navaneetham feb 2010 small final

8/9/2019 Navaneetham Feb 2010 Small Final

1/41

OM NAMO NARAYANAYA:

\h\oXw\h\oXw\h\oXw\h\oXw 1185 /1185 /1185 /1185 / February February February February 2010 201020102010

NAVANEETHAMM o n t h l y N e w s l e t t e r o f G u r u v a y o o r D e v o t e e s


2/41

Monthly Newsletter of Guruvayoor Devotees Forum

O m N a m o B h a g a v a t h e Va s u d e v a y a !

WQxVeL YOvLpPqL!Submitted at the lotus feet of Shree Guruvayoorappan by Devotees.

http://group.yahoo.com/groups/guruvayur \h\oXw Page- 2


3/41


Dear GuruDevs,ear GuruDevs,ear GuruDevs,ear GuruDevs,

Guruvayoor Ulsavam is starting on Feb 26 th with Kodiyettam and the final day Aaraattu is onMarch 7 th . All devotees who will be visitng Guruvayoor during Ulsavam season are requested topray for all of us in the group as well as post to the group about ulsavam related articles,travelogue and photos. We will be eager to see Bahagavans ulsavam details.

Upcoming festivals -

Guruvayoor

UlsavamFeb 26 th March 7th

Ettumanoor

Aaraattu

Feb 24th

Chottanikkara MakamFeb 28 th

AattukaalPongaalaFeb 28th

Member of the monthNavaneetham Member of the month is Shri. Narasimhan Naganji. Please see the profile of Shri.Narasimhan-ji at the end of this issue.

Narasimhan-ji is one of the early members of our Guruvayoor group and a trueexample an ardent devotee at an young age. His bhakthi enabled him to pursue the

learning of scriptures in depth and he started learning to recite Bahagavtham fromSriman Annaswamy Natarajan.

Narasimhan completed the first Skandham (chapters 1-19) of this scripture on theauspicious day of Vaikuntha Ekadasi (December-28-2009).

He has been active member in our group for many years involving in spiritual discussion andpromoting the family nature of Guruvayur group by meeting with our elders etc.

It is ineed my pleasure to introduce you Shri. Narasimhanji to all of you. We need more young membersof our society realize the importance of bhakthi and follow his path of learning. My humble pranams to Shri Narasimhanji and I thank him for his utmost support and affection for our

group and our groups projects. Praying to Guruvayoorappan for Ayurarogyasoukhyam to him and hisfamily!!

Samastha Loka Sukhino Bhavanthu - May all living beings in all worlds be happy.

- Sunil



4/41


Guruvayur Shiveli photo from Narayanan K.M.

A quick equation puzzleChandrasekharan Menon

This equation I studied in the school and used at my work place. Can any one guess?

24 X 60360 = 4

A clue : This we experience every day.

(Answer at the last page)



5/41


6/41


dby Sh.Vazhakkunnam Namboothiri

Collected and submitted by - Gopalakrishnan, ([email protected] )

(An old Bhakti Ganam which every one used to sing in Bhakti discourses at Guruvayur temple )

[ dwW J WAK w.c x W w

WAK dbX. J { J d GK .d NAK i d VHB{W A

AK K. wc VHA .]

Ha x A{ MHB{ B KK w AWMMHBZ Z V UwVJ X Kf{ N fZ WffwKK{w KxK X { {VA IK

G{K G AK {{{ VHX X JW { AK BZx B{W x UZ xE KKc Z w dJA{VMAKCU db CW xKKK.{X Oa { { Kf cK fBZ Wf BZ K BK w cVK KKw wc wJAZ wcJ JKAZ BK KJX K VP AK V V BKd Kd JIGCBUX X JC MU cK K CX K V KW {A iLK AKL L X L GW JKcUMZ AK J JX cXKK X K A{d K MMZVNK VN VNB{ {K J K {VJVJXc c c cd cKW d M d K I M X IAK Kc OIJ W K AK MG AKJ MX A

OHM NAMO BHAGAVATHE VASUDEVAYA :



7/41


ImWnImWnImWnImWn

{]kmZv IyjvW{]kmZv IyjvW{]kmZv IyjvW{]kmZv IyjvW

Fnt\ Rm adw tZhm Fnt\ Rm adw\obt Fsbpn tZhm \obt FsbpnbpKmcfmbv Rm ]qPI sNbvXnSpqA\amXamw \n ]mZmchn sf]mY kmcYnbmw \o Ft ImoSntXhcq]sasw FsS a\Xmcnep IWw`n \ndhntembn Rms\smw sNbvXnSpAdnhmb \m apX Rm ssIIqnSphtmambI amnsb\n ImWyw sNmcnntSWwImWnamdmIWw \n apJmw_pPsastFnt\ Rm adw tZhm Fnt\ Rm adw\obt Fsbpn tZhm \obt FsbpnPb Pb Pb tKmhn m tKmhn m Pb tKmhn mPb Pb Pb tKm]mem tKm]mem Pb tKm]memltc apcmtc IyvjvWm ltc apcmtc IyvjvWm



8/41


Personal ExperienceChithra Parameswaran

Hare KrishnaWe have been settled in Dubai for more than 20 years now and every vacation in Kerala we make it apoint to visit Guruvayur. It is usually a 2 day visit. We start from home by morning and reachGuruvayur by afternoon 3-4pm. Then we freshen up and visit the nada.

Since our timing is peculiar we cannot get those receipts for unni-appam in the evening (as theyhave to be brought in the morning). We tried our best to purchase some receipts in the evening butthey said it is not available. We were disappointed and standing near the elephants. My dad was stading a little far off,and suddenly he came running towards my mom and me and said the Devasom staff were wheeling unni-appams in acart, it smelled so delicious. We were filled with sadness again as we could not purchase them.

After a few minutes there was a loud commotion near the area where the Pujari distributes chandanam (sandalwood)to the public. Some man had put his hand inside that plate containing the Kalabham and tried to take it. The pujari wasscolding him that you should not do like that since it is meant for distribution to all. My mom and me got a bit scaredseeing the Pujaris angry face. Suddenly he noticed that we both were looking at him and I have no idea why he did it.

But he was carrying a bag of unni-appams and he offered us two unni-appams from that. We were just

shocked and couldnt react for a few minutes. After some time when we looked up to thank him wecouldnt find him anywhere. Its as if he just disappeared. Im sure Guruvayurappan sent him to give us

those unni-appams since he understood how sad we felt.

Even now this incident brings tears to my eyes. I love him, Krishna you are the apple of my eye. Why would I needanyone else when u can read my heart without me even uttering a word.

Hare Krishna,

The second experience happened last year and it is extra special to me since it occurred only to me :) After our darshan

inside the nada, I was waiting outside while my parents went to buy Paalada payasam. I was standing near thatblessed place where my previous experience taken place(near the chandanam distribution place). We were visitingGuruvayur on a Saturday and the temple was throbbing withthousands of devotees.

Suddenly I noticed the pujari distributing the chandanam. Asyou all know the chndanam they give is light brown in col-our but the pujari had on his forehead the chandanam theyuse to decorate the idol (that beautiful gold colour one). And I

wistfully thought for a minute I want some of that goldencolour Kalabham.

After some time the pujari looked up at me and smiled, but I just turned back and stood. Then he came towards me andtapped at my shoulder and extended his hand. I was wondering what is in it?? He opened his fist and I could not be-lieve. It was some of that beautiful gold chandanam / kalabham :) the best part was when he asked me isnt this whatyou wanted? :) I was so shocked and before I could thank him he took off. I searched for him everywhere but couldntfind him. Again I understood its Krishna leela.

I hope to have more such experiences in future.



9/41


10/41


innumerable meanings.

Sanathana Dharma is a perennial philosophy. It is supposed to be the breath of Lord, and hence

it is natural and ubiquitous and hence people who love Sanathana Dharma, love nature also. It extols love

towards God and hence it is Supreme Dharma, by which the heart of man achieves his highest welfare. It is

Eternal Faith. It embodies all ancient Hindu Scriptures, and it is Vaidika Dharma, embracing Vedic

injunctions. Though it is very vast and exhaustive, at the core of Sanathana Dharma, we can find four

fundamental doctrines to follow, namely:-1. The entire phenomenal world the perceptible universe Drshya Prapancham, with all its di-

versities consisting of every animate and inanimate object of creation, is only the manifestation of

ONE single Divine Ground, known as BRAHMAN, and apart from that they are all nonexistent.

