Pada Yatra with a difference

Zen wisdom would have it that whilst walking, in no time at all, you go home to your body, and get well established in the here and the now. Enjoying the in and out breath, when we walk, we come home to ourselves.

Journey by foot, “Walkathon” of contemporary times, has long been an integral part of Indian culture. It has helped to transform individuals from power and pleasure-oriented rut to a life of purity. A valuable experience to feel the unity in diversity.

Padayatris in India are of different hues and tradition, be they bhakti filled varkaris, pilgrims to Palani and Sabarimala. They usually seek blessings in terms of Svasthi, Shanti and Samriddhi – even to get relief from burden of debts, to get promotion in jobs, to get better education, success in exams, to settle marriage alliances, to win elections, court cases and so on.

17th April 2015: It was enjoyable to be part of a Bangalore pada yatra with a difference undertaken by a large contingent of contented, kindred souls to spread joyful vibes of Happiness in the Community. The exuberant drummers of Dollu kunitha folk tradition of Karnataka (pic) gave us a rousing start.

Convocation Dress

As I was returning from a very well conducted Convocation ceremony, a question cropped up in my mind as to why these hooded graduation robes,square caps are still a must- wear during such ceremonies. When medals are placed around the neck of recipients, they get embarrassingly entangled in the caps. The custom in vogue for decades, does involve outgoings as well.

Was looking at the ceremonial visual from Visva Bharati, Shanti Niketan. They seemed to have localised the graduation uniforms without compromising on elegance.

Readers can share their thoughts if it is time to consider such options as we go forward.

Thean Amudham Divya Satsang

Mahabharata amongst flowers!

Krishna Kamal is the name given to this attractive, sweet smelling,delicate flower with tender, needle shaped petals in shades of blue and purple. It has 100 petals that resemble Kauravas, on top the 5 petals being Pandavas and above them 3 petals depicting the Trinity of Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva, all connected through a single petal wearing the colour of Krishna's aura.

Well, if you had missed it in the woods around you, time you are reminded of this poem!

What is this life if, full of care,we have no time to stand and stare.
No time to stand beneath the boughs and stare as long as sheep or cows.
No time to see, when woods we pass, where squirrels hide their nuts in grass.
No time to see, in broad daylight,a poor life this if, full of care,
We have no time to stand and stare.

The best time to plant a tree is now.

A well wisher who is on our Srilanka Board has captured the Laxmi tharu now in its full bloom at our Wellawaya Charitable Home. He recalled attending my first amc retreat there  in 2007 when I planted the sapling as a memento.

They say that the best time to plant a tree was 20 years ago; the next best time is Today!

How true.

The Art of Giving

Just returned from a Reunion with class fellows from IIMA, meeting some of them after a gap of Five decades! We had an interesting session on Giving Back.

Following Tale of Two seas shared with them:

The Dead Sea is really a Lake, not a sea. The salt in the Dead Sea is as high as 35%. Nothing lives in the Dead Sea. And hence the name - Dead Sea.

The Sea of Galilee is just north of the Dead Sea. Both the Sea of Galilee and the Dead Sea receive their water from River Jordan. And yet, they are very, very different. Unlike the Dead Sea, the Sea of Galilee is pretty, resplendent with lots of plants, rich, colourful marine life. Same region, same source of water, and yet while one sea is full of life, the other is dead. How come? 

Here’s apparently why. The River Jordan flows into the Sea of Galilee and then flows out. The water simply passes through the Sea of Galilee in and then out - and that keeps the sea healthy and vibrant, teeming with marine life.

But the Dead Sea is so far below the mean sea level,there are no outlet streams. The Dead Sea takes water from the River Jordan, and holds it. It does not give. Result? No life at all. Think about it.

We are fortunate to get wealth, knowledge, love and respect. But if we don't learn to give, we could all end up like the Dead Sea. If we get the Dead Sea mentality of merely taking in more water, more money, more everything the results can be disastrous.

