Life is a Celebration...love, light and laughter!!

Life is Celebration -Sadhguru Jaggi Vasudev - Click here for funny video clips
Sadhguru Jaggi Vasudev



Hell or Heaven?


Inner Engineering


http://www.sadhguru.org/portal/index.php/content/blogcategory/23/32/

Sadhguru Jaggi Vasudev is an Indian yogi and mystic. He is the founder of Isha Foundation which administers yoga centers around the world, including India and the United States.

Jagadish Vasudev was born in Mysore, Karnataka. At the age of twenty-five on September 23 1982, he had a deep spiritual experience, and subsequently established Isha Foundation, a non-religious, not-for-profit, public service organization, which addresses all aspects of human wellbeing. The Isha Yoga Center near Coimbatore was founded in 1992, and hosts a series of programs intended to heighten self-awareness through the ancient practice of yoga. These programs are offered to people ranging from the highly educated to the illiterate, from corporate leaders to prisoners.

Sadhguru spoke in four panels at the 2007 World Economic Forum, addressing issues ranging from diplomacy to economic development, education and the environment. In 2006, he addressed the World Economic Forum, the Tällberg Forum in Sweden, and the Australian Leadership Retreat. He has also served as a delegate to the United Nations Millennium Peace Summit and the World Peace Congress. He is the only speaker to have been invited to the World Economic Forum three years in a row.Sadhguru has had interviews with the BBC, Bloomberg, CNBC, CNNfn, and Newsweek International.
He was a delegate to the United Nations Millennium World Peace Summit and a participant at the World Economic Forum in 2006, 2007, 2008 and2009.

Sadhguru is a practitioner of yogic temple building and consecration, creating the Dhyanalinga yogic temple in 1999. The consecration process employed Prana prathista which is different from the Mantra prathista process prevalent in Kumbabishekam rituals in practiced through the modern times. Ancient Indian alchemical processes were allegedly used extensively in the temple building and consecration. Contrary to science, it is claimed that the presence of solid mercury at room temperature can be observed in the building.

Project GreenHands and initiative to plant 114 million saplings to increase the existing tree cover of Tamil Nadu State by 10 % is spearheaded by Jaggi Vasudev[7]. The project entered the Guinness Book of World Records for planting the maximum number of tree saplings on a single day.
Vasudev was a key participant in the 2006 documentary film ONE: The Movie.

Pranayama - Bhastrika, Kapalabhati, Anulom/Vilom, Bhramari

Pranayama

http://www.divyayoga.com/main.htm

Ramkishan Yadav popularly known as Swami Ramdev (Hindi: स्वामी रामदेव), also known as Baba Ramdev, is an Indian Hindu swami. He is particularly well-known for his efforts in popularizing Yoga as it is enunciated in Patanjali's Yoga Sutras. He is also one of the founders of the Divya Yog Mandir Trust that aims to popularize Yoga and offer Ayurvedic treatments.
His camps are attended by a large number of people. Over 85 million people follow his yoga camps via TV channels and videos. His yoga teaching sessions are free for all, for the masses. His stated principle in life is to be of help to all.

Swami Ramdev has raised a number of national issues through his yog camps (yog shivirs). Most of the issues raised by him demand change in governance policies of India and the life style of common people. Some of the most emphasized issues are :

Malpractices in the agricultural sector
Swami Ramdev says that the overuse of fertilizers and pesticides has led to increased profits for those in trade, but it poses a big threat to the health of the common man since fruits and vegetables are increasingly becoming contaminated with disease causing chemical compounds.

Consumption of fast food and soft drinks
At most of his yog shivirs (yog camps) Swami Ramdev has raised the issue of increased consumption of fast foods, packed foods and soft drinks by common people. He says that these products are disease causing junk and are far from anything to be eaten. He says that soft drinks like Coke and Pepsi are no better than pesticides or toilet cleaners and this is enough to explain what effect it has on the human body.

Exploitation of farmers
Baba Ramdev blames the corrupt governance practices for the miserable conditions of the farmers and other backward parts of the society. He says that agriculture is the biggest contributor to India's economy and yet the farmers are the most poverty stricken class of people. He says that for the economic prosperity of the country it is an issue of utmost importance to bring welfare to the farmers.

Poor condition of indigenous industries
Baba Ramdev blames failure of government policies for the state of the Indian industries with the Indian market being flooded with foreign made or foreign brand goods. Baba Ramdev says that indigenous industries must be supported and promoted to reduce the dependency on foreign made goods and for this both the government and the consumers have to be aware.


Indian black money in Swiss banks
Baba Ramdev has publicly raised the issue of Indian money stashed away illegaly in Swiss bank which is estimated to be between 1-1.5 trillion USD. He says that the government must take concrete action and bring back the money as it belongs to the people of India and has been taken out of the country illegally.

84 Crore (840 Million) People living on Rs. 20 a day
Official surveys indicate that at least 84 Crore (840 Million) people (nearly 75% of the population) are living with a capacity to spend Rs.20 or less in a day. Baba Ramdev has started the Bharat Swabhiman Andolan the first aim of which is to bring prosperity to these 840 million people.

Holi - what, why, where, how

Steve McCurry


Rang De 1 Collage


Rang De 2 Collage



Omkareshwar



Brindavan

Holi Festival, Udaipur, India, March 2009 from Victoria and Albert Museum on Vimeo.

Udaipur Royal Family



Shantiniketan


BBC


J and K




Nandgaon, Lathmaar


Barsana



Holi - the festival of colors By Subhamoy Das - is undoubtedly the most fun-filled and boisterous of Hindu festival. It's an occasion that brings in unadulterated joy and mirth, fun and play, music and dance, and, of course, lots of bright colors!

Happy Days Are Here Again!
With winter neatly tucked up in the attic, it's time to come out of our cocoons and enjoy this spring festival. Every year it is celebrated on the day after the full moon in early March and glorifies good harvest and fertility of the land. It is also time for spring harvest. The new crop refills the stores in every household and perhaps such abundance accounts for the riotous merriment during Holi. This also explains the other names of this celebration - 'Vasant Mahotsava' and 'Kama Mahotsava'.

"Don't Mind, It's Holi!"
During Holi, practices, which at other times could be offensive, are allowed. Squirting colored water on passers-by, dunking friends in mud pool amidst teasing and laughter, getting intoxicated on bhaang and reveling with companions is perfectly acceptable. In fact, on the days of Holi, you can get away with almost anything by saying, "Don't mind, it's Holi!" (Hindi = Bura na mano, Holi hai.)

The Festive License!
Women, especially, enjoy the freedom of relaxed rules and sometimes join in the merriment rather aggressively. There is also much vulgar behavior connected with phallic themes. It is a time when pollution is not important, a time for license and obscenity in place of the usual societal and caste restrictions. In a way, Holi is a means for the people to ventilate their 'latent heat' and experience strange physical relaxations.

Like all Indian and Hindu festivals, Holi is inextricably linked to mythical tales. There are at least three legends that are directly associated with the festival of colors: the Holika-Hiranyakashipu-Prahlad episode, Lord Shiva's killing of Kamadeva,
and the story of the ogress Dhundhi.


The Holika-Prahlad Episode
The evolution of the term Holi makes an interesting study in itself. Legend has it that it derives its name from Holika, the sister of the mythical megalomaniac king Hiranyakashipu who commanded everyone to worship him. But his little son Prahlad refused to do so. Instead he became a devotee of Vishnu, the Hindu God.
Hiranyakashipu ordered his sister Holika to kill Prahlad and she, possessing the power to walk through fire unharmed, picked up the child and walked into a fire with him. Prahlad, however, chanted the names of God and was saved from the fire. Holika perished because she did not know that her powers were only effective if she entered the fire alone.

This myth has a strong association with the festival of Holi, and even today there is a practice of hurling cow dung into the fire and shouting obscenities at it, as if at Holika.

The Story of Dhundhi
It was also on this day that an ogress called Dhundhi, who was troubling the children in the kingdom of Prthu was chased away by the shouts and pranks of village youngsters. Although this female monster had secured several boons that made her almost invincible, shouts, abuses and pranks of boys was a chink in the armor for Dhundi, owing to a curse from Lord Shiva.

The Kamadeva Myth
It is often believed that it was on this day that Lord Shiva opened his third eye and incinerated Kamadeva, the god of love, to death. So, many people worship Kamadeva on Holi-day, with the simple offering of a mixture of mango blossoms and sandalwood paste.

Radha-Krishna Legend
Holi is also celebrated in memory of the immortal love of Lord Krishna and Radha. The young Krishna would complain to his mother Yashoda about why Radha was so fair and he so dark. Yashoda advised him to apply colour on Radha's face and see how her complexion would change. In the legends of Krishna as a youth he is depicted playing all sorts of pranks with the gopis or cowgirls. One prank was to throw colored powder all over them. So at Holi, images of Krishna and his consort Radha are often carried through the streets. Holi is celebrated with eclat in the villages around Mathura, the birth-place of Krishna.

Holi as a festival seems to have started several centuries before Christ as can be inferred from its mentions in the religious works of Jaimini's Purvamimamsa-Sutras and Kathaka-Grhya-Sutra.


Holi in Temple Sculptures
Holi is one of the oldest among Hindu festivals, there is no doubt. Various references are found in the sculptures on walls of old temples. A 16th century panel sculpted in a temple at Hampi, capital of Vijayanagar, shows a joyous scene depicting Holi where a prince and his princess are standing amidst maids waiting with syringes to drench the royal couple in colored water.

Holi in Medieval Paintings
A 16th century Ahmednagar painting is on the theme of Vasanta Ragini - spring song or music. It shows a royal couple sitting on a grand swing, while maidens are playing music and spraying colors with pichkaris (hand-pumps). A Mewar painting (circa 1755) shows the Maharana with his courtiers. While the ruler is bestowing gifts on some people, a merry dance is on, and in the center is a tank filled with colored water. A Bundi miniature shows a king seated on a tusker, and from a balcony above some damsels are showering gulal (colored powders) on him.

Birthday of Shri Chaitanya MahaPrabhu
Holi Purnima is also celebrated as the birthday of Shri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu (A.D. 1486-1533), mostly in Bengal, and also in the coastal city of Puri, Orissa, and the holy cities of Mathura and Vrindavan, in the state of Uttar Pradesh.

