knramesh: April 2009

Thursday, April 30, 2009

Solution by periyavaa - Yet another incident

Solution by Paramacharya - another incident
Posted by: "Gopal" gopse@yahoo.com gopse
Sun Apr 5, 2009 3:55 pm (PDT)
A young vaidik couple prostrated to Paramacharya and rose in SriMatam,
Kanchipuram.
The young vaidik appeared to be around 25 years, his wife about
twenty.The Acharyal, who was conversing with another bhakta, paused it
and looked up at the dampati. Happiness spread across his face.He said
with enthusiasm, "Are you not Raghunathan, son of Madurai Seshu
Ganapatikal? But then, I should address you in such a way! Because you
have now become Raghunatha SastrigaL! Like your father, you have
become well known in the Madurai region."Paramacharya continued:
"Obviously, this is your AmbadaiyaL. She is the grand-daughter of
Tiruchirapalli Vaidhyanatha Ganapadigal. The only daughter of
Subramanya Vadhyar. Am I right? Last year, your father and
father-in-law both came here with your marriage invitation, to seek
the blessings of Matam. You also came and prostrated, correct?
Alright. Now as dampati you are both cooperative and well?" Swamiji
asked with rightful concern.
Raghunatha Sastri promptly replied, "We are very well Periyavaa, with
your blessings."Swamiji did not accept that. "You have said it, but
your wife doesn't open her mouth!" He laughed as he said this.Gaining
her wits, the young wife replied, "My name is Alamelu, Periyavaa. We
are happy only... happy." Swamiji took note of the thread of sadness
that ran through her acknowledgement."It is not that Amma! Your tone
betrays that you are not all that happy. Come on, tell me
more.""Nothing of that sort, Periyavaa", Alamenu tried to get by."No,
no! Your tone is telling me that you have some sadness. Come on, tell
me what it is."Alamelu said hesitatingly, "Periyavaa, I am a very
God-fearing woman. Have full faith in the shastra and sampradayakah.
Before my marriage, I used to go for pilgrimages with our family,
relatives, and well wishers. It was very much to my liking! I am
married with him for a year now. And we have not gone anywhere
Periyavaa, that is the
cause of my sadness!"
Before she could finish, Swamiji interrupted, "Why...why couldn't you go?"

Alamelu hesitated. "After marriage, I cannot go for pilgrimages on my
own, isn't it so, Periyavaa? Only if the bharta comes along with me,
the fruits of the yAtra will be realized? I asked him twice or thrice,
but he did not come!" She started crying as she narrated her woe.
Acharyal persuaded her, as he understood the situation. "What
Raghunatha SastrigaL, is it proper to let your wife have a drop of
tear in her eyes? After all is she not asking you to observe a holy
routine? tIrthayAtrA and kshetrAdanam. What is the difficulty in going
as she asks you for?" Paramacharya raised his bows.
Young Raghunatha Sastry prostrated to the sage once again and said,
"What she asks for is reasonable, Periyavaa. But then to visit the
northern kshetrAs for at least ten days, and that bimonthly...is it
possible for me Periyavaa?"
"Why don't you try it and fulfil the affectionate wishes of your wife?"
Raghunatha Sastry replied in a poignant voice, "Periyaa knows
everything. I have vaidikam for vritti. My father is also not too
well, so I have to take care of his assignments in addition to mine.
You tell me Periyavaa, how can I go for yAtra once in two months,
leaving aside all my vritti?"

Pamaracharya was silent for sometime. Then he said laughingly, "So you
both have come to me for madhyastha in this matter," and continued:
"What she says is reasonable. She has a taste for going tIrthayAtrA
with bhakti. She also knows that after marriage the fruits of any
yAtra will be available only if accompanied by the husband. What you
say also has reason. Your vritti is vaidikam. You will be busy for all
the thirty days in a month. It would be very very difficult to go on
tIrthayAtrA with wife, once in two months. So, what can be done?""Only
you can tell us a way Periyavaa", the husband and wife said
together.Swamiji sat for sometime, thinking. Everyone was eager to
know what he would suggest as a remedy. After sometime, AcharyaL
started speaking."Alamenu! You are determined to go on tIrthayAtrA
once in two months. You also are familiar with the dharma shastric
rule that the fruits of a yAtra will be realized only if your husband
comes with you.
Since he has vaidikam as his profession, he says it would be very
difficult for him to accompany you. So you do onething..."Before he
could proceed, the couple said, "kindly bless us with a solution
Periyavaa."Sitting a little more uprightly, Swamiji said: "I shall
tell you a way, listen Alamelu! Whenever you start for tIrthayAtrA,
before actually stepping out of home, request your husband to stand
facing east and prostrate to him! What you do, Raghunatha SastrigAL,
place your upper angavastra in the hands of your wife and tell her
that her carrying your cloth is equivalent to your accompanying her,
and bless her for the yAtra. You both will get the punya of having
undertaken the yAtra together. And neither of you will have any
uneasiness of mind. What... happy now?", Swamiji asked them mercifully
and gave them prasAda.The couple were happy with the solution given by
MahaperiyavaaL. With tears of joy, they prostrated to the sage.
knr

--
If God brings you to it, He will bring you through it.
Happy moments, praise God.
Difficult moments, seek God.
Quiet moments, worship God.
Painful moments, trust God.

