1051. Kaiyendhi Bhavan Zindabad....!

Yesterday I saw a video on Facebook shared by one of my friends. The video was about a frustrated man holding a hotel bill and complaining about the cost of the Masala Dosa. He had the audacity to accuse my Prime Minister for the price. He was not only arrogant but also ignorant person. He was talking about the G.S.T of Rs. 11.63 charged for the Masala Dosa which was priced at Rs. 60 by the restaurant, which amounted to Rs. 73.63. He was seen abusing the government for the price rise and displayed his dissatisfaction about the newly introduced G.S.T. It looked like G.S.T was Ghost &  Spirit  Torture to that poor fellow. 

I was wondering why this fellow had not complained about the price of the Masala Dosa itself?  Even today best of Masala Dosa can be relished for Rs. 30 in Bengaluru.  Also there are a few “Kaiyendhi Bhavan” (Handheld Eateries) where one can order a steamy Masala Dosa for as less as 15-20 Rs. 

As for the taste is concerned there is no difference, in fact the one which is sold on road side is better.  This Kaiyendhi Bhavan is a boon to all those auto rickshaw and cab drivers in my city. They get satisfactory stomach full of breakfast at very nominal rates. Those who run these eateries are also happy at the end of the day; it is a win-win situation for both. When we are introduced to the road side eateries of the countries abroad on the food channels and appreciate their food, I think we need to be proud of the vendors who can provide tasty food here too.  Who can forget the world famous Food Street in V. V Puram, Bengaluru.  

The one who wish to give more importance to ambience and vanity have to spill out some extra amount. My city Bengaluru caters to all, we have expensive cool joints as well as Kaiyendhi Bhavan the choice is purely on us and not on the P.M or government. The one who wish to have a Masala Dosa in a better ambience will go to the expensive joint who will charge extra amount for making him feel comfortable. As far as the taste is concern my personal take is that the road side vendors make a better Masala Dosa than the one in those jittery joints. The extra amount which one pays than the worth of the Masala Dosa will be for the extravaganza of the joint. That is fair enough. We have one restaurant in Malleshwaram which charges Rs. 1000 per Masala Dosa. I am not bluffing, the creator of that Masala Dosa claim that each Dosa is garnished with 0.1 gm pure gold foil and only olive oil is used.  Now if that gentleman who was shouting about the price rise had to pay G.S.T to this gold Masala Dosa then what would happen I wonder?        

My Amma used to tell me that the hot dish which the Maharajahs of Mysore savoured would be cover with a foil of Gold which would melt over the dish. She told that she had heard from her grandmother that the gold had some Ayurvedic properties which would increase the vigour and strength of the blue blood clan. We do have many with that blue blood clan mindset among us today, isn’t it? Anyways it is good to have a golden Masala Dosa once in a while without cribbing at the G.S.T.  With all these cry over the introduction of the new tax policy it is interesting to find some of the restaurants hiking the price in the menu. They very cleverly made it appear as if the price has shot up because of the G.S.T

The hotels which were under the cumulative tax policy are now finding it difficult to adjust.  We have had some economist morons who are talking about sanitary napkin price too.......let us give some time to the G.S.T to settle and then judge if it has really helping our economy or not.....What say???

1050. Preaching??? No, I share my experience....!

There are side effects for posting a write up on values these days. I have noticed that a few who read the post do agree with the thought, while a few who have differed tried to correct me. Apart from these two categories I have been fortunate to have another lot who neither agree nor disagree but express their ambiguity by asking me if what is written could be followed or in the other sense their question is “do you practice what you preach?”

Preaching requires thoughts and words whereas practicing requires thoughts and also action. Of course, it’s easier to say something than to do it.  But, there is a catch here. Preaching becomes easier and more convincing after practicing and it is also said, “If you want to learn something, try teaching it.” People are more likely to follow if one does what he says. Otherwise it puts a big question mark to the entire personality if words and action do not match. It questions ones integrity.

I do not believe in this old saying “practice what you preach”. My understanding and the general feel among those to whom I am interacting with my posts, I would say it has to be the other way round. I need to “preach what I have been practicing”. Also what I have practiced cannot be the yardstick for others and I cannot impose my way of practicing which depends on the situation I was in. All I can do is just share my thought, there are few times when I would have reacted in a different way which could be in contrast to what I had told at a different situation. It is the experiences that help me cope with the moment that arises and develop strategies for how to deal with the new experiences. I can say what I would do in various situations, but it isn’t until I go through it when I get to see how I would really respond.

I was put into introspection on whether I need to post my thoughts or not. The flip flop of should I share my emotions or should I not was dancing before my mind. Then I got thought which I always tell when my readers appreciate the post. I say, "Naham Kartha Hari Kartha Hari Kartha Hi Kevalam" (I am not the Doer Sri Hari alone is the Doer). So I do not get into the picture at all. Moreover it is absolutely His prerana (motivation) to share my experience so that it has a positive impact if not taken in a negative sense. 

