There is no where that He is not there

A film that made a deep impression upon me in 1952 -- Yatrik, in which a pilgrim seeks spiritual experience in the Himalayas and realises that God is every where and is only to be experienced, not found. He is in the homes where we live, in the forests, and in our own hearts. Once this realisation takes place, we understand that there is nowhere that He is not there: He is in the temples and mosques, the mountain peaks and the Valleys. He is the beauty in the beautiful flowers, the sound in the waves of the flowing rivers. We experience his power in the cascading waterfalls and the energy in every little particle that He has created. There is no where that He is not there.
The lyrics reproduced below; music at:
http://kirtimukha.com/FilmSongs/tudhoondhtahaijisko.mp3

तू डूण्ढता है जिसको बसती में या के बन में
वह सॉवरा सलोना रहता है तेरे मन में
मस्जिद में मंदिरों में पर्वत के कंकडोँ में
नदियों के पानियों में गहरे समुन्दरोँ में
लहरा रहा है वो ही ख़ुद अपने बाँकपन में
वह सॉवरा सलोना रहता है तेरे मन में
हर जर्रे में रमा है हर फूल में बसा है
हर चीज़ में उसी का जलवा झलक रहा रहा है
हरकत वो कर रहा है हर एक के तन बदन में
वह सॉवरा सलोना रहता है तेरे मन में
___________________________________
tU DUNDutaa hai jisako bastI meiM yaa ke ban meM
vah saa.Nvaraa salonaa rahataa hai tere man meM
masjid meM maMdiroM meM parvat ke kaMkaDoM meM
nadiyoM ke paaniyoM meM gahare samundaroM meM
laharaa rahaa hai vah hI khud apane baa.Nkapana meM
vah saa.Nvaraa salonaa rahataa hai tere man meM
har jarre meM ramaa hai har phUl meM basaa hai
har chIz meM usii kaa jalavaa jhalak rahaa hai
harakat vah kar rahaa hai har eka ke tan badan meM
vah saa.Nvaraa salonaa rahataa hai tere man meM
______________________________________________

Narayana by Adi Sankara

Why Adi Sankara used the name Narayana when referring to Paramatma as Jagat-karaka:

Even though this country is well known for "tatva vichara", it is even more well known (good name and bad name both) for giving us a large number of Gods (deities). Instead of the Absolute being considered as a "dry" abstract principle, the deities which are no different from the Absolute, have form, and appear as the ' Absolute come to life'. The Acharya, in his bhashyas, could have dealt with the Paramatma as the prapancha karana sakthi, the Absolute, as a dry abstract principle. Instead of doing so, and in order that the treatment may be appealing to the community which is used to relating itself to God with Form, he had thought it necessary to refer to the Absolute at several places by a Name. The question arises about which Name to choose.

Though there are many deities, these can be generally considered as falling under the broad classification of Saiva and Vaishnava. Between Siva and Vishnu, he may have thought about which to choose. The Acharya was himself an Avatara of Siva. So, he may have thought – why use my own Name. Siva is very dear to Vishnu. And, similarly, Vishnu is very dear to Siva. Therefore, wherever Vedanta refers to Paramatma as Jagat-karana-sakthi, Prapancha-mahasakthi, Saguna-bhramman, Iswaran, with an implicit suggestion of attributed Form, where Murthy Rupa is indicated, the Acharya has used NARAYANA as the name.

Avatara Siva talking about Adhara Siva does not look proper and talking about Vishnu appears more graceful, balanced and dignified. Is that not so?

So it is, in the Bhashya books, the root (moola) of the causal principle of the Jagat is referred to by the name Narayana. The supreme central meaning of these books is the Oneness (unity) of Paramatma and Jivatma, that is Advaita. In this way, the use by Siva Avatara Acharya of Vishnu's name brings in the Hari Hara Advaita - that Siva and Vishnu are one and the same.