Making the Colors of Holi
The colors of Holi, called 'gulal', in the medieval times were made at home, from the flowers of the 'tesu' or 'palash' tree, also called 'the flame of the forest'. These flowers, bright red or deep orange in color, were collected from the forest and spread out on mats, to dry in the sun, and then ground to fine dust. The powder when mixed with water made a beautiful saffron-red dye. This pigment and also 'aabir', made from natural colored talc, which were extensively used as Holi colors, are good for the skin, unlike the chemical colors of our days.
Colorful days, solemn rituals, joyous celebrations - Holi is a boisterous occasion! Draped in white, people throng the streets in large numbers and smear each other with bright hued powders and squirt coloured water on one another through pichkaris (big syringe-like hand-pumps), irrespective of caste, color, race, sex, or social status; all these petty differences are temporarily relegated to the background and people give into an unalloyed colorful rebellion. There is exchange of greetings, the elders distribute sweets and money, and all join in frenzied dance to the rhythm of the drums. But if you wanna know how to celebrate the festival of colors to the fullest through the whole length of three days, here's a primer.

Holi-Day 1
The day of the full moon (Holi Purnima) is the first day of Holi. A platter ('thali') is arranged with colored powders, and colored water is placed in a small brass pot ('lota'). The eldest male member of the family begins the festivities by sprinkling colors on each member of the family, and the youngsters follow.

Holi-Day 2
On the second day of the festival called 'Puno', images of Holika are burnt in keeping with the legend of Prahlad and his devotion to lord Vishnu. In rural India, the evening is celebrated by lighting huge bonfires as part of the community celebration when people gather near the fire to fill the air with folk songs and dances. Mothers often carry their babies five times in a clockwise direction around the fire, so that her children are blessed by Agni, the god of fire.


Holi-Day 3
The most boisterous and the final day of the festival is called 'Parva', when children, youth, men and women visit each other's homes and colored powders called 'aabir' and 'gulal' are thrown into the air and smeared on each other's faces and bodies. 'Pichkaris' and water balloons are filled with colors and spurted onto people - while young people pay their respects to elders by sprinkling some colors on their feet, some powder is also smeared on the faces of the deities, especially Krishna and Radha.

From: Indian Express
The festival's preamble begins on the night of the full moon. Bonfires are lit on street corners to cleanse the air of evil spirits and bad vibes, and to symbolize the destruction of the wicked Holika, for whom the festival was named. The following morning, the streets fill with people running, shouting, giggling and splashing. Marijuana-based bhang and thandai add to the uninhibited atmosphere.
This exuberant festival is also associated with the immortal love of Krishna and Radha, and hence, Holi is spread over 16 days in Vrindavan as well as Mathura - the two cities with which Lord Krishna shared a deep affiliation. Apart from the usual fun with coloured powder and water, Holi is marked by vibrant processions which are accompanied by folk songs, dances and a general sense of abandoned vitality.

Promptly at noon, the craziness comes to an end and everyone heads to either the river or the bathtub, then inside to relax the day away and partake of candies. In the afternoon an exhausted and contented silence falls over India. Although Holi is observed all over the north, it's celebrated with special joy and zest at Mathura, Vrindavan, Nandgaon, and Barsnar. These towns once housed the divine Krishna.

Each area celebrates Holi differently; the Bhil tribesmen of western Madhya Pradesh, who've retained many of their pre-Hindu customs, celebrate holi in a unique way. In rural Maharashtra State, where the festival is known as Rangapanchami it is celebrated with dancing and singing. In the towns of Rajasthan ? especially Jaisalmer ? the music's great, and clouds of pink, green, and turquoise powder fill the air. The grounds of Jaisalmer's Mandir Palace are turned into chaos, with dances, folk songs, and colored-powder confusion. Holika Dahan is referred to as Kama Dahanam in Andhra Pradesh.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Holi

SATAKA LITERATURE IN TELUGU

From: http://www.mihira.com/mihjan01/

by Sonti Venkata Suryanarayana Rao

To a superficial critic, Classical Telugu Literature may appear to be a wearisome catalogue of romances in highly Sanskritised diction containing a thin story padded with hackneyed descriptions in conventional imagery. This wrong impression has been created because of the undue emphasis placed earlier on a few scholarly works of the above type to the neglect of the vast treasury of classical literature in various other genres in which genuine lyrical and thoughtful poetry is quite abundant. As a matter of fact even in Sanskrit literature with its high reputation with poets like Kalidasa, Sanskrit poetry became more and more pedantic and artificial. As against such prejudice or hasty opinion, one has to remember that after Baudelaire, objective poetry has gained more attention and the lyric itself has acquired a new meaning. Even classical poets are re-evaluated and Horace is now considered as a lyrical poet.

Whatever may be the judgement regarding Sanskrit literature, ably defended by A.L.Basham (postea), Telugu has a continuous tradition of lyrical poetry in the form of Satakam, a literary genre in which Telugu is probably the richest among modern Indian languages. A Satakam literally means a collection of hundred or a few more verse by the same poet which are independent in nature but composed in the same mood or on a single broad theme. In Sanskrit literature the collection of three such satakas by Bhartruhari on Niti, Sringara and vairagya is the most well known example besides Amaru Satakam which has received universal acclaim. Such Satakams are probably found in all modern Indian languages the best example being Behari’s Satsai (17th cent) in Vrak dialect of Hindi. Telugu has a large collection of Satakams, estimated to be over three thousand in classical literature and like Bhartruhari or Bihari, many poets owe their reputation mostly to their Satakams alone. Vemana Satakam for instance is known all over South India.

As compared to the larger poetical works like Mahakavyas, a Satakam offers greater scope to the poet to express his genuine thoughts and feeling in such a degage collection of verses. Lyrical poetry of high literary value is found in some of the Telugu Satakams even if many of them are didactic. For the latter reason, some of the avant grade poets and committed Marxists who have little use for classical poetry, have employed this medium to propagate their views. Moreover, school children in Andhra study selections from a few popular Satakams as moral education e.g. Vemana Satakam, Sumati Satakam and Bhaskara Satakam and a few stanzas from them from the only means by which a layman gets acquainted with classical literature.

Unlike the Satakams of Sanskrit, Telugu Satakam has a definite form and it is not in that sense a totally random collection on which ground, Bharthruhari’s authorship of all the 300 and odd verses has been questioned. To qualify as a Telugu Satakam, it should have a common refrain, which is usually the last line of the verse or a phrase at the end. It is generally in the same metre or related metre e.g. Utpalamala or Champakamala. There is also unity in its conception viz. its general nature. Many of the Satakams were probably composed at leisure but great poets are known to have composed them at a stretch extempore in literary contests. The earliest Telugu Satakam-like work dates back to the 12th century. Mallikarjuna Panditharadhya, a great Saivite social reformer and contemporary of Basaveswara, the founder of VeeraSaivism in, has left behind 49 verses out of which 135 are addressed to Lord Siva. He was followed by Yaadhaavakkula Annamayya who wrote the ‘Sarveswara Satakam’ in 1242 AD which is more balanced lyrical work of 138 verses. It is probable that these Satakams were inspired by the Chandrachudamani Satakam, of Nagavarmacharya (11th Cent) in the Kannada Language. Palkurki Somanatha (ca 1300), the great Veerasaivite poet and author of Basava Puranam has left behind a Satakams have attained the popularity of ‘Sumati Satakam’ by an unknown author of the same period in the early days of Telugu literary history. Authorship of this well known work is sometimes attributed to Baddena a minor princeling who has to his credit another work on political science(antea) but the style is very dissimilar. Sumati Satakam needs no introduction whosoever has composed it. Pithy sayings from this short work in Kanada metre similar to ‘Arya’ in Sanskrit, are quite familiar even to the common man all over Andhra Pradesh. It is as well known as ‘Kural’ in south India, although it lacks the dignity and philosophic depth of the great Tamil classic.

The only other Satakam which is equally known to one and all is the “Vemana Satakam” which has received special attention in the modern age. In relatively short verses in the ‘Ataveladi’ metre (literally a danseuse), Vemana, a hedonist turned-a-saint as per legends, has instilled a lot of wisdom and social criticism in simple and idomatic Telugu. Vemana was greatly admired by the British Civil servants and savants like J.A.Dubois, C.V.Grover, H.Bavars, W.H.Campbell, C.D.Barnett and J.D.B.Gribel (Bharati, Nov. 1971) although Telugu pandits were not prepared to recognise him as a poet; his diction was too simple for them, inspite of its rich imagery. UNESCO has chosen Vemana as one of the poets of international importance and commissioned J.S.R.L. Narayana Murthi in California for a fresh translation of his poetry. Medpati Venkata Reddi, Director of the recently established Vemana Yoga Research Centre, Hyderabad has explained the philosophical significance of his mystic poetry in his Vemana Yogam (1984) C.P.Brown, civil servant and the first European to learn Telugu and compose a Dictionary, has translated selections from them into English and Latin in the 19th century, Vemana belongs to probably to the 17th century but his date and personal life are controversial. He was more a saint with a large following than literary figure in his day. His Satakam may be a collection of impromptu verses having a common refrain. Not all the 4000 verses attributed to him may be genuine. He corresponds to Sarvagjna in Kannada whose three line apothegms are called ‘Vachanas’. Since their dates are still uncertain, it is difficult to establish a definite relationship but they appear to be familiar with each other’s work from many verses in common.

Among the other popular ‘Niti’ or didactic Satakams are Bhaskara and Kumari Satakams. Enugu Lakshmana Kavi (18th century) a minor poet judged from his other writings, has achieved the rare distinction of translating Bhartruharil’s Satakams into easy and smooth Telugu verse which have perhaps excelled the original work as in the case of Rubayiat

of Omar Khayam by Fitzgerald. Starting with collections of devotional hymns and invocations to favorite deities, the Telugu Satakam has blossomed into several fields so that it is difficult to classify the vast body of Satakam literature. Among the devotional Satakams, the best is easily the ‘Kalahastiswara’ Satakam, by Dhurjati a major poet of the 16th century who lived at the court of Krishna Deva Raya in his early days and later wrote that above Satakam in anguish and remorse for the Bohemian phase of his younger days. Another famous Satakam is ‘Devakinandana Satakam’ of Vennelakanti Janna Mantri (14th cen) Dasarathi Satakam attributed to the great saint composer Bhadrahala Ramadas, is also well known.

