My Safari Drive

MY SAFARI DRIVE

I never contemplated on having a safari drive when I landed in New Castle! But my grand daughter had already planned the trip and made all arrangements for the momentous journey. The safari park is near Birmingham, a four hour drive from Newcastle and we left on 31st May at 9.30 am by a very comfortable seven seater car. My grand daughter took charge of steering. All along it was beautiful greenery and all roads fenced with tall green trees offering a feast for the eyes in contrast to what we see in the concrete jungles of cities! On either side were woodlands carpeted with green rapeseed crop. As Indian food is scarce here, we took lunch prepared at home--rava idli, bisibalebath, curd rice, and a variety of snacks. The journey was as comfortable as it was memorable with the expert driving of my grand daughter and the assistance of her husband.

We reached Bewdley, a picturesque town on river Severn and Kidderminster, home to museum of carpets! There is another riverside town, Stourport nearby, with historic canal basins. West Midland Safari Park is situated near Kidderminster in Bewdley, Worcestershire. Opened in 1973, it has 165 species of exoticanimals. The drive through 4 miles (6.4 km)has 600 animals from 40 different species from Europe, Africa, North America, and Asia. It has a large adventure theme park, enclave for reptiles,fish, bats, penguins and sea lions. The greatest attraction at the Safari Park is the Dinosaurs park where models of their different varieties are exhibited with sound and light arrangements. The animals produce terrible cries  reminiscent of the real Dinosaurs! Small kids may be frightened at these sounds!

By the time we finished our lunch in the car and reached the Safari Park it was 2 pm. We had only three hours at our disposal as the park would close by 5 pm. We hurried and started our safari from inside the car! The gorgeous baby white rhino caught our attention first. Safari drive through the park brings to our presence the fastest, tallest, and cutest animals around. As we motored through the park we saw the elegant giraffe the zebra with its well known stripes, Ankle cattle, water buck, the Congo Buffalo, the ostrich with its long curved neck and Eland, the largest of all antelope species. We proceeded on and accosted the sambar deer and the Philippine spotted deer.They were fleet footed and running here and there.Then we entered the wild life area in the drive, to see the magnificent powerful tigers, a couple of them feeling shy of posing for a photograph!  A few more were huddling themselves to sleep! Then we came to the fastest land mammal, the cheetah and the  African Lion. Looking at the lions from close quarters we were struck at their majesty and dignified walk. A white lion which suddenly crossed the others in the enclosure startled all of us!

The tall camels came running round the car thrusting their noses into the front and back door windows of cars for food! One camel came to our car window and we were taken aback a little. But we had a packet of animal feed ready and gave the camel it's share! The reindeer too came to us for its share of feed! A long necked giraffe was the next to seek some feed. it was a sight to see it bend it's neck and eat the animal feed from our palm! From there we had to return as it was closing time and we retired to our farm house far away from the madding crowd in an entirely secluded forest area centered in the dense Wyre forest. It's gentle rolling mills, meandering rivers, steep wooded vallie's, orchards, including the market towns of Bewdley, Kidderminster, Stourport on Severn and the surrounding woodlands are fantastic places to enjoy the fresh air and have fun out doors! This rented farmhouse gave us the badly needed warmth and rest. We had dinner with the food we brought and slept well. Getting up early the next morning we prepared the food - pulihora and curd rice and left for safari drive for the second time!  The tickets booked allowed for a second visit.  We walked up to the enclosure ot the Dinosaurs and were amazed at the sight of so many animals in their terrible form giving out frightening sounds!

Then we walked to the enclosures where reptiles were housed and saw the Python and the crocodile.we saw the bats hurtling in the darkness of their enclosure! The most interesting experience was in a section where small parrot like birds crowded on every part of our bodies to drink from a cup of sweet juice in our hand! They are totally fearless and quite competitive in driving out the other weak birds! We had these birds on our heads, shoulders and hands and even on our noses! It was scaring but yet an interesting and funny experience! We saw the aquarium  and the theme park and finally  came out of the Safari Park. There was some more time at our disposal and we made our way to the famous Balaji Temple  in Dudley town near Birmingham and had a great darshan! We worshipped the Lord and other deities Shiva, Subramanya and Shiridi Sai before we returned to our farm house for the second night for the well deserved rest.! The Safari drive was a thrilling, indescribable and an unforgettable experience!

