Akka Mahadevi

Akka Mahadevi (ಅಕ್ಕ ಮಹಾದೇವಿ) was a prominent figure and Kannada poet of the Veerashaiva Bhakti movement of the 12th century Karnataka. Her Vachanas, a form of didactic poetry are considered her greatest contribution to Kannada Bhakti literature In all she wrote about 430 Vachanas which is relatively fewer than that compared to other saints of her time. Yet the term 'Akka' (elder Sister) which is an honorific given to her by great Veerashaiva saints like Basavanna, Chenna Basavanna, Kinnari Bommayya, Siddharama, Allamaprabhu and Dasimayya speaks volumes of her contribution to Kannada literature and the history of Karnataka. She is said to have accepted the god Shiva ('Chenna Mallikarjuna') as her mystical husband (similar to how centuries later Meera, a 16th century saint, considered herself married to Krishna).

Feet Of the Master
It was like a stream
running into the dry bed
of a lake,
like rain
pouring on plants
parched to sticks.

It was like the world’s pleasure,
And the way to the other,
Both walking towards me.

Seeing the feet of the master
O Lord white as jasmine,
I was made worthwhile.

Hidden Trasures

Like treasure hidden by the earth,
Like the taste hidden by the fruit,
Like gold hidden by the stone,
Like oil hidden by the sesame seed,
Like fire hidden by the word,
Channamallikarjuna (Shiva), jasmine-tender,
Hides as the being behind becoming;
No one knows him.

When I did not know myself
Where were you, tell me?
Like the color in gold,
You were in me.
Though you were in me
I saw you as different.
O Channakallikarjuna, jasmine-tender.


Who needs Flowers?

Breath for fragrance,
who needs flowers?

With peace, patience, forgiving and self-command,
who needs the Ultimate Posture?

The whole world become oneself
who needs solitude,

O lord white as jasmine.

Silkworm weaving..

Like a silkworm weaving
her house with love
from her marrow,

and dying
...in her body's threads
winding tight, round
and round,

I burn
desiring what the heart desires.

Cut through, O lord,
my heart's greed,
and show me
your way out,

O lord white as jasmine.

Whoom to serve?

After my body became
Thyself,
whom could I serve?
After my mind became
Thyself,
whom could I invoke?
After my consciousness was lost in Thee,
Whom could I know?
Being Thyself in Thee,
O Cenna Mallikarjuna Lord,
Through Thee have I forgotten Thee.


Monkeyman’s stick

Monkey on monkeyman's stick
puppet at the end of a string

I've played as you've played
I've spoken as you've told me
I've been as you let me be

O engineer of the world
lord white as jasmine

I've run
till you cried halt.


I have Wisdom

Saying, "I have got wisdom", can the guru-linga-jangama be left off ?
Saying, "Got flawless, doubtless, wholesome wisdom"
can one touch somebody else's wealth or wife ?
Saying, "Got the comprehensive wisdom that where life is there is shiva",
can one live with dog, pig, chicken, cat ?
In realization having known the true nature of the self,
other than nurturing good wisdom, good action, good justice,
good path, if one acts in whatever way thoughts go, saying "I've got wisdom",
would Lord chennamallikArjuna leave without making them born as dogs !


Surface Vultures.

Would a circling surface vulture
know such depths of sky

as the moon would know?
would a weed on the riverbank
know such depths of water
as the lotus would know?
would a fly darting nearby
know the smell of flowers
as the bee would know?
O Lord white as jasmine
only you would know
the way of your devotees:
how would these
these
mosquitos
on the buffalo’s hides?


Akka Mahadevi.

The Fragrance of Silence

Befor you speak, THINK

Is it necessary?

Is it true?

Is it kind?

Will it hurt any one?

Will it improve on the silence?

The first step in the Sadhana is the cleansing of the speech. Talk sweet without anger.Do not boast of your scholarship or attainments.Be humble,eager to serve; Conserve your speech.Practice silence.That will save you from squabble,frittering thoughts and frictions.

Sai.

