Gita.....after looooooooooooooooooooooong gaaaaaaaaaaaaap.....

 

Bg. 1.42

दोषैरेतैः कुलघ्न‍ानां वर्णसङ्करकारकैः ।
उत्साद्यन्ते जातिधर्माः कुलधर्माश्च शाश्वताः ॥ ४२ ॥

doṣair etaiḥ kula-ghnānāṁ
varṇa-saṅkara-kārakaiḥ
utsādyante jāti-dharmāḥ
kula-dharmāś ca śāśvatāḥ

The swadharmic activities are so designed that one attains one’s liberation through the enjoined activity.  When evil forces destroy these traditions, such devils bring chaos to the society.  Such devils camouflage as leaders.  How can then those following them be free of chaos.

 

The last few stanzas are so heartrending that I stayed away sharing leaving a gap. But message of Gita is to be shared.   Not to fail, tried my best to give the verse in as euphemistically as possible.  Bear with me, if interpretation goes awry.

 

Apt here to invoke Mahatma on Gita:

“When disappointment stares me in the face, and all alone, I see not one ray of light, I go back to the Bhagavat Geeta, I find a verse here and a verse there and I immediately begin to smile in the midst of overwhelming tragedies – and my life has been full of external tragedies – and if they have left, no visible, no indelible scar on me, I owe it all to the teachings of Bhagavad Geeta.”

 

Bg. 1.42

தோஷைரேதைঃ குலঘ்நாநாம் வர்ணசங்கரகாரகைঃ ।

உத்ஸாদ்யந்தே ஜாதிধர்மாঃ குலধர்மாஶ்ச ஶாஶ்வதாঃ ॥ 42 ॥

தோஷைர் எட்டை குல-ஞானம்

varṇa-saṅkara-kārakaiḥ

உத்ஸாத்யந்தே ஜாதி-தர்மா

kula-dharmāś ca sāshvatāล

ஸ்வதர்ம நடவடிக்கைகள் மிகவும் கவனமாக சமுதாய நலன் கருதி ஏற்படுத்தப்பட்டிருக்கக் கூடும்.  இவைகளை புறந்தள்ளுவது நலன் பயக்காது. செயலாற்ற வேண்டிய செயல்பாட்டின் மூலம் ஒருவர் தனது விடுதலையை அடைகிறார். தீய சக்திகள் இந்த மரபுகளை அழிக்கும்போது, ​​அத்தகைய வர்கள் சமூகத்தில் குழப்பத்தை ஏற்படுத்துகின்றனர். அத்தகையவர்கள்கள் தலைவர்களாக மாறுவேடம் போடுகிறார்கள். பின்னர் அவர்களைப் பின்பற்றுபவர்கள் எப்படி குழப்பத்திலிருந்து விடுபட முடியும்.

 

முதல் அத்தியாயத்தில் கடைசி  சில ஸ்லோகங்கள் மிகவும் மனதைப் பிளக்கும் வகையில் இருப்பதால், ஒரு இடைவெளி விட்டுப் பகிர்ந்து கொள்வதைத் தவிர்த்துவிட்டேன். ஆனால் கீதையின் செய்தியைப் பகிர்ந்து கொள்ள வேண்டும். தோல்வியடையக்கூடாது என்பதற்காக, முடிந்தவரை மனம் அதிகம் கஷ்டம் கொள்ளாத  வகையில்  ஸ்லோகங்களை வழங்க என்னால் முடிந்த அனைத்தையும் முயற்சித்தேன். விளக்கம் தவறாகிவிட்டால் பொறுத்துக்கொள்ளுங்கள்.

