'Desert Diary' Series- Featuring Kiradu Temples of Barmer District

There is a series which is aired sometimes on DD Bharati with the name- 'Desert Diary'. It has a nice format, that is- a lady visits many places of  Rajasthan and writes about them in her diary. It is through her eyes that we see the state :)

I have watched only one episode of it and loved it. 

Today I am writing about the places covered in that episode.

It was based on the forts and temples of Barmer district. We were taken to very old Kiradu temples, which are in ruins now. It has temples of Shiva, Vishnu, Brahma and Ganesha. Scenes of Krishna leela and also various incidents from Shri Ram's life are depicted on the walls. Someshwara temple, which is of Lord Shiva, is the most famous of all these temples, it is the best preserved temple till now.

The episode also told us about the myth or history related to the place, how the villagers annoyed a sage and he cursed the village, as it seems, may be that is the reason why the place is less populated till now. 

I really liked the concept of the series, sharing the visits of the anchor through her diary :), so thought to write about it today :)


A coincidence :) - Recently an episode of 'Strictly Street'- a programne  on Travel XP, also featured Barmer and I enjoyed the episode as the host Rohan Patole went to the same places which were covered in Desert Diary :).

A Motivational Story

My Dear Sister Lola shared this Beautiful story in India-Forums. Just thought to post it here, it has really a great message with it! We all need to have Patience and a Strong Faith in the ways of the Lord!

Once there was a sweeper in a well known temple who was very devout and pure of heart. Each day he saw thousands of devotees coming to worship the Lord, laying all their troubles at his feet for him to solve.

The naive sweeper was overcome with worry that God may be getting tired of this daily routine, and the people's prayers may suffer for it. So one morning very innocently he asked the Lord whether he can take his place for a day so that the Lord can have some relief and rest.

The deity situated in the Temple replied, "I do not mind taking a break. I will endow you with this statue form just like mine, but you must do one thing. You must just stand here like me, smile at everyone, and just give benedictions. Do not interfere with anything and do not say anything. Remember you are the deity representing me, and just have faith that I have a master plan for everything." The sweeper agreed to this.

The next day the sweeper took the position of the deity and a rich man came and prayed to the Lord. He offered a nice donation and prayed that his business should be prosperous. While going, the rich man inadvertently left his wallet full of money right there. Now the sweeper in the form of deity could not call him and so he decided to control himself and keep quiet. Just then a poor man came and he put one coin in the bowl as it was all he could afford, and he prayed to the Lord that he should continue to be engaged in the Lord's service. He also said that his family was in dire need of some basic necessities but he left it to the good hands of the Lord to provide a solution when the time is right. When he opened his eyes, he saw the wallet left by the rich man. The poor man thanked the Lord for His kindness and took the wallet very innocently. The sweeper in the form of the Deity could not say anything and he had to just keep smiling.

At that point a sailor walked in. He prayed for a safe journey as he was going to embark on a long trip. Just then the rich man came with the police and said that somebody has stolen his wallet, and seeing the sailor there, he asked the police to arrest him thinking that he might have taken it.

Now the sweeper in the form of Deity wanted to say that the sailor is not the thief but he could not say so and he became greatly frustrated. The sailor looked at the Lord and asked why he, an innocent person, is being punished.

The rich man looked at the Lord and thanked Him for finding the thief. The sweeper in the deity form could no longer tolerate it, and he thought that even if the real Lord had been here, he would have definitely interfered, and hence he started speaking and said that the sailor is not the thief but it was the poor man who took away the
wallet. The rich man was very thankful as was the sailor.

In the night, the real Lord came and He asked the sweeper how the day was. The sweeper said, "I thought it would be easy, but now I know that Your days are not easy, but I did one good thing." Then he explained the whole episode to the Lord.

The Lord became very upset on hearing this whereas the sweeper thought the Lord would appreciate him for the good deed done. The Lord asked, "Why did you not just stick to the plan? You had no faith in Me. Do you think that I do not understand the hearts of all those who come here? All the donations which the rich man gave were comprised of stolen money and it is only a fraction of what he really has and he wants Me to reciprocate with sincerity and without limits. The single coin offered by the poor man was the last coin he had and he gave it to Me out of faith. The sailor might not have done anything wrong, but if he would have embarked on his journey then, the raging storm that occurred that night would have killed him. Had he been arrested for that short while, he would have been saved from this great calamity and soon enough, justice would have prevailed.