While the above works are mainly devotional from the 16th century onwards, philosophical Satakams also have appeared in the literature ‘Sadanandayogi Satakam’ being the first one. On the other hand Satakams in a romantic vein were also not uncommon as for instance, ‘Brahmananda Satakam’ of Gopinatham Venkata Kavi (early 19th century) Manorama Satakam of Udaya raju Seshagiriraya Kavi and Lavanya Satakam of Potipeddi Venkanna. Satakams of pure humour and parody were written on Pakoda, Visana Karra (fan), Chipuru pulla (broom stick) and such other comic themes. ‘Choudappa Satakam’ although quite familiar to the cognoscenti, is place under quarantine from the general reader because of its hyper-erotic nature. Choudappa (16th cenury), who is otherwise a very talented poet, is specially noted for his skillful handling of ‘Kanda’ a very popular metre. Unfortunately he had a fascination for the forbidden word.

Although reflections on human life and social criticism are found in almost every Satakam, modern readers will find the more recent satakam from 18th century onwards to be of greater interest since social criticism is the poet’s main intention notwithstanding the refrain adressed to the local deity among these may be mentioned ‘Simhadri Narasimha Satakam’ and Andhra Nayaka Satakam by Gogulapati Kurmanatha Kavi and Kasula Purushottam respectively. Good satire is found in ‘Bharga Satakam’ of Kuchimanchi Timmakavi, ‘Ramalingesa Satakam’ of Adidam Surakavi and ‘Venugopala Satakam’ of Polipeddi Venkatarama Kavi.

A special feature of these later satakams is colloquial diction and a total break with archaic and obsolete language. Satakam medium has so popular ie was being increasingly employed for various purposes, including lexicons and grammatical works. Apart from narrative themes and scientific subjects, the most interesting ones are the ‘Prahelika Satakam’ (Riddles) like Tirumalesa Satakam. A recent writer has reviewed the history of the second world war and the dawn of independence in ‘Katyayani Satakam’. There is a satakam on Salt Satyagraha by Garikaati Mallavadhani. In the modern world several poets employed the Satakam form for their autobiographies. Chellapilla Venkata Sastri has described his life in Jataka Charya, a well known autobiographical satakam.


Sumati Satakam


Vemana Satakam

From: http://www.edewcate.com/Inner.aspx?FileName={2E173708-DE6F-4BB9-B0F1-FB6B9E906907}.flv

Who am i? - CNBC interview and FORA talk

Swami Parthasarathy, CNBC

http://www.vedantaworld.org/


Swami Parthasarathy, FORA.tv

Swami Parthasaraty (ca. 1927 – ) is a modern exponent of Vedanta. His multi-disciplined academic base includes
post-graduation from the University of London. For a period of over half a century, he has dedicated himself to the study, research and propagation of Vedanta and its practical application to life. He established his Vedanta Academy in 1988 amidst the hills of Malavali, 108 km from Mumbai, and offers a full-time residential course on Vedanta to students, who affectionately refer to him as Swamiji.

Parthasarathy has authored several books, presenting scriptural truths in contemporary thought and language. He has authored commentaries on the Bhagavad-Gita, Upanishads and others. Two books, Vedanta Treatise and Symbolism of Hindu Gods and Rituals, have earned best-selling status in India.

Parthasarathy actively tours the world, giving discourses on Vedanta to the public, as well as conducting corporate seminars.
His foudation also runs a three year course for those interested in learning the philosophy. Swamiji personally interviews every candidate and selects about 70 students for the class.

Chapter 8 - IMPERISHABLE BRAHMAN - Bhagavad Geeta

Smt Jaya Row

http://www.vedantavision.com/

Jaya Row, a microbiologist by training, who later jumped on the MBA bandwagon worked eight years at a pharmaceutical company before the questioning began: “I realized I was getting doctors to prescribe medicines that patients didn’t need. I was only helping people who had a lot of money make more money.” Intense soul-searching put her in touch with two deep-rooted interests, Vedanta and a desire to serve humanity. Ever since, Row has been teaching Vedanta, merging both her passions.

She explains the concept of Swadharma, an individual’s area of core interest. “If you deviate and choose a field of activity that is alien to your area of interest, it becomes Paradharma. You may be successful at what you’re doing, but there’ll always be something rankling inside, a feeling of something amiss.”

Your personality blossoms when you identify a cause you want to serve, believes Row: “A goal higher than yourself, one that will satisfy your emotional, intellectual and spiritual needs.

Smt Jaya Row is the creator of Vedanta Vision and initiator-Managing Trustee of Vedanta Trust. Vedanta Vision is devoted to the support of Vedanta, Indian philosophy – the oldest management school in the world. Vedanta is a science of living that empowers each entity to achieve achievement, pleasure, increase and fulfilment.

Mrs.Jaya Row has exhausted virtually thirty years in the study of Vedanta. She has an initial background in Microbiology and has had a famous career as an executive, which she renounced to apply herself full time to the understanding and re-presentation of Vedanta for the modern generation. Mrs. Row has helped change people’s concept of Indian scriptures. From that obsolete text of bygone ages just to be revered, to that of a living, vibrant instruction for achievement, happiness and individual growth.

Mrs. Jaya Row uses her background of Science and Management to converse about Vedanta successfully with the educated. Her seminars for corporate executives have had a deep impact.She has been rated best lecturer at prestigious conferences. Her seminars help develop an organizational style that is not only successful but uniquely Indian. To help create the most valued of corporate assests – the fulfilled, dynamic human beings – a person of impeccable nature, honesty and development.
Mrs. Row’s discourses on the Bhagavad Gita draw large audiences in India and abroad.

Doctrine of the Sufis - Muhammed Al-Kalabadhi

From www.khamush.com

Al Hallaj says about God:

"Before" does not outstrip Him,
"after" does not interrupt Him
"of" does not vie with Him for precedence
"from" does not accord with Him
"to" does not join with Him
"in" does not inhabit Him
"when" does not stop Him
"if" does not consult with Him
"over" does not overshadow
Him "under" does not support Him
"opposite" does not face Him
"with" does not press Him
"behind" does not limit Him
"previous" does not display Him
"after" does not cause Him to pass away
"all" does not unite Him
"is" does not bring Him into being
"is not" does not deprive Him from Being.
Concealment does not veil Him
His pre-existence preceded time,
His being preceded non-being,
His eternity preceded limit.
If thou sayest 'when',
His existing has outstripped time;
If thou sayest 'before', before is after Him;
If thou sayest 'he', 'h' and 'e' are His creation;
If thou sayest 'how', His essence is veiled from description;
If thou sayest 'where', His being preceded space;
If thou sayest 'ipseity' (ma huwa),
His ipseity (huwiwah) is apart from things.
Other than He cannot
be qualified by two (opposite) qualities at
one time; yet With Him they do not create opposition.
He is hidden in His manifestation,
manifest in His concealing.
He is outward and inward,
near and far; and in this respect He is
removed beyond the resemblance of creation.
He acts without contact,
instructs without meeting,
guides without pointing.
Desires do not conflict with Him,
thoughts do not mingle with Him:
His essence is without qualification (takyeef),
His action without effort (takleef).

Muhammed Al-Kalabadhi

La Vie D'Ennui

From Philosophy Now, Jan/Feb 2010
Thanks to Priya Ramankutty for the recommendation.

La Vie D’Ennui
Colin Bisset is inspired to do nothing.

A friend and I are wandering through the lush gardens of a grand country home. “Wouldn’t it be wonderful to live somewhere like this?” I ask, stopping to admire the view of the house over its lake. “Summer days on the lawn, grand parties, cocktails.” My friend mutters something about having a social conscience, but I’m not listening. “Lazing about,” I continue. “Wonderfully bored.” My friend’s face swivels towards me like the ventriloquist’s dummy in Magic. “Bored? How could you be bored if you had all that?” he exclaims.

I have always fancied being bored on a huge and stylish scale. I’m talking Great Gatsby boredom, with everyone lying around in white clothes and floppy hats, sipping long drinks with cooling names, and being utterly and divinely bored. How sophisticated can one get, goes my thinking, that even when surrounded by the best things in life, it’s not enough? Boredom wins through.

There’s something exquisite about boredom. Like melancholy and its darker cousin sadness, boredom is related to emptiness and meaninglessness, but in a perfectly enjoyable way. It’s like wandering though the National Gallery, being surrounded by all those great works of art, and deciding not to look at them because it’s a pleasure just walking from room to room enjoying the squeak of your soles on the polished floor. Boredom is the no-signal sound on a blank television, the closed-down monotone of a radio in the middle of the night. It’s an uninterrupted straight line.

Actually, my idea of boredom has little to do with wealthy surroundings. It’s about a certain mindset. Perfect boredom is the enjoyment of the moment of stasis that comes between slowing down and speeding up – like sitting at a traffic light for a particularly long time. It’s at the cusp of action, because however enjoyable it may be, boredom is really not a long-term aspiration. It’s for an afternoon before a sociable evening. It marks that point in a holiday when you’ve shrugged off all the concerns of work and home, explored the hotel and got used to the swimming pool, and everything has become totally familiar. ‘I’m bored’ just pops into your mind one morning as you’re laying your towel over the sunlounger before breakfast, and then you think ‘How lovely.’ It’s about the stillness and familiarity of that precise moment before the inevitable anxiety about packing up and heading back to God-knows-what.

Like everyone, I’ve been bored in the way often linked with death, but that was mainly as a child, and as you get older you become more resilient in dealing with it. As an adult, you can choose between luxuriating in your boredom or eliminating it by getting up and doing something. The choice is yours.

Being observed to be bored stirs up judgment from others, especially parents. “Haven’t you got anything better to do?” they ask. Do they expect the truth? That you do have nothing better to do than lie around listening to music, but that you’re also perfectly happy doing this? And when did being told to tidy your room constitute an interesting alternative?