The significance of Gurusthan in Shirdi

Sri Sai Baba had thus stayed under the Neem tree for some time. Later Nanasaheb Dengle prayed to him to stay in the Masjid. Baba acceded to his request and started living in the Masjid from then on.
Once when Baba was living under the Neem tree, a remarkable thing happened. Some devotees were sitting in front of him with their hands joined in respect. Sri Sai Baba said, "There is a samadhi here. Harm will accrue to those who dig it out. Let no one dig here ever." One amongst those who was seated there said, "Baba, this is the burial ground of Muslims. There will be many samadhis here. What is so surprising about it? "Another said, "This is not the burial ground of the Muslims. That is a little far off." Another said, "No, even this place is a part of the burial ground. In the past there may have been some samadhis here too. Recently when this place was dug one grave was found here." In this manner, the people these started arguing with each other. Sri Sai Baba stopped them from arguing with each other and said, "Let us leave arguments and discussions to those interested in the study of logic and philosophy. Nothing accrues from argument. Arguments have no place in the pure path of devotion. Fire and water mixed and as a result this earth was created. A part of the almighty became the life. All the living beings in the world come from the earth. That earth again becomes earth on joining the earth. It could be here or there; the soil of every place must have had the body of some man or animal, which must have formed it after their death. In this way one may say that this vast earth itself is a burial ground. Remember this truth."
In the past, Kabir the great mahatma left his body on the banks of the holy Ganga. At that time the Hindus and Moslems had great differences of opinion about his burial. Each claimed that great mahatma as their own and began to fight for the honour of burying him in accordance with their own faiths. Kabir thought of an idea to solve this impasse. He made his body change into basil leaves, Jasmine flowers and the leaves of the millet. The wit of the mahatmas devoted to the almighty is such that they can satisfy everyone.
The Hindus took away the basil leaves that they consider sacred, for burial as a representation of Kabir's body in a procession. The Moslems took the millet and jasmine away in a procession for burial. This has been elaborated in the books "Bhakti Mala" and 'Bhakta Vijayam' written by Mahipati. It may be the will of the almighty that the last rites, which were not done properly or completely in that incarnation, should be done properly in this incarnation.
What a great mahatma was Kabir who had the same reverence for Sri Rama Chandra, Allah-I-llahi and Parvardhigar.
The Hindus who had taken the basil leaves as representative of Kabir's body, took them in a procession and in accordance with the Hindu sastras mixed them in the water of the holy Ganga. We see even today this practice being continued. It is not the custom to build a samadhi for one whose body has been immersed in the Ganga. This is why we do not see a samadhi for Kabir on the banks of the Ganga.
The Jasmine flowers and millet leaves taken by the Moslems were taken all over the country and samadhi's were built for Kabir in those places keeping the leaves and flowers in them.
In the days of Kabir the whole country was covered by Moslem states both big and small. The Nawabs were governing the country from Hastinapur. That Hastinapur is the present day Delhi. At that time, a Moslem of these parts had gone to Delhi on some work. On his return, he went to Varanasi on some other work. At the time he reached Kasi the dispute about the last rites of Kabir was raging between Hindus and Moslems. He too joined with the Muslims and took one millet leaf as a prasad of Kabir. He brought it here and built a samadhi for Kabir. Do not doubt what I say, "The one who looked upon Hindus and Muslims with an equal eye - the incomparable Kabirdas is my Guru. I know very well what happened at that time. That is why I have decided to live near this samadhi. It is beyond my capacity to describe the extents of the divine power of this samadhi. Who so ever cleans this place on Thursdays and Fridays and applies fragrant incense will be blessed by the almighty," said Baba!
(Source: "Sri Sai Gurucharithra" by Santkavi Sri Dasganu Maharaj. Translated from the Original version written in Telugu by Sri SVL with an Introductory Preface by Sri Sainathuni Sarathbabuji)

Silence Speaks

If you can not understand HIS Silence how will you understand HIS words?



You never have to shout for HELP just remember ME.


SAI.

Silence reigns

The story of Dakshinamoorthi and the Sanakadhi rishis is an eyeopener.



The more a concept is discussed or questioned, the more the waves are created in the mind. Instead of quitening the mind which should be the effect of wisdom or knowledge, it is churned up or poops up in pride.



The best time to give water is when a person is thirsty. Best time to give answer is after the question is asked.Knowledge is shared best when people are in need. Otherwise it becomes useless and feels like a display of ego. Everyone is sharing their wisdom here. Is it helpful or is it going waste? Does it open up blocks of your mind? Or is the discussions blocking and cementing your own views and thus enhancing your own self importance.



Social interactive sites like Face book has more Gurus than sadhakas as each is bent on driving in their concept as the best instead of having a reverential approach to Gnan. Some even pompously question your motive when even scriptures and truths they believe in are quoted. Ulterior motives are sought for when there is none.



So the best course is Silence till genuine thirst for Knowledge sprouts in the heart and humility settles in.



