Saturday, March 01, 2008
The world belongs to you. Pleasure or pain is an intense sensation in the four to six and half foot body. When we are not caught up in this, then we are truly and sincerely able to say, "I belong to you." That is when all the cravings and aversions, desires and doubts fall off—and in a moment the world belongs to you. All your miseries surround the "I, I, I, . . . " - "I want this, I like that, I don't like this . . ." Just let go. The sun rises and sets, the grass grows, the river flows, the moon shines and I am here forever! How do you feel if someone praises you? Answer: "Shy, happy, great, embarrassed . . . " It does something to you, doesn't it? It doesn't do anything to me! When you praise the moon, the mountains, Lake Lucerne , the Black Forest, it doesn't do anything to them. They remain the same. Just like that I am part of nature. If you enjoy praising me, you may do so. In fact, you have no choice! (Laughter) You can do with me whatever you like. I am there for you. I am your toy! (Laughter) --SRI SRI For more - http://gurukripa.wordpress.comPosted by Bharani - 08:50 am -
Friday, January 25, 2008
The Disappearing Madisaar
The "Onbodhu Gajam" or 9-yards saree or the more popularly known Madisaar is disappearing. We see very few women sporting it in Madras and even fewer know how to wear one anymore. There are ready-made versions of it which don't look any close to the original and there are also some newly-devised techniques on how to wear a 6-yards saree in the 9-yards style - again destroying the very spirit of the holy Madisaar.
Personally, I like to think of the Madisaar as a "holy" attire. There are a couple of reasons for this. I wear the Madisaar only about four to five times a year, during religious ocassions. And on these days, after an oil bath, when I take my Madisaar saree to wear it, I get a sense of Bhakthi or devotion. If one observes the way the Madisaar is tied, it goes around the woman in the clock-wise direction only, making you turn in the manner of Pradhakshina. So, you end up doing a number of Atma Pradhakshinas in the process of wearing a 9-yards saree. That adds up to the tranquil feeling and seems to energize me positively, aptly preparing me for the religious ritual to follow.
It is also said that the 9-yards when worn properly, aligns the woman's body favorably with the magnetic energy of the earth, making the mind more attuned to a pious and devotional experience.
We should strive to keep up this tradition which is already disappearing. It is not practical to be able to wear this attire on all days of the week. But we should learn how to wear one like our mothers and grand mothers did - just so we are able to pass it on to the next generation.
How to tie a Madisaar (Step-by-step)
* Stand with your legs about 2 ft apart
* Make 5-6 pleats in one end of the saree (lengthwise) - this is called the "Kosavam".
* Keep the pleats on your left (at the back) and bring the saree around your body and make a knot at the left back (or front center) in your waist line.(In the direction Left-> Front-> Right-> Left)
* Bring it to the front and tuck one edge ( and almost 1/2 way from that edge) in the front. Make the pleat (width of the saree) and bring the whole saree to the back under your legs.
* Tuck the saree at the back (waist line) - this is called "Kachcham".
* Bring around the saree thro' your left after tucking the shorter edge slightly at your right.
* Bring the saree around your body again
* Hold it on your left and pass it on to your right shoulder arranging the border.
* Bring the border around and tuck it in the front.
Posted by Bharani - 03:15 pm -
Wednesday, October 10, 2007
Wake up and realize this is all made up of thoughts, just thoughts, just thoughts. Your appreciation of beauty is a thought, your aversion to an object that is ugly is a thought. Your craving or aversion is nothing but a passing thought in the mind. Realize this is just a thought and you will be free!
- Sri Sri Ravishankar
Posted by Bharani - 03:22 pm -
Friday, June 29, 2007
Morphing into a Travelogue
I am back to blogosphere after another long hiatus. This time my blog is morphing into a travelogue. Over the last few months, we visited quite a few states and this is my last chance to scrape and present what is left of my observations before they altogether merge into the doomed oblivion that my memory is.
Portland Oregon, Chicago Illinois, SFO California, Kansas City Missouri, Las Vegas Nevada. Spiritedly we visited these states - some leisurely and some pretty hastily.
We sojourned for two months at Portland. Wet, old and green is how I would describe the place. We visited the Multnomah Falls, the Hindu temple at Tigard, the Downtown Chinese Gardens, the Oregon Museum of Science and Industry (OMSI) and the coastal city of Astoria. I liked the visit to Astoria the best. As you all probably know, it rains incessantly most of the year in Oregon and the landscapes are green and lush all around. There was so much moisture in the air that surface moss is a problem there. On the day that we visited Astoria, it poured (no, not purred!) cats and dogs (so cliché, I know!). We drove across the Columbia River on the 4 mile long bridge between Astoria and Megler, Washington. With the misty rain hitting our windshields and water all around and below us, I must say it was a pretty spooky experience.
 | We also climbed the 164 spiraling steps to the top of the Astoria Column, a monument that celebrates the history of the city. So that sums up our taste of the Oregon coast. Next to that, the OMSI was a pleasant experience, where we watched a couple of Omni max movies and planetarium shows. The next day, we actually made a second visit to the museum – no! that still does not make me a nerd. It just means that the rain kept us from adventurous outdoorsy activities. Just kidding, the museum was a lot of fun too. The Multnomah falls and the hike around the place was enjoyable too. The Hindu temple at Tigard was a community temple complete with Mother Velankanni and the revered Buddha.
