo like you, with more faults (knots) than

holes, enjoys being squeezed by Krishna's lotus hands and tastes an

endless stream of nectar from his kiss?

The point that is being made is that Lord Krishna's devotess would

even love to be a 'flute' in Sri KRISHNA'S HANDS - and dance to his

tune ! These slokas are in the 'sringara' rasa mode ! Yes, the gopis

are seeking a relationship with the lord as his Beloved so much so

they even envy the bamboo flute in his hands ! This is

called 'Saamipyam' ( proximity) in Sri VAISHNAVA LITERATURE !

ENJOY VENU MADHURI!

ps - Satsanghis, another wonderful year is coming to an end and a

new year is about to begin ! Karthikai Deepam is around the corner !

Let us end the year on a wonderful note by making this holy

satsangha a vibrant , dynamic , active group with posts of advaita-

bhakti! As you will notice , our community has grown to over 1500

members and thsi group is one of the most coveted groups in the

whole family of e-groups! Did you know that our messages are

also posted in other groups?

LOVE AND REGARDS

advaitin, "shyam_md" <shyam_md wrote:

>

> Pranams dear subbu-ji

> To add to yours (and dhyanasaraswati-ji's) beautiful example(s)

>

> here is another instance of perspective/standpoint

>

> Sri Rama asked Hanuman: "Hanuman, what

> attitude do you cherish towards Me?"

>

> Hanuman answered :

>

> "Dehadrshtyaa tu daasoham

> Jivadrshtyaa tvadanshakah

> vastutastu tvamevaaham

> iti me nischitaa matih"

>

> "O Rama! When I think I am the body, You are the Master and I am

Your

> servant, when I think I am the jivatman (embodied individual soul),

> You are the whole and I am a part ; but when I have the Knowledge

of

> Reality, I see that you are I and I am You."

>

> Humble pranams

> Hari OM

> Shyam

>

November 14, 2006

advaitin, "dhyanasaraswati"

<dhyanasaraswati wrote:

>

> Thank you Shyam-ji for this wonderful example of Dwaita-Adwaita

> bhakti - Sri Ramakrishna was fond of quoting this example all the

> time - ( this is also narrated in the Gospel of Sri Ramakrishna.)

ShrIgurubhyo namaH

Namaste,

Continuing this thread, here is another instance of 'perspective

difference':

BrahmA's Advice: 'da, da, da'

Brahma, once instruted Devas, men and asuras. He rendered the same

advice, 'da, da, da', to all of them. The devas, as a rule, are

given to enjoyment of sense objects. Hence, they thought that

Brahma wanted them to be self-controlled. That is, they

interpreted 'da' as connoting 'damayata' (Control yourselves).

Human beings are selfish by nature and hoard wealth for future use.

They comprehended the word 'da' to mean 'datta' (Perform charity).

Asuras are cruel by nature. So, they understood the utterance 'da'

to mean 'dayadhvam' (Be compassionate).

Bhagavatpada Shankara, in His commentary on the concerned portion of

the Brihadaranyaka Upanishad, has clarified that the story does not

necessarily refer to devas, men and asuras considered

separately. 'Deva' here means a man with a predominantly Sattvic

nature, tainted by tendencies of enjoyment and conceit. 'Asuras'are

stone-hearted men with fierce instincts. All men should therefore

cultivate sense-control, charity and compassion. To this day, the

creator declares 'Da, Da, Da' through the sound of thunder.

A Guru instructs his disciples bearing in mind their competence. It

is perfectly possible for a common teaching to have different

implications for different disciples; the instruction of Brahma is

an example.

(Reproduced from the book 'Edifying Parables')

With humble pranams to all,

subbu

Om Tat Sat

November 14, 2006

Thank you Subbuji for that very inspiring story from Brihadaranyaka

Upanishad. One of my all time favorites ! i specially enjoyed the

interpretation of Shankara bhagavadapada in describing the Devas,

Asuras and Naras in terms of the three modes of Gunas!

May i also be permitted to add another story to this thread on the

instance of 'perspective difference' ?

Here it is!

Once . Lord Shiva and his devoted consort Parvati wwre sitting on

Mount Kailash in a playful mood . In LORD Shiva's hand was a 'fruit'

which contained the nectar of Divine Knowlege and Immortality ! The

parents wanted to offer the 'fruit' to one of their sons ,

Karthikeya and Ganesha! In order to do this, Lord SHIVA decided to

hold a small 'race' =- Lord SHIVA declared ' My beloved Sons!

Whopever circles the world three times and returns to our abode

would receive this immortal Fruit as a reward."

