Music is your key

There is a threshold,
A line that you cross every night.
And become away from yourself.
To go into the land of your dreams!

Waking up in the morning,
In the reality of mundane,
You crave for that union;
That showered a fragrant mist.

The GOD that made you,
Gives you key every night,
To enter into the world of your fancies.
But locks you outside next morning.

To steal this key from HIM,
I will tell you a way.
Go into your dream tonight,
And find a beautiful forest.

As you walk by a crystal lake,
Hear the melliflous forest flute.
That makes you ecstatic!
And show the way forward.

Suddenly by some mystic grace,
A peacock feather will come touch you!
That wakes you up with music still lingering,
And realizes that your dream just came true!

(~Inspired by this song and Krishna, the Blue God)

Looking within

This is a trap,

A golden trap.

Being so beautiful,

You revel in it.

This is a dream,

A midsummer night’s dream.

Being a narcissus,

You get lost in it.

You get trinkets here,

And trade that for diamonds!

You get misery here,

And trade that for happiness.

Looking within,

On a lightning flash,

The trap is shattered 

And you wake up

In a far-off shore.

(Inspired by Guruji)

A melancholy Vishu

I am sad at the demise of Nandana, K S Chitra's daughter.
After 15 years of her marriage, after so much prayers and penances, she was born.
She was only 8 years old, had Down's syndrome and needed constant attention.

On the eve of Vishu, God really wanted her presence in heaven, that HE took her away.

All my prayers and condolences for Chitra and family.
May God bless her and family with strength and love.
Om NamahShivaya.

Bhakthi Sutra to Ashtavakra

The Art of Living club at my University was started as a small club of just 3 members in 2009. Now we have almost 50 people who did the course here. This year we already had two courses when people rejoiced on thier first experience of kriya.

I have got a few friends who have become strong in volunteering and yearns for satsang. Bringing up a group as such was the main challenge, so we started having weekly Bhakti Sutras just soaking down in the bliss of that ecstacy that Gurudev always emanates.

Now that we have two more videos to finish for NBS, I had sought the consent of my teacher, Sunil Prabhu to start Ashtavakra, the Supreme knowledge. And got it!

At least couple of people here are afraid that they will have to leave the University (their graduations are near) without watching Ashtavakra and urged me to ask our teacher about starting that.
So next week onwards, the eight knotted sage will start enlightening a bunch of sincere seekers at my University.

In 2008 when I came back from my last trip to home and HOME, I had the whole Ashtavakra series with me. I wanted to start it right away. Not knowing about a teacher in Kansas city (city that's the closest where we have a teacher), I started taking the cds to one of my friend on Saturdays defying all the harsh winter weather and watch the knowledge. But, I was desperate that my friend slept through all the videos and eventually lost any ineterest to continue it. The cds itself got stuck at 9th chapter and we had to stop it..

Now that all the above things are happening on its own, I wonder the strange ways and turns it took for this to happen.

When you see abundance and blessings, one starts wondering what kind of karma one might have undertaken that things manifest like that.

My Achchan has also told me to start reading Kathopanishad, so Swadhyaya is happening as well.!

Aho Niranjan!

Radha Kaise Na Jale!

Krishna who charms even the most dispassionate of souls..
Radha who is the embodiment of longing.
Then this song "Radha Kaise Na Jale" happens.

Music is awesome (the ARR magic:-), expressions and dance sequences just slips and fits into the lyrics and its rhythm. Then it becomes extremely sweet.

Rejoice in your love:-D

Nothin's gonna change my world:)

Song by The Beatles about Gurudev

Words are flying out like


endless rain into a paper cup

They slither while they pass

They slip away across the universe

Pools of sorrow waves of joy

are drifting through my open mind

Possessing and caressing me



Jai guru deva om

Nothing's gonna change my world

Nothing's gonna change my world


Images of broken light which

dance before me like a million eyes

That call me on and on across the universe.

