949. Prankster and Protector in the same Form.....!

Vastra Harana & Akshya Vasana.

Sri Krishna is a Prankster playing Drama in Vastra Harana (Robbing Clothes) and in Akshya Vasana (Providing Clothes) He is a Protector upholding Dharma. In both the occasions He chooses the Sari as the common “props.”

The Gopikas had placed their saris on a stone slab and entered River Yamuna to take bath. Krishna who was then a boy of around 10 years picked the saris and sat on the Kadamba Tree playing His flute. The diffident dames begged Him to return their saris. He insisted they come out and take them. How would they come out of the water they had nothing to cover their nakedness? The pleading and beseeching went in vain as the naughty boy would not yield.

Gopikas finally unwillingly stepped out of the river with their hands covering their nudity. “Why did you take our clothing?” asked one of them gathering courage. The lad replied, “By entering the river without any cloth you have offended Yamunadevi (River) and Varunadeva (God of Rain). As a part of atonement you have to ask forgiveness by raising both your hands and joining the palms above your heads. Only then you get back your saris.” Gopikas do so and get back their saris.

Yudhishtira who had staked Draupadi in the Game of Dice lost her. Duryodhana instructed his brother Dushasana to bring Draupadi to the sabha (court) and disrobe her. Draupadi was dragged to the court and Dushasana began disrobing her. She looked at her five husbands who hung their heads as they were in no position to help her. Realising that Sri Krishna was her only saviour she called out “Oh! Dwaraka Nivasi (Dweller of Dwaraka).” She held the sari tightly in her hands. The time was ticking out; Dushasana was applying more force to pull her sari. Draupadi was in a worst situation finally she cried out “Mama! Hrudaya Nivasi (Dweller of my Heart).” She lifted both her hands up and joining the palms above her head. An inexhaustible yarn of sari flowed down and covered the body of Draupadi.

In both the occasions Sri Krishna has a subtle message for us. Of course we would never be able to get it unless we understand these two instances from the spirit of Bhakti (Devotion). These incidences are symbolic expression of what is demanded of a devotee in order to attain the highest rung of Bhakti. It is here a devotee loses his identity in the intoxicated devotion towards Him.

By taking away the saris of Gopikas and making them stand naked, he slashed the artificial sheath which was binding them to Samsara (Mundane existence). Freed of these, the Jeevatma (Individual Consciousness) is liberated from all bonds arising out of ego, desires and emotions. Rising of both the hands above their heads Gopikas let the body consciousness go; this is the supreme act of surrender without which Bhakti is incomplete. If the Jeevatma (Individual Consciousness) can align with Paramatma (Absolute Consciousness) without worrying much about “what others would think” then it is the culmination of Bhakti.

Coming to the ordeal of Draupadi, initially she struggled to fight for her modesty all by herself. She could realise the saying “In a crunch situation, all are alone.” She tried to hold on to her sari which was pulled by Dushasana. Such situations make us feel that “we” need to do something failing to comprehend that the “Dhi Shakti” is us is ignited by Him. As long as we wrestle and struggle, He will just stand aside. If we observe only when Draupadi raised her both hands in the final act of surrender, He intervened.

To the one who takes refuge in Him, to the one who truly surrenders and dares to stand naked, there is redemption and salvation....... What say???

948. Dashavatara (Ten Incarnations)

Maha Vishnu is in the state of Absolute Independence (Sarvatantra Swatantra). Once He wanted to check if there is anything in the universe which had emanated from Him, that equalled that trait. He places the trait in one pan of the balance and started loading the different objects of creation; He placed on it heaven, earth and the neither world. He places the entire universe yet, no matter what He placed on that pan, the pan with State of Absolute Independence continued to remain down. There was no sign of that pan raising even an inch from the ground. 
“What! Is there nothing at all to match this State of Absolute Independence?” He wondered, when all that emanated from Him could not match the trait of Absolute Independence. Finally, He took another trait which was in Him, Shubham Kritva “Doing Auspicious” and placed it on the pan. The pan with the State of Absolute Independence started to rise. 

Maha Vishnu decided that the State of Absolute Independence will get its worth only when something auspicious is done. Auspicious doing has more weight or the most exalted object. Maha Vishnu then thought, “So, what should I do? I shall incarnate and do auspicious deeds to mankind.” 

He then incarnated as a MATSYA (FIsh) to take the mankind to a safer land at the time of huge deluge. He orders Vaivasvatha Manu to collect and place the seeds of all species of plant and animal life in a huge boat and pulls the boat to the next Kalpa (aeon) safely. 

He then appeared as a KURMA (Tortoise) and lifted Mount Mandara. With the Devas (Divine Beings) and Danavas (Demons) fighting among themselves for supremacy. A plan is drafted to obtain Amrutha (Ambrosia) by churning the  with the efforts of both. To churn Mount Mandara is used  as churning stick, it needs to be supported at the bottom. Kurma holds the mount on His back. 

He manifested as VARAHA (Boar) to protect the modesty of Mother Earth. When Demon Hiranyaksha (Golden Eyed) kidnaps Mother Earth, Maha Vishnu takes the form of White Boar and kills the demon and restores the Earth in solar system.  

Enraged by the death of his beloved younger brother, Hiranyakashipu (Gold Clad) does penance to impress Brahmadeva. He does not get the boon of immortality but is invincible. He cannot be killed either by human or animal which is neither create nor born, in or out of the house, neither in the day nor at night, weapons thrown at him or pierce him. This is very tricky Maha Vishnu springs out of the pillar (neither create nor born) as NARASIMHA (Half Man-Half Lion) it is evening and he drags Hiranyakashipu to the threshold and rips open his belly with his nails. At that He rescues His adrent devotee.

He then came as VAMANA (Dwarf) to subdue the ego of King Bali. He begged for land measuring his tiny three step. He grew to become Trivikrama and measures the Earth, Heaven and finally asked for the third step. Bali offered his head as the third step. 

He then came as PARASURAMA (Rama with Axe) to check the atrocities of the ruling class. 

Purushottama SHRI RAMA (Ideal Person) was His next incarnation. He showed the mankind the art of Principled Living. 

As SRI KRISHNA (The Dark One) He preached us about Practical Living. 

As BUDDHA (The Enlightened) He made us understand the importance of the middle path. 

As KALKI (The one on Horse) He is ever appearing to check the dominance of Adharma over Dharma.  

947. Revering the spirit of womanhood......!

I was watching the National Geographic Channel program on the behaviour of monkeys. A group of male monkeys were trying hard to impress their female counter part. They use their sharp teeth and nails to attack the other male to win the female to mate with them. If we observe it is the male in competition with other males and the female is choosy to pick one among them as mate. Ultimately it is the choice of the female that matters. What is laudable here is the persistency and passion of the male to roam around the female and strive hard until selected for copulation. Seldom do they force upon the female.       

