Memories of My Trip to Pandharpur

Last Saturday (April 7, 2012), Vidya and I had the good fortune to participate in the Radha Madhava Kalyanam at the Chinmaya Mission's Yamunotri Center in Grayslake. The Bhajans, led by Srividhya Ganesh, were melodious and uplifting. The beautifully decorated idols of Radha and Krishna at the Center kindled in me memories of my last trip to Pandharpur where I had the darshan of Panduranga Vittal, an incarnation of Lord Vishnu.

I remember it was a bright, Thursday morning (January 24, 2008). Vidya, me and my brother and his wife left Pune by car around 7 AM. For breakfast, we packed a couple of Idlis. The ride from Pune to Pandharpur (approximately 220 Kms) took about 5 hours on the Solapur road (NH-9). For most part, the road was good but closer to Pandarpur, the ride was pretty bumby. On my return, I took the Phaltan-Jejuri route which was better.

We reached the holy city of Pandharpur around noon. The city is situated on the banks of River Bhima – a tributary of Krishna river. At Pandharpur, the river flows in the crescent shape of a moon and hence it is called 'Chandrabhaaga'.

No sooner we alighted from the car, a young man approached us and offered his services to arrange for the Lord’s darshan. He took us to a priest who offered us two optional Puja’s - at prices of Rs. 1100 and Rs. 1500. We declined his offer and stood in the line for ‘Dharma Darshan’. It took us about 40 minutes for entering the sanctum.

What a divine sight! With arms akimbo, Panduranga Vittala stood magnificently on a stone platform believed to be made of brick. According to legends, Lord Krishna came to Pandharpur on the request of his devotee Pundalika. When the Lord arrived Pundalika was serving his parents and he asked the Lord to wait on a brick platform. The name Vittala itself means "One who stands on a brick".

The Lord was adorned with a princely attire. The idol looked about 4 ft tall. Anyone, irrespective of caste and creed, is allowed to touch the idol’s feet. I guess we were really blessed. I could touch the lotus feet of the Lord with my hands and also with my forehead. In no other temple, I had such a unique experience. The priest offered garlands and prasadams of coconut and pedhas. Coming outside the sanctum, we performed sankalpam and a mini-pooja with the help of a priest. There are pandas as in most pilgrim spots but I did not experience any ‘high-pressure’ pandas to relieve my wallet.

Daily worship rituals include Kakad Arati (Early Morning Prayers) , Mahapuja (Mega-Worship), Mahanaivedya (Food offering), Poshakh (putting the robe), Dhoop Arati, and Padya Pooja.

Panduranga’s consort Rukmani is in a separate sanctum that is close to the main sanctum. I learnt that there is another temple for Rukmani which is about 2 kms away from the main temple. We could not visit the other temple for want of time. There is also an idol of Purandara Daasa (considered as the father of Carnatic music) in the main temple. Purandara Dasa was formerly Srinivasa Nayaka who was a wealthy merchant in Karnataka; foremost among the talented Karnatic composers. Because of a strange incident in his life, Srinivasa Nayaka abandoned all his wealth and became an ardent devotee of Sri Hari. Eventually, he became Purandara Dasa.

Wednesdays and Ekadasi days are considered very auspicious in Pandharpur. On these days, large crowds assemble here for the Lord’s darshan. The temple timings for darshan are: Morning 6 to 7, 8 to 11, 11.15 to 4.30 Evening, 5.00 to 7.00 pm & 7.30 to 10.00 p.m & 10.30 to 11.00 p.m.

The main temple is believed to have been built in the 12th century by the Yaadavas of Devagiri (modern Daulatabad). Pandharpur is also associated with the Maharashtra poet-saints devoted to the Bhakti cult. Many saints of Maharashtra- Saint Dnyaneshwar, Saint Tukaram, Saint Namdev, Saint Purandaradas, and others have composed songs in praise of Panduranga Vittala.