 

கீதையின் மீது மகாத்மாவின் அனுபவத்தை நினைவுகூர்வது   இங்கே பொருத்தமானது:

"ஏமாற்றம் என் முகத்தில் உற்றுப் பார்க்கும்போது, ​​தனியாக, ஒரு ஒளிக்கதிர் கூட எனக்குப் புலப்படாமல் போகும்போது, ​​நான் பகவத் கீதைக்குத் திரும்புகிறேன், இங்கே ஒரு ஸ்லோகத்தையும் அங்கே ஒரு ஸ்லோகத்தையும் காண்கிறேன், பெரும் துயரங்களுக்கு மத்தியில் நான் உடனடியாக சிரிக்கத் தொடங்குகிறேன் - என் வாழ்க்கை வெளிப்புற துயரங்களால் நிறைந்துள்ளது - அவை என் மீது எந்தத் தெளிவான, அழியாத வடுவையும் விட்டுச் செல்லவில்லை என்றால், நான் பகவத் கீதையின் போதனைகளுக்குக் கடமைப்பட்டிருக்கிறேன்."

 

Disclaimer:  Tamil version courtesy: Google translation.  Tried my best to fill the gaps and refine as far as possible.  Still organic is organic.  Nothing substitutes the original verse.

Gita, week 1 a recap

Here in this piece I'm neither repeating the verses just we saw in the last week, nor the transliteration.

We began with the 🙏 prayer, Gita Dhyan and have seen first six verses in Chapter 1, viz., Arjuna Vishada Yoga. Though we Bharatheeya have heard our grandmothers, parents and elders narrating epics, Ramayana, Maha Bharath, not in many numbers that we would have turned to read them verse by verse, leave alone scholars who are well versed in them.

This piece is to recap what we have gone through in first five verses. Chapter begins with the King Dratrashtra asking his unbiased, straightforward Minister Sanjaya to narrate what precisely was happening in Kurukshetra battle between his son Duryodana's Gaurav side and the other Pandava's side.

The king Dratrashtra was visionless and also not visionary. Because Kurukshetra was holy place, saturated with many Yajnas having happened there, the blind king had an illusion. That in the divine Kurukshetra Darma wouldn't like to wage a bloody war but would retreat. Then it would be easy and no blame of waging a war would fall on Gaurav's side. And it would clear the path to usurp Pandava's rightful space.

Why Sanjaya?
For, in recognition of Sanjaya's honest character, Ved Vyas endowed him with intuitive abilities to narrate flawlessly what was happening in battlefield. This was the very same reason, the King Dratrashtra chose Sanjaya over others to convey happenings at the war front.

In Sanjaya's narration, he refers to Duryodhana's rushing to Acharya Drona. He chides Acharya for having trained Son of Drupada in aechery. Duryodana went on to explain who were all gathered on Pandava's side to fight against Gaurava. Duryodana got shivering seeing the army of Pandava. His mental agony was prelude to his entailing defeat.

Are we ageing?

Old age homes mushroom everywhere.

Old age home running commercial centres go on air selling their ware uninhibitedly.

An aged super senior client, a lady used to visit our office for her tax return compliances. She was very religious, pious and philanthropic. When she went on banking work, visiting, touring to Temples - mostly to Tiruchendur - and visiting us, she regularly hired one cab. Cab driver was very helpful. Though she had children - one son an IITian and a daughter well settled in US.

The super senior client never visited her children, children to mom are always children regardless of their age. The son and daughter themselves are senior citizens.

Suddenly one day she came asking my father in law to help her accompany to Ramakrishna Math. He did. She drew out a big cheque favouring the Math. Whenever she visited our office, my father in law persuaded her to visit children and stay with them. She quietly would smile and from it we can't gather what she was thinking.

A week later, to the shock of my better half, the senior client asked my wife take her to a few old age homes.  

On first visit to one particular home, the blatantly told the lady she had to wait and she would be informed about when vacancy arose. Vacancy because of some inmate passing away.   

Then she decided not to visit old age homes at all.

After her passing away, her children still visit us. So nice like the super senior Mother. We still couldn't see a reason why the super senior client was sticking her gun to live all alone.

With world going nucleus families, joint family system slowly fading away, fancy for single child, wedlocks skidding, wish, dream, pray a renaissance of all good things olden, golden time,

- time for love, peace, affinity - come about.

