Alpa Jignyaasi

Alpa Jignyaasi

By

Murali Murthy

Little did I know what I was being fed in my growing years.

Raised among ardent students of Vedanta and philosophy - my grandfather and uncles, the quest for truth, the reflective temperament, and the courage to question feel woven into my very being.

With my increasingly no.of writings asking questions, many learned Good Friends, philosophers suggested me to stop asking questions which will only lead to more questions. Instead, I was advised to look for answers, and here is my sincere efforts with incomplete knowledge, to seek answers.

Not sure if it's ageing or the lethargic awakening, but this urge to know, longing to find answers, to ask deeper philosophical questions, has actually helped me think and express better.

I also realized I wasn't sincere enough, thirsty enough, the desire wasn't intense enough for deeper knowledge, hence I couldn't name these thoughts Jignyaasa, so Alpa Jignyaasi was more apt. The lazy seeker in me, wants answers but do not have the discipline to study, learn and research.

But what do I learn and research? Religious texts? Vedas?

That itself was the conflicting point - why should all the philosophical questions be linked to religion and religious texts?

There is an evident link between religion and philosophy. If you look at the core objective of all the religions, belief systems being practiced, the founders were behind solving the same basic philosophical queries - quest to find deeper meaning of life, truth, life, existence.

I had no idea what it meant when I was taught this shloka when I was probably 10 years old, made to recite so many times that it's well registered - "janmādyasya yatonvayādi tarata schartheshu abhijñaḥ svarāṭ".

The verse is a commentary on the first two verses of Brahma Sutras, simply put describes God.

Each philosopher who found answers, documented their realisations and founded their school of thought.

Every philosopher had a basis, had an anchor to hold on to - be it Vedas, Quran or Bible, are all "believed" to be words of God heard by humans/super humans and documented.

This irks me - to believe what those texts preach, I must first digest the possibility of God himself reciting to saints/sages!

If that basic trust is put on Vedas, only then can I try to understand and learn them to find answers to my questions in those texts.

Every tradition, school of thought, philosophies are only a subset of Vedas, the interpretations, experiences of some great philosophers.

Being born as a Hindu and in a Madhwa school of thought, I naturally am inclined towards Dvaitha Siddhanta.

Even logically, Hinduism sounds better as it gives scope for enquiry, room for debate and even opposition. Unlike some of the other rigid religions, where questioning the school of thought, questioning God is a sin. For ex: Quran says those who try to give shape and form to God will go to hell. Allah is the only God and those who don't believe in this, are Kafirs.

Irrespective of the religion, every belief system unanimously agreed that there is one omnipresent, all knowing, all powerful, independent supreme power - God. Which I surely agree that much, there must be someone who created this universe, there must be some super natural force that has designed humans, animals, trees, rains, rivers, Sun, Moon and everything we see and feel.

Look at Human Anatomy, every single part, organ, cell, system are so meticulously designed and functions in perfect process. Look at women, their love, their compassion, their beauty, their feminineness, someone must have designed with precision and lot of thought.

Then Humans took over, we created Gods, we named them, we gave them shape, colour, form.

One aspect of Hinduism, especially Madhva Philosophy that is impressive is the freedom it gives to independently experience God and his attributes.

Probably the only Philosophy that says the life around is as real, as true as the God himself.

This also makes a lot of sense to me, as my body, this life around are all real to me. My experience of life is my truth, this experience of life cannot be a lie.

The philosophy is also relevant in this present day world, where we ask for proof of reality, the Madhva Siddhanta understands the power of human experience (anubhava) as a valid form of proof (pramana).

With all sincerity, I believe in Krishna, Narasimha, Srinivasa, Durga, Rayaru.

Because I experience the energy, I experience their presence, I experience them.

If Shrutis (as heard) are to be believed to be real, because it was many Rishi's Shabda anubhava, then each of our experiences are also our reality.

Harihi paratharaha

satyam jagath 

Tattvato bedo

Jivaganaha harehe anucharaha

Hari is supreme

The world is real

Humans are real and each are different from the other

We are dependent on Hari

My concurrence to Madhva Philosophy ends here.

I can't process the concept of soul. I can't imagine the concept of Swarga, Naraka, Moksha, rebirth.

I feel it's all imaginary, unreal and a sci-fi level conceptualization.

