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എല
ാ ഭാ
ം
വായ
.േകാം
Dear GuruDevs,
Shri.NVP Menonji and Smt. Sreedeviji are very active and long time members of our group. Thanks to
Shri. Chandraji for introducing them to our group.
I always felt blessed to know both of them considering their background and the
utmost bhakthi they have. Shri.Menonji is not only an ardent devotee but someone
who has heard and seen Guruvayoorappan through his dream!
It was a humbling experience and great surprise to learn Shri.Menonji's divine dream experience.
Seeing Guruvayoorappan and taking direction from HIM enabled him to write glories of
Guruvayoorappan as composed music and given us an opportunity to enjoy some beautiful bhajans
and keerthanams . We have some of those bhajans on our group's web site (bhajan blog) by the
gracious permission of Menons. Thank you!
Both Smt. Sreedeviji and Shri. Menonji are true role models. Even after living such long years outside
of Kerala in a faraway land like US, they have remained strong bhakthas of Guruvayoorappan and
dedicated their retirement time to write HIS glories. It is indeed an incredible and laudable task
considering the physical ailments and obstacles they had to overcome.
Recently I learned that Shri.Menonji is a alumni of the college in Bombay where I studied and that
makes him my true senior in every aspect! It is my pleasure and privilege to know them and thank
them for sharing their personal story with all of us. My humble pranams to Shri Menonji and Sreedeviji
and I thank them for their utmost support and affection for me and our group .
Samastha Loka Sukhino Bhavanthu” - May all living beings in all worlds be happy.
ദ ാദശാരഷ ്
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hnjp¡Wn Nn´IÄ
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l´! `mKyw P\m\m!
Even I am staying away from Guruvayur I don’t need any universal recognition
I want to see you in my mind all the time Except your blessing only.
My Vishu
Kripa Chandran
(D/O Geetha Chandran)
It’s a lovely spring morning and the birds are singing merrily.
When I wake up on Vishu morning, and the first thing I see is Your Divine face.
With Your playful eyes, chubby cheeks, and adorable smile,
Lord Krishna, I feel blessed and I know I am ready for the year and overcome all obstacles.
·áøáÕÞÏáøMæa ÄßøáØKßÇÞÈ¢
Sundara Narayana (NVP Menon)
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Transliteration - Guruvaayurappante Thirusannidhaanam
Sundara Narayana (NVP Menon)n)
raagam: sindhubhairavi thaaLam: khaNTachaapu
pallavi:
guruvaayurappante thirusannidhaanam
karuNaalayam svar_ggalOkam samaanam
guvaayurappante .......
anupallavi:
dharaNi akhilam keer_ththi ERum ee sadanam
SaraNaagathanmaar_kkathi sundara bhavanam
guruvaayurappante .............
charaNam:
muraLee madhura gaanam ozhukunnee bhavanam
durithaathura aaSramam munivandya sadanam
vilasitha iha muraari vr^ndaavanavihaari
kal_mashanaaSana Sree gOvar_dhanagiridhaari
guruvaayurappante .......
durithabharithamaam ee kalikaalabhuvanam
karuNaalayamee sadanam ini Eka SaraNam
charathi iha viSvanaathhan dhar_mmapaalanaar_ththham
harinaaraayaNabhajanam goonjjathi iha nithyam
guruvaayurappante .......
What is Vishu?
Vishu falls on the first day of the Malayalam month of ‘Medam.’ As for some they say that Vishu is considered
as the New Year. It is not so. Chingam is considered as the New Year in the Malayalam Calender. Historically the
festival is closely associated with the agrarian economy of Kerala. The preparation for next agricultural season
begins on the Vishu day. In former days, farmers used to plough the land on this day and it was referred as
‘Vishupootu.
The highlights of the festival are Vishukani, Vishukaineetam and Vishubhalam. The Vishu day celebrations begin
with the ‘Vishukani.’ ‘Vishu Kani’ is the first auspicious thing that people see on that day. The ‘Vishukani’ is
usually prepared on the night before the Vishu day. Immediately on awakening from sleep, people close their
eyes and proceed towards the place where Vishukani is placed. This is known as Kani Kaanal – kani means ‘that
which is seen first.’ Vishu is the symbol of good luck hope and prosperity.
Vishukani consists of rice, kasavu mundu , gold, silver, coins, mirror , cucumber, mango, jackfruit, coconut,
banana, and Kanikonna . The Vishukani is exhibited in an ‘urali’ It is placed in front of an idol or portrait of
Lord Krishna. Traditional Kerala lamp is lit near it.
Then, the eldest member in the family gives ‘Vishukaineetam’ to other family members. The Vishukaineetam is
usually coins but nowadays people also prefer other expensive gifts.
Bursting crackers is important during Vishu. A feast or Vishu Sadya follows after the bursting of firecrackers to
greet the New Year.
A very special feature about Vishu day is that , the day and night are of equal duration .
‘Vishubhalam’ or the predictions for the next year is read on the day.’
This year though Medam first falls on the 14th but Vishu is being observed only on the 15th .
'VISHU' RESOLUTION
Balagopal Ramakrishnan
As usual without waiting the 'Vishu' has arrived. It is proving again and again that 'time' doesn't stop, and in
its flow comes what we all call LIFE. Most of us are touched, heckled, bruised, pounded, lifted, thrown,
hugged, kissed, punished, awarded, recognised, neglected, loved and hated, cursed and glorified and... a
hundred million things keep happening on a continuous basis. In this procession of pleasure and pain,
happiness and sorrow how much one must have thought - if only one could choose and determine those
arrivals. Is one a hapless victim of any larger conspiracy and a helpless pawn of some body's game?
'Bhagavan' says emphatically - 'NO'. 'He' is reminding time and again to every one of us the true nature of our
'self' and 'SELF'. By putting 'HIMSELF before our 'selves' 'he' has been trying to show the similarities and by
deduction helping one to see the 'self' in the 'SELF'. The whole issue, 'he' has been reminding every now and
then, is due to 'ignorance', popularly known as 'avidya'. It's a decent information, a matter of mistaken
identity. Not any complicated psychological imbalance. It's plain and simple. 'You' are much bigger than what
'you' think 'you' are. Inspite of 'his' affirmation one tends more to think of one's deficiencies and weaknesses
than strengths and successes. On most issues confronting or otherwise one's limitations and shortcomings
take away the ground below. But as one falls, thankfully, he calls 'him' for a rally of relief. This alone is
enough for one to cross over the sea of 'samsAra'. But there is an alternate to this whole process of self
inflicted pleasure and pain; and that is the path of illumined living - the path 'he' showed to 'his' protege -
Arjuna. By 'his' grace the same is very conveniently made available to every one of us very concisely in the
form of a 'song', the 'gita', and made available in all formats - print, e, audio and visual.
At the 'muhurat' when we see the beautifully illuminated 'kani', let us all begin the journey of enlightened
living. Let the sparklers and fire crackers rejoice and rekindle the weary heart. Life is always, always, the
final act and never a rehearsal. It's 'his' most valuable 'gift' and living it well is one's return 'gift and thanks ' to
' him'.
