I really love my lab and my lab mates!! :) I'm so lucky indeed to have gotten such helpful people... I got my clones!! Yeay! :) Still a long way to go... But I'm so happy! :)
Read More
Wednesday, December 30, 2009
Tuesday, December 29, 2009
So beautiful...
I Remember You
You're the one who made my dreams come true
A few kisses ago
I remember you
You're the one who said i love you too
Didn't you know
I remember too
A distant bell
And stars that fell
Like rain out of the blue
When my life is through
And the angels ask me to recall
The thrill of them all
Then i will tell them i remember you
(George Michael's song)
Read More
You're the one who made my dreams come true
A few kisses ago
I remember you
You're the one who said i love you too
Didn't you know
I remember too
A distant bell
And stars that fell
Like rain out of the blue
When my life is through
And the angels ask me to recall
The thrill of them all
Then i will tell them i remember you
(George Michael's song)
Thursday, December 24, 2009
Two wonderful songs
I was watching a drama series and came across some lovely songs which really touched my heart. It was really nice, but they are old english songs. I tried searching for them online on youtube and found them both in one video! It was fantastic! I feel so great about finding two the songs I was looking for in just one video!! I mean, what are odds of finding two songs you were looking for separately, in just one video? Well here it goes:
First Song: A Nightingale Sang in Berkeley Square
That certain night, the night we met,
There was magic abroad in the air,
There were angels dining at the Ritz,
And a nightingale sang in Berkeley Square.
I may be right, I may be wrong,
But I`m perfectly willing to swear
That when you turned and smiled at me
A nightingale sang in Berkeley Square.
The moon that lingered over London town,
Poor puzzled moon, he wore a frown.
How could he know we two were so in love?
The whole darn world seemed upside down
The streets of town were paved with stars;
It was such a romantic affair.
And, as we kissed and said `goodnight`,
A nightingale sang in Berkeley Square
I know `cos I was there,
That night in Berkeley Square.
Second Song: The Very Thought of You
The very thought of you and I forget to do
The little ordinary things that everyone ought to do
I'm living in a kind of daydream
I'm happy as a king
And foolish though it may seem
To me that's everything
The mere idea of you, the longing here for you
You'll never know how slow the moments go till I'm near to you
I see your face in every flower
Your eyes in stars above
It's just the thought of you
The very thought of you, my love
Read More
First Song: A Nightingale Sang in Berkeley Square
That certain night, the night we met,
There was magic abroad in the air,
There were angels dining at the Ritz,
And a nightingale sang in Berkeley Square.
I may be right, I may be wrong,
But I`m perfectly willing to swear
That when you turned and smiled at me
A nightingale sang in Berkeley Square.
The moon that lingered over London town,
Poor puzzled moon, he wore a frown.
How could he know we two were so in love?
The whole darn world seemed upside down
The streets of town were paved with stars;
It was such a romantic affair.
And, as we kissed and said `goodnight`,
A nightingale sang in Berkeley Square
I know `cos I was there,
That night in Berkeley Square.
Second Song: The Very Thought of You
The very thought of you and I forget to do
The little ordinary things that everyone ought to do
I'm living in a kind of daydream
I'm happy as a king
And foolish though it may seem
To me that's everything
The mere idea of you, the longing here for you
You'll never know how slow the moments go till I'm near to you
I see your face in every flower
Your eyes in stars above
It's just the thought of you
The very thought of you, my love
Sunday, December 20, 2009
Love my family!
For a first time in a long time, I had a fun time with my dear family! :) It is so nice to be with them. But it also hurts to think that they cannot relate with me in terms of my new-found interests. They seem like very different people from myself, although ultimately we all belong to the same family.
Still, I love them very much! They have already been very tolerant with whatever changes I've made to my life and they have been very trusting and not so strict with me. So for that, I am grateful to have such wonderful parents.
Read More
Still, I love them very much! They have already been very tolerant with whatever changes I've made to my life and they have been very trusting and not so strict with me. So for that, I am grateful to have such wonderful parents.
