Hare Krishna ! Dear Bhaktas ,
Sri Ramakrishna Paramahamsa attained self realization through
Temple-worship . Having started as an ordinary Poojari of a Kali-temple
in Calcutta , Gadadharan through constant worship, attained the
blessings of Kali-Mata and became famous as Sri Ramakrishna Paramahamsa
. He said once :
" During night time , you can see many stars in the sky . But when
Sun rises , you can not see those stars . Just because of this , can you
say that there are no stars during day time ? . Likewise, during your
ignorant times, you say ` There is no God '. God is both
formless and with form . Only God can say what He is ! . We can see the
God with form . We can also touch God like a close friend " .
An ordinary Poojari Gadadhara becoming Paramahamsa proves beyond any
doubt , the effectiveness of Temple worship . Deity-worship easily
fetched him , Kali-Mata's divine grace . Ramakrishna always sought
Kali-Mata's permission before undertaking any task.
The famous Advaita-Vedanti , Sri Totapuri who had attained
*Nirvikalpa-samadhi* , ridiculed Ramakrishna's ardent faith in
Deity-worship . Totapuri advised him :
"Ramakrishna , your life's objective must be *Advaita Vedanta
darshan* . I will teach you about it's principles " .
Ramakrishna replied politely :
" Let me ask Kali-Mataji. If I receive Her permission , I will come
back to learn Vedanta".
After this discussion , Ramakrishna went straight to Kail-temple and
prayed for Devi's advice . Kali-Mata gave him permission . He
returned to Sri Toalapuri and said :
" Kali-Mataji has given me permission to learn Vedanta from you .
"
Sri Tolapuri asked Ramakrishna to withdraw mind from all external
objects and merge it with *Atman* ( soul) * . Though he tried to do so
, Ramakrishna could not liberate his mind from the *aura* of Kali-Devi
. When he informed about this , Tolapuri asked him to focus the mind
beyond the personal form of Kali-devi.
Ramakrishna tried very hard . But his mind attained oneness with the
personal form of Kali-Mata and he attained *Samadhi* . Tolapuri left the
deeply meditating Ramakrishna in that room and went outside . He
returned after (3) days . When he opened the door , the sight in front
amazed Toalpuri . Ramakrishna was remaining unmoved in that same
position and was still in meditation even after three days ! He thought
aloud :
"What *Nirvikalpasamadhi* I have attained after (40) years of
intense *Sadhana* , is achieved by Ramakrishna within a few hours " !!!
At first , Tolapuri could no believe his eyes . Gradually , he brought
back Ramakrishna from spiritual bliss to worldly life . Ramakrishna
slowly opened his eyes and smiled at the awe-struck Tolapuri .
Sri Tolapuri who had never before stayed at any place more than (3)
days, resided (11) months with Ramakrishna in the Kali-temple . It
brought a great mental transformation in him . Before, he had rejected
Ramakrishna's faith in Deity-worship as utter superstition . But,
now he is convinced that the *sannidyam* ( presence) of Kali-devi is
not an illusion. Both *Nirguna Brahman* and *Saguna Brahman* are two
*BhAvAs* of the same ParaBrahman . Thus Sri Toalapuri and Ramakrishna
became mutual Guru-Sishyas .
Conclusion
Many Hindus are extremely proud of their Hindu-birth and qualifications
; and are self-styled *Jeevan-MuktAs* . However, they don't even
lead a Vedic way of life ! .
Very few *Jeevan-MuktAs* have existed in recent times . Ramana
Maharishi is one . When His body was dying withCancer, His disciples
begged Him to cure Himself for the sake of His devotees. Sri Ramana who
was least bothered about anything worldly, replied "Why are you so
attached to this body ? Let it go ."
Ordinary Hindus like us who can't tolerate even a minor headache ,
should be realistic . Bhakti-yoga is the path suitable for us .
Bhagavan Sri Krishna advises us in Geeta 12.5 - 7 :
" Those who worship the un-manifested (Impersonal Brahman) ,
experience great difficulty because it is very troublesome for the
embodied being to attain the formless .
But, those who worship Me as *Saguna Brahman* , surrendering all
actions to Me ; setting Me as their supreme goal, and meditating on Me
with single minded devotion; easily attain Me ".
