Here’s my Christmas wishes for all of you,

Lakshmi

CHRISTMAS WISHES FOR WRITERS

Wishing you the courage to pursue your dreams and the discipline and persistence to see them through, right till the end.

Wishing you beholders of your work who see the beauty and wonder in what you create.

Wishing you financial reward and recognition for your work.

Wishing you friends and fellow travellers on the writing path, who share disappointments and success with equal fervour.

Wishing you editors who understand what you’re trying to say and help you say it better,

Publishers who honour your vision and bring it to the widest possible audience.

Wishing you readers galore and letters of connection that move you to tears.

Wishing you the strength to endure the sting of rejection and the distraction of praise,

Patience, determination and the ability to get up and start all over again.

Wishing you all the time you need.

I wish you freedom from fear of the blank and empty page,

A peaceful silencing of the inner critic, and the death of all self-doubt.

I wish you a hide of leather and a heart of gold.

Most of all I wish you the joy of creation and the ability to stand aside and let the words find their own way.

I wish you characters who tell you their stories and speak for themselves.

I wish you plots that hold and won’t let go,

Scenes that fit and sentences that glow with perfection.

I wish you words;

An ocean of strong, expressive words pouring from your pen or onto the screen.

Words that sing the truth of this weird and wonderful human life.

Words of hope and despair, pain and pleasure,

Words that move others and help them know they are not alone,

That we’re all in this glorious mess together.

Words of wisdom and joy and love.

Words that only YOU can write.

Words that shine a light.

with love,

Edwina

ganesha

Identities can be shaped.
Attitude can be infused. Life can be breathed
into a single word. No wonder, to us, our work is our God.

lakshmi

Art immortalises. It brings
life to an empty canvas by infusing it with
a thousand imageries. Truly, we do see God in every Art.

It’s surprising how little things that
usually escape the human eye can come together and
create something larger than life. Truly, for us, God lies in the details.

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Creative Director: Haresh Moorjani
Art Director / Typographer: Balakrishna Gajelli
Illustrators: Balakrishna Gajelli, Vijaykumar Vasal

via ads of the world

Chapter 10, first Skanda, Devi Bhagavatham : Source and Reference :

See Also :

• Vyasa desires a son : Devi Bhagavatham : 4th Adhyaya of the First Skanda
• Devi Bhagavatham : 1-3 Adhyayas of the First Skanda

“On the very beautiful summit of Mount Meru, Vyâsa, the son of Satyavati, firmly determined, practised very severe austerities for the attainment of a son. Having heard from Nârada, he, the great ascetic, repeated the one syllabled mantra of Vâk and worshipped the Highest Mahâmayâ with the object of getting a son. He asked, Let a son be born to me as pure and as spirited and powerful as fire, air, earth, and Âkâs’a. He thought over in his mind that the man possessed of S’akti is worshipped in this world and the man devoid of S’akti is censured here, and thus came to the conclusion that S’akti is therefore worshipped every where; and, therefore,worshipped Bhagavân Mahes’vara coupled with the auspicious Âdyâ S’akti and spent away one hundred years without any food. He began his tapasyâ on that mountain summit which was ornamented with the garden of Karnikâr, where all the Devas play, and where live the Munis highly ascetic, the Âdityas, Vasus, Rudras, Marut, the two As’vîns, and the other mindful Risis, the knowers of Brahmâ and where the Kinnaras always resound the air with their songs of music, etc.; such a place Vyâsa Deva preferred for his tapasyâ.”

“The whole universe was pervaded with the spirit of asceticism of the intelligent Parâsara’s son Vyâsa Deva; and the hairs of his head were clotted and looked tawny, of the colour of flames.”

Seeing his penance, Indra, the husband of Saci got scared. : (By the way, The name Saci itself is a variant of Sakthi.)

This is again one of the surprising and recurring themes in our legends. Why would SataKratu, the Deva of the Vedas be worried by the tapas or penance of rshis or rakshasas? And that too of the penance of Vyasa of all rshis?

• Some researchers like prof P.L. Bhargava think that all negative passages about Indra were later added to the Puranas.
• Some Vedic translators of the Aurobindo School like Prof R.L. Kashyap say that Indra represents our senses which must be crossed before reaching the divine.
• The traditional explanation is that one who performs severe penance can attain any level  from Indra-Padam(state)/ Patha – (path : Vishu) to even Dhruva (Polaris) padam (Patham)
• It may be a poetic way of saying that Vyasa’s penance was of such a high intensity that he could have had Indra -Padam/Patham, if he had wanted it.
• In a a more recent context, whenever Gandhiji undertook a fast for a purpose, the British Rulers were afraid of the consequences.
• (Today, fasts are on for a separate state of Telangana)

“Bhagavân Rudra, seeing Indra thus afraid, fatigued and morose, asked him :– “O Indra, why do you look so fear-stricken to-day? O Lord of the Devas! What is the cause of your grief? Never show your jealousy and anger to the ascetics; for the mindful ascetics always practise severe asceticism with a noble object and worship Me, knowing Me to be possessed of the all powerful S’akti; they never want ill of any body”. When Bhagavân Rudra said this, Indra asked him :– “What is his object?” At this S’ankara said :– “For the attainment of a son, Parasâra’s son is practising so severe austerities; now one-hundred years is being completed; I will go to him, and give him to-day the auspicious boon of a son.” Thus speaking to Indra, Bhagavân Rudra, the Guru of the world, went to Vyâsa Deva and, with merciful eyes, said :– “O sinless Vâsavi’s son! Get up; I grant to you the boon, that you will get a son very fiery, luminous and spirited like the five elements fire, air, earth, water and Âkâs’a, the supreme Jñânî, the store of all auspicious qualities, of great renown, beloved to all, ornamented with all Sattvik qualities, truthful and valorous.”