Mahavishnu has many names. In fact, there are a thousand names. Then it may be asked why the Narayana name is chosen. The supreme astakshari mantra of Mahavishnu has the Narayana name in it.

Ayana means path (marga). Ayana also means the end (goal) of the path. In both these senses, Narayana is the Ayana for the Nara (Jivatma). Bhrama Vidya Sastra gives the path to salvation. Narayana is Bhrama Vidya. When He appears as Krishna Paramatma, he himself says "Adhyatma Vidya Vidhyanam" in the Gita. The final goal of that Vidya is also He only. Therefore it is that when Bhrahma Vidya Guru Parampara is talked about, it starts with "Narayanam". So it is quite appropriate that in the Bhashya books, which are Bhrahma Vidya Sastras, the Narayana name is used.

The name Sankara joining with the name Narayana has given rise to a name Sankaranarayanan. In south Pandya country, there is a place where the worshipped image (murthy) is the image of Siva and Vishnu in one body showing their oneness. That image is known as Sankaranarayanan. The place is called Sankaranarayanan Koil. This is now commonly pronounced as Sankaranainar Koil in usage.

The Acharya himself has used the above name in an important context. He has bequeathed to us in a question – answer form a text called "Prasnottara Ratna Malika". In the penultimate sloka of this work, the question is: Who is called Bhagwan and Maheswara. Our Acharya does not in reply give the names of Siva or Vishnu. Our Advaita Acharya gives the reply as the one Atma which is a communion of Siva and Vishnu. Even there he does not use Siva – Vishnu or Hari – Hara but has used Sankaranarayanan.

Q: Kascha Bhagwan Mahesah?
A: Sankara Narayanatmaikah

Therefore it is appropriate that this Sankara also gives a special niche for the name Narayana.

Thus it is clear that the Acharya has referred to the great causal principle of the Jagat by the name NARAYANA. So, when he intends that the namaskaras performed to us must be conveyed to the Jagat-Karana-Vastu, he instructs: Convey to Narayana. And to carry out the instruction, he has made a rule, which appears easy on the face of it.

Only that Narayana, who has created all this and has endowed all this with vital energy (sakthi), has the "right" to accept all the namaskaras. Namaskara to any deity goes to Kesava. We recite the sloka: Sarva Deva Namaskara Kesavam Pratigachhati. When namaskaras performed to the deities go only to HIM, how can namaskaras performed to ordinary people belong to them? All these namaskaras also go to HIM only. It is that we have been asked to always remember when namakaras are performed to us. In order that we do not "misappropriate" the namaskaras rightfully belonging to HIM only and make sure that the namaskara is duly redirected to HIM, the Acharya has most kindly defined a rule for us – a rule, which as I said earlier, is seemingly easy. The rule is that when someone performs a namaskara to us, we should say "Narayana, Narayana".

SELECT QUOTES

Zen is like soap.
First, you wash with it.
Then, you wash off the soap. --Yamaoka Tesshu

Let birds of sorrow
Fly over the head;
Do not allow them to build their nests
And multiply in you.

The past should be a springboard,
not a hammock.

Bitterness imprisons life;
love releases it.

Use what talents you possess.
The woods would be very silent
if no birds sang except those that sang best.

Whatever you do may seem insignificant to you,
but it is most important that you do it.

Don't put the key to your happiness
in someone else's pocket.

Be yourself.
The world worships the original.
Nobody can be exactly like me.
Sometimes even I have trouble doing it.

"Maturity includes the recognition that
no one is going to see anything in us
that we don't see in ourselves.
Stop waiting for a producer.
Produce yourself." -Marianne Williamson

This above all:
to thine own self be true.

No one can make you feel inferior
without your consent.

Chance is always powerful.
Let your hook be always cast in the pool;
where you least expect it, there will be a fish.