Thoughts meander like a

restless wind inside a letter box,

they tumble blindly as

they make their way across the universe


Jai guru deva om

Nothing's gonna change my world

Nothing's gonna change my world



Sounds of laughter shades of life

are ringing through my open ears

exciting and inviting me.

Limitless undying love which

shines around me like a million suns

It calls me on and on across the universe


Jai guru deva om

Nothing's gonna change my world

Nothing's gonna change my world


Jai guru deva

Jai guru deva

Dissolution and Bondage

I have been hearing this song more than 20 times now.
Always find something new every time I hear.
Song from "Keralavarma Pazhassi Raja".

Chithra in her beautiful voice is blowing me off each time I hear it.
She is a perfectionist in terms of rendering songs.
There is not even a single off-note, single off-pitch in this song.

Lyrics by ONV (one of my favorite poets, happy that this great poet got Jnanapeeth this year) is superb! In the second stanza, the place where she comes to ask Lord Shiva to accompany her beloved, I am no more! just intoxication, dissolution..:-D

The raga that Ilaya Raja (he is a Periya Raja in terms of creating tunes) chose for this song is Abheri. It can expresses intense longing, happiness, and a sort of weakness or vulnerability (no words to describe:-) at the same time.

Beautiful bondage

Voice has been a passion; 

I might forget faces, but not voices.

I have no freedom from them.

I am happy with that bondage;

because you see, my Master has the most beautiful voice in this world!

~JoyGD

Song from “Story told by a Sufi”

Using her broken bangles a lady tries to draw a picture.

This creates a lot of mess:-D

Finally she transforms herself into fragrant fumes of camphor.

This song is so beautiful, has a good transition in between to a muslim song and comes back on track. 

The means and end of any art form is to dissolve your self.

Existence is a fact.

Meaning of these words struck me when I heard of Vasu Valliachchan (father's elder bro) being no more in this world. It took some time to really wrap my head around and figure out what happened. All memories of times spent with him flashed in mind and felt terribly at loss and lonely. Valliachchan was a sweet person, so much look alike of my father (only the mustache and the voice discerned them and as a kid I couldn't differentiate them). I wonder how my Achchan (father) could have possibly endured this news that his beloved brother and many ways his role model passed away. The "Swantham" that he used to write in inland letters sent to my Achchan meant much to me (and for him too). I guess the presence of Devadath, my nephew kid growing more and more vikruthi (beautifully mischievous) day-by-day, is keeping Achchan engaged. Guess if the innocence and spontaneity of a baby cannot make you happy, nothing in this world can.

I am just being with myself and not attending any functions for this week.
Feel incomplete not being able to do the last rites for Valliachchan.
Prostrations and Love.
OM NamahShivaya.

The Opiated Peacock.

When M (Mahendra Nath Gupta- the writer of "Gospel of SriRamakrishna") came and met his Master first time and saw his beaming and blissful samadhi state, he could not stop thinking about HIM till he returned next day at the same time.

SriRamakrishna then said this-

" if you give opium to peacock at a certain time of the day, it will get intoxicated and the next day at the same time it will be at your door steps to receive another dose of it"

Meeting Guruji for the second Gurupoornima, I figured that peacock in me was also opiated..

And I am enjoying it...

Will write about the course that I did, GP 2010 celebrations and experiences soon..
JoyGurudev!

Two-fold cost of males

Have been thinking about writing some science for some time.
Here is a question that we in one of our class here at KSU (Kansas State University) discussed which is almost at the interface of science and philosophy, so picking that.

