Aksharamanamalai – Tamil and English

Aksharamanamalai is a divine outpouring of Bhakti and Jnana, ‘seen’ and composed by Ramana Maharshi, little more than a hundred years ago… A powerful hymn, the composition has been a ‘taraka mantra’ for devotees, and is sung every day by ever so many people… The composition has been translated and sung in some other Indian languages as well.

This blog writer had the privilege and blessing of translating the holy song into Hindi, some years ago. And the later, in 2014, the centenary year of Akshramanalai, he had the great honor of translating the song into English. He presented this during a seminar of Ramana Centre, Bengaluru in early April 2014. He presented this once more during the Golden Jubilee Celebration of Ramana Kendra, New Delhi, which was held in end April, 2014. And then later he presented this in Ramana Kendra, Chennai as well.

And then as a fulfillment of a heartfelt prayer, he could present this in Sri Ramanasramam as well. On December 16th, 2017, this was sung in the New Hall adjoining the Mathrubhutheshwara and Ramaneshwara Mahalinga shrine at Sri Ramanasramam. The original Tamil verses and the translated English verses, were sung alternatively, individually. My better half Ambika, sang the Tamil verses, and yours truly sang the English..

Sharing a youtube of the audio recorded that day.

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Om Namo Bhagavate Sri Ramanaya! Arunachala smaranam!

 

The Way of Silence

दर्शन को तो साधु हैं, सुमिरन को गुरु नाम ।
तरने को आधीनता, डूबन को अभिमान ।।

Sadhu sage for eyes to see
Guru name for rosary
Humility to cross the life-birth sea
To drown there’s vanity

(Kabir)

eBooks Two – A novella and some poetry

Freedom is a high.

Publishing the e-book way is like the ‘Berlin wall and Sentries’ of brick and mortar world of publication and distribution just going up in smoke – the veil of Maya suddenly lifting, and matter ceasing to matter…

Well, not exactly that, but to Soota (‘yours truly’), the feeling is good, anyway.

Two of this-I’s books are now available as ebooks on Amazon… Ready to buy 🙂 and read….

The first is a short work of fiction, called “The Night the Moon Disappeared”.

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The story is about a family that sets out on a full moon night, doing circumambulation around the holy mountain of Arunachala… And what happens when the moon disappears, death-style… A book meant for people of all ages, it starts off as a children’s story and grows up at every step of the way to reach the summit of the holy mountain, Arunachala… It is a search in prose-poetry of mystic ways to find one’s own Self.

Click here for the Amazon-Kindle link to the e-book.

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The second one is a book of poems – titled “Seahorse in the Sky”. This was earlier published in print version by Writers Workshop. Now, it takes an e-avatar…

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Divya Kumar, blogger-writer, blogging about different book launches in Chennai, mentioned that the book was “Not a work of fiction, but an excellent collection of poetry by an unlikely poet“.

She linked to her article in The Hindu, Metro Plus section (“The Art of Juggling” Click here to read ), where she wrote:

“Seahorse in the Sky is truly good poetry in the old-fashioned sense, filled with deftly-drawn word sketches, gently ironic observances of human nature, and sometimes poignant, sometimes funny stories, crafted out of the fabric of our daily lives”

Click here for the Amazon-Kindle link to this book of poems 

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For new ebook explorers… You can download and read these books on a Kindle book reader. But you don’t necessarily need a Kindle device. You can download the Kindle App on your Laptop, Desktop, Tablet or Smartphone – and you are ready-to-read…. The App is free and the link is available on the Amazon book-links above…

Interest kindled?

On your mouse… Ready, steady, click…

Aksharamanamalai – in English verse

Namo Ramana!

Among Bhagavan Sri Ramana Maharshi’s compositions, Aksharamanamalai occupies a unique place. A Tamil work of sublime spirituality, the verses have the power of Veda Mantra. They are revealed words that Bhagavan Ramana, as a Maharshi, saw, and shared with the world of devotees of the One!

This year, 2014, happens to mark a hundred years since this work was revealed to the world. Sri Ramana composed this in 1914 AD, during the course of one circumambulation of Arunachala!