Om Namo Bhagavate Vasudevaya !!!
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, February 24, 2009
Namo namah sri guru padhugapyaam
NAMO NAMAH SRI GURU PADHUGAPYAAM
Namaskarangal
Its my pleasure to share the pleasure what I ahve experienced.Pl click the following links
Its my pleasure to share the pleasure what I ahve experienced.Pl click the following links
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wDoRY7Dw80E&feature=related
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UjIT36trPgM&feature=related
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bipiz3shJ9c&feature=related
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZeFwzjMg5iU&feature=related
Thank you
JAYA JAYA SANKARA HARA HARA SANKARA
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
Story of Guruvayoorappan
> The person who is narrating the story below is a descendant
> of Kurooramma's illam !
>
> Dear all,
>
> Respected Bhagavatha Shri Shankarapillai told one real life
> story during his Naaraayaneeyam discourse. This happened
> about 5-7 years ago and I feel it is worth sharing with all
> of you.
>
> There is a small town near Guruvayur by the name
> Chaavakkad. I have heard that in Chavakkad, there is no
> household without at least one member of the family employed
> in the Gulf countries.
> Anyway, there is no importance for that aspect in this
> story.
>
> There was a woman in that village or town who made her
> living by making and selling sweets like Jilebis, Laddus,
> Mysore pak etc. In addition to her excellent cooking skills,
> she was a very sincere devotee of Guruvayurappan. Every time
> she made sweets for her clients, she would offer a few to
> Guruvayurappan before she packed everything for them. To put
> it differently, she offered the sweets to Bhagavan and made
> it a prasadam before delivering to the customers.
>
> One day, one customer who had to fly to Dubai the next
> afternoon gave emergency order for some jilebis and laddus.
> Poor "maami" accepted the order and she had to get
> the necessary ingredients in the late evening. Some how she
> managed to make all the sweets by next day morning. She had
> to hurry up to pack the whole thing and in that hurry, for
> the first time in her life, she forgot to offer a few sweets
> for her Lord Guruvayurappan. Customer came on time and
> picked up the sweets and "maami" went to Guruvayur
> for the daily darshan. When she was about to enter the inner
> praakaram of the temple, a beautiful boy about 8-10 years
> old came and asked her " Maami, can I have a few
> jalebis and laddus?' . She told the boy that she did not
> have any left at home, but will make some and bring for him
> when she comes for evening darshan. The boy agreed. Maami
> went home made some more sweets and brought with her when
> she came to the temple in the evening. The same boy was
> standing near the inner praakaaram (naalambalam) and waiting
> for the sweets. Maami gave him and they were talking about
> something.
>
> Then the security guards asked Maami why she was talking to
> herself. Maami said: "I am talking to this boy who
> asked me for some sweets in the morning and I could give him
> only now. I was explaining to him how I got a late order and
> how I had to work almost all night." Security guards
> told her that they could not see any boy near her and they
> were wondering why Maami was talking to herself. They said:
> Maami, may be you did not sleep well and you are confused.
> Maami looked again to show the guards, the boy holding the
> sweets she just now gave, but unfortunately the boy had
> disappeared from her eyes also!
>
> Then Maami realized along with others around her that the
> boy who asked for sweets and accepted sweets from her was
> none other than Guruvayurappan Himself! She sat there and
> cried calling "Kanna, come again near me, I will give
> you more sweets." All the eyes of devotees watching
> this incident welled up and they did namaskaar to Maami who
> could see her Lord Kannan and treat Him with sweets made
> exclusively for Him with her own hands!
>
> When Respected Shankara Pillai narrated this story with
> utmost Bhakthi and bhaavam, tears rolled down my cheeks and
> I am sure all the devotees felt the presence of Krishna in
> that room. It was an experience!
>
>
> Sreekrishnaarpanama sthu
>
The power and glory of Sri Maha Vishnu in his Bhooloka Vaikundam at Guruvaayoor is incomparable. "Na deivam Keshavaath param."
