vidhura needhi

Vidhura Needhi-Upanyasam by Sri.B.Sundarkumar

Sri.B.Sundarkumar,an eminent exponent of Upanyasam genre is at present giving a series of lectures on Vidhura Needhi in Krishna Gana Sabha,Tnagar Chennai.As you may be aware, Vidhura Needhi is a part of Mahabharatha where Vidhura advises Dhridharashtra on the undesirability of fighting with the Pandavas. The lectures started on5/10/2010 and will go on till 16/10/2010.

Listening to the lectures is an unforgettable experience. Even though the subject dealt with is a very serious one, there is not a dull moment during the entire two hour period everyday. What is most notable about Sri.Sundarkumar is that he he symbolises humble ness and humility. is not a publicity monger, does not give cassettes or CDs-nor are his lectures available on You Tube or any other video sharing website. The only way to listen to him is to attend his lectures personally. Believe me-it is an experience to cherish. Replete with contemporaneous examples and subtle humour without sacrificing the main message-this is his unique style. I thought I will share with the members the gist of some of the gems I heard from him:

Not much of his personal life is public Knowledge,but from what I n

Have heard, he is a post graduate in Sanskrit.He worked in Canara Bank for sometime,before taking voluntary retirement and devoting himself exclusively to spiritual activities and Upanyasams.His knowledge of different spheres of life is amazing.He quotes extensively from various sources like Kambaramayana,valmiki,Tulsidas,Thiruvalluvaretc.Even though he resigned from Bank long back, he quotes even modern developments inBankinglike nonperforming assets,core competence etc..

1)5 persons to be worshipped:

a) Devatha-God

b)pithru-parents

c)Holy men

d)Bikshu-Sanyasi

e)Athithi-guest

2)different living beings meet their end thrugh different senses. For eg

Fish gets trapped because of its attraction for meat=taste

Deer falls a prey because of its liking for folk tunes—hearing.It is said that it goes after rustic tunes and gets trapped

Elephant falls into the trap(pit) because of its sexual instincts(Touch)

Vittil poochi-dies due to its attraction to light(sight)

Bee meets its end due toits weakness for the sweet smell of honey(smell)

Man is the only animal who gets his end through all the senses

3)To illustrate tha t we should not use harsh words against others, he narrated the following story:

Once, there was an argument between the tongue and the tooth

Tongue;I want to do you a favour in return for all the help you are doing me

Tooth:I am doing my duty and you are doing yours. What is there to thank for?

Tongue: Whenever something is put into the mouth, even if it is a hard object like seedai, you bite, break it into pieces and send it to me only for tasting. In other words, you do all the hard work, but I enjoy the benefits.

Tooth:ok,if you insist on doing me a favour, you may stop talking harsh words to others

Cheek:I wanted to do you a favour.If  Ido not talk harshly to others, how does it help you?s

Tooth: When you talk harshly to others, they do not say they will break your tongue,but they only say I will break your teeth and sometimes, they do it also. Why should I suffer for your misdeeds?

4)six things to be avided by everyone:

a)sleeping beyond physiological necessity

b)Laziness

c)

c)unnecessary fear

d)Anger (krodham which disturbs judgment)

e)lack of effort to do things

f)procrastination in taking decisions

5)6 traits not to be forsaken by kings

a)Satyam

b)Dhanam

c)Anavasyam(meaning absence of laziness)

d)Anasuya(meaning absence of envy)

e)kshamai(porumai)

f)Dhruthi(meaning vidamuyarchi)

6)six persons to be avoided:

a)Guru without teaching capacity

b)Purohit without adhyayanam of Manthras

c)king who does not protect his subjects

d)apriyamana pathni(anbillappendir)

e)goatherd who does not want to leave town(he is supposed to take the goats to forest for eating grass)

f)Barber who wants to stay in the forest(when his business is in the town)

