Obstacles

Thursday, June 09, 2005

Obstacles

On my calendar

I have a beautiful date calendar that is year-less. Many table-tops in Chennai are adorned with this calendar as it seems to be this year's choice of corporate gifting. One of my friends asked me something inspiring. So I got this calendar from home and kept it on her table at office. Each day soon became a thought for the day, reading session. Invariably, I used to come and turn the day's page, read it to myself, meditate upon the words a while and then begin my day's work.
Now that friend has quit and the calendar has moved to my table. Right in front of me, I see the day's message not just once, but whenever my head turns right, it is there.
Today's message is striking: Obstacles are those frightful things you can see when you take your eyes off your goal.
Contemplation: when my goal is self-realisation, the small gifts I thought were denied to me seem great obstacles, when I look at them. I just have to shift my focus to the big-big ideal in my life and the obstacles evaporate as if they never existed.
This reminds me of a beautiful verse in Tirumandiram when I thing of the focus of vision.
Marathai Maraithadu Mamatha Yanai - The elephant doll, hides the wood it is made of.
Marathin Maraindadu Mamatha Yanai - In the wood is hidden the elephant doll to be made.
Parathai Maraithadu Parmudal Bhootham - The Universe of elements five hides the Param Divine.
Parathin Maraindadu Parmudal Bhoothame - In the Param is hidden the Earth and other elements.

So when obstacles hide my sight, I just have to look through it into the open, but apparently hidden divine...

3 comments:

hari said...: Swahilya,
Nice message. It is like a focussing Camera. If you focus sharply on one object like your goal, the other intervening objects look blurd or insignificant. On the other hand if you focus the Camera on the intervening objects, the main object becomes blurd. I have seen this effect in the climax scenes of many movies.

But this post made me realise its significance to goals and obstacles. Great one Swahilya, as usual with a significant message.; June 10, 2005
Swahilya Shambhavi said...: Thank You Hari.
Actually blogging is a great exercise in taking away the intensity of thoughts that hurt and giving it a creative twist and see the brighter side of apparent darkness. Again, you've got one more good example - the camera angle!
Swaha.; June 10, 2005
Anonymous said...: This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.; April 24, 2007

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Aham: Food for the Soul

I think its time I write about one blogsite I love to visit more than any other in recent times. It is Swahilya's blog. Let me try my best to describe her blog site. She writes about anything and everything but with a spiritual bent of mind. I know that I have raised a few eyebrows here by calling a spiritual blog my favorite despite my strong inclination towards science. Every time I visit her blogsite I come out having learned something or the other. Many a times I have personally requested her to write on different topics and she obliged every single time. I will run out of superlatives if I try to describe her writing style...
*****

The Acquaintance

Hello! Is this Miss.Divine?,
Yes it is she said,
I heard the smoothest voice I ever had,
It did not command nor was it submissive,
I was totally mesmerized by the brilliance,
Awestruck by its mysterious charm,
The signals from her brain
perfectly interpreted by her vocal cords,
Poured out the intelligence that lay within,
I listened with the keenest of ears,
Is she human? I thought,
No, she is Miss. Divine,
She is my latest acquaintance,
The teacher that sits under the banyan tree,
Is she Buddha incarnate?
or is she the perfect answer?
The balance between creation and destruction?
Is this the birth of the cosmic intelligence?
She denies perfection,
Humility is her second name,
She worships the indestructible,
She is SWAHILYA.
*****
Thirumandiram CD - (Akshara Foundations)
- A review by R. Suryaprakash, Vocalist
Great epics, works of saints etc., are generally branded as “Immortal” and conveniently allowed to die a slow death as the Western concepts rapidly gain ground in our society. On such almost forgotten treatise is “Tirumandiram” of Tirumoolar. It is to be said that some of the other constituents of “Panniru Thirumurai” of Shaivism are still popular, such as “Thevaram” and “Thiruvachagam”, thanks to the grit of Oduvars who still sing the verses in temples.Tirumandiram has a spiritual charm, bordering on the occult and its beauty has been fully brought to the fore by a young and enterprising team by setting to tune, ten of its verses and rendering them in a CD album which is eminently listenable. This CD has been recently released by these devotees of Akshara Foundations, with the profound blessings of H H Swami Akshara.
The plan of rendition has been excellent, with meditative chanting of a verse by a single member by rotation, followed by group rendering of the same. This is followed by a short raga sketch/interlude in Veena. After that, the verse is rendered by the entire group as a song, set in the same raga as the interlude, along with mridangam accompaniment. This pattern is followed assiduously while rendering all the ten verses. The introductory chants are set in the raga Revathi for all the verses and have been rendered soulfully by each one of the participants. He choice of Revathi raga is apt, because, in the phrases “ ni. sa. ri sa. ri ni. sa. ri…pa. ni. sa ri. sa ni.ri. sa…” the Raga is Veda Mantra itself. The interludes and the rhythmic rendition of the verses are set in ragas which take you through a journey in blissful realms of traditional music. The opening verse “Aiyindu Karaththanai” , technically not a part of the original treatise but conventionally sung as “Vinayagar Thuthi” of Thirumandiram has been rendered in raga Nattai, which is most acceptable as the opening raga in our music tradition. “Aaadi Natta Anta Surati” goes the saying. The tala is Adi.The second one “Thiruvadiye Sivamaavathu…” follows in the raga Suddha Saveri, in Kanda Chapu tala. It is a welcome change in talam.“Anbum Sivamum…” is in Anandabhairavi, “Thunaiyaduvaai Varum…” in Hindolam, “Ullam perunkoyil …” in Shivaranjani (which is literally an archana to the Lord), “Thelivu Guruvin…” in Bageshri, “Yaan petra Inbam…” in Kalyani, “Marathai Mariththathu…” in Sama, “Man Onru Kandeer…” in Hamsanandhi, rounding off with “Naadaththin Andamum…” in Madhyamavathi, the last one very apt raga-wise and set in brisk Khanda Nadai. Others follow the regular eight-beat cycle (Adi talam) which has aesthetic simplicity. The verses are rendered in an order different from the above in keeping with mood/raga contrast. The interludes have been rendered with a sense of proportion and purpose by the Great Veena Vidushi Smt. Kalpakam Swaminathan, an octogenarian and a veteran who has been recently conferred with the birudhu Acharya Choodamani by Sri Krishna Gana Sabha, Chennai. Her rendering of thanam in Kalyani raga as an interlude for the verse “Yaan Petra Inbam….” is one of unbridled “Inbam” (joy) and one wishes that her greatness “Peruguga Iv Vaiyaham” (spreads all over the world)!The individual renderings have simplistic charm as they have been rendered with utmost dedication by participants who, barring a few, are not basically professional practitioners. The open throated rendering by Swahilya, who has a stentorian voice, sruti suddham and bhavam which immediately takes one to the sanctum sanctorum deserves special mention. The charming rendition of the opening verse by little Kavya is also very sweet and gives one the firm impression that she has got a great future. The involvement and competence of the others too, cannot be understated.
In all, this album stands out for its meditative effect, involvement of the participants, and most importantly the rendition in traditional method so as to give the listener, the satisfaction of having undergone a pilgrimage. “Thirumandiram” by Swahilya and her team merits universal listening and appreciation. - Purnima

Thursday, June 09, 2005

Obstacles

3 comments:

Aham

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