An Ordinary Person's Views on Dharma

Today is Ashada Shukla Ekadashi. 🌺🌺🌺🌺🌺🌺🌺🌺 Every year, on Ashada Shukla Ekadashi, lakhs of Varkaris (followers of varkari sampradaya) from different parts of Maharashtra and also other states walk to Pandarpur to see their beloved Panduranga Vittala. This year, due to the prevailing situation, there's a curfew in place. A news article says that the Government has allowed 20 Varkaris and 9 palanquins carrying the divine padukas of Sant Gyaneswar and Sant Tukaram to be carried in a procession. A limited number of people will open the temple and perform the puja. 🌺🌺🌺🌺🌺🌺🌺🌺🌺 What's happening now is Sri Vittal's will. 🙏🏼🙏🏼 The heart  feels heavy but is also thankful for the symbolic celebrations that are being conducted in all our Maha kshetras,be it Puri or Pandarpur. This is a bittersweet moment. Just like the time when Sri Krishna disappeared during rasa lila and the Gopikas cried, looked for him and found him. 🙏🏼 What...

🌺🌺🌺🌺🌺🌺🌺🌺🌺🌺🌺🌺🌺🌺 *Narasimha Jayanthi special* 🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹 The young man (some say he was from Chozha desam , TN) had got the diksha of Sri Narasimha mantra... He found a spot under a tree in that forest and began his sadhana... Days became weeks but the lion - faced Lord didn't appear. 🦁🦁🦁🦁🦁🦁🦁🦁🦁🦁🦁🦁🦁🦁 The hunter belonged to that forest and he wondered what that Brahmana was doing sitting under the tree... To the hunter, the young sadhaka was a honored guest. The man of the jungle kindly enquired what the other man needed from that forest. The young man was not in a mood to be disturbed by anyone, so he gave an evasive reply that he was looking for a a lion - man. "Sounds like a strange animal indeed! I know this forest very well but have never come across such an animal!" the hunter said. 😊🦁 The hunter however assured his "guest" that he would find that tricky animal and hand it over to him...

*Sri Rama Rama Rama Rama* 🌞🌞🌞🌞🌞🌞🌞🌞 A thousand Suns rose after mid - noon  that day. It was the ninth day of Shukla paksha in Meena maasa. The Sun was past the highest point in the sky - dome. He stopped for a micro second and felt happy that Bhagawan had kept his promise. The Moon was in Punarvasu. 🌜🌜🌜🌜🌜🌜🌜🌜 The Deva ganas and Rishi ganas rejoiced. The tapas of the fortunate parents had been answered. Sri Vasishta Maharshi smiled as he uttered the nama *Ra - ma.* "It gets sweeter with each chanting!" He thought. Elsewhere another Maharshi smiled too, thinking about how the  yagya of Rishis was going to be protected as they should be. "He and his brother will come here soon!" He said to himself. Sri Gautama Maharshi folded his hands together as his gaze fell on what looked like a rocky mound. Tears fell from his eyes. "He'll come here  soon to bless her !" 👶👶👶👶👶👶👶👶 A certain chief of Nishadas,...

Sri Venkateswara Swamy, Tirupati, AP. 🌺🌺🌺🌺🌺🌺🌺🌺🌺🌺 This Swami needs no introduction but it's worth remembering now, that, for the first time in a hundred years, his temple is not open for 22 hours everyday. On ordinary days, about 75 K to one lakh devotees visit him everyday and his temple is open almost until 1 pm in  the night... We have heard of a Krishna temple in Kerala that closes just for an hour everyday but that's the rule in that temple. A very special case, to be precise. Temples built as per agama shastra ( or Tantra shastra, as in Parasurama kshetra) have to be maintained /operated as per the same shastra. Thousands of people may visit everyday but the fact remains that the Swami at Tirupati has had no rest since years  nor are the unseen celestials given their rightful share of time to worship him after the humans leave for the day... *Now he's in and we are all out.* 😢 His sevaks do the regular pujas and maintain the temple ...

Sri Mariamman, Punnianallur, near Tanjavur, TN. A shri chakram was consecrated by the Brahma Gnani Sri Sadhasiva Brahmendral in this temple . Devi's saanidyam has manifested in the "putru" (ant - hill) and her murthy is made of earth from that ant-hill. She restored the lost vision of a daughter of Thulajendra Maharaja, a Maratha king Who was ruling Tanjavur at that time. Much later, she took as her ardent devotee, a British officer who was in charge of the town. Jai Ma!! Aadi Velli Greetings! ( Friday/Shukravaaram of Aadi month) Happy Friday! 🙏🏼🙏🏼🙏🏼🙏🏼🙏🏼🙏🏼 Pranam Paamaradharmi

Today is Vyasa Poornima/Guru Poornima. Followers of all sampradayas, Advaita, Vishitadvaita and Dvaita rever Sri Vyasacharya as Adi Guru, who is an avatara of Sriman Narayana himself. Om Sri Gurubhyo namaha. 🙏🏼🙏🏼 Asmath Sri Gurubhyo namaha. 🙏🏼🙏🏼 Om Sarva Gurubhyo namaha. Pranam to my Guru, and also to all the Gurus who lived/are living/will be born in the holy land of Bharatha as  they are an amsa of Sri Vyasacharya himself. Pranam to their supreme karuna that picks up a broken, hopeless human and heals him/her as only a mother can... There's not much we can do to repay that karuna. (Not that they expect it). All we need to do is hold their guiding hands tight and *keep faith.* Happy Tuesday and Guru Poornima! Mangalvar Greetings! 🙏🏼🙏🏼🙏🏼🙏🏼🙏🏼🙏🏼🙏🏼 Pranam Paamaradharmi

Sri As I think of you mother and what makes you the repertoire of all that is beautiful and complete, I come to some conclusions. You are a unique wife and mother. You never leave your husband’s side. You cheerfully walk beside him all the while doing everything you can for the sake of us, your children. You hide your enormous Shakthi behind the façade of a dutiful wife and mother. Looking at you from my angle [which is as flawed as it can get] I feel he, our father has taken you for granted at times. As Rama, he decides to go to the jungle and you follow. A long story follows and you shed a lot of tears. People talk about it till today, from their own less- informed angle. As Krishna when he came, was your lot any better? You were a princess but you left your kingdom and walked away to his land for the sake of love. Then much later, some bhakta does his duties well and your husband decides to pay a visit to that man’s home, uninvited. He...