Saturday, December 19, 2009
Just some pondering...
I have come across many kinds of people who range from non-believers to staunch believers. From one extreme to the other extreme. These are the people whom I have either met in person or read about in the news. It is interesting to finally meet someone who has a conception of God as being formless. I know two of my friends who think like that.
This is interesting because it is literally difficult to think of God as being formless, especially when you have a certain level of personal relationship with God. I am only now trying to understand this concept as it is difficult for me to shift from form-God to formless-God. For now in my life, I pray to God with a form because it helps me to visualize God, someone/something that is helping me create favourable situations in my life and helping me achieve my goals. It will take time for me to understand the formless and attribute-less aspect of God as it is a very high concept.
I guess people who pray to a formless God, only do so because for them it seems ridiculous to believe in Shiva, Vishnu or Ganesha. I totally understand this because these characters are fictitious. They do not really exist. However, the ideals they represent is what that should be taken note of rather than the personality itself. I have already mentioned this in a post I made in July. It's like I said. Having someone to inspire you, but it is not a person in reality, but God Himself/Herself with a form.
I guess it is nothing wrong to see God however you wish. As long as the aspects of God are still attached to the form you give to the God. Having a conception of a formless God somehow seems funny, because a formless God still has attributes like omnipresence and omniscience. Can someone pls enlighten me on how you conceive a formless God and why?
Read More
This is interesting because it is literally difficult to think of God as being formless, especially when you have a certain level of personal relationship with God. I am only now trying to understand this concept as it is difficult for me to shift from form-God to formless-God. For now in my life, I pray to God with a form because it helps me to visualize God, someone/something that is helping me create favourable situations in my life and helping me achieve my goals. It will take time for me to understand the formless and attribute-less aspect of God as it is a very high concept.
I guess people who pray to a formless God, only do so because for them it seems ridiculous to believe in Shiva, Vishnu or Ganesha. I totally understand this because these characters are fictitious. They do not really exist. However, the ideals they represent is what that should be taken note of rather than the personality itself. I have already mentioned this in a post I made in July. It's like I said. Having someone to inspire you, but it is not a person in reality, but God Himself/Herself with a form.
I guess it is nothing wrong to see God however you wish. As long as the aspects of God are still attached to the form you give to the God. Having a conception of a formless God somehow seems funny, because a formless God still has attributes like omnipresence and omniscience. Can someone pls enlighten me on how you conceive a formless God and why?
Friday, December 18, 2009
Universal knowledge...
A very interesting passage for your reading pleasure:
What is to be done and what is not to be done, what is proper and not proper - these things you already know, of course, because you have a certain innate sense about them. No one can plead ignorance of what is right and wrong. This knowledge is universal.
What do you mean by universal knowledge? All monkeys, for example, born to live on treetops, need to know something about the law of gravity - and they do. Ifyou were to observe the mother monkey, yo would see that she has no concern about whether there is a baby holding onto her or not as she jumps from tree to tree. The baby monkey, however, holds onto its mother's bosom for its dear life. It is definitely afraid of falling, whereas the mother is not. She just keeps leaping from one branch to another, while her baby holds on tight.
Suppose, however the baby monkey had to undergo some education to know that there is a law of gravity operating, that it must hold on tightly in order not to fall, and that it if did fall, it would be injured or it would die. If all of these hings had to be taught to monkeys, many of them would die for want of education and the species itself would sooner or later become extinct.
Fortunately, every baby monkey, without being educated, seems to know what is done and what is not to be done. Without going to Harvard or Cornell, without joining the Moral Majority, it knows very well that 'I will fall if I let go of my mother.' That 'I will fall; is one piece of truth and 'if I fall, I may hurt myself' is the second piece of truth the monkey seems to know. The third piece of truth is, 'To fall and get hurt or be killed is not good forme or for my species.'
