Editor’s Note - Anaadi Foundationanaadifoundation.org/parnika/parnika03.pdf · Editor’s Note Shri Gurubhyo Namaha! Guru Kripa! We are happy to launch the second issue of Parnika

Parnika September 2016

Editors Note Shri Gurubhyo Namaha!

Guru Kripa! We are happy to launch the second issue of Parnika. It is our humble offering to the rich parampara of India. Parnika - Leaflets of Insights is a monthly magazine to share and discuss insights on life based on Indian principles. Shri. Adinarayanan had presented his thoughts on Shakthi Worldview at the Integral Ecology, Earth Spirituality and Economics conference held at Bodo in Norway. We have presented the excerpts from the presentation in this issue. We had written about Organic Farming in the previous issue but why do we need organic farming? Some insights on this are at Prakriti Darshana section. Based on readers choice, we are starting the narration of the Mahabharata parva by parva this month. What is the goal that students should pursue? This months Yuva Spot has perspectives on the wealth of a student: vidya + artha. Antahkarana and Bahirkarana are inner and outer instruments that need to be cleansed and purified for our worldview to be right. This months QA talks about these instruments. The Siddha tradition truly represents the highest possibility for the human being. Many of us are not aware of the great Siddhas who have worked tremendously for universal well-being. In the Siddha Charithram section, we will be exploring this rich tradition. This month will feature the life story and literary works of Pambatti Siddhar. Bhajagovindam is an important work of Adi Sankaracharya. When told through stories, the slokas can have a deep impact on the minds of children. We are starting the Bhajagovindam series this month.

Table of Contents

Anaadi Foundation Shakthi Worldview Mahabharata Siddhar Charithiram Yuva Spot

03 04 09 13 18

Prashnottara Paati Vaithiyam Prakriti Darshana Kathalaya Divine Humor

20 24 26 32 34

2016 ANAADI FOUNDATION Page 1


Vikasa A YOUTH RETREAT WITH AN INDIAN APPROACH

21-27, 2016 RISHIKESH Anaadi Foundation and Vision India Foundation are happy to jointly organize Vikasa: A leadership retreat with an Indian approach. This youth centric retreat, with an Indic approach, will provide young people with the mental tools to awaken their leadership potential. Leadership is not just to do with leading a team of people but developing a sense of ownership in whatever one takes up. This retreat will enable people to imbibe the qualities that make for a true leader: compassion, vision for the larger good, a sense of ownership, self-reliance, energetic action, decision-making with clarity, inspiration stewardship and self-poise. The program will commence at 9.30 am on 21 December 2016 and conclude at 4.00 pm on 27 December 2016. The youth-centric retreat program will combine insights from the Mahabharata of which the Bhagavad Gita is a part, which is filled with inspirational anecdotes and philosophical-psychological perspectives. Mahabharata offers clear cut frameworks for self-reflection, understanding situations, ruminating upon them, making decisions and putting them to action.

Program Content: Lectures Group Activities Simulations and Role Plays Yoga and Meditation Analysis of real world Case

studies Local Tours Self-Reflection and QA

Who Can Attend? College students Aspiring Public and Professional Leaders Young leaders: Business, Social and Political Youth interested in Public Policy and Governance People Looking to Get Involved in

Nation-Building People Looking to Build a Narrative for India Academicians

Contact: Anaadi Foundation +919487006160 [email protected]

www.anaadifoundation.org/retreat2016.html


http://www.visionindiafoundation.com/mailto:[email protected]://www.anaadifoundation.org/retreat2016.html


Anaadi Foundation AN ACCOUNT OF HOW ANAADI CAME TO BE

More than a decade ago, we were successful software professionals in Bangalore. Inspired by the lives of many Mahatmas we led a very simple life with a consistent yogic routine. It wasnt too long before we realized that our software jobs were not providing that multi-dimensional playing field that we were looking for. We moved from Bangalore to Coimbatore to join Amrita University. Amrita University, under the guidance of Amma, provides an excellent platform for research, teaching and learning together with value-based and spiritual education. Both of us taught at Amrita for a decade. Around 2012, as a personal sadhana, we undertook the study of the Mahabharata and Gita. We found that the Mahabharata provided an excellent context for understanding problems that the society faces and offers dharmic solutions to solve those problems. Mahabharata also provided the necessary background to understand and apply the principles of the Bhagavad Gita. What started as informal sessions on the Mahabharata, led to full-fledged curricular courses and weekend programs. Anaadi Foundation was started on the auspicious occasion of Guru Purnima in July 2015 with the aim of inculcating Shraddha in the minds of young people towards Indian culture and tradition. Dedicated to self-unfoldment of an individual, Anaadi Foundation inspires youth to lead a sustainable, socially-conscious and self-reliant life. Anaadi Foundation is our humble offering to the great Rishi Parampara of our country. Through its various activities, we would like to see the youth of the country lead an inspired life of happiness and fulfilment. Humble Pranams! Adinarayanan and Smrithi Rekha Founders, Anaadi Foundation www.facebook.com/adinarayananv


http://www.facebook.com/adinarayananv


Shakthi Worldview PRESENTED AT THE INTEGRAL ECOLOGY, EARTH SPIRITUALITY AND

ECONOMICS CONFERENCE

Bodo, Norway

Many of the problems that we face today can be traced to a compartmentalized approach to things around us. A change in vision may be required to make our approach inclusive and holistic. Shakthi Worldview is to do with this integrated, inclusive and interconnected perspective of this world. Such a worldview makes us more conscious of our actions as they stem from a fundamental understanding that everything around us is interlinked. In May 2016, Adinarayanan had visited Italy and Norway for various events. At Italy, he offered a Yoga and Meditation retreat to the students and faculty of Gran Sasso Science Institute. After spending a few days in Lofoten Islands which is located in Arctic Circle, Adinarayanan presented his thoughts on Shakthi Worldview at the Integral Ecology, Earth Spirituality, and Economics conference held at Bodo, Norway. The conference was organized by the Bodo Graduate School of Business, University of Nordland, Norway. It was attended by researchers and academicians in the area of spirituality, ecology, business and management. In this article, we present excerpts from Adinarayanans presentation.

Shakthi from an Indian Perspective Shakthi in the Indian context refers to the fundamental energy that governs all of manifest reality. In a way, it represents a dynamic balance that sustains the universal flow. On a more practical level, Shak in Sanskrit means to do or to act. Hence Shakthi can be seen as actions that are in tune with the Universal flow and doings that are joyous and vibrant. With the goal of various aspects of life becoming one-dimensional, one can say that the fundamental Shakthi in them has been dislodged and we have become isolated from the universal flow. Students are finding education boring, professionals are finding jobs meaningless and stressful and leaders are finding it hard to work towards a larger vision. At a global level we see an increase in conflict amongst nations, conflict amongst people professing different religions, destruction of ecosystems, decrease in happiness levels amongst educated people etc. Actions stem from the worldview that we hold and the worldview is conditioned by beliefs, social interactions, family background, education etc. Disharmonious actions, therefore, are produced by compartmentalized worldviews which does not allow us to see the interconnectedness of things. And hence when we act with this compartmentalised worldview we are bound to engage in actions that cause disharmony even if the actions were well intentioned. And the larger the sphere of our influence in society the more important it becomes for us to develop an interconnected, all-inclusive worldview which we refer to as Shakthi worldview. To develop an



inclusive and expansive worldview, one has to develop qualities that go beyond educational qualification or professional experience.

