Om Sathguru Sri Seshadri Swamigal Thiruvadikkae

Hanuman said:

“Brother, I do not know much about the phase of the moon, or the position of the stars, I just contemplate Rama.”

Mangalore Raghunatha Rao was a devotee of Lord Rama. One day he went to pay his respect to Avathar Sri Seshadri Swamigal. Swami brought a big piece of stone, to hit him. Raghunatha Rao praying to Lord Rama bowed his head asking, “If it was Sethubhandan or Samudra Lankan.” (Dam across the sea). Swami threw the stone away and patted him nicely saying, “Monkey, go monkey.” From then Raghunatha Rao came to be known as Hanuman, Maruthi and he also became a devotee of Lord Hanuman.

(Synopsis of a lecture given by Jagadguru Shri Kripalu Ji Maharaj on November 17, 2009, in Bhatinda, India)

In India and in the world, a lot of religious activity and fervor are seen nowadays. There are so many temples, mosques, gurudwaras, and every other kind of place of worship, and although people go to these every day, and practice devotion according to their religion, still we find that sinful tendencies are increasing everywhere.

So much has changed in the last 100 years – what will happen in the future? So much spiritual practice wasn’t seen in the past as is seen nowadays. When so many things are being done in the name of religion, why are there so many wrong things happening in the world?

This question is asked by those who don’t believe in any religion and their question is correct. Why do people follow a religion when so many contrary results are seen everywhere? You may say that you are doing this to receive a benefit after your death. But you will receive after death only what you received when you were still alive. Nothing is added or subtracted from this.

For example, whatever a student writes in an exam book during a test is what he will be graded on. No test scorer will pull a good grade out of his pocket for a student just like that. If in the present our ideas and character are not good, then what miracle will occur after our death? God will only give us the consequence that corresponds to our present actions.

The answer to this question is straightforward. The ones who are our religious guides or spiritual teachers nowadays are wrong. What today’s gurus have taught us about dharma and action is wrong. What is the very first teaching of dharma? Pay special attention to this point. There is something wrong in this very first teaching. What is it? We have been wrongly taught who is the performer of action.

Our gurus made a mistake by not telling us at the very beginning who is the performer of action. There are only two kinds of devotion – devotion to God or devotion to the world. Apart from the individual souls, there are only two entities, God and Maya (the world). There is no third entity whose devotion we could do. The one who practices devotion to God is called a believer (dharmatma). The one who worships the world is called an atheist (nastik).

So the practioner of dharma and the performer of action is the mind. Remember this always. This is where we are making a mistake. Action doesn’t refer to your senses. God does not regard the activity of our senses as ‘action’.

In the battle of the Mahabharat, Arjuna killed millions, but these actions were not noted by Lord Krishna. Hanuman Ji killed millions in Lanka, but none of these action were noted by Lord Ram. Even our worldly government won’t charge a person with a crime if he is not at fault for what happened. If a driver accidentally hit and killed a person who unexpectedly threw himself in front of his car, the court wouldn’t give the driver a fine of even ten rupees. It wasn’t the driver’s fault. He wasn’t judged according to his physical actions, rather on his mental intention. It was just an accident.

A riot is happening in a city. The magistrate orders the police to open fire. They open fire and one hundred people die. The court asks, “Who fired the bullets?” The police answer, “We did.” The court says, “You will get the death sentence.” The police respond, “No, we won’t. Go to the magistrate and ask him why he gave us this order.” The court goes to the magistrate and asks him. He says, “Your honor, if I had not given this order, then instead of one hundred dying, thousands would have died.” He is not convicted of any crime.

You all play jokes on each other on April Fools Day. If someone decided to take you to court for some foolishness you did, if you say, “But your honor, it was April Fools Day,” the judge will say, “Oh, I see. Case dismissed!” No charge would be filed because there was no mental motivation to commit a crime.

Action refers to your mental motivation, your intention. Because of this, it is the mind that is the cause of your liberation from Maya or your bondage in Maya.

(Continued in Part 2)

© Jagadguru Kripalu Parishat and Bhakti Bliss, 2009

In the evening, I, Taraka and her daughter Gayatri left to see a dance programme at her sister’s daughter’s school. Though we couldn’t stay for long, we made sure that we were present for a few minutes to encourage the little kid and left for Birla Mandir.

After parking the car at a nearby place, we headed towards Birla Mandir. By this time I had come to know how chaotic the traffic in Hyderabad is. People had scant respect for the traffic rules and I was feeling like driving in some maddening crowd.

The steps leading to the temple and small shops along the steps were bustling with tourists. Shops were making brisk business and tourists were busy buying articles.

As it was weekend, the crowd was huge. We had to keep our phones and camera in the cloak room. We went to the temple and Taraka was excited to show the place where she and jeeju had solemnized their wedding

Birla Mandir on the Naubath Pahad is a magnificent Hindu temple of Lord Venkateshwara, built of 2,000 tonnes of pure Rajasthani white marble. The Birla Foundation has constructed several similar temples in India.

The Birla Mandir was built by Raja Baldev Birla. In 1938, the temple was inaugurated by Mahatma Gandhi. Everyone was not given the permission to enter the premises of temples. Gandhi placed the condition that he would inaugurate the temple only if people belonging to all strata of the society were permitted to offer their prayers in the temple.

The architecture of the temple is a blend of South Indian, Rajasthani and Utkala temple architectures.

The tower over the main shrine reaches a height of 165 ft, whereas the towers over the shrines of Venkateshwara’s consorts, Padmavati and Andal reach a height of 116 ft. The presiding deity is about 11 ft tall and a carved lotus forms the umbrella on the roof. The consorts of Lord Venkateswara, Padmavati and Andal are housed in separate shrines. There is a brass flagstaff in the temple premises which rises to a height of 42 ft.

The temple is built on a 280 feet high hillock called the Naubath Pahad in 13 acres. The construction took 10 years and was consecrated in 1976 by Swami Ranganathananda of Ramakrishna Mission. The temple does not have traditional bells, as Swamiji wished that the temple atmosphere should be conducive for meditation.

Though the chief deity is Lord Venkateshwara, the temple has pan-Hindu character with deities of Shiva, Shakti, Ganesh, Hanuman, Brahma, Saraswati, Lakshmi and Saibaba. Selected teachings of holy men and Gurbani are engraved on temple walls.

There is also a shrine dedicated to Lord Buddha. Beautiful Fresco paintings, throwing light on the life and works of Buddha, adorn the walls of this temple. At the rear end of the temple, there is an artificial landscape with mountains and waterfalls.

The intricate carvings of the temple, the ceiling and the mythological figures are standing testimony to the dexterity and sculptural excellence of the craftsmen. Beautiful scenes from the great epics of Ramayana and Mahabharata are finely sculpted in marble. A number of lofty steps lead the visitor to the sanctum sanctorum. Along the winding path are many marble statues of gods and goddesses of Hindu mythology located in the midst of gardens.

The view from the highest level of the temple offers the viewer a spectacular view of the Hussain Sagar Lake, Andhra Pradesh Secretariat, Assembly and Birla Planetarium, the Public Gardens and Lumbini Park.

The temple is open between 7 am and 12 noon and between 3 pm and 9 pm.

We sat for a while there and discussed several issues before we left the place. By the time we reached the house, I had gone half mad, thanks to the traffic. Driving in Bangalore is not difficult, but elsewhere it is, for we are more disciplined and follow traffic rules at any cost. But in Hyderabad, it is the vice versa. People look at us strangely if we talk about traffic rules and discipline!

The greatest manifestation of Om or the holy Ghost as the Christians call it, is Hanumanji.  There never was and I suspect there will never be a greater manifestation.  He is the supreme ruler who effortlessly does all the work and is still alive.  Amazingly, Rama Bhagwan took samadhi, but his Guru Vasishtha Maharaj, his disciple Hanumanji and Ravanas brother Vibhishana are still alive. My guru from the subtle world, Vishnutirthji Maharaj told me a few weeks ago that his favorite verse in Sundarkanda by Tulsidaji was verse 54.  I have copied the meaning of the verses here.Each of these monkeys is as mighty as Sugriva (the king) and there are tens ofmillions like them; who can dare count them? By the grace of  Rama they areunequalled in strength and reckon the three spheres of creation as of no more accountthan a blade of grass. I have heard it said, Ravana, that the commanders of the variousmonkey-troops alone number eighteen thousand billions. In the whole host, my lord, thereis not a single monkey who would not conquer you in battle. They are all wringing theirhands in excess of passion; but the Lord of the Raghus does not order them (to march)…We shall suck the ocean dry with all its fish and serpents or fill it up with hugemountains. Nay, we shall crush the ten-headed Ravana and reduce him to dust.. Suchwere the words that all the monkeys uttered. Fearless by nature, they roared and bulliedas if they would devour.

