He will sleep well......

He was watching his father Sage Vajasravasa conducting a yagna and as a part of that act giving away his possessions to others. Nachiketa, still a young boy, stood on the side observing the actions of his father. The boy was upset that some of the items given away by his father were useless and of no value to the receiver. The cows given away as a part of the religious actions in the yagna were too old, weak and unable to provide any milk to the receiver. The boy wondered as to what was the purpose of giving away such cows? He could not stop his father from these actions, but wanted to do something so that the father would receive the blessings he deserved due to performance of the yagna.

"Father, to whom are you giving me?", asked Nachiketa. Vajasravasa did not take notice of what his son said and pretended as if he had not heard him. Nachiketa was not the one to let it go. He repeated his question again and again. This enraged the father and in a fit of anger he said, "I give you to Death". 

Lord Yama is the Lord of Death. Nachiketa went on a long and arduous journey to reach Lord Yama's palace. When Nachiketa arrived at Lord Yama's house, Yama was away on one of his official tours. Undeterred, Nachiketa waited outside the main door of the house for three days and nights. He did not eat or drink and did not disturb the proceedings at the house. Lord Yama returned after three days. Mortals are scared of the Lord of death, but not Nachiketa. Lord Yama was apologetic to have made a young guest wait outside the doors of his house for three nights. He was moved by the determination of the young boy in sticking to his principle and waiting without murmur that long. He decided to reward Nachiketa for his resoluteness and fearless action. "I will give you three boons for having made you to wait for three days. Ask what you want.", said the Lord of Death. Nachiketa's position was that he did not want any boons as the waiting was due to his coming unannounced and without prior appointment. Lord of Death nevertheless insisted on compensating him for the long wait.

"My father is angry and annoyed with me now. If and when you release me from here and I go to him, he should receive me without anger or rancor. Our relationship should be restored.", asked Nachiketa as the first boon.  Lord of Death smiled and said, "So be it. I bless him with good sleep in the night. He will sleep well and receive you as before". Nachiketa asked about the secret of life after death, as the other boons. Yama tried to divert Nachiketa's attention by offering many other valuable things, but Nachiketa stuck to his request. Finally Yama fulfilled Nachiketa's wish and disclosed the many secrets of higher learning. These learnings detailed in Kathopanishad is much revered among the Upanishads and its teachings are highly valued by seekers.

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Ranjan Das was one of the youngest CEO of an MNC in India. He had risen to the position of CEO & MD of Indian Subcontinent of SAP at the age of 42. He was a fitness freak and did regular workout at the Gym. He was capable of running marathon races and had participated in the Chennai Marathon. He participated in many sports events and was active throughout his life physically, despite his tremendous pressures at work. He had varied interests in life; he wrote poetry and even planned to produce a movie with a film producer friend. Reports said that he ate right, jogged and had no bad habits and he slept only for 4 to 5 hours a day. He appeared in a program titled "Boss's Day Out" on NDTV where he mentioned that he was not proud of cutting down on his sleep and wished he could sleep more.

He returned after a workout in the Gym, collapsed due to a massive cardiac arrest and died. His short sleeping habit was held as a reason for his death. 

Modren life brings in various stress factors into the lives of young executives and budding professionals. In order to make more time for other activities and work related issues, many of them sacrifice some part of sleeping time. A proper night's sleep is as important as healthy food, exercises and regular medical checkups. This is true of the younger generation as well and need not be dismissed as applicable to the older lot.

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A sleeping time of at least 7 hours a day is recommended by physicians to their patients. Sleep here does not mean just lying on the bed but deep and comfortable sleep that can relax and recharge the body. A good night's sleep will enable the body as well as mind to face the next day's challenges with more energy and equanimity. This is exactly what Lord Yama told Nachiketa. He had rightly identified that good sleep is the key to view things on the next day with new perspectives and a calm mind.