2. Human beings can, not only acquire knowledge about this Divine Ground by study of Scriptures,

observation, reasoning and inference, but can also realize its existence by a direct communion

with it through contemplation and meditation.

3. Man possesses a double nature of which one is a phenomenal ego confined to the body, mind and

intellect, and the other is higher Ego, which is the Eternal Self, surpassing the limitations of all

earthly concepts of self-identification. It is possible for man through spiritual practice, and Divine

Grace through Gurus blessings, to realize his identity with the Supreme Eternal Self, the BRAH-

MAN.

4. Mans life on earth has only one end and purpose; and that is to realize his identity with the

Eternal self and thus attain the undivided, unitive knowledge of the Divine ground BRAHMAN,and act accordingly.

BRAHMAN is the only one Scientific Supreme Truth and it forms the Akhanda (Infinite), Nithya,

Sathya, Shudha, Budha, Mugdha Swaroopa or the Omniscient and Omnipotent.

The word BRAHMA literally means to grow or to expand or swell. Adi Shankara puts it as the quint-

essence of his philosophy: BRAHMA SATHYAM; JAGAT MITHYA, JIVO BRAHMAIVA NA

APARAH- Brahman (the Absolute) is alone real; this world is unreal; and the Jiva or the Individual soul, is

non-different from Brahman. The forces opposed to Vedic Dharma were more numerous and powerful at the

time of Adi Shankara than they are today. We owe him so much on that account, because without him Vedas

would have remained inaccessible to us. BRAHMAN is not an object, it is the Subject- the only Subject and

the Essence. It is constituted by Sat-Chit-Ananda; Sat, that which exists eternally; Chit, is the light of know-

ledge; and Ananda is bliss. This is precisely the true nature of our spirit.

The electro-magnetic waves of the Scriptures contained in Sanathana Dharma are helping all of

us, in our day today life, knowingly or unknowingly to a great extent in making improvements in various



11/41


fields of our lives individually, physically, mentally and spiritually. Sanathana Dharma is really meant for all

and it is above religion; it envisages that every individual should attain the Self and thus bring about the wel-

fare of humanity. It is beautifully depicted in Manusmrthy that we should handle Sanathana Dharma, little

delicately aswell:

satyam bruyat priyam bruyat na bruyat satyam apriyam

priyam ca nanrutam bruyat esha dharmah sanatanah, meaning: All that you speak must be truth, but you do not have to say all that is true. Speak truth in such a way

that it should be pleasing to others. Never speak truth, which is unpleasant to others. This is the path of eternal morality or Sanatana Dharma. All Scriptures of other religions put together will come to only half of the Scriptures in Sanathana Dharma.

Approximately 1280 foundation books are there, in hundreds of languages, with more than 10,000commentaries, and more than one lakh of sub-commentaries.

The Scriptures therein, reveal 330 million gods, hundreds of thousands of Rishis and a huge variety of acharas, rituals etc, among many other precious gems of axioms, aswell.

Jai Hind. (Dated: 2 nd February, 2010.)



12/41


Brahma Murari Surarchitha lingam (Sivapuranam)

Dr B.G.Y. Sastry

It was the fourteenth day (chaturdasi) of the month Magha Bahula.The time was sunset and the darkness was overpowering sunshine.

Lord Vishnu was lying on the serpent couch in the sea of eternity. Lord Brahma, whilepassing by, felt insulted when Lord Vishnu neither rose nor greeted him. Both flew into rage

over the question of supremacy. The argument prolonged each claiming to be creator of theother. The heated discussion led to a fight. The Devas were horrified at the intensity of thebattle. Ultimately, they rushed to Lord Shiva for aid. On the request of Devas, Lord Shivaproceeded to the battlefield. There in the midst of battle, Lord Shiva assumed the form of ahuge pillar of light (Jyothirlinga), which was about a million times to the sunlight. It was agreat and wonderful moment. Both Brahma and Vishnu were awestruck by the cosmic pillarof light.

Then Lord Shiva told to Brahma and Vishnu that who ever find the beginning and the end ofthe Jyothilinga at first is great. Brahma sitting on swan (hamsa vahana) went towards thetop of Jyothirlinga, while Vishnu in the disguise of Varaaha went towards the bottom. Brahma during his journey upward came across a fragrant ketaki flower falling from the topslowly. (Ketaki is a Sanskrit name, which means "dhuli pushpika". Ketaki is also known as"keura" in Hindi. The botanical nomenclature of this plant is "pandanus odoratissimus". InEnglish it is known as umbrella tree or screw pine. In Telugu as Mogalipoovu, in Tamil asTalzampoo, in Kannada as Talegari or Kethage, in Arab as Kaadi and in Parsi as Karaja etc.)

Then Brahma asked the flower Where from you are coming? The flower replied I am theone offered to the Jyothirlingam. Then Brahma asked the flower Do you know where thetop of Jyothirlingam is? It said No. Unable to find the uppermost limits, Brahma decided totake the flower back to Vishnu to bear witness that he had reached the top of theJyotirlinga.



13/41


14/41


MOHAMUDHGARA-BAJAGOVINDAM OF SANKARAMOHAMUDHGARA-BAJAGOVINDAM OF SANKARA

DR. SAROJA RAMANUJAM, M.A., PH.D, SIROMANI IN SANSKRIT.kaamam kroDham lobham moham

thyakthvaa aathmaanam bhaavaya koham

aathmajnaanaviheenaa mooDaah

the pachyanthe naraka nigooDaah

Give up desire, anger, greed and delusion and think about your real Self. The ignorant who lack theknowledge of the Self, fall into hell and get burnt.

As the Lord has said in the Gita, the desire when thwarted becomes anger, kaamaath kroDho abhijaayathe(BG.2.62) and the desire is never satisfied, and only creates desire for more. This is lobha, greed. The greed,lobha gives way to moha, delusion, kroDhaath bhavathi sammohaaH (BG.2.63) Sankara says one shouldgive up all the three which is possible only if one gives up desire, kama which is termed as the greatestenemy of man, most sinful, says Krishna in Gita, mahaasano mahaa paapmaa vidDhi enam ihavairiNam (BG.3.37) and also the fire which is difficult to satisfy, dhushpoorena analena by which thediscrimination is shrouded. (BG.3.39)

How to give up the desire? You an give up something only if you get attached to something else. Hence oneshould think about his real self and get detached from body, mind and intellect. To discard bad thoughts oneshould have good thoughts. When the thought of the real Self which is different from the egoistic self occupies the mind the egocentric impulses automatically vanish. The knowledge of the Self alone canremove sensual desires and Sankara says, those who lack this knowledge rot in hell. The hell described hereis not something that exists in the other world but it means the hell we go through here itself on account of uncontrollable desires. We should unhook ourselves from the worldly desires by hooking ourselves to the atof the divine. In Gita the Lord says that He is the desire which is not against dharma, that is the desire foruplifting oneself according to dharma. What Sankara insists here is that we should make the effort tobecome free from worldly desires by fixing our minds on the divine and even a little effort repeatedly madein this direction becomes fruitful.



15/41


Geeta DhyanamGeeta Dhyanam

Veena Nair

|| Om Namo Narayanaya ||

Apare niyatAhArAh prAnAn prAneshu juhwati;Sarvepyete yajnavido yajnakshapita kalmashAh. || 4.30 ||

Others who regulate their diet offer life-breaths in life-breaths; all these are knowers of sacrifice, whose sins are all destroyed by sacrifice.

Krishna provides yet another way by which the aspirant can hope to progress on the path of spirituality-that of regulating ones diet. Swami Chinmayananda points out that observing strict diet or self-controlin terms of eating and drinking is an ancient technique adopted by our rishis to gain mastery over thesenses. Such a technique, practiced in a spirit of surrender and dedication to the Lord, in due course of time will lead the devotee to be free of all sins.

Yajna shishtAmrita bhujo yAnti Brahma sanAtanam;NAyam lokostya yajnasya kutonyah kurusattama. || 4.31 ||

Those who eat the remnants of the sacrifice, which are like nectar, go to the eternalBrahman. This world is not for the man who does not perform sacrifice; how then can he have the other,O Arjuna?

Remnants of the sacrifice here is interpreted as the fruits of any of the techniques described in theprevious verses. Every technique, whether it is in-depth scriptural study or the practice of austerities orpranayam or diet control, is said to be just a different path, leading to the same goal, that of self-realization. Ramana Maharishi says that the idea of self-realization as a destination is a misconception we are already That, we need to just wake up to the fact. This means that by following either of thetechniques described in this chapter one can purify oneself of ones negative tendencies, become what thewise call an integrated personality where ones senses and mind and body are fully attuned to eachother and there is no conflict. This then leads to a stage free of ego, the I-sense, so that everything isviewed as Brahman Vasudevam sarvam iti.

