Easy To Make Tiffins-----Godhuma dosa :)

My daughter, who is married and lives away from home , seems to labour under a mistaken apprehension these days........She believes that i am running quite amuck around the house, having got oodles of empty time and nothing much else on my hands and commissioned me to do something positive with it......." you have to utilise your time, amma",...she lectured me on...."and please just don't sit there pining for me"....And she ordered me to write down a recipe for her everyday......" It would be good for me and who knows?....might come in useful for others like me".....

So,....here it is.....A godhuma (wheat flour) dosa........I am not assuring you this is going to be a great eat........Nothing of that sort.....It is quite homely, almost tasteless when eaten solely ....But the great thing is it is so simple.... .Something you can make in a jiffy literally, ...... Something you would want to make when you come home tired from your school and long for something hot and filling....Or you wake up late in the morning and have no time for elaborate breakfasts.......Or when unexpected guests come calling.....Does not need any fancy ingredients... and usually never goes out of stock at home.....

I my self used to have them at Bandar when my aunt used to make them....something she specialised in.......Whenever Babai had those pangs of untimely hunger.......He sometimes had them at 10 in the night ......Aunt would girdle her self up and non-challantly serve them......Like Aladdin"s genie......

Take a measure of wheat flour......A small cup could get you three or four dosas.....Add the same measure of water..or if you like it ,.. few more drops and whip up into smooth batter, for wheat flor tends to form lumps.....,and salt (according to your taste) ......Heat a pan.....Take care to see that non-stick pans are medium hot as dosas tend to tie themselves into knots when the tawa is too hot.......Make dosais with the batter......and oil them.....Use butter if you would like.....These would take a few seconds more than the general dosais and flip to the other side when one side is done light brown.......Take them off after the other side is done too and THAT IS IT.......

You can have them with all kinds of chutneys,...raithas,....curries or simply with salads too since there is actually not too much of a difference between the godhuma dosa or roti........This one is softer and goes down elderly throats a lot easier than rubbery rotis and tough chapaathis.........You can eat it with simple salted curds and onions too....Or could experiment when you are in a mood for it by making a roll of it with burrito filling......Or better still......Make your own desi burrito......Toss some cooked rice with a dash of lemon and roasted peanuts, or sprouts or peas and finely cut chilli, onion pieces , few cooked vegetables and top it with sour cream or cheese.....roll it in a dosa and it might even make up for a meal too.....

Laloo goes phoren

Had a chance to visit our daughter in the U.S.A this July-August.......(from the 16 Th of July to be precise).....for two months,.....and ofcource, i enjoyed the whole thing thoroughly.......As usual......May be it has got something to do with my being a cancerian......Cancer people are supposed to love travel and new places............I don"t know........Not really sure......For actually i don't think i really enjoy all the laborious process of travelling........Toting the luggage,....jumping in and out of vehicles,....the long waitings-around,.....the sleepless nights and the untimely meals........only when it is all over and done with,do i look back and realize that it had all been rather good fun...........:).........A bit of irony there, i suppose.........

In my younger days---that was when i was alive----i must admit i have entertained thoughts of going abroad.........A few times, my husband, who works as a teacher in university, had opportunities to go to England, and Germany...(the daad and Fulbright fellowships)....but somehow they never materialized......I was really excited then......Would have loved to visit England especially,as seeped as i was in reading the works of Dickens,..Christie and contemporary British fiction......( i seem to have been permanently lost in bookish romanticism.....No real world politic for Ratna,, excuse me)..........

.It is funny how times change and change characters too........Now i have quietened down,.....cant really stand too much exertion,......less exited on the prospect of seeing the land of Huckleberry Finn and Gone With The Wind,, and looking forward more to spending time with Anasuya and Anil...

మాతృశ్రీ జీవిత మహోదదిలో తరంగాలు-ఒక సమీక్ష

జిళ్ళేళ్ళమూడి అమ్మ గా పిలువబడి లక్షలాది జనుల భక్తి, ప్రేమలను చూరగొన్న మాత్రుశ్రీ అనసూయాదేవి (౧౯౨౩-౧౯౮౫) దివ్య చరిత్రే ఈ మాతృశ్రీ జీవిత మహోడది లో తరంగాలు........అమ్మ స్వయం గా చెపుతుంటే విని రాయబడినది గా చెప్తారు.......ఆమె పుట్టుక ఘట్టం తో మొదలయిన ఈ గ్రంధం ,ప్రస్తుతానికి, ఆమె కి దాదాపు పదేళ్ళు వోచ్చినంత వరుకే ,...మూడు భాగాలు గా ప్రచురింప బడి ఉన్నది.......అంతే కాక ౧౯౬౨ ఫిబ్రవరి నుండి జీవితాంతం అహర్నిశం డైరీ కూడా రాయబడింది.....బహుశ ఇంత విస్త్రితమయిన చరిత్ర ఈ నాటి ఆధునిక కాలాల లోనే వీలవుతుంది అనుకోవచ్చు........ఇదివరలో ఏ మహనీయుల చరిథ్రలూ ఇంత వివరం గా అక్షరబద్ధం అయినట్లు గా తోచదు.....మిగతా భాగాలు కూడా చాలా వరుకు రాయబద్దాయిగానీ , కొన్ని కారణాల వల్ల ప్రచురిమ్పబడలేదు.......ఆ విషయానికి తరువాత ఒద్దాము...............................................................................