As a child boredom is a bleak prospect. It was my regular companion when my family stayed with my grandparents in Scotland for the summer holidays. Their house faced the sea, which meant that there was a rocky seashore to explore. But after five or six years of that it was beginning to pall. Ruby splats of jellyfish were no longer regarded as terrifying, and there was a l imit to how many times you could yell “I just saw something move in the water!” and run screaming from the water’s edge. There was also the fact that my sister was now grown up enough to find it demeaning to hang out with someone my age who wanted to play. My parents and grandparents seemed delighted to sit and conduct endlessly dull conversations.

And so I would sit and think. I would sit at the top of the garden looking out over the roof of the house to the water beyond, and wonder what it would be like to live on a boat. And I would sit on the rocks on the seashore and watch the birds foraging for food, and wonder what it would be like to fly. And I would sit in the sunroom listening to the rain on the roof, and wonder what it would be like to be old enough to have holidays on your own, in proper hotels with swimming pools and waiters and organised amusements. And sometimes it was lovely just to be sitting and thinking like that for hours on end.

At other times my thoughts took more perplexing turns. I would wonder if everything I was looking at wasn’t actually there, that it was just an illusion. Or what if everything was pitch black but only I thought it was light and colourful? Or what if what I heard didn’t match what I thought I was seeing? These were not the sort of thoughts I felt able to own up to at the afternoon tea table, and so I ended up for quite some time believing that nothing could be trusted because my eyes were certainly being deceived. I’m not sure why a ten year old boy was experiencing philosophical angst, but it certainly shows that I had an awful lot of time on my hands.

And that’s the point of boredom, isn’t it? Wasn’t Newton sitting underneath an apple tree staring into space, and Archimedes wallowing in the bath, when clarity struck? In my own insignificant way, I think I have always understood that doing nothing is the key to getting somewhere. As a writer, it takes a while to convince others that you are working hard whilst appearing to be lying on the sofa staring at the ceiling, but once this is accomplished it can be very useful, especially if you are enjoying staring at the ceiling and hear, “I’m sorry, he can’t come to the phone at the moment, he’s working” – which suggests a genius on the cusp of a plot breakthrough rather than someone deciding whether to have poached or scrambled eggs for lunch.

Living in a surfing suburb, I am often aware of groups of people of all ages who gather ostensibly to watch the surf. The bigger and more dangerous the surf, the more people will gather and watch it. But there’s a limit to how long you can focus on huge waves crashing near the shore. Isn’t the reality that these people have completely zoned out and are simply using the surf as an excuse to stare into space? If you asked them why they’re staring at the sea they’d come up with a host of answers, many of which might have the ring of truth. Sure, the colour and drama of a roiling ocean is a sight to behold, but who’s going to admit that really, they’ve been loafing on the beach with an empty thought bubble hovering over their heads?

Boredom in the workplace is something else, of course. Here every moment has hovering over it the question-mark of time passing.

This kind of boredom sucks the life from you. It has none of the hallmarks of the grand boredom that I’m after – the sort with a rousing soundtrack as you emerge from the darkness of sloth into the light of inspiration. The sort that illuminates new questions: Why not go and live in another country? Why shouldn’t I write a novel? That sort of boredom is the equivalent of a long bath with French soap and frangipani flowers floating on the surface; something so relaxing and pleasurable that you really don’t want it to end. And yet, when the bathwater has cooled and the flowers have gone mushy, you’re happy to lift your glowing self from the tub and move forward into the stream of life with renewed vigour. Such is la vie d’ennui.

Okay, so sometimes you might wrap your bathrobe around you and snuggle into the sofa and think, I’ll tackle the future just as soon as I’ve caught up with these old episodes of The West Wing. But that’s how boredom works. Eventually you will step out into the brave new world. You have to move. That’s what boredom is for; and perhaps why God invented cramp and bed sores.

© Colin Bisset 2010

Colin Bisset was bored in the UK and has been happily bored in Australia since 1997. He writes on a variety of subjects.

Navagraha Krithis of Muthuswamy Dikshitar

From : http://www.medieval.org/


Dikshitar's Navagraha (Nine Planets) kritis are among his most famous sets. They contain a good deal of Vedic astrology, as well as fine music. There is one kriti for each of the classical nine planets.

The following lyrics and translations are taken from the LP recording of Prof. S. Ramanathan. I have tried to correct some typographical errors from that source (which is also very hard to read), and hope I have not introduced too many of my own. Please let me know of any errors.

The transliteration scheme is that used in the notes to that recording, written by Robert Gottlieb. It is a truncated version of that which I have used on the list of compositions.

The Nine Planets

sUrya (Sun): sUryamUrtE namOstutE - *saurASTram/caturashra DhruvaM
candra (Moon): candraM bhaja mAnasa - *asAvEri/caturashra maTyaM
aHNgAraka (Mars): aHNgArakaM AshrayAmi ahaM - *surati/rUpakam
budha (Mercury): budham AshrayAmi - *nATTakuraHnji/mishra jhaMpa
bRhaspati (Jupiter): bRhaspatE tArApate - *aThAna/Tishra TripuTa
shukra (Venus): shrI shukrabhagavantaM - pharaj/khaNDa aTa
shani (Saturn): divAkaratanujaM shanaishcaraM - yadukulakAmbhOji/caturashra EkaM
rAhu: smarAmyahaM sadA rAhuM - ramAmanOhari/rUpakam
ketu: mahAsuraM kEtumahaM - cAmaraM/rUpakam
Note that the final two kritis (on the inauspicious "planets" Rahu and Ketu) are now considered to be later compositions by Dikshitar's followers, added to round out the traditional nine.

To caturdasha rAgamAlikA

To Carnatic page

Todd M. McComb
mccomb@medieval.org

sUrya

rAga: saurASTram / tAla: caturashra dhruva

sUryamUrte namOstu te sundaracchAyAdhipate

kAryakAraNAtmakajagatprAkasha simhArAshyadhipate AryavinutatejassphUrte ArogyAdiphaladakIrte

sArasamitra mitra bhAno sahasrakiraNa karNasUno krUrapApaharakRshAno guruguhamoditasvabhAno sUrijaneDita sudinamaNe somAdigrahashikhAmaNe dhIrAcita karmasAkSiNe divyatarasaptAshvarathine saurAStArNamantrAtmane sauvarNasvarUpAtmane bhAratIshahariharAtmane bhuktimuktivitaraNAtmane

Translation

Salutations Oh Lord in the form of Surya, the Lord of the beautiful Chaya[1].

Oh illuminator of all infinite causes and effects in the world, the Lord of Simha rasi[2]. One whose effulgent lustre has been praised by those of highest esteem, the bestower of benefits such as good health.

Friend to the day-lotus, a friend to all, the most resplendent one, the thousand-rayed, the father of Karna[3], the fire swallowing dreadful sins[4], whose brilliance has delighted Guruguha[5], one who is praised by the learned, the auspicious day-jewel, crest-jewel to Chandra and other planets, worshipped by the energetic, the witness to all actions, one who has the chariot drawn by the seven divine horses[6]. One whose principle nature is embedded in the eight-syllabled hymn of praise[7], who is of golden hue, of the nature of Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva[8], and who confers material benefits and spiritual emancipation.

Notes

1.(lit. 'shadow'), a substitute form of Samjna, wife of Surya, who assumed this disguise to escape the heat of her husband
2.Constellation Leo
3.Hero of the Mahabharata who having sided with the Kauravas against the Pandavas was killed by Arjuna at the battle of Kuruksetra
4.The power of the Vedas radiates forth in the form of Surya, this power illuminates all darkness and destroys the sins of the worlds.
5.A name for Subramanya (Skanda), son of Shiva who became the teacher of the Gods [also Dikshitar's "pen name"]
6.This theme appears in numerous passages of the Vedas. The Sun-temples of India are constructed along this theme, the most famous being the Konarak temple in Orissa. The symbolism of the seven horses has been explained in different ways; relating to the seven days of the week, to the seven sacred metres of verse [See RV X130.4-5], and to the seven colors of the solar spectrum. The seven horses at Konarak are named after these colors: Rakta (red), Rocika (orange), Pita (yellow), Nila (blue), Indra-nila (deep blue), Mocika (violet) and Shukla (white).
8.ref. to the 'gayatri' hymn addressed to the Vedic solar god Savitr: "May we attain that excellent glory of Savitr the god, so we may stimulate our prayers." [RV III.62.10] This is the most sacred of Hindu hymns and is recited daily by all Brahmins.
Surya is considered to be a manifestation of Vishnu, from whom all Gods were created. On rising he appears in the form of Brahma (creator), at mid-day as Vishnu (preserver) and on setting as Rudra (dissolution). This theme has its roots in the Vedic myth of Vishnu taking three steps over the universe: "I will declare the mighty deeds of Vishnu, of him who measured out the earthly regions. Who propped the highest place of congregation, thrice setting down his footstep, widely striding." [RV I.154.1, also VII.99]
candra

rAga: asaverI / tAla: caturashra maThya

candraM bhaja mAnasa sAdhuhRdayasadRsham

indrAdilokapAleDitataresham induM SoDashakalAdharam NishAkaram indirAsahodaraM sudhAkaramanisham

shaNkaramaulivibhUSaNaM shIakiraNaM caturbhujaM madanacchatraM kSapAkaraM venkaTesanayanaM virANmanojananaM vidhum kumudamitraM vidhiguruguhavaktraM shashaHNkaM gISpatishApAnugrahapAtraM sharaccandrikAdhavaLaprakAshagAtraM kaHNkaNakeyUrahAramukuTadhidharaM paHNkajaripuM rohiNIpriyakaracaturam

Translation

Mind, worship Chandra (pure and pleasing) who is like the hearts of all good men.

(Worship Him) Always, the Lord of the stars[1] praised by the guardian deities of Indra[2] and others, who moistens the Earth, the one with sixteen digits[3], and rich in nectar[4].

(Worship Him) The ornament on Lord Shiva's crest, the cool-rayed, the four-armed, the parasol of Madana[5], the night-maker, the eye of Lord Venkatesa[6], mentally created by Virat[7], the inflictor of suffering[8], the friend of the night-lotus, and the face of Lord Subramanya who became the teacher of the creator. (Worship Him) Who bears the mark of the hare[9], who was first cursed and later favored by Brhaspati, with his white body shining bright in autumn, the wearer of armlets, bracelets, necklace and crown, enemy of the day-lotus and a courteous lover of Rohini[10].