The wallet should go to the poor man because he will use it in My service. I was going to reduce the rich man's burden of bad karma also by doing this and save the sailor also. But you canceled everything because you thought you know My plan and you made your own plans."

God has plans and justice for everyone....we just have to have patience!!!!!

In a Blissful State!!

Dear Friends, I am very Happy since last few days, so wanted to share it with all of you.

Firstly, My favourite Geeta Episodes of Ramanand Sagar's 'Shri Krishna' TV Serial, were Uploaded to YouTube by someone, they are so Rich in Content! I am very Happy to find the whole series on YouTube suddenly...

(For the complete entry read from here:

Then I got some the songs of the Bengali Movie 'Boidurjo Rahasya' in YouTube. Those are mainly Devotional songs on Shri Krishna, and 'Boidurjo Rahasya' is one of my all time favourite movies!!

Search results for Baidurjya Rahasya

http://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=Baidurjya+Rahasya+&aq=f

Thirdly, I got the song 'HareKrishna naam dilo priyo Balaraam' in YouTube only the day before yesterday!!! I have been searching for this song since last one year, but could not find it! Ok, the original song is by Sandhya Mukhopadhyay, I could not find that version, but this one is also very good. Moreover, I got the Lyrics, which are very very Sweet...

Hare Krishno Naam Dilo

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=72F4OGXlxrA

And lastly, I remembered about the song 'Aaji e probhaate, tomari chorone' from the movie 'Gurudokshina' and found that one also in Youube! It is such a refreshing song appreciating Lord's Blessing in each moment of our life!

Aaji E Probhate in Bengali Classic Movie Guru Dakshina in Bengali Movie Song

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yIamyFjoS5M

Now you all can easily understand the meaning of the Title of today's post!... :) The Lord is soooo Kind!!

Jai Shri Krishna!

Visit to Akshardham Temple, Delhi

Recently, we went to Akshardham Temple in Delhi. Wanted to tell you all about the visit :-

- There they have this wonderful Garden of India (Info from Wikipedia:- "Also known as the Bharat Upavan, this garden has lush manicured lawns, trees, and shrubs. The garden is lined with bronze sculptures of contributors to India's culture and history. These sculptures include children, women, national figures, freedom fighters, and warriors of India.")

I loved this visit to our past.

Here is the details of the statues (from the official website of Akshardham, Delhi):-

http://www.akshardham.com/whattosee/gardenofindia/details.htm

Here is the Photo Gallery :

http://www.akshardham.com/photogallery/gardenofindia/index.htm

- And yes, we also had a Boat Ride (info from Wiki :- "Named 'Sanskruti Vihar', this ride takes visitors on a journey through 10,000 years of Indian history in approximately 12 minutes. Visitors sit in specially designed peacock shaped boats that make their way around an artificial river, passing through a model of Takshashila, the world's first university, chemistry laboratories, ancient hospitals, and bazaars, finally ending with a message expressing hope for the future of India.")

It was Just Overwhelming to visit the glorious past of our civilization!!

Here is some more info about this journey (from the official website of Akshardham, Delhi):-

http://www.akshardham.com/whattosee/boatride/index.htm

And the Photo Gallery-:

http://www.akshardham.com/photogallery/boatride/index.htm

Reflections on a Rainy Day

Today it is raining heavily here in Delhi. I was sitting by the window throughout the whole day, watching rain, because there was no electricity:) :). I was, in fact, enjoying the rain. I never loved rain, specially getting drenched in the rain:(. But today, I was at home, so was able to Enjoy the drops failing from the sky.

And suddenly I remembered a scene from a film I watched recently. It was a Sanskrit movie named– Adi Shankaracharya. It is about the great Seer of 8 th century, who made the tough Vedas and Upanishadas easy for us by writing extensive commentaries on them. Later I will try to write about the film in details.