When seeing the atrocities on women in the recent times I think we humans are behaving worst than animals. There are crimes against women at her work place and she is not safe at home too. The respect she deserves in her work place is deprived. It all starts with an uncivilised colleague sending a “B” grade joke to her WhatsApp, if she responds then she available. It is sensible to keep away from such womanisers. 

There is a standard claim that men are generally very egoistic and do not wish to hear “NO” from women. Hence they consequently apply force to convert that “NO” to “YES” it could be emotional blackmail or intimidation. These uncultured men think they have achieved triumph by doing so but in reality their standard does not even match the male monkey.      

Taking a “NO” from male is awful for women too. Women normally do not exhibit their sexual urge unless they trust themselves and embraces their femininity in full force. It is only at that time do they come forward without any fear unlike their male counterparts. Therefore it is mentioned in the ancient texts that the feminine sexual essence need to be highly revered. It advocates that the sexual urge exhibited by a woman towards a particular man has to be honoured. It becomes the utmost duty of the concerned male to fulfil that. A “NO” from that male would be like questioning the essence of being a woman. 

Our tradition and culture has explained this unique essence of a woman which is relevant even today. In earlier time it was the women who summon their counterpart to satisfy their wish come what may. There is an instance in Mahabharata to justify this. After the Great War, Pandavas perform Ashwamedha Yagna. The sacrificial horse enters the Kingdom of Campapuri ruled by King Hamsadhwaja. It is a dictum that either the King has to fight or surrender, the King chooses to fight. His son Sudhanva is newly married. He has to fight the Pandavas the next day. Knowing the strength of the Pandava army and expecting an unfortunate result from the war the new bride, Prabhavathi wishes for the progeny. Sudhanva and Prabhavathi spend the night together and it is late for the war the next day. As per the law Sundhanva has to be put into boiling oil for being late. However Sri Krishna saves him.      

Having said that, it is the prerogative of male too. Again in Mahabharata we can find that Arjuna accepts Ullupi’s advance and embraced her feminine nature revering the spirit of womanhood. While on the other hand, he faced a curse of being a eunuch for refusing Urvashi’s wish to satisfy her urge. As per his understanding Urvashi, the apsara was his mother after she was married to Pururavas, the ancestor of Kuru clan. Urvashi tries to explain Arjuna that in Indraloka the relationships are immaterial. But Arjuna sticks to his ideology.  

946. Does the Evil exist???

There is nothing called “Evil” just as there is nothing called “Darkness” and “Ignorance” Darkness is just lack of “Light” and Ignorance is lack of “Knowledge.” When I strike a matchstick and produce light in a dark room, the darkness just vanished away it does not shift to any other place. Light is an existent thing while dark is nonexistent.  If I do not know about a thing and learn about it, by say, reading or listening about it the ignorance I had about that thing just fades away and I have the knowledge of that thing. With the flourish of knowledge, the ignorance that was in me does not hop to another person sitting next to me. Right???

In the similar line “Evil” too does not have a separate existence of its own. It thrives when there is lack of morality and ethical values. If an opaque body is the hindrance for the light to penetrate and thus create darkness, know-all attitude is the obstruction for knowledge. The know-all attitude creates an illusion of knowledge which prevents the advent of knowledge. Ego is the obstacle for morality and ethical values thus making an individual evil. Egotism is based on the delusion that we are separate selves in competition with others and the rest of the world. 

Last week I saw an inspirational video of a “Life Coach” who was talking to a huge audience. He was talking about success and the means to achieve them. Amidst his talk, the life coach request 10 people from the audience to come up on the stage. He wished to give a live demonstration. 10 of them volunteered to go up on to the stage. The life coach had a brief chat with all of them asking them about their profession. Most of them were into business and there were a few from corporate sector too. He then asked his volunteers to give an inflated balloon and a toothpick to the 10 people on stage. He asked the 10 of them to hold the balloon in their right hand and the toothpick in the left. 

When the 10 people were ready he said, “I will count ten, whoever has the inflated balloon in his hand by the end of the count is the successful person.” As the Life Coach started to count , the 10 members on the stage tried to hid the balloon at their back and run to prick the other persons’ balloon. By the end of the count there was none with the inflated balloon, but the person whose balloon was the last to burst shouted, “Sir, my balloon was the last to burst.” 

The Life Coach silently walked up to the 10 and said, “My dear gentlemen, I had told whoever has the inflated balloon intact at the end of 10 counts is successful. I expected all of you to just hold your balloon but I do not know what made you go crazy to prick the other peoples’ balloon?”   

The lack of morality and ethical values in them instigated all of them to burst the balloon of the others. The high of the word “success” got them to see that only they should have the inflated balloon till the end. They never entertained a thought that all can be successful by not having the evil idea of bursting the balloon of others. 

It is the ego in them which induced the separateness and created the individual identity. That thought of separateness pushes an individual to participate in the rat race. When in rat race the morality and ethical values take the back seat. It is here the “Evil” triumphs.....this is the irony!!!          

945. An Ocean in a Drop......!

The pilgrimage of the water molecule from the ocean and back to ocean is termed “Hydrologic Cycle.”It is the journey of the water molecule from the ocean surface to the sky and their way to the earth plane and then back to the ocean. This colossal voyage is powered by the energy from the sun and by the plants. There is a continuous exchange of moisture between the oceans, the atmosphere, and the land. While the visible part of evaporation is carried out by the sun, plants do their bit unnoticeably by transpiration. Due to the heat energy from the sun the water molecules evaporate and rise. The rising air currents carry it upward high into the atmosphere. Due to the high pressure they condense from a gas to a liquid to form cloud droplets. Cloud droplets can grow and produce precipitation which is the primary mechanism for water to come back to the earth plane.

When this cloud droplets fall over the land surface, it follows various routes in its subsequent paths. Some of it evaporates immediately as it falls and returning back to the atmosphere. Some seeps into the ground as soil moisture and are absorbed by the roots of the plants to be let out in due course of time. Some flow off into streams and then on to rivers and finally reach the ocean again. Almost all of those water molecules which left from the ocean bed eventually have to reach the ocean at sometime or the other and this cycle continues over and over again. This is an amazing system that is happening in nature since eons. 

If we notice at different stages of the hydrologic cycle, this water molecule which is basically ocean gets different names and forms like water vapour, cloud, rain, soil moisture, stream and river. Though it is the same ocean water which is at every stage I cannot call it ocean all the times. I will call it in different names looking at its form and appearance, like if it is in gaseous form I term it as vapour. When it is condensed, it becomes cloud droplets which I call rain. If it is flowing shallow I name it stream and if it has depth it is river to me. The water molecule gains its own individuality the moment it is away from the ocean. 

