Krishna and Draupadi: The best example for friendship

Friendship is about sacrifice and not about selfishness. It is about standing shoulder to shoulder and about sharing the hardships of one another. The friendship of Krishna and Draupadi was unique in many ways. The best example for friendship was that of theirs. They always stood for the hardships of one another.

When Draupadi's honour was put to stake in the Kuru's palace Hall it was Krishna who came to protect her from the distant Dwaraka. The Kuru elders and not even her husbands, protected her during that embarrassing moment.

On another occasion, during the time of exhile of Pandavas, Durvasa muni along with his 100 disciples arrived to have food in the cottage of the Pandavas. During the time of their arrival the food in the Pandava's hut had exhausted. If not served with food, the angry Rishi would curse the Pandavas. Draupadi on this occasion too recalled Krishna, the Lord of the universe. Such was the power of Sri Krishna. He arrives and eats the only grain of rice left in the bowl (in the hut). Durvasa muni and the entire gang of his disciples felt that their stomach was full (with Krishna eating a grain of rice). They went away without eating anything at the Pandavas' hut; but blessed them before leaving.

On many such occasions, friendship had stood for sacrifice and sacrifice alone. Never did their friendship teach the lessons of selfishness. Therein their friendship stands for sacrifice. In them lies the best example of friendship. At a time when the word "friendship" finds a corrupted form today, their story serves as an inspiration was generations to come. 

The Story of Kacha: An unperturbed Phoenix

The focus is often missed out. Very few are those who lay their hands on things they do not give up till the end. Unmindful of the rocks, dams, forests, etc., the river flows to the ocean & ocean alone. Very few are those who, like the river, are concerned about the ocean (goal/purpose) alone. One such person was "Kacha".
"kacha" was the son of Brihaspati (Guru of devas/suras/gods). Inspite of Brihaspati being all knowledgeable, he lacked the knowledge of Sanjeevini (Sanjeevini revived the dead persons to life). Shukracharya, the Guru of asuras (demons) new the the sanjeevini vidya. No matter how big was the victory of gods over demons, the demons were brought back again to life and the gods had to concede defeat. This was a hurdle. So, the gods along with Brihaspati decided to send Kacha (his son) as a disciple to Shukracharya.
Though being aware of his motive, Kacha was admitted as his disciple (probably Shukracharya then was not aware of the tolerance/intolerance debate). Shukracharya, however, refrained from teaching him the Sanjeevini Vidya.
Meanwhile im the Ashram a beautiful twist to story comes with a Love story. Shukracharya's daughter devyani, having seen Kacha for a long time, falls in love with her. Kach stays unperturbed by her love and focuses on his learning.
During his stay Kacha was killed 3 times by the demons out of sheer hatred & enimity. Shukracharya had to save him twice out of the love for his daughter (with the help of Sanjeevini). For the third time, Kacha is killed and his ashes are mixed in intoxicants and are offered for Shukracharya. Having become aware of this incident, daughtet devyani pleads her father to save Kacha. If Kacha was saved, Shukracharya was to be killed (as he would cut open the stomach out of his birth from the ashes). So Shukracharya had no option but to teach Kacha the Sanjeevini vidya in order to save his own life. Kacha break open Shukracharya's stomach and comes back to life. In a way he was the first Phoenix. The new Kacha then revives the dead Shukra. Shukracharya haven been pleased, offers his daughter in marriage to Kacha. Kacha squarely refuses by saying 2 things:-
1. Devyani was his Guru's daughter.
2. Kacha was "re-born" from Shukracharya's stomach. So in a sense Kacha is Shukra's sun a Devyani's brother.

It all boils down to this. Look at the mountainous spirit of Kacha. Inpite of:-
1. Being looked down by the Guru (Shukra by not teaching sanjeevini initial).
2. Being allured by the beauty & gait of Devyani.
3. Being killed 3 times.
Kacha moves not an inch from his goal of learning the Sanjeevini. Hw finally saves the devas (gods) from the danavas (demons) from his new found knowledge.