This whole Shloka refers to the Hanumanji who is Om.  This is the universal prana which runs the entire universe and Hanumanji is the living embodiment of this universal prana.  The other ten million monkeys in the verse refers to the ten different kinds of Pranas in the body.  The ten pranas have tremendous power and under the supreme order of God (Rama), and the guidance of Hanumanji, they have the ability to destroy ego (Ravana).  The process whereby this happens is sucking the ocean dry (meaning sucking all the prana from the body and thus destroying all vices) and they fill up the mountain (referring to Sushumna).  At this time they have a very loud roar (which refers to one of the anahata nada) heard.  This is the sound of Om.  The word roar is used which is reminescent of the word used in the bible – Gods voice is likened to a thunder or roar.  It is the constant rumbling / roar heard as a symphony of music at the Agna chakra (or when fully everted – the manas chakra). 

This interpretation which I have given will be very difficult for anyone who has not experienced the manas chakra or the everted Agna chakra to understand.  To reiterate and speak in more plain words – at the Agna chakra, when one is fully surrendered with the ability to fully stay there without any reservation one begins to experience several things simultaneously.

1) A constant symphony of music that is very endearing.  At the apex of the symphony is a constant roar the sound of undifferentated Om

2) With more perseverance one begins to realize that this roar or soun is Shakti, the holy ghost, Hanumanji or the universal prana that controls and runs the entire universe.

3) This universal prana or holy Ghost runs solely at the Will of God. 

4) The best sadhaka has no personal wish but to merge his wish into the supreme Will of God. 

This is the beginning of Sankalpa Shakti.  This is the beginning of conquering dreams.  At this stage, one goes beyond certain Mantras or the automatic recital of certan shlokas or mantras. 

Leena was married on 27.1.1997. She chose a man working in Pilips, where she worked for some time.

 I was happy, but my wife was not easily reconciled to the idea. All arrangements were made by the young couple, for their marriage according to Aryasamaj rites. About fifty people, including the parents of both, were invited.

 We left Delhi and came back to our home in the village, as I never liked metropolitan cities(mahanagaram is mahanarakam). Sudhir could not attend the wedding as he was somewhere in Madhya Pradesh, with the Narmada bachao movement. He went, wherever Medhaji went, there is a photo of both together.
Once Leena and her husband Ravi Kumar, came to our house. Ravi liked the village. We took them to my wife’s home at Shoranur and my sisters’ place at Thavanoor and Thirunnvaya.
When they left, we felt a sort of loneliness. But one cannot be isolated in the village, where it is some sort of community life.
Among the various temples we frequented, was the hill shrine of Lord Ram at Thiruvilvamala, near the railway station Lakkidi between Palakad and Ottapalam.
One peculiarity is the fact that Lakshman faces east and Ram faces west, in separate Sreecovil(sanctum) and Hanuman is outside, in a small temple.
The whole area is on top of a mountain range, with tunnels, ponds etc. offering a grand spectacle, a favourite spot for many Malayalam films, with Jayaram as the hero.
Vadamala is the favourite offering for Hanuman.
Pazhayannur Devi temple where cocks are offered as a gift for Devi, like one offers an elephant at Guruvayur temple; something really stange. In the incredible India, one can see a Ganesh temple in Rajasthan, where rats (the vehicle of Ganesh) are offered sweets, dozens of them crowding to get the ladoos, Jain sadhhoos going about stark naked in the streets and snakes living happily, along with namboodiries, sharing the same bed rooms and kitchen, at Pampumekad, where people coming with snake bites are treated.
Until recently, new born babies were sacrificed at the famous Kali temple at Kolkotha.
Chembai village is not far from our village. In honour of the famous singer Vaidynatha aiyer, who belongs to that village, every year there is a musical night, which is invariably attended by the famous Malayalam play back singer Yesudas. They all used to attend this function, except myself.

Attending marriages and funerals was compulsory. My wife likes both, I don’t. My paternal uncle, who was suffering from paralysis and was bedriden for some fifteen years, died and we went there in time, before the body was set on fire.
That was the end of an era, as all the five brothers, my father being the eldest, and a sister about who I have only heard, reached their destination. They say my aunt was very beautful. She was given in marriage to Venmani mana. She went away early, without issues.

If only she were alive !

When we hiked up to Jakhoo, the temple to Hanuman way up the hill in Shimla, we participated in the puja, which is a hindu prayer ceremony. James’ tika came out beautifully comma shaped, and I snapped this on the way down.

Perang antara Rama dan Rahwana hanyalah sebuah sandiwara. Banyak sekali diantara kita yang mengira perang itu hanya dongeng berkala, tetapi kurang lebih 8,000 tahun sebelum Masehi, perang semacam itu memang ada dan harus terjadi, untuk membersihkan bumi ini dari ‘sub-human species’ bentuk kehidupan yang terciptakan karena hubungan seksual antar manusia dan binatang. Apa yang kita sebut raksasa atau ‘demon’ itu merupakan jenis kehidupan yang memang harus dilenyapkan. Bagaimana juga yang dilenyapkan hanyalah “bentuk” atau “wujud” kehidupan tersebut. Jiwa mereka, roh mereka justru mengalami evolusi, peningkatan, dan lahir kembali sebagai manusia. Rahwana berperan sebagai raja para raksasa, sehingga ia mampu mengumpulkan mereka di satu tempat, di medan perang. Lalu datang Sri Rama, dan dalam satu minggu, selesailah pekerjaan itu. ^{*1 Atisha}

Peringatan Alam sebelum bencana tiba

Yang namanya kebetulan itu memang tidak ada, semuanya merupakan bagian dari cetak-biru yang sudah ditentukan sebelumnya. Namun, kita dapat menentukan cetak-biru baru untuk masa depan kita. Hal ini perlu direnungkan sejenak. ^{*2 Reinkarnasi}

Empat tangan Wisnu dapat dimaknai sebagai peringatan Keberadaan terhadap manusia. Tangan pertama Wisnu dengan telapak tangan terbuka menghadap ke muka dimaknai sedang memberi berkah sekaligus memaafkan. Kesalahan awal manusia dimaafkan-Nya, apabila kita segera taubat.  Tangan kedua memegang terompet dari kulit kerang, perbuatan salah yang dilakukan terus menerus, diperingatkan-Nya dengan teguran suara yang keras. Tangan ketiga memegang chakra, Keberadaan masih juga memberi waktu untuk bertaubat. Dan, begitu seseorang masih nekat melakukan kesalahan, maka dia akan dihantam gada Wisnu yang dipegang oleh tangan keempatnya.

Semua tindakan mempunyai akibat masing-masing, akan tetapi sebelum melakukan tindakan yang semakin tidak harmonis dengan alam, kita dingatkan Keberadaan melalui berbagai tahapan peringatan.

Demikian pula dengan kejadian bencana banjir. Ketika masyarakat memotong hutan hanya untuk keperluan  rumah tangga, Alam masih memaafkan. Tetapi apabila masyarakat mulai menggunduli hutan, datanglah teguran, sungai yang kotor membawa lumpur akibat bukit yang gundul mulai tererosi. Alam pun menggerakkan lembaga advokasi yang memperingatkan bahayanya menggunduli hutan. Alam masih menunggu agar masyarakat bertobat dengan melakukan reboisasi. Setelah beberapa lama penggundulan hutan berjalan, maka banjir akan datang sebagai hantaman gada dari Alam.

Demikian pula peristiwa Global Warming, Pencairan Es di Kutub, menghijaunya lereng Himalaya yang tadinya selalu diselimuti es, banyaknya badai dan naiknya permukaan air laut, semuanya merupakan peringatan alam. Demikian pula tindakan rekayasa dalam bidang hukum di negara kita yang semakin keterlaluan akan mendapatkan perlakuan yang sama.

Hanuman sebagai ‘Utusan’pembawa peringatan

Hanuman sebagai duta, utusan pembawa peringatan dari Sri Rama. Hanuman ibarat terompet kerang Wisnu sebelum gada sang Wisnu bekerja.

Hanuman dengan kekuatannya dapat terbang menyeberangi lautan sampai di Alengka. Ia melihat Alengka sebagai benteng pertahanan yang kuat sekaligus kota yang dijaga dengan ketat. Ia melihat penduduknya menyanyikan mantra-mantra Weda dan lagu pujian kemenangan kepada Rahwana. Sebagian masyarakat tidak setuju dengan keangkaraan Rahwana, tetapi mereka diam membisu. Hanuman menyamar sebagai monyet kecil dan mencari tempat Dewi Sinta. Hanuman melihat Rahwana merayu Dewi Sinta, akan tetapi Rahwana tidak berhasil.

