Yogakshemam Vahaamyaham?? Or....

Dear friends,
Many of us would have merely skimmed through Renuka Anantharaman’s post titled ‘Life’s Little Lessons Learnt from Little Creatures’ (posted 25-11-08). If however, one were to dwell a little longer to ponder over the message it carried (apart from appreciating the beautiful alliterations in the title) I thought it deserved more than a cursory glance, albeit the lady member has merely touched the tip of the ice-berg (read insect-kingdom). Ten years ago there were approximately 750,000 named insect species. Today, that number is over 1,000,000. And according to a recent article in Scientific American, entomologists estimate that there are likely over eight million different species of insects on Earth. When you compare that to 4,650 named and 4,800 estimated mammal species or the 72,000 named and 1,500,000 estimated fungi, it is easy to see that insects "out-populate" any other living taxonomic group on Earth
The best things come in small packages. Diminutive insects play a vital role in our ecosystems. They aerate the soil, pollinate blossoms, and control insect and plant pests; they also decompose dead materials, thereby reintroducing nutrients into the soil. The relationship between the bees and the flowers they pollinate is so intricate that they are thought to have evolved together.
Some say, "Four things on earth are small, yet they are extremely wise: Ants are creatures of little strength, yet they store up their food in the summer; coneys are creatures of little power, yet they make their home in the crags; locusts have no king, yet they advance together in ranks; a lizard can be caught with the hand, yet it is found in kings' palaces."


The ants teach us the wisdom of preparation. "Better to be prepared and not called, than to be called and not prepared," is a wise principle to adhere to. For instance, if I want a good job in the future, I need to prepare today. If I want a healthy marriage, I need to work on my growth and maturity today, for only mature people have mature relationships. And if I want God to use me, I need to develop the gifts and talents he has given me. As an old Chinese proverb says, "Dig your well before you're thirsty."


The coneys or rock badgers teach us the wisdom of precaution. How true is the old saying, "Fools rush in where angels fear to tread." If you want to avoid temptation, don't go where you know you'll be tempted. If you don't want to get into debt over your head, don't borrow what you can't pay. And if you can't swim, don't go into the deep end of the pool. God is faithful, but if we jump off a building, he won't catch us on the way down, as he doesn't go against his own rules! He won't change the universal law of gravity because of my foolishness and irresponsibility. He won't change the moral law either. If I try to break it, it will break me.


The locusts teach us the wisdom of unity. Have you ever tried to row a boat with a friend? If you don't pull together in harmony, you'll get nowhere fast, go in circles, or run into the bank. To keep moving forward, you don't have to over-exert yourself, just keep pulling together. And if we don't pull together as a family, a community, or a nation, working in harmony with the principles of life as found in our scriptures, we will end up on the rocks!


The lizards teach us the wisdom of perseverance. "If you wait for perfect conditions, you will never get anything done … Keep on sowing your seed, for you never know which will grow—perhaps it all will," say the Wise.
Likewise one can learn something useful from each of the 10quintillion insects sent on earth through God's creation!!!

Ciao
Warm rgds
V~v~R
13-12-08.

Dear friends,
Ahimsaka soldier of Islam!
(I am a believer in nonviolence and I say that no peace or tranquility will descend upon the people of the world until nonviolence is practised, because nonviolence is love and it stirs courage in people. There is advantage only in construction. I want to tell you categorically I will not support anybody in destruction.) --Abdul Ghaffar (Badshah) Khan
Dear friends,
The pain in everyone’s heart is palpable after the recent Mumbai –blasts. In the background of such extremely emotional trauma, I thought of sharing a review written in ‘Yes’ magazine, by Michael N Nagler on a book by Sree Eknath Easwaran (What an author!!) titled ‘Non-violent soldier of Islam’; while hoping that it is not out of place.
Little known in the outside world is a figure named Abdul Ghaffar Khan, who argued that religiously justified violence was "not God's religion." Known as Badshah Khan to his followers, the devoutly Muslim leader was called "The Frontier Gandhi" and built an Islamic parallel to Gandhi's violence-eschewing ideals of compassion for one's enemies and peaceful resistance to oppression as a means of overcoming it.
Now read on the attachment…………I am not trying to prove anything…..
Warm rgds
V~v~R
14-12-08
‘Life’s Little Lessons Learnt from Little Creatures’…Some More..!!
Dear friends,
After my obsession about the ‘insect world’ (thanks to Renuka Anantharaman’s above post) it is now the fabulous ’plant kingdom’. My neighbour Bilqueez is a Green-thumb…..a plant and animal lover. So last week when I saw her pruning the hedges I asked her, “Do you know what you are doing?”
“What?...just trimming the hedges….that’s all” she said.
“You are espaliering the hedges” I said.
“What’s that?” she queried
“ESPALIER..as a noun it means a tree trained to grow flat against a wall (see picture attached). As a verb..To train a tree in such a way…Typically fruit trees such as apple and pear are grown as espalier. The advantages of an espalier are that it can be grown in a small space, gets more sunlight, and provides easier access to the fruit.” I said showing off my vocabulary!
So there’s more to trees and plants than we think.
A few months back I noted this quotation from the journalist Hal Borland (1900-1978): "You can't be suspicious of a tree, or accuse a bird or a squirrel of subversion or challenge the ideology of a violet."

