DEVOTIONAL SERVICE THATS MY INSURANCE

I was at the train station as usual waiting for the track number to be displayed on the TV where my train comes, and suddenly I came across my neighbor who waved at me. He is a nice person always trying to advise me on diet and children. He is a Vegan and he often invites me and my wife to advocate us about being Vegan and once he showed us a 3 hour documentary on BEING VEGAN. Slowly he started discussing about politics and asked my opinion about whom do I think will be the next president of USA and what are the pros and cons of each of them being presidents.

Usually I try to read a book or fall asleep during my daily commute to office and home but I showed genuine interest in his talk as I do not want to offend him in any way. Moreover he shows concern for me in his talks and advises me in various aspects in how to live in America as he has been in the US for over a decade. So slowly our discussion went to health concern and what food to be taken and where to go to buy organic groceries. And he advised me on Life insurance, he himself is not an insurance agent but he expressed his concern for his family as he being a father of two daughters that what would happen if suddenly he passes away.

He told he has taken a life insurance cover for 30 years for a coverage of 1 million dollars. The premium is just $50- $60 a month based on your health condition and age. That really made me to think what is my situation. What would happen to my family if I encounter an early demise. I have a life insurance back in India but that’s not the point. The joke is Insurance is something that we pay hat keeps us poor all our life so we can die rich as the actual benefit comes to our family only after our demise. 

All of a sudden I started thinking about me and my family. So what about my personal insurance. What is premium  that I need to pay in order to have a risk free life after death, these are the questions that provoked my mind after the discussion. Recently I have seen couple of my close relatives’  sudden demise which came as an utter shock to the spouse and the children. After coming home at 8:30 I had a conference call with my fellow devotees that we usually have for 30 minutes to discuss on a verse from BHAGAVAD GITA. Once of the devotee asked why do we consider only LORD KRISHNA as the supreme personality of Godhead why not other expansions of the Lord like NARAYANA, VISHNU, RAMA, NARASIMHA etc. 

Devotees have given their perspectives according to the Shastra and I too am very convinced by the discussion. Suddenly my mind drove me to look at the deities of Lord Jagannath, Lord Baladaev and Subhadra in my home. We never consider them as Idols but as babies who has to be taken care very nicely with love , devotion and respect. Then I flipped through the Bhagavad Gita in front of me and randomly remembered some verses and started reading their purports. My perception of my life gave a new dimension.

 Yes!! Devotional Service that is the premium I am paying for me to have a risk free life after death. Even my wife and kid are also trying to serve the Lord sincerely, so they too are paying their premiums. So I thought of going through the Terms and Conditions manual  of this insurance policy which was given in the book called BHAGAVAD GITA, coming directly from the CEO of this company. 

But I thought I need some guarantee that I will be taken care if I lead my life according to the  Terms and Conditions of the Policy.

Although it has 700 clauses,  3 clauses caught my eye. Please find them below:

Chapter 2 Clause 27  : For one who has taken his birth, death is certain; and for one who is dead, birth is certain. Therefore, in the unavoidable discharge of your duty, you should not lament.

jatasya hi dhruvo mrtyur
dhruvam janma mrtasya ca
tasmad apariharye 'rthe
na tvam socitum arhasi

Chapter 9 Clause 22: But those who worship Me with devotion, meditating on My transcendental form-to them I carry what they lack and preserve what they have.

ananyas cintayanto mam
ye janah paryupasate
tesam nityabhiyuktanam
yoga-ksemam vahamy aham

Chapter 18 Clause 65:  Always think of Me and become My devotee. Worship Me and offer your homage unto Me. Thus you will come to Me without fail. I promise you this because you are My very dear friend.

man-mana bhava mad-bhakto
mad-yaji mam namaskuru
mam evaisyasi satyam te
pratijane priyo 'si me

The premium that I need to pay is clearly mentioned in the above clause. All I need to do is sincerely offer devotional service and to add to my good fortune I have a mentor my spiritual master to help me to pay my premiums regularly without fail. 