Thus Siva reassured Indra and granted Vyasa’s desire.

Vyasa went back to his hermitage, tired and happy. As he rubbed together two Arani sticks to start a fire, he wondered how he would ever have a son without a wife. He was an old ascetic, set in his ways and he did not want a wife, however helpful or perfect, who would bind him to the world.  At this instant he saw the beautiful apsarasa Ghrtaci in the sky. (Ghratci is also the mother of Drona). He did not wish to fall for the charms of this devakanya, because he knew from Narada, how much trouble the apsara Uravasi was to Pururava. It would be a terrible distraction from his penance and spiritual goals.

Agnimandha, Arani : Click for source

Chapter 10, first Skanda, Devi Bhagavatham : Source and Reference :

On her part, Ghrtaci had a fear of being cursed by rshis in general, so she turned into a Suka (parrot) and flew away. Overcome by his attraction for Ghrtaci and firmly determined not to get distracted, Vyasa went on kindling the Arani sticks…” when arose from that Aranî the wonderfully beautiful form of S’ûka deva, looking like a second Vyâsa. This boy, born of Aranî fuel, looked there brilliant like the blazing fire of the sacrificial place, whereon oblations of ghee are poured. Seeing that son,Vyâsa Deva was struck with great wonder and thought thus :– “What is this? How is it that my son is born without any woman.” Thinking for a while, he came to the conclusion, that this had certainly come to pass as the result of boon granted to him by S’iva. No sooner the fiery S’ûka Deva, was born of Aranî, he looked brilliant, like fire, by his own tejas (spirit/brilliance). At that time Vyâsa Deva began to look with one steady gaze the blissful form of his son as a second Gârhapatya Fire, brilliant with the Divine fire.  The river Ganges came there from the Himalayas and washed all the inner nerves of the child S’ûka Deva, by her holy waters and showers of flowers were poured on his head.

A lot of divine events happened… “… the celestial drums were sounded and the celestial nymphs began to dance and the lords of the Gandharvas Visvâvasu, Nârada, Tumburu and others began to sing with great joy for the sight of the son. Then were dropped down from the sky the divine rod (Danda), Kamandalu, and the antelope skin. No sooner the extraordinarily brilliant S’ûka Deva was born than he grew up, and Vyâsadeva, who is master of endless learning and how to impart them to others, performed the son’s Upanayana ceremony. No sooner the child was born than all the Vedas with all their secrets and epitomes began to flash in the mind of S’ûka Deva, as it reigned in Vyâsa Deva.  Bhagavân Vyâsa Deva gave the name of the child as S’ûka as during the moment of his birth he saw the form of Ghritâchî in the form of the S’ûka bird..”

S’ûka then accepted Brihaspati as his guru and began devotedly, with his whole head and heart to perform duly the Brahmacharya vow (the life of studentship and celibacy). The Muni S’ûka remained in the house of his Guru and studied the four Vedas with their secrets and epitomes and all the other Dharma S’âstras and gave Daksinâ to the Guru duly according to proper rules, and returned home to his father Krisna Dvaipâyana. Seeing his son S’ûka, Vyâsadeva got up and received him with great love and honour and embraced him and took the smell of his head. The holy Vyâsa asked about his welfare and about his studies and requested him to stay in that auspicious Âs’rama.

Vyâsa then thought of S’ûka’s marriage and he became anxious and began to enquire where a beautiful girl of a Muni can be found.

Authorship and Copyright Notice : All Rights Reserved : Satya Sarada Kandula

All Rights for Source Material Vest with the Source.

We have just taken delivery of our new brass sculptures from India as a lead up to the Commonwealth Games to be held there in 2010

Lakshmi, Tara, Chenrezig, to name a few. they are magnificent come to our shop to see them in person.

To view some photos of them just click here or click on one of the photos below

Lakshmi Goddess of Wealth and Beauty

Green Tara

Julie was a super hit movie in 1975. South Indian actress Laxmi has played the titles role in this film. Movie deals the point about inter cast marriage. B.Nagi Reddy and Chakrapani were produced this movie.

Julie (Lakshmi) is a christian girl belongs to an Anglo Indian family. She gets pregnancy because of her boy friend Shashi (Vikram). Her mother (Nadira) asks her to abort it but later sends to out of her native. He tells to the rest of family, that Julie got job there. There Julie gives birth to a baby boy.

Julie’s mother asks her to come back to home by leaving the child in any orphanage. She doesn’t agrees for that. She meets Shashi and his mother and says every thing about their love and birth of baby boy.

Julie’s mother and Shashi’s mother are not ready for their marriage. Shashi mother want his marriage with a Hindu girl on the other hand Julie’s mother want to go back to England. Where this love story ended what are the problems Julie faced to win her love is the remaining story.

Sridevi has played the role as younger sister to Julie and Om Prakash appeared as drunken father.

