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Most of us visit temples. Most of us offer our prayers and take Pradakshina around the sacred deity of the temple. Do you know why you do this (Pradakshina)? Is it because our elders do it we follow them blindly. What ever be our existing notion about act, it’s important that we understand it right and its basic essence.
Based on a few books that I have read and the various spiritual discourses that I have attended, I am convinced on the following two explanations particularly in the order mentioned below:
1. We humans commit sins in three ways:
- Kaya : By Actions
- Vacha : By Words
- Manasa : By Thoughts
We go around the deity thrice for the atonement of each of the sins mentioned above. By this, we ask for forgiveness of our committed sins to the all pervasive, omnipotent lord.
2. We go round the deity in clockwise direction with the deity being on our right(for importance of right side, read the blog on The Left Hand) and also the central point of our path. By this, we demonstrate that God is the center of our existence and we all revolve around Him. He also exists everywhere. So when we do Pradakshina or circumambulation, we accept that our actions and thoughts are always centred around Him.
This is my understanding on this subject. If you disagree to what I have written or have something more to add, please feel free to comment.
-Sandeep Mahagaonkar.
I had traveled to Germany a few years back. As was the traditional practice of my project manager to take us out for a dinner before our departure back to homeland, this time too, it was no different. The only difference when compared to the outing on the previous occasion(s) was the number of people. Along with us three Indians were five non-Indians. With a soothing ambience and chilled wheat beer in long glasses gloriously arranged in front of us, it seemed like eternity. I was desperate to get started and we did so once the last glass was filled to the brim. The glasses clanked in harmony and ‘cheers’ came out the call unanimously.
This outing surely wouldn’t have been memorable had not a colleague in the group asked us a question on why we (Indians) consider the left hand inauspicious. There were many other topics that were discussed prior to this. However, this one question put us all in a fix. As we sat there, gulping beer, thinking of a response to a question fired at us, there was a sarcastic comment made on this practice by another colleague that was rather obnoxious. I would not mention that here but it surely made us feel miserable. The topic of discussion was changed, but the frustration of not having answered one of our followed practices remained deep inside me.
Later, a few years down the line, as my focus shifted in understanding our traditions, customs, practices and beliefs better, I got the answer to this bizarre question on the inauspiciousness of the left hand. The reasoning is that human body is divided in to two states. One is a demonic state and the other a godly state. We all get positive thoughts (happiness, motivation etc) and negative thoughts (anger, resent, greed etc). This is due to the two states that we possess. The left half of the body is considered to possess the demonic state and hence it’s considered to be inauspicious. Just to mention a few, when receiving money, it should not be with the left hand since it might me spent injudiciously and for an incorrect act. The food taken with left hand may cause negative thoughts and should be avoided. This is what our custom says. I wish I had known this earlier so that I could have defended our practice with a strong reasoning than rather having sat mum that evening.
Nevertheless, better late than never. I am in the process of understanding our customs and traditions so that I’m not a silent spectator again when it comes to defending our beliefs in the future. I have started, HAVE YOU?
-Sandeep Mahagaonkar.
This is another scintillating topic. I’m not referring to day dreaming here. I mean the visions that we see when we are asleep and our sub-conscious mind takes us through a journey that is sublimely mysterious and unpredictable. At the end of it, we wake up, flummoxed, trying to gather the fading glimpses of images that were so much a part of our inner state of memory. Sometimes we succeed in recollecting what we dreamt and sometimes we are denied of this.
Dream, perhaps is the mind’s way of unfolding its colossal potential. We humans, as science has depicted, use a very meager percentage of its power. I believe that the mind, in the shape of dreams, fulfills the void that we create by not giving it its desired workout.
Everybody see dreams. So do I. Sometimes, the dreams that I see influence me. I have dreamt of doing well in a game of cricket and I have done well in the field on the succeeding day. I have met sages in my dreams and I was molded towards spirituality based on the conversations that I had with them. I have dreamt demons and death and have woken up with unpleasant feelings. I have dreamt of strange romantic encounters with unexpected people and wondered the reasoning behind this. The dreams have been very diverse and I have reacted in different ways to these sundry dreams. Some made me get positive and some had resentful feelings and I had to overcome such thoughts.
Nobody knows why we see dreams. It could be some incident from the past life or it could be something that’s about to happen.