Problems with a Disconnected Worldview

The way we perceive reality depends on our worldview. Our worldview is influenced by our inherent qualities, family, society and culture. With our worldview we have a conceptual map of the world and understand things based on that map . Our actions too reflect our conceptual understanding of the world. Worldviews are not solid but dynamic frameworks that change with time based on the knowledge and experiences that we acquire. Worldviews encompass beliefs, thoughts, attitudes and approaches to various aspects of life. Some beliefs will be core to our personality and hence may require deep effort to change while some aspects of worldview may be fluid and easy to change. Some issues that arise because of disconnected worldview are:

Distancing: The source and destination are disconnected. We do not know where our food came from nor do we know where our waste goes. So we treat them with a certain unawareness.

Crossing Planetary Boundaries: Prof. Johan Rockstrm and his colleagues have identified 9 planetary boundaries namely: Climate change, biodiversity, biogeochemical, ocean acidification, land use, freshwater, ozone depletion, atmospheric aerosols, chemical pollution. According to them, we have already raced past 4 of these boundaries without being conscious of it and crossing the planetary boundaries can be catastrophic. Crossing these planetary boundaries have not happened because of a single action but by a complex network of ideas, policies and actions over a period of time.

Economic Value Focus: In our day to day transactions, we focus so much on the economic value of things that we often forget the real value of them. To make a ton of copier paper it takes about 2 to 3 tonnes of trees . Disconnect between real value and economic value of products due to lack of knowledge or factoring in of how the environment is impacted in the making of these products

Mechanical and Materialistic Worldview: Rupert Sheldrake in his book The Science Delusion points out dogmas in science that need to be questioned. These dogmas show how, over a period of time, developments in science have systematically cut us off from a holistic view of life. Current science dogmatizes that nature is mechanical, all matter is unconscious, all of nature is purposeless and the laws of nature are fixed and this thought process percolates into the educational system and scientific research. Advancements in Technology have their roots in science. This leads to technological advancements that violate the interconnectedness and inclusive principles of the universe.

Understanding the Interconnectedness The Indian philosophical systems that guide day-to-day actions are established on the solid foundation of the unity of all of creation and hence interconnectedness forms the basis of these systems. Most of the invocations in the Indian system conclude with the words Om Shanti, Shanti, Shanti . The word Shanti is



uttered three times to be in dynamic harmony with three interconnected aspects which are a. Adhidaivika or divine aspects b. Adhibhautika or physical and social aspects c. Adhyatmika or individual. These aspects can either be enablers or disablers depending how we align with them. For instance, though disasters like earthquakes and floods can be looked at as being caused by nature, one cannot rule out the contribution of human action towards these phenomena. The interconnected view has been inherent to several indigenous cultures. Lynn White while discussing the historical roots of our ecological crisis says, What people do about their ecology depends on what they think about themselves in relation to things around them. Human ecology is deeply conditioned by beliefs about our nature and destiny--that is, by religion .

Developing a deerga darshana or the capability to look into the future is needed. Why is foresight important? For any of our actions, the impact is quickly visible on individuals while the consequences to manifest in the society takes a little longer. The impact to manifest in the natural environment takes much longer and hence often ignored by decision makers. When we have an interconnected worldview, we study the impact on all three dimensions by looking into the future and envisioning the consequences of our actions on individuals, society and the environment.

Interconnected Worldview in the Indian Context

The Indian knowledge systems of Yoga, Ayurveda and Cosmology help us develop an inclusive worldview and actionate through that worldview. These systems are built on the Indian philosophical systems that have four foundational thought processes namely:

Prajnanam brahma: brahman is consciousness Ayam atma brahma: the self is brahman (which is the all pervading consciousness) Tat tvam asi: you are that (consciousness) Sarvam khalvidam brahma: all of this is brahman (consciousness)

An example of a philosophical system (called Darshana meaning vision) is Sankhya which explains that manifest reality is made of 16 evolutes of consciousness. This is similar to modern scientific view that all of manifest reality is made up of atoms and atoms can further be broken down into sub-atomic particles. These particles are quantised energy and energy is one flow. Sankhya goes further to explain that all of manifest material reality comes from a unifying consciousness principle that is the intelligent principle behind manifestation. We shall now look at some traditional knowledge systems which have their foundations in an interconnected worldview. Yoga Yoga is a science and way of life that leads to expansive state of consciousness through systematic effort on the physical, mental, emotional and spiritual dimension of the individual. The word Yoga is derived from the sanskrit word yuj which means to unite. Yoga involves systematic practices that help to achieve a



balance between the mind and body. On a larger perspective, Yoga helps us to turn inward, realize ourselves and thereby connect with everything around us. Swara Yoga which is part of the Indian Yogic systems aims at developing an internal balance through the intelligent regulation of breath in tune with the cycles in nature like the lunar, solar and other cosmic cycles. Swara Yoga is a comprehensive system of breathing practices that takes into account the relationship of the breath to the cycles in nature. The changes in flow of breath during changes in the time of the day, moon phases etc helps us to align with events in the cosmos. Just as we choose the right season to sow seeds so that the plant can grow to its fullest potential, we regulate the breath to support actions aligned with natures cycles that can lead to success. Swara Yoga has a clear mapping of the relationship between the microcosm and the macrocosm. The primary practice in Swara Yoga is tattwa sadhana that involves analyzing the connection between the breath and five elements in nature .

Ayurveda: Ayurveda is an Indian system of medicine that helps individuals to attain perfect health by the proper balance of the three biological energies: Vata (energy that regulates movement), Pita (energy that regulates transformation) and Kapha (energy that regulates sustenance) which inturn are balanced by the fundamental elements namely air, water, fire, earth and space. One way of achieving this balance is through consuming foods that naturally grow in a particular season thereby being in attunement with our surrounding. Ayurveda is an intuitive system of health and makes use of resources in nature for health and well-being. With the health expenditure per capita going beyond 3000 USD in several nations and many other countries lacking the resources to meet the health needs, we need self-reliant systems that people can adopt for common ailments. Ayurveda connects the five elements, seasons, cosmic forces and plant life to our personal health. Adopting Ayurveda can help us stay aware of this connection at all times.

Cosmology: Indian cosmology highlights the relationship of the individual with the cosmos and the place of an individual in the larger scheme of things. One is able to govern oneself appropriately and act in a way that resonates with the cosmic principles. The lunar cycles are mapped to specific changes and impact on the mind, solar and planetary cycles are mapped to specific events, what happens to us after we die, how our actions during our lifetime determine our future lifetimes ( karma) and how we are an inherent part of the cosmos. A worldview is inherently multidimensional. The deeper it is, the richer is our experience and the more conscious we become of our actions. Shakthi worldview , as opposed to the mechanistic worldview that looks at the world as a clockwork mechanism, recognizes the inherent intelligence and balance in all of life. May we all be infused with the Shakthi to engage in dynamic and energetic action rooted in oneness and inclusivity.



Mahabharata A TIMELESS STORY - A TIMELY STORY

ADI PARVA PART 1

Sub-Parvas of the Adi Parva

Welcome to the Adi Parva, the beginning of beginnings of the Mahabharata.Mahabharata was originally called Jaya. Jaya means success. Tato Jayam Udhee Raye that means, after bowing down to Nara and Narayana and Saraswati Devi, you should utter Jaya success, because it leads to success. It leads to cleansing of sins.