1049. Indian Winnow and Sieve....!

The super markets and departmental stores off today offers us nicely packed cleaned and sorted cereals and grains. About two and half decades ago it wasn’t so. The women in the house would make a list of groceries to be purchased and wait for the salary day of their husbands and get the quota sanctioned to buy them. They would go to the mundy with the list and purchase the commodities. The grocer would have made a bulk buying from the threshing unit and the husk would not have been thoroughly checked. The grain got from the mill by the grocer would have been threshed. Threshing is a process of loosening the pulses from the scaly chaff that is surrounding the grain. The groceries thus got from the mundy would be “unclean”. No.. no do not get it wrong the word “unclean” is used when the cereals are not separated from the chaff, husk or a few little stones.

     

When I was young I used to witness this every month in the start of the second week. The winnow and sieve would be out and that was the time to know that the groceries have arrived from the mundy. The winnow is a small square tray made by wide and thin strips of bamboo sticks. Sieve is round with the rim of steel and mesh of either metal or nylon at the bottom. Winnow is used to separate the chaff or husk by allowing the air to do the separation. It is the simplest method which involves throwing the grains up into the air so that the wind blow the lighter chaff away from the winnow and the heavy grain falls back into the winnow.  

Sieve has many different plates. These sieve plates allow the fine flour particles to pass through the holes of the sieve and the bigger impurities like bran or crust remain in the sieve. The different sieve plates are used depending on the coarse or fine flour.    

If we observe the winnow discards the husk and chaff and retains only the best portion in it, while a sieve let go and allows the wanted portion to pass through its pores while retaining the waste things in it.  Winnow hold what is required and sieve retains the useless.  

It is better to be like a winnow and retain the positive things that life has to offer us rather than be a sieve which lets the wanted slip away through its pores. What remain in the winnow is used and what remain in the sieve is discarded.

1048. Veena, the instrument with mellifluous music.

When I was going to primary school I remember my Amma used to play “Veena” the stringed instrument. This instrument has a large hollow wood resembling a pot at one end. It is the head of the instrument followed by a long stem of wood with ridges placed on the topside and then there is a neck with a carved head of a dragon at the other end. The neck of the dragon is supported by a hardened gourd shell. There are seven with four on the top and three in the side running from the head to the neck of the dragon.   

Amma used to sit with her legs crossed and place gourd shell end on her left lap. She would let her left arm go beneath the stem part of the instrument and meddle the 24 ridges while her right hand index finger plucked the string at the head end. This instrument can produce a divine enchanting hum like sound. This sound is so soothing to the mind.

I always wondered why there was a head of a dragon at the tail part of Veena. Though at that age I never had a chance get an answer to that, now I could read about it. There is an interesting story illustrating about the head of dragon. Once a fire spitting dragon disturbed the Yagna rituals of sages. Disapointed they went to Chaturmukha Brahma to complain. At that time Brahma was engrossed in the magic of the sonorous notes coming out of the Veena played by Maa Saraswathi. He suggested that Saraswathi could tame the beast with the enchanting music. Maa Saraswathi hid herself in the forest and started playing on the Veena. As anticipated the dragon was attracted and bewitched by the melodious music. It went in search of the source of the elusive melody. It failed to find the source of the melodious music which had made the dragon to relinquish its mayhem and became a connoisseur of the mellifluous music. Finally it requested the sages to let it know who was producing the music.

Maa Saraswathi then appeared before the dragon and played the Veena. The enchanted dragon pleaded for salvation and a permanent place near the music. Satisfied by the earnestness of the seeker, the Goddess agreed to the request of the dragon and placed it Veena so that it could remain an integral part of the Veena and thus get the opportunity to hear the music always.

I take this story as an analogy comparing the yagna to the work we do and the sages to be the proactive mind. The dragon is the restless mind which causes hindrances. Maa Sarawathi is the divine energy which aid us. The music from the Veena is the awareness. It is the awareness which can subdue the restless mind so that the proactive mind can take up constructive deed.

There are 24 frets created due to the ridges on the stem part of the Veena and this is responsible for the Swaras (Nodes) in the music. The ancients have compared the Veena to the Human vertebrae and we all know that there are 24 presacral vertebrae (7 cervical, 12 thoracic and 5 lumbar). Amazingly as in the anatomy of the spinal cord which has thicker vertebral body near the sacrum and goes on to become small at the cervical part, exactly the frets in the Veena are broad near the end and narrow at the head part.

There are many Vidwan in our country who have mastered playing Veena. They have felt that the Mandara Sthaayi Swara (Lower Octave nodes) starts from the sacrum part of human body (Muladhaara) as it is in Veena. From there it travels towards the cervical region (Sahasrara) where the Brahma Randhra (hole at the crown of the head) is situated as the pitch increases to Thara Sthaayi Swara (Higher Octave nodes). This is how the music from Veena and music of Life is experienced (one externally and the other internally).  

1047. Vision..... Future Consciousness!!!

A person who claims to be living for the moment also has a vision. Inevitably though we know that everything is destined we fill our lives with plans to mould our future. Humans have always done this and future thinking has expanded hugely in scope and substance. It has been since eons and will remain eons to come. This is called being Future-Conscious. It is an art to bring the evolutionary process under the purposeful control of the present.

