The Mystic Mahan of Mantralaya

During my last visit to Chennai in 2012, I was suddenly pulled by a strong desire to visit Mantralaya, the holy place of Sri Raghavendra, located on the banks of Tungabadra river in Andhra Pradesh. The nearest railhead to Mantralaya is Mantralayam Road, a sleepy station, about 540 kms by train from Chennai.  For some reasons, I could not make the visit. Later, two interesting incidents followed. 

The first one was in March 2013. While taking a morning walk in the beautiful Evergreen Valley park in San Jose, I met an elderly Indian gentleman.  After introducing myself, I asked his name. With a captivating smile on his face, he replied instantly, "Raghavendra."  He was a retired senior official from ITI, Bangalore, visiting his daughter in San Jose. We became good friends and he introduced me over phone to one of the founder members of Chinmaya Mission who lives in Boston.

Barely a month ago, I attended a Rudra Abhishekam at the home of one of my friends in Chicago. On request, I gave a short introduction to Sri Rudram and the abhishekam followed. After the rituals ended,  a middle-aged gentleman walked up to me and invited me to participate in the next Rudra Abhishekam scheduled the following week-end at his home in Vernon Hills. I asked his name. He said, "Raghavendra."


It seemed as though the Mahan of Mantralaya was calling me to his abode. This time, my thoughtful younger brother made the rail reservations in advance. On December 1, my wife, my brother and I took the Mumbai mail train to Mantralayam Road. From the rail station, we traveled for about 40 minutes in a rickety autoriksha to Mantralaya. After a refreshing bath in the holy Tungabadra river, we stood in line to have a darshan of Sri Raghavendra, believed to be still living in Jeeva Samadhi that he entered in 1671 A.D.

The Entrance to Sri. Raghavendra Temple

Sri Raghavendra is said to be a Mahan in the lineage of the great Narayana devotee Prahlada, followed by Vibhishana (Ravana's brother) and  Vyasateertha, the spiritual leader of the Madhwa school. Born as Venkatanatha in 1595, he discarded his worldly ties, his family and became a Sannyasi. It is believed that the monk chose Mantralaya for his abode because Prahlada had performed penances at this spot and Lord Rama too was at this place that made it very auspicious.  

Ratha Yatra of Lord Prahlada

With folded hands and prayers in our hearts, we had a great darshan of the Mahan at Mantralaya. We took an arduous bone-shaking trip to Bikshalaya (Bichali), the place where Ragahvendra lived (his home is being rebuilt), and Panchamukhi, a rocky temple of Hanuman having five heads. 

Late evening, we witnessed the Ratha Yatra (procession of Chariot) and Dolotswam of Lord Prahlad in the outer prakaram (corridor) of the temple (see picture alongside)

 
Silently, Ragahvendra captures the hearts of millions of pilgrims visiting Mantralaya. The following short and sweet prayer is offered to Sri Raghavendra:

pUjyAya raghavendrAya satya-dharma-ratAya ca /

bhajatAm kalpavRkshAya namatAm kAmadhenave //

Truth (satya) and righteousness (dharma) are the two pillars of Hindu religion. It is applicable to all irrespective of caste or creed.

May KalpakaVriksha, the wish-yielding heavenly tree and Kaamadhenu, the divine Cow bestow on you anything that you desire.

 

The Incredible Power of Faith

When the disciples asked Jesus why they were unable to cast out the demon from a boy, He said to them, 'Because of the littleness of your faith; for truly I say to you, if you have faith as a mustard seed, you shall say to this mountain, "Move from here to there,” and it shall move; and nothing shall be impossible to you’ ” (Matt. 17:20).

Does faith really have the power to move mountains?  Well, haven't you read or heard of miracles taking place because of the power of faith in the Almighty (or the Unknown)?

According to our ancient scriptures:

Young Prahlada, the son of King Hiranyakashipu, could not be killed even through the most brutal methods because of his unshakeable faith in Lord Narayana; 

Young Krishna lifted the mighty Govardhana mountain to protect the people from torrential rains caused by Lord Indra (see picture);

The mighty Hanuman is said to have carried the huge Sanjeevi mountain with medicinal plants to revive Lakshmana in Lanka

There are many such miracles powered by faith in the current Kali Yuga. Here are some examples:

The massive Nandi (bull) installed in front of Lord Shiva in Chidambaram temple in Tamil Nadu is said to have moved to provide unobstructed Darshan (view) to faithful Devotee Nandanar from the low caste.

A Jain King sought to punish Appar (Tirunavukkarasar) for being a devotee of Lord Shiva. He tied Appar to a huge stone and threw him in deep waters. Appar floated because of his absolute faith in the efficacy of ‘Nama Sivaya’ manthram.