A man is but the product of his thoughts;
What he thinks, he becomes.
yath bhavam, thath bhavathi

We do not what we ought;
What we ought not, we do;
And lean upon the thought
That chance will bring us through.
But our own acts, for good or ill,
are mightier power
=================================================
"The Dangerous Age"
It is that point in a woman's life when her children are grown,
when she can finally say out loudthat she is married to the wrong man
and hasn't had a fulfilling romantic relationshipin well over a decade.
She is a little desperate, a little sada litle angry, a little lonely,
wanting to jump ship but not sure she can swim.
It's so common, it's almost generic subject matter.

We wait to see which sculpture the author will fashion it from:
Anna Karenina? Emma Bovary? Erica Jong?

If a woman takes a risk for her own happiness,
will she be happy in the end or will she be punished?
................................................................................... Annette Williams Jaffee
=============================================================

What we plant in the soil of contemplation, we shall reap in the harvest of action. --Meister Eckhart

The will is free.
Strong is the soul, and wise, and beautiful.
The seeds of god-like power are in us still;
Gods are we, Bards, saints, heroes,
if we will !

There is a plan to my life
but it's not always my plan.
God's way is not always my way.
Lord, Yours Will be done.

How else
except through a broken heart
may God enter?

Think of yourself as the carpenter
Who builds your house.
Each day you hammer a nail,
place a board, or erect a wall;
Build wisely.
It is the only life you will ever build.
Even if you live it for only one day more,
that day deserves to be lived graciously
and with dignity.

The nature of God is a circle
of which the center is everywhere
and the circumference is nowhere.

To see a world in a grain of sand,
And a heaven in a wild flower,
Hold infinity in the palm of your hand,
And Eternity in an hour!

The term `myth' is not a synonym for fiction.
Myth is the word used to express
The inexpressible in human experience.
In mythical expressions or tales,
the truth is not in the description
but in the meaning or insight they communicate.

The mark of your ignorance
Is the depth of your belief
in injustice and tragedy.
What the caterpillar calls the end of the world,
The master calls a butterfly.

There is no such thing as a problem
without a gift for you in its hands.
You seek problems
because you need their gifts.

You teach best
what you need most to learn.

Who is Bored?

Observing Boredom can teach you who you are

The mind exists in a state of "not enough"
and so is always greedy for more.
When you are identified with mind,
you get bored and restless very easily.

Boredom means that the mind is hungry
for more stimulus, more food for thought,
and its hunger is not being satisfied.

When you feel bored, you can satisfy the mind’s hunger
by picking up a magazine, making a phone call, switching on the TV,
surfing the web, going shopping, or — and this is not uncommon —
transferring the mental sense of lack and its need for more
to the body and satisfy it briefly by ingesting more food.

Or you can stay bored and restless and observe
what it feels like to be bored and restless.

As you bring awareness to the feeling, there is suddenly
some space and stillness around it, as it were.
A little at first, but as the sense of inner space grows,
the feeling of boredom will begin to diminish
in intensity and significance.

So even boredom can teach you
who you are and who you are not.
You discover that a "bored person" is not who you are.

Boredom is simply a conditioned energy-movement within you.

Neither are you an angry, sad, or a fearful person.
Boredom, anger, sadness, or fear are not "yours," not personal.
They are conditions of the human mind. They come and go.

Nothing that comes and goes is you.

"I am bored." Who knows this?
"I am angry, sad, afraid." Who knows this?
You are the knowing, not the condition that is known. --Eckhart Tolle
==============================

In Hindu philosophy, a muni is one who observes maunam - silence -
not merely in speech but also in mind;
emptied of thoughts and not engaged in recording,
the mind is totally free to be aware and just observe.

A new perspective of the self and Reality is experienced
and the Muni becomes a realised person.
The highest Truth is then revealed to the silent mind
as described by Adi Shankara :
maunavyakhyaa prakatita parabrahma tatvam
Siva, as the Guru, communicating in silence
to the assembled Munis the Truth about Reality.