Looking at the way we are living, future consciousness is to live a little more informed by getting the benefit from in the past. We have a series of new ways to upgrade our life, even as we update it quite often. We are better informed about the lives of everyone around us with more refined methods for delineating plausible events, and we can sketch not the future, but a range of possibilities which can better our existence. These personal decisions we make over the future are linked in a million small ways to a greater prospect. The fort of the future is built by granite rocks of personal decisions taken in the present.

In Mahabharata, Balarama the elder brother of Krishna was Guru to both Bhima and Duryodhana. He taught them both the art of using the mace (Gada Yuddha) and wrestling (Malla Yuddha). Duryodhana was a keen student who liked to master the skills of mace-warfare and secrets of catch and throw. Bhima was huge built compared to Duryodhana and hence he could just relay on his raw skills. The keenness in learning the art made Duryodhana favourite to Balarama.  

Balarama who was fond of Duryodhana decided that his sister Subhadra should marry him. He was not sure that the decision will be accepted by Subhadra or Krishna. Subhadra did not like the proposal right away and wanted Krishna to intervene. Krishna makes a plan; He talks to his elder brother saying that there was a Sanyasi (Hermit) serving whom the young girls will get married without hassles. As they say, “the dietitian prescribe the same as the patient was yearning for” Balarama quickly agreed to let Subhadra serve the Sanyasi. Arjuna in the guise of Sanyasi stepped into the Anthapura (Royal Harem) of Subhadra. Subhadra did not know it was Arjuna in the guise of Sanyasi and later Arjuna got her to elope with him. They got married and Abhimanyu was born.

Later after many years Balarama wanted his daughter Shashirekha to marry Lakshmana Kumara, the son of Duryodhana. Shashirekha who was in love with Abhimanyu refused. Krishna with the help of Ghatotkacha, the son of Bhima and Hidambi kidnapped her to help her wed Abhimanyu.

In both the instances Krishna did not want Yadavas to have any kind of conjugal ties with Kauravas. This decision was very important when the time came for the Yadavas to take side in the war. Yuyudhana and Satyaki of Vrishnis and Yadavas supported Pandavas, Nila of Mahishmati, Vrinda and Anuvrindha of Avanthi, Vidarbha, Nishada and Salva supported Kauravas. Krishna was non-combatant adviser to Pandavas while Balarama remained neutral.

Krishna’s plan to stop Duryodhana from marrying Subhadra and Shashirekha from wedding Lakshmana Kumar was the Future-Consciousness to what happened in Kurukshetra. 

1046. Judaism and Hinduism: Is there any similarities???

Just as we Hindus are Sanatanis the Jews are Yahudis. The idea that Judaism and Hinduism have a few similarities or can I say they both share the same thought raises some eyebrows. Sanatana Dharma is Brahmanical thought which gave rise to Hinduism, while Yahudis followed the Abrahamic thought and it bred Christianity and Islam. 

On the surface the two beliefs are quite different this is because Hinduism which sprouted from Sanatana Dharma accepted multitude of “Gods” and employed physical statues to represent them. Yet a part of Hinduism founded by Sri Sri Sankara practice monotheism. So if we can say there are many similarities in Advaita and Judaism then it will make a little sense.    

According to Vedanta Absolute is “Ekam eva advitiyam Brahma (Brahman is one, without a second) and the Yahudis too say, “One, but not in the sense of counting.”

One striking common feature linking Hindus with jews is cow worship. When Moses descended from Mt. Sinai, he found the Jews worshipping Red Heifer (Calf).   

Just as Hindus have “Sankalpa” (intention or conviction) before the start of any kind of Karya (Deed), the Yahudis have Kavanah (sincere feeling, direction of the heart).    

Yehudi could have its word rooted in Sanskrit word “Yahv”, which means great. They learned to perform sacrifices through altar, which they learned from Persian who learnt it from Hindus.

Pralaya (Deluge) is in the religions of Persians, Jews, and Christians and in Islam but are depicted by different versions of stories. 

Christianity and Islam which rose from Judaism got its ideology from Persians who in turn got it from people living on the other side of river Sindu, they were called Hindus.

The original thought of the Christianity and Islam was no other than the ideology of Persian and Jews. The practice of Rosa at the time of the holy month of Ramzan if compared with the same principle in Judaism which is similar to the Vrata of Hindu culture, we can conclude that they all sprang from Hinduism.

Santana Dharma and Yahudis are such pious source that has given birth to different religion. Both experienced the persecution of intolerant rulers and also have been subject to the holocaust during colonial times. Both philosophies are revealed. Hinduism does not have a beginning. It was never started. Dharma was always there. Vedas were not authored but the content of it was revealed Truth which was compiled by Rishis. Similarly Moses did not write the Ten Commandments but got it as revelation. Moses did not create Judaism so also there is no founder for Hinduism. The place of worship of both is called “Temple” and both do not wear shoe at temple. Hinduism as well as Judaism believe that the outer purity is needed to cultivate inner purity. "Achara" is the code of conduct for Hindus and it is "Kosher" for Jews to achieve the inner purity. Both are pure in food habits. Both of them do not mix certain types of food, or eat stale food. Outer purity is necessary for both to enter the place of worship. 