Setelah Rahwana pergi meninggalkan Dewi Sinta, Hanuman menghampiri Dewi Sinta dan menceritakan maksud kedatangannya. Hanuman menyerahkan cincin milik Rama dan menyarankan agar Dewi Sinta terbang bersamanya ke hadapan Sri Rama, namun Dewi Sinta menolak. Ia paham Sri Rama akan datang ke Alengka untuk menghancurkan adharma. Kemudian Hanuman mohon restu dan pamit kepada Dewi  Sinta.

Karena ketahuan pengawal istana, Hanuman dikepung para raksasa . Sambil melarikan diri Hanuman memporak-porandakan taman Asoka di istana Rahwana. Ia membunuh puluhan tentara termasuk prajurit pilihan Rahwana. Akhirnya ia dapat ditangkap Indrajit, putra Rahwana dengan senjata ‘Bramastra’, senjata Brahma. Senjata itu melilit tubuh Hanuman. Ketika Rahwana hendak memberikan hukuman mati kepada Hanuman, Wibisana membela Hanuman agar hukuman bagi Hanuman diringankan, mengingat Hanuman adalah seorang Duta, ‘Utusan’. Seorang ‘Utusan’ yang datang membawa kabar peringatan, agar Rahwana mengembalikan dewi Sinta, atau Sri Rama akan menghancurkan Alengka.

Hanuman hanya dibakar ekornya, akan tetapi dengan ekor terbakar itulah dia melepaskan diri dari bramastra dan membakar sebagian kota Alengka. Bagaimana pun Rahwana tetap tidak mau berubah, dan akan menghadapi datangnya pasukan Sri Rama. Pada akhirnya Rahwana mati bersama kaum raksasa. Demi evolusi manusia, kaum raksasa memang harus mati. Akan tetapi jiwa raksasa tetap terbawa dalam genetik manusia ribuan tahun sesudahnya.

Hanuman adalah pemberi peringatan kepada kaum raksasa dipimpin Rahwana, agar segera sadar dan kembali ke jalan yang benar. Bila Rahwana dan para raksasa sadar, mengembalikan Dewi Sinta, menegakkan kebenaran, meninggalkan adharma, maka kemusnahan raksasa dapat terhindar.

Dunia ini ada karena ada keseimbangan dari dualitas antara Yin dan Yang, Maskulin dan feminin, malam dan siang, dingin dan panas, lembut dan keras, bahkan dharma dan adharma. Akan tetapi kala adharma meraja lela, sehingga terjadi ketidakseimbangan yang nyata, Keberadaan akan menggunakan cara yang belum kita pahami untuk menyeimbangkannya.

Bersyukurlah karena kita telah diberi peran keberadaan yang patut dibanggakan. Siapa yang mau berperan sebagai Rahwana yang serakah dan kalah? Peran Rahwana sungguh sulit. Tidakkah Rahwana tergerak kala melihat Kumbakarna meninggal, melihat para petinggi Alengka meninggal, kenapa masih meneruskan pertarungan yang memusnahkan semua raksasa, padahal dia belum menikmati Dewi Sinta sebagai isterinya?

Rahwana patuh terhadap peran yang diberikan Keberadaan kepadanya. Rahwana dan Kumbakarna adalah inkarnasi kedua dari Jaya dan Wijaya, penjaga Wisnu di istana Vaikuntha, dan karena kesalahannya harus lahir ke dunia sebagai musuh Wisnu. Sebelumnya mereka lahir sebagai Hiranyakasipu danj Hiranyaksa. Dan di zaman Dwapara Yuga lahir sebagai Sisupala dan Dantavakra yang setelah mati, mereka kembali menjadi penjaga istana Vaikuntha.

Berterimakasihlah pada alam semesta bahwa kau diberi peranan yang membawakan pujian banyak orang. Kasihanilah mereka yang kurang beruntung, yang tidak mendapatkan peranan sebaik peranan kamu. Dan, dibalik semua itu sadarilah adanya tangan Sang Dalang yang menentukan setap gerak-gerikmu. ^{*3 Reformasi}

Hanuman juga merupakan pembawa pesan bagi mereka yang hidup tertekan dalam lingkungan penuh kezaliman. Hanuman memberi ketenangan kepada Dewi Sinta, agar bersabar karena adharma akan dikalahkan. Hanuman membawa ‘ayat cincin’ tanda kebesaran Sri Rama agar Dewi Sinta tetap bertahan dalam kebenaran. Akan ada waktunya mulut para raksasa dikunci dan anggota tubuh mereka diminta menyampaikan apa yang telah diperbuatnya. Mereka akan mendapatkan balasan karma yang setimpal.

Bagi Dewi Sinta cincin Sri Rama merupakan surat cinta, surat cinta yang tidak dibaca melalui mata, indera penglihat, tetapi dibaca melaui mata hati. Bagi Dewi Sinta cincin tersebut adalah bisikan hati Sri Rama.

Setiap kitab suci memang merupakan sebuah surat cinta kepadamu lewat para nabi, para avatar, para mesias, dan para Buddha.” Maka, pengajian, paath seperti itu, menjadi doa bagi saya. Karena saat itu terdengar jelas oleh jiwa saya bisikan Dia yang saya cintai. ^{*4 Neo Psyhic Awareness}

Latar belakang kehidupan Hanuman

Kera adalah binatang yang mempunyai sifat, terampil, lincah, sederhana, kuat dan patuh terhadap ‘majikan’-nya, hanya saja mereka akan kembali ke sifat asalnya ketika berada dalam kelompoknya. Hanuman bukanlah kera biasa. Dia adalah putra Anjani, seorang ibu berwajah kera yang bertapa puluhan tahun, agar mendapatkan keturunan yang mulia. Anjani adalah saudara perempuan dari Subali dan Sugriwa putra dari Resi Gotama dan ibu Windradi.

Beruntunglah Hanuman yang mendapatkan ‘majikan’, ‘guru’ bijak Sri Rama sehingga dia bisa melepaskan ‘kekeraan’-nya.

Konon Hanuman adalah putra dari Bathara Guru. Kisah para leluhur pun sering dibengkokkan. Bathara Guru, Sang Pendaur Ulang sering dikatakan ‘cluthak’, suka tergiur wanita cantik yang mandi telanjang, atau pun wanita yang sedang bertapa nungging layaknya Anjani di Telaga Madirda. Sebuah konspirasi untuk menjauhkan diri kita dari dongeng wayang yang telah mendarah daging yang sudah manjadi bagian dari budaya kita.

Bathara Guru disimbolkan dengan lingga dan yoni. Segala sesuatu dimulai dengan bertemunya energi Yin dan Yang. Dari sperma dan ovum. Pertemuannya mungkin fisik, tetapi yang memelihara satu sel inti yang berkembang menjadi tubuh sempurna dengan jutaan sel adalah kekuatan alam pendaur ulang. Seorang ayah dan ibu hanya mempersatukan, memfalitasi pertemuan sperma dengan sel telur. Akan tetapi, fasilitas air ketuban, placenta dan perlengkapannya yang menjaga kehidupan sel telur tersebut adalah ciptaan kekuatan alam, kekuatan sang pendaur ulang. Bahkan dalam kloning pun, tetap ada kekuatan misteri yang mengembangbiakkan dan memellihara sel inti. Pembuat kloning mengambil sel hidup, bukan benda mati dan menghidupkannya. Hidup tetap merupakan misteri. Dan Bathara Guru pun penuh misteri.

Anjani memberdayakan unsur angin, Dewa Bayu, dan melahirkan putra bernama Hanuman yang berbulu putih. Konon, pada saat Hanuman masih kecil, ia mengira matahari adalah buah yang bisa dimakan, kemudian terbang ke arahnya dan hendak memakannya. Dewa Indra melihat hal itu dan menjadi cemas dengan keselamatan matahari. Untuk mengantisipasinya, ia melemparkan petir vajra-nya ke arah Hanuman sehingga kera kecil itu jatuh dan menabrak gunung.

Melihat hal itu, Dewa Bayu menjadi ngambek dan berdiam diri. Angin tidak bertiup di bumi, dan semua makhluk di bumi menjadi lemas. Para Dewa pun memohon kepada Bayu agar tidak ngambek. Dewa Bayu menghentikan kemarahannya. Dewa Brahma dan Dewa Indra memberi anugerah bahwa Hanuman sehingga kebal dari segala macam senjata, serta kematian akan datang hanya dengan kehendaknya sendiri. Hanuman menjadi makhluk yang abadi atau ‘Chiranjiwin’.

