Category: Spirituality

NIRVANA SHATAKAM (ATMA SHATAKAM) Verse 4

Verse 4

न पुण्यं न पापं न सौख्यं न दुःखं

न मन्त्रो न तीर्थं न वेदा न यज्ञाः ।

अहं भोजनं नैव भोज्यं न भोक्ता

चिदानन्दरूपः शिवोऽहम् शिवोऽहम् ॥४॥

English Transliteration

Na Punnyam Na Paapam Na Saukhyam Na Duhkham

Na Mantro Na Tiirtham Na Vedaa Na Yajnyaah |

Aham Bhojanam Naiva Bhojyam Na Bhoktaa

Cid-Aananda-Ruupah Shivo[a-A]ham Shivo[a-A]ham ||4||

Meaning of the Sanskrit Words

पुण्यं (Punnyam): Merits

पापं (Paapam): Sins

सौख्यं (Saukhyam): Worldly Joy

सुख (Sukha) = Worldly Joy

दुःखं (Duhkham): Worldly Sorrow

मन्त्रो (Mantro): Sacred Hymns

तीर्थं (Tiirtham): Sacred Place, Pilgrimage

वेदा (Vedaa): Sacred Scriptures

यज्ञाः (Yajnyaah): Sacrificial Offerings

अहं (Aham): I

भोजनं (Bhojanam): Enjoyment or Experience

भोज्यं (Bhojyam): Object to be Enjoyed or Experienced

भोक्ता (Bhoktaa): Enjoyer or Experiencer

चिदानन्दरूपः (Cid-Aananda-Ruupah): Nature of Blissful Consciousness

चित् (Cit) = Consciousness

आनन्द (Aananda) = Bliss

रूप (Ruupa) = Nature

शिवोऽहम् (Shiva-Aham): I am Shiva, the Blissful Consciousness

शिव (Shiva) = signifying Consciouness

अहम् (Aham) = I

Meaning of the Verse

4.1: Neither am I bound by Merits nor Sins, neither by Worldly Joys nor by Sorrows,

4.2: Neither am I bound by Sacred Hymns nor by Sacred Places, neither by Sacred Scriptures nor by Sacrifies,

4.3: I am Neither Enjoyment (Experience), nor an object to be Enjoyed (Experienced), nor the Enjoyer (Experiencer),

4.4: I am the Ever Pure Blissful Consciousness; I am Shiva, I am Shiva, The Ever Pure Blissful Consciousness.

4. Neither virtue (punyam) nor sin (papam) nor happiness nor sorrow; nor a holy chant nor a holy place of pilgrimage nor Veda nor sacrifice; I am neither enjoyment, nor enjoyable object, nor the enjoyer; I am of the nature of Pure Consciousness-Bliss Absolute, I am Shiva, I am (verily) Shiva.

