Glimpses from Indian spirituality, mythology and way of life.

Glimpses from Indian spirituality, mythology and way of life.

By VENKATARAMAN MReligion & SpiritualityHinduism
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Glimpses from Indian spirituality, mythology and way of life. episodes

  • Hymn-Guru Stotram (M. Venkataraman)

    Guru occupies a very important place in the Hindu way of life.

    Hindu tradition gives a place of high esteem to a guru. The word cannot be
    easily translated though roughly it may be said that the word represents a
    teacher.

    In Sanskrit, the word Guru is made up of two root

    words Gu and Ru. Gu means darkness, and Ru means remover. So, the word guru
    stands for the teacher who is the remover of darkness and is the harbinger of
    enlightenment. Since Guru leads to a path of light, Guru is the Para Brahmam,
    the Almighty God.

    This Stotram is the one

    which offers prostrations at the lotus feet of the Almighty who is the highest
    Teacher of all beings. The author is not known but some consider that it is
    composed by Sage Vyasa.

    The poet says ‘Salutations

    to you, oh my Teacher. You are the Lord of the Universe and the teacher of the
    Universe. You are the Self in me, and the Self in all Beings. You are the one whose
    form is the entire universe and by whom all the movable and immovable are pervaded.
    You are both the beginning and the beginningless and you are limitless. You are
    the Creator, Sustainer and Destroyer of the Universe. You permeate in all
    objects both sentient and insentient. Through a needle coated with the ointment
    of knowledge, you indicate the one to be known and thus remove the blindness in
    me which is created by ignorance. You are the one who by bestowing the
    knowledge of the self, burns up the bondage created by accumulated actions of
    innumerable births. You are the one who is rooted in knowledge adorned with the
    garland of Truth and is the bestower of the joy of liberation.  

    O Almighty God, you alone

    are my mother, my father, my kinsman, and my friend. You are the source of all the
    knowledge and wealth. You are everything to me.

    Please also visit my

    website at https://www.ramannithya.com/

    8 min
  • Talk- Saints- Chapter 15- Swamy Rama Tirtha (M. Venkataraman)

    In

    earlier episodes, I have presented fourteen chapters from my
    book titled ‘Great Saints of India’.

    This

    is the fifteenth chapter of the book dealing with Swamy Rama Tirtha.

    Link for book

    https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01MZB809A

    https://www.amazon.com/dp/1520412738

    https://www.draft2digital.com/book/739855

    Link for audio book

    https://www.kobo.com/us/en/audiobook/great-saints-of-india-4

    https://play.google.com/store/audiobooks/details/VENKATARAMAN_M_Great_Saints_of_India?id=AQAAAEC8-xe7uM

    https://shop.authors-direct.com/products/great-saints-of-india

    https://www.chirpbooks.com/audiobooks/great-saints-of-india-by-venkataraman-m

    https://www.scribd.com/audiobook/537763163/Great-Saints-of-India

    https://books.apple.com/us/audiobook/id1593857836

    https://www.nookaudiobooks.com/audiobook/1060319/Great-Saints-of-India

    https://libro.fm/audiobooks/9781667080727

    https://www.audible.com/pd/Great-Saints-of-India-Audiobook/B09MSPFHKL

     

    Please also

    visit my website: https://www.ramannithya.com/

    15 min
  • Hymn-Subrahmanya Stotram (M. Venkataraman)

    This is a very short hymn on

    Lord Subrahmanya, the second son of Lord Shiva, also known as Murugan in Tamil.
    He is also known as Guha and Karthikeya. The first two stanzas of the hymn offer
    prostrations to the Lord residing at a place called Kumarasaila. Murugan is
    considered to have six faces. He is also the commander-in-chief of the army of
    the celestials known as the Devas.

    In the hymn, the poet says,

    ‘I worship the young god who dwells on Kumarasaila. He has six faces and twelve
    arms. He wears a crown. His faces are lovely with the brilliance cast by the
    gem-studded ear ornaments. He holds in his hands a spear, a powerful missile, a
    staff, a cock and a string of beads.

    I worship that young god of

    Kumarasaila who is sparkling with cheer in the company of his consorts Valli
    and Devayani, decked with garlands of divine flowers like the jasmine. He always
    likes to play on the loud percussion instrument and the resonant conch.

    At

    all times, I seek refuge with Lord Guha, the son of Lord Shiva who has the
    colour of red vermilion. He rides a divine peacock, is intelligent and is the
    commander of the army of the Devas.

    I worship that Lord of

    charming face, residing in the minds of great persons  and a knower of the secret of the Maha
    vakyas, the grand sayings of the Upanishads. He is the very substance of the
    great Vedas, the god of the good people and the ruler of the Universe.
    Salutations to that Almighty.

     

    Please also visit my

    website at https://www.ramannithya.com/

    6 min
  • Hymn-The Atmaarpana Stuthi-Verses 41-50 (M. Venkataraman)

    The

    Atmaarpana Stuthi is a hymn in Sanskrit language composed by Appayya
    Dikshitar, one of the great saints and proponent of Advaita Philosophy after
    Adi Sankara. It is a hymn in praise of Lord Shiva and is also known as
    ‘Unmattha Panchaa Shath’.