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
Mahashivaratri : Online Jap, Science, worship, Rudraksha, Bilvarchan
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| | ||
--
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, February 23, 2009
Sandhyavandhanam
Dear Friends
The correct links are included below
Link teaches the procedure
http://www.vadhyar.com/Sandhyavandanam-Rigvedam-Part-1.php
You can hear the Sandhyavandanam here
http://www.raaga.com/channels/sanskrit/moviedetail.asp?mid=S0000139
He shows how to do Sandhyavandanam - Acamanam(in tamil)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vi-9RnT5qVw&feature=related
Another video
http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=2144907658324300811
Here is a youtube on Sandhyavandanam - its importance
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A4ePf_0i_Tg
(on the right side you have youtube on gayatri mantra, acamana etc)
Procedure
http://www.srivaishnavam.com/stotras/prata_sandhya.htm
another one - wordings
http://yashinc.blogspot.com/2005/06/detailed-sandhya-vandanam-with-full.html
Below are the right links to download it. (Thanks to Sriram)
Forwarded
Please find the links below,
http://www.megaupload.com/?d=8Z0KWMIM
http://www.megaupload.com/?d=E6GIKZWL
http://www.megaupload.com/?d=X9WRQ7BK
http://www.megaupload.com/?d=4HK6K91D
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
Pink slip & mahabharatha
SANDEEP RECEIVED HIS pink slip today. He is shattered. He has worked very hard for three years. Suddenly the market is on a downward spiral, the company is not doing so well, and he is left without a job. How will he pay his bills now? How will he repay his EMI? What will he do?
He went to his boss. The boss said, "The management said that I don't need a 10-member team; I can do with seven. So I was asked to give pink slips to three." "Why me?" demanded Sandeep. The boss explained, "We looked at your appraisal from last year and you were the second lowest, so I had to let you go. I am sorry." Sandeep started raising his voice, "You were the one who said that this appraisal business is all humbug, something you really don't believe in it. You only said that it was process and as far as you were concerned, it was just a tick mark. I believed you. And now it has cost me my job." "I am sorry," said boss, refusing to meet his eye.
There was one thing Sandeep's boss did not tell him about — the managers meeting where everyone made a list of their favourites and subsequently found reasons to put the rest on the chopping block. The method of elimination — appraisal scores in some cases, insubordination in another — did not matter to the management. What mattered was the reduction in headcount. Costs had to be brought down.
The CFO does not know Sandeep's name. For him Sandeep is but a statistic. All he told his CEO was, "We cannot pay all of them so let's reduce headcount from 120 to110 or maybe 100." The CEO said, "Maybe there is another option; we can reduce the salaries of the top management." The CFO glared at the CEO and said, "You can reduce your salary but not mine." None of the management was willing to cut their salary; so jobs had to go. Reasons were elaborately created to justify the pink slip. Now Sandeep has to fend for himself. He has no one's patronage. He is no one's favourite. He is a man without a leader.
Sandeep's story has been told in the Mahabharata. His name was Sunahshepa then.
One of the several versions of the story goes that there was a king, sometime identified as Harishchandra and sometime identified Ambarisha, who had an attack of dropsy — his body swelled up with fluid. He prayed to Varuna, god of water, and said, "If I am cured, I will sacrifice my son." As soon as he said this, he was cured. His limbs became normal. His fingers and face were no longer bloated. "My sacrifice?" asked Varuna. Now that he was cured, the king found it harder to part with his son. So he called the wise men of his kingdom, and told them to find a way out. "How can I make Varuna happy without losing my son?" he asked.
The wise men said a son is defined in many ways according to the scriptures: one is the son you produce biologically, another is the son who is adopted and finally there is another son that you can buy. On hearing this king said, "Go buy me a son." The wise men went around the kingdom, but no man was willing to sell their son. How can our king ask us to part with a son, they wondered. Who would do such a thing?
After a long search, the wise men found a poor priest willing to sell his son for the price of 100 cows. His name was Ajigarta. He said, "I have three sons. I will not sell my eldest son because he is very dear to me, and I cannot sell the youngest because he is dear to his mother. I will sell my middle son, Sunahshepa, because I have no choice. I am very poor and I need to feed my family."
Thus, Sunahshepa became the son of the king and was brought to the palace on a golden palanquin. He was quite excited until, after being fed and clothed and given gifts meant for princes, he was taken and tied to a sacrificial post. "You, Sunahshepa, are to be sacrificed to Varuna so that your father, the king, is free of debt," said the wise men. Realising his hopeless situation, Sunahshepa began to cry.