But astute linguaphile Mark Germer wrote in response:
"Recent work on information processing (even kin recognition) in plants suggests that there may be more going on there than we now understand; as for birds and mammals, it has long been appreciated that they are perfectly capable of deception and subversion. For my part, I don't find these things odd or disturbing, as it's the continuity of all life that intrigues me most. Humans are not alone
Deceptive and "criminal" behavior among animals, particularly those birds and mammals that live in social groups and pair-bond with their mates like us, is an endlessly fascinating topic. Of course predators and prey both use camouflage, the most basic form of deception. But within their own species, many individuals also act in ways that we would consider immoral, i.e. deceptive or downright destructive, and are responded to in much the same way that we do by their victims, mates, or the community at large.
Yet in a sense Hal Borland is still right, since how can you frame an "accusation" implying moral judgments against creatures acting on instincts that are the product of millions of years of evolution? Everywhere we look in nature we see ourselves mirrored, and we have much to learn about the roots and rudiments of our own behavior at both the individual and societal levels by doing so.
When ESPALIERED: ……Do the plants feel like a pampered pet being groomed, or do they bear the assault? It may be that they determine to just grow new vertical shoots in defiance while captive in our yards?
So next time you pluck a mango from a tree or trim that hedge, or chop, twist, bend, and stunt as you shape them, be aware that it may not be as oblivious as you think.

BTW, even bacteria have social lives and sophisticated coordination and communication. Don’t believe? Go to the paper @ http://star.tau.ac.il/~eshel/papers/Trends-published.pdf and read you will be amazed!
You mean “What has this to do with our group objectives?”…Search me. But if Arjuna could ask (Gita 13.1) Prakritim purusham..kshetram, kshetrajnam..gnyaanam..gnyeyam….veditum icchaami…I thought why not we!
Thank you all for your patience.
Warm rgds V~v~R 14-12-08.
Gregorian? New year 2009
Dear friends,
I thoroughly enjoyed viewing Sri S Srinivasan’s pps on Year-2009 and the optimistic messages it carried. I thought (as a compliment to the same) of penning my own version of how I look at the coming New Year.
We always visualize sunrise as the beginning of a new day and the sunset as the end. What we at times forget is that without darkness there would not have been a new dawn. Like wise, without problems we would never know the value of life. Yesterday, I was reading a story to my niece’s son who loves listening to stories. The wonderful thing is every time I read out something to him; I see his eyes light up because these stories carry some small lessons for him… a child all of 5 years…
BUTTERFLY
A man found a cocoon of a butterfly. One day a small opening appeared. He sat and watched the butterfly for several hours as it struggled to force its body through that little hole. Then it seemed to stop making any progress. It appeared as if it had gotten as far as it could, and it could go no further.
So the man decided to help the butterfly. He took a pair of scissors and snipped off the remaining bit of the cocoon.
The butterfly then emerged easily. But it had a swollen body and small, shriveled wings. The man continued to watch the butterfly because he expected that, at any moment, the wings would enlarge and expand to be able to support the body, which would contract in time. Neither happened! In fact, the butterfly spent the rest of its life crawling around with a swollen body and shriveled wings. It never was able to fly.
What the man, in his kindness and haste, did not understand was that the restricting cocoon and the struggle required for the butterfly to get through the tiny opening were God's way of forcing fluid from the body of the butterfly into its wings so that it would be ready for flight once it achieved its freedom from the cocoon.
Sometimes struggles are exactly what we need in our lives. If God allowed us to go through our lives without any obstacles, it would cripple us. We would not be as strong as what we could have been. We could never fly!
My grand-nephew was quite confused and never understood a word of what I said; so, I gave him an example of his life. “There is a right time for everything”, I said. “You started to crawl before you started walking. You learnt alphabets before you started reading and writing.”
He added in his own innocent manner that it was all because of grandpa who with his stories helped him to know so many things.
After putting him to bed I gave his sayings a thought. We have so many expectations from life. When we start doing something we expect everything to fall into place. What we do not realize is that behind the success we have the blessings of the Almighty and our elders, the help of our friends, the trust of the innocent youngsters and our own efforts.
We shall move ahead with the memories of 2008 printed in our heart and look towards a new sunrise with a new confidence. Let us set our goals right this year as 4B helps us to see the year 2009 in a better way with Personalized encouragement for the Year 2009 from our ever friendly ’Cheenu’. In a lighter vein, no he is not crossing the fence as someone doubted! He may at best take a few snaps of the setting sun behind the minarets of a mosque at ‘Kanchi’ ….with background music tuned to some ‘Evening Raga’ ….his own way of symbolically conveying what he has in mind…..visuals speak better than a million words
Warm Regards,
V~v~R
14-12-08



