Kaushik's Blog
As the prayers, rituals, celebrations of the holy month of Maargazhi are on in full swing, and as one melts to the recitations of the divine Thirupaavai, we come across this line – Ongi Ulagalandha Uthaman Paer Paadi.. (Singing the name of the Lord, who grew and, who conquered the worlds..), which is in reference to […]
Body – Mind – Soul
Revisiting the posts, 8 years since, still relevant, and grateful!
Cheers
God Bless
It’s that period of the year, when the dawn commences to the divine chants of Thirupaavai! It’s the beautiful month of Margazhi that has already dawned and is waiting to shower bounties on the beloved!
Margazhi is famous for the 30 beautiful stanzas collectively called Thirupaavai, composed by Kothai, the wonder child born on the day, when the Pooram star shone!
She started as ‘Margazhi thingal..’ beginning to define the essence of the month, in the 1st stanza and goes ahead to ‘Vaiyathu Vaazhveergal..’ elaborating the procedure to celebrate and worship the divine in the 2nd stanza and praises the conquerer ‘Ongi Ulagalandha Uthaman..’ in the 3rd one
It’s 3 days since the dawn of Margazhi and it’s wonderful listening to the poetic lines!
Cheers God Bless
Vinayagar, Ganesha, Pillaiyar..the Lord of Auspiciousness, the remover of obstacles..
Today, being Vinayagar Chaturthi, posting few pictures clicked by me over the years, of the lovable Lord!
Cheers
God Bless
Thanjavur
The erstwhile grand capital of the Chola Kingdom, Thanjavur is an important trade and cultural hub of Tamil Nadu. With the river Kaveri flowing through the heart of it, surrounded by lush green paddy fields, doted by many temples, Thanjavur has so much to offer!
The most prominent, iconic identity of Thanjavur is the grand Brihadeeshwara Temple. This temple was constructed by Raja Raja Chola, the most illustrious among the Chola Dynasty. The temple, which is a magnificent and beautiful granite structure, is dedicated to Lord Shiva, as Brihadeeshwarar.
Here I go, with the pictorial description of the temple, the grandness of which, cannot be justified with any mere words!
The grandness of the temple can be realized, only by paying a visit and respect to the vision and labor of the several hands, that made this wonder, stand the test of time, over a millennium, and going strong!
More about Thanjavur, coming up in the following post.
Cheers. God Bless.
Chidambaram
Our next destination, in the pilgrimage of Temple Tales would be Chidambaram. Being quite famous, Chidambaram doesn’t need any specific introduction at all!
The Thillai Nataraja Temple situated here, is one of the holiest shrines in Shaivite tradition. The generic term kovil (meaning temple) refers to this temple, in Shaivite tradition. Such is the importance and reverence attributed to this divine destination!
This temple, where Lord Vishnu resides as Govindaraja, is equally celebrated in the Vaishnavite tradition, with this place also referred to as Thiruchitrakoodam.
Chidambaram is an ancient town, situated on the northern bank of the mighty Kollidam river, which is a tributary of the river Kaveri.
This place is said to have been covered with Thillai (a variety of mangrove) trees, from which the name, Thillai Nataraja is derived.
The Thillai Nataraja Temple complex, is one of the largest temple complex in the world! The main shrine is dedicated to Lord Shiva, in his dancing form, Nataraja. Adjacent to this shrine, is that of Lord Vishnu, as Govindaraja. Goddess Parvathi is present here as Shivakamasundari, with a huge dedicated shrine. There are several other shrines within the temple complex for various other deities, and several mandapams (processional halls) where the several rituals are conducted.
Lord Shiva is worshiped here as the Lord of the Nether, among the Panchabootha (Five Elements of Nature – Earth, Fire, Water, Air, Nether) Shiva Temples. Attributing to this reason, there are vast open spaces in the temple complex.
The sanctum shrines of Nataraja and Govindaraja are constructed in the way of a high rise stage. Hence we are blessed with the vision of the Lordships from a distance. This set up is a unique beauty of this temple.
