Bilvashtakam

As taken from this site: "http://maaheswari.blogspot.com/2011/01/bilvastakam.html" to match the version sung during Aadhi yogi aalayam consecration ... hope the sequence is right since I don't have the song recorded & with me now.

[Update as of 25 Feb 2012: I have the song now and have updated it per the Trigun album from Isha]

Tridalam Trigunaakaram Trinethram Cha Triyayudham,

Trijanma Papa Samharam Eka Bilwam Shivarpanam

Tridalam Trigunaakaram Trinethram Cha Triyayudham,

Trijanma Papa Samharam Eka Bilwam Shivarpanam

Akhanda Bilwa Pathrena Poojithe Nandikeshware,

Shudhyanthi Sarva Papebhyo, Eka Bilwam Shivarpanam

Saligrama Shilamekaam Vipranam Jathu ChaArpayeth,

Soma Yagna Maha Punyam, Eka Bilwam Shivarpanam

Danthi Koti Sahasrani Vajapeya Sathani Cha,

Koti Kanya Maha Danam, Eka Bilwam Shivarpanam

Lakshmyasthanutha Uthpannam Mahadevasya Cha Priyam,

Bilwa Vruksham Prayacchami, Eka Bilwam Shivarpanam

Lakshmyasthanutha Uthpannam Mahadevasya Cha Priyam,

Bilwa Vruksham Prayacchami, Eka Bilwam Shivarpanam

Darshanam Bilwa Vrukshasya, Sparsanam Papa Nasanam,

Aghora Papa Samharam, Eka Bilwam Shivarpanam

Kasi Kshethra Nivasam Cha Kala Bhairava Darshanam,

Prayaga Madhavam Drushtwa, Eka Bilwam Shivarpanam

Kasi Kshethra Nivasam Cha Kala Bhairava Darshanam,

Prayaga Madhavam Drushtwa, Eka Bilwam Shivarpanam

Moolatho Brahma Roopaya, Madhyatho Vishnu Roopine

Agratha Shiva Roopaya, Eka Bilwam Shivarpanam

Tridalam Trigunaakaram Trinethram Cha Triyayudham,

Trijanma Papa Samharam Eka Bilwam Shivarpanam

My Swing!

My anger, my joy, my frustration

Arising not from my wife nor my child

Neither from my society nor my god

Is all but a mere reflection

of what lies in me

Oh, these terrible chains! I wonder

how to break and go beyond

The Blessed One has seen me

Doting on Him to take me through

Beyond this pain and pleasure trough

Urban community forests

This is what happens when an urban born-and-bred person suddenly comes up with an idea of how to increase the green cover in the state. He writes up a note like this which will probably not be read by anybody much less be implemented. Knowing it very well, this is still my attempt to pour out my ranting with respect to the afforestation of the state and country in general.

A cold water bath can spur these thoughts!? Well, if Chennai water feels cold, that is a sure sign for me that something is going wrong with the environment. The alternate rains and heat daily seems very unlike Chennai, which is known more of its heat than damp weather.

I suddenly thought how nice it would be if a group of people buy a land and plant trees in it. It is also an investment just like how a group of people buy an apartment complex! It is just that this investment might not yield immediate results, but is probably the best thing we can leave as legacy for our sons & daughters. The term ‘community forest’ came to mind immediately.

As with most netizens, the next logical activity was to lookup the term ‘community forest’ on the internet and find out what it is all about. But I understand it is not entirely similar to what is popularly called as ‘community forestry’ in general media (a concept unknown to me till today).

Proposal (rudimentary):

Ø A group of people (preferably more than 20) together form a trust or foundation

Ø The group of people contribute money as much as possible for them

Ø The foundation then buys a piece of land, preferably in the urban locality with the aim of creating a forest like natural environment

Ø These will be tended to as forests not in the sense of one teeming with wild-life, not at least in the beginning stages.

Constraints and Risks foreseen:

Ø Protection required under law from land grabbers, especially with political influence

Ø Maintenance personnel required for safeguarding the area or at least part-time volunteers looking after the area, watering trees, etc.

Ø Proper and responsible tracking has to be present especially on financial aspects for such foundations

Advantages:

Ø These trees will not be in anyway blocking roads requiring them to be cut when the roads are to be expanded.

Ø They will be in residential areas aiding in increased aesthetic value to localities that go with it.

Ø Once it catches popular imagination, it just becomes a natural extension of a locality. So, when a new area is being setup in an urban or semi-urban condition, such a forest / park will be thought of as a natural component of the area

Ø Climatic conditions in urban areas will certainly improve even with such pockets of small-forests / parks

Ø If sufficiently big areas are used for it, a natural park can even be setup in the areas for children aiding in a big way for their growth

Ø Above all, I feel it is our minimal duty to the country and more importantly for the next generation of people whom we have brought to life!

Moments of madness and fun ...

Just living a crazy life ... had not been coming onto the blogosphere for a long time now. My last decent attempt at a blog had been in May 2011.

In the mean time, a lot of things have happened. India is boiling with controversies and it is this environment I have returned to.

Back to home and handling more chaos than ever but this time, the cushion of Shambhavi had been there to give me some breathing space. Just thought today of remembering some of the unforgettable moments of my SA trip:

> Graskop trip - undoubtedly the top in my memories as a lot of cobwebs of inhibitions and fears cleared from my mind. There was too much fun to be missed.