To mark this centenary, Ramana centres all over India, and perhaps the world, are having various festive events. Ramana Maharshi Centre of Learning, Bengaluru held an event in Feb 2014 where over 500 people sang Aksharamanamalai. The song itself has been translated by other devotees into several Indian languages, and they were all sung in part during this event, which also marked 500th performance of Ramananjali, a music troupe that focuses on Ramana Maharshi compositions…

This blog writer had the privilege and blessing of translating the holy song into Hindi, some years ago. And now, in this centenary year, he had the great honor of translating the song into English. He presented this during a seminar of Ramana Centre, Bengaluru in early April 2014. He presented this once more during the Golden Jubilee Celebration of Ramana Kendra, New Delhi, which was held in end April, 2014.

he Ramana Kendra, New Delhi has recorded and shared videos of all the talks held during the event. One of them was this blog writer’s presentation as well… Sharing the youtube of that presentation… Aksharamanamalai, in English… Set to the same metre as the original Tamil song… In rhyme… So that it can be sung in English, just as the original Tamil treatise…

Needless to say, any merit in the translation is solely due to the power of the original, to the grace of Sri Ramana… And all shortcomings are entirely mine…

With your indulgence, presenting Aksharamanamalai in English, in song format… The RamanaKendra, New Delhi video… Starts with a few minutes of intro and talk… And then the song begins…

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Happy that today happens to be the day the wedding of Madurai Meenakshi Amman and Lord Sundareshwara is celebrated. The divine parents of Ramana Maharshi!

Om Namo Bhagavate Sri Ramanaya!

Muruganar Song – 2

Sharing another song of Muruganar….

This song too is from Ramana Sannidhi Murai.

The song was recorded in a CD series of Ramana Sannidhi Murai brought out by Ramananjali Group (Click here for website)

In this recording, the song has been sung by Arutkavi Sadhuram Swamigal. He was a great Muruga Bhakta, and a disciple of Vallimalai Swamigal, a sage whose being was dedicated to Muruga Bhakti, especially to the great Thiruppugazh composed by Arunagirinathar. Vallimalai Swamigal himself considered Ramana Maharshi as his Guru (Click here for link to details about Vallimalai Swamigal). Of his first meeting with Ramana Maharshi, Vallimalai Swamigal said “I joined the crowd that was waiting to have the Darshan of the saint. After a while, the sage appeared from inside the Ashram. He was standing there in his characteristic loincloth with a staff (danda) on his hand. I saw him and he looked at me intently. Suddenly, I felt that the very Palani Andavar was standing gracefully before me. I felt this was Palani Andavar’s way of answering my prayer. I felt an inexplicable wave of power passing through my entire physique. In a moment of extreme bliss, tears trickled down my face.”

His disciple was Sadhuram Swamigal, a picture of complete piety. He would visit Sri Ramanasramam often. He sang the songs of Tiruppugazh ever so soulfully. Such is the wonder of Indian tradition, that sages arise, revive, propagate, and ensure the perpetual flow of  spiritual traditions that the mainstream system ignores and  keeps away. Thiruppugazh, the great songs of Murugan, are now sung by ever so many devotees…

This post is about a song by Muruganar. The song is about Ramana Maharshi, his master. The song has four verses. I am giving below two of them, which have been sung by Sadhuram Swamigal. An English translation of the two verses is also given below the Tamil verses. The translation is by another namesake of Lord Muruga, Professor Swaminathan, the great teacher,  social worker, and compiler of the Collected Works of Mahatma Gandhi. Professor Swaminathan was a great devotee of Ramana Maharshi. I remember that he once told me that he sees Ramana, as seen in Muruganar’s poetry.

Here’s the song…

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திருவுருத்திறம் 

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நிறையலாற் குறையொன் றில்லை

நினைபலான் மரப்பொன்  றில்லை

பிறையலாற் கண்ணீ யில்லை

பெதலாற் கடிவ தில்லை

மறையலாற் பேச லில்லை

மாணடித் தொண்டர் நெஞ்சம்

உறையுளாக் கொண்டு நம்மை

யுடையவேங் கடவ னார்க்கே.

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இசையலால் வசையொன் றில்லை

யெங்குமாய்ப் பரந்த வெட்டுத்

திசையலால் வாகு வில்லை

செயுங்குணச் செம்பொன் மேரு

மிசையலா விருக்கை யில்லை

விளங்குசிற் றம்ப லத்துள்

அசைவிலா தாட வல்ல

வடிகள்வேங் கடவ னார்க்கே.

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(திருச்சிற்றம்பலம்)

Perfection of the Form

Without a single fault, Perfection
Never forgotten because ever remembered,
Never the crown without the crescent,
Destroying nothing  but ignorance,
This is Venkata who dwells
In the hearts of his devoted servants.