GOD AND HIS DEVOTEE

GOD AND HIS DEVOTEE

“ The relationship between a devotee and God is only Heart to Heart and Love to Love. True devotion lies in obeying  the Lord and spreading His message. There is none greater than a true devotee in this world.”  declares Bhagawan SrI Satya Sai Baba. It is total dedication and surrender to the Lord that impels God to be with the devotee.  A true devotee does everything as a service to God. He sees God in everything, in human beings, animals, nature and even inanimate objects! He recognizes the manifestation of the Divine in all creation. “ atmavat sarva bhutani.”He lives in God, eats with God and sleeps with God! There is nothing in this universe that is not suffused with the spirit of God for a true devotee. He sings the glory of Him always and quenches his thirst for God. The mystic that he is, the devotee sees God in the colour of the cloud, bird, flowing water, the grand and majestic mountain and various other things. The devotion of true devotee is such that  Lord Vishnu tells sage Narada that he does not reside in his abode Vakunta nor in the hearts of yogis but is firmly established in places where his true devotees sing his glory! Lord Krishna tells Arjuna that a true devotee is dearer to Him than anyone else! This is because of his detachment from all mundane things and attachment to the lotus feet of the Lord!  SrI Ramakrishna beautifully explains the difference between the Bhaktha and the jnanni  In the Muslim janana none is allowed without permission including the husband of the lady. But the child has access freely at any time. He can play according to his will without any inhibition. The bhaktha is like the child whereas the jnani is similar to the husband! There Is a taint of selfishness in the yogi while it is totally absent in the bhaktha.

It is because of these traits that the bhaktha is dearer to God. He cannot tolerate any harm or injustice to His devotee. He may even subject himself to any abuse or ill-treatment by the ignorant and atheists but under no circumstances will He allow his bhaktha to be troubled! Instances galore are present in our Puranas where Divine intervention has saved the devotee from the persecution and harassment of the ignorant! After a series of persecutions to his son Prahlada, Hiranyakasipu demanded him to show Vishnu, his inveterate enemy. Prahlada said that Lord Vishnu is omnipresent and is present even in the pillar in front of him.Honoring the the words of His true devotee, Vishnu was ready to manifest in every object to come out and kill the demon. When Hiranyakasipu smashed the pillar  the Lord emerged as Narasimha -- man-lion and tore him to pieces!The word of His true devotee is a law for the Lord! When the god of death Yama came to take the life of Markandeya, the staunch devotee of Lord Siva, he was severely punished and warned not to approach His devotees!

God obeys the orders of His true bhakthas who are his dearest possessions! Tirumazisai Azwar, one among the great Azwars, incurred the displeasure of the palaval king of Kanchipuram. He had refused to grant youthfulness to the king for which he was banished  from the region. The Azwar, in his true devotion, commanded the Lord, Yathotkari of the temple to leave the place and come with him! “kanikannan is going out of Kanchipuram. Oh! Manivanna! You don’t have to lie here any more since, as the fluent poet that I am also leaving with him, you also roll your serpent bed and follow me!” commanded the Azwars! Lord Vishnu is said to have rolled up his snake mattress and left with His true devotee!

God will never tolerate those who try to destroy or belittle his true bhaktha. He will compel them to beg pardon from the very  same devotee whom they want to trouble and disrespect! The story of king Ambarisha is an illustrious example. He belonged to the famous Ikshvaku clan and was the son of Nabhaga. He was righteous and ruled  the country wisely looking after the subjects as his own children. He performed a great yaga for the well being of people with great devotion and faith. Pleased with his bhakthi, Lord Vishnu  presented His  Sudersana Chakra and said that it would protect him always. Ambarisha was overjoyed at the benign grace of the Lord. He had started the ‘ dwadasi vrata’ according to which he had to fast on the ekadasi day and break the fast the following morning on the dwadasi. On that day,when the king had to break his fast, the renowned sage Durvasa came to visit Ambarisha.

The king received the sage with respect and thought that it was his fortune to get an atithi- unexpected guest like the sage.  Sage Durvasa wanted to refresh himself and went to the river near by. Meanwhile the time to break the fast arrived and the sage did not return. Ambarisha waited for long but in vain.He was In a dilemma whether to break the fast or not. On the advice of sage Vasishta, he drank water with Thulasi leaves and waited for sage Durvasa. Soon the sage came and knowing what had happened, became furious. He felt that he was humiliated and in his anger created a demon from his matted hair and sent it to destroy the king for his misdeed! The demon advanced forward menacingly towards King Ambarisha.

