The Alchemist

Well each of our journeys in life is very different, sometimes long and winding but in the end they are purposeful and rewarding. The journey towards the final destination is not time bound but eternal. We often fail to connect with the Universe, and dreams and the people it plants in our lives. Worried about time and distance we’ve covered, in haste we never make the effort to slow down and look at the rear view mirror, the truth is that "OBJECTS IN THE REAR VIEW ARE ALWAYS CLOSER THAN THEY APPEAR". More often the bulb goes on only when dreams end and when messiahs depart my journey of life to their next destination.

The clues that the universe drops, the simple language it speaks, the truth it unravels is very basic and lucid. I look back at my past and pen down my experiences and as I recollect the messiahs who’ve trespassed for a short while and taught me what I need to learn and remember in life, my eyes tear in happiness and my soul inflates in contentment.

Life is all about being in-sync with the universe. The chemistry between mankind and universe is fundamental and deep-rooted. “The Alchemist” by Paulo Coelho engrains and etches the messages from the universe. This neo-classical tell-tale reinforces and re-establishes the connection between every soul and universe.

The book raises a lot of questions and answers them with credibility. A few of them ….
Why do we have desires? Should desires be curtailed? What do they teach us? Why do we have dreams? Should we follow our dreams? Why do messiahs come in our life? Why do they leave? Do dreams make our life interesting and worthwhile? Can we talk the language of universe? Why do only a few souls can understand the language of the universe?

Here are a few excerpts from the book…..

“And dreams are the language of God. When he speaks in our language, I can interpret what he has said. But if he speaks in the language of the soul, it is only you who can decipher.”

“It is the possibility of having a dream come true that make life interesting.”

“It is this: that at a certain point in our lives, we lose control of what’s happening to us, and our lives become controlled by fate. That’s the world’s greatest lie.”

“Everyone, when they are young, knows what their destiny is. At that point in their lives, everything is clear and possible. They are not afraid to dream, and to yearn for everything they would like to see happen to them in their lives. But, as time passes, a mysterious force begins to convince them that it will be impossible for them to realize their destiny”.

“The Soul of the World is nourished by people’s happiness. And also by unhappiness, envy and jealousy. To realize one’s destiny is a person’s only real obligation.”

“And when you want something, all the universe conspires to help you to achieve it.”

“You must always know what is that you want. Never stop dreaming and follow the omens.”

“There is a language in the world that everyone understood, it was the language of enthusiasm, of things accomplished with love and purpose, and as part of a search for something believed in and desired.”

“I am always nearby, when someone wants to realize their destiny.”

“Everything in life is an omen.”

“The mysterious chain that links one thing to another, the same chain that has caused him to become a shepard, that had caused his recurring dream, that has brought him to a city near Africa, to find a king, and to be robbed in order to meet a crystal merchant, and….
The closer one gets to realize his destiny, the more that destiny becomes his true reason for being.”

“Intuition is really a sudden immersion of the soul into the universal current of life, where the histories of people are connected and we are able to know everything, because it is all written there.”

“We are afraid of losing what we have, whether it is our life or our possessions and property. But this fear evaporates when we understand that our life stories and histories of the world were written by the same hand.”

“Sometimes, their caravan met with another. One always had something that the other needed- as if everything were indeed written by one hand.”

“We make a lot of detours, but we’re always heading for the same destination”.

“In alchemy, it is called the Soul of the World. When you want something will all your heart, that’s when you are closest to the Soul of the World. It is always a positive force.”

“Everything on earth is being continuously transformed, because the earth is alive ….and it has a soul. We are part of the soul, so we rarely recognize that it is working for us.”

“The alchemist spent years in their laboratories, observing the fire that purified the metals. They spent so much time close to the fire that gradually they gave up the vanities of the world. They discovered that the purification of the metals has led to purification of themselves.”

“Everyone has his or her own way of learning things.”