I came across an article written by Dr Vibhuti Samarth Rao, an Ayurvedic practitioner on how Ayurveda branch of medicine deals with the aspect of sleep in human life. The article deals in detail about sleep deprivation, problems due to working in night shifts, problem of getting back to sleep when one gets up in the middle of sleep etc. Causative factors and tips to help getting a sound sleep naturally are detailed there. Some of the tips given that can be easily followed by all are:

• keeping a pleasant environment with proper room, bed and dim light.
• Soothing music and pleasant aroma.
• Having warm milk before going to bed.
• Taking shower or tub bath before going to bed.
• Massaging of pressure points in the body to relieve stress.

Modren life has rendered a good night's sleep a luxury for many. But, it is to be noted that sleep is indeed an important necessity and not an option.

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Several years ago, 14 of us were constrained to sleep in the dormitory of a railway station while waiting for a train due to late running of trains on account of derailment of a goods train. The one who got up last on the next morning asked others: "Did you have a good night's sleep?". One of the others replied very politely. "We indeed had sound sleep. We had sound and you had sleep!" 

4D - Security concept

Security has become a major concern for every organisation nowadays. Ensuring safety of the various assets and resources, preventing unauthorised usage or pilferage has been engaging continuous attention by top managements. Safety and security of people working in the organisation, physical assets, technology platforms and enormous data at their centres have been becoming more and more challenging each day. Leakage of sensitive data, entry of unauthorised persons into place of work and pilferage of valuable items and tools causes many operational risk issues as well as threat to life and liberty of people working for organisations. Lot of money is being spent by entities to tighten security measures, both physical security as well as technology based security tools. These concerns are equally applicable to households and small establishments.

During a visit to a pre-school day care centre where toddlers and small children are taken care of when mothers are at work, I was impressed with the security systems employed by them. The entry and exit were restricted and could be made only when smart cards issued by the centre were used at the door. In case the visitor did not have the card, identification was made by speaking through a speaking tube even while the person inside is able to view the visitor through the glass door. Strangers and first time visitors are subject to additional verification to make certain that the visitor is indeed bonafide and genuine. As a further security measure, parents are contacted over phone before the child is handed over to the visitor. It is indeed a big responsibility to run such centres.

A house magazine of an organisation carried an article about the 4-D concept of security in organisations. These concepts can equally be applied in houses and small establishments. What is this 4-D concept? It simply involves four levels of combinations of various steps that can take care of security concerns. Strict observance of these measures ensures a high level of security atmosphere and a intruder would find it difficult to attempt his adventures in these establishments. The 4-D concept deals with the four levels of security measures; Deter, Deny, Delay and Detect.

The first step of "Deter" puts in place systems that ensure intruders are made to desist even from attempting an entry. The measures may include barbed wires on the perimeter walls, CCTV surveillance, posting of watchmen and adequate lighting around the establishment. Even display of boards that claim "This place is under CCTV surveillance" are capable of ensuring that a casual intruder does not proceed on misadventure. Any effort to gain entrance in such places requires serious preparation on the part of the intending intruders. This filters and narrows down the likely attempts at gaining unauthorised entry.

The second step of "Deny" involves keeping the unauthorised persons out by another series of measures. The measures include use of access control through biometric cards, manned entry verification through security guards at entry points, segregation of areas to restrict entry only to a specified area in the establishment, keeping the doors locked, use of X-ray machines to scan bags and packets etc. By use of such measures, gaining entry is made difficult at the first stage. Even after gaining entry, access is restricted to designated area thus ensuring protection of other segregated areas.

The third step of "Delay" ensures slowing down the progress of an intruder even after gaining entry bypassing the first two levels. The measures comprise stop doors, window grills, strong rooms with vault doors for housing servers and areas of sensitive work stations, time locks and embedded cash safes. Some organisations have entire floors of buildings as out of bounds for even their own employees. Additional security features control entry into such highly restricted areas. It is no surprise that many employees do not even know the nature of work or research going on such restricted parts of their own buildings.