YES!!! I HAVE THE WORLDS’ BEST INSURANCE POLICY.

Zindagi Ke Saath Bhi, Zindagi Ke Baad Bhi J J J

If "Sittarala Sirappadu" song of Ala Vaikunta Puram lo is scripted for Lord Sri Krishna based on Bhagavatham

Sittharala Si kitnudu Sittharala Si kitnudu

uttharaana oori chivara sittharala Si kitnudu

pattu pattinaada oggane oggadu

Petthanaalu nadipedu Sittharala Si kitnudu

oorooru oggesina udumpattu oggadu

   














Bugathodi aambothu rankesi kummabothe

Bugathodi aambothu rankesi kummabothe

kommuloodadeesi maripeepaloodinaduro.. 

Yadla bandi lona deyyala kompante

Yadla bandi lona deyyala kompante

Kalutho thannu thanni deyyanni gentinodu

Dattamina adavi la toka unna keechakudu

Dattamina adavi la toka unna keechakudu

guntalenta padithenu guddi gunda sesinadu

guntalenta padithenu guddi gunda sesinadu

Varadalo guntagaallu chikkukoni bikkumante

varadalo guntagaallu chikkukoni bikkumante

kondanetthi guntagalla kaapukaasinaduro....

kondanetthi guntagalla kaapukaasinaduro....

menamava vathaadhu dhammunte rammante

menamava vaathaadhu dhammunte rammante  

rommumeedhokkatichi kummi kummi poyadu

rommumeedhokkatichi kummi kummi poyadu  

 

nuru mandni migesey vanda adugula kondasilava

nuru mandni migesey vanda adugula kondasilava

odupugaa ontisetho potta seelsinaduro

saamusese kandathoti denikaina gattipoti

sakram tippinadantey adhirenu avathalodu

Sittharala Si Krishnudu Sittharala Si kitnudu

uttharaana oori chivara sittharala Si kitnudu

gandupilli soopulathogundelona guchaadu

 Sakkanamma enakabadda

pokirolla iragadanthe

sakkanamma enakabadda

pokirolla iragadanthe

Sakkanamma kallallo

yela yela sukkaloche

sakkanamma kallallo

yela yela sukkaloche 

Yelela ranulorlni

serabattina rachhasudni

Yelela ranulorlni

serabattina rachhasudni 

Bolli geddanesukocchi

peeka kosinadu ro

Bolli geddanesukocchi

peeka kosinadu ro

Sittharala Si kitnudu Sittharala Si kitnudu

uttharaana oori chivara sittharala Si kitnudu

gandupilli soopulathogundelona guchaadu

VISIT TO BADRINATH

I stood there outside…starring at the temple for several long minutes...

...It’s a dream to be at this holy place and God calls only the lucky ones to His abode…

The sound of my elders echoed deep in my ears… I felt highly blessed… for I felt like I was among the chosen few… who had gotten a chance to enliven a dream… The dream of visiting and experiencing the spiritual and the mystic aura surrounding “the holiest” of all shrines… The Badrinarayan shrine in Badrinath… once again after several long years…

                                                              

The temple also kept its promise… of leaving me awestruck and captivated at first sight itself! Surrounded by pristine spotless beauty, nestled in the verdant protective folds of the Himalayan mountains - The Badrinath Temple was draped in a jamboree of bright colors and it looked every inch beautiful and magnificent as when I had seen it in as a small child of seven, as I had envisioned it since then and as it had looked from a distance while standing on the narrow footbridge over the Alaknanda river a few moments earlier…

                                                                      

Badri Vishal Temple In the Garhwal Himalayas

Although Badrinath temple is a place that originally dates back to the 9th century but the present temple is a modern one which has been renovated and restructured many a times from its original construct. Adi Shankaracharya, the founder of the Advaita Vedanta school of philosophy, had initially discovered the Badrinarayan idol in the Alakananda River from the Narad Kund and installed it in the Garud Gupha near the hot water spring of Tapt Kund. Seven centuries later, it was moved to the spot where the current temple stands today by the Garhwal kings and a swarna kalash (golden pot) was placed at its shikhara by the Maratha queen Ahilyabai Holkar of Indore in the 18th century. The building was again damaged by a massive earthquake in 1803 and was then refurbished by the king of Jaipur.

