Answer to Quiz of the week # 11 and Question # 12

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Dear Bhaagavatas

It would appear (from instant replies with correct answers), that most of our readers have in-depth knowledge of our Scriptures.

The Answers for the Quiz # 11 are Vikarnan and Ghantakarnan.

The following readers were the first to provide the correct answers:Krishnamoorthi Venkatraman (varagur_vk,

VARADARAJAN VIJAYANARAYANAN (vjnarayanan),

Krishna Madhavan (srirangadesikadasan),

asd bte (vale_543),

Vyjayanthi & Sundararajan (vijirajans)

Congratulations to them.

 

We give below some additional information on these.

Hope you will find them interesting.

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At the end of this note, we provide Question # 12.

Please read the question carefully and send your Answer to ramanbil (AT) hotmail (DOT) Com (Not to Sri Ranga Sri Group)

so as to reach us on or before Sunday the 18th October 2009.

We will publish the correct Answers received FIRST.

We invite others also to participate in the Quiz programmes and encourage us. DasohamAnbil Ramaswamy====================================================================================================

Additional Inputs on Vikarnan and Ghantakarnan

 

Vikarnan

Vikarnan was also known as Yuyutsu. In a sense, he may be deemed as one of the Kauravas being the son of Dhrutaraashtra.

But, then he was the son of Dhrutaraashtra through a Vysya maid servant.

In this sense, he was NOT one of the 100 Kauravas but was one of the 101Kauravas.

 

He opposed Karna saying that it was against Dharma to defeat the Pandavas through the devious game of dice and the disrobing of Panchali was a heinous act.

During the Kurukshethra war he joined hands with Pandavas. He was the caretaker of king Parikshit, son of Abhimanyu, when Parikshit was a minor.

When Pandavas won the war, as a token of gratitude the Pandava elder Yudhistirar granted the kingship of Indraprasta to him, he being one among the 10 warriors who survived in Mahabharata war.

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Ghantakarnan

(from Sri N.Krishnamachariar's write up on SrI vishNu sahasra nAmam - Slokam 73 - stava-priyah.

685. stava-priyah - He Who is pleased by the praise in whatever form itis offered.om stava-priyAya namah.In his interpretation, Sri BhaTTar points out that when anyone praises Him in any manner (even in a negative manner!), in any language (even if it contains errors in diction or meaning), even if it is adverse to His splendor, bhagavAn accepts it as praise. SrI BhaTTar’s exact words are: yathA katha'ncit (in whatever manner), yayA kayAcit bhAshayA (in whatever language - even in negative language), yena kenApi (by anyone - even including those who denigrate Him), tejaskarah tiraskaropi vA (either in praise of His qualities or in negative terms), stavah priyatamah asya iti stava-priyah (He accepts them as praise of Him - because these actions are done while all the time thinking of Him!).

 

SrI BhaTTar gives an example of this guNa of bhagavAn by referring us to the incident of ghaNTAkarNa, who did not like to hear even the name ofvishNu being uttered by anyone even casually. So he suspended two bells from his ears, and at the very utterance of the name of vishNu, he will shake his head violently, so that these words won't fall in his ears. But in order to ensure that he shake his head at the mere mention of the name of vishNu, he had to always be thinking of vishNu, and watching for even a casual mention of the name of vishNu. The Lord took this as constant meditation on Him, and gave salvation to Ghantakarnan for this constant meditation on Him. This is an example of how He takes even the negative thought about him as praise of Him.SrI V.v. rAmAnujan adds to this the example of SiSUpAlan, who got moksham even though all he was doing was using abusive language to talk about Lord kRshNa at every possible opportunity - "kETpAr Sevi SuDu kIzhmai vaSavugaLaiyE vaiyum pazham pagaivan SiSupAlan". nammAzhvAr concludes one of his dacads in tiruvAimozhi by pointing out that no matter how we say His name - knowingly or unknowingly, - the final outcome is that it will always lead to good for us - "e'nganE Sollinum inbam payakkumE" (7-9-11). SrI rAmAnujan refers us to nammAzhvAr's tiruvAimozhi pASuram 5.1.1, which supports the interpretation that SrI BhaTTar has given for this nAma - perumAL is stava-priyah because His Grace is such that even if we don't mean to praise Him, as long as we say something about Him, even without sincerity, He will accept it as praise, in order to help us reach Him - such is the destiny of the jIva:kaiyAr Sakkarattu en karu mANikkamE enRenRupoyyE kaimmai Sollip puRamE puRamEyADimeyyE peRRozhindEn vidi vAikkinRu kAppAr Ar?AiyO! KaNNa pirAn! aRaiyO inip pOnAlE (tiruvAi. 5.1.1)SrI rAdhAkRshNa SAstri observes that bhagavAn's pleasure when He is praised is not because He is happy that people are praising His qualities, but because He is pleased that the jIva-s are putting to appropriate use the indriya-s that He has given to the jIva-s. When the thought, word, and deed are all directed appropriately for His praise, He is all the more happy. By praising Him, we are getting closer to Him, and this is exactly what He wants of the jIvAtmA-s, and this makes Him happy. The

 

Dharma cakram writer gives the analogy of the parents who feel happy when the child does well in the school. The body and the indriya-s that He has given us are for serving Him, and, just like the parents who feel happy when the child does well in the school, He is happy when we do well with the facilities He has given us"-dAsan kRshNamAcAryan==================================================================================================================

Quiz # 12

Swami Desika says that Kachchi (Kancheepuram) is the prime one among the seven cities that can grant liberation.

"mukti tarum nagar Ezhil mukkiyamaam kachchi tanil..."

What are the other 6 cities that are included in the seven cities?

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