Meaning in Tamil

பாவ புண்ணியம் இன்ப துன்பம் எனக்கில்லை

பாசுரமும் திருத்தலமும் மறைநூலும் வேள்வியும் எனக்கில்லை

பலன் நுகர்வும், நுகர்வதும், நுகர்வோனும் நானில்லை

உள்உணர்வின் பேரின்ப வடிவான சிவமே யான் சிவமே யான்

NIRVANA SHATAKAM (ATMA SHATAKAM) Verse 3

Verse 3

न मे द्वेषरागौ न मे लोभमोहौ

मदो नैव मे नैव मात्सर्यभावः ।

न धर्मो न चार्थो न कामो न मोक्षः

चिदानन्दरूपः शिवोऽहम् शिवोऽहम् ॥३॥

English Transliteration

Na Me Dvessa-Raagau Na Me Lobha-Mohau

Mado Naiva Me Naiva Maatsarya-Bhaavah |

Na Dharmo Na Ca-Artho Na Kaamo Na Mokssah

Cid-Aananda-Ruupah Shivo[a-A]ham Shivo[a-A]ham ||3||

Meaning of the Sanskrit Words

मे (Me): Relates to Me

द्वेषरागौ (Dvessa-Raagau): Hatred or Attachment

द्वेष (Dvessa) = Hatred

राग (Raaga) = Passion, Affection

लोभमोहौ (Lobha-Mohau): Greed or Infatuation

लोभ (Lobha) = Greed

मोह (Moha) = Infatuation

मदो (Mado): Pride, Arrogance, Passion

मद (Mada) = Pride, Arrogance, Passion

नैव (Na-Iva): Not Indeed

न (Na) = Not

इव (Iva) = Indeed

मात्सर्यभावः (Maatsarya-Bhaava): Feeling of Jealousy

मात्सर्य (Maatsarya) = Jealousy

भाव (Bhaava) = Feeling

धर्मो (Dharmo): Righteousness

धर्म (Dharma) = Righteousness

चार्थो (Ca-Artha): And Wealth

च (Ca) = And

अर्थ (Artha) = Wealth

कामो (Kaamo): Desire

काम (Kaama) = Desire

मोक्षः (Mokssah): Liberation

चिदानन्दरूपः (Cid-Aananda-Ruupah): Nature of Blissful Consciousness

चित् (Cit) = Consciousness

आनन्द (Aananda) = Bliss

रूप (Ruupa) = Nature

शिवोऽहम् (Shiva-Aham): I am Shiva, the Blissful Consciousness

शिव (Shiva) = signifying Consciouness

अहम् (Aham) = I

Meaning of the Verse

3.1: Neither do I have Hatred, nor Attachment, Neither Greed nor Infatuation,

3.2: Neither do I have Pride, nor Feelings of Envy and Jealousy,

3.3 I am Not within the bounds of Dharma (Righteousness), Artha (Wealth), Kama (Desire) and Moksha (Liberation) (the four Purusarthas of life),

3.4: I am the Ever Pure Blissful Consciousness; I am Shiva, I am Shiva, The Ever Pure Blissful Consciousness.

3. I have neither aversion nor attachment, neither greed nor delusion; I have neither arrogance nor jealousy; I have no duty (to perform) nor any wealth (to acquire); neither desire nor liberation; I am of the nature of Pure Consciousness-Bliss Absolute, I am Shiva, I am (verily) Shiva

Notes: Greed, delusion, pride and jealousy together with lust and anger constitute shad ripu (also called ari shad varga), the six-fold internal enemies of a human being. Dharma (righteousness), artha (wealth), kama (desire), and moksha (liberation) are together known as purusharthas, the four objectives of a human being.

Meaning in Tamil

விருப்பு வெருப்பெனக்கில்லை பேரவாவும் காமமும் எனக்கில்லை

இறுமாப்பு ஆணவம் காழ்ப்புணர்வும் யான் கொண்டதில்லை –

நான்வாழ் இலக்காம் நேர்மை செல்வம் இன்பம் முக்திதனின் வரையெனக்கில்லை

உள்உணர்வின் பேரின்ப வடிவான சிவமே யான் சிவமே யான்

NIRVANA SHATAKAM (ATMA SHATAKAM) Verse 2

Verse 2

न च प्राणसंज्ञो न वै पञ्चवायुः

न वा सप्तधातुः न वा पञ्चकोशः ।

न वाक्पाणिपादं न चोपस्थपायु

चिदानन्दरूपः शिवोऽहम् शिवोऽहम् ॥२॥

English Transliteration

Na Ca Praanna-Samjnyo Na Vai Pan.ca-Vaayuh

Na Vaa Sapta-Dhaatuh Na Vaa Pan.ca-Koshah |

Na Vaak-Paanni-Paadam Na Copastha-Paayu

Cid-Aananda-Ruupah Shivo[a-A]ham Shivo[a-A]ham ||2||

Meaning of the Sanskrit Words

प्राणसंज्ञो (Praanna-Samjnyo): The Vital Breath

प्राण (Praanna) = The vital Breath

संज्ञो (Samjnyo) = Conscious of

वै (Vai): Or

पञ्चवायुः (Pan.ca-Vaayuh): The Five Vital Air

पञ्च (Pan.ca) = Five

वायु (Vaayu) = Vital Airs

वा (Vaa): Or

सप्तधातुः (Sapta-Dhaatuh): The Seven Ingredients [of the body]

सप्त (Sapta) = Seven

धातु (Dhaatu) = Ingredient

पञ्चकोशः (Pan.ca-Koshah): The Five Sheaths [of the gross and subtle body]

पञ्च (Pan.ca) = Five

कोश (Kosha) = Sheath

वाक्पाणिपादं (Vaak-Paanni-Paadam): Speech, Hand and Foot

वाच् (Vaac) = Speech

पाणि (Paanni) = Hand

पाद (Paada) = Foot

चोपस्थपायु (Copastha-Paayu): The organ of Excretion

चुप् (Cup) = Move

पायु (Paayu) = Organ of Excretion, Anus

चिदानन्दरूपः (Cid-Aananda-Ruupah): Nature of Blissful Consciousness

चित् (Cit) = Consciousness

आनन्द (Aananda) = Bliss

रूप (Ruupa) = Nature

शिवोऽहम् (Shiva-Aham): I am Shiva, the Blissful Consciousness

शिव (Shiva) = signifying Consciouness

अहम् (Aham) = I

Meaning of the Verse

2.1: Neither am I the Vital Breath, nor the Five Vital Airs,

2.2: Neither am I the Seven Ingredients (of the Body), nor the Five Sheaths (of the Body),

2.3: Neither am I the organ of Speech, nor the organs for Holding ( Hand ), Movement ( Feet ) or Excretion,

2.4: I am the Ever Pure Blissful Consciousness; I am Shiva, I am Shiva, The Ever Pure Blissful Consciousness.