The Mahabharata has 18 parvas. In each parva, there are many sub-parvas. Let us look at all of the sub-parvas of Adi Parva Anukramanika, Sangraha, Paushya, Pauloma, Aastika, Adivamsavatarana, Sambhava, Jatugraha, Hidimbavata, Bakavada, Chaitrarodha, Surayamvara, Baivahika, Viduragamana, Rajyalabha, Arjunavanavasa, Subhadraharana, Haranaharika, Khandavadaha.So these are the 18 subparvas in the Adi Parva.

Do I need to remember all this? It all seems so complex. Is a question that many people ask. In todays educational system, we think that understanding is everything and memorization is looked at condescendingly. If we look at it deeply, understanding happens on the basis of memory. So memorizing the storyline is key, especially in the case of a complex epic like the Mahabharata. Also, memorizing the storyline helps us to connect the various characters, their background, though processes, rationale for their actions and the consequences. Hence, memory plays a very important role in understanding why a particular character acts a certain way.

Anukramanikaparva

The story starts with Ugrashrava who was a Sauti. Sautis are people who have storytelling as their profession. Ugrashrava was the son of Lomaharshana. Several Rishis had assembled in the Naimisharanya. Kulapathi Shaunaka welcomed Ugrashrava. Kulapathi means the head or leader of the Kula or family. All the assembled Rishis enquired about the Mahabharata and how it all started. So Ugrashrava starts with Janamejayas snake sacrifice or Sarpa Yajna or Sarpasathra. During that yajna, Vyasas disciple (Vyasa is present) Vaisampayana narrates the entire Mahabharata for the benefit of the audience. Vyasa is called Krishna Dwaipayana. Krishna means the dark one. Dwaipayana means one who is born in a Dwipa( or



Island). So Vyasa is the title given to a compiler of the Vedas. He compiles the Vedas. In fact, we celebrate Guru Poornima in Sri Vyasas memory.

Mahabharata is supposed to be a discourse on the important principles of right living mainly the Purushartha, meaning the purpose of a human being, the purpose of a person- Purusha-artha. They are four in number-Dharma, Artha, Kama and Moksha.

Sangrahaparva

Sangrahaparva is like an overview of all the parvas. But it starts with the story of Samantapanchaka.

Samantapanchaka is the group of lakes near which the war of Mahabharata was fought. Samantapanchaka has a very wonderful history. Parasurama, another incarnation of Vishnu, is also called the Bhargava. Bhargava means the descendent of Bhrigu. He exterminated the Kshatriyas 21 times. He collected all the blood in five lakes and propitiated his ancestors. His ancestors said Stop this bloodshed now. We bless you. Parasurama asked for a boon that this place become a holy Theertha, a place of pilgrimage. Thats how Samantapanchaka became an extremely holy place.

Paushya Parva

Paushya is a king who is a friend of Janamejaya. Janamejaya conducts a sacrifice in which his brothers illtreat a dog, which happens to be Saramas son. Sarama is the celestial bitch. Hence, Sarama curses Janamejaya saying, Youll find ill luck. Janamejaya is deeply saddened by this curse.

During a hunting expedition, Janamejaya came to the Ashrama of Shuthashrava. Janamejaya wanted this son Somashrava to be his preceptor to be free from his curse. Shuthshrava was happy to send his son but mentioned the condition that his had the habit of giving anything that a Brahmana asks for. Janamejaya happily accepted this condition and Somashrava became the spiritual master of Janamejaya.

Story of Aruni

Parallely, there is the story of Ayodhya Dhaumya. Dhaumya has three disciples. Aruni of Panchala, is one such disciple. He is sent to prevent the breach-the leak of water in the fields. He goes there, he tries hard, he does not succeed and so he places himself right there and plugs the leak. Everyone is worried at



Dhaumyas ashrama and they set out looking for Aruni. He says,O Aruni!Where are you? and Aruni replies, I am here, Master, I am plugging the leak in the water course. Dhaumya is very happy and blesses him, saying Let all the Vedas and Dharmasastras shine in you. Then, he sends him on his way. So he is graduated. Thats his graduation day. His final test.

Story of Upamanyu

Then comes the story of Upamanyu, another disciple of Dhaumya. Upamanyu is sent to take care of the cattle. So he goes, he takes care of the cattle and when he returns, hes still hale and healthy. So his Master asks, How are you so fat? Hale and healthy? . Upamanyu simply replies, By begging for food. For Bhiksha. His Master says You should not eat of the food without submitting it to me. Whatever I approve of, you must do. Not anything else. So Upamanyu does as directed but he is still hale and healthy. So his Master asks What now?. Upamanyu replies I beg a second time after giving it to you.You do not give it back to me, so I beg again. The master curtails his movements, until one day, out of sheer hunger, Upamanyu eats some Harka leaves and goes blind. Then the Master asks him to pray to the Ashwini Kumaras, who give him a cake. Upamanyu offers the cake to his Master, who blesses him saying Let all the Vedas and Dharmasastras shine in you. Upamanyu regains his eyesight and he is successful in his endeavor.

Story of Veda, Utanka and Paushya

Veda was another disciple of Dhaumya. Veda undergoes a lot of tests and he is also successful. Veda acquires many disciples, out of which a prominent one who is very important in the storyline is Utanka. Utanka is very well taken care of by his Master, because his Master suffered at the hands of his Master,and so he does not want to transfer that to his disciples. So Utanka has a very good time, he learns all the sastras, is prolific. Then, Veda has to go out on an errand and he makes Utanka in charge of his family-his household. During that time, the women of the household feel that it is season and Utanka should satisfy their desire of having child. Utanka refuses. Veda hears about this and is happy. He blesses Utanka. And when Utanka says I want to do something for you, I want to give you a Guru Dakshina, Veda asks him to enquire with his wife. She asks for the Queens earrings. So, Utanka proceeds on his way to the king, who happens to be Paushya. Thatss why the Paushyaparva. On his way, he encounters a huge man on a huge bull. The man says Eat of this bulls dung and drink its urine. Utanka refuses but the man said Your Master did so. You also do so. So just to be obedient to his Master, Utanka does it and proceeds on his way and reaches Paushyas palace. He asks for the Queens earrings. Paushya says You can enquire with the queen. If she is willing, take it. So, he goes to the queens quarters, but he does not find anybody. He comes back. He is a bit annoyed with the king. The king says Are you defiled? Utanka remembers and says Yes. He does Archamana, he cleanses himself with water and then when he goes again, he perceives the queen. The queen is so subtle. She gives him her earrings and tells him that the Naga king, Takshaka was behind those earrings and to be careful. Utanka gets ready to leave, but the King says Weve just ended a sacrifice.Please have food and leave. Utanka agrees. He has food, but the food is cold and it has a hair. He



points this out to the king, who gets angry and says How dare you impute this fault to me?. The food served to you is of the highest quality. Nothing wrong happens in my kingdom. There is a mutual curse-back and forth. Utanka departs. Utanka, on his way back, finds a beggar who appears on and off. And when when Utanka has to rest somewhere, this beggar who was Takshaka, the Naga king in disguise, takes away the earrings and disappears into the ground. Now, Indra helps Utanka with his thunderbolt Vajrayuda and Utanka is able to pursue the Naga king into Naga loka, where he sees beautiful palaces. Utanka is a poet, he is a trained Vedic scholar. So he praises the entire region-all the Nagas and so on. They are all happy with it, but still Takshaka does not return the earrings. Utanka notices a horse and a man which was actually Indra and the divine horse Ucchaisravas. The man asks Utanka to blow into the horse and on blowing into the horse, immediately the entire Nagaloka is aflame. Takshaka is frightened and he comes and returns the earrings. Utanka is able to immediately go and give the earrings to his Gurus wife. Utanka is unhappy with Takshaka because he was about to be cursed by his Gurus wife just because of Takshakas interference. So Utanka actually goes to Janamejaya and says Your father was killed by Takshaka and you have not taken revenge on him. This is how Janamejaya is actually motivated to take revenge and hence he conducts the snake sacrifice. This is how it begins. This is Paushyaparva.