A Jeevatma (Individual Consciousness) is also like that water molecule. The moment it gets away from the Paramatma (Absolute Consciousness) it gets its own identity. The destiny plays the role of the energetic sun. The different stages which the water molecule had to endure, is the different births for the Jeevatma. Those water molecules which evaporate the moment they fall on earth are like those of the Jeevan Mukthas it need not undergo too many transformations. Some water molecules enter the soil and get absorbed by the roots of the plants, likewise some Jeevatmas are attracted to materialist comforts and get absorbed by the mundane world. They then get liberated in the due course of time just as the roots in the plant release the water molecule.
The duality exists in the name and form of the water molecule in reality it is one and the same. 

Jalal-al-din Muhammad Balki, the greatest Sufi mystic and poet fondly known as Rumi says “You are not a drop in the ocean. You are the entire ocean in a drop.” We often are so narrowly focused that we only see ourselves as a drop in the ocean. This could be due to feeling of scarcity, a thought which says we are not enough, rather than acknowledging the miraculous culmination of evolution and creation, and elements.

I am the entire ocean re-establishes in me that I have everything I need to sustain and it is within me. There is no scarcity in an ocean. I am not a teeny tiny particle of a huge entity. I have and am all things in myself. That amalgam of all things is a part of an amalgam of whole........ I am nothing in everything and everything in nothing.......I AM THAT.

944. The Middlemen.......!

There is a well-known proverb in Kannada which goes like this: Devaru Kottaru Poojary Vara Koda (Though God grants the wish, the priest wouldn't). This is to illustrate the pathetic state of a person who though being a beneficiary, has a middleman who would not let the benefits reach him. The God would have granted the wish but in between the God and His Devotee there is the priest who holds the reign and he is called The Middleman.  
I have always wondered why one need this middleman, why not have a direct touch with the God who is not elsewhere but inside everyone. There is a difference between having a Preceptor (Guru) and a Priest (Poojary). Preceptor is the one who guides us to the path and they are very much necessary they are like the road maps. We need to keep them along the journey. Priests are like the signboards in our journey they too play an important role in guiding us, but only for a short while. We need to look at the signboard and move on we need not carry the sign board along with us.

The middlemen who are addressed as “Dalal” (Middlemen) are a big problem in the modern society. Earlier there was no such character or designation as middleman. Our farmer would sell his agricultural produce in the “Santhe,” the weekly market and it was a win-win situation of him as well as the consumers. Now with the advent of middlemen there is no direct contact between the farmer and the consumer, the middleman sits between them and plays all the trick. The farmer is badly hit and the consumer is helpless. Such is the position of the middleman.

Even a army general can become a middleman and swindle the funds coming from the central government. Recently one of our Jawans posted his woes in the social media he was complaining about the quality and quantity of the food Border Security Force personnel gets. He was says that though our Indian Government is releasing funds for them, the defence personnel serving at the borders are made to starve. Some have gone hammer and thong over the issue to spot the black dot in the style of functioning of our P.M. While a few who stand behind the P.M are scrutinising the past of the “whistleblower” saying he was a habitual drunkard and was suspended many times on disciplinary grounds. Both are not behaving as responsible citizens. There is no point in talking against our P.M as well as trying to dig the past of the revolting solider.

The noticeable truth is like that of the Kannada proverb mentioned above. Though the central government allocated substantial funds to the defence the funds are not used appropriately, we had statements from the villagers near the border that the groceries were sold at half the price to them. Whoever is selling them is like that Priest in the proverb. He is between the government and the BSF personnel......It is time to annihilate that character..... What say???

943. JALLIKATTU.....The Manly Sport....!

It was in the year 1993 when I had newly started an industry to cater to the motor manufactuting units, I had been to Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu. It was around Pongal, the Tamil New Year and my host insisted that I join them to watch a famous event that takes place every year at the same time. I was reluctant to go but was dragged to the event by my friend and the men in his family. There were easily tens of thousands gathered to witness the event. The sea of people from far and near villages had flooded the roads filling the narrow alleys, their eager faces gaze down from rooftops. Some had climbed the trees while a few had perched precariously on the sarve (a lean tree stem) scaffolding to get a better view. When all of us were waiting there came the massive inexorable force, a ferocious species of bull, the Kangeyam bull. This bull is let free and it dashes into the street.  The men have to tame it without using any sort of weapon, this is the task of the event. It is a mark of masculinity and the person who holds on to the bull and if possible brings it down can boast about it for the rest of the year. There is a lot of cash prize in the offering and more than that it is a high privilege to be regarded as a hero. It is said that in earlier days women used this event as swayamvara to choose a life partner.

The event I am talking about is the traditional “Jallikattu”, the taming of the bull. How foolishly I would have missed this event if I had not agreed to go with my friend and his family. Smeared with vibrant colour powder and ribbons tied to its legs, the bull charges down swaying its pointed horns. A silence engulfs the crowd and the excitement is evident. While the ordinary onlookers scamper to shelter themselves from the fiercely beast. The alley, which looked jam packed just a few moments back miraculously gave way to the beast. A handful of them tried to latch on to the bull. I silently thanked my stars for letting me view this manly sport, though a bizarre one at that, Jallikattu was worthy experience.

Last year there was a  lot of outcry by the animal activists to ban this event as they felt the bull is harmed.  The Supreme Court of India did ban this sport. I called up my friend to get the details.
I was told that the main reason of bringing-up the Kangeyam bulls was not just for sport, but mainly as studs to impregnate their cows. During this annual event all the healthy and strong bulls are brought and exhibited. Small farmers who cannot afford bulls, take a note of the top agile bulls and seek them for impregnating their cows. 

Unlike the Jersey bull this Kangeyam bull can impregnate up to 40 cows., which is a big problem for the bull semen West. If they want our farmers to depend on the semen then all our desi bulls should die or become redundant.

As a first target they tried to make the bulls “redundant”, with the introduction of tractors. I am not against automization but I feel that any machine should only make the work of men and animals simple. It should not make them redundant. The tractors have rendered the bull useless.

A few still care for their long tradition of having stud bulls. This made the semen companies to use the local NGO's and animal activists to shout against Jallikattu. 

We have to support this traditional sport so that the Kangeyam Breed does not get extinct....what say???

942. Respect women folk......!

A famous bollywood star urges the parents to teach their sons to respect women. No doubt his advice  is logical and has to be considered, but is bollywood respecting women folk??? While our mothers are teaching their wards to respect women, is not the film industry using woman as just a commodity to sell their product??? 

The male dominant film industry has to take the blame for using female artists to benefit monetarily. Our producers believe that without a salacious storyline the movie will not fetch them good at the box office. There is a misconception that they are catering to the likings of the audience, but the reality is that the audience are force fed with B-grade obscene scripts. 

I am not arguing that the Indian film buff is circumventing sensual subject. We should not forget that ours is a land which is filled with those connoisseurs who have grown up reading the romantic classics of Kalidasa, Bhartrhari and Jayadeva. Kalidasa’s Kumarasambhavam, Abhignana Shakuntalam, Raghuvamsham, Meghadutam and Ritusamharam are elegant poetry filled with romance. Unfortunately our moviemakers do not know what Shringara (Romance) is and which is Asheela (Obscene). 