Karthikeya, on hearing this, immediately mounted on his Vahana (

mode of transportation) Peacock and rode off to circle the Universe

three times . Ganesha perplexed by this knew in his heart he would

never be able to compete with Karthikeya and win the race . So,

GANESHA mounted on his vahana the Mouse and circled his parents ,

Lord SHIVA and A Parvati three times ! When asked why he did this ,

Ganesha replied ' My dear parents ! In you are all the three

Universes , by circambulating around you , i have already cicled the

universe three times ! there is no need for me to do anything

else ." Lord Shiva was indeed pleased with Ganesha's intelligent and

thoughtful response and rewarded Ganesha with the 'fruit'of

immortality!!

JOIN ME IN SALUTING LORD ganesha with this verse from Adi SHANKARA

BHAGVADAPADA'S SRI Ganesha Bhujangam stotra !

To You whom the wise exclaim

as the single-syllabled, Supreme sound,

stainless and peerless,

bliss, formless, unconditioned --

the Indweller in the core of

sacred tradition -- to that

Primeval One I bow in adoration

To continue our story, when Karthikeya returned after circling the

Universe thre times tired and exhausted , he was shocked to see his

brother Ganesha sitting on his Mother PARVATI'S lap , eating

the 'fruit ' of immortality ! Karthikeya was ENRAGED and in anger he

mounted on his vahana peacock and rode back to THE The earth and

settled on a hillock called 'Palani'( PRONOUNCED AS PAZHANI) in

Tamilnadu, India ! Lord Shiva and Parvati followed Lord Karthikeya

to his new abode and embraced him and appeased Karthikeya by

saying ' Son! Do not worry ! You are yourself the 'fruit ( pazhamum

neeye - pazham means fruit in tamizh) and blessed their son by

saying that hereadter He will worshipped by all the tamils in his

new abode as 'Palaniandavar' !

SEE A PICTORIAL ILLUSTRATION OF THIS STORY AT

http://www.palani.org/palam_nee .htm

By the way , we just celebrated 'Skanda shasti' honoring Lord MURUGA

OR KARTHIKEYA and how auspicious to talk about this God of tamils on

this day!

Join me in singing Lord SUBRAMANYA'S PRAISES froam a verse from Adi

SHANKARA BHAGVADAPADA'S SUBRAMANYA BHUJANGAM !

jayA nanda bhooman jayA pAra dhAman, jayA mogha keerthe jayA

nanthamoorthe

jayA nanda sindho jayA shesha bandho, jaya tvam sadA mukti dhAnesha

soono

O Source of ananda, reveal Thyself! O Embodiment of boundless

effulgent light, reveal Thyself! O Lord! who has all pervading

glory, reveal Thyself! O Embodiment of bliss, reveal Thyself! O

Lord, Thou art the ocean of bliss, reveal Thyself! O Lord who is the

friend of all creatures, reveal Thyself! O Lord, Son of

Parameshwara, Bestower of liberation, reveal Thy Glory to me and

protect me!

from the foregoing story , it is obvious that 'It is wisdom and

intelligence ' ( as represented by Ganesha) that triumphs over

physical achievements *** as reporesented by Karthikeya)

Salutations to the brothers Kumara and Ganesha!

advaitin, "subrahmanian_v"

<subrahmanian_v wrote:

>

> >

> ShrIgurubhyo namaH

>

> Namaste,

>

> Continuing this thread, here is another instance of 'perspective

> difference':

>

> BrahmA's Advice: 'da, da, da'

>

> Brahma, once instruted Devas, men and asuras. He rendered the

same

>

November 15, 2006

Respected Advaitins :

First, i would like to thank Subbuji for INITIATING this delightful

thread. There are 'Mumukshus' in this group and there are

also 'Jignasus' in this group ... and i am sure Jignasus love to

hear about the Lila of Bhagwan Sri Krishna. Let the Mumukshus

discuss about the higher philosophy of the Bhasyas , BS etc etc and

let simple minded folks like me delight in narratiung the devotional

stories from Srimad BHAGVATAM .