There we have a nice scene, where he says to his disciples that “Shudhhe hridaye, sarvam shuddham” (When the heart is pure, everything else is Pure). (At 2:30 min of the video)

And after that we have some lines from his famous work ‘Bhaja Govindam’ , where he tells us to turn towards God, as that is the only way of our Salvation.
If anyone is interested, Here is the Video of that scene:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ge-uHt9ib1w&feature=related
(It starts from 2:30 min to 4:25 min. Again it from 5:23 min and continues till 6:10 min.)
The following is the portion of Bhaja Govindam covered in the scene:-

sampraapte sannihite kaale

nahi nahi rakshati Dukrijn karane .. (1)

Oh fool! Rules of Grammar will not save you at the time of your death.

angam galitam palitam mundam

dashanavihiinam jatam tundam.

vriddho yaati grihiitvaa dandam

tadapi na muchchatya ashaapindam.. (15)

Strength has left the old man's body; his head has become bald, his gums toothless and leaning on crutches. Even then the attachment is strong and he clings firmly to fruitless desires.

bhaja govindam bhaja govindam

govindam bhaja muudhamate .

Worship Govinda, Worship Govinda, Worship Govinda.

punarapi jananam punarapi maranam

punarapi jananii jathare shayanam.

iha samsaare bahudustaare

kripayaa apaare paahi muraare. (21)

Born again, death again, birth again to stay in the mother's womb ! It is indeed hard to cross this boundless ocean of samsara. Oh Murari ! Redeem me through Thy mercy.

bhajagovindam bhajagovindam

govindam bhaja muudhamate .

Worship Govinda, Worship Govinda, Worship Govinda.

I was So Touched by the messege, that today it just came to my mind while watching the rain and kept on repeating itself. It was Really a nice experience!

And here is the link of the text of Bhaja Govindam:-
http://www.shankaracharya.org/bhaja_govindam.php

I added 2 photos of the Black Clouds of a typical Rainy Day at Delhi (the first one) and at Kolkata (the second one) in today's post. Enjoy:)...

Jai Shri Krishna

My Favourite Verses From Srimad Bhagavad Geeta: 1

Today I am going to write about The Geeta for the First time. It is Such a Huge and Tough Topic that I am a bit nervous :)… But on the other hand really Happy also that at last I attempted this tough subject :)… For a long time I have been planning to write my experiences/views about various Slokas of the Geeta, but was really scrared to start it. As I know that my understanding is still in a very very naïve stage… But Geeta has so many beautiful messages that one part of me always felt the need to share all those messages with you all. The whole text is available online and any person can read the original text with explanation from any website.

Here I will try to write about my favourite slokas one by one. I don’t have that much Knowledge to analyse the slokas, so will just include the meaning of the verses and also a short paragraph on my realizations about that particular verse.

Actually Geeta needs to be studied from a very learned person who can explain the hidden meaning of the verses and who can also relate the verses of one chapter with the verses of other chapters, as Geeta is complete as a Whole. The knowledge is divided into various chapters but they lead to the Same Aim.

I know I still do not have that much grasp over the subject, but as reading of Geeta with sincerity can mould the life/vision of a person, so decided to at least bring those slokas into discussion which have always Surprised me, and have radically Changed my thinking process. I think, if we reflect on the slokas, our Intellect will guide us to go deep into their meaning.

I hope readers will forgive me for my mistakes, as I am still in the learning process.

Today is the first of this series, I am taking up three slokas from Chapter 10 :-

ahamātmā gudākeśa sarvabhūtāśayasthitah
ahamādiśca madhyam ca bhūtānāmanta eva ca.(20)

Meaning- "I am, O Gudakesh, the Self that dwells within all beings, as also their primeval beginning, middle, and end.

yaccāpi sarvabhūtānām bījam tadahamarjuna
na tadasti vinā yatsyānmayā bhūtam carācaram.(39)

Meaning- "And, O Arjun, I am also the seed from which all beings have sprung up, because there is nothing animate or inanimate which is without my maya."

yadyadvibhūtimatsattvam śrīmadūrjitameva vā
tattadevāvagaccha tvam mama tejomśasambhavam.(41)

Meaning- "Know that whatever is possessed of glory, beauty, and strength has arisen from my own splendour.’’