Yogakshemam Vahaamyaham
(The Bhagavad Gita has a profound influence on the spirit of mankind by its devotion to God which is manifested by actions)— Dr. Albert Schweitzer
Dear friends,
Last Tuesday (9th Dec) was Gita Jayanthi Day: celebrated by all lovers of this most sacred scripture on the eleventh day (Ekadashi) of the bright half of the month of Margaseersha (December-January). It was on this day that Sanjaya narrated to King Dhritaraashtra the dialogue between Sri Krishna and Arjuna, and thus made the glorious teachings of the Lord available to the people of the world, for all time. The Gita is the most beautiful and the only truly philosophical song. It contains sublime lessons on wisdom and philosophy. It is the universal gospel. It contains the message of life that appeals to all, irrespective of race, creed, age or religion. Many words from this “Song Celestial” have been adopted as slogans by various institutions. Example..Nabhah sprusam deeptam by Indian Air Force (to mean touch the sky with Glory). Another.. Yogakshemam Vahaamyaham (from Gita 9.22) by LIC which is not a mere slogan but has become a mission statement meant for market penetration. It is around the latter that this story is spun.
ananyaascintayanto maam ye janaa paryupaasate
teshaam nityaabhiyuktaanaam yogakshemam vahamyaham

meaning – (I the supreme God or consciousness protect and take care, the yoga and kshema of my devotee who does my upasana with unstinted devotion taking me only as the consciousness behind every action always.)
Does anyone remember the story of a Brahmin who had once amended this verse from Gita because he thought it was NOT true. ? A story I heard goes like this………..
Arjunacharya, a Brahmin as poor as a field rat was writing his commentary on the Gita. He saw this verse and thought it a mistake to believe that the Lord would personally carry whatever was needed to each devotee. He therefore scratched out vahAmi (I personally carry) and inserted karomi (I have it done). The Brahmin thought, “What is the need for Bhagavan doing it Himself? Being all powerful, He will get it done."

After making the change in the text he went for Unjavrithi. While he was gone, his wife heard a knock at the door. Two handsome looking boys, but shaken up a bit were at her doors insisting that she quickly accept the food that her husband had sent for her. The boys were in pain and anxious to get away from her house sooner the delivery of food was made, because, they told her, that they were afraid the great Brahmin scholar Arjunacharya would probably thrash them again.

The good lady expressed her disbelief and swore that her husband would never hurt a fly leave alone do such a despicable act of beating children. But then the dark boy said, "See?" and turned to show her the marks on his back where he had been struck. Then they both dashed away.
Arjunacharya's wife was bewildered, and angry at her husband. She began to warm up and eat the food the boys had brought. Upon Arjunacharya's arrival, he was shocked to see his wife partaking the food, as it was quite unusual for her to do so without waiting for him. When admonished, she narrated the entire episode as to how the two boys had come and left a bountiful supply of food and after the dark boy had showed her the marks on his back, she got convinced about how cruel one could get in the heat of the moment no matter how great a scholar one professed to be. She just had no time for such an individual and as entreated by the boys she had cooked and now dining too. The acharya was no less perplexed. He thought for a few moments and asked his wife to describe the boys in more details….what they looked like. Upon hearing that one was of a beautiful darkish complexion and the other was fair, he could understand that his fortunate wife had been blessed with the darshana of Krishna and Balarama. The scar marks were the result of his having scratched out the word vahAmi. Krishna then had taken upon Himself to come personally to prove His words, "I carry for the devotees what they lack with my own hands."…the purport in this case being the much needed food for the poor Brahmin couple.!!!!!

