Ashram Yoga : India's Spiritual Tradition

Vishakha Hari The Harikatha Exponent

adam — Fri, 03 Sep 2010 11:40:00 +0000

From a CA topper to a sought-after harikatha artiste. Vishakha Hari tells Chitra Swaminathan that kathakalakshepam is a way of life for her Vishakha Hari is in her early thirties but walks in a madisar (nine-yard sari) with the élan of a veteran. She is an all-India rank-holder in chartered accountancy but revels being a raconteur. She grew up in Chennai but prefers the spiritual aura and serenity of Srirangam. She travels widely for her performances but leisure is spent studying scriptures and rehearsing upanyasam and sangeetham. In this e-driven world, Vishakha is an anachronism; drawing full houses with her musical discourses. And at a time when snazzy pictures and sound bytes are a must for success, Vishakha insists “what have I achieved, why are you clicking so many pictures? One small photograph and a short write-up focussing on harikatha should do.” So the brief photo shoot-cum-interview begins late in the morning at Nageshwara Rao Park, (after we convince her that the outdoors would be better) where walkers stop to greet her with a namaskaram. After a few shots are taken, she is ready to leave. “Enough?” she asks and we nod rather hesitantly. It’s time anyway for the park to be closed. We then gently suggest taking a few more pictures at the nearby Kapaleeswarar temple tank. Anxious about the packed day ahead and her late evening trip to Bangalore for a performance, Vishakha reluctantly agrees. And as she alights the steps to the temple tank, her face suddenly lights up and with child-like charm she remarks, “Oh, this is so serene and wonderful. I could read and sing here the whole day.” Evidently, she instantly connects to places with spiritual vibrations. Vishakha then turns to tell you she never visits beaches or parks. Anyway, there is not much scope for sightseeing in her hectic travel itineraries. Does she not think about life beyond the humdrum of performances and practice? “For me, kathakalakshepam is not just about performance. It stays with me even when I get off stage. There is no such thing as professional or personal life. They blend seamlessly. And I have chosen this way of life out of passion for the art form. So where is the need to think beyond it?” she philosophises with flair. Inspiration from home She was 22 when she took to this age-old art form after marrying into the family of celebrated harikatha exponent Krishna Premi. Vishakha’s husband Hariji also conducts discourses. A disciple of violin maestro Lalgudi Jayaraman, Vishakha’s early and elaborate training in classical music helps her convey eloquently the essence of the ancient texts. “Home is where inspiration comes from. I draw from my father-in-law’s experience, rich repertoire of stories and the numerous books penned by him. Observation, reading, research and rehearsal are essential to upanyasam,” says Vishakha, clad in a blue pattu sari with a bold peacock-shaped brooch pinned on the talapu (pallu). The simple accessories — mookuthi and jhumki — have the same old-world appeal as her art. Doesn’t she find draping the nine-yard every day cumbersome? “It is all in the mind. In Chennai or Cleveland, I am always clad in it. It was extremely cold when I visited the U.S. for a recital, but I stuck to my dress code,” smiles Vishakha. Though kathakalakshepam conjures up images of a serious religious discourse attended by a small gathering of elders, Vishakha’s harikatha performances have a huge following. Her distinctive and vibrant style of coherently weaving stories from the past, peppering them with contemporary metaphors and punctuating them suitably with classical compositions keep the audience, comprising the old and the young, engaged till the last word is uttered. Her reach is wider because she performs in English outside Chennai. She spoke on “Role of education in international development” at the House of Commons in the U.K. She has also released six DVDs that are quite a sell out. How does she react to criticism that there is more music than discourse in her upanyasam? “There are such evocative verses and compositions by great saints that lend themselves beautifully to the stories from epics and mythology and make it easy to convey the inherent message or philosophy,” she replies with schoolgirl-earnestness. Does she plan to introduce new elements into her performances to make them more appealing to the young? “That’s not warranted if youngsters have a basic awareness about our arts. They will eventually learn to appreciate their beauty. Parents need to introduce children to our heritage, art and culture. You know the phrase ‘catch them young’ has reference in mythology too. Prahlada talks about it in ‘Koumara achareth pragyaha’ when he reforms asura kids and talks about inculcating good achar in children for them to lead a wholesome life,” she says lovingly patting her son, Rajagopala.