However, in the second line of this sloka, the importance of continuous, sincere, and dedicated effort isbrought out. Krishna says that one cannot achieve success even in this world without effort, what to sayabout this other Higher world of self-realization?

Evam bahuvidhaa yajnA vitatA Brahmano mukhe;KarmajAn viddhi tAn sarvAn evam jnAtwaa vimokshyase. || 4.32 ||

Thus, various kinds of sacrifices are spread out before Brahman. Know them all as born of action, andknowing thus, thou shalt be liberated.

Krishna conveys two messages in this sloka One, no matter how different all the paths appear to be,with consistent and sincere effort, they will all lead to the same goal. Second, important thing to

remember is that these paths are just that paths, actions, they are just the means and not the end. So thehttp://group.yahoo.com/groups/guruvayur \h\oXw Page- 15


16/41


17/41


( ))))fkzfkzfkzfkz

VAISHNAVI #49, Vivekanada StreetUdayanagar, Dooravaninagar (PO),

Bangalore - 560 016Phone - 080 28530048, 41260122, 28533785,

09448367896e-mail [email protected]

19 : j ( )1

g g h h

h i -

h , i. h , g h .

2i k

i - h ; g j

k h .3

t g g o g

h i z h o .

4 h

g h i

h g o; .

5.oj g h

o i i qh g ;

h i h i ; g g i .

6

hp i , -

i y g i k z .

7,8h i h ;

p i h i k j g .

oj g o h o h .

zg z i , z .

9z g z h y i

i o g ;z - ; zz z .

10z h

z j g o-

h h

; .



18/41


18hvt cjiX gYj --

1 h h h

2

z

h

3 h

h -

t 4

g

5

h

h

6m

y

7

8

z z z

g 9

g y

t 10

z m

-



19/41


Episodes in Srimad-Bhagavatam - A Vedantic Interpretation

By S. N. Sastri(Submitted with permission by Balagopal)

1. Introduction

The ultimate goal of human life is Moksha or liberation from the cycle of birth and death. Liberation is nothingbut the realization of ones real nature. Srimad Bhagavatam defines Moksha succinctly as "the establishment of

the individual in his essence as the Self freed from all wrong identifications" (Bh.II.10.6). Every individualidentifies himself with the physical body, the sense organs and the mind. When a person describes himself asstout or lean or fair-complexioned or dark, he is looking upon himself as the physical body to which thesecharacteristics belong. When he says 'I see', 'I hear', 'I smell' and so on, he is identifying himself with the or-gans of sense which perform these functions. When he says 'I am happy' or 'I am unhappy', he is identifyinghimself with his mind. The Upanishads declare that all these identifications are wrong and that the human be-ing is in reality not the body or the sense-organs or the mind, but something beyond all these, known as the At-man or Self, which is eternal, changeless and not affected by anything that happens to the body-mind complex.This wrong identification is due to our ignorance of our real nature. This ignorance is what is called avidya ornescience. When this ignorance is eradicated, the person remains established in his essence as the Self or Brah-man-Atman. The Upanishads lay down the means by which this wrong identification can be brought to an end

and the goal of Moksha attained.

Contrary to popular conception, the objectives of the Upanishads and the Puranas are not different, but they areessentially the same, namely, to expound the means of attaining liberation. This is made very clear in Srimad-Bhagavatam, Skandha12, ch.13, verse18, which says:--Srimad-Bhagavatam, the flawless Purana, dear to the devotees of Lord Vishnu, extols the One Pure SupremeConsciousness, which is the goal of the Paramahamsas. It describes Naishkarmya (the state of being firmly es-tablished in the realization that one is the actionless Brahman-Atman), along with spiritual knowledge, detach-ment and devotion. The man who hears it read or reads it himself with devotion and meditates (on its teach-ings) attains liberation".

tp://group.yahoo.com/groups/guruvayur \h\oXw Page-


20/41


Passages bringing out the gist of the Upanishads are found in almost every chapter in this Purana and particu-larly in the hymns of praise (stutis) addressed by various devotees to the Lord. Apart from such direct teachingof Vedanta, many of the episodes lend themselves to interpretation as allegorical stories which expound Ved-anta. Srimad-Bhagavatam itself shows the way in this direction through the allegorical interpretation given bysage Narada to a story narrated by him to king Prachinabarhis (Sk.IV, ch 25 to 29). This Purana can thus bestudied and appreciated at two different levelsone, as describing the glorious deeds of the Lord by which Heprotects the virtuous and establishes Dharma on this earth, and two, as expounding Vedanta through allegory.An attempt has been made in the following chapters to give an allegorical interpretation of a number of epis-odes.

2. Visit of Sanaka and other sages to Vaikuntha(Bhagavata, Sk.III, ch.15)

The four sages, Sanaka, Sanatana, Sanandana and Sanatkumara, who are known as the mind-born sons (Man-asa-putras) of Brahma, the Creator, set out for Vaikuntha to do obeisance to Lord Mahavishnu (III. 15.13). Onthe way they passed through a divine orchard named Naissreyasa which was Kaivalya incarnate, as it were,which was resplendent with trees that yield all that is desired and are laden with flowers and fruits in all sea-sons (III.15.16):--

The abode of the Lord was surrounded by seven ramparts which had to be crossed before one could reach thepresence of the Lord. The four sages crossed the first six ramparts without any obstruction and without being

attracted in the least by the beautiful scenery all around, by the delightful singing of divine birds, by the fra-grance of the divine flowers and by the delicious fruits hanging on the trees, their minds fixed on their goal,namely, seeing the Lord (III.15. 27).

At the entrance to the seventh rampart, these sages, who looked like boys of five and wore no clothes, wererudely stopped by the two gate-keepers named Jaya and Vijaya and were not allowed to proceed further (verse30). Annoyed at being thus stopped, they pronounced a curse that since Jaya and Vijaya still entertained thesense of difference and were therefore unfit to remain in Vaikuntha, they would be born as Asuras on the earth(verse 34). That very moment the Lord, who knew what had happened, Himself came to the spot where thesages were standing (verse 37). The sages, in ecstasy, worshipped the Lord, singing His praises (verse 45). Ascursed by the sages, Jaya and Vijaya took three successive births as Asuras, first as Hiranyaksha and Hiran-yakasipu, next as Ravana and Kumbhakarna and finally as Sisupala and Dantavaktra and ultimately attained sal-vation by the path of confrontation.

In this episode, the following features are of great significance for the spiritual seeker:--(1) the orchard on the way is named Naissreyasa,(2) seven ramparts have to be crossed before one can reach the presence of the Lord,(3) the sages crossed the first six ramparts without their mind being distracted by the beautiful sights, soundsand smells on the way, with total concentration on their goal,(4) at the entrance to the seventh rampart they were obstructed by Jaya and Vijaya and,(5) as soon as the sages pushed Jaya and Vijaya away with a curse, the Lord Himself appeared before them,without their having to go further.

The word Naissreyasa means liberation or the total cessation of transmigratory existence. It is significantthat this is the name of the divine orchard through which the sages had to pass. This orchard is further de-scribed as Kaivalya incarnate, which again means liberation. It is therefore quite logical to conclude that, al-legorically, the journey of the sages to Vaikuntha stands for the progress of the spiritual aspirant towards Self-realization. The seven ramparts to be crossed represent the five organs of perception, the mind and the intellect;crossing these ramparts means achieving complete control over the five sense-organs and the mind and ulti-mately transcending the intellect also. This is indicated by saying that the sages were not at all distracted fromtheir aim by the delightful things on the way. The idea is that, in the same way, the seeker after liberationshould not allow himself to be attracted by sense-objects, but should concentrate his mind on the Self alone.

The obstruction caused by Jaya and Vijaya at the last rampart represents the last traces of raga (attachment)and dvesha (aversion) which, as the Bhagavad-gita says, are the enemies of the spiritual aspirant. The Gita



21/41


compares them to two highway robbers who will rob us of our spiritual wealth and warns us to be careful notto fall into their clutches (Gita 3.34). Just as the sages pushed away Jaya and Vijaya from their path, the aspirant should push out even the last tracesof attachment and aversion from his mind and make his mind pure.

