QUIZ ON SRIMAD BHAGAVATAM( SEP 2009)

RULES AND REGULATION:
1. The answers should be mailed within 25th of the month to annahariji@gmail.com
2. Points will be alloted for the First, second and Third prizes.First - 10 Second - 8 Third - 6
3. The points will be cumulated every month if you get first, second or third.
4. The participants with the maximum points will be awarded first, second and third prizes at the end of the year.
5. The prizes will be distributed by Hariji at a grand function held at the end of the year.

QUESTIONS :

1) When Krishna returns to Dwaraka the kourava women send Him off. “ Viratathanaya means Uththarakumari. Mathsyasutha also menas Uththarakumari. In the 10^th chapter Sri Vyasa gives the list of Kourava women who send Him farewell. In the 9^th and 10^th slokas why does he refer to Uththrakumari twice?

2) “ Indra Ivajithaasrayaha”. The term “Ajithaasrayaha has a speciality. What is it?

3) Who fanned the Lord ( did the chamara upachara) when Lord Krishna went to Dwaraka?

4) Sage Vyasa says the bleesing of the brahmanas was both relevant and irrelevant for the Lord. Why is it so?

5) Give the meanings for :

a) Udyanam b) Upavanam c) Aaramam d) Prasadam

ANSWERS FOR THE MONTH OF AUGUST 2009:

1) Which time did Bheeshma expect while lying on the sharathalpa?
Bheeshma lay on the sharathalpa expecting the uththarayana kala.

2) What was the vow of Bheeshma in the battle?
Bheeshma vowed “ I will destroy the Pandavas by tomorrow evening lest the war is not obstructed by any means.” Also he made another vow. The Lord had vowed not to take any weapons in the Bharatha yudhdha. Bheeshma vowed that he will make the Lord take weapons the very next day of yudhdha.

3) Which vow did Krishna sacrifice in the battle?
The Lord vowed not to take any weapons.

4) What was the reaction of everyone when Bheeshma attained moksha?
Everybody was as silent as the birds in the evening time.

5) How did the sages go back to their ashram after Bheeshma’s mukthi?
The sages returned to the ashram meditating upon Lord Srr Krishna in their mind.

AUGUST WINNERS:

1.Radhika Venkataraman I 36+10 points

2.Hari Gurumoorthy - I -28+10 points

3.Padma Narayanan - II -24+8 points

4.Arvind Hariharan - II -38+8 points

5.Girija Sitaraman -II -26+8 points

6.Gopika Sampath - II -18+8 points

7.Sethuraman Swaminathan -II-26 +8 points

8.Natraj punjai -II -28+8 points

9.Sujatha Nandakumar -II-30+6 points

10.Karthik Venkataraman -III-34 +6 points

KSHETRA FOR THE MONTH OF SEP 2009

SRI RANGAM PART VII

Vibheeshana looks down at the town- a small, serene town covered fully with coconut trees, bees buzzing, cuckoos cooing, peacocks dancing, the cool wind blowing, sugarcane groves and plaintain trees the place looks extremely beautiful. ( Vandinam muralum sholai- Azhwar’s mangalasasanam). Both sides the river Cauvery gushes. Chandrapushkarani pond lies in between.. This place is an island. The town is none other than the Bhoolokavaikunta- SriRnagam. It captivates the heart of Vibheeshana who involuntarily descends from the skies. It is evening time. Vibheeshna keeps the Lord along with the Vimana on the ground, goes for his evening anushtana. The Lord has other plans. He prefers to stay at SriRangam forever. Ayodhyanathar becomes SriRanganathar. Whoever did penance for the Lord to come here of his own accord? It is not the result of one or two years of penance but several years of SriRangam, Uraiyur have all been capital cities at such times. The reign of Dasharatha. DharamaVrama was the chozha king. Dasartha did the world famous Puthrakameshti yaga. He invited all kings including the Chozha, Pandya kings. Our Dharmavarma being invited went to Ayodhya. Being a Vishnu Bhaktha he went to see the temple there. He was amazed to see Lord Ranganatha in full splendour. Dharamavarma loses himself. He goes ecstatic over the Lord’s beauty. “ Dasaratha, he gently starts his favour “ You are my close friend and associate. There is nothing that should not be shared or given in friendship. A friend will even be ready to part his house or wealth or even his life for his friend. Please may I ask you to give me this Lord Ranganatha. I shall worship Him with all sincereity as you do. I have lost myself in His charm. I know that He is your Kuladeiva. Still there are so many people who offer their prayers to their Kuladeiva who is situated in faraway lands. You may please consider my request. Does Dasaratha agree ? ( To be contd)

SHLOK OF THE MONTH AUG 2009

Deivam Purushakarena yaha samarthaha prabhadithum

Na Deivena Vipannarthaha purushaha sovaseedathi

Whatever happens in this world is entirely as per His will. Thus we say “His will”. However the Lord is not responsible for the jeevan’s deeds and misdeeds ( punya and papakarma). The jeevan is solely responsible for this. For example the radiance of the tube light is same for one and all. One man does Bhagavatha parayanam with the help of such light. The other took to intoxication under the same light. The tubelight helps both of them in their actions but is not responsible for the actions per say. Likewise the phrase “ His will or His actions” . The Lord blesses all with a human body. This is His will but it is upto the individual to make a wise use of it consciously. Hence we cannot commit a sin and say it is His action or will. There have been several persons who have even changed His will. The maharishis changed His will by their Tapas. The devotees did so by sheer devotion. God created sage Vishwamithra as a kshatriya. He became a brahmana by his tapas. The Lord in His archavathara never speaks a word to anybody nor does He eat anything. Namadeva by the power of his devotion made Lord Panduranga eat. Thirumazhisaiazhwar made Lord Sarngaparni of Kumbakonam speak to Him.