7)There are two two types of griefs:

a)one which can be redressed by doing Pariharam

b)one which has to be endured

8)5 persons who cannot be pardoned

a)Disciple who forgets the Guru

b)Persons who forget their parents after marriage

c)Persons who forget the boat after crossing the river

d)Patients who forget the doctor

e)persons who forget those who helped them

9)7 things to be avided by kings

a)Sthreesambogam(excessive sexual desires)

b)Gambling

c)Hunting for its own sake

d)Drinking liquor

e)Using harsh words unnecessarily

f)Giving punishment disproportionate to the crime

g)misappropriation of public funda

8)eight qualities which popularise the king:

a)Medhavilasam(knowledge)

b)Pulanadakkam(controlling the senses)

c)Vedha Adhyayanam

d)nalla kulathil pirappu

e)Parakramam(competence)

f)Alavodu pesudhal(without banter)

g)Dhaanam

h)Seinanri Maravamai(not forgetting favours done)

9)Everybody would like to share your pleasures and luxuries, but no one will share your difficulties. You know that Saint Valmiki was once a robber and a sinner.He  was once asked “Why do you sin?” He replied “ For my wife and children”.He was told to check with them whether they will share the results of his sins. They flatly refused saying,”It is your responsibility to take care of us. We never told you to take care of us through sinning.It is entirely your choice and your burden”.

10)You should learn to live with the dispassion arising out of distance. What is unbearable grief now becomes trivial and fades into insignificance after 20/30/years. So,when you get depressed by some event today, try to distance yourself in time and look at it with dispassion. You will feel lighthearted.

11)He is never tired of talking about the wealth of knowledge of Kanchi Mahaperiava(His Holiness Chandrasekarendra Saraswathi).Once a great English scholar who was so proud of his ability to think in English came to have Darshan of Periava. At the same time, a poor lady also came for His darshan. She was once very rich, but now steeped in poverty.Periava asked the gentleman ‘you  are thinking English. This lady who has been once very rich, but now poor has been coming to have Darshan of me for the last 50 years with the same humility and devotion. What do you call this attitude?” The English scholar was not able to respond. Periava asked

“will the word ‘equipoise’ be correct?’. The professor was stunned at erudition of Periaval.

12)A mother  was earning her livelihood by tailoring . Once inadvertently, the needle pireced her hand. At that time, her son came jubilantly and said,” I have won a Gold Medal in my college”.At once all the pain was gone. When we concentrate on great things, trivial pains are forgotten.

13)Who is a true friend to whom?

    Sthree-Barthaa(husband)

     King-Manthri

     Brahmins-Vedams

     Satyam-Dharmam

14)The journey of our life goes as follows:

     Sareeram-Ratham(chariot)

    Jeevan-man who goes in the chariot)

    Indhriam(senses)-horses

     Kadivalam-Manasu-mind

     Therotti-Buddhi

All the horses should travel in the same direction and with the same speed.This is taken care of by Therotti with the help of Kadivalam

This shows the importance of brain-mind coordination.

15)A noble person should avoid the following:

a)chowriyam(theft)

b)Paisuram(backbiting)

c)Mathsaram(jealousy)

d)Rajathwishtam(going against the king)

16)Qualities of a noble soul:

Anasuyai(absence of jealousy)

Aaradhmam(Nermai)

Suddhi(cleanliness-Pushti-inner and susthi-outer)

Santhosha(kind words)

Dhaanam

Sathyam

Anaayaasam(doing things with pleasure without treating them as burden)

17)What ignoble souls do not have:

Aathmagnanam(knowledge of self)

sambrambam(activity)

Dhidhiksha(tolerance of difficulties)

Dharmanithyatha(decisiveness about Dharma)

Vasiva(protecting a secret)

Controlled speed

18)This is an episode about Sankaracharya of  Sringeri.

One day, after His Nithyapooja, He was distributing prasadams.One lady in the queue came to Him and cried ‘I have lost my gold chain’. He asked her to step aside. After a few minutes, the third lady on the queue came to receive prasadam.He simply told her ‘Give it back.”Even then she asked’What?”.He replied “Whatever you took”.She was simply stunned and gave the chain back.

