Seven jars filled with Gold -Bhagavan Ramakrishna's Short stories

Bhagavan Ramakrishna's Short stories - Seven jars filled with Gold

A ‘yaksha’ was living in a tree outside the village leading to the forest.  People had to cross the tree as they entered the forest and they just cut the trees for their livelihood as well as brought flowers for use and vegetations for food. A king who was ruling the area including the village was living in a nearby town and he had a barber who was attending to him. This barber also lived in this village and one day when he went to the forest there was a sound coming from a tree “whether you require 7 jars of Gold?”  Though the barber did not hear wherefrom the sound came, but his immediate reaction was to shout that he required the Gold. From the area from which the sound came earlier, a sound came then that the jars of gold have already been kept in his house. The barber could not believe himself first what he heard was correct and immediately rushed back to his house to find out whether the gold jars were indeed available in the house.  On reaching the house, he saw there were 7 jars which were covered and on opening to his surprise found gold coins filled in a jar.  His anxiety immediately rose to find out what was in the other jars. Yes he has now come to check the 6^th jar also, and all contained gold coins to the brim. On opening the 7^th jar he found it also contained gold coins but not full and some place was found to be filled up to make it like the other jars.  The barber wanted the 7^th jar to be filled up like the other ones.
              When he went to the king for his duties, on an opportune moment he asked the king that his salary be hiked and King who was in a good mood agreed and increased his salary.  He started telling his wife to curtail the expenses of the house and with the increased salary wanted to fill the 7^th jar with gold coins.  He found in a few months, he was not able to fill the jar and now asked his wife to give her savings and belongings and converted all into gold coins and he could not fill even with that. He started worrying and the King who noticed that, asked what had come off him? The king asked whether his health was alright and that he found the barber not in his normal mood these days. The king seeing the plight of the barber increased the wages to the barber further but later too found the barber not very happy. He was observing the barber and slowly he came to know the barber who used to be truthful earlier had started stealing here and there.  He wanted to give enough time for the barber to come out with his real difficulties.  The barber became irregular for his duties too. One day when the barber came for duty, the King said of late he was finding the barber to be very unhappy as well as he was not doing his allotted work too properly. He asked the barber what happened to him?  The barber replied that he has lost all his belongings and also the salary though hiked by the King, because of his absence to the work in the kingdom, he was not getting full salary and his expenses had increased and he was not able to manage and did not tell the truth that he was converting all into gold coins and still unable to fill the 7^th jar which was the reason for his unhappiness. 
            The king one day called and straightaway asked the barber by any chance he had taken the 7 jars with the “asareerie” asking for it?  The barber was shocked to hear it from the king and said all things that happened to him because of accepting the 7 jars of gold but there were only 6 jars filled and the last jar could not be filled with whatever efforts he made.  He also said to the King, all his beg, borrow and steal efforts have not resulted in the jar getting filled up and in the process he had denied all facilities to his family, he had become a miser and all his happiness too vanished.  The King said to first hand over the jars as that was the work of a Yaksha in a tree and that is the only way by which you would be rid of the worries and someone would be found out for that purpose by the Yaksha.

          The barber implicitly obeyed the King and shouted where he earlier heard the sound for asking the jars and now he shouted that he did not require the 7 jars of Gold. Immediately from a nearby tree, reply came that the 7 jars of gold had been removed from his house.  It need not be emphasized that the barber was the happiest man from then onwards.  But he learnt in the hard way, that he lost whatever he had earned by just means also in converting them as gold and lost the 7 jars of gold too.
Bhagavan Ramakrishna told his disciples this story and summed up: This is the state of affairs in the kingdom of God too.  Some people without knowing the real income and real expenses, ultimately lose whatever they have earned also by just means.

         Tailpiece:  Somehow ‘it’  (Yaksha??) made me to write this in English which             I had already written in Tamil in my blogspot during November 2012.