To be continued...



Siddhar Charithiram

SIDDHA PARAMPARA OF INDIA

VENKATAPATHY AND SOORYANARAYAN This is an ongoing series on the Siddhar Paramabarai of India. Siddha refers to perfected masters who have achieved a high degree of physical as well as spiritual perfection or enlightenment. We look at various Siddhas who have graced upon this earth with their Presence - their life and the wisdom they shared in the form of poems, couplets that are referred to as Siddhar Padalgal. To begin with, we are looking at Siddhas from the tradition of "Pathinen Siddhargal". In the last issue, we saw about Siddha Kudhambai. We also saw how the Siddhargal poetry is presented in Sandhya Bhasha. In this article, we will travel with the Kundalini from Mooladhara to Sahasrara, through the works of another great Siddha who is well-known among the people of Tamil Nadu.

Pambatti Siddhar In the erstwhile Pandiya Kingdom, there lived an easy-going yet fearless youngster whose profession was catching snake for livelihood. One day, while looking for a rare kind of Navaratna snake he happened to encounter the great Sattaimuni Siddhar (one among the revered Pathinen Siddhargal ). This incident became a turning point in the life of this young snake-catcher. Sattaimuni Siddhar asked, What is it that you are seeking? When the young snake-catcher revealed that he was after a Navaratna snake, the Siddha laughed out loud. The most glorious and splendid snake resides within you! And you are foolishly searching for one outside! As the snake-catcher implored, the Siddha explained further, The snake inside every human body is known as Kundalini . The one who catches hold of this and controls the snake is a true Pambatti (snake-charmer)! For this snake carries on its head the ultimate gem! The snake-catcher surrendered to His Guru Sattaimuni Siddhar and received initiation. The Guru immediately left the place immediately. This great Disciple to the great Master mastered the control of Kundalini and attained great Siddhis. When the Guru returned, he saw the attainment of his shishya. He asked his shishya, Son, though I initiated you into this path of Spirituality I did not even ask your name. At least tell me now, what is your name? The shishya replied, Swami, I was just a snake-charmer who caught snakes for money. But you showed me the way of Kundalini and showed me the way to control it and have the Dharshan of the Paramporul within me. How can I tell you what my name is? Then and now, my life is all about the snake. So call me Pambatti .



To this, the Guru laughed and blessed him saying, Let it be. From now on you will be called as Pambatti Siddhar . And so he came to be known as Pambatti Siddhar . After his Enlightenment, Pambatti Siddhar attained many siddhis, especially becoming adept in Siddha Medicine and Siddha Yoga. He practiced as a Siddha Doctor in Maruthamalai. There is Guha (cave) present even now beside the Marudamalai temple where he lived. He also lived at various places like Mahalingamalai in Vathiraayiruppu, Kollimalai, Madurai, Puliyur and Bhavani. Finally, He attained Jeeva Samathi at Sankarankoil in Tirunelveli District of Tamil Nadu (India).

Literary Works of Pambatti Siddhar Some of the Pambatti Siddhar poems are addressed to a snake. Not to any snake outside but to the snake that is coiled within us, the Kundalini . With a yogic awakening within, the Kundalini along with our own consciousness raises from untruth to Truth. Staying true to the great Siddhas work we follow the Kundalinis way in selecting Pambatti Siddhars work. We have picked couplets to trace this way of Kundalini in the hope that it will help the writers as well as the readers to lead from untruth to Truth - Asotama Sadhgamaya. We feel blessed to present you selections from Pambatti Siddhars ! ! (Dance Snake! Dance!) . From without to within - Transcending limitations in Mooladhara and Swadhisthana One of the major challenges for any beginners in the path of Spirituality is their deep attachment to the external objects. Strongest among them is the identity with the body. Observe around you, how undue importance is given to the bodily pleasures. Multinational industries and organizations thrive on glorifying this thirst for worldly indulgence and bodily pleasures. There is a proverb, beauty is only skin deep. Yet this globally resounding persuasion is fast enticing people around the world to invest their lives in pursuit of a made up outlook and external validation. Siddhas never say reject the body - that will not come from those who developed the whole system of Yoga for the benefit of mankind. But they always warn us against giving exaggerated importance to this fleeting object called the body, which was born and which will eventually die. Rather, they encourage us to dig deep within us, to go beyond this shell called body to find the treasure that is deep within us. Pambatti Siddhar has a whole set of couplets on this great truth from which we will share one here:



Like momentary bubbles that form and pop on the surface of water Our mortal body too is sure to be gone (in the Flow of Life).

The One who is the Creator of all beings, Catch hold to catch hold (realize) of Him and Dance, O Snake!

Making effort to know the Truth- Churning in Manipura In a short, crisp and profound example Pambatti Siddhar explains the fleeting reality of the body to which we give so much attention and asks us to look for the Creator behind this creation. But what will it be like to be a seeker who realizes this? Where will his efforts be hereafter? Siddhar explains,

Like an ignorant deer seeking water in a mirage Foolish men seek joy in untruth

Those who have realized higher states observe Mouna (silence) To search That Essence of all Truth, Know this and Dance, O Snake!

Love for all- Falling into all Expansive Anahata The main goal of Spirituality is knowing the essence of the Divinity present within us, within everyone around us and everything of this world and beyond. And the result of it is overflowing compassion towards every living things of this world. As Mata Amritanandamayi says, The first step in spiritual life is to have compassion or Master Thich Nhat Hanh puts it, Walk as if you are kissing the Earth with your feet. At this stage the Sadhaka, the seeker transforms himself into a Bhakta. What are the qualities of a Bhakta? Siddhar Pambatti says,



Like oil in a sesame seed, He is all-pervading Deeply contemplate on that Isan and His Essence

With a heart filled with Love and Bhakthi (devotion) Having stillness and humbleness, Dance, O Snake!

Discriminating Truth from Untruth- The Power of Vishuddhi and Ajna Siddhar Pambatti was also a seeker once. He has walked the same path that we all are treading now. He explains how a seeker moves about in the world.

Like the seed in the core of a ripe tamarind fruit Amidst all outer relations, stay unattached to the pulp.

Oh mind, stay rooted in the pure supreme! In being so, Realize You are That Void and Dance, O Snake!

In the ripe tamarind fruit, one could see how the seed is very smooth and perfectly non-sticky to the flesh around it. In the case of a mango seed or a date-fruit seed, one could observe how the seed has a lot of pulp attached to it. Pambatti Siddhar advises one to be like the tamarind seed even amidst all worldly relations and relatives. He says in the core is the That Void, the true nature of the Self. Surrender and Ultimate Bliss- Ecstatic Sahasrara This is the journey of a sadhaka. It begins with the realization of the transient nature of external things. Then the outgoing mind is turned inward. It continues onwards in searching for the Truth within. During this journey, the seeker cleanses his internal through Antahkarana Shuddhi and develops a proper inner attitude for realizing the Truth - Antar-Bhava. It is a great honor and privilege to walk the path of Truth. But it is a path that cannot be walked alone. A person walking this path needs the nurturing of a mother, support of a father and the guidance of a teacher all merged in one - a Guru. Lucky is one who has the blessing and initiation of ones Guru on this dance of the Kundalini , the Snake. But what is the end result? After all, it is Truth and that which is. We ought to have known our true nature and it is our shortcoming if we have not realized it. But the Guru is always compassionate. He not only helps us in unveiling the maya , he also gives us the Ecstatic Realization and the



vision to see it all. What remains is the Truth, our Love for the Guru and Ecstasy. Who can explain this experience better than Pambatti Siddhar who himself walked his path with the Grace of His Guru, Sattaimuni Siddhar.

