ಯುಗಾದಿಯ ಶುಭಾಶಯಗಳು

Most of the ideas here are cliched, but I could not resist this poem when I saw my little Biyadiya's face when he ate the bEvu-bella his Grandfather gave him.

ಹೊಸ ವರುಷದ ಹಬ್ಬದಂದು
ಪುಟ್ಟ ಚೆಂದದಿಂದ ಮಿಂದು
ತಂದೆಯಿತ್ತ ಬೇವು-ಬೆಲ್ಲ
"ಒಲ್ಲೆ" ಎಂದನು ||

"ನೈವೇದ್ಯದ ದ್ರಾಕ್ಷಿ ಮಧುರ
ಪಾಯಸವೋ ಮತ್ತು ಸಿಹಿಯು
ಬೆಲ್ಲವೊಂದು ಮೆಲ್ಲೆ ಸಾಕು
ಬೇವು ನನಗೆ ಬೇಡವು"

ಎಂಬ ಮಾತ ಕೇಳಿ ತಾಯಿ
ಮುದ್ದು ಮಗನ ಬಳಿಗೆ ಸಾರಿ
ಬುದ್ಧಿ ಪೇಳ್ವೆನೆಂದು ಬಗೆದು
ಪುಟ್ಟನಿಗಿಂತೆಂದಳು

"ಬೆಲ್ಲದ ಜೊತೆ ಬೇವನುಣುವ
ಅರ್ಥಪೂರ್ಣಸಂಪ್ರದಾಯ-
-ದರ್ಥವನ್ನು ತಿಳಿಯೊ ಮಗುವೆ
ಕೇಳು ನನ್ನ ಮಾತನು

ಬೇವಿನ ಕಹಿ ಬೆಲ್ಲದ ಸಿಹಿ
ಸೇರೆ ಮೈಗರೋಗತೆ
ನೋವಿನ ಕಹಿ ನಲಿವಿನ ಸಿಹಿ
ಸೇರೆ ನಮಗೆ ಪೂರ್ಣತೆ

ಸ್ವಾತಂತ್ರ್ಯದ ಸವಿಯ ಮುಂದೆ
ನಿಯಮ ಕಹಿಯೆನಿಸಿದರೂ
ಎರಡರ ಸಮತೋಲನವೇ
ರಕ್ಷೆ ನಮಗೆ ತಿಳಿ ಮಗು

ಬಿಸಿಲು ಬಹಳ ಹೆಚ್ಚಿದಾಗ
ಮಳೆಯು ಕೂಡ ಸುರಿವುದು
ಅಂತೆಯೆ ಸುಖ ಬೇಕೆಂಬಗೆ
ಕಷ್ಟವಂತು ತಪ್ಪದು

ಸ್ವಾನುಭವದ ಮೂಸೆಯಲ್ಲಿ
ಬೇವು-ಬೆಲ್ಲ ಕರಗಿಸೆ
ದೊರೆವುದೆಮ್ಮ ಮನಕೆ ಶಾಂತಿ
ಸಮಾಧಾನವೆಂದಿಗೂ"

ಮಗುವಿಗಮ್ಮನಂದ ಮಾತು
ನಮಗೆ ಕೂಡ ವಿಹಿತವು
ಬೇವು-ಬೆಲ್ಲ ಸೇರಿ ನಮ್ಮ
ಬದುಕಾಗಲಿ ಪೂರ್ಣವು ||

ಎಲ್ಲರಿಗೂ ಯುಗಾದಿಯ ಹಾರ್ದಿಕ ಶುಭಾಶಯಗಳು !