Silence reigns!



Om Tat Sat.

Krishnamachari Santhanam

Silence that speaks

Sri Bhagavan once told the story ...that follows to Sri Muruganar. This brings out the profound significance of the Supreme Silence in which the First Master, Sri Dakshinamurti is established.



Sri Bhagavan said, “When the four elderly Sanaka...di rishis first beheld the sixteen-year-old Sri Dakshinamurti sitting under the banyan tree, they were at once attracted by Him, and understood that He was the real Sadguru.


They approached Him, did three pradakshinas around Him, prostrated before Him, sat at His Feet and began to ask shrewd and pertinent questions about the nature of reality and the means of attaining it.


Because of the great compassion and fatherly love (vatsalya) which He felt for His aged disciples, the young Sri Dakshinamurti was overjoyed to see their earnestness, wisdom and maturity, and gave apt replies to each of their questions.


But as He answered each consecutive question, further doubts arose in their minds and they asked further questions. Thus they continued to question Sri Dakshinamurti for a whole year, and He continued to clear their doubts through His compassionate answers.


Finally, however, Sri Dakshinamurti understood that if He continued answering their questions, more doubts would arise in their minds and their ignorance (ajnana) would never end.


Therefore, suppressing even the feeling of compassion and fatherly love which was welling up within Him, He merged Himself into the Supreme Silence. Because of their great maturity (which had ripened to perfection through their year-long association with the Sadguru), as soon as Sri Dakshinamurti assumed Silence, they too automatically merged into Supreme Silence, the true state of the Self.”


Wonderstruck on hearing Sri Bhagavan narrating the storyin this manner, Sri Muruganar remarked that in no book was itmentioned that Sri Dakshinamurti ever spoke anything. “Butthis is what actually happened”, replied Sri Bhagavan curtly.From the authoritative way in which Sri Bhagavan replied andfrom the clear and descriptive way in which He told the story,Sri Muruganar understood that Sri Bhagavan was none otherthan Sri Dakshinamurti Himself!

Golf Ball

When things in your life seem, almost too much to handle,
When 24 Hours in a day is not enough,
Remember the mayonnaise jar and 2 cups of coffee.

A professor stood before his philosophy class
and had some items in front of him.
When the class began, wordlessly,
He picked up a very large and empty mayonnaise jar
And proceeded to fill it with golf balls.

He then asked the students, if the jar was full.
They agreed that it was.

The professor then picked up a box of pebbles and poured
them into the jar. He shook the jar lightly.
The pebbles rolled into the open Areas between the golf balls.

He then asked the students again if the jar was full. They agreed it was.

The professor next picked up a box of sand and poured it into the jar.
Of course, the sand filled up everything else.
He asked once more if the jar was full. The students responded with a unanimous 'yes.'

The professor then produced two cups of coffee from under the table and poured the entire contents into the jar, effectively
filling the empty space between the sand. The students laughed.

'Now,' said the professor, as the laughter subsided,
'I want you to recognize that this jar represents your life.
The golf balls are the important things - Family,
Children, Health, Friends, and The Lord �
Things that if everything else was lost and only they remained, Your life would still be full.

The pebbles are the other things that matter like your job, house, and car.

The sand is everything else --The small stuff.

'If you put the sand into the jar first,' He continued,
there is no room for the pebbles or the golf balls.
The same goes for life.

If you spend all your time and energy on the small stuff,
You will never have room for the things that are important to you.

So...

Pay attention to the things that are critical to your happiness.
Play With your children.
Take time to get medical checkups.
Take your partner out to dinner.

There will always be time to clean the house and fix the disposal.

'Take care of the golf balls first --
The things that really matter.
Set your priorities. The rest is just sand.'

One of the students raised her hand and inquired what the coffee represented.

The professor smiled.
'I'm glad you asked'.

It just goes to show you that no matter how full your life may seem,
there's always room for a couple of cups of coffee ot tea with a friend

Dip in the Ganges

As per the scriptures we are to take the scriptual bath before any ritual. But say we are in a flight where this may not be possible. Scripture provides for the ritual bath by invoking the manasa ganga and by mindfully bathing in it can proceed with the rituals. The ida and the pingala act as the carrier for the yamuna and the Ganga and the unseen saraswathi is in the sahasradhara. When you dip in this ganges, or you dip in the ganges of the guru or dip in the mother ganges physically.. it is upto each...But dip we must.. No use in floating on the surface.

Namasthe.



Krishnamachari Santhanam