Like placing a fruit on an open palm, The Satguru shall bestow the Realization of Truth.

Removing all agitations of the mind, see That, Love Him and Dance And Dance forever, O Snake!

The metaphor of fruit on the palm is found in various Vedantic literature also. The story of Hasthamlakacharya, one among the disciples of Sri Sankaracharya, is very relevant and will help us understand more. Once a man called Prabhakara had a son who for most of his life appeared to be dumb. When Sri Sankaracharya had come to the village where they reside in, the father brought his son to the great Master and shared his worries about the boy. Sri Sankaracharya looked at the boy and asked him, Who are you? Much to the elation of everybody around, the boy responded in 12 poetic verses which were a gist of the Vedanta . Only then did everybody realize what an evolved intellect the child had. Sri Sankaracharya named the child Hasthamlakacharya and accepted him as his disciple. Hastha means palm and amalaka means a gooseberry fruit. He was named so signify that his knowledge of the Self was as clear and easy as a fruit on the palm. Pambatti Siddhar uses here this metaphor to extol the Grace of Guru which can bestow atma-vidya vividly. In this edition, we have presented a few gems from the works of Pambatti Siddhar. There are as many as 600 poems written by Pambatti Siddhar and we have barely scared the surface of it. We invite you to contemplate more on these lines and share with us your insights. We also invite you to share with us lines from Siddhar Padalgal that have deeply touched you. You could write to us at [email protected] . In absorbing this, may our abhyasa continue, may our shraddha in the Siddha Parampara strengthen and may revelations awaken as we grow within!


mailto:[email protected]


Yuva Spot

A STUDENTS WEALTH

In most movies and TV serials' portrayal of life in college, the students are shown to have a lot of free time, very little work and most of the time is spent partying, having fun with friends, going to the movies, enjoying different varieties of food, all kinds of entertainment and pleasures. But is this even remotely realistic? Watching these movies makes youth fantasize about college life, and creates an impression in their minds that an institute for higher education is a place for fun and entertainment. With this expectation in mind many students join college and it is then that the reality crashes imagination: fully-packed timetables with almost no free periods, tons of assignments, projects, laboratory experiments, examinations, seminars, etc. Students get frustrated with life because this was not at all the way they had expected it to be, and hence they seek fun and entertainment at every possible opportunity. It is not wrong to want entertainment and fun, rather, let us see what the idea of fun is from the Indian perspective of a student's life.

Our great Vedas, the priceless treasures that have been handed down to us by the great rishis, contain immense knowledge, and include vast branches of learning. In the olden times, a student who wished to gain Vedic knowledge had to take up brahmacharya diksha (vow of celibacy), study under a Guru and it was rigorous study! Not everybody needed to undergo this mode of rigorous diksha(initiation). Only the ones who wanted to know the Vedas had to take up this diksha. They had to spend many years in the ashrama and live on very simple means. There are many anecdotes to show how very austere it was. Everyday, food would be served by the Guru's patni, wife, to all the inmates of the ashrama. One day, a student, after putting the food in his mouth said, Yech! What is this? This food tastes bitter! And he was graduated! The Guru said, Son, your time in the ashrama is over. You can go on to the next ashrama. You are free to leave. Why? Because, it is said in many of our shastras (Scriptures and ancient texts) that if one has a taste for anything other than knowledge, knowledge simply cannot happen. This is the simple definition that is stated. Even Thiruvalluvar states it. This rasana, taste, was actually cultivated. The societys role was in cultivating each students taste towards knowledge. It is remarkable to see the importance given to this! It was not automatic. It was cultivated.

Even today, when you look at the lives of Nobel laureates, it is not just after 10 years of effort that they receive a Nobel Prize. They would have put in 40 to 50 years of effort, before they get the Nobel Prize. Sometimes, it is awarded posthumously, after they are gone! It is serious effort. This kind of serious involvement is very important. And you don't even know whether you will get a Nobel prize for your



work or not. So you are dedicated to knowledge, and it is your sole pursuit, regardless of reward and recognition, so much so that it becomes your Swadharma (one's own duty in accordance with one's nature). As simple as that. We have seen a Nobel laureate doing his research at a prestigious Physics institute in Italy. He comes in at 80 clock in the morning after his breakfast, and gets up from his desk only at 80 clock in the evening. He does not have lunch. He has his dinner at night and he is back at work in the morning. He follows this routine day in and day out, throughout the year. Thats an awesome life actually! For many youth it might seem boring, but if you have a little bit of insight you will see that its a very enjoyable life. You will really have a great time with what you do. Food and sleep is what we set. If we set our mind that we need to sleep for 8 hours and eat 4 times a day, then we cannot do anything of significance. Our whole life will be spent in that alone! Thats for children. What is your Dharma? This is what you need to be focussed on. However, you need to be observant of what food you eat, and see what works for your body, and avoid what does not. Eat and rest the body so that you can focus on your Dharma and perform it well. What must be done, must be done. If your thought and attention is always on food and sleep then what can else can you do? You will not gain traction in anything. The mind will only be seeking entertainment : Which restaurant shall I go and eat? Which movie shall I watch? Is my hair grown? Should I cut it? If you keep thinking only about this, you cannot gain traction. You may get a job and earn some money. That is fine. But if you wish to do some real work with real intensity, it just cannot be done in a piecemeal way. When doing your Swadharma, you are really on.

All this may sound too extreme! But no, basically it is about intensity and focus. It is called mano nigraha- conscious channelization of the mind in the direction that you set for it. The mind may run here and there but you persevere and direct it again and again to focus on studying. Needless to say! it requires great patience, consistent effort and certainly takes time, and there is no shortcut to it. Such a mind, which has been reined in, does not wander about aimlessly. That sort of a mind works wonders. That sort of an intellect works wonders. And with such a mind and intellect, life becomes exciting and our experience becomes awesome! Then you will see, to use Tamil slang, everything else such as pleasure and entertainment becomes 'mokkai '!



Prashnottara

QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS

Excerpts from the Q&A Session during Rishikesh Retreat Program (Dec 2015)

Q: What is Bahirkarana and Antahkarana ?