The great Maharashtrian saint Tukaram sang in one of his Abhangs:

Just beyond us we see that purple luster - how glorious!
With His noble crown of peacock feathers stitched together.
As you look upon Him, fever and illusion vanish
Adore then the Prince of the Yadavas, the Lord of Yogis.
He stands upon the river bank with the luster of one million moons.
It is fastened in jewels on His neck
And merges into the luster of His form.

Tukaram’s poetic description does not need any elaboration. With a deep sense of satisfaction and a great ‘mission accomplished’ feeling, we returned to Pune the same evening around 8:30 PM.

The trip to Pandharpur is unforgettable. How blessed we are! In your lifetime, you must visit Pandharpur at least once to see the glorious Panduranga Vittala and receive His divine blessings.

Punar Darshana Praptir Asthu

The Age of Change

Sometime in the 6^th century B.C., the Greek philosopher Heraclitus is believed to have said "There is nothing permanent except change." Isn't that really true? Just take a look at the sweeping changes taking place around us.

Gone are the days when I used to grope in the dark to see the time on my manually wound bedside clock. Today, I enjoy the convenience of just opening my eyes to see the time (and temperature too!) displayed on my room ceiling. Gone are the days when I used to wait for hours for a long-distance call (trunk call as it was called) to mature on my ITI-made round dial telephone. Gone are the days when I used to anxiously wait for the postman to tap on my door and deliver the letters from my near and dear ones - today, most communications are all done through e-mail, face book, cell phone and other media.

We have entered a time of great change. The evidence of this great change is everywhere - in teaching and learning, science and technology, traveling and eating, even walking and sleeping!

Yesterday, I went with my grandson (15) to his school to attend an advanced placement (AP) program that prepares the students for college education through a range of over 20 optional courses. Each subject teacher was making power point presentations extoling the virtues of his/her subject and trying to sell it to a young and curious audience. It is so different from my school days when the only tools available to the teacher were a blackboard and a piece of chalk while the students had very limited choice of subjects.

Science and technology are expanding at such a frantic pace that everyday there is something new. Every day we're bombarded with the latest technology products - cellphones, GPS, computers, video games and what not. No longer, I need to go to the bank to deposit checks - I can do it over my cell phone! Tape recorders and even CD players are obsolete. They are replaced by sleek digital devices like I-pods that fit into a shirt pocket! The black-slate like tablet meets almost all your basic needs of communication and entertainment, assuming of course that you know how to make use of it.

Eating habits too have been greatly influenced by changes around. You can find an amazing variety of ready-to-cook/eat food (including idlis and masala dosas) on the shelves of most grocery stores. Very few people now have the time or interest to struggle in making those delicious dishes from fundamentals!

You can see the changes in the social scene too. In contrast to the earlier generation, today more women are highly educated, and work on full-time placing career as most important in their lives. Attitudes and values have changed too. Patience and tolerance are getting to be rarer virtues. Divorce, a rare event in earlier days, is now a common phenomenon. It seems anyone can marry anyone else so long as the partners are of the opposite sex. Even this view is changing in some parts of the world!

Old-time ideas of force and fear have been shattered. As a child, I used to dread some of my teachers who doled out the most humiliating punishments. . Codes of discipline were faithfully enforced in many walks of life. There were restrictions imposed on certain social movements. Today, it seems OK to do almost anything and get away under the name of freedom, birthright or some such thing without any fear or stigmas attached to the deed. The very process of thinking itself seems to be going through radical changes from asking 'why?' to 'why not?'

Though many of these changes sound fascinating, I sometimes wonder where they are really leading the people? The paradox is that with all the seemingly progressive changes, happiness seems elusive. While some sections of society accumulate wealth beyond estimates, another part struggles to make a decent living amidst impacts from all kinds of disturbing pressures such as frauds, mounting expenses, uncaring friends and relatives, crime and violence, and so on.

Well, we must realize that we are all living in an age of change, and gracefully accept those that we cannot change. Our best shot is to help the people close to us by giving out what we are granted with in terms of time, money, knowledge, ideas, whatever, with honesty and sincerity.