2. I am not indicated by prana, nor the five-fold vital airs nor the seven elements (sapta dhatuh) of the body, nor the five sheaths; nor the organs of speech, nor hand, nor leg; and not generative or excretory organs, I am of the nature of Pure Consciousness-Bliss-Absolute, I am Shiva, I am (verily) Shiva. 

Notes: Five vital airs are : Prana (controls respiratory system), Apana (controls excretory system), Vyana (controls circulatory system); Samana (controls digestive system), and Udana (controls ejection of the prana from the physical body). Seven basic elements (sapta dhatuh) consist of: skin, flesh, fat, bone, blood, bone marrow, and semen. Five sheaths (pancha kosha) are believed to veil our understanding of the atman include, in order from gross (outer most) to the subtle (inner most): annamaya kosha (food sheath); pranamaya kosha (vital air sheath);manomaya kosha (mind sheath); vijnanamaya kosha (intellectual sheath); and anandamaya kosha (bliss sheath).

Meaning in Tamil

உள்உயிர்மூச்சும் யானில்லை

உயிர்காக்கும் ஐவகை ஆவியும் யானில்லை

உடல் ஏழு மூலமும் யானில்லை

உயிர்மேவும் ஐவுறையும் யானில்லை

உடலொட்டிய ஐம்பொறியும் யானில்லை

உள்உணர்வின் பேரின்ப வடிவான சிவமே யான் சிவமே யான்

NIRVANA SHATAKAM (ATMA SHATAKAM) Verse 1

Sanskrit Verse

मनोबुद्ध्यहङ्कार चित्तानि नाहं

न च श्रोत्रजिह्वे न च घ्राणनेत्रे ।

न च व्योम भूमिर्न तेजो न वायुः

चिदानन्दरूपः शिवोऽहम् शिवोऽहम् ॥१॥

English Transliteration:

Mano-Buddhy-Ahangkaara Cittaani Naaham

Na Ca Shrotra-Jihve Na Ca Ghraanna-Netre |

Na Ca Vyoma Bhuumir-Na Tejo Na Vaayuh

Cid-Aananda-Ruupah Shivo[a-A]ham Shivo[a-A]ham ||1||

Meaning of the Sanskrit Words:

मनोबुद्ध्यहङ्कार (Mano-Buddhi-Ahangkaara): Mind, Intelligence or Ego

मन (Mana) = Mind மனம்

बुद्धि (Buddhi) = Intelligence அறிவு

अहंकार (Ahamkaara) = Ego அகந்தை

चित्तानि (Cittaani): memory/intent/The Mind stuff

चित्त (Citta) = memory/intent/Mind stuff

नाहं (Naaham): Not I

न (Na) = Not

अहम् (Aham) = I

न (Na): Not

च (Ca): Also

श्रोत्रजिह्वे (Shrotra-Jihve): Organ of Hearing [Ears] or the Organ of Taste [Tongue]

श्रोत्र (Shrotra) = The organ of Hearing செவி

जिह्व (Jihva) = The Tongue, the organ of Taste நா

घ्राणनेत्रे (Ghraanna-Netre): Organ of Smelling [Nose] or the Organ of Seeing [Eyes]

घ्राण (Ghraanna) = The Nose, the organ of Smelling

नेत्र (Netra) = Eyes, the organ of Seeing

व्योम (Vyoma): Sky

भूमिर्न (Bhuumih-Na): Not the Earth

भूमि (Bhuumi) = Earth

न (Na) = Not

तेजो (Tejo): Energy signifying Fire

तेजस् (Tejas) = Energy signifying Fire

वायुः (Vaayuh): Air

चिदानन्दरूपः (Cid-Aananda-Ruupah): Nature of Blissful Consciousness

चित् (Cit) = Consciousness

आनन्द (Aananda) = Bliss

रूप (Ruupa) = Nature

शिवोऽहम् (Shiva-Aham): I am Shiva, the Blissful Consciousness

शिव (Shiva) = signifying Consciouness

अहम् (Aham) = I

Meaning of the Verse

1.1: Neither am I the Mind, nor the Intelligence or Ego,

1.2: Neither am I the organs of Hearing (Ears), nor that of Tasting (Tongue), Smelling (Nose) or Seeing (Eyes),

1.3: Neither am I the Sky, nor the Earth, Neither the Fire nor the Air,

1.4: I am the Ever Pure Blissful Consciousness; I am Shiva, I am Shiva, The Ever Pure Blissful Consciousness.