“I learned that the world has a soul, and that whoever understands that soul can also understand the language of things. I learned that many alchemist realized their destinies, and wound up discovering the Soul of the World, the Philosopher’s stone and the Elixir of Life.”
“Because I don’t live in either mypast or my future. I am interested only in the present. If you can concentrate always on the present, you’ll be a happy man.”

“God revealed his secrets easily to all his creatures. Because people become fascinated with pictures and words, and wind up forgetting the Language of the World.”

“When you are in love things make even more sense.”

“It was the pure language of the world. It required no explanation, just as the universe needs none as it travels through endless time.”

“One could open a book to any page, or look at a person’s hand; one could turn a card, or watch the flight of birds….whatever the thing observed, one could find a connection with his experience of the moment.”

“If good things are coming, they will be a pleasant surprise. If bad things are coming you will known in advance and you will suffer greatly before they even occur.”

“The secret is here in the present. If you pay attention to the present, you can improve upon it. And if you improve upon the present, what comes later will also be better. Forget about the future, and live each day according to the teachings, confident that God loves his children. Each day, in itself, brings with it an eternity.”

“Courage is the quality most essential to understanding the Language of the World.”

“Life attracts life.”

“You must understand that love never keeps a man from pursuing his destiny. If he abandons that pursuit, it is because it wasn’t true love….the love that speaks the Language of the World.”

“The wise men understood that this natural world is only an image and a copy of paradise. The existence of this world is simple guarantee that there exist a world that is perfect. God created the world so that, through its visible objects, men could understand his spiritual teachings and marvels of his wisdom.”

“People are afraid to pursue their most important dreams because they feel they don’t deserve them, or that they will be unable to achieve them. We, their hearts, become fearful just thinking of loved ones who go away forever, or of the moments that could have been but weren’t, or of treasures that might have been found but were forever hidden in the sands. Because when these things happen we suffer terribly.”

“Tell your heart that the dear of suffering is worse than the suffering itself. And that no heart has ever suffered when it goes in search of its dreams, because every second of the search is a second’s encounter with God and with eternity.”

“Before a dream is realized, the Soul of the World tests everything that was learned along the way. It does this not because it is evil, but so that we can, in addition to realizing our dreams, master the lessons we’ve learned as we’ve moved toward the dream. That’s the point at which most people give up. It is the point at which, we say in the language of the desert, one ‘does of thirst just when the palm trees have appeared on the horizon.”

“Every search begins with beginner’s luck. And every search ends with the victor is being severely tested.”

“When you possess great treasures within you, and try to tell others of them, seldom are you believed.”

“Your eyes show the strength of your soul.”

“You already know about alchemy. It is about penetrating the Soul of the World and discovering the treasure reserved for you.”

Men have never understood the words of the wise. So gold, instead of being a symbol of evolution has become the basis of conflict.”

Anyone who interferes with the destiny of other things never discovers his own.”

“Everything has its destiny, but one day that destiny will be realized. So each thing has to transform itself into something better, and to acquire a new destiny, until someday, the Soul of the World becomes one thing only.”

“Love is the force that transforms and improves the Soul of the World.”

“No matter what he does, every person on the earth plays a central role in the history of the world. And normally he doesn’t know it.”

I have posted a few paragraphs that hit me real hard and that made me look at the rear view mirror and blinds spots that I was never aware of. Our wants, needs, searches and dreams and different, but this books contains simple messages for everyone in this world who is on their quest of search. This is definitely a neo-classical bible in this conflict laden ear where no religions meet in theory and practice. This Alchemist definitely catalyzes the reaction between the human Soul and the Soul of the World.

Get your copy and enjoy every word and every page of wisdom for this century and many more to come.

Rumination of this silly mind….

The recent spate of violence rocking through the peaceful suburbs of Mumbai and ever smoldering Iraq, Lebanon, Gaza strip, Sri Lanka had left a few questions lurking in my mind both at micro and macro level. Complex questions..... are answers simple?

Why would people have to go through languishing and tormenting bloody wars loosing families and other kith and kin?
Why some people are specially chosen for this kind of suffering?
Are people specially selected to be born in such nations which are constantly torn by strife, poverty and other natural calamities?
Why is it that some countries are peaceful while the rest of them have their swords always hanging out of the dagger?
Why should this peaceful earth turn into a mortuary?