Celebrate it with 'his' 'song', for 'he' is waiting there for us as the 'charioteer' on the 'chariots' of our 'life'.
Wishing a Happiest 'VISHU' and an endless trail of 'happiest' days ahead for you and all in your family,
friends and relatives.
Ingredients:
1. 1/2 cup broken raw rice*(1)
2. 8 cups whole milk
3. 11/2 cups unrefined sugar or Turbinado raw cane
sugar *(2)
Procedure:
If left unclean, cleaning the stove and surroundings is
the first step in the procedure for cooking naivedyam. After cleaning, just take a few drops of water and
spray it on the stove chanting Aum namo Narayanaya. This will purify the whole area. Put rice and milk
in a 6 quart or 8 quart vessel. Light the stove and chanting the following manthra, put the vessel on the
stove
Occasionally stir it until it starts boiling. After it starts boiling reduce heat so that it is still boiling well
and keep stirring very frequently. Make sure that the milk is not sticking to the bottom of the vessel.
After it starts boiling , cook it for 20 -25 minutes and check whether the rice is cooked. If the rice is soft
and well cooked, add the 11/2 cups sugar and again boil for a minimum of 10 minutes. If you are using
the whole milk, boiling for about a total of 35 minutes should give the right consistency. Payasam
thickens as it cools down to room temperature and should be pouring consistency.
The only disadvantage of this method is that we have to keep stirring almost continuously for about 35
to 40 minutes. To avoid this we can do the same recipe in a slow cooker. In my experience, the one
made on the stove tastes better and while stirring we can chant, Vishnu sahasranamam and other
Krishna bhajans to make it more tasty and divine!
*1, Broken raw rice is called "potiyari" and in U.S, it is available in Chinese stores labelled as broken
rice. If that is not available, we can use regular long grain rice. (not basmati rice).
*2. IMPORTANT: Sugar is whitened by filtering it in the liquid state through beef bone char and
obviously Bhagavaan does not like it becasue He is Govindan and Gopalan! So please do not use white
sugar to make any naivedyam, not becasue it is not nutritious but because it is inauspicious.
Another note: In Kerala, payasam is offered with out any spices like cardamom, nutmeg, cloves etc.
According to the Veda experts, all spices are Rajasic foods that arouse passion and should be avoided by
all devotees and hence it is avoided at least in the naivedyams offered to Bhagavaan.
Ingredients:
Procedure:
Soak the rice for about 3 hours and grind it very fine, as fine as
possible with reasonable amount of water. First add little water and as
it gets ground you can add more water. Too much water in the
beginning can create problems and prevents it from getting ground to a
fine paste. After grinding to a fine paste, mash the banana well and add
to it and grind a few seconds more to mix well. Now add the 2 heaped
cups of brown sugar and mix very well. Add enough water to make it
some what watery consistency. If it is very thick, appam will not be
soft. It has to be really thin.
Now put the skillet on the stove and when it is hot, add 3/4 tsp of ghee in each dip and pour the watery
dough to fill it. Put the stove on medium heat and when small
bubbles fill the surface of the appam or muffin, turn it upside down
and cook for another one minute. When the appam is cooked, take
them out and pour the next batch until all the dough is used. One
cup rice will yield about 13-15 appams and hence the whole recipe
will give about 26-300 appams.
Again people do add cardamom etc and as per the old rules, it is
never added in Guruvayoor becasue Bhagavaan likes only saatwic
food.
* If the Sarkkara is clean, you can powder it take two heaped cups to have the correct measurement.
Unlike the brown sugar available in U.S., still you have to dissolve it to add to the dough to get it mixed
well.
Srimad Bhagavatham –
An Encyclopaedia of Spirituality!
Dr. A. P. Sukumar, Vancouver, Canada
Being a scripture written by the Master Sage Ved-Vyasa, there is no wonder that the literal and
poetic quality of the book is awe-inspiring and incomparable. Having composed all the four Vedas
and 18 Puranas, Sage Vyasa was apparently not content with his contributions! He felt that he still
http://group.yahoo.com/groups/guruvayur \h\oXw Page- 17
Monthly Newsletter of Guruvayoor Devotees Forum
lacks something that is hard to describe in words. The story goes that the celestial Sage Narada
came to his counsel and asked him to write yet another book extolling the virtues of ‘knowledge’
that is full of glories (Bhagas) of the Lord. Yes, the Bhagavatham is a book full of eternal glories of
the Divine-Ultimate or God. It is also known as the 5th Veda- the first four being Rig, Yajus, Sama &
Atharva Vedas. Having done this enormous task of writing a scripture with 18,000 verses in 12
Cantos comprising of 335 Chapters, the Sage was blissfully content.
The Bhagavatham starts with an ideal setting for a story telling in the first Canto. The story must be
uplifting, useful and completed in seven days, as the King Parikshit has been cursed to death by
snakebite at the end of the seventh day. The king, having heard the story-divine and gained the
wisdom it imparts, accepts his death as the god given gift without any fear. The essence of
Bhagavatham is the sense of fearlessness – abhayam– it gives. Fear is there where separation
and ‘otherness’ exist. Bhagavatham is the ways and means by which one can get rid of the ego and
accept the oneness of the whole universe. The annihilation of egoistic individuality gives rise to
realization of God. Bhagavatham tells us stories of devotees who have achieved this liberation from
ego, not just by the path devotion alone. They resorted to paths of love for the Lord, incessant fear
of God, hatred towards the Lord and the path of pure knowledge. Bhagavatham also reveals the
secret that the easiest of these paths is the path of devotion and love.
The second Canto gives us a glimpse of the Lord’s glory and the methods of meditation and yoga.
The story of Sage Kapila and his mother Devahuti along with the Samkhya philosophy (Kapila Gita)
is the subject matter of the third Canto and Daksha-yaga episode is covered in the next Canto. Fifth
Canto gives us a great geographical description of the world and the Bharathavarsha in particular.
It also elucidates the various levels of heavens, hells and everything in between- stars, moons and
other celestial objects. Story of Ajamila and the nobility of Narayana Nama (name of the Lord
Narayana) are extolled in the sixth Canto. Lord’s incarnations as Narasimha and Vamana are
covered in the 7th and 8th Cantos respectively. The ninth Canto is a preparatory chapter to
introduce incarnation of Sri Krishna in the 10th Canto.
The Tenth Canto (Dasamam) is considered to be the heart of Bhagavatham as it is in this we find
Sri Krishna as the ultimate and complete incarnation of the Lord that all of us can relate to. The
tenth Canto is the largest of the chapters- about one-fourth of the entire Bhagavatham. In the
Dasamam we can find and realize Sri Krishna in the particular form as we seek. He is there as an
adorable baby for mother Yasoda, a mischievous boy for the entire Yadva clan, a handsome young
man for the youth of Vrindavan, a friend, philosopher and guide for the warrior prince Arjuna, a
cunning negotiator, a forceful fighter and as the object of worship and reverence for the entire
universe. Sri Krishna didn’t ask us to renounce anything and to take sannyasa to be spiritual. He
lived a life exemplifying how we can assimilate all in life and still lead a perfect life of ‘detachment’.
