Lyrics of "sthirata nahi nahire" Song

ధనాసరీ రాగః   ఆది తాళము 

స్ధిరతా నహి నహిరే - మానస

స్థిరతా సహి సహిరే

1. తాపత్రయ సాగర మగ్నానాం

దర్పాహంకార విలగ్నానామ్ ‌||స్థిరతా||

2. విషయపాశ వేష్టిత చిత్తానాం

విపరీతజ్ఞాన విమత్తానామ్ ‌||స్థిరతా||

3. పరమహంసయోగి (గ)  విరుద్ధానాం

బహు చఞ్చలతర సుఖ (బద్ధా?) సిద్ధానామ్‌ ||స్థిరతా||

स्थिरता नहि नहिरे - मानस 

1. तापत्रय सागर मग्नानां 

दर्पाहन्कार विलग्नानां 

2. विषय पाश वेष्टित चित्तानां 

विपरीत ज्ञान विमत्तानां 

3. परमहंस योग विरुद्धानां 

बहु चन्चलतर सुख सिद्धानां 

Dhanasari ragah  aadi talam

sthirataa nahi nahirae

1. taapatrayasaagara magnaanaaM

darpaahaMkaara vilagnaanaam^ ||sthirataa||

2. vishayapaaSa vaeshTita chittaanaaM

vipareetaj~naana vimattaanaam^ ||sthirataa||

3. paramahaMsayOgi(ga)  viruddhaanaaM

bahu cha~nchalatara sukha (baddhaa) siddhaanaam^ ||sthirataa||

(It is redundant to say that this is a composition of Sri Sadasiva Brahmendra Swamy. Earlier I've given here several of his exquisite Sanskrit compositions. Alas, the times are unsettling now all across the world. This song may give peace and steadiness to a wavering, doubting mind. We will look into its profound meaning and import for the sadhaka. This great saint, nay an avadhuta bestowed these great lyrics for our benefit, out of pure compassion. The south India (particularly the erstwhile composite Telugu and Tamil lands) is blessed to have given birth to such extraordinary humans. Here is a student who excelled the teacher, the guru. Smt. Gopalaratnam's rendition is superb.Gopalaratnam's Audio) Copyright 2022 by the author 

Hibiscus with Two Colors

These two differently colored flowers are from the same pot. Both are double hibiscus variety. I do not remember whether we had planted two plants in the same pot. But why would we? Normally I plant only one flower or foliage plant in a container. I did not do any grafting either. Only in spring (still many weeks away here) I can look at the roots closely to determine whether there are two different shrubs entangled here. In any case these fresh flowers add beauty to the cold indoors. The pleasant south faced glass window lets in bright sunny rays to gently wake up these dormant indoor tropical flowering plants. One learns to enjoy and appreciate every bit of color in the midst of endless expanse of white snowy washout. Copyright 2022 by the author

The Mystery of Spoilt Milk

The Mystery of Spoilt Milk

In the village there were no fridges then. We used to get milk directly from buffaloes or cows; the milkmaid would pour half seer (1/2 liter) of milk into our brass or stainless steel vessel. Mother used to boil the entire stock (of milk) and apportion it for tea and curd (yogurt). Most of it got used up by the evening. And the routine would repeat day after day. Those were very frugal days and every drop of milk was precious in the house. Many times milk used to go bad – it would break up into lumps and water. Such spoilt milk (poor quality whey) would stress the entire day for mother. Parents had to go without the daily morning tea or resort to alternate sources (going to the dairy farmer with a pail). Father had to walk to the nearby restaurant and sometimes return with a small glass of tea for mother. These days with proper care, cleanliness, and a bit of modern technology, any society can have reasonable supply of fresh milk for a modest price. Of course, right now we have a fierce race between the price of milk and gas. The former is running around $ 3.20 while the fossil fuel is going for $ 3. 80! Both are priced per gallon (= 3.78 liter).

When we moved to the coastal town milk was a little more in supply. But still I had to run to the main road to catch the guy with big white aluminum can on bicycle. His big customers were the coffee hotels and we were the little fish. Still the quality was uneven; you got to have your own lactometer to check the fat content. Or, dip the finger and see if any thing sticks. The milk troubles did not ease even in the nation’s capital city. Without a fridge we used to cope up with all sorts of ingenuity – wrap the milk container with wet towel in summer for evening tea, etc. At the slightest sign of contamination (unclean vessel, oily residue, poorly washed container) milk would go bad and the whole day was a mess. This essential nutrient food item used to strain housewives for no fault of theirs.