.గ్రంధ రచయితగా రహి అని ముద్రిమ్పబడి ఉంటుంది.....ఇది రచయిత కలం పేరు........అసలయిన రహి తొలి రోజుల్లో అమ్మ కు ఎంతో ప్రియమయిన బిడ్డ........అమ్మ కోసం ఆయన ప్రాణాలే అర్పించినవారని చెప్పుకుంటారు.....ఆమెకు ఎంతో ఇష్టమయిన ఆ పేరు ధరించి రాసిన వారు భాస్కర్ అన్నయ్య అని అంటారు........ఈ పుస్తకం రాయాలన్న ప్రతిపాదనలేమీ లేక ముందే ఒకానొక సమయం లో అమ్మ " నా చరిత్ర పామరుడైన పండితుడు రాయడు.....పండితుడైన పామరుడు రాస్తాడు " అన్నాడట......ఇందులోని శ్లేష గమనార్హం.....తరిచి చూస్తే చాలా అర్తాలున్నాయి ఆ మాటలో................................................

.రచయిత భాస్కర్ అన్నయ్య గుంటూరు జిల్లా లోని ఒక చిన్న పల్లెటూళ్ళో , రైతు కుటుంబం లో పుట్టి, వ్యవసాయం చూసుకునే వ్యక్తి..........పెద్దగ ఆధునిక విద్యలు గానీ, శాస్త్ర వైదుష్యం గానీ నేర్చినవారు కారు.......అయినా అమ్మ ఆయన్నే తన చరిత్రకర్త గా ఎన్నుకున్నది........ఎంతగా విసిగిపోయిందో.....పామరులయిన పండితులతో.............................................................

.పుస్తకం ఆమూలాగ్రం చక్కటి, తీపి తెలుగులో రాయబడి ఉన్నది........అతి గ్రాన్దీకం కనిపించదు......రాసినాయన భక్తుడు.....అయినా ఒక మూడో వ్యక్తి లానే, నిష్పక్షపాతం గా రాయటానికి...(మహాత్యాలుగా అనిపించే వాటినీ, కనిపించేవాటినీ కూడ)....ప్రయత్నించారు........ఒక్కొక్క చోట అది కుదరక ఆయన పారవశ్యం లో మునిగితే తప్పు గ్రంథకర్త ది కాడు ..........భర్త ది .............................................

పుస్తకం పేరు......అద్దినట్టుగా అతికింది.......అమ్మ జీవితాని మహోడది తో పోల్చారు.......అంటే,...ఒక బంగాలాఖాతమో,....అరేబియా సముద్రమో....కాడు........మహోడది......మహా సముద్రం.......రాసినవి,....రాయగాలిగినవి కేవలం కొన్ని తరంగాలే.........మొత్తం లోతులు ఎవరూ చూసినవి కావు.....ఇందులో అతిశయోక్తి ఏమీ లేదు.........జీవించిన అరవై మూడేళ్లలో, కొన్ని లక్షల మంది దాకా అమ్మ ను చూడగలిగారు.....ఇంకొన్ని లక్షలమంది ఆమెను గురించి వినగాలిగారు....వీరిలో అనేకులు అమ్మ తో ప్రత్యక్షం గాను, పరోక్షం గా కూడా అనుభవాలు అనేకం సంవత్సరాల కొద్దీ పొంది ఉన్నారు.......వాటిలో బయటికి ఒచ్చినవి కొన్ని ఐతే, రానివి ఇంకా అనేకాలు ఉన్నాయి...,...............................................