It is significant that as soon as the sages pushed away Jaya and Vijaya by a curse, the Lord appeared beforethem. This indicates that, once the aspirant has become completely free from attachment and aversion, Self-realization will dawn immediately.

Thus, through this episode, the path to Self-realization is brought out, step by step. Control the senses and themind, concentrate the mind on the Self, do not be attracted by worldly pleasures and root out attachment andaversion. This is the path to Self-realization.

The Kathopanishad says (2.1.1) that the nature of the sense-organs is to proceed outward, to enjoy sense-objects, such as sound, etc. They are therefore not capable of knowing the indwelling Self. But a rare Dhira, desiring immortality, with-draws his sense-organs from external objects and sees the indwelling Self. Kalidasa defines Dhira as onewhose mind is not distracted even in the presence of the most desirable objects (Kumarasambhava,I.59).

The four sages are the best examples of such a Dhira. This episode thus illustrates the teaching contained in theKathopanishad mantra referred to above.

3. Varaha Incarnation

The incarnation of the Lord as Varaha (the Divine Boar) and the slaying of the demon Hiranyaksha are de-scribed in chapters 13, 17, 18 and 19 of Skandha III of Srimad-Bhagavatam.

Svayambhuva Manu, the first of the fourteen Manus, was engaged in the task of creation at the command of hisfather, Brahma. He suddenly noticed that the earth, the dwelling place for all creatures, had been submerged inthe waters. Manu approached Brahma and prayed to him to lift the earth out of the waters. Knowing that hewas helpless and that only the Supreme Lord, Narayana, could come to his help, Brahma meditated on the

Lord. While he was thus meditating, a tiny boar cub of the size of a thumb emerged from his nostril. The boarimmediately grew to the size of an elephant and then to the size of a mountain, all in a trice. Brahma was verymuch amazed and guessed that the boar could be none other than Narayana Himself. The sages in the jana, tapaand satya lokas began to sing hymns extolling the Lord. The Lord in the form of the huge boar suddenlyplunged into the waters. Lifting up with His tusk the earth that had been submerged in the waters by the AsuraHiranyaksha, the Lord placed the earth on the surface of the water. He then turned towards the Asura who wasrushing towards Him in uncontrollable anger. A fierce fight ensued, during which the Asura employed manymagical tricks, all of which proved to be of no avail against the Lord, who is Himself the wielder of Maya. TheLord despatched His beloved weapon, the Discus, known as Sudarsana and destroyed the phantoms conjuredup by the Asura with his magical powers. The Lord then dealt the Asura a severe blow, without any effort, as if it was mere play. The Asura dropped dead. The earth was thus saved by the Lord from the clutches of the As-

ura.Now let us try to find out the allegorical meaning of this story. The earth is proverbially considered to be syn-onymous with forbearance. In the Valmiki Ramayana, Sri Rama is described by sage Narada as 'equal to theearth in forbearance' (kshamayaa prithiveesamah- Bala Kanda, Ch.1, verse18). Forbearance is one of the hall-marks of Sattvaguna. The earth therefore stands for Sattvaguna in this episode.

The Lord says in the Bhagavadgita that everything in this universe is made up of the three gunas-- Sattva, Ra- jas and Tamas. Sattva stands for knowledge, calmness, serenity and similar virtues. Rajas stands for ego-centred activity and Tamas for sleep, indolence and similar qualities. In the majority of human beings Rajaspredominates, making their minds ever go outward in search of happiness. Spiritual evolution requires thewithdrawal of the mind from external objects and directing it towards the Self (Atma) within, which is Bliss it-



22/41


self and therefore the source of all happiness. This can be achieved only by reducing the Rajoguna in the mindand increasing the Sattvaguna correspondingly. Karmayoga and devotional practices help to achieve this. It issaid by the Lord in the Bhagavadgita that Sattva increases when Rajas and Tamas are subdued. (Ch.14,verse10). This process of conquering our Rajasic tendencies and bringing up the Sattvaguna which is lyingsuppressed within is what is allegorically brought out by this story.

Hiranyaksha, being an Asura possessing all the Asuric qualities spoken of in Chapter 16 of the Gita, representsRajoguna. When Rajoguna predominates, Sattvaguna is suppressed. This suppression of Sattvaguna, represen-ted here by the earth, by Rajoguna, represented by Hiranyaksha is the significance of Hiranyaksha keeping theearth immersed in water. Brahma sought the help of the Lord to save the earth from the Asura. So also, wehave to pray for divine help to conquer our Rajoguna and bring up the suppressed Sattvaguna. When Brahmameditated on the Lord, the boar came out of his nostril, that is to say, the power which crushed the Asura camefrom within himself. This is very significant. This indicates that when we resort to meditation on the Lord, thestrength to conquer our Rajoguna will come from within ourselves and not from outside. This strength, which,like the boar, is small initially, grows with our devotion and meditation, as the boar did. Ultimately we acquiresufficient spiritual strength within ourselves to conquer our Rajasic tendencies and make our mind predomin-antly Sattvic. This is symbolized by the slaying of Hiranyaksha and the rescue of the earth.

Thus the import of this story, if looked at allegorically, is that by devotion to God and meditation the seekercan generate within himself the power to get rid of the Rajasic (and Tamasic) tendencies which stand in theway of spiritual evolution and make his mind predominantly Sattvic. Such a mind alone can be completely

withdrawn from external objects and concentrated on the Self. This is the way to Self-realization.(To be continued)



23/41


` tNew tNe Zn\hpw` tNew tNe Zn\hpw` tNew tNe Zn\hpw` tNew tNe Zn\hpw]n. cmLh, ]mhq]n. cmLh, ]mhq]n. cmLh, ]mhq]n. cmLh, ]mhq

Cu hjs (2009) tNeZn\w [amkw 1 w XobXn _p[\mgvNbmbn. [ amknse BZys_p[\mgvNbmWs{X tNe {ioIrjvW `Khms\ Imhm t]mbXv. t]mtm dv Ahnepw

FSpn. Ans\ [amkns\ BZys _p[\mgvN tNe Zn\ambnsImmSm XpSn. Cu hjs tNe Zn\w 16.12.2009 BhncnXv.

tNes\ Zcn{Z {_mW Krlm{ianbmbnshnepw GhpwZcn{Zw {_\nbphw Cuizc hnizmknbpw Bbn. ]t Xs`mcytbbpw atfbpw t\mt ISa \nlnnn. AXn ImcWw henbCuizc hnizmkw Xs. GXp kabpw Cuizc ]qPbpw Cuizc kvt{Xm{XwsNm. Cuizc\n apgpInbnXn\m hnipw ZmlhpwAdnnn. ]t Spw_Imcyw {inmXn\m `mcybpw afpw Ht\cs Blmcn hgnbnmsX \w Xncnp. F{X Znhkw Cns\klnw. hniSm IgnbmsX ]np ss]X hmhnp Icp XpSn.A Fp sNpw. A sImSpmet hgnbpq. AbmmsWnCns\sbm hnNmchpw C. mcy Inembn. nIsf ]eXpw ]dv kam[m\nnm t\mn. Fp {]tbmP\w. D]tZiw sImv hnipamdptam ? t]mcmXn nIfpw. nIfpsS Zb\obmh Zo\tcmZ\w,`Wn apdhnfn B km[znsb hmsX gn. Cuizcs\ s\mphnfnI. AXp am{Xta t]mwhgnbpq. A afpsS Imcyn{inmsX Ft mgpw Cuizc hnizmknbmbn Cp Xs. B km[zn

ASpp {_mW Krlfn sN `nbmNnp. Nnetm hXpw Inpw. A[nIhpw Inmdn. APohnncnnt, Abmnm ZpJw \apsn\m F hnNmcnv Dsnepw Bw HwsImSpn. Fm kv{XobpsS Zb\obmhbpw ]mchiyhpw Iv Nne Zbmep hXpw\w. `mcysbbpw nItfbpw t\mm Ignbmh Fn hnhmlw Ignp, nI AhnsSbnv Ictms \apsp tNXw Fv Nne ]ckyambn ]dbmw XpSn.

""Cuizc NnbnsXmt aP imizXaobpeIn Fv ]dv Abm Spw_ns Imcyw{inn. kZmt\chpw Cuizc Nn Xs. {_RvPcn t{iw, hnjbfn \nv hncw, ]ca imw Bb B {_mW {ioIrjvW`Khms kplrpw IqSnbmbn. B Krlm{ian DXp sImpXr]vXnsp. Hw Innbnsnepw AXnepw Xr]vX\mbn.