19)The destroyers:

Desire will destroy Bravery(Dhairyam)

Jealousy will destroy Dharma

Krodham will destroy wealth(aiswaryam)

Helping ignoble fellows will destroy Seelam(nallozhukkam)

Pride will destroy everything

20)Difference between Unmai,Vaaimai and Mei

Unmai:Truth in mind

Vaaimai:truth in words

Mei:Truth in sariram(body)

21)Whom to appreciate when

Annam-after digestion

Pathni-after she loses her youth

Servant after he completes the work well

Sons-never(to prevent ego)

Relatives –after they leave after a visit

Sanyasi-after he attains Gnanam

Soldier(after he wins the war)

22)We generally call Sani Bagavan as Saneeswaran. We should call him SANAISCHARAN.This is because He limps while walking. This limping was caused by Yama chasing Him and disfiguring him.

23)Yama and Sanaischaran were the sons of Ravi(Sooryan).Hence it is not desirable to name anyone as Ravikumar

24)Nowadays, it has become a practice for people to order outside food for any function The contractor brings cooked food and serves .This is not permitted for Subakaaryams. On such occasions, food should be cooked only in the kitchen in the house. Only at the time of a death in the house, such outside cooking is permitted.

25)Uththamar,Madhyamar and Adhamar:

Adhamar:like waterdrop falling on fire:it evaporates

Madhyamar:Drop of water on the petal of lotus-looks like pearl, but not one

Uththamar:like Muthuchippt-becomes a pearl

26)Difference between loneliness and solitude:

Loneliness:has an unhappy connotationno one to talk to

Solitude:Has a happy association One can pursue his activities undisturbed-no one to disturb

27)Danger generally comes from one’s own kith and kin:

A Baby elephant once told his grandfather elephant ‘there is danger. We should run for our lives.’ The grandfather asked what the matter was.The Baby elephant said’people are coming with weapons, fire and iron chains’.Grandfather said,’no worry.are there any other elephants coming?’The Baby said’no’.The Grandfather said that danger generally comes from only our own kith and kin.

28)According to Vedas,human beings have a lifespan of 100 years,but very rarely do people live upto that age.Why?

Excessive pride

Excessive talk

Gluttony

Betraying friends

Excessive anger

Excessive sexual desires

29)8 Qualities of a messenger (Dhoothan)

humility

gift of the gab

no procrastination

intelligence

kindness

health

blemishlessness

not susceptible to temptations

30)              no one should have any commercial dealings with:

King who does not enforce law

Immoral ladies

Servants of the King

Brothers/sons of the King

Widow with a small child

Soldiers

One who has lost his wealth due to loss in business

31)              Rules for having snanam in Punyanadhis:

Do not put your leg first.Pray and do aachamanam before entering the river

Men should have a dip with Panchakacham and women with Madisar

Do Sankalpam treating sacred ash as theertham

Do not apply soap

After scrubbing with bare hands, have a dip again

Do Devarishi Tharpanam

32)              General rules for snanam:

No snanam before 3AM or after 6PM

No snanam after Pithrukarma

Brahmachari should do one snanam,Grihasthas,2 snanams and Sanyasis 3 snanams

33)Qualities of those who do snanam in the right way:

Strength

Roopam/Thejas

Kundam(pronunciation)

Soft complexion

33)              Qualities of those who eat Sathvic food moderately(twice a day)

Perfect Health

Long life

Strength

Children’s Health

34)              Shiva and Shakti are part and parcel of each other. Siva’s colour is white and Shakti’s colour is red.That is why we use this combination ..everywhere

Eg: Dhoti is pure white and the border is generally red

Vibhuti is white and Kumkumam is red

 Abishekam ,milk is white and honey is brownish red.

Lily is white and sembarathai flower is red.

Rice+Sambar-white and red

Thayirsadham+pickle-white and red

Kolam+semman

35)              Another miraculous story about Mahaperiava:

A poor lady and her husband came to Him and pleaded that they have fixed their daughter’s marriage, but they have no means to purchase even one gram of gold. Periava said that He is a Sanyasi and has nothing to offer. They should go and pray to Kamakshi Amman.So they went away to pray to Kamakshi Amman. Within minutes,a rich man came to have darshan and offered a 10 sovereign gold  at His feet. Periava told him that He is A Sanyasi and has no need for such things. He immediately called for the poor couple and told them’You seem to have prayed well”and asked them to take the gold

36)When all odds are against you and when you have reached rockbottom,do not despair.You cannot go further down. You can only go up.