Amazingly both Shringara and Asheela depict the same Kama (Eroticism) in different dimensions. Kama cannot be narrowly interpreted as mere erotic urge, since all the Rasas (Emotions) proceed from it. Shringara springs out from the relationship between a man and his woman relating to the fullness of fantasy. When this Shringara is distorted in the interpretation then a degraded version of Kama sprouts out which is Asheela. This Asheela is branded as “glamorous” by our so called “intellectual” filmmakers. 

There is huge difference in portraying a woman from a Shringara point of view and Asheela perspective. We Indians have the knowledge of this difference though the Westerners accept both as same. Hence they erroneously use the word “love making” for physical relation in their movies. Kalidasa in his plays conveyed much deeper sense to this term; he depicted Shringara to “Beauty” not just “Lust”. So in all his kavyas it meant enjoying the company of the opposite sex in a very lovely and romantic manner. This concept is lost now. It needs a fantastic creative flow of thoughts to bring out the Shringara dimension of Kama by a director or writer, if he is unable to do so he replaces it with the cheap version of it, which is Asheela.    

Our sculptors sculpted naked or scantily clad statues of beautiful damsels on the walls of the temples and there are also erotic sculptures where a man and woman are shown taking part in “Srishti Yagna”. This was never obscene or provoking but the creative images of recent times are disgusting, immoral and obnoxious. Why??? The simple reason is that the intention behind making it as well as looking at it is weird. There should have been the innocence in creating as well as fantasising an art which is gone now. 

When a Shringara Natya (Romantic Dance) is performed on the stage, the initial gesture by the dancer is meant to purify the atmosphere of all sexual instincts. The dance Guru checks and corrects the dancer to bring out the delicate movements of the hands, hips and limbs which are graceful. This is Natyakala. The indecent Adayein (pose) which our heroines perform being insisted by our moviemakers is of poor taste. The intent here is to make money and hence it is not a Kalaseva at all. 

I miss the directorial class of Satyajit Ray, the thought churning Shyam Benegal, natkhat style of Hrishkesh Mukarjee, the artistic Guru Dutt, the subtlety of Basu Chatterjee, the patriotism of Mehboob Khan, social responsibility of V Shantaram, realistic and socialistic touch of  Bimal Roy, the masala of Manmohan Desai and Prakash Mehra, the romantic fantasies of Yash Chopra.

Jaane Kahan Gaye Woh Din..... 

941. Anna Santarpanam.......!

In earlier days there were no hotels, not that there was no entrepreneurship in that field. The reason was, in the first place food was never a commodity to be sold in exchange for money. The second reason was that eating at a place, other than their home was a taboo. There were philanthropists who constructed choultries for the benefit of other travelling from other place. Manusmriti ordains that one must not have food without offering to others. At the same time elsewhere in the same scripture there is an emphasis that one should avoid partaking food at the house of another. 

One will be confused while reading those two contrast statements from Manusmriti, but deep contemplation reveals the hidden message. Though it encourages a householder to have a thought, “Which great one will I have the honour of feeding today?” on the other hand, the guest who is travelled from other place has to feel, “I should not eat at another’s place, but I have travelled for long and am famished. If some great one provides me food, I will be able to reach home before evening.” 

While people sought the hospitality of others only in times of need and that too with great hesitation, householders deemed it a great fortune and bound duty to serve and feed such people. This was how it was in earlier times. In fact, there was a custom in my native village where the householders would keep the food ready for anyone who has come from other place. Those were the time when we all as humans were concerned about the welfare of other first. Our endeavour was to make others feel that they are happy and comfortable on this earth plane. Being of use to others was our initial priority; hence Manusmriti encouraged us to be one. Simultaneously it also warned us to not have the attitude of “take it for grant” it rebuked those who were always depended on others to feed.

At those times the number of people who were ready to offer food was more than those who were accepting the food. Amazingly now the number of people who wants to be feed free of cost has increase substantially compared to those who are eager to feed. 

Now anything that is free is and should be used to the maximum. There is a tradition called Anna Santarpana (Sharing of Food) by those going on pilligrimage to Sabarimala. After pooja and bhajans the individuals in deekshe will organise this sharing of food (Oblation). In one such event I happened to see that though the strength at the time of pooja and bhajan was little, it swelled up during Anna Santarpana. There was a huge rush I wondered where these people were at the time of pooja and bhajan? There was literally pushing and pulling where aged, women and little kids were put to inconvenience. We have no patients to follow queue system. Our only agenda is to see that our expediency gets its priority without even thinking of what would happen to other. 

Truly we are living with the ideologies of Charvakas......Am I wrong to feel so??? 

940. Is there a prerequisite qualification to be a devotee???

Jnana Yoga put forth some prerequisite condition for a seeker, like to have Viveka (discrimination), Vairagya (dispassion), Shatsampatti (Six virtue., mind control, sense control, faith, endurance, contentment, equanimity), Mumukshattva (intense desire for liberation). In Bhakti Yoga there is no such prerequisite proviso. To be a bhakta a seeker need not have any qualification or a criterion. One can turn towards bhakti in any phase of his life, like Prahlada who could start his journey of devotion when he was in his mothers’ womb or as Ajamila who could remember Him at the eleventh hour.  

Some say, “One has to be entitled to perform the rituals to tread the path of devotion”. 
With my little knowledge on the scriptures I wish to know, “What was the profession of Dharmavyada?” Was he not a butcher who could impart the knowledge of Brahman to the sage who could burn down a bird by just looking at it?

“Should one be of a prescribed age to be a devotee.” some ask in doubt. As far as I know Dhruva, son of King Uttanapada was just five year old when he obtained a vision of the Lord. The tiny toddler managed to get himself a place better than his fathers’ lap, the Dhruva Mandala (Pole Star).
  
“The ability to utter slokas and mantras a must to be a devotee?” is a must feel some. 
What sloka or mantra did Gajendra, the elephant recite for Maha Vishnu? Maha Vishnu seem to be in a hurry to save the elephant from the jaws of the crocodile, He fly down from Vaikunta mounted on Garuda without informing his consort Sri Devi.  

Those who are often pleased by affluence believe, “Only rich and wealthy are qualified to be the devotees of the Lord.” 
All that Sudama had with him was a handful of beaten rice to offer to his childhood friend Sri Krishna. Where is the question of wealth and richness in devotion? The pomp and show never works here.    

“Should one be born as a Brahmin to be a devotee of the Lord” some argue. 
Vidhura was not born in a Brahmin family. When Sri Krishna came to Hastinapura as an ambassador to Pandavas, He chose to stay in Vidhura’s place. He also accepted the banana skin which the mesmerised Vidhura offered by mistake.  

