A Family Reunion and a Pilgrimage to Rameswaram

A Family Reunion and a Pilgrimage to Rameswaram

What better gift can we give the departed than prayers for the soul. To pay respects to our Anna Nagar mama’s soul, we all fifteen close family members went to Rameswaram on 21^st December, 2019, on the culmination of  Mama’s first death anniversary, falls on 28^th December 2019.

Our group includes the closest relatives of Mama: His wife (my elder sister), two younger brothers with their spouses, two sons with their spouses and their children, myself and my younger sister. A family reunion is a time to remember, a time to laugh, a time to share old stories and make new memories. In fact this reunion is a coming together that strengthens the bond of our family and reminds us the gift of belonging. A family is like branches on a tree; we all grow in different directions and even with different faiths, yet our roots remain as one.

Mama was the eldest member of our family and with due respects everyone of us voluntarily joined in the pilgrimage to Rameswaram.

To say about the trip, it is a well organized one by Mama’s eldest son and the cooperation was extended by all to him in making the trip a grand success. All of us assembled in Chennai domestic airport on  December 21, 2019, early morning and took the IndiGo flight, an ATR 72 craft, enjoyed by all, the 85 minutes journey to Tuticorin airport.

We were welcomed by nature’s drizzling weather and proceeded to Thangachi Madam, just beyond the Pamban bridge, by a mini A/C bus equipped with TV and Disco lights!  But the joy of singing competition of film songs by two groups of young and old, during the bus journey was enjoyed by all.

A short break we took at a Forest Guest House arranged by our US uncle, a retired IFS gentleman. After lunch, we went to Agni Theertham, the sea shore of Rameswaram, near the famous  Sri Ramanatha Swamy Temple. After the formal rituals, we  all dipped our legs in the sea waves coming to the shore and sprinkled the holy water on our head.

The darshan was so good and we were allowed to have it very close to the presiding deity’s sanctum sanctorum. The deity, Sri Ramanatha Swamy is in the form of a Lingam. We have also seen Sri Parvathavarthini Amman and a unique Vishnu shrine in a Shiva temple, Sri Pallikonda Perumal. But few of us missed the world famous Third Corridor with 1212 pillars and bathing in many thirthams!

To catch up the Rameswram Sethu Express at 8.15 pm, we took dinner in a hotel nearby the railway station and back to Chennai on 22^nd morning at 7.00 am. 

We missed the rail bridge view as we crossed the Pamban bridge in dark night. 

Many of the first timer for Chennai Metro enjoyed the short travel from Egmore to Thirumangalam station and we were back home with lots of memories.

 My sincere thanks to all for making the shortest pilgrimage trip, a memorable one. Let our prayers take Mama’s soul to reach the abode of his favourite God, Lord Muruga.

Wish you all A Very Happy and Prosperous New Year 2020.

Satyagraha Lifestyle for the Youth of Today A perspective of yesteryear youth

Satyagraha Lifestyle for the Youth of Today

A perspective of yesteryear youth

According to Gandhiji:  “Satyagraha is not the weapons of the weak, but the weapon of the Strong willed”.

Satyagraha literally means “hold onto the truth”.  Gandhiji coined this word for nonviolent resistance.

Truth in speech, as opposed to falsehood; What is real, as opposed to falsehood; Good as opposed to evil.

Today’s youths consider themselves as ”modern day Satyagrahi” and actively engaged in a force action against corruption of any kind; conflict and violence at all levels; harm to animals; and the destruction of environment. But they harbor hatred or even anger against their opponents. Gandhiji didn’t emphasized these actions as Satyagraha. Satyagrahi is dedicated to truth force against himsa.

We may recall Gandhiji’s stand in the first Satyagraha event in Champaran movement, hundred years ago. He was very clear that the opposition to the injustice must be anchored in a cold and confident determination to end and not by the heat of anger.

