| Question Namaskaram Ammey Unitive spontaneous intuitive comprehension and Unitive reflective analytical comprehension, these two aspects as flip sides of re-cognising the cognition of consciousness as a starting point, then an aesthetic contextual genetic:epigenetic stimulation of our shared collective reality based on the socio-geopolitical narratives driven by desires of power, eros and need for acceptance is basic conditioning of us human beings. Bhava Raga Tala : BhaRaTa, all persuits in our traditions was and is to re-cognise, approximate, harmonise and co-exist with in individual and collective selves simultaneously , basically merge and flow with flow of our infinite fractal universal Yamala consciousness so as to see our own awareness as Bhagawan/Bhagawati. Swabodha in pratyabijna of sacchidanda will naturally orient to advaitha optics deep with in our hearts cave and outside the game is to find most optimised methodologies to maintain the Yamala through vidya ,soundarya and karuna. Most of beings are just driven by their latent didetic memories(vasana) which in turn increases the vyapti of curvature of our own awareness, our dharma is to approximate and harmonise in a way that ativyapti doesn't occur. Pratyabijna of Advaitham cant be rendered into rhetorics, only possibility is to be dialectical about duality in the reality we attend. Consciousness as an inert perfect super symmetric daddy or mommy is a dangerous terrain that lead us into prophetic monotheism to the degree were diversity is a threat. Achintya bhedaabheda is beautiful proposition in a poetical sense but highly open to varying interpretations, consciousness as an active awareness experiencing reality as it is, by finding most aesthetic means to be stimulated by it is our marga. Consciousness as Bhava Raga Thala, as sabdabrahman, in that, with the spanda happened the spota with that resulted sphurita and then temporarily spudata happens and dissipates. As fancy as all of that sounds, this is what I got to re-cognise in the journey of looking for better systems than western reductionist science which is not a parampara nor shastra. lack of holistic linguistic framework, lack of relaxed nature, lack of merging of cosmology, psychology and theology in a long trailed and errored manner, innate parasitic colonial logic and optics, major lack of combining sciences to express it aesthically, long trauma from Christian policing etc etc,..this all made me reject most of the western systems and seeking started to focus on vedangas, shad darshanas, tantras and natya shastras, now am in a stage were devi has given me an arul to structrise all bharatiya knowledge systems from it skeletal systems to it's aesthetic applications , so as to create an apt ithihasic compilation of our knowledge systems, so as to preserve it for future generations and to attain digvijaya again for dharma may be in 4 generation time. I bow down to your lotus feet for anugraham and marga nirdesham for the above mention vision to be manifested. Aushiva Dev om Tat Sat |
| Reply: It is good to have a great aim in life. May God bless you to fulfil that. All thought come from human beings, whether from East or west. As long as they are good for the entire world, without segregations it will be good What we can do is to have good thoughts, words and deeds beneficial for the whole world. Which will not hurt anyone. That will go a long way in fulfilling the goal. Indian knowledge has been compiled and kept for thousands of years. What we do is just keeping its study and discussions alive , so that it is not forgotten and lost to posterity. And in fact the beneficiaries are we ourselves, because it transforms us into better individuals who can see the world in a new perspective. Have faith in the goodness of world and its life forms, love them and spread kindness and compassion along with theoretical knowledge. India gives more importance to life of philosopher rather than his philosophy. Because it is the model, not the advice-of the philosopher which gives solace to the people around. God Bless. Dr Suvarna Nalapat |
| Question Respected Madam, How can I order the books you have published ? Please suggest. Thanks Rajesh |
| Reply: Most of my books are out of print. I have tried to upload many of them on www. Archives. com. Just go to the home page of the Trust webpage. You will find a trending events . The first of it , if you click on it will show the uploaded books. |
| Question Dear Ma'am - My name is Nithin and I am an ardent listener of your speech in youTube I know you are very busy but in case you find some time, I would really appreciate it if you can guide me a bit and clarify a few doubts which are bothering me in my path as a seeker. With your permission...let me elaborate madam. Personally being interested in Advaita Vedanta along with Science, some of my understanding is conflicting and even disturbing. Hence it would be great if you could share your opinion and guidance. The topic is consciousness, neuroscience and Darwin's "Theory of Evolution". I am aware that you hold the vedantic position that "Turiyaa" state of pure consciousness is independent of human brain and matter arise out of it (what we call as adhyasa in vedanta). Even in modern days this holds lot of value when some philosophers like David Chalmers say that "consciousness is fundamental" and when Physicists like John Wheeler propose "It from bit" and suggests that information is fundamental. With that in mind we have to agree that the proposition that "consciousness