I have written the above based on what I heard during the Upanyasam and what I understood from them. There may be mistakes especially in SANSKRIT WORDS and shortcomings due to communication gap and my own ignorance. Kindly excuse these aberrations and correct me wherever required.

Margazhi Musings

There is a popular song ‘Endha ooru enralum adhu nammoorai pola varuma?’ Nothing can be truer than this as far as Chennai in the month of Margazhi is concerned. Even Lord Krishna says in Bhagavat Geetha ,‘ Masanam Margaseershoaham’ literal meaning being ‘Mathangalil naan Margazhi’. In fact, Kannadhasan took his inspiration for his famous song from this saying of the Lord.

 What is so special about Margazhi? This is the month which Southern States observe as a holy  spiritual month. This month is to be entirely devoted to Bhakti and spiritual activities. People get up early in the mornings, go to temples, do Nama Sangeerthanam and incidentally enjoy some hot Pongal Prasadam. In olden days, people used to do even Nagarasangeerthanam which means devotees go round the town singing Bhajans (you might have seen such a scene in the film ‘Anniyan’.) Even now, people may be doing this in smaller places.

 As far as Tamilnadu is concerned, there is an added attraction. THE 30 pasurams of Thiruppavai sung by Aandal who is reverentially called  ‘Soodi  Kodutha Sudarkodi’, the 20 padigams of Thiruvembavai and 10 padigams of Thiruppaliyezhuchi, both sung by Manickavachagar, one among the famous quartet of Nayanmars are recited with music and devotion  by devotees all over Tamilnadu .People get up early in the mornings and recite these before attending to other household  chores. These pasurams  and padigams are said to contain the essence of Vedas. All major Tamil TV channels broadcast Thiruppavai and Thiruvembavai with explanations from scholars early in the morning during the entire month. People also decorate the entrances to their houses with different Kolams. There are local competitions for the best laid out Kolams.

 No marriages or happy functions such as marriages, upanayanams, nischayatharthams etc are performed during this month. Perhaps this has something to do with the spirituality  of the month. You are expected to concentrate on religious and Bhakti related activities and not fritter your attention and energy on worldly goodies.

 Margazhi is also known for Thiruvathirai festival which falls on the Thiruvathira Natchathiram day in Margazhi. This day is known for Arudhra Darsanam in the temple of Chidambaram. As far as people with sensitive taste buds like me are concerned, this day is known for the ‘Kali ‘, a sweet dish which is prepared at dawn and offered to Lord Shiva as Prasadam, but actually devoured by us. This is accompanied by a delicious Koottu made of various vegetables. Kali and koottu is a delicious combination to be tasted to be believed.

 The famous Vaikunda  Ekadasi also falls during the month when Paramapada vaasal is opened in famous Vishnu temples. In temples like Srirangam, Parthasarathi temple,triplicane and Tirupathi this vaasal which is also known as Sorgavaasal is opened very early in the morning and people who pass through this door on this auspicious day are expected to reach sorgam directly .There are serpentine queues in all Vaishnavite temples on this day to have a darshan of the Lord (Perumalai sevikka). I am reminded of my childhood days when we used to play Paramapadha sobana padam, a large picture with small and big snakes and ladders. At the top of the picture is the  paramapadhavasal. The game is played by casting dice or chozhis .The game is so exciting that there is loud cheer from the players whenever someone reaches a snake. The loudest cheer is reserved for someone who reaches the number106 where there is a long snake which brings you right down to no.1.  

Another attraction of Chennai during this period is the Music festival during the month of December/January.(a major part of Margazhi.) There are innumerable Sabhas vying with each other in holding these festivals. These festivals start somewhere between the 1^st and 10^th of December every year .But the king of all Sabhas viz The Music Academy starts the festival exactly on the 1^st of Margazhi and ends on 31^st of December. This is a prestigious organisation where opportunity is given only to musicians with a minimum talent. In fact people consider it prestigious to sing in The one and only Academy. It is also fondly known as the Sangeeta Vidvat Sabha.