Warm rgds
V~v~R
14-12-08

Coming or Going?.........Who knows?

Coming Or Going…Who Knows??
Dear Friends,
For the past few months, I sure didn’t know “whether I was coming or going!”…now a flashback…early 1962…
As a cadet, it is taboo to walk about in the premises with out one’s head gear. I saw from afar our new Commandant’s Jeep; I hastily put my side cap and gave a smart salute; the jeep stopped and out came the ‘Tiger’ (the Cos are known thus) and roared. “Come here!”. I marched, stood at attention and saluted again.
“Are you coming or going, son?” asked the commandant. I got flummoxed, stood silently ram-rod straight, but petrified; shaking as an aspen leaf. The commandant gently removed my cap, reversed it, putting it front-side right with brass buttons glowing and facing him, and said “Umm.. That’s better….The way you donned.. I didn’t know which side is your face; whether you are coming or going..” and laughed. “Don’t forget to report to the drill master in the afternoon for a pack parade..”
Cut to Recent days
During one of our culvert conferences in the evening with oldies, I addressed no one in particular “Guess what? I seem to experience a strange phenomenon for the past several months”
“What’s that?...age must be catching up after all” Chaturvedi
“Yeah ok. But that’s not it” said I.
‘Kyon Bhaai Biwi se jagada hua kyaa?” Gulati.
“No..Nothing of that sort..It is mystical, allegorical..Awe inspiring..” I replied. “I am kept under stress almost all the time with some problem or the other. It worries me no end….seemingly with no solution in sight at the first instance. But as time elapses there comes a light at the end of the tunnel and the problem just melts away..albeit through divine intervention. Each time the insurmountable become thing of the past I am left wondering why I worried at all. So now I throttle back, put my life on autopilot and tell Him,” Well, you gave the problem and so you solve it” and Lo and behold He does find a way.” I gushed forth.
My friend Martin had this to relate:
“I read recently how a well-known television circus show developed a Bengal tiger act that was performed live before a large audience. One evening, the tiger trainer went into the cage with several tigers to do a routine performance. The door was locked behind him. The spotlights highlighted the cage, the television cameras moved in close, and the audience watched in suspense as the trainer skillfully put the tigers through their paces.

In the middle of the performance, the worst possible fate befell the act: the power went out! For thirty long seconds the trainer was locked in with the tigers. In the darkness they could see him, but he could not see them not even the glow of their eyes. A whip and a small kitchen chair seemed meagre protection under the circumstances. But he survived, and when the lights came on, he calmly finished the performance.

In an interview afterward, he was asked how he felt knowing the tigers could see him but that he could not see them. He first admitted the chilling fear of the situation, but pointed out that the tigers did not know that he could not see them. He said, "I just kept cracking my whip and talking to them until the lights came on. And they never knew I couldn't see them as well as they could see me

We all feel caught in the dark with the ‘tigers of your heart’ or circumstances that seem to be out of your control? I sure have. But the Lord is with me; I will not be afraid. What can anyone do to me?’?" Martin concluded. Martin is nearing 90.


I later prayed: "Dear God, thank you that my life is in your hands and that you are always with me in my dark days of despair just as you are in my happy days of rejoicing. Thank you, too, for your promise that you will never leave me nor forsake me. Help me to always remember this, and trust my life to you, and be willing to face what I am contributing to my situation, change what I can change, and learn to accept joyfully what I cannot change.”

Warm rgds
V~v~R
13-12-08

The Big Picture..........Is it worth it???