Pengabdian Hanuman kepada Sri Rama

Dalam menjalankan tugasnya melenyapkan adharma, seorang avatara selalu memerlukan beberapa murid sebagai teman seperjalanan. Yang diajak master adalah para pemain kawakan yang sudah saatnya naik kelas. Dewi Sinta yang hilang diculik hanyalah penyebab awal hancurnya adharma. Bagi Hanuman, semua kejadian yang dialaminya berpuncak pada waktu bertemu Sri Rama. Hanuman merasa tugas yang diberikan Sri Rama kepadanya, bukan untuk kepentingan Sri Rama, tetapi untuk meningkatkan kesadaran dirinya. Semua potensi spiritual yang berada dalam dirinya seakan bangkit setelah bertemu Sri Rama.

Hanuman tidak tertarik pada tahta dan kenyamanan.  Hanuman tidak ikut Subali yang menang persaingan memperebutkan tahta terhadap Sugriwa, bahkan Hanuman ikut Sugriwa yang terusir dari istana. Walaupun demikian Hanuman juga tidak bermusuhan dengan Subali, sehingga Hanuman tidak ikut campur dalam perseteruan antara kedua pamannya. Hanuman sudah muak dengan ‘kedunia-kerawian’.

Hanuman telah paham bahwa seseorang lahir dengan sifat genetik tertentu, kemudian sejak kecil dididik orang tua, lingkungan, pendidikan dan pengalaman. Kerangka kebenaran bagi setiap orang akan berbeda.  Bahkan kedua pamannya Sugriwa dan Subali yang berseteru mempunyai landasan kebenaran masing-masing. Sugriwa merasa benar, karena sesuai pesan Subali apabila darah putih mengalir dari dalam goa ketika Subali bertarung dengan Raksasa Maesasura, berarti Subali mati dan goa ditutup. Sedangkan Subali merasa benar dan menyalahkan Sugriwa, mengapa setelah itu Sugriwa mengambil hadiah Dewi Tara yang sebenarnya diberikan kepada dia yang membunuh sang raksasa.

Hanuman sudah muak dengan dengan kebenaran duniawi, yang bisa dibelokkan sesuai kepentingan masing-masing pribadi. Konon, kemuakan terhadap keduniawian itulah yang membawa Sri Rama bertemu dengannya. Hanuman sudah siap bertemu dengan seorang Guru.

Hanuman mendengar dari ibunya bahwa paman-pamannya Sugriwa dan Subali pada awalnya adalah anak-anak yang baik. Akan tetapi dalam perjalanan hidupnya, godaan dari luar berupa kenikmatan indera dan godaan dari dalam berupa peningkatan ego sering tak terkendalikan.

Jangan kira sekali terjinakkan hewan di dalam diri menjadi jinak untuk selamanya. Tidak demikian.  Hewan-hewan buas nafsu, keserakahan, kebencian, kemunafikan, dan lain sebagainya—termasuk majikan mereka yaitu gugusan pikiran yang kita sebut mind—membutuhkan pengawasan ketat sepanjang hari, sepanjang malam….. sepanjang tahun…..sepanjang hidup. ^{*5 Bhaja Govindam}

Guru

Bertemu Sri Rama, Hanuman mulai paham bahwa Sugriwa mencari Tuhan untuk kepentingan duniawi, pembalasan dendam kepada Subali. Hanuman berdoa semoga dalam perjalanan berikutnya Sugriwa semakin meningkat kesadarannya. Hanuman menjadi paham bahwa Jatayu rela mati demi Tuhan dalam menegakkan kebenaran dengan melawan Rahwana yang menculik Dewi Sinta. Hanuman bisa menghayati mengapa Subari menunggu bertemu Tuhan, baru rela mati, demikian pula Raksasa Kabandha.

Hanuman merasa beruntung menemukan Guru, dan dia patuh terhadap perintah Gurunya. Akan tetapi Hanuman paham bahwa sebelum kematian datang menjemputnya, dia harus selalu waspada.

Keberhasilan seseorang tidak dapat dinilai selama ia masih hidup. Bagaimana ia mengakhiri hidupnya itulah yang menentukan keberhasilannya. ^{*6 SMS Wisdom}

Konon seseorang bisa disebut Guru apabila dia mendapatkan pengetahuan langsung dari Keberadaan. Sekadar membaca dan memahami kebenaran dari catatan belum pantas menjadi seorang Guru. Kemudian seorang Guru juga harus pernah menjadi murid, sehingga dia dapat membina muridnya. Sri Rama pernah berguru kepada Resi Vasishtha dan Resi Wiswamitra, sehingga Sri Rama adalah kriteria Guru yang benar.Selanjutnya, Hanuman melepaskan semua pendapat pribadinya dan patuh terhadap Sri Rama. Hanuman telah mencapai ‘one pointedness’, ‘ekagrata’, seluruh kegiatan hidupnya hanya untuk Sri Rama. Hanuman selalu mengingat Sri Rama di setiap waktu, Hanuman selalu berzikir tentang Sri Rama.

Zikir harus diartikan sebagai “kesadaran” yang mewarnai segala aspek kehidupan. Mengingat “Dia” setiap saat dan di setiap tempat. Entah berada dalam kamar mandi atau kamar tidur atau kamar kerja. Allah berada di mana-mana. ^{*7 Islam Esoteris}

Zikir : Pengertiannya bukan sekedar zikir bertasbeh pada jam-jam tertentu atau untuk waktu tertentu tetapi, melibatkan Tuhan dalam setiap pikiran, ucapan, dan perbuatan sepanjang hari dan sepanjang malam. Dalam alam mimpi pun, zikir rohani berjalan terus!  Mengenang, mengingat, dan berceritera tentang-Nya sepanjang usia itulah zikir. Senantiasa berupaya untuk memberi-Nya tontonan yang baik itulah zikir. Ya, dia sedang menonton kita apakah kita sudah membawakan peran kita dengan baik? ^{*8 Haqq Moujud}

Guru sebagai wujud ilahi yang hidup jauh lebih sulit daripada seorang suci  yang sudah meninggal dunia. Bila seorang suci sudah mati, maka kita lebih bebas memaknai petunjuk mendiang sang suci.

Konon diceritakan bahwa Musa berjalan mengikuti Khidir dan tidak boleh bertanya mengapa sang guru berbuat sesuatu yang di luar nalar. Pertama, Musa bingung mengapa Khidir melubangi perahu milik orang desa. Bertambah bingung kala Khidir juga merobohkan rumah kosong milik seorang anak piatu, dan bahkan membunuh seorang anak kecil dalam perjalanannya.

Musa baru sadar ketika Khidir memberi penjelasan, bahwa dia melobangi perahu, karena rombongan raja akan datang merampas perahu yang  masih baik, dan selamatlah perahu yang telah dilobangi. Khidir juga menjelaskan bahwa rumah tersebut harus dirobohkan agar pama-paman sang anak tidak menemukan warisan perhiasan yang ditinggalkan orang tua sang anak, sampai sang anak menjadi dewasa dan bisa membangun rumah kembali. Kemudian anak kecil tersebut dibunuh, karena bila menjadi besar dia akan membunuh kedua orang tuanya dan mengganggu orang se desa.

Demikianlah maka Hanuman tidak mempersoalkan mengapa Sri Rama membunuh Subali saat bertarung dengan Sugriwa. Mengapa Sri Rama harus memusnahkan ratusan ribu bangsa raksasa demi istrinya. Bagi Hanuman. Sri Rama memahami kehidupan masa lalu dan masa depan seseorang, sehingga secara utuh tindakan Dia adalah tindakan bijaksana.

Seorang dokter harus mengamputasi salah satu bagian tubuh untuk menyelamatkan nyawa pasiennya. Apakah ia pantas dijuluki zalim? Sri Rama bagaikan seorang ahli bedah. Di medan perang Alengka, ia sedang melakukan operasi besar-besaran. Bagi seorang ‘Avalokita’, tumor ganas bukan untuk dibenci atau dihindari, tetapi untuk diangkat. Jika ia melakukan bedah dan mengangkat tumor, bukan karena ia membenci tumor. Tetapi karena ia ingin menyelamatkan tubuh.

Beberapa quotation tentang Guru

Berapa quotation dari buku Bapak Anand Krishna tentang Guru.