One of the most interesting debates we had in our evolution class was about the "two fold cost of males". According to the theory of evolution a species evolves and advances its genetic heritage to next generation. Every species including human beings undergo struggle for existence and the most fit forms which has adaptations to succeed in a particular environment survives and reproduces extending its genetic heritage to its progenies. Every time in nature they get better adapted to the existing environmental conditions. If any species fail in this battle, they are not fit and eventually that particular species go extinct since there are no individuals who can advance their genetic heritage. Any heritable variation (genetic changes or mutation) will be carried to the next generation and conserved there. So basically the "fitness" of a population is to have as many progenies as it can produce and advance it's genetic heritage to next generation. Then what's the need of two sex forms (male and female) in a population? Isn't it enough that one form can reproduce and advance their progeny to next generation and thus the population survive? Such questions tend to get philosophical and sometimes even spiritual.

Now take the greatest debate between atheist and believers in the West. In USA, the State of Kansas has become so (in)famous for instituting "theory of intelligent design" in their schools. The theory of evolution by Darwin was the single most jolt to the evangelist since that completely disowns the Genesis chapter of Old Testament and the way in which it has described how GOD created various life forms. As per Darwin's theory of evolution, simplest atoms and molecules came together to form the primordial cell (after the Earth became suitable for making those) and as time advanced, they got more and more complex, sophisticated, multicellular forms. Every time they evolved new adaptations which allowed it to tide over unfavorable conditions and almost a million year ago, from a neanderthal, one Homo sapien (human being) also came into being. Against this evolution theory, evangelists proposed "intelligent design" which says GOD did all this design of various species in the most intelligent manner as you can see now. In the  State of Kansas, after a lot of opposition from scientists (especially Biologists who are 'real scientists') political parties and evangelists were able to institute intelligent design to schools so that kids learn that also.

Now coming back to the cost of males. Take the case of simple, single celled forms; they don't have two sex forms. Bacteria, viruses and many fungi are just only one kind and they advance their life like that reproducing by budding or fission and many other similar methods. The problem with a form which cannot give birth (males) is that it cannot reproduce by itself and it also tend to produce new unproductive forms of itself. So the resources had to be given for an unproductive member in a population and that also leads to the production of another unproductive member. This is the two fold cost of males in a population. As per theory of evolution, this is not economical. When there are limited resources, the species cannot succeed in fitness if there are members which cannot give rise to off-springs.

So scientifically speaking, why there are males in a population?

Ha ha it would be funny to imagine a population where there are only mothers, daughters and sisters in a population and there are no fathers, sons or brothers:-D.

One answer is to create variation. Suppose there are only females and they give rise to only females. Every time they give rise to new progeny which look alike. The presence of a complementary life forms creates more opportunity for variation in population. The importance of variation is that it will allow to succeed in a particular environment. For example, if there was an epidemic outbreak (like SARS), all identical forms will get susceptible and eventually wiped out due to the disease. If there is one member who is a variant which can resist the disease, he will survive and give rise to progenies that will also survive. So males are needed for diversity of a sexually dimorphic population.

PS: Have resorted little bit of dilution in some concepts to simplify the scientific theory.

uff thera ada!!!!

Can't believe it's been one year that I haven't met HIM!
So much longing and excitement is there now.
On last Gurupoornima how many intimate moments that filled this heart!
But feels like never enough!
How charming is HE!

And when we exchange roles, who is Krishna and who is Radha?.

So I have a song about that.
This song from movie Veer-Zara that was love at first hearing.
In fact in the actual music cd it starts with Gulzar's voice-
"Ek din savere savere jab suraj ne parbat ke thaki se sir jo udhaya, tho dekha" (don't want to translate:-)
Like that what will happen today!?
"Where this life is moving!!!!!!:-D
From where this voice I am hearing
Whose face I am seeing in each and every flower!!!"
:-D :-D;-D
Life is Beautiful!
Have only heard about binge drinking, what an intoxication!
Gurudev says that you need to express it sometimes, otherwise heart will burst:-D
JoyGurudev!