We have to learn and practise how to convert boredom into
dynamic Silence that empowers us to receive the highest knowledge.
We need the help of a competent teacher to help us achieve this goal -
as advised in Kathopanishad:
praapya varaan nibodhata get guidance from a competent Guru for enlightenment.
As in education, it is not sufficient merely to get teachers
who "fill the bucket" of the mind with knowledge;
we have to 'light the fire' with a spark from the Guru to experience Reality.

The Fateful events in Ramayana

Was it Fate?

Any event happens due to the effect of interlocking events of the past.

Dasaratha was under a curse to die of Putrashoka because, while hunting in the forest,he had inadvertently caused the death of the young son of an aged, blind couple. He married Kaikeyi, a foreign princess of exotic beauty by promising her father that her son would succeed him as the king-- ignoring the law of primogeniture. He did not keep that promise.

He sent Bharata and Shatrughna to Kaikeyi's father's home. When they were away and without informing Kaikeyi, he made arrangements for the coronation of Rama - ignoring his earlier promise. He wanted to avoid a confrontation with her. He almost succeeded.

Due to her love and affection for Rama, Kaikeyi at first did not see anything wrong in this.
But when her well-wisher and representative of her father - Kooni convinced her, by reminding her of Dasaratha's two boons to her when she had once saved his life on the battle-field, she demanded that he crown Bharata and send Rama to the forest. Perhaps, we blame Kooni unnecessarily for protecting her ward's interests and doing her duty. Dasaratha could not proceed with the intended coronation of Rama and, due to his ill-health, age and strong emotions, swooned and fell down.

When summoned by Kaikeyi, Rama came and decided that the only dharmic way of dealing with the situation was to accede to Kaikeyi's demands which Dasaratha was bound to concede. ama's proceeding to the forest was thus caused by Dasaratha's actions - not Kaikeyi or Kooni who were merely agents of Fate to execute the Law of Karma.

In the forest also, destiny seems to have guided the handling of the situation involving Soorpanakha. She was teased by Rama to approach Lakshmana who got angry and disfigured her face by cutting her nose. In the normal course, Lakshmana who greatly respected ladies, would have adopted other means to get rid of her as a nuisance. It was because of this incident that Soorpanakha sought revenge, enticed Ravana with an account of the great beauty of Sita and persuaded him to abduct her.

When Mareecha came on the scene as the golden deer, Lakshmana could sense that the deer was a demon in disguise, but Sita insisted and Rama chose to follow the galloping animal far into the forest and finally kill it with the disastrous consequences that followed. Sita, a normally respectful person who was aware of the ability of Rama and the fine qualities of Lakshmana, abused him and goaded him to leave his guard-post and proceed to save Rama who she knew was capable of destroying hordes of demons easily. If rescuing and recovering Sita was the objective, Rama could have preferred to seek the assistance of the invincible Vali. Yet he chose Sugreeva, killed Vali, crossed the Ocean and battled with Ravana.

Every event in Ramayana seems to be tuned towards one single goal: the battle with and Killing of Ravana and his horde of Rakshasas: that was the primary purpose of the Avatar.

But, perhaps, there is an embedded lesson for us in this great story: namely, to educate us on the frailties of the human character and the weakness of the human intellect when it starts acting on its own limited capabilities, however high. That is why after Sita's ordeal by fire in Lanka after Ravana's death, Rama told Brahma: 'I do not know who I am, except that I am the son of Dasaratha, King of Ayodhya.'

May be, this is the important message:

You are not the limited person that you imagine;
you are an informed person, guided by the illuminating spirit
and you should make an effort to recognise its existence
and abide by its guidance instead of the dictates of the Ego.

All the events narrated in Ramayana, which do not make sense in a dharmic way, were perhaps intended to tell us forcefully how we suffer due to lack of contact with this superior intelligence which resides in the heart and is always within our reach.

