The holy Vishnu Sahasranamam

There was this time in my life, around late 2001, when I felt severely depressed, and even seriously thought about ending it all, thinking that life was
worthless and there's nothing worth to live for. Outwardly I guess I behaved ok but inwardly a huge churning was going on. I just gave up my job, and used to go to places in and around Bangalore, aimlessly, but in fact trying to get peace somewhere, some way. It went on for a full 3-4 months or so, as I could not
even find anyone else who would understand what exactly I was going thru then. Ultimately I am not sure whether it was cowardice that helped me from taking that final decision to end it all. It could very well have been the practice of mentally chanting the holy Vishnu Sahasranamam. I started the practice just for the heck of it. For about a month I continued to chant it irregularly, especially on weekends or while travelling. Like many other stotras, I had learnt
this from my father, even at a very young age, and for many years in my childhood we had this practice of chanting it at home every other evening, my two sisters and father sitting beside me, we all huddled together before the pictures of the God(desses). Thus Vishnu Sahasranama(VSN) was like a companion to me from a very young and impressionable age. However, as we grew up, slowly we discontinued the practice, although on special festival days we continued to sit together and chant the stotram. Hence I never really forgot it in my entire life. Well it so happened that after a few days of casual, mental repetition of the holy VSN, slowly, quite unconsciously, the huge clouds of pain and depression hounding my mind started drifting away. Against my own will which persistently told me to give up, I chose to try for other jobs, and albeit reluctantly, I found myself answering questions during interviews and as a result I landed up 2 jobs in Bangalore itself, very quickly. However the real change in my life came when I chose to attend an interview with a much smaller organization in
my native place, Trivandrum. I was all along not really interested in the outcome of any of these interviews. It's so difficult to explain the feeling in
words - and as it happened, I never negotiated the salary either. I was just fine with going along with the tide, wherever it led me. But really, looking back,
it was such a HUGE turn around in my life. And I have to thank the holy VSN for that !!!!

Even much later, whenever I found myself in a depressed mood caused by various external events, as and when I resorted to the holy VSN, it seemed to not only uplift my spirits, but also to turn around the situation as well, for the better. I could never explain it to myself why it should be so, what mysterious power lies therein. But there it is, the life of this insignificant human being is a perfect example for the transformation that can be meted out by this stotram.

Here's an excerpt from Swami Krishnananda's writings on VSN "At the age of about 16 or 17 I learned the whole of the Bhagavadgita by heart, and also the holy Vishnu Sahasranama that caught my attention and my affection. I loved my mother, who was an illiterate lady, so much that I told her it would be good to recite every day Sri Visnu Sahasranama Stotram. It is a surprise to me again that she, by sheer oral hearing, mastered the Sri Vishnu Sahasranama Stotram. Wherever I went I used to propagate the Sri Vishnu Sahasranama Stotram, and even those who had scant respect for religious life were caught by the fire of my insistence that it is good to recite the Sri Vishnu Sahasranama Stotram. People around me, wherever I went, were turned by my insistence on the study and recitation of this
Stotra by everyone."

Another excerpt on Vishnu Sahasranamam from the web

The Alwars to whom the Supreme Lord Narayana opened the flood-gates of Spiritual knowledge, shorn of discrepancies, deviations and ambiguities of sorts, were indeed above the Sages. They were full of compassion for the teeming millions of humanity, wallowing in the sty of samsara. It is significant that the Alwars have made frequent references to the Lords’s thousand names in their hymns. Nammalwar, the chief of the Alwar Saints, literally implored the people around to chant just any one of the thousand names of the Lord, though not all(Tiruvaymoli X-2-3). These names bespeak the Lord’s auspicious traits (Yani namani gaunani vikhyatani…), each of which is of unlimited dimensions. Actually, the Lord has innumerable auspicious traits, and, therefore His names, spelling out these traits should be innumerable. Who indeed can exhaust His infinite glory by compressing it within a mere thousand names? ‘Devo nama Sahasravan’ should not, therefore be taken literally to mean a mere thousand - the ‘Sahasram’ stands for ‘anantam’ - the endless(infinite).

‘Vaidya Sastra’ freely invokes Sahasranama japa for curing dire diseases , generally known to be incurable, ‘Mantra Sastra’ suggests Sahasranama japa for achieving the odds and ends of worldly life, ‘Karma Vibhagam’ prescribes the Sahasranama japa for all the ailments plaguing mankind and of-course Sri Visnusahasranama is a medicine for the disease of birth, death and re-birth, which is far more dreadful than the worst of bodily ailments.
At the end of the hymn, the potency of the recitation is brought by Sri Krsna Himself who said “Arjuna!, one may be desirous of praising by reciting the thousand names. But, on my part, I feel praised by one sloka. There is no doubt about it.” In this context, refer to name 685 in the hymn ‘stavapriyah’- He, who relishes being praised. He is pleased with anything that is uttered in His praise irrespective of who ever lauds Him, how he or she does it, and what language is employed.“ Engane collilum imbam payakkume (Tiruvaymoli VII-9-11).