Sometimes we will have to seek answers within or extrapolate few readings to bring closure. I parked these questions in the back of my mind and continued reading this book that I have been trying to finish for a long time. Why me? Why now? Why this? written by Robin Norwood.

Here is the excerpt from one of the chapters that answered my questions to some extent at the micro level.

“Not every individual outgrows their childhood, nor does every individual mature into someone capable of expressing humanity’s highest attainments. The capacity of the individual depends on several factors: the individual’s own stage of conscious evolvement, attained through the sum of the completed lifetimes; the strengths and limitations of the present physical, astral/emotional, and mental bodies; and determining factors of the chosen present-life environment, including the individual’s family, the overall social group, and the general culture at large. Obviously each of these factors may serve to either encourage or inhibit the fullest expression of what the individual has achieved on behalf of the soul.”

The author had subscribed to the Karma theory in Hinduism, the underlying platform to answer to all the above questions. We are all born to expunge our karmas from the previous births. Every soul that journeys to this earth has it purpose and level of consciousness. With every journey the level of consciousness goes up and the lessons get tougher and tougher. While books can impart wisdom to the mind, but the wisdom to the soul comes from the experience from several hundred reincarnations. These learning’s are organic and never be borrowed or amassed from reading scriptures. Every soul has the same final destiny but the in between destinies vary. I extrapolated the same to the Universe. The universe is also a part of us and it goes through similar experiences to get the final destination.

My next question was does the Universe conspire such events so that every individual gets to the highest attainments at the end of their journeys? Subscribing to Paulo Coelho theory from his book “The Alchemist”, “Everything on earth is being continuously transformed, because the earth is alive…. And it has a soul. We are a part of that soul, so we rarely recognize that it is working for us.”

“Love is the force that transforms and improves the Soul of the World. It is we who nourish the Soul of the World, and the world we live in will be either better or worse, depending on whether we become better or worse.”

“The Soul of the World is nourished by people’s happiness. And also by unhappiness, envy, jealousy. To realize one’s destiny is a person’s real obligation. And , when you want something, all the universe conspires in helping you to achieve it.”

It was all clear and convincing now and my parking lot suddenly got empty. It is self perpetuating cycle that goes on till every soul and the universe expunges its karma. Let us all wish and dream for peaceful and loving universe.

Chanakya comes to Chennai with his Arthasashtra

Epics and Puranas have always taught us ethics, conduct, morality and more and this is probably what our current education system lacks. We have turned to them when it comes to wisdom, chivalry, andvalues. We have heard a lot of such stories while growing up from our grandparents but in the process of learning modern science and math we’ve forgotten the fundamentals of life.

Corporate world today doesn’t have ethics in practice. MBA curriculum has become very trendy by introducing courses on business ethics and by the time we get to learn them we are n our 40’s. We have seen numerous accounting frauds, we have seen big corporations like Enron collapse overnight, and CEO’s like Martha Stewart imprisoned. There are more CEO’s and corporations out there but only a few have the guts to be the whistle blowers.

Chanakya, a Brahmin unites the kings in India then to keep Alexander the Great away and he mentors and thrones Chandra Gupta Maurya to keep this country from failing and falling into the wrong hands. Today the same Chanakya is back to give the wake up call to the slumbering youth. Chanakyashastra, the play is adorned with the gems from Kautilyas’s Arthasashtra and emphasizes what it takes for a leader to wear that crown forever.

Corporate trainer, Sanjay Srinivas presents the pearls of wisdom from the Arthasashtra through this play to develop leadership skills. The entire play is set in the corporate world to autopsy a power and publicity hungry megalomaniac CEO, with lose morals. Is it the chair that does it or the titles that make them lose it all? Surprisingly not many CEO’s were spotted in the play, is it because they were not ready to accept reality or didn’t want to be caught wiggling like a worm. This play was an adult learning class aimed at making people think for the better.