Zcn{Zbpw ]Xn{hXbpw Bb `mcy hmSnb apJtmsS `mhnw nIw `Ww sImSphmIgnbmXn hnj\mbn ZpJt msS hniSm IgnbmsX Cuizcs\ {]mnv XmBhemXnsv Zn\ IgnpIqn. F{X Znhkw Cns\ Ignw. nIfpsS Zb\obamb Icn,hmSnf apJw Ip Iv kln sItm H Znhkw `mhnt\mSv AXv ]dbm Xs Xobmn XwImn. ]qPmZn Isfmw Ignv `mhv Ccntm `mcy AhntSv sNv hfsc XmtIWv klnm Ignbm ZpJtmsS nIfpsS Zb\obmhsbn kqNnnp. Rm Fns\sbnepwklnw nIv CXdnbntm. F\nv Hct]bpv. ZbhpsNbvXv AsXm tIq. CapsnkzoIcnq Csn Xnfbq. \nfpsS kl]mTnbmbn IrjvW `Khms\ sN Iv XsZb\obmh Hv Adnbnp IqtS. t\cn sNdnbnm Atlw AXv tImXncnne. ZbhpsNbvXv \fpsS nI thn Atls t\cn ImWm {ianp IqsS. `mcybpsS kSmhbpw,nIfpsS hmSnb apJhpw ZpJhpw Iv IrjvW `Khms\ ImWm Xs tNe Xobmn. shdpwssItmsS Fns\ t]mw. Fsnepw H tht. AXn\v Fp sNpw. Ah ]Xnhp t]mse`nmS\ n\mbn t]mbn. Nne sImSpp. A[nIw t]w sImSpn, sImSpn F am{XaNo]dnepw tIv B km[zn Inembn. hnhibmbn. Av dv Ahn Inn. s\pw, ]Xnw, IpwHw t\mmsXthXncnmw \nn. \ XpWnbpsm AXpw C. Xs h{n \nv H `mKwIodnsbSpv Ahn s]mXnp hp. nIfpsS Imhb tNe\v {][m\w. Cns\sbnepw XskXoys\ ImWmatm. t]mIm Xs Xobmn. `mcysb Adnbnp. mcy tNet\mSv At]nvXv Cns\bm. {_, `mWcn `nbphw, icWw {]m]nhsc ssIshSnbmhw ]ca tbmKyw,bZpem[n]w, ktizcamb {ioIrjvW`Khm AbpsS kl]mSnIqsSbmWtm. alm `mKk\v GImew_\mb AtZls kao]nI. IsSphw Spw_amb Atv Fsnepw Zm\w sNpw. FmhtSbpw Cuizc\mbn XnhSn ZzmcIbn hknhtm. ]mZ ]wkvacnhv Atlw Fpw GXpw \ev. ]ns \n IqpImamWsm. nXnKXnI ]dbq. ]dtb, ]dbmsX Xs H sNm Xs XnhSn AXv a\nemw. Xobmbpw \apv thXpXw. F\nv \ hnizmkhpw Ddpw Dv. tNmZnm hsn th, A{Xbpw IWm\n[nbmWv B am\ytZlw. mcybpsS A`y\, At], hopw hopw ]db, CXv tNes\ t]mhm Xs



24/41


t{]cnnp. Ahkm\w kXnp.

Bm kp{lpns kvt\l _w Dmbnbmbn \nXv \ap ImWmw. A {Zp]Zs\t]msebmtWm Fw \apv a\nemImw. ]Xv\nbpsS hmI tI tNe AXp hsc Du kwKXnHmbn hcmXnXn ApXw tXmn. Zmcn{Zy ia\ n HcdpXn Inm\mWv `mcy At]nsXnepw Xs ]gb kp{lpns\ Hv Iv kulrZw ]pXpmw F hnizmktmsSBizmkt msS DWvTtbmsS, kt mjt msS, A Fsnepw hn]coXw ]dbptam FBImwjtbmsS t]mhm Xs Xoam\np. Khms\ ImWemWv ChnsS {][m\w. B hn{]hcy `mcy\Inb Ahnngn FSpv ]pdsp. hgnbnsemw, IrjvWs ki\w F Nn sImv \S. FsnXn FhnsS, `Khms nXn FhnsS. Xs Im Adnbptam Ftm? Ans\ hcn. ]ca ]pjw,hmey \n[nbpw Bb Atlnsm t`Z_pn. Hcnepw Dmhn AYhm {Zp]Zs\tmsebmtam ? FNnbpw h. a\v BSnfnp. Dw Fsnepw Bhs. hXt, hXp hcs F hnizmktmsSa\n AIqeambpw, {]XnIqehpw Bb NntbmsS ZzmcIbpsS kao]sn. {_mW\mbXn\mtNmZyw sNmsX Xs Imhmc Dntev ISn hnp. FhnsS t\mnbmepw hnNn{XambaWnamfnII. FhnsSbmWv t]mtIXv. BtcmSmWv tNmZntXv. Khm FhnsSbmbncnw. dp t\cwangnp \n. Xs kXoys hchv a\nemnb `Khm bmsXm aSnbpw IqSmsX

Bgn aIfpsamansm Inentetctagmw amfnI apIfnenfpwGgp cpehmgnbmb Xpcms\{XbpwXmsg Xs hbkys\ Zqcp IpImse{X Isa{Xbpw apjn Po hkv{XwsImp XpSpnpcobhpanv apn s]mXn s]mXnbpw apJyamb ]pkvXIhpwcpw IqSn InenSpnsmv `{Zamb `kvahpw [cnp \akvmcInWap{Zbpw apJcamb s]mfnSbpw{Zmamebptan, \ma Io\hpw sNbvXpNn{Zq]nepdp sNt sNpwAWs\ Inp ktmjw sImtm XkyssZ\ywNnnnpnepmb km]w sImtmFp sImtm iucn Ip \ocWnp, [oc\mbsNmactm Icnpq]n aXo sh apm\ sNbv Xn]apv ]cnP\tmSp IqSn apDgnp Xmgsgpn ]uchcmwshw t]mse Nppw h hnp \n]mcmhmc I ]cnhmctmSpIqSn `]mcmbW\mb \mcmbW\mcyw]mcmsX sNsXntcp tNes\ Zo\Zbm]mchiytahw asmcoizctmamds hnbp shw sImp \mdpw kXoys\amdptbmSp tNp KmUw ]pWIqdp aqew {XnsssImp ssI]nSnp sImp ]SntIdnsmp evaoXntenn]nmWnIsfsmp ]mZw IgpInp ]c`smgnp `KhXn shsamgnpXpnbpw ]mgntmImsX ]m{Xfntep XoapXpsImp X\namw Xfnp.....

Cns\ t]m cma]pcp hmcysS h\.

Xs kXoys hchp a\nemnb `Khm bmsXm aSnbpw IqSmsX Ggmw amfnI apIfn \nv Nphntendn hv hn ktmjtmsS Xs {]nbs kJmhns\, tXmgs\ BenwK\w sNbvXp. Bk`n tNemb B \nhrXnv, `Khmmb B kw{Xn]vXn hnhcnm hmI Inpn. cpt]w ]cam\s {]m]np. amfnI apIfn sImp sNv ]cynenn Im IgpInp. B ]mZ XowX\nw AhnsSbphnw Xfnv ]mZ]qP sNbvXv AhnsSbnn. XZhkcn nWotZhn XmehrwsImv hoin tNes oWw Xop. CXv Ip \n ZzmcIm hmknI ]cn{`anp, ApX ]cX{cmbn, \nntajcmbn Ans\ Xs \n. IrjvW `Khms kzoIcWn \nv B {_mWt{is hynXzw, tbmKyX, alXzw saenh\msWnepw t{ibv ta Fnh ]dbmsX XsZzmcImhmknI a\nemn. Ah ApX ]cX{cmbn. hon Fhw kpJat F tNmZyn\v XebmpI am{Xw sNbvXp. ]noSv Ah ]e Imcyfpw ]dv hnZym`ymk Imentev Fn.