Dear friends,
Many a time I have wondered, "How I wish the Almghty would have shown the big picture?". I wish I knew what my life has in store for me; the challenges that would be prsented to me in the coming months or years; whether the bond I have established so far will go the distance; if my goals will be realised? Sometimes I feel I need help making a decision and I want to know which choice will work out best.
"We may consult psychics, astrologers,tarot cards, our dreams, and many other sources in the hopes of finding out what the future holds. Usually, at most, we may catch glimpses. And even though we think we would like to know the whole story in all its details, the truth is that we would probably be overwhelmed and exhausted if we knew everything that is going to happen to us.", that is my senior colleague Bhoovarahan for you.
" In many ways, not knowing what the future has in store brings out in us the qualities we need to grow.",continues Bhoovarahan at his best. " Just think of your life as you’ve lived it up to this point. If you are like most of us, you have probably done more and faced more than you could have ever imagined. If someone had told you as a child of all the jobs and relationships you would experience, along with each one’s inherent ups and downs, you would have become overwhelmed. With your head full of information about the future, you would have had a very hard time experiencing your life in the present moment, which is where everything actually happens."
" In many ways, not knowing what the future has in store brings out in us the qualities we need to grow. For example, it would have been difficult to commit yourself to certain people or projects if you knew they wouldn’t ultimately work out. Yet, it was through your commitment to see them through that you experienced the lessons you needed to grow. Looking back on your life, you would likely be hard pressed to say that anything in your past should not have happened. In fact, your most challenging experiences with their inevitable lessons may have ultimately brought you the greatest rewards. Not knowing the future keeps us just where we need to be—fully committed and in the present moment. " Bhoovarahan dipped his Marie biscuit in the Kaapi and stopped.
Our own saying goes thus:
"Atheetham na kinchit smaraami( next line???)................Aagamikam na kvachit chintayeth ?????
Raagadvesha vinaa Varthamaane Gunjami"
(Roughly translated it means: I don't keep recalling the past, never care to think of future; But I enjoy living and savouring the Present with malice towarsd none!)
Warm rgds
V V R
12th Dec 08.

Ashtaganapathy visits PUNE

Ashtaganapathy visits: (Part I)

Introduction:
The attached map shows (not to scale) the locations of the 8 Ganesha sthaapanas collectively called Ashtaganapathy. Additionally, we included in the itinerary Bhimashankar Jyotirlingam and Nasrapur (duplicate Tirupathy Venkatesha). We made Pune as HQ and launched out to different places by hiring a taxi covering roughly 1050 Kms totally in 3 days time viz. roughly averaging 350 kms a day. Each day we took off @ 7 AM and reached back home by 6.PM avoiding driving in the dark. The tariff was Rs.6.50 per km for a non a/c Tata Indigo. The toll taxes (quite heavy with several tolls enroute, but well maintained highways by Private entrepreneurs) and parking fees were to be borne by us. Of course we did tip handsomely the driver for his excellent service. We totally avoided (except for tea/coffee) eateries outside as there were none worth mentioning near the temples. So our 4 layered Tiffin carrier with home made food and bottles of water came in handy. As there are no good choultries we decided not to stay overnight any where but came home to rest at night. At the end of the trip none of us fell sick nor any one felt fatigued. All in all… a satisfying ennobling experience. One of our Maharashtrian friends wrote out slokas for recitation at each place.
I shall cover in parts the entire trip.
First day:
Ozar: (Pune Dist.) 85 kms from Pune (via Narayangaon; travel direction North).
Shree Vighneswar idol faces east, trunk towards left with Riddi & Siddi, Other idols are SUN, Shiva, Vishnu, and Devi. The only one with Golden dome & pinnacle, huge dwaara paalakas in granite; built
1785. River Kukadi flows nearby.
Sloka:
Bhaktanugrahe Gajamukho Vighneswaro Brahmapam
Nana Murti Dharop: naijamahima Khanda Sadatma Prabhu
Sweccha Vighnahara sadasukhakara sidha kallo swayepum
Ksehtre cha Ozarke namostu satatam tasme parabrahmane.

(Let my mind be concentrated on the God, who is elephant headed, benignant and remover of obstacles. He had defeated demon Vighnasur. He himself is Brahma. His greatness is undisturbed in
his different forms. He is the greatest artist, he gives happiness to his devotees, He who abodes at Ozar.)