Chanakya comes in at the right moment when the yuppie puppy loses his job and nourishes him with courage, confidence and teaches him the nine gems (navratnas) and eventually turns the lily livered subordinate to a iron fisted whistle blower.

Here are the Navratnas shared by our Chanakya:

1. Open minded thinking
2. Keep plans and strategies locked in an iron chest
3. Make pawns depend on you and make them feel needy
4. Stay unpredictable and let others keep guessing you
5. Be the perfect courtier
6. Find the weakness and helpless child in everyone
7. Success depends on the inner truth within you
8. Timing your action
9. Destroy the wicked man by opposition

The nine characters in the play were real “Navratnas.” Chanakya seemed so real with his conniving smile, sacred thread, shaven head with a shika, while the young professional Sidharth seemed like on us struggling between right and the wrong. The slides filled in at appropriate moments to narrate the story without any sag in the storyline. They had used the 9 pieces of rectangular boxes to make different furniture, a very creative brain. The music could have been better.

It is quite a tiring world when it comes to power, pride, ego, and human relationship. We’ve come across similar people in life at work and at other places. We must remember that real life situations are very different from the ideal situation portrayed in the play. This play had an ideal situation where Sidharth the young professional was able to go around and mobilize support to dethrone the wicked animal. But in real life we all get to swim with multiple sharks and trying to tackle all of them might be extremely difficult. If you keep battling all these sharks when do we get to swim forward? Remember not everyone gets a Chanakya in real life to stand besides and give courage and confidence at the right moment. Not all of this can be applied at the same time or in sequence.

The bottom line is that good triumphs over evil. We have seen this theme in every movie and movies like Indian have portrayed the same. Not everybody can be a leader and remember that leaders are born and not made. People like Chanakya and Krishna merely energize the qualities in Chandra Gupta and Arjuna. The world needs more of Krishnas and Chanakyas to mentor Chandra Guptas and Arjunas. An assembly line kind of set up can never work. There should be the spark of leadership in the individual and we’ve got to work on the inner self to be our Chanakya.

I personally felt disturbed with a few scenes in the play and Sidharth, the yuppie character was embroiled in conflicts within when the nine principles were unveiled. His emotional turmoil never got answered and it was always rosy in reel life. We need more clarity on the 9 gems so that people don’t take the wrong message back home. This old wine in the new bottle needs a statutory warning. There is more glitter and glamour with the name and glossy corporate marketing to bring out the CEO’s from the woodwork and make stand and endorse it at the end of the show. Another Stephen Covey in the making process, I can see the wheel of fortune spin pretty fast. Goodluck Sanjay Srinivas!

Perils of Chennai

Metros in India are facing a tough situation trying to battle poor infrastructure and increasing vehicles. The credit goes to the revving economy and IT boom. On an average 600 new vehicles are added to the metro roads every day. Some new cities like Chandhigar, Hyderabad are planned are capable of handling vehicles but other cities like Bombay, Bangalore, Delhi and Chennai are in chock a block situation. Cities like Bombay, Chennai are surviving only because of the public transportation, but with bellowing needs the government and corporates need to encourage alternative transportation, car pools to be both ecological friendly and so that travel can be measured in terms of distance and not time. With the ever increasing petrol prices, to balance the treasury the Government raise the train and bus fares putting pressure on middle class and lower middle class income groups.

Chennai is the worst affected compared to other metros when it comes to autos. Every tourist and citizen of Chennai is scared traveling by the auto. The auto guys hawking outside the Chennai Central train station are ready to prey on your wallets. Isn’t that the best way to treat the tourists who visit Chennai? They mislead you and take you away from the pre-paid counters and if you are lucky to get through the pre-paid counters they complain about low auto fares to the passengers. The argument that you get into with the auto guys is unpalatable and often people are scared to negotiate because of the filthy language they use.

Autos drivers when confronted for extortion give a variety of excuses from peak traffic hour, early morning, late night, don’t get anyone from that area to continue my journey. We all have experiences to share when it comes to Chennai Autos.

