HAPPY PONGAL & MAKARA SANKRAANTI

[Guest guest]

Dear Bhagavatas:

On behalf of the members of the Board of Advisory Consultants (BAC) and

Internal Resource Panel (IRP) of Swami Desika Darsana Satsangam (SDDS)

and Sri Ranga Sri (SRS), its Electronic journal and on our own behalf,

it is our pleasant privelege to extend a hearty Pongal and Makara

Sankraanti Greetings to you all and wish a happy, healthy, peaceful and

prosperous period not only on the Pongal day but also in the days,

months and years ahead.

 

DasO Vayam

Anbil Ramaswamy

Madhava Kannan

Moderators

[Guest guest]

Dear Sirs,

 

Thanks and wish you a very cherished day which marks the

beginning of uttarAyaNa puNya kAlam (as per tadition) and

the year ahead.

 

Let us also take this oppotunity to peruse three verses (23-25) from

BhagavadgIt chapter 8 pertaining to months ahead.

 

 

ya-tra kA-le tva-nA-vR-ttim

A-vR-ttim chai-va yo-gi-nah |

pra-yA-tA yA-nti tam kA-lam

va-kSHyA-mi bha-ra-ta-rSHa-bha ||VIII-23||

 

ya-tra (where, whither)

kA-le (in time)

tu (but, indeed)

a-nA-vR-ttim (non-return, not turning back)

A-vR-ttim (return, turning back)

cha (and)

e-va (indeed, even)

yo-gi-nah (disciplined/realized/liberated souls, yo-gis, knowers) |

pra-yA-tAh (departing)

yA-nti (they go, go to)

tam (that, this)

kA-lam (time)

va-kSHyA-mi (I shall speak, I will tell, I shall declare)

bha-ra-ta-rSHa-bha (Bull among the descendents of bha-ra-ta,

O Best of the descendents of bha-ra-ta!) ||VIII-23||

 

Now I will tell you, O Best of the descendents of bha-ra-ta, at what

times disciplined men (yo-gis),

departing(dying) go forth never to return or to return again.

 

(VIII-23)

 

 

a-gni-rjyo-ti-ra-hah shu-klah

SHa-NmA-sA u-tta-rA-ya-Nam |

ta-tra pra-yA-tA ga-chcHa-nti

bra-hma bra-hma-vi-do ja-nAh ||VIII-24||

 

a-gnih (fire, glow, blaze, brilliancy)

jyo-tih (light, bright)

a-hah (day)

shu-klah (white, pure)

SHa-NmA-sAh (six months)

u-tta-rA-ya-Nam (upper going of the sun, the northern phase of the sun,

during the apparent northward path of the sun, orthern solstice,

six months following the winter solstice) |

ta-tra (there)

pra-yA-tAh (departing, dying)

ga-chcHa-nti (they go, they attain)

bra-hma (bra-hman, the Eternal, God, the Absolute)

bra-hma-vi-dah (bra-hman knowing, knowers of bra-hman,

the realized souls, who know the Eternal, knowers of God,

knowers of the Absolute, self-less souls)

j ja-nAh (people, men) ||VIII-24||

 

Realized souls who depart (die) during the six months following winter

solstice

(u-tta-rA-ya-Nam six months), symbolic of fire,light, day and white

(blazing white

daylight) go forth to bra-hman (reach the Absolute).

 

(Note: Our on eyear is one day of devAs. The u-tta-rA-ya-Na six months

is equivalent to

day time of a deva day)

 

dhU-mo rA-tri-sta-thA-kR-SHNah

SHa-NmA-sA da-kSHi-NA-ya-nam |

ta-tra chA-ndra-ma-sam jyo-tih

yo-gI prA-pya ni-va-rta-te ||VIII-25||

 

dhU-mah (smoke, fog)

rA-trih (night)

ta-thA (also, thus, so, and)

kR-SHNah (dark, black)

SHa-NmA-sAh (six months)

da-kSHi-NA-ya-nam (the southern path of the sun, during the apparent

southward path of the sun,

southern solstice, six months following the summer solstice)

ta-tra (there)

chA-ndra-ma-sam (lunar)

jyo-tih (light)

yo-gI (yo-gin, the yo-gi, disciplined/realized/liberated soul, knower)

prA-pya (having attained/reached)

ni-va-rta-te (he returns, he turns back, he is born again) ||VIII-25||

 

A yo-gi who departs (dies) during the six months following summer

solstice (da-kSHi-NA-ya-nam six months),

symbolic of smoke, dark and night (hazy dark night), attains the lunar

light and he is born again.

(Note: This may sound discriminatory, but looking it from another

angle, this plan assures that there will

always be some realized souls around to guide others).

 

dAsan

 

K.S tAtAchAr

 

 

Ramanbil (AT) hotmail (DOT) com

 

Sun, 14 Jan 2007 4:03 PM

HAPPY PONGAL & MAKARA SANKRAANTI

 

Dear Bhagavatas:

On behalf of the members of the Board of Advisory Consultants (BAC) and

Internal Resource Panel (IRP) of Swami Desika Darsana Satsangam (SDDS)

and Sri Ranga Sri (SRS), its Electronic journal and on our own behalf,

it is our pleasant privelege to extend a hearty Pongal and Makara

Sankraanti Greetings to you all and wish a happy, healthy, peaceful and

prosperous period not only on the Pongal day but also in the days,

months and years ahead.

 

DasO Vayam

Anbil Ramaswamy

Madhava Kannan

Moderators