25/41


almht\\mw hndIn t]mbntlmalmhrn sNmcn t\cw\\tijw hgnbpw ]ngt\It\cw hebpw ZimbmwXncsgpn almap\o{hncp\s ]YnIt\cwA{Klnp hnhn[{]Imcwa\nepsm Xh `q kptc{ (aWn{]hmfw)

]noSv hnZym`ymk Imev hndIn t]mbXpw apw ]e IYI ]dp cknp. tNe h Imcyw{ioIrjvW `Khm a\nemn. Hfnnp h Ahn s]mXn Ip ]nSnp. F\nv hXpw sImp hnpsm Fv `Khm tNmZnp. AXn Hchpw \ImsX `Khms\s t\mnbn. Cu apjn IodpWnbnIpw apw tN Ahn Xs kXoy sImpWtam, sImSptbm F hnNmcm ]cn{`mm\mbnCcns `Khm Ahns]mXn Ip ]nSnp. Blm ! hXpw sImp hnmsWm anmsXbncnXv F ]dv ]

nSnp henp hmn H ]nSn Xn. cmas ]nSn FSptm nWotZhn XSpp, aXn aXn CXp sImpXs [mcmfambn.

Av cm{Xn `Khms {]tXyI HuZmcytmSpw _lpam\tmSpw IqSn BXnYyw kzoIcnv kpJambnnSdn. ]nsZnhkw cmhnse t\cs Fgptv \nXyIsfms Ignv `Khmt\mSv bm{X ]dp kzKrlntev ]pdsp. hgnbn hv Rm Fn\mWv t]mbXv Fv BtemNnXv. `Khmt\mSv Hw ]dntm. `Khm Hw tNmZnXpan. Iambntmbn, hon sNm`mcytbmSv Fpw ]dbpw. Cns\ Nnnv hnjanv \Sv Xs hoSns ASpsnbXv Adnn. AhnsSApXIcamb ]e ImgvNIfpw Ip. hkv{XmewImc`qjnXbmb H kv{Xo hXv Ip. Akm[mcWambDbcap tKm]pcw Ip. ]cmKw, apv Fo cXv\ ]Xnv hnfp H amfnIbpw XpSv av `h\fpw AhnsS Zriyambn. DZym\w, apw, thsdbpw ]e kz Krl, am{Xa, Bnw,\rnw D Krl fn cXv\w ]Xn kv\m\ L Fnhbpw AhnsS Ip. CXp Itmhgn amdn hthm ? A ChnsSbmWtm Fs hoSv \nnXv. `Khms\ Fsm adnambw. t\cs XmI kv{Xo Fs ASpsp XsbmWtm hXv. Bcmcnbncnmw Fv hnNmcnncntmtgpw AhASpsn. \mbn B`cW AWnv \sm kpcmwKn. t\mnbtm tNe ]cnànp. hnkvabnp, ktmjnp, XqleNn\mbn. Ah hmUw`c hn`qjnXbbn, {]k Nnbpw{]k hZ\bpambn Ah hv `mhns ssI ]nnp. tNe ]cn{`m\mbn \nevXp Iv RmXsbmWv \nfpsS `mcy Xs, Hpw ]cn{ànt F ]dp. Ah cpt]w hontev sN. tNe\v ]camw a\nembn. Cu IsXms evao]Xnbmb `Khms eoeIfmWtm. tl hnjvtWm, Hw anmsXA{Klnp X Cu sFizcysfmw F{X Bcyw. F{X ApXIcw. t\mq `Khms eoe. lm ! Fsm adnambw Fsm AXnibw, Fsm A{Klw. `Khms\, `Khms\ Apns ambm {]`mhwhnNn{Xw Xs... hnNn{Xw Xs...

tNe k karnbn Alcnn. `mcybpw nIfpw kpJambn Pohnatm. CXn ]cw C\n FpthWw `Khms\. B`mS PohnXn {ànmsX Cuizc Nn ssI hnSmsX PohnXw \bnp. Ans\ AXy `\mb tNes\ ]q\mn. tNe `ntbmsS, kvt\lt msS, hn\btmsS, AW`mhtmsS, `Khm Ahn kanv Zn\amWv \mw Cv tNe Zn\ambn `n km{ambn sIm-mSpXv. AhnsmXnbpambn Fmhjhpw t{Xn sNv kanv Bcm[\ Ignv Xncnp hmn`m {]kmZambn \vXv Fm hjhpw Kphbqcn {]m[m\yw t\SnbZn\ambnoncn. At Znhkw shdpw Ahne ic, \mfntIcw, ]gw Fnh IqngAhnemWv ]ocSnw, cm{Xn ]qPw `Khm \nthZnXv. Ans\ Dmnb Ahn XsbmWv `P\w {]kmZambn sImSpXv. Fmhw tNes\tmse \ncc [ym\m Cuizc {]oXnt\Sm, kmmmcw t\Sm {iansav D hnizmktmsS Cu teJ\w Ahkm\nns.

************************



26/41


gggg o o o o

z gz gz gz g ( ://c la aa ra al.bl s .c /2008/06/bl s . l )

h g

p g h oi

g

h o .

k i i - p ,

. g h z og i - . z, g - o o -

h - p , p . h oi . i i

p - o .

. j o p.

k o i

. h i

k o p o g .

i - o k i - - o i o

k g k .

o g - - g i j - o .

o g - ? o k .



27/41


o - j j i o ?

- p h o . h . - p o- j . k - .

g , o- j g . - o g . o- o .

k o j - o- j . k - . o o o j

- .q . o - , j -

h, . - o z !! j , o

h .

o o i p . o o j . o

. j - .z i - o o g i p.

z h i . 20

- j o hp. i - - - . i , h .

i - h p .i i

k . k i h h . h

z i . i t h z - i

. z o . h i z - . h o k

i z o . k t . , ,

k o p .

h

f k- o

, f k- o tp://group.yahoo.com/groups/guruvayur \h\oXw Page-


28/41


h o p - i h p .

- h h !!

h h - k o k jo h , o .

k h z o h - . i - o ,

o 45 - . k . p !

i o

- j i g

i - i p . p

36 , 6 , 12 , 5 3

j p m o - . o

i . o h ji o i .

j , g i o o o o i . , h o o - .

g - o .o o

o g o .

i j , - - - g j i .

o o i ,

o i ,

i p o , .

( j o h o - , , )



29/41


Why I am a vegetarian?

Udayabhanu Panickar Copyright Udayabhanu Panickar

ShAnthi, Peace is an absolute need for human life, but often it is an elusive value for the majority of us. Thereason for its elusiveness is that it is always sought from external source. But, Peace should be a value to befound from within of the self, especially for the people of bhAratEya origin. Peace is conceptual and it isinherent for human. It is within each one of us but lost in our egoistic conduct and our quest for materialisticluxuries & sensual pleasure. But it is waiting to be uncovered. Only the practice of dhaRMam [Right Conduct]leads us to that Peace. And once the Peace in every one is established, it shall lead the whole world toPeace. Love is a necessity for Peace. If we Love ourselves, we should love all others, and that will give usPeace.

Love is the basic human characteristic; encompassing charity, friendship, sympathy and understanding in to anocean of calmness and mercy. It is a tender feeling of reverence. Love is incomplete and impossible withoutbenevolence, dedication, forgiveness, generosity, caring, sharing, sincerity, kindness, patience, sympathy andtolerance. When we start practicing Love; it creates a low grade of joy, an inner happiness. At an exalted stageit gives us the ultimate of joy which we call Bliss, shivOham! shivOham!! shivOham!!!

DhaRMam [right conduct] is a very important human value. If DhaRMam is accepted and practiced, it canlead to the Truth. It shall lead us to ahimsa [Non-violence]. Ahimsa is a part of our Truth or The Truthit self; The Self; The Self in you, The Self in me, The Self in every one of us.

Ahimsa may also be defined as "universal love". It fosters the understanding that we have an obligationtowards every constituent of this universe and that we should try to expand our love to all. Comfort andhappiness to all creatures is the highest value of our traditions. Love for all creatures is the highest in ourphilosophy. When all forms of life are revered as various expressions of the Supreme, ahimsa should be thegoverning law for us. It can become a reality only when we recognize the oneness in all of us. That onenesscalls for the unity of all creation. That unity leads us to the respect for all beings. So, eating vegetation is alsowrong, some say. Is it really? No, it is not.

We come into this world in a human body. Sure, we will leave this body behind and pass on. It is the parentsresponsibility to keep this body in a healthy condition until we are able to do the same by our selves. From thatpoint, until bereavement, it is our responsibility to sustain it in a healthy state. One of the most important needsfor that are proper nutrients. So we must eat proper food. There are lots of things to eat. But, what criteria



30/41


should be taken into consideration to decide the menu. According to our scriptures, we should use the foodwhich is correct for us to lead a caring, compassionate, happy, loving, non violent and healthy life, just enoughto grow and maintain the health. And in acquiring that food we must not do any harm to any thing more than

just necessary. It is also our dhaRMam to keep this body healthy until it is time for the jeevAtman to take thenext step in its progression.