Good idea to make sure that in the sea of your own life, you have outlets. Many outlets. For love and wealth - and everything else that you get in your life. Make sure you don't just get, you give too.

Door to the realm of Moksha:

1st Jan 2015

Mayiladuthurai is of great antiquity,dotted with temples dating back to medieval Cholas. It was earlier known as Mayuram. Mayura being the peacock, the form in which Devi worshipped Lord Shiva. A legendary Divyakshetra is dedicated here to Lord Parimala Ranganatha. The New Year’s Day of 2015 coincided with the auspicious Vaikunt Ekadashi when the door to Lord's Inner Sanctum was opened. 

There is an episode in Padma Purana that when Lord Vishnu was asleep, Mura, the demon attempted to slay Him; but the female power emerged from Vishnu and burnt the asura to ashes with her glance. Vishnu was pleased and named the energy ‘Ekadashi’ and asked her to claim a boon. Ekadashi beseeched Him that people who observed fast on that day should be redeemed of their sins and attain Vaikunta. Mura symbolically was an embodiment of rajo-tamo gunas present in people. When one conquers these tendencies, he attains purity of mind that is indispensable for attaining moksh. Fasting helps to keep at bay tendencies which could be triggered by intake of certain foods. Keeping vigil in the night is symbolic of awareness, being watchful of the contents of the mind.Interestingly the conversation between Krishna and Arjuna (Bhagavad Gita) occurred on this day and Vishnu temples across world make a door-Parama pada vaasal aka Vaikunt Dwar, for devotees to walk through. 

Thanks to the local team, we were fortunate to render sacred hymns from a stage adjacent to this spot which saw some 150,000 devotees passing through.

May the Divine blessings and Master’s grace be upon all readers of this post.

Kumbakonam Conference on Anuvrat

Kumbakonam, 28th Dec 2014
Conference on Anuvrat gave a wonderful opportunity to interact with writers and scholars.

Thaen Amudham Satsang at Thanjavur Brahadeeswara Temple

Thanjavur, 27th Dec 2014

It was an experience beyond words for the satsangees at the much renowned Southern heritage of Brahadeeswara Temple.The evening was made interesting when many tourist pilgrims from varied parts of the world stopped and began to sway with soul stirring bhajans. Young Perumal,a talented visually challenged musician made the evening more special. His breath danced gracefully through the little holes of the flute.

The un-seasonal drizzle of flower- like rain drops that began at the end of the session perhaps symbolized Mother Nature's pleasant response to the musical offering.

Satsang bandwagon moves on .....

1st December 2014

Tiruppur,  a premier textile and knit wear hub of the Nation is   home for  more than half a million people. The City witnessed an extra- ordinary turnout of its population to rejoice at the Kumbabishekham of  the 2000 year old Veer Raghava Perumal temple. Kudos to thousands of selfless volunteers working together to pull off a mammoth, sacred task of excellence in restoration and rejuvenation.

It was indeed a privilege and honour to be part of a milestone celebration and live commentary. An enjoyable satsang too where kids from local school joined to enliven the proceedings.

Forthcoming: 9th December 2014.
A blissful evening of Ram Amrit @ Deolali, Nashik.
Details  

"Change the Game"

21 Nov 2014, Bangalore

"Change the Game"   being  the  topic for our  address was in  itself challenging . In a fully packed  auditorium ostensibly one of the finest in the City, the  eager  audience was a mix of  some of the finest brains in the realm of  Project Management   rubbing shoulders with the GenNext.  Gratifying that they sat riveted  right through the address. Even more overwhelming  to receive  the  enthusiastic feedback from the Youthful managers.

 

Art of Silence Retreat

We are hosting an Art of  Silence Retreat with Shri.Arunji  at Thanjavur between 25-28 December 2014 with arrangements to visit glorious heritage sites like Brahadiswara.

Register now with   
Phone +91 9043200258.