Lenyadri: (Pune Dist.)100 kms from Pune (via Narayangaon, Junnar on Pune-Nasik high way. Srigirijaatmaja idol facing east tucked away in the 8th cave amongst 18 Buddhist caves. The idol is 7
feet high. It is quite a tough climb...307 steep steps…Parvathi is said to have consecrated the Ganesh idol when she performed penance inside the cave. Puja can be performed on your own.
Sloka:


Mayesh Bhuvaneswari Shivasati Dehashrita Sundari
Vighnesham Sutamaptukam sanhita Kurvetapo Dushkaram
Takhya Bhutprakat Prasanna Varado tishtathaya sthaapitam
Vande Girijaatmaja Parmaj tam Lekhanadri sthitham.

(Mother of universe, beautiful wife of Lord Shiva Goddess Parvati performed long penance of Shri Ganesh & at last obtained Shri Ganesh as her son. I salute Girija Parvati's son Girijatmaj who stays on
mountain Lekhanadri (i.e.Lenyadri)

Bhimashankar: 110 kms from Pune in Sahyadri ghat section is one of the 12 Jyotirlingams. This temple is closely associated with the legend of Shiva slaying Tripurasura. Shiva is said to have taken abode in the Bhima form, upon the request of the Gods, on the crest of the Sahyadri hills, and the sweat that poured forth from his body after the battle is said to have formed the river Bheemabharathi. Temple dates back to 18th century. The Sikhara of the temple was built by Peshwa Nana Phadnavees. The great Maratha ruler Shivaji is also said to have made endowments to this temple to facilitate the carrying out, of worship services. As with other Shiva temples in this area, the sanctum is at a lower level.


Ashtaganapathy visits: (Part II)

Backdrop:
Before I proceed with the second day of our travel, I thought I will share with you some pieces of information I gathered here and there. What we notice as Lord Ganesha's idol of today, with all
specifications, came into being, people say when Ganapati Atharvasheersha was written. We do see different moods and modes of Ganesh idols since 6th century. In the beginning Lord Ganesha had
only two hands, there after Ganesha came out with 4 hands with Gajamukh and a big belly. Rarely, Ganesha is seen with his trunk twisted on the right side, otherwise it is twisted on left side. Ganesha with right side trunk is supposed to be very rigid in application.
All temples are open from 5.30 AM to 11 PM all days.

Mahad: (Raigarh Dist.), 24kms from Karjat, 6 kms from Khopoli or 120 kms from Pune.
Varadavinayaka as known here, idol facing east, trunk twisted to left, with Riddi & Siddi, 25ft high dome with pinnacle. In the temple of Varadvinayak, one Nandadeep (lamp) is lit and burning for last 107
years. Mahad has beautiful surroundings. In the ancient period it was called as Bhadrak or Mahad & so many sages & sects had resided in this place. In 1725 A.D. Varadvinayaka's temple was built by peshava
sardar Ramji Mahadev Biwalkar & he gifted this to the village. There is a Gomukh towards north. Holy water (tirth) comes out of this Gomukh. Devotees can perform Pooja on their own. …………..Sloka:
Bhaktabhimani Ganaraj Ekam|
Kshetre MadhaKhye Varadam Prasanam|
Yastishtati Shree Varado Ganesham|
Vinayakasta Pranamami BhaktamII
(I salute Ganaraj who is leader of Ganas, who is proud of his devotees & who abodes at
Mahad & has pleasant appearance.)

Pali: (Raigarh Dist.), From Pune via Lonavla & Khopoli, Pali is at a distance of 111 kms. 30 kms. from Karjat. From Mumbai via Panvel & Khopoli, Pali is at a distance of 124 kms. Shree Ballaleshwar's original wooden temple was renovated & a new stone temple was built in 1760 A.D. by Peshwa Fadnis. Shape of the stone temple is in the form of letter "Shree" & faces east. During Dakshinayan at sun-rise, the sun rays falls exactly on the Vinayaka. Idol of Vinayaka sitting on stone throne faces east & its trunk is left turned. Temple complex has a big bell made in Europe. Afterdefeating Portuguese in Vasai, Chimaji Appa brought the bell here.
Village Pali is situated between fort Sarasgad & river Amba flowing on the other side. On being pleased by devotion of Ballal, Shri Ganesh remained in the stone worshipped by Ballal & hence is
called as Ballaleshwar of Pali. Among Ashtavinayakas, Pali's Ballaleshwar is the only Vinayak who is famous by his devotee's name & who is dressed up as Brahmin. Since Vinayaka gave his darshan in
the guise of Brahmin, idol of vinayaka at Pali is dressed up as Brahmin. This place is very famous & spiritually awakened. It is said that in Peshva regime justice was done by taking kaul (answer to the
question asked in the form of flower, leaves etc.) from Ballaleshwar. ……………..Sloka:

