Maricha Vadham

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photo coutesy Isha Foundation face book.

Padmashree Malavika Sarukkai was offering a Dance performance at the Linga Bhairavi Temple as Part of the Annual YAKSHA celebrations of the Isha Yoga center. Coimbatore.

One of her all amazing pieces was Maricha Vadham. Her explanation  of this part of the great epic Ramayana. with all her graceful  gestures, I saw the scene from a new perspective.

This I would like put into words. (If you manage to imagine her beautiful gesture. you might enjoy this a bit more)

Here is Sita. with her huband Rama, in their  little kutir…   She enjoys the place which is beautiful with streams with lotuses,bees hovering on. flowering creepers and birds chirruping and of course the presence of her beloved Rama.

Or is it His presence made everything so? She anyway is quiet joyfull.

Then there is Ravana. The ten headed Demon. spying on them.  As he planned. his maternal uncle Maricha diguises himself as a Deer. This deer is so beautiful with its golden Dots and catches the attention of the innocent Sita.

Sita. wanted the deer. and makes attempts to catch the deer but in vein.

From here on Malavika took the narration in the much usual pattern that she asked Rama to catch the deer for her or at least to have the hide of the deer (All beauty is skin deep.. you know!)

But sitting there I had this strong feeling that Sita , would never would have asked Rama to get the Deer. She had everything at her Parental as well as her in-laws place, which she was ready to forgo in a moment and had been joyful through all the hardships faced. It is unlikely that she got lured by the deer skin!

Rama on the other hand, being the incarnation of Shasrasirsha – lord with countless heads. is not going to be overpowered by a ten headed demon in any case. The epic says he was conscious of his Divinity but willingly played human.( Also a ten headed is a dull-head compared to that of the counless headed. isn’t it so?  HA HA)

So. I see the scene like this. Sita. tired after her running behind the deer and ofcourse a little upset too. returnes to the kutir. She has had many pets. been very kind to them. enjoyed affectionate response from all animals. She has all reasons to be upset for she is not able to win the confidence of a deer!

Now as she comes back crest fallen. the all knowing Rama. want to make use of the situation to play his first move towards the need of the very Incarnation-Ravana Samharam.  He consoles her and assures that he will get the deer for her; appoints Lakshmana as her guardian; and enters the dense forest.

Maricha the one who escaped the Lords arrows once before at Tataka vanam, knows that Ravana has given him a great opportunity   to come face to face with Rama. . He now meets his end surrenders to Rama and reveals Ravnas plan. (Turning into approver ok?). Rama forgives him knowing fully well his innocence

One more thing here. the popular story says that Maeicha cries loudly in Rama’s voice Hey Lakshmana” 

I would like to differ here,  Just think Later in the epic it is said that Ravana, who had Sita in his captivity, wanted to decieve her taking Rama’s disguise. And to his annoyance found himself not to able (note- not able to do so),

Going by same rule, Maricha also cannot assume the voice of Rama. and bring forth a feeling of suffering to cry loudly to call Lakshmana. that too in his very presence. So I would like to say that  ‘ Rama made it up himself to take Lakshmana away from the scene. knowing very well the way Sita would responde to such a call.

She took the bait. sent Lakshmana away and fell a easy victim to Ravana’s assault kidnapping her.

So Maricha Vadham plays an important turn of the story giving Rama the necessary reason to push his will- towards Ravana Vadham- his very reason for descend to the mortal plane.

P.S = This is not to hurt any one’s sentiment. but a humble gut-feeling verbalised. If you have any suggestions please feel free to pen them:)

 

The man with a SINGLE nose

My daughter was nearing seven and son two. Her teeth gave her much trouble and our visits became more frequent.
The Doctor was a sweet lady with her henna tinted hair and her husband, a very kind man was the surgeon.
We go there and take our token from the elderly man who served as a receptionist and wait. At times there are many people waiting.
My son gets tired of all the things around the waiting area, at the traffic outside. the magazines which he cannot read.
He goes to the counter to this man and tries to peak in at what he has in his draw and is immediately shooed away.
I must say something about this gentleman. I don’t know what made him to work here in this clinic at this age, but he took it sportively. He seems little tired sometimes and can.t take little pranks from kids.
But the way he dealt with these young ones is amazing which I shall never forget in my life.
He threatens children about giants to whom he will hand them over if they don’t keep quiet.
He says in this particular tone
“You keep doing this and the man with SINGLE nose* is going to come”; or
“the man with TWO eyes** never like children shouting” etc.