1045. Significance of Ashwamedha Yagna.

Social media in recent times is been misused to post articles on subjects that are got from half-baked knowledge. Jnana (Knowledge) has no limits as the count of the subjects is numerous. In that sense we all lack the Paripoorna (Complete) knowledge. But one can access knowledge of a particular subject completely. There are two dimensions in obtaining knowledge of a subject; one is Pakva (Perfect) and Poorna (Thorough). When the knowledge obtained is not perfect it will be Apakva (Half-baked).

A group in Face book which has members who claim to be Hetu Shastris (Dialectics) have posted a write up  on “Ashwamedha Yagna” without thinking logically as to what it mean. All most all members in the group belonged to Hindu religion. To give a chance for those from the other religion to counter the validity of Ahimsa (Non-injury) practiced in Hindu religion, the post on this Ashwamedha was uploaded. I am not a Sanskrit scholar but while reading from a few scriptures and a few literature my understanding about Ashwamedha Yagna is completely different to what is posted.

The author of the post says that a horse was sacrificed (killed) by King Dasharatha as a part of ritual to have progeny. As I understand Yagna is an auspicious ritual and there might not have been bloodshed by killing of a horse or any kind of animal. The word Ashwamedha has two words which are “Ashwa” meaning horse and “Medha” meaning sacrifice. These two words are from Sanskrit Dictionary and it seems to be pointing out to horse killing...isn’t it???

No, the word Ashwamedha can be found in scriptures dated to the Vedic period so if we look for the meaning in the Sanskrit Dictionary we are likely to be misled. Those words which are from the scriptures fromVedic period one has to refer to Nighantu and Nirukta complied by Yaskacharya in 7^th century B.C, it is the oldest treatise on etymology, philology and semantics.

In the etymology of the word Ashwamedha, the Dhatupada (root word) is “ash” which means “to consume” and that which consumes is called “Ashwa”. 

So, is Ashwa in Ashwamedha a horse??? 

No, in Sanskrit a word is understood in three different contexts namely Laukika (worldly sense), Yaugika (derivative sense) and Yogarudha (etymological sense). The Nighantu (Vocabulary) clarifies it. Here Ashwa is derived from Ash which is to consume and in Laukika (worldly sense) that animal is called horse. Yaskacharya gives the explanation by saying “Ashnati Adhvanam iti Ashwa” Ashnati is consume; Adhvan is path or road, so, that which consumes the path is Ashwa. This is the Yaugika (derivative) meaning of Ashwa.  

After getting the Dhatupada from the Nighantu we have to consult the Nirukta (Interpreter) which equates our Pancha Indriyas (Five Senses) to Ashwa. Nayana (Eyes) consume the Drusti (Sight); Sravana (Ears) consume Sabdha (Sound); Jihva (Tongue) consumes Ruchi (Taste); Nasika (Nose) consumes Gandha (Smell) and Tvaca (Skin) consumes Sparsha (Touch). We can recall the analogy of the chariot in Kathopanishad where the horses are likened to our senses and the reins holding them is the mind, intellect is the charioteer and the Self is the traveler going on the road called life. 

Medha is not sacrifice alone it also means to bring together, to merge or to combine. Here Ashwamedha is to unite the senses. So in ancient times when the Kings were to perform Ashwamedha Yagna they were unifying their senses. With the senses unified, the mind would get focused in a jiffy and if the mind is focused the goal is achieve. 

1044. I Know What Hindu Dharma is......!

Vittala of Pandharpur is “Nada Brahma” since devotees there singing bhajans. Venkateshwara of Tirumala is “Kanchana Brahma” as devotees make huge donations. Krishna of Udupi is “Anna Brahma” because the devotees are fed stupendously there.

Appropriately to this proclamation the Pejawar Adhokshaja Mutt pontiff Sri Vishwesha Thirtha offered “Phalahara” for iftar at the Udupi Sri Krishna Temple to the Muslim community members who were observing Ramzan fast. While this to be a great gesture some section of the society feel objected to what the pontiff has done. When questioned about it the pontiff said, “I Know What Hindu Dharma is”

Well, I remember three instances from the past that highlights the good relationship the Madhva community had with Muslims since the time of Sriman Madhva, the founder of Dvaitha Siddantha.

The first instance involved the Paramacharya himself. Once while Acharya and his disciples were crossing River Ganga the guards of Jalaluddin Firuz Khilji mistook them to be spies.  King questioned Madhva through his interpreter, “Though my guards are keeping strict vigil on the river who helped you people to cross this river?”

To the astonishment of the King, Sriman Madhva answered in Persian language. Raising his finger towards the sky he spoke, “The Supreme Lord, who protects you, me and everyone has brought me here along with my followers. For you, He is Allah; for me, He is Sri Hari, you and me may address Him by different names but only one will answer us both.”

The King was extremely impressed by the bold personality with so much of self-conviction. He climbed down from his seat and invited him to the royal court.