ఈ మహోడది లో చాలా ప్రవాహాలే కలిశాయి..........గంగా, గోదావరీ,......కృష్ణా, కావేరి,........మనం, , ఎ ఒక్క ప్రవాహం వెంతో , వెళ్లి, మొత్తం అదేనని భ్రమించే ప్రమాదమూ ఉంది......తన జీవితం లో అమ్మ చాలసమస్యలతోనే తల పడవలసి ఒచ్చింది......కులం,....మతం,...జాతి, వర్ణం లాంటివేన్నో విషయాలు ఆమెను బాధించినాయి......"నాల్గు పడగల హైందవ నాగరాజు "అమ్మ తో ఆడుకున్న ఘటనలు చాలానే ఉన్నాయి.......అట్లాగని, అమ్మ చరిత్ర అంతా ఒక సాంఘిక సమరమో, ఇంకోటో కాడు........అది కూడా సంగమించిన ఒక నది........మాత్రమే........అట్లాగే,..ఒక ఆడమనిషి గా (దళితుల్లో దళితులు) అమ్మ అనుభవించినవి చదివి ఫెమినిస్టు కోణం లో అమ్మ ను చూసే అవకాశమూ ఉంది..............................................

అన్నిటి కన్నా ముఖ్యమయినది, పెద్దది-----గంగే అయి ఉంటుంది----అమ్మ నిర్వచించిన నూత్న వేదాంతం.......కొత్త ఆధ్యాత్మికం......కొత్త తాత్విక చింతనం.....కొత్తా.......అంటే.....కోత్తదేమీ కాడు.........ఆది నించీ ఉన్నదే........మైలపడి గుర్తు పట్టలేకుండా అయిపొయింది ..........ఈ ప్రవాహాలన్నీ కలిసినది కనుకనే మహోదదిలో తరంగాలు అయ్యింది.....................................

.కావ్యమందురు కొందరు అంటూ మహా భారతం గురించి ఒక వర్ణన ఉంది.....కొందరికి కావ్యమ్గా, కొందరికి ధర్మ శాస్త్రం గా, కొందరికి రాజనీతి గా, కొందరికి ఇతిహాసం గా,మరి కొందరికి పుక్కిటి పురాణం గా భారతం అనిపించినట్లే మహోదదిలో కూడా అన్ని విషయాలూ ఉన్నాయి..........ధర్మమూ ఉంది, ...తథ్వమూ ఉంది ,....కమ్మని కవిత్వమూ ఉంది,.....చరిత్రా ఉంది,.....భారతం అంత పట్టున్న కథా ఉంది............................................

.అట్లాగే చదివే వాళ్ల ని బట్టీ కూడా అభిప్రాయాలు.....మారచ్చు........నమ్మకం ఉన్నవాళ్లకు మళ్ళీ మళ్ళీ చదవాలని అనిపించేంత నచ్చుతుంది......(పారాయణ అంటే ఇదేనేమో )........అమ్మ మీద ముందుగానే వేరే అభిప్రాయం ఏర్పరుచుకున్న వాళ్ళకు వేరే విధంగా అనిపించ ఒచ్చు........ వాళ్ళని ఓడిలేద్దాము......ముందుగ అమ్మ గురిచి తెలియని, కొత్తగా చదివే వాళ్ళకు,...తాత్విక చింతన వాళ్ళకూ , ఆసక్తిగా, విలక్షణం గా అనిపిస్తుంది.....అనటానికి సందేహం లేదు......ఎందుకంటే నేను కూడా దాదాపు అదే స్థితి లో ఈ పుస్తకం చదివాను..................................

.అట్లాగే ముందుగా ఒక హెచ్చరిక.......ఇది ఒక మహానీయురాలి చరిత్ర,...తత్వవేత్త అయిన ఒక మహిళా కథ అని గుర్తుంచుకోవాలి......ఎందుకంటే, మొదటగా అమ్మ నమ్మశక్యం గా అనిపించదు...... ఒక చిన్న పిల్లెమిటి?.... ఆ పిల్లకి ఇంత ఆలోచనేమిటి అనే అనిపిస్తుంది......ఒక రకమయిన రుచి కలిగిన వ్యక్తులు చిన్నప్పటి నుండీ కూడా అదే తత్వం కలిగి ఉంటారని మనం అర్ధం చేసుకోగలిగితే సమస్య ఉండదు......ఆర్తుర్ కాటన్ దొర చిన్నతనం నుంచే రొట్టెలతోబ్రిద్జేలూ,, కాలువలు కదుతూ ఉండేవాదుట .......పరమహంస పిల్లదిగానే తీవ్ర భక్తి లో మునిగి ఉండేవారుత...........ఒక్కో బిడ్డ లో ఒక్కో ప్రత్యేకత.....అనుకుంటే ఆశ్చర్యం లేదు........................................