Sri Rama Pattabhishekam came to haly all of a sudden. Sri Rama said “ This is purely due to God’s will”. Lakshmana replied “ It is wrong to declare so and abstain from any efforts or actions to retardate to such an atrocity.” A well educated student refrained from going to work. On being questioned he said that it was the Lord’s will. Even in Mahabharatha Duryodhana was being questioned for his unruly activities. He said “ It is the Lord who has made me so. It is His will.” All such statements pertain to misusing His will. It is wrong to be lazy and attribute such laziness to His will. If we work hard to achieve our target then the Lord will bless us with positive results. Human effort along with His blessings will enable us to achieve anything on earth. This is Lakshmana’s point of view.

EVENTS OF THE MONTH JULY 2009

SRI RAMESWARAM MAHA SAMRAJYA PATTABISHEKA MAHOTHSAVAM

Skanda Puranam of Sage Vyasa extols the sanctity of the kshetra Rameswaram. RamaCharita manas of Tulsidas also refers to this kshetra. Thirupullani is also a Divyadesham ( those places sung by azhwars are called Divyadeshams). Sri Rama stayed here for 3 days in darbhashayan. Dasartha being childless prayed to this Jagannatha swamy. The Lord ordained him to do the puthrakameshti. Rama was then born by this Lord’s blessings” thus goes the sthalapuranam. The Skandapuranam says Rama worshipped Shiva here. Whereas Lord Shiva always chants the taraka mantra ( Sree Rama Ramethi). This way they both showed the world each other’s greatness. Here we can also have a view of Rama Sethu. This should be a wonder of all wonders in this world. A bath in the seas of Danushkoti will negate all our sins.

On behalf of Kanchi Acharyal Jayanthi sabha and Panduranga Bhajan mandali A mahasamrajyapattabhishekam was conducted at Rameswaram by Sri Hari Anna from July 7^th to 16^th. Parayanam done 125 times will be called as mahasamrajyapattabhishekam. Hence in this navaham 125 bhakthas did the parayanam of Srimad Ramayanam. Accomodation and food for 125 bhakthas were arranged by the sabha members. Besides this there were more than 500 devotees attending the navaham. The pravachanam and parayanam were arranged at Goswamy madam. The whole town resounded with the words “ Pattabhishekam”. July 7^th was also a very auspicious day in that it coincided with Gurupoornima. That evening more than 500 bhakthas eagerly awaited Sri Hari Anna’s arrival. At about 6.00 p.m when he arrive ed the skies were filled with the echoes of “ Raja Ramachandra maharaj ki jai”, “ Hanuman ki Jai”. The poorna kumbam with veda mantras were offered to Hari Anna. A cow stood in front to mark auspiciousness.. Hari anna occupied the stage and welcomed the 125 bhakthas. Then a majestic and emotive discourse on KusaLava ganam followed.

From July 8^th to 15^th everyday the 125 devotees did the parayanam from 6.30 to 12 in one voice. It was serene and blissful to hear it. Govindapuram Chandrasekara sharma, Nagaraja Sharma, Parli Srikanth Sharma led the Parayanam. The Ramayana parayanam was also accompanied by Veda Parayanam. Ramashadakshari homam, Sankshepa Ramayana homam etc were also conducted. From 2.00 to 3.00 in the afternoon there was astapadhi bhajan and divyanamasankeerthanam in the nights. From July 8^th to 12^th Sri Rangaji did the pravachanam in the afternoons from 3.00 to 5.00. From 13^th to 15^th Smt Vishakha Hariji did the Sangeetha Upanyasam in the afternoons from 3.00 to 5.00 p.m. As the navaham rose in grandeur the crowds swelled and on the concluding day of Pattabhishekam there were more than 700 bhakthas. It was the Dakshinayana kalam too. Hence on July 16^th all the bhakthas did samudrasnanam and assembled for Parayanam at 7.30 p.m. After the parayanam HariAnna did the paatabhisheka pravachanam. He said “ For a punya karma ( virtuous act) it is important that desha, kala, vyakthi should coincide. In this navaha all the three have coincided. The desham is Rameswaram, Kala- dakshinayana kala , Vyakthi- the parayankaras here are uththamadhikaris.” This was followed by pattabhishekam of Sri Rama by Hari Anna along with the parayanam of that juncture.

