"We believe in science, and we also believe in faith"

This newsbreak datelined 3rd May 2020 disclosed the launch of a 4-month study to investigate the role of remote multi-denominational prayer on clinical outcomes in COVID-19 patients as prescribed by the National Institute of Health, USA. Half of the patients, randomly chosen, will receive a "universal" prayer offered in five denominational forms -- Christianity, Hinduism, Islam, Judaism, and Buddhism.

Closer home, did pandemics like this ever prevail in previous yugas? Yoga Vasishta, the epic conversation between the Sage and Prince Ram has the clues.The Sage narrates the story of the demoness Karkati who lived on the northern slopes of the Himalayas, the Sino-Mangolian region. She looked like a mountain-sized doll and her mind was always occupied by the ways to satisfy her hunger! She performed severe penance and secured a boon from Lord Brahma by which she could transform herself into a living needle –Suchika or a pain causing virus. She would mingle with Prana Vayu afflicting people with diseases related to heart, lungs and the spleen. Her numerous hiding places. included dust and dirt on the ground, unclean fingers, places where flies abound, in places bereft of healthy trees, people with unhealthy habits, in open sewers, in rest houses used by travellers!

Yet she was always apprehensive about entering the bodies of a large number of people who are protected by Gods by virtue of their worship and prayers.

It would be interesting to see the outcome of this new study! 

Painted prayers that protect homes:

Several years ago a friend of mine from W.B came on a visit to Chennai. He was engaged in the study of the electro-magnetic vibrational energy field. In those days, multi storied apartments in the city were rare. As we went on our morning walks, we used to witness women and girls outside the doorsteps of their homes, engaged in the decorative art of kolam, popularly known as Rangoli. Depending on the floor, they were using wet or dry rice powders both white and in colours. Their designs kept changing every day and the motifs ranged from small to big to match the significance of the day. My friend was fascinated by these intricate designs and ran his energy detecting devices over some of them out of sheer curiosity. We were indeed astonished by the field of aura emanating from these decorative motifs. The study of energy field surrounding this fascinating art form is well documented  in ancient scriptures.

- Excerpt from my book ‘A Tribute to Tradition’

Playing around the Sun

These Sunset visuals were received in the mail, humorously captioned ‘Sun theft’! It triggered childhood memory of a legendary tale of Hanuman’s tryst with the Sun.

Hanuman was growing older. Anjana,his mother said to him: “Son! It is time to get educated. There is no better teacher than Surya, the Sun god, who dispels all darkness. Go to him and gain knowledge.”Even though he was omnipotent, Hanuman obeyed his mother. He reached the Surya Mandala and humbly prayed : “O! Surya Deva, I want to learn Vedas, Vedangas, and Upangas from you. Please teach me.” Surya replied: ‘O!  I am always on the move, how can I teach you? This reply angered Hanuman.He blocked the path of Surya. The Sun god  relented and pacified him: “I have no objection to teach you. But you have to find a way to learn”.

Hanuman stood facing the sun and started walking backwards. Surya was moving forward and was teaching Hanuman. Within a week of his education, he astonished Surya and wanted to continue his education. Instead of walking backward, he put one foot on the rising hill and the other one on the setting hill to face the Sun god.His passion for knowledge with devotion pleased the Sun and he  taught all that is to be taught to Hanuman.

Indan Music Experience – country’s first and only Music Museum opened at Bangalore

Those familiar with the likes of Grammy Museum in LA may find the Indian Music Experience (IME) offering a much wider, exciting coverage of rich musical traditions. It is an interactive, educational experience of the historical evolution of Indian music across regions with contributions from celebrated composers and performers. A couple of hours spent here to fathom the journey of Indian music from ancient to modern, leave us with a sense of pride.

The Sound Garden at the site is the icing on the cake. For e.g. when you hum into the cave (pic) and adjust the pitch to full resonance, you can feel the vibrations through the body!

As we were stepping out, we captured a profound verse from Gulzar!

Thiru aadipuram

Sri Andal,the celebrated Saintess of the 8th century rendered outstanding hymns called Tiruppavai. These are today widely recited in India in festivals, temples and at royal ceremonies in Thailand and Cambodia as well. Our Satsang was part of the festival at the birth place, heralding her birth.