In the Vishnu Sahsranaama, we come across the following stanza:
|| Uttarano Dushkutiha PunyoDusswapna Naashanaha ||
Part of this means “One (Vishnu) who is the destroyer of bad dreams”.
So there we have it. It’s documented in the puranaas that dreams are inevitable and the almighty can relieve us of the thoughts created from bad dreams. We need to pray for good, positive dreams and take learning’s from them. Sleep well folks and more importantly, dream well!!
-Sandeep Mahagaonkar
This is a very intriguing topic for me. For years I have yearned to understand the factors that govern how friendships happen. How is it that in our lives, we meet a certain set of people and how a subset of these people, make a difference, forever?
We normally never take time to ponder over this phenomenal process. It’s perhaps due to the fact that, like many other things, it’s a natural process. But, observing this from a spiritual or philosophical point of view, this appears to be a very well formed and devised plan. Otherwise how could it be possible that just a few select people from the billions form your friend circle? Why is person X instead of person Y your good pal? Why do you like to spend time in someone’s company and not so comfortable with someone else?
In every situation in our life, we look for comfort with a friend’s presence. Be it happiness or grief, mind tries to pull in a friend to share the joy or agony. We have certain emotional attachments to certain friends and can go out of our way to help them. We care about them and are deeply influenced by their joy or grief. Why?
The reasons surely are far beyond our understanding. However, what we can at least imagine is that, there surely exists a connection between this birth and the previous. True friends could be the people who were among your trusted folks previously. It’s difficult to comprehend with the limited philosophical awareness that we possess, but reflecting deeply into this can probably help us understand this better.
All said and done, friends form the basis of our lives. It’s a solid foundation on which all the emotional bonding can be built up with ease. It’s said that we don’t choose our parents or our relatives, but we choose our friends. I would say, we are made to choose our friends by the divine laws of nature. God bless my friends !!
The cat and mouse game continues in the India v Australia series when Australia made a strong comeback in the 4th ODI to draw level the series at 2-2. With 4 more games to go, it surely appears the series is set to provide a fascinating finish.
Australia’s total of 250 (White 62, Ponting 52; Nehra 3-37) was enough to beat India (Tendulkar 40, Watson 3-29; Bollinger 3-38) by 24 runs in Delhi.
With both these teams going neck in neck for the top spot in ICC world ODI ranking, its going to be a battle of nerves in the games ahead. With a depleted bowling attack, Australia would, at no cost, be prepared to give up its #1 position to India as was evident in this game. India at times appears too rusty. If the heroics of Yuvraj go missing, the team struggles. The youngsters- Kohli, Raina, Jadeja are not proving their worth on the big stage. One or two guys can’t win a game everyday. The entire team needs to come good.
As it’s rightly said, ‘A team is as good as its weakest player’, Indian youngsters should start to perform in pressure situations. If not, the glory would remain, as has always been- a distant dream.
Just give it a thought before you read any further. What do you think is the purpose of your life?
I had attended a yoga program a few months back and I had the chance and privilege to meet a Swamiji there.
I had posed him this very question- what is the purpose of our life? On hearing my question, the Swamiji had a long, childlike laugh. I was perplexed. I was wondering whether there was something so hilarious about my question. As I sat there pondering over, the Swamiji’s laughter came to a gradual halt. He took off his glasses, wiped his eyes- which seemingly appeared moist after a hearty laugh and answered to my question. The answer seemed very short yet very precise, very simple yet very powerful. His answer was this: ‘The purpose of life IS TO BE HAPPY’. This struck me with a strange feeling. Can the purpose of life be so simple? I probed him further. I asked if the purpose of life is to be happy, won’t this be considered selfish? If I just think about my happiness, what about my family, relatives and society? Don’t we have a purpose to serve them as well?
The Swamiji’s answer came as a cool wind on a hot summer afternoon. His words were- If you can manage to be happy, the rest will take care of itself.
His words need no explanation or elaboration. It’s very simple and straightforward. Perhaps the years of blissful state of calm mind and unwavering devotion towards god, the Swami has attained supreme philosophical and spiritual knowledge. It was calmness all around him and mind seemed absolutely unperturbed. I sat there wishing if also could, at some stage in my life, attain that tranquility and peace of mind which the Swamiji possessed.