Thiruchengode Arthanareeswarar Chengodan temple - Erode and around

THIRUCHENGODE ARTHANAREESWAR CHENGODAN TEMPLE

I was at Erode on 19 9 2013 and proceeded by road to Thiruchengode and had the blessings of the Arthanareeswarar. On the way I could capture the picture of River Cauvery from my mobile.  The hills of Thiruchengode too presented with all its glory of nature and could capture a few shots in the mobile including the one as seen from the road of the hill.  The hill is not easy to climb by the steps (for elderly ones) and reach the top where the Lord is and a road has been laid around the hill and the Temple board also have bus facilities which start from the east street near temple car shed.  I was told that on the amavasya day the bus service starts as early as 5 AM but on other days only at 9 AM.  But on the day when I was there, the bus started at 9 am and immediately followed by 2 more bus trips as I had darshan. The bus stops for 45 minutes to enable devotees to have darshan and take the return trip back to the foot of the hill and through the Thiruchengode bus stop.

              The temple is supposed to have the history of the fight between vayu and adishesha and small fragments of himalayas falling at different places and the one with the blood stains of vasuki with the red colour was termed as chengode and with the abode of Lord Arthanatheeswarar came to be known as Thiruchengode.  There are other names also to the hill such as: Aravagiri, Nagachalam, Idapagiri and kakagiri.  There are other stories too attached to the hill and the temple here: One such is that Kamadhenu got 5 hills from Lord Siva and they are Kanjamalai, Sankagiri, Pushpagiri, Ooratchikottai and Nagamalai or thiruchengode. Kanjamalai is near Salem and Ooratchikottai near Bhavani. Sankagiri is about 13 kms from Thiruchengode and Pushpagiri is between Thiruchengode and Sankagiri.  It is also believed that the one which fell of from the war of adishesha and Vayu is a male naga hill and the one brought by Kamadhenu is  a female naga hill and thus these are united like the Lord Siva and Uma.  

ஆதி யாயவ னாருமிலாதவன் போது சேர்புனை நீண்முடிப் புண்ணியன் பாதி பெண்ணுறு வாகிப் பரஞ்சுடர் சோதியுட்சோதியாய் நின்ற சோதியே -தேவாரம்
Thus goes the Tamil Hymn Thevaram of Thirugnanasambander on the deity of Thiruchengode Lord Arthanareeswarar.

The temple atop the hill, Thiruchengode has the following sannadhis: On entering just before entering the Moolasthanam Arthanatheeswarar and by the side of the Dwarapalakas on the southern side on a basement is the Siddhi Vinayagar and Mundhi vinayagar.  By the side of the vinayagars is the Navagraha and after this while entering the eastern side is the Naari Ganapathy and proceeding further is the Moolavar Arthanatheeswarar.    Deepa Aradhana is shwon clearly bringing out the arthanareeswara swaroopa duly explained by the archakas.  Opposite Mandapa is the place in which the urchavar can be seen.  The temple of Arthanareewara on top of the hill measures north to south 95 feet and east to west 170 ft.   

                Unique feature of the temple is the mandapams 

carrying exquisitely sculpted pillars which includes sculptures of Veerabhadran, Oordva Tandavamurthy, Alangattu Kali, Korathan and Koravi and a variety of other figures in stone.  

                 To the right side as you enter is the sannidhi of Lord Balasubramanya and the beautiful vigraha is facing east. He is holding a "vel" in the right hand and on the left hand holds the flag of "seval". He is being called as SengottuvelanOn the northern side  and just behind the Rajagopuram, on a pedastal is housed the adisesha with 5 heads and the linga under the head is beautifullly sculpted. This is a place in which Adisesha worshipped Siva in Kaliyuga, vermillion (Kunkumam) is used for the archana of adisesha.   On the eastern side and facing south is Dakshinamurthy. The sthala viruksha is iluppai tree.