Speaking about the most important feature of this temple, there is an empty space next to Lord Nataraja in His sanctum. This space is referred to as Chidambara Ragasiyam (Secret of Chidambaram) As mentioned earlier, Shiva is worshiped as the Nether Lord in this shrine, and hence he is represented in this nether form.
Is it the Lord, who is present in every form, in our vision and apart? Or is it none, whom we refer to as God, present in the sanctum of the grandest of shrines? What do we see? What do we unsee? Whom do we see or unsee?………
The Chidambara Ragasiyam is quite elusive, which makes us rise more questions, that ultimately lead us to the answers, even for the questions unasked! No wonder, Chidambaram gets its name from the term Chit-Ambalam (Hall of Consciousness)
Resting over the strong stone pillars that support the equally strong columns, and pondering over the thoughts, take us to a trance, that cannot be described by words!
A few kilometers away from Chidambaram, is the mangrove forest of Pichavaram. This is the place, where the mighty Kollidam river pours into the Bay of Bengal. The mouth of the river is interspersed by several sand bars, with a dense mangrove forest, which is one of the largest mangrove sanctuary in the world. The sojourn at Pichavaram to be continued in the next post.
Cheers. God Bless.
Thiruvilandur
In continuation of the previous post about Mayiladuthurai, here is the next post on Thiruvilandhur, another famous neighborhood within the town limits of Mayiladuthurai, where the Parimala Ranganathar Temple is situated.
Thiruvilandur, also known as Thiruindhalur, is a Diyva Desam (Temple/Holy Places, glorified in the works of Alwars) Lord Vishnu resides, in the form of Parimala Ranganathar.
Gently resting on the five hooded serpent Adisesha, flanked by Sridevi and Sri Boodevi, worshiped by Lord Brahma, with Surya and Chandra, Kaveri and Ganga, the Lord smiles calmly, within the rectangular sanctum, illuminated by the ghee lamps, besieged in the aroma of fresh Tulasi leaves!
As per the legends, the moon is said to have been cursed to lose his shine, and was relieved of the curse and regained his splendor, by performing penance and worshiping the Lord at Thiruvilandur.
The uniqueness of this temple, is the presence of Kaveri and Ganga, personified as Goddesses, present within the sanctum, worshiping Lord Parimala Ranganathar.
The temple is quite spacious, with several beautifully carved stone pillars. The temple pond, abounded by fishes, is situated right opposite to the temple.
This temple is said to be the Antya or Tail end of the Ranganathar Temples situated along the banks of the river Kaveri, over its course. The Adi or beginning being Ranganatha Temple at Srirangapatna near Mysore, followed by Ranganatha Temple at Shivasamudra, then the humongous Ranganathar Temple at Srirangam, the Sarangapani Temple at Kumbakonam being other four Ranganatha Temples, in order.
The temple has a calm atmosphere, intercepted by the occasional chants of the devotees and recitals of the priests. Several festivals are celebrated in the temple, throughout the year. It is no exaggeration, to mention this little neighborhood as a fragment of Vaikunta on earth!
Cheers. God Bless.
I had been away for a long while, as my personal and professional commitments had taken a higher priority. And I’m back to my good world of blogging, which sadly had to take a backseat.
Writer’s block, I should say, is one which anyone would hate, when trying to type out a good post, and that too after an exile. And I keep thinking, observing, little bit of rolling too, to come out with something worth posting about, to celebrate my return to Words and Lines. And there, I get a sudden flash from a block of memory.
The holy nights and celebrations of Navaratri have started and it’s supposed to be the time for spiritual ‘reconciliation’. Well, if one is ready to explore the unknown and is ready accept the outcome, any time would be a good period of celebration, for such reconciliations and realizations that follow.
The Navaratri celebrations signify the victory of Goddess Durga over the tyrant Mahishasura, the victory of Sri Rama over Ravana, or more precisely the victory of ‘good’ over ‘bad’
The concept of ‘good’ and ‘bad’ has always been and should always be debatable. What’s seemingly good to one is bad to another and the vice versa holds good too. What’s good in a situation might be a bad one in a different situation, from the same point of view that held it as good, earlier!