Badrinath Temple, Char Dham Yatra

But inspite of all the modernizations, the land still reverberates with a heart of a divine era that it has witnessed, the love of the devotees is inescapably palpable in the ambiance, the original idol has remained untouched and this is what makes this tirtha so mesmerizing.

The latticed windows and the exquisitely ornate stone façade are impressive and superb and was one of the first features to strike me visually. The temple is a tad different in its appearance and resembles a Buddhist Vihara (temple) in its looks, the primary reasons for this being the design of the temple top which is a row of kiosks covered with curvy roofs and the brightly colored exteriors.

Latticed artwork on the door of the Badrinath temple of

the Char Dham in the Himalayas

                                                                     

The temple stands 50 mtrs high, raised on a plinth overlooking the Alaknanda river sandwiched between the two mountains of Nar and Narayan named after the two sages by the same name. There was a hustle and bustle of pilgrims around owing to the festival day of Diwali but at the same time there was a sense of calmness in its salubrious air and gorgeous natural settings that even this din of pilgrim traffic could not rob away from us.

Badrinath temple, one of the divya desams in the Garhwal Himalyas

Walking up a few flights of steps we entered the Temple through an artistic arched gateway. At the Gate, directly opposite the main Idol of the Lord himself, is seated the idol of Bird Garud, the vehicle of Lord Badrinarayan, sitting in prayer with his hands folded. Above Him hangs a large bell gifted by the Garhwal rifles. The gate leads us to a large courtyard with the main hall in the middle known as the Sabha Mandap. The Sabha Mandap has intricately carved pillars and walls and a wide space for pilgrims to spend some time in peace and connect with their dear Lord Vishnu. In the centre of this is the Garbha griha or the sanctum sanctorum wherein rests the divine picture of Shri Badrinarayan or Lord Badrinath – the self manifest black shaligram shila image of Lord Vishnu seated in pensive Padmasana pose (lotus pose - the posture in which he had meditated in the holy town…described in the introductory post) with His palms resting on His lap.

                                                               River Saraswathi

                                                                       

Badrinarayan Vishnu Temple in the Garhwal Himalayas

There were a very few pilgrims in the temple and hence there was no jostling and pushing, everyone, including us, was taking the darshan (blessings) peacefully and to their heart’s content. Though photography is prohibited inside the temple, you can picture the scarcity of the crowds from the fact that the priest personally identified the numerous idols alongside the main idol for us. At the entry of the sanctum is the gaddi of Adi Shankaracharya, the seat where He meditated. The images of Kuber - the God of wealth, Ganesh, Lord Vishu’s vehicle Garud, His two wives – Sridevi and Bhoodevi as well as the sages Nar, Narayan, bhakta Narada are all seated around the main deity. The priest also informed us that this is one of a kind idol as this is the only idol of Lord Vishnu in this yogic pose.

               

After spending some time in the mandap, we moved towards the circumambulation of the temple which is also one of the distinctive features of the temple. The entire circular route has smaller shrines of Gods and Goddess, each dedicated to a devotee of the Lord and facing the Lord directly in such a way as if ensuring that Their Master doesn’t vanish away from their eyes even for one moment! Lord Vishu’s consort Goddess Laxmi has a shrine just next to the main temple. Besides this, there are other shrines of dakshinmukhi Hanuman, Narsimha, Nar-Narayan, Ghanta Karna (known as the lokpal or the guardian deity of the region) and an Ashta bhuja (eight armed) Ganesha surrounding the main temple.