Through Karma Yoga he demonstrated the virtue of work and the need for us to work as a
community in unison to ensure prosperity- spiritual and material- in the world. The concept ‘leela’
and the associated imagery of the Lord in Bhagavatham is the most profound as it reveals His
relationship with devotees as a teacher, lover, friend and whatever the devotees want him to be.
In the 11th Canto, we see the decline of dynasties and the demise of Sri Krishna himself
exemplifying that the inevitable (anything that is born must die) is applicable to all, including the
Lord Himself! In this Canto we also find a philosophical gem- Uddhava Gita, as the Lord imparted
to his friend-disciple Uddhava - the highest spiritual knowledge, before leaving His mortal body. The
final –12th- Canto concludes the story of King Parikshit as he embraces death fearlessly. Kali Yuga-
the present aeon- is being introduced here indicating the importance of Namam – the Lord’s name-
as the only refuge for the mortal human beings.
It is customary to read the Bhagavatham in seven days and the tradition is called Sapathaha
Yajna*. All over India, Sapathahams are held to mark special occasions in a village, city or even in
a house hold. Bhagavatha-sathrams are also popular these days. They are large conferences
where scholars present ‘new’ theories, findings and explanations of what has been written in
Bhagavatham thousands of years ago. There have been a number of translations of the
Bhagavatham written in various languages – Indian and international- from the original Sanskrit
version**. Translated versions are also used to conduct Sapthahams. The latest translation of
Bhagavatham was done by the famous Malayalam poet Akkittham this year.
Although the Bhagavatham presents devotion as the premier method of inquiring into the Divine, it
provides wonderful opportunities for the student to pursue the path of knowledge and devotion
integrated well into his life. Bhagavatham is indeed a spiritual encyclopaedia!
• * First Bhagavatha Sapthaham (in Malayalam) in North America was held in July 2008. This year also a
Bhagavatha Sapthaha Yajnam is being held from July 10 to July 17, 2010 at the Sri Siva Vishnu Temple, Washington,
under the leadership of Yajnacharya Sri Mannady Hari.
• ** Bhagavatham- Nityaparayanam a book for the daily reading is available for free downloading at
http://www.guruvayoor.com
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MOHAMUDHGARA-BAJAGOVINDAM OF SANKARA
praaNayaamam prathyaahaaram
nithayaanithya viveka vichaaram
jaapyam sametha samaaDhiviDhaanam
kurvavaDhaanam maahdhavaDhaanam
Breath control and control of the mind, the discrimination between eternal and non eternal, mind
established in Brahman, samadhi through means of japa etc., this, one should be very careful to
persist in.
Sankara thus invites the attention of a seeker of spiritual progress of the hazards of the sensual
pleasures and warns him against the play of maaya imploring him to rise above that through spiritual
practices like pranayama and prthyaahaara, breath control and control of the mind. This
accompanied with nityaanaityavasthu viveka, discrimination regarding which is permanent and which
is not, leads one to Samadhi in which the intellect is firmly established in Brahman.
Pranayama and prthyahara are part of ashtangayoga formulated by Pathanjali in his yogasuthra. These
are the external disciplines to control the body and mind. The eight angas, limbs of yoga are
pranayama, breathcontrol, prathyahara, withdrawing the senses form the sense objects, aasana,
correct posture to sit for meditation , dhaaranaa, donsistent thought on Brahman or the object of
Upasana,dhyaana, contemplation on the same and samadhi, final integration of mind and intellect in
Brhaman. In the sixth chapter of the Gita we have a very good description of the yoga as amenas of
salvation.
The final goal is to attain moksha and Sankara advocated the four means of acquiring it, known as
In order to create mumukshuthva, desire for heaven Sankara has shown through the foregoing slokas
that all pleasures in the world and the next are fleeting and not real. This leads one to ihamuthra phala
bhoga viraga, detachment from the enjoyment of the results of action in this world and the next, by
creating the discrimination between which is real and which is not, nithya anithya vasthuviveka. This
is achieved by cultivating the Samadhamaadhisampath, the sixfold qualities of Sama, control of the
mind, dhama, control of the senses, uparathi, refraining from desire-motivated actions, thithiksha,
tolerance or endurance, Sraddha, faith in the guru and vedas and samaaDhaana, concentraion ogf the
mind on Brahman.
In this sloka Sankara has mentioned all techniques of spritual discipline as outlined in yoga ,
jnanamarga and bhakthi marga. Pranayama etc. refers to the path of ashtangayoga,
nithyaanithyaviveka outlines the jnanamarga and jaapyam denotes the bhakthi marga.
gurucharaNaambuja nirbharabhakthaH
samsaaraath achiraath bhavamukthaH
sendhriyamaanasa niyamaadhevam
dhrSyasi nija hrdhyasTham dhevam
The one who has steady devotion towards the lotus feet of his guru will be freed from samsara soon.
Sankara concludes the work by saying, “through the control of senses and mind as described thus (in
these slokas) you will soon be able to see the Lord as residing in your heart.
. Sankara gives a final assurance that the devotion to the guru will lead to a quick deliverance from the
samsara. The final salvation comes from witnessing the Lord residing in the heart,
Guru may be dfficult to attain in thse days because the scriptures specify the guru to be a Srothriya,
well versed in vedas and a brahmanishta, a realised master. But any one who makes us experience
the Lord within us is a guru, even if he is unaware of his doing so. This is where the Sraddha, faith
comes in. If you have faith in one whom you take as your guru, the Lord Himself instructs you through
him.Or else the Lord Himself is our guru.
This work of Sankara contains the essence of Gita and is aptly called Mohamudgara as it brings to the
mind vividly the travails of samsara and opens up the eyes of the man of the world to reality. The
description of the illusoriness of the worldly pleasures is brought out in a picturesque manner. But for
the refrain that goes throughout, namely ’Bajagovindam’ the contents are not strictly devotional but
primarily philosophical. These verses are verily a shock treatment administered to the materialistic
intellect and shakes it from the stupor of ignorance.
Shubham.
Geeta Dhyanam
Veena Nair
|| Om Namo Narayanaya ||
Even if thou art the most sinful of all sinners, yet thou shalt verily cross all sins by the
raft of knowledge.
Krishna assures that even the most sinful of all sinners, through his/her own efforts can hope to reach the state
of perfection, of ultimate bliss. I find this one of the most comforting statements in the Gita – moksha is assured even to
the most evil one, provided the efforts are put in, in a disciplined and consistent manner. Swami Chinmayananda says
that “such a clear charter of man’s right to the Divine has never so far been written in any other existing scripture of the
world!”
As the blazing fire reduces fuel to ashes, O Arjuna, so does the fire of knowledge reduce
All actions here include actions undertaken in this all previous janmas (births), the fruits of which may be in
operation or may yet to fructify. All good and bad actions performed over our many many births leave some impression
and express themselves at different points during the course of our life. Swamiji says that here Krishna assures us that
when we awaken to our real nature, when we realize the divinity within, all our Karmas get burnt up and thereafter we no
longer ‘suffer’ from its consequences.
