My mother tongue, Kannada has had a dialect that is called as Havyaka. This is the language I was born in and this is what I've spoken since then, at home or with relatives. However, this is not what people speak outside in general and most Kannadigas will raise their eyebrows when they hear this dialect. So I've made efforts to talk some sort of mixed Kannada for Bangaloreans to make sense out of all the nonsense that I utter! Okay, thats how far my Kannada skills go, that is, to spoken language. My reading and writing Kannada is limited to split alphabets and joining them at the pace of a tortoise's walk, even slower sometimes.
A solution to this was found when I visited Ramakrishna ashram a week or so back. On my enquiring whether they had printed bhajans that are sung in the ashram daily for others to read and sing along, I was asked: "which language do you want them in?" I thought "wow, thats interesting" and said "say, Sanskrit or Hindi". After much trouble at their end, they dug up a couple of English books that had transliterations of some bhajans that was of no use for the purpose. So I decided not to buy them. Instead, one of the guys suggested: learn Kannada! I thought again: "ah! what an opportunity and what a blessed way to learn". So I decided to buy the entire set of bhajan books in Kannada and since then, on all my visits, I've begun my Kannada classes... yes, at the ashram, learning from bhajans and that too, from great teachers: Meera, Kabir, Shankaracharya, Swamis of Ramakrishna Math, Tulsidas, etc.. the list being perhaps, endless!!!
Goodbye Bangalore: Driving the trees away!
Its saddening to see so many (some 375-400!) trees being felled in Bangalore and innumerous others being pruned. There were lots of people from NGOs protesting in vain against this act of stupidity last month. I'm surprised as to how the authorities, who take such decisions, got to such an authoritative position with their empty heads in the first place! The reason given for all these foolish acts was to ease traffic woes.
Imagine this: most of these trees are age old huge trees that have spread their branches half way across the road giving shade & solace to everyone who walk/ride/drive by. These trees are *not* in the middle of the roads but mostly at the side. If some of these trees are on the road, they still are not obstructing traffic. This particular tree on Residency Road, that was felled recently, had left enough space at the bus stop for a bus to easily drive on its left and park. But what has been happening and will, undoubtedly, continue to happen is the irresponsible, rude & unorganised BMTC bus drivers will park the bus bang in the middle of the road, while another one will park next to it! Tree or no tree, bus drivers' mentality will remain the same. Next, the poor bus commuters will continue to bring their bus stops to the centre of the road! The other frustrated riders/drivers will continue to rip by the standing passengers in whatever space is left on any side! I do not want to even mention the horrible auto rickshaws. The adjacent school's children & their parents/guardians will remain in misery taking deep breaths while they run across the road maneuvering themselves to dodge vehicles that almost bump into them! These days, its hard to say where one's safer: in the vehicle or outside it. Ah, Bangalore.
People are buying vehicles like crazy, not knowing how to drive or caring to learn how to. A bunch of them know the direction, at most, where they're headed. Rest all is left to acceleration. Rules do not exist for people to know. No one bothers, no one even knows what a white line or a yellow line means; lane discipline is not even dreamt of. Driving licenses are being handed with tests hardly taken. As they say, when money talks, morals walk! Such is the case even at the motoring schools and licensing authorities. While "bad roads" is just an excuse, people make no effort to follow the rules themselves. Honking, to them, seems like some sort of music or a melodious song! The regular traffic policeman is just another crook, who is more interested in the moolah than enforcing discipline. Of course, there is some good policing too that keeps the city breathing while it ticks away to slow death.
The trees that gave shelter are now shouldered away and auctioned off. The repercussions are perhaps unknown to many. The nature is bound to react, sooner than later. We see this not only as global warming from scientific discoveries, but it is felt as mercury rising day in day out. A little less than a decade back (I've lived here since only five years), Bangalore was true to its identity as a garden city. Its no longer so. Just having a Lalbagh botanical garden in the centre does not make up for loss of greenary all around the city. Bangalore was famous also for its timely rain, as soon as the temperatures hit 33 degrees, be it any month of the year. Weather has reduced to not even worth a mention as the city's plus point. All that remains now is a whole lot of over- and under-qualified software engineers, fresh graduates from all walks drawing call centre salaries, pubs that run through the midnight that bathe customers in beer whilst taps await droplets of ground water, Brigade road culture even at work & school, vehicles parked on the roads and running on footpaths, candle-light cooking at home, day-light loots in the open & of course, sleepy government!!!
I'm counting my days left here; then it will thankfully be "Goodbye, namma Bangaluru".