Following sampler brings forth the universal appeal of Goda Upanishad:

“We sing the name of the magnanimous

Rain it shall, pour country over

Thrice monthly with no despair;

Shall facilitate tall growth of fine paddy crop.

Carp to jump amidst like aquabatic feat,

Spotted bee to perch on lily fair and 

Donor cows to stand still, with udders thick,

Allow milking to fill vessels copious;

To ordain never vanishing wealth bounteous.”

“It would seem as if Sri Andal was the natural culminating point for the mounting flame of the soul's devotion” – wrote Sri Aurobindo. Always inspiring to hear Tiruppavai chants at Sri Sri Gurukul, Bangalore in the presence of the Master.

What truly are the six faces?

Be it Eka-rupa bhakti or Aneka Rupa Bhakti, beyond form and appearance, it is relevant to understand the divine attributes. Legend has it that Karthikeya, popularly hailed as Arumugam – is endowed with Six Faces! ‘Arumuga Velanukku Arohara' is a very popular salutation that reverberates! The one minute video gives a glimpse of some of His well known abodes with a few Poetic lines sung at a recent satsang.

What truly are the six faces?
One face that sheds rays of Light that remove the dense darkness shrouding the world; one that lovingly showers boons on the devout; One that watches over the sacrifices and offerings made. One that enlightens the minds of Sages; One that is in battle to destroy the negative forces & One that smiles lovingly at His consort.

Click the link to view video 

https://www.facebook.com/arun.madhavan.1297/videos/2853286401565382/

Cover Photo

New Profile Photo

Gift a smile

The phone rang! The caller wished an early ‘Happy birthday’ and asked ‘How old are you now?’ I took his query with a smile. We don't talk about trees getting older, instead we say they are ‘growing.’ Perhaps we must use the same language for ourselves: We're not getting older, we're just growing.

Come to think of it, smile is 'happiness' right under your nose. The next time you smile, notice your breathing and heart rates sync up. Thiruvalluvar, the Poet philosopher goes one step further in a nice couplet “To smile even in adverse situation is an elevated mindset”

Let us use our smile to change the world; and not let the world change our smile!

Book release at Open air theatre, Sri Sri College of Yoga

24th March 2019

The thematic decor, contextual exhibits, the mellifluous rendition of Adi Sankara’s ‘Aigiri Nandini Nanditha Medhini’ by the Girls choir set the ambience for a magical evening. It was an appropriate prelude to the release of the book ‘Parashakti authored by Bhanu Didi . The book,a Westland Publication, demystifies the puranic tales on the glory of Mother Divine. More importantly, it has unlocked the deeper knowledge hidden between words and images described in ancient wisdom. A great boon for seekers and the GenNext.

The Spring is here!

Spring is nature's way of saying, "Let's party!” It is also a lovely reminder of how beautiful change can truly be. Holi is celebrated in Spring, the transition phase of winter and summer. Here are some interesting aspects of this festivity also known as Rang Panchami, Basant utsav, Hola Mohalla, Lathmar Holi and so on.

The period induces the growth of bacteria in the environment and physical body. When Holika is burnt, temperature in vicinity rises substantially. For those who go around the bonfire or the pyre, such heat is said to kill the bacteria in the body and cleanses it.

During this phase, the body experiences some tardiness; to counter laziness, people sing and dance to music with Dhol, Manjira and such traditional instruments. This helps in rejuvenating the human body.

Colours are said to play a vital role in fitness of human body. Deficiency of a particular colour could cause an impairment that can be healed when that colour element is supplemented. It is not surprising that today wellness experts recommend to Eat colours through varied veggies –see image!

In ancient times, when people were playing Holi, natural sources like turmeric, Neem, Palash and so on, were used by them. The playful pouring and throwing of colour powders made from such natural sources, is said to strengthen the ions in the body with a healing effect overall. 

It is interesting to see growing people awareness of the harmful effects of synthetic colours and moving towards natural herbal colours!

Happy Holi!