A Short Story of Vedas

Hinduism or Sanatana Dharma as it should be called, is based on Four Vedas - Yajur, Saama, Rig and Atharvana. How did these four Vedas came into existence in the present world? Kanchi MahaPeriava had answered this question with an interesting story. Let me share this short story with you.

When Lord Sri Krishna departed from this world, grim darkness enveloped all over the world. There is "darkness" in His name itself - "Krishna" means dark. He was born in darkness, in the dungeon of a prison at midnight. But He had the radiance of knowledge for the entire world, and He carried the light of compassion. When He departed, “jnana” (knowledge) got eroded significantly, and darkness descended into the world. Kali, who is the evil incarnate, became powerful. All this is the sport of the Paramatman, the sport that is inscrutable. Sri Krishna, who came as a burst of light, was urged by His compassion and decided that the world must not degenerate. He thought that it could be saved by administering an antidote against the venom of Kali. This antidote was the “Vedas.” It would be enough if precautions were taken to make sure that the “Kali Man" did not devour the people- the world would be saved. In the darkness surrounding everything, the Vedas would serve the purpose of a lamp lighting the path of mankind. In the age of Kali, they would not shine with the same effulgence as in the previous Yugams (ages). But the Lord resolved that they must burn with at least the minimum of lustre to be of benefit to mankind and He ensured this through Veda Vyasa.

The great sage who was to carry out Bhagavan Krishna's resolve was not then called Veda Vyasa. Interestingly, his name too was Krishna and, since he was born and raised on an island, he had the appellation "Dvaipayana" (meaning Islander). Badarayana was another name. Krishna Dvaipayana knew all the 1,180 sakhas ( recensions) of the Vedas revealed to the world by various sages. They were mixed together in one great stream. Being remarkably gifted, our great ancestors could memorise all of them. For the benefit of weaker people like us, Vyasa divided them into four Vedas and subdivided each into sakhas. It was like building across a river and drawing the huge quantity of water through various canals. Vyasa accomplished the task of dividing the Vedas easily because he was a great yogi with vision and because he had the power gained from austerities.

The Rig-Veda sakhas contain hymns to invoke the various deities; the Yajurveda sakhas deal with the conduct of sacrifices; the Samaveda sakhas contain songs to please the deities; and the Atharvaveda sakhas, besides dealing with sacrifices, contain mantras recited to avert calamities and to destroy enemies. The Samaveda had the largest number of recensions, 1,000. In the Rig-Veda there were 21; in the Yajur 109 (Shukla-Yajur Veda 15, and Krishna Yajur Veda 94); and in the Atharvaveda 50.

While, according to one scholar, the Vishnu Purana mentions the number of sakhas to be 1,180, another version is that there were 1,133 recensions- the Rig-Veda 21, the Yajurveda 101, the Samaveda 1,000 and the Atharvaveda 11. Considering that people in the age of Kali may be inferior to their forefathers, Krishna Dvaipayana thought that it should be sufficient for them to learn one sakha of any one of the four Vedas. It was the Lord that put this idea into his head. Vyasa assigned the Rig-Veda sakhas to Paila, the Yajurveda sakhas to Vaisampayana, the Samaveda sakhas to Jaimini and the Atharvanaveda sakhas to Sumantu.

Krishna Dvaipayana came to be called "VedaVyasa" for having divided the Vedas into four and then having subdivided them into 1, 180 recensions. "Vyasa" literally means an "essay" or a "composition". Classifying topics is also known as "Vyasa."

The Secret to Self-Healing

Are you aware that we all are endowed with the innate power to heal our own ailments? It does not mean that doctors are not needed but they can only assist if they act in harmony with the Laws of Nature.