Mahishasura, a strong willed, tough devout, noble enough to receive boons of greater strength and power, turned into an arrogant bundle of vile, to unleash his powers over the unparalleled. Well, the neurons inside Mahisha’s brain would justify how being a ruthless tyrant, would be for a noble cause! That’s how perspectives work! But rising over good, bad, right, or wrong, one level headed cause must create a balance from every known and unknown relativity, which is denoted here by Durga, who adorns a third eye over her forehead, that could see the unseen and foresee the not to be seen.
Anyway, the twenty eyed Ravana couldn’t view the better horizons as seen by the ‘dual’ eyed Rama, and it paved way for his victory, or more aptly, the balance as denoted by the bow he carries! A similarly different perspective, with a differently similar example!
So, in my ways, Navaratri can more aptly be put as a celebration of the restoration of the erstwhile fallen balance, than the victory of ‘good’ over ‘bad’
Such realizations, celebrations culminate in on the eve of Vijayadasami, the last day of the Navaratri, and the day for new beginnings.
Festivals are about celebrations, relationships, realizations, knowledge, colour, food, pomp, splendour, sharing, giving, receiving, and so many other things, abstract. And for a long festival, the preparations for which begin even long before, there is so much to do within.
I wish a Happy Navaratri. I also seek blessings for more knowledge, and time, and to blog regularly.
This work of words comes from my level of knowledge and understanding. I’m always ready for any correction or discussion.
Cheers
God Bless
As the prayers, rituals, celebrations of the holy month of Maargazhi are on in full swing, and as one melts to the recitations of the divine Thirupaavai, we come across this line – Ongi Ulagalandha Uthaman Paer Paadi.. (Singing the name of the Lord, who grew and, who conquered the worlds..), which is in reference to Lord Vamana, who measured with his feet, earth, heaven and King Mahabali‘s head!
The beauty of these lines gave rise to the sprouting of an astounding meaning of the references, hidden in the fields of divinity.
Body, Mind and Soul comprise a trio. The Soul, whom we are; the Body, in which we reside; and the Mind, a bridge which guides, and misguides, balances and unbalances as well, the connection between the Body and the Soul.
The Body can be considered as the earth. Tough, physically sense-able, measurable, easier to understand, and conquerable. And Mind, the sky or the heavens. Undefinable, difficult to perceive, immeasurable, and not that easy to understand, and yet not unconquerable. And finally, the Soul, totally beyond any definitions (Mind, though had adjectives such as undefinable, immeasurable, etc)
King Mahabali had conquered the earth and the heavens. It was then that Lord Vishnu came in the form of a dwarf and asked for three feet of land as alms, from the King who was ruling the earth and the sky! When the King agreed, Lord Vamana grew to a gigantic size and measured the entire conquest of Mahabali‘s earth in a foot, and the sky in another. When nothing was left over, He asked the King for the third foot, when he offered his head, to be ‘conquered’. And the Lord obliged.
It is no wonder, for the comparisons are so obvious. One can rule over one’s body and mind. But conquering our soul, conquering ourselves, might seem easy, but not so; might seem tough, but not so, again! Definitely confusing, and that’s the beauty (or ugliness) of it! We think that we are our body and we are our mind. What we fail to recognize most of the times, is that we are the souls. We reside in a mind, and within a body.
King Mahabali had conquered the body and was owning it, to offer it to the Lord. He was ruling the mind, and was made into a good offering too! But conquest of the soul remained uncomplete. Once he gave up the so called possessions, the light of knowledge dawned and he offered himself (read soul; read head) to the Lord, which was the best of all offerings!
This conclusion is definitely, not immune from defects or debates. And view is always different and unique too. A lotus on a pond doesn’t look the same from different viewpoints, and so is a thought.
So much of thoughts from a single line of the thirty stanza long Thirupaavai. No wonder, it is referred to as the seed which contains the gigantic tree of the Veda!