Narayana Bhattathiri in his Narayaneeyam (Canto35 Verse 10), written about 400 years ago, noted the inexplicable situations in Ramayana (like the fire-ordeal of Sita) and observed:

"This human embodiment of Thine is for instructing mankind how too much attachment (Kama) will lead to pangs of separation and how addiction to Dharma (the letter of the Law) will push one to such Adharma as abandonment of innocent ones. Otherwise, it is unimaginable how Thou, who art ever established in the Atman-consciousness, canst ever have any weakness of the mind."

Discipline and drug-abuse

Below a photo-copy of an article contributed by me in June 1983 to the Tamil Magazine Magal (Madras).

It commences thus:

மகளே நீ என்ன காரியம் செய்து விட்டாய்? என்னால் இதுவரை யாருடனும் இவ்விஷயத்தைப் பற்றி பேசக்கூட முடியவில்லை. ஆனால் இனி பேசித்தான் ஆக வேண்டும்.

magale! nee yenna kaariyam saithivittaay? yennal iduvarai yaarudanum ivvishayatthaip patri pesakkuda mudiyavillai. aanaal ini pesitthaan aaga vendum.

My dear daughter,
What a great tragedy has happened due to your action. Till now I could not talk about this to any one. But now I have to speak about it. [............] She ends the letter hoping that sharing it thus through the 'Letters to the Editor' in LA Times (Los Angeles Times, December 1982) might help other parents in taking early action.

A large number of young people choose to live dangerously with the youthful courage and confidence that it would all end right. They follow the latest fashionable trend and succumb to peer pressure. The parents are busy and unaware of their children's misguided actions. They are also not conscious / aware of their responsibility in watching and guiding their wards. There are no easy answers to this problem of moulding their chldren as responsible future citizens. The most important element is finding adequate spare time to learn the process and guide the children from a very young age and instilling in them a proper value-system. May the Lord help them and the community.

shubhamastu

Don't let the system steal your life

Set your own Values

We delude ourselves into believing that we are free-agents, living a life according to standards set by us. Unfortunately, this is not true and the sorry state of affairs is not due to Fate. From birth, we are dictated to by a societal system that gives us a narrow slate of values to choose from and we tend to believe that therefore we are free. As Swami Dayananda has observed in his book “The Value of Values”, Values to be truly valuable must be discovered by us through knowledge and not simply be impressed from without. The following extract from his book is relevant in this context: (http://paathshala.net/Value_of_Values.html )

For values to be personally valuable they must be discovered through knowledge(seen as valuable by the value holder) and not simply impressed from without. Therefore, the term 'jnanam' is quite appropriate. The list of values constituting jnanam is long but the qualities are interrelated, defining a harmonious frame of mind in which knowledge can occur. Each of the terms used by Lord Krishna highlights a certain attitude, the value for which must be discovered personally in order that the attitude becomes a natural aspect of the seeker's frame of mind.

Although the primary purpose of jnanam values (as told by Lord Krishna to Arjuna) is to prepare the mind for self-knowledge, when the total value of these values is understood one sees that these attitudes have the highest personal values for everyone. The jnanam values, impartially, bless and make more effective both the mind of the everyday struggler who seeks fullness in the pursuit of artha (securities) and kama (pleasures) and the mind of the mumuksu-jijnyasu (the seeker of the knowledge for the sake of liberation) who, having discerned the futility of limited ends and means, seeks fullnessthrough the gain of Self-knowledge - through the study of Vedanta.

The article “The Greatest Danger Before You” at http://tow.charityfocus.org/index.php?tid=538 emphasizes the need for resisting the impulse to adopt standards set by powerful members of the society and for educating ourselves to determine what is important to us. We live in an age when the system pre-packages and standardizes our lives in attractive packages ultimately steal our life from us. A powerful message and warning has been communicated in these words:

From the pink granite of your own values, build a fortress against the world's ethical compromises,
or you will soon be among those dead of eye who stand next to you in elevators but who are not alive.
Don't let them steal your life.