The Government seldom realizes that it needs to fix the new ceiling for the autos. The auto fare/km was officially fixed in 1997 and since then petrol prices have gone up 200% and there has been no revision. Fare meters both analog and tamper proof electronic ones decorate the auto but are never used. When questioned about the usage of the meters the auto guys are very prudent with their reasons. They would either say the cable is cut or they would say no on uses meters these days. As a result the auto guys have started to fleece poor customers who are left with no choice but pay a premium.

Safety is another factor to be considered when you decide to travel by the autos. Guys who once drove cycle rickshaws have graduated to driving autos now. Another fact is that most autos that run in Chennai are owned by the traffic cops and are leased out. This means they have immunity from being charged or questioned for traffic violation until it involves a serious collision. Sometimes ferry passengers like a cargo without caring their safety and safety of other commuters on the road. There are other cities in India where the State Government has set regulated this mode of transportation. Officially, Chennai has about 40,000 autorickshaws, while another 10,000 or 15,000 run without proper papers, including permits. Drivers are often self-taught, have little or no education.

1. Revise auto fares to make it more affordable for both auto drivers and commuters
2. Make usage of meters mandatory for all autos
3. Prevent traffic cops from owning public autos - conflict of interest
4. Educate autos drivers on road rules and safe driving – mandatory 20 hrs of training per year
5. Fix slabs for late night and early morning trips
6. Strictly enforce number of autos that can run in the city
7. Auto drivers unions to create some welfare schemes

Our Kollywood has always portrayed the auto drivers in good light. Rajinikanth, the guru of auto drivers, had done an entire movie to show them as responsible citizens and don’t you remember the song “Auto caran auto caran.?” I am not trying to give our auto guys a bad press. We still have some honest drivers who ferry in the city. Some of them are reasonable, drive carefully, while some of them have even returned suitcases, cell phones and other left behind luggages with large sums of money to their owners. Chennai is a beautiful city and it recently got voted as the “Kindest city”, if we need to retain this title there are few things that need to be fixed immediately.

Feel free to air your views about Chennai Autos.

Manhattan or Mylapore?

A morning walk through the streets of Mylapore made me realize that some parts of Chennai still have a good mix of rural and urban landscape. It was a little after 6 am in the morning and there was light southerly breeze (call it the Mylanter instead of leventer?) and trees and shrubs were dancing in gaiety. The Cuckoo birds were screaming on top of their voice silencing the poor city crows. Though the day temperature still lingered in the lower 100’s, the early mornings are pleasant. The poor streets dogs were trying to find a retreat spot after policing the streets all night while the rich dogs walked out of air-conditioned homes and apartments with an attitude for their morning walks along with their masters. Mylapore seem to have lost the population of wandering cattle, thanks to the city ordinance.

The aavin truck was back to pick up the empty cartoons leaving behind a thick cloud of gases, while maids were vying with the Onyx guy to clean doorway and sprinkle water and make the welcoming Rangoli. A breed of enthusiastic walkers and joggers mostly post 30’s with gracious waistlines and constable shorts were thronging the parks trying breath the lung friendly oxygen before it got adulterated with exhaust gases. Herbal juice vendors were waiting outside the green area to sell their concotions of Aruhampull and Banana stem juice to the health conscious morning walkers. The milk vendors were returning home in their cycles while the big cans on the handlebars were dangling - empty vessels make more noise was very true. The newspaper boys on the sidewalk were busy sorting the newspapers and making the inserts and getting ready for the delivery. The vegetable vendors were already out on the streets and women were on their balconies haggling and their husbands busy sipping the filter coffee and burying themselves in the newspaper.