Maharishi Ved Vyas trying apace...with Maha Ganapati

Maharishi Ved Vyas trying apace...with Maha Ganapati

நதீஜலம் கேசவநாரி கேது: நகாஹ்வயோ நாம நகாரிஷூநு: |

ஏஷாங்கநா வேஷதர: கிரீடி ஜித்வா வயம் நேஷ்யதி சாத்ய காவ: ||

It's one of the slokas Maharshi Ved Vyas did it in most complicated way.  Why he chose to have such a complicated slokas in the whole gamut of nearly one lakh slokas in the stupendous treatise, viz., Maha Bharata. There's an interesting prelude to it 

When Ved Vyas set out to write Maha Bharat, - all slokas were his conception but he chose Maha Ganapati to write them out -, Maharshi made a condition. That Maha Ganapati has to keep up with the flow and pace of Maharshi. What happened was totally reverse. Maharshi couldn't keep up to the speed of Maha Ganapati. So Maharshi made yet another stipulation that not only should Maha Ganapati write it fast but also Ganapati should grasp the sloka while writing it. Such a sport Maha Ganapati became and accepted the challenge.

The Maharshi so as to have a breathing space after dictating every thousand slokas,  he deliberately ended the 1000th verse so cumbersome.  One can't read it verbatim to get the meaning word by word of the sloka.  It's like a jigsaw puzzle.  The words have to be rearranged to get to the correct meaning of the sloka. It would take sometime to understand even for such a genius, Maha Ganapati. In the interregnum, Maharshi could relax before he proceeded again.

The sloka in the beginning is from the canto, viz., Virata Parva in Mahabharata. The backdrop is the Pandavas were to observe one year incognito in the fourteen years of exile. They sought refuge in Virata kingdom in different avatars not revealing their real identity.  To cut it short, Duryodhana did all tricks and engaged spies to find out Pandavas and expose them.  The condition to return the usurped kingdom back to Pandavas was they should not fail during the one year to remain incognito.  Coveatus Duryodhana entertained notions defeat Pandavas in this excercise of remaining incognito.  When Duryodhana 's tricks failed to fetch any yield, he resorted to wage war against Virata Kingdom. Duryodhana thought that Pandavas would venture out to defend fragile Vrat in the battle. Hence their identities could easily be exposed.  Arjuna donning a female role by name Bruhannalai and as a chauffeur took to driving the Ratha from which the Prince of Vrat would fight. At the battlefield, as was expected by Duryodhana, the Prince got scared seeing the mighty army of Duryodhana and instructed the chauffeur to retreat.  But valour of Arjun didn't go with the Prince. He advised and motivated the Prince to bravely fight out and defeat Duryodhana.

Maha Swami narrates this under the sub-title பாரதக் குட்டு, chapter kavi சாதுர்யம் in தெய்வத்தின் குரல் vol 3.

Balakumaran wrote this Virata Parva as a story under the title, தனிமைத் தவம்.

Gita, the Gospel of the World

https://www.newindianexpress.com/sport/olympics/2024/Jul/28/karma-gita-and-the-legend-of-manu-bhaker

कर्मण्येवाधिकारस्ते मा फलेषु कदाचन।

मा कर्मफलहेतुर्भूर्मा ते सङ्गोऽस्त्वकर्मणि॥ 

श्रीमद्भगवद्गीता 2.47

There's a saying in Tamil,

"ஒரு பானை சோற்றுக்கு ஒரு சோறு பதம்".

This one sloka suffices that Bhagavad Gita is Gospel of this Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam, वसुधैव कुटुम्बकम् ॥, the World, the one family.

Kudos to Manu Bhaker, not just for her winning in Parry's Olympics but also for her quoting the exhorting Karmanya Vadhikaraste from the Srimad Bhagavad Gita. Lord Krsna,  bless her and all sports participants in Olympics from Ma Bharath.

Here's Manu's quoting,

"Karma pe dhyan do, aur phal ke chinta mat karo,  - focus on the work but don't worry about the reward."