Verily there is no purifier in this world like knowledge. He who is perfected in Yoga
Krishna himself declares that there is nothing more sacred in this world than knowledge of the Self; it is the most
The man who is full of faith, who is devoted to it, and who has subdued all the senses,
obtains (this) knowledge; and, having obtained the knowledge, he goes at once to the supreme
peace.
Faith, devotion, and sense-control are the three primary requirements listed here to obtain knowledge of the Self.
Faith in the Guru, in the scriptures, in the wisdom handed down by the rishis of old, from generations to generations about
the nature of Self-knowledge.
Devotion, consistent, continued attempts to maintain in one’s mind consciousness of the Divine. If sure progress
is to be made, then haphazardness in matters of spiritual discipline is not to be entertained; one has to move on with firm
determination.
Sense-control is of vital importance, because faith and devotion will not bring about the desired effect without it.
One is constantly dissipating one’s energy running after material pursuits. Swamiji says “excessive sense-life and
absolute God-life are antitheses (opposites) of each other”.
Once we embrace these three basic qualities/requirements, the fruit is an everlasting peace. Krishna promises
that the goal will be reached before long.
(to be continued..)
“True and sincere surrender unto the Lord is the essence of Bhakti (God-love). ‘I am Thine, All is Thine. Thy Will be done,
my Lord’ – This is the best Sharanaagathi Mantra or prayer of self-surrender. Seek His will. Do His will. Surrender to His
will. You will become one with the Cosmic Will.” ...Swami Sivananda.
http://www.gitasupersite.iitk.ac.in/
http://www.bhagavad-gita.org/
http://sanskrit.safire.com/Sanskrit.html
http://www.vaisnava.cz/clanek_en.php3?no=24
|| Hari Om ||
BHAGAVATHOLPPATHI
(The background of the origin of Srimad Bhagavatham)
M.P.R.Nair.
According to Sanatana Dharma, the time period between Creation (Srshti) and
Destruction (Pralayam), is called a Kalpa. With unerring exactness, Kalpa is repeated with the process
of Srshti and Destructon, in such a way as to balance the perfect system of the Universe, with
marvelous precision. The duration of each Kalpa is 1000 Chathuryugas. A Chathuryuga is a period of 4,
320, 000 years consisting of 4 Yugas viz. Krtha Yuga or Satya Yuga, Treta Yuga, Dwapara Yuga, and
Kali Yuga. Thus, one Kalpa consists of 4, 320, 000, 000 years, which is said to be one day for Brahma,
the Creator.(Sahasra yuga prayantham ahar yat Brahmano vidu:, Ratrim yuga sahasrantham ahoratra
vido janaa): At the end of the day, Brahma retires to sleep and that is called Pralaya (Dissolution). For
an equivalent period of 4, 320, 000, 000 years, the Universe will remain dissolved and at the beginning
of the next day for Brahma, everything comes out as before starting again with Satya Yuga or Krta
The present Kalpa in which we are living is known as Sweta Varaha Kalpa. It is now
nearly 5,000 years since the present Kali Yuga started. The sustenance of the Universe is maintained,
because of the cyclic repetition of these Chathuryugas. The present Kali Yuga started just immediately
after the ‘Swargarohana’ of our Lord Krishna, just after the famous Maha Bharatha War. As the Kali
Yuga started, people began to experience different kinds of miseries. such as, they began to develop
evil tendencies, experienced poverty, lost moral values, they were not afraid to do unrighteous things,
(Adharma), there was no fear of God, they became short-lived, less fortunate, lost memories to a great
extent, there began hypocrisy, self-aggrandizement, violence, deception, crimes of various nature,
terrorism, wars, and disasters. One cannot recall a single day without a report of something terrible
happening somewhere, including natural calamities, though the latter must be accepted and faced with
equanimity. Others, however, were of our own making, created by misunderstanding, some of them
arise from the conflict of ideologies, political or religious, some, when people fight each other for petty
ends, and yet others from losing sight of the basic humanity that binds us all together as a single
human family.
It seemed that people forgot that the different religious ideologies and political systems
of the world are meant for human beings to achieve happiness. The greatest single danger that faced
humankind, in fact all living beings on our planet was the threat of mutual destruction. Often people
could not overcome problems because they either did not know the cause or if at all they knew the
cause, they did not have the means to remove it.
Seeing this catastrophe, and feeling quite disheartened at the deplorable condition of
the people, Brahmarshi Krishna Dvaipayana VedaVyasa , with a view to uplift the people from misery
http://group.yahoo.com/groups/guruvayur \h\oXw Page- 28
Monthly Newsletter of Guruvayoor Devotees Forum
and uphold human values, began to codify our ancient and sacred Scriptures like Vedas, Upanishads
etc. scattered here and there in our Srutis and Smritis.aswell. The electro-magnetic waves of these
Scriptures, including our great Vedas, helped us and are still helping us, to a great extent, in making
improvements, physically, mentally and spiritually, almost throughout the world. Vedas are meant for all
and really they are above religion. It can be considered as the constitution of all religions. Besides
codifying Vedas, Brahmarshi Veda Vyasa wrote as many as or even more than 18 Puranas with
hundreds of thousands of verses in each, and Brahma Sutra. He wrote Maha Bharata, consisting of
one lakh slokas. But to his surprise, violence was only spreading wide.
The terrible plight of the people, made Lord Brahma extremely sad. He was almost
dejected, depressed and restive and was deeply distressed, with no peace of mind. He was in a
dilemma and he prayed to Lord Vishnu from his heart of heart. Lord Maha Vishnu, holding the hands of
Lord Brahma transcended four verses as ‘Chathusloki Bhagavatham’ to him. We can see these four
verses still in Srimad Bhagavatham, in Slokas 32, 33, 34 and 35 in Chapter 9 of the 2nd Canto. At that
time Brahma Deva’s son Devarshi Narada came there, and Brahma Deva described the story of
Bhagavatham to him in a nutshell. Devarshi went to Vyasa Bhagavan and the latter welcomed him by
offering appropriate arghyas and poojas to him The Devarshi advised him to extol the glories of Lord
Vasudeva in detail and added that until he did that he was not going to enjoy peace of mind, at all.
Brahmarshi Vyasa was initially at a loss as to how to begin his work. From this Chathusloki,
Brahmarshi Vyasa, at last made 18, 000 slokas as Srimad Bhagavatham, the most celebrated and
popular of all the Puranas, describing in full detail Lord Vishnu’s ten Avatharas and His Leelas.