If rememberance is a form of meeting and forgetfulness is a form of freedom, I DO NOT wish to be free…EVER

 I had decided that I would never say Goodbye to my ex-employer, Genesis Burson-Marsteller..no conventional farewell messages, but as I caught myself writing a mail to an Attorney using font Tahoma, size 11, I realised it was time to touch base with GBMites…all over again. As a law student, I was taught that a Company is not a natural person. It is a legal entity. WRONG!!!! Come to 807 B, Signature Towers, Gurgaon and you would realise in an instant that even the Parliament of the World’s biggest democracy can go wrong. Inspite of all my apprehensions of the oft heard almost chilling professionalism of the Corporate World, the popoular (rather infamous!) unaccomodating nature of the Corporate Bosses and the overt sophistication of colleagues essentially aimed at making you regret your upbringing…I took to GBM as a fish takes to water. The transition was simple and swift. My assembled computer with Windows’98 and Pentium 2 breathing its last moments in the compound of Tis Hazari District Courts was replaced by the popular Thinkpad set to perfection by VIPIN.

 My initiation into this new Order was made extremely comfortable and complete by PREEJA NAIR and SHEETAL KADYAN. These women came nowhere close to the wardens from Enid Blyton’s Malory Towers series as I had imagined them to be.

As if this was not enough, I had joined GBM on the same day as MEDHA KALRA! While I stood in awe of this monument of beauty and perfection beyond imagination, little did I know that this towering monument was to metamorphose into a Goddess in a couple of weeks…into my Partner. Pleasing Medha Kalra seemed to be an unimaginable task. Fancy reporting into someone who remembers everything from everywhere…every food that she had treated her pallette to, every place that she had ever visited across the length and breadth of this planet, every fabric that had touched her divine being, every cosmetic that had had the privilege to come within a safe distance of any of her super sharp senses, every piece of news that her hazel eyes had read or her ears perfectly adorned with matching designer earings had heard, and every soul that she had ever met! I was dreading reporting into such a phenomenon…but mine was not to be a dreadful experience at all. This monument of perfection turned out to be an extremely fun loving and affectionate person very much capable of being satisfied…ONLY with sincerety and honesty though. Try practicing some of your school tricks with her and you would be nominated for the highest ranking award in foolishness and professional suicide. The most important thing that I have learnt from Medha is that when two women talk they say nothing; when one woman speaks she reveals all of her life!

 More than awed with Medha, I was not prepared to bump into GBM’s inhouse Deepkia Padukone…ANITA KUMAR. Although I was tempted to write AnitHa Kumar, I realised that I could do so only at the cost of my flesh and blood. The first time I saw Anita, I felt like asking her; “He Lady, how’s the weather up there?” She had got the height to give someone like me vertigo, but she had also got the voice to cure the very same vertigo. As I tacitly shared Anita with Medha, there were times when Anita and I got confused about our roles vis-a-vis each other and the confusion frequently led to frustration but we did not take much time to realise that we were in the same boat and had to travel together no matter what! Courtesy our cabmates Anita and I had a lot of time to spend with each other after the office hours and those were the times when we actually bonded and celeberated our passion for music, books and a lot of other things (CENSORED!).

This was the pyramid that our team was and I had comfortably settled in the base, still waiting for a glimpse of the capstone that would complete the pyramid on her arrival from Switzerland. PREMA SAGAR…this name had been reverberating in my head ever since I had been interviewed by her. It was while being interviewed that I had realised that I was talking to Prema Sagar, wife of Jyoti Sagar, THE JYOTI SAGAR, as we were so used to hailing him in our college. We would always wonder as to what it would take to be in JSA. I could not believe that I had come THIS CLOSE to JSA. I could not wait to see Prema Sagar in action. Prema Sagar, however, was not be looked upon as a relation of one of India’s most renowned lawyers. She, in all her brilliance and grace, was not and could not be seen as someone’s shadow. Prema could teach anyone the art of working in a comfortable and stress free environment while concentrating on set goals and deliveries. Prema always reminded me of Kahlil Gibran’s famous lines: 

        “Your most radiant garment is of the other person’s weaving.     

        Your most savory meal is that which you eat at the other person’s table.

        Your most comfortable bed is in the other person’s house.

        Now tell me, how can you separate yourself from the other person?”

 Opnenness of mind was Prema’s second nature. It seemed as if Prema had learned silence from the talkative, toleration from the intolerant, and kindness from the unkind; and strangely, she was grateful to all these teachers. She often reminded me of a truly great mind who would master no one, and who would be mastered by none. Prema’s lunch table conversations always reinforced the principle that wisdom ceases to be wisdom when it becomes too proud to weep, too grave to laugh, and too self-ful to seek other than itself. It was in no time that I started adulating Prema sans the brand Sagar and with Prema around, I was discovering a new region in my soul almost on a daily basis. Everyone knows that Prema cured a few thalassemics of thalassemia but nobody knows that she cured me of a chronic ailment that all lawyers willingly suffer from…she cured me of complexity and made me unlearn all the lessons in complications…Prema, so true to her name, taught me that there is a Nirvanah in leading your sheep to a green pasture, and in putting your child to sleep, and in writing the last line of your poem…She taught me simplicity!