Instinctively, then, the monkey knows all this. Since monkeys are made to live on treetops, the minimum knowledge every monkey must have in order to survive is to know, 'I will fall; objects come down; I will be the victim if I don't hold on to the other branch when I leap.' This knowledge must be given to monkeys along with the creation. Only then is there any hope of a monkey living its life on the treetops.
Such knowledge is instinctive and is what we call the creation. If that knowledge is not given to a monkey and it has to be educated in order to know how to survive, then I would say that there is a defect in the creation.
Similarly, as a human being, I am born with a faculty of choice. Unlike a monkey, however, I can choose to live on treetops, on the 20th floor of a building in Manhattan, or in a cottage on some riverbank. I can choose to go to Alaska and keep only my nose out or I can live in the tropics. Because I have the faculty of choice, I can choose my course of action. I can choose various ends and various means to achieve those ends.
That human beings seek securities and pleasures is a common fact that we have already analysed. And in seeking these ends, they have to follow certain means to achieve them. More often than not, upon analysis you will find that the problems lie only in the means and not in the ends.
(For example, stealing in order to provide for the family. The end is 'providing for the family', which is not wrong. But the means, 'stealing', is wrong.)
This passage is interesting because it shows that we have a naturally in-built consensus of what is right and what is wrong.
Read More
What is to be done and what is not to be done, what is proper and not proper - these things you already know, of course, because you have a certain innate sense about them. No one can plead ignorance of what is right and wrong. This knowledge is universal.
What do you mean by universal knowledge? All monkeys, for example, born to live on treetops, need to know something about the law of gravity - and they do. Ifyou were to observe the mother monkey, yo would see that she has no concern about whether there is a baby holding onto her or not as she jumps from tree to tree. The baby monkey, however, holds onto its mother's bosom for its dear life. It is definitely afraid of falling, whereas the mother is not. She just keeps leaping from one branch to another, while her baby holds on tight.
Suppose, however the baby monkey had to undergo some education to know that there is a law of gravity operating, that it must hold on tightly in order not to fall, and that it if did fall, it would be injured or it would die. If all of these hings had to be taught to monkeys, many of them would die for want of education and the species itself would sooner or later become extinct.
Fortunately, every baby monkey, without being educated, seems to know what is done and what is not to be done. Without going to Harvard or Cornell, without joining the Moral Majority, it knows very well that 'I will fall if I let go of my mother.' That 'I will fall; is one piece of truth and 'if I fall, I may hurt myself' is the second piece of truth the monkey seems to know. The third piece of truth is, 'To fall and get hurt or be killed is not good forme or for my species.'
Instinctively, then, the monkey knows all this. Since monkeys are made to live on treetops, the minimum knowledge every monkey must have in order to survive is to know, 'I will fall; objects come down; I will be the victim if I don't hold on to the other branch when I leap.' This knowledge must be given to monkeys along with the creation. Only then is there any hope of a monkey living its life on the treetops.
Such knowledge is instinctive and is what we call the creation. If that knowledge is not given to a monkey and it has to be educated in order to know how to survive, then I would say that there is a defect in the creation.
Similarly, as a human being, I am born with a faculty of choice. Unlike a monkey, however, I can choose to live on treetops, on the 20th floor of a building in Manhattan, or in a cottage on some riverbank. I can choose to go to Alaska and keep only my nose out or I can live in the tropics. Because I have the faculty of choice, I can choose my course of action. I can choose various ends and various means to achieve those ends.
That human beings seek securities and pleasures is a common fact that we have already analysed. And in seeking these ends, they have to follow certain means to achieve them. More often than not, upon analysis you will find that the problems lie only in the means and not in the ends.
(For example, stealing in order to provide for the family. The end is 'providing for the family', which is not wrong. But the means, 'stealing', is wrong.)
This passage is interesting because it shows that we have a naturally in-built consensus of what is right and what is wrong.
Thursday, December 17, 2009
Can we be friends?
It is so damn irritating... I've had it... Finally, I want to get it out and in the open.