CRICKET – THE ONE DAYERS

CRICKET – THE ONE DAYERS

A lot of criticism of the Sawai Mansingh Maidan of Jaipur after the second one dayer between India and Australia.   As usual emotions run high, based on results.
We tend to over do everything. All sorts of remarks: “Game is against bowlers”, “Over 700 runs in a day in just 100 overs”, “Jaipur pitch is no good for ODI”, “Indian fast bowlers failed” and “replace Ashwin and Ishant Sharma” and what not?
People should have interviewed George Bailey, the Australian Captain immediately after batting and he would have said they have done an excellent job and they were preparing for this onslaught for quite sometime and also would have told they have found the “mantra” to bat in Indian pitches as also to counter the Indian Bowlers.  Now after the Indian batting with 6.3 overs to spare and with nine wickets in hand India could make the required runs, it is but natural for Bailey to avoid answering with wry smile, when Ravi Shastri said - Is not the pitch a ‘beauty’?  Same with the Indian Captain M S Dhoni who was totally upset as we could see him in the final overs of Indian bowling on that day.  He was so happy to tell Shastri that Rohit, Dhawan and Kohli did the job.  Perhaps things would have been otherwise and had a good start the Indians wanted would have been thwarted, had Haddin held the catch offered by Dhawan.  A turning point. Only Australians can answer why should Haddin run such a long distance to take that catch?
I do not find any merit in the shouts of replacements of bowlers though Ishant should show his previous fury and use bouncers in an over when required and bowl Yorkers at the death and Ashwin should change his now famous stopping at the crease before delivering the ball to his normal action. His normal bowling had all the armoury and I think that is enough to be a successful bowler. The days of keeping an average of 5 per over by a bowler are being rewritten by the new and young T20 batsmen who have been brought into ODIs.  That is all for the second ODI at Jaipur.
Should ODI formats require a change?
The results of 5 other matches to be played in various other centres will completely dispel the present mood of things. That is the way, the game is.
More and more tournaments of T20 throwing out batsmen who do not fear to come forward in the pitch even to fast bowlers.   Batting kits even have been made favourable to that.   The wide rules, 2 new balls, field placements have all been against the bowlers and the condition of the pitch only adds to their woes.  But this how the ODIs were being played except the two new balls which totally goes against spin bowlers and a night of dew adds to their problems further.  If at all, there should be change in the format, it should be on the two new balls for ODI, duly revising to the earlier way of a single ball for 50 overs.  Cricket administrations should accept it is experimentation and it has failed because of disadvantage to spin bowlers.
Meanwhile the spectators can enjoy what is being presented and hope it is not going to be the way in Jaipur?
Added on 4 11 2013: after the 7th ODI at Bangalore
It has been conclusively proved that the scores of 300/350 have become a normal one and apart from the pitch, the new rules have gone against the bowlers and gives little room for variations in their bowling. It is very difficult for bowlers to pitch only near the bat without any rise and at a speed that could bother. However, the way the batsmen adapted themselves for T20s, the bowlers too will come back and but will definitely will take some time. It will be more in variation of speeds. The next best the administrators can do is only to provide grounds with boundries at 80 metres.  A few sixes can turn into 4s.
Of course that has in no way prevents for Ishant Sharma to come with a better bowling speed and accuracy.
Ramachandran V 4 11 2013 Bangalore

Bubbles that Burst – Who are the bubbles?

Bubbles that Burst – 
Who are the bubbles?

“Two bubbles found they had rainbows on their curves.
They flickered out saying:
"It was worth being a bubble, just to have held that rainbow thirty seconds.”
― Carl Sandburg

