Acquaintance of Raga in Thirty Seconds

A.R.T.S- Acquaintance of Raga in Thirty Seconds, is an initiative, brainchild of Smt.Anusha Sreeram. This is a sincere attempt to help students and lay person, know about any raga. Though any raga cannot be contained in few seconds, this is just to create an awareness about the ragas, with predominant phrases that spark in the mind to identify the raga easily. This is just for educational purposes. The name for this series is coined by Smt.Anusha Sreeram.
Here’s the link for the playlist of A.R.T.S episodes.
A.R.T.S: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLXkZ-iEAVdNF0ae1Bn42PhycX4rgnj-q3

Here’s the link for the YouTube channel of Smt. Anusha Sreeram
https://youtube.com/c/AnushaSreeram

Abheetistava – meaning with emphasis on Sanskrit

Abheetistava is a stuti on Bhagavan Ranganatha of Srirangam by Swami Vedanta Desika, at a time when the entire country was suffering from the invasion of Mughals and Turks. Srirangam, in particular was devastated; the archa murti of Ranganatha had to be carried away to far and safer places. Lot of Srivaishnavas wer killed and Swami Desika had to escape to Sathyagala, a scenic kshetra on the banks of Cauvery near Mysore with a responsibility to protect the Sampradaya by passing on the knowledge to sishyas. This verse was written during by Desika during his stat in Sathyagala in which he prays to Ranganatha to instill fearlessness in the minds of devotees. He requests the Lord to destroy the evil that has befallen the society and which has caused tremendous fear in the people. The metrical formation is a very good one to chant. There are 29 verses in all. Adiyen is attaching the links that cover the meanings in parts and also a youtube link in which adiyen has rendered the stotra alone.

Verses from 1 to 6 that includes the introduction

https://drive.google.com/open?id=1Wnb2X-cxyoAoYZDE5LIU8gC5VOXgFuN_

verses from 7 to 12

https://drive.google.com/open?id=1XDJ-cTCgXr8_4eXX6jl0g0198a4QgscC

verses from 13 to 18

https://drive.google.com/open?id=1gdabBmhzXXZufkCwTP4svQ4WK2P6AvU6

verses from 19 to 24

https://drive.google.com/open?id=1-fyWoZYDXGfFChLSS4r6alvyqk2Ld0VM

verses from 25 to 29

https://drive.google.com/open?id=1JrYq1tmsYDyVp4qfecYxJJnzCAtdZyfZ

the link to listen to the recitation is as below. Dasan.

Sri Dasavathara Stotram – meaning with emphasis on Sanskrit

Sri Dasavathara Stotram is a composition by Sri Vedanta Desika on the ten avatars of Sriman Narayana whose archa forms adorn the Dasavatara Sannidhi in Srirangam. In the first verse Swami Desika sings in praise of Bhagavan Ranganatha and his divine consort Ranganayaki, the divine actor-couple who adorn the ten avatars so as to bestow auspiciousness on all the Jivatmas. There are thirteen verses in all. The ten avatars are praised from the 2nd to the 11th. The thirteen summarises all the ten avatars with beautiful names invocatory names of the Bhagavan, praising the significance of his divya nama. The thirteenth verse mentions the phala stuti.

The recordings are available in parts and they are provided in the links below

Introduction to the 4th sloka

https://drive.google.com/open?id=1ZA79FHEK2iuO-_uUWsh-I_uAhkDaGFKf

5th verse to the 8th verse

https://drive.google.com/open?id=1ZEgVzilF5OoOK1po_AsPdyhp3In9Me4L

9th verse to the 13th verse

https://drive.google.com/open?id=1axW8aQWkET2I4yIz_0eNs6iDsa0Q184T

Dasan

My poem on ‘Going Green’

https://www.msn.com/en-in/news/environment/industries-shut-ganga-water-quality-improves/ar-BB12beCN?ocid=msedgntp

https://www.nbcnews.com/science/environment/coronavirus-shutdowns-have-unintended-climate-benefits-n1161921

In the backdrop of the above news items that are appearing in the times of corona I am sharing a poem of mine that I wrote roughly 10 years back..