But, the message was loud and clear and received gracefully. Throw away the trivial issues and look forward to lead a healthy and happy life. Don’t count you troubles, count your blessings!
Thank you, Swamiji. Your words have made a difference in my life! They have made me, without a hint of doubt - HAPPY!
-Sandeep Mahagaonkar
In many ways, life can be compared to sports. Having predominantly played cricket most of my life, I sometimes draw many of its similarities to life.
In group sports, we normally walk into a field with a group of people – your team mates. It’s virtually impossible to emerge victorious without proper co-ordination and understanding. There has to be a good bonding, trust and mutual respect between the team members. If all these ingredients are in the correct proportions, you stand a good chance of winning; else needless to say, you’ll end up on a disappointing note. Ditto with life: you have a team and you need to manage this team. This team consists of your family and friends. The ingredients for a happy family are the same as mentioned above. Miss one and you’ll miss peace for sure.
The other striking similarity is discipline. To win a game, you need to be disciplined. Disciplined enough to practice regularly and to play the game in the right spirit (I don’t mean alcohol here). You are not allowed to play the game the way you like. You have certain responsibilities and you need to abide to them. So in life- you have a set of responsibilities. Few of them are enforced by nature (e.g.: maintaining health) and a few you need to discharge for your family’s well being.
Planning forms the basis of every sport. You need to plan the team composition, how to approach the game, your team’s strengths and weaknesses etc. Without proper planning, you are headed towards disaster. Similarly, you cannot have a secure future if you don’t plan your life right. Finance, career, house and many other things needs to be planned to avoid major shocks in the way!
Then comes ethics. Every individual needs to ensure that the moral principles are not looked over. It must be ensured that one doesn’t cross the line. It’s a question of reputation. In sport, as well as in life, we should strive hard for good reputation.
Last but not the least; we need a lot of patience. Games can be a test of character. To give your best, you need to be patient and wait for the right opportunities. You cannot whack every ball for a six. So in life, right opportunities do come your way. All you need to do is be patient, wait for the right opportunity and make the most of it.
It surely looks like life is a sport, a long fascinating sport with all the up’s and down’s of a classical game of cricket (imagine a last ball finish with one wicket in hand). All we need to ensure is that we don’t take life too seriously. Life should be spontaneous, playful and full of humor!! After all, IT’S JUST A GAME!! Play it!
-Sandeep Mahagaonkar
I write this as I attend a training on one of the most used topics in the new team. As a matter of fact, unfortunately, I do not understand the head and tail of what is being preached!!
The training is interesting though: thanks to the kind of participants who have flocked up in the training room.
The most discussed among us is a colleague whom we fondly call ‘the bOngali babu’. Man, this guy has some style. Especially the way he frames and asks his questions, your mind goes ‘wow’!! We love him! Although this guy has serious pronunciation problem, it doesn’t restrict him in firing questions back to back.
Uncle forms another important part of this training. We call him uncle coz he basically knows everything. He’s like a back up to the trainer- just in case the trainer fails to answer some ‘cool’ questions (none of them asked by bOngali though- his questions are uncool, if I am to say that). Uncle has his own style quotient. His answers generally start with ‘Let me explain’ or ‘what he meant to ask was’ etc, etc.
There another instance variable in the training. I don’t know his name but he’s the guy with most question’s today (yes, he has overtaken bOngali today). Apparently he looked unhappy with the answers to his questions. Even uncle couldn’t help him today. Take it easy dude- bOngali will answer you someday.
There is another guy who is unexpectedly silent this time around. This guy, if I can call him ‘C’, generally is a very silent and obedient guy. But, suddenly this silent volcano erupts and asks a few thunderous questions and seeks relevant and precise answers. If the answer is too roundabout, he quips ‘that is not what I want’ or ‘I’m not bothered how the framework behaves’. Unique guy I must say. ‘C’ makes us happy though!
Last but not the least, there is a blogger in the training as well. This guy, as the name suggests writes blogs during the training. Not that he is a regular blogger, but he does write occasionally. He believes in his team and feels his team will bail him out of trouble when he faces them. High hopes I should say. But isn’t it ‘hope’ that keeps us alive? Keep Hoping! All the best!