ముందు చెప్పినట్లు, ప్రస్తుతం వెలువడ్డ మూడు భాగాల్లో దాదాపు అమ్మ కు పదేళ్ళు ఒచ్చెంత వరుకు కథ జరిగింది......గొలుసుకట్టు గా కాకపోయినా ఆ తరువాత జరిగిన కొన్ని కొన్ని ఘటనలు, చిన్న చిన్న పుస్తకాలుగా అచ్చయ్యాయి......ఎంతో రమ్యమయినవి, ...కొన్ని చాలా బాదాకరమయిన సన్గతులూ జరిగినాయి......కానీ పూర్తి చరిత్ర ఇంకా ప్రచురణ కాలేదు................................

చదివే ముందు ఆనాటి దేశ కాల, మాన పరిస్థితులు ఎట్ల ఉన్నాయో తెలుసుకోవటం ఉపయోగపడుతుంది.......ఎటువంటి అమానుష పరిస్తితులలో క్రీస్తు సిలువవేయబద్దాడో,.......రామ జన్మ ఎంతటి రాక్షస వాతావరణం లో జరిగిందో,.......ఎటువంటి ప్రపంచాన్ని బుద్ధుడు ఒదిలి వెళ్ళాడో................................

.అప్పటి.......అమ్మ చిన్నతనం నాటి రోజులు నిజానికి సాంఘికంగా....ఒక రకమయిన సంధి యుగాలు అని చెప్పొచ్చు......జ్యోతిష్యం లో ఒక మహాదశ నించి ఇంకో మహా దశ కి మారుతున్న చ్చిద్ర దశ అన్తూ ఉంటారు......ఆ రొజులూ అంతే.......ఒక పక్క బస్తీలలో, స్వాతన్త్ర్యోద్యమాలూ ,....కాలేజీ చదువులూ , ...కొత్తగా మొదలయిన త్రైన్లూ బస్సులూ,....రాజకీయ కోలాహలాలూ, ...అప్పుడే ఒస్తున్న సినిమాలూ ఉన్నాయి......ఇంకో పక్క,.......మరీ ఎక్కువగా పల్లెటూళ్ళల్లో ఇంకో విధమయిన వాతావరణమూ ఉంది..... పెద్దగా పంటలు పండేవి కావు......చాలా మంది దగ్గిర డబ్బులు ఆడేవి కావు......పొలాలు, పుట్రలు ఎన్ని ఎకరాలున్నా ధర పలికేవి కావు.......జనం లో మూడు వొంతులున్న బీదా, బిక్కీ పండగ పూట కూడా తెల్లని వరి అన్నం తిని ఎరగరు.....(మంత్రాయి)........మాయ రోగాలతో, రోష్టులతో మనిషి ప్రాణానికి భరోసా ఉండేది కాడు........సరి అయిన వైద్యమూ దొరికేది కాడు........అమ్మ పుట్టిన యేడాది లో ఆమె తల్లి దండ్రులు నలుగురు బిడ్డలను (అంతకు ముందు పుట్టినవారు).... కోల్పోయారు........ఒక్క రాత్రిలో భర్తని, ముగ్గురు బిడ్డలను మశూచికి పోగొట్టుకున్న దీనురాళ్ళున్నారు...(హనుమాయమ్మగారు)........................

ఆడవాళ్ళ పరిస్థితి గురించి చెప్పనక్కర లేదు.......ఆ రోజుల్లోనే, సరోజినీ దేవి, విజయలక్ష్మి పండిట్, తల్యారఖాన్ వంటి పేరు మోసిన వనితలూ ఉన్నారు.......వాళ్లు ఒక శాతం ఉంటే, మిగతా వాళ్ళంతా కాపురాలు చేసుకుంటూ,(ఎవరి అదృష్టం బట్టి వారూ)...,.గంపెడు పిల్లలతో..(అదీ ఎవరి కి వారి అడురుష్టమే ),......మధ్య మధ్య గర్భస్రావాలతో, వాటి నించి ఒచ్చే రోగాలతో, ...నమ్మే నమ్మలేని మొగుల్లతో ,ఎడతెగని కట్టుబాట్ల మధ్య రోజులు గడిపేవాళ్ళు... ....ఒక పక్కన విపరీత ధోరణి కి దిగిన ఆచారాలతో, ఇంకో పక్క మారుతున్న దేశ, కాల, మాన పరిస్థితులతో బ్రాహ్మణ్యం గతి తప్పింది....

............

ఈ నేపధ్యం లో ఒ కుగ్రామం లో కరణం గారింట పుట్టి, ....ఒకటిన్నర సంవత్సరాల వయసు లోనే తల్లిని పోగొట్టుకున్న,......బలహీనంగా కనిపించే,........బక్కపలచాటి,....,..... భూమికి జానేదంతా ,....పెద్ద కళ్ళ,........గొంతే లేవని ....."అమ్మ లేని అనసూయ "....అమ్మ గా ఎట్లా ఎదిగిందో చెప్పే అందమయిన కథే ...మహోడది లో తరంగాలు................

