Saturday, February 27, 2010
Life is a Celebration...love, light and laughter!!
Life is Celebration -Sadhguru Jaggi Vasudev - Click here for funny video clips
Sadhguru Jaggi Vasudev
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.
Friday, February 26, 2010
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
Wednesday, February 24, 2010
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
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
Tuesday, February 23, 2010
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.
Saturday, February 20, 2010
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
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
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