After the circumambulation, we took the evening Arti (prayer) coupon to attend the prayers of the Diwali night…and I waited eagerly for the dusk to fall…

Tired and exhausted we returned to our hotel rooms for a brief rest before we ventured out again to explore the other places in and around Badrinath…

Puja Schedule, Temple Timings, Festivals and other Related information:

The prayer ceremonies commence in the morning from 6.30 am and go on till dusk. Among these, the Nirmalya darshan, the first puja ceremony is considered to be the most auspicious of all.

Temple Timings: 4 am - 12 noon, 3 pm - 9 pm

Visiting Season: The Temple doors are closed down around October (dates are fixed on Basant Panchami (Feb)) at the advent of winters and are opened again for worship at around Mid April (dates are decided on Vijayadashmi (mid-Oct)). Thus the temple is shut down for 6 months every year during which prayers to the BadriVishal continue at the Narsimha temple in Joshimath. Before closing the temple doors, the priests light a lamp before the idol in the sanctum. It is said that during this period of 6 months, bhakta Narad who had attained salvation here, continues with the prayer services. This belief is further strengthened based on the fact that when the temple is again reopened after six months in spring, the lamp is still seen to be flickering!

Badrinath is one among the 108 divya desams (holy shrines for Vaishnavites) of Lord Vishnu. The temple is the holiest of the four dhams (sites) of Hindus, in Garhwal ranges, and draws pilgrims from all over India. It is the most visited of the char dhams, when doing the entire circuit, it comes last in the course but many do it standalone too.

Badrinath temple is also known as Vishal Badri. It is the largest and the most popular of the pilgrimages among the five badris or the Panch Badris namely Badri Vishal or the Badrinath Temple (described above), Yogadhyan Badri, Bhavishya Badri, Vridha Badri and Adi Badri.

Coupons for any special pujas are available in the temple premises itself. Photography is strictly prohibited inside the temple.

Festivals: The Mata Murti ka Mela is celebrated on Bavan Dwadashi (Sep-Oct), when the statue of Uddhavji is taken to the Mata Murti temple, 3 km away, and brought back on the same day. Krishna Janmashtami (Jul-Aug) and Badri-Kedar Utsav (Jun-Jul) are other notable occasions.

                                                                     Tapt Kund

The Badrinath - abode of Vishnu at a height of 3133 msl. The temple, which has a colourful facade typical of Budhist temples , lies between the Nar and Narayan mountains and on the bank of river Alaknanda. One of the attractions near the temple is the Tapth Kund which is a natural thermal spring. Badri refers to a berry which grew abundantly in the area and Nath means Lord.

 Legend says Goddess Lakshmi took the form of berries to provide nourishment to Lord Vishnu who was observing a long penance at that place. It is believed that 2000 years back the great sage Shankaracharya from Kerala re-instated the idol which was thrown into Alaknanda by the Budhists and established an order of Priests called Namboodiris from Kerala which is still being continued. The mountains around Badrinath is mentioned in the Mahabharath. The Pandavs shed their body ascending to Heaven through the Swargarohini.

There is a village , Mana, 3 km up which is known as the "last village on Indian side" and inhabited by semi nomadic Indo-Mangolian tribe called Marchas. Indo-China border is a few kilometers away. Mana occupied a prominent place on the Indo-Tibet trade route which pass through Mana pass, but the border was closed by China in 1950s. Mana was a prosperous village in 17th century as per the accounts of the Jesuit priests.

You can find many sanyasis and Bhiragis there at Badrinath.... A picture of a Bhiragi at Saraswathi Kund the starting place of river Saraswathi.

It is very simple to visit Badrinath compared to Kedarnath. Hope you will have a blissful visit.

