Weekend at Wayanad

Stayed at the Sharoy in Wayanad. The place is picturesque. Drew this out on location. Faired it up using "ink and water-color wash".

At the Sharoy, Wayanad: Painting in ink and water-color

Temple art in ink and water color!

Quick sketch of temple using "water resistant black ink". Water-color wash over it!

Collection of interesting facts related to Ganesh Chaturthi

Just after the basic structure was made.... "mayureshwar"

Had the opportunity to compere a little program for Ganesh Chaturthi. Did some general reading to pick up points on Ganesha to keep children and adults interested. Here are some bits which I found interesting!

• We associate the community celebration surrounding Ganesh Chaturthi with Lokmanya Tilak. In a way, that's correct. In 1894, Tilak wrote about celebrating Ganpati as a community event in the "Kesari". However, Tilak himself was inspired by one Babusaheb Lakshman Javale. The latter was the one who first came up with this concept in 1892.

• Ganesh Chaturthi is celebrated in the month of "bhaadrapad", in the bright fortnight (shukla paksha) and on the day of the 4th digit of the moon (chaturthi). This is true for places which follow the "lunar calendar". In case of places which follow the solar calendar, there may not be one fixed month when Ganesh Chaturthi falls. In Tamil calendar, Ganesh Chaturthi can occur in one of the two months: aavani or purattaasi.

• There are two huge Ganesha idols at Hampi, Karnataka...close to 20 ft and in stone. Curiously, they are named "saasuvey kaalu ganesha" (mustard seed) and "kadaley kaai ganesha" (groundnut) Ganesha! Ganesha is "maha kaaya". As "maha kaaya", He covers the whole universe...and exists as the very universe. For such a huge Lord, a twenty foot idol is a mustard seed only! That's the concept behind the name.

• Though Ganesha has an elephant face, we have the concept of "nara mukha vinayaka". We find this in Chidambaram and in Trichy. Here, Ganesha is worshipped with a human face!

•  Though "vakra tunda mahaa kaaya" portrays him as huge, there's another popular shloka where He is called "vaamana roopa"- having a tiny form.  So, which one is true- maha kaaya or vaamana roopa? We need to go the Upanishad- "anoraniyaan mahato mahiyaan". He is smaller than the atom and bigger than the biggest. It shows that the Lord is not bound by spatial concepts. He exists as the atom, as well as...as the universe.

• "Vakra tunda mahaa kaaya surya koti samaprabha"- He who is huge and who dazzles like a million suns! It reminds us of the Bhagavad Geeta. In the chapter where Lord Krishna shows his universal form, the same expression is used "divi surya sahasrasya bhaved yugapad utthitaa". Lord Krishna dazzles as if a thousand suns have arisen together! It is because of this similarity, we interpreted "maha kaaya" as Ganesha showing his universal form (vishvarupa), just like Lord Krishna. There is some sadness too in this expression. One sun itself we cannot see. A million suns must be so very bright! Such an overpowering presence, we cannot recognize! How blind must we be...how thick our ignorance to miss something which is so obvious! This idea is present in the Shivanandalahari. (eko vaarija baandhavah...)

•  Ganesh is called "vikata": the prankster, the one who does mischief for the welfare of the people. There are 3 pranks which are popular. At Gokarna, he tricked Ravana and placed the "atma linga" on the ground, never to be removed, much to Ravana's anger. At Talakaveri, Ganesha took the form of a crow and overturned Agastya's kamandalu and made the river Kaveri flow out. At Srirangam, Ganesha tricked Vibhishana and placed the idol of Lord Ranganatha on the ground, never to be removed!

• Tapping our forehead with fist: Any puja begins with the mantra "shuklaambaradharam...vishnum...". We use our fists to gently tap the temples (on the forehead!) and remember Lord Ganesha. The significance of this gesture comes from the above story pertaining to Ganesha and Agastya. Agastya was angry that his kamandalu was overturned and went after the offender with clenched fists! Later, he discovered the offender to be none other than Ganesha. He was overcome with remorse and now, used his clenched fists to tap his own forehead! And thus began the custom of tapping the forehead temples with our fists. We remember both vaamana rupas this way: Agastya and Lord Ganesha.

•  Ganesha and Agastya are related in multiple ways. Both are vaamana roopa, short and both are great eaters! Agastya drank up the entire ocean to drive out the rakshasas and digested the demon "Vatapi" for good! Ganesha is of course well known for his eating and love for modakas! Agastya worshipped Ganesha. Agastya is supposed to have carried the "vatapi ganapati" from Badami (known earlier as vatapi) all the way to Tamil Nadu. As per one version, this idol is at Tiruvarur and Muthuswamy Dikshitar sang the kriti "Vatapi Ganapatim" in praise of this idol.

•  As per an alternate story, Narasimha Varma, the Pallava king in Tamil Nadu defeated Pulakeshi II (who ruled Badami) and carried back this idol. Pulakeshi II, Mahendra Varma (pallava king) and the great Harsha were contemporaries. Mahendra Varma was defeated by Pulakeshi II. Later, Mahendra Varma was succeeded by Narasimha Varma. Narasimha Varma was a great wrestler and many of the landmarks at Mahabalipuram were constructed during his reign. All this happened 1400 years ago. Narasimha Varma's general was one "Paranjyoti" who became a saint (like Ashoka, he underwent a catharsis of sorts) after this battle with Pulakeshi II. He became one of the 63 nayanmars and was called "siruthonda nayanar".

•  Ganesha's tusk: Ganesha broke his right tusk for different reasons as per these stories. As per the most popular story, he broke his tusk to write the Mahabharata. As per an alternate story, there was an asura called "gajamukhasura". This asura also had an elephant face! Ganesha threw his tusk at him and destroyed the asura. In the ardha naareeshwara form, the right half is Shiva and the left half is Parvati (Shiva's right and left- not the observer's!) Asian female elephants normally have no tusk, male elephants have tusks. By breaking his right tusk off, Ganesha as it were, shows his ardha naareeshwara form. It differs from his parents, in the sense, here, the right half is female and the left male! In the shodasha naama of Ganesha, he is called "ekadanta", a name with reference to the tusk.

•  Ganesha's trunk: Ganesha's trunk conveys "humility". Ganesha is the epitome of knowledge. After all, he is called "kavin kavinaam" and "brahmanaspati". The scriptures say "vidya vinaya sampannah", that knowledge should be accompanied with humility. How do we depict humility? In an Indian context, people speak with their hand covering the mouth especially when they talk to some elderly/accomplished person. Ganesha forever has his hand (trunk) covering his mouth. He is the epitome of humility too.

• Ganesha's ear: Ganesha's ears are prominent. It shows that he can hear our pleas better than other deities!! He flaps his ears rhythmically and keeps beat (taala). He's fat, but a great dancer! We have images of "nartana vinayaka". Normally, we need someone else to fan us. But Ganesha can fan himself (chaamara karna) and does not need any external instrument. He is his own fan! It shows how the Lord does not use "anything external to him" during the creation of this world. The maker is He, the material is He and the instrument too is He! In the shodasha nama of Ganesha, he is called "gajakarnaka" with reference to his ear.

• Ganesha's belly is full. All the brahmaandas...multiple universe find a place in him. The universe is visualized as an "anda"- egglike to show it has neither a beginning nor an end. So too, Ganesha's belly is like an egg. Everything is housed in him! Nothing is outside him. In the shodasha nama of Ganesha, he is called "lambodara" with reference to his belly.

• Ganesha's modaka: Ganesha's favorite sweet is modaka. In degrees of happiness, we have priya (happy), moda (very happy) and pramoda (most happy!). That which gives happiness is modaka. Sweet gives instant happiness! The dough has no taste. But scratch the surface of the dough, and it is filled with sweet "poornam". It is full, sweet and filled...as it were...with happiness!  Ganesha's belly is filled with modakas. All the worlds abide in the same belly. The worlds are in reality....modakas only! If we find this world, this life.... tasteless, it means we are still at the surface. Scratch a bit and we get to the "content" (adhishtaana) which is aananda. The Lord is manifest as the world. He is "sat-chit-aananda". Naturally, the content of the world should be aananda...happiness! Let's not be at the surface! Let's bite into the poornam...and partake of that happiness! Any number of quotes can be given- "brahma eva idam amrutam purastaad, brahma pashchaad..." etc.

