Wednesday, April 27, 2011

Ratha Yathra for My ParthaSarathy! (ther)

[P.S: If this post tends to be very boring in the introduction part, feel free to skip to the green text. There is the actual description of the ratha :) ]
The morning dawned with determination to get up early. You see, Parthasarathy was technically up from 02:30 in the morning preparing for the Ther (Ratha).
But lazy, confused and caught up as i had been, it was a late 05:30 that i pulled myself out of my bed.
i was in such a horrible mood, i thought i would save PSP the misfortune of staring into my sullen face by not going.
This was something that would usually have me excited, but all i could do was pull a long face. My head was already aching so hard, as though a bullet was hiding inside.
But, i did force myself into His presence.

i haven't been to many ther festivals. i remember one as a kid, and one i went to last year, both in my native place of Thenthiruperai.
These thoughts, and the sound of the autorikshaw combined to churn out some sloshy weight in my head. Add to this my mom complaining over my rather ordinary choice of dress for such an extraordinary event (i was in no mood to celebrate), my eyes begged me to let them cry. Somehow, i was not exactly jubiliant or excited. i did not expect PSP to even look at me. i was convinced He would act like a piece of stone when i got to see Him (that is the thing that hurts me the most, when i cannot read anything on His face).

And, then my eyes wanted to cry all the more. But, for a different season. He loomed into my sorry eyes, ever so majestic, ever so breathtaking. The ther (ratha) had been done up in a red canopy. The red canopy was like  a makeshift roof, shielding Him from the sun. On all sides of the ther were horses, beautifully painted for the occasion, His guards, with their feet on the heads of asuras, and surrounding His ther were hundreds of people.
His ther was pulled by frenzied devotees. Their cries of "Govinda Gopala" were too infectious. They resounded in my ears which were feasting eagerly on their excitement, on that maddened devotion. In front walked the great learned people, singing the beautiful hymns of the Prabandham, even as those words filled my brain, and cleansed it of all its worries.
i felt dazed, dazzled even. The majesty of the whole thing was too much for my rattled brain.
But, all this i noticed later. What i noticed first was my dear Lord, my dear ParthaSarathy, seated beautifully within the ther. With Sridevi and Bhoomidevi on each side, He looked so breathtakingly majestic. ParthaSarathy- the Ruler.
But, more amazing to me was ParthaSarathy, the Driver.
Yes, how will PSP not drive?
Isn't He the one who drove Arjuna in the battlefield?
Isn't He the one who drives us through the battlefield called life?
Doesn't He drive our hearts to His feet?
While inside stood ParthaSarathy, dearest Lord; outside sat ParthaSarathy, my Lord.
There, He sat- His right leg folded in, His left angled out, almost as He were relaxing, and His left hand resting, almost carelessly, on His left knee. In His right hand was a red whip. His face exuded so much charm, i was dazzled. His moustache framed the most beautiful smile.
And, in His left hand, He held the reins of four white horses.
When i first saw Him like this, i was thrown back by surprise.
This particular form of His had enchanted me so much.
As is usual to work on polish, paint, etc., this particular idol of His had been placed in front of the Aandal sannathi inside the temple for the past one month.
i usually have a habit of telling PSP that He must not stand too long, that He should have been sitting instead of standing. i used to tell Him to do that, atleast for the sake of Rukmini Thaayar. So, as i saw Him sitting, i was totally enchanted. 
i remember the pressing impulse i had to steal Him from the temple and place Him at home. (i hope they dont arrest me for this confession) The thought seriously crossed my mind. :)
And His left hand- it was folded, so as to hold something. It was the most intriguing, inviting. So many times, when i was sure no one was watching in the temple, i would place my index finger within His thumb and fingers curled together. 
One evening, i had even secretly placed my index finger to my lips, and passed on a secret kiss. i still remember not washing my hands the whole night, even as it had turned a certain red colour after touching His palms.
He was present as Parthasarathy times two.
So, as i saw Him there, as the ruler, and also as the one driving, it left me amazed, spellbound.
He is the ruler who ruled the Universe, and yet, He is also the bhaktavatsala, forever there for His devotees, ready to do anything for them. Even pick up the dusty reins of the horse, and do the littlest of jobs. Even sit braving the Sun, at the helm of the vehicle, while Partha sat inside.
He is the puppeteer, who holds our reins, like He held those horses.
My joy knew no bounds. The whole atmosphere tugged at my heart. He was chiding me for ever wishing to stay back, in His own unique, sweet way.
The shouts of "Govinda Gopala had now reached a new high. The women were drawing large kolams to welcome Him. i made a mental note to improve my rather poor, and awfully basic skills in this department.
But, the most lasting memory was standing in front of those singing the Prabandham hymns. The jeeyar was there, leading a group of atleast 50 devotees singing. My hairs stood on one end, as they sang the Alwar's loving verses in their unique rhythm. i stood quite close, just in front of them, my hands folded, my senses lost to words, which magically found meaning in my head, by His grace. It was the most filling, satisfying memory of the day. As they were going to move away, they started next with the hymns. My mom smiled at me, an all-knowing smile. i didn't realize it then, but a couple of words floating in my ears told me it was sung on Thirumaaliruncholai (Azhagar, Madurai). i have a lot of fond memories of Azhagar, and it was too much of a coincidence.