The concept of "experience" doesn't fit here, as no one can claim they have seen life before, life after, they are just dead! A perfect word in English - Dead, period.

I also cannot differentiate soul and body.

"I" am identified by my name, by my birth, my existence in this body, with this face. "I" cannot be me even if the rebirth concept is true. If I am born as say Preeti in next life, I will be Preeti, I cannot and will not be Murali. So, the Soul lives on, is unverifiable and too much left for imagination.

Another disagreement with the philosophical approach to disown/detach from wordly pleasures, with a justification that we arrived with nothing and depart with nothing, hence we have to stay disconnected.

This is disrespecting what God has created for us. It's rejecting this beautiful life gifted to us. The beauty is living from birth till death, because that's the only reality that we can experience.

Everything about us including desire (Kaama), love, lust are part of us. They must be experienced and savoured as long as it brings peace and harmony to us and people around us.

My experience of this life, my reality, my life experiences makes me feel God's presence. As much as I have experienced him, he is not the one to say "You have to do things this way, else I will punish you".

He is extremely logical and pragmatic, and he is not the one to say, "Your life's objective, your life goal should be to only praise me, bow to me, submit to me, constantly chant my name".

He is ofcourse there to help, to guide, to show the right direction whenever you are lost and need hand holding.

Atleast to me, he has been very shrewd and gives back, punishes back almost instantly everytime I have wronged.

He is so dramatic and sincere in giving it back to me, even for simplest mistakes. If I even brush slightly against another car while driving and cause even a scratch, within few days I can be assured of some other incident causing more than a small scratch on my car.

So much so that if something wrong is happening with me, my immediate reaction is "Oh shit, what wrong did I do now?"

One more of many such incidents when I visited Udupi recently, and my just 1 year old Car wouldn't just Start. I frantically called everyone, tried everything and it wouldn't budge for 1 full day. I realized the mistake I did, I compensated for it and it magically started revving.

ನಾ ಕಂಡಂತೆ ಭಗವಂತ,

ನನಗೆ ಕಂಡಂತೆ ಭಗವಂತ,

ನನಗೆ ಕಾಣಿಸಿಕೊಂಡಂತೆ ಭಗವಂತ,

ನಾನು ಅರ್ಥೈಸಿ ಕೊಂಡಂತೆ ಭಗವಂತ,

ನನ್ನ ಭಗವಂತ ನನ್ನ ಸತ್ಯ,

ನನ್ನ ಅನುಭವ ನನ್ನ ಸತ್ಯ.

It is sometimes scary to talk philosophy, question Siddhantas, Vedas, when I haven't read a Page of Vedas, have Zero knowledge and understanding of even my own School of thought I am born into.

I sign off sharing my own half-baked Philosophy, expressing my understanding of answers I have given myself.

I ask for forgiveness with the learned, philosophers & God if I have overstepped, expressed ignorance and written nonsense.

It's an ocean if we dive into the Philosophical depths.

The question is - Am I a qualified diver? Do I need to learn swimming before I dive? Do I need a coach to learn swimming?

The answers would be - Who taught a fish how to swim? Who taught the fishes to procreate?

Parashurama Kshetra

 Parashurama Kshetra

By

Murali Murthy

His pattern has been consistent. It repeats until I learn the lesson. Being the regular, ignorant human, I repeat the same mistakes. The loop ends the moment I realize and make corrections.

The realisations, learnings, enlightenment, peace, tranquility, divinity, feeling God and Goodness around can be experienced by me only at Parashurama Kshetra.

It is not a coincidence that the land reclaimed by Parashurama, from the Sea, is rich in culture and strong spiritual traditions.

For Preeti, Udupi is her pride and her roots, for me it's a deeper connect - it's a sense of belonging, it's a calling from a powerful land and divine.

It's almost like a checklist that we tick during every visit, and missing even one temple or one activity feels like the visit is incomplete.

Every day begins by having an early morning Darshan of Krishna.

Live the true Udupi life and feel the life of a localite, at the Maiya's ancestral home.

A day well spent at Madhva's home.

Offering Banana at Sri Ananthapadmanabha Temple, Perdur.

A beautiful evening at Sri Durgaparameshwari Temple, Kateelu.

A gratifying experience at Sri Rajarajeshwari temple, Polali.