...................................చదివేవారి స్ధాయి ని బట్టి కూడా అవగాహన మారవచ్చు........కొత్తవాళ్ళకు ఒక రకంగా,.....తెలిసినవాళ్ళకు, ప్రాజ్నులకూ, ఇంకా వివరంగా,................స్దూలానికి ఒక విధంగా,........సూక్ష్మార్తాలు ఇంకో విధంగా ,rahasyaardhaalu imkaa విశదంగా..........అనేక వ్యాఖ్యానాలు ఉండవచ్చు.........ఐతే......ఎన్ని రామాయనాలున్న మూలం వాల్మీకిరాముడే.......అమ్మ గురించి ఎందరు ఎన్ని పుస్తకాలు ,వ్యాసాలూ రాసినా,.....ఎందరు ఎన్ని విధాలుగా ఆమెను గ్రహించగాలిగినా......ప్రమాణం మాత్రం ఈ మహోదదిలో తరంగాలే................................

.ఒక్కొక్క చోట కొన్ని కొన్ని వరుసలు అర్ధం కాకపోవచ్చు.......ఇక్కడ అమ్మ తండ్రిగారిని ,తాతయ్య అనీ,......అన్నగారిని మామయ్యా అనీ .......ఇవన్ని మనం అమ్మ బిడ్డలుగా, అప్పుడు వారూ మనకి అయ్యే వరుసలలో రాసినవి .....................

ఒక్కొక్క చోట ...(చాలా తక్కువగానే)....సంభాషణలు,-----తాత్వికమయినవి ----అంత వివరం గా అర్ధం కాకపోవచ్చు.......సామాన్యులు కొంచెం కష్టపడాలి అర్ధం చేసుకోవటానికి........అందులో రచయిత తప్పు ఏమీ లేదు......అంతు పట్టలేని అద్భుత తత్వాని అమ్మ ద్రాక్షారసం లోనే చెప్పినా సామాన్యులమయిన మనకు అది నారికేళ పాకమే.... ....................

మహాత్ముల, ...యోగుల చరిత్రలు చదివే రుచి కలిగినవాళ్ళకు తప్పక చదివితీరవలసిన పుస్తకం......ఆధ్యాత్మిక చింతనాసక్తి కలిగిన వాళ్ళను ఆనందపరుస్తుంది.........ఆ రోజుల్లోకి ఒక సారి తొంగి చూదాలనుకున్న వాళ్ళకూ తప్పక చదవవలసినదే.....ఇంక నమ్మిన వాళ్ళకు ఎంత తృప్తినిస్తుందో చెప్పనక్కర లేదు.........అమ్మ చెప్పినట్లు..............తృప్తే ముక్తి కదా?.....

Just now i am hearing President Bush on my telly,..,standing on a dais and saying that inflation has risen only because the middle classes in India and China are now eating more and better....:(

How uncaring of others and how unpardonable of both of "em...wretches...X-(

Healing And Faith

Stories abound over the efficacy of the benefic touch, word,look and the mere presence of a saintly person......That they could ward off our ailments,misfortunes,and sometimes even our negative tendencies....That even their most seemingly casual movements hide a deeper purpose....May be the topic is relevant in these days, when experiments are being conducted to study the effects of music, gentle touch and soothing ambience over even plants and animals...

See what Ramana Maharshi had to say on this....

"Just as an arrow, aimed at somebody"s head, loses it"s impact on hitting the headgear,so also does a devotee"s misfortunes,and dushtakarma gets eradicated by the mercy of a saint.....undoubtedly.......significantly a saint never has any intensions or inclinations to purposefully do anything.....Yet...His or her presence is so powerful that even as he or she not intending, it causes miracles to happen,exhausts prarabtham,grants wishes,saves devotees,brings peace of mind, and finally accords salvation....This power itself answers your prayers....and it all happens involuntarily and quite naturally....without even involving him.."

..
I too have heard a good deal of these stories.......One was about how Baba cured the asthma of Balaram Durandhar of Bombay by forcing him (that was curious)...to take a smoke from his hookah.....That just one smoke was said to have ended his longstanding asthma.....In this case, it is believed that Baba took Balaram"s suffering upon him self as the scourge returned to him four years later in Bombay,the moment Baba passed away in Shirdi... .

Another one was about how Baba once called for a ladder.....Some one brought it for him and Baba was stated to have gifted the man two rupees for the help he rendered...Baba reportedly used that ladder to climb and cross over the rooftop of a household...At that time most of the people thought he was allaying the high fever, one of his devotees was undergoing in that very house...While it might or not have been the case, it seems the man who brought the ladder and got two rupees from Baba and who had been childless till then, had two kids later on...