This quality is the most essential one for today’s youth, to observe Satyagraha. But it is difficult to follow because of today’s social media. Present day social media promotes aggressive expression of anger, resentment and hatred is celebrated. If any small flash news sparks in social media, created by anonymous person, on social issues, without verifying the authenticity, youths assemble in flash mob, to express their opposition. It creates law and order problems and affects common people to the extreme level. Because of their mass action, they never think to resolve the conflict, even if the news is of genuine nature, very rarely! They behave simultaneously in a similar way but individually and without coordination. Then where are the Gandhian values in today’s youth?

Gandhiji gave us the lessons of tolerance, nonviolence, satyagraha and of belief in one’s own faith.  Today’s youth can learn to be resolute and focus towards their “purpose’ despite all hardships. Here, the “purpose” should be for all the living beings and not one’s selfish.

Gandhiji’s vision should not be lost in religious, political and emotional fervors.  Satyagraha does not depend on the outside help, it derives all its help from within. However, if the energy of youth can receive honest and selfless motivation and direction from the experienced, then surely they have the ability to transform the lives of many people from sufferings to happiness and peace. Let us be part of changing the lifestyle of youth from their mundane lifestyle to Satyagraha Lifestyle.

To explore further, today’s youth may go through the qualifications of a Satyagrahi as defined by Gandhiji in ‘Harijan” issue dated March 23,1939.

To conclude, in Gandhiji’s own words: A Satyagrahi is nothing if not instinctively law-abiding, and it is his law-abiding nature which exacts from him implicit obedience to the highest law, that is the voice of conscience which overrides all other laws. (SW, p. 465)

Presented by : M.D.Chander, Gandhi Peace Foundation, Madras.

Date: 10^th August 2019

Sri Athi Varadar Perumal, Kancheepuram

Sri Athi Varadar Perumal , Kancheepuram, Tamil Nadu - Miracles Do Happen

Devotees from neighboring places around the temple town of Kancheepuram had darshan of Sri Athi Varadar 40 years before without any big news event about this deity. But now , this year , the news of bringing out the idol from temple tank spread like a forest fire and all media covered this once in 40 years event, in a very big way. 

This increased the curiosity of the devotees in all states of India to witness the idol, a once in a life time darshan and the footfall of them increased from one lakh on the first day  to two lakhs a day. More VIPs’ made a visit to the temple and our Prime Minister, Sri.Narendra Modiji also planned to visit this week.

Athi Varadar is a nine-feet idol made out of the fig (Athi pazham in Tamil) tree and is brought out from the Anantasaras (the temple tank) in Kanchipuram Vardharaja Perumal Temple once in 40 years. Though there is no written history of when the ritual actually began, people believe it is many centuries old.

Given that the waiting time is a minimum of three hours, the government has issued a warning advising senior citizens, pregnant women and people with health ailments to avoid visiting the temple. So, myself and my wife have decided to have the darshan daily through TV channels and not planned a visit in person, for the above reasons. But felt that we will be missing an opportunity of once in a life time to have the darshan of the deity with naked eyes. 

Why this blog is written is that, by the mercy of Sri Athi Varadarar Perumal,  today HE came to our home in the form a special release of Postal Cover commemorating the appearance of HIM after 40 years, through our regular Postman. He selectively asks the residents, whether they are interested in buying the special envelope.So we got one.  It is a miracle for us. God visits to your place, if you are not in a position to visit HIM, even though HE sits in everyone's heart.

Once in a year in Puri, Odisha, Sri Jagannath, Sri Balabadra and Sri Subadra comes out of the temple and give darshan in separate temple chariots for blessing the devotees. This annual event is a mega event and devotees from around the world pay a visit to have darshan. In all the temples in India and abroad, it is a practice to bring the deities outside the temples for the benefit of all , whether a devotee or non-devotee.

The Tamil Nadu Postal Circle has brought out this special cover to commemorate the ‘Athi Varadar Festival 2019’ in Kancheepuram based on a proposal from the Hindu Religious and Charitable Endowments Department. A total of 1,000 special covers have been printed with special UV printing and each cover is priced at ₹50.