Notes: Mind (manah), intellect (buddhih), ego (ahamkara), and memory (chittani) together are referred to by the technical term antah karana or internal instrument. Ear, tongue, nose, eyes, and skin together are the five jnana indriyas. Space, earth, fire, air, and water are the five elements (pancha bhutas).

Meaning in Tamil

மனம் யானில்லை மதி யானில்லை

ஆணவம் யானில்லை செவியிரண்டும் யானில்லை

நாவு யானில்லை நுகர்நாசிகள் நானில்லை

விழியிரண்டும் யானில்லை விண்வெளியும் யானில்லை

இப்புவியும் யானில்லை அழலொளியும் யானில்லை

வீசும் காற்றும் யானில்லை உள்ளிரு நீரும் யானில்லை

உள்உணர்வின் பேரின்ப வடிவான சிவமே யான் சிவமே யான்

PRELUDE TO NIRVANA SHATAKAM

Before we start exploring Nirvana Shatakam and look at the answers to the vital question of “ Who am I?”, it is essential for us to understand what am I made of, what do I do and what is beyond me. To my limited knowledge, there cannot be a more deeper analysis to these questions than by the Saints & Philosophers of Hindu Religion. One needs a lifetime to understand the material available in the religion. I will definitely restate again and again that I am a novice in this field of philosophy (“Vedanta”) and can only skim at the surface without any deep understanding. Yet from this ocean of information and knowledge I will venture out and reproduce one approach advocated by the legendary Swami Chinmayananda (http://www.chinmayamission.com) which helps me in the process of understanding myself.

BMI Chart

Interpretation of Symbols :

The Symbol of Truth

Om 

viewed through the veil of

Vasanas 

Expresses through the instruments of:

the Body (B), Mind (M), Intellect (I)

As the individual entity or ego:

the Perceiver (P), Feeler (F), Thinker (T) 

In the world of:

Objects (O), Emotions (E), and Thoughts (T). 

I – The person

Here is how the Swamiji helps us in Understanding Ourselves (Our Personality). When we say “experience” we are looking at three fundamental factors:

1. the experiencer (the subject)

2. the object of experience (the object)

3. the relationship between the two, the experiencing (the act)

The Individual as an experiencer (PFT) is the subject who gains experiences of the world (OET) through the instruments of experiencing (BMI). Through the body, the person experiences the world of objects; through the mind, one experiences the world of emotions, and through the intellect, the world of ideas.

When the subject identifies with the intellect, he becomes the thinker, experiencing the world of thoughts and ideas; when identified with the mind he becomes the feeler, experiencing the world of emotions and feelings; and when identified with the body, he becomes the perceiver, experiencing the world of objects.

Therefore each individual acts out the various roles of a perceiver, feeler, and thinker as he seeks his happiness in the world of objects, emotions, and thoughts.

In every experience in life, man contacts the world through the media of four constituent entities in him. They are his body, mind, intellect, and the Consciousness, symbolized by the symbol Om, which is the Life Principle in him. 

Now let us have an idea of what these elements are as explained by the Swamiji.

Body, Mind, Intellect:

“ The physical body (பிண்டம்) is solid matter, the densest aspect of the human personality. It contains five organs of perception (ஞானேந்திரியம்) and the five organs of action (கர்மேந்திரியம்). The size and shape of the body differ from individual to individual, but the essential ingredients and the functions of the organs are common to all.

The variable factor in man is the mind and intellect equipment. The mind is the seat of impulses and feelings, and it is common to all living creatures. Animals also possess a mind. It all boils down to how one applies the mind.

Human being alone has the capacity to discriminate and analyze his/her feelings as and when they arise. He/She alone can allow his/her actions to be guided and directed by his/her power of discrimination instead of being driven and carried away by momentary impulses and feelings. This faculty of discrimination, this power of judgment, this capacity to discern what is to be done and what is to be avoided, is the function of the intellect.

Vasanas:

The quality and textures of the mind and intellect equipment differ from one individual to another, depending upon one’s inherent and innate tendencies or inclinations, which are called vasanas.

Vasanas create desires in the intellect; desires produce thoughts in the mind, and thoughts manifest in the form of actions at the level of the physical body. Desires, thoughts and actions are, therefore, only manifestation of vasanas in the respective individual. Each one of us thus becomes a helpless statement of our past though this impulse of vasanas.