Vegetation and some creatures flesh, both are meant to be eaten. But all are not intended to be eaten by human.Let us see which is preordained to be eaten by us, human.

Our eating tools and digestive systems are not shaped or fashioned to eat and/or digest flesh. An assessment of our systems can prove this. Our teeth, jaws and digestive system favors and need a diet exclusive of flesh. Alsoan examination of history will reveal that "most of mankind for most of human history has lived on vegetarianor near-vegetarian diets." On few occasions, it may have been deviated from due to non availability of enoughvegetation due to drought or other calamities. Some in the authority, like historians and anthropologists may saythat, we human are omnivorous (who eat animal flesh and vegetation). But, a close examination shall show thatwe have more in common with vegetarian animals.

Human have no claws, have no sharp front teeth; but we do have flat rear molars [large back tooth in humansand some other mammals, used for chewing and grinding. Human beings have twelve molars] for grinding sameas other vegetable eating animals (Herbivores). But, carnivore (an animal that eats other animals) has claws,have sharp front teeth for tearing, with no flat molar teeth for grinding. Even though human beings do possess amodified form of canine teeth, they are nothing like carnivore. The shape, length and hardness of these can notbe compared to those of the carnivorous. Their teeth are much harder and they are able to break through thebones. Ours dont have this capability either. They are more common with what the animals that traditionallynever eat flesh, such as apes, camels, and musk deer.

Carnivores intestinal tract is much short (only 3 times in length than their body length.) This helps the muchmore swiftly decomposing flesh to pass through quickly with out getting completely decomposed. But humanand Herbivores have intestinal tract 10-12 times their body length or even more. The longer intestinal tractmakes the flesh rot inside of us and thus become more toxic. Some pure vegetarian animals such as sheep andcattle have even longer digestive tract and several stomachs. This combination allows them to break downcellulose, which we can not do.

Carnivores have strong hydrochloric acid in stomach to digest animal flesh. But we humans and Herbivoreshave much weaker stomach acid, about 20 times weaker than that of a carnivore. So, for humans, the prolongedstay of flesh in the intestinal tract and non availability of strong hydrochloric acid to digest makes it moredangerous to eat flesh. We Humans and Herbivores have well-developed salivary glands which are necessary topredigest [to treat food with enzymes so that it is more easily digested] grains and fruits. But carnivore donthave this, instead they have acid saliva with no enzyme ptyalin [an enzyme in saliva that catalyzes the digestionof starches and converts it to sugar] to predigest grains.

Now coming to the health reasons; between October 1917 and October 1918 during the First World War, theDanish government was forced to put its citizens on a vegetarian diet and the mortality rate dropped by 34percent. A very similar experience was observed during the Second World War, in occupied Norway. There also,the citizens were forced on to a vegetarian diet and similarly the mortality rate dropped very much. But after thewar, when heavy consumption of animal flesh resumed, the mortality rate shot back up. So it is proof enoughthat its healthier to be a vegetarian. The obesity and hart problems are on the increase in our own bhAratham asthe animal flesh eating has been increased in recent years.

Animal flesh is the cause of many mental illnesses and disease. Alzheimer is an example. Few years back,between 6 and 8% of the population over 60 had Alzheimer's disease in the USA, and the rate has beenincreasing steadily. Lot of scientific literatures correlates this to the consumption of flesh and other animalproducts.



31/41


Amino acids are the building blocks of proteins. Studies have shown that animal flesh contains large quantity,(much more than required) homocysteine, an amino acid. And methionine, another amino acid, is found inprotein foods. But animal protein contains two to three times more the amount of methionine contains in plantprotein. Too much of these two are very dangerous for health. Consumption of flesh will put more of these twointo us. A recent study performed at Harvard Medical School showed that a vegan diet had brought down thehomocysteine levels by 13% to 20% in just one week.

Enzymes are very essential to digest food. They are specialized protein molecules facilitating most of our body'smetabolic processes. It also supplies energy, purifies the blood and cleanse out the waste products from the bodyamongst other metabolic processes. This is how the body is kept healthy by lowering the cholesterol level,cleaning the colon, breaking down fats, strengthening the immune system, improving the mental strength &capacity. It also helps in detoxifying the body of unwanted wastes; eliminate carbon dioxide from our lungs andhelps building muscles.

About 22 different digestive enzymes are produced by human body. Majority of the source of these enzymescomes from food we eat. Enzymes are found in all food items, but in abundance in raw fruits and vegetables.Cooking and processing the foods will destroy the enzymes. The rate of destruction of enzymes is directlyproportional to the time it is cooked. [Remember flesh needs to be cooked for longer time.] This causes us toconsume enzyme deficient or even enzymes free food and body will be forced to generate its own enzymesrequired to digest the food. This causes more stress on our body systems and organs. When our body enzymesare busy digesting the meal with no replacement enzyme or very little of it from the food we eat, the function of rebuilding and replenishing the worn-out and damaged cells are reduced drastically. Also flesh takes up to anaverage of 12 hours or more to be digested. Thus, consumption of animal flesh puts our digestive system to overwork with fewer enzymes. It also engages enzymes from other parts of the body and this depletes the naturalenzymes. Inadequate digestive enzymes results in left-over food wastes (undigested food) in our system. Thiswaste food becoming toxic and so do our body system.

Like creatures, the vegetables also have life and eating them doesnt constitute killing of life? Yes it does, butthe life of vegetation and animals or birds are not the same. As humans it is our responsibility to live with theleast harm to other life forms and eating vegetation is the best way for that. Bhakthi is love of the Lord andLove of the Lord is the Love for our fellow creatures. The true and sincere surrender to the Lord is the essenceof Bhakthi and that essence is also the service to the Lord, and that service is the sacrifice we have to do for theLord. That Sacrifice is not, I repeat, NOT the sacrifice of other creatures, but the sacrifice of our own ego andthe sacrifice of offering our services at the feet of the Lord for the benefit of fellow beings. That service to theLord is the service to other creatures. Killing them and eating them is not the service. Let us Surrender to Him,Serve Him and let us become one with Him. That is our lifes goal and that is our birthright, to achieve thatgoal, vegetarian food is the best, not animal flesh.

----------------------------

PS: If you any one feels little confusion on the term meat and flesh, please read the following.

The meaning of Animal Flesh and Vegetables meat, both are given bellow. It is not the meaning I made up. Itis from reference books.

Animal Flesh = the soft tissues, primarily muscle and fat, that cover the bones of people and other animals.Animal Meat = the flesh of an animal that is considered edible, especially that of a mammal or bird (edible animal flesh).

OrThe flesh of animals, including birds and fish, regarded as food.

Vegetable meat = the soft pulpy edible parts of fruits and vegetables, as opposed to the skin, core, pit, and other parts that arenot usually eaten.

OrThe edible part of a fruit or nut, inside a shell or rind.



32/41


BHAGAVAN SHRI SATHYA SAI BABAS DISCOURSES

A respectful compilation from the series of postings by Dr. BGY Sastry( [email protected] )

9 - I don't belong to any placeOne day in the sacred shrine of lord Viswanath at Kasi, all the devotees and temple priests were immersed insinging hymns and reciting chants. All of a sudden, they heard a metallic sound. When they turned their headsin that direction they saw a shining gold plate on the floor of the shrine. It must have fallen through an openspace in the center of the hall from the sky leading to the sanctum sanctorum. All of them gathered round with

wonder, while the chief temple priest went close to examine it. He found some letters inscribed on it. "Thisbelongs to my dear devotee". The priest read the inscription loudly. All the temple priests vied with one anotherto snatch the plate with the feeling, "Who could be a greater devotee than myself. I spend my time, talent andstrength only to offer worship to the Lord Viswanath." But the plate changed into an earthen one the moment

they touched it one after another. News spread like wild fire about the golden plate.Several scholars, singers, poets and preachers came and tried their luck but in vain.Days, weeks and months rolled on but the plate remained there without a claimant.One day, a stranger came to the temple. He stood at the entrance and tears gatheredin his eyes when he saw beggars, blind, dumb and lame piteously pleading for alms.He felt ashamed of his inability to relieve them of their hunger and agony. He wantedto pray to the Lord and so stepped into the temple. He saw people gathered round anddiscussing something. He tried to squeeze himself into the crowd to find out why they

were standing there. He saw a golden plate in the center of that enclosure. He enquired and was told about theepisode of the golden plate. He was rather surprised and sad at the attitude of the people and the priests.Instead of praying to the Lord of the Universe and trying to possess Him, they were eager to possess thegolden plate. Observing his non-covetous attitude, the high priest requested him to try his hand. The strangerreplied: "Oh Revered one! I do not care for either gold or silver, what I long for is God's Grace." The priest'sesteem for that man increased. So he once again pressed him, "At least to satisfy us, please try your hand."The stranger touched the plate without a trace of attachment. Lo! It shone forth with redoubled effulgence. Allthe priests gathered round and queried: "Sir, where do you come from? What are your qualifications? What arethe branches of learning you have mastered? How many years did you do penance?" The stranger repliedcalmly: "I don't belong to any place. I just manage to earn my bread by hard labor. The only sadhana I do isNamasmarana [repeating the name of the Lord]. This has perhaps rendered my heart pure and filled it withlove and compassion. It has enabled me to control my mind and the senses. I have not read any book ormastered any science. The only art I know of is chanting the Name Divine. The only act I do is to be kind to thepoor."So, the only qualification to become dear to the Lord is to acquire a compassionate heart and sense control.These two can be acquired through Namasmarana with full faith in the Lord.