Notes

1.Lord of the 27 naksatras, the stars which oversee the 27 lunar mansions of the zodiac. These are considered to be the wives of Chandra.
2.The Vedic God of thunderbolt and battle, the King of the Gods who vanquishes demons of drought and darkness
3.The 16 lunar phases (kala)
4.The Vedic God Soma, the Moon, is the repository of the rich soma nectar which is the ambrosial drink of the Gods. As this nectar is derived from the Moon it moistens the Earth. The process of producing soma is closely identified with the Moon. "As the Moon-God pours down his ambrosial rain through the sieve of heaven he is addressed and worshipped as pavamana (self-purifying), represented by the soma juice as it undergoes purification by flowing through the wool which is used as a filter or strainer." [RV IX.1] Most of the hymns of this Book are addressed to soma the nectar, or Soma, or Indu the Moon.
5.The parasol symbolizes Chandra's role as a follower and attendant to Madana ('infatuator'), the God of Love, also called Manmatha ('churner of the mind'), Kama ('desire') or Smara ('love').
6.The form of Shiva having three eyes, the Sun, Moon and Fire, the three sources of light which illuminate the worlds. The eye of Fire is the strongest. This looks inward on the forehead but when directed outwards it can destroy all that appears before it.
7.The secondary creator virat-purusa, created by Brahman as primeval man. "The Moon was engendered from his mind, and from his eye the Sun had birth, Indra and Agni from his mouth were born, and Vayu (air) from his breath. Forth from his navel came mid-air; the sky was fashioned from his head; from Earth his feet and from his ear the regions. Thus they formed the worlds." [RV X.90.13-14]
8.Chandra fell in love with Tara, the beautiful wife of Brhaspati, and abducted her. There was a prolonged war between Chandra and Brhaspati in which the Gods became involved. This ultimately resulted in the defeat of Chandra and his separation from Tara. Thus Chandra has come to be identified with the despair and suffering of separated lovers.
9.The surface markings on the Moon reveal in outline form the figure of a hare. For this reason Chandra is sometimes referred to as Shasha (hare).
10.The star Aldebaran, constellation Taurus; of the 27 naksatras Rohini is the favorite of Chandra

aHNgAraka

rAga: suraTi / tAla: rUpaka

aHNgArakam AshrayAmy ahaM (shrI) vinatAsritajanamandAraM maHNgalavAram bhUmikumAraM vAraM vAraM

shRHNgArakameSavRshcikarAshyadhipatiM raktAngaM raktAmbarAdidhraM shaktisUladharaM maHNgalaM kambugalaM maHnjulatarapadayugalaM maHNgaladAyakaMeSaturaHNgaM makarottuHNgam

dAnavasurasevitamandasmitavilasitavaktraM dharaNIpradaM bhrAtRkArakaM raktanetraM dInarakSakaM pUjitavaidyanAthakSetraM divyaughAdiguruguhakaTAkSAnugrahapAtram bhAnucandragurumitraM bhAsamAnasasukalatraM jAnusthahastacitraM caturbhujamativicitram

Translation

I take refuge again in Angaraka[1], the divine Mandara tree[2] to the humble dependent devotees, the presiding deity of Tuesday, and the son of Earth.

Who is the Lord of the cherished houses of Mesa and Vrischika[3], with red limbs, who wears the red dress and is the bearer of the sword and trident. The auspicious one, with beautiful neck, with lovely feet, bestower of auspiciousness, riding on the Goat, and whose higher aspis[4] is in Makara rasi[5].

Who is worshipped by Gods and demons, one with the face beaming and smiling, bestower of landed wealth and brotherhood, with red eyes, protector of the afflicted, worshipped in the holy Vaidisvaran temple[6], and favored by the hosts of the Gods and Guruguha. Who is the friend of Surya, Chandra and Brhaspati, shining with his good wife, and his hands on his knees, having four arms, and who is quite extraordinary.

Notes

1.(lit. 'glowing charcoal'), also referred to as Mangala ('happiness', 'felicity')
2.A form of coral tree, one of the 'five divine trees' (devataru) of the heaven of the gods: mandara, parijataka, santana, kalpavriksa and haricandana
3.Constellations Aries and Scorpio
4.Aphelion
5.Constellation Capricorn
6.This shrine is located in the Tanjore area. It is used for seeking good health and cure from diseases.
budha

rAga: nATakuraHnji / tAla: mishra jhampa

budham AshrayAmi satataM suravinutaM candratArAsutam

budhajanaiveditaM bhUsurair moditam madhurakavitApradaM mahanIyasampadam

kuHNkumasamadyutiM guruguhamudAkRtiM kujavairiNaM maNimukuTahArakeyUrakaHNkaNAdidhraNaM kamanIyataramithunakanyAdhipaM pustakakaraM napuMsakam kiHNkara janamahitaM kilbiSAdirahitaM shaHNkarabhaktahitaM sadAnandasahitam

Translation

I always seek shelter in Budha who is worhipped by the Gods, who is the son of Chandra and Tara[1].

Who is revered by the learned, and who brings joy to Brahmins. Who is the bestower of the sweet art of poetry, the one of splendorous wealth.

Who is brightly colored like saffron, whose form gives delight to Guruguha, who is the enemy of Kuja[2], the wearer of gem-studded crown, necklace, armlets and bracelets, Lord of the houses of Mithuna and Kanya[3], with book in hand[4] and who is neuter[5]. Who is honored by his attendants, is devoid of all evil, benefits the devotees of Shiva, and is always joyous.

Notes

1.The illegitimate son of Chandra and Tara
2.ref. to Angaraka, the son of Shiva and Earth, as 'born of Earth'
3.Constellations Gemini and Virgo
4.Symbolic of the intelligence and wisdom of Budha
5.Having been born of an illicit love affair Budha was cursed by Brhaspati and became neuter

bRhaspati

rAga: aThAna / tAla: tishra tripuTa

bRhaspate tArApate brahmajAte namOstu te

mahAbala vibho gISpate maHnjudhanurmInAdhipate mahendrAdyupAsitakRte mAdhavAdivinutadhImate

shurAcAryavarya vajradhara shubhalakSaNa jagattrayaguro jarAdivarjitAkrodha kacajanakashritajanakalpataro purAriguruguhasammodita putrakAraka dInabandho parAdicatvArivAksvarUpaprakAshaka dayAsindho nirAmayAya nItikartre niraHNkushAya vishvabhartre niraHNjanAya bhuvanabhoktre niraHNshAya makhapradAtre

Translation

Salutations Brhaspati! Lord of Tara, one who is born of Brahma[1].

Oh omnipresent one, Oh Lord of great strength, Lord of speech[2], Lord of lovely Dhanus and Mina[3], whose form is adored by Indra and the other Gods, and who is the great intellectual honored by divinities like Madhava[4].

Oh most esteemed teacher of the Gods, wielder of the thunderbolt[5], of auspicious markings, teacher of the three worlds[6], one who is not affected by old age and the like, unexcitable, father of Kaca[7], the divine Kalpataru[8] for those who take refuge in Him, who is a delight to Shiva and Guruguha, and the bestower of offspring, kin to the distressed, the manifester of the four phases of speech[9], an ocean of compassion. Who is devoid of all illness, the author of smrti[10], uncontrolled, the Lord of the Universe, the untarnished one, who delights in the worlds and is the bestower of vigor.

Notes

1.Also descended from the mind of virat-purusa (see Chandra[7])
2.An epithet for the Vedic god Indra, Brhaspati or Brahamanaspati is the 'Lord of Prayer'
3.Constellations Sagittarius and Pisces
4.Name for Vishnu in his incarnation as Krishna
5.In the Vedas Brhaspati is associated with the god Indra.
6.ref. to tripura, the three cities of the gods: "here (Earth), heaven above Earth, and the spacious firmament" [RV I.6.10]
7.The son of Brhaspati who was sent to Shukra, leader of the demons (asuras), to learn the secret for reviving the dead (see Shukra[1])
8.The wish-yielding tree of Indra's paradise, the kalpavriksa (see Angaraka[2]); as a generous god Brhaspati is compared to the kalpavriksa
9."The place where the idea originates... the first impulse... is the 'voice beyond' (para-vac). The first mental impulse, like the shoot springing from an invisible seed is the 'voice that sees' (pashyanti). The potential sound, which is the vehicle of thought, is the 'intermediary voice' (madhyama). The exteriorized sound in the form of articulate syllables is the 'voice manifest' (vaikhari)." [Karapatri "Sri Bhagavati tattva"]
10.ref. to Brhaspatismrti, an important early text on legal etiquette

shukra

rAga: pharaj / tAla: khaNDa aTa

shrIshukrabhagavantaM cintayAmi santataM sakalatattvajHnam

he shukrabhagavan mAm Ashu pAlaya vRSatulAdhIsha daityahitopadesham keshavakaTAkSaikanetraM kirITadharaM dhavalagAtram

viMshativatSaroDudashavibhAgam aSTavargaM kaviM kalatrakArakaM ravinirjaraguruvairiNaM navAMshahorAdrekkANAdivargottamavasarasamaye vakroccanIcasvakSetravarakendramUlatrikoNe trimshAMshasaSTyAMshairavatAMshaparijAtAMshagopurAMsharAjayogakArakaM rAjuapradaM guruguhamudam

Translation

I always meditate upon the God Shukra, the knower of all truths[1].

Rescue me quickly Oh Shukra, Lord of the houses of Tula and Vrisa[2], and sound counsellor to all demons. Whose one eye was safeguarded by the grace of Kesava[3], who is the wearer of the crown and of white substance.

Whose beneficial influence on the various constellations is for the duration of twenty years[4], one having eight vargas[5], the poet, beneficent planet for marital bliss[6], inimical to Surya and Brhaspati, who while in navamsha, hora, drekana[7], vakra[8], nicaj[9], ucca[10], svaksetra[11], varakendra[12], and in the mulatrikone[13] ... and while in the different amshas, trimsamsha[14], sastyamsha[15], airavatamsha, parijatamsha, gopuramsha[16], bestows royalty and kingdoms and delights Guruguha.