A:We look at ourselves in terms of instrumentation - Bahirkarana and Antahkarana. Baha means outer, and karana means instrument. When we say I, we look at instrumentation, because this body is an instrument for us to live this life. It is also called an upaadi. Upaadi is an instrument, a construct with a constraint. An instrument is that which comes with certain boundary constraints. You can do only certain things with an instrument. You cannot do certain other things. It has certain limiting constraints, but only with that you can act, in a certain playing field. Without this instrument, you cannot act in this playing field. This body is considered an outer instrument, or Bahirkarana. Likewise we have an inner instrument, or Antahkarana. The Antahkarana is generally looked at with respect to four aspects manas, chittha, buddhi and ahankara. Manas can be broadly seen as that which senses the sensory data, and which also has the playing field of emotions. Chittha can be broadly looked at as something like an electromagnetic storage space. Just like how hard disks and many other storage mediums are now electromagnetic. This is subtler electromagnetics. Actually, through the yogic practice of pranayama, we cleanse out this electromagnetic space, so that it is proper, pure and harmonious. Such cleansing out is also very important. Just as we cleanse the body, the Antahkarana also has to be cleansed, so that everyday, we are emotionally well-nourished and the instrument is well-oiled, so to speak. Otherwise we will have emotional hiccups. For instance, the next day when we go to the office, upon setting our eyes on our boss, all the past memories spring up and we feel Aaargh! Why should I see this horrible fellow? We will have a lot of emotional hiccups - emotional roadblocks. If you constantly face these emotional roadblocks, then it means that you need to cleanse out your electromagnetic field. If it is cleansed out, you will see a massive difference.You will not have any emotional hiccups, unless you want to really hold on to something. But that means you are consciously holding on-I will get my revenge on this man! You hold on to it. It will have its consequences, but still you hold on to it. Otherwise you dont automatically hold on to these things. You are relaxed, calm, collected and confident. That is a very important thing.



The buddhi helps you judge, decide and discriminate. It helps you decide what is good and what is bad with whatever data is available. It is important to note that these are all processes. To all these processes, you will see that there is a stamp- I am the doer and this is the ahamkara, loosely translated in English as the ego, which is the principle of doership. Its not wrong. Ahamkara is also an instrument. Without the ahamkara, you will experience life as though is is anybody's life. It will not be like your life. So Antahkarana has its very important role. In fact, we take so much pain to develop the Antahkarana, especially the ahamkara. The ahamkara has to be built. It has to be a good ahamkara. It should not be a weak ahamkara, nor should it be an incomplete ahamkara. It should be a strong ahamkara but a well-balanced one. Thats what we call a well-balanced personality. Otherwise the person will be insecure and feel inferior. In the opposite case the person will develop superiority complex. Thats an imbalanced ahamkara, basically. A child is very well-taken care of, with a lot of physical and emotional love in a caring environment, but with appropriate discipline as well. While disciplining the child, it is pointed out- You are not a problem, but this action is a problem. This action will have these consequences. And yet, the child is disciplined in a proper environment of love and affection. That becomes a good ahamkara, a well-balanced personality. Generally now, it is said that ego is a problem. If this stamp of doership is done in a broader perspective, where you recognize all other factors, then it is a very well-balanced ahamkara. Otherwise it is a problematic ahamkara! It will give you a lot of problems, just as an instrument that is faulty gives you problems. That is how it is considered. So ahamkara is not the problem. If the ahamkara is properly maintained, cleansed out, and is working properly, you will see that there will be no vikaras. Vikara means contortions, distortions and crookedness. In Tamil, one can say it is the difference between nalla kannu and nolla kannu! Nalla kannu sees properly. The vision is clear. It is not contorted or distorted. Nolla kannu sees only crookedness everywhere. A nolla kannu sees even things that are non-existent! Cultivating a good Antahkarana is an extremely important educational process. The Antahkarana should be capable of seeing properly. Otherwise, it is problematic. If the eye, which is the Bahirkarana, does not see properly, what do we do? We wear glasses. We apply corrections to it so that it sees properly and the vision is corrected. Likewise, corrections in the form of such values, stories, disciplines, and in many other forms are applied to the Antahkarana so that we perceive life properly. Otherwise it is a distorted view of reality that we get. Q: So how do we cleanse our Antahkarana and keep it pure? A: Cleansing and purifying the Antahkarana is called Antahkarana shuddhi . There are various procedures to cleanse. This one week, this retreat here in Rishikesh has actually been an extremely intensive cleansing procedure. You will realize this after you go back. You will actually be a little misaligned with your environment, when you go back. It will take some time for you to actually get into the groove of thought process which you were earlier on, which your environment imposed on you. You would have been a little jolted, shaken. That is important. You need to be pushed away from your regular frame of reference,



regular thought processes, and the same habitual ways of responding to your external stimuli. Only with an expanded perspective you will be able to overcome repeated thought processes. Otherwise you will have to keep revisiting it! Through this retreat, you have gained an expanded perspective. But this has been a very intensive process. You will have to keep up; it is like supplements you will have to take daily, to keep it up. That is where various yogic processes like simple asanas, pranayama are of significance, because they help your body and mind cooperate with each other. Because if your body and mind cooperate you will not have so much of a problem as when they don't cooperate. If they don't cooperate, you can easily be depressed, and when you are depressed, you can easily blame everybody for what is happening to you. A lack of energy can cause such a reaction, and you might start thinking that they are the cause of this reaction. It might be actually a lack of energy. That is one direction to work on: on a daily basis, investing 15 minutes of your time in asanas and pranayama. Most of the problems will not be to do with any major decision making, it will be to do with a lack of energy. Simply because you are down you will feel that the world is a useless place to live. Does it not happen that, when you are down, you will feel, Che! What a world! . You will lose your taste for life. When your energies go up, you say,It's a wonderful life! Your taste for life is simply based on this energy shift. Practicing kriyas can be a major help in that process. Let us understand how these kriyas work. Where are your emotions? Where are your thoughts? Actually the brain is just a small part. It is the electromagnetic field around that brain, where these thoughts arise. So you have to cleanse that. These responses to external stimuli that we are talking of is to do with the electromagnetic field, so you need to periodically cleanse those electromagnetic fields, just as you take a physical bath, to cleanse your body. Likewise how do you take an emotional bath? Partly by pouring water, you cleanse that as well. These kriyas help you cleanse that majorly. It realigns you, so that energetically, you are alright. It is very good to stay away from popular media, like movies, newspapers, television, mobile phones, social networking, for sometime. You will see that you will gain some clarity. You gain a different frame of reference. The popular media pollutes the mind in a major way. Most of these advertising campaigns, movies and newspapers do a lot of damage to the human psyche. Hence it is important to stay away from such popular media at least periodically. I am not recommending that you completely cut yourselves off, because it is important to act properly. But periodically it is better to take a break. Only then you can have a compare and contrast. Otherwise you are stuck in your regular frame of reference and you don't even know what is happening. Only when you pull back, you realize, Oh! So this is the actual reason why such and such an event has happened. Cutting yourselves off periodically from your mobile phones is also very useful. So periodically you can undertake a 'mobile phone upavasa'! (Upavasa is a vow of fasting for a certain period). Infact! you don't even need to cut yourselves off from food, you just need to cut yourself off from your mobile phone, newspaper and internet, periodically, say every ekadashi. These are practical tools. You will actually need to get out of your frame of reference, only then you can think clearly. Otherwise you will be operating only within that. That is the whole idea of meditation. But initially you might not have a hang of meditation, and hence, you will still be in the same rut. In fact, it might seem to be increasing! But this is because it is for the first time that you are becoming conscious of what is going on within you. Not that it has not been there; just that for the first time you are throwing light on that and



