Concentrated Ramblings on Mantra-pindam-part 5

[Guest guest]

Dear Kailasham, Sun shone with uncanny brightness yesterday. The snowflakes on the window panes melted with the

deciduous fervor of our soul’s stay in our body. However, tonight we are posited to have a blizzard here. As the melted water and streaked its path on the panes, they formed a tributorial path and finally the sunlight and the immanent heat dried up the panes ultimately. Maybe the glass on the panes was waiting for the snow blizzard to come by tonight. Nature played a small drama, ephemeral yet beautiful and it is not the nature of Nature to store or record anything like humans. We try to archive all these experiences and make a mortuary of everything and live among these “dead bodies” whereas nature seeks things afresh as with trying to commingle with God. Om Prano Devi Saraswathy Vaajebhir Vaajinevathee,

Dheenamavitryavathu! Yesterday night was a night fraught with divine miracles in our home. I will tell you later personally what divine miracle happened not in this public forum. Maybe it was the effect of my postings on Gayathri Matha these days, ramblings nevertheless. jakArO janmavicchedhaha pakArO pApanAshanaha janmakarma harO yasmAth tasmAjjapa ‘Japa’ is the combination of two syllables “ja” and “pa”. “Ja” is indicative of the decimation of “janma” or birth(s) and

“Pa” is symbolic of annihilation of “papa” or sin(s)/karma(s).So the combo means that these two are broken and one is lead to the ultimate liberation. So when a puissant mantra like Gayathri is chanted with Shraddha the cycle of births and karmas will be reduced with each repetition. Now, one thing to note here, when I use the word “Shraddha” I don’t mean the usage in our households like “Dei Shraddhayaa padi daa Ambi” or as we Telugu Smarthas say “Shraddhagaa chaduvoko!” not that type of a colloquial appellative meaning but a vedic meaning. While doing my MBA here, I used to recite Shraddha Sooktham daily and thus could finish MBA in record time with superlative grades and with minimal effort (the lazy bum that Iam he!he!) Ok jokes apart, there is a Vedic meaning attached to the word

Shraddha and this is an oft-repeated theme in many of my postings. Sanskrit is a very beautiful language because many concepts can be encapsulated in one word. This is one language which I marvel at apart from Chinese (which I take up as a hobby to read original Taoist manuscripts, as a hobby). Shraddha means a Fire….SharddhayAgnih-samidhyathe’…. It is a composite word which means many things: Shraddha = Faith +Concentration+ Aspirative fire + Divinity+ Karmic rendering +Passion Without Shraddha, the sooktham goes on to deliberate that even vAyugopAs(those yogis who standstill and meditate and just consume air as food) cannot sustain. Shraddha is needed for the universe to be sustained, for all nature to blossom …wither..die…and be born again, for the snowflakes to be formed on my window panes as I type these postings or for that matter these very fingers which type these lines. Thus Gayathri mantra which when recited with Shraddha, Bhakthi and good pronunciation will yield what “Japa” as elucidated supra means as easily as saying ‘Jack-ni-colson’ Ok, now for the story of

my paternal-great-great-grandfather, Balijepalli Venkatakrishna Shastry(Shastryji). He was once residing in a village Oppangi which is midway between Srikoormam(Famous Koorma-Avatara temple is ther ein this town) and Arasavalli(Famous for Surya Narayana temple ).This was near our native village Srikakulam. In that village,people knew that he was a great Srividya Upasaka and a nithya-Yoga-gayathri upasaka.In those days, the fields were populated by snakes and snakecharmers who used to come to the field and show their red sacks filled with circular weaved boxes filled with rare snake species which they used to capture from nearby forests and the fields. They used to eek their living by showing these serpentine friends and making them dance to the tunes of he snake-flute. One day one such snake charmer by passing by the house of Shastryji and he saluted at Shastryji who was sitting in the backyard of his house and cleaning his teeth with an Ippa-pulla(Meswak tree twig) and with a small ‘kindi’(brasspot) with some water.Gargling his mouth he asked the Snake-charmer playfully”Oh man! what do you have in those red bags of yours?” The snakecharmer was irritated.He thought to himself “Oh this old Brahmin has nothing to do. He is simply wasting my time when Iam in a hurry to go and earn by showing these snakes to people near the fields and earn some money. If I tell I have snakes he might ask me to show them and it is a pain to remove them from baskets and make them play before him and then put it back” Thus thinking he said “Oh old bappanna!