கீதை 11.55 - குறள் 204

11.55: Those who perform all their duties for My sake, who depend upon Me and are devoted to Me, who are free from attachment, and are without malice toward all beings, such devotees certainly come to Me.

Bg. 11.55

मत्कर्मकृन्मत्परमो मद्भ‍क्त: सङ्गवर्जित: ।
निर्वैर: सर्वभूतेषु य: स मामेति पाण्डव ॥ ५५ ॥

mat-karma-kṛn mat-paramo
mad-bhaktaḥ saṅga-varjitaḥ
nirvairaḥ sarva-bhūteṣu
yaḥ sa mām eti pāṇḍava

மறந்தும் பிறன்கேடு சூழற்க சூழின்

அறஞ்சூழம் சூழ்ந்தவன் கேடு.

சாலமன் பாப்பையா விளக்கம்:

மறந்தும் பிறர்க்குத் தீமை செய்ய எண்ணாதே; எண்ணினால் எண்ணியவனுக்கு அறக்கடவுளே தீமையைத் தர எண்ணும்.

In life 

When we have

To deal with 

Umpteen other humans -

Be they from

One's own family,

Relations,

Friends

Or from 

Work spaces -

There may arise

An occasion whence

One may not be

Able to 

Please all 

Due to 

Legitimate reasons.

Hence we may

Hurt, incur 

Wrath of

Others.

Should it 

End up having a

Life long grudge 

And spoil

One's peace?

Forgive.

Don't let your

Ego deter you

From saying 

Sorry 

When you have to.

For, the heaviest 

Burden to carry

Is grudge.

Be in peace.

Be Blissful.

அமானுஷ்யம் ....some occult stories

Whenever something stuns me,

Or I go completely clueless,

my repeat go to, resort is to sloka, verse 30, chapter I, BG, Shrimad Bhagavad Gita:

na ca śaknomy avasthātuṁ

bhramatīva ca me manaḥ

nimittāni ca paśyāmi

viparītāni keśava

Perhaps God doesn't expect us to get scientific and explore.  And, in my humblest intuition, the best answer is the following excerpt of commentary on above sloka by Swami Chidbhavananda:

".....It is the way of the weak, the wavering and the vegetating to seek guidance from omens.  The active, the dutiful and the discerning have neither the time nor disposition to run after them."

Well, that's the Lord's emboldening to the dejected Arjun.

Well, 

More occult stories....

Story I:

Courtesy: Recent edition of Tamil Weekly, துக்ளக்:  narration by The Editor of his experience from Sri Sathya Sai Baba, Puttabarti.

It was the time when MIG fighter flights were crashing.   One Tamilian settled in US kept calling the Editor and said, " it's not any accidental one.  It's Pak, doing black magic. The only person who could prevent this is Sri Sathya Sai Baba. You must talk to him." 

The Editor narrated this to the Industrialist Mr Venusrinivasan.  The latter took the Editor to Puttabarti.  Baba called them on the second day of their stay at the Baba's Ashram.  Editor conveyed the message from the America settled Indian.  Baba went into dhyan for 2 minutes and Said to the Editor, " tell him, the American Resident, not to worry."  So saying Baba closed His fist and opened it.  There was a big size diamond ring in His palm.  He handed it to the Editor and said, " My blessings to the caller from America.  You may give this ring to him.". Editor himself didn't know who the caller was and much less, whether the person was lean or bulky.  When the Editor reached back Chennai, he received the call from the American Resident, who came down to Chennai. The Editor informed him of Baba's darshan and His blessings and along with a ring gift for him. When the latter met the Editor, he was very bulky. The ring could aptly fit his finger.

Story II

It's fictional as narrated by a very religious person, a philanthropist.  He is used to engage one erudite stapati, an expert in Temple establishment related Agama Sastras and construction of Temples.  I called the philanthropist to check whether his stapati would help in advising us about reviving an ancient temple in complete shamples for centuries in a southern district.

It was in this context, the philanthropist narrated ne the story.