Bheeshma Pitamaha, the grandsire of the Kuru Dynasty, at the end of the battle of Kurukshetra was lying on the bed of arrows sprayed by his grandson Arjuna. Bheeshma Pitamaha had a boon of relinquishing his life at his own will. While he lay on the bed of arrows on the battlefield, long past the conclusion of the battle, Lord Krishna, in the palace of the Pandavas, appears rather disconsolate. The eldest of the Pandava brothers, King Yudhishthira enquires Krishna about his sad demeanor when the situation is rather bright and happy. Lord Krishna, who is concerned about the great knowledge which going to get lost with the death of Bheeshma urges Yudhishthira to approach Bheeshma and request him to impart him his great wisdom. Yudhishthira, the righteous, asked six questions, and Bheeshma, the constant devotee of Krishna, calmly answered them all. This is how we find the “Thousand Names of Lord Vishnu” introduced in the immortal classic of the Hindus, the Mahabharata.
युधिष्टिर उवाचा
कीमेकं दैवतं लोके किम वाप्येकम पारायनम
स्थुवंथ कंकमार्चान्दा प्रप्नुयुर माँनवा शुभम
Yudhishtira uvacha
Kimékam daivatham loke kim vápyekam parãyanam
Sthuvantha kam kamarchanda prapnuyur mãnavã shubam
Kim = Who
Ekam = Is the greatest
Daivatam = Lord
Loke = World
Ekam = Who is the one
Paraayanam = Refuge
Sthuvantha = Gloryfying
Kam = whom
Archantah = Worshipping
Prapnuyur = Reach
Manava = Man
Shubam = Auspiciousness; peace and prosperity
Who is the greatest Lord in the world?
Who is the one refuge for all?
By glorifying and worshipping whom can man reach the Auspiciousness (peace and prosperity)?
We just returned back from a trip to one of my friend’s(Mali) village. The sojourn was more than a fulfilling experience. We didn’t do anything exceptional or something out of the blue. It was a very normal trip but reminiscent with wonderful memories. We drove a few hundred kilometers to the north of Bangalore to a small place called Siddapura. We reached there late evening around 8PM and without wasting much of our precious time, started doing what we enjoy doing the most! Drinking of course!! With a mini bar set-up in the midst of an agricultural land, the ambience was very soothing. The inhabitants of that place (ants, frogs (and snakes maybe)) didn’t seem too impressed with aliens invading their lands and tried their bit to spoil the party. But, determined we were to get stared irrespective of anything. We started to sip our respective glasses which basically contained water mixed with some sort of a liquid which people generally call alcohol (I am not an alcoholic- I drink water which just smells and tastes different).
Once we downed a couple of pegs, discussions on variety of topics (excluding cricket :(, thanks to Swetha and Varsha who didn’t entertain a smallest of small discussion on this wonderful sport) started and didn’t last for long. Discussions made way to singing and this is when the lead guitarist of our group popularly known as PJ (as in Phaltoo Jockey) did what is does best- played the guitar!! With singing sensations like Mali, Sandy and Kunzi around him, he felt a little uncomfortable in the elite group. Nevertheless, he played the guitar and I must say he played it wonderfully well. We were impressed. Three cheers to PJ!!
The night ended on a high- both in terms of alcohol and music and late in the night we made our way to sleep. And boy, we slept really well!!
The next morning started as early as 6 am (for the sun I mean – poor chap doesn’t know the pleasure of getting up late) and we rose at 9 and headed to the well. We loitered in and around the well for nearly 2 and half hours. In the process, we discovered a couple of highly talented divers in Mali and Ram. Don’t be surprised if you see these guys in the next Olympics. When Mali dives, others in the water die and when Ram dives, he just dives. :)
The swimming session ended and the lunch session started. We were hungry like wolves and we could have literally eaten anything- yes, anything. Since good things happen to good people, we were served with delicious village food customized for city taste buds. We all relished the food except for Kunzi. The food was predominantly rice and Kunzi might have felt out of place since he’s not a heavy rice eater like we are. We felt a little sorry for our dear friend but we honestly didn’t care ;). We ensured we were satiated and hoped Kunzi would have eaten enough to keep him going through the day!
We took a nap under the trees smelling cow dung which was gracefully dropped at a distance. We didn’t complain. We slept well. After a while we got up, packed our bags and bid goodbye to the folks who took good care of us during our memorable stay in Siddapura. The engine of the Scorpio roared to life and the vehicle was steered towards Bangalore. Thus, ended a delightful journey with friends, and with nature.