ಶ್ರೇಯಸ್ಸು ಧೀಮಹಿಮೆ

ಇಂದು ಮಾರ್ಚ್ ೧೭ನೆಯ ತಾರೀಖು, ಕಳೆದ ಶತಮಾನದ ಒಬ್ಬ ಮಹಾದಾರ್ಶನಿಕ-ಕವಿ-ಋಷಿಯಾದ ಶ್ರೀ ಡಿ.ವಿ.ಗುಂಡಪ್ಪನವರ ಜನ್ಮದಿನ. ಡಿವಿಜಿ ಎಂದರೆ ನಮಗೆ ನೆನಪಿಗೆ ಬರುವುದು ಅದ್ಭುತವಾದ ಬರೆವಣಿಗೆ, ಆಳವಾದ ಒಳನೋಟ, ಪ್ರಾಮಾಣಿಕವಾದ ಮನಸ್ಸು, ಜೊತೆಗೆ ರಸವತ್ತಾದ ಮಾತು ಮತ್ತು ಹಾಸ್ಯ. 'ಬಾಳಿಗೊಂದು ನಂಬಿಕೆ', 'ದೇವರು', 'ಮಂಕುತಿಮ್ಮನ ಕಗ್ಗ', 'ಜ್ಞಾಪಕಚಿತ್ರಶಾಲೆ' ಮುಂತಾದ ಕೃತಿಗಳು ಜೀವನದಲ್ಲಿ ಪಾಲಿಸಬೇಕಾದ ಆದರ್ಶಗಳನ್ನು ಸೂಚಿಸುವುದರ ಜೊತೆಗೆ ಜೀವನದ ಸೌಂದರ್ಯವನ್ನೂ ಬಿಂಬಿಸುತ್ತವೆ. "ಆಹಾ, ಆ ಕಾಲ ಎಷ್ಟು ಚೆನ್ನಾಗಿತ್ತು, ಕಳೆದುಹೋಯಿತಲ್ಲ" ಎಂದು ಕೇವಲ ಪರಿತಪಿಸದೆ ಈ ಕಾಲದಲ್ಲಿಯೂ ಅಷ್ಟೇ ಆನಂದದಿಂದಿರಲು ಮಾರ್ಗವಿದೆಯೇ ಎಂಬ ವಿಚಾರದೆಡೆ ನಮ್ಮ ಯೋಚನೆ ಹರಿಯಲು ಪ್ರೇರಿಸುತ್ತವೆ ಇವರ ಕೃತಿಗಳು.

ಡಿವಿಜಿ ಅವರ 'ಮಂಕುತಿಮ್ಮನ ಕಗ್ಗ'ವಂತೂ ಅವರಿಗೆ 'ಆಧುನಿಕಗೀತಾಚಾರ್ಯ'ನೆಂಬ ಬಿರುದನ್ನೂ ತಂದು ಕೊಟ್ಟಿದೆ. ಕಗ್ಗವು ಜೀವನಕ್ಕೆ ಒಂದು manual ಇದ್ದಂತೆ. ಒಂದೊಂದು ಪದ್ಯದಲ್ಲಿಯೂ ಸ್ವಾರಸ್ಯಕರವಾದ, ವಿಚಾರಪ್ರಚೋದಕವಾದ ಮತ್ತು ಜೀವನಕ್ಕೆ ಉಪಯುಕ್ತವಾದಂಥ ವಿಷಯಗಳು ತುಂಬಿವೆ. ನನಗೆ ಬಹಳ ದಿನಗಳಿಂದ ಡಿವಿಜಿ ಅವರ ಬಗ್ಗೆ ಏನಾದರೂ ಬರೆದು, ಈ ದಿನ ಅದನ್ನು ಪೋಸ್ಟಿಸಬೇಕೆಂಬ ಆಸೆಯಿತ್ತು. ಆದರೆ ಅದು ಸಾಧ್ಯವಾಗಲಿಲ್ಲ. ಆದ್ದರಿಂದ, ಕೆಲವು ವರ್ಷಗಳ ಹಿಂದೆ ಬರೆದ ಈ ಲೇಖನವನ್ನೇ, ಕೆಲವು ಬದಲಾವಣೆಗಳೊಂದಿಗೆ ನಿಮ್ಮ ಮುಂದಿಡುತ್ತಿದ್ದೇನೆ.

ಕಗ್ಗದ ಒಂದು ಪದ್ಯ ಹೀಗಿದೆ:

ಶ್ರೀಯನಾಯುವ ಬಲವ ಜಯವ ಬೇಡಿರ್ದೊಡಂ
ಗಾಯತ್ರಿಯನೆ ಪರಮಮಂತ್ರವೆಂದಾರ್ಯರ್
ಧೀಯಂ ಪ್ರಚೋದಿಸೆಂದನುದಿನದಿ ಬೇಡಿದರು
ಶ್ರೇಯಸ್ಸು ಧೀಮಹಿಮೆ ಮಂಕುತಿಮ್ಮ || ೫೪೬ ||

ಅರ್ಥ: ಆರ್ಯರು ಸಂಪತ್ತನ್ನು, ಬಲವನ್ನು ಅಥವಾ ಜಯವನ್ನು ಬೇಡಲಿಲ್ಲ; ಗಾಯತ್ರಿಯನ್ನೇ ಪರಮ ಮಂತ್ರವೆಂದು ತಿಳಿದು 'ಬುದ್ಧಿಯನ್ನು ಪ್ರಚೋದಿಸು' ಎಂದು ಅನುದಿನವೂ ಬೇಡಿದರು. ಬುದ್ಧಿಯ ಮಹಿಮೆ ಏನೆಂದರೆ ಅದು ಶ್ರೇಯಸ್ಸನ್ನು ತರುತ್ತದೆ.