It may not always be possible to prevent planned and organized gangs from gaining entry despite the above three levels of measures. The 4th D concept of "Detect" comes into play now. Detect involves monitoring and actively detecting unauthorised entrants by watching CCTV monitor screens, placing anti-burglar alarms, installation of CCTV with night vision facility, auto-dialers with security alarm systems etc. This helps in preventing unauthorised activity even after an intruder gains entry by bypassing the first three levels of security.

The concept of 4-D security can be applied to our households as well. Keeping the doors locked, storing valuables in locked cabinets, proper care of valuables and avoiding easy access to valuables at homes can be effective security measures.  

Employing the 4-D concept keeps entities in readiness to face security threats from outsiders. However, it is important to remember that all these measures are only effective when the people manning these systems and tools are vigilant and careful at all times. A small slip or laxity in following the prescribed procedures even for a small span of time can fail the entire system. "Eternal vigilance is the price of Liberty" is a saying attributed to Thomas Jefferson. It is said that it was used by others earlier to him as well. Eternal vigilance is indeed the 5th, or even the first concept of security! 

Then, Earth became "Pruthvi"

One of the recent posts was titled "Shree Pruthvivallabha" (Click here to read it). The word Pruthvivallabha is actually a title, which means "Lord Paramount". This title was used by many Kings of yesteryears who had vast geographical areas under their command and control. Other kings who controlled smaller territories accepted such Kings as their superior and sought their protection in running the affairs of their respective kingdoms. These smaller kings known as "Saamanta" (subordinate) kings were required to make annual payments to the Lord Paramount in the form of gold, grains, soldiers to the army and other similar and mutually agreed items in lieu of the protection so received. The smaller kings enjoyed freedom of administration within their territories, but were required to aid the Lord Paramount when called upon in case of war with a powerful adversary. The Lord Paramount also was benefited by the indirect power and thus able to concentrate on wider issues in his command area. Such arrangement between the Lord Paramount and the Saamanta kings ensured that there was lasting peace and social order for a reasonable length of time. There were inevitable wars, but peace had a chance at least as long as the personal equation between the two forces was politically sustainable. This arrangement is somewhat similar to the present Central and State Government structure, though modifications can be seen in some areas in line with the requirements of the present times. 

While the word "Pruthvivallabha" means "Lord Paramount", the word "Pruthvi" itself means Earth or part thereof. The word "Vallabha" denotes one who owns the land. But how does the word "Pruthvi" come to mean "Earth"? There is an interesting story behind it, which can be found in Bhagavata and Puranas. 

Long time ago, there was a King by name Vena. He was a descendent in the lineage of Dhruva. Dhruva was a great devotee of Lord Vishnu and ruled the lands with distinction. The pole star which is used as a direction giver (North Star) by those at sea is named after him. Vena was also a good King to start with, but in due course of time developed all bad traits and ended up as an evil King. Everyone under his rule suffered and the level of sin reached astronomical proportions. Bhoodevi, Earth Goddess became frustrated and decided that she will not support vegetation, hid all vegetation and life supporting items inside her and went into hiding. Everything came to a standstill and life became very difficult for all. This enraged the usually kind and pious Rishis. They went in a group and killed Vena in a fit of rage. Vena was lying dead but then it dawned on them that there was no successor to the throne as Vena was childless. 

The Rishis churned the body of the dead king. First a dwarf hunter emerged from the body who was personification of all evil present in the body of Vena. After all the evil was gone and the dwarf emerged, churning of Vena's body continued. From the arm of the dead Vena emerged a fully grown handsome man (see the picture alongside). The new born was named Pruthu (or Prithu), which means great or big. He is believed as an incarnation of Lord Mahavishnu and that Lord Vishnu's bow, Sharanga, slipped from heaven and fell to his hands. Pruthu was anointed as the King. Pruthu took charge and was firmly in saddle now.