This Music festival in Chennai is an unbelievable phenomenon, probably can rank as one of the wonders of the world. It features musicians, instrumentalists and percussionists of all grades and talents. Budding musicians get recognition only by performing in these concerts. It is widely rumoured that young artists offer money to these sabhas to get a slot. In fact one of the leading artists refused to perform in any of the Sabas in December to protest against this practice.(It is another matter that he has started a series of performances right from 1^ST January.)   Several NRIS from all over the world camp in Chennai only to sing in these Sabhas especially Academy. Several music rasikas from various places in India and abroad camp in Chennai during the season to attend the music festival.A major attraction (apart from Music)is the canteens in various Sabas. Several major catering contractors who are out of business in Margazhi (because there are no muhurthams during this month) get contracts in one of the Sabhas and amply make up for the loss of business. In fact, in the choice of Sabhas by Rasikas, the name of the contractor is also a major factor.

The choice of Sabhas by the Rasikas is an elaborate process in itself. ‘The Hindu’ releases a special supplement on 1^st December, listing out the programmes of major Sabhas. Generally, the list gives the name of the canteen contractor also. The various factors taken into account in the decision making process are:

1.  The musicians who perform

2.  Canteen contractor

3.  Ambience of the Hall(Air conditioned or otherwise)

4.  Affordability of the fare

5.  Conveyance facility

6.  Availability of parking space

7.  Availability of driver

Nowadays, the Sabhas offer not only music, but also dramas and dances.

As far as ambience is concerned, there is nothing to beat the Music Academy. Generally, in all these Sabhas,the morning and afternoon slots are reserved for junior, upcoming artists and entry is free. The Academy has been recently refurbished with State of the Art facilities, great ambience and well thought out seating arrangements so that nobody can complain (Munnal iruppavarin thalai maraikkirathu).Several Rasikas(?) come here in the afternoon enjoy the music, have nice food and have a peaceful nap.   There are people who come to sleep  and those who sleep after coming(Thoonguvatharkaga varubavargal  and vadadanal thoongubavargal)

After applying the above stringent yardsticks, me and my sahadarmini decided to purchase a season ticket at Thyaga Brahma Gana Sabha which holds its programmes at Vani Mahal in G.N.Chetty street in Tnagar. When I write so elaborately about the music season, don’t for a moment imagine that I am a connoisseur of music. Nothing can be farther from the truth. The absolute truth is that I was guided (dictated may be the correct word) by myl Dharmapathni. Promptly on 10^th December we started attending the programmes.  Only after we started attending the programmes  did I realize what an ignoramus I am and how much more my wife knows about the subtler nuances of music. At the outset , I must confess that the distance between me and music is approximately as much as between Amavasai and Abdul Khader. I am basically a Thukada m(f) an who goes to kacheris only to listen to the short songs sung at the fag end of the programme.(popularly known as Thukadas). I do not know the difference between Alapana and Niraval, chittaswaram and kalpanaswaram, bruga and Sangathi, ragam and thanam, virutham and keerthana. In short I am  no better than Sulakshana who asks ‘KILO ENNA VILAI’ in the film ‘Sindhu Bhairavi’.

Now, let me revert to the topic of my  wife. When I  offered to accompany her to the music programmes, little did I realize what I am letting  myself in for. I thought she will be absorbed in the music and leave me in peace to attend to my pending sleep and allow me to test my tastebuds in the Gnanambika Canteen. Not only did she appreciate the music, recognize all ragas and appreciated even minor nuances of Alapana ,but was constantly asking me searching questions like ‘What is this Raga?’.After racking my brains(or what little there is of it),I will blurt out something like ‘Thodi’ which invariably will not be the correct answer. After staring at me like a vermin, she will turn the other side. Simultaneously with recognizing and  appreciating the music in its entirety, she was also observing what jewels and sarees the ladies were wearing, how cute some of them were looking, the dressing pattern of the musicians(especially the ladies) etc and commenting on them.  She goes to the extent of speculating how pretty some of the older ladies would have looked when they were young. On such occasions, I am caught in a terrible Hamletian dilemma. For obvious reasons, I can neither agree or disagree with her especially since the comments were about ladies.

Some interesting aspects of this musical extravaganza are as follows:

1)  You can see many old couples attending the programmes, armed with water bottles, tablets,

 mufflers, shawls etc sitting in pairs and enjoying the music. This is a welcome diversion for them from their lonely lives together. Nowadays it is very common for old couples to live alone since their daughters are married off and sons are employed abroad. This December season is a boon for them indeed. Generally, old people constitute the majority of the audience. In fact, an article in ‘The Times of India’, brought out this aspect and published, to our dismay, our photos as an illustration.