A good but foolish samaritan 2

This is the concluding part of this earlier post

Three weeks later when I had almost forgotten about Bereket and the accident, I got an email from him asking my apartment address and phone number. Also I got two or three emails in quick succession from him asking the same. Thinking that he might want to thank me or something I gave all my details. Then he called me to lab and told about about some difficult times he had to go through after the accident and also related to the statement that I gave to the insurance and police. He also told that he will be visiting me at my apartment so that he can see me in person.

His actual situation as explained by him;

That night the gentleman driver dropped him and everything was happy. Next day Bereket started having pain in his stomach and bleeding started through urine. He contacted the driver and told about this and requested to take him to hospital (because he didn't have car). The driver who told him to call for whatever help needed never responded to his request. He had to manage himself somehow to reach the same hospital and then also figure out that he has some internal injuries. He underwent treatment for two weeks and the amount went upto 10,000 dollars unimaginable for a student to pay. He didn't have full assitantship to cover his health insurance either. The little insurance money that he might have got was also disapproved by the company saying that my witness statement regarded it as Bereket's fault. In my statement I used the word 'he rushed" and that's it! I had to use that because how could he have possibly left my umbrella and reach the road earlier than me otherwise? Also the place he crossed was without any traffic lights and illegal to cross. The police station had already regarded him as a nuisance to public transport and denied him all sorts of assistance. This is because since I had a very good impression initially about the driver, I had told to the cops that he is very nice and it might not be the driver's fault also. (they asked me if the driver was inebriated, and I told absolutely not, he is a very good guy).

Bereket was still ailing and was resorting to some physiotherapy then. I told that it's impossible now to take my statement back and change it since it has been given. And we don't have any money to challenge them in court also. My financial status was also not very sound to help him in any manner. They have put his graduation and studies on hold till he pays back the money and release all those flags.

I was sad and the only relief was that he understood my good intention to help him when he fell on the road and accompanying till hospital. But then I foolishly gave away the statement to the insurance company without knowing the way of how things worked here. In this way I got to know that system here is complicated and usually protects those people who are rich and influential. People can put on a very good face so that you have a good impression and get their things done like that.

Now fastforward to 2007 May 13, the day of my graduation (yes, that day coincided to Guruji's B'day, much to my happiness!). I saw Bereket also walking with cap and gown graduating along with my own spring session graduation ceremony! He saw me and I told sorry for everything. He told that he knew my intention was not bad. He had changed his guide for Masters in between, got full assistantship and seemed happy too.

About this episode only one thing remained, dear Venki makes fun of me being the only one who was able to screw up the graduate life of a person. But, I have no regrets as of now..

PS: The good samaritan entry was given to me by my Oppol (elder sis) who is settled in California whom I update my week-life every Sunday.
Time for a song. Since samaritan story is what Jesus narrated to his disciples, song should be like that..A bro, in this movie, is not invited for his own sis' marriage and he finds a way to attend it by singing this choir in Church. Very touching for a bro like me:-D

A good but foolish samaritan 1

This is an incident happened four months after I first came to US to Purdue University for my Matsers, in 2004. I was still not accustomed to the lifestyle, studies and lab-work here then.

On a fine afternoon I set out to the credit union (Bank) and it started raining. I had to borrow umbrella from downstairs from my chinese lab mate. On the way out found a person walking without umbrella and told him to join in mine.

The chain of events this simple act of friendship triggered was something that I could have never anticipated.

This guy was from Eritrea by name Bereket. We got introduced and he started describing about his thesis work and in no time we reached the road. All of a sudden he got out of my umbrella and rushed to cross the road. And a car coming down from the second lane hit him!

I didn't exactly see what happened, but found Bereket falling into the divider lane.

Many cars were rushing down the other lane and some stopped. After couple of seconds I reached him and tried to hold him up. He was lying down and crying out saying that he is going to die. I didn't see any injury or blood and told him it will be okay. In no time ambulance and police arrived and they picked him up. People never came to look what happened (much unlike Indian situation when people would have thronged there). Some guys from inside the car called me and gave their phone number and told to call them if needed (I didn't know why they did that).