(Note: How did we get these Vasanas in oneself? This is a separate subject by itself. For this particular blog I would just compare Vasanas to the Residual Magnetism in a material.)

Om, the Symbol of Truth:

In the ultimate analysis, the whole aim of living for a human being is to condition the body, mind and intellect to ensure that the vasanas are transcended in order for us to regain our true nature. At this individual level, when the vasanas are completely transcended, the Self manifests of its own accord. Only then does man know his true birthright. At the Individual level, this Self is called an Atman and at the level of the cosmic totality, this Divine Self called Om, the Life Principle, is called the Brahman.

The Ground Reality:

Due to our vasanas and the consequent desires, agitations, and actions, we are ignorant of this Divine Self. Therefore, we identify with our body, mind, and intellect and their limitations. An individual is the Self as though contaminated by this ignorance. The only method for regaining one’s true nature is to vigilantly and ceaselessly divert one’s mind and intellect away from preoccupation with objects, emotions, and thoughts and direct it to an awareness of the divine Self”. (Material Courtesy – Chinmaya Mission).

How do I proceed?

This is the essence of Spirituality. The paths that we take to get rid of this ignorance are the path of knowledge (Gnana) , the path of devotion (Bhakthi) and the path of action (Karma). These three paths are not independent and are seamlessly integrated. At this point I will quote the blog I wrote on May 17, 2019, about Knowledge and Devotion as part of my attempt to write in Tamil, Adi Sankara’s Sivananda Lahari. In that blog I quoted the eminent Indian Scholar C. Rajagopalachari. He brings out the integration of the three yogas beautifully by saying “ When intelligence matures and lodges securely in the mind, it becomes wisdom. When wisdom is integrated with life and issues out in action, it becomes bhakti. Knowledge, when it becomes fully mature, is bhakti. If it does not get transformed into bhakti, such knowledge is useless tinsel. To believe that gnyaana and bhakti, knowledge and devotion, are different from each other, is ignorance”.

Nearly a year later I am fortunate to attempt to write in Tamil, the philosophical treatise in Vedhanta by Adi Sankara called Nirvana Shatakam. Understanding the simple concepts outlined by the Swamiji will help us unravel the truths brought out by Adi Sankara

Verses will start from the next blog.

WHO AM I ?

Remember the two vital questions which I missed while I was “role playing” during the Corana Virus! Who am “I”? What do I mean when I use the word “Happy”?

There are numerous ways by which one can explain “happiness” – the state of being happy. I was looking for an apt definition for happiness. Pop! Came the answer from Twitter. Here is the link

Here is my interpretation. Modern psychology brings out the science behind “happiness”. As an “experiencer”, I look at “being happy” in a different perspective. When I am in deep sleep without any application whatsoever of my mind and sense organs, I am in a state unaffected by anything – “It is a Bliss” – indicating how happy I am when I am sleeping without any miseries. That is what I mean by the word “happy”. That kind of happiness is what I want in every second of my life. Am I the only one desiring like that? The lady there in Anand Mahindra’s tweet brings out exactly what is happiness. It depends on oneself (attitude of myself decides what is happiness). So who is myself or who am I?

This question however is a complex one. The self inquiry in the question has one challenge. Am I splitting myself as inner and outer Self? Dr S Radhakrishnan, a great philosopher and the former President of India, says “To divide human being into outer desire and inner quality is to violate the integrity of human life. The two orders of Reality – the transcendental the empirical are closely related”. If I agree with this argument, then, who am I ?

I don’t have an answer ready made. The real answer cannot be provided either by a theory or by dialectic. These alone, as in themselves and without reference to personal experience cannot carry conviction. But I am still in the process of experiencing the answer (otherwise called as my life) and won’t be able to answer till my experiences (life) end.

Luckily, the experiences elucidated by legendary philosophers and thinkers are available for me. Their teachings are presented either as metaphysics or ethics. In the traditional Hindu system this is called “Brahmavidya” and “Yogashastra”. The universally acclaimed classic Indian treatise “Bhagwad Gita” is a combination of both – the science of Reality and the art of Union with Reality.

In India, there are two outstanding treatises, considered equivalent to The Divine Response available for the vital question “Who am I?”. The answer to my question was provided as early as in 8th Century by Adi Shankaracharya. He brought out the “Brahmavidya” to the question “Who am I?” through a hymn in Sanskrit comprising six verses – “Atma Shatakam or Nirvana Shatakam”. The word shatakam means six and the word nirvana means freedom or liberation. It is thus a hymn of six verses on liberation, each of which is like a jewel in the garland of Vedanta. It is also called as atma shatakam or six verses on the nature of the Self. The first three lines in each of the first five verses negate all that is not “I”(Atman), while the last line in each verse strongly affirms what “I”(Atman) is.