Everywhere you turned, you could see devotees mesmerized by Him. Their involvement was infectious. It got into you. It inspired you to keep looking at Him. Maybe, this is how Vaikuntha is supposed to look.
Meanwhile, my mom left me with a family friend, a dear akka, as she had some work.
Now this dear family friend hadn't yet realized i was no longer a kid, and insisted on holding my hands (!!!!)
But, the way she held my hand reminded me of PSP, that i told myself not to complain. :)
i forgot to mention, we were not allowed to "pull" the ther. We, being the fairer sex.
The "vadam" was an iron chain, which would bruise our manicured hands.
So, that fun was not for us.
A lot of thoughts ran through my head- of the longest airports in the world (i have been in two of the top three), and a rather heavy handbaggage.
Of busy, crowded railway stations, and a supposedly light bag in my hand.
Of a sweaty tennis racquet, anticipating the next razor sharp ball.
Of the sprain i usually got after hours of throwball practice. Of my red fingers after a match.
Of how my fingers ached after playing the piano in fortissimo (hard playing).
All these things had bruised my hand. All these things had reddened my hands so evidently.
All these mundane things had been allowed to bruise my hands. And i wouldn't have minded it a least bit even if my hands sprained themselves in the effort. In His effort. But, i kept these thoughts to myself.
 Also, it had been raining quite a bit in Chennai. The ground was quite sloppy, and wet sand was everywhere. My feet looked like they had been smeared with mehendi. But, the devotees even overlooked that litle problem.


At around 08:30 in the morning, the ratha came to a standstill. To watch this, we had caught the best place, and watched, as the majestic vehicle finally came to a standstill. Almost everyone was screaming His name. A huge round of applause went through the crowd. i responded with tears in my eyes. My morning had swung like a pendulum. These people, clapping joyously, didn't know how much they had helped.
And, when the bhattacharya took the aarti, as the flames of fire danced in front of Him, my heart threatened to jump out of my mouth. 
If i had stayed back, i would have missed this magical, out-of-the-world experience. 
But, He is most kind. He knew of my stupid reason for staying back. i hadn't wanted Him to have a sulker in His joyous crowd. But, He had pulled me along, and made me dance to His joyous tunes. Every devotee out there was dancing to His tunes. 
Sorry about the long post. The little details may have been a bit on the personal side, and not exactly a description, but this is the least i could do in terms of sharing what i had experienced. Forgive me, for glossing over the details by filling them in with what i was thinking. In all, if u can capture in your hearts the magic of PSP, i will be glad. The photos, i will upload within the next couple of days.
 






Tuesday, April 26, 2011

'The Hand of God'

Some time ago, NASA's Chandra X-ray observatory managed to get this phenomenal photo of the 'Cosmic Hand' a.k.a 'The Hand of God.' You can view their flickr page here.

Devotees say it resembles the hue of Krishna's skin and it looks like He is holding the Sudarsana chakra!