Being so influenced by Prema, I was bound to be influenced by anyone Prema held in high esteem. I was bound to be impressed by MR. VINAY JHA. The first time I heard people say that everyone gets up when Mr. Jha steps in, I was hit by the adbsurdity of the statement, but when I started working closely with Mr. Jha, I caught myself standing at his arrival! That is the kind of respect he commanded. With his graceful gait, lucid speech, vivid narration and startling perfection, Mr. Jha inspired confidence in each one of us. While initially being hit hard in the face by Mr. Jha’s unconcealed disdain for lawyers, I gradually realised that it was the unwarranted complication that lawyers are so fond of that he disliked. Just like Prema, he wanted to keep everything simple…very simple. 

“You may forget the one with whom you have laughed, but never the one with whom you have wept.” (Kahlil Gibran). This is why I can never forget MR. SUBHASH MEHTANI, MR. SURAJ LAL and MR. B.R. NATESH, people who must be remembering our phone numbers by heart now for we never stopped calling them! I am guilty of being responsible for some of their embarassing and awkward moments, I am guilty of giving them grief over a panic button hit by a client, I am guilty of misinterpretations, but I am NOT guilty of forgetting them for their unflinching efforts towards making our team a success. 

Just as I was preparing to exit, I got an opportunity to closely work with three amazing people…SHEELA JOSHI, RAHUL KELAPURE and DIVYA CHAINANI. While Sheela’s perfectly starched cotton saris and her salt and pepper hair spoke volumes of her art of ageing gracefuly, her anecdotes reminded me that a sense of humour is necessarily a sense of proportion! Anyone working with Sheela would realise that for her every thought that is impressed in expression must be freed by her deeds…that’s Sheela’s brand of Practice-what-you-preach policy for you… 

Like Boss, like associate…the bond that I shared with RAHUL was different from that I shared with anybody else in GBM…both in kind and degree. During my intitial days at GBM, I looked upto Rahul as the repository of memories of the legal world. Rahul represented an overlap between the past and the present. We belonged to the same Brotherhood, as it were. Towards the end, Rahul ceased to represent or reflect anything but himself. We became friends irrespective of our similar backgrounds. The Courts did not bind us anymore, GBM did!

 Strangely enough, my stint with compliance required me to closely work with our HR queen…DIVYA CHAINANI. I had heard a lot about Divya and her philanthropy. I excelled at giving grief to Divya on a daily basis. This was not strange and everyone expected this of me…the in-house BULLY…what was strange was Divya’s responce (not reaction!) to my demands. While I had majored in D for DO IT, this calm and composed woman had never learnt C for Complaint. Her unassuming and composed behaviour in the wake of my unrelenting conduct succeeded in putting me to shame on more than one occasion. I had read that when you enjoy loving your neighbour, it ceases to be a virtue…Divya was truly virtous in loving me the way she did. Divya showed generosity in giving more than she could and I put my pride at display in asking less than I needed. 

While appreciating people as individuals in GBM, it was truly delightful to witness some famous teams as well, the team of KRITI MAKHIJA and BHUVNESH CHAWLA being the best of them all. They rocked as individuals and they rocked as a team. I am so amused to remember how Bhuvnesh’s attempts at scaring people almost always failed beyond repair. Bhuvnesh will be remembered as someone whose heart shines so much that his hard shell does a very bad job of concealing the mine within. I fondly remember his Punjabi, his discomfort at making me wait endlessly while I would be enjoying it all along, and his complete helplessness when Kriti decided to make a point. Same goes true for Kriti. Shes someone who proves beyond doubt that the reality of the other person is not in what he reveals to you, but in what he cannot reveal to you. Therefore, if you would understand him, listen not to what he says but rather to what he does not say. 

Writing about teams, I am reminded of the Resource Center and also that frogs may bellow louder than bulls, but they cannot drag the plough in the field not turn the wheel of the winepress, and of their skins you cannot make shoes. Welcome to the knowledge bank of GBM. There is no one in the RC who was not approached by me in my moments of panic. AFTAB was forced to set all his work aside to dig out a figure, SUNIL was literally intimidated to format proposals waiting to be vetted by Bhuvnesh, PUNEET was made to jump ot of skin at the sudden bursting open of the RC door with cries for help, LAKSHMI’S bag often got flipped for a brief modelling session and her reminders to make contributions for Shine On fell on deaf ears, RUMJHUM (though a different team, but the same room!) was given short deadlines for media lists and even TANIA had to face the SOS call. RC’s neighbour, PURAN JI, must have found the very system of access cards useless for people like me and had a very hard time ordering cabs, food and what not for me. 

The IT team was as cooperative as any other. While SUDHAKAR and YOGESH literally lost the count of laptop and blackberry problems reported by me, AISHWARYA, rendered help from the labour room, never losing patience with me and my invincible IT Disobedience and Non Cooperation with Operations Movement. 

Any talk about teams would be incomplete without DOLLY MALVAI and SHUBHDHA BHASIN. These two names never figured in any team profile because they belonged to all the teams. While Dolly made men uncomfortable with her brand of feminism and women wiser with her precious nuggets of information dipped in experience, Shubhdha’s boisterous voice could be heard from any corner and was usually the much awaited signal of arrival of food and at times the announcement that some poor soul was at the receiving end of her wrath. 