In the year 1902, in a town called Thiruvannamalai, Tamil Nadu, Bhagwan Shri Ramana Maharishi provided answers to one Sri M. Sivaprakasam Pillai, a graduate in Philosophy, who was at the time employed in the Revenue Department of the South Arcot Collectorate. This was published in 1923. The teachings of Bhagwan Shri Ramana Maharishi is published by SriRamanasramam in Thiruvannamalai as “Who am I”.

My next series of blogs will focus on Adi Shankaracharya’s Nirvana Shatakam/Atma Shatakam.

WHO AM I?

During the last three months, as COVID 19, otherwise known as the Corona Virus, took on the world by its scruff and shook every one of us in the globe. The devastation still continues. Locked down at home, all of us are in the process of understanding ourselves, our work, our relationships, our lifestyles and our future.

Here are a few examples of how I looked at myself. During these three months, sitting on the couch at my son’s Manhattan residence, I went four decades back to my “Masters in Management” days and started “Role Playing”.

In normal times, travel was a physical activity & we needed a transport to travel long distances. Yet I travelled across without the use of aero planes/vehicles to all parts of the world. I went to China, South Korea, Italy, Spain, Cuba, Ecuador, Russia, Sweden, Brazil, Mexico, Great Britain and several other countries. I am learning so much about these places, the people there, their food habits, their social behavior, their travel etc that even a citizen of that country would normally won’t bother to know these details during normal times. Thus I became a global citizen simply sitting in a couch and using my iPad!!

I watched political leaders across the world in action with their left, right, socialistic and capitalistic orientations. I became law maker for several countries and started review of the actions and inactions of these leaders. I advised the public through social media as to what went wrong with these guys and what they should have done. I became a consultant to the global leaders!!

I reviewed the science behind the diseases that the world faced/faces/will face. I became an epidemiologist, a health care specialist, a pharmaceutical expert; I thought I understood respiratory systems, became emergency care professional. I literally became the master of life sciences.

I analyzed human behavior, impact of country, culture & religion on human behavior, I tried experimenting with social distancing (remember – human beings are social animals). In short I became sociologist.

I ran restaurants & Bars; I ran public transport, managed hospitals, became insurance administrator; I ran treasuries and stock markets, I specialized in mathematical modeling, (understood lots of curves, peaked them, flattened them). I saw numerous movies & TV Shows, listened to all kinds of music & podcasts, recited slokas/hymns. I did baby sitting, & played with kids. There are practically very little fields that I left uncovered in these testing times.

The only area that I didn’t touch in this period of crisis is about “I“(myself). Who am I ?. ..

All I know about myself is that I am not happy (अहं सर्वदा दुःखभारावसन्नो – I am always sunken with the burden of Sorrows). I want the crisis to be over and I want to be happy.

Absolutely nothing wrong with this feeling. All living beings desire to be happy without any misery. This is human nature. But then who am “I”? What do I mean when I use the word “Happy”?

Read my blogs in the coming weeks in the “Spirituality” Section of the Menu.

Lord Ganesha

As I conclude Adi Sankara’s Pancha Rathnamala on Lord Ganesh, my memories went several decades back to my childhood days and the number of “Thoppukaranams” that I use to do before each exam in the schools. This is an age old practice prevalent for centuries in India, more particularly in South of India. Modern day Western World calls it “Super Brain Yoga” now and has converted this practice into a money making health exercise.

I also used to wonder about the number of alternate names that He has and the number of shapes and sizes that He manifests at different homes.

Even today as I google, I see 25.8 Million images of Lord Ganesha in a span of 0.67 seconds and there are a minimum of 108 alternate names for Him.

Here is one such simple image that I thought should be shared.