FAITH is a rummy thing....As i said before,i too have heard a good many anecdotes like this and passionately believed in the power of the benific aura of saints so much that it came as a kind of rude shock to me when Ruby caught fire and badly burned her self in a fight...

Now, ..Ruby was our pet .....(specially mine)...All of us in the house just loved her and when Mother graced our home at Bandar with her presence, we even presented Ruby to her as one of our family members....May be it would be better if i could reproduce the event as i have chronicled it somewhere in my previous blog posts...


.....................................................................................
"The second memorable incident happened in 73, when the holy mother of Jillellamudi chose to come to Bandar and graced our house to stay for two days.Babai was an ardent devotee of her.Since the upstairs were allocated exclusively for the use of mother and her party,....and the downstairs were full of us, and visitors ,who arrived for her darshan,,we shifted Ruby to a house behind our own...The street before our home used to be thronged by hundreds of people waiting for a glimpse of Mother.....On the second day .,a little girl of her party saw Ruby and suggested why we did not show her to mother."mother loves the poor animals' she said......so,..we took her in and tied her near the staircase, where mother could see her as she went up and down.

It was the morning of VUNDRALLA THADDI,..a festival day celebrated exclusively by women..just like KARVA CHAUTH.... swinging on OOYALA is mandatory that day. So our swing in the courtyard was decorated with marigold and kanakaambaram flowers, my cousin Hyma laboriously sat weaving through out the previous night... a pure white dhovathi of my grand pa that had red and gold borders, was spread on the plank..... At about eight thirty in the morning ,,mother came down stairs and sat on the swing for few minutes , looking resplendent in a violet and yellow silk sari.. she received her children sitting there as many of them came up to bow....She was going to leave Bandar that day.....As she got up to leave,...someone...my jellathai. i think...pointed Ruby to mother....Mother"s eyes softened as she saw the dog....Her love for the mute little lives was boundless...she spread her hands invitingly ,..murmured NEE KANTENA? in a low tone,....went and patted Ruby for few seconds....Terrified by the sight of so many people around her, Ruby drooped her ears and stooped low at her feet."

........................................................................................
That was how it happened and Mother patted her back for few seconds,...running her hand along lovingly...

Sometime after this incident,Ruby was taken to Chinthalapudi to deliver her litter and was caught up in a fierce fight with a gang of stray dogs....She was dragged around in the melee of fighting dogs and had been literally hauled over live coals over a burning oven....In the end, the marauders had been driven away, but Ruby herself was severely burnt....Her back was all terrible blisters...A big,deep, one foot wide wound formed along her spine and it had been a pitiable sight..to look at her suffer so much...It was a torture for her to nurse her puppies and she had been constantly plagued by flies and insects that swarmed over her wound....She would crawl under almirahs and tables whimpering, to escape from her tormentors...It took nearly three four months for her wound to heal and now an ugly scar remained on her poor back....All along just where Mother ran her hand over....

Ofcource you can"t say my faith wavered....for a very simple reason that the feelings i entertained for Mother could be hardly called Faith....I was just a mixed up chit of a girl..--willing to seek, yet not really equipped for the task and got dogged at every step with scepticism and what you call "logic"...So, not only was i so sorry for the plight of Ruby, but also was greatly puzzled over the so-called"failure ' of the efficacy of "divine touch".....Why did it happen like that?......Till i heard dad saying one day that the veterinarian ,who attended on Ruby congratulated him with....."It is lucky that the burns stopped just a scratch near the spinal column...Else she would have been paralyzed from her back downwards and might have to go about dragging her bottom as some of those unfortunate strays on road...May be she had to be put to sleep too...Who knows?"...

Ruby recovered from the wounds,lived actively for few more years and ofcource died later of a tumor.....I can"t exactly say the event made my faith too strong....May be a little bit...

In silence, they commune

once, Arthur Isenberg,an avid seeker, who researched extensively on philosophy and mystics, sat in the presence of H.H. Chandrasekharananda Saraswathi, the peethadhipathi of Kanchi Kamakoti Math, and wondered what question would a jnani put to another jnani when and if they met...The revered Pontiff stated to have smiled and replied that there would be none to put forth...

Yes....That would be very interesting....What would two enlightened souls, being one with the ultimate truth, have to say to each other?.....

Most of the times, however these meetings do not seem to occur too often....That was how it happened when the Mahaswami himself went twice on pilgrimage to Thiruvannamalai,at a time when the great sage Ramana Maharshi was alive and staying at his Ashram...There was a good deal of speculation by the followers of both of the saints on what was going to happen when they do meet....There were also few veerabhimanis of both of them who indulged in one-up-man ship games...But the foreseen meetings never took place....Neither of the saints evinced any interest in a get-together...