•  Ganesha and Vishnu: Lord Vishnu is Ganesha's maternal uncle. There is a verse to that effect "shrikaanto maatulo yasya..." That's because Parvati and Vishnu are siblings. In Krishna avatara, yoga maya was born to Nanda and Yashoda and Krishna was raised as their son as well. In that way, they were...sort of...siblings.  Lord Vishnu went to see Ganesha on his birthday. Ganesha snatched Vishnu's chakra, stuffed it into his mouth and wouldn't give it back. Lord Vishnu held his two ears with his four hands and did situps! It was so amusing that Ganesha burst out laughing and the chakra was ejected! In keeping with this incident, many devotees do "thorpi karnam" (holding their ears with their hands crossed) in front of the Ganesha shrine.

•  Ganesha and Shiva: Lord Shiva forgot to propitiate Ganesha when he went to destroy the asura Tripura. Shiva had to meet with an obstacle. The axle of his chariot broke! Thereafter, Shiva made amends and took blessings from his own son!

•  Ganesha and Kartikeya: Kartikeya got married to Valli (daughter of a hunter-chief) due to a prank played by Ganesha. Ganesha assumed the mock form of a wild elephant and chased Valli. As she ran for cover, she found solace in the embrace of Kartikeya!

• Revolving around Shiva-Parvati and claiming the mango: The story is very popular and known to everyone. While Kartikeya took the trouble to actually go around the whole world to claim the mango as a prize, Ganesha simply circled around his parents. Much to Kartikeya's anger, Ganesha won the competition with a clever interpretation of the rules!  A number of ideas can be gleaned from the story. Philosophically, we can take the following moral. By knowing "one cause", all the "effects" are "as though" fully known. If we know "one gold", the cause, we have in effect known "the gold bangle", "the gold necklace", "the gold earring" etc. We need not take the trouble of sequentially knowing each effect in detail: first the bangle, next the necklace, next the earring and so on. One gold alone appears as the bangle, the necklace etc. So too, by knowing the "adhyaatma", one's own inner self, we have in effect known the entire creation. One's inner Self alone appears as this entire universe as in a dream! It is a baffling fact, but taught by the Upanishads. Kartikeya takes the trouble of trying to cover the entire world, an impossible task considering the immensity of the creation. Ganesha keeps it simple. He circles around Shiva-Parvati, the original cause (and present in each one of us as the adhyaatma) and stakes claim to the prize. He has "as though" circled the entire creation! This interpretation is seen in the Mundaka Upanishad.

• Ganesha and Parvati: When Lalitaambika (Parvati's form) went to destroy Bhandasura, the asura's army chief used a special "yantra" called vighna yantra. Due to this astra, Lalitambika's army was in disarray. They underwent a change of heart, so much so, they started distancing themselves from Lalitambika and started favoring the enemy! Ganesha used his tusk to break this yantra. With this, the soldiers were back with the right spirit and the enemy was conquered.

• Ganesha and turmeric: It is customary to take a lump of turmeric and invoke Lord Ganesha in it. This practice is followed in any Ganesha puja. What is the reason behind invoking Ganesha in a lump of turmeric? When Parvati created Ganesha, she is supposed to have scraped turmeric from her own body. Turmeric was the clay with which Parvati molded Ganesha. In keeping with this story, we also invoke Ganesha in a lump of turmeric. Turmeric is "mangalam", auspicious. Parvati is called "sarva mangalaa". Little wonder that the child crafted should also be "mangalakaari". In many songs, Ganesha is praised as "mangalakaari", who's grace confers the devotee with "shubham", everything auspicious! In languages like Tamil, turmeric is called "manjal". The word "manjal" comes from "mangala", auspicious. Turmeric is auspicious, Parvati is auspicious, Ganesha is of course auspicious!

• Ganesha and the moon: The moon was proud of his good-looks and laughed at Ganesha, who looked funny to him! It provoked Ganesha and he cursed the moon. The beauty is, he didn't directly curse the moon. Ganesha pronounced a curse that whoever looks at the moon, will be subject to blame and false accusation! With this, no one looked at the moon. If they looked at the moon and landed in trouble, they cursed the moon! Thus, Ganesha's purpose of teaching the moon a lesson, was served! The moon begged for forgiveness. Ganesha was magnanimous. He forgave the moon and even placed the moon on his head. Ganesha has a special name: "bhaalachandra"- the one who placed the moon on his forehead or "phaalachandra"- the one who placed the moon on the parting of this hair. Shiva, Parvati and Ganesha have the moon on their head. It is always the "third digit" of the moon on their head. Still, Ganesha's curse could not be completely revoked. He made a concession. The one who looked at the moon on "Ganesha chaturthi" day alone, will invite the curse. Even on that day, if he listens to the story of "Syamantaka mani", he can wriggle out of the curse! So much concession! 

•  Ganesha and Krishna: The entire episode of Syamantaka Mani (gem) is connected to Ganesha in a way. Lord Krishna happened to see the moon on Ganesh Chaturthi day. He underwent a lot of trouble as a result. Krishna was blamed for killing "Prasena" and stealing the gem. Satraajit, the original owner of the gem and even Balarama doubted Krishna. It took a lot of effort on Krishna's part to clear his name. But it ended on a good note. Krishna married Jaambavati and Satyabhaama (Satraajit's daughter) at the end of this episode. Narada explains to Krishna the reason for all these problems and Krishna does a special puja for Ganesha.

• Ganesha and serpent: Ganesha eats so much that he ties a snake to keep his overflowing belly in check! A snake symbolizes "shakti"- power. Without legs, it moves so quickly! It's all shakti! Ganesha's belly symbolizes the entire universe as seen earlier. And circumscribing this universe is...power. We see power everywhere- in the cascading waterfall, in the streak of lightning, in the volcanic eruption...everywhere.

•  Ganesha and Rama: On his way to Rameshvaram, Rama prayed at the Ganesha shrine at "Uppoor" and at "Thondi". "Thondi Ganesha" advised Rama to go further south to build the bridge from Rameshwaram. Adi Shankara composed the famous "Ganesha pancharatnam" on this "Thondi ganesha".

•  Ganesha and Hanuman: There's a special form of the Lord called "Aadyanta prabhu". Here, one half is Ganesha and the other half is Hanuman. Ganesha is the adi-devata- the first deity we pray to. He is right at the beginning. Hanuman is "rudraavatara", Shiva's manifestation. In that sense, he is laya karta...who alone remains after this cycle of creation is destroyed. He is verily the "anta". Thus, this combination of "adi" and "anta" makes this form "aadyanta prabhu".

• Ganesha and pranava: In many compositions, we find Ganesha referred as "pranavaakaaram"- having the form of "om" (pranava). "Om" is a "sound-symbol". It is not a visual symbol as seen sometimes. As a sound symbol, "om" is made up of the syllables "a", "u" and "m". Note that in Sanskrit, "a" and "u" combine to form "o". That's why we say "om", though it has 3 syllables. When we open the mouth, naturally we say "aaaaa". When we close the mouth, naturally, we say "mmmmm". "aaaaaa" "uuuu" and "mmmm" cover all sounds which can be uttered by any human being in any language. Sounds make up words. Words refer to objects. In effect, we can say "om" refers to "all objects" in the creation. The totality of everything in the creation is the Lord. He exists as every object, as all objects in the creation. Hence, "pranava" or "om" is the best name for the Lord since it covers everything in one sweep. Curiously, though "om" is a sound-symbol and needs to be uttered/intoned, for Ganesha alone, it also appears are a "visual-symbol" also. From the letter "om" in devanagari script, with its characteristic loops, it is easy for anyone to extrapolate it to the face of Ganesha. Even in regional languages like Tamil, the letter "om" is very close to an elephant face with trunk and tusk! Thus, Ganesha and "pranava" are intimately related.

• Ganesha and Kubera: There is a popular story involving Kubera and Ganesha. Kubera, the lord of all riches, is proud of his bounty. To flaunt his wealth, he throws a feast. Kubera is so sure that the food can never run out. Ganesha punctures his pride by consuming all the food and still not satisfied! A crest-fallen Kubera goes to Lord Shiva to find an exit strategy! Lord Shiva rebukes Kubera and teaches him the importance of a gracious and pure heart. Only then does any gift bless both the giver and the recipient. Shiva gives Kubera a handful of rice. With a change of heart, with bhakti, Kubera now serves the rice to Ganesha. Ganesha's appetite is immediately satiated! The story is simple. We can take the following moral from it. As the Geeta says: "patram, pushpam, phalam, toyam yo me bhaktya prayacchati..." "Just one leaf, one flower, one fruit, one drop of water...if it is greased with bhakti, with love...that alone is enough...and I readily accept" says the Lord. Bhakti is the only currency which the Lord accepts as seen in this story.

• Ganesha and Adi Shankara: In the panchaayatana pooja popularized by Adi Shankara, Ganesha is worshipped in the "red stone" obtained from the river Sone in Bihar. It is called Sonabhadra. The other stones which are used in this puja are: saligrama stone for Lord Vishnu obtained from the river Gandaki in Nepal, baana linga stone for Lord Shiva obtained from the river Narmada, swarnamukhi stone for Devi from AP and crystal for Surya from Vallam in Thanjavur.