“Only those who offer the best of the best can be his devotees.” think a few of them. 
What did Sabari offer to Shri Rama? Was it not just the berries which she collected in the forest? She in fact tasted the berries to check if they were sweet or sour, before offering it to Him and He accepted them. 

While explaining to Arjuna about the offering He will accept from his devotes Sri Krishna mentions “Patram, Pushpam, Phalam, Toyam” (Leaf, Flower, Fruit and Water). Lord has given us an excellent option. He has suggested any of these can be offered to Him. One has to contemplate on the stuff Sri Krishna has mentioned in this verse. A Leaf, or a Flower or a Fruit if neither of them, then just water in the cupped palm offered in the form of Arghya will do. He considers only devotion nothing else. 

939. Inner Sight = Insight???

Insight in Sanskrit is Prajna. The English Dictionary says that the “capacity to gain an accurate and deep understanding of someone or something is INSIGHT. We can know what it means, it is “Looking Outside” i.e. observing things or somebody through our senses. In contrast, there is an art of “Looking within” i.e., observing thoughts arising inside. Apart from these two there is a third element which is most important, it is “Looking from within” which means unifying both the “Looking Outside “ and “Looking Inside” thus becoming only a witness.
This state is called Prjana. One of the Mahavakyas says “Prajnanam Brahmaa” (Insight is Absolute) This state is known by different names such as Enlightenment, Realisation, Awakening, Natural State, Atma Sakshatkara, Sakshibhava..., etc.

Our senses which are five in number will introduce us to the world every morning as we get out of our bed. The world outside is hence called “Prapancha” meaning group of five namely Sight, Sound, Smell, Taste and Touch. All these five invoke likes and dislikes in the one who is using them. In the search for pleasure we encounter emotions like desire, greediness, possessiveness, jealousy, hatred, fear, anxiety etc. We are ignorant to feel that all these emotions are due to those which are outside of us.
We are unaware of the fact that the apparent pleasure and the absence of it, felt as pain, do not exist at all. The pleasure and pain emanate from within in a distorted form. Since it is we who entertain a sense of individuality and sense of doer-ship we experience the duality of pleasure and pain.
We fail to see “Look inside” leave alone to acquire “Insight” (to see from within). We conveniently bring in an external God and pray to bestow pleasure and remove pain. Amazingly the external god we imagined is the one who is “Within” He is there not to bestow pleasure or remove pain, He is just a Sakshi to His own Leela (Play) which He scripted for purpose best known to Him.
Our experiencing pleasure and pain is out of our inability to know about our true nature (Swaroopa). He has bestowed us with “Intellect”, a source of knowledge through which we can realise our true nature. This is also a part of His Leela. In His Leela, He lets the seeker to come out of ignorance and recognize the true nature and also to witness the modes of prakriti exhibited through Him.
In the macrocosmic aspect, God is Sakshi viewing His own creation i.e. prakriti's function. The seeker out of ignorance thinks he is the doer that is; he thinks he has the freedom of perform. He doesn’t know that it is prakriti which is the aspect of Him, which is performing action in the form of Rajo guna. Interestingly we find certain people who withdraw from performing action and remain aloof. Here again it is the prakriti in the form of Tamo guna which takes shapes in their living.
To realise our real nature we need not forcibly withdraw our normal activities which amounts to suppression of physical activities which does not help to erase the mental activities though. An intellectual comprehension of the real nature leads us to the final understanding of Truth, i.e. INSIGHT. The one who is in this state is “Awakened”, for he is the witness witnessing thoughts and events without being affected. He never entertains a sense of individuality or freewill he just accepts the fact that it is the prakriti which is doing all the actions. Thus he is experiencing equanimity and there hence tranquillity and serenity.

938. The period between conceiving and contractions...!

Srishti Yagna (Offering for Creation) is an act involving a couple who are ready to welcome their progeny. Garbhadharana Samskara (Sacrament of Matrimonial Union) is one of the 16 Samskara which ensures that the conceiving happens not by accident instead it is well planned as the mental state of the couple at the time of union matters a lot for the progeny.         

Garbhadharana is when the father impregnates his Veerya (Vital fluid) into the Kshetra (Field) which is the cervical canal of the mother. That fluid flows through the cervical canal and if the field is fertile it enters the Garbhasaya (uterus). It is here the Veeryanu (Sperm) meets the Andanu (Egg) and thereafter the formation of Pinda (Zygote) happens. 

Garbhopanishad which is a part of Krishna Yajurveda illustrates in detail the conception and growth of the progeny in the womb. It has two parts the first part explains the subtle ingredients in the body like Panchabhutas (Five eternal Elements). Whatever is hard is of Earth, liquid is water, warm is fire; whatever moves about is air and space-enclosed is ether. The Shad Rasas (six flavours) sweet, sour, salt, bitter, pungent and astringent. Then there is the mention of the gross composition of the body like blood, bones, muscles etc. By relishing food, blood is formed and from blood flesh is shaped, thence fat, bones, marrow and semen. 

The second part of the Garbhopanishad throws light on the systematic growth of the embryo in the womb. The embryo which is in the form of froth will become a mass in a fortnight. In a months’ time it is Pinda (zygote) and it is now hard. The shape of the head and body evolves within 60 days. The feet get separated in the 3rd month and in the 4th month intestine, stomach and other internal organs grow. The eyes, nose, ears develop in the 5th month. By the 8th month full growth is attained and then during the 9th month the bodily and the mental activities start. In the 10th month the infant as a Jeevi is eager to come out of the womb to face the world. 

The couple need to understand that it was the Jeevi which chooses them & not vice versa. Though the act for the creation was mentioned as the Srishti Yagna in the beginning of this write-up, one has to understand that we are just the carriers of the gene not the creators. It is the Sanskara (impression) and Vasana (tendencies) which define the type of womb, the Jeevi inherits the instincts from the father and intuition from the mother. Jeevi in the womb has significant impact on the mother and it shows interest in her. Jeevi can recognise the mothers’ voice and can whiff her smell. Mother’s emotions affect the Jeevi in day-to-day activities. 

It is the Jeevi which decides the time to emerge out of the womb. The Jeevi has the knowledge of all the past many lives and can number the present womb which it has entered. Swimming in the tank filled with amniotic fluid, the Jeevi thinks of the Absolute Consciousness and says, “Oh dear Lord, by your unconditional mercy I am awakened to consciousness again. I do not wish to depart from this mother’s womb to fall again into the blind well of materialistic life. But then I cannot stay here in this terrible condition. Please grace me with intellect to pay back my karmic debt and return back to you.” 

To pay back the Karmic Debt the journey continues and this awareness about those various births and re-entering the number of womb and the decision not to get entangled in the cycle of birth and re-birth just fades off as soon as the umbilical cord is severed. This is termed as “Vishnu Maya.”