is fundamental" does hold a significance. We can justify this a lot within the framework of modern science as far as we approach this from the view point of Philosophy, Physics and Maths. I even notice you drawing parallels from these streams of science to support and explain Advaita in many of your lectures. But one thing which is very interesting which I observed in my studies is that pretty much all of these scientists by the virtue of their profession (being mathematicians or physicists or philosophers) weren't trained in the science of Biology and hence doesn't seem to have even looked at things from that perspective. But we know it (Biology) is a fundamental science and "theory of evolution" is not merely a "theory" any more and we have irrefutable proofs mounting everyday in support of that. From that perspective evolution driven by natural selection is referred to as blind process, quite un-intelligent without any direction. If we carefully study the flaws in the design of "eye", blood vessels, appearance of flowers and seeds driven by evolution, field of embryology, design of human brain as reptilian , limbic and cortical, transgenderism, genetic disorders etc. (not to mention the mutations of recent coronavirus strains) - likewise there are countless number of things beautifully explained and solved by that theory and it is in for a triumphant run also. The topics which were once complex to understand and explain in everyday life from a philosophical point of view (like moral values, behavioral issues, psychopathic behaviors etc.) seems to be explained now with great clarity with evolutionary biology combined with advancements in neuroscience. The more deep we study evolution, the more convincing we become (from a rational standpoint) that it is blind and direction-less and not guided by any background intelligence. On the other hand, the moment we hold consciousness as fundamental (as per Vedanta), we have to assume that it is intelligent too. Now I am struggling to justify the presence of all the proven blindly driven and direction-less evolutionary facts which contradicts this very presence of intelligence ? I would like to seek your opinion on this. The other aspect is in alignment with the same ask I mentioned Whether consciousness is fundamental or not is debatable but can't it be that "Turiya" proposed and experienced by our rishis could be generated by the human brain ? Can't it be that they proposed it at a time when humanity wasn't aware of the functioning of brain, genetics or even fundamentals of electrical signals and its activities weren't known at that time. If Sankara was alive today in the midst of our modern day understanding of genetics, epigenetics and neuroscience, would he have had a different opinion ? It has been said that if neurons are the walls of the building then consciousness could be the empty space made by the walls. Our ancient rishis knew that we cannot believe information captured from our senses and hence they sought for ways to go beyond that to identify with states of consciousness like Turiya. Even modern neuroscience very well tells us that our senses cannot be believed, but then they say, that is all what we got, and any other state beyond that could very well be a creation of the human brain. A person whose parietal lobe and temporal lobe activity reduces (whether it is via meditation, prayer, physical activity, sufi dance, automatic writing, mindfulness etc.) might feel a sense of connectedness within universe along with a loss of sense of self and thalamic activity being higher would feel that experience as more real and even can mistake it as a "direct experience" to a higher truth - but in reality could it be just another subjective experience which doesn't have any correlation to the "objective truth" (whatever that may be). Even when we say in deep surgery when brain was unconscious, people experienced things, hence consciousness is not dependent on the brain, neuroscience says that "well, the brain was unconscious but it wasn't dead, it was still active and it can do wonders. So it can still be another brain phenomenon". Considering the new studies based on neuroplasticity, blindsight phenomenon, ground breaking discovery made a few months back about how anesthesia works etc. evidence is strong too for that view point. I realize this has been a long note and apologize if I sounded skeptical ma'am but I sincerely appreciate your guidance on this. Have a great day Ma'am. |
| Reply: 1. Thureeya is only the 4th state. There are more states beyond it. Thureeyatheetha, the Panchavastha gives us a state of emptyness of panchabhootha. Nada first abhivyakthi in thureeya , become manifest in the panchavastha as Nadanthasakthi, byapika,samana and Unmani. These are the subtle sound waves in the cosmos. From Unmani onwards , light waves of Kaala (Time) become manifest. And in Kaalaantha only the light and soundwaves of cosmos become one with that of self. Thureeya is the Athmaroopa and all thureeyatheetha states are subtle cosmic roopa which makes us one with Prapancha. (AthmabrahmaEkathwa). Sp as an Advaithin this final state is the absolute, while Thureeya is the Athmarupa of individuals. 