(Source:-

http://www.orkut.co.in/Main#CommMsgs?cmm=16352&tid=5279944463998856337&kw=Geeta+verses&na=1&nst=1)

How Wonderful are the verses! When I read it, I always feel that if we just consider this message for only a few seconds, we will feel His presence around us always! I know this is tough, but it is True... He is the beginning, middle and end, He is the Glory as well as the Essence of the Creation! Each time I get moved by reading these verses, reading them make me feel Him all around me.

With Best Wishes,

Jai Shri Krishna.

VISIT TO THE SCHOOL WHERE I WORKED FOR 4 YEARS

Recently I went to the school where I worked for nearly 4 years . And I had great fun throughout the whole day. Now I will write about it in detail –

One day when I called up my Principal to wish her on an occasion, she asked me to join them in the annual fete in the coming days. After I left the school (as my husband changed his job), I never went back there. So, this time, I decided to give it a try.

Though it is really far from my house but I started early so that I can have all the fun from the beginning! And it was worth it – TRULY! I met so many students, colleagues, the attendants, the gatekeeper, all the staff – I loved to meet them all. Many of my former students and their parents came to me, they were also very happy to find me after nearly one and half years. Some students went and bought their friends also to meet their “ma’m”. I had Nice time . I received a warm welcome from my Principal and Director Sir, President Sir. Truly – who could have guessed that I would have such a nice time in the school which I have already left! Today as a writing about it – I am re-living that day, and feeling glad again!

I am so grateful to the LORD, that HE has given me such a Day to Enjoy and Appreciate life ! Truly Life is Beautiful! Sometimes you face a sweet moment so unexpectedly that you are totally taken aback by the Intensity of that experience! Living each and every moment in HIS creation is Beautiful!

With Lots of Best Wishes for all .

Jai Shri Krishna

What Am I Doing These Days ?

Well I am watching 3 serials - RAMAYAN , MAHABHARAT , SHRI KRISHNA and writing , reading and discussing about them .

So why am I not posting in my blog ?

Really , I don’t have an answer .
I think , I was trying to post something from the world around me , but now a days I am too much involved in the world of RAM-KAURAV-PANDAV-KRISHNA --- so could not figure out a single topic to post here in last 14 days . indeed a great mistake on my part .

Ok, if not mistake , then we may call it indecisiveness on my part .

I am a great believer of the proverb — Better Late Than Never .
(i.e.— correct it as soon as you find out your fault – surprised ? it is my interpretation …! )

Following that , today I decided to post about the current state of my mind so that no communicate gap remains between me and you ( the readers of my blog ) .

I want to start with the recent KANS VADH episode of SRI KRISHNA serial –
For many days we were witnessing the terror of KANSA , but when KRISHNA killed him , in fact I also felt relaxed as an audience .

ARISTOTLE has said about tragedy that after a tragedy the feelings we undergo can be expressed as –CATHARSIS ( emotional cleansing , audience gets emotionally healed/ cleansed by experiencing the emotions which the principal characters go through .) .

MILTON says at the end of SAMSON AGONISTES –“calm of mind ,all passion spent “(after experiencing the turmoil of feeling , they have achieved tranquility of mind ) .

Truly , this state was achieved in MATHURA RAAJSABHA . In fact the same can be experienced after the battles of RAMAYAN and MAHABHARAT .

Though I can’t remember RAMAYAN very well , but I have seen the last episode of MAHABHARAT recently . Same was the experience in that case also – after all the drama , intrigue , war – when the peace is established in a state there is nothing greater than that .

The epics are a treasure of the lessons handed down to us by our ancestors . It is upto us how much we can learn and use them in our daily life . So I prefer to watch there serials rather than watching mindless daily soaps , most of which have neither any specific aim (conclusive ending ) nor lessons to teach us .

So this is my overall view on serials . I can still write a lot about it (why I love RAMAYAN , MAHABHARAT , SHRI KRISHNA ) , but that I am reserving to post in any future occasion .

With best wishes ,

Dpriya

I LOVE FOOTBALL

YES !!! I love football .

I really don't know from when have i felt this interest in the game , but i just enjoy it . Actually my grandfather and my father ( and my younger brother also ) are ardent supporter of this game , so i guess i inherited this trait from my family itself .