Very few are those who, like the river, are concerned about the ocean (goal/purpose) alone. 

Survival of the Fittest: My Journey to Organic Terrace Gardening – Part 2

My Terrace Garden

           My readers have gone through my previous write-up on “My Journey to Organic Terrace Gardening (OTG)”. Well, it has been quite a while now since I started, and I must admit that I am beginning to gather a lot of knowledge. From an ignorant man to becoming a novice is a big journey so to say. Well, there is still a long way to go. This write-up is in continuation of my first one and is a brief look at my experiences and lessons from this wonderful journey. I shall be specific to my observations and experiences of plant life and all the changes I have seen both within and without.

            When I say “Survival of the Fittest”, anyone will remember Charles Darwin and his theory. Considering the reference to OTG, anyone should conveniently conclude by conferring the reference upon the plant life that survived or died out. Yes, what I have learnt from Organic Terrace Gardening (OTG) is this – ‘From among the many seeds that you sow, the fittest, strongest, and the healthiest ones survive.’ But, my reference to survival is something different here. For any thing in life to yield, what is required the most is the “Commitment”. For anything in this world to yield you must pay enough attention. Being consistently attentive is sine-quo-non with yield. So, for any starters this is a big lesson. There is a proverb in kannada “ಹೊಸದರಲ್ಲಿ ಅಗಸ ಎತ್ತಿ ಎತ್ತಿ ಒಗೆದ” - The launderer has high spirit at the start and loses the spirit by every cloth that he washes. A Gardener loses the spirit with every unyielding plant. In the worst case, one may lose out on the way to even water the plants (Plants require constant, adequate, and proper care). I had to work out of my strengths and capability to water 40 saplings in the scorching hot sun, to mix the bacterial-fungus filled composite pot, even more to carry bags and bags of soil, compost, and some other gardening tools and materials. This case is true of a boy who has grown up in a city without an idea of farming, labour, and plant life. I had to be careful enough not to become like the laundering who loses the enthusiasm with every other cloth. In fact, the love for plants and Gardening not only kept my spirit alive, but also increased my enthusiasm with every other pot that I grew. I had to “survive” the scare of “loosing enthusiasm”. More so this happens in young age, where the mind wanders to every other new thing, hobby, or desire. It wanders from one thing to another. What the plants required was a bit of nurturing and love to survive. For me to survive through this journey (of organic terrace gardening), I had to put a herculean effort within and without. Therein, I survived, revived, and lasted. Therein, I proved (to myself) to be the fittest. It was never a desire to die out; it was never the youthful foolhardiness to kick the bucket; it was just plain love, dedication, and commitment that survived (lasted), in the test of time.

              My Garden is as comprehensive as it must be at the inception. It has a tools corner, a compost corner, and place to store soils bags, pots, seeds, and wormy compost. Most of the pots are under the shade net and a few are in the balcony sit-out. A few grow bags have also been used for potting. 

I am sharing a few pics of my Garden here. 

Germinated Mentya

Beans Plant

Tools Corner

Compost Corner: Aerobic Composting

The Pot Line: Bitter Gourd

Basale Soppu

Palak in Black Organic Soil

                     

Doddapatre

Basale Soppu in Balcony

Wormy Compost, Soil Bags, and Seeds

           I am making a comprehensive study of my plants on spreadsheets and documents. Each time manure is added, or a disease is witnessed or potting is done, on every occasion care has been taken to record the observations. I am planning to come up with a detailed write-up on plant specific observations. However, I am tabling here a synopsis of my initial observations. 