Imagine this: most of these trees are age old huge trees that have spread their branches half way across the road giving shade & solace to everyone who walk/ride/drive by. These trees are *not* in the middle of the roads but mostly at the side. If some of these trees are on the road, they still are not obstructing traffic. This particular tree on Residency Road, that was felled recently, had left enough space at the bus stop for a bus to easily drive on its left and park. But what has been happening and will, undoubtedly, continue to happen is the irresponsible, rude & unorganised BMTC bus drivers will park the bus bang in the middle of the road, while another one will park next to it! Tree or no tree, bus drivers' mentality will remain the same. Next, the poor bus commuters will continue to bring their bus stops to the centre of the road! The other frustrated riders/drivers will continue to rip by the standing passengers in whatever space is left on any side! I do not want to even mention the horrible auto rickshaws. The adjacent school's children & their parents/guardians will remain in misery taking deep breaths while they run across the road maneuvering themselves to dodge vehicles that almost bump into them! These days, its hard to say where one's safer: in the vehicle or outside it. Ah, Bangalore.
People are buying vehicles like crazy, not knowing how to drive or caring to learn how to. A bunch of them know the direction, at most, where they're headed. Rest all is left to acceleration. Rules do not exist for people to know. No one bothers, no one even knows what a white line or a yellow line means; lane discipline is not even dreamt of. Driving licenses are being handed with tests hardly taken. As they say, when money talks, morals walk! Such is the case even at the motoring schools and licensing authorities. While "bad roads" is just an excuse, people make no effort to follow the rules themselves. Honking, to them, seems like some sort of music or a melodious song! The regular traffic policeman is just another crook, who is more interested in the moolah than enforcing discipline. Of course, there is some good policing too that keeps the city breathing while it ticks away to slow death.
The trees that gave shelter are now shouldered away and auctioned off. The repercussions are perhaps unknown to many. The nature is bound to react, sooner than later. We see this not only as global warming from scientific discoveries, but it is felt as mercury rising day in day out. A little less than a decade back (I've lived here since only five years), Bangalore was true to its identity as a garden city. Its no longer so. Just having a Lalbagh botanical garden in the centre does not make up for loss of greenary all around the city. Bangalore was famous also for its timely rain, as soon as the temperatures hit 33 degrees, be it any month of the year. Weather has reduced to not even worth a mention as the city's plus point. All that remains now is a whole lot of over- and under-qualified software engineers, fresh graduates from all walks drawing call centre salaries, pubs that run through the midnight that bathe customers in beer whilst taps await droplets of ground water, Brigade road culture even at work & school, vehicles parked on the roads and running on footpaths, candle-light cooking at home, day-light loots in the open & of course, sleepy government!!!
I'm counting my days left here; then it will thankfully be "Goodbye, namma Bangaluru".
kevala tuma ho
तुम्ही हो सत्त्व रजस तुम्ही तमस,
तुम्ही पूर्णिमा तुम्ही अमावस
तुम्ही हो सूरज तुम्ही चन्द्र,
तुम्ही हो ज्ञानी और तुम्ही मंद
तुम्ही हो सागर तुम्ही नाव,
तुम्ही हो धुप और तुम्ही छाँव
तुम्ही हो कृष्ण तुम्ही राधा,
तुम्ही हो पूर्ण और तुम्ही आधा
तुम्ही हो शिष्य तुम्ही गुरु,
ना मैं करवाऊँ और ना मैं करूँ
तुम्ही हो आसनिरास तुम्ही भक्ति,
तुम्ही हो त्याग और तुम्ही वैराग
तुम्ही हो भक्त तुम्ही योग,
तुम्ही सर्वस्व और कोई ना करे भोग
तुम्ही हो शक्ति तुम्ही युक्ति,
तुम्ही हो बंधित और तुम्ही मुक्ति
तुम्ही हो पूजित तुम्ही पूजा,
तुम्ही हो पुजारी है न कोई दूजा
तुम्ही पूर्णिमा तुम्ही अमावस
तुम्ही हो सूरज तुम्ही चन्द्र,
तुम्ही हो ज्ञानी और तुम्ही मंद
तुम्ही हो सागर तुम्ही नाव,
तुम्ही हो धुप और तुम्ही छाँव
तुम्ही हो कृष्ण तुम्ही राधा,
तुम्ही हो पूर्ण और तुम्ही आधा
तुम्ही हो शिष्य तुम्ही गुरु,
ना मैं करवाऊँ और ना मैं करूँ
तुम्ही हो आसनिरास तुम्ही भक्ति,
तुम्ही हो त्याग और तुम्ही वैराग
तुम्ही हो भक्त तुम्ही योग,
तुम्ही सर्वस्व और कोई ना करे भोग
तुम्ही हो शक्ति तुम्ही युक्ति,
तुम्ही हो बंधित और तुम्ही मुक्ति
तुम्ही हो पूजित तुम्ही पूजा,
तुम्ही हो पुजारी है न कोई दूजा
prabhu charaNa
पथरीले रास्ते
कांटो के आसरे
यही मिलेंगे चंचल मन को
अविश्वासी जन को
पर जो करे प्रभु चरणों का ध्यान
जिसे चाहिए बेसब्री से ज्ञान
बस उसीका होगा उद्धार
वही होगा इस भवसागर से पार
Atmavichaara
ॐ नमो भगवते श्री रमणाय नमः ||
लगे जीवनसा जैसे स्वप्नों का उड़ान
वैसे ही जागृत अवस्था स्वप्न समान
इतना गहरा है यह भवसागर
क्यों वापस डूबना है नापकर?