Why do Indian guys always go, "can we be friends"? I'm sick of hearing this again and again. You don't know me at all. And still you want to ask to be friends. I don't understand this mentality of Indian guys... Can someone please enlighten me?
Friendship should happen by itself, and it is not something you initiate. You meet a person a few times, you get to know that person slowly, and then you get to share personal thoughts with that person and get connected with them. The moment you share these personal thoughts is the defining moment when you have subconsciously accepted the other person as a friend/confidante.
Without all this happening, how can you become friends with a person you have just met and trust them with all the things you share with them? The trust on the other person is developed only in the first few times you meet that person. If so, how you become friends immediately? Just like that? Especially a friendship between a guy and a girl.
I guess their definition of friendship is different. But still, it is ridiculous, the way they ask. I would say, if your definition and their definition of friendship does not seem to match or complement each other, then forget it... Move on.
Read More
Why do Indian guys always go, "can we be friends"? I'm sick of hearing this again and again. You don't know me at all. And still you want to ask to be friends. I don't understand this mentality of Indian guys... Can someone please enlighten me?
Friendship should happen by itself, and it is not something you initiate. You meet a person a few times, you get to know that person slowly, and then you get to share personal thoughts with that person and get connected with them. The moment you share these personal thoughts is the defining moment when you have subconsciously accepted the other person as a friend/confidante.
Without all this happening, how can you become friends with a person you have just met and trust them with all the things you share with them? The trust on the other person is developed only in the first few times you meet that person. If so, how you become friends immediately? Just like that? Especially a friendship between a guy and a girl.
I guess their definition of friendship is different. But still, it is ridiculous, the way they ask. I would say, if your definition and their definition of friendship does not seem to match or complement each other, then forget it... Move on.
Tuesday, December 8, 2009
The daunting future...
Call me paranoid or anything, but seriously I am very scared about my future. Especially at this stage of my life, I am very much scared. You can call it the 'quarter-life crisis' or something.
Ten years ago, I was so naive enough to write in my diary the following words:
"Dear diary, I wonder who my future life partner would be like... I just wish he is all the things I want him to be. I don't know who he is, but I am already in love with him so much!"
The entry continues further. I wrote this when I was 11 or 12 years old, while I was still in primary school. I was such a daydreamer back then, believing so much in all the "prince-charming" nonsense... But looking at my life now, from the point where I am standing, it is really daunting.
Well, what am I really worried about here? That the guy I will one day marry will make me happy at first and then totally rip apart my heart? That this guy will cheat on me? That this guy will one day stop loving me? Not really. Yes, I am worried about all this. But I am more worried that I will stop loving him... I will never cheat on anyone, but the scary part is I losing interest in my love. This will happen to all of us. Most of us are worried that the day will come when both the man and the woman will get bored of each other. Not one ounce of love is left in the relationship, not even after the bundle of joy has come into their world to brighten it up.
This is something to be scared of that will happen after the marriage. But the most scariest of all is that I don't trust anyone at all!! I find it very hard to trust someone, because everyone has something about them that can surprise you! If this is the case, then how can my parents expect me to make the biggest decision in my life just based on trust on a guy whom I have never known before in my life (maybe known for a few months to a year)?
I am not supporting love marriage here. Hell, that is far worse than any form of arranged marriage. You are entirely on your own when it comes to love marriage, unless your parents are agreeable to your choice of partner. But in an arranged marriage, the rest of the family from both sides are with each other.
Marriage is a beautiful thing. It is not just the boy's and the girl's decision to tie the knot, but the guy's family's and the girl's family's decision too. I would really love to go through with it. But I leave everything in God's hands and let Him take care of everything, as I have limited control over such matters.
No matter what type of marriage it is, love or arranged, my strong opinion is to never go against parents' wishes. If your parents are looking for a guy/girl for you, then you make the final decision. On the other hand, if you choose a person as your life partner, then let your parents make the final decision. This is something I strongly believe in. And if I were to come across a guy whom I like, I will bring him to my parents first before I take any decision.