Pruthu found that all vegetation and life supporting items had disappeared. He realized that Bhoodevi had taken the form of a cow and gone into hiding. Pruthu went to Bhoodevi in cow's form, but the cow started running away. Pruthu chased the cow with an arrow on the Sharanga, deciding to kill the cow if she did not heed his orders (see picture at the top) and take the items hid in the cow's belly. The cow requested Pruthu not to kill her and in turn she would release all the vegetation and life supporting items inside her belly, in the form of milk. Pruthu accepted the request and lowered the arrow. As he reneged from killing her, it was as good as he gave a second life to Bhoodevi. Bhoodevi was now like his daughter as Pruthu became equal to a father, the life giver. Then, Earth became Pruthvi (Pruthu's daughter).

Meru, the golden mountain, took the form of a calf and all the representatives of various sections of people were able to draw whatever they required from the cow, in the form of milk. Order was restored and life went on thereafter as usual. Pruthu was considered as the first King who ruled the entire Earth. Earth (Bhoodevi) was henceforth referred as "Pruthvi". Pruthu flattened many mountains with his arrows and made the ground even and hence fit for agriculture. His reign was marked by wellbeing and happiness of all subjects. There was no hunger or calamity in his rule. It is believed that proper application of agriculture, animal husbandry, trade and commerce came into existence only from the time of Pruthu.

Subsequent Kings were indebted to King Pruthu for restoring order on earth. Both Pruthu and Pruthvi became an integral part of life on the earth and history thereafter!

Anger Management

Madurai city in south Tamilnadu is a popular tourist center. It's recorded period dates back to at least 300 BC. Megasthenese, Greek ambassador to India, is said to have mentioned about this city. Madurai is a historical, social, cultural and business center. Thousands of tourists throng the city every day for visiting the Meenakshi-Sundareswara temple and other temples around the city. The size of these temples is often huge and a proper visit to them would take half a day for a meaningful round up. A visit to Meenakshi-Sundareswara temple in the morning is very rewarding; it meets the objective of morning walk and exercise as well. Tirumala Naiker's palace is another important tourist attraction. Madurai is also the gateway to the island of Rameswaram that houses the historical temple by the same name. It is an important commercial centre and the city with nearly two million population never sleeps. Different shades of cultures can be seen thriving harmoniously in this city. The city is situate on the banks of river Vaigai, though water flow in the river is very rare. Madurai has a bench of the Madras High Court and has a Divisional Office of Indian Railways as well. The city is vital and important politically and the belief is that the political party that wins in Madurai and surrounding areas does rule the state of Tamilnadu. Past electoral history is a witness to this claim.

Madurai is well connected by National Highways, Railway network and Airport. There is a regular and heavy traffic between Chennai and Madurai. Many long distance trains from Chennai to various destinations in south India pass through Madurai. The most popular among them is Pandiyan Express, plying between Chennai and Madurai, due to its convenient timings on either side of the journey. One can take the train after supper and arrive at the destination well before sunrise on the next day. I was required to travel frequently between these two cities as a part of my work for a few years. The train had AC coaches as well but the journey by First Class coaches (which have been now phased out by Indian Railways) were very pleasant due to the extra space available in them. The journey by Pandiyan Express was always enjoyable and lasting in memory. 

There was a slight drizzle on that night at Chennai Egmore station, some fifteen years ago. The wet platforms were full with south bound passengers looking for their trains. Pandiyan Express had not yet arrived at the platform from the yard. There was no place to sit on the platforms as all seats were either occupied or wet due to the drizzle. There was only one bench on which one person was sitting with her bags besides her. As the wait was going to be longer, I went to her and asked her if I could sit beside her if she moved the bags. She readily agreed and made way by moving the bags. What followed was a very interesting episode.