After coming to the overseas, suddenly milk problems are gone, just vanished. You can get the 4% fat milk or 2% or skim milk. In the fridge it would stay fresh for almost twelve or fourteen days at a stretch. This is the homogenized, fortified (with vitamins A and D), and pasteurized variety. Milk going bad is a rare phenomenon in these modern times; occasionally it would go bad before the stamped date. Here, all the shops would give credit for bad milk or replace it with a jug of fresh milk. But then suddenly out of blue our milk started going bad for no apparent reason. The refrigerator is working all right, all the vegetables, fruits, and pickles are staying fresh. We could not figure the problem. This new irritant started recently, about two months back. We keep the (plastic) milk jugs in the door shelf. Butter and juice also have their niche shelves in the door. Everything is ok except milk. It used to stay fresh for the first five or six days and then suddenly without any warning it would curdle. The whole morning routine would become topsy-turvy and I had to rush to the grocery store for a new milk jug. 

Steeped in the tradition of “annam-parabrahma” (అన్నం పరబ్రహ్మ) we had to resort to making panner पनीर or milk kova out of the spoilt milk. Or just enjoy the sour whey with sugar. Several times I broached the troubling issue with the grocer; but these days who has the time? Even our friend could not understand our predicament. Why is the milk going bad? Who is the culprit? Why is it happening now during these cold wintry days? Normally we pick up (purchase) the groceries and milk and drive straight home. Promptly we place the milk in the refrigerator. Sure the fridge is old but it is functioning fine. All the other food in the fridge is staying fresh without any problem.

After lot of head scratching, one day I looked at the adjustable vent control in the refrigerator’s left wall. This “little slotted dial” (little devil of North Pole) adjusts the cool air draft for beverages in the door. I must have closed it fully last summer. Back then we found a bit of ice formation in the milk jug. Or, things were getting too cold. Mistakenly I dialed it back – and that stopped the chilled air coming into the milk compartment. (The North Pole Snow Man stopped blowing cold air into the refrigerator side!). The dairy folks suggest storing milk at 38 – 40 deg F. So, that’s it adjusting the vent for chilled air solved the problem. No more unnecessary trips to the supermarket. And no more spoiled milk, no more whey byproducts! Copyright 2022 by the author

A Song on Devi "Omkara karini" by Dr Balamurali

లవంగి             ఆది

ఓంకారా కారిణీ మద

హంకార వారిణీ అవతుమాం

హూంకార మాత్ర శత్రు దమనీ

హ్రీంకార రూపిణీ రుద్రాణి

మురళీ సుధా లహరీ విహారీ

పురరిపు ప్రేమిత త్రిపుర సుందరీ

కరుణారస భరిత లలిత లవంగి

వరదా అభయదా సకల శుభాంగి

lavangi             aadi

Omkaaraa kaariNii mada

hamkaara vaariNii avatumaam

huumkaara maatra Satru damanii

hriimkaara ruupiNii rudraaNi

muraLii sudhaa laharii vihaarii

puraripu prEmita tripura sundarii

karuNaarasa bharita lalita lavangi

varadaa abhayadaa sakala Subhaangi

Dr Balamuralikrishna's rendition

(I heard this song in a CD, perhaps obtained at Rochester Rajeswari Temple. Dr. Balamuralikrishna composed several unique ragas, this is one of his favorite compositions. I think so. The lyrics are full of profound meaning. They let us meditate on the qualities of Sri Mata (Devi). If I may, in the recent history both Dr. Balamurali and Sri GNB had a special blessing of the divine Mother. Their compositions are a true testimony to the divine grace. The Copyright of this song naturally belongs to Dr. Balamuralikrishna's Trust. Carnatic music teachers and students should remember/acknowledge the original composer while learning any song.) 

Vegetarian Delight (Poem)

Vegetarian Delight

What does the cyber pundit 

Munching on hamburger in an air-conditioned booth

Know?

About the taste of a stuffed hot green pepper

Made by Mallanna under the banyan tree

What does Kushwant Singh 

Who goes to sleep at sunset fully inebriated 

Know? 

About the thrill of gongura chutney

Hand made by the aunt in Guntur

For you and me

The salivating attraction in any

Vaishnava temple...

Freshly made steaming Pongal,

In Pittsburgh temple – it’s

The Eucharist of the Lord with three vertical lines  

Is that all? What about the maidens of Dhanur-masa?

A visual feast, with eyebrows like bow-arches

For that great poet (1) –

“The disrobed moong bean

Is having a romantic union with rice” 

Oh, the delicacies of long grain rice,

Coconut milk sweet pudding – their descriptions

Are known to only Srinadha (2)

The sweet taste of leftover rice

With mango pickle – the staple diet of

Sulurpet railway coolies –

Only Krishna, the companion of cowherds knows.