• Ganesha in "shanmata": There are 6 "matas". Followers of a particular deity (ishta devata) form a "mata". "Gaanapatyam" is one of the mataas. As per this tradition, Ganesha is the Supreme God. The other matas are Shaivam, Vaishnavam, Shaaktam, Souram and Kaumaaram. The shanmata was also established by Adi Shankara. The only addition to the panchayatana (5 deities) is Kaumaaram (followers of Kartikeya). In the panchayatana puja, Kartikeya does not find a place.

• Ganesha in the Vedas: In the Veda, there are special "Suktas" glorifying each deity. The most popular hymn in the Vedas for Lord Vishnu is the "Purusha Suktam". The most popular hymn in the Vedas for Lord Shiva is "Shri Rudram". The question is...where is Ganesha extolled in the Vedas? In the Atharvana Veda, there is a section called "Atharva Sheersham". This is one of the most popular Vedic hymns for Lord Ganesha. Here, Ganesha is praised as the creator-sustainer-destroyer of the entire creation. It is an Upanishad and reveals Ganesha as non different from one's own Self also.

• Ganesha as Heramba: There is a special form of Ganesha called "Heramba". Here, Ganesha sits on a lion. It is peculiar because an elephant and a lion are normally enemies. We say that an elephant is rattled by seeing a lion even in a dream (simha swapna). However, in Heramba, an elephant and lion come together. Likewise, Kartikeya rides a peacock. In many places, including Kukke Subramanya, Kartikeya is associated with a snake. Snake and peacock are natural enemies. Similarly, Shiva's third son (Ayappa or Shaasta) rides a tiger. Ayappa is in human form- a man. It's as if a man rides a man-eater! All opposites have to resolve in Bhagavan. Either we can say, He is "BOTH fat and thin" or we should say "He is neither fat nor thin"!!!

• Ganesha as Lakshmi Ganapati: For a Ganesha bhakta, he folds everything into Ganesha. Thus, we have concepts of "Lakshmi Ganapati", "Vidya Ganapati" and "Shakti Ganapati". It's as if Lakshmi-Saraswati-Durga and whatever they symbolize, find their being in Ganesha himself. Even in songs we find expressions like "lambodara lakumi karaa" (lakumi is a variant of lakshmi).

• Siddhi-buddhi Ganesha: We have no idea if Ganesha is married or not! In South India, Ganesha is a confirmed bachelor. However, in places like Jambukeshvaram, we have "vallabha Ganapati" with a lady seated on Ganesha's left lap. We also have "siddhi-buddhi vinayaka". In the South, siddhi-buddhi are not considered as consorts. Rather, they are looked upon as Ganesha's powers. In North India, Ganesha has two wives-  Riddhi and Siddhi. The confusion is not limited to Ganesha. In North India, Kartikeya is considered as a bachelor. In the South, he has two wives- Valli and Devasena! We can take whatever suits us.

• Ganesha - a subjective interpretation: Sometimes, we find a subjective interpretation of Ganesha- how the concept of Ganesha signifies a "man of spiritual perfection" (a gnyaani). He serves as a guide for every "saadhaka" (spiritual aspirant) to scale the same heights of perfection. We know that Ganesha's human head was replaced with the biggest head, an elephant head! The idea behind this is the following. We live our entire lives like a frog in a well! So narrow is our outlook with importance given only to "me" and "mine". Some trigger- a chance book, a chance meeting, a chance experience... suddenly changes us. The earlier petty mind (laghu chetas) is completely blasted and it is replaced with the grandest vision possible. "My family" now is this entire earth (vasudhaiva kutumbakam), "my nation" now is the entire universe (swadesho bhuvanatrayam) and the whole creation is now permeated by the Lord alone (ishaavaasyam idam sarvam). The change of Ganesha's head indicates this change in outlook. The broken tusk shows the readiness to sacrifice everything to gain this vision. The trunk can pick up a needle as well as uproot an entire tree. So too, a man of perfection has mastered his mind in a two-fold way. He is "dakshah" efficient... in his dealings with the world outside. When it comes to seeing the "one truth" in the "many", he has that subtlety (sukshma buddhi) as well. A pot-belly shows his ability to digest all experiences with equal ease- the good, the bad and the ugly! He accepts all experiences as "prasada". The mouse hovering around the feet of Ganesha indicates desire. A man of perfection is forever in charge. He is the master. He rides over the tiny mouse and perhaps fulfills whatever "preferences" he may have. There is never a time when the mouse rides him! We can go on extrapolating more from this allegorical Ganesha. This is just a sample!

Ganpati bappa morya!!!

Ganesha....fully painted and ready for pooja!



An unsung Drona, an unknown Arjuna

Last week, I saw some of the most evocative photographs- Sachin Tendulkar touching the feet of Achrekar "sir" on the occasion of Guru Purnima. While Sachin's prowess on the Cricketing field is legendary, what is impressive is that Sachin has played hardly a false stroke outside it too.  He chose the occasion of Guru Purnima to visit his childhood Cricket teacher and take his blessings. Achrekar sir and Sachin, typify the best in a teacher-student relationship. Each embellished the other- Achrekar sir received the Dronacharya award. Sachin, his special student...scaled every peak on the Cricketing horizon. A Drona couldn't have asked for more from Arjuna.
It is now well documented how Sachin was Achrekar sir's favorite student. If Sachin got out early in one match at Azad Maidan, Achrekar sir personally took him on his bike to Cross Maidan.... to be part of another match so that Sachin could bat one more time.


My story actually begins here....... Thirty-two years ago....exactly when the above scenes were unfolding, another Drona...Tamhane "sir" was grooming another Arjuna...Dipak...much the same way.
Tamhane "sir" was Don Bosco's Cricket coach. He didn't look like a Cricket coach at first glance. About 50 years of age, he never dressed in whites. He turned up on the Cricket field in a formal full-shirt, formal trousers and dress shoes all the time. To top it, he wore a "fur cap", the kind worn by Farooq Abdulla. His face was furrowed and his eyes blurry and goat-like. His moustache was interesting- sparsely populated with long strands of hair hanging down the sides of the mouth to give him the look of a Genghis Khan!
He truly was a Genghis Khan when it came to fielding practice sessions....a real task master. The boys were lined up at the far end of the ground. Tamhane sir stood at the other end. He gently tossed the ball up with one hand. As it came down, he whacked it with such immense power...that it went like a cannon-ball in the direction of some hapless student! If the student was lucky, he caught the ball. He was luckier if he bruised his thumb and could exempt himself from this torture! In many ways, it was like being lined up before a firing squad.... you were a sitting duck. The ball came like a meteor from the skies...and a sixth-grader's gentle palm was bound to spill one of those catches. Sloppy fielding enraged Tamhane sir and he showed it. He sent more cannon balls the student's way! You simply prayed...for the session to end! Tamhane sir's intent was unquestionable. Our fielding had to improve.


And then one day, Dipak showed up. Tamhane sir took Dipak under his wing and took an instant liking for him. It was obvious that Dipak was the apple of his eye. When Dipak batted, Tamhane sir gushed with enthusiasm "tasach, tasach" ("exactly that way!", "exactly that way!" in Marathi). He was stone-faced when it came to anyone else (or so we thought!).
Though we wouldn't admit openly, Dipak was a gifted Cricketer. He had sound technique when it came to batting. He could negotiate fast bowling without flinching and pummeled the ball for fours and sixes even as a seventh-grader. He bowled off-spin. He bowled a variant of the doosra too. All this, at a time, when the doosra was unheard of. Dipak took some of the most blinding catches in school cricket tournaments.
Little wonder, Tamhane sir fawned over Dipak. Every evening, when Dipak's father came to pick up his son, Tamhane sir engaged him in animated conversation.


One day Dipak came to the ground with a new bat- it simply looked different and special. We had to know more and surrounded Dipak. "Yes, Tamhane sir bought it for me!" Dipak said. "How much did you pay?" someone asked. Dipak was a little hesitant, but said "five-hundred!" quietly. "Five hundred rupees!!!" everyone squealed! We had never heard of such a pricy bat! Everyone took turns to hold the bat and get a feel of it! "Abey is ###@ ke liye...paanch so" Anand commented...laced with choice expletives!!! Much as each one wanted to play with Dipak's bat, it was not possible. Tamhane sir was always around...and to snatch the bat from his special student, a tad dangerous! We had the firing squad fielding sessions to worry about!