There is hardly anything that can be said about the Finance Team. After all, I am yet to get clearance from them! This was one area…the Sanctum Sanctoram, which was to be approached with reverence and after much deliberation. While SUBBU SIR would be patient with fools like me who came crawling for the same information for the nth time, MOUMITA would have to put up with people attaching wrong supporting documents with claims. PRAKASH and MANISH were two guys who could be trusted with excel sheets as well as with good food and excellent humour wrapped in sensitivity and sophistication in just the right proportion. 

Bang opposite this Sanctum Sanctorum was the temple of erudition accessible only to the worthy and neighbour only to the corner of philanthropy on the right and the corner for both the sins of the pallette and the cravings of the mind on the left. Welcome to ASHWANI’S WORLD…a world that seemed to have vowed to give due recognition to perfection and knowledge while recognising the frailties of human mind at the same time. You could never speak in Ashwani’s room without reminding yourself that words are timeless and you should utter them or write them with a knowledge of their timelessness. Ashwani’s passionate drive towards perfection made one believe that every man loves two women; the one is the creation of his imaginations and the other is not yet born. If you followed Ashwani’s philosophy, you would dig anywhere in the earth only to find a treasure, only you must dig with the faith of a peasant. 

Have I forgotten someone? Someone extremely special and important? NO…I know what I have to write about SESHA RAMAKANT. Sesha’s entry into the PA team made me believe that intention carries the seed of its own fulfillment and that there is a space between man’s imagination and man’s attainment that may only be traversed by his longing. Looking at her in the cab, I often wondered if she could be in my team. And there she was…in my team. My relationship with Sesha and her conduct in feedback sessions (not always good!) defied the principle that love and doubt have never been on speaking terms. It was our mutual love and respect that encouraged us to point out each other’s flaws, doubt eash other’s conduct at times and still be together. Sesha also defied the philosophy that you cannot have youth and the knowledge of it at the same time; For youth is too busy living to know, and knowledge is too busy seeking itself to live. Sesha had both. 

It’s finally time to say bye…also to my two creditors, POONAM MADAN and VIDYASHREE. The two ladies have been as warm as their shawls. Poonam’s speacial and unanticipated treats, her subtle appreciation and kind guidance has been as warm as Vidya’s useful tips for my trip to Pune. 

He who listens to the truth is not less than the one who utters the truth.

 Thanks to all of you for reading the truth of my stay at GBM. 

Baba and me reached IIT at 8.30 am on the 30th of November, and the interview was scheduled at 9.00am. The venue was seminar hall 201 in the Mech. Engg. Dept. God that was IIT! For us in ordinary colleges, that was something incredible…white board, chalk board, computer, projector & screen, transparent slide readers and everything…highly well equipped. Sitting arrangement was like that in lecture halls. And there was a digital date and temperature reader. It was 28 degree there…not a hint of winter. The only flaw was that the clock was 12 hours before time . Oh and one more thing! That being IIT didn’t stop people to make art works on the desks…and yeah some of them were obscene!

It was pretty boring in the beginning until Satnam (he’s from my college) arrived at about 10.00 and we chatted away. Then Ish joined in. By lunch we were a group of five-Ish, Jose, Yadu, Satnam and me, Baba was obviously there.

First I want to speak of Ish Dhand…a queer and amazing guy! He has this easy-going aura about him that makes being with him so amiable. He’s from IIT, Kanpur, a ten pointer with a huge passion for physics. “He’s brilliant” is an understatement. He’s an imp.

Jose Dominic. He’s a little funny and smart guy…smiling, friendly and respectful…from NIT, Calicut. It was great knowing him.

Yadu. He smiles always whatever be the reason…sometimes only he knows the reason…and speaks very less, almost equivalent to doesn’t speak at all. He’s is this shy guy who wants to be in a group with silent participation.

Satnam. He’s from my college. He was his usual self…chirpy and a bit self proclaiming…was terribly tensed initially although he never admitted it…later on he was fine.

Lakshmi. She is a conservative South Indian girl…with long hair tied into plait, a red bindi and a tika, very calm and reserved. Has a very sweet smile. Speaking to her was a pleasure.

Utkarsh Tripathy. He too is from IIT Kanpur. A Maths genius. A very sweet and pleasant personality. Didn’t get to interact with him much though…met him towards the end…when I was waiting for my call.

They are the ones I befriended…and I hope to keep in touch since our interests are somewhat directed similarly…

I liked the campus of IIT Bombay. Specially the arches that the branches of the roadside trees made over the roads. Ish said the Kanpur campus was much better where every architecture had its own meaning and utility unlike the Bombay campus. Baba said Kharagpur campus was better too. I did not visit any of the other IIT campuses…so I won’t comment further.

I’m hurrying to finish this post since I’ve got to go to college. Anything I missed out will surely be placed in my consecutive posts. Basically I had a wonderful time and I’ll treasure the experience throughout.

Bye for now.

i saw The Merlin at an ATM;

he dropped his gold card and i knelt at his feet.

i tried to hand it back to him, 

but he’d disappeared down the street.

i talked with Saint Lazarus on the crosstown bus;

i thought someone would give him a seat.

he smiled at me and said not to worry that

everyone else looked beat.

Gautama was driving a cab i jumped in;

i probably tipped him too much.

White Tara was shopping on Fordham Road;

She seemed to be a rush.

Milagros was at Barnes and Noble,

Ganesha on line at Whole Foods.

Sekhmet was selling hotdogs;

I was starting to feel really good.