Second instance was when Sri Vadiraja Thirtharu had been to Delhi. He had selected a place to worship the traditional idol of Sri Bhuvaraha. At the same time the son of the Mughal King had passed away and he was not let to perform his daily rituals. By looking from his divine sight Vadiraja Tirtharu told the prince was not dead and it would be great sin to bury the child alive.

Hearing this the Mughal king came running to Vadiraja Tirtharu and fell to his feet. Understandably the King was anxious to know if his child was alive. Vadiraja Tirtharu told the King that it was “Sri Hari” who had made him utter so and it would never be untrue.

The King asked Vadiraja Tirtharu to accompany him to the palace. The Madhva saint sprinkled the holy water from his Kamandala (Pitcher) by chanting the name of Sri Hari and the prince got up. That prince was none other than the Akbar. Humayun was so happy that he gifted wealth which Vadiraja Tirtharu rejected. But the King requested the Madhva saint to use it in the service of Kadagolu Krishna at Udupi.

The third instance was when Siddi Masood Khan, the Nawab of Adoni under the province of Ali Adil Shah II of Bijapur Sultanate wanted to test the credentials of Guru Raghavendra Swamy. Having invited the Guru to his darbar, he asked his men to place red meat in a silver plate and cover it with silken clothes. He offered it to the Guru who sprinkled water from his kamandala (water pot) on the plates. Later the silk clothes covered were removed. The Nawab and the whole durbar was waiting for this moment without battling is eyelids. When the clothes were removed the red meat in the plate had turned into fruits and sweet smelling flowers. The Nawab and the entire durbar were astounded and instantly realized the greatness of the Guru. Nawab felt low of his act and wanted to make amends he was willing to give the Guru anything within his capacity.

I personally feel that Pejawar seer has continued the legacy of the parampara he hails from.....I bow to his great gesture.  

1043. The Nine Boon....!

Vedas are apaurusheya (authorless) and whatever is mentioned in it is the voice of the Supreme. Vedas are universal and should never be limited to a religion or a sect, it addresses to the whole mankind. Vedas proclaim the one who is studying andpracticing it is bestowed with Nava Vara (Nine Blessings).   

Let us get acquainted with all the nine:

The first and foremost is the Nara Janma (Human Birth). Every creature emanated from Him is sacred and deserves its place in the universe. We all know that the actions and reactions displayed by most of the creatures are based on the Sahajabuddhi (Instinct). This instinct they have could be adoptive or due to training. We human beings alone have the capability to make a choice keeping in mind the karmic tendencies to act and react cautiously. Further this species can go deeper into contemplation comprehend the Self with the help of Buddhi (Intellect)

The second is Pumsattva (Manhood). Every individual has Stri (Female) and Purusha (Male) qualities in them. Mruduttva (Gentleness), Karunattva (Compassionate) and Bhavapurna (Emotional) are the qualities which are natural and hence it is feminine. The boon is when Vimukha (Dispassion), Nishkama (Disinterest) and Vairagya (Detachment) is masculine. (Note: It is never gender discrimination as we think now)

Third is Sthithaprajnattva (Equanimity). Vimukha, Nishkama and Vairagya are the trait which takes the individual to the state of equanimity.

Fourth is Vipratava (Enthusiasm) which induces a state of the mind there is no flip flop of likes or dislikes to provide Chitta Shuddi (Purity of Mind).

Fifth is Vidvattva (Scholarship). With the Chitta Shuddi got from Viprattva the individual develops Chitta Ekagrata (Focus) to know about Self through the proper understanding of the scriptures.    

Sixth is Viveka (Wisdom). Chitta Ekagrata unfurls wisdom. Viveka is the ability to differentiate the Pramarthika (Real) from Pratibhasika (Unreal).

Seventh is Svanubhava (direct experience) by the wisdom to see the real one can have the direct experience. This direct experience surpasses the scriptural knowledge. (Note: It is in this stage, not before obtaining Viveka, that the direct experience is considered greater the scriptural knowledge. It is an irony that we tend to skip gaining viveka and decide that direct knowledge is achievable)          

Eighth is Brahmatmana samsthiti (comprehending the Brahmattva in all). This is the purpose of a human birth. Individual who has attained this is a Jivanmuktha (Liberated while alive). He is the one who has been aware of his true Self and has the ability to experience that Brahman in everyone & everthing.

Last and final is Moksha (Liberation). With selfless action and desireless thought the individual will not come back for another life span. He as an identity is not present. Moksha is never desired it is granted.

1042. BANG BANG......BENGALURU!!!

It was in the year 1537 a feudatory ruler under the Vijayanagara Kingdom built a mud fort with moat in a place called “Benda Kaal Uru” (town of boiled beans). Earlier to that in the 12^th century Hoysala King Veera Ballala had been on a hunting expedition lost his way in the forest and had come to this place. He was tired and thirsty, he came across an old woman who not only quenched his thirst by giving him cool water but also fed him boiled beans. It is said that the old woman told him that the ground water in that place was so soft that the beans would boil in a jiffy. The King called the place “Bendakaaluru.”