Jika memutuskan untuk berguru, bergurulah pada seseorang yang kita percayai 100%. Janganlah berguru pada seseorang karena pengetahuan orang itu. Kita harus berguru karena kepercayaan kita. Berarti “keputusan untuk berguru” harus datang dari diri kita sendiri, kita boleh ada pertimbangan dari luar yang mempengaruhi keputusan kita. Masukan dari luar hanya merupakan bahan pertimbangan. Kita yang mempertimbangkan dan memutuskan. Janganlah berguru pada seseorang hanya karena banyak orang berguru kepadanya. Bila jumlah pengikut menjadi pertimbangan, sesungguhnya kita berguru pada “jumlah”, pada “kuantitas” tidak pada guru. Kita tidak akan memperoleh sesuatu yang berharga. ^{*9 Life Workbook}

Seorang Guru duduk di tengah. Para siswa duduk melingkar, menghadapinya. Apa arti pola duduk seperti itu? Sang murshid harus menjadi centrepoint hidup kita. Titik tengah kehidupan kita. Dan jangan lupa, yang menjadi centrepoint bukanlah wujud dia. Tetapi apa yang “diwakilinya”. Dan setiap murshid mewakili hanya satu Lembaga – Lembaga Non-Lembaga…. Kasih. Dengan semangat permainan, berupayalah untuk mencapai titik tengah di dalam diri sendiri. Untuk menemukan kasih di dalam diri sendiri. Guru di luar diri hanya mewakili Murshid di dalam diri setiap murid. Dalam semangat itu, salami setiap teman seperjalanan. Keberadaan mereka sangat membantu. Energi kebersamaan sangat menunjang evolusi batin. Sebaliknya, hindari mereka yang justru menarik Anda ke belakang, karena tidak senang melihat kemajuan Anda. Tidak perlu membenci, tidak perlu memusuhi mereka. Just ignore them. Dicueki saja. ^{*10 Narada Bhakti Sutra}

Sang Murshid mengetuk pintu rumah kita. Guru berada di luar pintu… dan kembali terciptalah dualitas: “Aku sudah bertatap muka dengan Yang Maha Kuasa…… apakah aku masih harus berhubungan dengan seorang guru?”……….. Seorang guru datang dalam hidup kita bukan karena kehendaknya, tetapi karena dikehendaki-Nya. Kedatangan Seorang murshid atau seorang guru dalam hidup kita “terjadi” karena dikehendaki oleh-Nya. Itulah kenapa kita sujud kepadanya, karena sesungguhnya dengan sujud kepadanya kita sedang sujud kepada-Nya. ^{*11 Kidung Agung}

Terima Kasih Guru. Semoga kesadaran Guru menyebar ke seluruh Nusantara. Namaste.

^{*1 Atisha}                   Atisha, Melampaui Meditasi untuk Hidup Meditatif, Anand Krishna, PT Gramedia Pustaka Utama, 2003.

^{*2 Reinkarnasi}            Reinkarnasi Melampaui Kelahiran Dan Kematian, Anand Krishna, Gramedia Pustaka Utama, 1998.

^{*3 Reformasi}              Reformasi, Gugatan Seorang “Ibu”, Anand Krishna, PT Grasindo, 1998.

^{*4 Neo Psyhic Awareness}                    Neo Psyhic Awareness, Anand Krishna, Gramedia Pustaka Utama, 2005.

^{*5 Bhaja Govindam}      Bhaja Govindam Nyanyian Kebijaksanaan Sang Mahaguru Shankara, Anand Krishna, Gramedia Pustaka Utama, 2004.

^{*6 SMS Wisdom}               SMS Wisdom, Anand Krishna.

^{*7 Islam Esoteris}              Islam Esoteris kemuliaan dan Keindahannya, Anand Krishna dan Achmad Chodjim, Gramedia Pustaka Utama, 2000.

^{*8 Haqq Moujud}               Haqq Moujud Menghadirkan Kebenaran Sufi dalam Hidup Sehari-hari, Anand Krishna, 2004.

^{*9 Life Workbook}        Life Workbook Melangkah dalam Pencerahan, Kendala dalam Perjalanan, dan Cara Mengatasinya, Anand Krishna, Gramedia Pustaka Utama, 2007.

^{*10 Narada Bhakti Sutra} Narada Bhakti Sutra, Menggapai Cinta Tak Bersyarat dan Tak Terbatas, Anand                                  Krishna, Gramedia Pustaka Utama, 2001.

^{*11 Kidung Agung}        Kidung Agung Melagukan Cinta Bersama Raja Salomo, Anand Krishna, PT Gramedia Pustaka Utama, 2006.

silahkan menghubungi

http://booksindonesia.com/id/

http://www.anandkrishna.org/oneearthmedia/ind/

http://triwidodo.wordpress.com

http://id-id.facebook.com/triwidodo.djokorahardjo

November 2009.

The Hanuman Chalisa is a collection of 40 Dohas written by Tulsidas.

Chanting this is believed to ward off danger and fill us with strength.

The original Hanuman chalisa is in a dialect of Hindi and many of us find it difficult to recite. Although the script is available in Kannada, the language is still hard to follow.

I have uploaded the Hanuman Chalisa given to me by my mother-in-law. This is an adaptation of the Hanuman Chalisa in Kannada. It’s not just a translation but the language itself is Kannada, the meaning and the power I’m sure, being preserved.

Download Hanuman Chalisa in Kannada

I hope many of you find this useful. If there are any corrections that are required, please feel free to let me know.

Jai Hanuman!

HISTORY
Two hundred years ago, Tippu Sultan ruled Palakad District of Keralam. He built the fort in the town, now a tourist attraction. The Hanuman temple there, attracts thousands of devotees evey day. It is believed to be there, even when Tippu captured the town. He did not demolish it.
Our village was on the opposite bank of the river, which was conneted to the Palakad town by an old road, via Pazhayannur. Fearing harassment by the Muslim soldiers of Tippu, the  village was shifted to the present location. As there was no road on this side of the river, the Brahmins there felt secure; the pooja at the Shiva temple, which is very, very old, was resumed, after the Brahmins, who had fled elsewhere, returned to the new CS puram village. 
Until the land reforms act of 1975 totally ruined them, the villagers were prosperous land lords. Each house had a big wooden chamber, to store paddy received as rent of the land, leased to the tenants. It is said that one Sankaracharya of Kanchi Kamakodi, with all his paraphernalia, stayed there for almost a month, and all expenses  were met by the villagers, who had their own carpenter, blacksmith, barber, washermen, farm labour etc. etc.
Every year, Sastapreethi is celebrated with all pomp and show. The festival lasts for three days, with elephants parade, drum beating, fire works etc. We do not cook food for these days. All eat at the Shiva temple, where special arrangements are made for acommodating guest Brahmins coming from neighbouring agrahara villages, for which no invitation is required. We will wait till the guests are served.
All our villagers working outside, make it a point to attend this function, for which compulsory donations are extracted from all of us residents. Visiters also donate liberally. For us living in metropolitan cities, it may be a real, enjoyable surprise, to be a guest there.

There are very many such Brahmin villages at Palakad. The rath or chariot is similar to the one we see at Puri.
There is a warium family for the temple. When  we first settled there, the old warriar was stll alive. He was always grumbling and cursing all. The film song “oh! blind gods, mere clay creatures! “he wold sing aloud. His son, a young man who had no issues and was an asthmatic patient, wold curse him in low voice, and the whole atmosphere at the Shiva temple, where I would be the lone devotee in  the evenings, giving company and comfort to Murugan, the  poojary, in darkness, often visited by snakes, as the whole temple is infested with rats, was gloomy. I would repeat the mantra “ohm namah! Shivayah!,”thound and eight times, morning and evening, after darshan of Shiva, Ganesha and Devi, all in the same building, and return with Murugan. We became fast friends. He had seen the world, was at Jamshedpur earlier, was only an employee there and woud ask repeatedly: are you comfortable among these aiyers here?, myself being a namboodiri.
One day, I placed a bundle of notes, Rs. 5000, at the entrance to the sanctum of Shiva temple, as is normally done by the devotees, who want to give Him the money. Murugan could have taken it; he didn’t. Instead, it was handed over to the manager, who asked me whether I had any particular object in mind. I mentioned the difficulty in approaching the Shiva temple, a few hundred yards away from the last house of the village, partially submerged in slush in the rain, dark at night. Could something be done?

He nodded yes.

Mathura

Mathura is famously known for being the birthplace of Lord Krishna, and many temples, if not all in the city, are dedicated to that deity. The Main temple is a massive complex in the place where He was supposed to be born. This picture was taken in a nearby temple, when the bus I was travelling back to New Delhi decided to make a stop in Mathura. It turned out that it was the birthday of Lord Krishna and I was lucky enough to be at the right time in the right moment and there was a big festival in the city. After prayers in the main temple we headed down to this little small one in which my fellow bus riders invited me to join them for the religious service. The Brahmin read some verses of the Sutras, while we were sitting down in the floor. After that we were invited to make a donation and I was surprised of the amounts of money that Hindus donate on temples. After that, one by one stood in line to get blessed with incense and to place our forehead in a footprint in a second altar. Then,still in line and in our way out of the temple we got our “tilak” a mark in the forehead in between your eyes symbolizing auspiciousness and the opening of the third eye, since we were at a Krishna Temple.