Although I wonder what their reaction would be like! Haha. I believe that my parents are open-minded and would care more about my happiness than anything else. I believe they trust that I would make a good decision in choosing my life partner. I also believe that they are reading (or will soon read) this blog post right now... ;)
Apart from all this, the fear of the future is still there. I think I would never be able to trust anyone, until unless I know them for atleast a year. I believe in taking things slow and starting with friendship. Maybe being friends first can prolong the lifetime of a happy marriage. But its totally scary man!!
Read More
Ten years ago, I was so naive enough to write in my diary the following words:
"Dear diary, I wonder who my future life partner would be like... I just wish he is all the things I want him to be. I don't know who he is, but I am already in love with him so much!"
The entry continues further. I wrote this when I was 11 or 12 years old, while I was still in primary school. I was such a daydreamer back then, believing so much in all the "prince-charming" nonsense... But looking at my life now, from the point where I am standing, it is really daunting.
Well, what am I really worried about here? That the guy I will one day marry will make me happy at first and then totally rip apart my heart? That this guy will cheat on me? That this guy will one day stop loving me? Not really. Yes, I am worried about all this. But I am more worried that I will stop loving him... I will never cheat on anyone, but the scary part is I losing interest in my love. This will happen to all of us. Most of us are worried that the day will come when both the man and the woman will get bored of each other. Not one ounce of love is left in the relationship, not even after the bundle of joy has come into their world to brighten it up.
This is something to be scared of that will happen after the marriage. But the most scariest of all is that I don't trust anyone at all!! I find it very hard to trust someone, because everyone has something about them that can surprise you! If this is the case, then how can my parents expect me to make the biggest decision in my life just based on trust on a guy whom I have never known before in my life (maybe known for a few months to a year)?
I am not supporting love marriage here. Hell, that is far worse than any form of arranged marriage. You are entirely on your own when it comes to love marriage, unless your parents are agreeable to your choice of partner. But in an arranged marriage, the rest of the family from both sides are with each other.
Marriage is a beautiful thing. It is not just the boy's and the girl's decision to tie the knot, but the guy's family's and the girl's family's decision too. I would really love to go through with it. But I leave everything in God's hands and let Him take care of everything, as I have limited control over such matters.
No matter what type of marriage it is, love or arranged, my strong opinion is to never go against parents' wishes. If your parents are looking for a guy/girl for you, then you make the final decision. On the other hand, if you choose a person as your life partner, then let your parents make the final decision. This is something I strongly believe in. And if I were to come across a guy whom I like, I will bring him to my parents first before I take any decision.
Although I wonder what their reaction would be like! Haha. I believe that my parents are open-minded and would care more about my happiness than anything else. I believe they trust that I would make a good decision in choosing my life partner. I also believe that they are reading (or will soon read) this blog post right now... ;)
Apart from all this, the fear of the future is still there. I think I would never be able to trust anyone, until unless I know them for atleast a year. I believe in taking things slow and starting with friendship. Maybe being friends first can prolong the lifetime of a happy marriage. But its totally scary man!!
Sunday, November 29, 2009
A Finished-studying-and-nothing-to-do post
I've been meaning to write a post for a long long time, but have never gotten the time. I still have one more exam left to finish, then I'm free!!!!!! :) But for today, I've done studying, so got some free time to share some things I've learned today in Hindu Centre class.
Today's class was superb interesting and I have gained a lot of insight from it! Such a beneficial class I would say, that has opened up new doors of thought for me! Every Sat is the same; I always get new insights, learn about new facts of Hinduism that I never knew existed. Each time my devotion just increases, and each time I become more and more happy (not proud) to have been born as a Hindu, completely convinced that I must have done so much good deeds in my past lives! I don't see the need to be politically correct here, so you can make any inference you want from my previous sentence, because I meant what I meant.
