November 9, 2017 : Literature and Music

|| bhartṛhari viracita nītiśatakam ||

sāhitya-saṅgīta-kalā-vihīnaḥ

sākṣāt paśuḥ puccha-viṣāṇa-hīnaḥ |

tṛṇanna khādannapi jīvamānaḥ

tad bhāga-dheyaṃ paramaṃ paśūnām || 1.12 ||

Re-ordered word-by-word meaning

sāhitya-saṅgīta-kalā-vihīnaḥ - one bereft of good taste in literature, music and art, 

sākṣāt paśuḥ -is exactly a beast (cattle), 

puccha-viṣāṇa-hīnaḥ - but without a tail or horns.

tṛṇaṃ na khādan api jīvamānaḥ - That he is able to live without foraging for grass, 

tad bhāga-dheyaṃ paramaṃ paśūnām - is indeed a supreme fortune of the beasts/animals (as he would be an unworthy rival for their food).

Our Samskrita teacher taught us this shloka in Sarada Vilas High School, Mysore, in the sixties. This poem was cited by my good friend Sri. K.V. Chellappa today!

Bhartrhari was a famous king-poet of Ujjain who lived before 5th century CE.

November 8, 2017: The Baby Krishna

|| śrī līlāśukaviracita śrī kṛṣṇakarṇāmṛtam  ||

karāravindena padāravindaṃ 

mukhāravinde viniveśayantam          |

vaṭasya patrasya puṭe śayānam

bālaṃ mukundaṃ manasā smarāmi  ||2-57 ||

Re-ordered word-by-word meaning

smarāmi manasā - I remember with all my mind(=heart!)

mukundaṃ Mukunda=Narayana=Krishna, who gives liberation, as

bālaṃ - that baby who

karāravindena  - with his lotus-like hands, 

padāravindaṃ - (taking up) his lotus-like foot,

viniveśayantam - was placing it   

mukhāravinde - in his mouth, which was lotus-like, 

śayānam - while resting on 

vaṭasya patrasya puṭe - the Peepal/Ashwattha leaf  surface.

This imagery is beautifully depicted in the Srimad Bhagavatam and narrated in this famous shloka by Sri Lilashuka. The Lord Narayana=Krishna, as a baby, is envisioned as lying only on an Ashwattha leaf, sucking his toe. It is after the great deluge, when everything in creation disappears. Now the entire universe is in its latent form, resting in Narayana's stomach. He is about to send forth the creation anew.

We need to understand our mythology as a grand conception of the cycle of creation, and its dynamic interaction with the Creator, in a way we can see everyday in our lives. Anybody who has tended an infant in the cradle would be able to relate to this imagery.

November 7, 2017: Shiva Shiva Shiva Bho

|| śrījayacāmarājendra-viracita kṛtiḥ ||

rāga: nādanāmakriyā  tāla: miśrajhampa

śiva śiva śiva bho mahādeva śambho

śivāramaṇa mamāparādhaṃ kṣamasva     | pallavī |

śarva sarvānandakara akhilāṇḍaprabho 

bhavasāgaratāraka akṣayaliṅgaprabho      | anu pallavī |

namaste sthāṇo pralayakālajagadbhakṣaka

namakacamakaprakaṭitarudrasūktatoṣita

kāmāre tripurāre kumbhodbhavastutipātra

kāmeśvarīvallabha kuberamitra

kapālī kālabhairaveti vikhyāta

'śrīvidyāvinuta nādanāmakriyātoṣita     |caraṇa |

Re-ordered word-by-word meaning

śiva śiva śiva bho - Oh Lord Shiva, Shiva, Shiva, my obeisances!

mahādeva śambho - the Great God, who confers happiness on all, 

śivāramaṇa kṣamasva  mama aparādhaṃ - the Consort of Devi, kindly forgive my transgressions.

śarva - Oh the great Slayer with the arrow (and bow) of Tripura, 

sarva anandakara - to all, the giver of bliss, 

akhila aṇḍa prabho - Oh, the Lord of all worlds, 

tāraka sāgara  bhava - the One who transports us over the ocean of wordliness,  

akṣaya liṅga prabho -the Lord addressed as the imperishable Linga , 

namaste sthāṇo - Obeisances to you, Oh Immovable and Fixed God ( as the Mount Kailasa)

bhakṣaka jagat  pralaya kāla  - who devours the world at the time of dissolution, 

toṣita rudrasūkta prakaṭita namaka camaka - pleased with the recitation of the Rudra Sukta, manifested as Namaka and Chamaka chants, 

kāmāre tripurāre - the Enemy of the God of Temptation/Lust, the Enemy of the Tripura Demon, 

stuti pātra kumbha udbhava - who received the prayers of Sage Agastya, born in a pot, 

vallabha kāmeśvarī  - Consort of Devi, the Goddess who controls all desires, 

kubera mitra - the friend of Kubera, the god of wealth, 

vikhyāta  iti kapālī kālabhairava  - Well known as Kapaalin, wearing the garland of skulls, and the fierce Kala Bhairava who roams the cremation grounds, 

śrīvidyā vinuta - worshipped by Sri Vidya practices, 

nādanāmakriyā toṣita  - pleased by the raga Nadanamakriya! 