Sl.No.	Name of the Plant	*Gestation Period
1	Corriander
2	Mentya	2
3	Beans	5
4	Palak	3
5	Tomato	6
6	Bitter Gourd	3
7	Ridge Gourd	7
8	Peas	7
9	Basale Soppu	3
10	Capsicum	5
11	Harave Soppu	3
12	Doddapatre	NA
13	Snake Gourd	6
14	Brinjal	6
15	Carrot	4
16	Onion	6
17	Cucumber	6
18	Knol	3
19	Bettle Leaves	NA
20	Basale Soppu (Balcony)	NA
21	3 Flowers	5
22	Here Kai	3
23	Chapradavare	5
24	Daniya & Mentya	3
25	Tulsi	5
26	Ladies Finger	2
27	Red Chilli	Observations Yet to Come
28	Green Chilli
29	Watermelon
30	Ginger
31	Potato
32	Tomato (Repot - 3)
NA - Saplings Planted and not seeds. *Gestation Period means the time taken for a seed to sprout and grow into a seedling.

Harave Soppu

    

The Plant life      

     
     Since the inception, this was a wonderful journey to be, and so shall it be. Watering the plants, prayers for its well-being, talking to them, and what not. It has been a journey of love and caring; of a mother and the child; of brethren in life.  

Thanks to OTG, bees and birds have become friendly to my terrace. More birds come on to my terrace to drink the cool water placed in a pot on the rooftop. It is livelier to have a stroll on the terrace. The time is more useful spent than to saunter away. It is an addition inter alia to politics, yoga, music, and food as a part of discussions at home.

          It is a wonderful experience personally. In the like manner or so better, I would like all to take up to “Gardening”. Waste management, cool terrace, home veggies, peaceful place, disciplined mind, inter alia the holistic growth of life is assured. In the tiring efforts of potting lies a more relaxed body, and the humdrum of watering plants has in store something new every time. This much is true, “It is motivation and enthusiasm that gets one started, and it is love, commitment, hard work and determination that gets one going.”

My Journey to the organic Rooftop Farming began with this question, “ಸಾರ್, ನಿಮ್ಮಲ್ಲಿ ಬೀಜ ಎಲ್ ಸಿಗತ್ತೆ?”

The title to this blog is funny in a sense, with a forthcoming loathsome meaning to it. Yet, my blog focuses not to the least on any “Double Meaning” joke. My decision to start “Rooftop Organic Farming” was definitely not as funny as the question in the tittle. Before going into how the situation demanded me to ask such a chucklesome question, I would narrate, from the beginning, my story of “Rooftop Farming”.

(This Picture is for representative purposes only)
(For actual images of my farm, 1-2 months of waiting period is needed)

It all began with the scorching heat of the summer. With a house at the top floor and with the terrace above the head, even the fans were emitting “Hot Air”. Phew…... even getting a good night’s sleep was demanding the highest resolve. Naturally, we had the team meetings, the board meetings, etc. in the family. With the help of a tip of some close ones, we got the idea of placing ‘gunny bags’ on the roof and pouring water on them. After 2-3 days of “Successful Implementation”, the roof and the house was 50% more cool than before. Yet, two things came to my mind particularly about this:-

1.     It was not 100% cool.
2.    Too much water was being wasted on the gunny bags, for no reason. 

               Then the time was to think ‘out of the box’. Having the reputation of being “The Google” of my office, the next thing that I did was “to Google”. I had it in my mind to search this – “How to keep the rooftop cool”. With the help of Google’s auto-suggest, my journey started on a funny note. No sooner had I typed, “How to keep……”, than I got the suggestion “How to keep husband happy”. I mean, I was looking for farming and being a male myself, there is no reason why I must be keeping my “Husband Happy”. Well, I even wondered why people even search for this stuff on Google. Nevertheless, focusing on the theme, I got 3 results out of the Google research (to keep the roof cool):-

1. ·        Painting of the roof (Some kind of Paint, it is said, will cool the roof)
2. ·        Watering the roof.
3. ·        Rooftop Farming.

What interested me the most was the third one!