Apollo was sweeping a theater;

La Madama was a CEO.

Lakshmi was giving a manicure;

The Morrighan was taking in a show.

the masters are descending

we’re more open to love now they say

this dimension is  finally bending

i hope to goddess they’ll stay.

एकदा वैकुण्ठनाथो विष्णुः लक्ष्मीदेवीं अपृच्छत् “किमर्थं भवती ब्राह्मणानां गृहेषु न निवसति?” इति।
तस्याः प्रत्युत्तरं एकस्मिन् श्लोके केनापि सुकविना लिखितम्। अस्मिन् श्लोके लक्ष्मीः वदति किमर्थं सा (सम्प्दाः) ब्राह्मणगृहेषु न वर्तते इति।

पीतः क्रुद्धेन तातश्चरणतलहतो वल्लभो येन रोषाद्
आबाल्याद् विप्रवर्यैः स्ववदनविवरे धार्यते वैरिणी मे।
गेहं मे छेदयन्ति प्रतिदिवसमुमाकान्तपूजानिमित्तं
तस्मात् खिन्ना सदाहं द्विजकुलनिलयं नाथ युक्तं त्यजामि॥

श्लोकस्यास्य संक्षेपेण विवरणं अत्र दीयते।

पीतः क्रुद्धेन तातः – पुरा अगस्त्यः क्रुद्धो भूत्वा मत्पितरं समुद्रं पीतवान्। अगस्त्यः ब्राह्मणः आसीत्।
चरणतलहतो वल्लभो येन रोषाद् – भृगुमुनिः एकदा रोषाद् पादतलेन विष्णुं प्रहृतवान्। भृगुरपि ब्राह्मणः आसीत्।
आबाल्याद् विप्रवर्यैः स्ववदनविवरे धार्यते वैरिणी मे – विप्राः बाल्यतः मम वैरिणीं सरस्वतीमेव तेषां मुखेषु धार्यन्ते। अर्थात् ते सर्वदा वाग्देव्या एव उपासनां कुर्वन्ति।
गेहं मे छेदयन्ति प्रतिदिवसमुमाकान्तपूजानिमित्तं - ब्राह्मणाः शिवपूजार्थं प्रतिदिनं मम गृहं (कमलं) छेदयन्ति।

अन्तिमपादं तु सुव्यक्तं इत्यतः टीप्पणी नावश्यका।

Rugminy used to come to our home very often.

She was some twenty years old, but looked like a fifteen year old,, small and slender, dark and vivacious. She woud collect hibiscus flowers, considered auspicious for Ganeshji, and make garlands which will be used to adorn the deity. She was always eager to help my wife.

Lakshmi and Saraswati were two low caste maids whom we used to hire for some extra work. They all felt sorry, when we finally said good bye.

When some one dies, it is the collective responsibilty of the villagers to do the cremation ceremony, as the three temples can be opened only after the funeral is over. The old warriar, who used to curse the “blind earthen gods” died and was cremated when we were there.

Thuppan’s son Unni was married when we were there. They hired a special maid to help during the marriage feasting. She was clean and looking like a madam. She would give ordrers to Thuppan and his wife and they had to obey. She used to behave like a member of the family. Her salary was also high, yet she was in great demand, because she would shoulder the whole responsibility for conducting the affairs, properly and smoothly. 

When our stay in ,Delhi became indefinite, Poduvaya Chitrabhanu was allowed to stay there, as he was building a house at Edathara, a mile away from our village. During this oeriod, he died of heart attck and then stroke.

Annyka Bekkers, the talented designer behind the Blowpop brand, has released another fresh batch of tasty apparel items that you’re going to want to devour.  I was really tempted to cram it all into one huge post, but I decided I want to focus on each set separately because, frankly, I think her work deserves that kind of attention.

I’ve incorporated her Three Goddesses Tank & Panty set into this “look of the day” post.  Featuring the Tridevi of the three Hindu goddesses Saraswati, Lakshmi, and Parvati, the tank top is an eye-catching burst of colors that I knew I immediately wanted to pair up with jeans, my new Moccasin boots and Lennon glasses from Naughty, and my new hairstyle from Maitreya.

Click the images to view larger versions.

The Three Goddesses tank top comes in two lengths, and on a variety of clothing layers.  Yay for options like this!  You can mix and match with other clothing articles and/or tattoos, and decide whether you’re in the mood to show some midriff with those low waisted jeans. 

Going on to the other items in my LOTD photo:  I’m really glad Lost Thereian has started creating new items for the Naughty brand.  I’m pretty much in awe of his skill and attention to details.

I have a preference for glasses that are all primwork (it’s just a personal thing, really; I’ve also seen some very good-looking texture-type glasses) and so I was happy to find out that the Lennon glasses are all sculpted prims.  The prims that make up the wireframes are thin, delicate sculpts and I actually didn’t realize they were sculpted until I looked at them closely.  Call me spoiled, though; I’m used to buying scripted glasses that let me switch the position of the frames, control the texture color and opacity, etc.  These glasses are Copy/Modify, though, so I was able to make the tint on them lighter in about three seconds and I’m sure making a copy adjusted to fit up on my hair will be just as simple.    The glasses have really cute color names, too; names like Strawberry Fields Forever and Imagine (mine is Black Dog).  Carson bought the aviators, and they look great, too; I’m tempted to go back and buy a pair for myself!