“Music, Mankind & Nature – the symbiosis”

10th Feb 2019

Excerpts from Arunji's address to the music Conservatory:

 

“What we pass off as animal sounds and chirpings of birds, do in fact, contain the treasure of music. For instance in the sapta swaras, Sa (Shadja) originated from Peacock and Ri ( Rishab) from the Buffalo; Ga (Gandhar) from the  Goat and Ma (Madhyama) from the Stork and so on.  Such sound vibrations from Nature influenced the formation of ragas which in turn could impact nature as well as seen when Tansen lit the diyas in his Emperor’s Court by invoking Raag Deepak. When the temperature began to soar high, he commended his daughter to sing Raag Megh Malhar which brought down the showers and doused the fire.

Muthuswamy Dikshithar from the celebrated Carnatic Musical Trinity brought rains for the parched lands and thirsty throats in Ettayapuram with his rendition of Raag Amritvarshini. Mozart's diary confirms that he purchased a starling as a pet after hearing the bird sing snatches from his Piano Concerto!

We recall the several satsangs when during our renditions in praise of Karthikeya, scores of peacocks would dance away spreading their feathers; otherwise naughty and restless monkeys would sit quietly in meditative state when Ram dhuns were sung.”

New Year 2019

Was reflecting on the era when almost every town kept its own local time, defined by the Sun. There were no international protocols for how time should be measured. Mid-1850s saw the emergence of public clocks in Great Britain set to GMT, one of them being the Big Ben. Its comforting chimes were used for decades to herald the transition from the Old to the New Year. Even when its clock mechanism was dismantled for renovation, they would activate the chimes with the help of a specially built electric mechanism to power the hammer weighing 200 kilograms!

As the New Year approached, Time stood still at the recently concluded retreat by the hillside. Refreshing mountain air gave much needed rejuvenation to transit into another calendar year.

Here’s wishing you all a great year ahead.

The true meaning of life is to plant trees, under whose shade you do not expect to sit!

A year ago, due to stormy rains in the city, a big rain tree fell uprooted outside our compound wall. The tree, circa a century old, stood witness to a couple of generations. It chose to fall without causing any hurt to unwary humans or property.

Planting the heavenly Parijat tree was our tribute to such a great soul! The Parijat is said to be one of the many gifts from Samudra manthan. It blooms occasionally especially after Ganga Dusshera. The flower has a very strong fragrance, used for incense sticks and perfume. Its medicinal applications are indeed vast.

Once when Krishna brought the tree to Dwarka, conflict arose between his consorts Rukmini-Satyabhama , both insisting to have the Parijath plant in their respective gardens. The astute Krishna planted the tree in such a manner that although it was planted in Satyabhama’s garden, its flowers would fall in Rukmini’s garden.In this way, Rukmini got the flowers and Satyabhama got the tree!

Festivities farsighted!

Here comes the fortnight of the Goddess (Devi Paksh). Preparations in full swing-a great time for artisans and idol crafters to showcase their creativity.Be it Ganesh Utsav, Dussera Durga Puja, Bombe Habba - Navaratri Kolu, display of dolls occupy pride of place.

When we explore the origin of these festivities, we cannot but admire the wisdom and farsightedness of our forebears. Traditionally ours being a strong pastoral, agrarian society, it became imperative to encourage dredging and de-silting of irrigation canals and riverbeds. To this end, idol-centric festivals provided strong eco -friendly fillip for requirement of clay sourced from such dredging operations.

Navaratri brings forth creative art & craft skills of family members on themes inspired by legends -Itihasas and Puranas. Pujas, rendition of sacred hymns and bhajans add to the flavour. In many locations now, Garba is performed in honour of Devi followed by Dandiya in merriment with extreme energy and vigour. Overall these festivities bring people closer in joyful, interactive ambience.

LKM- a genial soul, no more.

21 September 2018

With the passing away of Muthuswamy Naidu ( LKM) , sharing a flashback  upon his geniality and sense of humour.  Those were the early days of AOL in TN.  LKM  was continuously hitting the road to render promotional talks for voluntary groups of businessmen in Coimbatore District.

His opening remarks always tickled the curiosity of the audience.  “Friends I have yet to recover from the shock of losing a few lacs of rupees!” He would then unravel the backdrop. “For years I have been nursing a frozen shoulder that made it difficult to shift manual gears in my automobile. The manufacturer was also producing cars with floor gear. To make life easier, I invested in a new vehicle which had that option. A few weeks later I took the AOL course. On the third day they taught me the Sudarshan kriya, which released me completely of my frozen shoulder. The recovery was an enduring one; but it left me wondering, had this blessing been there a bit earlier, I could have well saved the few lacs that I invested in the new car!”