it might seem horrible. And many things you see within yourself might not be acceptable to you. Many of that might shatter your self-image! Because you might have thought- Huh!I am great, but now you will see No, I am not what I thought I was! What am I seeing? But over a period of time you will come to accept yourselves the way you are. That is important. What is there is there. You simply need to accept it and take effort. Only if you accept it, you can go forward, otherwise, you will be stuck with that. If you cannot accept yourselves the way you are, you are stuck there. It is called prasada buddhi. You need to accept yourselves the way you are. It is okay. First thing is to become aware that there is a problem to fix. Many people imagine - I have no problem to fix. It is all the world's problem. They are mistaken. That is why Mahatma Gandhi properly said Be the change that you wish to see in the world. It is not easy, it is tough. It is important to understand this, from the context of the Mahabharata. The Mahabharata and all the characters in it are not just some ancient history, which is irrelevant in the modern times. We can see the play of all the characters and their qualities within us as well. The Kurukshetra war happens within us everyday. We need to encounter that; it is not that we can run away from it. We need to encounter it and that is the process of evolution, growth and Antahkarana shuddhi. It is not like we just wish and it disappears. You will need to fight it. Duryodhana had to be fought. That is why it is called the Kurukshetra- the battle happens daily within us and may the good win. Let Dharma win and Dharma reign supreme. That is the whole idea. And it is not automatic! Bhagavan Krishna was the Lord Himself, but the war of Kurukshetra was not won and righteousness established simply by Krishna's wish; it was not won by Krishna performing a miracle whereby everybody on the side of Adharma were defeated. Likewise our minds, the Antahkarana, cannot be purified merely by our wishing for it. One will need to accept one's flaws, and then take effort and go forward; it is a process of one's own growth and evolution.



Paati Vaithiyam

INDIGENOUS REMEDIES FOR COMMON AILMENTS

CONSTIPATION

In the previous edition we had briefly introduced the tri doshas in Ayurveda. Ailments occur when there is an imbalance of the doshas. When the vata dosha is imbalanced, it causes cold and dryness in the body. People with vata dosha imbalance face muscular and joint pains frequently. This also causes a lot of agitation and stress. Constipation is a common consequence of vata imbalance. Constipation is a condition where people experience difficulty in passing stools.

Health and Happiness from an Ayurvedic Perspective http://www.anaadifoundation.org/blog/life/ayurveda/

Remedy #1 Take Kadukkai (Black Myrobalan) seeds and grind it to powder. Add a spoonful of this powder to a tumbler of water and consume three times a day: in the

morning, afternoon and in the evening.

Remedy #2

Add about 10 dried black grapes (raisins) to one cup of water in a vessel. Allow the water, containing the raisins to boil for a few minutes Remove the vessel from the flame, close it with a lid and leave it overnight. Consume it in the morning.

Remedy #3 Take two leaves of Pavazhamalli (Night-flowering Jasmine), tear it and add it to one cup of

water in a vessel. Allow the water, containing the leaves to boil for a few minutes. Turn off the flame, strain the leaves and pour the liquid into a tumbler.



Add panavellam (palm jaggery) and consume three times a day: morning, afternoon and in the evening.

How to grow Kadukkai Tree

Kadukkai - Haritaki is extensively used in Ayurvedic formulations because of its excellent healing properties. It is used in the treatment of a wide range of diseases. Together with gooseberry and Thandrikkai (Belleric), Kadukkai is used to make the Ayurvedic formulation called triphala , which has amazing health benefits, and acts to balance doshas , tone the digestive system, cleanse the colon and detoxify the body. These trees are generally grown from seeds. The seeds are sown in the spring season (in northern states of India). Clay and sandy soils are ideal for growing them. They require full sunlight and ample amounts of water for proper growth. These trees cannot tolerate cold temperatures below 16 C.

How to grow Pavazhamalli (Night-Flowering Jasmine)

Pavazhamalli is a small tree, and its flowers, seeds and leaves have various medicinal and healing properties. For germination, sow the seeds of Pavazhamalli in seed

compost taken in a small container. Keep the compost moist and place it indoors in a place that receives light but not direct sunlight. Light is required for germination.

After 3 weeks, transplant them into well-draining, loamy soils, in a place that receives good sunlight.

Water sufficiently without allowing the soil to dry out or become soggy.



Prakriti Darshan

BACK TO TRADITIONAL FARMING

In the previous issues of Prakriti Darshana, we had talked about sustainable living and organic farming. Inorder to understand the importance of natural, spiritual and organic farming, we need to understand the larger context and the bigger picture. A brief history of economic development from the perspective of the Industrial revolution, how the consumption patterns changed and the consequences that followed will be needed to gain insights into the real value of organic farming. In this article, we would be looking specifically at a) the linkages between food and fuel and how it impacts farming and b) How modern agricultural practices and economic development is leading to loss of bio-diversity. Much can be written about the problems in existing agricultural practices but we restrict this article to two main issues.

Traditional Knowledge Systems Traditional or Indigenous knowledge refers to the knowledge, wisdom and practices that are passed on from one generation to another within local communities. This knowledge is often passed orally in the form of discourses, story-telling, folklore, rituals, songs and artforms. Spirituality and connection with nature forms the foundations of traditional knowledge. Over a period of time, with humanity moving towards a more market driven approach, traditional knowledge systems started being disregarded as superstition and unscientific.

The disappearance of local knowledge through its interaction with the dominant western knowledge takes place at many levels, through many steps. First, local knowledge is made to disappear by simply not seeing it, by negating its very existence. This is very easy in the distant gaze of the globalising dominant system emerging from a dominating and colonising culture, modern knowledge systems are themselves colonising. Dr. Vandana Shiva, Monocultures of the Mind



The higher mental processes of the ancient world were not intellectual, but intuitive. Those inner operations, the most brilliant, the most effective, the most obscure, are our grandest and most powerful sources of knowledge, but to the logical reason, have a very obscure meaning and doubtful validity. Revelation, inspiration, intuition, intuitive discrimination, were the capital processes of ancient enquiry. To the logical reason of modern men revelation is a chimera, inspiration only a rapid intellectual selection of thoughts or words, intuition a swift and obscure process of reasoning, intuitive discrimination a brilliant and felicitous method of guessing. But to the Vedic mind they were not only real and familiar, but valid processes; our Indian ancients held them to be the supreme means of arriving at truth - Sri Aurobindo, Life Divine

Industrial Revolution and Development The Industrial revolution that started in England in late 1970s and early 1800s caused a major shift in the way the world was working. New production methods, chemical plants, coal-based fuels, machine tools and use of steam power brought huge changes in the economy. With the industrial revolution gaining momentum, large populations of people moved from the villages to cities and this led to the development of urban areas to a great extent. The countries that were quick to adopt the revolution developed rapidly. While the industrial revolution did help to alleviate poverty of several nations and led to an overall prosperity, the long term consequences were hardly visible at that time. Even if the consequences were visible, they were not given much attention as economic progress seemed to be the primary focus.

Pros Cons

Efficient Production Loss of farming Practices

Industrial Growth Increased materialism

Cheaper Products Poor working conditions in factories

Increased Job Opportunities Threat to indigenous cultures

Enhanced Lifestyle Health hazards

Science and Technological growth

Population explosion



Greater societal divide

The Industrial revolution also saw the exploitation of underdeveloped countries that were seen as low-cost production centers. Such exploitation left the countries that were once rich in natural resources and traditional wisdom, bankrupt and economically backward. Even now governmental and non-governmental agencies are working hard to bring them out of this condition. A huge social divide was created with the working class living in extreme conditions toiling day and night while the businessmen and employers were enjoying the economical benefits of the revolution. The ecological impact of the revolution was far greater than what people had imagined. First of all it led to the movement of people from the rural areas to the urban areas to work in factories. This resulted in neglection of farming. The emissions from industries running on fuel caused extreme air and water pollution. With a promising economy, the population started increasing multifold and suddenly there were too many people sharing the same resources. The development focus led to exploitation of natural resources to meet the consumption demands of the population. With such development, Food and Agriculture were impacted heavily and that too negatively.