REQUEST Please do a special prayer to Guruvayoorappan for our respected group elder and

author Dr. BGY Sastryji to recover fast from illness.May Guruvayoorappan bless him with Ayurarogyasoukhyam!!

Om Namo Narayanaya:



33/41


Kerala Temples and ritualsAttukal Ponkala - i

Article courtesey - , . Photo courtesey - a ttukalpongala.blogspot.com

. - .

. 2 . .

. . 1997

23 - 1.5

. . .

.

. ,, ,

. , .( ).

. .

.

, , , , , , , , ,, . . ; ,

, . (

) . .

. , , ( ), .

.



34/41


Kerala TemplesSree Narasimhamoorthy Temple in Thiruvazhiyad, Nemmara, Palakkad, Kerala

Narasimhan Nagan

Thiruvazhiyad Narasimha Moorthi Temple is a well known ancient temple situated about 5 km from Nemmarain Palakkad district of Kerala. It is a special temple considering the rare Lord Naramsimha Moorthy deity. Themain sanctum-sanatorium is dedicated to Lord Narasimhamoothy and besides there is Lord Shiva deity as well.

Lord Narasimhamurthy, the fourth embodiment of Lord Vishnu, is seen in a fierce form. Other deities in thetemple include Lord Ganesh, Lord Ayyappa and Goddess Durga.



35/41




36/41




37/41


Navaneetham Member of the Month

Narasimhan Nagan

Om Namo Narayanaya

My dear esteemed fellow devotees;

My humble pranams to you.

Although, I belong to the early group of members who joined this family back in 2004, I consider myself at a very early

stage of bhakthi towards our dear lord Guruvayoorappan. I do not have the wealth of experiences and devotion as

indicated by some of the illustrious members profiled in the earlier versions of Navaneetham.

The request from editors for my profile for the magazine is our dear Kannans leela, Sri Krishnans play. I was in

India last month (January 2010) and visited several divya

kshetrams to include a visit to the bhooloka vaikuntham

(Guruvayoor) and my ancesteral temple in Thiruvazhiyad-

Nemmara village, Palakkad. While at the Thiruvazhiyad

temple, out of devotion and an intense desire to freeze the

divinity of the moment and place in my memory, I sneaked

the camera into the temple premises and photographed the

outer compound (not the inner sanctum) of the temple.

All along, I was asking for forgiveness from Guruvayoorappan for my sneaky behavior. I was blessed to receive his



38/41


darshan at 5:00 PM in the form of Mahavishnu. Our dear Krishnan is now expecting me to share these experiences and

pictures with all his devotees in return for my imprudence ( pictures seen in the Sree Narasimhamoorthy Temple,

article befoe this profile)

Sri Krishna is worshiped as Sree Narasimhamoorthy in our ancesteral temple at Nemmara, which dates back at

least 500 years. The moolavighraham at this temple, made of black stone, is of Sri Mahavishnu holding the conch,

discus, mace and lotus flower. The namboodiri priest at the temple, allowed me to climb the sopanam and get acloser look at the idol and offered prayers on behalf of myself and my family. I recited the 24 and 25 th dasakam from

Narayaneeyam (Prahlada chartiram and Nrismha avataram) standing in front of the deity. It was indeed a very spiritually

uplifting and a close moment between me and the lord.

Myself with wife Priya and our daughter Mallika

Although, raised in a traditional South Indian family with basic religious values, I spent the first 36 years of life in

various academic and material pursuits and my devotion took a latent phase of existence. It was not until May 2004 (the

37 th year if my life) that I embarked on my journey towards Bhakthi to our dear Kannan. Certain life experiences

propelled me to start reading the Narayaneeyam. Our dear Kannan sent several emissaries who bestowed me with

their love and transformed my life for the better. Reading Narayaneeyam gave me the strength to face the challenges

and above all gave me the required Vairaaghyam (ability to let go and accept situations the way they are), and courage



39/41


40/41


Bhagavatham. I started reciting Bhagavatham last August and recently completed the first Skandham (chapters 1-19) of

this scripture on the auspicious day of Vaikuntha Ekadasi (December-28-2009). Currently, I am reciting up to the 7 th

chapter of the second Skandham and have started learning Sanskrit to further enhance the pleasure of reading

Narayaneeyam and Srimad Bhagavatham.

Priya and our daughter Mallika

Professionally, I work as a Medical Geneticist at a Pharmaceutical/Biotechnology company in Boston and hold a

doctorate and fellowships in Medical Genetics and Clinical Chemistry. I live in South Grafton, Massachusetts along

with my wife Priya (from Ernakulam) and 12 y/o daughter Mallika. I look forward to meeting you all someday.

Sarvam Krishnaarpanamastu.

Love,

Narasimhan and family.



41/41


Answer to quick equation puzzleChandrasekharan Menon

This equation I studied in the school and used at my work place. Can any one guess?

24 X 60360 = 4

Answer:- This equation holds good for Equator only.

24 = hours, 60 = minutes and 360 = degreesDue to the Earths rotation, Sunlight travelsat the speed of 4 minutes per degree.

Please read and respond with your comments and suggestions to [email protected] (freshly churned butter) is a humble attempt by Guruvayur Devotees Forum to create a monthly news

letter for our group. Please send your comments, suggestions and any materials that you wish to publish to

[email protected] Namo Narayanaya: Om Namo Narayanaya: Om Namo Narayanaya:

Our apologies for those articles & poems we could not publish this time due to space limitations.We will have them published in the forthcoming issues.

Please email us at [email protected] with your name and brief introduction to have your name appear in this section, also please email us your comments, suggestions, articles for Navaneetham June issue to [email protected]

Sources, credits and copyright acknoledgements

Manoramaonline.com thehindu.com Krishna pictures/Artwork courtesy of The Bhaktivedanta Book Trust International, Inc.http://images.google.com http://www.krishna.com http://www.stephen-knapp.comhttp://www.swaminarayan.orghttp://spirituality-meditation-yoga-pictures.blogspot.com/ http://www.narayaneeyasamsthuthi.org

www.nammudemalayalam.com

http://members.rediff.com/guruvayurappan/ http://www.vrindavanart.com http://www.vanamaliashram.org/ http://www.indiapost.gov.in Madhu Ramanujam - http://picasaweb.google.com/madhuraamanujam http://www.flickr.com http://www.columbia.edu/itc/mealac/pritchett/00routesdata/0400_0 499/pantheon/lingam http://www.dollsofindia.com http://gaurangakishore.blogspot.com

Submitted at the lotus feet of ShreeSubmitted at the lotus feet of ShreeSubmitted at the lotus feet of ShreeSubmitted at the lotus feet of Shree Guruvayoorappan.Guruvayoorappan.Guruvayoorappan.Guruvayoorappan.Om Namo Bhagavathe Vasudevaya!Om Namo Bhagavathe Vasudevaya!Om Namo Bhagavathe Vasudevaya!Om Namo Bhagavathe Vasudevaya!WQxV eL YOvLpPqL !WQxV eL YOvLpPqL !WQxV eL YOvLpPqL !WQxV eL YOvLpPqL ! Om Namo Narayanaya:Om Namo Narayanaya:Om Namo Narayanaya:Om Namo Narayanaya:

May God Bless you all.

navaneetham feb 2010 small final

Documents