So what? Whether in biting cold North America

Or feet-burning sole-scorching south Indian remote village

What if, decent poets like Atri

Are vegetarian? So what? If they are

Gardeners?

What’s wrong? If great scientists like

Sir Chandrasekhar Venkata (Raman) relish 

Curd? Or, if they indulge in cooking 

Tur-dal?

(Translated from author’s original Telugu poem) Copyright 2022 by the author

1. Refers to the great poet, Kalidasa.

2. Telugu poet of 15th century

Original Telugu Poem

Shrunken Banana (Poem)

Shrunken Banana

I knew him barely

On the University Hill

He too started in physics

Our common friend – another physicist

In Radiology

Talked about him

Now, it’s too late

We do not know

The real cause

Was it all due to the 

Radiation, particle or photon

But he knew about the field

In depth -

Its regulations, the risks

He must have cured

Or at least given, supervised

The most appropriate dose

What they say: in micro-Curies

To numerous patients

But slogging for twelve years

With the underlying illness

Can you believe?

What it was like?

For him or for anybody

He provided for his wife 

And children

Often helped the local

Immigrant community

Strange, his wife would only 

Say, say with teary eyes: “He

Did so much work around the

House, gardening. Now the plants

Like abandoned children feel it too”

We know anything, rather the value

Of any entity

When we lose it

The shrunken, dehydrated banana

Plant stands pitiably in shame murmuring

“More than anybody in the family

I knew him and his gentle touch” 

Copyright 2022 by the author

On Food and Spiritual Matters

388. Q: “When Brahman is present everywhere and exists with everyone, what is the objection to eating food from others?”

A: I think you are a Brahmin boy that is why you are asking such a question. Suppose you lit a matchstick and cover (smother) it with a pile of sticks. What happens?

Q: The small fire (of matchstick) will be extinguished quickly.

A: What happens if you throw moist banana plant trunks into a raging hot bonfire?

Q: The banana stems and leaves will turn into ash in a moment.

A: Similarly, when your adhyatmika (related to atma, soul) power is feeble (little) if you accept food from all sundry people without discrimination (hygiene, purity) then your spiritual energy may get suppressed (or extinguished). That is the danger involved in such acts. But if your (spiritual) energy is very powerful, then it does not matter which food you eat. There is no harm (i.e., when you are strong and evolved further in the right adhyatmika path).

389. Once I used to follow the tradition of Islam, after getting initiation from a Moslem guru. I followed their habits of food and chanting. In those days I could not go to the Kali temple. Neither could I chant any sacred Hindu god’s (devata’s) name.

390. Do not eat food offered during the times of wake (funeral). Such meals destroy bhakti and faith. Also do not eat at the home of a priest who earns his livelihood by attending to the last rites and funerals. 

391. “Can we not eat whatever is available?”

A: It depends on our adhyatmika-state (~ evolved spiritual state). In the jnana path, there is no harm; when the jnani eats, (s)he offers the food to the (kundalini) fire as oblation. But the situation of a bhakta is different. The devotee must eat only pious (fresh) food that can be (has been) offered to the Lord (Eswara) without any limitation. Non-vegetarian food is not appropriate for the devotee. Yet, if some one lives on porcine meat (ex: Kannappa of Sri Kalahasthi, Andhra Pradesh*) while devoutly attached to God – then that individual must be counted as a blessed (fortunate) one! Another man even after consuming only properly prepared sacred food, if his mind is caught up with woman and gold (money) matters – then consider that individual to be the most unfortunate one. 

392. Whoever does not long for the “Brahman”, for him even the sattvik food would only be as harmful as beef. Whoever yearns for the “Brahman”, for him even the beef becomes as proper as “ambrosia”.

393. During the day eat till you’re satiated. But consume less during nighttime.

394. For the “bhakta”, only food that does not generate heat or excitement is appropriate. Love for the body means simply “protecting the body”.

395. Q: How to overcome the love for the body?

A: Human body is built with perishable elements of nature. These are: flesh, tissue, bones, and blood. Thus it is just a heap of “distasteful things”, and nothing else. By constantly discriminating thus (on the gross body), over indulgence of the body is lessened.

396. Once the bird flies away, the significance of the cage is lost. Nobody cares about the case (enclosure) anymore. Similarly, nobody wants the body once “the bird of life” has flown away! Nobody wants the corpse.

397. When this body is insignificant, worthless, and impermanent why do the saints and bhaktas protect such a body? If a box has nothing then no one will care about the empty shell. If a box contains valuable jewels, gold, and other precious things then everybody will safeguard the “safe”.

(Excerpts translated from the Telugu work: “Sri Ramakrishna Bodhamrutamu” by Sri Chirantanaanda Swami. * Added by the translator/author)

Copyright 2022 by the author