Sharada stotram - chanting and commentary by Kathir
This part of the lesson was so interesting! I never knew that by just chanting this Saraswati (Goddess of Knowledge) stotram could actually mean we have worshipped the Goddess in the form of Knowledge! "Sharada" is the name given to the Goddess of Knowledge in Kashmir, which means a form depicting the season autumn. Why autumn? Because it is in the middle of two extremes; you neither experience the scorching heat, nor the shivering winter. Autumn relieves you from extremes: metaphorical meaning would be sinful deeds basically. Meaning Sharada Devi, the Goddess of Knowledge, relieves us of our sinful deeds. The whole stotram is about how knowledge is so important that it can relieve us from our sins committed in this life and our past lives.
One particular verse caught my attention:
Yaa shraddha dhaaranaa medhaa vaagdevi vidhivallabha
You are the shraddha (faith), the power of concentration (dhaaranaa) and the power of retention (medhaa). You are the divinity in speech (vaagdevi). You are the consort of Lord Brahma, the creator (vidhivallabha).
So this is basically the translation. This verse alone extols all the virtues of gaining knowledge and how wonderful it is.
Faith (Shraddha)
You need to have faith in life in everything to be able to do your daily duties and actions. You apply for a degree in a certain university, but that university will not guarantee that you will attain that degree! Nothing in life is given to you as immediate. So you need faith in yourself and it is very important to have faith in Ishwara (God) also! Faith (on the unseen and unknown) motivates you to keep going and not give up in any pursuit of your life. So if you have this faith in you, you have Saraswati in you (in the form of shraddha)!
Concentration or focus (Dhaaranaa)
Lot of us have trouble concentrating on something for a prolonged time. We easily get bored of stuff quickly and keep changing. Concentration and focus of mind is very difficult to achieve for us. We can't keep focus in lectures for long, for example. But without a one-pointed mind, we can easily lose ourselves and our motivation. When we climb a mountain for example, our faith and our ability to focus and concentrate is tested in the middle of the expedition. Oxygen levels are low, our body starts aching, and our breathing becomes difficult. At that time, the only thing that will propel us forward to reach the summit is our faith in ourselves and our focus or concentration on our end-goal. So in this stotram, you are actually praying to Sharada Devi to grant you that dhaaranaa. When that dhaaranaa is in you, you have Saraswati in you!
Medhaa (power of retention of what we learned, ability to understand)
Our brain is so hardwired nowadays such that our power of retention and our ability to grasp things immediately and understand them perfectly have significantly decreased. People who have this medhaa shakti (power of retention of what they learned), don't have to study for any tests. They can actually remember and understand the concepts taught in lectures, for example, so easily that they need not study for exams! But why can't everyone do this? Because our brain is literally slacking!! We have lecture notes, textbooks, internet, library, wikipedia!!! All the information are already stored in there! So why do we have to put them in our brain?
Back then in the past, they did not have any books, texts, or any writing instruments. Everything was orally taught! But now, the situation is different. "I don't have to listen because there is a webcast for this lecture!" So automatically, our value for medha shakti has decreased and so we don't utilise it often. Our brain has so much power that we always underestimate it! There are people in India who can actually chant the whole 100,000 verses of Mahabharatha from memory!! There are scholars and priests in India who have the whole Veda in their mind and can recite by memory alone! And not to mention, we only utilise so little of our brain even when we are great scientists or engineers!
So do NOT underestimate the power of retention of your brain!! Try listening to a lecture, with so much of concentration (dhaaranaa) and faith (shraddha) in you, without taking any notes! You will actually realise that you are capable of understanding the lecture perfectly without any aid, but just by listening!!! I've tried this in one of my Hinduism classes, and I didn't forget anything. It is always our fear that we will forget what we learned later that impels us to take notes during class. But our brain is not hardwired to multitask and pay multi-attention. Our brain can do only one thing at a time. If it is multi-tasking, then its concentration is only on one thing and the rest of the tasks are mechanical/automatic/subconscious. So by taking notes & listening, you will not benefit much, you will lose on some information. So try listening and understanding! It will work. All you need is strong faith in you!! So don't ever underestimate your power of retention and understanding!!