The Krishna Key By Aswin Sanghi- Review

Till now I thought that the themes and action sequences of many Indian films are inspired from Hollywood. Now this vogue has been transformed to literature even with the advent of The Krishna Key the latest in the genre started by Dan Brown and which has now become a rage. The story  was started like Robin Cook novel but ended like a damp squib. It is quite similar to the  Historical Puzzle based thrillers that were first presented by Dan Brown. What is disturbing, however, that while the story is quite different in some ways, there are clear cases where the story has been obviously inspired by the iconic Da Vinci Code and Angels and Demons. Unfortunately, it doesn’t fit in the chunks and cannot be expected from an author of “The Chanakya’s chant.

It’s an OK kind of book. Well it is not entirely a copy of “ The Da Vinci Code” I personally believe that Indian mythology is far more interesting and far more mysterious than western mythology. I  also loved the Shiva trilogy books....I feel good for both the authors to be able to present Indian mythology in this form to the world....it’s a terrific effort though.

THE CHARACTERS

1. Ravi Mohan Saini: Geeky, smart, intelligent and quick-witted professor of history
2. Priya: 40, clever, phd student plus.... 
3. Radhika Singh: Tom Boyish but honest police officer
4. Sunil Garg: Head of the CBI... 
5. Taarak Vakil: Serial Killer

THE PLOT

Raja Man Singh left 4 seals kept in a base plate, which together point to a secret that will point the way to Lord Krishna's best - kept secret. That is the simple premise of the book. The book is simply based on deciphering the various clues to figure out where the object pointed to by the Key is located. One researcher - Prof Varshney - who knows the secret is murdered; but he has taken precautions by sending 4 of his friends 4 parts of the key. First the Professor and then one by one, the friends start getting murdered

Professor Saini is one of the friends chosen for a key-part; he is suspected of having murdered Prof Varshney; from here starts his headlong rush to save himself both from the police as well as from the real murderer - all the while trying to peice together the near-indecipherable puzzle that has been left by Prof Varshney. He has only his doctoral student Priya and her criminal lawyer father for help... and his wits. He must find the 4 seals that form the key, the base-plate that holds the keys and decipher the reality of the Krishna Key. 

THE ANALYSIS

A professor, a female helper, a centuries - old puzzle to be solved, both the police and the crooks hunting the poor souls, a religion - based secret... it is the Da Vinci code all over again. At least at first sight. Even at second sight, the impression of Da Vinci Code cannot be forgotten. The similarities are far too many... let us say that this novel has been inspired by The Da Vinci Code. There are enough twists in the tale that keep it from becoming predictable, there are enough changes in the story that take it away from Da Vinci Code. Further, the base story, while being similar in some instances, has a different flow to it, is different in its nature as well as its thesis. There is no religion-challenging here: all is as it should be. It is slower than the Da Vinci Code, more contrived. 

The Am bigrams used are too obvious that they are created  just to fit in the character’s name but not derived out of history like in Angels and Demons. I was not able to understand the main motto behind the killings as the assassin always have a  option of accomplishing his task without bloodshed.

Sir Khan’s biography is clearly Haji Mastaan’s life story.

Most importantly, it deals with a subject that we have heard about since we were born (at least the Hindu  Audience); so the interest is kindled automatically. The story does not move at a break-neck speed - but rather at a leisurely pace. The character development could have been better... the characters could have been more robust; there are instances where the stated behaviour jars. Luckily, this is only towards the end of the novel - and only in a few places.

The Mahabharata story was very jarring and was written shoddily and very summarily. The characters were amateurish and one dimensional. The writing was terrible and the plot twists did not shock me. Yes, I did keep reading and that I suppose is the only merit of the book. The story of the Mahabharata has been interspersed - in the signature style of Ashwin Sanghi - which has a twin effect: it breaks the flow of the story, refocuses your mind as well as  builds your impatience as you wonder how the story progresses. This enables a sort-of refresher of the old story, which is quite entertaining and interesting. However, in this novel, the flow of the story could decidedly have been much better handled - unlike in Chanakya's Chant. 