Bubbles are bound to burst. There is no doubt about it.  But  bubbles have  not understood as in the quote given above and rejoicing on the rainbows in them.   Bubbles and myths that are going to explode.  There was a conglomeration of people who were held for fear of not allowed to rule if they are not one group. The group elects a person to show them the way based on his expertise in economics.  But he was willing to surrender to persons who had no knowledge of that and also on other things.  Thus he had to compromise on everything and he never felt that he was the custodian of anything that was going on, in the group. Thus he disowned things of discomfort and to complain of group compulsions. Anyone with the conscience would have left the leadership but this gentleman was clinging to his leadership and not performing including his own area of expertise to bring chaos and a convenient excuse here also to blame external and global environment for his own failures.  Group members taking his inability to control them took advantage and had the gumption to say that with this man’s approval only everything has been done, as he was a spectator to all loots that was going on among the group.  He has to naturally face the wrath of the people as he failed even in his area of expertise and failed to be a custodian of the group too and by every act proved that he was really not a custodian.  Baby members too started calling him names and even observed as Nonsense the custodian’s decision.  The custodian did not have the temerity to even say that nonsense is better than nuisance.  I am reminded of the saying: Nothing is better than nonsense and nonsense is better than nuisance.   In fact his doing of nothing was better than nonsense too. Even here, persons in the group taking pride of their special status of defenders of the group had grease all over their face and when a baby member called their collective work as nonsense.   Some group members hence spoke as they like and get away with it and the pity was the very same people’s help was sought by the custodian namesake to get defend himself for all omissions and commissions. Neither the custodian nor the so called advocates defending the custodian, realized they are like bubbles and will explode any time, sooner or later.  Enjoying the rainbow, they are in a state of ecstasy and do not know that they are in murkier waters.  Murkier waters get changed by the people once in a while and newer waters will fill emptying the old ones. Where will be the bubbles?  The bubbles are bound to burst.  In their anxiety, that water is going to be changed, the bubbles started blabbering everything they could see as themselves and called everything the “bubble”.  

Will the people change the waters?

QUOTES OF GAUTAM BUDDHA I LIKE MOST

THE QUOTES OF GAUTAM BUDDHA I LIKE MOST

1.  Resolve to be tender with the young, compassionate with the aged, sympathetic with the striving and tolerant with the weak and wrong. Sometime in your life, you will have been all of these.

2. The secret of health for both mind and body is not to mourn for the past, nor to worry about the future, but to live the present moment wisely and earnestly.

3.  However many holy words you read, however many you speak, what good will they do you if you do not act on upon them?

4.   There is nothing more dreadful than the habit of doubt. Doubt separates people. It is a poison that disintegrates friendships and breaks up pleasant relations. It is a thorn that irritates and hurts; it is a sword that kills.

5.   Holding on to anger is like grasping a hot coal with the intent of throwing it at someone else; you are the one who gets burned.

6.   Believe nothing, no matter where you read it, or who said it, no matter if I have said it, unless it agrees with your own reason and your own common sense.

7.   Thousands of candles can be lit from a single candle, and the life of the candle will not be shortened. Happiness never decreases by being shared

8.   As rain falls equally on the just and the unjust, do not burden your heart with judgements but rain your kindness equally on all.

9.   There is no fire like passion, there is no shark like hatred, there is no snare like folly, there is no torrent like greed.

10.  Long is the night to him who is awake; long is a mile to him who is tired; long is life to the foolish who do not know the true law.

11.   Speak the truth do not become angered and give when asked, even be it a little. By these three conditions one goes to the presence of the gods.

12.  We are shaped by our thoughts; we become what we think. When the mind is pure, joy follows like a shadow that never leaves

13.  What is evil? Killing is evil, lying is evil, slandering is evil, abuse is evil, gossip is evil, envy is evil, hatred is evil, to cling to false doctrine is evil; all these things are evil. And what is the root of evil? Desire is the root of evil, illusion is the root of evil.

14.  Teach this triple truth to all: A generous heart, kind speech, and a life of service and compassion are the things which renew humanity

15.  Generosity brings happiness at every stage of its expression. We experience joy in forming the intention to be generous. We experience joy in the actual act of giving something. And we experience joy in remembering the fact that we have given.

16.  Silence the angry man with love. Silence the ill-natured man with kindness. Silence the miser with generosity. Silence the liar with truth

17.  Meditate. Live purely. Quiet the mind. Do your work with mastery. Like the moon, come out from behind the clouds! Shine

18.  As a flower that is lovely and beautiful, but is scentless, even so fruitless is the well-spoken word of one who practices it not.