But there was a subtle expectation in the air as the Mahaswami arrived near the gates of Ramanasram,which lay in the path, as he went on his GIRIPRADAKSHINAM... " He turned his eyes towards the entrance of the Ashram, stopped for a few seconds looking round and continued to walk, a still picture in motion!".....In his turn, the maharshi suggested to his ashram inmates that they could go outside and have the darshan of Swami if they wanted to, though he, himself never came out ......In fact, a beautiful narration of the event had been chronicled and one could check it at this link...

http://www.kamakoti.org/souv/5-58.html

We, do not know why they never met....May be there was no need for it, as the maharshi,himself made clear later..Someone asked him exactly the same and he said...

"When were we separate that we should not meet? We are always together."....



Once, during Shirdi Sai Baba"s time,,BABA, who sat conversing with his devotees, suddenly said "'that naked fellow is coming"....Those that were present could not quite make out what Baba meant.....But, very soon, a great saint called GAJANAN MAHARAJ of SHEGAON, called on at the Masjid at which Baba stayed, with few of his followers and strangely, he did not enter the masjid, but sat in it"s precincts...It was stated that the Maharaj and Baba kept silently looking at each other in turns,when the other one was looking away, all the while taking care never to lock eyes.....After some time, the Maharaj got up,went out,took a stroll along the streets of Shirdi and later left for his place...

Again, another Saint called Chote Dada visited Shirdi and sat before Baba,looking at him in silent communion, as Baba, himself sat with his eyes closed...After few minutes of it, he too got up and went off...



On 13 th April, 1975, mother (jillellamudi), arrived at the little villege of Kalavai,(which in tamil means"converging") as a part of her Tamilnadu tour and entered the Sankara Math with a small party of her children, at about 11.30 on a peacefully silent night....The octogenarian mahaswami heard her coming, came out and stood at the Dwaram,with his arms folded above his head,...balancing on single leg....Fifteen minutes had passed in silence...Then, mother,who could not see him putting himself to trouble, moved away...and the swami returned to his quarters.....

Well....Why not?....That was how the Adi Sankara,conducted his penance....In Mudra and standing on a single leg, he acheived the darshan of his SOUNDARYA LAHARI... ....

Vizag Snippets 4

On the morning of Saturday, the 27 th, we ..(husband, Hyma and Bavagaru)....drove to Devipuram......Nearly 30 to 35 Km from Vizag, on the Anakapalli route....After going through some of the unending suburban localities, the road finally cut away from the main route and ofcource all along the country side was utterly delightful, ....Soon after 15 to 20 minutes of driving on a narrow, dusty, deserted road brought us to a sign- Board which announced DEVIPURAM.....You have to turn right and go through a very thick, silent cashew-nut grove before stopping at the temple..(ashram?) gates.....

A clearing has been made in the middle of a dense cashew-nut grove that was hemmed in by lush green hills, and a neat,lotus shaped, three storied temple stood there....The top most stairs houses the goddess SAHASRAKSHI,--the main deity---and was fashioned like a MERU .....To the onlookers from a distance, it would look like the crowned head of a DEVI....At the ground level, there is another sanctum and an image of the deity directly under the main sanctum upstairs and also receives poojas .... The temple is surrounded by three virtual circles, adorned at specific points by the images of !108 goddesses of the KHDGAMALA STHOTHRAM......Sadly i do not know much about the sthothram......I think the idea is that 108 goddesses surround and stand guard over the Ammavaru....or ...Sri chakram... or may be MANIDWEEPAM...the supposed abode of the DEVI......The names of all the goddesses are written on placards before every one of them, giving us an idea of who they are.....SMRITHYAKARSHINI,...SABDAAKARSHINI<... GANDHAKARSHINI...etc.....
As far as i know.....SRICHAKRAM is an euphemism for our body and the above goddesses are the powers,...or capabilities,...or ...the life forces it possesses....



As the names themselves suggest....Gandhakarshini------attractor of scents

sabdakarshini------attractor of sounds


There are many others and ofcource, as said before i was handicapped by my ignorance of the sthothram to sufficiently understand the intricacies of the temple science....I realized the fact there it self and rued the lack of time we had, even to make to an attempt at it...

The temple has been built by the efforts of one Sri.Dr. Nishtala Prahlada Sasthry garu,---previously a scientist with BA RC, it seems he took a voluntary retirement from it---, who kept having the visions of Devi.....It has been stated that she appeared before him, conversed, and ran after him like a young girl....calling him NANNAGARUUU...-dad-...All the 108 images of the goddesses were stated to have been sculpted just as he had seen them in his vision....