Oh…I can hear some of you say, “What you quote are all some age-old stories. How can we believe them?  Do you know of any such faith-driven miracles in recent times?”

Yes, positively yes! I know of people who have experienced the vanishing of ‘mountain-like’ huge problems because of the incredible power of faith - and people includes me too. Faith provided me the hope to survive amidst heavy odds in life and spring back. Just google - you will find countless stories of personal experiences narrated in the internet media.

Is there any scientific proof to uphold the power of faith? After all, what is science? It is simply accumulated knowledge based on human observation. No one observed the creation of the universe. It is simply a matter of implicit faith.

Want to know more on how scientific research has given the faithful reasons to rejoice? Take a look at Ari N. Schulman's article titled, “Does Faith Make You Healthier?” in the Wall Street Journal of August 9, 2013. I hope the following link works. If it does not, try cutting and pasting it on your browser.

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424127887324328904578622481104499620.html?mod=ITP_opinion_0#articleTabs%3Darticle

In my May 2006 posting, I had quoted Sri Sri Ravishankar describing Faith or shraddha as one of the six types of wealth. He said, "Faith is needed when you have found the limit of your knowing... Your willingness to know the unknown is shraddha." It would be fanaticism to think there is nothing beyond. Absence of faith is doubt -- in yourself, others, or the whole. Ninety nine per cent of people doubt the whole, because they do not believe that there is a whole that is functioning."   

One has to really experience the incredible power of faith. Try building faith in the Unknown!

Heal Thyself the Simple Way!

Who does not want to enjoy the best of health? While everyone desires good health, rapidly changing eating habits, work patterns, and living styles are affecting human health. Trends indicate that people tend to rush to specialist doctors even for minor ailments, go through a series of diagnostic tests and eventually consume potent drugs that may be prescribed as a remedy.

Mother Nature provides all the clues to heal you – such as you feel tired after a busy day when the body needs rest, your stomach gets upset when you eat too heavy and spicy food and you are unable to sleep if you suffer from stress due to worries.

Your body is endowed with powers to heal itself but you must pay attention to the natural clues, stop overloading your systems, and follow simple remedial steps.   

Did you know that many of the foods we eat have some healing power? For example:

·         Ginger has a well-deserved reputation for relieving an uneasy stomach.

·         Turmeric has disinfecting properties. It is used to heal throat infection and help to relieve colds and cough.

·         Onion serves as anti-inflammatory, antibiotic, antiviral remedy.  

·         Cinnamon helps to stabilize blood sugar.

·         Bananas are known for their antacid effect that guard against damages from stomach ulcers.   

At last, modern science is beginning to uncover the power of spices and herbs that we have used for centuries as home remedies.

In addition to the choice of simple and healthy food, one needs to develop a healthy mind through a disciplined life. The power of mind over body is amazing.

Qualities like anger, jealousy and greed can affect the stomach or interfere with digestion.

Constant worry and nervous attitudes lead to wasted energy and weakness.

It is possible to strengthen one’s mind through meditation and simple spiritual exercises. For example, yoga and other forms of meditations are known to improve health.

Phenomena like the "placebo effect" (see my earlier blog) reveal the amazing healing power of mind.

Unleash your innate healing power by heeding nature's simple clues and changing your approach to finding remedies.

Heal thyself the simple yet effective way!

My Mother's Tribute to My Father (1994)

On Fixing Things

As I grow older, memory of my younger years seems to be getting stronger in me. My younger brother (also a senior citizen) and I spend hours on the phone recalling our childhood in vivid detail. We often talk about how our father used to fix things at home - be it a cycle, an electrical appliance or a leaking faucet. My father had a collection of assorted tools and spare parts including screws, bolts, nuts and washers - all stored in a box. Besides watching with awe the intricate fixing process, my brother and I served as helpers in fetching the tools and components needed for the job.  

In early 1940's, my father bought a brand new 'Rudge' bicycle. This is the only cycle he ever bought and he kept it in perfect working condition throughout his entire working life. With regular care and maintenance, we kept most of our old household devices and equipment. We had a manual coffee grinder, a 'primus' kerosene stove that worked well for 30 years until it was sold to a neighbor, a wood-fired boiler that provided hot water regularly everyday for our family needs with very little maintenance -- the list can go on.

My mother was raised in a small village and did not have high school education. However, she was very good at fixing many intangible things. She fixed our minor ailments and injuries with simple age-old home remedies. She helped cure stomach upsets by making us eat tender 'neem' leaves with curd, apply oiled and heated salt on minor hurts/bruises, and so on. Except on an emergency, we seldom went to a doctor.