Divinity in speech (Vaagdevi)
Why does divinity reside in our speech? This is because No knowledge can take place without speech. Our ability to speak is a gift given by the Goddess! There were other things said during class, which I don't want to share here, because prior knowledge is required. So pardon me :)
Consort of Brahma, the creator (vidhivallabha)
This means that you need Knowledge to create! You cannot just create without knowledge. In every object of creation, the knowledge of the creator is within it. Take Ravivarma's painting for example. His aesthetic value and emotions are contained within his paintings. Similarly, the knowledge of the creator (the God) is contained in this Universe. This means that the God who created this Universe is ALSO a manifestion/part of this Universe! Hard to understand, but it will make sense if you think about it more.
So why do we chant these shlokas?
Basically, chanting shlokas have certain benefits attached to them. The pronounciations of Sanskrit with all the 50 syllables in the shloka, wil produce desirable vibrations in our body. Some shlokas have the power to relieve our fever, or any other ailments, especially if we chant it with FAITH, DEVOTION & UNDERSTANDING! Not just suka suka chant you know! The connection of the chant (sound) and the mind should be there, together with the devotion. This can only happen if we completely understand WHAT we are chanting! That was why this lesson was conducted.
Also by chanting shlokas, it can create positive vibrations that will help to increase our concentration, and our retention power of the brain!! This change can only be seen long term, after a few months of daily chanting. You can just chant Ganesha 108 names everyday (will take only 10 mins maybe), and that alone can help you a lot (if done with faith and devotion)! I am willing to teach anyone to chant any shlokas, if you are interested :)
I hope what I've shared here was of use to your understanding. Please share your comments here too :)
Read More
Today's class was superb interesting and I have gained a lot of insight from it! Such a beneficial class I would say, that has opened up new doors of thought for me! Every Sat is the same; I always get new insights, learn about new facts of Hinduism that I never knew existed. Each time my devotion just increases, and each time I become more and more happy (not proud) to have been born as a Hindu, completely convinced that I must have done so much good deeds in my past lives! I don't see the need to be politically correct here, so you can make any inference you want from my previous sentence, because I meant what I meant.
Sharada stotram - chanting and commentary by Kathir
This part of the lesson was so interesting! I never knew that by just chanting this Saraswati (Goddess of Knowledge) stotram could actually mean we have worshipped the Goddess in the form of Knowledge! "Sharada" is the name given to the Goddess of Knowledge in Kashmir, which means a form depicting the season autumn. Why autumn? Because it is in the middle of two extremes; you neither experience the scorching heat, nor the shivering winter. Autumn relieves you from extremes: metaphorical meaning would be sinful deeds basically. Meaning Sharada Devi, the Goddess of Knowledge, relieves us of our sinful deeds. The whole stotram is about how knowledge is so important that it can relieve us from our sins committed in this life and our past lives.
One particular verse caught my attention:
Yaa shraddha dhaaranaa medhaa vaagdevi vidhivallabha
You are the shraddha (faith), the power of concentration (dhaaranaa) and the power of retention (medhaa). You are the divinity in speech (vaagdevi). You are the consort of Lord Brahma, the creator (vidhivallabha).
So this is basically the translation. This verse alone extols all the virtues of gaining knowledge and how wonderful it is.
Faith (Shraddha)
You need to have faith in life in everything to be able to do your daily duties and actions. You apply for a degree in a certain university, but that university will not guarantee that you will attain that degree! Nothing in life is given to you as immediate. So you need faith in yourself and it is very important to have faith in Ishwara (God) also! Faith (on the unseen and unknown) motivates you to keep going and not give up in any pursuit of your life. So if you have this faith in you, you have Saraswati in you (in the form of shraddha)!