Many persons passing by our bench would stop and greet the lady. She was nearly seventy years old and the smile on her face was evident even in the dimly lit platform. Initially it appeared that only railway employees were greeting her. All guards, drivers, porters and other railway employees stopped for a minute and talked to her with reverence. Many of them asked her whether they could get dinner for her. She smilingly replied such queries that she had ordered dinner to be served on the coach. As the minutes passed by, it was observed that even some non-railway employees were greeting her and exchanging pleasantries. She was referred as "Madam". Only elderly ones addressed her as "Satya Madam". Her name was probably Satyavati. I was tempted to ask her how she knew so many people from the railways and others traveling to Madurai. But I did not.

When the train arrived on the platform half an hour later, there were half a dozen railway employees competing to take her bags to her coach. As I entered my compartment, she was seated opposite to my berth. An elderly couple were the other two passengers in the four berthed compartment. They had their packed dinner ready with them. Railway employees delivered dinner packets to us. The time during the dinner opened a chance to ask her the reasons for her being so popular with the railway employees and other travelers. 

She told me that she was working as a teacher in the Railway school in Madurai for some three decades. Some of the persons who greeted her were her former students who have now become railway employees. There were others who were parents of children who studied in that school. She said that it was no surprise that that many people greeted and spoke to her. "I should have been an awfully bad teacher if at least this many did not recognize me!", she exclaimed. She was humble and polite. She must have been much better than an average teacher. She ought to have been a wonderful teacher and guide to her wards. Not all teachers are recognized and respected like her, I thought.

Our brief discussion during dinner was disturbed due to a heated argument between a passenger and the TTE. As the argument subsided, she smiled and said "I do not know why people become angry". "There could be many reasons for that", I said. She laughed and what she said later is fresh in my memory. 

"In any situation involving me, I am either right or wrong. If I am wrong, I have no right to be angry. If I am right, I need not be angry. Remembering these two rules are the best medicine for treating anger", she said as we finished dinner.

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Satya madam had a wonderful lesson in "Anger Management". She put it very easily in simple words but with lasting effect. It is a lesson difficult to follow always, but gives rich dividends whenever followed.  Yes, it is either we have no right to be angry or we need not be angry!

Colour of Saraswati

The last post was about "Shree Pruthvivallabha", (click here to read it) referring to the war between Pulikeshi II and Harshavardhana in the Narmada river valley in 618-619 AD. This period of 7th century AD was a very fertile ground for growth of fine arts and literature. Temples and monuments constructed at that time as well as works of literature that are available even today bear testimony to this. There were many talented artistes and poets in the court of Pulikeshi II and other noted Kings of the period like The Gangas of Talakad and Pallavas of Kancheepuram, besides the Banavasi Kings. 

Chandraditya was the eldest son of Pulikeshi II. Chandraditya's queen Vijayambike was herself a noted poet of that time. Vijayambike was known by different names such as Vijjika, Vijayakka (meaning elder sister Vijaya) and Vijaya Bhattarika. She is referred to as "Karnati" (Lady of Karnataka) and "Karnata Rajapriya" (Darling of the King of Karnataka). She is said to have been born in a courtesan family and well versed in music, dance and literature. In fact, there are claims that she was the foremost poet in Vaidharbhi style, next only to Mahakavi Kalidasa. She has written a five act drama by name "Kaumudi Mahotsavam".  She had earned the title "Karnata Saraswati". 

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Dandi or Dandin is considered as one of the foremost poet of that period. Researchers have established that he was in the court of Pallavas King Simhavishnu and later in the court of famous King Durvinita of the Ganga dynasty who ruled from Talakad near Mysore. His celebrated work "Kavyadarsha" is a highly respected source book in Poetics. He is also credited with two more prose works, "Dasha Kumara Charita" and "Avanti Sundari Katha". He is praised as a foremost exponent of "Padalalitya" or playing with words, in his works. He lived around the same period as Vijayambike. There was a running feud between Chalukyas and Pallavas with victory favoring one or the other in a long period of 6th and 7th centuries.