ಈ ಪದ್ಯದಲ್ಲಿ ಡಿವಿಜಿಯವರು ಸಂಪತ್ತು, ಜಯಕ್ಕಿಂತ ಧೀ ಅಥವಾ ಬುದ್ಧಿ ಶ್ರೇಯಸ್ಕರ ಎಂದು ಹೇಳಿದ್ದಾರೆ. ಆರ್ಯರು ಎಂದರೆ ತಿಳಿದವರು. ನಮ್ಮಲ್ಲಿ ಸಂಪತ್ತನ್ನು ಗಳಿಸಲು, ಜಯವನ್ನು ಗಳಿಸಲು ಸಹ ಮಂತ್ರಗಳು ಇದ್ದರೂ ಇವೆಲ್ಲಕ್ಕಿಂತ ಶ್ರೇಷ್ಠವೆಂದು ತಿಳಿಯಲ್ಪಟ್ಟಿರುವ ಮಂತ್ರವೆಂದರೆ ಗಾಯತ್ರೀ ಮಂತ್ರ. ಎಲ್ಲರಿಗೂ ತಿಳಿದಂತೆ, ಗಾಯತ್ರೀ ಮಂತ್ರದ ನೇರ ಅರ್ಥ "ಎಲೈ ಸೂರ್ಯನೆ, ನಮ್ಮ ಬುದ್ಧಿಯನ್ನು ಪ್ರಚೋದಿಸು" ಎಂದು.

ಈ ಪದ್ಯದಲ್ಲಿ ಮುಖ್ಯವಾದ ಪದಗಳು ಧೀ, ಪ್ರಚೋದಿಸು, ಮತ್ತು ಶ್ರೇಯಸ್ಸು. ಮೂರರ ಬಿಡಿ-ಬಿಡಿ ಅರ್ಥಗಳನ್ನು ವಿಚಾರಿಸಿ ನಂತರ ಒಟ್ಟು ಅರ್ಥವನ್ನು ತಿಳಿಯಲು ಪ್ರಯತ್ನ ಪಡೋಣ.

ಮೊದಲಿಗೆ ಶ್ರೇಯಸ್ಸು ಎಂದರೆ ಏನು ಎನ್ನುವುದನ್ನು ನೋಡೋಣ. ಶ್ರೇಯಸ್ಸನ್ನು ಅರ್ಥ ಮಾಡಿಕೊಳ್ಳುವುದರ ಜೊತೆ ಪ್ರೇಯಸ್ಸನ್ನೂ ನಾವು ತಿಳಿಯಬೇಕು. ಕಠೋಪನಿಷತ್ತಿನಲ್ಲಿ ಒಂದು ಮಂತ್ರದ ಭಾಗ ಹೀಗಿದೆ.

ಅನ್ಯಚ್ಛ್ರೇಯೋನದುತೇವ ಪ್ರೇಯಃ
ಉಭೇ ತೇ ನಾನಾರ್ಥೇ ಪುರುಷಂ ಸಿನೀತಃ |
ತಯೋಃ ಶ್ರೇಯ ಆದದಾನಸ್ಯ ಸಾಧು
ಭವತಿ ಹೀಯತೇ ಅರ್ಥಾತ್ ಯ ಉ ಪ್ರೇಯೋ ವೃಣೀತೇ ||

ತಮ್ಮನ್ನು ಅಂಗೀಕರಿಸಲೆಂದು ಹತ್ತಿರ ಬಂದ ಶ್ರೇಯೋ-ಪ್ರೇಯಗಳಲ್ಲಿ ಶ್ರೇಯಸ್ಸನ್ನು ಅಂಗೀಕರಿಸಿದವನಿಗೆ 'ಸಾಧು' ಅಥವಾ ಒಳ್ಳೆಯದಾಗುತ್ತದೆ. ಪ್ರೇಯಸ್ಸನ್ನು ಅಂಗೀಕರಿಸಿದವನು ಗುರಿ ತಪ್ಪುತ್ತಾನೆ ಎಂದು ಇದರರ್ಥ. ಶ್ರೇಯಸ್ಸು ಎಂದರೆ ಶುಭ, ಮಂಗಳ ಮತ್ತು ಏಳಿಗೆ. ಗುರಿ ತಪ್ಪಿಸುವುದು ಪ್ರೇಯಸ್ಸು. ಇಲ್ಲಿ ಏಳಿಗೆಯನ್ನು ಉಂಟುಮಾಡುವುದು ಏನು ಎಂಬುದನ್ನು ವಿಚಾರಿಸುವುದು ಮನುಷ್ಯನಿಗೇ ಬಿಟ್ಟಿದ್ದು. ರಾಮನಿಗೂ ರಾವಣನಿಗೂ ಒಂದೇ ಮಾರ್ಗ ರುಚಿಸುವುದಿಲ್ಲ, ಸರಿ ಹೊಂದುವುದೂ ಇಲ್ಲ, ಅಲ್ಲವೇ?