Vedo Sanstuvaibhavo Gajmukho Bhaktabhimaniyo |
Ballaleravya Subhaktapal Narat; Khyat Sada Tishtati ||
Kshetre Pallipure Yatha Krityuge Chasmistha Laukike |
Bhakterbhavite Murtiman Ganapati Siddhiswar Tam Bhaje ||

(I worshipped God Ganesh, who is elephant headed, who has been praised in vedas, who is popular by the name of his devotee (Ballal),who take care of his devotees & in this kritayuga who abodes
is Pallipur or Pali.)

Ranjangaon: On Pune-Ahmednagar Highway via Shikrapur, Ranjangaon is 50 kms. from Pune. Idol facing east is in a crossed legged sitting position with broad forehead & the trunk turned towards the left. Riddhi & Siddhi are installed. It is said that, original idol of Mahaganapati is hidden in a cellar in the basement; has 10 trunks & 20 hands. Meditating on that idol is called Mahaganapati Dhyaanam
Mahaganapati means powerful Ganapati. Mahaganapati has eight, ten or twelve hands. Lord Shiva could conquer Tripurasur (demon) on worshipping Mahaganapati. Therefore it is called Tripurari Varado
Mahaganapati. (Lord Shiva is called as Tripurari after his victory over Tripurasur)………Sloka:

Shree Shambhuvarprada Sutapasa Namna Sahastra Swakam |
Datwa Shree Vijay padam shivkar Tasme Prasanna Prabhu ||
Ten Sthapit Eva Sadgunavapu Kshetre Sadatishtati |
Tam vande Manipurke Ganapati Devam Mahant Mudra ||


(Shiva obtained a boon by propitiating Ganesha who stays at Manipur, who gave boon to Mahadev, whose appearance is beautiful & pleasing & who is statue of good qualities.)

Ashtaganapathy visits: (Part III)

Background:
There have been many interpretations of Ganesha body. Mudgala Purana seems to explain some. The elephant head denotes wisdom and its trunk represents Om, the sound symbol of cosmic reality. His twisted trunk represents the zigzag path to wisdom. It reminds us that there is no direct path, that we must turn right and left in the search for truth thus adding to the Ganesha sculpture a symbolic meaning about the position of his trunk. One priest told us, if it is turned towards left, it denotes success in the world which is associated with house holders. If it is towards the right, it stands for moksham, good for
those who renounce the material world. In lighter vein, when one chooses a Ganesha sculpture, the trunk position be kept in mind as per your requirement. And yes a prayer to Ganesh is invariably
accompanied by smashing a coconut, symbolic of smashing the undesirable forces inherent in one self. The significance of the mouse (muushhaka…strangely the Sanskrit word sounds the same) as the vehicle of Ganesha is explained by the Mudgala Purana, although a form called Heramba-Ganapati is depicted as riding a lion. There are also rare references to the peacock as the vehicle in some texts. (ref; Moreswar @ Moregaon described below)

Third Day: We started a little early. We had to accommodate Nasrapur (not Narsapur) as well apart from the 3 Ganesha sthalams.
Theur: is the nearest Ashtavinayaka from Pune. (Distance of 25 km from Pune, Theur is situated on the confluence of the Mula, Mutha & Bhima rivers on Pune Solapur highway, after Hadapsar and Loni, at a distance of 3kms.from Loni, a small road to the left leads to Theur. Don't miss this turning. Idol facing east is swayambhu and has a left side trunk. There are carbuncle and diamonds in the eyes of Vinayaka. Glowing all the time. Lord Brahma meditated here to subdue his wavering mind. As his worries (chinta) were removed the idol is called Chintamani. The place is called Sthar (stable) or Theur.
Sloka:
Brahma Srushtyadisakta Sthirmatirahittam Pidito Vighnasandhe |
Aakranto Bhutirakta Krutiganrajasa Jeevita Tyaktu Mischina ||
Swatmanan Sarvyakta Ganapatimamal Satyachintamaniyam |
Mukta cha stapayant sthirmatisukhadam sthavare dhudhi Midhe ||

(The one who is in search of happiness, whose mind is wavering like Lord Brahma, who is in the midst all calamities should go to Sthavar means Theur & worship Shree Chintamani & get rid of all Chintas
(worries) & calamities.)