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Vishakha Hari The Harikatha Exponent

Many Happy Returns………..Krishna

admin — Thu, 02 Sep 2010 11:33:00 +0000

A News Item In The Hindu ISKCON temple is all set to usher in Krishna Janmashtmi If there is a god for all seasons, it is Krishna. His teachings, his personality and his aura transcends generations. As we celebrate one more birth anniversary of the loveable god, temples are decked up for Krishna Janmashtmi. One of the biggest centres of activity is ISKCON temple in East of Kailash. Formed by a group of Hare Rama Hare Krishna followers in 1998, the International Society for Krishna Consciousness propagates Krishna’s beliefs and path to attain enlightenment. According to Vrajendra Nandan Prabhu, ISKCON India Communications, for the first time there will be a Radha Krishna swing pastime (jhulan yatra jhaanki). “It is one of the top most attractions with life size forms of Radha and Krishna seated on a swing under a kadamba tree. Thousands are expected to rock the swing and receive transcendental mercy of their lordships.” In the mini amphitheatre of the temple there is all encompassing Krishna dancing on the multiple hoods of the serpent Kaliya crushing his false ego. The transparent blue waters add to the mystique of this timeless tale. During the celebrations, a play on ‘Krishna Leela’ was staged by Bhakta Prahlad School. Science and spirituality In an interesting mix of science and spirituality, a committed team of IIT and DTU students have set up a multimedia presentation stall with a question and answer booth where principles of Vedic wisdom are scientifically answered. For the inquisitive, ISKCON’s Youth Forum wing has designed presentations on various themes like God, peace, Vedic culture, etc to give the celebrations an intellectual tone. At midnight, there will be maha-abhisheka of the lord in the midst of sankirtan, dance and prasadam. The lord’s attire has come from Vrindavan. The altar of Krishna has been decorated with flowers and fruits from India and abroad. “Last year, we witnessed four lakh devotees and this year we expect half a million devotees. One of the biggest challenges that we face is people getting carried away. They start dancing in a trance. Security and traffic issues become a problem, but this year security will be extra-tight,” assures Prabhu.

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Many Happy Returns………..Krishna

Siva Temple Murdeswar Karnataka

adam — Tue, 31 Aug 2010 21:10:00 +0000

Puranic Story of the Murudeshwar Temple The history of the Murudeshwara temple dates back to the period of Ramayana. Legend says that Ravana (the Lanka King), prayed Lord Shiva in a strong devotion to attain immortality by getting the AtmaLinga. Atma Linga is the divine Lingam of Shiva that gains immortality to the Hindu Gods. As a result of the worship by Ravana, Lord Shiva appeared before him and asked him for a boon. Ravana requested the AtmaLinga as his boon. Lord Shiva agreed to give him the boon but on a condition that the AtmaLinga should never be kept on the ground. It is believed that if the AtmaLinga was placed on the ground, all the powers would return to Lord Shiva. Ravana started back on his journey to Lanka with the AtmaLinga. However, Sage Narada realized that Ravana may obtain immortality and create ruin on earth with the AtmaLinga. He approached Lord Ganesh to help him. When Ravana neared Gokarna, Lord Vishnu blocked the sun and made it as dusk. Ravana wanted to perform his evening rituals. He was worried because the AtmaLinga was in his hands and he would not be able to do his rituals. At that moment, Lord Ganesh came near him in the mask of a Brahmin boy. Ravana requested him to keep the AtmaLinga until he performed the rituals. He told the boy not to place it on the ground. But Lord Ganesh fixed a deal with him. He said he would call Ravana thrice, and if Ravana did not return, he would place the AtmaLinga on the ground. As decided, Ravana could not return all of a sudden and Ganesh placed the Atma-Linga on the ground. The angered Ravana tried to pull up the AtmaLinga and destroy it but failed. He threw the holder of the linga to a place called Sajjeshwara which is 23 miles away and the lid of the case to a place called Gunavanthe (earlier known as Guneshwara) and Dhareshwara, 10-12 miles away. At last, he threw the cloth covering the AtmaLinga to a place called Mrideshwara in Kanduka Hill (Kanduka-Giri). Mrideshwara is later renamed as Murudeshwara.

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Siva Temple Murdeswar Karnataka