After the cops took him into the ambulance I asked cop whether I have to do anything else. He told me to come to hospital, and since I was new to the place, he took me in his police car to St. Elizabeth hospital, pretty far from campus. Cops were very friendly and I told them that in our country they use to scare us a lot (my acquaintance with police was not new, had earlier experience with Kerala Police back home with strikes and struggles while doing UG when I was actively involved in student politcs; will write about that later:-).

At the hospital, they considered me as the only friend of Bereket and told me to sign some papers for his treatment and checkup. Meanwhile Bereket was refusing to do some tests telling that he doesn't have any problem now and those check-ups will be expensive. So docs asked me to convince him that those were very much needed for a accident victim. I didn't know how to convince him, so went up to him and told what the docs wanted and requested him to do at least the minimum tests needed.

After he was taken for further tests, I came out and found the driver of the car who hit him. He was a real gentleman and told me he was coming after celebrating his wife's B'day along with the kids and was working in a company near Walmart grocery store. He came to the hospital to see how Bereket was doing. Instead of running away from the spot, he stopped and came to the hospital!.Earlier, the cops had told me that they can drop me back and warned me that going alone will not be good since that is a bad neighborhood. Since the tests for Bereket will take several hours to get done, this driver of the car (I don't remember his name) told he could drop me back to the campus and also promised me that he will take care of Berket once check ups are done. Though I was sad to witness an accident, I was happy to see such a good person who cared a lot.

Next day I called this gentleman and he informed that Bereket is safe at home and nothing to worry.

Couple of days later I got a call from Bereket's health insurance company telling me that I was the sole witness of the incident and asked me to recount in my own words. I had hard time explaining things in english and somehow I managed to do so. I thought I had given a very good description and will allow them to give him his claim. Being the witness, cops also called me and asked me to come to police station for the same reason. Since I had no idea where police station was located, I told I can come to the accident location. They came there and took my signature after I explained what I saw.

I didn't know that by my signing stuff and recounting incident in the way 'they' wanted it, I was screwing up the graduate life of this guy from a poor African country.

Will conclude this in next post..:-D

A victim who cried out for help

The person who resorted to violence in Ashram doesn’t know….

HE is that vast space that identifies with the consciousness that IS.

And it always IS.

IS indestructible as explained in this sloka;

“Nainam Chindanthi Sasthraani

Nainam Dahathi Paavakah

Na cha Enam KledayanthyAApo

Na Shoshayathi Maaruthah" (2^nd chapter, 23^rd sloka, Holi Geetha)

Not destroyed by weapons

Not burned by fire

Not moistened by water

Not withered by wind

This sloka reminds also of Swamiji Vivekananda’s MahaSamadhi incident. The night when Swamiji attained final Samadhi, Sashi (Swamiji Ramakrishnananda), His brother disciple, was at a different place. At exactly the time of His passing away, Sashi had a dream, in which Swamiji told,

“Ye Sasi look here, I have discarded my body. It was as simple as just spitting it out”

If at all, THEY want it to happen, it’s that easy.

Also, this path is not for timid people. Guruji has said earlier that spirituality is not for chicken, only lions stay!

So we can only be compassionate at the terrorist who is actually a victim who cried out for attention in the only manner that he knew to do it.

PS: A song.

A film song that exemplifies the Adwaitha (non-dual) principle in first stanza.

About the Guru and “Jeeva Kala” (in Malayalam Art Of Living is “Jeevana Kala”) and how devotees poured in, in the second stanza.

And about the seva in third.

Here is the song from film “Adwaitham”.

Singers-larger than life

Wanted to write about two legendary singers that made my childhood colorful and cheerful by their voice. Their voices are dearer to me more than mine.

Rafi Saheb

Mohammed Rafi is the greatest of play back singers ever produced by Hindi film industry. His honey dew voice has that magic that I used to believe even when he snores, that will come out as music! As early as a five year old kid, I remember listening to Rafi Saheb's recorded version of London program in our old tape recorder and I liked this song a lot. Even now I like that song with the same intensity as I used to. The song is from a film called 'Baiju Bawra'. 