Different ecosystems operate at different time of the day. The maadaveedhis of Mylapore was calm and tidy for once. As I passed through the Kapali temple I inhaled the refreshing smell of Jasmine flowers and invigorating agarbathis as the vendor was preparing the display of flowers and coconuts outside the temple. Men clad in dhotis and flowing angavastrams, ravishing women glisten against the morning sun with the yellow tinge of tumeric , a 5 Rs. coin sized red bindi and draped in traditional 9 and 6 yards saree, mehendi painting the unshaved finger tips and cracked heels, and noise of the glass bangles all add flavor to this Mylapore. My body and soul refused to move forward on seeing all this and hearing the beautiful Todi played by the Nadhaswara vidwan. I went it to the temple and soaked my soul with some music and spirituality.

I have seen the busy mornings in NYC, nothing but a fast paced mechanical walking with a cup of coffee or speaking to someone on the mobile phone with newspaper tucked under your armpits. But nothing comparable to the true filter coffee of Mylapore, chiming of the temple bells, color flower vendros on the sidewalk. There is nothing perfect and prim and proper here but rather everything simply simplistic. If you thought the Manhattan cab drivers seldom followed traffic rules our auto guys were giving them a touch competition. If you though the hippies on sidewalk in NYC were trendy then what till say when it comes to our Purohits in vestaadai, kadukann, Kaattu Kudimi, smeared vibuthi and carry a different kind of grass and whiz past you in their bikes. No pedicured and manicured models walking around, no skimpy clothes, no lip sticks, no artificial perfumes to induce headache, no overcoats. Where can I hear a refreshing Todi during my morning walk and where can I smell those inviting jasmines, where can I shop for the fresh produce, where I can see the 9 yards saree, glass bangles, and men in dhoti and anga vasthram.

The avid morning walkers and retired folks pulled out their cloth bags and stopped by the market to complete their honey-do list before heading home. Karpagambal Mess was buzzing with activity and flavor of sambar and onion utthapam sucking in every passerby – sensory branding at work, huh? In the meantime the roads were getting busier. Buses and cars took away the freshness in the morning air and the fragrance of the jasmine . The bus stops turned into market places with scores of office and school goers. Housewives busy in the street corners chatting while waiting to get their kids in the school buses. Occasionally we heard the airlines wisk through the skies of Mylapore. Even the passengers were trying to get a glimpse of this city. The L-trains were busy making its share of noise and moving around its share of population and the footboard travelers were peering down at the crowd below. Students in crisp uniforms with oiled hair and vibuthi smeared forehead lugging heavy back packs were pedaling hard to make it to the school on time. Autos were jumping red lights, taking dangerous turns and overtake on the wrong side and this definitely reminded me of the cab drivers in Manhattan. People were already ready for another day here. Cuckoos rested while the city crows parolled the city. There is everything this self contained suburb has to offer its people in terms of culture, tradition, spirituality and convenience.

Well Manhattan can never beat Namma Mylapore!!!

Prozac for Mind, Body and Soul

I always feel that one has to get a call from the divine to embark on spiritual trips, be it Tirupathi or Vaishnodevi. God must be willing to see you more than us wanting to see him. Our Iccha (wish) must become his/her wish. I was recently reading this book “The Alchemist” where Paul Coelho says “The Universe conspires to make one’s dream happen”. I don’t know if I was dreaming or just wishing to be a part of the Jayanthi Celebrations of Kanchi Mahaswami on Jun 10, 2006. But the dream and the wish that came true this weekend was like an instant lottery. In the last hour I decided to leave for Kanchi. I don’t know where I got the energy from but within twenty minutes I was ready to leave. Call this a divine invite or whatever.

My first visit was to Thenambakkam, 5 kms from Siva Kanchi. I passed by the mighty walls of Varadaraja temple to reach Thenambakkam. It is believed that this place was very close to the heart of the Saint. There is a beautiful Shiva Temple where the Jayanthi celebrations were being conducted. Right behind the Lingam in the Garbha Graham there is panel carving of Adi Shankara, Shiva, Ganesha, Kamakshi and on the wall. I have never seen such a carving in the Garbha Graham. There was no one around to explain the purana associated with the temple. There is a small room in side of the temple where the sage stayed during his visits to the temple. They have preserved the room and made it into a worship room with pictures of the Sage. Adjacent to the temple they’ve built a small shrine for the Sage of Kanchi. A life size idol in Marble looks very much real and living. A week long homams were conducted in the premises and small vidyarthis from the nearby patashala had come over to chant Rudram for the abishekam. When I had reached there abishekam was over and they were getting ready for the aarthi. Sitting in front of my guru reminded me of the verses from the Dakshinamoorthy ashtakam, where Shiva is surrounded by Sanakar, Sanatkumarar, Sanandhanar, Sanatanar.