OK , i know , traditionally it has been perceived as a man's game . I mean , so many players fighting for a single ball - does it really make sense ? I don't know .

All i know is - i just love the excitement , the energy of football . The joy of watching your team scoring a goal - cannot be compared to anything . I know i am not a great authority on football - many times i am not correct about the decision about free kick or an off-side . I watch it for the sheer joy of the game .

There is another reason as well . I have some favourite players and teams . So when they play i have an added interest . Come on , we , the women , also have the right to watch handsome , talented players , with athletic body . Yes i like that too .

I love ITALY , I always support it during the world cup . I have many favourite players like ROBERTO BAGGIO , PAOLO MALDINI i , FRANCO BARESI , F CANNAVARO and many more . I love nearly all the players of this team (during each WORLD CUP ) . I must say they are quite beautiful lot .

The next team i love is ARGENTINA , from the time of MARADONA , i have loved this side . Now i support this team after ITALY .

I really don't understand the beauty of the game , so i am unable to appreciate BRAZIL , i am really sorry for that . But i hear so much about them that i have respect for BRAZIL .

Besides these teams mentioned above , i watch the games between other teams also , i love the spirit . I have many more favourite players like - C . RONALDO , KAKA and many others .

Besides my parents , my relatives also know about my passion about this game . Sometimes , even my father-in-law calls me to let me know about a match being shown live on tv . I discuss my interests with both my dad and my father in law , they are really sweet to discuss the intricacies of the game , helping me to understand it better .

Above all i love it because of the life-force (the energy ) , each moment the game is alive . I tell you , the enthusiasm and the strength of football is really infectious . I love to experience it again and again .

With best wishes for all ,

Dpriya

IN A HAPPY MOOD

Well , today i am very happy . The reason is that - it had been raining all night . In delhi we get very few showers in any given year . This year was also going in the same way . But since last 2-3 days the weather has shown signs of change . Even 2 days ago also , it had rained during the night . One thing to note here is that in delhi it rains in small areas at a time . It is very uncommon situation to see the whole delhi drenched in rain in the same time ( though sometimes it happens ) . So sometimes my husband would tell me that it had rained in the locality of his office , whereas i have experienced only a cloudy sky here throughout the whole day . I am really relaxed today , finally watching rain from my window .

Another point to remember is - as i am not in a job right now , i am enjoying the rain . But if i had to go anywhere then i think i wouldn't have welcomed rain with such a high spirit . In fact , then i wouldn't have given that much importance to rain so as to write a post on it ... Because i don't love to get wet at all (i am really serious ) .

This weekend i have seen 2 films of one of my favourite martial arts star - Jet li . The films are ROMEO MUST DIE and ROUGE ASSASSIN . I enjoyed both the films .

With this good mood i am finishing my post today . Do let me know your views about rain and getting wet .

With best wishes

Dpriya

NO SPECIFIC TOPIC OR ROUTINED LIFE

What actually does this heading mean ??? Is it one heading or two ???

I don't know myself .

Right now , I don't have anything to write about . Mainly because i am feeling a bit low since last 2-3 days . So i am slightly irregular in blog-posts these days .

The reason -- : Actually i have wrote here previously that i love a routined life . But for some reason or other since last few days i could not follow my routine , which helps you to do many things in a given time .

Because a routine assigns some specific time , so you become engrossed and try to complete the given work . Simultaneously you don't worry about other works because they are alredy in your day's list . Thus routine enhances productivity . At least according to my point of view .

But ok , routine-bound life can become boring . I agree to it . But to me (having a practical outlook ) to survive in this world you need to work . And to complete work on time you need to follow a plan . If you feel monotonous , give yourself a break . I often do it . Let not your intellect but your mind decide what to do and don't force it to do anything particular . It will choose something relaxing . And this will give you pleasure . This rest period can go on for a couple of days also , when you take life a bit easily . So this is my mantra for utilising TIME in a proper way .

Coming back to the original topic --: Becuase i can't follow the routine these days , i am feeling sad . This sentence is so childish !!!!! Why actually do we think that everything in our daily life will follow a pattern ? You know when i started writing this post i was not sure about the composition of my topic . Now i think it is quite clear to me .

