Pracodayat!........... Kallahalli

It was Sunday morning. My parents were visiting us for a week. We all were in a hurry early morning getting ready to participate in the thread ceremony of the elder son of one of our close family friends.We had to reach Kallahalli 'Chikka Tirupathi' temple just 2 kms before Kanakapura. The muhurtha was at 9AM. The road to Kanakapura is pretty good. Traffic was quite less as it was Sunday early morning. Somehow my contemplative instincts become very active when iam driving in a serene environment with skimpy traffic. To further trigger thoughts, my son started his usual barrage of questions and this time it was about thread ceremony.
To differentiate Humans from animals and to redirect them towards Brahman, vedic culture of sanatana dharma prescribed 16 samskaras and upanayana samskara is one of them. Upanayana(Upa+Nayana), as the name suggests initiates one into Spiritual vision or cultivation of 'Sastra Cakshusu'(seeing the world from the vantage point of the sastras). Upanayana Samskara is the beginning of the individual's journey towards Brahman. Just like a river takes its birth and proceeds hurriedly towards merging with the ocean, the individuals' river of divine love takes its birth thru Upanayana samskara to proceed towards merging in emotion with the Connosieur of Love Rasaraja Sri Krishna. My son enquired about the key aspects of the thread ceremony rituals. Initiation into the Gayathri Mantra by a bonafide Guru is the primary essence of Thread ceremony. Technically the word 'Gayathri' is made of two words'Gana'(song) + 'Trayate'(liberation). Hence Gayathri is the song of liberation. Thread ceremony also initiates one into Nitya karma or sadhana to cross over the inauspicious attachment to matter(Bhava sagara). The nitya karma is to be performed by the candidate thrice a day during Sandya kala and is called Sandyavandana. The Gayathri combined with nitya karma acts as a churning agent supplying the candidate with divine wisdom. Vibration of Gayathri mantra assists one with philosophical aptitude to further deepen contemplation and transcendental understanding.
We crossed the majestic 'Art of living' campus. This remembered me that Pranayama is performed during Sandyavandana prior to chanting the Gayathri. Pranayama enables concentration with single minded focus. Hence it is a preamble to maximise the benefit of divine vibrations. '5 kms to chikka Tirupathi' - a signboard beckoned us. The village of kallahalli has a huge dwara at the entrance welcoming visitors to their own vaikuntha. A big GarudaKhamba in the front hinted that the temple is built in SriVaisnava style. It is a sampradaya in Sri Vaisnava temples to pay obeisances once at the GarudaKhamba. Otherwise inside the temple we may commit the offence of our feet facing one of the diety.
After conveying best wishes, i advised the newly initiated Brahmacari of the wonderful benefits of Gayathri and Nitya karma. One has to just surrender to these divine vibrations, and they take us to wonderful unexplored territories in transcendence. After taking darsana of the main diety Srinivasa, we could also witness the Srinivasa Kalyanotsava. Kalyanotsava is a wonderful sadhana to remind us that we are all members of 'Vasudaiva Kutumbham' and our real well being is to reintegrate into the eternal familyof Radha-Krishna or Lakshmi-Narayana. It is said that everday is a festival(Nitya utsava) in our eternal family. After having sumptous prasadam of Puliyogare,yogurt rice and hoilge, I was worried of driving back to Bangalore without feeling drowsy. But the effect of prasadam is such, it makes you spiritually active. Immersed in the 'dasara padagalu' sung in Hindustani style by Pt. Bhimsen joshi, I had a very refreshing drive back home. While taking my evening tea, after taking an hours rest following excerpt from one of the best conversation since time immemorial reverberated in my mind
Supreme Lord Sri krishna said
7.19 -> After many births and deaths, he who is actually in knowledge surrenders unto Me, knowing Me to be the cause of all causes and all that is. Such a great soul is very rare.

The words 'Vaasudevam Sarvam iti' is very important. One of the great acaryas had the following to say about the above statement:

In the beginning of spiritual realization, while one is trying to give up one’s attachment to materialism, there is some leaning towards impersonalism, but when one is further advanced he can understand that there are activities in the spiritual life and that these activities constitute devotional service. Realizing this, he becomes attached to the Supreme Personality of Godhead and surrenders to Him. At such a time one can understand that Lord Sri Krishna’s mercy is everything, that He is the cause of all causes and that this material manifestation is not independent from Him. He realizes the material world to be a perverted reflection of spiritual variegatedness and realizes that in everything there is a relationship with the Supreme Lord Krishna. Thus he thinks of everything in relation to Väsudeva, or Sri Krishna. Such a universal vision of Väsudeva precipitates one’s full surrender to the Supreme Lord Sri Krishna as the highest goal. Such surrendered great souls are very rare.