" Chitram vata tharour mooley - He is seated under the Vata Vriksha
Vridhaa sishya gurur yuvah - Students are old and Guru is young
Gurosthu mouna vyakyanam - Only communication is silence and lessons are learnt that way
Sishyasthu chinna samsayaha" - Students get their doubts cleared and enlightened by the mere aspect of Guru

I saw the aarthi and collected the prasadam and then went to the Rig Veda Patashala near Varadarajar Temple for lunch. An elaborate lunch on thalai vazhai leaf was served with care and love. It was a little over 2.30 in the afternoon and I came to the Moola Brindavanam in the Mutt. Though he was not there physically but one could feel his presence there. There are enough stories and miracles he has played in peoples’ lives. His devotees were fervently thronging the mutt with the same fatherly and grandfatherly affection towards the saint. His brindavanam was packed but still he spent personal time with every devotee and I was sitting in front of him with rapt attention. Classical music concerts were going on at the Brindavanam. Truly one can enjoy themusic when his mind calms down and that was the feeling I had. The lyrics stirred some reactions in my soul which is beyond words.

As more people started to flow in I left to see the Mother of the Universe. Only after I stepped in the temple I realized that it was pournami. Mother of creation was calm and she is just being an affectionate mother. The lotus garland adorning her entire body, golden parrot on her right hand, the sugarcane bow on her left, and arrows of flowers on her right and She was radiating love and karunyam in her eyes blessed every soul that came to see her and that meditated upon her.

Then I came to Ekambareshwarar temple and did the sayaraksha rudrabhishegam. I chanted Rudram along with the priest and it came from my nabhi and I witnessed the abishegam for the shiva dampathi. Shiva and Parvathi in a seated pose behind the lingam reminded of the Kailash. I could see the look in the eyes that conveyed I am here, I am taking care of you and the world and I plan for your future and leave your worries with me. I didn’t have any special wish list to be handed over. With the feeling of total contentment I left for Chennai. My father used to say let us charge our spiritual batteries by making a trip to Kanchi and seeking the blessings of the sage. I felt very much enervated and I got spiritually recharged. Such trips are the real Prozac for the mind, soul and body.

Holy Cow.....Holy Cow....

My view is that relgion must never be spoken in public and it must be a one to one relationship with the supernatural power. But people don't feel that way. To become a sensation or to be branded a heretic they create some myths about religions. The recent Da Vinci Code, the best seller ever has brewed a lot of controversies and cast aspersions over Christ, Magadelene and their child.

The Vatican is really upset over the book, Da Vinci Code and there was protest all over the world when the movie hit the screens. I guess this is probably the first book to come up with some hypothesis and fiction in the Christianity religion.

If you thought other religions were not targeted you are wrong? Hinduism has beeen around from time immemorial and we've seen enough controversies about rituals and practices. The Myth of the Holy Cow by D.N.Jha published by Verso, London, 2002 is the most damaging book in its contents since the sole intention of the author has been to prove that all ancient Hindu scriptures particularly the Vedas and Shatpath Brahmana etc. uphold beef-eating and this has been the way of life of the Aryans who were our ancestors since the term Hindu came to be introduced much later. The author has cited references from the Vedas, Brahmanas, Upnishads etc. to prove his thesis which perhaps he chose to be the sole mission of his life even though he comes from a Brahamin family and he has dedicated his so called prestigious book to his kin in Rajrani (a symbol of motherhood).

It is interesting to read interpretations and misinterpretations of religious beleifs and practices. If you get a chance check this book out......

Myth of the Holy Cow by D.N.Jha published by Verso, London, 2002