I almost didn’t get the moccasin fringe boots because there weren’t any demos available in the store.  But, after a couple of visits to the shop that was spent looking at them longingly, I decided what the hell, I’ll just buy them… and I’m glad I did!  These boots do not require a system shoe base, and they’re Copy/Modify.  The fringe on them has great movement since they’re actually textured onto flexi prims.  The fringe texture also has a bit of shadow added to it, creating a look of realism that I really admire.

Finishing off my LOTD is the Green hairstyle from Maitreya.  I felt the slightly tousled look of it, with it’s locks twisted and casually draped over the shoulder, fit in perfectly with the easygoing feel of the rest of my outfit.  Because I wanted to show off the tank top without any hair covering it up, though, I’ve also worn friday’s cute Tatum hairstyle in the second photo.

Credits…
Tank top & panty set – Blowpop – Three Goddesses set
Jeans – Armidi – Grace
Boots – Naughty – Calf High Moccasins, adobe
Glasses – Naughty – Lennons, Black Dog black
Hair (image 1) – Maitreya – Green, Bistre
Hair (image 2) – friday – tatum, cynical black
Skin – LAQ Glow Trisha

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!

Sri Purandaradasar

Lord Vishnu called Sage Naradha and asked him to go the world and preach about bhakthi marga as the people were suffering in the Kaliyug without knowing the right path. Sage Naradha then asked Vishnu what if he goes there and he too becomes like others due to the effect of Kali and does not do the preaching. Vishnu then told him that he would not get affected by Kali and if he does get affected he would come to his rescue. Hearing this Naradha agreed to Vishnu’s request and came to this world as Purandharadasa.

Purandharadasa was born in a Brahmin family in Purandhara ghat which near Pandharpur. He was named as Seenapa Nayakar. His parents did not have a kid for long time and they prayed to Lord Srinivasan of Tirumala and got this child, hence they named him as Seenapan. He was born in a very rich family and excelled in his studies. His parents then got him married to a girl called Lakshmi. After some time his parents passed away. Seenapan was blessed with one daughter and one son. Even though he was very rich, he was a miser and would never give anything to any one. He was running a pawnbroker shop and would trade on precious stones for his living. He would never give anything to any one and would not even invite his relatives for lunch or dinner. His wife Lakshmi was very pious and god fearing. She would always pray to Tulasi Devi asking her to show the right path to her husband.

One day Seenapan was sitting in his shop and an old Brahmin who was poor came to his shop. The old man told him that he was getting his daughter married and also performing upanayanam for his son. He then said that everyone in the village had told him that, Seenapan does a lot of charity and had come to ask him for some donation. Seenapan sent him off saying that he would not give him anything even though the old man was repeatedly trying to get something from him. After trying for almost 2 hours the old man gave up and went to the next street looking for someone else. On seeing a very big bungalow, he sat outside the house thinking that he would get some food as he was hungry by then. This happened to Seenapan’s house. Lakshmi was then performing Tulasi pooja and on seeing the old Brahman went and prostrated him. The old man then told her that he was very hungry and asked if she would give him some food. He also told her that he has arranged for his daughters marriage and asked her to give him something for the same. She then took a costly nose stud and gave it to him. She then told him that her husband would be coming any time and if he happens to see her serving food to him he would get angry; so asked him to leave immediately. The old man then blessed her and left. He again came back to Seenapan’s shop to mortgage the nose stud. Seenapan on seeing this immediately found out that it belonged to his wife. He then asked the old man how he got this and the Brahman said that a lady from the next street gave it to him for his daughter’s marriage. Seenapan then told the old man that it belonged to his wife and said that he would check with her if she gave it to him and come back. He asked the old man to be seated and went to his house. Seenapan came home and screamed at Lakshmi with anger asking where the nose stud was. Looking at him Lakshmi was frightened and lied to him that it was inside. Not believing her Seenapan asked her to show it to him. Lakshmi then went inside and cried to Tulasi Devi. As she was crying she felt something falling in her hand and it was the nose stud. She immediately took it and showed it to Seenapan. He then came back to his shop but the Brahman was missing. He then opened his locker and checked for the nose stud and that was missing too but the locker was intact. Seeing this he was confused and came back home and asked his wife what happened and who the old man was. She then confessed to him that the old man had come and asked from some donation for his daughter’s marriage and that she had given it to him. He then asked her how she got it again when he had locked it in the shop. Lakshmi said that she had pleaded Tulasi Devi to rescue her and that she had given it to her again. Seenapan then went out in search of the Brahman but could not find him anywhere. He then came back home and was looking at the nose stud. He then realised who he was and also understood that it was Lord Vishnu who had come as the old Brahman to rescue him and show him the right path. He then felt that he had wasted 30 years of his life and decided go in service of god by singing his praise. He then took a Tambura and left his house leaving all his wealth. Lakshmi too followed him with their children leaving everything behind. His relatives and neighbours came running behind him and asked him what happened and why he was leaving his house and going on the streets singing the praise of god. He said that he had wasted his life all along and was now going to Pandharpur to see lord Vitthal. His relatives then asked him how he would take care of his wife and how will he get his daughter married if he leaves all his assets and goes to Pandhari. Seenapan then told them that Vitthal will take care of his family as he is the one who has said “Yogakshemam Vahamyaham” (Which means “I will take care of my devotees”) Lakshmi then asked Seenapan if they could donate all their wealth to the poor and needy. Seenapan replied that nothing belonged to them and everything belonged to Vitthal and that how can they donate something that belonged to Vitthal and said that Vitthal would give it to whomever he wanted to.