In the early years, he often travelled with his team to the ashram to carry out intensive seva. The courses coordinated by him at the serene Tirumurthy Hills were always housefull. Participants loved his personal touch in hospitality and care.

Teachers Day 2018

During my days at school Dr.Sarvapalli Radhakrishnan, in whose honour the day is dedicated, reminded us: ‘The ultimate purpose of education is not the mere acquisition of knowledge and information but initiation into higher life.’ Your role is not confined just to impart the curriculum but to steer the class towards good human values as well.

It takes a big heart to be in this profession as a teacher. You could be just a teacher but to your students you are their role model! The cherished characteristic you can have is to be friendly and congenial with students. It is a plus, if students can share their problems with you without being afraid or hesitant.

Do take care of your health for your students’ sake. Allocate sometime for pranayama and meditation every morning before leaving for the School. This will keep you refreshed through the day. In the fast paced life today, there is a dire need to attend to your physical, mental, emotional health. Remember your class room lectures last for several hours in addition to regular daily conversations. The calories that you burn in the process do impact on your fitness levels. Hence the need to stay sufficiently hydrated during work hours.

May the divine grace and the wisdom of our  Guru Parampara be upon you all.

Extract from my address to Teachers today🦉

Thiru aadipooram – August, 2018

Usually in Southern calendar, the months are named based on the nakshatra that prevails during the Poornima -full moon. In the month of Aadi, full moon occurs during Aashada. During this period, the monsoon peaks on the west coast and the rivers of TN & Kerala, shrunken in the summer heat, get replenished, often to full levels.

The month marks the avatar of Sri Andal at Srivilliputtur, the venue of our satsang. The town comes alive with festivities including the legendary rath yatra that attracts devotees in very large numbers.

Nostalgic moments – Sumeru Sandhya 2018

Bangalore 5th August 2018

One of my early bhajans ‘Shankara Chandrasekhara’ in Madhyamavati was an all- time favourite of Amma. She and Gurudev inspired us to include it in the first album. It was sung in the first ever Sumeru Sandhya evening at the International Centre in 1998.

Two decades later, the bhajan featured in our Sumeru Sandhya last evening as a musical tribute to Amma at the iconic Visalakshi Mantap.

Sumeru Sandhya is the premier Art of Living Satsang experience. It is an evening event packed with Quality Music, heart touching Bhajans, Meditation and Knowledge.

An ode to Ranganatha:

Srirangam in Southern India, located on an islet formed by the Twin Rivers Cauveri and Kollidam, is the foremost among the 108 Divyadesas. It has an eventful history, both traditional and historical. The beauty of Lord Ranganatha enshrined in this huge temple (156 acres), in his characteristic Yoga Nidra , has captivated all the legendary Saint Poets (Azhwars), leading to many beautiful hymns.

Legend talks about the Lord having informed Brahma of him appearing on his own volition, as an idol. Brahma appointed Surya to do the daily pooja as per agamas. The idol later passed on to the Ishvaku dynasty of Ayodhya. On his triumphant return from Lanka, at the coronation, Ram gave the idol as a gift to Vibhishana. Enroute to Lanka, when Vibhishana halted by the banks of Cauvery for his mid-day prayers, he placed Ranga at a place called Chandrapushkarani; upon return from bath, he performed the Pooja and lo! when he tried to lift the Vimana, it would not move. The Lord appeared before the distraught Vibhishana and consoled him saying that he had already decided to make the place His abode, where he could be worshipped daily. It is said that Vibhishana worships the Lord everyday at midnight.

Power of music and devotion

Reportedly, Saint Thyagaraja, one of the greatest musical composers of devotional hymns, arrived here during a 'Brahmotsava'. Being a stranger to the place, he could not get near the horse-vehicle. But the bearers could not move forward. It was soon known that the divine procession could be continued only after the Saint had his darshan of the Lord. The musical composition “O Ranga Sayee” was dedicated by the saint to the Lord, after this exhilarating experience.

Sri Sri Publications Album ‘Celestial Nectar’ Vol 3 contains the author's  Ode to Ranga; Here's a youtube link.