            I made up my mind that this must happen – Rooftop Farming; that too an organic one. I had the first round of discussions with my “Agro-Enthusiast Brother” and “Ayurvedic Doctor – Sister-in-Law”. The idea of growing plants, in pots, came up. We thought of growing “Creepers” and “Leaves’ that bear veggies for daily use. So, it is a double benefit:

1. Cool Roof
2.  Organic Veggies for the family.

All of us whole-heartedly embraced this idea. It was never like my idea. Everyone brought in their ideas and it was a “Team Plan”.

            The next thing I did was to go to “Lal Bagh”. This time around I took the right person with me. My Uncle, “Puttanna Kavi”, is “Botanical Scientists”. He is an encyclopaedia on plants. I took my cousin Raghunandan Kavi, an all-time “Travel Enthusiast” and “Techno Geek” and my Scientist uncle along (to the Lal Bagh). As I was about to enter Lal Bagh, I asked the gentlemen at the ticket counter, as to where the seeds (for planting) are available. He said, “ಬೆಟ್ಟದ ಹತ್ತಿರ, ಕಾರ್ ಪಾರ್ಕಿಂಗ್ ಇದೆಯಲ್ಲ ಸಾರ್, ಅಲ್ಲೇ” (It’s near the parking lot next to the hill). We travelled along the hot day. We were all soaked in sweat by the time we reached the hill. Being thoughtful of the destination we had to reach, I asked a gardener (who was using a machine to cut the grasses nearby), “ಸಾರ್, ನಿಮ್ಮಲ್ಲಿ ’ಬೀಜ” ಎಲ್ ಸಿಗತ್ತೆ?” (This was a wrong way to ask!) The next leer of the gardener gave me the Goosebumps. With the red eyes, a cleanly built body, and the exasperation of having worked tireless without a rest, I thought the machine will not be on the grass now, but on me. I quickly realised the lack of proper communication from my side. I then turned to “Kanglish”. I said, “ಇಲ್ಲಿ Plants grow ಮಾಡಕ್ಕೆ seeds ಎಲ್ಲಿ ಸಿಗತ್ತೆ?” It was then that he promptly showed me the destination.

My uncle helped me a lot in purchasing the right seeds. The right kind of “Creepers” and “Leaves” that can be grown in pots on the rooftop. I purchased the “coriander”, Palak”, “Menthya”, “Bitter Gourd”, Cucumber”, Beans”, “Tomatoes” etc. It was around 12 varieties of Veggie plants and 3 flower plants. Thanks to my uncle and my cousin, the shopping was done very well.

The most difficult part to the start of “Organic Rooftop Farming” was to carry 50Kg Load of Soil in 3 gunny bags each, from the car parking area of my house, up through the 2 floors, and to the terrace. It was a good weight-lifting exercise, and all the muscle in my limbs were saying “I am ‘Out of Order’.”

Well, I am happy that I have made a good beginning to the little farm on my roof. In a month, the roof must be perfectly cool (At the hottest times of Mid May) and the first set of “Organic Veggies” may be ready for domestic consumption. I hope this story of mine will motivate you to take up to rooftop farming. It is always good to have more plants and trees, it is a lovely feeling to have a “Cool Roof” on the top, and it is most satisfying to eat the veggies grown by your own hands. Pray try it! The hot sun will not diminish the energy in your body (while shopping for seeds, pots, shovels, etc.); the sand bags that you carry will not make your bones fragile; neither the hardships that you undergo contract your spirit. The only thing that stands as an impediment in your way is the “Mind”. All that you need to do is to make up your mind! Will you? 

ಯುಗಾದಿಯೊಳು ಪುರಾಣ ಮಹಿಮೆ‬

This is poetry and purely out of imagination. This poetry seeks to imagine the relevance of a myth with the current Ugadi.

ಧ್ಯಾನದಿ ಮುಳುಗಿಹ ಶಿವನನು ವರಿಸಲು|
ರತಿಯವತಾರವ ಸತಿ ತಾನ್ ತಾಳಿರೆ||
ಮನ್ಮಥ ಬಾಣಕೆ ಶಿವ ಸಿಡುಕಾಗಲು|
ಶಿವ “ವಿಕ್ರಮ”ದಲಿ “ಮನ್ಮಥ” ಮಡಿದನು||

Just like how “Manmatha” got destroyed by the “intense” (Vikrama) gaze of Lord Shiva, so is the “Manmatha” samvatsara destroyed by the “Vikrama” (intensity) of the new samvatsara (durmukhi).