    Once

    Dikshitar felt that he has to put himself to a test as to whether his devotion
    to Lord Shiva was indeed true. He thought, ‘Suppose I become insane, will my
    mouth utter the name of Lord Shiva. If that be so, then it must be real.’ So,
    he embarked on an experiment. He made a paste of Datura seeds. These seeds are
    poisonous and if taken in, will make a person insane. He also prepared an
    antidote to this poison.

    He called

    his disciples. He gave them the poisonous paste and the antidote. He told them
    to give him the first potion for a week and write down whatever he said in that
    state of mind. After recording this, they have to give after a week, the
    antidote that would bring him back to normalcy. Indeed, it was a remarkable
    experiment to find out how serious he was about Shiva.

    The

    experiment started. The disciples recorded what he said during that time. It
    was this hymn on Lord Shiva consisting of fifty verses. ‘Panchaa Shath’ means
    50 and ‘Unmattha’ means “one who has lost his mind”. So, it is 50 verses
    composed during the period when he lost his mind.

    Link for

    the Book and the audio book

    Book

     

    https://play.google.com/books/publish/a/6906812638078302264#book/GGKEY:Z2LZCKQP5GH/review

     

    https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0B9STYXTK

     

    Audio Book

     

    https://www.kobo.com/us/en/audiobook/appayya-dikshitar-s-atmaarpana-stuthi-or-unmattha-panchaa-shath

     

    https://play.google.com/store/audiobooks/details/M_Venkataraman_Appayya_Dikshitar_s_Atmaarpana_Stut?id=AQAAAECC9De0pM

     

    https://www.chirpbooks.com/audiobooks/appayya-dikshitar-s-atmaarpana-stuthi-or-unmattha-panchaa-shath

     

    https://www.scribd.com/audiobook/585918699/Appayya-Dikshitar-s-Atmaarpana-Stuthi-or-Unmattha-Panchaa-Shath-With-brief-summary-in-English

     

    https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/appayya-dikshitars-atmaarpana-stuthi-or-unmattha-panchaa-shath-m-venkataraman/1141972658?ean=2940175026963

     

    https://www.audiobooks.com/audiobook/appayya-dikshitars-atmaarpana-stuthi-or-unmattha-panchaa-shath-with-brief-summary-in-english/617162

     

     

    Please also visit my

    website at https://www.ramannithya.com/

    9 min
  • Talk- Saints- Chapter 14- Surdas (M. Venkataraman)

    In

    earlier episodes, I have presented thirteen chapters from my
    book titled ‘Great Saints of India’.

    This

    is the fourteenth chapter of the book dealing with Surdas.

    Link for book

    https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01MZB809A

    https://www.amazon.com/dp/1520412738

    https://www.draft2digital.com/book/739855

    Link for audio book

    https://www.kobo.com/us/en/audiobook/great-saints-of-india-4

    https://play.google.com/store/audiobooks/details/VENKATARAMAN_M_Great_Saints_of_India?id=AQAAAEC8-xe7uM

    https://www.chirpbooks.com/audiobooks/great-saints-of-india-by-venkataraman-m

    https://www.scribd.com/audiobook/537763163/Great-Saints-of-India

    https://books.apple.com/us/audiobook/id1593857836

    https://www.nookaudiobooks.com/audiobook/1060319/Great-Saints-of-India

    https://libro.fm/audiobooks/9781667080727

    https://www.audible.com/pd/Great-Saints-of-India-Audiobook/B09MSPFHKL

     

    Please also

    visit my website: https://www.ramannithya.com/

    6 min
  • Hymn-Shiva Tandava Stotram (M. Venkataraman)

    This is a hymn said to have been composed

    by the great demon Ravana. Ravana committed the sin of abducting Sita and was
    punished by Lord Rama. We all know that. But Ravana was also a great devotee of
    Lord Shiva and he has composed this hymn praising Lord Shiva.

    There is a story behind this hymn. It is

    said that on one occasion Ravana tried to lift Mount Kailash in his hand to
    take Lord Shiva along with him to Sri Lanka. To prevent this, Lord Shiva
    pressed his toe. In the process, he crushed the fingers of Ravana and Ravana
    cried in pain. And to escape from the act of Lord Shiva, Ravana sang this hymn
    and thus pleased Lord Shiva.

    The hymn represents the cosmic dance

    of Lord Shiva that eliminates all negative energies. This contains 15 verses
    each describing in great detail the various qualities of Lord Shiva and his
    eternal beauty.

    Please also visit my

    website at https://www.ramannithya.com/

    9 min
  • Hymn-The Atmaarpana Stuthi-Verses 31-40 (M. Venkataraman)

    The

    Atmaarpana Stuthi is a hymn in Sanskrit language composed by Appayya
    Dikshitar, one of the great saints and proponent of Advaita Philosophy after
    Adi Sankara. It is a hymn in praise of Lord Shiva and is also known as
    ‘Unmattha Panchaa Shath’.

