How the green grass (Arugam pullu) became the favourite of Lord Ganesha                            


  Here is a story  which tells us the importance of green grass.Once there was a kingdom called Mithilapuri.The King Janakamaharajan ruled the kingdom well.He used to feed the people whoever comes to him.But he had a bad nature that he never used to believe in God.
                             Lord Ganesha wanted to test the king.So he came in disguise of a poor Brahmin with lepersy disease all over his body  in a very bad condition.The king saw the brahmin and asked his son to feed the brahmin.The brahmin was given lots of food ,but that was not sufficient to satisfy his hunger.
                               The King was not knowing how to please the Brahmin. So he told him politely to go to some other house where he could satisfy his hunger. So the Brahmin enters a poor man"s house and ask  the couple there who were doing puja to give him food.  The couple were feeling bad as they had nothing other than the green grass which they offered  Lord Ganesha.The Brahmin asked them to give that to him as he chewed the grass his hunger disappeared.
 
                          The poor man and wife came to know that was Ganesha himself who came there.They got his vision.and were showered with wealth.Meanwhile the whole kingdom was becoming prosperous.The king came in search of the Brahmin and saw that was really Lord Ganesh who came to him to test him as he was not believing in God.Lord Ganesha told the king that to him even the green grass given with affection is more than enough than rich food.The king realeased his mistake and there after started believing in God.
 
       Hi Ilanders this story is from Vinayaka pooranam.             

                                     The Great  Mahakavi Kalidasa

This was an interesting event that took place in the life of Kavi kalidasa.Kalidasa was asked to compose a poem with the first four letters of sanskrit language (Ka,kha,ga,gha).He was thinking several ways to compose a poem.

Nothing came to his mind.He was rather scared of the king"s punishment.On the way to the court he saw a girl carrying a book and a pencil to the school.Kalidasa asked her many questions which helped him to compose that poem.
      
           He asked the girl  ""kasthvam bale? which means ""Who are you child".
           The girl  replied,:"Kanchanamala"
             
          Then he asked,;" Kasya puthri?""  Whose Daughter?
                   
           She said","Kankalathaya"  

          He then enquired haste kim theye
        
           She said ",Thalipathram"     
               
       Then what was written in the book child?asked the poet.
              She said Ka,Kha ga ,gha.
So the poet   gathered all these and composed the poem

"Kasthavam Bale
Khanchana mala 
Kasya puthri
Kankagalathaya
Haste kim theye
Thalipathram
Kavarekha
Ka,Kha,ga,gha"

Thus the great sage got good reward for this poem.on a simple dialogue.

  Hi ilanders you would like this blog which i read in my young days.

                                     How can you feel the presence of God



 People often ask how can you  feel the presence of God.From time to time there are many stories from puranas telling us how God helps his devotees from misery.
 
Prahaladha ,a young boy who was a true devotee of Lord Narayana suffered a lot from his own father Hiranyakasubu for not respecting him and failing to utter his name Hiranyakasubu.God saved him from those torture done by his father in disguise.Yet when he asked will his Narayana is present in that tomb.The boy said of course God is there.As he kicked the tomb,there came a feature which was neither human nor animal Narasinha and ths killed the King Hiranyakasubu.So God came in a different form to save his beloved devotee

Another episode well known by all of Dropathi wife of Pancha Pandavas.When the Pandavas lost everything they were all helpless and could not resist Duschadanan from pulling the saree of Dropathi ,their beloved wife"s body.All were witnessing like dolls.Soon as Dropathi seeked the help of Lord Krishna He said Akshayam meaning which never ends but continues.So Lord Krishna came in the form of saree to protect His devotee. Duschadanan became weak and tired as he could not remove the saree from her.Thus Lord saved her from shame in disguise of  saree.

Like wise in Sreerangam a chettiar girl very devoted to Lord Ranganatha was helped by Lord siva in the form of her own mother who  helped her in delivery and a son born to her.The girl at first thought her own mother ,but soon realised that was Lord Himself who came as Mother ,when her real mother came there after a few days after her delivery since she was standard due to heavy flood.Lord is known as Thayum manar,(means He also Became a mother).The Temple for Thayum manavar is now in Rock temple at Trichy.
 
All these incidents ,as well as miracles that happen in our life reveals the presence of God.

Hi ilanders this i read recently from aTamil  spiritual magazine.Hope you would like this.

                            The Great Tamil poet Subramania Bharathi 
In Tamil literature Subramania Bharathi brought a new revolution.He has written many poems and many of his songs are sung by many.He only brought the simple way telling people his ideas.Even a common man can understand his work which are written in simple Tamil.Here is an interesting episode which he wrote about Lord Krishna in a  poem titled "Kannan en Cheedan" which means krishna is my disciple.

                                 One day the poet called kannan his disciple to come and write all his scripts neatly in a book.The boy kannan came and agreed to write.The poet was very happy and asked him to start.But instead of writing the boy was sitting idle.

                                The poet Subramania Bharathi got annoyed with the boy.He started scolding him as a crack, good for nothing fellow and so on.
The boy kept silent without answering.That still provoked him further and was about to chase him out.He then told him that he has been defeated by him and surrendered No sooner than Kannan came and copied all his scripts in a fraction of a time.
 
                                The poet tells us this to make us understand  the importance of Saranagathi.The full surrenderness to God.If we do so he comes to our help in a fraction of time.

Hi ilanders I hope you would enjoy this episode which I read in my school days.

                              All about Worries


Once a man went to a sage and asked him a way to  free him from worries.The sage asked that person to bring two stones one big and one small.The man went to the nearby and picked up two stones and gave to the sage.