The book is all in all a quick read, is interesting and is well presented. The writing style is lucid and free from any pejoratives or curse-words, thankfully. I cannot say any more- positive or negative-  as it will reveal too much about the story. It is a good read for a journey, or on a leisurely afternoon. 

It is a nice book... I believe I said as much in the review. But I don’t regard it as his best, either at least like his first book “The Rozabal Line”!  Can it be re-read? Yes, it can. Worth a buy...

VISIT TO KEDARNATH

                                         

The Kedarnath temple history dates back to the times of Mahabharata. The legend has it that Pandavas, after killing their brothers in the battle of Kurukshetra, wanted to seek blessings of Lord Shiva to atone their sins. However, Lord Shiva constantly kept eluding them and kept fleeing from one place to another. During this time, he took the form of a bull and stayed in Kedarnath. While Pandavas followed him there, he made a dive towards the ground and left his hump there. This conical protrusion is worshipped as the idol. His other parts are worshipped at other places, arms at Tungnath, mouth at Rudranath, naval at Madmaheshwar and hair at Kalpeshwar. Together with Kedarnath these shrines are called Panch Kedar.

Pavan and I  had to wake up at 2:30 in the morning as we lodged in an army guest house "SURYA KUNJ" arranged by Pavan's course mate Capt.Bupendra Tyagi. We got set by 4 o clock as our cab driver sonu was waiting for us.

The traffic on the hilly terrain is high to add to it they will allow only one vehicle to move on the edge of the route.Hence we almost waited like 2 hours in the car with out moving an inch. Sonu informed that we are 2 KM away from Gauri Kund the starting point of our trekking and advised us to start walking which will save a lot of time.

We started walking and we decided not to have any solid food till we have darshan. We reached Gauri Kund within no time and we passed through a narrow street which has small shops on either sides of it. I thought of buying a bronze ring as it is stated that we usually need to have the first glance of the "Shiva Linga"     through a circular metal ring. We bought a small cover costing 20/- which would act as a rain coat as the weather is cloudy. We saw many people alighting on mules (as they locally call GHODA) couple of vendora pestered us if we want a mule to go uphill but both of us are determined to terk.

We bought two supporting sticks which has a pivoted metal strip attached for grip on the ground., we were on track suites. There is perpectually greenery on the either side of the shivaliks which really represented forests. There was no glance of snow or ice for the first few KMs of our travel.

The temples en route give the feeling of the divine presence and you begin to realise why the region is called the land of gods. A visit to the ancient temple of Kedarnath, set among the stunning mountainscape and renovated a number of times over the centuries, marks a spiritual fulfilment and an excellent trekking experience. The not so religious minded can opt for trekking experience only. The region has eight trekking routes that take you through some picturesque landscapes. However, there is no organized trekking here and so you will have to make your own arrangements.

I think it is a real shame to visit Kedarnath only for a few hours as it is one of the most breathtakingly beautiful settings possible anywhere in the world.

Watch the sunrise or sunset from the spot where Adi Shankracharya took his samadhi facing the extraordinary towering snow clad mountains almost jumping at you and see the changing colors of the snow - yellow ,pink , orange , purple. Walk up to the small grassy Bugyals awash with tiny flowers, in the surrounding mountains , the sheer beauty of which takes your breath away. Walk up to Gandhi sarovar where ashes of Gandhiji are scattered . Sit,watch and hear the gurgling string like Mandakini rush out from the bowels of the mountains . Read about the Mahabharatha / Pandavas mythology and legends relating to Kedarnath and get a sense of cosmic connection,peace and tranquility and feel closer to GOD.

Visiting the temple itself doesn't even scratch the surface of the Kedarnath experience. Same day return trips to Kedarnath is disrespect to the place.

We returned mounting mules as both of us are tiered and at last we saw our driver waiting  for us at Gauri Kund. He safely dropped us at the guest house were we slept of early remembering the fact that we need to go to Badrinath the very next day.....