Notes

1.Although the preceptor of the demons, Shukra was a Brahmin and as such a repository of the knowledge of the Vedas. When Kaca broke out from Shukra's stomach after having been burnt and pulverized by the demons and consumed with wine which was drunk by Shukra, Kaca saw the pile of Vedic knowledge which was the fallen dead man. With the secret formula for reviving the dead he caused him to come to life again. Kaca then bowed to his Guru and said, "The Guru is the giver of unsurpassed truth, the treasury of the four-fold riches of knowledge, worthy of respect. Those who do not respect him go to the bottomless evil worlds." [Mahabharata I.71]
2.Constellations Libra and Taurus
3.A name for Vishnu; Shukra lost one of his eyes when Vishnu appearing as Vamana, his fifth incarnation, thrust Mahabali a demon down to the netherworld and Shukra tried to obstruct it.
4.ref. to ududasha system in which each planet presides over a particular period (dasha) of time. According to Mantreshvara these are: Surya 6 years, Chandra 10, Mangala 7, Rahu 18, Brhaspati 16, Shani 19, Budha 17, Ketu 7 and Shukra 20. Each of these main periods is divided into smaller sub-periods (bhuktis) and each sub-period is divided into smaller periods (antara). The antara are again subdivided into antarantaras, and so on until the swara or the period necessary for the inhaling and exhaling of breath is reached. Thus the planets individually and collectively exercise controls over all time-spans of existence.
5.ref. to astavarga, a system of ongoing horoscopy; pertaining to this system Pingree gives the following account: "As described in the Yavanajataka this system is identical with the Western theory of the revolution of the years of the nativity in which one uses the transits of the planets through the places they occupied at the original of the birth-horoscope.... The basic idea is to cast a new horoscope at the end of each year, month, day or other appropriate time-interval of the native's life and to compare it with the horoscope at his birth.... Transit is the entry of a planet into a sign occupied by a particular planet in the birth-horoscope."
6.Love, one of the principles of existence (sattvani), is assigned to Shukra. "...life, love, knowledge, speech, truthfullness, ignorance and mind; they pervade respectively the Sun, Venus, Jupiter, Mercury, Mars, Saturn and the Moon."
[Yavanajataka I-112]
7.These terms refer to measurements of arc as determined from the first point of Aries, the 'vernal equinox'. This is the point at which the path of the Sun crosses from the South to the North of the celestial equator. All measurements are made on the ecliptic. Navamsha is 1/9th of 30 degrees = 3 degrees 20 mintues; hora is 1/2 of 30 degrees = 15 degrees; drekana is 1/3 of 30 degrees = 10 degrees.
8.Retrograde motion of planet
11.(lit. 'in a low position') dejection
12.(lit. 'high' or 'elevated') position of exaltation; this is located 180 degrees opposite from the position of dejection
13.The ruling houses of Shukra, Libra and Taurus
14.The best cardines; of the 12 places on the Zodiac, cardines 1, 4, 7 and 10
15.Base-triplicity; "the mulatrikonas of Mars, the Moon, the Sun, Mercury, Venus, Jupiter and Saturn are, in order, Aries, Taurus, Leo, Virgo, Libra, Saggitarius and Aquarius." [Yavanajataka I-62]
16.one degree
17.one half degree
18.These terms refer to particular combinations of the vargas for the planets. According to the 10 varga (dashavarga) system, Mantreshvara says "whether a planet is in its friendly house, its own house, or in its exaltation house, a combination of 2 vargas is called parijatamsha, that of 4 is called gopuramsha, that of 6 airavatamsha."

shani

rAga: yadukulakAmbhoji / tAla: caturashra Eka

divAkaratanujaM shanaishcaraM dhIrataraM santataM cintayEham

bhavAmbunidhau niMagnajanAnAM bhayaHNkaram atikrUraphaladam bhavAnIshakaTAkSapAtrabhUtabhaktimatAmatishayashubhaphaladam

kAlAHnjanakAntiyuktadehaM kAlasahodaraM kAkavAhaM nIlAMshukapuSpamAlavRtaM nIlaratnabhUSaNAlaNkRtaM mAlinIvinutaguruguhamuditaM makarabumbharAshinAthaM tilatailamishritAnnadIpapriyam dayAsudhAsAgaraM nirbhayam kAladaNDaparipIditajAnuM kAmitArthaphaladakAmaDhenuM kAlacakrabhedacitrabhAnuM kalpitaccAyAdevisUnum

Translation

I always meditate upon the slow-moving[1] Shani, the son of Surya and the courageous one.

Who causes fear in people plunged in the ocean of worldly existence, and is the harbinger of calamitous events[2]. Who grants uniquely auspicious rewards for devotees favored by Shiva's benign glances.

Who with a body of dark lustre like collyrium[3], brother of Yama, riding on his vehicle the Crow, decorated with blue dress and a blue flower wreath, with ornaments embedded with blue stones, who is worshipped by Malini[4] and delights Guruguha. Lord of the two houses of Makara and Kumbha[5], with special liking for the lamp lit with sesame oil and for rice with sesame seeds[6], an ocean of nectar of compassion and fearless. Whose knee was disfigured by the staff of the Lord of Death, like Kamadhenu[7] yielding all desires, the fire capable of splitting the time-wheel[8], and one conceived of as the son of the Goddess Chaya.

Notes

1.Shani's knee was disfigured as a result of a fight with his brother Yama, God of the dead. Hence Shani is called 'Shanaiscara' (lit. 'slow-moving')
2.Shani is the planet influencing suicide.
3.A black sandal-paste mixture
4.According to Parthasarathy, this name was assumed by Draupadi heroine of the Mahabharata and wife of the five Pandava brothers. While in exile with her husbands she suffered untold privations and indignities while living at the palace of King Virata. Under her assumed name Malini she worshipped Shani to alleviate her from her sufferings.
5.Constellations Capricorn and Aquarius
6.Foods for offering oblations to Shani
7.The sacred wish-granting cow, bestower of all wishes and desires
8.A figure of speech symbolizing Shani's power to interrupt or delay the progress of time; this power prevents a normal progress towards death, such as caused by calamitous events or suicide

rAhu

(* Prof. Ramanathan argues convincingly that this kriti is not original, but was rather composed and added by one of Dikshitar's followers. *)

rAga: rAmapriyA (ramAmanohari) / tAla: rUpaka

smarAmy aham sadA rAhuM sUryacandravIkSyaM vikRtadeham

surAsuraM rogaharaM sarpAdibhItiharaM shurpAsanasukhakaraM shUlAyaudhadharakaraM

karAlavadanaM kaThinaM kayAnArNakaruNArdrApaHNgaM caturbhujaM khaDgakheTAdidharaNan carmAdinIlavastraM gomedakAbharaNaM shanisukramitraguruguhasaMtoSakaraNaM

Translation

I am constantly reminded of Rahu who seizes Surya and Chandra[1], and is deformed[2].

Who is both God and demon[3], who removes all ills, and dispels danger from poisonous creatures like serpents. Who does good to those who worship him seated in his grain-sieve[4] and bears the spear.

Who with a dreadful face, harsh, directing his compassionate side-glance when worshipped with the Kayana mantra[5], with four hands and carrying the sword and shield. Who is attired in blue cloth and dress made of leather, who wears ornaments made of Gomedaka gems[6], the friendly planet of Shani and Shukra, and who delights Guruguha.

Notes

1.The planets Rahu and Ketu are the ascending and descending nodes, the points where the path of the Moon crosses the ecliptic and as a result causes eclipses. These demons are regarded as constantly chasing Surya and Chandra, to seize them, and when they catch up swallow them.
2.Rahu and Ketu are the upper and lower parts of the body of a demon dragon which was cut into two by Vishnu. Rahu is therefore called 'dragon's head' and Ketu 'dragon's tail'. The following episode from the Mahabharata describes this event. "As the Gods were drinking the ambrosia which they so desired, a demon named Rahu took the form of a god and began to drink, but when the ambrosia reached his throat, the Moon and the Sun reported it, for they wished to help the gods, and the lord Vishnu took his discus and cut off the well-adorned head of that demon who was drinking the ambrosia he had obtained by force. The great head of the demon, which was like the peak of a mountain, fell to earth. The severed head rose up to the sky, roaring terribly, but the headless torso of the demon fell and split open the surface of the earth, causing a tremor throughout the earth with its mountains forests and islands. Since then there has been a deadly enmity between the head of Rahu and the Moon and Sun, and the immortal head swallows them up even today." [Mahabharata I.15-17]
3.A god for having drunk ambrosia (amritam) and a demon by birth
4.A grain sifter having a wooden frame of the shape shown in the line-configuration for Rahu
5.ref. to mantra text for Rahu
6.A gemstone of the mineral 'hessonite', one of the lime-aluminum varieties of garnet; colors honey, brownish, cinnamon; found mostly in Ceylon

ketu

(* Prof. Ramanathan argues convincingly that this kriti is not original, but was rather composed and added by one of Dikshitar's followers. *)

rAga: shanmukhapriyA (cAmaram) / tAla: rUpaka

mahAsuraM ketum ahaM bhajAmi chAyagrahavaram

mahAvicitramakuTadharaM maHNgalavastrAdidharam narapIThasthitaM sukhaM navagrahayutasakhaM

ketuMkRNvanmantrinaM krodhanidhijaiminaM kulutthAdibhakSaNaM koNadhvajapatAkinam guruguhacAmarabharaNaM guNadoSacidAbharaNaM grahaNAdikAryakAraNaM grahApasavyasaHncAriNam

Translation

I worship Ketu, the great demon who is foremost of the shadow planets[1].

Who wears a peculiar crown and auspicious dress. Who is happy in his part human-like body and is friendly in the group of nine planets.

Who is adored by the Ketum-krinvan mantra[2], who is exceedingly wrathful, a descendent of Jaimini[3], who savours his grain[4], and has his flag with the cut-out triangle. Who bears the fan of Guruguha[5], whose distinction lies in his discernment of good and bad, who causes eclipses and moves in a counterclockwise direction.