ನಮ್ಮ ಮುಂದಿನ ಪದ ಧೀಃ ಎಂಬುದು. ಧೀ ಎಂದರೆ ಬುದ್ಧಿ. ಒಳ್ಳೆಯದರಿಂದ ಕೆಟ್ಟದ್ದನ್ನು ಬೇರ್ಪಡಿಸುವ ಶಕ್ತಿ. ವೇದಗಳಲ್ಲಿ ವಾಗ್ದೇವಿ ಅಥವಾ ಸರಸ್ವತಿಯನ್ನು ಯನ್ನು "ಧೀನಾಮವಿತ್ರೀ" ಎಂದು ಸ್ತುತಿಸಿದ್ದಾರೆ. ಎಂದರೆ 'ಬುದ್ಧಿಯನ್ನು ರಕ್ಷಿಸುವವಳು', ಅಥವಾ ಇನ್ನೊಂದು ರೀತಿಯಲ್ಲಿ ಹೇಳುವುದಾದರೆ 'ಬುದ್ಧಿಯು ನಾಶವಾಗದಂತೆ ಅನುಗ್ರಹಿಸುವವಳು' ಎಂದು. ಹಾಗೆಯೇ ಲಲಿತಾಷ್ಟೋತ್ತರದಲ್ಲಿ ತಾಯಿಯನ್ನು 'ಸರ್ವೋಪಲಬ್ಧಿಹೇತುಶ್ಚ ಬುದ್ಧಿನಿಶ್ಚಯರೂಪಿಣೇ' ಎಂದು ವರ್ಣಿಸಿದ್ದಾರೆ. ಬುದ್ಧಿಯು 'ಸರ್ವೋಪಲಬ್ಧಿಹೇತು'- ಎಲ್ಲವನ್ನೂ ಪಡೆಯಲು ಕಾರಣವಾಗುವುದು. ಇದರ ಅರ್ಥ ಬುದ್ಧಿರೂಪಳಾಗಿದ್ದು, ಎಲ್ಲವನ್ನೂ ಪಡೆಯುವುದಕ್ಕೆ ಕಾರಣಳಾಗಿರುವವಳು ಎಂದು. ಕೇವಲ ಬುದ್ಧಿಯಿಂದಲೇ ನಾವು ಐಹಿಕ, ಆಮುಷ್ಮಿಕ ಫಲಗಳನ್ನು ಪಡೆಯಲು ಸಾಧ್ಯ. ಒಂದು ಸೋಜಿಗದ ಸಂಗತಿ ಇಲ್ಲಿ ಕಾಣಿಸುತ್ತದೆ. ಅದು ಏನೆಂದರೆ ಬುದ್ಧಿಪೂರ್ವಕವಾಗಿ ನಾವು ಮಾಡಿದ ಕೆಲಸಗಳಿಂದ ನಮಗೆ ಶ್ರೇಯಸ್ಸೇ ಆಗುವುದು. ಇದು ನಿತ್ಯಸತ್ಯ. ಭಗವದ್ಗೀತೆಯಲ್ಲಿ ದೇಹವೆಂಬ ರಥಕ್ಕೆ ಬುದ್ಧಿಯೇ ಸಾರಥಿ ಎಂದು ಹೇಳಿದೆ. ಎಂದರೆ ಬುದ್ಧಿಯ ಸಾಹಾಯ್ಯದಿಂದಲೇ ನಮ್ಮ ಕೆಲಸಗಳೆಲ್ಲ ಆಗುವುದು. ಬುದ್ಧಿ ಕೈಕೊಟ್ಟರೆ ಅದರ ದುಷ್ಪರಿಣಾಮಗಳು ಅನೇಕ.