Every moment, thank God

Eight lies of a mother

EIGHT LIES OF A MOTHER~

1.The story began when I was a child;
I was born as a son of a poor family.
Even for eating, we often got lack of food.
Whenever the time for eating, mother often gave me her portion of rice.
While she was removing her rice into my bowl,
she would say "Eat this rice, son. I'm not hungry".
That was Mother's First Lie

2.When I was getting to grow up,
the persevering mother gave her spare time for fishing in a river near
our house,
she hoped that from the fishes she got,
she could gave me a little bit nutritious food for my growth.
After fishing, she would cook the fishes to be a fresh fish soup,
which raised my appetite. While I was eating the soup,
mother would sit beside me and eat the rest meat of fish,
which was still on the bone of the fish I ate.
My heart was touched when I saw it.
I then used my chopstick and gave the other fish to her.
But she immediately refused it and said "Eat this fish, son.
I don't really like fish."
That was Mother's Second Lie.

3.Then, when I was in Junior High School,
to fund my study,
mother went to an economic enterprise to bring some used-matches boxes
that would be stuck in.
It gave her some money for covering our needs.
As the winter came,
I woke up from my sleep and looked at my mother who was still awoke,
supported by a little candlelight and within her perseverance she continued
the work of sticking some used-matches box.
I said, "Mother, go to sleep, it's late,
tomorrow morning you still have to go for work.
" Mother smiled and said "Go to sleep,
dear. I'm not tired."
That was Mother's Third Lie.

4.At the time of final term,
mother asked for a leave from her work in order to accompany me.
While the daytime was coming and the heat of the sun was starting to shine,
the strong and persevering mother
waited for me under the heat of the sun's shine for several hours.
As the bell rang, which indicated that the final exam had finished,
mother immediately welcomed me and poured me a glass of tea
that she had prepared before in a cold bottle.
The very thick tea was not as thick as my mother's love,
which was much thicker. Seeing my mother covering with perspiration,
I at once gave her my glass and asked her to drink too.
Mother said "Drink, son. I'm not thirsty!".
That was Mother's Fourth Lie.

5.After the death of my father because of illness,
my poor mother had to play her role as a single parent.
By held on her former job, she had to fund our needs alone.
Our family's life was more complicated. No days without sufferance.
Seeing our family's condition that was getting worse,
there was a nice uncle who lived near my house came to help us,
either in a big problem and a small problem.
Our other neighbors who lived next to us saw that our family's life
was so unfortunate,
they often advised my mother to marry again. But mother,
who was stubborn, didn't care to their advice,
she said "I don't need love."
That was Mother's Fifth Lie.

6.After I had finished my study and then got a job,
it was the time for my old mother to retire.
But she didn't want to; she was sincere to go to the marketplace every morning,
just to sell some vegetable for fulfilling her needs.
I, who worked in the other city, often sent her some money to help her
in fulfilling her needs,
but she was stubborn for not accepting the money.
She even sent the money back to me.
She said "I have enough money."
That was Mother's Sixth Lie.

7.After graduated from Bachelor Degree,
I then continued my study to Master Degree.
I took the degree, which was funded by a company through a scholarship program,
from a famous University in America .
I finally worked in the company. Within a quite high salary,
I intended to take my mother to enjoy her life in America .
But my lovely mother didn't want to bother her son,
she said to me "I'm not used to."
That was Mother's Seventh Lie.

8.After entering her old age,
mother got a flank cancer and had to be hospitalized.
I, who lived in miles away and across the ocean,
directly went home to visit my dearest mother.
She lied down in weakness on her bed after having an operation.
Mother, who looked so old, was staring at me in deep yearn.
She tried to spread her smile on her face;
even it looked so stiff because of the disease she held out.
It was clear enough to see how the disease broke my mother's body,
thus she looked so weak and thin.
I stared at my mother within tears flowing on my face.
My heart was hurt, so hurt, seeing my mother on that condition.
But mother, with her strength, said "Don't cry, my dear.
I'm not in pain."
That was Mother's Eight Lie.

After saying her eighth lie, She closed her eyes forever

Mother Love Rocks Always>>>>>>>

knr

--
If God brings you to it, He will bring you through it.
Happy moments, praise God.
Difficult moments, seek God.
Quiet moments, worship God.
Painful moments, trust God.

Every moment, thank God

Ajamila & shortcut

WHEN DEATH STRIKES!!!

A prosperous shopkeeper who had a chain of shops was inspired by the
story of AJAMILA wanted to outwit God & take a short cut! He named all
his sons after Gods! His plan was to call their names when the moment
comes!!! When he became quite old, he realized that his end had come &
so he started calling all his sons' names (Calling God by proxy!) one
by one 2 or 3 times hoping he would breathe his last right at that
moment. But death didn't come then.

All his sons were standing before him leaving their shops waiting for
some last minute instruction from their father. The father saw all the
sons standing there & suddenly exclaimed, "Alas! You've all left your
shops & come. Who would be looking after the shops? Who would collect
the money? Some body might come & steal!" Right then he breathed his
last!!!