Sri KRISHNA WANTED to avoid the great Kurukshetra war between

Kauravas and the Pandavas . So, he decides to meet Duryodana and

plead with him to stop making preeperations for the War . So, Sri

Krishna goes to the royal Palace of Duryodana . Duryodana had

arranged an ostentatious welcome for Lord Krishna and his royal

chefs had prepared a grand Feast in Sri Krishna's honor . Sri

Krishna however is not impressed with this ouward display of

hospitality and knows too well what a scheming and cunning king

Duryodhana is . Sri Krishna says to Duryodhana " i have not come

here to eat and enjoy a grand feast . i have come here to speak to

you regarding an important matter.i do not care to eat food which is

not offered with love and devotion . So, i take leave of you now and

WILL meet you tomorrow in your royal court and we will discuss the

purpose of my visit. "

Sri Krishna then proceeds to visit Vidhura , an old and loyal friend

of his . Vidura is the brother of King DHIIRIDRASTRA and Vidura

tried many times to warn his brother about the atrocities committed

by the Kauravas. But the Blind King Dhiridhrastra was blinded by his

love for HIS sons , the Kauravas and failed to listen to Vidura's

advice. Vidura was driven out of the royal palace by the Kauravas

and vidura wento into vanaprastha ashram .

When Sri Krishna reached Viduras place , Vidura was living in a

small hut . Vidura had nothing to offer Lord Krishna except his love

and devotion. Vidura was overwhelmed on seeing Sri Krishna.. Vidura

had nothing to give. Vidura washed Sri Krishna's feet with pure

water. Then , vidura found some plantain fruits in the kitchen area

and Vidura was so overcome with joy and ecstasy on seeing Lord

Krisha , he offered the 'peels' of the plaintan fruits and threw

away the fruits . Sri KRISHNA RELISHED EATING THE PEELS WITHOUT

UTTERING A WORD ! When Vidura realized his mistake that he has

offered Lord Krishna the peels instead of the plaintain fruits , he

apologized profusely . Sri Krishna smilingly said ' Vidura ! i am

touched by your love and devotuon . Do not worry. i have tasted your

love which is sweeter than than the plaintan fruits. You are very

dear to me . "

here , i would like to recall verse 26 from chapter 9 of Srimad

Bhagwat Gita

9.26

patram pushpam phalam toyam

yo me bhaktya prayacchati

tad aham bhakty-upahritam

asnami prayatatmanah

If one offers Me with love and devotion a leaf, a flower, fruit or

water, I will accept it.

YES! Sri Krishna was not impressed with all the grand hospitality

shown by Duroyadana rather Sri Krishna was overcome with joy on

eating the plaintain peels offered by a pure minded devotee for

Vidura had only love and devotion in his heart .

READ VERSE 27 FROM CHAPTER 9 ALSO in connection with verse 26

yat karoshi yad asnasi

yaj juhoshi dadasi yat

yat tapasyasi kaunteya

tat kurushva mad-arpanam

Whatever you do, whatever you eat, whatever you offer or give away,

and whatever austerities you perform -- do that, O son of Kunti, as

an offering to Me.

yES! KARMA YOGA AT ITS BEST ! Dedicate 'Everything' TO SRI KRISHNA

and do not even worry about the 'fruits of your actions.

i would like to conclude this post with this wonderful sloka by Adi

Shankara Bhagvadapada

"AtmA tvaM girijA matiH sahacarAH

prANAH sharIraM gRhaM

pUjA te vishhayopa-bhoga-racanA

nidrA samAdhi sthitiH

sancAraH padayoH pradakshhiNa-vidhiH

stotrANi sarvA giro

yad-yat karma karomi tat-tad-akhilaM

shambho tavA-rAdhanaM

You Lord Shiva are my AtmA; my mind is ambikA, the

daughter of the Mountain;

my five prANas are the GaNas that serve you; my body

is your temple;

all my involvement in sensual experience is your

pUjA; my sleep is the samAdhi state;

my wanderings on my feet constitute Your pradakshhiNa;

whatever I talk shall be your praises;

whatever I do O shambho, all that shall be a

propitiation of You."( thanx shyam-ji)

WELL, THERE ARE MANY TRANSLATIONS OF THIS VERSE BUT I PREFER THIS

ONE !

Thanx Subbuji for starting this thread - Bhakti should always

culminate in Jnana just as Jnana shoulkd always lead to Bhakti! Adi

Shankara Bhagvadapada also says worship is bhakti (bhajanam

bhaktih) and defines ananya bhakti as non-experience of anything

other than Vasudeva.

OM Namo Bhagvate Vasudevaya!

November 15, 2006

Thank you for this story

>"dhyanasaraswati" <dhyanasaraswati >

>advaitin

> Re: A fine verse signifying 'relativity'

>Wed, 15 Nov 2006 13:12:12 -0000

>

>Respected Advaitins :

>

>First, i would like to thank Subbuji for INITIATING this delightful

>thread. There are 'Mumukshus' in this group and there are

>also 'Jignasus' in this group ... and i am sure Jignasus love to

>hear about the Lila of Bhagwan Sri Krishna. Let the Mumukshus

>discuss about the higher philosophy of the Bhasyas , BS etc etc and

>let simple minded folks like me delight in narratiung the devotional

>stories from Srimad BHAGVATAM .