 The sage then asked him to go to a near by pond and throw the stones one by one in the water. He came back  to the sage.The sage asked him what happened when he threw the stones.He said nothing much only bubbles came and stones went inside the pond.
            
The sage then made him to understand that the neither the stones nor the pond cared for the bubbles that arose.Bubbles are the worries.But our mind do not allow us to be calm      It goes on making things big like the bubbles.So try to control your mind  do not caring  much for worries like the stones or pond.If you practice this automatically your mind will not be unstable and you will not  be always thinking about your worries.Worries would subside like the bubbles which stays for seconds only.

                            How to solve problems


There is an easy way to solve problems which are big or small.You have to come out of the problem ,not to carry it in your mind.Just assume the other person is having the same problem.For example we find  air  around us .We can feel it. If you blow air and tie the balloon,it becomes big.Like wise our problems become big as long as we keep in our mind.Just come out and think how to solve the problem , then as you would advise your friend to come out of his problem you tell yourself the method to solve.Easily you can solve it.

                                Important sayings which influence our life


 1.A wise man  who is accomplished by self knowledge,industry,endurance and stability in dharma and does not deviate from personal effort is called Wise.His effort is not deflected by anger,joy or pride,by shyness impudence or self esteem.His honour  does not swell with joy,when dishonoured does not get heated, he has balanced mind .He is wise.

2.A man of self control enhances energy.Purity,straight forwardness and sincerity are the good traits of self control.He who is not covetous,with a little is satisfied,who thinks not of sense objects and is great as the ocean is known as man of self control.

3.A man"s reputation shines by his intelligence,noble family,control of senses,knowledge of scriptures valour,non-guilty,maximum charity and gratefulness.These are the eight qualities in man that makes him to shine above all.

4.Words well spoken, bring many good results,the same ill-spoken ,are cause of great evil.Arrows,bullets and bearded darts can be extricated from the body, but not the wordy dagger plunged deep into the heart.The great Poetin tamil Thiruvalluvar has mentioned about the ill-spoken words that affects our heart.If we happen to get a scare by burning our limbs,that scar will fade away in due course of time,but an ill-spoken word never fades and hurts the person very much through out his life.

These are  some of the good ideas that I read from a magazine recently,which I would like to share.

                                     Swami Vivekananda quotesQuotation:

1.“We are responsible for what we are, and whatever we wish ourselves to be, we have the power to make ourselves. If what we are now has been the result of our own past actions, it certainly follows that whatever we wish to be in future can be produced by our present actions; so we have to know how to act.”

2.“Take up one idea. Make that one idea your life - think of it, dream of it, live on that idea. Let the brain, muscles, nerves, every part of your body, be full of that idea, and just leave every other idea alone. This is the way to success, that is way great spiritual giants are produced.”

3.“You have to grow from the inside out. None can teach you, none can make you spiritual. There is no other teacher but your own soul.”

4.“We are what our thoughts have made us; so take care about what you think. Words are secondary. Thoughts live; they travel far.”

5.“The greatest religion is to be true to your own nature. Have faith in yourselves!”

6.“If you think about disaster, you will get it. Brood about death and you hasten your demise. Think positively and masterfully, with confidence and faith, and life becomes more secure, more fraught with action, richer in achievement and experience.”

Hi Ilanders these Quatations inspired me.I read from a web site.I hope you enjoy.

                                                          Importance of
 Sivarathri Virutham


All of us  know about Sivarathri,famous for Lord Siva.In Hindu religion this is observed as a fast day and one used to wake up all  throughout night on that day.Many episodes are there.Here is a story that I read recently which I would like to share.

There was a learned Pandit in a village.He had a son  named Vedanidhi who was of a bad virtue and habit. The Pandit tried his level best to correct him. All in vain.

One day Vedanidhi  stole a golden ring of his father whom the king had presented him for his loyal duty.He gave that to a dancing girl in the king"s court as his present.The king happened to see the ring and got wild on the pandit.

This made the pandit more annoyed and chased him out of the house.His friends did not entertain him any more.So he walked a long distance and because of fatigue fainted.When he woke up he saw some people singing the Praise of Siva and going to a near by temple of Lord Siva.He came to know that was a Sivarathri day.He joined them.

In the temple he saw many fruits coins near the shrine.He wanted to get some so he entered the inner shrine.The light was not sufficent for him to steal.So he tore his dhothi made wick and made the lamp still brighter than before and stole.But poor boy he was caught and beaten.He lost his life.

When Yama came he took him to deva loka,though he had committed so many sins.But Yama said though Vedanidhi did sins he also did a virtuous act by lighting the lamp of the Lord and starved the whole day and died on sivarathri day.All these good acts made him to attain heaven.

So if an bad virtued boy attained heaven without knowing the real importance of Sivarathri
 Lord siva will surely bless his devotees who take up this virtutham on Sivarathri day.

                                               Om Nama Sivaya

                                           How Friendship Breaks


The reason for the break of friendship is very simple.These are the silly reasons for that

1.Both the friends think the other is busy to call and contact.and will not contact thinking that may be disturbing to him.then time pass on.They forget to contact further.

2.Next they think why should I contact now,let the other friend call me.The ego comes
 inbetween friendship.Thus time pass on to months and at times years.Thus weakness the bondage.They forget each other in their day today work.

       So friends do not make these silly excuses to break Friendship.Friendship is like our back bone to make us stand straight.Now a days communication is very much advanced so can make a phone call and say Hi------.or E-mail each other.

This is a E-mail I received from my friend yesterday which I thought of sharing with you all.