The shops & the money were in his mind throughout his life & he
couldn't switch over to God at short notice even though he named all
his sons after Gods! It's no mean achievement to think of God at the
last moment & have his name on ones' tongue if we haven't practiced it
enough!

There are a surge of emotions & thoughts that would invade us at the
last moment. Mind is like a monkey & it would play tricks. Hence it
requires years & years of practice!

God of death doesn't give notice & he's not a photographer who says,
"I'm going to click. Are you ready?"

We've no choice in the matter. We can't get it sooner if we welcome it
nor can we avoid it or run away from it! From the time we're born, our
march to the cremation ground has started.

Spirituality lies in destroying our animal tendencies & rising to the
level of divinity! This is a skill & hence needs constant practice so
that it gets honed to perfection!!!

"As long as there dwells breath in the body, so long they enquire of
your welfare at home. Once the breath leaves and the body decays, even
the wife fears that very same body!

O Distracted One! Why worry about wife, wealth? Is there not for you
the One who ordains? In the 3 worlds it is the association with the
good saintly people alone that can serve as a boat to cross the sea of
change, birth and death." - Adi Shankaracharya's Bhaja Govindam

knr

--
If God brings you to it, He will bring you through it.
Happy moments, praise God.
Difficult moments, seek God.
Quiet moments, worship God.
Painful moments, trust God.

Every moment, thank God

Tuesday, April 28, 2009

Problems & solutions

*The Difference between** **FOCUSING on PROBLEMS** **and** **FOCUSING on
SOLUTIONS**.**

**Case # 1* :When NASA began the launch of astronauts into space, they found
out that the pens would not work at zero gravity (ink will not flow down to
the writing surface).*

**Solution # 1* :To solve this problem, it took them one decade and $12
million. They developed a pen that worked at zero gravity, upside down,
underwater, in practically any surface including crystal and in a
temperature range from below freezing to over 300 degrees C.*

**Solution # 2* : And what did the Russians do...?? They used a pencil.*

**Case # 2 :*One of the most memorable case studies on Japanese management
was the case of the empty soapbox, which happened in one of Japan 's biggest
cosmetics companies. The company received a complaint that a consumer had
bought a soapbox that was empty.

Immediately the authorities isolated the problem to the assembly Line, which
transported all the packaged boxes of soap to the delivery department. For
some reason, one soapbox went through the assembly line empty.

Management asked its engineers to solve the problem.*

**Solution # 1*: Post-haste, the engineers worked hard to devise an X-ray
machine with high-resolution monitors manned by two people to watch all the
soapboxes that passed through the line to make sure they were not empty. No
doubt, they worked hard and they worked fast but they spent a whoopee amount
to do so.*

**Solution # 2* : But when a rank-and-file employee in a small company was
posed with the same problem, he did not get into complications of X-rays,
etc., but instead came out with another solution.

He bought a strong industrial electric fan and pointed it at the assembly
line. He switched the fan on, and as each soapbox passed the fan, it simply
blew the empty boxes out of the line.*

**Moral**
**· Always look for simple solutions.
· Devise the simplest possible solution that solves the problems.
· Always focus on solutions & not on problems.*

knr

If God brings you to it, He will bring you through it.
Happy moments, praise God.
Difficult moments, seek God.
Quiet moments, worship God.
Painful moments, trust God.

Every moment, thank God

Friday, April 24, 2009

chappel

Madan
Mohan Malaviya wasa freedom fighter, author, editor & publisher of
newspapers, educationist,staunch Hindu. He is credited
withpopularising the slogan " Satymeva Jayathe ". He was thefirst one
to establish a private university in India which based on the model of
historical Nalanda, Thakasheela Vidya Peetams.

When
Malaviyawas trying to build a good university, he had to overcome many
difficulties and barriers. He worked with determination to start the
university. There was a funds crisis; but he did not get disheartened.
He went from town to town, met many rich people and traders to collect
donations.

He went to the Nizam of Hyderabad (then reputedly the richest man in the world)
to request him for funds. The Nizam was furious, " How dare you come to
me for funds and that too for a Hindu University ? "He roared with
anger, took off his footwear and flung it at Malaviya.

Malaviya
picked up the footwear and left silently. He went directly to the
market place and began to auction the footwear. As it wasNizam's
footwear, many came forward to buy it. The bids kept going up.

WhenNizam
heard of this, he became uneasy. He thought it would be an insult if
his footwear were to be bought by someone for a pittance. So he sent
one of his attendants with the instruction, 'Buy that footwear no
matter whatever the price be!'

Thus, Malaviya managed to sell the Nizam's own footwear back to him,
for a huge amount.

He used that money to build the famous Banaras Hindu University !!

REFLECTION

It doesnot matter what you have, but how you make use of what you
have, in your life! Life consists not in holding good cards but in
playing those you hold well.

knr

--
If God brings you to it, He will bring you through it.
Happy moments, praise God.
Difficult moments, seek God.
Quiet moments, worship God.
Painful moments, trust God.