My poem on “Going Green”

If we learn to walk and not run in LIFE (both literally and metaphorically) I think we can go green! May be a little compromise here and there can extend the life of EARTH a little more…my humble thoughts…

When there is a thought about tomorrow,
in our minds, arises an unfounded sorrow,
each one trying to enjoy as much now,
making the serene nature cry and bow,
the endless greed of ours has her raped,
denuding her without much to be draped,
contended ancestral lives becoming a myth,
n somehow there seems to be a lack of faith,
funny, all our lips carry the name of god,
the real trust and devotion deluding us hard,
did we ever worry when we were in the womb?
are we simply worrying our way to the tomb?
with whatever, the idea is to only hoard,
in this, without exception, all in a herd,
hopeless it is to go back to past glory,
let us at least stop the future being gory,
to this, let’s take a step a day with muscle,
do everything to sustain without a fizzle,
in our way, let us walk and pedal, 
in her way, try not to meddle,
for she knows how to resuscitate,
at least let us try and not suffocate,
not for nothing god gave us this body,
let’s refrain from those that are shoddy!

Sreeram Jaganathan

Also please watch the video below which I vaguely remember was the inspiration to the pen the above poem.

Activities of Sree Ramanuja Vidyalaya

NOTE ON ACTIVITIES OF SREE RAMANUJA VIDYALAYA SINCE INCEPTION

Sree Ramanuja Vidyalaya has been functioning since the 26th of January 2018 on an informal basis. Dr.Sreeram Jaganathan, B.Sc, M.B.A., M.A, M.Phil, PhD (Sanskrit) and his wife Smt.Anusha Sreeram, B.Sc, M.Sc (IT), M.Music founded the Vidyalaya together to impart value based education to kids during pre and after school hours.

Dr.Sreeram has been teaching Stotras, Basics of Veda, Gita, Sanskrit, moral values and ethics through stories from puranans, itihasas and other sources. He has been mentoring the young minds by instilling self-confidence in them, building on their personality by improving on their listening, understanding, communication and other related skills.

The students are encouraged to speak on a weekly basis on some topic or narrate a story to train their thinking and communication skills. They are taught to think in multiple languages by helping them with the nuances.

Around 50 kids are learning Stotras, Sanskrit etc from Dr.Sreeram. A number of adults are also learning from him. He gives weekly lectures on topics like the Srimad Bhagavad Gita etc to quite a few adults who are interested to know the age-old wisdom that is contained in such texts.

The main idea in imparting such education is to make kids be rooted in tradition yet can adopt themselves to the changing times. They will grow up to be mentors themselves and would motivate their peers wherever they go to study or work.

Smt. Anusha has been teaching Indian classical music (carnatic) – vocal and instrumental (predominantly violin) to many children during their after school hours. There are around 30 students who are learning from Smt.Anusha.

Smt.Anusha gives lectures on music to equip her students with the theoretical knowledge that will complement their performance skills.

Besides offering the above classes and lectures, the Vidyalaya has been organising summer camps for kids to impart traditional knowledge and to make them morally, ethically and spiritually equipped to take on life as they grow up.

Opportunities are given to the kids to showcase their prowess in traditional areas of learning and classical arts. Competitions are also conducted to motivate them. This camp has been happening for two years now.

The Vidyalaya also conducts programs for adults on traditional rituals.

A Trust in the name Sree Ramanuja Vidyalaya was formed on 26th July 2019 by Dr.Sreeram Jaganathan (Managing Trustee), Dr. S.Padmanabhan (Trustee) and Sri. E.S.Mukundan (Trustee) with an idea to reach out to many more kids and adults and to run the classes on a full-fledged basis in a more organised manner. A fulltime modern patashala (for boys) combining Vedic education with modern education has been functioning since the 8th of October 2019. There are two full time students and three part time studnets. Some more full time students are expected to join in April 2020. Next step would to be to extend the patashala for girl children without compromising on the Sanatana dharma injunctions.

Planning is underway to rope in many professionals and teachers to impart education on a variety of topics including ancient Indian languages like Tamil, Sanskrit, Telugu, Kannada etc. A bank account has been opened in the name of the Trust and funds are being collected from noble minds. Dr.Sreeram can be contacted on +91 9940086253 and sreeramanujavidyalaya@gmail.com. The Vidyalaya has a website www.sreeramanuja.com that is in the process of being renovated.

Sri Dehaleesha Stuti – meaning with emphasis on Sanskrit

Vamana transforming in to Trivikrama in the fingers of Sri Keshav

Sri Dehaleesha Stuti, consisting of 28 verses is a beautiful piece of poetry on Sri Dehaleesha, the presiding deity of Thirukovalur located on the scenic banks of Pennaiyaar. The right leg of the Emberumaan goes up to the space while his left leg is well placed on the earth. The usual places of his conch and discus are also interchanged. This is the kshetra wherein the Emberumaan rejoicing in the very close company of the first three Alwars – Poigai Alwar, Bhudat Alwar and Peyalwar, blessed them and made them sing the first three thiruvanthathis out of the unbound bhakti towards Him.