The lesson --: I am realising that it is important to use the time . But if a reason (like power-cut , guests etc ) prevents you from following the schedule , then just accept it . Move on and do the next chore . Otherwise while you are sad and think about the previous work which was not done , the time for next work will also be lost .

Do let me know your views on this topic .

With best wishes

Dpriya

SUNSHINE

Today i am going to write about one of my most favourite topic - SUNSHINE . Well , how to start the topic ? I really don't remember when i first started to love SUNSHINE , but i think it was from my teenage days. By looking at sunshine i always felt warm and joyful . Why ? I don't know . From my childhood i have never been an early-riser . But after i used to get up from bed i made it a point to open the windows (to their widest angles) to let the rays of the sun come into my house as much as possible .
After my marriage , i gradually changed my habit and started rising early . I just loved to see the sunrise . Usually the sun used to emerge behind the flat in front of our house . (Come on , we all live in a city which are full of multistoried buildings ; the sun always does not have an option to rise in a beautiful valley ...) . But there was a problem ; as i was doing a job - i could not enjoy the quite and serene nature . I had to hurry - to get ready , to make breakfast and to start my day . But still i used to look at the sun often .Then throughout the whole day i kept looking at the nature(outside world ) from the windows of my class .I always feel good to see the DAY , if i can say so.
Now when i am at home , i have the whole time left to myself . I get up early , and go to the kitchen or balcony . I can watch the sunrise everyday while making tea for me and my husband . As the DAY starts , it makes my day . I really don't know why is it so , but it is a fact .

In fact i can bear summer a lot more than winter . Many people around me get fed -up with sun and summer , but i don't feel like that . I love sun and sunshine . And in the winter i really feel the absence of sunshine ( and its heat also ) . It always lifts my mood .Even when i come out of any ac office / showroom /storeroom to an open place in the daylight - i feel bissful in its true sense .

After reading this long story , I think all of you have got an idea why SUNSHINE ON MY SHOULDERS by JOHN DENVER is one of my favourite songs . Specially these lines --


Sunshine on my shoulders makes me happy
Sunshine in my eyes can make me cry
Sunshine on the water looks so lovely
Sunshine almost always makes me high

If i had a day that i could give you
I'd give to you a day just like today

If i had a wish that i could wish for you
I would make a wish for the sunshine all the while.



with warm wishes for you all

Dpriya

I AM BACK

So after 2 weeks i am back from my journey . These days i am in a middle stage . Now let me explain that unique term used by me . Actually what i mean to say is that now though i am back from my native town , but my mood has not yet accustomed itself with delhi . I am unpacking my bags , going through each and every articles i 've brought , remembering the people and places - like that- i am still living more in a shadow of my visit than in delhi . It will take some more days to get tuned to my delhi life . It happens after every visit , i know it quite well . It is another version of the famous home sickness . Though i am a practical person , but sometimes i do tend to feel these emotions .Believe me - I took a break of 2-3 days , doing nothing (only minimum household works) after i came back , but i think i need 3-4 days more to start my daily routine bound life in delhi . (I just love routined life ) . I really need to catch up with my pending works . So i am trying to cheer up myself !!!

Enough of all this - what am i doing today ?
1. I am reading the latest books brought by me.
2. I am cooking after a along break (today i made mix veg-potato , carrot , peas ) .
3. I have watched 2 hrs of tv today .

And at last i should and must thank God for being with me throughout the whole visit , it is because of HIM that my visit was successful , that i met so many friends and relatives , i spent a great time . Though HE is always with us but we should always be grateful for HIS blessings .

With best wishes

Dpriya

PACKING AND GOING

Hello , i am back after a gap.WOW ! I am really busy these days completing my household works . Now , why am i using this word COMPLETING ? Because i am going to my hometown. So before going there , now a days i am trying to arrange my house in a certain way so as to make it easy for my husband to operate / find his things / run the houdehold . I have also cooked for the next 2-3 days .
After posting this blog now i am going to pack my things . From last 1 week i have been making a list of things to be taken with me. I plan to follow that list ( may be i will be adding many many more things to the list ) .
So for the time being it is bye from me.
With best wishes

Dpriya