The word ‘Purana’ literally means ‘narratives of ancient times’. Puranas are books of
mythology. They reflect the social, political, religious, and artistic culture of India. The universal truth of
devotion, justice and generosity portrayed by the role models in the ancient Indian contexts hold the
same significance today. The narratives therefore, create deep impressions in our minds. The puranic
stories reveal that before every incarnation, there is a collective appeal to the Lord in the form of
prayers from the good people aswell as Devas. They seek the Lord’s help to re-establish Dharma, after
killing the wicked people. These prayers become the punya, because of which the Lord assumes a
particular form for a particular purpose. Ithihasas are epics or history. Really speaking both Puranas,
like the 18 main ones including Srimad Bhagavatham, which is really mytho-historical, and Ithihasas,
like Ramayana and Mahabharatha, are the practical parts of Vedas. Vedas are truly theoretical. They
both combine to make our Scriptures rich and great. What we study from Bhagavatham, amidst many
other good things, is that we should be grateful, be humble, be patient, be generous, show response,
be motivating, and be brave in all our actions, be well disciplined in prosperity, spread good ideas, fetch
name, fame and reputation to the family and to the society, be intuitive, be with enough persistence,
perseverance and providence. Also, it teaches us that we should avoid politics without principles, do
not earn wealth without doing work, realize that knowledge without character is not good; that pleasure
without conscience, commerce without morality, science without humanity, and worship without any
sacrifice, are bad since they are real sins of the society that will eventually ruin the human race as a
whole, not to speak of the individuals concerned. Bhagavatham united Sree Shuka finally with his
father, Brahmarshi Veda Vyasa. Sree Shuka narrated it to King Pareekshit , who attained Moksha by
listening to it, in seven days.
We must meditate up on God, for only meditation refines our intellect and expands it to realize the
Supreme Spirit that dwells in every human being. It is meditation which can lift us from the mundane
existence or Prakrti to attain one’s true self or Purush or the inner Consciousness, which is nothing but
the manifestation of Divine-Self. The Vedanta Sutras, as enshrined in Srimad Bhagavatham, is based
on 5 Principles. The first one is Iswara, Bhagavan or God or the Supreme Personality of God-head.
The second Principle is Jeeva, the individual living entity or Spirit-Soul. The third is Prakrti or matter.
The fourth is Kala or Time, and the fifth and last Principle is Karma or Action.
Srimad Bhagavatham is the ultimate of the Vedic Wisdom. It is the ‘Crown Jewel’ of
Bhakthi Mahatmya. It is also said to be the ‘Vedasarasarvaswam’. It teaches us the Brahma Tatwa or
the Principle of Brahma, that there is nothing beyond Brahman. Even if you possess money power,
muscle power and all sorts of safety and security, at anytime you will be no more on the earth, within
seconds. It is the only one Scientific and ultimate Truth, the ‘Anantha, Akhanda, Nithya, Shudha,
Sathya, Buddha, Mugdha, Swaroopa’. Srimad Bhagavatham is considered to be the greatest of all
Sciences because, the Supreme Truth, that is obtained by very hard work of learning through the three
pathways of Science, namely Karma, Upasana and Jnana margas, is obtained through mere
Parayana of Srimad Bhagavatham. Karma has the desire for result in it; Upasana is not an easy task to
perform appropriately in this Kali Yuga; Jnanam, only shows the way to the Supreme Truth. But
Bhagavatha Parayanam gives them altogether atonce. Observation of Bhagavaha Dharma is the very
essence of this Devotional Scripture. The thought process deep in the blood-stream of every Indian, it
seems, is to attain Moksha, while leading a life, doing righteous things and accessing bhakthi through
Jnana. Srimad Bhagavatham will be a Panacea for them, should anything intervene in between.
It helps us to balance our mind by Jnana Yajnam and Nama Yajnam, alike.
The importance of Nama Sankeerthanam is repeatedly confirmed in Srimad Bhagavatham, as;
“Nama-sankirtanam-yasya
Sarva-papa-pranashanam
Pranamo dukha-shamanas-
tam namami Harim param”
Lord Krishna's holy name can relieve us from all undesirable sins, all filthy characteristics, and all
miseries. Chant the name of Krishna! Do this; nothing else is necessary. Take this! Chant the holy
name of Krishna and begin your real life in this dark-age with the most broad and wide theistic
conception. Let us all bow down to Hari.
Ohm Sree Haraye Nama:, Sree Haraye Nama:, Sree Haraye Nama:.
Jai Hind,
DOMESTIC ETHICS
It is the duty of the husband to train his wife also in the religious line. She must do some Japa, and
Kirtan. She must study religious books such as Ramayana, Bhagavata and Mahabharata. She must
take recourse to occasional fasting. He must take her to places of pilgrimage and attend discourses
and Kathas conducted by Mahatmas. The wife must help the husband in his religious and Yogic
practices. Then only the house will be a blessed place. Some have taken Sannyasa on account of the
bad behaviour of their wives and their hindrance to Yogic practices at home. If they allowed their
husbands to continue their practices and helped them, they would have remained in the Grihastha
Ashram. It is the duty of intelligent girls to co-operate with their husbands in leading a religious life at
home. Then only can both lead a life of peace and happiness at home. The scriptures declare,
“Without religion a house is a burial ground though it is a palace.”
The husband also should not interfere with the religious practices of his wife. He should help her in all
possible ways in her spiritual evolution and purity of life. May there be temperamental, psychological
Quarrels arise daily in the house between the husband and the wife on account of misunderstanding
and difference of opinion. The wife thinks that the husband should obey and please her in all
respects. The husband thinks that the wife should obey and please him in all respects. Is this
possible? No. And so they quarrel every hour. It may not come into regular fisticuffs and blows at all
times, but they will not speak for some hours in the day. Sometimes there will be boxing and caning
also if the husband is short-tempered and lacks self-control. At other times the husband breaks the
vessels when he loses his temper. If the wife is like Xanthippe (wife of Socrates) or Jijibai (wife of
Tukaram), the table will be turned. There will be thunder and rain on the husband’s head. Sometimes
the wife, when she becomes angry, refuses to cook the food and lies down in the bed drawing a
blanket over her body and head under the pretext of severe stomach-ache. The poor husband runs to
the hotel to take his meals in order to catch the pilot train to go to his office. Sometimes the wife goes
to her mother’s house without informing the husband. The poor shameless weak-willed husband runs
to his mother-in-law’s house to bring her back with fresh glowing, golden promises and entreaties.
The wife must be ever ready to receive a volley of abuses when the dishes are not prepared
to the fastidious taste of her husband. These are only minor, unimportant causes for daily quarrels.
The major causes are too numerous to be mentioned here. You already know them in full and in
detail also.
But still, if you ask a householder, “Which is better; a householder’s life or a life of a
Brahmachari?” surely he will say “Householder’s life is thousand times better than the life of a
celibate”. He will vehemently fight with all his clumsy arguments to support his view. Do
remember the story of the king who took birth as a pig and was rejoicing with his piglings. His case
is similar to this king.
People have neither discrimination, dispassion nor subtle sharp intellect. Hence they are not
able to know things in their true light. Their intellects are clouded, perverted, turbid, intoxicated and
veiled by passion, delusion, infatuation and ignorance. Hence they do not know what they are
exactly doing.
When they are swayed with passion, husbands and wives forget all about their quarrels
which occurred in the morning. They think that their life is a blessed one. They utter pleasantly
some flowery speech for the time being, though there is no real union and love in the core of their
heart.
Try to possess self-control. Rise above passions. Be pure. Develop good behaviour, good
conduct. Control anger. Be regular in Japa, Kirtan, meditation and study of Gita. Lead a life of ideal
householders. Go through the books “Advice to Householders” and “Sure Ways for Success in Life
and God-realisation”. Put the instructions in daily practice.