Beautiful Baiju Bawra story-abridged

Baiju was one of the greatest singers of Mughal emperor Akbar’s time. In Akbar’s court was Mia Tanzen who was supposed to be the greatest musician of that time. It was a rule then that nobody should sing in the city other than Tanzen. If anybody want to sing, they have to first defeat Tanzen in music. Baiju’s father was caught singing one day and was killed by the sentries when they forcefully attempted to take him to court. Before dying he told Baiju to avenge for his death. Thus Baiju’s whole life had only one aim; to defeat Tanzen. But he falls in love with Gowri, a boatman’s daughter, and slowly starts forgetting his aim. Then Gowri came to know that he will be able to sing very well out of emotional ecstasy only and makes herself bitten by a snake and Baiju believe that she is dead.

Baiju now becomes a Bawra (mad person) and start singing the above song, with that much sadness that even Lord Shiva sheds tears (the filmi version of this song always makes me emotional, it’s here starring Bharath Bhushan).  Hearing Baiju sing in city, people try to stop him, but he doesn't hear. He is eventually taken to court and there he defeats Tanzen. The story ends tragically when Baiju tries to reach Gowri by crossing a river on spate; he gets drowned along with Gowri.

Coming back to Rafi Saheb:

Rafi saheb has sung approximately 25,000 songs and almost all of them were cherished by the industry and people. He had great clarity of voice, ranging from very lowest to highest pitches and gives great expression to words when he sings which made him unique among playback singers of that time.

Yesudas

Every Malayali (Keralite) would be proud of their dear Yesudas. Starting from 1960’s he had been singing and still continuing without much change in popularity. He started getting popular in his early days by singing Rafi songs. He has sung film songs, devotionals, carnatic music concerts and even folk songs. He also has amazing voice clarity, and great power of voice modulation and control. It would be tough to pick a song that I like since there are so many of them.

So picking this song which starts with Yesudas’ beautiful humming of which the third stanza enchants me always like this,

In search of my divine mother's shrine

Where million sunflowers bloom;

Along the way that I travel

Your words have spread flowers

I think of how my Guru’s words have been showing the path to me and millions like me to reach their favorite destiny. One such word is what I heard couple of days before;

“Muskurathe raho, eeshwar thumhare dil mein hai”. (Keep on smiling. God resides in your heart)

PS: Writing about singers, I am short of words and so deliberately digressed to write Baiju Bawra story:-D

Mein Therah (Ulta)

It's May 6th and completed 31 years in this body (ulta 13)!:-D

Feeling ignorant and insignificant I have requested my roommate not to celebrate at least this year.

One sloka comes to my mind that I chant everyday and which sums up much of myself.

"Mookam Karothi Vaachalam
Pangum Lankhayathe Girim
Yath Krupa Tham Aham Vande
PARAMAANANDA MAADHAVAM!!

Literally translated as,
He who transforms the dumb to a talkative (or a singer:-)
A lame to one who climbs mountains
To HIS compassion, I pray
Krishna who is the pinnacle of Joy!

That is bewildered me on May 6, 2006 when HE came to open San Antonio Ashram in Texas and called me to stage and crowned me with that flower cap which was adorning HIM a little earlier. Venki took the pic. HE even talked over phone to Venki's Amma who was recovering from an auto accident in India that time.

I would never have a better B'day:-D

In Love:-D

Rejoicing Without Conflict:-D

EnJoyGurudev!

PS: Today I miss my e-chats with beautiful sister Sharika who has gone to Ashram for becoming an AOL teacher. Fracois Gautier who wrote "The Guru of Joy" tells that being an AOL teacher is like moving with the badge of LOVE in one's heart. He also says that being a teacher is a greater privilege than the privilege of being a successful journalist interviewing 5 Indian Prime Ministers!!