Tamhane sir soon took over our lives. He got a tailor to the ground and insisted on stitching oversized uniforms which could double up for school and for Cricket. We hated it. Already Dipak was wearing trousers which were an eye-sore. They were simply too loose and flapped around like pyjamas. Dipak could do whatever he wanted to please Tamhane sir. It was getting a little suffocating for the rest of us.


Those days...we had no other dream. We breathed Cricket. We just wanted to be a Cricketer...like Gavaskar and Kapil Dev. The path was chalked out too. Score heavily in the school cricket tournaments- Giles Shield and Harris Shield, get selected for the under-15 Bombay side,  from there, get selected for the Ranji trophy side and from there, you played for the country! As simple as that! We were certain Dipak would play for India just like Ravi Shastri had done from the school a few years ago.
All this would go on for a couple of years. It was a mixed bag. We won some, lost some. Dipak got his name in the papers, he failed occasionally too. Tamhane sir groomed his favorite student more...and taught him to "hit the ball on the rise" and to play "lofted shots".  Dipak was a quick learner and was now the school cricket captain.


Suddenly, the bubble burst. Dipak stopped attending practice sessions regularly. He didn't score heavily any more. His attitude also changed- he appeared "grown up" and wasn't "the learner" he once was. He stopped playing for the school. Tamhane sir didn't come any more. We had no idea why he had fallen out of favor. We were in the ninth grade. Academics was suddenly important. The "board exams" would be upon us in a year's time. The Cricket bat was stashed away behind the cupboard. It was all too sudden. Our world had changed...and too soon. The dreams...remained....yes...dreams!


For every "Achrekar sir-Sachin" success story, there are hundreds of other stories no one wants to tell or hear. So many Tamhanes and so many Dipaks...who would go this far...but sadly....not beyond. These are the unsung Dronas and the unnoticed Arjunas. Their story needs to be told.
Success is rare. As someone said, to achieve the dizzy heights of success, you need to be born with a mole in a different part of your anatomy!!!!

Irritation

Descartes got it all wrong. To prove "human existence", his adage would have been more apt...had he said- "I get irritated, therefore I am!" After all, what makes us singularly human is this ability to express irritation. Animals can express every other emotion. Take your puppy- it can be happy, sad and definitely angry. We read about angry elephants going berserk all the time;  dolphins and chimpanzees can actually think and reason. But think about it, have we ever heard of an "irritated" animal?
Irritation is the most sublime human emotion. It differentiates us from the rest of the pack and makes us what we are....genuinely human!
Anger, dejection, frustration and irritation are all related emotions-  in descending order of impact. Irritation is beautiful and even funny because...in that little dot of emotion, it encapsulates a dash of anger, a speck of dejection, a dab of frustration...all rolled in one!

We like to live in "organized" homes- where there is a place for everything and everything in its place. But the most organized home can never get one point right- "a working pen when you need one".
The courier man is at the door. All that he needs is a signature so that you can take your envelope and slam the door on his face. He doesn't carry a pen- I wonder why, but that's a different problem. That's when you reach out for a pen in the coffee mug which doubles up as a pen-holder.
There's all kinds of stationery (and one unusable comb) sticking out from the coffee mug- ball pens, ink pens, pens with caps, pens without caps, pens standing face-down, markers, high lighters, sketch-pens and even a crayon. But trust me...trust me, you can't get even one to work now!

Any pen you pick up- either it has no ink, or no refill or if everything is intact, it still doesn't write! At best, you can etch the surface of the paper! You try everything possible- give the pen a brisk shake to get the flow going, blow into it, give it a little lick, dismantle it....nothing works! A few doodles on a scrap paper gets it going, but the moment you place the pen on the real turf, it invariably falters.
You move from pen to pen...and unbelievably, meet the same fate! That's when...irritation...wells up from the cockles of the heart....and expresses itself in manifold ways! You click your tongue in disapproval, mumble under your breath, furrow your brow, clench your teeth...and even fling the pen away in disgust. In exasperation, you plead- "Can't get one pen...ONE pen.. to work in this home!!!" It's irritation....at its best!
And mind you, the pens also have an impish sense of humor. They like to provoke you, to get you all worked up and irritated...the next time round too. Any discarded pen will invariably find a way...to tenaciously claw its way back to the same pen-holder!

We like to try something new from time to time to get out of the rut and find some meaning to our lives. Someone suggests meditation. Meditation comes in several flavors- maintain one thought, maintain no-thought, don't struggle with yourself.... maintain any thought! Regardless of the flavor of the season, there are some common prerequisites for meditation. You need to sit quiet, cross-legged, eyes closed, detach yourself from all worldly contacts...and travel inward.
One morning, in all earnestness, you take to meditation- just for 20 minutes! Soon...hells breaks loose- it's as if the whole of humanity has waited for you to meditate.... to impinge upon you with sadistic intent! It's a cruel world out there!
Before the three rounds of "om" can be completed in full, the door-bell chimes...loud and rude. There is little choice- you extricate yourself from your elaborate padmasana posture and attend to the door. It's the house-maid. You let her in.
Back to meditation- you close one nostril...and inhale...slow and deep. The air feels fresh- it warms up your insides...and the world seems suddenly transformed. You break into a little smile...and wonder why you didn't take this inward journey earlier in life.
Before you can exhale the air out of the other nostril, at that opportune moment, there's a knock on the door. There's one knock followed by another and another...in increasing decibel levels. No choice- the padmasana has to be given up and so must the nostril-exhalation. It's now the car-cleaner. You reach out for the keys from the drawer, hand it over and shut the door brusquely.
Back to padmasana and meditation. From the breathing drill, you move to the chant- 10 rounds of "om nama shivaya" in a nice, low baritone with all focus and concentration. It feels heavenly. You wonder whether it is your own voice or whether Mr Bachchan has suddenly found a place in your insides. By the fifth chant, there is a rap at the door...once more! This time, it is the cable-man. It's the beginning of the month and the bill needs to be paid. The call is attended, the door closed again.
Back to "om nama..." Before even shivaya can be intoned this time, the bell goes off !  Irritation...yes, irritation...bubbles up from the belly and explodes through every pore!! It's obvious, there is a conspiracy out there! Someone is evil and scheming..to keep you away from nirvana...which should have been rightfully yours!
"Who is it?" you holler from your meditation seat. Several answers are possible now- it could be the postman who wants to collect his Divali baksheesh or the boy who has hit the Cricket ball into your balcony or someone who wants to borrow yesterday's newspaper or at least some tomatoes!

By the time you get back to your meditation seat and close your eyes one more time, the house-maid has completed all the other chores. She shuffles her feet impatiently, clears her throat and hangs around you brandishing an upright broomstick. Any attempt to continue the meditation is now hopelessly futile. You bundle up the mat, fling it to a corner and walk off in a huff.
Irritation simmers, it rises, it boils over, but as it always does...it finally settles down to a calm...though an uneasy calm!

India has come a long way. Indian Railways has come a long way. The stations have changed- you don't need to buy the platform ticket from the station master any more. It's all automated. There's one slot-machine for the entire station. Insert the coin and boom....the platform ticket is ejected! As simple as that.
Not quite! It appears these machines work well only with "old coins". At least that's the explanation for these non-working machines. Any new coin you insert- the surface is too polished... and it comes right back to you...posthaste...in the tray. 
You now have a clutch of coins and you keep experimenting...one after another. It's absolutely random- after several attempts, one fifty paise coin isn't returned by the machine...hey it's actually successful!!!! You exult, but the elation is momentary. You need to travel all the way to five rupees when all you've done till now...is get off the starting block.
So much hope is packed each time you insert a coin...and ere long.. the hope sinks....defeated...as you hear the hollow rattle in the tray.  By now, a crowd has swelled around the machine. This is India. You cannot hog a machine indefinitely.  You can't leave the machine either for half the denomination is already digested! The pressure is on you...with several onlookers and competitors.
Someone suggests rubbing the coin on the ground vigorously to roughen the surface up, another suggests saliva as a solution. You try every trick....but with every clank....irritation...irritation...spews out...like fresh, molten lava! You come this close....to punch the next person next in line...who has his head over your shoulders or at least break this machine to pieces! Don't worry... irritation is benign. You will do neither...all you will do is fret...and wring your hands in despair!

It's amazing how almost everything has the propensity to stoke irritation.