there is nothing in these baskets” Shastryji said “Oh is that so? Let it be so” and he spat the water in the mouth on the ground nonchallantly and went inside the home. The snakecharmer felt relieved that he had escaped this old-timer’s clutches and so he went to the field as usual to present a show.When he opened the bags to his great consternation he found that there was not even a single snake!!! He asked one purohit’s son what happened and the purohit’s son asked him to narrate what happened that day. When he told about the incident wih Shastryji. The purohit’s son said “You have made a big mistake. He is not a Brahmin who wears sacred thread to scratch his back but he is a great Tantreka Brahmin. Whatever he says will come through for sure.Go and beg his forgiveness” The snakecharmer ran to

Shastryji’s house and Shastryji was in the garden behind cutting some vegetables. Without as much as looking at him he asked casually “what brings you here? please go you might miss a few coins which passersby throw on your snakes” The snakecharmer broke into tears and said “Holysire, please take compassion on me. I did not know that you were a great Gayathri upasaka and that devi plays on your tounge.Please forgive me. I lied when I said that there were no snakes in the bag” “Ok, if you told me the truth, I would not have stopped you. I

know that you earn your living based on the few coins which passersby throw.I will not prevent that. Iam not that cruel.Ok go to the porch where I have hanged snake gourds, your snakes lie there” The snakecharmer ran to the porch to find a few snakegourds hanging from the roof and to his surprise Lo! Behold! he found all his snakes (15 in number) hanging there!! When he tried to reach for them(many of which had to be taken poison off its fangs), they hissed viciously! He ran back to Shastryji narrating what happened. Shastryji came near

the snakes and said to them “You and this man have karmic bonds. You all tied him when he was a snake and now he is playing with you. Understood!? Now behave!” The snakes become as docile as a bovine offspring! And the snakecharmer took possession of the snakes but he asked Shastryji “If I was snake and these snakes were humans before will it mean that next birth, I too will become a snake and they become humans again and this cycle goes on and on?” Shastryji said “Not any more. Your time has become ripe that is why I played this small

drama.You break off this cycle now. No more questions. Come with me and take this mantra” The snakecharmer took the mantra and it is said that he was no more to be seen near the fields. Last people saw him was go into the forests nearby. {This story is somewhat similar toTamil Siddha pAmbAtti Siddhar’s story} I stopped last post at saptha-vyAhruthI. Every vyAhruthI starts with an Omkara and thus PranavAdi vyAhruthI. Bhuhu, bhuvaha, suvaha,mahaha,janaha,tapaha,sathya…vyahruthi and symbolic of lokas having their inchoation from pranava. Then comes the 24 syllabled Gayathri as we properly know it And then OmApo jyothI rasO….suvarOm…This is also referred to as UpAsanA GayathrI or PrAnAyAma GayathrI and thus the effect of the mantra is pronounced while doing pranayAmam an while

doing pujA.And “Shuddha-gayathrI mantra is used for japa”. Aum, Bhur Bhuvah Svah, the Viyahritis shall have to be concerted. The three planes of Bhur Bhuvah Svah that constitute the whole universe shall have to be brought into focus. In other words, it must be established in mind that I belong to no particular country but am a dweller of the whole universe. In this way, those who are Aryans, find themselves established in the sun, the moon, the planets and the stars at least once a day, and thus renew their unbreakable ties with the manifest universe. Tat Savitur Varenyam Bhargo Devasya Dhimahi: We meditate on the adorable and ever pure effulgence of the resplendent Vivifier of the universe. But by what formula can he maintain his link with this boundless power

that manifests itself? The formula is: Dhiyo Yo Nah Prachodayat There is no doubt that God may stimulate our mental faculties and direct us to do noble deeds. By what power do we see the light of the sun? The rays that the sunsheds on us make us see the light. Similarly, the Vivifier of the universe directs

our intellect to know ourselves and the universe. Thus, we come to know God as the Director of our intellect. Knowing this secret we find ourselves closer to the universe and nearer to God, and by His grace we find our hearts free from all the evils likely to beset it. In very ancient times, the best way was through metrical poetry, more easily memorised than prose and liable to be crystalised as mantras. It seems to me that under this perspective, the Gayatri is undoubtedly the synthetic expression of the knowledge acquired by the ancient sages of the Vedic Period. The knowledge expressed by the Gayatri Mantra became one of the basic religious beliefs of Vedic Man which has survived the test of time. In my home there was one ancient

Sanskrit text(transliterated into Telugu) by name Mantramukthavali. This text laid down various gayathrIs of various deities and the procedure to do them. Each deity desired to have the effulgence of GayathrI and requested GayathrI Matha when she first appeared to give them too a chunk of Her unending Shakthi-chaitanya.The Tantras make a distinction between the types of deeksha processes also(initiatory processes) as in AnavI deeksha, varnamayI deeksha and krama Deeksha. Remind me later to dilate upon these deeksha modalities. Gayathri Yantra,kalpaottaram,mandala,kramam,etc would be too much of refinement to be discussed here as a mere rambling. So with this…let me stop my ramblings, hope you have enjoyed these emails and take your practice of Gayathri mantra more seriously and develop the power and the light in you. ParamAthmike’! Eko-manushya-Anandaha! Eko-japa-Unmattaha! Shreeram Balijepalli Purity, Powers, Parabrahmam... IIश्रीराम बलिजेपल्ली II Click to join Rajarajeshwari_Kalpataru

Looking for last minute shopping deals? Find them fast with Search.