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We see many photos of various deities, gods and goddesses that are sold in shops, displayed in temples and shown in calendars, books etc. These are based on the descriptions of the deities in Vedic hymns and artiste's impressions developed over a period of time. For example, the pictures of Goddess Lakshmi with two elephants on either side is a depiction based on her description from "Shree Suktam". All hymns describing Goddess Saraswati mention that she is all white; dressed in white, sitting on a white lotus, white swan as her chariot and she herself is white in colour. The picture of Saraswati given above is from such description in different sources.

Dandi has described that Saraswati is all white (नित्यशुक्ला सरस्वती) in the beginning of his "Kavyadarsha". Vijjika or Vijayambike, daughter in-law of Pulikeshi II and queen of his son Chandraditya came to know of this as she was a contemporary of Dandi. Vijjika herself was of dark complexion. She did not accept this description of Saraswati. She retorted thus:

नीलोत्पलद्लष्यमां विज्जिकां मामजानता |

वृथैव दण्डिना प्रोक्तं सर्वशुक्ला सरस्वती ||

Neelotpaladalashyamaam Vijjikaam maamajanataa

Vruthaiva Dandina proktam Sarvashukla Saraswati!

Dandi has not seen me, Vijjika, who is like a Blue Lotus. That is why he has mentioned that Saraswati is all white! (Had he seen me, he would have known that Saraswati is not white in colour. He would have mentioned that she is of dark complexion).

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Vijjika represented a generation of women poets who were confident about themselves and stood on same footing as men as far back as over a thousand and three hundred years. She had the confidence to say that she was Saraswati personified!

Shree Pruthvivallabha

An interesting news report in "The Hindu" last week (25th April, 2016) has thrown additional light on an important part of History. Studies at the Bhandarkar Oriental Research Institute, Pune has accurately fixed the year of the historic war between Pulikeshin II of Badami and Harshavardhana of Kannauj. 

The Bhandarkar Oriental Research Institute, Pune, Maharashtra is an institution founded in honor of Ramakrishna Gopal Bhandarkar who is regarded as the foremost pioneer of scientific Orientology in India. The institute is said to have the largest collection of manuscripts and rare scripts of yesteryears. The institute, founded in 1917, will be celebrating its centenary year shortly. The institute received a collection of copper plates from Shri Raghuvir Pai, a noted coin collector of Mumbai. Research at the institute based on the bunch of copper plates (photo given above) have confirmed the dates of historical events of the seventh century AD. The institute has informed that the coronation of Pulikeshin II as the King was in 610 AD, when he ascended the throne by defeating his uncle Mangalesha, who had planned to deny the throne to him. The research has also fixed the year of the deciding fight on the banks of the river Narmada, between Pulikeshin II and Harshavardhana as the winter of 618-619 AD as against the earlier vague dates of 612 to 634 AD. It further informs that there is a reference to grant of 50 Nivarthanas (units of land) in village Vataviya, in the present Paithan taluka of Aurangabad in Maharashtra to a Vedic scholar Nagasharma. This grant of land was presumably made when Pulikeshi returned from the war on the banks of Narmada river.

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Pulikeshin II belonged to the Chalukya dynasty that ruled large part of South  and Central India intermittently for six centuries, from 6th 12th century AD.  This dynasty ruled in three different and related branches. The first branch of Badami Chalukya took over from the Kadambas of Banavasi and had their reign from mid 6th century to 8th century (543 AD to 756 AD). The rise of Rashtrakutas eclipsed Badami Chalukyas and thereafter they ruled from Vengimandala, the area between Krishna and Godavari rivers in present Andhra Pradesh, until 11th century. King Tailapa was responsible for coming out of the subordination of Chalukyas to Rashtrakutas and started the third branch of Chalukyas ruling from Kalyana, the present day Basava Kalyana in Karnataka. The reign of Kalyana Chalukyas extended till 12th century AD.