Interestingly, what makes this temple unique is the reported statement of Sasthry garu, that the place is a KAMAKHYA PEETHAM....He insists that the Devi her self informed him of the fact....That meant that,here at Devipuram, the goddess is not just a mother figure nor the queen of creation,but also is in her most feminine form of a fertile, young wife of the Eeswar....Nubile, erotic, and eager, here, she is determined to continue her infinite union with her lord and teaches us to notice and respect the fact....In fact all the images are that of a scantily clad young woman, ,....but notably with appropriate MUDRAS....And...the big board at the precincts of the temple advises the visitors to appreciate the fact that this universe has been created out of the grand union of Siva- Parvathi, and one should not be ashamed or feel prudish about it but must learn to view it as unenbarassedly as we worship a siva-lingam.....Sceptics might take this otherwise....Certainly it would be embarrassing for an Indian woman to watch the images in company of strange men....(On second thoughts...it might be quite easy if you can watch our movies).....Psychiatrists might have their own theories about it....Moralists might take their own line....Whatever might be, i guess there wont be a dispute on the basic principle of the theory....

Not many people know about Devipuram and it is getting into the news just lately.....That might have been one reason we found it almost devoid of visitors....Few resident young girls,a priest or two and a gentleman..(looked like a volunteer, and a bit too determined to collect some sort of donations from us )...)... were seen occupied with the routine temple management chores.....We took a tour of the whole place and later a priest conducted a small pooja for us....

It may sound flippant but i seriously think that faith ...like love ...can take you at once and unawares....May be it is all in the mind.....I don't know....You are there, beating around, and something, somewhere, attracts you and you are convinced that it is It...The Truth....Might not be very reasonable to others but makes perfect sense to you....May be that is why it is called FAITH....To Hyma it happened as she stood looking at the image of one of the Khadgamala deities....It was of a young mother nursing her baby....Hyma says she inexplicably smelt a sudden pervading scents of milk wafting around....That, and few more experiences convinced her of the presence of Devi to her........I myself had a pleasant experience of offering 108 kaluvapoolu to the deity, which had been a long cherished dream of mine, which never seemed to materialize before ...........

GOD is omni-present....ofcource....Only you tend to get reminded of it at very few places....Devipuram did that to us, though before going there i Was rather sceptical...Frankly i was not too enthusiastic about the Kamakhya concept...Even now i can not say i understand it....For, however liberal and educative it may sound, it Is a double-edged sword and in the hands of unscrupulous could degenerate into some thing sickening, as we all know too well what happened with the tantrik practices of yore....But i could feel a certain TRUTH there that convinced me.....Do not know if others could feel the same too....An instance of this......When i presented the kaluvapoolu, the priest , who was in a hurry said that he would offer them to the deity upstairs as he was going there anyway...I agreed and we returned to Vizag and from there to Hyderabad itself....but all along there was lingering doubt in my mind on whether they reached the Mother.....Just as i entered our gates at Hyderabad and going in, a magazine from Jillellamudi welcomed us from the letter-box and it was like this......



..........................................................................................
On the evening of the same day we boarded our bus to Hyderabad.....Yes...I know we have sinned....Sinned abominably by not visiting Araku and Ananthagiri...But sadly we had no time for it, and before that Bavagaru drove us around Vizag....Just like that....to get the feel of the city, i suppose....And it was delightful....

One surprising thing about the city was the great influx of visitors from Orissa and Bengal....This is quite common, Hyma told me....Every year, in October and December, Bengalees and Oriyans visit here in large numbers....Seems they have durga pooja holidays during this time and Vizag is teeming with them in all places.....Kailasagiri , beaches, the C.M.R halls.....Specially the C.M.R halls...as Bengal is a communist state and mall culture still has not stepped in,it seems , they go bonkers over the Chandana and Bommana complexes....The hotels are full, the cabs are full, the shops are full...The funniest point was when a coconut vendor at rushikonda beach welcomed us in Bengali to buy his wares....

..........................................................................................
Rushikonda beach was a delight.....Lying on the Bheemlee road,far from the madding crowds,it is shallower and therefore safer than others and waters are purer...Beautiful cottages have been built on the hill slopes and i daresay the view from them would be enchanting....A slow drive along the road ,flanked on one side by the sea and belts of casuarina would be just lovely....

.....................................................................................

This is a slightly different coastal city as i have observed.....The weather is drier, less humid than others, though that would be a hasty judgement to make after a visit in winter ...Again there is"'nt too much sand sticking to your feet....perhaps that was because of it being a rocky terrain...almost in the valley of eastern ghats, so to speak....

.....................................................................................