It really does look like a hand with a discus, doesn't it?

"The almighty Personality of Godhead, Śrī Kṛṣṇa, having observed that a great danger was befalling His unalloyed devotees, who were fully surrendered souls, at once took up His Sudarśana disc to protect them." - Srimad Bhagavatam 1.8.13

Tuesday, April 19, 2011

Manmohan manbhavan bhajan















*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Manmohan manbhaavan
Manmohan, rango se bhara hai tu

Manmohan . . .

Neeli neeli, Teri aankhen

Pili pili , Kambaliya
Kaare kaare , Tere kesh
sohneri, bansuriyaa.
Manmohan . . .


Shweta shweta moti maala,

Gulabi, Tere gaal

Hoth kesari, Kesariyaa
Maathe tilak, Kasturi lal.
Manmohan . . .

Morpankh ke, Saato rang

Chaandi ki, Paichaniyaa.
Vanamalaa, Satrangee
Sabse sundar, Shyaam piya!
Manmohan . . .


Haree-bharee, Chunari teri
Per mein, Kum kum shringaar
Kaan kundal, Hira chamake
Haath mehndi, likhe Radha naam.....
Manmohan . .
.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Often times, colorful things are what we get attracted to most, right? However, it is difficult to see so much color in a single thing. BUT...what 's impossible with our dearest Krishna?! He has all the color on him... Talk about his complexion or jewels or appearance...He has it all!!
No wonder he is the Most, colorful, vibrant, lively, extremely beautiful and most heart-pleasing!!

Love you my 'rangeela' dwarikadeesh raja!

Friday, April 8, 2011

Checking Out Krishna!

Two days ago, my friend called me.
She said we must go have a nice girls' day out.
A girls' day out is quite a thing for girls, but i can hardly say the same for the guys, unfortunately.
And she made me get into an agreement that it would be exactly as i said above. :)
I was pretty excited, as it had been long since i had done anything of that sort.

Two hours later, after this conversation, i found myself in my lover's house.
While making that little "agreement" of ours, i had been thinking a lot about dear PSP.
It was a bit of a weird situation for me, as i was at loss what to say.
On one hand was my dearest lover, whom i could never possibly cheat on.
On the other, my best friend, excited about having the little joys in life.
To say the truth, even i was excited about having a good time with her.

So, i stood in front of PSP. Tall, handsome, dark, and, at that moment, quite intimidating.
"You know i never will look at anyone but You?"
Not  a flutter on His face!
"Look, You know about my conversation over the phone. You know everything. You know what is planned!"
No smile yet!
"It may mean nothing to You, but i am committed to You. And, THIS is just not happening behind Your back! i cannot be guilty, never in front of You."
Still, no response from dear PSP.
i was exasperated by now. i felt like crying.
"Fine, do whatever You want, as usual. i am surrendered unto You. You are more important than anything else. If You will it, let me go. Otherwise, i'll be fine yeilding to Your wish!"

The next day, a number of developments made sure i could not go.
i felt pretty let down, but i had reconciled myself to His will.
In fact, i stood in front of Him as the doll i was in His hands.

"If that is Your will, then so be it!"
An amazing calm was enveloping me.
i called my friend. i told her i couldnt make it.
Afterall, He was (is) my dearest lover. And, i was bound by His words.

i slept off, my mind in a tumult of thoughts.
When i woke up, the world had changed!
ok, not the world, but my world-the "developments" which had stopped me from going, where now gone themselves.
To cut  a boring story short, i was racing to the hottest mall in town! :)

But, when it came to honouring my stupid "agreement", i failed totally!
Yes, we girls had lot of fun. Yes, the girls were checking out the guys, big time.
Yes, i too tried joining in....And failed miserably!
i ended up searching for a dark, handsome moustached man in the last place i must look for Him!
That evening, i ran to my PSP. 
For, He is my One and Only One.
For, my heart lies at His feet.
For, my heart yearns for His caress.
For, in my lover's house i did what i had been incapable the whole day- i "checked out" the most handsome guy in the Universe. :)
My friends had their own ideas of "play". Actually, even i did.
But in all this, He managed to play His own game!
IDIOT PSP!