The feudatory king who built the fort 300 or so years after the place got its name was Hiriya Kempe Gowda. He is fondly called “Nadaprabhu” (Lord of the Land). The city of “Bengaluru” as it is now called has the history of more than four centuries. In recent times this is one of the fastest growing cities in the world with IT & BT as the feather in its cap. This technological advent bloomed as the citizens possess “Udaara Mano Bhava” (Cosmopolitan).     

    

My city has seen a lot of changes and has had the great heart to accept them. From “Chitranna”(Lemon Rice) to “Schezwan Fried Rice” from “Bonda, Bajji, Ambode” (Fried Spicy Snacks) to “Pizza, Burger, Momos” from “Viledele” (Betel leaf, Areca Nut and Slaked Lime combo) to “Maghai Paan”, from “Kodagu Kapi” (Coorg Coffee) to “Budweiser”, from “Panche, Kuppasa, Peta” (Dhoti, Shirt and Turban) to “Jean, T-shirt, Blazers” from “Langa Davani” (Half Saree) to “Minis, Middies, Tops” from “Ettina Gadi” (Bullock Cart) to “Namma Metro” from “Bannada Buguri” (Colourful Spinning Top)  to “Fidget Spinners.”

For the native people here no issue is small and no authority is big. They did have a very unique way of addressing the smallest to the smallest issue with however bigger the authority could be. With the cosmopolitan tag attached now the feel of “Bade Bade Shehero Mein Aisi Choti Choti Baatein Hoti Rehti Hai” (In Big Cities, Little Things Like This keep Happening) attitude has crept in and has trivialised the spirit of questioning. The lack of this spirit has pushed the natives to the mode of “Swalpa Adjust Madkoli (Please Adjust A Little)” and thus life is going on in this Metropolitan City.

Our Nadaprabhu Kempegowda had built over 100 lakes many monuments which include the famous Dadda Basavana Gudi in Basavanagudi which houses a huge Monolithic Bull carved out of grey granite of height 15 feet and 20 feet in length. He also had installed four watch towers in the four directions marking the boundary of the place. These towers stand as a testimony even today at Mehkri Circle as northern tip, Halsuru Lake as eastern tip, Lalbagh as the southern tip and Kempambuddhi Lake as the western tip. Our Nadaprabhu would not have imagined that with the growth at this the boundary of Bengaluru would surpass the marked towers many miles ahead.       

I take this opportunity to remember this great personality Nadaprabhu Kempegowda on his birth anniversary today who is instrumental in designing my city which is now considered the best place to live considering the natural conditions and also the native attitude. We, the Bengalureans are like the old woman who gave the thirsty king not just the water but also the boiled beans. She is our role model we welcome anyone from anywhere.....but the onus of living in harmony also lies with our sojourners......Nadaprabhu Kempegowdarige Jai!!!

1041. Professional Skill to Lead & Manage!!!

In a profession to lead and to manage is like the two sides of a same coin. There is a collegial relationship between those leading a workforce and those managing the work within it. While managers can certainly lead and leaders can certainly manage, the skills required to be excellent at either one of them is separate and distinct too.

Our epics Ramayana and Mahabharata provide ample examples where the epic heroes Shri Rama and Sri Krishna very well managed and led their team to fight Adharma. In both the epics the quintessence was victory of good over the evil. In Ramayana, Shri Rama led his army against Ravana who had abducted His wife Sitadevi. In the second epic Sri Krishna managed to help Pandavas regain their Kingdom from Kauravas.

Shri Rama as a leader took up the weapons and was the Apratima Yodha (unparalleled soldier) in the troupe. He led the Vanara Sena (army of monkeys) and had Lakshmana, Hanuman, Jambavan, Sugriva and Vibheeshana to assist Him to carry out the strategies. It was a team work with a leader and the army was happy to follow the orders from its leader. Shri Rama set an example by taking on the enemy head on while He also had to tell the army what to do during the time of crisis. He had to think and consult to counter the strategies of the opponent group and set a flowchart to execute the plan. Ultimately all those skills paid off and finally the enemy was brought down and the war was won.

In Mahabharata it was not so, Sri Krishna had promised that He would not pick up any weapon. He was there in the battlefield only as a charioteer to Arjuna. He was not a leader in the war. In fact He drew the chariot wherever Arjuna asked Him to take it. Yet the war was won because of Sri Krishna.

The observations to be made in both the wars were that the type of army that was being led in the war. Shri Rama was leading an army of monkey not the regular soldiers who were trained in warfare. Obviously the army wanted someone to lead them and expected that leader to fight alongside them. Shri Rama a skilled warrior lead the monkey, He was emotionally involved with every one participating in the war. He gave precise roles and instruction, motivated the army to fight for His cause. Army too was reciprocating to the emotions of Shri Rama.      

Sri Krishna played the role of an instructor who made sure that the mind of Arjuna is not clogged with unwanted thoughts which induce superficial doubts. Sri Krishna advised Arjuna to see things from a different perspective. He had the best of the best archers, swordsmen, spearmen and mace-wielders to manage with. He just had to provide the strategic clarity and the members took the lead and fought for the team cause. Sri Krishna did not get emotionally involved in the war.