    Once

    Dikshitar felt that he has to put himself to a test as to whether his devotion
    to Lord Shiva was indeed true. He thought, ‘Suppose I become insane, will my
    mouth utter the name of Lord Shiva. If that be so, then it must be real.’ So,
    he embarked on an experiment. He made a paste of Datura seeds. These seeds are
    poisonous and if taken in, will make a person insane. He also prepared an
    antidote to this poison.

    He called

    his disciples. He gave them the poisonous paste and the antidote. He told them
    to give him the first potion for a week and write down whatever he said in that
    state of mind. After recording this, they have to give after a week, the
    antidote that would bring him back to normalcy. Indeed, it was a remarkable
    experiment to find out how serious he was about Shiva.

    The

    experiment started. The disciples recorded what he said during that time. It
    was this hymn on Lord Shiva consisting of fifty verses. ‘Panchaa Shath’ means
    50 and ‘Unmattha’ means “one who has lost his mind”. So, it is 50 verses
    composed during the period when he lost his mind.

    Link for

    the Book and the audio book

    Book

     

    https://play.google.com/books/publish/a/6906812638078302264#book/GGKEY:Z2LZCKQP5GH/review

     

    https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0B9STYXTK

     

    Audio Book

     

    https://www.kobo.com/us/en/audiobook/appayya-dikshitar-s-atmaarpana-stuthi-or-unmattha-panchaa-shath

     

    https://play.google.com/store/audiobooks/details/M_Venkataraman_Appayya_Dikshitar_s_Atmaarpana_Stut?id=AQAAAECC9De0pM

     

    https://www.chirpbooks.com/audiobooks/appayya-dikshitar-s-atmaarpana-stuthi-or-unmattha-panchaa-shath

     

    https://www.scribd.com/audiobook/585918699/Appayya-Dikshitar-s-Atmaarpana-Stuthi-or-Unmattha-Panchaa-Shath-With-brief-summary-in-English

     

    https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/appayya-dikshitars-atmaarpana-stuthi-or-unmattha-panchaa-shath-m-venkataraman/1141972658?ean=2940175026963

     

    https://www.audiobooks.com/audiobook/appayya-dikshitars-atmaarpana-stuthi-or-unmattha-panchaa-shath-with-brief-summary-in-english/617162

     

    https://shop.authors-direct.com/products/appayya-dikshitars-atmaarpana-stuthi-or-unmattha-panchaa-shath-with-brief-summary-in-english

     

     

    Please also visit my

    website at https://www.ramannithya.com/

    11 min
  • Talk- Saints-Chapter 13-Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu (M. Venkataraman)

    In

    earlier episodes, I have presented twelve chapters from my book titled ‘Great
    Saints of India’.

    This

    is the thirteenth chapter of the book dealing with Sri
    Chaitanya Mahaprabhu.

    Link for book

    https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01MZB809A

    https://www.amazon.com/dp/1520412738

    https://www.draft2digital.com/book/739855

    Link for audio book

    https://www.kobo.com/us/en/audiobook/great-saints-of-india-4

    https://play.google.com/store/audiobooks/details/VENKATARAMAN_M_Great_Saints_of_India?id=AQAAAEC8-xe7uM

    https://shop.authors-direct.com/products/great-saints-of-india

    https://www.chirpbooks.com/audiobooks/great-saints-of-india-by-venkataraman-m

    https://www.scribd.com/audiobook/537763163/Great-Saints-of-India

    https://books.apple.com/us/audiobook/id1593857836

    https://www.nookaudiobooks.com/audiobook/1060319/Great-Saints-of-India

    https://libro.fm/audiobooks/9781667080727

    https://www.audible.com/pd/Great-Saints-of-India-Audiobook/B09MSPFHKL

     

    Please also visit my

    website: https://www.ramannithya.com/

    9 min
  • Hymn-Sri Rama Apad Udhdharana stotram (M. Venkataraman)

    This is a simple stotram

    consisting of ten verses praying to Lord Rama for the removal of sufferings and
    agonies in life. The slokas seek removal of all types of diseases and pray for
    well-being and prosperity.

    Please also visit my website at https://www.ramannithya.com/

    4 min
  • Hymn- Raghavashtaka Stotram (M. Venkataraman)

    We

    are all aware of the great epic Ramayana. It is the religious text which
    describes and accounts the story and journey of Lord Rama, one of the ten
    incarnations of Lord Vishnu. The great epic written by Maharshi Valmiki
    highlights the heritage of India and is considered as an integral
    part of the history of ancient India.

    This

    is a stotram on Lord Rama consisting of eight verses. The author of this
    stotram is not known but it is considered that it might have been composed by
    Adi Sankara.

    Please also visit my

    website at https://www.ramannithya.com/

    4 min

About Glimpses from Indian spirituality, mythology and way of life.

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Ideas etc from Hinduism including Slokas, Hymns, stories and songs.