When you hear it for the first time, and you actually don’t get the meaning, you feel
‘what crap’.
But when you actually see the concern and genuiness behind these you can’t but have tremendous regard and respect for him.
One the child is able to separate the tone and the word he/she knows it is actually a joke.
But at the same time they have the maturity to understand how to behave in such a place.

First time we hear this said to my son, my daughter looks at me and questions ‘what is this ma? every one has single nose!’ But as soon as she sees the magic it does on her brother grins and keeps the secret to herself.
Now when his pranks go little more than she can tolerate I hear her telling her little one with a wide eye ‘I don’t think the man with Two hand likes this’.

*the phrase is in TAMIL- Otrai Mookkan
** in TAMIL- Rettaik kannan

DUCK WALK

Have you walked you scooter? Then you know the fun of it.
I like to take you to the time three decade ago.
I am 20 years. My elder brother rides a Bajaj Vespa.
On my bicycle I am queen on the rickety roads of our neighbourhood.
I am so good on bicycle; It so happen one day few years earlier, as I was on my way back home from college, there was this misled lad riding past me making some obscene comment I chased him all the way to next corner, slapped him on his back so hard that he went flying off from his bike and landed on the thorny fence of the house!
I swear this is true and you by now should not have any question about my being the queen on my two wheels.
But, all the time I see the scooter, I want to try my limbs on it. Obviously I can’t say ‘try my hands’ you see, for riding a two wheeler of that kind needs your legs too!
Now, whenever my brother is free, I go to him asking for the key.
‘Yes, today,’ he say ‘you take your First lesson for riding a Scooter’.
We get the scooter out on the road, I ask, ‘start’?
He says, ‘No, Walk’.
“WHAT?” ‘walk ?’ I don’t get it.
He explains and I see.
You sit on your scooter and move the scooter forward with your legs alternatively.
Now you are sitting but your legs are hired to move the scooter.
Is this not walking the scooter.
The fun part of the whole exercise is, this scooter is heavy on one of its rear side.
All your moves and the shape of the scooter at your back! you are Walking Duck!
Now you want to know whether I have mastered Bajaj Vespa. My second lesson was to clean up the scooter…
By this time my sister buys a TVS50. No new skills needed…Now all my fancy is on that… forget the ducky bulky Bajaj.

Engine Engine Number Nine…

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Every time I see an Engine thundering into Chennai central I cannot stop myself wondering at this giant that takes so many people across the land.

Also the numbers and the letters on them intrigue me like anything.

just like you. me too, feel the urge to solve this puzzle.

I did some research and now I can tell you about this red giant.

This one was born at Chittaranjan Loco works in West Bengal. The chittaranjan Loco works started work on 26th January 1950.

He runs on Broad Gauge Lines.

He uses Alternating Current supply.

He is basically designed to pull GOODs.

He has a computerised check for all the controls in the engine and shows the positions to the Engine driver on a screen.

He has a Dynamic Breaking Resistance which helps him control his speed and helps in re-routing the energies produced by the break system. You know something, this break system is a great burden he carries on his head more than a TON! 

Yes, of course, but this is for the safety of the GOODs or sometimes passengers, if he happens to pull passenger compartments.

Next time when you board a train don’t forget to see the face of the Engine. 

One day you might really board Engine Number Nine!

To know mor of the Locomotives of India please check http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Locomotives_of_India

 

Anju kuzhi munnu vaasal

I am entering the Temple of Sri Ranganatha Swami at Srirangam Trichy, by the Northern Gopuram. Devi Rangnayaki thaayar’s sannadhi is seen at my right. We wanted to see Rangamannar first for it is already 11AM and the shrine may be closed soon.