My top-ten irritation stimuli would read as follows:

1. The copier machine (Xerox machine)  complains of a paper jam after printing exactly 1 sheet of paper. If someone needs a nice kick in the rear, it's the copier. No one slacked work more.
2.  There is soap on your face, but before you can soap yourself fully, the soap has walked away...and eludes your frantic search till you are forced to open your eyes.....and now.....ouch!
3. You've soaped yourself  fully... but suddenly, there's no water flowing out of the tap anymore and the bucket is empty too.
4.  You look for "toor dal" in all the containers in the kitchen. You're told it's present. You move from container to container...back and forth several times...but you just can't find it! "It's there...top right corner", comes the voice from the other room.
5. You try your hand to hang up clothes on the overhead clothesline. Like a foundering ship, it heaves this way and that, till it either snaps or the clothes fall off...or at least you have a neck-sprain for the rest of the day!
6. There's just 3 minutes to the bus. When you get to the last button on the shirt, you figure out that the two sides are misaligned and everything has to redone...from scratch!
7.  You're working from home. You have this most demanding customer issue to solve. The internet connection is suddenly so slow that each letter you type... appears after aeons. In the process, you make more mistakes. You type, erase, type again...and find it even more jumbled! You get the context...
8. A mobile phone connection where you can hear the other person, but he doesn't hear you. And this repeats, each time you disconnect and call again!
9. The razor is loose and falls off the handle...the moment you place it on the cheek. Half the face is shaven. The other half has to be managed with the razor minus the handle!
10.  India is playing Australia in Australia. You wake up at 5 am, switch the TV on.... to watch the Indian Cricket team batting! The score card at the end of the first hour of play stokes irritation...big time! Sleep would have been so much better!!!

 You can't hug a person who is angry. Anger is nasty and you keep a safe distance. Fair enough! An irritated person on the other hand, is comical and even amusing. You find him cute...in his despair! The next time....you see an irritated person..give him a tight hug!!!! He is your veritable cuddly teddy-bear!

Cartoon time!

The illustrations were done on request! Check out the context......

https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/quick-vs-dead-when-does-defeat-begin-bibhuti-kar

 https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/why-lean-organizations-more-creative-bibhuti-kar

 https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/performance-management-natures-way-bibhuti-kar 

https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/leadership-promotion-realities-bibhuti-kar

Showers, taps, mugs and buckets!

Swanky hotels come with their share of challenges. Swankier the hotel, greater is the challenge...often from unexpected quarters. You drop your clothes, and in all your primal finery, get into this most inviting bath tub and draw the curtains. If you think you can get into a warm invigorating shower quickly, you can't be further away! You are suddenly faced with a bewildering array of options- an overhead shower, a hand-shower hanging off a snake-like pipe, a nozzle closer to the tub with two spouts, a couple of levers and of course, color codes for warm and cold water. And no, this isn't your home. The bathroom does not come with the basic fixture you need- a bucket and a mug!
Gingerly you pull the lever and turn on the tap. Wrong choice- the water spews from the lower spout...adequate for a foot massage perhaps, but little else. Worse, the bath-tub seems to be filling up, the water quickly encircles your feet and the rest of the tub....showing no signs of draining.
Shaken and stirred, you try other options....but to no avail. The water refuses to squirt out of any, but the lower spouts. Like Rodin's "The Thinker", here you are...on your haunches...in the bath-tub, trying to make sense out of it all....!! If I were you, I would put my clothes on. It's going to take a lot more time and effort to piece this puzzle together....and may be, get expert opinion too. Of course, you cast aside this well meaning advice and plough on.
By now, you've started yanking at the second lever. Wrong choice! It's like a multiple-choice examination with negative marking! The punishment for an incorrect choice is swift and severe! Something springs into action all of a sudden....water comes hurtling down from the overhead shower. It catches you totally off guard...and tonks your scalp with this enormous gush of ice-cold water...right out of a water-fall! You let out a strangulated yelp...and in an abrupt reflex action...try and get out of harm's way. Jumping out of a bath-tub is clearly hazardous. You bruise your knee against the tub's walls, get entangled in the curtain, let out a manic howl...and scramble to safety. The waterfall continues to gush in the background showing little empathy! Your howl hasn't gone unnoticed. "Is anything wrong?" a voice comes from outside. "Everything is wrong!" would be the honest answer... of course!

A bucket and mug would make life easy for some of us. It may look inelegant, but you don't need to exercise your grey cells...at least for a bath. Thankfully, in India, there are no swanky hotels in pilgrimage places. It could be Sringeri or Tirupati or Haridwar...doesn't matter. The bathroom has the basic fixture - a bucket and a mug and yes...the water drains off the floor too. Bathroom karma....follows you doggedly though. You take a quick stock of the surroundings...scanning for creepy lizards and lurking, over-sized cockroaches. Satisfied, you now scrutinize the plastic mug. It has a battered look- frayed, discolored and sickly. The handle is long gone. Worse, a crack runs all the way...slicing the entire mug! Your effort to fill water...is slippery and unsuccessful. Before you can raise the mug to yourself, it drains off the entire side...leaving but a few droplets on your person! A couple of attempts...and you give up. It can't work this way. You try some ingenious technique...to fold the entire mug into a smaller cone and cover the crack. It works, but the bath is slow and uninspiring. Eventually, you make the ultimate choice- throw the mug away...and go for the bucket in full. As the water comes cascading down in one enormous sweep, you feel like pounding your chest like Tarzan or Bheema! The bath couldn't be more primitive......or more exhilarating!

Taps have their share of quirks. Once they spring to action, you can't stop some of them.  To your horror, you can turn them a full circle. One turn and another and another...like the head in the "Exorcist"... it keeps rotating, the water keeps spouting! It does look like this one tap can deprive the whole of humanity....of water! So let it be! Many experiments later...and after much water has literally flowed below the bridge, you find that if the tap is precariously anchored at the 6 o' clock point, it actually stops!!! Thank God for small mercies!

You can't turn some taps. It's a different design- they work like a piston; a little press and they squirt out water.....the volume determined by the pressure of the hand and the duration. It requires mastery to get the technique right. Till then, it is an incessant struggle- impatient stabs yield a few trickles as returns. If you get frustrated and pound the tap with all your might...you're in for trouble! The tap throbs and vibrates in protest- filling the entire bathroom with this deafening, high-pitched whirr and boom. It suddenly feels as if you are in a boiler-chamber with all the heavy machinery around you. I told you to be nice to taps...didn't I?

Taps are like your kid- unpredictable. Like an hour-glass, you watch the desultory flow filling up the mug. You feel you could grow a full stubble  to get one mug-full. The tap waits for the opportune moment and compensates for the gloom with a sudden spurt of enthusiasm and over-effusive love! And now, you have got  the front of your designer shirt all soaked!! And how are you going to explain the situation at the meeting...you've left midway?

Trains in India are not for the finicky or for the hygiene freak...especially if you need to be on the train for two days and have to use the toilet. Indian-style toilets are equipped with a mug. Thankfully, the mugs are not made from plastic and can't be cracked. But everything in India needs to be chained- be it elephants or cows or water-cooler tumblers; otherwise, they simply walk away. I have no idea why a decrepit steel mug on a train would walk away....but they do; hence they need to be chained. The problem now.... is the length of the chain. At best, it is less than a foot in length! How are you ever going to extend this mug and put it to any use....squatting from where you are!!!? It seems such a hopeless proposition! "Acche din aane waley hain...."- yes, that is the hope which keeps us going. I don't ask for world hunger to be solved when that "accha din" finally dawns. Can I put in one small request though....may be...may be...the length of the chain can be extended from one foot to perhaps three feet!? That will suffice!!

There is an urgent need for standardization across the globe when it comes to restrooms, bathrooms, taps and faucets. Till then, we will end up looking stupid and culturally uncouth. Urinals are notorious- we have no idea whether a urinal is based on a self-flushing mechanism or requires human intervention. One airport boasts of a urinal which requires human intervention- it actually has a foot pedal! And how did I find that out? Yes, it isn't courteous, but I actually peeked at my neighbor! There was no other choice!

This swanky hotel in Delhi actually has venetian blinds in the restroom. To add to it, the venetian blinds are turned by default to the outside world. What that means is... you wouldn't  know...but the rest of humanity in the living room... can actually watch you going through the motions in the restroom!!! No pun intended...but you get the drift. Why would someone in his right frame of mind...want to have a window to the world at large from the precincts of a toilet!?
I read this most inspirational quote from a Master. He simply said "When you eat...eat. When you walk, walk!" You can't improve upon this teaching...it is "mindfulness" at its best. On the same lines, can we tell this swanky hotel in Delhi... "when you go...simply... go!!!" Can they allow us this privacy...please?