The executioner was called to sacrifice the boy. "I will not sacrifice the boy; he is no criminal," said the executioner. The butcher was called to sacrifice the boy. "I will not sacrifice the boy, he is no animal," said the butcher. The priests were told to sacrifice the boy. "We will not sacrifice the boy. That is not part of our responsibility," said the priests. Suddenly a voice rang across the sacrificial hall, "I will. I will. For 100 more cows." It was Ajigarta, Sunahshepa's father.
Aghast, everybody looked at the father, and said, "When you sold your son, your reason was poverty. What is your reason now?" "Why should I feel ashamed," said Ajigarta, "When the king is not ashamed to sacrifice one of his subjects to save his son."
Watching his father move towards the chopping block, axe in hand, Sunahshepa realised he had no one he could turn to, neither father nor king. In despair, he raised his head and sang prayers, begging for divine intervention. The scriptures say Varuna was moved by the prayers; he saved the boy, cured the king and all ended well. But did it actually?
There are many Sunahshepas in the corporate world – victims of greed, stripped of livelihood because someone wants to protect favourites, someone wants reduction in head count and no one wants reduction in their own salary. Sunahshepas are created when leaders refuse to make sacrifices of their own.
Points To Ponder
- Sunahshepa is one denied shelter by both fa ther and king
- His sacrifice has nothing to do with king's health or father's poverty but has everything to do with greed
- Greed erodes the very notion of leadership
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
On vegetarianism
Nithyananda Newsletter on VEG/NON VEG Food
Swamiji, what would you say about eating vegetarian food and eating non-vegetarian food?
(Swamiji laughs!)
First, don't go around telling others not to eat non-veg food. In departments unknown, it is better not to involve yourself and get into trouble! You see: Certain issues cannot be resolved by logical reasoning. If we tell people not to eat non-veg food, they will ask you that like animals, plants also have life and why are we eating plants? What will you tell them? There is no end to this subject.
This much I can tell you: I am a pure vegetarian. I eat vegetarian food because it is conducive to my body, that's all. There have been many Enlightened Masters who ate non-veg food. Of course, when Enlightened Masters do certain things, we cannot pass judgment on them because their actions cannot be interpreted by our common dictionary. We will be misconstruing and missing the whole thing.
Just one thing: Don't categorize people based on their eating habits and don't force people to give up eating non-vegetarian food.
A small story:
(Swamiji laughs!)
First, don't go around telling others not to eat non-veg food. In departments unknown, it is better not to involve yourself and get into trouble! You see: Certain issues cannot be resolved by logical reasoning. If we tell people not to eat non-veg food, they will ask you that like animals, plants also have life and why are we eating plants? What will you tell them? There is no end to this subject.
This much I can tell you: I am a pure vegetarian. I eat vegetarian food because it is conducive to my body, that's all. There have been many Enlightened Masters who ate non-veg food. Of course, when Enlightened Masters do certain things, we cannot pass judgment on them because their actions cannot be interpreted by our common dictionary. We will be misconstruing and missing the whole thing.
Just one thing: Don't categorize people based on their eating habits and don't force people to give up eating non-vegetarian food.
A small story:
At the time the television was introduced in India, a new television was bought in a certain House of mendicants.
All except one of them used to watch the programs on the television.
This man who never watched the television used to go to the President of the house and complain about how the others were watching television for hours together.
After a few times of complaining, the President told him, "You too watch television from tomorrow."
The man was shocked and asked why he said that.
The President replied, "You are not happy abstaining from watching and hence you are grumbling about them doing it. You have the desire to watch but you don't watch it because you want to feel solid inside yourself. But this suppression is causing you to complain against them."
You see: If you are not completely happy abstaining from eating non-veg food, you will compel others to become vegetarians. When you are doing something totally, you will never force another person to do it. Only when you are doing it with a doubt or half-heartedly, you will pull other people also into it. This is the scale to see if you are in something totally or not. When you are total, you are enough unto yourself with no regrets and so you will not trouble anyone else. You will allow them to have their freedom.
In fact, I would go on to say that those who eat non-veg food for one hour a day and forget about it, are better off than those who eat vegetarian food and think about non-veg 24 hours a day!