Notes

1.The planets causing eclipses
2.ref. to mantra text for Ketu
3.Disciple of Vyasa, compiler of the Vedas; the significance of this relationship however remains unclear
4.A coarse horse-grain (kuluttha) used for offering oblations to Ketu
5.The fan is a symbol for imparting pleasure, as this brings relief from the heat. Ketu as the holder of the fan gives pleasure to Guruguha.

Typed 8/29/95 by
Todd M. McComb

East Meets West - Devdutt Pattnaik

East Meets West

Devdutt Pattanaik (b. 1970) is an Indian physician and author whose works focus largely on the areas of myth, mythology, and also management. He is the Chief Belief Officer of Future Group, bringing the wisdom of Indian mythology into Indian business.
He was a speaker at TEDIndia 2009.
A full list of his books and articles can be seen on his personal website at devdutt.com
Pattanaik's books include:
Myth=Mithya: A Handbook of Hindu Mythology (Penguin, India)
7 Secrets of Hindu Calendar Art (Westland, India)
Book of Ram (Penguin, India).
The Book of Kali (Penguin, India) is based on his talks.
He has also published fiction, a novel based on a tale from the Mahabharata, titled 'The Pregnant King' published by Penguin.
Dr. Pattanaik currently resides in Mumbai.

http://devdutt.com/

How to prevent Aging with Deepak Chopra

NDTV Profit

Deepak Chopra (Hindi: दीपक चोपड़ा) is an author, and lecturer on Ayurveda, spirituality and mind-body medicine.Chopra began his career as an endocrinologist and later shifted his focus to alternative medicine. Chopra is a former leader of the Transcendental Meditation movement. In the late 1980s, he began publishing self-help books on New Age spirituality and alternative medicine.

Chopra was born in Srinagar, India. His father, Krishan Chopra, was a cardiologist who served as the dean of a local hospital and a lieutenant in the British army and his grandfather was an Ayurvedic physician.
Chopra's younger brother, Sanjiv, is a Professor of Medicine and Faculty Dean for Continuing Medical Education at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center.

As a young man Chopra's desire was to become an actor or journalist but was inspired by a character in Arrowsmith by Sinclair Lewis and became a doctor.
Chopra completed his primary education at St. Columba's School in New Delhi and graduated from the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS). After immigrating to the US in 1968, Chopra began his clinical internship and residency training at Muhlenberg Hospital in Plainfield, New Jersey. He had residency terms at the Lahey Clinic in Burlington, Massachusetts and at the University of Virginia Hospital.
He earned his licensed to practice medicine in the state of Massachusetts in 1973 and received a California medical license in 2004. Chopra is board-certified in internal medicine and specialized in endocrinology. He is also a member of the American Medical Association (AMA) a Fellow of the American College of Physicians and a member of the American Association of Clinical Endocrinologists.

Chopra taught at the Tufts University and Boston University Schools of Medicine. He became Chief of Staff at the New England Memorial Hospital in Massachusetts and Chief at Boston Regional Medical Center in Boston, Massachusetts, before establishing a private practice.
After reading about the Transcendental Meditation technique, Chopra and his wife learned the technique in 1981, and two months later they went on to learn the advanced TM-Sidhi program.Sources also describe a 1981 meeting between Chopra and Ayurvedic physician Brihaspati Dev Triguna in Delhi, India in which Triguna advised Chopra to learn the TM technique.
In 1985, Chopra met Maharishi Mahesh Yogi who invited him to study Ayurveda.In that same year, Chopra left his position at the New England Memorial Hospital and became the founding president of the American Association of Ayurvedic Medicine, and was later named medical director of the Maharishi Ayurveda Health Center for Stress Management and Behavioral Medicine.
The Weekly Standard of London published an article which accused Chopra of “plagiarism and soliciting a prostitute” however Chopra sued and the paper withdraw their statements, published an apology and paid Chopra $1 million for his legal fees in 1991.

In its May 22/29, 1991 issue, the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) published an article coauthored by Chopra: Letter from New Delhi: Maharishi Ayur-Veda: Modern Insights Into Ancient Medicine.JAMA editors claimed that Chopra and his co-authors had financial interests in "Maharishi Vedic Medicine" products and services. In the August 14, 1991 edition of JAMA, the editors published a financial disclosure correction and followed up in October 2, 1991 with a six-page Medical News and Perspectives exposé. An article discussing this chain of events was authored by Skolnick in the Newsletter of the National Association of Science Writers.A 1992 defamation lawsuit brought against the article's author and the editor of JAMA was dismissed in 1993.Media reports published four years later saying that there had been a monetary settlement of the case were later withdrawn as untrue.

By 1992, Chopra was serving on The National Institutes of Health Ad Hoc Panel on Alternative Medicine. In 1993, Chopra became executive director of the Sharp Institute for Human Potential and Mind–Body Medicine with a $30,000 grant from the Office of Alternative Medicine in the National Institutes to study Ayurvedic medicine.[6] Chopra's institute also maintained affiliation with Sharp Healthcare, in San Diego.That same year Chopra moved with his family to Southern California where he lives his wife and near his two adult children Gotham and Mallika.

According to his own account, Chopra was accused by Maharishi Mahesh Yogi of attempting to compete with the Maharishi's position as guru and Chopra left the Transcendental Meditation movement in January 1994.Carroll said Chopra left the TM organization when it “became too stressful” and was a “hindrance to his success”.
In 1995, Chopra was the recipient of the Toastmasters "International Top Five Outstanding Speakers" award.
In 1996, Chopra parted company with the Sharp Institute. That same year, Chopra and David Simon founded the Chopra Center for Well Being, which incorporated Ayurveda in its regimen, and was located in La Jolla, California.[26] The University of California, San Diego School of Medicine and American Medical Association have granted continuing medical education credits for some programs offered to physicians at the Chopra Center.
In June 1999 Time magazine identified Chopra as one of the top 100 heroes and icons of the century and credited him as "the poet-prophet of alternative medicine".
In 2006, Chopra launched Virgin Comics LLC with his son, Gotham Chopra and entrepreneur Richard Branson. The company's purpose is to "spread peace and awareness through comics and trading cards that display traditional Kabalistic characters and stories". Chopra was awarded the 2006 Ellis Island Medal of Honor by the National Ethnic Coalition of Organizations.
In 2010 Chopra received the Cinequest Life of a Maverick Award for his collaborations with filmmakers Shekhar Kapur and his son, Gotham Chopra. The award goes to "inspirational individuals who touch the world of film while their greater lives exemplify the Maverick spirit".

According to a 2008 article in Time (magazine), Chopra is “a magnet for criticism” primarily from the scientific and medical communities. Some critics say that Chopra creates a false sense of hope in sick individuals which may keep them away from traditional medical care.The Skeptics Dictionary, a book by Robert Todd Carroll, says that Chopra is the "foremost advocate of Ayurvedic medicine in American".The book also says that, according to Chopra, perfect health is a matter of choice, physical imbalances can be identified by taking the pulse, allergies are the result of poor digestion and washing one’s eyes with saliva can prevent or reverse cataracts. According to Carroll, Chopra has given up his work in medicine “in favor of working in religion” however, Chopra says that he found it frustrating to give patients antibiotics, tranquilizers and sleeping pills, when he knew the drugs would not get rid of the problem.

Chopra was sued for plagiarism by Robert Sapolsky for copying a stress endocrine chart, after the publication of Chopra’s book, Ageless Body, Timeless Mind. An out of court settlement resulted in Chopra attributing material that was researched by Sapolsky.Chopra acknowledges that his thought has been inspired by Jiddu Krishnamurti and others.

Chopra has been criticized for his frequent references to the relationship of quantum mechanics to healing processes, a connection that has drawn skepticism from physicists who say it can be considered as contributing to the general confusion in the popular press regarding quantum measurement, decoherence and the Heisenberg uncertainty principle. In 1998, Chopra was awarded the satirical Ig Nobel Prize in physics for "his unique interpretation of quantum physics as it applies to life, liberty, and the pursuit of economic happiness".According to the book, Skeptics Dictionary, Chopra's "mind-body claims get even murkier as he tries to connect Ayurveda with quantum physics".

In August 2005, Chopra wrote a series of articles on the creation-evolution controversy and Intelligent design which were criticized by science writer Michael Shermer, founder of The Skeptics Society.

In the citation for a Medal of the Presidency of the Italian Republic, which is awarded by the Scientific Committee of the Pio Manzù International Research Centre, committee chairman and former Soviet premier Mikhail Gorbachev referred to Chopra as "one of the most lucid and inspired philosophers of our time".Chopra is the recipient of the Einstein Award through Albert Einstein College of Medicine in collaboration with the American Journal of Psychotherapy.Esquire Magazine designated him as one of the "top ten motivational speakers in the country".

According to Business Week one of Chopra's main messages is that by ridding oneself of negative emotions and developing intuition by listening to signals from the body health can be improved. Chopra's philosophy also includes slowing down or reversing the aging of the mind through his methods which he says can increase one's lifespan up to the age of 120 years.

Patanjali's Yoga Sutra -

From: http://www.rainbowbody.net/


IV Sutra 26 tada viveka-nimnam kaivalya-pragbharam cittam

Inclined (nimnam) towards this method of non-dual differentiated awareness based on the profound mutuality of wholographic relationships (viveka), then consciousness (cittam) gravitates and is propelled toward (pragbharam) kaivalya (total and complete liberation).

Commentary: Starting with viveka as vigilant awareness, the awareness of the observer expands eventually to the realization of relative truth which discloses the mutual interdependence of all phenomena as well as their common source and origin existing as a natural unconditioned whole. This is the way to realize "Self" in non-dual terms of the whole, as well as the whole in terms of the many. Without differentiated consciousness (viveka) there is no Self knowledge -- there is no form and nothing to see and no seer. Attempting to isolate the seer from the seen or negate one or the other is even more futile. Rather total and complete natural liberation (kaivalya) only demands natural transconceptual non-dual clarity which is won by renouncing conceptualization process as a mental state. Thus the yogi differentiates between renouncing a dualistic or ideational mentality (way of perceiving phenomena) and that of renouncing form or phenomena. Hence kaivalya is a wholistic way of seeing, being, and engagement.

