Avoid translations. Need to read samskrit texts in original.

Here is an excellent talk by Sri Dushyanth Sridhar (delivered at Indic Thoughts Festival).
He emphasises the need to read smaskrit texts in original and not to lose their true worth in translations.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9RUjHCjBSJk&t=18s

Walk to Kateel Temple (ಅಮ್ಮನೆಡೆಗೆ ನನ್ನ ನಡಿಗೆ)

Pleased to participate in the 5th edition of 'ammaneDege namma naDige', an annual group walk towards celebrated Sri Durgaa Parameshwari Temple, Kateel.  The walk began from Maravooru, near Kavoor at about 7am on 4.2.2018 and ended at Kateel temple. Distance is about 16 kms. The reaching time varied depending on one's walking ability.  About 40,000 people are reportedly participated this year.

It was humbling experience to see many people, mostly women walking barefoot. Some women were holding their kids too. People with disabilities have also participated in large numbers. A young boy, about 6 years old, started crying as he saw his sister (may be 8 years old), eating a jaggery piece. The sister wasted no time in removing the jaggery from her mouth and keeping it in the mouth of her brother! 

पन्थानं सुपथा रक्षेत् मार्गं क्षेमकरी तथा

Above line borrowed from चण्डीकवचम् (shloka no.41) was my inspirational quote.  I had started from Maravoor at about 7.10am and reached the destination at around 9.45am. En route, I chanted दुर्गासूक्तम् (over 108 times) and also played श्रीललितासहस्रनामस्तोत्रम् and its फलश्रुतिः on my mobile. I could walk non stop. 

तस्मात् सर्वप्रयत्नेन देवीं जप निरन्तरम्

Amazing back bend in Yoga

Pl watch this amazing back bend yoga .

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rM-WKSD4ZS8

An apt 'subhashita' from Hitopadesha is as under:

बालादपि ग्रहीतव्यं युक्तमुक्तं मनीषिभि: . 

रवेरविषये किं न प्रदीपस्य प्रकाशनं

{wise men should learn even from children ! Lamps can lighten areas inaccessible to sun} 

Learning Samskrit, Narasimha Shetty style

Meet my friend Narasimha Shetty. He is 54 and is a tax consultant in Mangalore. What sets him apart is his pursuit of Samskrit despite all odds.
He is not worried about the income he may lose by attending various samskrit classes on every evening. Though not a brilliant student, he studies at his pace. He finds time to visit the holy shrines spread across India. He has undertaken trips to Amaranath and Kailas - Manasa Sarovar.
He took up correspondence Samskrit MA course from Karnataka State Open University, Mysore (www.ksoumysore.edu.in  ) for the year 2010-11. When the exam was approaching his father fell ill only to pass away on the previous night of the exam. The related ceremonies were during the exam days. Yet, he attended all the exams, answered the papers to the best of his ability, whether he slept on the previous night or not. Fortune favours the brave and manged to pass with decent score of 58%.

मनस्वी कार्यार्थी न गणयति दु:खं न च सुखम्

{Person determined to achive his goal is unmindful of the comforts or obstacles}

    

Here is a video about the growing popularity of samskrit in UK.


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AsY3NVrviiw&feature=youtu.be

However, we have sadly lost direction. It is like:

करभमनुसराम: कामधेनौ स्थितायां 

(for the sake of milk we are after a donkey when a cow is nearby)

Dr Vishwasa gets Sahitya Academy Translation Award

Dr. Vishwasa is awarded Sahitya Academy Translation Award 2010 for his book आवरणम् . The award carries a cash prize of Rs.50,000 and an inscribed copper plaque. His book 'Aavaranam'  is a  translation of popular kannada novel 'Avarana' written by Dr S L Byrappa. It was so popular that the book was reprinted a record 15 times in just one year from its publication.  

Renaming the title

Well, I changed the name of the blog from 'Muddu's day' to 'madanalekhaa'. This word I came across in the ever classic  'Abhijnana Shakuntalam' of Kalidasa. My prolonged search for a better sounding name ended there.

मृदंगो मुखलेपेन करोति मधुरध्वनिम 

Musical instrument 'Mrudanga' makes better sound upon polishing a bit. Well, let me try to showcase the blog better. 

