Warrier's COLLAGE June 19, 2021 : Biggest Buddhist Temple

Welcome to Warrier's COLLAGE Saturday June 19, 2021 1) Borobudur*, Indonesia https://youtu.be/ldHd8Z5ZV-c (*World's biggest Buddhist Temple) 2) Taste of Heaven https://youtu.be/Eb7g7-IIKVc Good Morning Nice Day M G Warrier Ode on Solitude : Alexander Pope https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poems/46561/ode-on-solitude Ode on Solitude BY ALEXANDER POPE Happy the man, whose wish and care A few paternal acres bound, Content to breathe his native air, In his own ground. Whose herds with milk, whose fields with bread, Whose flocks supply him with attire, Whose trees in summer yield him shade, In winter fire. Blest, who can unconcernedly find Hours, days, and years slide soft away, In health of body, peace of mind, Quiet by day, Sound sleep by night; study and ease, Together mixed; sweet recreation; And innocence, which most does please, With meditation. Thus let me live, unseen, unknown; Thus unlamented let me die; Steal from the world, and not a stone Tell where I lie. A Select Responses 1) V R Chittanandam Cheñnai "Hearty Welcome to Anmay! May He Receive God's Blessings in Abundance." Chittanandam 2) T J Kurup Thiruvanantapuram "Best wishes to the newborn Anmay" B Readers' Contribution 1) Principles of Buddhism : Speaking Tree https://www.speakingtree.in/allslides/teachings-of-lord-buddha/bodhi-tree "After attaining nirvana , Lord Buddha started teaching the way of life to people. Near the city of Benares, he shared his first teachings to five holy men and they immediately understood his teachings and agreed to follow Lord Buddha . For forty-five years, Buddha along with his disciples started spreading Buddha’s wisdom and teachings in India. The teachings of Lord Buddha are also known as Dhamma ." (Link selected by M G Warrier Mumbai) 2) Forward from S Thyagarajan Chennai REUNION: Each Child Out There has a Different Success Story. The topper of the class is a Happy Homemaker; The backbencher of the lot is an Entrepreneur; The flamboyant fashionista became a dreaded Lawyer; Often ignored Ashok turned a Well Known Writer; The one who failed in Maths paper is a Fashion Designer; One who was often sent outside the class is a respected Army Officer. The REUNION taught me How people come with many layers And told me why we should never judge a book by its cover Each child out there has a Different Success Story. 3) Govinda Naamam : Perhaps inspired by the excellent research into the meaning of name "Anmay" quickly done by S Nallasivan (COLLAGE June 17/18), Vathsala Jayaraman shares some insightful thoughts about "Govinda". Before the depth and breadth of the language Sanskrit which is also known as "Deva Bhasha" one stands with awful respect and Prayers 🙏-Warrier GOVINDA NAAMA MAHIMA : Vathsala Jayaraman Chennai 1 If 'GO' is taken to mean swarga or Moksha, Govinda is one who awards good company, moksha etc. 2 If 'GO' is taken to mean valuable astras , and vindhathi means one who is possessed of those astras, Govinda is Rama who got Astras from sage Viswamitra. 3 If 'GO'is taken to mean 'cows, Govinda refers to one who understands and protects the cows or Jeevaathmas 4 If 'GO' is taken to mean vedas, then Govinda is one who is realized thro Vedas or who is the essence of veda 5 The word Gopi or Gopihi refers to chaturvedas and their angas. Govinda is one who protects vedas. 6 If Go is taken to mean the third eye or special vision, the Govinda is one who knows the past, present and future. 7 If GO is taken to mean fire or Jwalaa, Govinda is none but the Lord Surya lighting the entire world. 8 If GO is taken to mean water, the essential source, then Govinda refers to Matsya and Koorma Avatars of Mahavishnu. 9 If Go is taken to mean 'EARTH' or bhoomi, then Govinda refers to Varaha, Trivikrama and the ever walking Parasurama. 10 Govinda also refers to Hayagreeva, God of Knowlege, since Go means the Gnaana. 11 Go means good words. Narasimha inspite of his anger blesses Prahlada. So Narasimha also is Govinda. So the name Govinda applies to all avatars of Mahavishnu. 12 Go means Vajrayudha. As Indra was awarded with Vajrayudha made out of the skeleton of sage Dadhichi with the sankalapa of Vishnu, Govinda is equated to Paranthaama. As we think of 'Govinda' the first thing that comes to our mind is Bhaja Govindam of Adi Shankara. Though it may look like admonishing of human nature, ultimately it is waking us from slumber, awakening from Moha to search for the divine within. Kshatra Bandhu was a Kshatriya with all bad qualities. He was too arrogant. Once he met Narada. "Darshana eva sadhavaha" On seeing Narada he became a sadhu. The name of the boy who was looking after him was 'Govinda'. The Rishi said that just by addressing him as Govinda, all his sins would be washed away. Govinda naama mahima is so great. "Yam yam yAnthi smaran bhAvam tyajethyanthe kalebaram" "SAnkEtyam