O Ram! Treat your wife like a Devi. She is the queen or Lakshmi of the house. Where
woman is honoured there is wealth, prosperity, success and peace. O Lila! Become a Pativrata. Do
not quarrel with your husband. Become like Savitri, Anasuya or Sita.
May you all lead a life of Purity with devotion and attain the supreme blessedness in this
very life!
Where there are kindness, humility and purity, there spirituality springs up,
saintliness shines, divinity descends and perfection manifests itself. —Swami Sivananda
Have a simple and unassuming manner of life. Live not to eat, but eat to live. Bear no envy.
Commit no slander. Speak no falsehood. Practise no deceit. Harbour no malice. You will be ever
joyful, happy and peaceful.
Righteousness is the rule of life. Lead a virtuous life. Strictly adhere to Dharma. Human life
is not human without virtues. Study the lives of saints and draw inspiration from them. Cultivate a
melting heart, the giving hand, the kindly speech, the life of service, equal vision, and impartial
attitude. Your life will, indeed, be blessed.
Lead a simple life. Lead a regulated life. Lead a hard life. Take hold of each day as if it were
the last day, and utilise every second in prayer, meditation and service. Let your life become a
continuous sacrifice to God.
Live in the present. Forget the past. Give up hopes of the future. Understand well the
meaning of life, and then start the quest. Life is thy greatest gift. Utilise every second profitably.
Success often comes to those who dare and act. It seldom comes to the timid. May you all attain
success in life!
A MESSAGE TO YOU
OmTat Sat! Homage unto the Divine! It is an immense happiness to me to address these few
words to you today. May they be engraved in your heart and be enshrined in your thoughts!
Live with understanding and wisdom. Understand the meaning and purpose of life.
Understand your real nature and why you are here. Here on earth you are but a passing traveller.
Your real abode is that realm from whence you came. Here all things are temporary. All things pass.
Therefore seek the Eternal. Your Real Nature is not earthly. It is spiritual and deathless.
To realise your Reality, your eternal identity is the purpose of life. While you strive diligently for this
inner experience, cultivate Ideal Relationship with this world around you. To all beings relate yourself
DOMESTIC ETHICS
with nobility, sympathy, kindness, love, selflessness and the desire to serve all, SERVE
HUMANITY AND SEEK DIVINITY. Compassion to all is the key to blessedness. Humility is the
highest virtue. Truthfulness is the greatest treasure. Self-control is the supreme wealth to possess.
Be an ideal individual. Become a spiritually illumined soul. Thus crown your life with Wisdom, peace
and blessedness. You will then become a blessing to all mankind. I wish you Joy and Peace.
By S. N. Sastri
(Submitted with permission by Balagopal)
7. Slaying of Pralambasura
The Bhagavata Purana describes how Kamsa sent many Asuras to kill Krishna and how all of them were slain
effortlessly by Krishna. One of the Asuras who met with such a fate was Pralamba. The story is narrated in chapter
18 of the tenth skandha.
One day, as usual, Krishna, Balarama and the cowherd boys took their calves to Brindavana for grazing. There they
entertained themselves by playing a game in which the boys were divided into two teams, one under the leadership
of Krishna and the other under that of Balarama. A boy belonging to one team would wrestle with a boy from the
other team. The boy who was defeated had to carry on his shoulders the boy who won up to the foot of a particular
banyan tree. Krishna allowed himself to be defeated by his dearest friend Sudama and then carried Sudama up to
the tree. This action of the Lord is interpreted as indicating that He is the servant of His devotees.
An Asura named Pralamba, an emissary of Kamsa, came there in the guise of a cowherd boy, with the intention of
killing Krishna and Balarama. He requested Krishna to allow him to take part in the game. Though Krishna knew who
he was, he pretended ignorance and took Pralamba in his own team. Pralamba wrestled with Balarama and was
defeated. He then carried Balarama on his shoulders as required by the rules of the game, but did not stop at the foot
of the banyan tree to allow Balarama to get down.
When Balarama found that he was being carried far away he became suspicious and increased his weight in order to
force Pralamba to put him down. Pralamba then assumed his real form as an Asura. Seeing the huge form of the
Asura and finding that the Asura was carrying him far away from Krishna, Balarama became frightened. He then
turned round and because of the great height of the Asura he was able to see the face of Krishna at a distance. It is
said in the Vishnupurana (5.9.23) that Krishna then mentally transmitted the following message to Balarama:-- "O you
who are the self of all! Why have you, who are the most mysterious indwelling self, assumed the attitude of an
ordinary human being (and become frightened)?". O n receiving this message and looking at the face of Krishna, all
fear disappeared from Balarama's mind and he got the courage and strength to crush the Asura and extricate
himself.
In this story Pralamba represents the evil vasanas (inherent tendencies acquired in past lives) in every human being.
These vasanas make the human being engage himself in various worldly activities and carry him away from the Lord
as Balarama was carried away from Krishna by Pralamba.
The message which Krishna gave to Balarama is applicable not only to Balarama but to every human being. The
meaning of the message is-- "You are really the Atman, but you are wrongly identifying yourself with your body-mind
complex and looking upon yourself as a limited being. It is this wrong identification that makes you a slave to your
vasanas and results in your being carried away hither and thither by them. Once you realise your real identity, namely
In chapter 19 of the tenth Skandha of Srimad Bhagavatam is described how Lord Krishna rescued a group of
cowherd boys and their cows from a raging forest fire.
One day, as usual, Krishna and Balarama, along with a large number of cowherd boys, led their cows to the forest for
grazing. While the boys were engrossed in play, the cows went forward in search of tender grass. As they moved on,
they advanced beyond the limits of Vrindavana which was the abode of Krishna and entered a forest called
'Aishikam'. This forest was full of a particular variety of grass which had the tendency to catch fire easily. The forest
was unbearably hot and the cows became totally exhausted because of hunger and thirst. The tender grass which
they hoped to find was nowhere to be seen.
The cowherd boys, who were absorbed in play, did not notice for a long time that the cows had gone far away from
them. When they did not find the cows at the place where they had left them, they became worried and went in
search of them and found them in the Aishika forest. When they were about to bring the cows back, a forest fire
broke out. The boys found themselves and their cows surrounded by the fire. In desperation they cried out to Krishna
for help. Krishna came and asked them not to be afraid but to close their eyes for a few moments. They did so, and
when they opened their eyes again they found themselves back in Vrindavana with no trace whatsoever of the fire.
They were thus saved by Krishna from the fire.