Sri Hari Anna also concluded in his pravachanam that this event was such a grand success because of hard work, unity, understanding, co-operation, Devathaanukulyam of the members of Acahryal Jayanthi sabha which included Sri Moorthi , Sri Venkatramani, Sri Balakrishnan, Sri Shanmugam.

EVENTS OF THIS MONTH (AUG 2009)

I UTSAVAM OF THIS MONTH

DATE : AUG 13 TO 22

UTSAVAM : GOKULASHTAMY UTSAVAM
VILLAGE: PARANOOR
DATE: AUG 28 TO SEP 1
UTSAVAM :RADHASHTAMY
TOWN: BRINDAVAN

II VISHAKA HARI'S PROGRAM

DATE: AUG 7 TO 9
TOPIC: THYAGARAJA CHARITRAM
TIME: 7 PM TO 9 PM
TOWN: THIRUVAIYARU
VENUE: THYAGARAJA SWAMIGAL ADISHTANAM

QUIZ ON SRIMAD BHAGAVATAM( AUG 2009)

RULES AND REGULATION:
1. The answers should be mailed within 25th of the month to annahariji@gmail.com
2. Points will be alloted for the First, second and Third prizes.First - 10 Second - 8 Third - 6
3. The points will be cumulated every month if you get first, second or third.
4. The participants with the maximum points will be awarded first, second and third prizes at the end of the year.
5. The prizes will be distributed by Hariji at a grand function held at the end of the year.

QUESTIONS FOR THE MONTH OF AUGUST 2009:

1) Which time did Bheeshma expect while lying on the sharathalpa?

2) What was the vow of Bheeshma in the battle?

3) Which vow did Krishna sacrifice in the battle?

4) What was the reaction of everyone when Bheeshma attained moksha?

5) How did the sages go back to their ashram after Bheeshma’s mukthi?

ANSWERS FOR THE MONTH OF JULY 2009

1) It was the desire of Sri Krishna that Bheeshma should preach all the Dharmas to Dharmaputhra. This wish was not understood by sages like Vyasa.

2) The guru of Bheeshma came to see him. He was none other than Parashurama.

3) It is righteous to kill the relatives who fight for injustice. In the battle there is no question of affection. It is the duty to fight for establishment of dharma. Since Arjuna gave importance to love and affection Bheeshma considered it wrong.

4) Atmaswaroopam is one as per Advaitha sidhdhnatham.

5) Just as the sun is seen in plural ( many ) by different people so does the athmaswaroopam look as if many because of the different upadhis.

JULY WINNERS:
1. Radhika Venkataraman I 26+10 points
2. Karthik Venkataraman II 26+8 points
3. Hari Gurumoorthy II 20+8 points
4. Girija Sitaraman II 18+8 points
5. Arvind Hariharan II 30+8 points
6.Gopika sampath II 10+8 points
7.Padma Narayanan II 16+8 points
8.Sethuraman Swaminathan III 20+6 points

KSHETRA FOR THE MONTH AUGUST 2009

SRI RANGAM PART VII

Lord Rama did the upasana of Lord Ranganatha. This is the reason why saints like Thyagaraja in his songs refer to Lord Ranganatha as Rama’s ishta deiva. On one fine day Dasaratha decided to coronate Rama as king. “Rama I would like to conduct your Pattabhishekam tomorrow itself. You may do our kuladeiva aradhana. As instructed by SageVasishta Rama and Sita performed the pooja to the Lord. “Upacharamulanuchekonna”, Saint Tyagaraja says. “All these upacharas, paraphernalia of chatra and chamara belong to you Oh Lord. It is you who deserve such paraphernalia, not me.” Rama feels the same way. Thus he decides on a kapata nataka. The coronation stops all of asudden because of Kaikeyi’s two boons. Rama is sent to exile along with Sita and Lakshmana. There he stays for fourteen full years. Sita is captured by Ravana. Sugriva sakya, destruction of Vali, search for Sita follow suit. Hanuman finally finds Sita, comes back with the happy news. What follows is the famous Rama Ravana yudha wherein Rama destroys the haughty demon. A grand coronation of Sri Rama is celebrated with pomp and show. Lakhs of people attended the ceremony. Sages like Vasishta, devotees like Hanuman, Jambavan, Guha, Vibheeshana etc attended the function. Sri Rama then rules for 11000 years. Now the time arrives for His departure to Vaikunta. A grand satsangh in the form of Ashwamedha yaga is organized before this event. Sri Rama then declares “ Whoever wants to come to Vaikunta can come along with me”. The entire creation right from ants and grass prepare to depart. Two of them stay behind. They are none other than Hanuman and Vibheeshana. Both of them being Chiranjeevis cannot depart from this universe. Hanuman feels satiated with Ramayana. However Vibheeshana cries bitterly. “ Oh Lord What is my jeevanaadhara? What will I ever do on earth without you? “ Sri Rama then consoles him and says” My moola Roopa is this Lord Ranganatha. He is my Kuladhana. I will thenceforth hand Him over to you. You may worship Him as you worship me”. Vibheeshan takes the Lord along with the Vimana. He being a Rakshasa he carries the Lord along with him. He flies from Ayodhya to Lanka. On route he looks down only to view a beautiful place covered entirely by trees.

( To be contd)