Glimpses from Indian spirituality, mythology and way of life.

Nandanar is one of the greatest of the Nayanmars of Shaivism. "I always long to remain in your presence, O Lord!” yearns Nandanar in this song on Lord Shiva Composed by Gopalakrishna Bharathiyar, the 18th century composer of Carnatic music.

O Lord, abiding in the town of Chidambaram which abounds in coconut groves, I yearn to remain singing about You happily in the famous pond of Siva Ganga which is famous in all quarters, and which is the holy sanctum of Goddess Sivakami. The sight of these will quench the hunger of the devotees and drive away their worries.

Oh, Lord, I yearn to remain singing about You in the surroundings of the Five steps of the Panchakshara, the flag pole, the beauty of the temple, the rare to behold Chidambara secret, and the chimes of the bells which are enchanting and dispel the fear of darkness and ignorance.

Oh Lord, dignified streets and learned people, the wonders which may not be even in the heavens, are here. I yearn to remain worshipping you here by showering flowers at your feet, where Balakrishna worships and which will bring to an end the dreads of the Ocean of Worldly Existence.

Enneyramum undan by Gopalakrishna Bharathiar, in the Ragam Devagandhari set to Adi Taala sung by Nirmala Ramachandran.

Bhajan- Muddugare Yashoda- Annamacharya

Saint Annamacharya is a poet–Saint of the fifteenth century. This song Muddugare Yashoda is a bright, simple song composed by him in Telugu. Here, Annamacharya draws upon the nine gems known as navaratnas to praise the young Krishna. In this process he makes references to many popular incidents from Krishna’s childhood and adolescence.

The navaratnas are a collection of nine gemstones that have a unique cultural significance in India and beyond. They are: the ruby, the pearl, the red coral, the emerald, the yellow sapphire, the diamond, the blue sapphire, the hessonite and the cats eye.

The Poet-Saint describes Lord Krishna as the pearl of the courtyard of Yashoda, the Ruby in the palm of every shepherd-woman, the strong Diamond that vanquished the stubborn Kamsa and the Emerald bead that radiates through the three worlds. He goes on to say that to Rukmini in amorous love-play, his lips seem as bright red as the coral; that in lifting the Govardhana hill, he is firm like the hessonite; and that in between his conch and discus, his face shines eternally like the cat’s eye.

He is the yellow Sapphire that spread over the Serpent Kalinga; He is the Blue Sapphire, reigning over the Venkata Hills. And he stands out as the Divine jewel among the treasures of the milky ocean.

Poigai Alwar, Bhudat Alwar and Peyalwar

In an earlier episode, we saw that Shaivism and Vaishnavism are the two most important facets of Hinduism and that they had a tremendous and lasting impact on Indian philosophy. Vaishnavism is a branch which believes Lord Vishnu as the Supreme deity. Vishnu is the Preserver or Sustainer of life with his steadfast principles of order, righteousness and truth. When these values are under threat, Vishnu emerges out of his transcendence to restore peace and order on earth. These are known as Avataras or Incarnations. There are ten Avataras of Vishnu and we have talked about them in our earlier episodes.

There are great saints in both Shaivism and Vaishnavism. They are spread throughout the length and breadth of the Indian sub-continent. The Nayanmars of Shaivism and the Alwars of Vaishnavism have made enormous contribution to the cause of the Hindu faith.

The Alwars are a group of twelve Vaishnava saints. They are famous for their poetry in praise of Lord Vishnu. The collection of their 4000 poems is known as the “Naalaayira Divya Prabhandam”.

Among the Alwars, the first in the line-up is Poigai Alwar, Bhudat Alwar and Peyalwar. They are collectively called as "Mudhal Alwars" (the first Alwars) and belong to the same period of time.

This episode gives a brief account of these three Alwars.

I have also brought about an audio book titled ‘Alwars-The Vaishnvie Saints’ which will be available with leading audio book-sellers like Google’s play books.

https://play.google.com/store/audiobooks/details/VENKATARAMAN_M_Alwars?id=AQAAAEAcKRZpGM

https://books.apple.com/us/audiobook/id1530919441

https://www.chirpbooks.com/audiobooks/alwars-by-venkataraman-m

Manasa Sancharare

This is a kriti of Sadasiva Brahmendra in Sanskrit language. This kriti expresses a desire to have the mind move around the Almighty God and feel his presence!

Sadasiva Brahmendra wants the mind to meditate on Krishna, who fulfills His devotees' desires. Praising the Lord as the Lord of Lakshmi, he picturises Him as exceedingly beautiful with a peacock feather in His hair and very red lips and playing His flute melodiously.

The kriti is sung by Nithya Venkataraman.

Sundaramurthy Nayanar

Shaivism is a branch which believes Lord Shiva as the supreme deity. The Nayanmars of Shaivism have made enormous contribution to the cause of the Hindu faith in Tamilnadu. The Nayanmars, also known as Nayanars, influenced the devotional aspect of God.

The Nayanmars are sixty three in number and they lived during the 6th to 8th century A.D. The three most prolific of the Nayanars are Thirunavukkarasar Nayanar also known as Appar, Thirugnana Sambandar Nayanar well-known as Sambandar, and Sundaramurthi Nayanar well-known as Sundarar. Their hymns make up the Thevaram.