Cheers
God Bless
Mahabharata is one of my all time favourite ‘experience’. I term it an experience because, quite often when I get to read/hear/watch retellings of the great epic, a thought process occurs, which gives rise to new perspectives, new vistas, new ideas, which are experiences that need to be savoured deeply!
I had grown up listening to Mahabharata stories from my grandma, watching the B.R.Chopra teleseries (the re-telecast actually! i’m not that old 😉 ) – Mahabharat (1988 TV Series), reading the English translation of Mahabharata by Rajaji – Mahabharata and an illustrated modern retelling by Devdutt Pattanaik – Jaya. In an earlier post, I had written about this modern retelling – Perspectives. There are various anecdotes associated with Mahabharata, which also provide varied insights and knowledge on it. Take off the religious angle, and it can beat a story of any genre, hands down!
It is generally said that, if something isn’t mentioned in the Mahabharata, then it doesn’t exist at all! And that’s because there are numerous retellings, abridgements, expansions, addition of ideas, commentaries, exclusion of ideas, folklores, corrosions, misunderstandings, etc on this already grand epic!
There are episodes in this narration that tease the logical part of our mind, and then there are portions that tease our illogical parts. And it is up to us to judge if a character in this epic is good or bad, or neutral, and that depends on how we view the scenario. This is the reason that there are many flows in the Mahabharata. Now this should explain the title – Changing Perspectives.
In my younger days, I preferred the action and grandeur of the narration, to the philosophical arguments. The fighting sequences, the grand palaces were more fascinating than the Bhagavad Gita and the other tenets. But now, I yearn for more of philosophical tenets, the varied perspectives that they provide, the various commentaries that have been written pondering over the realms known and unknown. The action and grandeur just seem normal and do not excite me anymore. This gives another meaning to the title – Changing Perspectives.
Mahabharata was nothing more than a religious story, for me in childhood. Only to realize later, that it is a lesson on how to lead life, and also how not to lead life. Probably I might realize something else, in future. Changing perspectives again!
Cheers
God Bless
Melkote
Following the earlier two posts – Vacation Chronicles ~ 1 and Vacation Chronicles ~ 2 – The stones are alive! here goes the third and concluding post on my vacation.
This post is completely dedicated to a beautiful, clean, serene, divine, calm, picturesque, peaceful, little town in Karnataka, named Melkote. It is at a distance of about 50 kms from Mysore and has good, accessible road from there. And still, i’m still out of adjectives to sing the praise of this place!
Melkote, also known as ThiruNarayanaPuram is more of a pilgrimage center, than a tourist spot, and that’s the main reason we were there (remember I had mentioned family vacation/pilgrimage in the earlier post?) The CheluvaNarayana Temple and the YogaNarasimha Swamy Temple atop a small hill are the important temples, apart from a few other ancient, antique temples here.
Melkote is quiet, little town with few ancient temples, many clean and pristine ponds surrounded by lush greenery, simple and traditional homes, clean roads, little shops, a Sanskrit college and academy, scenic vistas, humble and helpful people, which makes a person fall in love with this place again and again!
The YogaNarasimha Swamy temple is situated atop a small hill. Visiting this temple requires a climb of around 200 rock cut steps, which are covered by lush greenery, and occasional stone mantapa. There were many monkeys and goats along this way too, giving us a good company.
And not to forget the yummy Puliogare and Chakare Pongal that we got to taste here. Simply divine! And for the uninitiated, Puliogare and Chakare Pongal are a delicacy present in many South Indian Temples. They are supposed to be second most important aspect of the temple, the first being the Lord 😉
From the various experiences that I had here, the one I loved the most are the divinity and the cleanliness of this place. Divinity is beyond the scope of any explanation and our understanding! So moving on to the cleanliness aspect, the temples, roads, ponds, public washrooms are maintained so well in this little town!
Overall, the pilgrimage to Melkote was nourishing to the soul, pumping up more faith into the mind and lifting up our spirits.
Check out the following links, which provide more information on Melkote. Please do pay a visit to this place and get an experience of a lifetime!