The story looks very simple, but every statement in it has profound philosophical significance. The cows, which
moved away from Krishna in search of tender grass represent human beings who forget the Lord and seek
happiness in the world outside. As happened to the cows, the search for happiness in the world proves futile and
results only in disappointment and suffering. The heat of the Aishika forest and the forest fire represent the sufferings
of man in this transmigratory existence. Krishna asked the boys and the cows to close their eyes for a while and
immediately all their sufferings vanished. 'Closing the eyes' stands for withdrawal of all the organs of sense from their
objects. A very similar expression is used in the Kathopanishad, II.i.1 which says:--
" The Lord made the senses outgoing. Therefore one can see only external objects and not the inner Self. A rare
discriminating individual, desiring immortality, turns his eyes away and then sees the indwelling Self". In this mantra
the term 'eyes' stands for all the organs of sense. The meaning of this mantra is: Our sense-organs have been
endowed by God with the power to experience only sense-objects in the external world. They are not capable of
knowing the indwelling Self. A rare person, who has acquired total purity of mind, withdraws all his sense-organs from
their objects and concentrates his mind on the Self. He then realises the self and becomes free from all the sufferings
of this world. The boys and the cows found that the fire which was tormenting them had disappeared without a trace
when they closed their eyes for a moment. This episode thus brings out allegorically the meaning of the mantra of the
Kathopanishad quoted above.
9. Slaying of Narakasura
Narakasura, described as a son of Bhumidevi, was a very wicked Asura who terrorised the whole earth. He
conquered many kings and carried away 16,100 young women from their families and kept them in captivity. On
coming to know of this, Krishna marched against him. Krishna was first opposed by Mura, an Asura with five faces,
who was an associate of Narakasura. After killing Mura, Krishna killed Narakasura also and released all the women.
He then married all of them.
A careful study will show that the entire teachings of Vedanta are conveyed through this simple story. The first
significant fact is the description of Narakasura as the son of Bhumi, the Earth. Bhumi or earth is one of the five
elements, the other four being water, fire, air and space. In Vedanta there is a figure of speech called 'upalakshana'
by which, when one item of a group is specifically mentioned, all the other items of the group are also to be taken as
implied. Thus the mention of 'earth' here is to be taken as implying all the five elements. This conclusion is further
supported by the following statements in the Bhashya of Sri Sankara on Brahmasutra. 3.1.2:--"Water consists of
three components, according to the Upanishadic text about the elements becoming tripartite (Ch. Up. VI. iii). So when
water is admitted as the constituent, the other two elements must also be admitted. Moreover, the body is the product
of the three elements since all three, fire, water and earth, are seen to be its constituents". Only three elements are
Narakasura is said to be the son of the earth, which means allegorically that he is the product of the five elements.
Vedanta says that the body (both physical and subtle) is made up of, or is the product of, the five elements. That is to
say, Narakasura stands for the body.
All living beings are kept in bondage by the body. This is what is implied by the statement that Narakasura had kept
the women in captivity. The women are the jivas who are imprisoned in the body. The name 'Narakasura' is also
significant. Being a slave to the body is itself Naraka or hell. Liberation is freedom from the bondage or limitation of
the body. By slaying Narakasura the Lord, in His infinite compassion for His devotees, liberated them from bondage.
The story also brings out the fact that God's grace is essential for getting liberation.
There is another very significant point in this story. Mura, the associate of Narakasura, is said to have five faces.
These five faces stand for the five organs of sense which have first to be conquered and this is what the Lord did.
The name 'Mura' is itself significant. The verb 'mura' means 'envelope'. (mura samveshtane-- Panini's Dhatupatha,
No. 1287). Mura therefore stands for ignorance or 'nescience' which envelopes the jiva.
On attaining liberation the jiva becomes one with Brahman. This is the real import of the statement that the Lord
married all the women who were released. 'Marriage' means becoming one with the Lord.
The Upanishads declare that every living being will continue to be born again and again until liberation from the state
of transmigration is attained by the realisation of the Self. This realisation is possible only in a human birth. In
Mundakopanishad I.ii.10 it is said that even a human being who has performed meritorious deeds and earned a
sojourn in heaven will not necessarily be born as a human being when he has to leave heaven on the exhaustion of
the merit which took him there. He may be born as an animal or a bird or any other creature, or even as a plant,
depending upon the nature of his residual karma. The Kathopanishad says (II.ii.7):--
One will be reborn from a womb (i.e. as a human being or as any other creature born from a womb) or even as a
plant, according to his actions and the nature and extent of the knowledge acquired by him in the present birth.
There is a short story in chapter 34 of Skandha X of Srimad Bhagavatam which beautifully illustrates the declarations
of the upanishads mentioned above. It is the story of a Vidyadhara (a semi-divine being) who became a python due
to the curse of some sages and was subsequently restored to a form even more resplendent than his original one by
the touch of Sri Krishna's foot. This story has a wealth of Vedantic implications.
On a certain day the cowherds of Gokula went, along with Krishna, to a place known as 'Ambikavanam'. Having
bathed in the river Saraswati there, they worshipped Lord Siva and His consort Goddess Ambika. They spent that
night on the bank of the river, in prayer and fasting. Suddenly a huge python appeared and began to devour
Nandagopa. Hearing Nandagopa's cries the cowherds rushed to his rescue and belaboured the python with
firebrands. In spite of severe beating the python did not release Nandagopa from its hold. Krishna then went there
and touched the python with his foot. At once the python disappeared and there stood in its place a most resplendent
Vidyadhara. When asked by Krishna who he was, he said, "I am a Vidyadhara named Sudarsana. I was endowed
with great wealth and beauty and used to fly in my aerial car all over the world. Being very proud of my exceptional
beauty, I was very haughty. One day I ridiculed some sages of the Angirasa family for their ugly looks. For this sin
those sages made me take this birth. The curse that those compassionate souls pronounced on me has become a
blessing to me; because of it I have been blessed with the touch of the foot of the Lord of the universe, and have
been cleansed of my sin". So saying, he prostrated before Krishna and ascended to heaven.
What are the lessons that this story has for us? In the first place, what are called curses in the Puranas are really
blessings when they come from great sages who are full of compassion and do not even wish ill of anyone, let alone
inflicting punishment. They are beyond praise and ridicule and are not in the least influenced or affected by them.
Whatever they do is always for the good of others. If we analyse the curses appearing in the Puranas, we will find
that they fall into two broad categories-- 1) those which, though outwardly appearing to be curses, really bless the
person concerned by placing him in circumstances in which he is able to free himself of the defects in his character
which stand as obstacles in the way of his spiritual advancement; (this can be compared to the action of a surgeon
who uses his scalpel on the patient with the noble intention of curing him of an ailment which prevents him from
leading a normal happy life) and 2) those which merely emphasize the fact that the next birth of a person will be in
accordance with his thoughts and actions in this birth. Examples of the first category are the curses on Jaya and
Vijaya by Sanatkumara and the other sages, the curse on King Indradyumna who became Gajendra, and the curse
on Nalakubara and Manigriva by sage Narada. The curse laid on Sudarsana by the sages contains aspects which
make it fit into both the categories, as will be clear from the sequel.
The curse pronounced by the sages on Sudarsana can be brought under the second category also. Since the
Vidyadhara was so proud of his beauty that he was contemptuous of others who were not so endowed, he would, on
that count itself, be deprived of beauty in his next birth. This is what happened to him when he was born as a python.