Every moment, thank God

nandini

Kamadhenu, the sacred cow which grants all wishes and desires, is an
integral part of Hindu mythology. myth is defined as  
      any invented story, idea, or concept:
His account of the event is pure myth.     an
imaginary or fictitious thing or person.     an
unproved or false collective belief that is used to justify a social
institution.The story of Kamadhenu or anything for that matter is part
of our "HISTORY" , HOWSOEVER ANCIENT IT MAY BE .It is not Myth , It is
not false , It is not imaginary , it is not invented. Eg : The idol of
Vittal in Pandarpur is 28 Chaturyugas old.  approx : 120,960,000
years old. Even today I have heard the "uneducated" Maharashtians
singing songs about Vittal with words like "attavees chaturyuge" (28
chaturyugas).There are contradictory accounts of the birth of Lord
Ganesa, in different puranas. These happen because of the different
births in different Kalpas.The use of the word "mythology" to describe
our "history" was started by the British, who set out to demean and
brainwash Hindus into thinking that our "history" is actually
"mythology".MOn Mon, 13 Apr 2009 16:19:37 -0000 "gopa90" wrote ABOUT
SACRED COW NANDINI Respected sirs The following are some information
(new to me) I could collect from different internet sources about
Kamadhenu and, her daughter Nandini .I thought I could share the
information in brief form with you all. Sincerely Gopala krishnan
*Note1 While some sources state Nandini as the daughter of Kamadhenu
some other sources state Nandini another name for Kamadhenu herself as
well as the name of her daughter. **Note2 - Some sources state
Kamadhenu was maintained by Indra and her daughter Nandini was given
to Vasishta. Some other sources state Kamadhenu was maintained by
Vasishta ***Note3 Some sources state Vasishta had in his possession
the divine cow Kamadhenu, and Nandini her child, who could grant
anything to their owners. 1. Bhishmar and Nandini relation It was not
only Vishwamitra that was tempted to take away Nandini, the divine
cow, but others also were tempted. Dyo was a Vasu, an angel Vasu
number eight. Dye's wife saw Nandini and was tempted to take I because
it was so beautiful When the eight Vasus visited Vashishta's ashram
with their wives, one of the wives took a fancy to Kamadhenu and asked
her husband Dyo to steal it from Vashishta. He stole it with the help
of the others, and was cursed by Vashishta to be born in the world of
men. The seven Vasus who assist in stealing Kamadhenu have their curse
softened to be liberated from their human birth as soon as they are
born, but the last Vasu, due to his being instrumental in the theft,
is cursed to endure a longer life on the earth, though the curse is
softened so that he becomes one of the most illustrious men of his
times. He is born as Bhishma. The other seven were born as the older
siblings of Bhishma, who were drowned by their mother Ganga as soon as
they were born, thus fulfilling the softened curse on them. 2. King
Dileepa story of worshipping Nandini Once Dileepa was going on some
work. He was in deep thought and so passed by Kamadhenu who was there
without saluting her. Therefore he was childless. Pained by this,
Dileepa went with his queen Sudakshina to the hermitage of Vasishta
and expressed to him the reason for his sorrow. Vasishta gave him the
remedy also. He was advised to serve Nandini, daughter of Kamadhenu.
Dileepa and his queen served Nandini with devotion. Raghu was born as
his son later. Raghu's son was the emperor Aja. Indumati, his wife,
was as noble as she was lovely. Aja loved her very greatly. 3. Reason
for refusing to give Nandini to Kousika King Kousika (Vishwamitra)
wanted to acquire Kamadhenu (Nandini) but Vashishta refused because a
sage can never buy or sell a cow. So when Vishwamitra wanted to have
Kamadhenu forcibly, Vashishta created an army by his divine powers and
defeated him. 4. Kamadhenu (Nandini) was not possessed by Vasishta
originally Kamadhenu, the sacred cow which grants all wishes and
desires, is an integral part of Hindu mythology. This divine cow,
which lives in swargalok (heaven), emerged from the ocean of milk
(ksheerasagar) at the time of samudramanthan (the great churning of
the ocean by the gods (suras) and gemons (asuras) It was presented to
the seven sages by the Gods, and in course of time came into the
possession of Sage Vasishta. 5 Details of Kamadhenu and her other
names Kamadhenu's complexion is like the white clouds. Every part of
cow's body has a religious significance. Its four legs symbolize the
four Vedas, and its teats the four Purusharthas. Its horns symbolize
the gods, its face the sun and the moon, its shoulders Agni (the god
of fire) Kamadhenu, the "cow of wishes or desires," has a bovine body,
a female head, polychromatic wings like a tropical bird, and a
peacock's tail. Kamadhenu is also well-known through its other five
forms: Nanda, Sunanda, Surabhi, Susheela , Sumana and Nandini
Kamadhenu is also called Surabhi (hence her descendants or worshippers
are called Saurabheya); Kamadugha; Kamaduh; Savala and Nandini (this