Sundaramurthy Nayanar, known also as Sundarar, is one of the most prominent Nayanmars. This episode gives a brief account of Sundaramurthy Nayanar.

Guru Ashtakam

This is a hymn composed by Adi Sankara in praise of the Guru, the spiritual teacher.

A person may have a handsome body, enormous and stable wealth, children, grandchildren, relations and all. But of what consequence is one’s life if his mind is not devoted to the feet of the Guru?, he asks.

The words ‘tatakim tatakim tatakim tatakim’ comes so beautifully and rhythmically in the hymn:

All the Vedas are mastered and ever present on the lips; likewise, the knowledge of all the sciences is well gained. So what?

I am held in high esteem in my locality and I am honoured well even in far off places. In good conduct and noble deeds there is no one to excel me. So what?

My feet may be worshipped constantly even by the great kings and emperors of the world for reason of my greatness and scholarship. So what?

My fame has already spread in several places due to my unique generosity and as a result, all things of the world stand within my easy reach? So what?

Not only that. The mind may have turned away from external delights like horses, the enchanting face of the beloved, in short, the entire wealth of the earth and might have attained the Yogic concentration. So what?

The mind might have lost its charm to live in forests and in the house; It might have lost all desire to achieve anything; even the concern for the body’s welfare may have been outlived; the most invaluable treasure of the world may not hold any allurement. So what?

What consequence are all these, if the mind is not riveted in devotion to the lotus feet of the Guru? Really of what use is all this, what use, what use? What use?

This is a small story mainly for children telling why Lord Ganesha has a pot-belly.

Ganga Stotram

To the Hindus, the River Ganga is not merely a river. She is considered a goddess and as a mother. The Vedas mention Ganga as a sacred river and hence Ganga has been considered a sacred river since the Vedic age. According to the Puranas, the sight, the name and the touch of Ganga takes away all misdeeds. The river is considered a celestial one. In the earth, the river originates from the Gaumukha, Gangotri glacier in the central Himalayas, located in the Uttarakhand state of India. According to Hindu beliefs, taking bath in the river, particularly on special occasions, facilitates the attainment of salvation. It is considered that Ganga bestows blessings of the highest order.

This stotram is a hymn composed by Adi Sankara in praise of the Ganga.

I have also brought about an audio book titled ‘A few hymns on Devi’ which you may like to hear. It is available with leading audio book-sellers like Google’s play books.

https://www.scribd.com/audiobook/479468221/A-few-hymns-on-Devi

https://www.kobo.com/us/en/audiobook/few-hymns-on-devi-a

https://play.google.com/store/audiobooks/details/VENKATARAMAN_M_A_few_hymns_on_Devi?id=AQAAAECcbkguxM

https://www.chirpbooks.com/audiobooks/a-few-hymns-on-devi-by-venkataraman-m

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Viswamitra is one of the important sages of India. The importance lies in the fact that he was a king in the beginning and later became a sage through penance. He was not a simple sage but attained the status of a ‘Brahmarishi’ through his rigorous penance.

This episode gives a brief account of Sage Viswamitra.

I have also brought about an audio book titled ‘Ancient Sages of India’ which will be available with leading audio book-sellers like Google’s play books.

https://www.kobo.com/us/en/audiobook/ancient-sages-of-india

https://play.google.com/store/audiobooks/details/VENKATARAMAN_M_Ancient_Sages_of_India?id=AQAAAECcenU6-M

https://www.chirpbooks.com/audiobooks/ancient-sages-of-india-by-venkataraman-m

https://www.scribd.com/audiobook/478085404/Ancient-Sages-of-India

https://www.audiobooks.com/audiobook/ancient-sages-of-india/461360

https://books.apple.com/us/audiobook/id1533790027

https://www.nookaudiobooks.com/audiobook/1021931/Ancient-Sages-of-India

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One of the important sages of ancient India is Sage Veda Vyasa. He is well known as the one who has classified the Vedas, compiled the great epic Mahabharatha and authored the Brahma Sutras. He is considered to be the first historian of the human race. He is a genius by birth and performed rigorous penance and austerities to realize the supreme truth. He is also said to be an incarnation of Lord Vishnu.

He is the son of Sage Parashara, the Grandson of Sage Shakti and the Great-grandson of Sage Vashishta. He is the father of Sage Suka. Sage Suka became a great sage in his own way and made Sage Vyasa still more famous.

This episode gives a brief account of Sage Vyasa.

I have also brought about an audio book titled ‘Ancient Sages of India’ which will be available with leading audio book-sellers like Google’s play books.

https://www.kobo.com/us/en/audiobook/ancient-sages-of-india

https://play.google.com/store/audiobooks/details/VENKATARAMAN_M_Ancient_Sages_of_India?id=AQAAAECcenU6-M

https://www.chirpbooks.com/audiobooks/ancient-sages-of-india-by-venkataraman-m

https://www.scribd.com/audiobook/478085404/Ancient-Sages-of-India

https://www.audiobooks.com/audiobook/ancient-sages-of-india/461360

https://books.apple.com/us/audiobook/id1533790027

https://www.nookaudiobooks.com/audiobook/1021931/Ancient-Sages-of-India

https://shop.authors-direct.com/products/ancient-sages-of-india