Here goes the story:

There was a famous Raja, the king with a vast empire.  Also lived in a village a few kms away from the palace a famous Astrologer.  To get the appointment of the latter, regardless of the strata, the clients had to wait for months. 

Despite knowing that, suddenly one day the Raja felt like getting to consult the Astrologer. So straight away he ventured out along with his horoscope to meet the Astrologer.  To the King's surprise, the Astrologer gave instant appointment. The Astrologer's wife got astonished, and at the same moment got elated that since the client that day being king, And her husband, the Astrologer would get hefty consulting fee.

The Astrologer studied the horoscope deeply for an hour and told the king, " I have studied your horoscope fully. It's good. But you have to come back again tomorrow the same time.  I'll talk to you then and advise."

Respecting the erudition of the Astrologer, the King left.  Astrologer's wife chided and said, ' normally you, in the first instance don't give appointment so easily. Also you never turn any one to come later.  Today you missed the good opportunity to earn also."

The Astrologer told his spouse, " looking at his horoscope it occurred to me today is the last day in his life. I took pity on him. That's the reason I didn't advise him on anything."

But to the surprise and shock of the Astrologer, the Raja turned up exactly at the appointed time, fully Hale and hearty.  It took a few minutes for the Astrologer to come to normalcy.

It's the turn of the Raja to explain what happened in the interegnum.  As Raja went from Astrologer's to his palace, there was heavy downpour on the way.  Raja stayed in a nearby shelter for the rain to stop.  Meantime he got tired and slept in the shelter.  When he woke up and turned to look back, there was a Shiva temple in dilapidated condition. Being devout, he felt disturbed at the state of the temple and decided to build back and restore the temple.

Astrologer said to Raja, "it's good thought of reviving the temple, that Lord wanted you to live long."

Story III

I wouldn't call it a story.   Many question, many a time, question rebirth.  We may keep questioning.... But our Manickavasagar left a legacy in His celestial song, Sivapuranam,

புல்லாகிப் பூடாய்ப் புழுவாய் மரமாகிப்

பல்விருக மாகிப் பறவையாய்ப் பாம்பாகிக்

கல்லாய் மனிதராய்ப் பேயாய்க் கணங்களாய்

வல்லசுர ராகி முனிவராய்த் தேவராய்ச்

செல்லாது நின்ற இத் தாவர சங்கமத்துள்

எல்லாப் பிறப்பும் பிறந்திளைத்தேன் எம்பெருமான்

மெய்யேயுன் பொன்னடிகள் கண்டின்று வீடுற்றேன்

Osho narrates a real life story in his title, Hidden Mysteries.  He cites the real life story of Edgar Cayce, a devout Christian who died in 1945.  Edgar had a fall from a tree.  The treating doctors had almost given up.  To them, Cayce in deep coma, could die any moment.  Suddenly even as he was in coma, to the shock of the Doctors, he uttered ceratai herbal compound could get him back on the feet.  The herbs had to be mobilised.  Doctors felt why not we try. They did and Cayce was back on his feet.   The wow thing is Cayce was not any expert in any herbs in his current Avatar.  The herbs he refferred to were all remnants of his memory spread over various births.

End of this pretty long piece.

It's apt to wrap this with what Sri Sathya Baba told the Editor of துக்ளக்:

"நான் அதிசயமாக வரவழைக்கும் விபூதி, மோதிரம் போன்றவைகள் எல்லாம், உங்களை அழைக்க நான் அளிக்கும் விசிட்டிங் கார்டுகள்.  பிறகு நான் வேதம், கீதை, புராணங்களில் இருந்து உங்கள் ஆன்மீக வாழ்க்கை மேம்பாட்டுக்கு வேண்டிய அனைத்தையும் கூறுகிறேன். ஒரு சிலருக்கே அதில் ஈடுபாடு இருக்கிறது என்பது எனக்கு வருத்தம்."

May Veda,

Veda sabda -

ஒலி -

Energize us

Guard us.

God bless.