Our real timeless Valentine

"SMS your way into your Valentine's heart"
"This Valentine fall in love again at the Leela palace"
"Purchase exclusive diamond jewellery this valentine season"

While I was going thru the pages of Bangalore times enjoying my morning coffee, I was bombarded with advertisements and articles related to the love's day - Valetine's day. The whole last week was such. Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu's 'Shikshataka' was playing on our CD player that morning. The last 3 verses especially glorify the love of the cowherd girls 'the gopis' of Vrindavana for Sri Krishna.
On this day, Lovers across the world express their depth of feelings and the extent of passionate love towards their valentine. But can anybody match upto the Gopis love for Sri Krishna. Love's Nadir can be found in the sacred emotions of the Gopis. It cannot but be - Gopis are established in eternal timeless reality and are loving the complete reality(Purnam) Sri Krishna. The Gopis expereinced love beyond time. The love which had the foundation of extreme selflessness. We are partial components(amsha) and our passionate love will find its fulfillment only when we find Sri Krishna - 'Reality the beautiful'. Love based on the body retires with time since matter dissolves with time. At the soul level, our object of love is only Sri Krishna. Is Sri Krishna our real Valentine? Is this the real message of the Gita?
After having breakfast, I hurried to my car. I had to reach office early that day for an important meeting.As i hit on the ignition, Vidyabhusan's Gita chanting vibrated in my car deck. Coincidentally the chanting was the famous verse Gita:18.56 which had a direct bearing on my contemplation of Sri Krishna as the real Valentine. In this verse Sri Krishna is directly giving a clarion call to all of us to give up all kinds of religion and love and just surrender to him in love in the mood of the Vraja(Vrindavana) gopis. This is the means to eternal fulfillment. 'ma sucah' Dont worry! Si Krishna comforts all of us thru his friend Arjuna

'Khalbali (Churning wisdom thru mental turbulence)'

It was pitch dark room. I was sitting at the edge watching curiously Post interval progress in one of the posh multiplex theatres in Noida Delhi. Big B on his death bed stuns the audience by the punchline so rare for a fatherinlaw in conservative Indian society 'Mohobbat aur Maut dono bin bulaye mehmaan hote hain'. KANK was one of the controversial movies of 2006.
While driving to the airport my mind was lingering around the key words 'Bin Bulaye Mehmaan' - 'uninvited guests'. The departure schedule showed that i still had an hour time before going for the security routine. I thought of walking around the book shop, handicrafts and restaurants. 'Athithi devobhava' artistically written at the back of the cashier in one of the restaurants drew my attention. My mind became turbulent -> Should i embrace differents kinds of uninvited guests as 'Devobhava'? While enjoying the inflight dinner served by the beautiful air hostess, i was struggling hard to extract something positive from the mental turbulence. Coincidentally the 'Khalbali' song from 'Rang De Basanti' was playing in one of the audio channels. Seeing butter on my plate which is borne out of causing turbulence in milk, i became more optimistic to extract value from my mental turbulence.
What would be uninvited guest on a mental, emotional plane? These are new unplanned, accidental experiences feeding fresh data to the mind. 'Desha sutti nodu' 'Kosha odi nodu' goes a kannada saying. Travelling to newer unexplored places especially of historic
philosophical significance feeds immense fresh data to the mind. These act as the churning rod causing turbulence of the existing database of information and experiences to generate nectarean wisdom. Wisdom is generated when the churning rod of descending knowledge of the Vedas operate on our minds. If one wants to feast on constant nectar, one has to use the churning rod of Gita's wisdom daily.
After safe landing an advertisement on Mantra meditation drew my attention at the baggage counter. Continuing my contemplation I thought of the role played by chanting Mantras in causing turbulence. Turbulence caused by the churning rod of the divine vibrations of the names of Hari cleanses the consciousness This is self explanatory in the meaning of the word 'Mantra' = 'Mana(Mind) + Trayate(liberate)' -> Mantras are sounds which liberate the mind by churning out poisnous thoughts borne out of time immemorial association with matter(tri gunas). Mantras purify the mind and douse the consciousness with divine emotion towards
the Creator(Paramapurusa).
It was almost midnight by the time i reached home. I was enthused by the fact of using mantras to churn nectarean wisdom and kick out poisonous acidic thoughts. This may well be my path to eternal freedom. Being optimistic, I set my alarm to wake up at 5AM to
start my morning mental workout using mantras ..........................
I went to sound sleep thinking the following related lines from Sri Krishna's divine conversation of the Gita with his bossom buddy
Arjuna
Bhagavan Sri Krishna said:(Chapter 6)
A man must elevate himself by his own mind, not degrade himself. The mind is the friend of the conditioned soul, and his enemy as well.
For one who has conquered the mind, the Supersoul is already reached, for he has attained tranquility.
To such a man happiness and distress, heat and cold, honor and dishonor are all the same.
Arjuna said: O Madhusudana, the system of yoga which You have summarized appears impractical
and unendurable to me, for the mind is restless and unsteady.
For the mind is restless, turbulent, obstinate and very strong, O Krsna, and to subdue it is,
it seems to me, more difficult than controlling the wind.
The Blessed Lord said: O mighty-armed son of Kunti, it is undoubtedly very difficult to
curb the restless mind, but it is possible by constant practice and by detachment.
And of all yogis, he who always abides in Me with great faith, worshiping Me in transcendental loving service,
is most intimately united with Me in yoga and is the highest of all.
- Inner Voice
Inspired by the Divine Grace of Saints