World Samskrit Book Fair

World Samskrit Book Fair would be held in Bangalore {at National College Grounds, Basavanagudi} from 07-10 January, 2011. Book lovers and knowledge seekers can fully utilise this opportunity to buy good books. The book fair would show the vibrant samskrit world like never before!.  For more details please visit the official website: 
www.samskritbookfair.org

An unusual wish

I spent few days in Gokarna chanting rudra in the monumental project of 'Koti Rudra'. I got opportunities to see stream of devotees, performing various rituals, with specific desires/wishes, obtaining assistance from local priests. The wishes of devotees were ranging from early marriage, good jobs, prosperity in business, cure from illness, success in political/legal ventures etc. But, there was one exception.

An old lady, who was performing a pooja with intense devotion, was however had an unusual wish of seeking early death!.

Monkeys outsmart a samskrit speaking chess player

Diversion is a classical chess strategy. The attacker would divert a key piece defending the enemy territory and pounce elsewhere. Here a FIDE rated chess player gets a taste of the concept of 'diversion' from a small monkey down Karinjeshwara Hills.

Panchatantra (for women) Part -3

In the earlier two posts published in this blog (more than a year ago), we saw the gems of wisdom in the stories of Panchatantra in sanskrit prose and verse. The book in its original form is a reservoir of entertainment and wisdom. However, much of these are usually lost in translation.  

The tone in the first two parts was to please men. Now I want to make amends and buy peace with women readers. In this post,  let us see how women hold complete sway over men. .

Nice quote

People generally like apt quotations of great and successful people. Few even write them in personal books or quote the same to add weight to their talk. I received the following quote in a sms forwarded by my friend.
"Every one wants change, but no one brings it by themselves" - great lines said by ..Thankappan, a bus conductor!

Mutual praising

I was delighted to receive the following comment for my latest blog. 
The reader said: "I really appreciate your knowledge on shlokas. I like the way you start off with any general topic and end it with a relevant shloka. English translation is also very helpful. Keep blogging, Kudos!"
I am publishing his comments forthwith.{I am afraid he may get second thoughts!}. 
Rarely you find people who read the posts, appreciate the content and write few words of compliments. Who is not pleased with compliments ? If no one praises us, well, we should find a person and compliment each other.
उष्ट्रानाम च विवाहेषु गीतं गायन्ति गर्दभा:


परस्परं प्रशाम्संति अहो रूपं अहो ध्वनि:  


{Donkeys sing in the weddings of Camels. They admire each other. How beautiful! What a voice!}

Bribe proof garment

I am a regular reader of Taxindiaonline, a portal dedicated to indirect taxes of India. In one of their recent posts, they had published the following news item. I am reproducing the same with a link to the actual post.

Bribe-proof garments - Pocketless trousers to prevent Corruption

TALKING of Nepal, the Commission for the Investigation of Abuse of Authority (CIAA) of Nepal has come up with a novel idea to stop corruption in  Kathmandu's Tribhuvan International Airport.  Now all airport officials will be given bribe-proof garment - trousers with no pockets. But pockets are not the only places where corruption can be hidden. It was held that a Keralite keeping gold in his underwear was not actually concealing gold, because as his lungi had no pockets, that was the only place where he could keep the gold safely.

                                                (TIOL -14^th July 2010)

http://www.taxindiaonline.com/RC2/inside2.php3?filename=bnews_detail.php3&newsid=11123

अर्थानामर्जने दु:खं अर्जितानाम च रक्षणे   | 

आये दु:खं  व्यये दु:खं धिगर्था: कष्ट संश्रया: || 

{There is lot of pain in earning the money. Pain in holding on to the earnings. Difficulty in earning and sadness in spending. Oh contemptuous wealth!} 

Tourney over, finally

The chess tourney is over and I have to drag myself to office from coming Monday. My performance or lack of it is evident in the final placings. I ended up taking the 130th slot in a tourney of 350 players. You may see the final standing in the following link.
http://www.chess-results.com/tnr36028.aspx?art=1&rd=10&lan=1&m=-1&wi=1000
I may lose about 20 ratings as well. Chess players generally would worry about the ratings they may lose.
ಅಹೋ ರಾತ್ರಾಣಿ ಗಚ್ಚಂತಿ  ಸರ್ವೇಷಾಂ ಪ್ರಾಣಿನಾಮಿಹ 
ಆಯುಮ್ಶಿ ಕ್ಷಪಯಂತ್ಯಾಶು ಗ್ರೀಶ್ಮೆ  ಜಲಮಿವಾಮ್ಶವ:
[Just like sunrays suck water from the earth silently in summer, with each passing day, people lose their life span] Hence, there is no point in worrying about even trivial things like FIDE ratings.