Our mind and body systems are so designed by the Almighty that they are equipped to HANDLE AND HEAL ailments. For example, you cut yourself with a blade while shaving. The wound caused by the blade heals itself over time. The affected skin grows new pigments and becomes normal soon if there is no further damage by external obstacles like dust and abrasion by other objects. You really do not need help from others. As a kid, I have hurt myself so many times and most of the times, never went to a doctor. At best, I have cleaned the wound with plain cold water. Similar healing processes take place in other systems of the body. If one has a headache, chances are that it is often caused by mental stress, inadequate rest, or hunger. Nature provides its own warning signals like fever, aches and pains. If you do not heed to it and take corrective action, it leads to sickness or disease.

The human body can take some abuse for sometime but not from all sorts on a continuous basis. In my humble opinion, most illnesses are caused by lack of hygiene, poor discipline on diet and drinks, irresponsible lifestyle, and inadequate understanding of oneself. Pain and suffering are just signals to our conscious mind that we have to CHANGE our ways of living, eating and resting patterns and basic attitudes. Those in the rat race to attain top positions in the corporate world are more vulnerable to diseases.

Is it not simpler to just take some drugs prescribed by doctors? Remember, most drugs contain chemicals that often cause side effects. To counter side effects, more medicines are required. The problem with most drugs is that once you start taking them, you tend to become habituated and it becomes difficult to just abruptly stop taking those drugs.

On the other hand, try self-healing ailments by allowing some time to regulate your life-style with clean food (avoid smoking, drinking, eating in low-class restaurants and junk food) and habits. I have personally experienced that my headache just vanishes if I rest or sleep for a while.

Believe in self-healing processes. The God-given mind-body system has almost unlimited self-repair capabilities, but most of people shut the doors to natural healing and deny themselves any access to them. Build your self-confidence by constantly thinking that you are doing fine and driving out negative thoughts. If you do not believe in inherent powers self-healing, your chances of success are minimal.

The secret to self-healing is: Keep an open mind, adopt clean regular habits, and rest adequately.

Pray and Let Mother Nature take care of you.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Today is Thanksgiving Day. Most stories on the history of Thanksgiving talk about the feasting celebration of the Pilgrims and the Native Americans that took place in the year 1621. The feast was not called "Thanksgiving." It was more of a traditional harvest festival like 'Pongal' in India. The feast, like Pongal, is believed to be an expression of thanks to God for the bountiful harvest.

In 1863, President Abraham Lincoln proclaimed a national Thanksgiving Day to be held each November. I am not sure why Thanksgiving Day is celebrated on the fourth Thursday of November. However, over the years, the feasting tradition of giving thanks to God seems to have transformed itself into a holiday revelry. On Thanksgiving Day, families and friends usually gather for a large meal. Most schools and colleges declare a week-long vacation, as many students return home to unite with family members. Gifts are also exchanged as Thanksgiving is considered as a time to show love and appreciation for closest friends and family.

It is also a time to reflect upon many of life's blessings that we take for granted. While I can think of abundant small things to be thankful for (starting from the hot cup of brewed coffee that I relish every morning), I can list at least ten important things that I enjoy.

1. A cosy warm bed to sleep in without the nuisance of mosquitos and bed bugs.

2. Hot shower, dry towels and clothes to provide the comfortable feeling in me.

3. The most beautiful smile of my little grandson Vivek and the happy time I spend with him.

4. The opportunity and inclination to pray everyday morning and perform my daily rituals.

5. The pleasure of listening to my charming granddaughter and escorting her to school.

6. The choice of delicious vegetarian food items and God-given appetite & digestive power to consume them.

7. A computer that works faithfully on a reliable intenet connection.

8. An acceptable report from the doctor on my general health.

9. My growing interest in ancient scriptures that I once thought were beyond my understanding.

10. The love and deep concern of all family members to my well-being.

I am thankful to the Almighty for providing me all those little things that contribute to contentment in my life. Taking this opportunity, I like to quote the following mantra in Sanskrit with its meaning:


Sarve bhavantu sukhinah: May every one be happy
Sarve santu niramayah: May every one be free from all diseases
Sarve bhadrani pashyantu: May every one see goodness in every thing
Ma kaschit duhkha bhaag bhaveet: May none be unhappy or distressed
Om shanti, shanti, shantih: Om peace, peace, peace!