Ayurveda mentions the recitation of sahasarnama as aiding the cure of many diseases with such sayings as “Diabetes gets cured by recitation pf Purusa sukta as well as the thousand names of Bhagavan;” “Similarly, Bhagavan’s thousand names must be uttered (for cure of tuberculosis);” “(For relief from fever), one must recite the Vishnu Sahasranama after conducting the Homa as aforesaid.” Even later poets such as Bana Bhatta, while describing a maternity ward has mentioned “The incessant chanting of Narayana’s thousand names too.” Sri Visnu Sahasranama is accepted with reverence as a panacea even by children, the dumb, dull-witted, women and atheists for recitation, meditation, exposition and comments to get rid of poisions, ghosts, disease, hauntings, sorrow, ill-omens etc., for getting absolved of heinous sins and worldly and other-worldly attainments.

Novel Scaramouche

IT has to be one of those novels that had a heavy influence on me and my reading. I still laugh at myself, when I think of the day I joined the 8th Standard of Sree Moola Vilasam school, the previous day having read the dialogues of Andre Louis Moreau in the Assembly. I tried replying to the questions from my teacher "the duck" in the same vein, and probably gave him the shock of his life... and the result was that I became a boy who does "tharkutharam". Simple incidents in the past still give fond memories - how true! Every time I read this political romance, I am inspired with some new, illuminating idea. It's also true that the book does not evolve. Rather, as we grow up, we evolve and gain and appreciate newer insights from a great book.

The novel Scaramouche starts like this - and this beginning, especially the first line, is very well known and oft quoted!

"He was born with the gift of laughter and a sense that the world was mad. And that was all his patrimony. His very paternity was obscure, although the village of Gavrillac had long since dispelled the cloud of mystery that hung about it."

Gayatri mantra

Energy is the source of life. Since the inception of human civilization , the vastness of this universe gives us the concept of infinity. All along the history of human civilization, the Sun has been the ultimate source of energy, commanding our gratitude, reverence and awe. Mankind has always drawn immense inspiration and courage from the Sun. The rhythm of day and night, tantalization of ocean movement, rotation of seasons, blooming of buds, the cycle of life and death - everything ultimately depends on the Sun- the Surya devata - the supreme source. But beyond the physical harnessing of solar energy lies the ultimate mysteries of life – the Gayatri. She is the light behind the sun, the spirit within the fire, the mother of the whole Universe. We are privileged to utter, chant and rejoice in the radiance of the supreme Gayatri mata. The Veda janani.

As the sages of yore used to say, Gayatri mata, my thousand crore prayers to you.

Bless us all with divine light!

Show us all, the right way to virtue, happiness, light and love.

Excerpt from a speech by Sathya Sai Baba

This is actually an excerpt from a speech by Sathya Sai Baba. It was so interesting, so am sharing it here.

"I have come to light the lamp of love in your hearts, to see that it shines day by day with added luster. I have come to tell you of this universal, unitary faith, this spiritual principle, this path of love, this duty of love, this obligation to love. Every religion teaches man to fill his being with the glory of God and to evict the pettiness of conceit. It trains him in the methods of unattachment and discernment, so that he may aim high and attain spiritual liberation. Believe that all hearts are motivated by the one and only God; that all faiths glorify the one and only God; that all names in all languages and all forms man can conceive denote the one and only God. His adoration is best done by means of love. Cultivate that attitude of oneness between men of all creeds and all countries. That is the message of love I bring. That is the message I wish you to take to heart."

Beautiful quotes (From various sources)

"To know that what is impenetrable to us really exists, manifesting itself as the highest wisdom and the most radiant beauty which our dull faculties can comprehend only in their most primitive forms -- this knowledge, this feeling is at the center of true religiousness."

- Albert Einstein

"The moment one give close attention to anything, even a blade of grass, it becomes a mysterious, awesome, indescribably magnificent world in itself."

- Henry Miller

"Glance at the sun.
See the moon and the stars.
Gaze at the beauty of the earth's greenings.
Now,Think."

- Hildegard von Bingen

Bharatas

Hindus are 'bharatas' right from ancient past. Etymology of the word Bharata is interesting. It means 'bha-retah' ie, those who "revel in light". Wonderful! How it is in sync with 'chanters of the holy Gayatri mantra'? Gayatri mantra also in essence means the same thing.