last name was also given to the daughter of Kamadhenu). Dinu is also
known as kamadinu when she is in the mood . 6. Kamadhenu creation of
Brahma? Mythologically, Brahma (the creator) created the brahmins
(priests) and the cow at the same time, the Brahmins were to recite
the religious scriptures while the cow was to afford ghee (clarified
butter) for offerings in religious sacrifices By a curse she had to go
to nether worlds and subsequently came up during churning of Milky
sea? I read like that somewhere. 7.Rajasthans mount Abu and Nandini
relation Mount Abu is located in the southwestern corner of Rajasthan
and is Rajasthan's only hill station. It is also a major pilgrim
center. The Padma Purana relates the story of how Mount Abu came into
existence Once Nandini, the cow belonging to the venerable sage
Vashishtha, was trapped in a deep chasm and could not get herself
free. When all efforts failed, the sage appealed to Lord Shiva For
assistance. Saraswati the divine stream, flooded the pit and the cow
floated up. Once his cow was free, Vashishtha approached the great
Himalaya and asked him to fill the gorge permanently to avoid further
mishaps. 8.Kamadhenu daughter of Daksha Kamadhenu is sometimes said to
be the daughter of Daksha, and the wife of the rishi Kasyapa
(Manusmrithi-English version published in US Brahmins group) 9.
Nandini and Parasurama relation The calf of Kamadhenu Nandini was
acquired by the sage Jamadagni after years of penance. It was coveted
and stolen by the Haihaya king Kartavirya, which led to a wholesale
massacre of kshattriyas by Jamadagni's son Parasurama. 10 Temples for
cows Patteeswaram is a small village, eight kilometres from Kumbakonam
in the state of Tamil Nadu in India. The village was named after
Patti, another calf of Kamadhenu, the divine cow in Hindu mythology
11. Rigveda quotations-Nandini owned by Vasistha Many hymns of the
Rig-Veda are attributed to these two sages: one hymn represents
Vasishtha as the family priest of King Sudas, and in the Rig-Veda
(7:33:11) he is called the son of the apsaras Urvasi by Mitra and
Varuna, hence his name Maitravaruni. He is also supposed to have owned
Nandini, the cow of plenty (offspring of Surabhi). As this cow was
able to grant the sage all his wishes, he became the master of every
vasu (desirable object). 12.Surabhi cows and cows attributes Just who
and what are the surabhi cows and how the surabhi cows attained such
an elevated and exalted position that they are able to represent a
portion of the energy of the supreme Lord Krishna will be revealed in
the following information given in the Anusasana Parva of the
Mahabharata by Krishna Dvaipayana Vyasa. The direct descendants of the
surabhi cows are the sacred cows from the continent India which are
uniquely distinguished the same as the surabhi by the beautiful hump
on their backs and the wonderfully soft folds of skin under their
necks. The Vedas have stated that the milk of a cow is equivalent to
ambrosial nectar and that ghee derived from cow's milk is the best of
all libations poured onto the sacred fires of brahmins. When one
awakes in the morning one should always remember cows. Before falling
to sleep at night one should always remember cows. There is no wealth
that is equal to cows. To talk about cows, to hear others speak about
cows, to offer gifts of cows to worthy people and to see cows are all
auspicious activities. Cows constitute the stairs that lead to heaven.
At the conclusion of the surabhi cows austerities Brahma himself
appeared before them and granted their wishes blessing them with the
benediction that cows would eternally be the sustainers of all
creatures. This is why cows are sacred and most holy and the foremost
of all creatures in creation and verily the refuge of all the worlds.
The name for cow in the Vedas is known as aghyna which means
inviolable. Another name is ahi which means not to be killed and
another is aditi which means never to be cut into pieces. 13. King
dilip saves Nandini from attack of Lion Refer- King Dilip had no
children. He approached Vasishta.. Vashishta replied that they should
serve the cow Nandini, child of Kamadhenu, and perhaps if Nandini was
happy with their service, she would grant them with a child. So,
according to Vashishtha, Dileepa served Nandini every day, and
attended to her every need for twenty-one days. On the twenty-first
day, a lion attacks Nandini. Dileepa immediately draws his bow and
tries to shoot the lion. But he finds that his arm is paralyzed and
cannot move. He reasons that the lion must have some sort of divine
power. As if to confirm this, the lion started to speak to him. It
said that Dileepa had no chance of saving the cow because the cow was
the lion's chosen meal The lion tells Dileepa to return to
Vashishtha's ashram. Dileepa replies by asking if the lion would let
Nandini go if he offered himself in Nandini's place. The lion agreed
and Dileepa sacrificed his life for the cow. But then the lion
mysteriously disappeared. Nandini explained that the lion was just an
illusion to test Dileepa. Because Dileepa was truly selfless, Nandini
granted him with a son.