927. January 1st New Year Day.....

January 1st is considered the commencement of a new year as per the Gregorian calendar. The Gregorian calendar which is now accepted internationally was introduced by Pope Gregory XIII in the year 1582.    

For many ancient civilizations the New Year begins around the time of the Vernal Equinox. This is slightly perplexing to know about. For those in the Northern Hemisphere the tilt of the earth towards Sun marks the advent of spring and it happens in March, while for those in the Southern Hemisphere the spring is in September as the tilt towards the Sun happens at that time. Whatever might be the region the New Year was commemorated at the beginning of the Spring season. The reason was obvious that at those times agriculture was the primary way of life. Hence for a few countries the New Year was in March while for some countries it was in September.     

Earlier Romans started the New Year on March 1st and had only 10 months in their calendar. There was no January & February in their calendar, so we have September which suggests the Sapta (seventh) month and October Octa (eighth) month, Nova (ninth) November and finally Deca (tenth) month as December. 

In 45 B.C the Roman King Julius Ceasar introduced a calendar similar to our ancient Solar calendar based on the time taken for the Sun to revolve around the earth (as in those times it was believed that Sun was orbiting the earth). He named the first month January after the Roman God Janus, the God of Heaven Gates (I find it amazingly coincidental that the Roman Emperor used the word “God of Heaven Gates” and we Hindus believed that the Gates of Vaikunta is open on “Vaikunta Ekadashi” which is around the same time the fag end of December or the start of January). The first day of the month January thus became the New Year Day since then. 

After the birth of Jesus Christ and the raise of Christian Church, celebrating January 1st as New Year was considered unchristian and pagan, so they abolished it.  Again in medieval times the confusion prevailed on which was the New Year Day and so different regions chose different days to welcome the New Year. It was at that time the then Pope of Vatican, Gregory XIII made January 1st the New Year Day giving the justification that it was eight days after Jesus Christ was born (25th December). Thus the Gregorian calendar came into existence. But then the Protestant countries were reluctant to accept this fearing the influence of the Roman Catholic Church on their tribe. It took them 200 years to adapt to the Gregorian calendar, and by that time the British Empire had set foot on all the continents and started thrusting their colonial rule.        
    
We Indians have no confusions at all on the New Year Day. Those following the Solar Calendar welcome the New Year on the day when the Sun enters the Markara Rasi (Capricorn) which is normally on January 14th or 15th. This is called Makara Sankramana. Those who follow the Lunar Calendar celebrate the New Year in Chaitra Masa (Chaitra Shuddha Padyami) the day next to the new moon which is almost similar to the Vernal Equinox. It is called Yugadi (the beginning of the Yuga). This dictum which was made by the ancients according to the astronomical analysis has never changed and will never change. Do you know why???

Simple, the Sanatana Dharma way of calculations on the time, date, month and year is based on the movements of either Sun or Moon. Sanatana Dharma has always marched forward in tandem with Law of Cosmos never at the say of some emperor or some religious institution.    
Though there were confusions and amendments made to the calendar, all the civil calendars world-wide accept this Gregorian calendar and so January 1st is the New Year Day.   

I take this opportunity to wish all my friends a very Happy and Prosperous New Year.

926. Problem of Plenty....!

A few days back we had been to Mosale Hosahalli in Hassan district, Karnataka. This small hamlet about 12 kms from Hassan city holds two unique identical temples noted for its rich architectural value. Constructed on the lines of Hoysala architecture, the twin temples are dedicated to Nageshwara and Chennakesava respectively standing side by side, a few feet apart. 

As we move around the temple, exclusive carvings of Gods and Goddesses can be seen on the outer walls. The temples were built in 1234 A.D under the patronage of Veera Ballala II, the grandson of Vishnuvardhanaraya. Though the temples have survived for more than 800 years, the sculptures on the outer wall has been heavily damaged. As we were going around the temple one of the tourists out of dejection said, “We Indians are victims of PROBLEM OF PLENTY, we have never learnt to safeguard or showcase our archaeological treasure.”

I too had to agree with what she said, but are we really so??? 

There are countries which create theme parks to attract tourists from all over the globe, some countries organise electronic music festivals like “Tommorowland” with drug and sex solicitation to pull tourists to load their treasury. Even more we have known countries which promote sex tourism to enhance their revenue.

We have the architectural grandeur which is centuries old with delicate carvings that can never be recreated. This treasure is neither protected nor projected to the world. Amazingly we are unaware of them, for example many in my own state Karnataka know only about Belur, Halebidu and Somanathapura as the Hoysala architecture treasure, while there are many like Belavadi-Veeranarayana Temple (1200A.D), Haranahalli-Chennakesava Temple (1234A.D), Koravangala-Buccheshwara Temple (1173A.D), Doddagaddavalli-Lakshmi Temple (1114A.D), Arasikere-Iswara Temple (1220A.D), Nuggehalli-Lakshminarasimha Temple (1246A.D), Javagallu-Sridhara Temple (1250A.D), Govindanahalli-Panchalingeshwara Temple (1250A.D), Hosaholalu-Lakshminarayana Temple (1250A.D), Basralu-Mallikarjuna Temple (1234A.D), Kikkeri-Brahmeshwara Temple (1171A.D), Nagamangala-Saumyakesava Temple (1170A.D), Kambadahalli-Panchakoota Basadi (900A.D), Amruthapura-Amruteswara Temple (1196A.D). Aralaguppe-Chennakesava Temple (1250A.D)..... many more.    
     
It is so unfortunate there are no proper sign boards to guide the few enthusiastic travellers who read about them and make a plan to visit these enchanting places. Also the roads leading to these ancient structures are badly maintained. The locals are also least bothered they want the administration to take the initiative.    

I was pulled towards the monuments of Hoysala era and loved to visit them. I read a lot about them too and in one such book titled “Hoysala Sculptures in the National Museum, Copenhagen” written by Prof. Shadakshari Settar, there is a mention of how our valuable sculptures were moved to Denmark. The author writes with heavy heart that the locals in early 20th century were lured by a Danish art collector. A beautiful idol of Sri Ranganatha Swamy from a temple in Heragu, Hassan belonging to 10th century was loaded on a bullock cart with the help of locals and was taken to Malabar Port in Kerala by enticing the locals with a pair of sun goggles and 32 Anna's(Rs.2.) The magnificent idol still remains in the museum at Copenhagen, Denmark. Prof S. Settar does not forget to attach the picture of the idol in his book.

Could this too be the PROBLEM OF PLENTY for us to help load our treasure to some shameless looters???     

925. Organic Hungama......!

The usage of the word “Organic” is now a new trend to market the products. Organic stores have mushroomed all of a sudden; we have organic vegetables, organic cosmetics, organic health products, organic cloths and organic wine too. Veggies grown in farms are not organic. Savayava Krushi (Organic Farming) involves nil usage of chemicals in pesticides or fertilizers. 