Two saints, two songs, but one heart-beat

Two saints....separated by more than a thousand years, two completely different works and yet, the more we look at them, the more alike they seem...both in content and in wording.
Adi Shankara has a written a prakarana grantha (preliminary text) on Vedanta called Atma Bodha. In this work of 68 verses, there is one verse (verse 50) where he has used the metaphor of the Ramayana.
Sadashiva Brahmendra was a saint and composer who lived in the 18th century. One of his famous compositions, which is often sung in Carnatic music concerts is the piece "khelati mama hridaye". This composition too uses the analogy of the Ramayana.
In this essay, we want to ponder over these two poems and see the striking similarity between them. In addition, using the same framework provided in these two works, we would like to take select quotes from the Upanishads and present the story of the Ramayana...as a subjective journey that every spiritual aspirant has to go through.

First, we present the two works under discussion:

Atma Bodha verse 50:

Teertvaa moha mahaarnavam
hatva raaga-dveshaadi raakshasaan
yogi shaanti samaayuktah
Aatmaaraamo viraajatey

This verse presents the journey of a spiritual aspirant using the metaphor of the Ramayana.
"Crossing (teertvaa) the ocean of delusion (moha mahaarnavam), and having destroyed (hatva) the raakshasaas in the form of binding likes and dislikes (raaga dvesha), the yogi (the qualified spiritual aspirant) gets united (samaayuktah) with peace (shaanti) and shines/enjoys (viraajatey) as the Self (aatma raama)".

The imagery is self explanatory. The jeeva (the individual) is the Self in reality (atma-rama). Peace (shanti) is his very nature, his better-half (Sita), as it were. Ravana comes in the form of binding likes and dislikes (raaga-dvesha) and loots this peace away. Peace recedes even further...and lies imprisoned beyond an ocean of delusion (moha mahaarnavam).  Alas! The individual gropes for peace in the forest of samsara.
How must he regain his exalted, pristine status? Every seeker has to go through the story of the Ramayana as a personal, subjective journey.

Sadashiva Brahmendra's "Khelati mama hridaye":

khelati mama hridaye raamah, 
khelati mama hridaye.......
moha mahaarnava taaraka kaari
raaga-dvesha mukhaasura maari
shaanti videha suta sahachaari
daharaayodhya nagara vihaari
paramahamsa saamraajyodhaari
satya gnyaanaananda shareeri 
khelati mama hridaye.......

A running meaning would be:

Rama dances (khelati) in my heart (mama hridaye). 
He is the one who helps me cross (taaraka kaari) the huge ocean of delusion (moha mahaarnava).
He is the one who helps to destroy asuras in the form of my own raaga-dveshas.
With this, I regain peace (shaanti). Here, Sita is equated with peace. A special epithet is used for her- She is Vaidehi, "videha suta", princess of the Kingdom of Videha. (Sita's father Janaka was well known as a grihastha gnyaani. And as videha suta, Sita is an inheritor of that peace.)
There after, I shall live happily (vihaari) in Ayodhya, that city which can never be destroyed (yoddhum ashakyaa ayodhya). Where is this Ayodhya?  It is in my own heart/mind (hence, dahara ayodhya).
And what kind of place is this Ayodhya? It is a heart/mind where dharma flourishes. An empire (saamraajya) where noble people (paramahamsas/sanyasis/noble thoughts) are protected.
Finally, Rama, who helps me accomplish all this, and who dances in my heart, what is his nature? How does he look? He is  "satya-gnyaana-aananda shareeri". That Rama is my own Self, my Higher Nature, Atma whose swarupa is "satyam-gnyaanam-anantam" as the Upanishads declare.

It is easy to see how similar these two poems are. Sadashiva Brahmendra seems to have had this Atma Bodha verse in mind and he has embellished it with a few more ideas. In keeping with this presentation of the Ramayana as a personal journey, we can now take a few more ideas from the Ramayana and see how they fit into this framework.

Vana-vaasa in the Ramayana:

There is a verse in Adi Shankara's Dhanyaashtakam as follows:

"aadau vijitya vishayaan mada moha raagah
dveshaadi shatruganam aahrta yoga raajyaah
gnyaatvaa matam samanubhuuya paraatma vidyaam
kaantaa sukham vanagrihe vicharanti dhanyaah"

In this verse, Adi Shankara lays out the journey of a seeker. Like the previous verses, a seeker starts off by cultivating a life of values. As part of this, he says "mada moha raaga-dvesha shatruganam vijitya" (having won over enemies in the form of mada, moha and raaga-dvesa). This is the same as the previous two verses we saw. The seeker then enters the portals of gnyaana yoga and does atma vichara (gnyaatva matam samanubhuya paratma vidyaam). And this gnyaana/vidya sukham  (the consequent happiness) is what gives him company like a spouse (kaantaa)... even in the forest.
The vana-vaasa in the Ramayana...is as it were...condensed in this verse. The asuras that Rama killed in the forest are these "aasuri sampat" (negative traits) in our own minds. Rama and Sita lived in bliss for the first 13 years of their forest life. And that mutual happiness is likened to the vidya-sukham that a gnyaani ("dhanyaah" in this verse) derives. Hence, it is said "kaantaa sukham vanagrihe vicharanti dhanyaah". It is similar to the happiness mentioned in Yati Panchakam - "vedaanta vaakyeshu sada ramantah" (deriving happiness from the words/message of vedanta).
Vana vaasa does not have to be taken literally. It simply means that wherever a gnyaani is, he does not feel loneliness, whether in a city or in a forest.
Hence, in our subjective Ramayana, vana-vaasa can be taken as the ability to live...even in seclusion....with the happiness derived from the message of vedanta.


The "golden deer" in the Ramayana:

The Maayaavi Maareecha take the form of a golden deer. Sita is fascinated and desires to have the deer as a pet. Rama goes after the deer in pursuit. The deer leads him further and further into the forest. An exhausted Rama comes back only to find that Sita is missing. We are familiar with all this. In keeping with the idea provided by Adi Shankara and Sadashiva Brahmendra, can the "golden deer" be seen in a subjective way? Interestingly, we find a few verses related to this topic.

Why "golden" ?

The Ishaavasya Upanishad has this verse:
"hiranmayena paatrena satyasyaapitam mukham...
tat twam pushan apaavrnu....satya dharmaaya drishtaye"

The devotee looks at the sun and says that "your golden frame" (hiranmayena paatrena) is so fascinating that it has hoodwinked me and "covered the Truth" (satyasyaapitam mukham). He prays to the sun to remove this covering (apaavrnu) so that he can rediscover the Truth, his own essential nature.
Sita's fascination for the "golden" deer is similar. It covers her senses as it were and she succumbs to that temptation, only to lose the abiding Truth in her life (Rama).

In a way, her "bahir-mukhatwam" ("attention outside") led to her downfall. We are reminded of that verse from the Katha Upanishad:

"paraanchikhaani vyatrnat svayambhu....
tasmaat paraang pashyati...na antaraatman"

The creator (svayambhu) has naturally created our sense organs "turned outward" so that our attention is always on external objects (paraang pashyati)..so that the Self which is always with us (the antaraatman) is lost sight of. Consequently, like Sita, we also suffer.

The concept of "mriga trishna":

The deer in the Ramayana reminds us of the "mriga trishna" metaphor in Vedanta. The deer living on the fringes of the desert feels thirst. It sees the mirage water in the sands of the desert and runs towards it. The search must necessarily be futile. The deer is led deeper and deeper into the desert, till it dies out of sheer exhaustion. 
We are reminded of the line from the Shiva Mahimna stotra:
"Na hi svaatmaaraamam vishaya mriga-trishnaam bhramayati" - The one who revels in his own Self (svaatmaaraamam) does not get lost (bhramayati) in the vishayas of the world as the mriga-trishna does.

Why deer?

Lord Shiva is called "mriga dhara". Popular iconography of Lord Shiva shows him holding a deer on his finger tips. Sometimes, the deer is beside him and he feeds the deer (as in the image of Shiva as Bhikshaatana). The deer depicts our mind...which frolics all over. After all, as Arjuna says, "chanchalam hi manah krishna", the mind is chanchala...unsteady all the time. Like Sita, we will necessarily suffer if we ride along with our mind. Lord Shiva as the mriga-dhara comes to our aid. We surrender unto Him and allow him to tame our mind and make our mind....his!

Hanuman- the embodiment of bhakti:

If samsara is an ocean, we can never hope to cross it on our own...to find Sita, that elusive peace which lies beyond it.  Ishvara's anugraha is required all the way- to develop an interest for moksha, to develop the required mental qualifications like shama, dama etc. and to find a Guru. Ishvara's anugraha can be tapped only through bhakti. Cultivating bhakti thus becomes mandatory in our journey. And what better model for bhakti than the daasya bhaava exemplified by Hanuman?