The Department of Posts has also printed one lakh non-UV special covers. These covers are available at ₹20 each at the Anna Road Head Post Office Philately Bureau as well as at the special stalls, which have already been put up near the Devarajaswami Temple at Kancheepuram. 

We are blessed by Sri Athi Varadar Perumal to have HIS darshan in the form of a postal cover with HIS present sayana state in the temple’s Vasantha Mandapam.

Miracles do happen and it gives more strength to our faith on God.

Hare Krishna.

BRAINWASH

BRAINWASH

This topic was chosen to write, as very recently, a good friend of mine used this nine letter word to me that I can easily be brainwashed in religious faith on Lord Krishna, by someone close to me. It was during an informal workshop like sharing of thoughts between five of us in that group. The topic was voluntarily or involuntarily hurting others feelings. My friend’s involuntary comment on my faith, still I believe that it is an involuntary one, as above, critically registered in my mind and would like to explore how I affect others feelings involuntarily, as definitely I am not a person to hurt others by words or deeds voluntarily. I am conscious on that. Let it be. I am on it to correct myself.

Coming to brainwash, it indicates pressurizing someone into adopting radically different beliefs by using systematic and often forcible means! It may be a process to abandon their beliefs in favor of another set of beliefs! This is what different dictionary says. But is it a fact? May be, according to person to person it varies.

So, according to me it is a MYTH. Brainwashing seems to only be applied to groups we disapprove of. We don’t say that soldiers are brainwashed to kill other people: that’s basic training.

I am disheartened by how casually the word ‘brainwashing’ gets thrown around by learned people. I reject the idea of brainwashing. There seems to be no way to have a healthy conversation about brainwashing; you either accept it or you don’t. We make decisions and choices more or less freely. So I don’t take my friend’s comment as a hurting one, but everyone needs to understand that a Krishna devotee cannot be brainwashed.

My faith in Krishna Consciousness has not come due to brainwash of my mind by someone. ISKCON doesn’t convince or don’t brainwash anyone. It is not possible to brainwash or convince anyone to accept the philosophy or Lord Krishna is the Supreme God. We should use our intelligence to understand every word which ISKCON revealing.

Someone who had self-realized only can raise himself to the next higher stage of God realization. It is difficult to understand the activities of ISKCON with blind eyes, unless one follows the important four regulative principles( No Meat Eating, No Gambling, No Intoxications and No Illicit Relationships) and regularly chant the Hare Krishna Maha Mantra, Hare Krishna Hare Krishna Krishna Krishna Hare Hare, Hare Rama Hare Rama Rama Rama Hare Hare.

ISKCON Spiritual Masters are not a hypnotic or mystic. Basic aim is to establish love for Godhead. As Srila Prabhupada said,” No matter which religion you belong to, if you love God, then you are perfect”. ISKCON devotees follow their Spiritual Master’s words and Acharya’s teachings at higher level.They can able to penetrate their pure knowledge to any fallen or conditioned soul and even save the suffering soul from material world.

On the mirror if there is dust, you cannot see your face very nicely. If you wipe the mirror very nicely, you can see yourself in the mirror. Like that chanting the Hare Krishna Maha Mantra is the process of wiping out the dust accumulated in the mirror of our mind.

From birth we have been brainwashed to believe countless things. ISKCON didn’t brainwash us; we came to them brainwashed. They are only trying to untangle the residual complications and contradictions that brainwashing left in us.

Why people are not ready to read Bhagavad Gita As It Is by Srila Prabhuda and find out themselves what is said in that Divine Song of Lord Krishna to Arjuna, with more clarity from the purport given in detail.

 There is nothing in the brain to wash, as it is a fleshy part of our body and we need to cleanse or wash the mind accumulated with dirt like many misconception from the wrong persons or books with wrong personal interpretations.  

Bhagavad Gita is the only book that is enough for us to lead a peaceful life, and no other book can be compared to it to bring peace within us. If we have inner peace, we can spread peace around us. Chant Hare Krishna and Be Happy and not to worry on ‘brainwash’.