Seenapan was now in search of a Guru. He had earlier been to Emperor Krishnadevaraya’s palace on the capacity of a precious stone merchant and Vyasarayar was the Raja Guru in the palace. Earlier during his visits he had never bothered to pay his respects to Vyasarayar but now wanted to make him as his guru. Seenapan went to Vyasarayar’s ashram and prostrated to him, Vyasarayar immediately got up and hugged him and told him that he knew that he would come to him one day and was waiting for the same and blessed him. He then named him as Purandaradasar. The Emperor Krishnadevarayar heard that Seenapan had deserted his 9 Crores of wealth and is now serving the Raja Guru Vyasarayar as his sishya. As he knew him well he came down to the ashram to meet him. He asked him what happened and why he had left worldly pleasures and come here. He then told him that he has been blessed by his guru and has now got the company of Haridassas and is happy singing the praise of Vitthal and that he was now happier than earlier. The king then prostrated to him and told him that he was a Gyani and has had the darshan of Vitthal and said that he would be happy even if he gets a small percentage of his bhakthi.  After a few days Purandaradasar requested his guru’s permission to go on a Pandhari yatra as he wanted to badly see Vitthal who had shown him the path of namasankirthan. Vyasarayar then blessed him and asked him to go to Pandharpur.

Purandharadasar set out on a yatra to Pandhari and many bhakthas joined him on the way to Pandharpur. Dasar would perform Unjaverthi (Go on the streets singing the praise of god and collecting rice and dhal from the neighbourhood) and collect food for all of them and feed them every day. This way reached Pandharpur after a few days. On reaching Pandhari, Dasar had a dip in the holy river of Chandrabhaga and came running towards the Mahadhwar. He then prostrated at the Garuda Sthambam and came running towards the yogapeedam to have a darshan of Vitthal. Dasar then hugged Vitthal and was full of tears in his eyes. He then came to Rangashila (the mandap where people sing the praise of Vitthal) and prostrated to every person sitting there. Everyone there hugged him and gave him the thambura and asked him to sing. All of them too sang bhajans and namavallis along with Dasar. He then decided to stay in Pandhari and made a small hut for himself. He would perform Unjaverthi every day and feed his family. He would forever be in the temple singing bhajans and kirthans. Vitthal performed the marriage for his daughter and also the upanayanam for his son. Dasar then wanted to go on a yatra and asked Vitthal’s permission for the same. Vitthal then blessed him and he started on a yatra.

Dasar then toured the entire India and blessed everyone by his presence and his kirthans. He sang 5 lakhs kirthans and also preached about the importance of Namasankirthan. Dasar had a sishya, like Ekalavya for Dronocharya whom Dasar had never met. This sishya had written down all the kirthans of Purandaradasar and would recite the same everyday happily. He was not knowledgeable on carnatic music and others would tease him for singing badly. One day Dasar happened to pass by his house and he was reciting Dasar’s kirtans. Dasar then realised that someone was singing his kirthans inside the house and felt bad with the way he was singing. Dasar then thought to himself that he would not have sung these songs had he known someone would spoil the raga and thalas and sing his songs so badly. He then moved from there and to his dismay he found that he could not sing or speak any more. He then understood the reason behind it and went back to that house. He knocked the door and the man who was singing came and opened the door. On seeing Dasar he was surprised and asked him if he was Purandaradasar and once he knew who he was he prostrated to him and started singing and dancing and became delighted. Dasar then hugged him and thought he was his best sishya and immediately he got back his voice. He then came back to Pandharpur after visiting all holy places.

Purandaradasar wanted to teach his musical skills to someone before he leaves this world so that it could be passed on through generations. There was a dassi in Pandharpur who wanted to learn music and so he started teaching her music. He would go to her house and teach music to her. Seeing Dasar go to the dassi’s house everyday, a rumour spread about him in the village. Vitthal then decided to show the world about the real qualities of Dasar and performed a leela. One day a very costly jewellery of Vitthal was missing and as the priest could not find it they informed the police. The police started harassing and beating every one working in the temple to check who took it. One of the sweepers in the temple also happened to be the sweeper of that dassi. She then told the police that she had seen the jewel in the dassi’s house. The police then sent for her and questioned her. The dassi then told the police that it was Dasar who had given it to her. The police then arrested Purandaradasar and tied him to one of the pillars in Rangashila. Everyone was now waiting for the king to come and whip him. Dasar was quiet and thought that whatever was Vitthal’s wish will happen and there is no point trying to justify anything. The king then arrived and one of the police handed over the whip to the king. The king then asked Dasar to say in front of Vitthal if he had stolen the jewellery from the temple. Dasar was quiet and did not reply. The king got angry and took the whip and started whipping him, asking why he was not even answering his question. However someone had pulled the whip from the king’s hand before it hit Dasar. The king turned back to see who had pulled the whip from him, but none of the soldiers behind him had the whip. They then found that the whip was inside the shrine with Vitthal. On seeing this, the king ordered the police to untie Dasar and prostrated to him and asked him to forgive him. The people who were speaking ill of him now understood about him and stopped speaking rumours about him.