On fixing strained human relationships, my mother was superb. The finest skill she demonstrated was in fixing hopelessly broken relationships between people -both young and old. She smoothly cemented many severely damaged friendships, made couples unite after years of separation, and actively promoted a close-knit feeling amongst our friends and relatives.

With our father as the only breadwinner, our home finances were often under severe pressure. Thanks to my mother - she effectively fixed the problematic money issues with innovative methods such as a home chit fund, getting instalment credit from vendors, and product barters. 

Instead of throwing out old machines, we fixed them to stay longer with us. The same applied to human beings. We kept our aging parents and elderly relatives with care and love even if they were infirm. We managed to fix minor irritants and discords in married life and went on with our relationships.

Looking back, I think it was a wonderful way of life. We fixed almost anything and made them last longer.

Today, we witness sweeping changes around the world. Growing affluence and the flood of new products have led to drastic changes in life styles. It seems to be a world that seeks to quickly replace rather than repair. The trend seems to impact human relationships too as we see more battles, break-ups and divorces!

Admittedly, there is more wealth around. Is it accompanied by more happiness?

Hobbies for Seniors # 2

The Hobby of Writing

Today (July 4) is American Independence Day. I am on vacation and write this from my hotel in Niagara Falls, Canada. It is a beautiful morning!

Is writing a hobby? Many are into the profession of writing but I still think it is a good hobby for seniors.

For me personally, the hobby started when as a kid. I enjoyed writing letters to penfriends. I had many friends around the globe but two of them are worth  mentioning here. One was Kouichi Adachi from Japan and the other was Lars Billquist from Sweden. I never ever dreamt that someday I will meet them and spend a few days with them in their homes. Surprisingly, all three got married in the same year and continued correspondence for over three decades.

Writing provides me personal pleasure and sometimes profits too! As an experiment, I wrote two E-books titled, “Anger Management- Lessons from the Ancient” and “Mantras and Management.” They were published by smashwords.com. I earned some money through the sale of these books and still keep getting occasional royalties. It gives me a nice feeling!

What to write? Write anything of interest to you. Let your mind wander a bit. Join a yahoo group that interests you and write your views. Write to stay in touch with your friends and relatives, though many think making a phone call is easier. Write on matters related to religion, music, sports whatever your interests are. The comments from readers will make you think and you can expand your circle of friends.

One Mr. Gopalakrishnan, a retired telephone official, writes on the most uncommon topics that includes a bewildering variety of items ranging from household items like kitchen vessels and karandi to cooking and Hindu deities. His writings make very interesting reading.

Start a blog of your own. Put down your thoughts like in a diary. You can laugh at it sometime later.

Writing is a good pastime. Try it out yourself! 

Happy Independence day!

Habits Die Hard

As a kid, I often wondered why some of our family friends and relatives, especially from villages, observed so many rituals. To me, at that time, they seemed boring and meaningless. Little did I realize that many of the rituals they performed developed into life-time habits – like a daily bath in cold water, prayers, physical work, eating fresh vegetarian food and so on. When you form a habit of rising early, it stays. If you are used to drinking a hot cup of coffee early in the morning, the habit stays - I can vouch for this from my personal experience!

I learnt over time that we are all creatures of habit and if you make good habits, good habits will make you. This wisdom has been around since ancient times. Aristotle once said, "We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not an act but a habit."

Habits begin early and get ingrained in the mind. They can be friends or foes. Good habits can make our lives easier. But then, bad habits are easy to catch on, especially from parents, friends, or peers. Smoking, chewing paan or tobacco, alcoholism are some examples.  

Here's the point: Habits—good or bad—are often difficult to break ... they Die Hard!

Whether a habit plays a positive force in our lives or becomes an obstacle to the goals we want to achieve, it becomes ingrained through repeated actions.

How to break bad habits? The secret is to replace them with habits that are constructive.

As creatures of habit, we often struggle with breaking bad habits. To win—to break self-defeating attitudes and behaviors—we must understand that we have the power to choose and the power to change. We have the power to let go of negative thinking and adopt the mindset of a champion.

I believe that the subconscious mind is a lot more powerful than the conscious mind.  For example, while driving a car and carrying on a conversation with someone beside you or over cellphone, the conscious mind is attending to what is being talked while the subconscious mind is turning on the turn signal, hitting the brakes, attending to oncoming traffic,  watching the rear and side mirrors, regulating our breathing, planning our next move and on and on. The subconscious mind is so vast and so powerful that we do not even know what it is thinking or capable of. It truly runs our lives—whether we believe it or not! I think many of our ancient rituals were designed to help us strengthen the subconscious mind and control the conscious mind from straying into the field of undesirable habits.

Habits die hard but you can still change habits through mind-power. It is never too late!