> Durban trip - for both the good and bad things that happened during the trip

> KungFu Panda 2 @ Sandton mall - had gala fun with folks just before starting back to India

> Prabhu's farewell - how can I forget an event that took 4 GB of Video recording and still reminds all of the roomies of the fun that night!

> My own farewell from onsite - a moving sequence of incidents contributed to by everyone including my manager, the final photo session on rooftop being the capping one.

Over and beyond it all, hospitality of my team is the best thing I will remember for ever about my stay in South Africa. It is not easy to accommodate your manager at your residence, to start with for 2 months, and then ungrudgingly (or so it seemed throughout to me!) for 6 months! And I am not an easy customer, waking up even on weekends before 7 AM and chanting in meditation. All through the stay, they took care of most of my needs, not because I was a manager but treating me as a good friend.

Em'power'ing!

A facebook post by a very good friend sparked a controversy and of course a conversation that triggered my thoughts today on what really is empowerment of women.

I believe, like most of the 'concepts', empowerment would mean so many different things to people at different times. This blog entry is just a rambling of what I feel about it in the Indian context.

If it was as in the early afghan invasion era, where women had to be protected carefully, even a woman freely walking around on her own might have been considered empowerment. Probably in the independence war era, it would have meant the same and more, women getting more or less equal opportunities to fight against the foreign oppression. This was also the time when the seeds of liberation were sprouting in more human pots than in several prior centuries.

What does it really mean now!? I feel it is about freeing women from the centuries of stranglehold on various fronts - cultural, educational, social and spiritual - more than ever.

My vision is simple:

- A child should not be discriminated against pursuing any sort of education she likes
- A woman should be able to freely go on the streets at midnight, as the Mahatma also wished for
- No woman should be ill-treated or physically abused, irrespective of the place being a house or a school or a bus or a train
- Every person, man or woman, should have the basic freedom of choice without any external pressure

It is said that in the vedic period, a woman could wear the sacred thread just like a man - not based on being born in a caste, but out of her own capability. A woman would dissolve her family at will and pursue a spiritual path because that was considered the ultimate thing everyone aspired.

It is shameful that such a free culture is more or less lost now. But if we can create back or restore a culture even closer to that state, that should be the minimum contribution from our generation to the next.

Deeply, Madly in Love ...

One of the most beautiful lyrics I have heard in recent times ... Nenjil Nenjil song from Engeyum Kadhal. Brilliant composition and brilliantly sung as well!


(male)
nenjil nenjil idho idho,
kaadhal kaadhal pirandhadho
konjum kaatril mayangiyae
konjam maele paranthatho
maalai vaelai velai kaattutho
en moolai vaanam jwalai moottudho

(male repeat)
nenjil nenjil idho idho,
kaadhal kaadhal pirandhadho
konjum kaatril mayangiyae
konjam maele paranthatho
maalai vaelai velai kaattutho
en moolai vaanam jwalai moottudho

(male)
en nilaavil en nilaavil
oru minsaaral thaan thoovudho
en kanaavil en kanaavil
un bimba thugazh inbangal pozhigayil

(female)
nenjil nenjil idho idho,
kaadhal kaadhal pirandhadho
konjum kaatril mayangiyae
konjam maele paranthatho
maalai vaelai velai kaattutho
en moolai vaanam jwalai moottudho

(male)
Oru mounam paravum
siru kaadhal pozhudhil
Kizhiyil vizhaiyum mozhiyil edhuvum kavithaiyadi
Asaiyum imaiyum isaiyil edhuvum inimaiyadi

(female)
ven maarbil padarum
un paarvai thiravam
ithaya putharil, sidhari sidhari, vazhivathaen
oru uthirum thuliyil, uthiram muzhuthum, athirvathu aaen

(male)
urugaathey uyirae, vilagaathey malarae
un kaadhal vaerai kaanavendi
vaanam thaandi unakkul nuzhaindha

(male starts and female takes up)
nenjil nenjil idho idho,
kaadhal kaadhal pirandhadho
konjum kaatril mayangiyae
konjam maele paranthatho
maalai vaelai velai kaattutho
en moolai vaanam jwalai moottudho

(female)
pasi oorum idhazhum,
pasi aerum viralum
viradham mudithu, irayai virayum, naeram idhu
uyirin murayil, mayirin izhayoor nooram adhu

(male)
oru vellai thiraiyaai,
un ullam thirandhaai
siruga siruga, iravai thirudum thaarigayae
vidiyum varayil, viralum ithazhum thoorigaiyae

(female)
vidiyaadhe iravae mudiyaadhe kanavae,
nee innum konjam neelakkori kaadhal kaani thudikka thudikka

(male)
nenjil nenjil idho idho,
kaadhal kaadhal pirandhadho
konjum kaatril mayangiyae
konjam maele paranthatho
maalai vaelai velai kaattutho
en moolai vaanam jwalai moottudho

(female)
en nilaavil en nilaavil
oru minsaaral thaan thoovudho
en kanaavil en kanaavil
un bimba thugazh inbangal pozhigayil

Sweet Breath

With every breath, lies the key
inhale and you are not the body
exhale and you are not the mind

that should make you damned
for without the body and mind
you are forced to ask
who am I here and what is my task

I stay that way for mere minutes
but those few are so sweet
it eggs me on for more