Meanwhile the Sudersana Chakra installed for the protection of the king plunged into action and In a moment killed the demon that was nearing the king. Not stopping at that, it went after sage Durvasa, who in utter horror started running! The Chakra chased him across the forests and mountains and in desperation he went to Satya Loka and requested Brahma to save him from the Chakra. But he threw up his hands and expressed his inability. Sage Durvasa reached Lord Shiva in Kailash and He too could not stop the Chakra! The Sage,now,approached Lord Vishnu,the owner of the Chakra to save him. but the Lord said it is Ambarisha alone who could control the Chakra and save the sage! Sage Durvasa ran to Ambarisha, begged pardon for his arrogance and requested him to withdraw the Chakra. Ambarisha prayed to the Lord and soon the Sudersana Chakra settled calmly in it place. Sage Durvasa was happy and felt sorry for his  illconceived action. He praised the king for his  extraordinary devotion to Lord Vishnu and blessed the king.This is how God teaches lesson to the haughty and proves that His devotees are greater than Him.This is one among the numberless incidents when God glorified His own true devotees!!

Satya Sai Bhujanga Sthothram

Sri Satya Sai Bhujanga Sthothram

This is a composition by Krishnamurthy Yayavaram on Bhagawan Sri Satya Sai Baba set to the chandas ‘Bhujangaprayata’. It describes the glory of the Sai avatar! Viewers may use the sthothra for regular chanting! Meaning of every stanza is given for the benefit of the readers.

Maha Satya rupam maha dharma murthim  maha santha silam maha prema Punjam

Suhasam manognam subham yogi vandyam bhaje Sai Natham ajasram anantam.

My salutations to Sri Sainath, the embodiment of Truth, righteousness peace and Love.His smile is captivating and satisfies all hearts! He is worshipped by all yogis and saints!.

Sadananda bhasam Sada chidvilasam padambhoja Kanthi prabha putha bhaktham

Sudhasara varsham susaulabhya devam bhaje Sai Natham ajasram anantam.

Always blissful, exhibiting his Divine sports, He purifies devotees by his lotus feet. He rains discourses and is accessible to all.I offer my Prayer always to the infinite  Lord Sai!

Sivam Vishnu rupam bhavambodhi potam bhavam nirvikalpam parabramha tatwam

Navam niradabham Nathaneka lokam Bhaje Sai Natham ajasram anantam.

He is the form of Brahma, Siva and Vishnu and the boat to cross the sea of samsara! Verily He is the Absolute Brahman! He is of the shade of the newly formed cloud and revered by all. My salutations to be the Infinite Lord Sai!

Pramodantarangam prabodhavataram amanushya silam tamonasa hetum

Ramesam girisam ajeyam Virinchim Bhaje Sai Natham ajasram anantam.

Inwardly blissful, He inspires us all.   Celestial in character He destroys the ajnana or the ignorance of devotees. He is the form of the Trinity Brahma, Vishnu and Siva. My salutations always to the infinite Lord Sai!

Prashanthi prakasam prabhum dinanatham 'asanthi' prabhedam amogha prakeerthim

Sisum satyanamam visuddham ajeyam Bhaje Sai Nathan ajasram anantam

He is the effulgence of peace and the saviour of the downtrodden.  He destroys peacelessness. He is the child Satya pure and invincible. My salutations always to the infinite Lord Sai!

Vibhuti pradam sarva kartara misam varam divya Brindava nantar viharam

Abhedam aklesam arupam anakhyam Bhaje Sai Natham ajasram anantam

He is the real doer and brings prosperity to all. He resides with pleasure in Brindavan. He is bereft of all sorrow, name and form. My salutations always to the infinite Lord Sai!

Suparthi Viharam Sushirdi viharam viparyasa duram swa bhaktharti nasam

Saparya pracharam japa dhyana lolam Bhaje Sai Natham ajasram anantam

Residing at both Parthi and Shirdi, He is blameless and wards off the difficulties of his devotees. He spreads the message of service to mankind and is always immersed in chanting and meditation. My salutations always to the infinite Lord Sai!

Yatim pita chelam gatim gamya sthanam patim punya rupam matim mantra murthim

Rutam Satya dharmam vibhum moksha hetum Bhaje Sai Natham ajasram anantam!

He is an ascetic and the destiny and destination of all. He is holiness personified. He is the mind and the embodiment of all mantras. He is Dharma and Truth himself as well as the cause for emancipation. My salutations always to the infinite Lord Sai!

Gurum prana natham gunatitha murthim suraradhya padam subimbadha roshtam

Su thambula vakthram sudha mandahasam Bhaje Sai Natham ajasram anantam

He is my preceptor and life transcending all times or qualities. Devas worship His lotus feet. His lips are red with tambula-chewing of betel leaves. His smile is nectarine to all his devotees! My salutations  to the infinite Lord Sai!

Sugita prabodham sugamyam sulakshyam yugadhara vasthum Umasakthi rupam

Khagadhisa Vanim ghanollasa Lakshmim Bhaje Sai Natham ajasram anantam!