pArihasyam va stomam helana mevava" "How ever you recite the Bhagavan Naama, with or without thinking of bhagavan, even for the sake of kidding or talking ill of Bhagavan himself, it yields the desired results." Just by addressing the servant boy by the name 'Govinda' daily in a casual manner, kshatrabandhu attained the feet of God not- withstanding the sins committed by him. Another great kavyam highlighting Govinda mahima is Ashtapadi or Gita Govindam by Jayadeva. Though it dominates in Sringara rasa, it is treated on par with bhakthi mahakavyas and forms an essential part of Bhajana Sampradaya. It is of great regret that in South, specially in Tamilnadu, the term 'Govinda' is associated with stealing and cheating and dishonesty. This usage is so deep rooted in us that whenever we are deceived we loudly proclaim "Govinda, Govinda and pattai naamam' I don't know whether they have misunderstood the paasuram of Thondaradipodi Azhwar. As cases of cheating and robbery increase, we can console ourselves that Govinda Naamam recitation also will increase leading 'regret' first slowly leading to 'reformation' in the minds of unruly elements. Though 'Govinda Naamam' is recited by way of cursing the bad elements, it has its own vibration. A medicine cures a disease of both who know the real impact and that of a child which takes it unwillingly out of compulsion. Whether recited out of devotion, depression or accusation, Govinda Naamam has its intrinsic worth. "SARVATRA GOVINDA NAAMA SANKEERTHANAM'---GOVINDA! GOVINDA!"* Vathsala Jayaraman (*This used to be repeated off and on during Bhagavata discourses by scholars as part of Temple Festival Celebrations. Feeling nostalgic. 🙏-Warrier) C Reconnecting With Friends https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/readersblog/warriersviews/reconnecting-with-friends-26375/ "Since then, I have re-opened communication channels and am having some interesting interaction with elders from my age-group (70 plus) oftener than pre-Covid days. On the first Sunday of April 2020, there was non-stop interaction in social media and at home also, about light, darkness and electricity. Issues included power grid overload if “everything” is switched off. PM Modi had appealed to switch off lights that Sunday at the appointed time. Though there was no mention about switching off mains, some TRP-enthusiasts squeezed in issues like arranging generators to run hospital ventilators (no one had talked about load-shedding or power cut!). Mentioned here just to take note of the gossip media’s influence in our drawing rooms." D About role of books in relationship https://banneroftruth.org/us/resources/articles/2018/five-books-charles-spurgeon-used-to-strengthen-the-faith-of-his-wife/ "Books were part-and-parcel of Charles and Susannah’s relationship from the beginning. His first gift to her was The Pilgrim’s Progress; her first gift to him was a set of Calvin’s Commentaries. When Charles revealed to Susie his love for her he used Martin Tupper’s book, Proverbial Philosophy. After Charles died, Susie said that his 12,000 volumes were her most precious possession. Charles and Susie read books, collected books, gave away books, and both were prolific authors. From 1875 until her death in 1903, Susie gave away 200,000 books to poor pastors through her ministry, ‘Mrs. Spurgeon’s Book Fund’. How can you better use books in your relationships with others?" E Quotes as Lessons Do Quotes Inspire Us? : Vathsala Jayaraman Come Deepavali, we are tired of too many sweets. Invariably many people have started sending bundles of ‘inspirational quotes’ evidencing their extensive learning. Definitely the quotes initially inspire us. But can reading a quote motivate everyone to the desired level and bring about massive changes for the betterment in the society? A million dollar question! During my college days during 1958-1961 we spent hours in collecting quotes from Gita, Thirukkural, Bharathi, Shakespeare and other eminent writers. Actually that was a thrill. I concede that it was absolutely to convince the examiner and top the class and there was not an iota of any intention of personality development. Now you need not struggle in a library for hours. Just give the subject matter, Google Guru will present you with millions of quotes. All the text messages in Whatsapp, Twitter, Facebook etc contain sacks of quotes. The impact is maximum on the first read, but almost vanishes in seconds. The ‘so high’ a surge in dopamine results in an inevitable crash. We often find that the person who means to us is one who shares our pain and extends his warm hands and not the one who sends memorable quotes. If the message is free, it is advice. If we pay, it is counselling. The truth is when we care too much about these quotable quotes, our confidence shrinks and one starts feeling insignificant. (This is what psychologists opine) If others’ opinions matter more to one, then he is owned by them, and is never free to think. The number of quodophiles ( persons fond of quotes) is surging. I agree that I also love quotes very much. It is as though ‘The Beautiful as Vomitive’ has already begun and disgust makes its appearance amidst beauty itself. The enlivening atmosphere gives place to tension, and unpleasantness. The Economic Law of Diminishing marginal Utility fits well here. The quotes never enter the head or heart. It just stops with ’like’ button, ceremoniously followed by ’delete’. Considering the huge presence of quotes, by now there would have been lot of refinements and improvements in the general behavior of people stated to have been inspired by quotes. In the contrary, confidence has been shattered, suicide trends have increased, many rapes, acid throws and atrocities have surged resulting in grave crimes and murders. The mass psychology pervades and clouds the class psychology too. Quotes and behaviour patterns do not seem to integrate. The basket of quotes overflows. People get overwhelmed. They don’t know how to think, feel, digest and react to what goes on, leave alone getting inspired as proclaimed. There is a Tamil proverb ”kattik koduththa saadhamum, sollikkoduththa vaarththaiyum eththanai naalukku varum”( How long can the packed lunch and imparted advice last?) My mother used to say this soon after advising us. No amount of quotes, proverbs and lectures on Vedantha can help, if people do not decide to change of their own. There have been Manu Dharma Sastras, Bhartruhari's Neethi Shatakam and ever so many works by Shankara and other religious heads like Maha Periyava since thousands of years. Definitely they could not have created those works without any significance. Why is it that quotes are not so influential to transform us? Is it because of 'over-surging'? I can’t but help quoting “ I am self propelled, fuelled from within. I appreciate people’s opinions, but I am not attached to them. I learnt long ago that if I give them the power to feed me, I also give them power to starve me”. Vathsala Jayaraman F 1) REACTING* Sudha Murthy's take on life, trials and tribulations: _I’m Slowly Learning That :-_ I Don’t Have To React To 'Everything' That Bothers Me. _I’m Slowly Learning That :-_ I don’t have to hurt those who hurt me. _I’m Slowly Learning That :-_ Maybe the 'ultimate' sign of maturity is walking away instead of getting even. _I’m Slowly Learning That :-_ The energy it takes to react to every bad thing that happens to you drains you and stops you from seeing the other good things in life. _I’m Slowly Learning That :-_ I’m not going to be everyone’s cup of tea. _I’m Slowly Learning That :-_ I won’t be able to get everyone to treat me the way I want to be treated. _I’m Slowly Learning That :-_ Trying so hard to ‘win’ anyone is just a 'waste' of time and energy and it fills you with 'nothing' but emptiness. _I’m Slowly Learning That :-_ Not reacting doesn’t mean I’m okay with things, It just means I’m choosing to 'rise' above it. _I’m Slowly Learning That :-_ Sometimes 'not' saying anything at all says everything.' _I’m Slowly Learning That :-_ Reacting to things that upset you gives someone else power over 'your' emotions. _I’m Slowly Learning That :-_ Even if I react, It won’t change anything, It won’t make people suddenly love and respect me, It won’t magically change their minds. _I’m Slowly Learning That :-_ Life is 'better lived' when you 'don’t' center it on what’s happening around you and 'center it on' what’s happening 'inside you' instead. _'Work' on yourself and your inner peace and you’ll come to 'realize' that 'not' reacting to every little thing that bothers you is the 'first ingredient' to living a happy and healthy life._ *Received from Shivaram Shetty Ex-RBI Mumbai 2) Leo Daily Horoscope (For June 18*) A new energy will now begin to work in your life. You will suddenly find that balancing family and career issues have now become extremely easy. All your hesitations will disappear and your actions are marked by an unprecedented level of confidence. You will also be able to resolve any ambivalent feeling towards those near to you both in workplace and in the family. (*Yesterday's Predictions 🙏-Warrier) G Quotes about names https://www.azquotes.com/quotes/topics/names.html "A good character is the best tombstone. Those who loved you and were helped by you will remember you when forget-me-nots have withered. Carve your name on hearts, not on marble." Charles Spurgeon (Charles Haddon Spurgeon was an English Particular Baptist preacher. Spurgeon remains highly influential among Christians of various denominations, among whom he is known as the "Prince of Preachers") H Obituary Malayalam Poet S Ramesan Nair passed away Poet Ramesan Nair dead: https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/kerala/poet-ramesan-nair-dead/article34851519.ece