Any number of verses can be taken for bhakti. We take a verse here from the "guru paaduka stotram" which shows bhakti towards the Guru. Wouldn't it be more appropriate to take a verse which shows bhakti towards Ishvara would be a natural question. There is a reason for this. The guru is non separate from Ishvara. As the Shvetashvatara Upanishad says "yasya deve paraa bhakti yathaa devey tathaa gurau", bhakti towards the guru is as efficacious as towards the Lord. Secondly, for the seeker who has no direct access to Ishvara, the Guru becomes a conduit as it were. Lastly, in advaita siddhaanta, there is no moksha without gnyaanam (knowledge). The guru's role in communicating this knowledge is unparalleled. Hence, the importance of guru-bhakti.

The verse in question talks about samudra taranam. It reminds us of Hanuman's bhakti and his heroic deeds in the story.

"ananta samsaara samudra taara 
naukayitaabhyaam gurubhaktidaabhyaam
vairaagya saamraajyada-pujanaabhyaam
namo nama shri gurupaadukaabhyaam"

Our prostrations to the sandals (paaduka) of our guru. The sandals assume the role of a boat (nauka) and ferry us across the ocean of samsaara (samudra taara). And what is the benefit of this worship? We get vairaagya (contentment) and moksha saamraajya (empire of moksha) itself.
Since we are relating everything to Ramayana, the word "saamraajya" immediately takes us to Tyagaraja's song: "Raama bhakti saamraajya"!


Setu-bandhana in the Ramayana:

Rama built a bridge over the ocean, all the way to Lanka, conquered Ravana and won back Sita. Surprisingly, we find references to the "bride over the ocean" (setu) in the Upanishads too.
The Mundaka Upanishad says:

"yasmin dyau prithvi cha antariksham
otam manah sah praanaishcha sarvaihi 
tameva ekam jaanatha aatmaanam
anyaa vaacho vimunchatha
amritasya esha setuhu"

"Know that aatma, which is One (tameva ekam jaanatha aatmaanam). That is the bridge (setu) to cross the ocean of samsaara and claim immortality (amritam), which is our very nature."

Atma gnyaanam is pointed here as the bridge to cross the ocean of samsaara. The Hanuman Chalisa says: "prabhu mudrika meli mukh maahi...jaladhi laanghi gaye achraj naahi". How did Hanuman get the strength to cross the ocean? He had "prabhu mudrika" with him- Rama's signet ring. It can be taken as the power of Rama nama or Atma gnyaanam itself (like the Upanishad says above).

Rama, the dhanurdharah:

"Raamah shastrabhrtaam aham" - Krishna says. "Of all the wielders of the bow, I am Rama, the best  amongst archers." How can we relate to the metaphor of Rama, the archer, in our subjective journey?
We are reminded of the "archer imagery" in the Mundaka Upanishad.
"pranavah dhanu" (Omkara is the bow), "sharah aatma" (the jeevatma is the arrow), "brahma tan lakshyam" (the target is Brahman/the Self)...and what is the result upon releasing the arrow? "sharavat tanmayah bhavet" (the arrow gets inseparably lodged (tanmayah) in the target...so too, the jeeva, the individual, discovers his intrinsic identity with Brahman, the total).

Ravana- the senses running amok:

Ravana, the ten-faced demon denotes our sense organs running amok. We have "five gnyaanendriyas" (organs of knowledge) and "five karmendriyas" (organs of action) making it a total of ten. Each one pulls us in a different direction, leading to our eventual doom. And backing these ten organs is a disoriented "mind" (manas) and a fickle "intellect" (buddhi).   
We are reminded of the famous "chariot metaphor" from the Katha Upanishad.

"yastu avignyaanavaan bhavati 
ayuktena manasaa sadaa
tasya indriyaani avashyaani
dushta ashvaa iva saarathehe"

If the intellect is uninformed (avignyaanavaan) about the lasting goal of life, if the mind is loose (ayukta), if the senses run riot (indriyaani avashyaani), then the chariot is certain to crash by the wayside. This is Ravana- our own false values dragging us to the edge of the precipice and the inevitable fall!

"man se raavan jo nikaale, raam uske man mein hai":

A student of Vedanta sees Vedanta everywhere...sometimes, in the most unexpected place. Our subjective interpretation of Ramayana takes us to a song from the Hindi film "Swades"! It says "man se raavan jo nikaale, raam uske man mein hai". This line is most appropriate and had to be a part of this essay. In our subjective Ramayana, as this song says, Ravana and Rama are actually found in the same locus, in the same mind.
The Upanishad talks about two birds present on the same tree (samaaney vrikshey): One noble and stately (the Self) and the other (the ego) which needlessly suffers (aneeshaya shochati). But when the ego identifies itself with the Self, it becomes free (veeta shokah).

So too, our false values create a Frankenstein, a Ravana as it were, and in the very same mind, now ridden of these false elements, we recognize Rama. After all, doesn't the Upanishad say "yo veda nihitam guhaayaam" That Truth has to be recognized in one's own mind (guhaa) ?

This essay can go on! For now, with these select ideas, we close this topic! It is our privilege to have had the opportunity to think of Adi Shankara, Sadashiva Brahmendra, the Ramyana and the entire body of vedantic literature!

Random notes on Tyagaraja's kriti "mundu venuka"

There is a story surrounding the Tyagaraja keertana "mundu venuka". Tyagaraja was on his way from Tirupati to Tiruvottriyur. He was being carried in a palanquin by his disciples. Tyagaraja had no knowledge that his disciples were carrying some money with them. Had he known it, he would have disapproved of it.
Kovur Sundara Mudaliar was a patron of music. He had great respect for Tyagaraja and had personally invited Tyagaraja on this trip. It was Sundara Mudaliar who had gifted money to the disciples so that this money could be used for Lord Rama's worship. This information was kept away from Tyagaraja.
The palanquin was now in the middle of the forest. Suddenly, the disciples panicked. They were under attack from robbers! They rushed to Tyagaraja. Tyagaraja was composed. "Surely, we have nothing to fear. After all, we carry no money!" he said. It was then that the disciples disclosed to him about the money that they were carrying.
Tyagaraja was unperturbed. He did not rebuke his disciples. Instead, he replied that if the money was to be used for Lord Rama's worship, then, it was Lord Rama's duty to protect his wealth too. After all, isn't it true that "tan man dhan...sab kuch tera" as the popular Hindi bhajan goes? "This body, mind and wealth...everything is Yours, O Lord".

It was at this juncture, right in the middle of the forest and under attack from forest robbers, that Tyagaraja composed and sang the keertana "mundu venuka" set to the raga Durbar. The impact of the song was immediate.
Now, it was the turn of the robbers to panic. They saw two divine youths guarding the palanquin. They attacked the robbers forcing them to flee. The robbers rushed to the feet of Tyagaraja and begged for forgiveness. Tyagaraja heard their story patiently. He knew that it was Rama and Lakshmana who had guarded the palanquin. There was little doubt.
Tyagaraja was distraught and wept. He had pined for the Lord's vision for many years and Rama still eluded him. On the other hand, these robbers had had the fortune of  the Lord's vision. How ironical! And how the Lord's vision had changed the robbers so completely! They were immediately chastened... in one stroke! As the Upanishad says - "bhidyate hrdaya granthihi, chidyantey sarva samshayaah, ksheeyantey cha asya karmaani, tasmin drshtey paraavarey" - "The moment one "sees" (drshtey) the Ultimate (paraavaram), all the knots in the heart (hrdaya granthi), all the doubts (samshaya) and all karma...everything gets uprooted in one stroke.

The pallavi of the keertana goes as follows:
mundu venukayiru pakkala tōḍai mura khara hara rārā -
"Hey Rama, the one who vanquished rakshasas like "mura" and "khara", may you come and protect me from the "front", "rear" and from every "side".

Khara and Dushana had come with an army of 14000 rakshasas. Single handed, Rama and Lakshmana killed all of them. That is the reference to "khara hara" in the pallavi.
Incidently, the raaga Durbar is a janya  of "Kharaharapriya" raaga in the melakarta classification scheme!

The other epithet "mura hara" in the pallavi actually refers to Krishna. It appears to have been used for alliterative effect in the song- mura, khara, hara etc. Tyagaraja often replaces Rama for other forms of Vishnu. We see this in other places. For example, "vandanamu raghunandana", the popular Sahaana kriti is found in Prahlada Bhakti Vijayam! There is time-wise "aberration" (for Narasimha as an avatar precedes Rama (raghu-nandana)) too. But Tyagaraja's fascination for Lord Rama is such that it cannot be restricted by such common concerns!