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
Sunday, February 15, 2009
God's wife
An eye witness account from New York City , on a cold day in December, some years ago:
A little boy, about 10-years-old, was standing before a shoe store on the roadway, barefooted, peering through the window, and shivering with cold.
A lady approached the young boy and said, 'My dear, you're in such deep thought staring in that window!'
'I was asking God to give me a pair of shoes,' was the boy's reply.
The lady took him by the hand, went into the store, and asked the clerk to get half a dozen pairs of socks for the boy. She then asked if he could give her a basin of water and a towel.. He quickly brought them to her.
She took the little fellow to the back part of the store and, removing her gloves, knelt down, washed his little feet, and dried them with the towel..
By this time, the clerk had returned with the socks. Placing a pair upon the boy's feet, she purchased him a pair of shoes.
She tied up the remaining pairs of socks and gave them to him.. She patted him on the head and said, 'No doubt, you will be more comfortable now.'
As she turned to go, the astonished kid caught her by the hand, and looking up into her face, with tears in his eyes, asked her, 'Are you God's wife?'
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
A little boy, about 10-years-old, was standing before a shoe store on the roadway, barefooted, peering through the window, and shivering with cold.
A lady approached the young boy and said, 'My dear, you're in such deep thought staring in that window!'
'I was asking God to give me a pair of shoes,' was the boy's reply.
The lady took him by the hand, went into the store, and asked the clerk to get half a dozen pairs of socks for the boy. She then asked if he could give her a basin of water and a towel.. He quickly brought them to her.
She took the little fellow to the back part of the store and, removing her gloves, knelt down, washed his little feet, and dried them with the towel..
By this time, the clerk had returned with the socks. Placing a pair upon the boy's feet, she purchased him a pair of shoes.
She tied up the remaining pairs of socks and gave them to him.. She patted him on the head and said, 'No doubt, you will be more comfortable now.'
As she turned to go, the astonished kid caught her by the hand, and looking up into her face, with tears in his eyes, asked her, 'Are you God's wife?'
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
Why me?
Arthur Ashe, the legendary Wimbledon player was dying of AIDS which he got
due to infected blood he received during a heart surgery in 1983.
From the world over, he received letters from his fans, one of which
conveyed: "Why does GOD have to select you for such a bad disease"?
To this Arthur Ashe replied:
"The world over -- 50 million children start playing tennis, 5 million
learn to play tennis,
500,000 learn professional tennis, 50,000 come to the circuit, 5000 reach
the grand slam,
50 reach Wimbledon, 4 to the semi final, 2 to the finals,
when I was holding the cup I never asked GOD 'Why me?'.
**
*And today in pain I should not be asking GOD 'Why me?'** *
*We count our pains, but not our blessings
--
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
due to infected blood he received during a heart surgery in 1983.
From the world over, he received letters from his fans, one of which
conveyed: "Why does GOD have to select you for such a bad disease"?
To this Arthur Ashe replied:
"The world over -- 50 million children start playing tennis, 5 million
learn to play tennis,
500,000 learn professional tennis, 50,000 come to the circuit, 5000 reach
the grand slam,
50 reach Wimbledon, 4 to the semi final, 2 to the finals,
when I was holding the cup I never asked GOD 'Why me?'.
**
*And today in pain I should not be asking GOD 'Why me?'** *
*We count our pains, but not our blessings
--
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, February 5, 2009
Miracle of Guruvayoorappan
.
A rich person was suffering some desease in legs due to which he could not walk properlyHe collected a large amount of money and carried to the temple tied up in a madiseela(a piece of cloth)He went to bathe in the thirtha kulam(temple tank),kept his belongings on the shore and entered water.All the time his eyes were glued to his belongings on the shore.He took a dip in water.When his head came out of water,he saw someone picking up his madi seela and running away.Without a second thought he started following the thief as fast as he could..When he had covered quite some distance he heard an asariri asking why he had come to Guruvayur,how he could be running now and what more he wants from the Lord.
On the previous nightthe thief had a dream.He had been worried how to finance the marriage of his daughter.He was asked to go to the temple tank next morning,collect the madi seela kept on the bank and run away and conduct the marriage in a grand manner.