ಮೊನ್ನೆ ಒಂದು ಉಪನ್ಯಾಸದಲ್ಲಿ ಶ್ರೀ ತೇಜೋಮಯಾನಂದರು ಒಂದು ಕಥೆಯನ್ನು ಹೇಳಿದರು. ಒಬ್ಬ ಮನುಷ್ಯ ಇದ್ದನಂತೆ, ವಿಪರೀತ ಮುಂಗೋಪಿ. ಅವನು ಸ್ನೇಹಿತನಿಗೆ ಹೇಳಿದನಂತೆ "ನೋಡಯ್ಯ, ನನಗೆ ಕೋಪ ಬಂದರೆ ಯೋಚನಾಶಕ್ತಿಯೇ ಹೊರಟುಹೋಗುತ್ತದೆ" ಎಂದು. ಅದಕ್ಕೆ ಸ್ನೇಹಿತ ಉತ್ತರಿಸಿದನಂತೆ "ಇಲ್ಲವಯ್ಯ, ನೀನು ಯೋಚನೆ ಮಾಡದಿದ್ದಾಗಲೇ ನಿನಗೆ ಕೋಪ ಬರುವುದು" ಎಂದು! ಇದರಿಂದ ಏನನ್ನು ಕಲಿಯಬಹುದು ಎಂದು ಯೋಚಿಸೋಣ. ಬುದ್ಧಿ ಒಂದು ಕ್ಷಣ ಕೈ ಕೊಟ್ಟರೂ ಅದರಿಂದ ಆಗುವ ನಷ್ಟ ಹೆಚ್ಚು. ಬುದ್ಧಿ "ಬೇಡ" ಎಂದಿದ್ದನ್ನು ಮನಸ್ಸು, ದೇಹಗಳು ಮಾಡಿದರೆ ಅಥವಾ ಬುದ್ಧಿ "ಮಾಡು" ಎಂದಿದ್ದನ್ನು ದೇಹಮನಸ್ಸುಗಳು ಮಾಡದಿದ್ದರೆ ಅನುಶಯಪೂರಿತವಾದ ಹಿನ್ನೋಟ ತಪ್ಪದು! ಆದ್ದರಿಂದ ಯಾವಾಗಲೂ, ಎಲ್ಲ ಕಡೆ ಬುದ್ಧಿಗೇ ಹೆಚ್ಚು ಪ್ರಾಶಸ್ತ್ಯ.

ಇನ್ನು ಉಳಿದ ಪದ "ಪ್ರಚೋದಿಸು" ಎಂಬುದು. ಬುದ್ಧಿ ಎನ್ನುವುದು ಕ್ರಯಕ್ಕೆ ಸಿಕ್ಕುವ ಅಥವಾ ಬೇಡಿದರೆ ಸಿಗುವ ಸಾಮಗ್ರಿಯಲ್ಲ. ಹಣ ಕೊಟ್ಟು ಪುಸ್ತಕವನ್ನು ಕೊಳ್ಳಬಹುದು, ಆದರೆ ಅದರಿಂದ ಏನನ್ನು ಕಲಿಯುತ್ತೇವೆ, ಹೇಗೆ ಕಲಿಯುತ್ತೇವೆ ಎಂಬುದು ಸಂಪೂರ್ಣವಾಗಿ ನಮ್ಮನ್ನು ಅವಲಂಬಿಸಿದ್ದು. ಎಯ್ನ್ ರ್‍ಯಾಂಡ್ ನ ಪುಸ್ತಕಗಳನ್ನು ಓದಿ ಕಮ್ಯೂನಿಸ್ಟ್ ಆದವರೂ ಇರಬಹುದು, ಕಾರ್ಲ್ ಮಾರ್ಕ್ಸ್ ಅನ್ನು ಓದಿ ಕ್ಯಾಪಿಟಲಿಸ್ಟ್ ಆದವರೂ ಇರಬಹುದು! ಬುದ್ಧಿಯನ್ನು ದೇವರೂ ಸಹ ನಮಗೆ 'ಕೊಡಲು' ಸಾಧ್ಯವಿಲ್ಲ; ಕೇವಲ ಪ್ರಚೋದಿಸಬಹುದು, ಅಷ್ಟೆ. ನಮ್ಮ ಸುತ್ತಮುತ್ತಲಿನ ವಿಷಯಗಳು ಮತ್ತು ಓದುವ ವಿಚಾರಗಳು ನಮ್ಮ ಬುದ್ಧಿಯನ್ನು ಒಳ್ಳೆಯದಕ್ಕಾಗಲಿ, ಕೆಟ್ಟದಕ್ಕಾಗಲಿ ಕೇವಲ ಪ್ರಚೋದಿಸುತ್ತವೆ. ಅದರಿಂದಲೇ ಡಿವಿಜಿಯವರು ಇಲ್ಲಿ "ಪ್ರಚೋದಿಸು" ಎಂದು ಹೇಳಿದ್ದಾರೆ.