त्याग दो सभी संसारों का भोग
क्योंकि यह शरीर ही है एक रोग
जानो यह लोभ है माया की शक्ति
पाओ मोक्ष जो है जीवन मरण से मुक्ति
करो नित्यानित्य आत्मविचार
यही है सारे वेदों का सार
श्री रमणार्पणमास्तु ||
लगे जीवनसा जैसे स्वप्नों का उड़ान
वैसे ही जागृत अवस्था स्वप्न समान
इतना गहरा है यह भवसागर
क्यों वापस डूबना है नापकर?
त्याग दो सभी संसारों का भोग
क्योंकि यह शरीर ही है एक रोग
जानो यह लोभ है माया की शक्ति
पाओ मोक्ष जो है जीवन मरण से मुक्ति
करो नित्यानित्य आत्मविचार
यही है सारे वेदों का सार
श्री रमणार्पणमास्तु ||
Days of our lives
Gone are the days
That make me crave
And gone are the times
that take me to rave
In are the days
That have me to pray
And in are the times
That save me a say
Alas! I long for the days
That won't need me to pray
Ah! those times, when,
I'll have nothing more to say!
That make me crave
And gone are the times
that take me to rave
In are the days
That have me to pray
And in are the times
That save me a say
Alas! I long for the days
That won't need me to pray
Ah! those times, when,
I'll have nothing more to say!
Maya pitfalls
I do not understand Maya; not many, if any, do. What I do know are my feelings and one of the major things felt is the strength of Maya. I'm just trying to compare it to the closest matches of our world:
--its like quicksand that looks like a beautiful garden that you go for a stroll in.
--its like the middle of the ocean that you go for a swim in and the ship leaves with nothing around you.
--its like the endless desert with countless mirages around you.
--its like while climbing the highest & steepest mountain, you leave one hand being overconfident and slip down. If alive, you have to start from scratch again!
My weekend experiences were so... I've slipped; I'm alive but its a long journey again.
What one needs to be aware of is you can't strip your most valued ornament and leave aside for some time, thinking of a quick bath. This ornament is meant to be with you all the while. You can't sleep off on a hopping flight when you want to get off midway. You can't take a short nap on the platform when the train is about to arrive. Similarly the spiritual path you follow can't be left for a tempting bypass or a short walk by the riverside. You have to walk this path, always. A moment's distraction is worse than a driver's peek elsewhere on a curvy circuit of an F1 race! Else its like a self-goal in soccer... thats not done!
--its like quicksand that looks like a beautiful garden that you go for a stroll in.
--its like the middle of the ocean that you go for a swim in and the ship leaves with nothing around you.
--its like the endless desert with countless mirages around you.
--its like while climbing the highest & steepest mountain, you leave one hand being overconfident and slip down. If alive, you have to start from scratch again!
My weekend experiences were so... I've slipped; I'm alive but its a long journey again.
What one needs to be aware of is you can't strip your most valued ornament and leave aside for some time, thinking of a quick bath. This ornament is meant to be with you all the while. You can't sleep off on a hopping flight when you want to get off midway. You can't take a short nap on the platform when the train is about to arrive. Similarly the spiritual path you follow can't be left for a tempting bypass or a short walk by the riverside. You have to walk this path, always. A moment's distraction is worse than a driver's peek elsewhere on a curvy circuit of an F1 race! Else its like a self-goal in soccer... thats not done!
The voice of God
The voice of God is heard in the depths of silence. This is the one thing that I used to wonder of and being talkative myself, was never sure of whether I'll experience it. Since a few days now, I've been reminded of this again and again and now, I know why.