knr

--
If God brings you to it, He will bring you through it.
Happy moments, praise God.
Difficult moments, seek God.
Quiet moments, worship God.
Painful moments, trust God.

Every moment, thank God

Thursday, April 23, 2009

Lord's name

Lord Vishnu was telling his consort Lakshmi, "Even if the humans are
not able to conceive the idea of a Lord or a God, they must be able to
know what Love is by experience, is it not? They have experienced the
love of parents, of a friend, or of a brother or sister, or towards
their own children. That love is itself a spark of God. God could
respond if one cries longingly even for a physical mother or father if
not God's name."

One dark night when Vishnu and Lakshmi were journeying through the
sky, they saw a man perched on the branch of a tree, about to fall on
the ground through sheer exhaustion of limbs. Lakshmi pleaded on his
behalf and wanted that Vishnu should save him; and Vishnu preferred
that she should save him, instead since she has equal or even more
powers than him!!!

Meanwhile, the fall became imminent and so Vishnu & Lakshmi decided
that if the man shouted "Amma (mother)," while falling down, Lakshmi
should hasten to arrest his fall and if he shouted, "Appa (father),"
Vishnu should help and see that no bones are broken & that he doesn't
get injured!

The man fell, but he shouted neither `Amma nor Appa', but screamed
`Ayyo' (a sigh of misery)! And so he had to be left severely alone in
agony with some broken bones!!! After some time he passed away!"

In the sixth skanda of Srimad Bhagavatam, Parikshit asks Shukacharya
how to avoid hell and its' horrid experiences. Shuka says the practice
of spiritual discipline is the remedy. He said, "If a man, with a
feeling of passionate attachment, unites his mind with Krishna's feet
even once, he will not see Yama or his emissaries with noose in hand,
even in a dream!"

Shukacharya then narrated the story of Ajamila. Ajamila was once a
very noble brahmin, performing his duties and prescribed rituals most
sincerely and was also a good husband, good son and good father. Once
when he was in the forest to gather the fuel-wood for his rituals, he
fell for a woman, heart and soul. Actually the woman was one of very
low morals.

From that time onwards he lived with her, abandoned his family and his
own parents. He got ten children by her, made a living and supported
this large family by blackmailing rich people, by cheating, fraud and
gambling. He was particularly fond of the youngest child, Narayana, by
name. The attachment to the child was so pronounced that whether he
was eating, drinking, relaxing or working, he would always want
Narayana to be by his side and partake of his food or participate in
his enjoyment.

When finally the call from Yama, the God of Death, came, it came
suddenly and in his agony he cried: O Narayana. Narayana!!! He called
aloud with great fear.

The messengers of Yama who almost got him in their noose suddenly
found from within his heart four well-clad beautiful angel-like
figures, each with four hands, preventing the messengers of Yama from
discharging their duty. They said, "The one name of God absolves and
purifies sins of all kinds, small or large. Even when he has uttered
the name without really intending to call the Supreme Lord, it
purifies him!!!" Thus they prevented Yama from taking away his soul!

That's why we have the habit of giving our children names of Gods &
Goddesses! It is a question of practice. When we are thirsty, we don't
want all the water from the well. One glass will suffice. Here is a
match box with some 60 matches; if we want to light a fire we need to
strike one match, not the entire box of matches.

knr

__._,_.___

--
If God brings you to it, He will bring you through it.
Happy moments, praise God.
Difficult moments, seek God.
Quiet moments, worship God.
Painful moments, trust God.

Every moment, thank God

Wednesday, April 22, 2009

Faith & belief

There was once a saadhaka (spiritual seeker) who approached a guru for
guidance. The guru gave him an idol of VISHNU and also necessary
instructions for daily worship. But the saadhaka found that, even
after some months of meticulous puja, he did not get any spiritual
reward or elation.

So, he reported his dissatisfaction and the guru gave him another
idol, this time of SHIVA and asked him to have another try. The
disciple came after another six months demanding another idol, because
even Shiva had failed him. This time, he got a GANESHA idol, which he
duly installed in his domestic shrine. The two previous idols were
standing, dust-ridden and neglected, on the window-sill.

After a few months he was quite disgusted at the progress he made &
went to the Guru again for the 4th time. This time the Guru gave him
an idol of DURGA & the Saadhaka said if this also doesn't work, he
wouldn't bother the Guru again!

One day, while performing Durga-puja, the disciple found that the
perfumed smoke from the incense-stick was being wafted by the breeze
towards the dusty idol of SHIVA on the window-sill. He got wild that
the ungrateful stonehearted SHIVA who was deaf to his powerful prayers
earlier should get the perfume intended for his latest idol that was
DURGA!!!

So, he took a piece of cloth and tied it round the face of SHIVA,
closing up the nostrils that were inhaling the perfume & continued
with his DURGA puja.

Suddenly, to his immense surprise LORD SHIVA appeared in all His
splendor and Glory & stood before the saadhaka! The man was
dumb-founded & stunned that in spite of the ill-treatment that he had
given to SHIVA, the LORD gave him darshan.

So he asked SHIVA, "When I was doing DURGA puja, why are you giving me
darshan & why didn't you come before me when I was worshipping you
earlier?"

LORD SHIVA answered, "My dear devotee, for the first time you believed
that the SHIVA idol was alive, conscious & full of life and it was
that belief which forced you to tie the bandage around my nose! The
moment you realized that the idol was full of consciousness you got
the realization that you were struggling to get all along!!!"

SHIVA continued, "Therefore, you should see, not the stone which is
the material stuff of the idol, but the Power that is inherent in it,
that is symbolized by it, is the same DIVINE Power that is inherent in
your own heart and that pervades and transcends all creation. It's the
same power in the whole UNIVERSE!!!"