Pulikeshin II was the foremost and most famous King from the Badami Chalukya dynasty and ruled for three decades (610-642 AD). His empire covered the large area of parts of Gujarat and Madhya Pradesh, entire Maharashtra and Karnataka and parts of Andhra Pradesh. More than a hundred temples and monuments are available even today bearing the stamp of Chalukya architecture in and around North Karnataka. Badami, Aihole and Pattadakal temples are visited by tourists regularly.

Harshavardhana was a popular ruler of North India in the 6th century (590-647 AD) and his reign coincided with that of Pulikeshin II (610-642AD). Harsha's empire extended from Punjab and Rajasthan to Gujarat and parts of Bengal and Odisha. Pulikeshin had become a powerful adversary and taken the title of "Pruthvivallabha" (Lord Paramount). Rise of another powerful King in South India was naturally not to Harshavardhana's liking. He marched from Kannauj with a large army to subdue Pulikeshin II. Harsha's army had a large contingent of elephants. The two armies met in the Narmada valley. Pulikeshin's battle plans and superior warcraft in guarding the river valley resulted in the loss of large part of Harshavardhana's army. Harshavardhana was forced to accept Narmada river banks as the boundary between his and Pulikeshin's kingdoms. The present research has now fixed the date of this decisive war having taken place in the winter of 618-619 AD.

A film by name Immadi Pulikeshi (1967) with popular actor Rajkumar playing the lead role is available for viewing on Youtube. The film was a huge success and is considered as a milestone in the actor's career.

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"Shree Pruthvivallabha" is a title meaning "Lord Paramount" and used by many Kings of that era. It can be compared to the popular cricket cup called "Ranji Trophy". The victor in a major war took the title and held it till the next decisive war. The title would pass on to the winner again. There could a defending champion or a new victor, depending on who won the next war.

The title was lost by Chalukyas of Badami after the Rashtrakutas became powerful and defeated them. King Tailapa II reestablished the supremacy of Chalukyas and made Kalyan (present Basava Kalyana) as his capital. He defeated Munj, a Parmar king and won back the title "Shree Pruthvivallabha". The reign of Tailapa II and later his son Satyashraya is considered as a "Golden Age" in the annals of South India.

C K Nagaraja Rao, well-known Kannada writer who has recorded the reign of Hoysala Kings in his historical novels titled "Pattamahadevi Shantaladevi", "Veeraganga Vishnuvardhana" and "Dayada Davanala?" has also a written another historical novel titled "Shree Pruthvivallabha". The struggle of Tailapa II in establishing the rule of Kalyana Chalukyas and disengaging from Rashtrakutas is well chronicled in his novel "Shri Pruthvivallabha". The book is based on the available historical material relating to that period and subsequent research on the subject. Interested readers can read the novel to get a picture of those times by going through the book. 

Elephant in the Mirror

Many methods and techniques are used by Teachers and Trainers all over the world to impart knowledge and skills to their pupils, especially when conveying complex and abstract concepts. The more popular as well as effective among such tools are the methods known as "Known to Unknown" and "Simple to Complex". In "known to unknown" method, the teacher or trainer starts with some concept or subject that is already known to the student or the trainee. He then develops on it and links the same to a new and more difficult concept to enable the wards to understand the unknown. In "simple to complex" method, the principle or application is started from a simpler idea and then slowly develop the wider and more complex principles or applications. Modren teaching and training methods place a lot of emphasis on using these techniques to ensure faster learning and lasting effects on the students. It is interesting to note that these methods are in use for several centuries and have wide usage and acceptance all over the world. These methods are also in use in explaining the abstract theorems, axioms and assumptions. We can find many such examples in spiritual as well as cultural writings and literature.