Dakshinamurti used to teach in silence and so did Ramana do so. That was the height of communication. Very few living, if any, can do any bit of such teaching now. Its only dependent on the ability of the student, the bhaktaa. The grace of God is *felt* in the silence. Silence *is* the voice of God. Its not about words that answer the questions. Its not a voice that is literally heard that keeps on answering the questions that you put forth in your outward silence and inner disturbance. If such is the case, thats the mind's game! What happens is that silence gives you immense bliss. Its like the time you've been through a set of bhajans or dhyaana or something of the sort, immediately following which you're in no mood to talk. You're in fact in no mood to face the world. You just want to remain calm and ignore the world around. Now I know thats the real meaning of "ignorance is bliss". It just happens, there's no stopping!
I've been experiencing amazing bliss in the silent moments. What it means is that I'm ready to dive into the depths of silence, swimming or floating at first and then actually getting drowned. Now is the time! Now is the time!! Now is the time!!!
om tat sat
ramaNArpaNamastu
Dakshinamurti used to teach in silence and so did Ramana do so. That was the height of communication. Very few living, if any, can do any bit of such teaching now. Its only dependent on the ability of the student, the bhaktaa. The grace of God is *felt* in the silence. Silence *is* the voice of God. Its not about words that answer the questions. Its not a voice that is literally heard that keeps on answering the questions that you put forth in your outward silence and inner disturbance. If such is the case, thats the mind's game! What happens is that silence gives you immense bliss. Its like the time you've been through a set of bhajans or dhyaana or something of the sort, immediately following which you're in no mood to talk. You're in fact in no mood to face the world. You just want to remain calm and ignore the world around. Now I know thats the real meaning of "ignorance is bliss". It just happens, there's no stopping!
I've been experiencing amazing bliss in the silent moments. What it means is that I'm ready to dive into the depths of silence, swimming or floating at first and then actually getting drowned. Now is the time! Now is the time!! Now is the time!!!
om tat sat
ramaNArpaNamastu
No one, but a Sanyaasi alone!
Yes, no one but a Sanyaasi alone can give Knowledge. Others think they can, but they can't. They keep on talking endlessly thinking thats the knowledge they're giving, but thats not knowledge. That is something that has come out of ignorance, or ego, or wrong learning, etc. This thing I'm convinced of, beyond any bit of doubt. How is it possible for anyone who's attached to give others the knowledge of detachment? One who has not renounced can't ask people to give up attachment. It has always been "Walk the talk", "practise what you preach" and "actions speak louder than words". Otherwise, its just "easier said than done".
Ramakrishna paramhamsa went up to the extent of telling people not to teach others without being directed by God to do so. He said that one needs permission from the mother to teach. Till then, one is not eligible to do so. Still, the modern day yogi, while being a bhogi, goes on and on taking people away from their followings. One of the very good indicators of a wrong guru is when s/he starts talking ill of other masters or tell people that they're on the wrong path. The true teaching will always mention of all paths leading towards the goal, in whatever capacity. A preacher who tries to convert someone else's faith (forcibly) is neither a preacher, nor has s/he understood their own dogma well. The true teaching has faith as the basis and faith comes without any qualification. It just happens. You're in the water. One can't stand on the shore and say "I'll measure the depths of the water" with the "toe in the water" principle. One has to get in the water. In fact, one doesn't have to make efforts to do so. It just happens unknowingly, more often than not, on the first sight of the water!
Then again, all of this happens only with blessings. Thence, no one has to show you the right path... what you walk, will be the right path.
om tat sat
Ramakrishna paramhamsa went up to the extent of telling people not to teach others without being directed by God to do so. He said that one needs permission from the mother to teach. Till then, one is not eligible to do so. Still, the modern day yogi, while being a bhogi, goes on and on taking people away from their followings. One of the very good indicators of a wrong guru is when s/he starts talking ill of other masters or tell people that they're on the wrong path. The true teaching will always mention of all paths leading towards the goal, in whatever capacity. A preacher who tries to convert someone else's faith (forcibly) is neither a preacher, nor has s/he understood their own dogma well. The true teaching has faith as the basis and faith comes without any qualification. It just happens. You're in the water. One can't stand on the shore and say "I'll measure the depths of the water" with the "toe in the water" principle. One has to get in the water. In fact, one doesn't have to make efforts to do so. It just happens unknowingly, more often than not, on the first sight of the water!
Then again, all of this happens only with blessings. Thence, no one has to show you the right path... what you walk, will be the right path.
om tat sat
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