Ganesha Pancharathnamala – Verse 5

नितान्तकान्तदन्तकान्तिमन्तकान्तकात्मजं

अचिन्त्यरूपमन्तहीनमन्तरायकृन्तनम् ।

हृदन्तरे निरन्तरं वसन्तमेव योगिनां

तमेकदन्तमेव तं विचिन्तयामि सन्ततम् ॥५॥

Nitaanta-Kaanta-Danta-Kaantim-Antaka-Antaka-[A]atmajam

Acintya-Ruupam-Anta-Hiinam-Antaraaya-Krntanam |

Hrd-Antare Nirantaram Vasantam-Eva Yoginaam

Tam-Eka-Dantam-Eva Tam Vicintayaami Santatam ||5||

Meaning of the Sanskrit Words

नितान्तकान्तदन्तकान्तिमन्तकान्तकात्मजं (Nitaanta-Kaanta-Danta-Kaantim-Antaka-Antaka-Aatmajam): Who is Very Dear to Devotees as Beautiful Ekadanta and Who is the Son of One Who Restrained Yama

नितान्त (Nitaanta) = Extraordinary, Excessive, Considerable, Very Much

कान्त (Kaanta) = Desired, Loved, Dear

दन्त (Danta) = signifying Ekadanta [another name of Sri Ganesha]

कान्ति (Kaanti) = Loveliness, Beauty, Splendour

अन्तक (Antaka) = Yama

अन्तक (Antaka) = Putting an End, Causing Death

आत्मज (Aatmaja) = Born from, a Son, self-originated

अचिन्त्यरूपमन्तहीनमन्तरायकृन्तनम् (Acintya-Ruupam-Antahiinam-Antaraaya-Krntanam): Whose Form is Inconceivable and without any Limit and which Cuts through the Obstacles [of Devotees]

अचिन्त्य (Acintya) = Inconceivable, Surpassing thought

रूप (Ruupa) = Form, Appearance

अन्त (Anta) = End, Limit, Boundary

हीन (Hiina) = Left, Abandoned, Bereft or Deprived of, Low, Vile

अन्तराय (Antaraaya) = Intervention, Obstacle

कृन्तन (Krntana) = Cutting of, Dividing

हृदन्तरे (Hrd-Antare): Within the Cave of the Heart

हृद् (Hrd) = Heart

अन्तर (Antara) = Interior of anything

निरन्तरं (Nirantaram): Having no Interval, Uninterrupted, Perpetual, Continually

वसन्तमेव (Vasantam-Eva): Abides in this manner

वस (Vasa) = Dwelling, Residence

एव (Eva) = Exactly so, in this Manner, Indeed, Truly

योगिनां (Yoginaam): Yogis

योगिन् (Yogin) = Yogi, Ascetic, contemplative Saint

तमेकदन्तमेव (Tam-Eka-Dantam-Eva): [I Reflect upon] Him, the Ekadanta

तम् (Tam) = His

एक (Eka) = One

दन्त (Danta) = an Elephant’s Tusk, Ivory

एव (Eva) = Exactly so, in this Manner, Indeed, Truly

विचिन्तयामि (Vicintayaami): I Reflect upon

विचिन्त् (Vicint) = to Think of, Reflect upon, to Perceive, Discern, Observe

सन्ततम् (Santatam): Stretch or Extended along, Woven together, Continuous, Uninterrupted

Meaning of the Verse

5.1: (Salutations to Sri Vinayaka) Whose Beautiful Form of Ekadanta is very much Dear to His Devotees, and Who is the Son of the One (referring to Lord Shiva) Who Put an End to (i.e. restrained) Antaka (i.e. Yama).

5.2: Whose essential Form is Inconceivable and without any Limit, and which Cuts through the Obstacles of His Devotees,

5.3: Who Continually Abides in the Cave of the Heart of the Yogis.

5.4: I Continually Reflect upon Him, the Ekadanta (another name of Sri Vinayaka).

Meaning in Tamil

ஒற்றைத்தந்த அழகுடனே அடியோரின் மன நிறையோனே

காலனவன் அடிபணியும் இறையோனின் முதற்புதல்வோனே

கருதுதற்கியலா வடிவுடனே எல்லையில்லா நிறைவோனே

அடியோரின் இடரதனை அடியோடு களைத்திடுவோனே

ஞானியரின் இதயச்சுரங்கமதில் நிலையாக உறைவோனே

ஒற்றைத்தந்த உருவமதை இடையின்றி நினைத்திடுவேனே

Ganesha Pancharathnamala – Verse 4

अकिंचनार्तिमार्जनं चिरन्तनोक्तिभाजनं

पुरारिपूर्वनन्दनं सुरारिगर्वचर्वणम् ।

प्रपञ्चनाशभीषणं धनंजयादिभूषणम्

कपोलदानवारणं भजे पुराणवारणम् ॥४॥

Akincana-[A]arti-Maarjanam Cirantano[a-U]kti-Bhaajanam

Pura-Ari-Puurva-Nandanam Sura-Ari-Garva-Carvannam |

Prapan.ca-Naasha-Bhiissannam Dhananjaya-[A]adi-Bhuussannam

Kapola-Daana-Vaarannam Bhaje Puraanna-Vaarannam ||4||

Meaning of the Sanskrit Words

अकिंचनार्तिमार्जनं (Akincana-Aarti-Maarjanam): Who Wipes out the Sufferings of the Destitutes