***The pictures included in this post were taken by me***
Cheers
God Bless
The stones are alive!
Continuing from my previous post – Vacation Chronicles ~ 1, here I go with my second post. Without any explanation, by the end of this post, you would know why ‘The stones are alive!’
Standing at the threshold
of the mighty and impressive
Chennakeshava Devasthana*,
I wonder,
Do I bow to the Lord
Or the spirit of the sculptors?
Then, I feel His charm
And I bow to the Lord,
who dwells in and as
the soul of the sculptor,
And of the stone!
The following pictures were taken at the ChennaKeshava Temple complex at Belur, Karnataka. ChennaKeshava expands to ‘Chennagi Iruva Keshava’ which means the Handsome Keshava, in Kannada. His temple is beautiful, but His charm is matchless!
Chronicle to be concluded in next post Vacation Chronicles ~ 3 – Melkote
*Devasthana = Place of God ~ Temple
***The pictures included in this post were taken by me***
Cheers
God Bless
Finally, we got time for our long pending, long family vacation/pilgrimage! And honestly I just cannot write about our week long vacation in a post, or even a series of posts! So I go with a summary of my experiences, thoughts, observations and happenings…
Journey is a destination too…
The journey through the dense forests of Sathyamangalam, along the course of the river Kaveri, next to the impressive Bhavani Sagar Dam, over the twisting roads of Mettupalayam, over the rough terrains of Ooty, kissing the bright Morning Glory creepers from the hilly terrains, over the bridges, through the tunnels, overlooking the tea estates, over the narrow roads adjacent to Pykara Lake, on the steep slopes overlooking the scary Frog Hill View Point, though the evergreen forests of Mudumalai, occasional sightings of a variety of monkeys and buffaloes, a rare sighting of an elephant, through the downsloping roads of Bandipur, through the broad regal roads of Mysore, through the sugarcane fields to Melkote, over the rough roads to Belur, on the dusty roads to Halebidu…oh wait! These are just the bus journey routes. Many times in life we forget that, real happiness is not a destination, but found all around through the journey!
Window to the world…
It is the window which shows us the world, as we sit comfortably in our home, or a cosy bus/train. It is the window which makes one enjoy the sightings, like those which were mentioned above, to admire the beauty of nature and sing the praise of the Lord.
One disturbing thing was that people tend to take (dis)advantage of these beautiful windows and the more beautiful vistas outside. And I honestly wish that every bus/train (with openable windows) have a Pleading/Warning in bold letters which says…“Windows are NOT DUSTBINS!”
Fragrance of a river…
Believe me this river has a fragrance, an emotional connect to everyone related to the place though which it meanders, and is considered holier than the Ganga – the Kaveri. The fragrance, the warmth, the peace, the connect could be felt while cruising along its banks through Sathyamangalam, over the bridges at Mysore, over its canals at Mandya, along its banks at Srirangapatna, over the lush green sugarcane fields, the coconut groves, and my praise and admiration for this river can never stop!
Love affair with a city…
Ask me, ‘which is your favourite place?’ and my instant reply would be Mysore! One of the cleanest, greenest, less-congested, regal cities of India. The palaces, wide and clean roads, almost-nil traffic jams, greenery, crispy and mouthwatering dishes, well connectivity, humble and simple people, non-existent water woes, absence of crimes, cheaper lifestyle, and on and on. The list to fall in love with Mysore can be extended to one’s will!
One just can’t stop me from singing the praises for the places that I visited. Such was the mesmerization, enchantment that were present here. So continuing my chronicle in the next 2 posts too…
1) Vacation Chronicles ~ 2 – The stones are alive!
2) Vacation Chronicles ~ 3 – Melkote
***The pictures included in this post were taken by me***
Cheers
God Bless
This was a post pending for long, and finally I’ve got time to post. An office colleague who is also a good friend got married few days back, at her hometown Kumbakonam. Few guys of us not just attended the wedding, but also had a good time roaming about at Kumbakonam.