Praise of his and never blame,
The quarters Light and nothing else
His shoulders, nothing but the summit
Of golden Meru is his throne,
This Venkata who twin feet dance
In stillness of the shining heart-space.

(Turichitrambalam)

From the Garden of Time

As the year turns over
a new leaf,
And roots strain
to clutch the earth harder,

A flower blossoms
Smiles
And is gone quick,

Like a good poem
Escaping its words.

Tora Man Darpan…

It was Sahir Ludhianvi’s birthday a few days ago, and someone pointed out Sahir’s song ‘Tora Man Darpan’… Great song, by a great poet…

Have a look.

In the youtube link, someone had asked for an English translation of the song… Here’s a free English translation which I posted there..

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The creature asked the Creator
By what way shall I find you?

The Lord replied,
Find your mind, and youll find me.
Your mind is known as the mirror.
Deeds, good and bad,
it watches and shows all!
(Your mind is known as the mirror!) …

Mind is celestial, mind is God,
None there is higher than the mind.
Whenever, wherever
The minds light spreads
(Then, there) the world is lit!
On this mind-mirror, O Creature,
Let not dirt ever set!
(Your mind is known as the mirror!)

Flowers of pleasure,
Thorns of sorrow,
Mind is the basis of all!
Nothing at all
Can hide from the mind,
The mind has a thousand eyes!
Maybe someone
Can run away from the world,
But none
Can run away from the mind!
(Your mind is known as the mirror!)

The wealth of the body
Is but a fleeting shadow,
Whereas , Priceless
Is the wealth of the mind!
Because of the body
Do not rub and ruin
The wealth of your mind
In grime!
Those who are in forgetfulness
Of the value of the mind,
Live a life of waste!
(Your mind is known as the mirror!)

Me first book of pomes

“A poem is a little machine for remembering itself” – Don Paterson.

“Perhaps no person can be a poet or can even enjoy poetry without a certain unsoundness of mind” — Thomas Babington Macaulay.

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Come, lets log in to this ‘unsoundness of mind’…

There was a time when I used to walk around everywhere with a certain book of poems in my hand.

Titled “I’m a stranger here myself”, it was a collection of poems written by Alden Nowlan, a Canadian poet. I liked his poems so much that I issued an ‘all-points bulletin’ to look out for any or all of his books. And some of my friends from his part of the world, empathized with this unsoundness of mine, managed to hunt high and low, and got me many of his books. All this was a journey of over two decades! How does that sound?

There are many other poets that I like too, but Nowlan was the one who struck a match in my wayward mind, illumining it’s penchant for unsoundness!

And I think the genie escaped the bottle when the new millennium popped up.

And since then, I have tried to make many “a small machine attempting to remember itself”, and the unsoundness made me call these machines as “pomes”…

And now,  a collection of these machines, “me first book of pomes”, has been published.

The book is titled “Seahorse in the sky”.

If you like the unsound of it, and are cranky enough to wonder about (and think of laying your hands on) “me first book”, then click here to take you to the book’s page in the publisher’s website…

And just in case you are wondering what a software engineer has to do with poetry, remember the WordPress motto – “Code is Poetry”!

Giddyap now!

Game On…

This is the inaugural,
And the new President
Stands before
A couple of million
screaming, doting, shivering
Countrymen.

He takes his oath,
Waves,
And speaks,
Standing
Behind five tons
Of “transparent armour”.

Thats how it is.

In politics ,
Thick skin is necessary
But hardly sufficient.

To survive at the highest level,
One needs super-solid skin,
Impregnable, invisible.

Oh yes, the new President
Is all for transparency.

But what they see
Should not be what they get.

Milky Way, a seen poem

“She wants me
to sit right here”,
says the birthday boy,
sitting cross-legged
down on the ground
his back leaning
on the legs and knees
of his mother
who is sitting on a chair.

The party is on…
And he sits right there,
next to his mom,
who keeps running her hand
through his hair
pats him on his cheek
and shoulders…

Blooming-blushing
in joy, he turns
to look up
at his mom’s
loving eyes,
like a lily
the moon.

Had the guests
been celestials
surely
they would have rained
flowers…

As such
they watch in wonder,
For this
is one special birthday…

The mom,
Who had been just nineteen
when this boy was born,
is pure moonbeams, now,
a thousand full moons later,
beaming with him
As he turns eighty…