The curse only reiterated what would have happened even without it. The offence committed need not necessarily be
against sages who have the power to curse. Such an offence even against ordinary persons would have led to the
same result of depriving him of whatever he was proud of, in his next birth. The lesson conveyed by this story is that
one should never be proud of one's wealth, pedigree, good looks, learning or any other accomplishment and look
down on others not so fortunate. Every one should remember that this is not the only birth and what one has in this
birth may not necessarily be his in a subsequent birth. It is the thoughts and actions in this birth that will determine
what the next birth will be. If a person who is rich becomes arrogant and treats the poor with contempt or uses his
wealth for doing harm to others, he will be born as a beggar in his next birth. There is no guarantee that a person
who is rich in this birth will remain so in future births also. If he uses his wealth for good purposes he may have the
good fortune of being rich in the next birth also. This is the real meaning of the well known saying that no one can
carry his wealth with him when he dies. The same logic applies to all natural talents and gifts that one is born with.
One should be humble about them and use them for good purposes. Leave alone losing in the next birth; one may
lose his or her beauty or wealth or other accomplishments even during this birth itself because of illness and various
other causes. We have to remember that everything in this world is transient. If this thought is always kept in mind,
one will never swerve from the right path. These are the lessons that we can draw from this story.
A former Pontiff of the Sringeri Mutt explained in a discourse the reason for persons being born blind, dumb, etc. If a
person does not make use of his faculties of speech, etc., to help another person in a situation in which such help is
crucial, he will be born without that faculty in his next birth. To illustrate, supposing two boys are playing in a village.
One of them suddenly falls into a well. If the other boy immediately shouts for help, neighbours would rush to the
place and would probably be able to rescue the boy from the well. If, instead, the other boy just walks away, fearing
that he may be blamed for his friend falling into the well, with the result that the boy who fell into the well loses his life,
the boy who did not use his faculty of speech at the proper time will be born dumb in his next birth. In a Puranic story
such an episode would be put this way. The boy did not try to save his friend by using his voice and so he was cursed
by the dead boy's parents or by some sage to become dumb.
It will be interesting to examine the various curses in the Puranas keeping the above views in mind.
There are sixteen Samskaras, starting from Garbhadhana (conception), that continue throughout the life of
an individual, withAntyesti (funeral rites) being the last. These sixteen Samskaras are as follows:
REQUEST
Please do a special prayer to Guruvayoorappan for our respected group elder and author Dr. BGY
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When asked us to write an account of ourselves for the member of the month column. This job fell on me,since
my husband promptly gave me that duty.
Both of us cannot boast of any vedic knowledge or authority on spiritual matters, though we are more than 70
years old .We have great admiration for all the Gurudevs of this blessed group, young and old alike who are
much more knowledgeable than us. We thank our friend, Chandraji for introducing us to this divine group.
Both of us belong to a tiny village called Nadavaramb, near Irinjalakuda in Trissur district. We used to go to
Guruvayur temple as children at least once a month,as every child in the area did. We have two small temples
nearby. One Trimoorthi temple and one Hanuman temple, where we used to go every morning when we were
school going children. We also used to sing some of the bhajans which were popular in Kerala, like
“AnjanaSreedhara”, Achutham Keshavam, naranayingane etc , in the evening after lighting the wick lamp.
(SandhyAnAmam) We both studied Sanskrit as a second language in school.
I wanted to become a doctor at a very young age,and tried and became successful to become one. My husband
studied to be an engineer, and worked in Mumbai in Larsen and Toubro till 1968. After finishing the medical
degree, I went to Mumbai for post graduation, when we met again. We got married in 1967 and emigrated to
USA two years after the marriage .We have two children, one daughter, Lakshmi and a son, Jaykumar. Our
daughter, Lakshmi is a doctor and works in a pharmaceutical company in New Jersey .Our son, is a computer
specialist and works as a consultant in Washington, DC. I became an internist and a geriatrician in USA and
worked in a medical group till 2003. My husband became a specialist as an environmental engineer and worked
as a consultant and retired in 2003, when he had a stroke and a right side paralysis..
We used to go to Kerala at least once a year for a month or so and used to go to Guruvayur every time we were
there. Guruvayurappan always obliged us with a good Darshan. We also used to buy Carnatic music and bhajan
audiotapes every time we were in Guruvayur and we used to hear them during our travel in the car. Our
http://group.yahoo.com/groups/guruvayur \h\oXw Page- 47
Monthly Newsletter of Guruvayoor Devotees Forum
daughter liked bharatanatyam as a child and studied this and had arangetram in New York at the age of 13. My
husband was very good in his thalam and was able to help my daughter in her dance instruction. I would like to
mention also that we had a lot of mental and physical hardships during this adjustment in the new country,
which gradually made us closer to Guruvayurappan ,whom only we could positively depend upon whenever
we are in trouble. We also studied BhagavatGita in the Ashram of HH Swami Dayananda Saraswathi in
Pennsylvania in the eighties and used to attend the classes conducted by HH Shanatananda of Chinmaya
mission in the nineties..
He got the help of our local young musicians in New Jersey to sing these songs. We conducted many music
Mr.Menon also composed the story of Manjula charitham dance drama in BharathanAtyam style. This was
choreographed by the dance teacher, Rema Rao of Calicut and presented in Melpattur
auditorium in september 2004.
Most of the songs written are in praise of Guruvayurappan. They are in the form of keerthanas,
and bhajans Some of these bhajans are inlcuded in our Guruvayur website,
thanks to our Sunilji.. In 2009 he composed 5 kaikottikkali songs in praise of
Krishna .
He has composed 4 songs about Ganesa, about 12 songs in praise of Poornathrayeesa, about 12 songs about
Devi , 4 songs about Ayyappa, one song about Siva and 2songs about Swami Chinmayananda.
Sree Chenkottai Harihara Subramanyan sang the Devi Krithis in 2008 in Urakam Temple. Sree
Shankaran Namboodiri is scheduled to sing another set of new songs in Cherppu on August
14th 2010.
He always wonders why “he” was selected by Bhagavan to do this divine work. He does not take any
authorship on these songs and considers that he is only a medium through which Guruvayurappan sends the
message.
We have learned to take each day and each event as PRASADAM and surrender to HIM completely.
May the Lord bless our Guruvayur group to continue the good work.
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 gvreditor@gmail.com 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 gvreditor@gmail.com
Sources, credits and copyright acknoledgements
http://www.cmmiami.org
Manoramaonline.com thehindu.com http://www.vrindavanart.com
Krishna pictures/Artwork courtesy of http://www.vanamaliashram.org/
The Bhaktivedanta Book Trust International, Inc. http://www.indiapost.gov.in
http://images.google.com Madhu Ramanujam -
http://www.krishna.com http://picasaweb.google.com/madhuraamanujam
http://sss.vn.ua http://www.flickr.com
http://summit.gaia.com www.russianpaintings.net
www.sriramanamaharshi.org/bhagavatasaptaha picasa.google.com
m.html flickr.com
http://images.exoticindiaart.com
padmanabhapuram.blogspot.com
http://www.bsgindia.com
krishna-keshav.blogspot.com
Navaneetham
M onthly N ew sletter of the devotees of G uruvayurappan