May all be happy, may all be free from sickness, may all see things good, and may none have misery. Om peace, peace, peace!

Happy Thanksgiving!

Who am I?

Who am I? Sounds like a serious philosophical question? Hard to understand? Sure it is. I am not trying to scare you with some heavy religious stuff. Let me try to explain this in an 'easy-to-understand' manner.

1. The Situation: Every person yearns to be happy. No question about it. But the world in which we live today revolves around the dollar (or Rupees, whatever), and the other ingredient called power. There are the disturbing evils of corruption, cheating, fraud, extortion, sickness and so on. An average person is not happy in such a challenging situation. Even those privileged people who have the best of health, wealth and power seem to be outwardly happy but they too have their personal issues. The rich may buy the most expensive luxury beds in the world but they still cannot guarantee getting sound sleep and joy. If you explore further, many people are torn apart searching for a true sense of themselves and real happiness.

2. The Truth: Before we explore the self, we should be aware of some fundamental truths. Realize that the happiness that we get from external objects is temporary. Experience has proved that something that exists now is gone in the next moment. Take the examples of natural disasters such as earthquakes, tsunami, and heavy rains. We have very little control over such events. See what happened to those pillars of power in several countries such as Egypt, Italy, Libya, Iraq and others. We also see that wealth is not stationery as the rich become poor and the poor become rich. As our ancient scriptures tell us, the perceived world seems to be an illusion or "Maaya"in which nothing seems to be permanent.

3. The Universe: We all are part of that dynamic universe created by the Almighty. The universe is ever-changing. New things get discovered, old beliefs get shattered, communications improve, and innovations grow. Try as we might, we cannot understand why some things happen. The least we can do is to play our role as good human beings and pursue the real happiness. To do so, we must first understand ourselves - our qualities, our desires and our potential.

4. Self-introspection: It, therefore, makes perfect sense to ask the question: Who am I? It helps to seek a deeper sense of self and to be aware of our thoughts, feelings, hopes and fears. This self-introspection is not to become tense and pass any judgments on yourself but to feel light and provide you a sense of direction. It will provide a key to the pursuit of real happiness. To some, it may lead them on to the path of meditation, prayers and religion. To others it could be through music, service, or even nurturing plants. Essentially, you will avoid hurt to others.

Finally, do not worry too much trying to assess yourself. Relax! Just try and focus on what would make you feel 'a better you,' no matter how distressing the external environment is. There awaits for you a new road to self-discovery!

Remembering My Father

This year, Mahalayapaksha (also called Pitrupaksha) began on September 13. It will end on September 27 on the day of Mahalaya Amavasai. It is a fortnight dedicated to dead ancestors. During this period, Pitrus are specially honored through Tarpanams (offerings). It is believed that the Pitrus in the form of manes come down to earth during this time and bless their descendants. This may be the best time of the year to remember my father, Narayanswamy Sundaresan, who was known as Ambi (short for Ambalavanan) in his younger days and Athi in his later days to his relatives.

My father was born in the year 1912 in a small village called Kotoor in Tamil Nadu. If he had been alive, he would be 99 years old now. Unfortunately, he died when he was 82. He was the only son to my grandparents, Dr. Narayanswamy and Yogambal. He studied in Kuttalam High School and later graduated in Chemistry at the Annamalai University.

Starting his first job as a news reporter for ‘Indian Express’ in Madras, he launched his long career in the chemical engineering field at the Government-owned Cordite Factory in Aravankadu, Nilgiris. Later, he moved to the High Explosives factory at Kirkee, near Pune where he worked until retirement. For almost thirty years, he worked in managing 24/7 chemical processes that produced explosives and harsh polluting chemicals such as nitric and sulphuric acids. Rain or shine, his only means of transportation was a ‘Rudge’ bicycle that served him faithfully all his life. He had always kept his bicycle in immaculate condition by regularly oiling it, ensuring everyday that the tyres and tubes are good, and the dynamo light worked. His other personal belonging that he kept all his life in excellent working condition was a “sowar prima” swiss-made wrist watch.