In one master stroke the Lord accomplished both objects nicely.
A rich person was suffering some desease in legs due to which he could not walk properlyHe collected a large amount of money and carried to the temple tied up in a madiseela(a piece of cloth)He went to bathe in the thirtha kulam(temple tank),kept his belongings on the shore and entered water.All the time his eyes were glued to his belongings on the shore.He took a dip in water.When his head came out of water,he saw someone picking up his madi seela and running away.Without a second thought he started following the thief as fast as he could..When he had covered quite some distance he heard an asariri asking why he had come to Guruvayur,how he could be running now and what more he wants from the Lord.
On the previous nightthe thief had a dream.He had been worried how to finance the marriage of his daughter.He was asked to go to the temple tank next morning,collect the madi seela kept on the bank and run away and conduct the marriage in a grand manner.
In one master stroke the Lord accomplished both objects nicely.
Guruvayurappan sahayam
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
Karna
The Mahabharata war is over. The central characters are all in heaven/hell. In fact Yudhishtira is even surprised to see Dhuryodhana in Heaven! Karna too is in heaven but with slight discomfort due to nagging hunger. "Krishna! I feel so hungry here in heaven", pleads Karna.
"Well, suck your forefinger and may be you will get satiated" taunts Krishna. "Remember? That poor hungry soul who was once ready to eat out of your hands? What did you do? You directed him by pointing towards Dhuryodhana who at that time was dolling out 'Annadaanam'. Was that all the so called daanaveera karna could do? Now you suck that same finger and be happy and see if you could get appeased!" admonished Krishna.
Karna is the very embodiment of sacrifice. Nay, sacrifice is a synonym for Karna. In the entire world you cannot find one other man equal in the spirit of sacrifice to Karna. In weal or woe, triumph or defeat he could not forget the quality of sacrifice. But Karna was human after all. He had forgotten that Krishna had already granted him his request on an earlier occasion to make amends soon enough on Annadaanam!
Cut to that occasion
Darkness had enveloped the battlefield. Krishna was with Arjuna. He in His sweet voice was calling out, "Karna! Karna!" Karna was gasping for breath in his last moments. He cried, "Who is calling me? I am here." Following the direction from which the words came, Krishna went near Karna. Before that, Krishna assumed the form of an indigent Brahmin. Karna asked him, "Who are you, sir?" Karna was nearing his last breath. Krishna (as the poor Brahmin) replied, "I have heard a lot about your reputation as a charitable person. You are known as, 'Daana Karna' (Karna the great giver). Today, not knowing your plight, I am here to ask you for a gift.. a donation." "Certainly, I shall give you whatever you want," replied Karna. "I am to perform the marriage of my son. I want a small quantity of gold," said Krishna. "Oh! Is that so? Please go to my wife, she will give you as much gold as you need", said Karna. The Brahmin broke into a laughter. He said, "For the
sake of a little gold have I to go all the way to Hastinapura? If you say, you are not in a position to give me what I ask, I shall leave you. "
Karna declared, "As long as breath remains in me, I will not say 'no' to anyone." Karna opened his mouth, showed the gold fillings for his teeth and said, "I shall give this to you. You can take them." Assuming a tone of revulsion, Krishna said, "What is it you suggest? Do you expect me to break your teeth and take the gold from them? How can I do such a wicked deed? I am a Brahmin."
Immediately, Karna picked up a stone nearby, knocked out his teeth and offered them to the Brahmin. Krishna in his guise as Brahmin wanted to test Karna further. "What? Are you giving me as gift teeth dripping with blood? I cannot accept this. I am leaving", he said. Karna pleaded, "Swami, please wait for a moment." Even while he was unable to move, Karna took out an arrow and aimed it at the sky. Immediately rain poured from the clouds. Cleaning the teeth with the rain water, Karna offered the teeth with both his hands.