Knowledge Is Power

admin — Sun, 29 Aug 2010 17:02:00 +0000

Valmiki Rishi By M.Elangovan Behind every right there is a duty. And when a person has more rights than others, then that would mean he has more responsibilities too. A king, whose word was law, commanded the respect of everyone, even if the king happened to be young. But his power also meant that his responsibilities were greater, and the rules laid down for him were that much more stringent. Tamil Sangam literature talks of the duties of a ruler. It is laid down that a king should promote knowledge that is required for the welfare of his subjects. In those days, what was required for the prosperity of the land, was good yield from agriculture. So the king had to seek out experts in the field and take their advice. If the elders in the agricultural community did not have the requisite knowledge, but someone much younger in age did, then he would have to approach this person for advice and help with regard to cultivation in the country. There is a verse in the Thirukkural that speaks of how a person should seek knowledge. One must approach the teacher or instructor humbly. The attitude of the seeker must be one of humility. He must be as humble in his approach as a beggar would be with a rich man. The scholar is the rich man from whom one seeks the wealth of knowledge. One must therefore be suitably modest. So even if a king were to seek the advice of a person, the king had to be humble and respectful towards the one whose advice was sought. The one who is a repository of knowledge is worthy of respect at all times. All this is evidence of the high regard that was accorded to learned men in the past. Knowledge was sought not with a view to merely making money, but it was sought for its own sake. When we seek knowledge, it must not only to find a suitable job and to have material prosperity, but we must seek knowledge for knowledge’s sake. He who values knowledge for its own sake, stands to benefit in the long run. Instant results are not lasting. If even kings had to bow before those with knowledge, it becomes evident that nothing can equal knowledge, not even power.

Navaratri Aarti 21 March 2010 P 8 Na mantram no yantram Haidakhan Babaji Ashram India

admin — Thu, 26 Aug 2010 19:31:34 +0000

Haidakhandi’s sing Na Mantram no yantram this mantra is always sung in the Maha Shakti Dhuni and also every morning during Navaratri in the Main Mandir. “A Prayer To Beg Forgiveness From the Goddess,” written by Adi Shankaracharya, one of the greatest yogis ever and a true realized being. The story behind the prayer is that Shankaracharya was traveling through the Himalayas on his way to a debate. In those days Shankaracharya was a believer in Non-Dualism, the doctrine of Absolute Monism. He did not believe in the reality of the Divine Mother (Shakti) and Her Creation which, according to his philosophy, was all Maya (illusion). Keep in mind that the word shakti also means ‘power’ or ‘energy.’ Shankaracharya was climbing up a steep hill when he suddenly became very ill with dysentary. He had to lie down and finally he passed out. He was awakened by the feeling of water on his face. Opening his eyes, Shankaracharya saw a very beautiful young girl smiling at him and sprinkling him with water. He passed out again. He was awakened by the girl and once more he passed out. The third time he awoke, the girl leaned over to him and asked in a sweet childlike voice,”Maharaj, what is wrong with you?” Shankaracharya replied in voice weakened by pain, “I have no shakti.” On hearing this the girl leaned close to him again and said, “Oh? But you don’t believe in Shakti!” And laughing, she changed right before his eyes into the form of the Goddess called Bhawani, the Mother of the World …

Web Site On Varanasi

admin — Tue, 24 Aug 2010 21:02:00 +0000

Please visit the site and have good brief about Kashi-Varanasi Some devotees from Canada have developed the site www.Varanasi-Temples.com after considerable research. The site gives brief details of various temples in Varanasi (Kashi) as mentioned in Kashi Khand (Skanda Puran). The site will be uploaded regularly and in due course, it may become a good inter-active web-site. If a person worships one deity in Kashi (Varanasi) he will derive some amount of Punya. If he worships several deities, the punya earned grows manifold. According to Pundits, he will derive the same amount of Punya if he publicises about the temples. I request you to kindly read about each and every temple (159 photos uploaded till now). More and more people shouljavascript:void(0)d come to know about this. Circulate about this site to your near and dear ones. Be a part of this holy task.

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Web Site On Varanasi

The Memory Bank

admin — Mon, 23 Aug 2010 23:46:29 +0000

In this satsang talk, Swami Radhananda reads an excerpt from her upcoming book, sharing how she followed the signs to live at Yasodhara Ashram.

Baby Birds In Ragu Chai Shop Anand Puri Haidakhan BABAJI Ashram India

admin — Mon, 23 Aug 2010 21:59:21 +0000

If you have visited the ashram in Chilianaula you are probably familiar with “Raju’s Chai Shop” he knows how to cater to the Western tastes with everything from Pancakes to his delicious “Lakshmi Toast” and everything in between, and always with a smile on his face. He has two birds nests INSIDE his shop. The birds feel right at home amongst all the Haidakhan devotees as they fly back and forth feeding their families!