Concentration or focus (Dhaaranaa)
Lot of us have trouble concentrating on something for a prolonged time. We easily get bored of stuff quickly and keep changing. Concentration and focus of mind is very difficult to achieve for us. We can't keep focus in lectures for long, for example. But without a one-pointed mind, we can easily lose ourselves and our motivation. When we climb a mountain for example, our faith and our ability to focus and concentrate is tested in the middle of the expedition. Oxygen levels are low, our body starts aching, and our breathing becomes difficult. At that time, the only thing that will propel us forward to reach the summit is our faith in ourselves and our focus or concentration on our end-goal. So in this stotram, you are actually praying to Sharada Devi to grant you that dhaaranaa. When that dhaaranaa is in you, you have Saraswati in you!
Medhaa (power of retention of what we learned, ability to understand)
Our brain is so hardwired nowadays such that our power of retention and our ability to grasp things immediately and understand them perfectly have significantly decreased. People who have this medhaa shakti (power of retention of what they learned), don't have to study for any tests. They can actually remember and understand the concepts taught in lectures, for example, so easily that they need not study for exams! But why can't everyone do this? Because our brain is literally slacking!! We have lecture notes, textbooks, internet, library, wikipedia!!! All the information are already stored in there! So why do we have to put them in our brain?
Back then in the past, they did not have any books, texts, or any writing instruments. Everything was orally taught! But now, the situation is different. "I don't have to listen because there is a webcast for this lecture!" So automatically, our value for medha shakti has decreased and so we don't utilise it often. Our brain has so much power that we always underestimate it! There are people in India who can actually chant the whole 100,000 verses of Mahabharatha from memory!! There are scholars and priests in India who have the whole Veda in their mind and can recite by memory alone! And not to mention, we only utilise so little of our brain even when we are great scientists or engineers!
So do NOT underestimate the power of retention of your brain!! Try listening to a lecture, with so much of concentration (dhaaranaa) and faith (shraddha) in you, without taking any notes! You will actually realise that you are capable of understanding the lecture perfectly without any aid, but just by listening!!! I've tried this in one of my Hinduism classes, and I didn't forget anything. It is always our fear that we will forget what we learned later that impels us to take notes during class. But our brain is not hardwired to multitask and pay multi-attention. Our brain can do only one thing at a time. If it is multi-tasking, then its concentration is only on one thing and the rest of the tasks are mechanical/automatic/subconscious. So by taking notes & listening, you will not benefit much, you will lose on some information. So try listening and understanding! It will work. All you need is strong faith in you!! So don't ever underestimate your power of retention and understanding!!
Divinity in speech (Vaagdevi)
Why does divinity reside in our speech? This is because No knowledge can take place without speech. Our ability to speak is a gift given by the Goddess! There were other things said during class, which I don't want to share here, because prior knowledge is required. So pardon me :)
Consort of Brahma, the creator (vidhivallabha)
This means that you need Knowledge to create! You cannot just create without knowledge. In every object of creation, the knowledge of the creator is within it. Take Ravivarma's painting for example. His aesthetic value and emotions are contained within his paintings. Similarly, the knowledge of the creator (the God) is contained in this Universe. This means that the God who created this Universe is ALSO a manifestion/part of this Universe! Hard to understand, but it will make sense if you think about it more.
So why do we chant these shlokas?
Basically, chanting shlokas have certain benefits attached to them. The pronounciations of Sanskrit with all the 50 syllables in the shloka, wil produce desirable vibrations in our body. Some shlokas have the power to relieve our fever, or any other ailments, especially if we chant it with FAITH, DEVOTION & UNDERSTANDING! Not just suka suka chant you know! The connection of the chant (sound) and the mind should be there, together with the devotion. This can only happen if we completely understand WHAT we are chanting! That was why this lesson was conducted.
Also by chanting shlokas, it can create positive vibrations that will help to increase our concentration, and our retention power of the brain!! This change can only be seen long term, after a few months of daily chanting. You can just chant Ganesha 108 names everyday (will take only 10 mins maybe), and that alone can help you a lot (if done with faith and devotion)! I am willing to teach anyone to chant any shlokas, if you are interested :)
I hope what I've shared here was of use to your understanding. Please share your comments here too :)
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