In this essay, we want to mainly focus on this point- "that the Lord should be like my armour and protect me from all sides". Tyagaraja has used this idea in the song. We find a similar mention in other places and this song appears to paraphrase this particular strain of thought. We take a few examples here:

Shloka on Lord Rama which has a similar theme:

The shloka is quite popular. It goes as follows:

"agratah prshtatashchaiva paarshvatashcha mahaabalau
Apoorna karna dhanvaanau raskshetaam raama lakshmanau"

"May Rama and Lakshmana protect me"....and how.?..."ready with a bow drawn right up to the ear"...(aapoorna karna dhanvaanau) ..and standing where?....on all sides... "agratah" (in front)..."prshtatah" (at the back) and "paarshvatashca"...(on each side).

This is exactly what Tyagaraja also says in "Mundu venuka".

Lord Shiva...appearing on all sides:

The eleventh and final anuvaka of Shri Rudram (from Yajur Veda) has these lines:

"namo rudrebhyo ye prithivyaam ye antarikshe"....etc... and ends with "dasha praacheer dasha dakshinaa dasha praticheer dasho udicheer.. etc" 

It says: With my 10 (dasha) fingers, I bow to Lord Shiva, the one who is everywhere- in the East (praachee), in the South (dakshinaa), in the West (pratichee), in the North (udichee) and who exists even at the top (oordhva).

Just like Tyagaraja wanted Rama to appear all around him and serve as a protective armor, in Shri Rudram, the devotee reaches out to Lord Shiva...who as the vishwaroopa, appears on all sides.

Dik-devataadi vandanam in Sandhya vandanam:

Regular Sandhya Vandanam has the following simple shloka:

"praachyai dishey namah, dakshinaayai dishey namah, prateechyai dishey namah, udeechyai dishey namah, oordhvaaya namah, adharaaya namah"

Here, a devotee faces each direction- the East, West, North, South, Up and Down and offers prostration to the cardinal directions itself. Though this prayer is normally referred to as "namaskara" to the dik devatas or "direction devatas", in reality, the One Lord alone.... is seen in the form of his aspects in every direction.

Like "mundu venuka", the Lord surrounds us from all sides and protects us. That is the message here too.

Finally, we see a reference in Mundaka Upanishad where Brahman is pointed out as all pervading...and as it were...enveloping every direction.

Quote from Mundaka Upanishad:

"brahma eva idam amritam purastaad, brahma pashchaad, brahma dakshinatah cha uttarena, adhah cha oordhvam cha prasritam brahma eva vishwam idam varishtam" 

What we see as "this world" (idam) is Brahman alone (brahma eva) who appears in front (purastaad), who appears at the back (pashchaat), who appears to the right (dakshinatah), who appears to the left (uttarena)...and who is spread all over (prasritam)...at the top (oordhvam) and below (adhah)!!

And as the "nama ramayanam" text says: "shuddha brahma paraatpara raam", Rama is Brahman alone. That Brahman which is formless and all-pervading, appears for us in the captivating form of Rama. Thus, Tyagaraja's Rama in "Mundu Venuka" is  the same Brahman referenced in this verse from the Upanishad.

Summing up:

Tyagaraja's "mundu venuka" echoes a popular theme that the Lord is present everywhere.
Just as there is "spatial protection" from the Lord, "mundu venuka" also has a veiled reference to "time wise protection".
In the first charanam, Lord Rama is addressed as the "moon" (chandra) rising over the "ocean (abdhi) of the Solar (bhaaskara) race (kula)". The line is "chanda bhaaskara kulaabdhi chandra".
The "moon" stands for the principle of time. Time in ancient India was measured in terms of "tithis" (digits of the moon). As the Lord of Time, Rama Chandra is present at all times and showers his protection on us.
Further, the sun (bhaaskara) is the Lord of the day. The moon is the Lord of the night. By referencing  both the sun and the moon in the charanam, it looks as though Tyagaraja completes the entire picture. The Lord's kavacham is present at all places...and at all times- both day and night!

"Eri Kaatha Raamar":

We may dismiss the story of Lord Rama coming to Tyagaraja's rescue as a fable. Could the robbers have had some other vision which they mistook to be Lord Rama? Could it be a story fabricated to lend divine status to Tyagaraja and his music? Doubts assail us at every step.
The story of "Eri kaatha raamar" proves that Lord Rama does come to our aid at all times and at all places. It is a matter of faith...and sometimes, the most unlikely candidate is chosen as the "paatram" (receptacle) for his grace.
The year was 1798. Colonel Lionel Blaze was at Madhurantakam, close to Chengalpet, Tamil Nadu. Rains lashed the countryside as never before. Colonel Blaze's eyes were glued to the "bund". The  township's fate hinged on this bund, beyond which lay a huge water-tank. Once breached, the township would be inundated for sure.
Madhurantakam was well known for the temple of Lord Rama. It was here that Saint Ramanuja himself had stayed for many years.
On that fateful day, Colonel Blaze swears that he saw Lord Rama and Lakshmana guard the bund and protect the township. Based on this incident, the temple deity is known today as "eri kaatha raamar" (Rama...who protected the water-bund).
Colonel Blaze was not a devotee of Lord Rama. Yet, he had the Lord's vision and he testifies to that effect. An edict with the Colonel's name is present in the temple. It stands as a mute testimony to the fact that Lord Rama is present everywhere and at all times. It is for us to tap his ever flowing grace.
















 

Water-color painting: Nataraja

This is the Nataraja at Gangai-konda-chola-puram, a township close to Thanjavur in Tamil Nadu. Liked the pose- the elegance, the grace...and the majesty. Amongst the forms of Lord Shiva, "bhikshaatana" was the previous painting. "Nataraja" again figures as one of the prominent forms of Lord Shiva.
About a couple of weeks ago, I actually had a dream of visiting this place! That settled the theme for this painting... painted it in about 4 sittings spread over 4 days. Didn't struggle with it overly!

For a change, didn't blend the water colors...left it in dots and dashes...to give the rugged texture of the stone. Like many of the grand Chola temples, Gangai-konda-Chola-Puram will rank amongst the best- it's verily poetry in stone!!!


The palette is the following: For the lightest areas, yellow-ochre.
The darker shades are done with a mix of burnt sienna, crimson and blue.
No blacks and no whites allowed in water-color! Of course, that's the most basic rule! Just work away.. in layers...from light to dark

Step1: Fill your painting with the light shades

Step 2: Tackle the face first...what if it doesn't turn out fine!!?

Step3: Get the darker shades in...progressively

Step4: Work away...all areas covered..

Step5: Add more darks..and get the details in! That's all there is to it!

Water-color work: Lord Shiva as "bhikshaatana"

 

The sages at "Daarukaavana" were arrogant that their rituals and sacrifices were more than enough and all of life's goals could be achieved through them. Lord Shiva appears as a "bhikshaatana" (wandering mendicant) and captivates everyone.

Later, he teaches the sages and instructs them that rituals alone cannot be the end-all and be-all of life. While rituals are important from one standpoint, they have some limitations and must necessarily be followed by the "path of enquiry" so that the Truth of life can be known.

The form of Bhikshaatana is tied to this episode in the puranas.

 

It is based on this incident that Ramana Maharishi has composed the vedantic work -"Upadesha saaram" where the entire range of spiritual sadhanas is presented in a step-by-step fashion.

 

The painting is based on a photograph from the net. It is about the size of an A4 sheet on water-color paper.

 

Fatehpur Sikri

We covered Fatehpur Sikri before Rajasthan. The post is in reverse order. Didn't get the time or the wifi connectivity to write this out. The details are going to be sketchy given that it's over a week since we went there. But...for the sake of completeness, will write out something really quick.

There was thick fog as we set out from Agra. The visibility was very poor and the driving slow. And the weather....painfully cold as it has been throughout this trip.

We've taken a guide at every point and it has been useful and informative. Without a guide, these places will be just another set of relics. The guide makes the place come alive...and thankfully, they've all been well informed which made up for the lack of fluency in English.

"Fateh" means victory. Akbar made a pilgrimage on foot from Agra to this place. The sufi saint "Salim Chisti" lived at Sikri which was already an established place. Akbar had no sons at that point in time and he sought the blessings of Salim Chisti. In due course, Akbar and Jodhabai had a son. They called him "Salim" who grew up to be Emperor Jahangir. Salim's birth was a personal victory for Akbar. He decided to move his capital from Agra to Sikri and built an entire city in 8 years. This city became Fatehpur Sikri which had quarter of a million people at one point in time.
UnlikeAgra where the Yamuna flows, Fatehpur Sikri has no rivers. It boasted of a lake. Despite Akbar's efforts to store the rain water in several tanks, (there are examples within the Sikri palace), water scarcity became a problem. After 16 years, Akbar moved his capital back from Fatehpur Sikri to Agra. Fatehpur Sikri became a ghost town.

There are mainly two co-located monuments: the palace and the complex hosuing the Jami Masjid and the dargah of Salim Chisti. More on this later.....