Daramshalla

This was my favorite temple in all India, I discovered it on one of my frequent walks around Daramshalla in the northern part of India. Actually this Temple on the village of Baghsu and it’s decoration amazed me from far away. It was not allowed to take pictures from Inside the Temple so this is the only one that I got. But once inside there is a one way stair that starts from the mouth of a Lion (you can see part of it) that staircase leads to the first floor in which you walk a narrow hallway for about 20 meters and then you must kneel to proceed further. Once on your knees you reach an altar composed by a pool and carvings of snakes, with the crown being a multi headed cobra as you can see in the picture above from the Krishna temple. There’s no way to return so you must proceed forward still on your knees until you exit on the other side of the building through the mouth of a dragon.

Shimla

This Temple is located in the Himalayan village of Shimla and it’s dedicated to the monkey shaped god Hanuman, as you could expect the temple is inhabited by hordes of monkeys. You have to be really careful all the way with your belongings since they Love to annoy people, taking their cameras, bags and if you have any food, of course.
The temple is located on top of a hill so actually to get there it’s quite a walk but once up the view is rewarding and the place, if you can forget the monkeys for a while, it’s utterly calm and an ideal place for meditation. The compound is conformed of several buildings and this in the picture is the main, doors are locked to prevent the animals from eating the offerings.

THIS IS PURE FICTION
Imagine Bali’s son discussing with Sugriv’s son, the plight of their country, after it was subjugated by the Aryan north.
Bin Bali :      Our fathers failed to antcipate the events to come. In the epic  Ramayana, they call us monkeys ! How shameful.
Bin Sugriv : They  got renegades like Hanuman and Vibhishan, in their attempt at domination of the south.
                  The story about the abduction of Sita was a lie.
                  Ravan will die if he touches a woman against her will? why did she not jump out of the aeroplane?
                  Yes, but what shall we do now ?
                  We shall take revenge. I shall be born as the son of Vasudev and you as the daughter of Drupad, and make the Pandavas and Kauravas fight each other. The whole of north Indian Aryans will fight on one side or the other, until only widows and children will remain alive.
                  But our colour will expose us. We shall be caught and killed.
                  My flute will mesmerise their women and make the men impotent.
                 I shall assume the guise of a woman and make the Pandav brothers dance to my tune.

The above imaginary conversation was meant to high light a fact, glossed over by most pundits.
Before the Krishna cult became almost universal in India, following the great poet Jaydev’s Bhajagovindam, some time in the sixteenth century (I always write from memory, as I am not in the habit of maintaining a notebook. Mistakes in names and dates are bound to happen), the prevailing deity was Lord Shiva. The author might have deliberately chosen the two villains of the story to be shown in black colour, to show his anger against these two charactors. There was a war, not earlier than three thousand years, and the exact reasons are not clear. The intention of the author was to show to the world, the horrors of war, and not to deify any body. He wanted to say that, whatever the cause, war is always despicable.

 Today this message is very relevant. Wars are thrust on us by arms manufactorers and their henchmen.
Any reader who examines the role of these two black charaters, will inevitably come to the conclusion that Krishn and Krishna are the villains. After the publication of Bhajagovindam, things became confusing. How can  God be blamed as a villain ? So there was an attempt to white wash Krishn. Now, no one will agree that he is black. My wife, to whom I mentioned this, argued that Krishn is blue and not black !
 Geeta was afterwards inserted in the epic, in order to justify Krishn. In all the rest of the book, he is referred as simply Krishn. In Geeta he became Shrikrishn. I have been influenced by Kuttykrishna Marar’s Bharataparyatanam, in which charactors in the book have been mercilessly exposed ! He painted Karna as the only one, who remained stead fast to his principles. (the late K.P.C.ANUJAN BHATTADIRIPAD, my close friend, whose untimely departure caused me unearable pain, gave me the book to read) When approached by the wily Kunti, to hand over his protective shield, given by his father Sun to save him from all evil powers, he gave her what she asked for, paving the way for his own death.

 He remained stead fast to his friend Duryodhan to the end. As Mark Twain said: every one will be on my side, if I do the right thing. He who backs me even when I do wrong, is the true friend.(not the exact words)
The relationship between Karna and Duryodhan is an example of true friendhip. Krishn even offered him the the Crown, after the war, if he sided with Pndavas; he point blank refused. Vibhishan would have eagerly accepted it !

it was seven in the evening. i’d just returned from my shop. it was pretty cold that night. my phone rang. the monitor showed ’surri h’. ‘h’ stands for ‘haraami’.

“bhai… this is surri.”

“haa bhai.. tell?”

“its pretty cold tonight. why don’t you join us here at anna egg wala’s shop?”

“us? who is with you? bhabhi? “

“no, you bastard. hanuman is with me.always talking about bhabhi”

i was in no mood to meet him. i’d no relations with him as such. but surri and hanuman were best of friends. i was finding it difficult to refuse surri’s request. so i just disconnected it.

the phone rang again. this time it was complete ’surri harami’. actually. i’ve five numbers of surri. the rest three are of different names such as surri bastard, surri sala and the last one should not be written here. he takes full advantage of his always sleeping employer and steals the SIM”S and handsets.

the phone rang again.

“you bastard… why’d you disconnected the call?”

“no it just got disconnected.”

“okay so where to meet?”

“no. not today. we will meet some other time. say sorry to hanuman.”

“arrey no. you’ve to come just now. hey talk to hanuman.”

this incident was least wanted. i didn’t want to talk to him. when we once met a year before surri had told me about hanuman. he had started taking bhang. suddenly various voices started coming. and one of them was of refusal of hanuman to talk to me. he was telling surri that he had rajshri in his mouth. but surri insisted. so both of us were talking to each other on surri h’s insistence. i don’t know how surri manage with him.

“hullo……..hullo…”

“haa hanuman bhai…bolo..”

“hullo is it goatsheeng??? goatsheeng?”

“yes this is goatsheeng.”

“goatsheeng this is hanuman….hanuman.”

suddenly he cut the call.

the phone rang again.

“yes, we are waiting for you.” surri said.

the call again got disconnected.

i told my mother that i was leaving.

“beware of these kids. they are not good. and don’t listen to faaltu plans of surri. amit’s mother was telling me about some of his plans that amit told her. you know what reputation these left people have!”

“okay i am leaving byeeeee.”

i was in no mood to waste money on surri and that to when he is with hanuman. i took a tempo to reach anna egg corner. and i had just rs 20 in pocket.

i reached anna egg corner. i found them seating on surri’s 1983 model ‘priya’.

i reached to them.

“see the rich people have arrived.” surri exclaimed.

“leave it yaar!” i said.

i saw hanuman wearing a black t-shirt with a caption ’ milky balloons inside’.

he was looking the same as the last time i saw him during ganesh utsav.

that ganesh utsav was the only event that we experienced with fervour. the right people had given money and the left people made the jhaaki.

“that is what these people are for.” batra uncle said while fighting over money when somebody had given extra money to a left person.

my house was in middle. one side was left area mainly consisting of poor people or lower middle class and right area for the right people, the rich.

to some extent my house was also a part of right area.

they made the jhaaki but batra uncle took all the credit. hanuman was the son of halwaai.

but where am i going? i am not here to write about the atrocities and insults faced by the poor.

” from where you bought this t-shirt?” i asked hanuman as we hugged each other.

“from bumbai, a friend bought it. liked it? have you seen it’s back part?” he squirted a red juice of rajshri as he spoke.

the back part had a picture of pamela anderson with football on her………….

they ordered bhurji and i decided boiled eggs for myself.

“let’s go to my room.” surri said.

“please yaar goatsheeng . please come.” hanuman insisted.

“okay…lets go.”

we, all three sat on his ‘priya’ . and left for his room.

I had completely forgotten how great these two are till I heard this. This was on their recent studio album 11:11 which came out September 8th.

Makes me want to pick up an acoustic guitar && try my hand at it.

Rodrigo y Gabriela – Hanuman (Live) (Youtube)

Dindigul is a beautiful destination with lots to offer. It is the 13th largest town in Tamil Nadu, peaceful and serine. There are many places worth a visit in Dindigul, especially the temples here. There is plenty of it, which not only brings spiritual satisfaction but also leaves behind an experience. Adjacent to the Dindigul fort stands the Hanuman temple. The Dindigul Fort itself is a great tourist attraction. Many people from all parts of the country and beyond visit this place. Even inside the fort there is a temple dedicated to Lord Muruga. The other temples near by are the Sri Kottai Mariamman temple, the temple for Vetri Vinayaka, which is Lord Muruga, The Mandapam hall, the Sri Chella Mariamman temple, the Dhandayuthapani temple, the Murukan temple, the Abirami Amman temple and the Raja Kaliamman temple in Thethupatti. All these make Dindigul a perfect place for pilgrimage. The natural beauty of this place is also worth mentioning.