Here one can only move toward Kaivalyam, approach it, and knock on its door so to speak; but it can not be entered into as long as viveka has not become clarified (khyater) -- where it still maintains any dualistic limitations or blemishes. The word, viveka, is often misunderstood because its use in authentic yoga is used very differently from that used in the samkhya context, as it is a state which has defeated conceptual and intellectual analysis, not one which is ruled by such. In samkhya the word, viveka, is most often translated as discriminatory awareness within a dualistic context, for example, making the distinction between the real and the unreal, knower and that which is known, subject and object, and other dualistic and comparative analytical techniques/methodologies.

The astute student will have noticed that this is the healing direction which Pada 4 has been moving in all the while, from fragmentation to integration; i.e., putting Humpty Dumpty back together again. One of the signal differences between Yoga as praxis and samkhya as a philosophical tradition is that samkhya's "enlightenment" is based upon philosophical abstraction, extraction, isolation, and dissociation, while that of yoga is based on integrative experience or union (samadhi). Yoga, (not samkhya), thus defines viveka as an instrumental awareness tool born from pure intrinsic attention (prajna), but seamlessly extended into multiplicity (differentiated awareness) in terms of ALL OUR RELATIONS. It arises as naked awareness or simple self awareness in meditation or astanga yoga, but when practiced over time this awareness grows to all things and beings as well as to the workings of the true nature of mind -- consciousness. Thus the practitioner starts to reap the fruits of yoga practice (liberation). It is realized through yoga praxis. In particular the Yoga Sutras of Patanjali can only be understood by the practitioners of its yoga (the Sutras acting as its guidebook).

So for example, at first in the practice of dhyana one begins to notice the elementary means of awareness where one is aware of the fluctuations of the citta-vrtta and how the mind chatter influences what apparently is seen or imputed. As the citta-vrtti clear, one is able to perceive the true nature of nature (phenomena wavering as impermanent and on fire) as the practitioner focuses awareness to the underlying ever present Now presence -- the all encompassing and all interpenetrating intrinsic seed source intelligence which is always available as awareness acknowledging awareness of timeless awareness reflected in All Our Relations, as the true nature of mind reveals the true nature of nature simultaneously, transpersonally, trans-cognitively without limits. Abiding in sacred presence in short doses, then one becomes more inclined toward abiding in this Now awareness more often.

After consistent practice over time then one develops the ability of viveka-khyatir (the self illuminating discrimination wisdom which reveals the one in many, and the many in the one, then differentiated consciousness and undifferentiated consciousness unites as inseparable. -- where this awareness of awareness shines forth more steadily and continuously from everywhere and everything interdependent and interconnected, whole, complete, and self liberating. here the evolutionary power has accomplished her natural job, effecting the innate momentum of Maheshvara/siva/isvara.

Rather than remaining imprisoned or limited to a philosophic or intellectual inquiry into "self", the yogi engages in viveka as a recognition of the self luminous innate awareness found within an authentic yogic practice such as meditation (dhyana). Here viveka is a pointer that brings about a realization/recognition of the union of the innate light (the param purusha) in ALL OUR RELATIONS -- where the intrinsic and extrinsic worlds unite. Thus over time the yogi advances into an advanced`dhyana (meditation) practice experientially within an overall objectless/formless context, where even the most subtle object of thought or activity of mentation (vrtti) must become still (nirodha) and let go (hanam). As mentioned in Chapter II astanga yoga develops viveka, and viveka wakes us up so that our awareness and energy (cit-shakti) no longer becomes distracted, dissipated, nor dulled eventually pointing to the eternal Source of that awareness -- to the awareness of that awareness.

In the previous padas, Patanjali addresses dharana (concentration), samyama, and pratyaya where the observer mind still has objects of concentration, be they subtle or coarse. Viveka meant in that beginning phase is elementary. It is the application of awareness or vigilance which grows through consistent meditation practice, so that the practitioner (sadhak) becomes increasingly aware of the dualistic contents of the mind (pratyaya). Then the sadhak is no longer unconsciously victimized by it, but can then let it go. With this elementary sharpened viveka, as soon as the mind begins to wander, the wandering is dropped. Eventually the yogi learns how to recognize even the very beginning tendency of vrtti, and hence being able to empty those contents freeing the old mental and energetic habits and patterns (citta-vrtti) before they even arise. When the obscurations sufficiently let go, then the inherent light of siva starts to shine more brightly. Siva is seen in all things and beings, yet at the same time, through the eyes of the singularity, the richness of the differentiation process is magnified fearlessly and immeasurably.

In dhyana, unlike dharana or samyama, the advanced sadhak does not bring the awareness back to an object (be it the breath, the energy centers, or even subtle thought processes), but rather no object, no separate self, no observer, no meditation just pure awareness -- awareness of timeless awareness leading up to viveka-khyatir (a self revealing luminosity of discriminatory wisdom which is all encompassing). So normally at the beginning of meditation, it is a time to experience and relax in the empty mind, open, and clarified mind. Then as the sword of viveka becomes sharpened, then tendencies toward distraction, agitation, and dissipation (vrttis) eventually cease. We follow this awareness back to its Source and back again as one coherent non-dual vibratory process of the evolutionary power connected up with source. (see pratiprasava in Sutra 34) .

After successful mastering the process of elementary self awareness (noticing the wandering of mental tendencies and the arising and falling away of the obscurations), they lose their power over the mind. Something larger is recognized . Then this elementary type of sharpened pure awareness (vigilance or viveka) opens the door to purusa consciousness without an object. Although viveka, as an awareness tool, is extremely valuable to develop through astanga yoga and especially in meditation, like all "techniques", it must eventually be given up like a boat which has reached its destination, in order to cross over onto the yonder shore (viveka-khyatir, nirbija-samadhi, and kaivalyam). When differentiated reality (the relative world) is understood as seamless with undifferentiated formless reality (absolute reality), then liberation (kaivalyam) is realized.

A special grace of viveka is that it discloses the nature of the wandering mind through its own self revealing innate awareness of reversing its focus upon the true nature of mind -- the intelligent consciousness principle underlying consciousness itself (cit) while engaged in differentiation/existence (shakti). It thus creates the space for the awareness of the pre-existing innate space which always existed since beginningless time but was ignored -- remained unrecognized. That is the transpersonal non-dual primordial awareness of universal undifferentiated conscious (the purusa) to enter into Now awareness as Now awareness and hence one realizes swarupa as being empty of a separate self. Through subject/object nonduality, the ego (as separate self) gets out of the way.

Repeated application of viveka (via astanga yoga) is needed at first in order to take us across the river, but it too must also be left at the shore, like a boat and its oars, in order to step upon the shore of viveka-khyatir. Clarity of what? What does the mid see then? WHo is this mind who sees? Who/what is the true purusa? This and more are revealed in authentic yoga practice

This is where yoga practice and even meditation ends. HERE we are no longer locked into the world of form only. There is no longer the separate object of the meditation, no object for the ego to become absorbed into, no separate observer, no meditator, no meditation, and no one who is meditating. Then there is non-dual integration in nirbijah samadhi. In other words according to Pada II and this sutra, viveka is used to prime the pump of the refocusing process upon kaivalyam as a non-dual experience (free from subject/object duality), then the new awareness takes off by itself but is hindered until the past samskaras (conditioned associations) are completely eradicated (as it is in nirbija samadhi).

In darkness are they who worship only the world. In greater darkness are they who worship the Infinite alone. Those who accept both (seen in relationship), save themselves from death by the knowledge of the former and attain immortality by the knowledge of the latter…And one who sees all beings in his own Self and his own Self in all beings, no more loathes and hates." Isha Upanishad 9-11


Swami Venkatesananda translates Sutra 26:

Then the whole mind flows towards wisdom and the realization of complete freedom or liberation.

Practice: In hatha yoga such as in asana and pranayama practices the opposites are balanced out through adjusting physical movements, movement of breath, energy, and awareness in relationship to nature. In such a balanced (sattvic) state a profound state of synchronicity is invited in The Great Continuum is like the Saraswati River at prayag, eternally flowing although "normally" hidden. Hence sunya is associated with the sushumna nadi -- sometimes called the sunya nadi whenthe two polar opposites are united and the middle channel is open. Better said, this occurs spontaneously when the central channel is opened, uniting undifferentiated pure awareness with form, spirit with nature, heaven with earth, crown (sahasraha) and muladhara, shiva with shakti, or ayn soph with shekinah as a co-emergent experience.

The Buddha said, "kulaputras, there is a comparison that can be drawn between the countless flowers conjured up by the Buddha that suddenly withered and the innumerable conjured buddha images with their many adornments, seated in the lotus position within the flowers, who cast forth light so exceedingly rare that there was no one in the assembly who did not show reverence. In a similar fashion, kulaputras, when I regard all beings with my buddha cakshur (eye), I see that hidden within the kleshas (barbs) of raga (greed), lobha (confusion), dvesha (hatred) and moha (obscuration) there is seated augustly and unmovingly the Tathagata jnana , the Tathagata-vision and the Tathagata kaya. kulaputras, all beings, though they find themselves with all sorts of kleshas, have a tathagata-garbha that is eternally unsullied, and that is replete with virtues no different from my own. Moreover, kulaputras, it is just like a person with supernatural vision who can see the bodies of tathagatas seated in the lotus position inside the flowers, even though the petals are not yet unfurled; whereas after the wilted petals have been removed, those tathagatas are manifested for all to see. In similar fashion, the Buddha can really see the beings (sattva) tathagata-garbha. And because he wants to disclose the tathagata-garbha to them, he expounds the sutras and the Dharma, in order to destroy kleshas and reveal the buddha-dhatu (buddha-element, buddha-nature). kulaputras, such is the dharma of all Buddhas. Whether or not buddhas appear in the world, the tathagata-garbha of all beings are eternal and unchanging. It is just that they are covered by kleshas of sentient beings. When the Tathagata appears in the world, he expounds the Dharma far and wide to remove their ignorance and tribulation and to purify their universal wisdom. kulaputras, if there is a bodhisattva who has faith in this teaching and who practices it with ekagra-citta (single-pointed citta), he will attain vimukti and correct universal enlightenment and for the sake of the world he will perform Buddha deeds far and wide."

The Buddha, The Tathagatagarbha Sutra"