Now in this modern era of corporate, it is important to know beforehand if the members in the team you are handling are amateurs or experts in the field. If they are amateurs you lead them, if they are experts you just have to instruct them. Those who are unskilled have their blackboard clean and it is easy to write anything fresh on it. If the members in the team are experts there is no need to write over it just a bit of revision is sufficient.

The problem is with those members who are neither armatures nor experts, it will be a tough job to erase the existing data and reload the new one. Such a member needs the combination of both Shri Rama and Sri Krishna in one......Isn’t it???          

1040. Prosperity or Posterity???

One of the Purusharthas (Object of human pursuit) mentions about Artha (Wealth). The Purusharthas were called Trivarga (Three Categories) with Dharma (Righteousness), Artha (Aim) and Kama (Desire) in the Vedic period. It is important to note that the Vedic sense of Artha was not wealth but aim. However in the Upanishad era the Purusharthas got upgraded to Chaturvarga (Four Categories) with the addition of Moksha (Liberation) and it was in this period the meaning of Artha too advanced from “Aim” to “Wealth”.

Mimamsa school of thought which emphasizes more on rituals looks at Artha as not just Purushartha (Pursuit) but as Dhayitvatha (Responsibility). This Dhayitva is the social responsibility which we lack now. In the present world Artha is to make wealth from any means irrespective of how it might reflect on the society. We keep in mind that one of the Purusharthas is Artha and we need to earn money but we fail to comprehend that in the approach we have to include Dharma (Righteousness) also. Hence Jaimini, the founder of Mimamsa Dharshana said, “Human Pursuit and Human Aim are not separate. The Phala (Fruit) of the Karma (Action) is inherent in the Artha (Aim) itself.” 

This story which many of us know will help understand better. It was quite common in ancient times for the King and his minister to disguise themselves as common citizens and take a tour around the kingdom. The intention was to find out how the administrative decisions were accepted by the public. 

In one such spree the King and his minister happened to see an old man drawing water from a well. King and the minister observed from a distance the old man was making the trip to the well many times. He was weak and tired but continued to fetch water from the well. The King and his minister wanted to know what this old man was doing with the water he drew from the well. They found out that the old man was watering the mango saplings. 

The King spoke to the old man, “The seedlings have just sprouted and become saplings. You are fetching water from the far away well for them. You are already very old; do you really believe that you will live to relish the fruits from them?”

The old man smiled at the King and said, “I am not just old but wise too. I know by the time these saplings grow and yield mangoes I would probably not be alive. Fortunately I did experience the taste of mangoes, if you can look at those big trees there with mangoes they were the trees planted by my grandfather. I have planted these saplings so that my grandchildren will enjoy the fruits from them. I work for Posterity also not for Prosperity alone.”

The old man knew that his prosperity is when he does something for the posterity. Posterity and Prosperity are the interleaved aim in Artha. The old man knows that the nature which is yielding all the vegetation is the loan he has indebted from the younger generation. It is his social responsibility to return it back to them after enjoying the dividends from it.   

The real prosperity is when our posterity is not left out high and dry..... What say??? 

1039. Astanga Yoga, the Eight limbs of Yoga....!

Today is “International Yoga Day” and Yoga is going places and beyond control too. Sage Patanjali might not have imagined that the sutras formulated by him would have so many wings and flutter in such unimaginable directions. In the first place the version of “Yoga” which Maharshi Patanjali has put forth in Patanajala Yoga Sutras is entirely different from what we have understood/ misunderstood.  

Yoga has its roots in Sanskrit word “Yuj” which translate to “Join.”  Now the question is “Join” with what???

Yoga is an ancient science to comprehend the true identity of “Self” and get aligned with it. Here we need to understand that one joining the other or aligning with the other translate to duality, the “Higher Self and Lower self”. The Higher Self is the Chaitanya (Consciousness) present in all of us which is termed “Paramatma” and the lower self is the Manas and Buddhi (Mind and Intellect) index which is termed as Jeevatma.

Yoga guides the Jeevatma to join with the Paramatma by transcending the mind and intellect realm. Maharshi Patanjali gives the eight limbs known as Astaanga for this purpose. They are:

YAMA (the five restraints): This is on how a Jeevi should conduct with society. In this part there is mention of Ahimsa where it is encouraged to develop the attitude of harmlessness to get the feel of universal benevolence. Satya is to adhere to truthfulness, Astheya not to steal, Brahmacharya walk on the path of Brahman, Aparigraha is to stay away from avariciousness. 

             

NIYAMA (the five observances): This is on how a Jeevi should conduct for his own good. Saucha is maintain purity in the body as well as mind, Santosha to be contented always, Tapas to have self discipline, Svadhyaya is to introspect, Iswara Pranidhana is to surrender to the Cosmic will.

This ten constitute to Yama and Niyama which is the prerequisite to ASANA which are various postures to make the body flexible and agile. Then comes PRANAYAMA the control and expansion of Prana (vital breath) followed by PRATYAHARA which is not just dieting but having control over senses. DHARANA, DHYANA and SAMADHI are concentration, meditation and self realization respectively which sum up to eight limbs.