Siddhatek: Situated on the banks of river Bhima, in Ahmednagar district. Take Pune - Solapur road via Daund (Daund is 78 kms from Pune and Daund-Siddhatek is another 18kms). Here the roads
were bad-real bad. Siddhatek is situated on the banks of river Bhima. Sage Vyasar had performed yagnya
(sacrifices) here. It is said that, years ago there was a heap of ashes from this sacrificial fire. However, this place is now covered by water. The swayambhu idol of Shree Siddhivinayaka is placed in brass frame. Brass idols of Jay and Vijay are placed on both sides of Siddhivinayaka. In the sanctum itself there is Shivapanchayatan and goddess Devi's small temple. The idol is swayambhu. facing north with his trunk turned right. Idol is Gajmukh; however belly of the idol is not big. Riddhi & Siddhi are sitting on one lap of Vinayaka. The pradakshana (circumnavigation) of the God is said to be very fruitful. One has to travel 5 kms. To complete one Pradakshana as the idol is attached to the hill itself. We skipped this for want of time.
Sloka;
Sthitho Bhimatire jagadvan kamen Harina |
Vijetu Daityo Tachuti Malbhavou Kaitabhmadhu ||
Mahavighnarten Prakhar Tapasa Seitpado |
Ganesh Siddhisho Girivarvapu Panchjanak ||

(Lord Vishnu, who was beset with calamities, performed penance on mountain Siddhetek on the bank of river Bhima. On receiving a boon from Ganesha, Lord Vishnu could kill the two demons Madhu & Kaitabh. Oh! Lord Siddheswar accept my salutation.)

Moregaon: Moregaon, on the banks of river Karha is in Baramati Taluka. Shape of this place is like a peacock & long ago there were many peacocks here, as such called "Moregaon'. We drove on
Pune-Solapur highway. Moregaon lies on the right side of Chaufula at a distance of 79 km from Pune. On the way to Moregaon have darshan of God Khandoba of Jejuri. But we skipped it.
The deity is in sitting posture, facing east with the trunk turning left & smeared with vermillion mixed in oil. On its head is the hood of Nagaraja. On left & right are brass idols of Siddhi & Buddhi. In front of the idol are the Mooshaka & Mayura (Peacock).The original idol of Moreshwar was small in size. As many layers of vermillion got applied on it, it grew bigger. Sometime after 100 &125 years this armour of vermillion casts off by itself & original beautiful idol inside this armour is seen again. The original small
idol was made up of atoms of sand, iron & diamonds & it is behind the present statue. It was consecrated by Brahma on its destruction by demon Sindhurasur,There is a mouse made up of black stone, holding 'Laddu' in his front two legs. On climbing the steps you will see a big 'Nandi in front of
Ganapati instead of Lord Shiva!! How come? :-
'Years ago, this Nandi was taken on a cart for its consecration in front of a near by Shivaalaya. However, the cart carrying Nandi broke down in front of Mayureshwara's temple and Nandi sat before
Mayureshwar's temple for ever. People tried their best to shift Nandi from this place but Nandi did not move an inch. The artisan had a dream in the night. Nandi appeared in his dream and said, "I want to
stay before Mayureshwar only. Don't try to shift me elsewhere forcefully, I won't come." People left with no other alternative, dropped the idea of shifting Nandi to other place. Hence this Nandiji
was consecrated before Mayureshwar. ……………………Sloka
NIJE BHUSWANANDJADBHARAT BHUMYA PARATARE |
TURIYOSTIRE PARAMSUKHDETVA NIVASASI ||
MAYURAYA NATH STAWAMASICH MAYURESH BHAGWAN |
ATASWA SANDHYAYE SHIVHARINI BRAHMAJANAKAM ||
(O! Lord Mayureshwar of Moregaon, you stay on sage jadbharat's land, on the banks of river
Karha which is known as "Bhuswanand' (means happiness on land). Shree Moreshwar, who is far from three qualities, who resembles Omkar, who is always in fourth state of yoga & who rides on peacock mayur accept my salutation.)

With that we completed Ashtavinayaka visits.
Warm rgds
V V R
24th Dec 007