A town known for temples and festivals, it also had some of the warmest people i’ve ever met. The town, its streets, temple, people, their hospitality, wedding, food, ponds, fun, etc, etc could be elaborated over a series of lengthy posts! So rich was our experience in a short stay of two days. And here goes my short picture chronicle on our Kumbakonam trip…
As stated earlier, it’d take a series of lengthy posts to talk about the rich and awesome experiences we had at Kumbakonam. And these pictures talk about few of them!
Cheers
God Bless
Human mind works in a mysterious way. Especially at times, when the body is shut down and the mind is wide awake. It brings in new dimensions, new perspectives and new confusions! These thoughts vanish the way they arose, though few tend to cling on. Reading, and re-reading books inspired from Indian mythology, such as Jaal, The Pregnant King influences the mind too, a lot. One such thought which clung to my mind led to this post.
Kaushika the Emperor who turned into Vishvamitra the Hermit, is one person from the Hindu mythology, whom I adore a lot. Yes of course, my fascination for him started when I discovered that I share my name with him, which only increased as I got to learn more about him.
To give a brief introduction about this person, Kaushika was a mighty emperor who once met Vashishta, an hermit of the highest order. And there occurred a conflict between them (read more here) This conflict created a confusion in the mind of Kaushika, which ultimately prompted him to become a Brahmarishi (hermit of the highest order) And there began his journey!
It was initially his ego, anger, confusion, passion, ambition, rivalry, struggle, greed, competition, desire to achieve a status equal (if not higher) to those whom he considered as his rival, that made Kaushika to undertake a severe penance. The efforts bore fruits, and that made him a Rishi. He was still Kaushika. The anger passed by time, and He became a Rajarishi, but still he was Kaushika. His mind calmed over time that made him a Maharishi, but he was Kaushika, still!
When his mind expanded with wisdom, that sprouted and that flowed in, he could accommodate his version of truth, someone else’s vision of the world, everyone’s understanding of the universe and that made him an enlightened one – Brahmarishi Vishvamitra (Vishva – Cosmos and beyond, Mitra – Friend) Vishvamitra literally means ‘friend of all’. It is also understood as someone who could accommodate everyone and everything within the mind. Kaushika had rivals, but Vishvamitra didn’t, can’t and won’t have any!
In today’s world there is conflict and confusion, most often because we refuse to see the other side of the world. Our prejudices, perspectives and ego refuses to see the other version of the truth. We may not necessarily agree to something we may not like. But why can’t accept that it exists and let it exist?
The one who ruled over a mighty empire with just and respect had to undergo an harsh journey to control his mind and senses. So it’s definitely not an easy task to have such an infinite openness of mind. But why not have our mind at least directed towards this kind of openness?
As I stated earlier, accommodating his version of truth, someone else’s vision of the world, everyone’s understanding of the universe, turned Kaushika into Vishvamitra. Probably this is the elusive Enlightenment that we keep hearing quite often.
It is when we get these thoughts and understandings, that we realize that scriptures are more to be understood metaphorically, than taken literally. There could be difference of thoughts, opinions and perspectives. Making room for all of them increases our wisdom, while fighting over it, paves way only to exhaust our limited knowledge.
If there is an ocean to learn, there is an universe to unlearn. And this is a kind of learning too. The cosmos works in a mysterious way, and so our mind!
I’m Kaushik (literally and metaphorically, and many of us are too) with my own prejudices and opinions. I accept the truth, that my mind isn’t that big enough to accept certain (actually many) things. And there is a long way for this soul to go.
Cheers
God Bless
Temples are treasures that our forefathers have left behind. Many sciences, marvels, facts are spoken about these temples, some true and some not. But whatever, the serenity and comfortness that the temples offer is the same one experiences at home, and at times beyond!
One thing I love in temples are the temple tanks. Temple tanks are present in many big temples. These tanks are usually rectangular/square shaped artificial ponds. These ponds serve to harvest rainwater, add beauty to the temple, mesmerize the wanderer, and the list could keep extending.
I wanted to display three of my favourite temple tanks in Chennai and around, and here are they.
Cheers
God Bless
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