Welcome To The Haidakhan VishwaMAHAdham Office BABAJI Ashram India NamastE

admin — Sun, 22 Aug 2010 19:29:56 +0000

A little tour through the Office in Haidakhan VishwaMAHAdham ashram and Home of Haidakhan BABAji. Where devotees from around the world are welcomed for registration, orientation, shopping or to use the wonderful library! Welcome…Bhole BABA Ki JAI! & NamastE~

Velukkudi Krishnan

admin — Thu, 19 Aug 2010 21:29:00 +0000

Velukkudi Krishnan shares his experience, Bliss, to be specific, through upanyasam. People’s taste may vary when it comes to small screen entertainment in the evening, with soaps and cinema topping the list. But mornings, 6-7, are generally dominated by one voice. Gruff and soothing at once, the Tamil is both chaste and familiar. The style is lucid, diction clear and the content rich. All of these makes the audience, drawing room or public halls, listen to Velukkudi Krishnan in rapt attention. His lineage “My grandfather wanted at least one of his five sons to be brought up the traditional way, acquiring knowledge in Vedanta and Sastra and spreading Dharma,” Krishnan traces his lineage when this writer meets him at his residence on Bheema Sena Garden Road, Royapettah, Chennai. After completing Class V, Vidwan Velukkudi Varadachariar Swamigal was trained at the patasala on Narayana Mudali Street, in George Town. He then shifted to Sri Venkateswara University, Tirupati, for higher education. Karapangadu Venkatacharya Swami, Tirupati Jeeyar Swami Sadhu Ramachar and Sri Rangam Desika Varadachariar Swami were his gurus. “He was into Upanyasam when he was 32, thus fulfilling my grandfather’s most cherished dream,” says Krishnan. Bhagavad Gita and Nammazhwar’s Tiruvoimozhi were close to the Senior’s heart. He presented over 80 month-long lectures on Andal’s Tiruppavai, with different interpretations each time. Born to his parents after sixteen years of their marital life, Krishnan got the best of both forms of education. He was trained at home in the Vedas, Divya Prabhandam, Sanskrit and other related scriptures apart from regular school. Initiation into lectures began when he was eight. He was asked to speak on the last day of a series of his father’s lectures for about 10 minutes. The text prepared by his father had to be memorised. This happened throughout his school days and college days too (Vivekananda College, Mylapore, Chennai). Krishnan went on to complete C.A. and ICWA courses before joining the top rung of an MNC. Never did he venture to make solo presentations during his father’s life time. A great devotee of Sri Ranganatha, Sri Varadachariar Swamigal breathed his last inside the Srirangam temple after having darshan of the deity one January morning in 1991. That marked the launch of Velukkudi Krishnan on the upanyasam scene. But he found it difficult to strike a balance between his job and lifestyle. Long hauls on business meetings outside Chennai were coming in the way of his nitya karma. Rushing to the Upanyasam stage from corporate meetings well after dusk added to the stress and the decision had to be taken. “I quit lucrative job to dedicate myself to Upanyasam and related activities.” Sharing thoughts Krishnan gently shakes his head when reference is made to a “change in profession.” “Please don’t call Upanyasam my profession. It is just sharing my own experience. It is neither a trade nor a job. Experiencing the Brahman is bliss and I only want to share it with everyone. Spiritualism does not need special skill or intelligence. Nor can you achieve salvation by memorising the 4,000 verses. The Lord only expects unconditional love. Throughout his life, my father was only trying to make people understand this. If you read the works of the Acharyas, Azhwars and Nayanmars you will see that love was the underlying factor of all their immortal works. How is he able to quote from scriptures in Tamil and Sanskrit with such precision? “There is no special effort besides deep involvement.” Irrespective of the subject to be dealt with, he recommends at least four hours of reading authentic texts every day. “I am lucky, for all I have to do is read my father’s extensive notes on all the subjects. These are my invaluable assets.” Response to his upanyasams? “Overwhelming. Being the son of an illustrious father, the platform was ready for me but then I had the responsibility of maintaining the standards set by him.” He is deeply worried about orators changing concepts to suit the trend while dealing with scriptures. For instance, using the Gita to explain management principles. “The scriptures should be followed to realise the Brahman,” he asserts. Krishnan’s two sons are budding technocrats and he has not tried to influence them. However, he has been teaching them Sanskrit and other subjects. Velukkudi Krishnan’s discourses have been digitally documented. These CDs and DVDs are also tools that help in http://www.blogger.com/img/blank.gifthe development of his two sons. “My duty is to make them enlightened bhaktas and not trained orators.” “Many feel that Bhakti is for the old. On the contrary, one should attain Atma Gnanam at a very young age like Prahalada. The Bhagavad Gita is one text that should be read by everyone. Assimilating the content may be a difficult task initially, but constant reading will lead to eternal bliss. Tiruppavai too helps in fostering Gnanam.” How does Krishnan preserve his energy and voice? “I enjoy what I speak. It is Ananda for me. While in Ananda, the inflow of positive energy is infinite. This is true in respect of the devotees who also sit through such lectures,” Krishnan concludes in typical simple style.

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Velukkudi Krishnan