[Guest guest]

" So with this…let me stop my ramblings, hope you have enjoyed these

emails and take your practice of Gayathri mantra more seriously and

develop the power and the light in you. "

 

So that was my last post in that thread!. Alavukku minjinaal Amudhum

Nanju!(Hehe!).

 

I currently don't have a copy of Shraddha suktham with me and I dont

think any online site has it. However, if you really want it, then

you may visit Mylapore Ramakrishnamutt Book stall and procure a book

called " Veda Manthirangal " which has both sanskrit and Tamil language

veda mantras. It is a small book and quite inexpensive(except that it

is in Rigvedam, since my shakha is Krishna Yajur Vedam, I learnt with

a slightly different Chandas).(I will however see whether there is

any version online--please also refer one of my very old posts on

Shraddha Suktham)

 

Shreeram

 

 

 

Rajarajeshwari_Kalpataru , " sadhujag "

<sadhujag wrote:

>

>

>

> " While doing my MBA here, I used to recite Shraddha Sooktham

daily

> and thus could finish MBA in record time with superlative

grades "

>

> Hari Om,

>

> Part 6 is eagerly awaited. By the way, could you please guide me to

> Shraddha Sooktham - by including a copy thereof in your next mail,

please.

>

> With kind regards, Hari Om

>

> sadhujag

>

[Guest guest]

Dear Jagadeesanji,

Sankaracharya posted two sentinels in his ashram, who went around repeating, "Thasmat jagratha jagratha (Beware.)"

It so happened that one day Sankaracharya was himself thinking of his worldly achievements and wealth of his mutt!! As he came to the doorstep, he heard the sentinels repeating, "Thasmath jagratha jagratha," which made him realise his folly and then he composed these verses spontaneously...

 

The full composition is as under:(you may take a printout if you wish to)

Maata naasti, pitaa naastinaasti bandhu sahodarahaartham gruham naastitasmaath jaagrutha jaagrutha!

There is no mother. There is no father. There are no relatives and siblings There is no wealth. There is no home. Hence:Be awakened to this fact! Be awakened!

Janmaa duhkham, jaraa duhkhamjaaya duhkha punah punahasamsaara saagaram duhkhamtasmaath jaagruta jaagruta!

Birth is a misery. Old age is a misery. Spouse is a misery, again and again. The ocean of material life is a misery Hence:Be awakened to this fact! Be awakened!

Kaama kroodhascha loobhaschadehee tisht`hanti taskaraaha gnaana ratna apahaara arthaayatasmaath jaagruta jaagruta!

Desire and Lust, Anger, and Covetousness are like thieves. They sit in the body like thieves awaiting for an opportunity to steal the gems of knowledge and awareness. Hence:Be awakened to this fact! Be awakened!

Aas`aaya bandhyate lookahakarman`aa bahu chintayahaAyuh kshan`am jaanatiTasmaath jaagruta jaagruta!

Greed binds people to action and concerns. Remaining years of life pass away every moment. Hence:Be awakened to this fact! Be awakened!

Sampadaha Svapna samkaasahaYauvanam kusumopamamVidyut chanchalam AayushyamTasmaath Jaagruta Jaagruta!

Riches are like dreams. Youth is like a flower (withers in a day). Longevity is like a lightning (vanishes in a trice). Hence: Be awakened to this fact! Be awakened!

Kshan`am vittam Kshan`am cittamKshanam Jeevitameva caYamasya karun`am naastiTasmaath Jaagruta Jaagruta!

Money is momentary. Mind is fickle. Life is ephemeral(temporary). The God of Death has no compassion. Hence: Be awakened to this fact! Be awakened!

Anityaani ShareeraaniVibhavaanaiva ShaashvathahaNityam Sannihiti mrutyuhuTasmaath Jaagruta Jaagruta!

Bodies are transient. Riches are not permanent. Death follows closely always. Hence Be awakened to this fact! Be Awakened!