The nearest airport is in Madurai and Coimbatore hence a tourist or pilgrim can use any of this pit stop. Dindigul is also well connected by rail and road. There are also several hotels and resorts with good facilities for their guests.

May Lakshmi give you wealth and happiness. May Krishna give you excellence and tact. May Ganesha give you wisdom and discretion. May Hanuman give you strength and faith. May Saraswati give you knowledge. May Shiva give you peace and stillness. May Ram give you humility and love.

And may you be able to give it all back to make the world, your life and your home a better place.

Happy Diwali

In the Sundar Kaand, upon finding that Hanuman has found Sita, Ram Chandra Ji embraced him, and said “Hanuman, of all the gods, men and sages born in the world, you are my greatest benefactor.”

Hanuman, Shiva incarnate to serve the cause of the birth of Ram – Vishnu’s incarnation – loved Ram profoundly and Ram worshiped Shiv with intense devotion. A part of the story of Ramayan is this circle of love and devotion, illustrating that without love God cannot be served.

And Hanuman Chalisa is a loving string of 40 hymns of praise and prayer of and for Hanuman’s Grace:

Hari Om Shri Hanumate Namaha

Doha

Shri Guru charan saroj raj, Nij manu mukuru sudhar |
Barnau Raghubar bimal jasu, Jo daayak phal chaar ||
Budhiheen tanu jaanke, Sumiro Pavan Kumar |
Bal buddhi vidhya dehu mohe, Harahu kales bikaar ||

Chopai

Jai Hanuman Gyan Gunn Sagar |
Jai kapees tihu loak ujaagar ||
Ram doot attulit bal dhama |
Anjani Putra Pavan Sutt naama ||

Mahabir bikram bajrangee |
Kumati nivaar sumati ke sangi ||
Kanchan baran biraaj subesa |
Kanan kundal kunchit kesa ||

Haath vajra ao dhwaja biraaje |
Kandhe moonj janeu saaje ||
Sankar suvan Kesrinandan |
Tej pratap maha jag bandhan ||

Vidhyavan gunni ati chaatur |
Ram kaaj karibe ko aatur ||
Prabhu charitra sunibe ko rasiya |
Ram Lakhan Sita mann basiya ||

Sookshma roop dhari siyahi dhikhava |
Bikat roop dhari Lank jarava ||
Bheem roop dhari asur sahare |
Ramchandra Ji ke kaaj savare ||

Laye Sanjeevan Lakhan jiyaye |
Shriraghuvir harsha ure laye ||
Raghupati kinhe bahut badai |
Tum mam priye Bharat sam bhai ||

Sahas badan Tumhro jas gavey |
Aas kahi Shripati kantha lagavey ||
Sankadik Bhramadhi munisa |
Narad Sarad sahit Aahisa ||

Jam Kuber Digpal jahan tey |
Kavi kovid kahi sake kaha tey ||
Tum upkar Sugrivahi keenha |
Ram milaye raj pad deenha ||

Tumrho mantra Vibheeshana mana |
Lankeshvar bhaye sab jag jaana ||
Yug sahestra jojan par bhanu |
Leelyo tahi madhur phal janu ||

Prabhu mudrika meli mukh mahi |
Jaladhi langhi gaye achraj nahi ||
Durgam kaaj jagat ke jetey |
Sugam anugrah Tumhre tetey ||

Ram duaare Tum rakhvare |
Hoat na aagya binu paisaare ||
Sab sukh lahai Tumhaari sarna |
Tum rachak kahu ko daarna ||

Aapan tej samhaaro Aape |
Teenho loke hakte kape ||
Bhoot pishaach nikat nahi aaveh |
Mahavir jab naam sunaveh ||

Naase rog harey sab peera |
Japat nirantar Hanumat beera ||
Sankat se Hanuman chudavey |
Maan kram bachan dhyan jo lavey ||

Sab per Ram tapasvi raja |
Tin ke kaaj sakal Tum saja ||
Aur manorath jo koyi lavey |
Soyee amit jeevan phal pavey ||

Charon jug pratap Tumhara |
Hai prasidh jagat ujiyaara ||
Sadhu sant ke tum rakhvarey |
Asur nikandan Ram dularey ||

Ashtha sidhi Navnidhi ke data |
As var deen Jaanki mata ||
Ram rasayan tumhre paasa |
Sada raho Raghupati ke daasa ||

Tumreh bhajan Ram ko bhavey |
Janam janam ke dukh bisravey ||
Untt kaal Raghubar pur jaee |
Jahan janam Hari bhagat kahaee ||

Aur Devta chitta na dharayee |
Hanumat seye sarav sukh karayee ||
Sankat katey mitey sab peera |
Jo sumere Hanumat balbeera ||

Jai jai jai Hanuman Gosain |
Kripa karo Guru Dev ke naai ||
Jo sat bar paath kar koi |
Chutehi bandhi maha sukh hoi ||

Jo yeh padey Hanuman Chalisa |
Hoye sidhi sakhee Gaureesa ||
Tulsidas sada hari chera |
Keejey Nath hridaye maha dera ||

Doha

Pavantnaye sankat haran, Mangal murti roop |
Ram Lakhan Sita sahit, Hridaye basau sur bhup ||

Við fórum í ekta túristaskoðunarferð með leiðsögumanni sem heitir Hanuman (sem er fyndið, því að það er einn af guðunum sem heitir Hanuman) – Þá skoðuðum við Virupaksha musterið, Helga var blessuð af fíl fyrir að gefa honum 20 Rúbíur, skoðuðum annað svipað musteri með samskonar Bazar í 2 Km fjarlægð sem er hálf yfirgefinn og ýmislegt fleira.

Við fengum líka rauðan blett á ennið, sem margir hafa beðið með mikilli eftirvæntingu!!

Virupaksha musterið / hofið (hver er munurinn á musteri og hofi? Einhver?)

Inni í hofinu í 100-súlna-salnum

Þetta er fíllinn Laxmi að blessa Helgu (hann blessar mann bara ef maður gefur honum pening – Addi hafði ekki áhuga)

Komin með rauðan punkt á ennið

Hanuman að dreyfa úr sinni víðfermdu visku

Helga að komast í snertingu við innra sjálfið sitt

Þessar kýr voru líka að skoða musterið

Það er eitthvað svaka bonding í gangi þarna

Það sést ekki vel á svona lítilli mynd, en það eru rifflur á þessum steini – sem eru frá því að þeir voru hoggnir í sundur. Það eru sérstök járn sem eru fleiguð niður í steininn í langa línu þar til hann brotnar í sundur.

Fallegt útsýni yfir Hampi Bazaarinn að aftan frá

Þetta sem sést þarna fyrir aftan var notað sem leikhús í gamla daga fyrir aðalsmennina

Þarna er hann alveg orðinn ruglaður af innri leit, tengjast alheimsorkunni og af því að kyrja í of langan tíma

Dussehra has different connotations in different parts of the country. While it goes largely unnoticed in Andhra Pradesh, except of course the mass emigration of the migratory population, it overwhelms Orissa days before it actually sets in. Even after the ten day period is over, the festival fervour continues till Diwali, usually a fortnight later.

This year, at home, Dussehra was no different. Colorful pandals, wild kids, loud chantings, heavy traffic and endless delicacies adorned the period this time too. Some glimpses of the festival from the city.

Pandal at Ravi Talkies Square

Shiva-Parvati

Hanuman

Pandal at Shahid Nagar

Arch at Shahid Nagar

At Nayapalli ground

The dynamic vaanars

Hanuman

Pandal at Nayapalli

]]> http://kisahbangsa.wordpress.com/2009/09/29/misteri-prambanan-benarkah-ia-dibangun-sebagai-kuil-air-suci/ Tue, 29 Sep 2009 08:24:04 +0000 kisahbangsa http://kisahbangsa.wordpress.com/2009/09/29/misteri-prambanan-benarkah-ia-dibangun-sebagai-kuil-air-suci/ http://serialbus.wordpress.com/2009/09/28/stuff-of-memories-parents-trip-to-the-us/ Tue, 29 Sep 2009 03:28:19 +0000 serialbus http://serialbus.wordpress.com/2009/09/28/stuff-of-memories-parents-trip-to-the-us/

My parents went back to India last month after a two and a half month stay with us in the US. This was their first visit to the West and I am sure that there must have been several big-ticket highlights for them. But for me, the small little things that they did or experienced stand out. I am listing a randomly recalled 11 occasions that have all the potential of being the stuff of memories.

1. Kumaoni Lunch: We thought of the best possible way of introducing my parents to our friends in CT and RI – a traditional Kumaoni lunch to be hosted at our place. Once the date was fixed, we worked together to create a menu. From that point, parents took over. We had about 7-8 items decided. For about 4 days leading to the lunch, papa and mummy were busy cooking. Several items were cooked in advance and some the evening before. From the mint drinks to the desserts, it was the Kumaoni flavor all the way. Friends loved the food and parents got to interact with them closely. It was a great afternoon.