Food and Fuel One can say that the usage of coal based fuel propelled the Industrial Revolution. This caused major change in the way people and industries consumed energy. While this led to human progress, it proved to be too costly for the environment, the impact of which we see around us today. One major consequence of the fuel-based economy is the change in food consumption patterns and the costs associated with them. Why do we say food and fuel are linked? Where all are they linked?

Mechanized farms are dependent on equipments that utilize fuel Irrigation uses fuel Fertilizers are petroleum products Preservation and Transportation of food is highly dependent on fuel Bio-fuels like corn increase the price of food

Producing one pound of corn requires about .43 kWh of energy and a pound of beef needs 31.5 kWh. Not only that, while milk needs about 738 m 3 water/ton of harvest, poultry needs about 3809 m 3 water/ton. So we see that the food consumption pattern impacts the usage of fuel and vice versa.



Source: treehugger.com

Such high dependence on fuel causes the food prices to soar when the price of petrol increases. Infact many news and research articles highlight that the Arab Spring was more of a hunger crisis than a political one. Agrarian riots too are on the rise.

Source: www.farmingfirst.org

While the food industry is a major consumer of fuel, it is also majorly contributes to global emissions. Agriculture alone accounts for 13% of the global emissions.



With the growing focus on development, there was a major shift from localized farming practices to large scale factory-style production of food. Farmlands owned by small farmers were aggregated and owned by corporations. Farmers became daily labors working in contract farms and huge amount of food started being exported. All these definitely had an impact on traditional farmers who had small land holdings. If we need to break this link between food and fuel, then we will need to look at farming and food productions practices that are less dependent on fuel. That is where our traditional and organic farming practices can help. Natural and Organic farming can break the links by:

Using natural and organic fertilizers Reduce carbon emissions as there are no chemical fertilizers being used Techniques like mulching can hold water for a long time thereby reducing water consumption Natural crops are localized and hence grow healthier over a period of time. This robustness reduces

the need for chemical preservation techniques

Loss of Bio Diversity The changing economy of the world created a huge divide among nations. While some nations grew wealthier, some nations were pushed into severe poverty. Africa and some parts of Asia were the worst affected. Several studies indicate that there is a marked difference in the food preference and consumption of developed, developing and underdeveloped nations. While developed nations prefer animal and fat based products, developing nations live on cereals. The demand for animal based food in developed nations is pushing the low-income countries to produce more animal products at the cost of traditional agriculture. This has also led to the low availability of food within a country. The major consequence of agricultural practices that are driven by market needs and economy is the loss of bio-diversity. Loss of bio-diversity is also being caused by climate change which is driven by carbon emissions



Source: http://www.pik-potsdam.de/

At a time when several nations were reeling under food crisis and clear cut food consumption patterns forming in developed nations, lot of time, money and effort was invested in increasing the food production rapidly through the used of chemical fertilizers and farm mechanizations. As a consequence, crops that were of higher commercial value were preferred. This in turn led to cultivation of large scale few preferred crops and thereby a loss of bio diversity. Dr. Vandana Shiva in her foreword to the book Sacred Seed says that India had nearly 200,000 varieties of rice and this has been reduced by monoculture. Crop genetic resources are being wiped out at the rate of 1-2% every year. Since the beginning of this century, about 75% of the genetic diversity of agricultural crops has been lost. In the United States, more than 7000 apple varieties were grown in the last century. Today, over 85 percent of those varieties - more than 6000 - are extinct. Just two apple varieties account for more than 50% of the entire US crop ( http://www.reimaginerpe.org/ ). Some ways of enhancing bio-diversity are:

Seed banks that preserve a variety of seeds Revival of traditional crops like millets in India that provide holistic nutrition Encouraging crop rotation and more local crops Intercropping practices Agroforestry or agro-sylviculture is a land use management system in which trees or shrubs are

grown around or among crops or pastureland. It combines shrubs and trees in agricultural and forestry technologies to create more diverse, productive, profitable, healthy, ecologically sound, and sustainable land-use systems.

In this article we say how the industrial revolution had both advantages and disadvantages. Rapid development did have a major impact on the environment leading to a fuel-based agricultural model. More on issues and solutions in the future articles...


http://www.pik-potsdam.de/http://www.pik-potsdam.de/http://www.reimaginerpe.org/


Kathalaya

STORIES FOR THE YOUNG

BHAJAGOVINDAM STORIES -1

Bhajagovindam was composed by Sri Adi Shankaracharya. In this composition, Adi Sankaracharya talks about the importance of devotion to God and how it can make our lives happy and fulfilling. In this series we would be explaining the meaning of each sloka through a story. Sloka 1:

, , Bhaja Govindam Bhaja Govindam Govindam bhaja mudamathe Sampraapte Sannihite Kaale Nahi nahi rakshati dukrin karane

Translation

Worship Govinda, Worship Govinda, Oh fool! Rules of grammar will never save you during the time of death.

There is a famous story about a boatman and a learned pundit. Once a pundit was crossing the river in a boat. It was a long boat ride. The river was also very rough that day. The pundit having mastered all the sashtras and rules of grammar in sanskrit, asked the boatman Do you know grammar?. The boatman said he had never learnt sanskrit or grammar. The pundit replied arrogantly Half of your life is lost as you dont known grammar. The boatman then asked Sir! Do you know swimming?. The pundit said he had never learnt swimming. The boatman replied with a smile Then your whole life is lost ! The boat is sinking. This stories gives a clear message that rules of grammar cannot save anyone during the time of their death.



In the Chandogya Upanishad, there is a popular story of Maharishi Uddalaka and his son Svetaketu. When Svetaketu was a young boy, his father sent him to school. Svetaketu studied for 12 years and now knew all the Vedas by heart. He could recite any line from any of the Vedas. After his education, he came back home. He was full of pride, just as we feel as soon as we learn many things.

Uddalaka, noticing Svetaketu's pride, asks him, My son, you are so proud of your knowledge. But do you have the knowledge by which we can hear the unhearable, ashrutam , by which we can perceive the unperceivable, amatmam , and by which we can know the unknowable, avijnatam ? - referring to the Supreme Truth. As his father questioned him thus, for the first time Svetaketu realized that whatever he had learnt was miniscule and the Truth was infinitely vaster than that. It was not sufficient for him to simply memorise the shlokas or learn the rules of grammar. Knowing the Truth required complete surrender, a different level of discipline! So Sankaracharya urges everyone of us to turn towards God and be devoted to Him.



Divine Humor FROM THE LIVES OF MAHATMAS

Mahaperiyava, the sage of Kanchi, had an amazing sense of humor. He also paid a lot of attention to details and this often took the disciples completely off-guard. One day Mahaperiyava was talking to a group of Grihasthas about their cooking skills. They were talking very proudly of their skills and Mahaperiyava asked the recipe of Sambar. With a great deal of excitement, the grihasthas were giving out the ingredients: salt, dal, chillies and all that. Once they stopped, Mahaperiyava remarked All of you are totally egoless. Everyone mentioned everything but never spoke of thaan ( thaan means SELF in tamil and also means vegetable) . There was an uncomfortable laughter in the crowd.

Sage of Kanchi: Mahaperiyava



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Documents

Editor’s Note - Anaadi Foundationanaadifoundation.org/parnika/parnika03.pdf · Editor’s Note Shri Gurubhyo Namaha! Guru Kripa! We are happy to launch the second issue of Parnika