As I walk towards the inner sanctum of Swami’s shrine, there is a group of people bent over something and there is laughter in the air and someone saying ‘Don’t you laugh over this. This is something which is sacred’. It happens to be the priest of one of the nearby shrine. I am curious to know what it is all about.

There is on the floor Five holes in a circle with eight peteled flower. This is enclosed in a circle and a Square.  On the northern side of the square is a pair of decorated feet.

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People, standing on the carved feet, put all the five right hand fingers into the holes and look up at the three sides where there are entries into this alley.  Nobody is able to say what happens when we do this little ritual. They just say Ranganayaki once looked out for Ranganatha positioning like this.

My friend Sudha says after this Swami stayed with Ranganayaki and did not leave her.  The pathways are like this. One from far left, one from near right and another being the swarga vasal is not just straight ahead but a little towards the left.

It is said that you are supposed to hold you left hand at your back palm facing backwards, bend down without bending your knees, put all of your right fingers at a time in the holes and from this position look at each of the side left right and skewed left respectively.

people are just trying and laughing at others when they are not able to put all five fingers at a time into the holes. I try and though I am able to stand in the posture with my fingers in the holes looking at the three passage seems challenging, and to look at the paramapada vasal which slightly offset to the left seems out of question and I loose my balance. I am brushed away by more enthusiastic people who would like to try thier hand.

As walk along the corridors of the temple, I have a lot of questions in me

Is this something significant addressing to our physical need of balance?    Will it make any change in our system and prepare us for the energies of the temple? Which finger goes into which hole, does it matter?  Does this have any message about the five-fold nature of our being and the three paths of bhakthi gnana and yoga?   Or, Is it  just a keystone of the temple made sure not distrubed, by attaching a simple funny ritaul that everyone enjoys and would not wish to part with at any cost?

I go around come back to the same spot still see many people around the Five Holes and Three Paths eagerly waiting for their chance, and I decide to visit this more leisurely and check out when there is not much crowd(?).

About Harsiddhi

Traveling from Bhopal by the new double-decker train we reached Ujjain by 5PM. Our plan about staying at the famous Mahakaaleshwar dharamshala didn’t work as it was full!

Partly anxious about our stay and partly mesmerised by the magical and misty sunset over Shipra, we were helped by an understanding Autorickshaw driver to find a good hotel for lodging close to the temple.

After an early dinner, around half past seven, we set out to check if we can have dharshan of Mahakaaleshwar. The manager of the Kannaiya hotel where we stayed, said ‘right now go over to Harsiddhi then you can visit Baba’. People at Kashi also refer to Lord Vishwanath as Baba. I think for them shiva is more of a living presence than a distant god. Ajeeb dhasthan hai yeh!

Cross the Bridge over Shipra, nearly dry for now (she is going to be fed from Narmadha before the maha khumbh 2016 at Ujjain as people say.) and look at the bright twin towers full of lamps, I say ‘wow, this son of Shiva is quite grand!’. Harsiddhi sounds like Varsiddhi and I am from Down south.

Passing through the warm area of the towers of light, hearing the bells in chorus with the chants, wondering as how is that we are invited heartily into the shrine, I crossed the threshold.

There was SHE.

She was red. Her beautiful eyes were on me. Did she wink her third eye. No, it was the diamond probably. Her nose ring with its chain across her cheeks connected to her Jumka, somehow seem to increase the mischief of her eyes and her smile. I fell for her that moment.

Meet Maa Harsiddhi

Maa Harsiddhi is one among the 52 shakthi sthalas where the Elbow of Sati fell on the earth.

I was too happy to see her, though I could not capture the grand moment of the arathi when the both the towers of lamps were fully lit. But this gives me to sanction myself one more visit to Ujjain.

Yes. I shall go over again for Maa Harsiddhi and wish Baba allows me.

Jai Maa Harsiddhi

Jai Maa Harsiddhi