अकिञ्चन (Akin.cana) = Without Anything, Utterly Destitute, Disinterested, Worth Nothing

आर्ति (Aarti) = Pain, Injury, Mischief, Sickness

मार्जन (Maarjana) = Wiping away, Cleaning, Broom, Brush

चिरन्तनोक्तिभाजनं (Cirantana-Ukti-Bhaajanam): Who is the Receptacle of the Words of Praise of Ancients

चिरन्तन (Cirantana) = Existing from Ancient Times

उक्ति (Ukti) = Speech, Proclamation, Word, Expression

भाजन (Bhaajana) = Sharing, Participating in, Entitled to, a Recipient, Receptacle, a Vessel, Pot

पुरारिपूर्वनन्दनं (Pura-Ari-Puurva-Nandanam): Who is the Former Son of the Enemy of the Tripurasuras

पुर (Pura) = a Fortress, Castle, City, House, Tripurasura

अरि (Ari) = an Enemy, a Devoted or Pious Man

पुर्व (Purva) = Former, Before, Prior, Preceding

नन्दन (Nandana) = a Son, Gladdening, Rejoicing

सुरारिगर्वचर्वणम् (Sura-Ari-Garva-Carvannam): Who Chews down the Pride and Arrogance of the Enemies of the Devas

सुर (Sura) = Deva, God, Divinity

अरि (Ari) = an Enemy, a Devoted or Pious Man

गर्व (Garva) = Pride, Arrogance

चर्वण (Carvanna) = Chewing, Tasting, Solid Food

प्रपञ्चनाशभीषणं (Prapan.ca-Naasha-Bhiissannam): Who assumes Terrible Form to Destroy the Delusion of the World

प्रपञ्च (Prapan.ca) = Expansion, Manifoldness, Diversity, Expansion of the Universe, the Visible World

नाश (Naasha) = Destruction, Annihilation

भीषण (Bhiissanna) = Terrifying, Frightening, Formidable

धनंजयादिभूषणम् (Dhananjaya-Aadi-Bhuussannam): Who Himself is Adorned with Poers like that of Fire etc

धनंजय (Dhanamjaya) = Fire

आदि (Aadi) = Beginning with, Etc, and so on, and Others

भूषण (Bhuussanna) = Adorned, Decorated

कपोलदानवारणं (Kapola-Daana-Vaarannam): From Whose Cheeks flow down the Juice of Grace

कपोल (Kapola) = Cheek

दान (Daana) = act of Giving, Gift, Donation, Rut-Fluid

वारुणी (Vaarunnii) = any Spirituous Liquor, of a River

भजे (Bhaje):

भज् (Bhaj) = To Revere, Adore

पुराणवारणम् (Puraanna-Vaarannam): Juice of Praise form the Puranic Scriptures

पुराण (Puraanna) = Ancient, Old, the Puranic Scriptures

वारुणी (Vaarunnii) = any Spirituous Liquor, of a River

Meaning of the Verse

4.1: (Salutations to Sri Vinayaka) Who Wipes out the Sufferings of the Destitutes who take His Refuge; Who is the Receptacle of the Words of Praises of the Ancients,

4.2: Who is the Former Son (the latter being Kartikeya) of the Enemy of Tripurasuras (i.e. Lord Shiva), and Who Chews down the Pride and Arrogance of the Enemies of the Devas,

4.3: Who wields Terrible Power to Destroy the delusion of the Five Elements constituting the World (from the mind of His Devotees); Who Himself is Adorned with the Powers (behind the Five Elements) like Fire etc,

4.4: From Whose Cheeks flow down the Juice of Grace; Salutations to Him Whose Praise similarly flows down like Juice from the Puranas.

Meaning in Tamil

என்றும் எளியோரின் துயர் துடைப்போனே

தொன்று தொட்டு புவியோர் உனைப் புகழ்வோரே

முப்புரமெரி அச்சிவனவனின் முழுமுதல் பாலனே

அசுரர்தம் அகந்தைதனை மென்றழித்தோனே

அச்சுறுத்தும் வலிமையுடன் மாயைதனை அழிப்போனே

அழலுடனே இதர இயற்கைதனின் ஆற்றல்தமை அணிந்தோனே

கருணை பொழிச்சாறு கன்னமதில் கசிந்துவரும் மதமொப்பதன்றோ

மறைகள் அமுதமெனப் பொழிந்திடும் உன் புகழதனை அடிபணிவேனே