He inspires all with His Gita discourses and is easily accessible to all. He is the goal or destination for all and the very foundation of ages! He is Saktiswarupa- of Uma and a divine combination of Lakshmi, Saraswathi and Parvati!

!

SIGNIFICANCE OF SENSES

SIgnificance of the Senses

Of all the creations of God, Man is the most complex creature! The soul is encased in a body with a number of organs, muscles,  bones,marrow, blood and a maze of nerves which cannot be imagined! These organs form the basis for the Senses that lead man to greater heights of jnana or knowledge or to material pleasures and downfall. Man is endowed with what we call “ jnanendriyas“ and “karmendriyas” which carry out the dictates of the mind.The function of the former is to identify  ‘sabda or sound, sparsa or touch, rupa or form, rasa, or taste and gandha or smell. “ Taste, touch and smell,hearing and seeing are not merely a means to sensation, enjoyable or otherwise but they are also a means to knowledge -- and are, indeed, your only actual means to knowledge” remarks St.,Thomas Aquinas.The positive and negative aspects of these Senses have to be considered very cautiously and utilized .

The Vedas and the Upanishads proclaim that one has to control his senses in order to realize his self and attain salvation. Atma' or soul is described as the charioteer and the body the chariot.Buddhi or intellect is the the sarathi or the driver of the chariot and manas or mind is the bridle to control the dragging senses! “ atmanam rathinam viddhi sareeram rathamevathu  Buddhim thu sarathim viddhi manah pragrahamevacha” Man has to drive through his life driven by his intellect and by controlling the Senses by his mind. The Senses are the horses that drag the chariot. If the horses are allowed a free run and not controlled they tend to go astray and lead the person to destruction. They should never be allowed to gallop lest they throw the rider down and cause irreparable damage. Eyes see good and bad things; ears hear good and bad sounds; skin can touch good and bad things; nose can smell fragrance as well as bad odour and the tongue can taste good food and bad food! God has left the choice to us, human beings. Enveloped by Maya or illusion, we are uncertain of our choice and invariably choose the wrong choice. We fail to exercise our intellect and see what is good and bad. It is Maya that deceives us and represents good as bad and bad as good.Is it possible for us to gain control over our senses? It is easier said than done. The Senses are very powerful horses that drag you away from the right path. They are attracted to every good and bad thing on the road and tempt man irresistibly.

Controlling our senses is a herculean task! But nothing is impossible to man. Association with devotees, sages,and saints and thoughts on God shall help in controlling one’s senses. Prayer is another way of mitigating the effect of senses. The mantra for suppressing the Senses is to see good, think good, say good and do good! Every organ of our Body  has to be dedicated to the service of God!  It is divine grace that enables us to keep the onslaught of the Senses under control. Kulasekhara Azwar, one of the greatest Azwars, says that the tongue should sing the glory of God; manas should worship Him; feet should Visit His temples; hands should perform puja; ears should listen to His divine sports or Leelas; nose should smell the fragrance of holy thulasi water or thirtha and finally head should bow down to his lotus feet! The inner enemies embedded in our nature, the  ‘arishadvargas' namely kama, krodha, lobha, moha, mada, matsarya-- instigate the Senses to  go astray.unfulfillment of desire or kama leads to disappointment and anger.  This leads to senseless acts and serious consequences. As Adi Sankara points out, satsang leads to non attachment and fixing the mind on God which in turn to highest goal of emancipation or mukti.

Stories galore are in our Purana's  and epics, of sages and saints and illustrious persons who have fallen victims to wiles and charms of the Senses! When sage Viswamitra performed severe penance, Indra, king of God's sent the heavenly damsel, Manama to disturb his concentration. The bewitching beauty of Manama was enough to lead the sage astray! “ Beauty provoketh thieves more than gold” says Shakespeare! Here it is the passion for ‘rupa’ form or personality that has led to  the fall of the sage! Ravana,king of Lanka is another illustration of a very great celebrity, who despite his famie and scholarship was undone by his passion and lust for Sita, wife of Rama! Motivated by the words of his sister, Surpanaka, he decided to abduct and have Sita as his spouse. He was the embodiment of arrogance and thoughts was invincible because of his valour and the boons granted by the creator Brahma! This pride, arrogance and lust brought about his downfall. Renowned sage Durvasa had to eat his humble pie and meet his humiliation! When Ambarisha, the true devotee of Lord Vishnu, waited for the sage and his disciples for long and took some water, Durvasa was infuriated! He felt Ambarisha was disrespectful. The sage created a spirit to destroy king Ambarisha and sent it after the king. But the Sudersana Chakra,given by the Lord for protection of the king, chased the sage! not even the Trinity, Brahma, Vishnu, or Siva could save him from the Chakra!! Finally the sage had to fall at the feet of Ambarisha and beg his pardon! king Dasaratha was mislead by the sound of water that was filled by Sravana. He was taking it for his parents. Dasaratha shows mad after hunting, aimed at the sound and shot a narrow that killed Sravana. his parents,knowing this, cursed that Dasaratha should die of separation fromm his son!