These verses are really secular. Have nothing to do with any religion in particular and narrate the Vedantic wisdom in pithy terms.These are not litanies or prayers or tantric tools but verses to awaken the mind to the realities of this mundane world.However, these must come as a result of experiential vedantic outpouring and not merely by reading the verses and trying to gain the import thereof. Ofcourse, these do help in making us realize that everything in this world is not permanent.

Let me narrate one interesting story regarding these verses:

An actor once came to the Court of a King to give performances. That day, he had come dressed as Sankaracharya. He gave a scholarly exposition on the philosophy of Adi Sankara. He preached thus,

Janma Dukkham, Jara Dukkham, Jaya Dukkham Punah Punaha, Antyakale Maha Dukham, Tasmath Jagrat Jagrataha.

(Birth, old age and worldly life is full of misery. Death too is miserable. Beware of this truth.)

Matha Nasthi, Pitha Nasthi, Nasthi Bandhu Sahodaraha Artham Nasthi, Griham Nasthi, Thasmath Jagrata Jagrataha.

(Parents, friends, relatives and wealth are like passing clouds. Beware of this truth.)

The King was very pleased and offered a lot of gold. The actor said, "O King, A Sanyasi does not need gold. I cannot accept this gift." The next day the actor appeared in the Court as a dancer. He danced beautifully and pleased everyone present. At the end of the performance the King offered a small gift of just a few coins. The actor said, "O King, this payment is meager and not enough." The King was astonished and asked, "Yesterday you refused a substantial gift but today you are demanding more. What is the reason for this strange behavior? The actor replied, "O King, an actor will not be true to his profession if his words do not match the costume he is wearing. Yesterday I played the role of a Sanyasi and therefore spurned wealth. Today I am a dancer, and a dancer always expects a handsome reward! My conduct must be in consonance with my garb." Today, though man has put on the garb of a human being, his conduct is not in accordance with his 'dress'. Having been born as a human being, man should lead his life with self-confidence and uphold his self-respect.

So, what is the import we get form this story?:

When we hear these verses or any verse from Adishankara, we do get influenced a bit but that influence is only temporary and once we are back to our offices or other pending work we forget all about these verses and are embroiled in samsaaric world.So, what is the only way out?

I can give one simple way, it may sound a bit crazy but it is very practical:

Take a small rubberband and put it on your wrist. Eachtime when you are in office or home condition embroiled in something and forget the real import of these verses, snap the rubberband a bit hard on the wrist and then repeat one of the verses(you have to commit to memory the verses) which is most apt for the situation and then remain a bit detached.This way your body-mind matrxi is broken a bit and then your soul starts thinking on vedantic lines a bit.

However, go slow on the rubber-band and slow on the vedantic line too! Too much is torture anyways!

Shreeram Balijepalli

Rajarajeshwari_Kalpataru , sadhujag sadhujag <sadhujag wrote:>> > Hari Om,> > I am taking off to Mylapore RK Mutt now.Thank you.> > Your e mails are instructive and enjoyable; hope to read more from you.> > By the way, there was a stanza from Sankara Bhagavatpada - > > "maatha nasthi, pitha nasthi, nasthi bandho sahodarah.., artham naasthi gruham nasthi, thasmaat jaagratha, jaagratha, jaagratha." > > It was sung as a preable to some bhajans. In which work of Bhagavatpada could I study the entire composition? Do you know, by any chance?> > Thank you,> > Hari Om> > sadhujag> > > para_anuloma para_anuloma wrote: "So with this…let me stop my ramblings, hope you have enjoyed these > emails and take your practice of Gayathri mantra more seriously and > develop the power and the light in you."> > So that was my last post in that thread!. Alavukku minjinaal Amudhum > Nanju!(Hehe!).> > I currently don't have a copy of Shraddha suktham with me and I dont > think any online site has it. However, if you really want it, then > you may visit Mylapore Ramakrishnamutt Book stall and procure a book > called "Veda Manthirangal" which has both sanskrit and Tamil language > veda mantras. It is a small book and quite inexpensive(except that it > is in Rigvedam, since my shakha is Krishna Yajur Vedam, I learnt with > a slightly different Chandas).(I will however see whether there is > any version online--please also refer one of my very old posts on > Shraddha Suktham)> > Shreeram> > Rajarajeshwari_Kalpataru , "sadhujag" > sadhujag@ wrote:> >> > > > > > " While doing my MBA here, I used to recite Shraddha Sooktham > daily > > and thus could finish MBA in record time with superlative > grades"> > > > Hari Om, > > > > Part 6 is eagerly awaited. By the way, could you please guide me to> > Shraddha Sooktham - by including a copy thereof in your next mail, > please.> > > > With kind regards, Hari Om> > > > sadhujag> >> > > > > > > > Be a better friend, newshound, and know-it-all with Mobile. Try it now.>