>

>Sri KRISHNA WANTED to avoid the great Kurukshetra war between

>Kauravas and the Pandavas . So, he decides to meet Duryodana and

>plead with him to stop making preeperations for the War . So, Sri

>Krishna goes to the royal Palace of Duryodana . Duryodana had

>arranged an ostentatious welcome for Lord Krishna and his royal

>chefs had prepared a grand Feast in Sri Krishna's honor . Sri

>Krishna however is not impressed with this ouward display of

>hospitality and knows too well what a scheming and cunning king

>Duryodhana is . Sri Krishna says to Duryodhana " i have not come

>here to eat and enjoy a grand feast . i have come here to speak to

>you regarding an important matter.i do not care to eat food which is

>not offered with love and devotion . So, i take leave of you now and

>WILL meet you tomorrow in your royal court and we will discuss the

>purpose of my visit. "

>

>Sri Krishna then proceeds to visit Vidhura , an old and loyal friend

>of his . Vidura is the brother of King DHIIRIDRASTRA and Vidura

>tried many times to warn his brother about the atrocities committed

>by the Kauravas. But the Blind King Dhiridhrastra was blinded by his

>love for HIS sons , the Kauravas and failed to listen to Vidura's

>advice. Vidura was driven out of the royal palace by the Kauravas

>and vidura wento into vanaprastha ashram .

>

>When Sri Krishna reached Viduras place , Vidura was living in a

>small hut . Vidura had nothing to offer Lord Krishna except his love

>and devotion. Vidura was overwhelmed on seeing Sri Krishna.. Vidura

>had nothing to give. Vidura washed Sri Krishna's feet with pure

>water. Then , vidura found some plantain fruits in the kitchen area

>and Vidura was so overcome with joy and ecstasy on seeing Lord

>Krisha , he offered the 'peels' of the plaintan fruits and threw

>away the fruits . Sri KRISHNA RELISHED EATING THE PEELS WITHOUT

>UTTERING A WORD ! When Vidura realized his mistake that he has

>offered Lord Krishna the peels instead of the plaintain fruits , he

>apologized profusely . Sri Krishna smilingly said ' Vidura ! i am

>touched by your love and devotuon . Do not worry. i have tasted your

>love which is sweeter than than the plaintan fruits. You are very

>dear to me . "

>

>here , i would like to recall verse 26 from chapter 9 of Srimad

>Bhagwat Gita

>

>9.26

>

>patram pushpam phalam toyam

>

>yo me bhaktya prayacchati

>

>tad aham bhakty-upahritam

>

>asnami prayatatmanah

>

>If one offers Me with love and devotion a leaf, a flower, fruit or

>water, I will accept it.

>

>YES! Sri Krishna was not impressed with all the grand hospitality

>shown by Duroyadana rather Sri Krishna was overcome with joy on

>eating the plaintain peels offered by a pure minded devotee for

>Vidura had only love and devotion in his heart .

>

>READ VERSE 27 FROM CHAPTER 9 ALSO in connection with verse 26

>

>yat karoshi yad asnasi

>

>yaj juhoshi dadasi yat

>

>yat tapasyasi kaunteya

>

>tat kurushva mad-arpanam

>

>Whatever you do, whatever you eat, whatever you offer or give away,

>and whatever austerities you perform -- do that, O son of Kunti, as

>an offering to Me.

>

>yES! KARMA YOGA AT ITS BEST ! Dedicate 'Everything' TO SRI KRISHNA

>and do not even worry about the 'fruits of your actions.

>

>i would like to conclude this post with this wonderful sloka by Adi

>Shankara Bhagvadapada

>

>"AtmA tvaM girijA matiH sahacarAH

>prANAH sharIraM gRhaM

>pUjA te vishhayopa-bhoga-racanA

>nidrA samAdhi sthitiH

>sancAraH padayoH pradakshhiNa-vidhiH

>stotrANi sarvA giro

>yad-yat karma karomi tat-tad-akhilaM

>shambho tavA-rAdhanaM

>

>You Lord Shiva are my AtmA; my mind is ambikA, the

>daughter of the Mountain;

>my five prANas are the GaNas that serve you; my body

>is your temple;

>all my involvement in sensual experience is your

>pUjA; my sleep is the samAdhi state;

>my wanderings on my feet constitute Your pradakshhiNa;

>whatever I talk shall be your praises;

>whatever I do O shambho, all that shall be a

>propitiation of You."( thanx shyam-ji)

>

>WELL, THERE ARE MANY TRANSLATIONS OF THIS VERSE BUT I PREFER THIS

>ONE !