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One of the most important theorems of Vedic knowledge and understanding is the concept of "Parabrahma", the supreme Lord. His presence is learnt through his infinite qualities. One such quality is all-pervasiveness. The supreme Lord is believed to be present everywhere; he has occupied all the space that is known as well as beyond that. He can be present everywhere at the same time. He can be bigger than any big thing and smaller than the smallest thing that one can see, imagine or perceive. "Narayana Suktam" which is a part of Yajurveda and believed to be a appendix to "Purusha Suktam" explains this concept beautifully. Narayana Suktam is generally recited at the end of all religious procedures and offered to the supreme Lord as "Mantrapushpam", offering of flowers in the form of words. This concept of all-pervasive and omni-present Parabrahma and his infinite capacity to occupy the biggest as well as the smallest available space is one of the basic tenets of Vedic beliefs.

While it is easy to say that Parabrahma can be bigger than the biggest as well as smaller than the smallest, it is difficult to comprehend the same for many. This is explained by means of many examples. 

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Saint Purundara Dasa (1484-1564) who lived during the finest period of Vijayanagara empire in South India was a contemporary of Sage Vyasateertha and King Krishnadevaraya. He is hailed as the Pitamaha (Great-grandfather) of Karnaatic school of music. Legend has it that he has composed 4,75,000 poems (Devaranamas) in the praise of Lord, though only a few thousands are available now. His Devaranamas are in simple Kannada language and yet have succeeded in bringing the essence of Vedic and spiritual knowledge to the common man. Ugabhoga and Suladi are among many forms of compositions made by him and later followed by others in his path. 

In one of his Ugabhogas, he explains the concept of the Lord occupying the smallest place when he is bigger than the biggest known entity and extending beyond that. It is in Kannada and reads as under:

ಜಗವ ಸುತ್ತಿಹುದೆಲ್ಲ ನಿನ್ನ ಮಾಯವಯ್ಯ, 
ನಿನ್ನ ಸುತ್ತಿಹುದೆಲ್ಲ ಎನ್ನ ಮನವಯ್ಯ ।

ಜಗಕೆ ಬಲ್ಲಿದ ನೀನು, ನಿನಗೆ ಬಲ್ಲಿದ ನಾನು, 
ಮೂರು ಜಗವು ನಿನ್ನೊಳಗೆ, ನೀನು ಎನ್ನೊಳಗೆ ।

ಕರಿಯು ಕನ್ನಡಿಯಲ್ಲಿ ಅಡಗಿಪ್ಪ ತೆರನಂದಿ ಎನ್ನೊಳಗೆ ನೀನು ಅಡಗಿದೆಯೋ।
ಸಿರಿ ಪುರಂದರ ವಿಠಲ ।।

The summary of the above Ugabhoga is something like this - "The entire Universe is engulfed by your charm, but my mind is wrapped around your entire presence! You are a big presence for others due to your all pervasiveness; but I am bigger than you since I hold you in me! Just as an Elephant is captured in a small mirror held in its presence, you are present in me! (Elephant is very big but its image can be held even in a small mirror kept before it.) Purandara Vittala, The supreme Lord!

This is the submission of a pious devotee of The Lord. It is not an arrogant statement, but a humble submission. The devotee is bigger than the Lord only because he is holding the biggest possible entity (The Lord) inside him just like the image of a huge elephant in a small mirror.

This is a fine example of "Known to Unknown". In the following devaranama titled "Pillangoviaya chelva Krishnana elli noodidiri?" (Where did you see the flute playing Krishna?), Purandara Dasa expands this theorem by using the "Simple to Complex" method. The follower or devotee is thrilled by the understanding of one of the fundamental tents of the Vedic knowledge. Whether one believes in it or not, the principle and the method of its communication is indeed magnificent.   

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The Ugabhoga and Devaranama mentioned above are sung by many and recordings are available on "Youtube". The one sung by Sri Vidyabushana is very popular. You may click on the video below and listen to the same.