The vibrations, the energy felt cannot be described. The 10' tall idol of the Goddess is imposing with powerful eyes which you cannot look at for too long, yet her aura is pleasing like a mother.

Darshan of Lord Srinivasa on the occasion of Vaikunta Ekadashi.

Unlike Bangalore, No pomp and show, no exaggeration, no over the top festivity. It's all about Simplicity and Devotion.

A visit to Guru Narasimha Temple and the sumptuous lunch is mandatory, to experience the vibrations, divinity.

Preeti's favourite Anegudde Ganapati temple.

Lastly a visit to Preeti's home deity Brahma Lingeshwara, never fails to give us the calmness, peace of mind and sense of clarity, amidst serene, silent paddy fields.

The customary Mandakki Upkari, Goli Baji hogging and lazing around Ratha Beedhi.

Even the locals shared that they have never seen such a crowd at Udupi.

For so many decades that I have been visiting Udupi, even I hadn't seen so many from other parts of India, especially from Northern states of India.

While Udupi is our identity, core of our cultural and spiritual power center, for them it was a holiday. It was sad to see them dressed up inappropriately, being loud, being fussy about food as usual. One old man even asked at one of the Hotels in Ratha Beedi "Chicken Soup milega"!

Many tourists were even like "yeh kounsa Bhagvan hein?"

I guess it's time they put up these boards in all the Temples!

All the rituals, rules, exclusions are in a way needed to maintain culture, dignity, sanctity and vibrations of Udupi Krishna and all other temples/Mutts in Parashurama Kshetra.

One strange experience was when I was standing in front of Udupi Krishna, folding my hands and having an amazing Darshan, I thought someone stamped on my foot in the crowd, but the next second I felt excruciating pain. When I looked down, I saw a huge Rat munching on my Toe.

Maybe Jerry thought my toe was a huge piece of cheese!

Blood gushed out of my Toe end. I washed the wound once I reached back Hotel room. Since the bleeding and the pain subsided, I ignored and moved on. But Preeti and other relatives insisted on seeing a Doctor. The first reaction of the doctor at the Hospital was a funny laugh, she then treated me with Tetanus injection and Rabies Vaccine.

Was the Rat Bite a Divine Intervention?

Was it a punishment?

Or was it just a hungry Rat biting on something it thought Food??

17th Anniversary

17th Anniversary

By

Murali Murthy

It was time to create memories of our 17th Anniversary. We chose to celebrate along with Sameera and Chandrika, who also celebrate their anniversary just the next day!

Continuing our trend of creating new travel experiences for every anniversary, we first chose to cover Ajanta & Ellora caves. We booked our flight to Nanded, which is Preeti's hometown. As we always wanted to take Sameera & Chandrika to Nanded's Gurudwara, we chose to make Nanded as our hub, and cover other places by Road from Nanded.

We booked our flights to Nanded, but eventually decided to cover Pandarpur and Tuljapur instead. Though it sounded more of a spiritual trip, all were fine with it.

With Sameera and Chandrika's first visit to core Maharashtra, they were eager for this experience.

Excited for this new experience, we boarded the early morning flight to Nanded.

Nanded Airport reminded us of our old HAL Airport in Bengaluru - small, cute, chilled, relaxed Airport. One Gate, One Belt, One Flight! You just happily walk out of Aircraft and enter the Airport! It's like a mini Model Airport, you can see and wave at people waiting to receive you!

Things didn't start off well though. Sameera's Bag didn't come out. After few enquiries, because of a Power Bank that he has put in his bag, it was withheld at Bangalore Airport.

They should have announced and had the Power Bank removed, instead of choosing not to send the Bag at all!

The staff at Nanded Airport took his details, took his consent to open the Bag and to check, and promised to get the Bag the next day.

We finally reached home at Nanded and settled down. A lodge nearby was arranged for Sameera & family, but seeing the warmth & hospitality of the Maiyas, they couldn't say no to their insistence that they stay with us at home.

We started the day by visiting Kaleshwar Mandir on the banks of Godavari river. Maiya's Hyundai Exter became our transport for the next 3 days.

While driving back, we happened to see Sri Lakshmi Narasimha Temple, which was a total surprise to me and Preeti.

Since we visit a Lakshmi Narasimha Temple every Saturday, and finding the Lord there at the most unexpected place was extremely a happy and blessed moment.