Today we have lots of Yoga classes where only the ASANA part is taught or a few some might even glance at PRANAYAMA too. I can say without batting my eyelids that none of them ever talk about YAMA & NIYAMA which are most important for the lower self to get aligned with Higher Self. The flexible and agile body can only cater to the fitness of the body but it will never work on the ailments of the mind. Without the practice of YAMA & NIYAMA the DHARANA, DHYANA and SAMADHI is impossible. 

Yoga has now gone global but the worrying factor is it has come back to my country with added attributes to it. There is “Power Yoga” which is similar to aerobic “Hot Yoga” where yoga asana are done in steam and finally “Beer Yoga” yoga under influence of alcohol.

Power Yoga claims to be a vigorous form of doing the Asanas in a stipulated time. Asanas are to be done with grace and without being aware of time. In Hot Yoga there is sauna and steam which has reduced Yoga to spa culture. Beer Yoga is a new fitness trend which allows you to sip beer. I do not know how you can concentrate on the hip while doing Katiaasana when you are let to sip???   

Anyways not being too cynical I wish everyone to be in the pick of heath both in body and mind on this International Yoga Day....! 

1038. Half Empty or Half Full.....!

Every person in the world has experienced the ups and downs of life. Life is a roller-coaster ride and at every given stage he is provided with valuable lessons whether he takes it or not.

We are learning valuable lessons not by the setback alone but by the influence it has over our life and the ability to react to the negative situation. It is indeed very difficult to make a negative experience into something more positive and helpful. In fact it seems so since some of the most catastrophic moments in our life never end if it starts happening. However, there is always a way to take a worst situation and extract something positive from it.

The most important mantra is to think that the catastrophic moment is not here to stay “This too will pass on.” And some people believe that everything happens for a reason. While some may not buy that philosophy, we can at least give each experience a purpose and try to learn from that experience. There is no hard and fast rule that a good experience is the one that can give us lessons for life.

There is a story of two brothers. The elder brother was a drunker who frequently quarreled with his wife. The younger one was a businessman who was respected in society and had a wonderful family. The neighbours were very eager to know how the two brothers of the same parents, brought up in the same environment, could be so different.

The elder one was asked, “How come you are living your life like this? You drink a lot have frequent quarrel with your wife and children. What is the reason?”

He said, “My father was an alcoholic he would come home late night and beat my mother. What can you expect if one is brought up in such an environment? That is what I am.”

They went to the younger brother asked him the same question. “How come you are successful in life and doing everything right? Who is the source of your motivation?”

And guess what he said???

“My father, when I was a little boy I used to see my father come home drunk and beat my mother. That was the time I made up my mind, when I grow up I would not be like him.”

Here both were deriving their strength and motivation from the same source, but one was using it positively and the other negatively. Negative motivation brings the desire to take the easier way which ends up being the tougher way. If we seriously think we will know that there were many such avenues of learning we missed everyday by looking at the trouble with a negative viewpoint. Every experience whether it is good or bad should be actually a learning experience. A wise person looks for the lesson in every experience, failure, victory and challenge so he can learn from it and choose to do more of the same if it is laudable or make adjustments to create a desirable outcome if it is dreadful.

If there are important lessons to be learnt from Pandavas as to how one has to live, there are lessons too from Kauravas how not to.   

1037. Empathy, the Mother of Compassion!!!

To understand the perspective of another person it is important to think as that person at least for a moment, this act is Empathy. Empathy should not be confused to Sympathy; sympathy is only a feel, while we are still our self. Empathy calls for getting into other persons shoe, a sympathizer will never get into another person’s shoes. It is easy to sympathies but to walk in other persons shoes and feel what they feel is a little difficult.  

Every individual thinks unique hence we have different experiences, habituation and attitude. It is near to impossible for two people to have the same opinion on all points. If we see the comments posted for a write up we get the proof of this happening every day. A person who does not believe in empathy is the one who stand to judge and criticize others. In this regard he feels that others person’s perspective is not acceptable as it does not agree with his point of view. Such a person is inclined to see only through the glasses he is wearing, and does not bother about what other think. 

Empathy also helps us to understand others and develop our self-awareness. In this society everyone play various roles in life like that of father, spouse, child, employee, employer etc. It is required to know about ourselves by looking at ourselves dispassionately from the perspective point of our counterparts in the roles we are playing. Empathy should develop in us as a great quality. Communication becomes better to a person with empathy as he is not partial to his own views. Empathy teaches us to be self-aware, receptive to the wants of others, liberal on other person’s points of view, and results in building a harmonious relationship with others. To have empathy is concern for others and living with more wisdom.

The most common hindrance to empathy is our failure to marginal our own pain to walk in the steps of others. When we are engrossed in our own pain, it makes us hard to feel the pain of others, or to understand them deeply from heart. There are many ways to develop empathy, one way is to do so by mentally and emotionally using our imagination to step into the other person’s shoes, just as actors gets into the character in a play. Yet another way to develop empathy is to remember the situation we had been in similar circumstances to the situation the other person is now in. If the other person feels egoistic we have to remember when we had been egoistic before and what the consequences were then. Other methods also include meditating and to keep clam and learn to listen about the person’s inner voice, look for kindness, and initiating values such as caring and a sense of responsibility.