All my prayers...

These days..

Have been going to childhood in my last couple of posts, now coming to the present...
After the preliminary exams life turned out to be event-full.
Weeks past just so fast and in between, Tulip festival, International talent show and Open house happened.
Don't have much words to describe them, but have pictures:-D

Tulip festival in Wamego
Every year in a near by town, Wamego, they celebrate Tulip festival.
It's a picnic that's mainly a dutch heritage where people come together at the outbreak of spring and see Tulips and enjoy; eat, sing and dance. Kids will be very excited since there will be so many goodies at display and much toys and exhibits.
Last year I went there expecting a sea of tulips like the one below. And was disappointed:-(

Tulips will bloom just in a small area and the festival is all to make merry seeing happy faces of many people. This year I knew what to expect and was also happy that I could see my prof playing his band. Thanks to Brian, a brilliant post doctoral researcher in our lab who took me there:-D

International talent show
I sung a song  for the international talent song. My juniors here were instrumental in pushing me to sing this time. Thanks for them since many people told they liked it:-D
Link here.

Open house
In University there is an exhibition in Spring which showcases the lighter side of higher education. Local people come and see each and every department and enjoy the scientific displays. We had a Biology booth where we took turn to explain stuff. I befriended "pizza". She was very friendly and kids also liked her a lot.
I took her in my hands and we were quite happy with each other.

A four wheeler in my yard
Another thing happened was that I bought a car.
If only I could drive a car! I bought one any way. Let me see if I would be able to ride it. During driving, if there is anything that has to be done suddenly, I might get in trouble. Hopefully I won't put people on the road in danger:-D. For a place that doesn't have any public transport like here, car is just a necessity, buying which I had been postponing thinking about my condition. Now after my prelims I had to fulfill my promise to Shanker that I will get one! Tonychettan, my senior, bargained with the dealer and ensured that I got a fair deal. Predeesh, my junior, has agreed to teach me driving also.

Alll izzzzzzz well!:-D

Krishna and Grandmother.

I guess nobody will write about my grandmother. Here is my humble prostration at her feet who taught me devotion as a young kid. She told us many many stories of Krishna and inculcated faith and devotion in us.

In our family, the deity worshipped is Bhagavathi, the mother goddess. And in our village the protector deity is RajaRajeshwara, Shiva. But my favorite hero deity became Krishna which on the most part is due to her.

She told about Krishna’s consummate life-

As a baby he was the cutest and the most mischievous one stealing the hearts of all Gopis.

As an adolescent, the strongest, taming Kuvalaya (elephant), defeating Chanura and Mushtika (great wrestlers) and killing Kansa (Krishna’s Uncle and the dreaded Asura (demon) King).

As a romantic hero he abducted princess Rukmini from her kingdom!

As a great scholar, the most noble and knowledgeable expounding Holy Gita to Arjuna.

As the shrewdest diplomat dealing with the war of Dharma (righteousness) at Kurukshethra.

Also when old, the most dispassionate, comforting Arjuna and Udhava before his final departure.

One common theme underlying all these roles is the irresistible charm he displayed enacting all of these roles.

I was introduced to Krishna by my angel Grandmother. She was a person who knew only to love; I haven’t heard her uttering any word against anyone. When she used to come home for weekends, it becomes a celebration for us. We spent most of our time with her; sleeping beside her bedside how many stories had been told and re-told. The whole of Ramayana, Mahabharatha, some from Bhagavatha and other Puranas (epics). She didn’t have any formal education, but had memorized all these stories and described them with great clarity and devotion.

She spent most part of her old age near Thrichambaram ShriKrishna temple. She once told that in this temple any celebration/procession will not involve elephants because the Krishna was installed in that Bhava (mood) after taming Kuvalaya. I have also heard from people that once when they tried to take one elephant there, it didn’t agree to cross the small stream adjacent to temple and ran away!