>

>Thanx Subbuji for starting this thread - Bhakti should always

>culminate in Jnana just as Jnana shoulkd always lead to Bhakti! Adi

>Shankara Bhagvadapada also says worship is bhakti (bhajanam

>bhaktih) and defines ananya bhakti as non-experience of anything

>other than Vasudeva.

>

>OM Namo Bhagvate Vasudevaya!

>

_______________

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November 16, 2006

ShrIgurubhyo namaH

Namaste Sadhakas,

So far we have seen several instances of looking at one thing

from/by various perspectives/persons. All these pertained to the

Truth alright but there was a sa-guna element to it. For example,

the Lord Krishna and Sri Rama were taken up for citing.

On a truly metaphysical level too we have this 'perspective

difference'. Close at hand, Sri Shankara points out to this at the

very beginning of His Sutra Bhashyam. The following is the portion

from the First Sutra bhashyam. The portion highlighted in this

message on 'perspective difference' is within :

//But, it may be asked, is Brahman known or not known (previously to

the enquiry into its nature)? If it is known we need not enter on an

enquiry concerning it; if it is not known we can not enter on such

an enquiry.

We reply that Brahman is known. Brahman, which is all-knowing and

endowed with all powers, whose essential nature is eternal purity,

intelligence, and freedom, exists. For if we consider the derivation

of the word 'Brahman,' from the root brih, 'to be great,' we at once

understand that eternal purity, and so on, belong to Brahman.

Moreover the existence of Brahman is known on the ground of its

being the Self of every one. For every one is conscious of the

existence of (his) Self, and never thinks 'I am not.' If the

existence of the Self were not known, every one would think 'I am

not.' And this Self (of whose existence all are conscious) is

Brahman. But if Brahman is generally known as the Self, there is no

room for an enquiry into it!

[ Not so, we reply; for there is a conflict of opinions as to its

special nature. Unlearned people and the Lokâyatikas are of opinion

that the mere body endowed with the quality of intelligence is the

Self; others that the organs endowed with intelligence are the Self;

others maintain that the internal organ is the Self; others, again,

that the Self is a mere momentary idea; others, again, that it is

the Void. Others, again (to proceed to the opinion of such as

acknowledge the authority of the Veda), maintain that there is a

transmigrating being different from the body, and so on, which is

both agent and enjoyer (of the fruits of action); others teach that

that being is enjoying only, not acting; others believe that in

addition to the individual souls, there is an all-knowing, all-

powerful Lord. Others, finally, (i.e. the Vedântins) maintain that

the Lord is the Self of the enjoyer (i.e. of the individual soul

whose individual existence is apparent only, the product of

Nescience).

Thus there are many various opinions, basing part of them on sound

arguments and scriptural texts, part of them on fallacious arguments

and scriptural texts misunderstood.]

If therefore a man would embrace some one of these opinions without

previous consideration, he would bar himself from the highest

beatitude and incur grievous loss. For this reason the first Sûtra

proposes, under the designation of an enquiry into Brahman, a

disquisition of the Vedânta-texts, to be carried on with the help of

conformable arguments, and having for its aim the highest

beatitude.//

The quote became a little long as i thought the 'extra' material is

useful to put the highlighted portion in perspective.

With humble pranams,

subbu

Om Tat Sat

November 16, 2006

Thank you Doug ! The grandma in me loves to narrate stories !

( In advaitin, "doug revelle" <mdrdsr41 wrote:

Thank you for this story )

Thank you Sri SHYAM-JI for those 'abanghs' from the Maharastrian

Saint poet Sant Tukaram - they were impregnated with rich Advaitic

meanings ! May i share one also ?

Words are the only Jewels I possess

Words are the only Clothes that I wear

Words are the only food That sustains my life

Words are the only wealth I distribute among people

Says Tuka Witness the Word He is God

I worship Him With my words

Translation by Dilip Chitre(Says Tuka)

To learn more about Sant TUKARAM and his works,, visit

http://www.tukaram.org

Folks ! KARTHIKAI DEEPAM will be celebrated in Tiruvannamalai ( Sri

Ramana's abode where he attained Samadhi ) on December 3rd , 2006 on

a full moon night . There is a legnd connected with the celebration

of this festival !

here it goes :

ONCE ,SRI VISHNU and Lord Brahma were fighting as to who is

superior of the two. Lord Shiva apperared as as a *huge column of

fire* to prove that there was yet one power superior to them. Brahma

Assumed the form of a Swan and flew up to discover the top of the

flame. Vishnu as Varaha (boar) tore the earth to discover the base.