MahaShivaratri

The word shiva means friendly, gracious, kind, or bliss. Shiva is always blissful and meditative. He is also "alpa trupta", He is satisfied by mere abhishEka of water and by offering of "bilwa patra" (bael leaves). He is an ultimate outlaw i.e. SmashANa VairAgi. He is also the king among dancers i.e. he is the best - naTarAja. His tAnDava nRutya is unparalleled among all forms of dances (it is said that he does it during deluge). He dwells in meditation from within while he dances without. When he sits upon to meditate, his inner self dances to the tune of the universe.

Today is mahAshivrAtri, the day shiva and sati (his other half) united. Sati represents the feminine power and shiva represents the masculine. The union of feminine & masculine is representative of the universal being/self. Hence Shiva in called the ardha nArIshwara (in the ardha nArIshwara is contained all that is in the universe).

Two most powerful methods of pleasing shiva today is through "upavAsa" and "jAgaraNa". In a lame man's understanding "upavAsa = fasting" and "jAgaraNa = keeping awake". Let's go to the roots and understand the inner meaning.

1. upavAsa - The word "upa" means "near" and "vasa" means "to dwell / to reside". Hence, upavAsa means to reside near Lord Shiva; it means to dwell upon him the whole day.

2. jAgaraNa - jAgaraNa or jAgRuti means "awareness", "consciousness" or "awakening". It simply means this day is not just of "wakefulness" but of "awakening"; the awareness of the reality (satya); being conscious of the reality within us (Ruta); awakening of the cosmic consciousness within and without (dharma).

Today is the day to meditate, to sing in praise of Lord Shiva, to dwell and contemplate upon him, to worship him, and to raise in Consciousness.

May the abhayankara grant us fearlessness;

May the shankara bestow prosperity upon us;

May the gangAdhara purify our lives like the holy ganga;

May the vishwEswara protect the whole of humanity and the universe.

#shivarAtri

#mahAshivarAtri

#Praise_the_LordShiva

#Awakening_Consciousness

The Story of Manu

Vaivasvata Manu is the manasa putra of Brahman, the Lord of the Universe or the creator so as to say. He is the 7th & the current progenitor of the human race (i.e. out of the 14 epochs, this is the 7th). You can vaguely claim this - 'The word "man" is a diluted form of the word "Manu" (or his descendant as such). He has written a book on "Dharma Shastra", namely the Manu Smruti! There is this Mythological Manu that comes in the Mahabharata & there is a historical Manu of the Dharma Shastras. There is a bit of confusion as to the date & whether the same Manu has written the Dharma Shastra. I will take into account that both were the same. Apart from this, Manu is believed to have carried the Saptarshis (7 Sages) and one representative each from all the living species, on a boat/ship to save life on planet earth during the "Great Floods" of the ice age (the story of matsyAvatAra - vishNu guides the ship as a big fish & Manu is the Captain of the ship) . There is a similar story in the "Epic of Gilgamesh" of the Sumerians/Babylonians. Further, the story of "Noah's Ark" from the Genesis (Bible) has a strikingly similar narrative. 

Manu carrying the Saptarshis on the Boat/Ship.

There is so much of Sanctity attached to the life of Maharshi Manu. We all owe to him, our very existence. We all live today, due to the great feat accomplished by Manu. Till today, his words guide us, through his teachings on Dharma, even 1000s of years after his exit from planet earth. Lest those who speak lowly of this great man, their names won't be heard even for a few years after death!
Over 10,000 years must have gone after Manu left this planet earth. What great powerful personality must be he, who is remembered even today after 10,000 (be it as a praise or as a curse).