How does Portland fare against Phoenix? Well, the DVD collection in the Indian stores at Portland was better updated than Phoenix. And Portland was good to my skin, Arizona will never be! But when I go rain versus heat, heat wins! |
My next camp was Kansas City. I did not get around visiting places in Kansas but the farm feel was pretty inviting and since the visit was to receive the darshan of Sri Sri, the trip turned out to be a great one! We are pending another trip to Kansas and this time we will visit the Balaji temple at St.Louis.
| Chicago - the city of shivering chills. We were there in April, but we were still subject to the chilly winds that the city is quite characteristic of. Withstanding the biting chill (pardon my exaggeration here, but we are from the desert!), we walked the Magnificent mile, viewed the city from atop the John Hancock tower, visited the Ghirardelli and Hershey stores, lazed at the Millennium park, admired the Chicago skyline by the night, browsed the shops in Navy Pier, witnessed the artistic stained glass museum, and dined at the Pizzeria Uno, the birthplace of deep dish pizza. We also visited Devon Street, the Chicago version of the NJ Patel Street and dined in Indian restaurants at both Devon and downtown Chicago. We watched Namastey London at the local theater with friends. We stayed at the Hyatt and got a pretty good feel of Chicago Downtown. The best part of the trip though was the biking around the lakefront all the way from Millennium Park and back. Chicago vs. Phoenix? Heat wins over chill for me - any day! |  |
 | Our visit to San Francisco was a fleeting whisk. We were back even before we realized it. But it turned out to be a good one. The highlight of the trip was the visit to the Livermore Shiva-Vishnu temple. Authentically South Indian! We have decided to make day trips to SFO to just visit this temple and be back! We also waded through the California traffic to ride on the Golden Gate bridge and drive around the Pier. We never got around to figuring where the Crookedest Street was, we kept going around the place in circles and missing it every single time, until eventually we decided to give up! Saved it for another trip, I guess. SFO against Phoenix. Now, that’s not even a fair comparison. Well, okay, I cannot side with Phoenix this time. Other than the crazy traffic and the high cost of living, I do not have any complaints about the place. Pleasant weather, the beautiful temples, the tasty Indian food and all the latest Tamil movies - guess that is all that I need. SFO wins over PHX :-( |
| Vegas - technically what happens in Vegas stays in Vegas, definitely does not go on a blog! But I will make an exception here. We visited Vegas with my brothers and parents - now you know why I made the exception. It was a bright and cheerful trip to Las Vegas, aptly reflecting the spirit and energy of the city. The fountains and gardens at the Bellagio, the Volcano outside The Mirage, the show outside Treasure that we never got to see, the New York casino, the towering Eiffel tower, the walk down LV Blvd – we had fun everywhere. We had the amazing view of the city from atop the Stratosphere – we did not take those insane rides, no we did not! We loved Venetian the best – we shopped, dined and took the Gondola ride. We also visited the Star Trek convention center and went on the two 4D attractions - the Klingon Encounter and Borg Invasion - they were awesome. I should say that they were the best virtual reality rides that I have even been on. We also had a quick snack at the Quark’s Bar. I should confess here that I am not a Trekkie, but I still had a good time. Lag Vegas, fun to visit. Phoenix, best place to live in! |  |
Now we are back to sweet home and planning our next trip to...!
Posted by Bharani - 03:35 pm -
Thursday, February 22, 2007
It is better to do some things without knowing why it is being done. You see, then there is no expectation about the fruit of that action. Well, if not always, atleast most of the times. This thought crosses my mind whenever I try to reason out the science or logic behind a tradition or religious ritual. While it is good to know why we follow some of these traditions, it is also good at times to 'blindly' follow what elders say. They have tried it and nothing ill befell them after all.
When we know what comes out of an action, the attention shifts from the action to the result of the action. Dissecting the action to discern the reason behind it almost kills the spirit of it.
I am sure many of you will not agree with me on this. Superstitions are something we all want to rid our mind and lives of. But when we come across religious practices that we cannot comprehend with our mere intellect, shouldn't we give the benefit of doubt to our ancestors ? Just because our finite mind is unable to find a logical explanation, it doesn't mean one doesn't exist, right ?
I am definitely not talking about blind beliefs that have sprung up in the last few centuries. I am talking about practices that have come down from Vedic times. While it is important that we discriminate between the sensible and unsensible, we also need to ensure that we do not miss out on things which are in fact good to us, but have been lost because of the mind's endless need to reason.
Posted by Bharani - 02:52 pm -
Wednesday, January 31, 2007
As I take on different roles in life and encounter different situations, what keep flashing most in my mind are the proverbs that my father and grandfather used to quote, either casually or during the process of 'instilling discipline' in us.
These old sayings, be it from the Thirukural or something the grandmothers of yesteryears coined, seem to educate me now and most importantly, they remind me gently that I am not the first one to face something like this. People have in the past and thats how they came up with proverbs in the first place!
The other thing is how these proverbs come to me at the right time, just when I need them. When my parents used to quote them, we were just kids - either we never understood some of them, or whatever we understood, we never took them seriously.
But now I do! I guess the cycle will be complete when we try to instill the next generation with the same stuff despite similar resistance :-)
Posted by Bharani - 12:49 pm -
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