"This time you believed the stone image to be God while earlier you
used to bring God down to the level of a stone image! You may worship
a picture as God, but you should not worship God as a picture!!!
That's essentially the difference! Wood, stone or mud may be assumed
to be Divine, but Divinity should not be limited to wood, stone or
mud" concluded SHIVA.

knr
__._,_.___

--
If God brings you to it, He will bring you through it.
Happy moments, praise God.
Difficult moments, seek God.
Quiet moments, worship God.
Painful moments, trust God.

Every moment, thank God

Monday, April 20, 2009

musical discourses

Manava seva & madhava seva

Millions come to Kashi as pilgrims. It is said that those who see
Kashi will not be born again.

One day at Kailasha, Parvathi asked Shiva, "Lord, I have heard that
all those who visit Kashi, where there is a celebrated shrine for your
worship, will attain Kailasha and stay on there in your presence.
Millions are coming to Kashi, but is this place big enough to
accommodate all of them?"

Shiva replied, "Every one of them cannot come to Kailasha. I shall
design a play and make clear to you who among the millions can come
here. You, too, have a role to act. Do as I direct you to."

Parvathi became an old lady of 80 and Shiva a rickety old man of 90.
The old woman had the old man on her lap, right at the main entrance
of the famous Shiva shrine of Vishweshwara, and she lamented: "My
husband is terribly thirsty. He is about to die of thirst. I cannot
leave him and go to the river Ganga to bring him water. Will any of
you pour a little GANGES water down his throat and save his life?"

The pilgrims were coming up from the ghats after their ceremonial bath
in the holy river, their clothes still wet and clinging to their
bodies. Some of them commented that their peace was disturbed by the
sight of this pathetic couple. `We have come to take Darshan of the
Lord, and look what meets our eye.' There were some who flatly ignored
her cries and lifted their noses in the air. Some said, `Wait. Let us
finish the worship inside the temple and then we shall bring the Ganga
water for you.' No one offered them Ganga water since they needed it
for themselves!

Just then a robber, who was hurrying into the temple to pick a few
pockets, heard the plaintive voice of the old woman and halted near
them.

She cried, "Son, we came to this place to have Darshan of Lord
Vishweshwara of Kaashi, but my husband has fainted out of sheer
exhaustion. He might survive if someone will bring a little Ganga
water and pour it down his throat. I cannot leave him here and go for
water. Please help me and earn the merit."

The robber was moved into compassion despite his `profession'! He had
a little Ganga water in the hollow gourd he had with him. He knelt
down near the dying person on the lap of the old woman, but the woman
stopped him suddenly saying, "The moment the Ganga water wets his
throat, my husband may die; he is in the last stage of living.
Therefore speak a word of truth and pour the water."

The robber could not understand what she meant, so she explained,
"Speak within his hearing, some good deed that you have done in your
life, and then pour the water in his mouth." That created a problem
for the robber. He was at his wits end. He could not quite comply.

He said, "I have, in truth, not done any good deed so far. This
present act, the offering of water to this thirsty man, is the very
first good deed I am responsible for." And saying this, he placed the
gourd at the lips of the old man and gave him a mouthful.

Just at the moment, the couple disappeared and in their placed stood
Shiva and Parvathi, in all their splendour, blessing the robber who
was completely stunned & speechless!

LORD SHIVA told him, "Life is to be dedicated for the service of
others and not devoted to the exclusive interests of oneself.
Howsoever many wicked deeds you might have done so far, for your
selfless offering of Ganga water with truth on your tongue, we bless
you with this Vision & grant you liberation! Remember there is no
morality higher than truth; there is no prayer more fruitful than
seva. No amount of rituals & worship would help if you don't do seva.
Both are essential just like a bird requires 2 wings. With these 2
wings you can reach KAILASHA!!!"

knr

--
If God brings you to it, He will bring you through it.
Happy moments, praise God.
Difficult moments, seek God.
Quiet moments, worship God.
Painful moments, trust God.

Every moment, thank God

Friday, April 3, 2009

Fwd: Kanya varayathi roopam

Kanya varayathi roopam, Maatha Viththam,

Pitha shrutham, Kulam bandhavah,

Mishtannam Itharey janah

This is simple sanskrit. (This was told by Mr. Chatterjee, Labour officer
when I was posted in Bengal, while on our way to attend a marriage. Later I
found this quotation by Shri Mallinatha Suri in his commentary of Kumara
Sambhavam of Kalidasa )

These were the criteria observed by our forefathers while choosing a
bridegroom for the daughter. Those were the days when the entire family was
concerned in arranging marriages.

The bride, then a very young girl, was concerned about the looks, the mother
about the wealth, Father about the education and the close relatives about
the lineage. (All put together should mean an ideal bridegroom.) All
others about the feast !!

In those days the entire clan functioned as a unit. After marriage the
bride got integrated into her husband"s family, her prestige was this
family"s prestige. Her "porandham" was secondary.