But her love was always taken for granted and I doubted that her opinions are not given due consideration and always brushed aside by her loved ones as something from an ignorant person. Towards her final days she was always lost in thought and became extremely happy whenever we told we are returning after praying in Krishna temple. I wonder all that she thought and saw those days was only Krishna and Gopis of Vrindavan.

She expressed only simple desires and the one which I really felt bitter for her sons is when she asked for a white rubber sandal and nobody paid any attention. Because she was not traveling outside her home, nobody heeded to that request. And couple of days later she passed away. More than for her separation I was very sad that none of her children could fulfill this simplest of her request.

I am sure at our family cremation ground near ancestral home where we all get cremated after death, her benign presence will always comfort us and none of us feel scared to go there in life or death.

Time for a beautiful song:-D

You can see the charming Krishna’s in this song. In this movie, “Nandanam”, the story takes a beautiful turn when Krishna appears. All songs in this movie (except one) are about him and one can see the enigma and mysticism in this song. How easily he cheers up this crestfallen gopika and how fast he steals her heart and how enigmatically he vanishes and appears at times. I was enchanted with the story of this movie, one of the best that I have seen in recent times. She could only wonder as to what’s really happening as Krishna seems so close one moment and, very far, the next moment!

Krishna comes to you in whichever form you want him to.

Guruji said that even the staunchest renunciates were charmed by Krishna’s beauty.

Which Gopika wouldn't want to dance with him!

Let all consciousness be filled with the beauty of Krishna’s love.

Hari OM!

JaiGurudev!

PS: This is about my paternal grandmother whom we all called Valliamma. 

Our Childhood Vishu

Vishu is the new year celebration very special to Kerala. For kids this is the best day of the year. All my memories of a vishu rushing in and I am going to re-live it now.:-D

Dawn of this day, in all households in my village, there will be Kani (something like an auspicious omen to see and start the New Year). Mother prepares kani on the eve of vishu, gets up early in the morning and after herself seeing it first, shows it to all the other members of the family. Kids will be called and slowly taken to the puja (prayer) room where the kani will be ready. Till they see the Kani, mother keeps their eyes closed so that the first thing they see is the Kani.

It was our job as kids to procure mainly two things, Kanikkonna (Golden yellow flower of Casia which is the state flower-picture below) and Kula Manga (unripe mango which are picked in groups) for the Kani. These two things are hard to get especially the day before, so we always make sure to procure it early enough.
As kids the best part of Vishu is lighting fire crackers. Even two days earlier to vishu, there will be huge rush in those fire-works-shops and it was always great to go there and spent all the money we have been given to get the maximum number of crackers:-D. Once we are back, the first thing to do was to divide the crackers equally among us and promising each other that we will not touch others' share. The whole of Vishu eve and the vishu day will be reverberating with the sounds of crackers from all around.

But, in our home and many other homes in the neighbourhood, this was not how kids saw the Kani. Kani would be prepared at home for Amma. Achchan, would take both of us to temple in the night. There would be Utsavam (celebration in temple) coming from Sreekrishna temple at Thrichambaram (1km away) to our temple (supposed to be Lord Subrahmania meeting his father,  Lord Siva, who is our Temple diety) and celebrating together. At about 2 am, three of us would go following the Utsavam to the temple and after taking bath from elondhi (temple pond) enjoy the utsavam inside the temple and pray to both of the deities together. Once Lord of Thrichambaram departs, we all sleep inside the temple waiting for next day's Kani in temple. 

Achchan would call us in the morning and direct us blind folded till sopanam (the steps that leads to sanctum sanctorum of the temple) and we would wait so that the temple opens with the Kani. After seeing the beautiful temple kani we would rush back to home to light the crackers that are remaining. My bro would be reaching home first given that he could run faster than me. 

I always loved reaching home later since I would have most of MY crackers left behind while my bro would have finished his share much before :-D