The picture is of the great Srikantheshwara temple in Nanjanagudu, near Mysore.

This song was sung by MSS in the UN Concert. It is one of the best compositions in Nadanamakriya. It is composed by the Mysore Maharaja.

November 6, 2017: Sarvamangalaa

|| śrī devīmāhātmya ||

sarvamaṅgalamāṅgalye śive sarvārthasādhike

śaraṇye tryambake gauri nārāyaṇi namostu te ||

sṛṣṭisthitivināśānāṃ śaktibhūte sanātani

guṇāśraye guṇamaye nārāyaṇi namostu te ||

śaraṇāgatadīnārtaparitrāṇaparāyaṇe

sarvasyārtihare devi nārāyaṇi namostu te ||

Re-ordered word-by-word meaning

sarva-maṅgala-māṅgalye - (Oh Devi), the repository/garland of all auspiciousness, 

śive sarvārthasādhike - Oh Shive, consort of Shiva, and the fulfiller of all man's goals (Dharma, Artha, Kama, Moksha), 

śaraṇye tri-ambake gauri - worthy of our total surrender, the Mother of the three worlds, Gauri, 

nārāyaṇi namastu te - Oh Narayani (Shakti of Narayana), let our obeisances be to you!

sṛṣṭi-sthiti-vināśānāṃ - of creation, preservation and dissolution,

śaktibhūte sanātani - You are the origin of that power, and primordial, 

guṇa -aśraye guṇamaye - You are the repository/source of the three Gunas - Sattva, Rajas, and Tamas, and you are full of virtues, 

nārāyaṇi namastu te - Oh Narayani (Shakti of Narayana), let our obeisances be to you!

śaraṇa-āgata-dīna-ārta-paritrāṇa-parāyaṇe - For those come and surrendered to You, wretched beings, those in distressful need, You are the savior always dedicated to their redemption, 

devi sarvasya-ārti-hare  - Oh Goddess, who is the remover of everyone's distress, 

nārāyaṇi namastu te - Oh Narayani (Shakti of Narayana), let our obeisances be to you!

This prayer is recited in the Aaratrika every evening in every Ramakrishna temple.

November 5, 2017 : Rama's Joy and Gratitude

|| śrīmadvālmīkirāmāyaṇam - pañcavatī kuṭīraḥ || ... contd.

sa taṃ dṛṣṭvā kṛtaṃ saumyaṃ āśramaṃ saha sītayā

rāghavaḥ parṇaśālāyāṃ harṣam āhārayat param ||3.15.26 ||

susaṃhṛṣṭaḥ pariṣvajya bāhubhyāṃ lakṣmaṇaṃ tadā

ati snigdhaṃ ca gāḍhaṃ ca vacanaṃ ca idam abravīt || 3.15.27 ||

prīto'smi te mahat karma tvayā kṛtaṃ idaṃ prabho

pradeyo yannimittaṃ te pariṣvaṅgo mayā kṛtaḥ ||3.15.28 ||

bhāvajñena kṛtajñena dharmajñena ca lakṣmaṇa 

tvayā putreṇa dharmātmā na samvṛttaḥ pitā mama ||3.15.29 ||

Re-ordered word-by-word meaning

saḥ rāghavaḥ saha sītayā - He, Rama, along with Sita,

dṛṣṭvā taṃ saumyaṃ  kṛtaṃ āśramaṃ parṇaśālāyāṃ - on seeing that elegantly built cottage of leaves, straw and bamboo,

āhārayat param harṣam - wore a look of extreme joy.

tadā  susaṃhṛṣṭaḥ pariṣvajya bāhubhyāṃ lakṣmaṇaṃ - Then, filled with abundant joy, embracing with his arms, Lakshmana, 

ati snigdhaṃ ca gāḍhaṃ ca - endearingly and tightly, 

abravīt idam vacanaṃ - Uttered these words:

prabho idaṃ mahat karma tvayā kṛtaṃ prīto'smi te - Dear Sir, by this mighty accomplishment (=cottage construction from scratch in the forest) of yours, I feel so pleased by you.

pariṣvaṅgo mayā kṛtaḥ te yannimittaṃ pradeyaḥ- this embrace of mine is indeed a mere token of my gratitude given to you.

lakṣmaṇa tvayā putreṇa bhāvajñena kṛtajñena dharmajñena  ca - Oh Lakshmana, by virtue of your being the son, so full of affection, competency, and your righteous sense of duty, 

pitā mama dharmātmā na samvṛttaḥ - it is as if my departed father, a noble soul, very much lives on! (he is not dead but lives through your glorious action!)

In these verses, a number of lofty ideals espoused by Ramayana are depicted. Love, duty, competency, gratitude, respectful memory of the departed father, and how the good deeds of the sons are reflected upon as the glory of their parents. 