2. Summer Fun at Mohegan Sun: At a trip to the Hamonahasset Beach, papa noticed about 6 small airplanes high up in the sky flying in a formation and releasing condensed gas in a pattern to create huge letters against the blue sky. We began to read every letter as it was being formed – eventually, it said, ‘Hot Summer Fun At Mohegan Sun’. Towards the end of their stay, we actually ended up going to Mohegan Sun for a day trip. Mom stayed back but packed dinner for us. It was a ‘Wild Wednesday’ so we got there on time to check out a farmer’s market, a vintage auto show, a cook-off, a tour of the huge casino, the hotel and finally, topped it off with some extravagant fireworks. The trip was an unexpected hit with papa, who on the way back, declared it to be ‘the best trip’ of his stay.

3. Lyman Orchards and Bathua: No other place that we visited enthralled my parents as much as the Lyman orchards in Middlefield, less than 15 minutes from our home.  The first time they saw rows and rows of strawberry and raspberry shrubs, they were just happy to finally see some form of  agriculture (ok, horticulture!). Until then, they had seen inter-states and towns and forests and lakes but never saw a farm. They loved the orchards full of trees laden with ripe peaches and then on the other side of the road, trees stooping with apples about to turn red. During the pick-your-own-fruit sessions we had at the orchards, my mom’s keen eyes discovered bathua, the wild grass used as a leafy vegetable in India for meals. She plucked nearly equal quantities of strawberries and bathua – for the next few days, we were eating bathua paranthas and drinking strawberry shakes.

4. Discovery of Tulsi: As the above example proves, my mom has an eye for trees and plants. From their evening walks, they would bring home some wild berries growing on roadside trees. When we alerted them that this may freak out the tree-huggers around, they brought home apples they found fallen on the ground near the Wesleyan tracks. When I took them on a tour of the university and reached Nidhi’s lab, my father praised the buildings and the facilities. When asked what impressed her, my mom very coyly just mentioned – ‘flowers’ – of all colors across the campus. On a tour of Stop & Shop, as we loaded our cart with the usual produce, mom’s eyes zeroed in on a rack that had some small plants in pots. She had been talking about tulsi (basil) for some time and there she had spotted the basil plant in a pot. Of course, it was not the holy basil variety that is so venerated in India but tulsi nevertheless! We brought it home and my parents had transplanted and created 4 new pots of tulsi in no time. All these pots were gifted to friends we visited, save the original which still sits on our window sill.

5. Nine Types of Pulses: Visiting the Hindu temples in the US was a unique experience for my parents. They were impressed by the mere existence of elaborate temples in the US – full with priests, rituals and regalia. Though we visited 4 temples (Shree Temple in Ashland MA, Balaji Temple in Bridgewater NJ, Shree Satyanarayan Temple in Middletown CT and the ISKCON temple in East Hartford CT), they visited the Middletown temple most often, given the proximity. Knowing that the temple had a pedestal with nine black statues of Navgraha (Nine Planets as per Hindu mythology), my mom remembered to fill small plastic pouches with different types of pulses and offered each one of the gods a pulse each (not randomly; each god was offered a certain pulse). When I pointed out that there were only 8 pulse pouches and that Ketu had not been offered anything, she asked me to offer some coins. But, I kept joking with her about how Ketu will be upset for being treated unfairly – surely enough, on the next visit to the temple, a pulse pouch was duly offered, only to Ketu this time.

6. The Lord’s Midnight Appearance: Talking of temples and festivals, the night of 13th August was the famous festival of Janmashtami, the birthday of Lord Krishna, one of the most popular Hindu deities. All 4 of us visited the Middletown temple in the evening and watched the Lord’s statue being bathed in gallons of milk and then adorned and embellished for puja and ceremonies. This was followed by bhajans sung by volunteers from the crowd – including my mom who sang 3 bhajans on a microphone for the first time in such a gathering. It was about 10pm and though it had been a good experience, I felt that the ISKCON celebrations in northern CT would be even grander. The venue was about half an hour away and after much cajoling, parents agreed to go. Nidhi went home and the 3 of us drove off to the ISKCON venue. It was thronging with people and as midnight came closer, the bhajan singers became more and more delirious – ‘Please clap! The Lord is going to appear in another 10 minutes!!’ The crowd chanted ‘Hare Krishna, Krishna Krishna’, some devotees began to dance in a trance and suddenly, behold – they removed the curtains and exquisitely decorated tiny statues of Krishna and Radha appeared. We ate some midnight feast, mom broke her fast, came home and crashed.

7. Papa’s Diary: My mother often chides papa for lack of interest in reading or writing. To make up for the lost time, papa finished reading a couple of books while in the US (‘Kumaon Ka Itihas’ and ‘Kasap’) and he wrote prolifically in his diary. He maintained the journal very diligently. We never got around to reading it but I remember that it started with his description of how they got the visitor visas for the US. He later accepted our suggestion of using the notebook to paste various pieces of paper accumulated over the course of the stay – from Liberty Island passes to parking slips to grocery receipts to the entrance pass to my office in Midtown. This journal, which he kept under the mattress allow all the pieces of paper to stick well to the pages, recorded his thoughts and events of almost all days they spent in the US.

8. Mummy’s Harela: One of the things my mom did not forget to bring along to the US was a Hindu calendar for the 2.5 months of their stay. The calendar listed all holy days – festivals, fasts etc. She used it to good effect and we celebrated, amongst others, the Harela festival. This is an important Kumaoni event that is closely tied to the harvesting season. Each family sows seeds of 3-4 different pulses or grains in a pot ahead of this day such that by Harela, the pot is brimming with saplings of different types. Mom was worried that we did not have the right type of grains or seeds to enable the seeds to drop anchor. But, her ever-improvising skills rescued the day – she brought some eclectic pulse grains together, put them into a small pot and drop anchor they did. On the appointed day, she did not forget to ask Nidhi to bring home a printout of Lord Shiva from her computer lab (like several others, including a ‘Hanuman’ to be stuck on the car’s windshield on the day of their departure to the airport). The printout was duly put on the wall in a corner of the kitchen, anointed and worshipped alongside the Harela pot and finally, the Harela leaves were put on our heads by way of a Kumaoni ritual that accompanies a series of blessings (including ‘May you go to defecate with the support of a walking stick’ meaning you live long to be an old dodderer).

9. A Medical Certificate: One of the biggest worries of papa as he entered the US was making sure his government office back in Bhimtal Uttaranchal was fine with his stay in the US. His initial sanctioned leave was for a month. Then, owing to some health issues and our insistence, he wanted to stay longer in the US but that would mean filing a leave application and a medical certificate with his employer. During the course of a couple of tumultuous days, we sent his application by registered USPS post as well as via a fax and email scan to his office at midnight (so that his office colleagues keep the fax machine up and running when it gets transmitted). The fax and the email went out after a lot of trials and errors. Then came the question of a medical certificate. Fortunately, papa was under the care of a doctor of Pakistani origin at a nearby walk-in and the latter agreed to provide a certificate. Though the certificate did not have the usual insignia of validity as per Indian custom (a letterhead, a round seal, a designation stamp) and it had the date written in the American format (month before the day), it was as authentic as an American certificate could get. I believe papa fretted over the look of the certificate up until it was finally accepted by his office upon his return.

10. The Airshow: One of our first outdoor trips was to Rhode Island. We first went to the Quonset Airport in RI where the US Air Force had staged an airshow. It was the first big gathering of people my parents saw in the US – so many white people all at once! The place had the look of a fete with umpteen families frolicking around. The primary attraction were the mighty fighter planes that took to air time and again in formations and performed acrobatics. On the ground though, the air force had also opened up some of the planes with huge hulls for free public tours into them and also inside the cockpit. Nidhi and my father sat on the pilots’ seat and looked triumphant. It was a fun trip for all of us, followed by lunch at the all-American Ruby Tuesday and a visit to the Elms in Newport. On the way back, papa happily filmed long stretches of the highway on video from the back seat, covering all possible angles. Till later, he would consider the wide well-kept roads to be one of the most impressive things about the US.

11. Mahabharata: The legendary mythological TV show from the nineties made a comeback in our home, thanks to the Science Library at Wesleyan University. Nidhi got each of the 16 DVDs issued in sequence. So much engrossed were they in the series, my parents would watch as much as 6 episodes on a single day. They watched all 94 episodes in over a month and repeated some of the story arcs. I got to watch a few episodes as well and enjoyed the nostalgia of the grand show replete with amazingly written shuddh Hindi dialogues but tacky special effects. Once it was finished, my mom rued that the Science library did not stock ‘Ramayana’.