ಈ ಪದ್ಯದ ಒಟ್ಟು ಅರ್ಥವನ್ನು ಈಗ ವಿಚಾರಿಸೋಣ. ಕಠೋಪನಿಷತ್ತಿನಲ್ಲಿಯೇ ಮುಂದಿನ ಮಂತ್ರದಲ್ಲಿ "ಶ್ರೇಯೋ ಹಿ ಧೀರೋಽಭಿ ಪ್ರೇಯಸೋ ವೃಣೀತೇ" ಎಂದು ಹೇಳಿದೆ. ಎಂದರೆ, ಧೀರ ಅಥವಾ ಬುದ್ಧಿವಂತನು ಪ್ರೇಯಸ್ಸು, ಶ್ರೇಯಸ್ಸುಗಳಲ್ಲಿ ಶ್ರೇಯಸ್ಸನ್ನು ಆರಿಸಿಕೊಳ್ಳುತ್ತಾನೆ ಎಂದು. ಸೂಕ್ಷ್ಮವಾಗಿ ನೋಡಿದರೆ, ಈ ಪದ್ಯದಲ್ಲಿ ಡಿವಿಜಿಯವರು ಹೇಳಿರುವುದೂ ಅದನ್ನೇ. ಬುದ್ಧಿಯಿಂದ ಅಥವಾ ಬುದ್ಧಿಯ ಅನುಮತಿಯಿಂದ ಸಂಪಾದಿಸಿರುವುದೆಲ್ಲವೂ ಶ್ರೇಯಸ್ಕರ. ಆದ್ದರಿಂದ ನಮ್ಮ ಜೀವನದ ಪ್ರತಿಯೊಂದು ಹೆಜ್ಜೆಯಲ್ಲಿಯೂ ನಾವು ವಿಚಾರ ಮಾಡಿ, ನಮಗೆ ಒಳ್ಳೆಯದನ್ನು ಉಂಟುಮಾಡುವುದನ್ನೇ ಆರಿಸಬೇಕು.

ಕಗ್ಗದ ಒಂದೊಂದು ಪದ್ಯಕ್ಕೂ ಅರ್ಥವ್ಯಾಪ್ತಿ ಅಧಿಕ. ಇಂಥ ಕೃತಿಯನ್ನು ನಮಗೆ ಕೊಟ್ಟ ರಸಋಷಿಗೆ ನಮೋ ನಮಃ.

Tagged!

Hip Grandma has tagged me to list five posts of mine on the following subjects:

Family
Friends
Myself
My love
Anything I like.

Now, I have written only some fifty posts till now in spite of being on Blogger for more than three years. I do not have posts that satisfy some categories. However, I will do this tag, bending some rules - hey, rules are meant to be broken, right?

Family: I do not remember doing a post on my family, ever. I mention them randomly, but I have not dedicated a post to them, thus far. So, I will instead list the post that I wrote about our family trip to Maharashtra. And yes, I still have to finish the series.

Friend: 'Diamonds are a girl's best friends' says a wise guy. 'Books are man's best friends' says another. I tend to agree with the latter. I have done quite some posts on books, but this, this , this and this are my favorites. The last two posts are in Kannada.

I have my fair share of friends (in flesh and blood), and am proud of being their friend. However, my oldest and steadiest friend is Meera, a very well-read young lady, and great person to talk to.

My love: Ahem. Did I say I love books? And yes, I have professed my love for < Malnad and Kalidasa too. Does that count? Because I have not written even a single post about my husband. Most of my posts pass through his QA tests and most of his posts pass through mine (which probably explains why I like his posts way better than mine?). And no, I am not at liberty to disclose who he is...

Anything I like: This is the easiest one, by far. I like poetry, music, books and many other things. These are my favorite posts.
The AavaraNa controversy (in Kannada)
Elysium on Earth
A great story I had read as a child

I now tag December Stud, Krupa , Poppins Mom, Bit Hawk , Suptadeeptiand anyone else who would like to do this tag.

Here is Bhadradri...

On more than one occasion, I have seen that nothing moves my little child as much as music does. With both his grandmothers teaching music and his parents humming away all the time (and admonished all the time for not practising), one could say that he has had a good exposure to music. When he was a very young baby, playing Nagaraj and Manjunath's violin would soothe him even during the worst colic-related tantrum. As he grew up, 'shuddha brahma parAtpara rAma'became one of his regular lullabies. With watching and listening to the Baby Einstein videos, came introduction to Western music also. Some of our young cousins and our driver have taken care to expose him to the new Kannada movie-songs too. But what has really amazed me is his love for the Bhadrachala Ramadaasa kritis.

Actually, the credit for making Biyadiya fall in love with the Bhadrachala Ramadasa kritis, goes to R. He started singing 'palukE bangAramAyena' to him, a few months ago, and he loved it. Then, one day, to quiten him, I played the song from the internet to him. Needless to say, he enjoyed it, background music and all. And one day, the cassette happened to appear right next to the tape-player (hey, I'm nothing if not lazy!), and I played it for him. That has gradually become a ritual. On seven days out of ten, he asks me to play the cassette at bedtime. Initially he used to wait for his favorite songs - palukE bangAramAyena and pAhi rAmaprabhO, but now he listens to all of them with rapt attention.