November 4, 2017 : Lakshmana's Engineering Skills

|| śrīmadvālmīkirāmāyaṇam - pañcavatī kuṭīraḥ ||

parṇaśālāṃ suvipulāṃ tatra saṅghātamṛttikām |

sustaṃbhāṃ maskarairdīrghaiḥ kṛtavaṃśāṃ suśobhanām || 3.15.21 ||

śamīśākhābhiḥ āstīrya dhṛḍhapāśāvapāśitām 

kuśakāśaśaraiḥ parṇaiḥ suparicchāditāṃ tathā ||3.15.22 ||

samīkṛtatalāṃ ramyāṃ cakāra sumahābalaḥ

nivāsaṃ rāghavasya arthe prekṣaṇīyām anuttamām | 3.15.23 ||

Re-ordered Word-by-word meaning

sumahābalaḥ cakāra - The mighty armed one (Lakshmana) constructed

suvipulāṃ  parṇaśālāṃ saṅghātamṛttikām tatra - a large cottage made of leaves etc. on a mound of mud gathered on that spot;

sustaṃbhāṃ maskarairdīrghaiḥ kṛtavaṃśāṃ suśobhanām -erected on strong pillar-posts made up of long bamboo poles looking beautiful, 

śamīśākhābhiḥ āstīrya dhṛḍhapāśāvapāśitām - canopied with the branches of Shami tree bound strong with ropes, 

tathā samīkṛtatalāṃ  kuśakāśaśaraiḥ parṇaiḥ suparicchāditāṃ - and then evenly carpeted with the gathered Kusha grass shoots and leaves spread beautifully, 

ramyāṃ nivāsaṃ rāghavasya arthe prekṣaṇīyām anuttamām -

a beautiful residence for Rama's sake, which was worth gazing at and incomparable in form.

Valmiki spares no effort in commending the ability and dedication of Prince Lakshmana who had accompanied Rama and Sita to the forest voluntarily, to be of constant service to them. His engineering skills find mention here.

We shall next cover Rama's reaction on seeing the cottage.

November 3, 2017: Why Krishna asked Arjuna to fight

Srimad Bhagavadgita - Second Chapter

svadharmam api cāvekṣya na vikampitum arhasi | dharmyāddhi yuddhācchreyo’nyat kṣatriyasya na vidyate 

|| 2-31||

atha cet tvam imaṃ dharmyaṃ saṅgrāmaṃ na kariṣyasi | tataḥ svadharmaṃ kīrtiṃ ca hitvā pāpam avāpsyasi 

|| 2-33 ||

Re-ordered word-by-word meaning

ca avekṣya svadharmam api  -And looking at your own rightful, inborn tendency/vocation/aptitude, too,

arhasi na vikampitum - you should not vacillate.

kṣatriyasya na hi śreyaḥ vidyate  dharmyāt yuddhāt   - For a warrior, king of men, indeed nothing more suitable, which augurs well, is known than a righteous war.

atha cet tvam na kariṣyasi  imaṃ dharmyaṃ saṅgrāmaṃ - If at all you do not engage/enter into this righteous(/prescribed for you) war,

tataḥ hitvā svadharmaṃ kīrtiṃ ca avāpsyasi pāpam - then by abandoning your truly ordained calling, and reputation as a great warrior, you will incur sin.

In the large forest of Bhagavadgita's mystical wisdom, we are often lost and don't see the common sense advice that comes early in the second chapter itself, when Krishna commences his discourse. He advises Arjuna to do what comes rightfully and naturally to him, which is the prescribed duty for a warrior: never shirk a righteous war.

Now why was the Mahabharata war righteous? Pandavas, and Kauravas, as cousins in the famed Bharata dynasty (the mother lode for all kingdoms of India), both had right to rule. Pandavas rightfully claimed a portion, after several attempts on their lives in early childhood. As a diplomatic move, they were given by the old king, Khandavaprastha ( an uninhabitable deserted ravine) which they worked and converted into a heavenly kingdom. Duryodhana, the evil cousin, couldn't tolerate their new prosperity, so invited to Yudhisthira to a game of dice (something a king is supposed to always accept!) and cheated and won. as per the terms of the wager, the Pandavas had to spend 13 years in exile. When they came back to reclaim their kingdom, they were told to go to hell or to war. This was the war that was imminent. Between Pandavas, claiming their rightful share, and Kauravas, who had usurped them. 

How can Arjuna, the foremost warrior among Pandavas, and a symbol of valour and righteousness, abandon this war? That is not at all suitable to his nature. Hence Krishna's simple advice.

Just as Nature and Creation have corrective mechanisms for ecology, human kind according to Hindu wisdom has corrective mechanisms for inequity. The people who have to safeguard righteousness when force or war is unavoidable are the warriors. This is further explained in the 18th  chapter: 18.43. Prowess, splendour, firmness, dexterity, and also not fleeing from battle, generosity, lordliness --- these are the duties of the KSHATRIYAS, born of (their own) nature.