Besides narrating the scenic beauty of the place, the birth of Ganga, the coming together of the three Alwars on a rainy night in a dehali (threshold of a house) and the divine leela of Emberumaan with them, the transformation of Vamana in to Trivikrama etc, Desika very nicely discusses the aspects of prapatti and the outlook of a prapanna in general.

The meanings of the verses have been rendered in Tamil with a special focus on Sanskrit (to help beginners) and the recordings are shared in parts in the following links,

Introduction and the first six verses

https://drive.google.com/open?id=1ARtgbP-RmlLqWUPoh4ESmAgg57TZEq3l

verses 7 to 12

https://drive.google.com/open?id=15eJ3Ml1jCZdXQYwdOvAHOQweFMd1cBJM

verses 13 to 18

https://drive.google.com/open?id=171KLheAbHpusj2bIKK-zilOdZjKSCd8v

verses 19 to 24

https://drive.google.com/open?id=1AJ9r0dCupuC-MJ9zdNCP5cLIpjj2-nUW

verses 25 to 28

https://drive.google.com/open?id=1AUA4JeQwPznYp89eGDFUTxMRM2UfMLAT

Acharya Krupa

Dasan

Sreeram.

Sri Mahaveera Vaibhavam – meaning with emphasis on Sanskrit and citations from Srimad Ramayana

Sri Raman with Sita Piratti, Ilayaperumal and Siriya thiruvadi at Thiruvendipuram

Sri Mahaveera Vaibhavam or Sri Raghuveera Gadyam is a prose-stuti or gadyakavya of Sri Nigamantha Mahadesikan. Sampradaya says this stuti was composed by Sri Desika on the archa murti of Sri Rama of the divya kshetra Thiruvendipuram. Consisting of 94 churnikas the stuti begins with the words ‘jaya jaya mahavira’. Swami Desikan has himself named this stuti as Mahaveera vaibhavam vide the line ‘pathata mahaveera vaibhavam sudhiyah’ in the concluding verse of the work.

Adiyen, with whatever meagre knowledge in Sanskrit that has been acquired, has attempted to narrate the meanings of this wonderful piece of prose-poetry with special emphasis on the basics of Sanskrit.

The recordings are done in parts. The link to the audio file of the first part that contains the introduction and meanings of the first 19 churnikas is as below

https://drive.google.com/open?id=1Mkvn83oOMquFMYsVta7Vjpg-hMy0FjkB

The link to the audio file of the second part that contains the meanings of the choornikas from 20th to 36th is as below

https://drive.google.com/open?id=1hiERohtssihfHjwr_Fi_XiczgKICynLH

The link to the audio file of the third part that contains the meanings of the choornikas from 37th to 54th is as below

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1D_jycYrxdBLzLxqFAgEXvlBlsZjodMKo/view?usp=drivesdk

The link to the audio file of the fourth part that contains the meanings of the choornikas from 55th to 76th is as below

https://drive.google.com/open?id=1KYMseJInj4hU9EpdWhw685Cat_Bf4byW

The link to the audio file of the final part that contains the meanings of the choornikas from 77th to 94th (the last) and the two slokas thereafter is as below

https://drive.google.com/open?id=1HotynXxoDuhUz4M8lVBfb9zCcFb10T6F

Please find below the YouTube link to adiyen’s recitation of Sri Mahavira Vaibhavam

Adiyen’s recitation of Sri Mahaveera Vaibhavam

DAsan

Sreeram.

Srimad-Rahasyatraya-Sara-adhikara-namavali – a metrical composition

Swami Desika – a pencil sketch by adiyen

Srimad Rahasyatraya Sara, considered to be the magnum opus of Sri Nigamantha Mahadesikan, is a comprehensive work in manipravala, a mix of Sanskrit and Tamil, and is about the three rahasyas or mantras that are very central to the philosophy of Vishishtadvaita. There are 32 adhikaras or chapters in this work. Adiyen was requested by a bhagavata to compose a metrical work mentioning the names of those 32 adhikaras in anushthup metre (sloka metre) so that bhagavatas can easily memorise and remember them. There should be a work available already in this regard already composed by our poorvacharyas. Adiyen has also done one, whatever be its worth. The link to the document is as below:

https://drive.google.com/open?id=1IclyoR1cFZANGRVBK7uk4JhbDnnFacNh

DAsan

Sreeram.