The Parents of the bride was the most worried . They considered themselves
as the trustee for the girl to be handed over to the right family. ( Even
the King Janaka was worried when he was not getting a suitable match for
Seetha) They would be held responsible for any shortcomings in her. They
would train her in her responsibilities from a very young age. They would
start the search even as early as five years of age! The parents of the
groom were a proud lot, sit cross legged and would dictate terms! ( What a
change in these days! )

Of course, there were many instances of discord,injustice, harassment,
humiliation, but by and large the system worked over centuries. There was
stability of family structure even under severe stresses like natural
disasters, invasions, migrations etc. There was commitment to family values
and the members stuck together through thick and thin.

Gradually changes have taken place in educational,employment opportunities.
Individual members drifted to far off places. Thus large families split up.
The joint families gave way to neuclear families. Still there was a bond
like Thatha pattis,Periappa periamma, chithappa chithi, Aththan aththanga
etc. On occasions they would all gather. There are numerous instances where
relatives stepped in to support any of their unfortunate clan members.
Opinions of family group was sought on important matters like marriage.

Nowadays with further dispersal of family members even this is either not
possible or given the gobye. So far parents have been acting as facilitators
in so called "arranged marriages".

Kanya/Varan is ABCD,earns a Lakh and a half ............., Iyer/Iyengar,
Vadamal/ Thengalai/ etc.etc, Age .., Height ...cm, weight..Kg Gothram this,
Nakshathram that. Subsects acceptable. Look for a suitable varan/ Kanya !
who should be more/less in all these! So what to do? Scratch the head !

Why scratch the head? ' Internet Mama ' is there. He settles matters. He
can cast a very wide net from California to Hongkong and fish out the most
suitable match. No need for formalities like Parents meeting, then Pen
Parthal etc. He does that also.

But...But.. Even he may have to scratch his head if he is given the above
guidelines. So give the revised programme.

' Kanya varayathi Viththam, Varan varayathi Viththam, Matha Viththam, Pitha
Viththam, Sarvam Viththam, Mishtannam(Dinner) Itheray janah'

knr

--
If God brings you to it, He will bring you through it.
Happy moments, praise God.
Difficult moments, seek God.
Quiet moments, worship God.
Painful moments, trust God.

Every moment, thank God

--
If God brings you to it, He will bring you through it.
Happy moments, praise God.
Difficult moments, seek God.
Quiet moments, worship God.
Painful moments, trust God.

Every moment, thank God

Counting & spelling

Hi,

Do you know?

Letters 'a', 'b', 'c' &'d' do not appear anywhere in the spellings of 1 to 99

(Letter'd' comes for the first time in Hundred)

Letters 'a', 'b' & 'c' do not appear anywhere in the spellings of 1 to 999

(Letter 'a' comes for the first time in Thousand)

Letters 'b' & 'c' do not appear anywhere in the spellings of 1 to 999,999,999

(Letter 'b' comes for the first time in Billion)

And

Letter 'c' does not appear anywhere in the spellings of entire English Counting

knr

--
If God brings you to it, He will bring you through it.
Happy moments, praise God.
Difficult moments, seek God.
Quiet moments, worship God.
Painful moments, trust God.

Every moment, thank God

Thursday, April 2, 2009

krishna & management

Krishna killed a good warrior

Krishna met a warrior on his to way Kuruksehtra. Strangely this warrior was carrying only three arrows. Krishna wanted to know why he is carrying only three arrows? The warrior told Krishna:

- One arrow is kill all Kauravas

- Another one to kill all Pandavas

- The next one to kill Krishna

QUESTION-1:

Can you prove it?

The warrior pointed to a tree and said his one arrow will pierce all leaves

on that tree. Before demonstrating the warrior's skill, Krishana had plucked

5 leaves and kept under his feet. The warrior shot all leaves and also the

ones under the feet of Krishna.

Lesson:

The warrior did what he claimed. He is a man with great skill.

QUESTION-2:

On which side you wish to flight?

The warrior said, "I always fight on the side of the losers."

Lesson:

Krishna understood that if he sides the losers and they win, he will

change the side. This he will repeat this again and again. One's skill is of no use if it cannot be deployed for the right purpose.

Immediately Krishna killed the warrior.

The warrior wanted to exhibit his skill. He is not bothered about the outcome of his skill. People talk a lot, but seldom takes a decision. Devil's advocates are good as long as they enable the decision making process. Unfortunately they can never help a leader to take a right decision.

Recently I happened to read this story and I have seen many management experts act like this warrior and switch the side to be in the good books of the management.

knr
--
If God brings you to it, He will bring you through it.
Happy moments, praise God.
Difficult moments, seek God.
Quiet moments, worship God.
Painful moments, trust God.

Every moment, thank God

knramesh

Thursday, April 30, 2009

Solution by periyavaa - Yet another incident

Eight lies of a mother

Ajamila & shortcut

Tuesday, April 28, 2009

Problems & solutions

Friday, April 24, 2009

chappel

nandini

Thursday, April 23, 2009

Lord's name

Wednesday, April 22, 2009

Faith & belief

Monday, April 20, 2009

musical discourses

Manava seva & madhava seva

Friday, April 3, 2009

Fwd: Kanya varayathi roopam

Counting & spelling

Thursday, April 2, 2009

krishna & management

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