Thus we see the Senses playing havoc in the lives of  even the great sages and saints and celebrities! It is not too much to say that they have tremendous  effect on the ordinary man. Arrogance has been the downfall of Hitler and any a dictator.M any civilizations have vanished because of the pride and arrogance of their kings and emperors! Man should see that these dangerous senses do not gain the upper hand in their lives. A ceiling on desires is absolutely essential for man in society. He should not aspire for every mundane pleasures. Rather he should desire for good company, meditation and think of God for peace of mind and salvation!

MYJOURNEY TO NEW CASTLE

MY JOURNEY TO NEW CASTLE, UK.

It was a red letter day in my life on May 10, 2016 as on that day my wife and myself embarked on a visit to New Castle,UK where our grand daughter had settled a few years back.We had not visited them these ten years.There was a sense of trepidation as we are both senior citizens having crossed seventy five years! Though we have crossed the seas twice to US, to visit  our son and his family, there was a lurking fear as it is our first visit to UK.Getting the British visa went off without hassels and we prepared ourselves with four big suit cases and the usual hand luggage! The difficulty arose because every time we weighed the suit cases it showed different weights! It was the same when other members of the family tried to fix the weights properly! In effect, we carried a large bag to send back items, if the weight was to be reduced for checking in. Promptly a Tavara was booked to pick us up by 2.30 am the previous night and the baggages were brought down with some difficulty downstairs. Our daughter and son in law and grandson came to the airport to see us off.  But the fear of a trouble free check in worried us a lot.

We went in on wheel chairs and presented ourselves before the counter for check in. My heart had already increased its rate of beating and I waited with bated breath to see the result as every suitcase was being weighed. Probably, the man at the counter was one with the milk of human kindness or he took kindly to our senior citezenship. He cleared all the suit cases and it was only then that we were greatly relieved! My daughter and others too were very happy that they didn't need to carry back the rejected articles! Photos were clicked and the immigration form was filled to be handed over to the person concerned. My daughter and others left us reluctantly directing us to be careful during travel and guard our health in UK which is notorious for its ever changing weather! The scenes at the airport were quite interesting and funny! A few were found hugging each other. Some parents were shedding tears at the departure of their beloved children to pastures new!  A few more romantic pairs were seen kissing and bidding farewell.  The airport personal were seen very busy and alert!

The persons in charge of wheel chairs are very smart and want to earn as much as possible from the travelers! Our baggage was put on two wheel chairs and he managed to draw them single handedl He took us through the labyrinthine corridors of the airport till we came to the gate from where we have to board the flight. We had to wait for an hour before we could board the flight.It was a British Airways ‘World Traveler' air craft and a huge one! It was heavy breakfast for us in the flight--idly, up ma,sambar, cake, bun and coffee! The flight personnel were gentle and courteous. A large number of Indians were on board.As lunch time approached a good fare was served with-- vegetable Biriani, brinjal curry, payasam, fruit chips and yoghurt! The flight zoomed through the clouds and touched more than 30000 feet! It was an exciting experience to see everything totally dwarfed and reduced to lilliputian stature! The air craft delightfully hovered over the gulf countries, Iran, the Black Sea, Poland and other European countries and touched the Heathrow airport at 11.45 am local time.

The flight was delayed for about half an hour and we had to take the domestic flight to New Castle. There was total confusion soon after we disembarked as there were a number of wheel chair passengers. It became difficult for us to secure wheel chairs and we were finally taken by a car through circuitous criscross routes to the gate to board the plane that was ready to start. We heaved a sigh of relief for arriving in time and settled ourselves comfortably. The airport's in America and the UK are very large. it is practically lmpossible for fist time visitors to go through the maze and come out successfully. That is one reason why most of the senior citizens prefer wheel chairs as that is the safest way to board and exit the airport easily! With in an hour the flight landed at New Castle airport to our relief and delight and expectations!  Our grand daughter’s husband was ready to receive us at the airport and we came out after collecting our baggage. We arrived at home to a very warm welcome by our grand daughter and great grand children! What a great pleasure it is to meet children and grandchildren  settled in foreign countries!