Being of a nature not so steady as his in matters such as these, I got bored of listening to the cassette over and over again. But of late (from the past four or five days), after I really started paying attention to the lyrics and the music, I have begun to enjoy the music almost as much as my little bundle of joy does. Ramadasa's poetry is wonderful. The sentiments expressed in each song is not just devotion to the Lord, but longing for a parent and the familiarity of a friend. For example, in 'ikShvAku kula tilaka', Ramadaasa asks

'kaliki turAyi meluvaka chEyisti ramachandra
kulukuchu tirugedavO evarappa sommani rAmachandra'. (Rama, I got a nice crown made for you. You are flaunting it like it is your Father's jewel!) Continuing, he says

'bhaktulaMdarini paripAliMcEDi sree rAmacaMdra
neevu kshEmamuga sree rAmadAsuni Elu rAmacaMdra'
This beautiful mix of sentiments - of viewing the Lord as the protector, a parent, a brother and a friend whom you can admonish, is what makes these compositions so dear and close to the heart.

In my opinion (fervent, as I have been on a high dose of Ramadasa for the past few days), these kritis are more egalitarian and down-to-earth than the great saint Tyagaraja's kritis. (Tyagaraja composed many, many more kritis than Ramadasa, so really, they ought not to be compared.) And of course, nearly half of the credit for making these songs so likable, goes to Dr.Balamurali Krishna. The music composition is just impeccable, and I defy any musician to compose the tune better than him. His rendition of these kritis is also superb. The forlornness experienced in 'E tIruga nannu' (nAdanAmakriyA), the confidence exuded in 'takkuvEmi manaku rAmuNDokkaDuNDu varaku'(sUryakAnti), the slyness in 'nannu brOvamani cheppavE' (kalyANi) are all brought out beautifully.

For me and little Biyadiya, it is musical heaven, almost every night!

Sringeri - God's own abode

grahEShu dhAriNI ramyA tatra ramyA dharAdharAH |
abhibhUtAsmi tatrApi pashchimAdrErvishEShataH ||

ग्रहेषु धारिणी रम्या तत्र रम्या धराधरा: ।
अभिभूतास्मि तत्रापि पश्चिमाद्रेर्विशेषतः ॥

I have professed my love for the hills and valleys of Malnad in an earlier post. No place in the world I have visited hitherto, has moved me as much as malenaaDu has. I read Kuvempu's 'malenADina chitragaLu' and similar works with greed. The reason is not just that the place is beautiful, it is something much more than that, something that I cannot put my finger upon. Though my trips there have been short, they influence me in undescribable ways. I always get the feeling that I am visiting home, during my travels to that area.

It was, therefore, with great enthusiasm (tempered with a little apprehension because my little son was to accompany us) that I prepared for our weekend trip to Sringeri. As Mother Sharada willed it, we did not get tickets for the Rajahamsa bus, and we had to take the ordinary bus which was euphemistically called an express. After a slightly uncomfortable journey, we alighted near the Sharada temple, the cold breeze biting into our hands and faces.

Sringeri is a place made famous by Shri ShankarAchArya. Legend says that the Acharya, during his travels, saw a cobra sheltering a pregnant frog from the heat of the Sun, on the banks of the Tunga river. He established the dakShiNAmnAya peetham, and made SureshwarAchArya, one of his chief disciples, the head of the peetham. Shri Bharatitirtha, an eminent scholar, is the present pontiff, and comes from an unbroken line of highly accomplished aacharyas.

There are two main temples in the complex. One is the temple dedicated to Mother Sharada, and the other one is the Vidyashankara temple. Vidyashankara temple was got constructed by Vidyaranya, the preceptor of Harihara and Bukka. The temple architecture is a beautiful icon of Shaiva-Vaishnava harmony, with imposing sculptures of the dashaavataaras along one half of the temple walls, and sculptures of Shiva on the other half. The inside of the temple is extremely soothing and peaceful. Biyadiya liked this temple the best, probably because he got to test his climbing skills (the steps are a little steep for a kid).

Of course, this is only the religious face of the Shankara matha (I hate calling it mutt). Borrowing words from Jane Austen, I can say that I have never seen a place for which Nature has done more, or where natural beauty has been so little counteracted by an awkward taste. The lamps in the Narasimhavana (the grove next to the temple), are all solar. Right next to it flows the beautiful but dangerous Tunga river. The fish in the river are taken care of by the matha. Needless to say, this was the little one's favorite part of the trip! There is a deer park nearby, also maintained by the matha. And the biggest attraction for me in all the temples of Udupi and South Canara, is the food. Hot and fresh and yummy. Before you know it, the plate is empty and you are left waiting for the next item, in spite of the serving being superfast and the helpings large. Even my son, the slowest and most picky eater I have seen till now, liked the food. An added aspect at the Shringeri Matha is that the food is cooked mainly using solar energy. It behooves us to take this leaf out of the Shrimatha's book!

After a brief rest in the afternoon, we left for a place called Hariharapura, a short distance away from Sringeri. Hariharapura houses another famous matha and a temple, whose main deity is Narasimha.