A farmer using “Jeevamrutha” (Nectar of Life) as fertilizer and “Neemastra” (Neem Missile) as the pesticide can only proudly say that the produce from his farm is organic. Jeevamrutha is a preparation made by mixing fresh cow dung of humped Vedic cow with water, cow urine, a small quantity of jaggery and any pulse flour along with a handful of soil from the same land. The mixture is stored in shade for 4 to 5 days, but stirred twice a day. It is used as fertilizer to enhance the fertility of the soil. Neemastra is got from marinating fresh neem leaves in cow urine for 4 to 5 days in shaded place and sieved. It is used as pesticide, fungicide, herbicide and insecticide.    
   
Now the latest addition to the list of organic products is organic milk. I was curious to know what this organic milk is. I visited a web page which elaborated the meaning of this organic milk. It said, “Our cows grow in natural environment and we feed them with “young green grass” of Maize, Napier and Oilseed complements to get healthy organic milk.” 

Will just feeding the cow with best fodder make them yield organic milk I wondered??? 

A little deep study gave me the clarity I needed which I wish to share here. 

First we need to know about milk. There are two types of milk A1 and A2. A1 milk is got from the hump less Jersey cow while A2 milk comes from the humped Vedic cow. Though the milk got from these humped Vedic cows is less in quantity, the quality is much better compared to those got from Jersey cows. Our ancients used to rear only humped dwarf Vedic cows prior to the introduction of jersey cows in the name of “white revolution” which no doubt enhanced the quantity of milk but at the cost of its quality.    

If a hump less Jersey cow is nurtured with green pasture and fed with protein fodder it will never yield organic milk. The milk from the humped Vedic cows is A2 milk which is good for health. It is found from recent research that when the A1 milk from the hump less Jersey cow is consumed the proteins in the milk breaks down to compound called Peptides which play a major role in development of autism. Autism is a complex mental condition that includes impairment in social interaction, communication skills and repetitive behaviour. 

In our scriptures we have noticed the mention of “Kamadhenu” cow it is supposed to be of the breed of Vedic cows. The speciality of this breed of cows is the presence of Suryaketu Nadi a specific vein which has the capacity to absorb the energy and radiation from the sun, moon and other luminaries in the universe and garner them in their milk which is A2 milk. The breeds from the pastureland of Gir in Gujarat produce this milk. Some vegans feel that milk is harmful for human consumption but none in Vrindavana had an iota of doubt about consumption of milk in Dwapara Yuga. No Jersey Cows there only Gir Cows.

It is an irony that we just are contented with the half baked knowledge poured out from internet that we have forgotten to verify or validate from books. There is nothing wrong in using Google but it is not the ultimate Guru....What say??? 

924. Tasty Food at Udupi Hotel…..!

We South Indians love to “break the fast” by relishing steamy Idlies. Idlies are non controversial food to start the day. They are rice cakes got after the batter is steamed. The batter consists of de-husked black gram and rice. It is the fermentation of this batter which breaks down the starch and makes the idly ideal for the metabolism of the body. Idlies go well with Sambar, the toor dal (dried and split pigeon peas) based vegetable stew with tamarind. Idlies from any kitchen is a delight, but when it comes from Udupi Hotel its authenticity is doubled. The tag line “Udupi hotel” is the benchmark for taste. 

What is the secret behind the taste at Udupi Hotel???    
         
The story goes back to Mahabharata time. When the war was inevitable, the kings from all over the country started to take sides. Udiyanjeral, the Chera king who was ruling the Udupi region of South India remained neutral. The King went to Sri Krishna and expressed his feeling about the war, he said, “O, Madhva, the war between the two cousins does not bring any change in the lives of the people of my region. If we participate in the war there will be only bloodshed, also we cannot completely ignore the Great War too. Me and my people will cook and serve food for all the soldiers participating in the war. Serving the army is also a way to participate in the war. Kindly permit me and my people to do seva by providing food.”

“True, someone has to feed the armies, so let it be from you.” Sri Krishna said.  

There is a custom which is followed by the women in our house hold, the women folk cook food for the day such that it is neither in excess nor will be inadequate. It is the knack that every Indian woman is familiar with. Now the King of Udupi too felt that the food prepared should be well quantified so that there is neither dearth nor there is wastage. It is not a difficult task to prepare food to any number of people when the cook is aware of how many are invited. Here in the war there was no roll register to know how many survived in the battle at the end of the day. In the 18 days of war thousands and thousands of soldiers died each day. Amazingly the food prepared by the King and his men was well quantified never surplus or insufficient. Everyone admired the catering service by King of Udupi.

“How is it you are able to cook the exact quantity daily? No one can estimate the number of death each day. How is it possible to cook and serve for the exact number of soldiers?” asked Yudhisthira.

King of Udupi smiled and replied, “Sri Krishna likes to have boiled groundnuts after dinner. So, I peel the groundnuts, count them and place them in a bowl and live it in His tent. After he has consumed the bowl comes back to me. I count how many He has consumed. If He has had ten groundnuts, it means 10,000 will die in the war the next day. So the quantity of food to be prepared next day will be for 10,000 people less. Every day the number of groundnuts decides the strength of the team for which we have to prepare the food. Never has it gone wrong and hence there’s no wastage of food too!”

When the Lord has graced the King of Udupi and his people with the calculation of number of people to cook, will He have not granted them the ratio and proportions of the ingredients to be added to prepare the recipe???

923. Cashless Transaction.....!

Does adopting cashless transaction curb corruption??? Using debit cards and making online payments is a good way to control bribery. But is it enough, is the big question. What i feel is more than this or along with this we as the citizens of this country should have an active part, a will to say no to bribery. Come what may I should not bulge to pay to get away. I should have the mindset to face the charges than to pay bribe to get away from the situation.

It was in 1984 my father purchased a house with Mangalore tile roofing in Chamaraj-pet, Bangalore. We wanted the Mangalore tile roof replaced by R.C.C. As my father was a government servant he had hardly any time to supervise the alteration. I was in college at that time and had vacations. We had a very good civil contractor and I was assigned to procure the raw materials for the construction. Though there was corporation water connection for the existing building but my father insisted we have a well. Fortunately for us we could tap water within 10 feet; our well was just 20 feet in dept. The water was not hard and it was potable. It was fun to look at the water oozing out from all side when it was being dug. My mother welcomed “Gangamma’ (ground water) by applying turmeric and vermillion and lighting camphor.      
         
On the day when the R.C.C moulding was to be done we had gangmen who worked in tandem from mixing the concrete to lifting it above lentil level and pouring it over the prefabricated bar bending. I was curiously looking at the ratio of cement, sand, gravel and water thrown into the mouth of that concrete mixer. One person came to me and told he wanted to talk to the owner of the building. I told my father was at work. He said he was from the water supply department and will come again in the evening. Our civil contractor told me it is a routine for these fellows from department to come to the construction sites expecting bribe.
When my father came home for lunch I told him about that gentleman. By evening the moulding work was over and the gangman were washing their hands and legs. The person from the water supply department came to me and asked about my father. My father had not yet come from the work. I told him that my father would meet him at the office in the morning. All of a sudden the man pulled out a book and wrote my fathers’ name and gave it to me. It was a notice served for using the corporation water.