Pleased with his supreme sacrifice, Krishna grants Karna the vision of himself seated on Garuda, accompanied by his consorts. The Lord promises Karna to grant him whatever boon he wishes. Karna says that, although he could ask Krishna to give victory to Duryodhana and bring his armies back to life, he does not want to do so. He then requests two things: firstly, that as soon as he dies, his mother Kunti shall be informed. She will rush to the battlefield and proclaim publicly that Karna is her son and that he is not of low caste. Secondly, in order to reach Krishna's feet (that is, the liberation of his soul from the cycle of births) Karna wants to fulfill the good deed of feeding others (annadaanam). This is the only daanam he has not been able to carry out in this life, because nobody wanted to eat in the house of a person of low caste. He asks Krishna to give him in his next births the means to be liberal and the opportunity to carry out annadaanam. A
moved Krishna grants Karna these favours and tells him that in his next life he will be reborn as Siruttontar Nayanar, famous for offering his own son as food to Lord Siva, after which he will attain moksham.
"Well, suck your forefinger and may be you will get satiated" taunts Krishna. "Remember? That poor hungry soul who was once ready to eat out of your hands? What did you do? You directed him by pointing towards Dhuryodhana who at that time was dolling out 'Annadaanam'. Was that all the so called daanaveera karna could do? Now you suck that same finger and be happy and see if you could get appeased!" admonished Krishna.
Karna is the very embodiment of sacrifice. Nay, sacrifice is a synonym for Karna. In the entire world you cannot find one other man equal in the spirit of sacrifice to Karna. In weal or woe, triumph or defeat he could not forget the quality of sacrifice. But Karna was human after all. He had forgotten that Krishna had already granted him his request on an earlier occasion to make amends soon enough on Annadaanam!
Cut to that occasion
Darkness had enveloped the battlefield. Krishna was with Arjuna. He in His sweet voice was calling out, "Karna! Karna!" Karna was gasping for breath in his last moments. He cried, "Who is calling me? I am here." Following the direction from which the words came, Krishna went near Karna. Before that, Krishna assumed the form of an indigent Brahmin. Karna asked him, "Who are you, sir?" Karna was nearing his last breath. Krishna (as the poor Brahmin) replied, "I have heard a lot about your reputation as a charitable person. You are known as, 'Daana Karna' (Karna the great giver). Today, not knowing your plight, I am here to ask you for a gift.. a donation." "Certainly, I shall give you whatever you want," replied Karna. "I am to perform the marriage of my son. I want a small quantity of gold," said Krishna. "Oh! Is that so? Please go to my wife, she will give you as much gold as you need", said Karna. The Brahmin broke into a laughter. He said, "For the
sake of a little gold have I to go all the way to Hastinapura? If you say, you are not in a position to give me what I ask, I shall leave you. "
Karna declared, "As long as breath remains in me, I will not say 'no' to anyone." Karna opened his mouth, showed the gold fillings for his teeth and said, "I shall give this to you. You can take them." Assuming a tone of revulsion, Krishna said, "What is it you suggest? Do you expect me to break your teeth and take the gold from them? How can I do such a wicked deed? I am a Brahmin."
Immediately, Karna picked up a stone nearby, knocked out his teeth and offered them to the Brahmin. Krishna in his guise as Brahmin wanted to test Karna further. "What? Are you giving me as gift teeth dripping with blood? I cannot accept this. I am leaving", he said. Karna pleaded, "Swami, please wait for a moment." Even while he was unable to move, Karna took out an arrow and aimed it at the sky. Immediately rain poured from the clouds. Cleaning the teeth with the rain water, Karna offered the teeth with both his hands.
Pleased with his supreme sacrifice, Krishna grants Karna the vision of himself seated on Garuda, accompanied by his consorts. The Lord promises Karna to grant him whatever boon he wishes. Karna says that, although he could ask Krishna to give victory to Duryodhana and bring his armies back to life, he does not want to do so. He then requests two things: firstly, that as soon as he dies, his mother Kunti shall be informed. She will rush to the battlefield and proclaim publicly that Karna is her son and that he is not of low caste. Secondly, in order to reach Krishna's feet (that is, the liberation of his soul from the cycle of births) Karna wants to fulfill the good deed of feeding others (annadaanam). This is the only daanam he has not been able to carry out in this life, because nobody wanted to eat in the house of a person of low caste. He asks Krishna to give him in his next births the means to be liberal and the opportunity to carry out annadaanam. A
moved Krishna grants Karna these favours and tells him that in his next life he will be reborn as Siruttontar Nayanar, famous for offering his own son as food to Lord Siva, after which he will attain moksham.
knr
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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