But the best attraction of Hariharapura has to be the Prabodhini gurukula . We crossed a small suspension bridge with a breathtaking view, to reach the gurukula. It is a gurukula in every sense of the word, with affectionate teachers (as far as we saw them) and lively children. Though I have my own reservations about residential schools, I really liked this gurukula. The students of the gurukula are taught organic farming and yoga along with Physics and Chemistry and the Vedas and fine arts. Not to mention discipline. There is an icon of Lord Krishna, sculpted by the students and worshipped by the students. The names of the classes are also interesting - ShraddhA, mEdhA, prajnA, etc., all very desirable qualities. Many of the gurukula's students have gone on to study various branches of Sciences and Arts. A few continue their studies at the Veda Vijnaana Gurukula near Bangalore, and join Prabodhini Gurukula as Acharyas. This school also conducts summer camps for children aged 13-14 years.

From Hariharapura we went to Kigga. Kigga is a very small town, recently in the news for Naxal activity. The Sun was already setting by then. The orange rays of the Sun played with the green leaves to create a heavenly effect. The temperature had fallen by this time, and it was very pleasant. How anybody can dare to disturb the peace of these small hamlets, is more than I can comprehend. Kigga has the temple of Rishyashringeshwara, the form of Shiva worshipped by the deer-horned sage, Rishyashringa. A rare and unexpected treat awaited us by the time we exited the temple. It was already dark by then, and power went off. We just happened to look up, and the night-sky was revealed to us in all its glory. For us city slickers, this kind of a view is as exciting as sighting a UFO.

Much can be said about the beauty of the Sringeri and the nearby hills. We did not pass by the Charmudi ghats this time. We could have possibly included Horanaadu or Agumbe, but after a terribly hectic one-day trip to Madurai last month(I was dreaming of Saravana Bhavan, but all of us had to settle for a banana and a couple of kODubaLes each, because we did not have time to dine!), we played it safe and stuck to Sringeri and a couple of the places that were very near, and enjoyed every minute of it.

R says that I love the place so much because of the novelty (I was brought up in Bellary, and live in Bangalore), but I refuse to believe that. Maharashtra did not inspire me with the same kind of devotion and awe and love, even though the beautiful Bhimashankar situated amidst the Sahyadri range is worth more than just a visit.

Our return journey was a day-journey. Biyadiya and some of the others fell asleep as soon as we got into the bus. I picked up my book to read, but shut it within two minutes. I could read the book any other time, but these hills and valleys would elude me for at least another year or two. The diversity of the flora struck me as I looked out of the window. Sometime I have to trek in these parts, just to observe the plants. I am sure that such a thing is not going to happen soon, but till then, I have memories of this trip to keep replaying in my mind.

Bhai-Bhai

The other day, we went to a nearby park with little Biyadiya. This one, near my house, is frequented by all nearby kids, including kids from nearby construction sites who do not know any language other than Tamil. It is a great experience to watch all these kids treating one another as just playmates, no strings attached.

That evening, there were two kids, who were evidently Muslims. The boy was young, five or six years old, with a skullcap on. The girl was slightly older, and wearing a worked-on red churidar. Both of them were conversing in Urdu. Now there are three slides in the park, one for big kids and two that are more toddler-friendly. While my little one is not scared of slides, he is usually reluctant to actually slide. This girl held him while he slid down, like the protective elder sister. The boy then tried to climb up the slide, but his big toe got stuck in a hole on the slide (did I mention that this park is maintained by the BDA?). He started crying. R tried to take his toe out, but it was stuck tight. The girl then cried "arey, Allah ka naam le ke nikaalo, aa jayega!". After some struggle, the toe came out, and everybody was happy.

I was amazed at the girl's maturity. She was helping kids onto swings and merry-go-rounds, held on to little Biyadiya because he was not comfortable sliding down the slide. She was but only slightly older than the boy, but had already taken on the role of a nurturer, a person who was capable of comforting others. One may say that girls are wired that way, but this one was extraordinary. She was far too intelligent, nay, mature for her age. What would she grow up to be? Would she grow up to be a Benazir Bhutto or a Taslima Nasreen? I wondered about the boy, too. Would he look up to his sister as he did now? And the other kids - would they (including my son) treat these two kids as somehow different when they grew up? I, an adult with reasonable sensitivity and intelligence, was thinking so much about the girl just because she was a muslim. This, in spite of knowing about cases of women-abuse in my own community!

Now, before people start accusing me of looking at people with colored glasses, let me make it clear that I have had, and still have muslim friends. And I think that it was much easier for us to befriend people from other religions, than it is for today's kids. Some boundaries are vanishing, but other, more unsurpassable boundaries are rising.

The truth hit me hard when we listened to some older children (probably 10-12 years old) talking in another park. One was asking another "Hey, what caste is yours?". When we were young, we were taught that asking about another's caste was wrong. I am definitely going to teach my children the same thing, but with so many divisive forces around us, is it possible?