I gave it to my father when he came home. He did not tell anything, the next day was his day off. In the morning the gentleman from the water supply department came in a jeep with his higher officials. The higher officials started questioning my father why we had used corporation water for R.C.C moulding. My father without uttering a word took the officials to the well and showed them the source of water used for the construction. The higher officials reprimanded the department person for issuing the notice without inspecting the source of water used.

Later my father told me, “When we are right in the first place there is no need for us to worry about the law. Only when we are not with the law, we out of fear and to escape from the situation we feel like giving bribe. Always remember if you are a law abiding person you need not feel insured and be afraid. It is better to pay the penalty than offer bribe.”

My fathers’ words “law abiding person need not feel insured” is even today resounding in my ears.

Yes we can go cashless only if we are ready to abide with the laws. I have always wondered how the strict law becomes saggy when the grease is applied to the officials hands.....        

922. By the side of the unlawful......!

Before the war could start Yudhisthira proclaims, “In this battle of Dharma against Adharma, if anyone would want to join our side I welcome them.” Yuyutsu, the half brother of Duryodhana shifts sides.
Many knew that Kauravas were fighting against Dharma but remained with them. Loyalty, friendship, blood relationship and revenge were the reason for them to fight for Duryodhana.    
Let us now see who were with Duryodhana in the war.

BHISHMA: Son of King Shantanu and Goddess Ganga. He was grand uncle to both Kauravas and Pandavas. He was the commander-in-chief of Kauravas for first 10 days. He was the only warrior against whom Krishna himself took up weapons. Bhishma had a boon that he would die when he wishes. He was mortally wounded by Arjuna with the help of Shikhandi on 10th day. He was on bed of arrows for remaining days of the war. He left his mortal coils 58 days after the war got over.

DRONA: The invincible preceptor, son of Sage Bharadwaj, and a student of Parashurama. He was the commander-in-chief of the Kaurava army for 5 days (11th -15th day). He formed the “Chakravyuha” and was involved in the killing of Abhimanyu. He dropped his weapons on the 15th day on hearing that his son Ashwattama was killed (which was a trick played by Sri Krishna). He was by Dhrishtadyumna, son of Drupada and brother of Draupadi.

KRIPA: Son of Shardwan and grandson of Sage Gautama, he taught Vedas and martial arts to Kauravas, Pandavas and almost all the warriors of Kurukshetra. He was one of the 10 survivors of the war.

ASHWATTAMA: Great warrior known for vengeance and brutality, son of Dronacharya and nephew of Kripacharya. He was the possessor of the mighty “Narayanastra” and “Bramhashirastra.” He was among the 10 survivors of the war. Dying Duryodhana declares him the commander-in-chief of army, when the war was officially over. He along with Kripacharya and Kritvarma killed the sons of Draupadi, Dhrishtadyumna, Shikhandi, Yudhamanyu and Uttamanuj. He was cursed by Krishna to wander on the earth forever alone. According to Hindu mythology, Ashwattama is one of the 8 Chiranjeevis and is believed to be still alive.

KARNA: Son of Kunti begotten by Surya. He was abandoned by Kunti and was raised by a charioteer Radha. He was the best friend of Duryodhana. He learnt warfare from Parashurama and an arch rival of his half brother Arjuna. In Kurukshetra war, Karna was not allowed by Bhishma to participate. After the fall of Bhishma from 10th day onwards, Karna along with his sons and other sons of Adirath defeated many warriors. Karna killed Ghatotkatch and was involved in the killing of Abhimanyu. He was the commander-in-chief of the Kaurava army on the 16th and the 17th day. Karna was killed by Arjuna on the 17th day.

SHAKUNI:  He was the brother-in-law of Dhritrashtra and uncle to Kauravas. He was the mastermind behind the evil policy of Duryodhana and one who was responsible for the war.

ULOOKA: Son of Shakuni, he was sent as the final messenger to threaten the Pandavas before the war. Both Shakuni and Ulook were brutally killed by Sahadeva on the 18th day of the war.

JAYADRATHA: The ruler of Sindhu and son-in-law of Dhritrashtra. He had a boon from Lord Shiva that he could defeat all the four Pandavas other than Arjuna once.
In the war, he used that boon to defeat all the 4 brothers in absence of Arjuna on the 13th day of the war when son of Arjun, Abhimanyu was killed in the “Chakravyuha” and none of the 4 Pandavas could rescue him. Arjuna upon knowing that because of Jayadratha, the other Pandavas could not come to rescue Abhimanyu, he took an oath that he will kill Jayadratha before the sunset of the next day.
On the 14th day of the war more than 7 lakh warriors were killed single handed by Arjuna while they were trying to protect Jayadratha. The 14th day of the war was the bloodiest day. Jayadratha was slain by Arjuna just before the sunset on.

KRITHAVARMA: The warrior from Yadav Race, the cousin of Sri Krishna and one of the teachers of Abhimanyu. He was the commander of the “Narayanasena” of Sri Krishna. In the war, Krithavarma was involved in the killing of Abhimanyu. On the night of the last day, i.e. 18th day of the war, he aided Ashwatthama in the merciless killing of all the Panchalas and sons of Draupadi. He was one of the 10 survivors of the war. Krithavarma was killed by Satyaki 36 years after the war in the famous Yaduvanshi slaughter.

BHAGADATTA: The ruler of Pragjyotisha, was son of Narkasura. He was a great admirer of Arjuna but an arch rival of Krishna.
Bhagadatta was the possessor of the mighty “Shaktiastra” and Vaishnavastra.” On 12th day of the war, his Vaishnavastra was neutralized by Sri Krishna and then he was killed by Arjuna.
Susharma was the ruler of Trigarta. He was a great warrior and an arch rival of Arjuna. He formed the Samsaptaka forces (suicide squad) against Arjuna in the war. On the 13th day he took the suicidal task to keep Arjuna away from the battlefield while Dronacharya formed the “Chakravyuha.” Susharma along with his brothers were killed by Arjuna during the course of the war.

Sudakshin, was the ruler of Kamboja. His half sister Bhanumati was married to Duryodhana.  He was killed by Arjuna on the 14th day of the war.

Alambusha was a rakshasa warrior and friend of Duryodhana. He killed Ajuna’s son Iravan on the 8th day of the war. Alambusha along with another rakshasa Alayudha were killed by Ghatotkacha on the 14th night of the war.

Besides, Duryodhana also had friends from Avanti kingdom by name Vinda and Anuvinda who were killed by Arjuna.