But they both failed and had to accept the greatness of Shiva. This

flame (Jyoti) turned into a `Sthavara Linga', which is believed to

be the celebrated Arunachala Hill at Tiruvannamalai in Tamil Nadu.

Sri Arunachaleshwara (Shiva) temple at the foot of this hill is

dedicated to Tejo or Jyoti Linga (the fire incarnation of God). This

is the fire element or THe Joyotirlinga!! In this story, Brahma

represents the 'egoism' and Selfish action in human beings ( his

flights of fancy as a Swan to seek the light of lights) and Vishnu

stands for Delusion when he assumed the form of a boar to find the

light of lights which illumines the mind and the intellect.

Adi Shankara Bhagvadapad GLORIFIES this 'shiva-jnanam' or Atma

tattwa in this devotional verse 99 of Shivananda Lahari !

Idam the yuktham parama shiva karunya jaladhe,

Gathou thiryak roopam thava pada-shiro darshana dhiya,

Haribrahmanou thou divi bhuvi charanthou sramayuthou,

Kadam shambho sawamin kadhaya mama vedhyosi puratha.

Is it proper for you my Lord who is the ocean of mercy?

That while Lord Vishnu and Brahma took the forms of boar and bird,

With intention of seeing your head and feet,

Searched in vain the earth and sky,

Toiled and got tired but did not succeed.

You appeared and made yourself known before me easily,

Oh granter of all that is good, Oh my Lord.

(translation by our beloved member P.R. Ramchander AKA Ramya )

Adi Shankara Bhagvadapada praises the manifestation of Lord Shiva as

Jyotirlinga ( fire element) in the following verse in Lingashtakam

Adi shankara in his Lingashtakam salutes this 'jyothirlinga' of Lord

Siva thus :

Brahma Muraari Surarchita Lingam

Nirmala Bhaashitha Shohitha Lingam

Janmaja Dhukha Vinaasaha Lingam

Tatpranamaahmi Sadaaashiva Lingam

I bow before that Sadasivalinga, which is adored by Brahma, Vishnu

and the other gods, which is praised by pure and holy speeches and

which destroys the cycle of births and deaths!

Karthikai deepam is celebrated in a grand manner in Tiruvannamalai

every year attracting lakhs and lakhs of visitors.

Another name for Annamalai is Arunachala - Aruna means 'red' or

simply reprsents the 'dawn' and Achala means 'mountain ' or non-

moving . Arunachala is one of the panca bhootasthalas where Lord

Shiva is worshipped as a Jyotirlinga , the fire element . The other

four shiva sthalams are Tiruvanaikkaval (Water), Chidambaram

(Space), Kanchipuram (Earth) and Sri Kalahasti (Wind)

respectively.

Sri Ramana bhagvan composed a stanza of four lines in which

he says, "The true significance of the Karthikai Deepam festival is

that it turns the intellect inwards and having fixed it in the Heart

merges it with the indweller of the Heart".

There is a tamizh saying which goes like this " 'Ninaithaalae mukthi

alikkum Annamalai" (the very thought of Tiruvannamalai will give

mukthi)!!

In this holy town, many sages and saints like Arunagiri Nathar ,

Seshadiri Swamigal , Sri Ramana etc attained jivan mukhthi ! .

To read about the celebration of 'Annamalai Deepam' please go to

http://www.poonja.com/deepam.htm

Advaitins, let us resolve to burn all our egoistical and delusional

thoughts on this holy day of Annamalai deepam and see the light of

lights indwelling in the inner shrine of our hearts! Harohara!

Salutations to Lord Arunachala and his consort Apitakuchaambaal!

Sallutations to Atma guru Sri Ramana bhagwan!

November 18, 2006

Dear Satsanghis :

i would like to narrate the story of King Ambarish, a great devotee

of Sri MahaVishnu and Sage Durvasa from the Srimad Bhagvatam.

King Ambarish and his Queen being devout Vaishnavites , observed

Ekadasi fast all through the year without deven drinking water . On

one such occassion when King Ambarish was observing the Ekadashi

Fast , Sage Durcasa with many of his disciples arrived at the palace

of the King . King Ambarish was overjoyed to see the Sage and

received Sage Durvasa with all honor and hospitality. Sage Durvasa

told the King that he would go the banks of the river and return

after performing all the rituals after taking rhe holy bath .

Meanwhile King Ambarish was waiting for the sage to return. The holy

hour (muharat) to break the fast was approaching but there were no

signs of Sage Durvasa and his sisyas. The Brahmins in the royal

court advised the King to at least eat a santified Tulasi leaf and

break the fast - The king, after much deliberation, obliged ! Sage

Durvasa, through his mystical powers ( or siddhis) realized that the

king had partaken the Tulasi leaf without waiting for his return!