Sameera also did a quick cloth shopping at Nanded to sustain for the next one day.

After a sumptuous meal back home, we rested for a while, and visited Takhat Sachkhand Shri Hazur Abchalnagar Sahib Gurudwara.

Despite being a place of worship from a different religion, the vibes, the vibration, energy that we could feel was a pleasing experience.

I believe the cleanliness, discipline, 0-commercial engagement by staff/priests and laser focus of every devotee towards spirituality is what makes Gurudwaras, a spritual power center irrespective of our beliefs.

We ended the beautiful day at "Amritsar Haveli" for sumptuous Punjabi food.

Though we did not have much hope on missing Bag sent the next day, we still visited the Airport in the morning and were pleasantly surprised to receive the Baggage intact!

We started our road trip towards Solapur, and checked into the Hotel.

It being Rayara aradhane, we found a Rayara Mutt at Solapur and did seva.

We then proceeded towards the famous Sri Sidheshwara temple at Solapur. A massive temple dedicated to lord Shiva, though crowded, we still had a good darshan.

We didn't want to miss shopping at the textile hub, and had a quick stop at Navi Peth.

We ended the day at "Sigdi" for a unique dining experience.

Day 3 was planned to be hectic, as we drove for 1.5 hours to Pandharpur. We were mentally prepared for a huge crowd and long waiting time, though we had booked online for darshan.

After going in circles, we finally found the entry for the Online Booking Darshan queue, and we reached on time for the 12:00 PM slot.

It was surprisingly organized and well managed, as the staff were strictly verifying every booking, Aadhar card was mandatory.

The chants of Vittala in the waiting halls and in the queue gave the right build up and focus to the devotees waiting to see the lord. Since Mobile phones were not allowed inside the temple, all of us were able to focus on the lord.

The sanctum santorum has been improved a lot since our last 2 visits, with Air Condition and a good view of the lord while in the Queue. We finally were at his feet, after 2 hours in the queue.

It was a goosebumps moment to see Vittala up close, literally at his feet. The energy, vibrations is to be experienced. We had a wonderful, fulfilling long Darshan of Vittala.

Darshan of Rukmini was equally rewarding, as it so happened that I was standing right in front of her, and the staff stopped the queue for some reason. For a moment, I was all alone in front of her!

We came out extremely happy, blessed and contended. The old temple town's charm, the colours could be felt in the series of ancient houses, shops.

Had a traditional meal at Hotel Sadguru, which had the apt ambience continuing to give us the Pandharpur vibes.

We drove back to Solapur, quickly got ready, checked out of the Hotel and drove to Tuljapur.

Things are not organized, planned at Tuljapur temple, as we arrived with no bookings but one contact of a priest.

I was anxious, unsure, as the last time we visited, we couldn't get darshan of Amba Bhavani. I was getting jittery, irritated, it was raining as well.

The priest tried his best, but we were sent back. I thought it's our fate and all set to return. After a brief wait, we were again called back, and this time the priest tried some other jugaad to put us in the Queue. After an hour of wait, Amba Bhavani finally gave us her Darshan, and that too at a time when abhisheka was happening.

Preeti literally had tears in her eyes, as we did our Seva to Bhavani, though the staff were rudely pushing us after a few seconds, we still managed to get a good up close darshan of Bhavani.

Built in 12th century, a Shakti Peetha, a family deity of none other than Shivaji Maharaj, yet is in a very sad state. The cleanliness, malpractices, with no proper management, safety is disheartening.

We quickly had dinner at Tuljapur and drove back to Nanded and reached home at 02:00 on the night 

The last day at Nanded was relaxing. The ladies woke up late and started packing. Me and Sameera visited Rayara Mutt as it was Uttara Aradhane.

Had lunch at a relative's house and came to Airport to catch our 5:45 PM flight back to Bangalore.

We proved a point to ourselves that Anniversary celebrations need not always be about partying, visiting romantic places. Such great experiences, spiritual contentment, binds us stronger and makes the Anniversary memorable.

The Maiya's were brilliant and were perfect hosts and hosted my friend wholeheartedly.

The shy natured Sameera also jelled well with the Maiya's, as they made sure my friend and their family were well taken care with great hospitality, which Sameera, Chandrika would also cherish for a long time.

Nidhi was the sweetheart and added the required fun element to the trip.