THE END

You try a lot not to give up. For yourself, for the society, for your status, you stay in the game. Yet sometimes you come to terms with the fact, the fact that you don't have it in you to reach the finish line. Others may believe and insist that you continue. But you don't. For it is vivid that staying on is never going to be good enough. Making a comeback may be tougher but that does not justify sticking on. As I work towards freeing myself, I urge everyone to read a little, meditate a lot and think of GOD all the time.

H a p p Y N e W Y e a R

I begin this New Year with the same resolutions as the previous year. Hope it is not the same way next year.

Wishing all of you a very very Happy and Prosperous New Year.

Weird

If you didn't know, I am a big Rajni fan. Infact, I go crazy whenever I watch his movie in the theatres. This has been the case since Mappilai which was the first movie I watched without my parents and on the first day of release. I tried to sport the Rajadhi Raja hairstyle in the 9th grade. My friend and I put the tick mark on school uniform after Pandian; the vibudhi after Annamalai. I watched Mannan nine times in Santhi and three times in Liberty and several times in video. We bought T-Shirts with Rajni face and wore it for a couple of movies. I have watched Thalapati sitting on the floor with blood all around me.Yet my favourite movies are:
Vazhvey Maayam
Michael Madana Kama Rajan
Avvai Shanmugi
Nayagan
Devar Magan
Panchatantram
and only then Rajni films.

Bitch

1. Kannadasan wrote:
Alone he longed for her to return,
Come she did but only with company (her husband?),
Soon he became responsible to save the guy's life,
"Bitch, get lost", was what he really meant.

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2. Happy Birthday Thalaiva.

Back a star. The star is back

There have been very few occassions in life when you support someone with full conviction inspite of all odds and that pays off more than you expected. I am not talking about Oprah's support for Obama here. That, we will have to wait to know.
The way Saurav has forced himself back in to the team really gives joy and a rare sense of victory. Imagine! every get-together that I attended during his exile, was a huge battlefield for me; to defend my support for Dada with almost everyone else lining up with GC. I am grateful for this innings albeit against a depleted bowling attack. Considering the situation when he walked in, 61-4, his chanceless innings that possessed immense concentration and sheer determination was a treat to watch. Yuvraj was the spearhead in his partnership with Ganguly, however Ganguly's contribution in Yuvi's comeback innings needs mention. The support and encouragement that Dada provided during partnership proved why he was the most loved captain during his prime.

Now it becomes difficult for Kumble, Vengsarkar and co. to feature the best playing eleven for tests. They can't afford to leave out Dhoni, Laxman, Jaffer, Dravid, Saurav, Sachin or Yuvraj. This means either Sachin or Laxman have to make a sacrifice and move to the top of the order. The pedestrial series for Karthik has dooms written all over his future with Parthiv Patel knocking hard.

I don't see an alternative unless the seniors want to play on rotation. Yuvi is indispensable.

For he has nothing more to prove, Ganguly can retire on a high, resting assured that his legacy is intact in the annuls of Indian Cricket

Missing Vaisha

Durga Suktam

Siva

Everyone knows that Bramha has four faces. That Lord Siva has five, is not well known. Well here they are
1. Sadyojaatam
Sadyojaatam prapadyami Sadyojaataya vai namo namah. Bave Bave naathi bave bavothbavaaya namah
2. Vaamadevam
Vamadevaaya namoh: jeshtaya namah sreshtaya namO rudhraya namah kaalaaya namah kalavikaranaaya namoh balavikaranaaya namo balaaya namoh balapramathanaaya namas-sarvaboothadhamanaaya namO manonmanaaya namaH
3. Aghoram
Aghorebhyothaghorebhyo GhoraGora thareybyah. Sarveybyas-sarvasarvebyo namasthe asthu rudra-roopebyah
4. Tatpurusham
Tatpurushaaya vidmahe vamadeyvaya deemahi tanno rudra: prachodayaat
5. Iishaanam.
Iishaanas-sarva vidyaanaam Iiswaras-sarvaboothaanaam bhramaadhipathi bhramanodhipathi bhrama sivome asthu sadaasivom

Panchaksharam: Na ma si va ya

Chennai Superstars

The ICL T20 League has kicked off in style. Chennai Superstars rock; living up to the Team Ad which is by far the best among all the teams. I enjoy watching them perform as much as I enjoy their advertisement. Go Superstars!

Hare Rama Hare Rama

Two blogs ago, I had posted a snippet from Rama Bhujangam. The very next day I was sharing it with my friend and kind of asking him to read and post a comment on the blog While discussing, he mentioned the name of Muralidhara Swamigal to me. Immediately I got a ring from another friend who informed me about the disciple of Muralidhara Swamigal giving a discourse in another friend's place.
The eloquent Ms Poornima Kumaraswami, who had dropped out from software industry to pursue GOD, spoke about the Mahima of "name chanting". She effortlessly quoted from Gita, Vishnu Sahasranamam and narrated from Bhagavatam to highlight the Nama Mahatvam. I was thoroughly impressed with her vast knowledge and her ability quote from Adhi Shankara', Tulsidas andChaitanya Maha Prabhu to Ramana Maharishi and everyone in between. during the discourse that she gave for the three days. Today she initiated me to the

Hare Rama Hare Rama Rama Rama Hare Hare

Hare Krishna Hare Krishna Krishna Krishna Hare Hare

mantra.
Now it is my responsibilty to chant it atleast eleven times in the morning and eleven times in the evening. There are absolutely no conditions to reciting. Although it is prefered that it be recited in the puja room or in front of GOD, it is not required. Although it is prefered that it be recited in a clean physical and mental, it is not a condition.

Kali Santarana Upanishad confirms her claim that no niyama is required to chant the Hare Rama mantra.

Narada asked: ‘O Lord, what are the rules to be observed with reference
to it ?" To which Brahma replied that there were no rules for it. Whoever in a
pure or an impure state, utters these always, attains the same world of, or
proximity with, or the same form of, or absorption into Brahma.

I will try my best to recite this for the rest of my life -> atleast the rest of this year -> atleast the rest of the month -> atleast tomorrow morning.
Please refer to http://www.godivinity.org/ if you are interested in attending the discourses or knowing more about the organization.