Sage Durvasa was known for his 'Anger ' and short temper and

cosidered the king's act as a great offence and was outraged!

When the Sage Returned, the King fell at his feet and asked the

Sage to join in the royal feast! sage Durvasa refused to eat at the

palace and cursed the king by saying " You have insulted a guest and

you need to pay for thos offence ". So saying , the sage plucked a

hair out of head and this turned into a demoness ! But , the king

remained unperturbed and just stood there with folded hands all the

time apologizing to the sage! Mahavishu was witnessing all this Lila

from his celestial abode and in order to save a true and humble

devotee of his , Lord VISHNU immediately sent the Sudarshan Chakra (

disc) to protect King Ambarish from the beatings of the demoness!

The Sudarshan Chakra began to spin. Its bright light burnt the

demonness to ashes. It then moved towards Durvasa to burn him as

well. Durvasa saw this. He became frightened and ran shouting 'O

God! Save me ! None of the gods including Lord Shiva could help

Sage Durvasa ran hither and thither for a whole year! Finally , the

Sage reached Vaikunta and fell at Vishu Bhagwan's feet and begged

for mercy and forgiveness !

Sri Vishnu said '" Durvasa! there is nothing I can do at this time .

Once the Sudarshan Chakra leaves my hands , I cannot call it back !

Go to King Ambarish, my devotee , and ask him to forgive you ! "

King Ambarish had of course not eaten anything since the sage had

left his palace and was waiting for him to return! Sage Durvasa fell

at King Ambarish's feet and said " O! Royal King! i have offended a

great vaishnava and for which i am being punished! please save me ."

King Ambarish, in all vaishnava humility , said to the sage "who am

i to forgive a great and venerable sage like you? My love and

respect for you is the same as the first time i met you ! " Thus

saying, the king prayed to Sri Mahavishnu to recall the Sudarshan

chakra . Sage Durvasa was overjoyed at this and then accompanied

the king to the royal banquet hall to enjoy a delicious feast.

May i recal a verse from Sant Kabir das in this context ?

gam saman bhojan nahin, jo koi gam ko khai; ambarish gam khayiya,

durvasa bilalai

No food is equal to grief if you know how to swallow it; the sage

Ambarish swallowed his grief, and Durvasa was humbled!

On another note - this note is for Shyam-ji!

>From this incident , Shyam-ji , you will notice that if a 'siddhi;

is used for a bad purpose to hurt or humiliate a true devotee of the

Lord,( in this instance , King Ambarish) , it is the owner of the

Siddhi ( Sage DURVASA) who was meted out with a punishment - this is

called the 'reverse' effect of siddhi !

Moral of the story , the Lord and his devotee are 'One' !

Harihi Aum

November 19, 2006

Respected Advaitins :

Our Respected Subbuji has mentioned about Sri Kulasekara Azhwar as

the author of the 'Mukundamala Stotram' ! As you all know , i am

a 'stotra' priya and i have read all the 53 verses of this divine

compostion on Sri Mukunda , also my ishta nishta. Sri Kulasekhara

Azhwar is a great devotee of Sri Rama and Sri Ranganatha Perumaal.

SrI kulasekara Azhwar has also authored Dhivya prabhandham of

PerumAL Thirumozhi. In one of the pasurams whicH is weitten in

Tamizh languaGe, Azhwar describes beautifully how Mother Kausalya

sings 'Lullaby; to her son Lord Rama - vatsal;ya bhava at its best .

Interestingly ,Kulasekhara Azhwar was known for his devotion to Sri

Rama and Sri Ranganatha perumaal of Srirangam - Some Vaishnavites

even question the fact that if it is the same Kulasekhara Azhwar who

authored Divya Prabhandam which is in tamizh authored the

Mukundamala Stotram which is in Sanskrit ! The question is also

raised how can A Rama devotee suddenly switch his allegiance from

Sri Rama to Sri Mukunda ? But this is only semantics for we all know

that The lord is lovable and worshippable in his different

manifestations , be it Sri RAMA OR SRI Mukunda ? In fact , the great

kali bhakta Sri Rampersad has said in one of his poems that Kali is

also Krishna! What is praiseworthy is that Kulalsekhara was

versatile in both langauages Tamizh and Sanskrit ! when you are a

true devotee of the lord , How can language be an impediment ?

i would now like to recall an interesting story relating to King

Kulasekhara Azhwar. It is is alleged that the King was so immersed

in his devotion to Lord Ranganatha and Sri Rama that he neglected

his royal duties and failed to perform his administrative duties.