2)Generally, people carry with them a raga guide. Whenever an Alapana is begun, people start speculating what raga it is. Arguments between couple on this aspect are not uncommon. As soon as the main krithi begins, they turn the pages of the guide and verify whether their guess was correct. You should see the glow in their faces when their guess turns out to be correct. In fact, one gentleman who recognized the raga Chalanattai and said it out loudly was named Chalanattai by us. If he does not turn up one day, we used to say ‘chalanattai innikku vallai”

3)Since season ticket holders come daily and occupy the same seats, they become friends in due course, enquire why they did not come the previous day etc. At the end of the season, they go to the extent of inviting people to their houses.

4)People have a habit of visiting the canteen first to survey what are the fares available before entering the Sabha Hall proper. Actually, some people visit only the canteen and not the katcheri with the result The Music Academy has put up a board ‘no parking for canteen visitors”

5)It is a common sight to see people snoring away to glory during the concert especially in cosy surroundings like the Academy. Whenever there is an applause from the crowd at the end of a piece, they wake up during the commotion, join the applause and go to sleep again.

6)Many of the Vidwans show off their expertise in music by doing Alapana, niraval and kalpanaswarams for every single piece with the result the entire concert is shrunk to five or six songs. They should realize that everybody in the audience is not an expert. Many people like me come to listen and enjoy some soul stirring music with  some melodies, fast numbers as well as Thukadas. They should not create a feeling that carnatic music is only for the connoisseurs. They should attract the entire audience including thukadawalas like me. Only then youngsters will start  attending the concerts and the stigma Carnatic is only for old people will disappear. This has been proved by people like Ranjani-Gayathri duo and Aruna Sayeeram whose concerts always attract a full House(including many from the younger generation) and many people  return disappointed without getting tickets. The Ranjani –Gayathri duo gava a 4 hour concert in Rani Seethai Hall on behalf of Kalarasana which will perhaps rank as the best concert of the season. Not a single member of the audience left the hall in the middle of the concert. They kept the full hall spellbound for the entire duration of the concert with a variety of songs including Ragam,Thanam, pallvi, abangs ,and Thiruppugazh. In fact, they had to extend the concert by another fifteen minutes to cater to the requests of the audience. Their soulstirring Abangs have made a mark in Chennai Music circles and people wait till the end of the show only to listen

 to the Abangs. If they can attract youngsters, why not others? For that matter, they did not sacrifice any of the basics of Carnatic music. They attracted the audience keeping the tradition intact.

6) Some of the popular vidwans make us wonder which is the language they were singing. The singing is so elastic and the words so unclear that it makes no difference which language they are singing. In fact, in one such concert, it needed a lot of imagination and brainracking to decipher that he was singing Karthikeya kangeya Gowri Thanaya-a Papanasam Sivan song in Tamil. If this is the attitude, how will people sit through the programme?

7)In fact, it was very heartening to observe some excellent talent in some of the youngsters like Saindhavi, Uma-Radhika (known as Chinmaya sisters) and Iyer Brothers(Veena) and others. There was an all-ladies (Karnataka based) Ensemble which included Gata-tarang, Gatam,Veena, mridangam  konakkol and Morsing all by ladies. Gata tharang is a series of seven Ghatams producing perhaps different notes(something like Jalatharangam).One lady performed Ghata-tarang, Ghatam and konnakkol with ease and  expertise.

This was the first full season I was enjoying since I was  fully immersed in my official preoccupations till last year. When all is said and done, it was an exhilarating experience and at the end of it all, one is left with a sad feeling that we have to wait for one full year before we can be part of all this excitement. Yes, excitement indeed! All the elaborate planning and preparations before starting for the concert including what dress to wear, what things to carry, where and what to have  for ,dinner etc etc and the post concert discussions on the fare for the day will have to wait for a year.  Even though we had got season tickets for one particular Saba, we wanted to have a feel of the great Music Academy and attended some free concerts there in the afternoons and excited by the refreshing ambience we have decided that from next year, we will go only to the Academy.

Bye for now.