19.  Look not to the faults of others, nor to their omissions and commissions. But rather look to your own acts, to what you have done and left undone

20.  Most problems, if you give them enough time and space, will eventually wear themselves out.

Shantipadas of the upanishads

Shantipadas சாந்தி பாடங்கள்
எந்த ஒன்றையும் செய்யும் போது மன நிலை அத்துடன் ஒன்றி இருப்பது அவசியம். வெறும் புலமையால் உணர முடியாதது உபநிஷத்துகளின் உண்மை பொருள். குருவிநிடத்தில் பணிவுடனும் வழிபாட்டு உணர்வுடன் அணுகும்போது மட்டுமே அதை புரிந்து கொள்வதற்கு ஏதுவாகிறது.     உபநிஷத்துக்களின் ஆரம்பத்தில் அதற்கான சாந்தி பாடங்கள் உள்ளன.

ரிக் வேதம்
ஓம் வாங்மே மனஸி பிரதிஷ்ட்டிதா I  மனோ மே வாசிபிரதிஷ்ட்டிதம் I
ஆவிராவீர்ம ஏதி I வேதஸ்ய ம ஆணீஸ்த: I ச்ருதம் மே மா ப்ரஹாஸீ: I
அனேனாதீதேனாஹோ ராத்ரான் ஸந்ததாமி I ரிதம் வதிஷ்யாமி I
சத்யம் வதிஷ்யாமி I தன்மாமவது I  தத்வக்தாரமவது I
அவது மாமவது வக்தாரமவது வக்தாரம் I
ஓம் சாந்தி: சாந்தி: சாந்தி: II
பொருள்:
எனது பேச்சு மனத்தில் நிலைபெறட்டும்; மனம் பேச்சில் நிலைபெறட்டும்.
சுடரொளிப்  பரம்பொருளே, என்னுள் ஒளிர்வாயாக.  மனம், பேச்சு ஆகிய இருவரும் வேதங்களின் உண்மையை எனக்கு கொண்டு வருவீர்களாக.  என்னால் கேட்கப்பட்டவை என்னை விட்டு விலகாதிருக்கட்டும்.  கற்றவற்றை பகலும் இரவும் நான் சிந்திப்பேனாக.  நான் வியாவகாரிக உண்மையைச் சொல்வேனாக,  பாரமார்த்திக உண்மையை சொல்வேனாக.  அந்த இறைவன்  என்னைக் காக்கட்டும், குருவைக் காக்கட்டும்.   என்னைக் காக்கட்டும், குருவைக் காக்கட்டும்.!

யஜுர் வேதம் (சுக்ல)
ஓம் பூர்ணமத: பூர்ணமிதம் பூர்ணாத் பூர்ணமுதச்யதே I
பூர்ணஸ்ய பூர்ணமாதாய பூர்ணமேவாவசிஷ்யதே II
ஓம் சாந்தி: சாந்தி: சாந்தி: II
பொருள்:
ஓம்.  அது பூர்ணம். இதுவும் பூர்ணம். பூர்ணத்திலிருந்து பூர்ணம் உதயமாயுள்ளது. பூர்ணத்திநின்று பூரணத்தை எடுத்தும் பூர்ணமே எஞ்சி நிற்கிறது.


யஜுர் வேதம் (கிருஷ்ண)
ஓம் ஸஹ நாவவது I ஸஹ நௌ புனக்து I ஸஹ வீர்யம்
கரவாவஹை I தேஜஸ்வி நாவதீதமஸ்து மா வித்விஷாவஹை II
ஓம் சாந்தி: சாந்தி: சாந்தி: II

ஆச்சாரியர், சீடர் ஆகிய நம் இருவரையும் இறைவன் காப்பாராக!  அறிவின் ஆற்றலை நாம் இருவரும் அனுபவிக்குமாறு ஊக்குவிப்பாராக! நாம் இருவரும் ஈடுபாடுமிக்க ஆற்றலுடன் உழைப்போமாக! கற்றது நமக்கு பயனுள்ளதாக விளங்கட்டும்.  எதற்காகவும் நாம் ஒருவரையொருவர் வெறுக்காமல் இருப்போமாக!