His work ethics were unmatched by anyone that I know of. He was so passionate about his work and so punctual that not once was he late to work in his entire three-decades career! He strived so hard at work from day to day; working in round-the-clock shifts almost his entire career in the most polluted environment suffering from leaking acid burns, losing his fine set of teeth and a nice bunch of jet black hair on his head; And never once complained about his tough work or the hazardous work environment though he lost some of his best friends in the explosions at the factory. No wonder, his coworkers held him in awe and high respect. Some of them have conveyed their great admiration of my father to me and my brother Babu.

He had a bunch of enviable qualities. He loved children – from babies to teenagers. For my brother Babu and me, he was the hero and role model. His handwriting was so beautiful that it was almost like a piece of art. I imitated it. My brother tried too –though unsuccessfully! Everybody who read his writing appreciated it. I have heard that he once wrote a job application for my uncle that was so impressive that my uncle got the job. My uncle’s boss was probably disappointed later on seeing an entirely different handwriting!

Blessed with a terrific sense of humour and a sharp memory, he instantly made an agreeable companion to young and old alike. Watching my father tell a joke in his own inimitable way was itself a pleasurable experience –it reflected his instinctive genial nature. He had a collection of jokes on almost every topic. On hearing his wit, delighted listeners will invariably burst with laughter and forget petty issues. He was equally good in writing and used to contribute small anecdotes to many Tamil magazines.

He never took insults and ignorance lightly. One instance comes to my mind – My father was instrumental to get one of our relatives married to the daughter of a well-known person in Pune. When he went to attend the wedding, the host completely ignored my father. Weeks later, when the host visited our home with the bride and the groom, my father expressed his disappointment at not even being recognized at the wedding. The host defended himself by saying that my father should have introduced himself. Much to the amusement of everybody in the room, my father told the host: “Yes – I agree with you. Next time, when I attend a wedding in your family, I will come wearing a big board around my neck introducing myself as Sundaresan.” The host hung his head!

He had clean habits. He never ever smoked, drank, gambled, chewed paan, or explored non-vegetarian food. He preferred cooking his own food rather than go to a restaurant. Much to the dislike of many, he was known to be very punctual. He helped many in distress who came to him seeking his assistance. He was very active all his life and shunned lethargy.

His interests were varied – ranging from Carnatic music, Hindi music of Sehgal, Pankaj Mallick and the like of those days, to gardening, cooking, shopping, cycling, and fixing all kinds of devices at home. He was not exactly religious but spiritually inclined. He exemplified the adage"sradhaya deyathe yasmath sraddam” (that which is performed with faith) by faithfully performing every year ‘Sraddam’ for his parents and grandparents. Before the ‘sraddam,’ he will make elaborate preparations in advance such as buying the most appropriate groceries, vegetables, fruits, and confirming the date and time with the priest and the Brahmin guests (Neither we nor the priest/guest had telephone those days –so, communication had to be done personally!).

He was not only my loving dad but also my best friend. Whenever I got frustrated at work, he will always cheer me up. I can never forget his sayings - “What one fool can do, the other can,” “ Don’t be chicken-hearted ,” “What is sauce to the goose is not sauce to the gander” and many others. He taught me the value of time and honesty.

What impressed me most was his attitude to life. He was the most contented person that I have ever met. Radiating bliss on his face, he once told me that given another chance to start life all over again, he would like to lead life in exactly the same way as he had done all along. Does it not reflect how happy and contented he was with himself?

He breathed his last when I least expected him to die. When and where will I get such a dear father?

Appa, I love you, I miss you very much. You will always live in my heart! Bless me, my brothers and our families, please.