His ministers wanted to bring him back to reality and decided to

hatch a plot to bring the king back to his senses . One day, when

the king went to perform his daily OPuja to lord Rama in the palace

temple , the king was shocked to find that the expensive Navaratna

Mala ( necklace made out of nine precious gems ) was missing on Lord

Rama's archa vigraha murti! The king was shocked and demanded to

know from the royal servants as to who stole Sri Rama's necklace ?

The king's minister responded by saying who else but oneof the poor

devotees who attend the temple must be guilty of this crime . The

king could not believe a devotee of Lord would stoop to such a lowly

act - so he decided to find out the truth. So he ordered the royal

servants to bring a pot with a poisonous Snake inside and declared

that The king would put his hand into the pot and if a devotee of

the lord had stolen the necklace as claimed by his servants , the

king would be bitten by the posonous snake and die! Of course no

such thing hasppened ! The royal servants confessed to the king that

it was they who stole the neckace and hid it somewhere so the king

would start attending to his royal duties once again! Kulasekhara

Azhwar announced he would retire as a king and his son would take

over and left on a pilgrimage !

In my Iskcon days , every sunday we would hear devotional verses on

Lord Krishna . Once in a while the devotees would sing verse 33 from

Sri MUKUNDAMALA STORA , a great favorite of Srila Prabhupada, THE

FOUNDER OF ISKCON !

Here it is :

KrishNa! Tvadeeya pada pankaja panjaraantha

Madhyaiva mE visathu maanasa raaja hamsa: /

PraaNa prayaaNa samayE kapa-vaatha- piththai:

KanTaavarOdhna vidhou smaraNam kutha: thE //

Oh! KrishNa!

Let the royal swan of my mind gain entry into the cage of your lotus

feet here and now !!

This is because, how can your remembrance dawn on me at the time of

death, when the throat gets choked with phlegm, rheumatism and

bilious afflictions?

Here is my personal favorite

JihvE !keerthaya Kesavam muraripum chEtO: bhaja Sreedharam

paaNI dvandva! Samarchaya achyutha kathaa: srOtradvaya! Tvam sruNu /

KrishNam lOkaya Lochana dvaya! HarEr gachcha angriyugam aalayam

Jigra! GraaNa mukunda paada thuLaseem moordhan nama adhOkshajam //

Oh! My tongue! Always recite Kesava's name.

Oh! My mind! Always contemplate on Muraari

Oh! My hands! Always offer worship to Sreedhara

Oh! My ears! Always listen to the stories of Achyutha

Oh! My eyes! Always see KrishNa everywhere

Oh! My nose! Always smell the fragrance of the holy basil at the

feet of Mukunda

Oh! My head! Always bow to Lord Vishnu (adhOkshaja)

Incidentally, i miss our Sadaji - he would do wonders to this Stotra

from an 'advaitic' perspective ! vaishnavite in appearance and an

advaitin at heart, that is our Sadaji!

Aum Sri MUKUNDAYA NAMAHA!

November 19, 2006

advaitin, "dhyanasaraswati"

<dhyanasaraswati wrote:

> King Ambarish, in all vaishnava humility , said to the sage "who am

> i to forgive a great and venerable sage like you? My love and

> respect for you is the same as the first time i met you ! " Thus

> saying, the king prayed to Sri Mahavishnu to recall the Sudarshan

> chakra .

Namaste Madam,

The above words are really great. What sublime quality did Ambarisha

display! It is simply unimaginable. Having been harassed by Sage

Durvasa, Ambarisha remained unperturbed. It is said that hunger knows

no values. Despite having been made to remain hungry for so long,

Ambarisha did not loose his cool. What a great lesson in self-control!

Thanks for those wonderful words. And for the nice post on Mukunda

maalaa.

Warm regards,

subbu

November 19, 2006

Hari Om!

Thanks for the information on Kulashekhara Azhwar Shri Dhyanasarawatiji.

May I add my favourite from this priceless composition:

Krishnah Rakshatu No Jagat Traya Guru, Krishnam Namasyamyaham,

Krishnenamar Shatravo Vinihataha, Krishnaya Tasmai Namah |

Krishnat Dev Samuttitham Jagadidam, Krishnasya Dasosyaham,

Krishne Tishthati Sarva Meta Dakhilam, He Krishna Rakshsayamam ||

In this verse, we see all the eight declensions of Krishna!!! What wonderful mastery over language!

Mayuresh.

dhyanasaraswati <dhyanasaraswati >

advaitin

Saturday, November 18, 2006 7:55:57 PM

Re: A fine verse signifying 'relativity'