சாம வேதம்
கேன உபநிஷத்தில் இரண்டு ஷாந்தி பாடங்கள் கூறப்பட்டுள்ளன:
1. யஜுர் (கிருஷ்ண) ல் உள்ளது போல:
2.
ஓம் ஆப்யாயந்து மமாங்கானி வாகப்ராணச் சஷூ: ச்ரோத்ரம் அதோ பலமிந்த்ரியாணி ச ஸர்வாணி I   ஸர்வம் ப்ரஹ்மௌபநிஷிதம் மாஹம் ப்ரஹ்ம நிராகுர்யாம் மா மா ப்ரஹ்ம நிராகரோத் அனிராகரணமஸ்து அனிராகரணம்
மேSஸ்து I  ததாத்மனி நிரதே ய உபநிஷத்ஸூ தர்மாஸ்தே மயி ஸந்து தே மயி
ஸந்து I I
ஓம் சாந்தி:  சாந்தி:  சாந்தி:  I I

எனது அவயங்களான வாக்கு, பிராணன், கண்கள், காதுகள், மற்றும் எல்லா புலன்களும் மிகுந்த ஆற்றலுடன் விளங்கட்டும். உபநிஷதங்கள் கூறுகின்ற இறைவனே எல்லாம். அந்த இறைவனை நான் மறுக்காதிருப்பேனாக. இறைவன் என்னை மறுக்காதிருப்பாராக. இறைவனிடமிருந்தும் மறுப்பு இல்லாதிருக்கட்டும்.
உபநிஷதங்களில் கூறப்பட்டுள்ள தர்மங்கள், ஆன்மாவை நாடுகின்ற என்னில் குடிகொள்ளட்டும்!

அதர்வண வேதம் 
ஓம் பத்ரம் கர்ணேபி: ச்ருணுயாம தேவா:  I  பத்ரம் பச்யேமாக்ஷபிர் யஜத்ரா:  I
ஸ்திரைரங்கைஸ் துஷ்ட்டுவாக்ம்ஸஸ்தனூபி:  I  வ்யசேம தேவஹிதம் யதாயு:  I I

ஸ்வஸ்தி ந இந்த்ரோ வருத்த ச்ரவா:  I  ஸ்வஸ்தி ந: பூஷா விச்வ வேதா: I  ஸ்வஸ்தி
நஸ்தார்க்ஷ்யோ அரிஷ்ட்டநேமி: I  ஸ்வஸ்தி நோ ப்ரஹசஸ்பதிர்  ததாது I I
ஓம் சாந்தி:  சாந்தி:  சாந்தி:  I I  
ஓம். தேவர்களே! காதுகளால் நாங்கள் நல்ல விஷயங்களை கேட்க வேண்டும். பூஜிக்க தகுந்தவர்களே!  கண்களால் நாங்கள் நல்ல விஷயங்களை காண வேண்டும். உறுதியான அங்கங்களுடன் கூடிய உடலுடன் ஆயுள் முழுவதும் நாங்கள் உங்களைத் துதிக்க வேண்டும். உங்களுக்கு நன்மை செய்த வண்ணம் நாங்கள் வாழ வேண்டும்!   

INDIAN VALUES LOST

OUR CULTURE ENVY OF OTHERS
Lord Macaulay's speech in the British Parliament on 2nd February 1835.

"I have traveled across the length and breadth of India and I have not seen one person who is a beggar, who is a thief. Such wealth I have seen in this country, such high moral values, people of such calibre, that I do not think we would ever conquer this country, unless we break the very backbone of this nation, which is her spiritual and cultural heritage, and, therefore, I propose that we replace her old and ancient education system, her culture, for if the Indians think that all that is foreign and English is good and greater than their own, they will lose their self-esteem, their native self-culture and they will become what we want them, a truly dominated nation."

PS: 1) There is a debate on whether the correct year was 1833 or 1835, but what matters for Indians is the statement itself. I am also not able to give the name of a popular website as source for this. However the statement was available in multiple websites.  

2) Currently there is a controversy going on about the veracity of the text though there is a note which is similar to lthis if not the whole text as opined in the - http://creative.sulekha.com/what-lord-macaulay-said-about-india-in-1835-every-indian-should-read-this_312173_blog and  http://prabhuguptara.blogspot.in/2008/01/truth-about-lord-macaulays-address-to.html
Ramachandran V 11 09 2013 Will update as and when I get more information.