2. Evolution starts from the thanmathra of Panchabhootha and first nonliving dravya are formed. Their combinations and commutations make the first jeevakana , something like a Jeevaparamanu in Kanadavaiseshika, which modern science call a virus. Mutations happen only from this state. What is mutation ? Just a replacement of one element of an aminoacid in a protein . This happen only late in the course of evolution. What I am saying is, Darvin's evolution starts at a very late moment in the evolution of creation. Since evolution starts from the evolution of Panchabhootha from sakthi, universal mind is everywhere, not just in a brain. This phylosophy takes us to the origin of universe, and then to the origin of life and evolution of human from the lower biological forms. Kanada Vaiseshika deals with this process scientifically. 3. Thureeya and thureeyatheetha are is experienced by only beingd highly evolved in scale of evolutionn. Not by all . (Though all have brain and neuronal channels). Science came to the state of Thureeya, Nada, and light waves exploring from outside world. Yoga exploring from inner world. Though the direction of exploration is different, both reached the same point. Therefore, it is not a subjective truth, but a objective reality. 4. In my studies I have tried from both directions . And I have seen that Sankara and other Rishis have knowledge of the scince , and not just theory of Philosophy.Dr Leelavathy had written a review on my book Sudhasindhu in Mathrubhumi weekly in which she had mentioned that scientific spirit. I cant write more than this in this post. Do aspire in the quest for the absolute truth. God Bless. |
| Question I want a copy of mudra ( study of ujjayini of o n v kururup.how to get online.pl.help |
| Reply: Mudra is not currently available in market. |
| Question Respected Madam, I have been following the series on Lalithasahasranamam (5 episodes) on youtube. Would you be bringing this wealth of knowledge out as a book? Regards, Bipin |
| Reply: The book has already been published by Kerala books Kodungallur . The title is Sreevidya Prasthanathrayam. Contains Lalithashasranamam bhavana Upanishad, and Varivsyarahasya. |
| Question Respected madam I am a freelance researcher on vishwakarma community and I belong to that community. Madam in my study on vishwakarmas in vedas, the adharvana veda pruthvi suktha says that, "yasyam vedim parigruhnanti bhumyam, yasyam yagnam tanvate vishwakarmanah, and so on. It means where ever the vishwakarmas build alters and perform yagnas on the earth, the earth and the people living will prosper. There are many more examples like that in vedas which I can quote. Then why vishwakarmas face so much caste bias. I have read so many articles on vishwakarma which are written by people without much knowledge. could you please elaborate on this subject further. Thank you very much. K.Venkateshwara Rao, Hyderabad. kanvenkatesh68@gmail.com |
| Reply: Viswakarmas are those learned people who created the veda, the yajna and the temples and urban city planning in ancient India and were respected by all. When the first census was taken by English lords , they (because of ignorance of our system) placed them as a caste. Actually it is only a labour division among citizens of Bharatha. The fact that the ancestor of Krishna ( an avathar of him in ancient times) was Ojas a Viswakarma lineage considered as the ancestor of all Chalukya lineage. Even Nambuthiri brahmins ( some of them) trace their lineage to Viswakarma Brahmins. So the oneness of all our ancestors have to be thought about . The very hymn you quoted show the earth prospers where Viswakarmas do yagna and make altars. Misunderstanding a JOB or division of labour for caste was the result of ignorance only. |
| Question Dear Madam Can you share the details of vannery nadu .Which is the present place which was its area .which is the presiding temple and importance of the place |
| Reply: Please read the book Nalapatinte charithram - vannerinadiloode by Indology Trust Calicut. Gramakshethra of Vannery Nad is Govindapuram the Vishnu of this temple was consecrated by Yudhishtira. The 33 Brahmin agraharas of Vannery educational Uty ( part of Valabhi uty) can still be traced on the 4 sides of it as agrahara model. |
| Question Respected Madam, I am a retired person living Bangalore. I am 75 years old. I am spending my time reading about Vedas and Indian History. I read your texts on Commentaries on Lalitha Sahasranamam, Indian History, The quest for God and infinity.Corridors of time. I have also heard your lectures on youtube on various topics. I have learnt and understood many things about life. I am amazed at your indepth knowledge on many Indian sanskrit literature.I also read your text on IVC and Kerala in which you mention the book by R.Mathivanan on IVC. Since I want to learn more about IVC I request you to let me know the title and publisher of the book. With Regards, Yours faithfully, T.S.Chennabasavan |
| Reply: See below. I have answered it .The same question asked twice. |
| Question Respected Dr.Suvarna,I am a Ph-D scholar and am researching on Kamala Das.I had written a thesis on her in my M-Phil degree ,also.I have read her; English poems,My story,A child hood in Malabar,Love queen of Malabar and few of her stories in English.I request you to kindly give your personal comments/experiences/anecdotes/incident which you had with her.I would like to add these in my thesis,with your reference.This will enhance the value of my work.I am sure you will oblige. Regards Satpal Singh,Chandigarh |
| Reply: I share the same Nalapat gene with Kamala Das. I share the same environment where she grew up . But , to write about an author, one has to read all the works of the Author or influenced by the author’s life and writings. . I haven’t read all of Kamala Das’ books. Nor was I influenced by her in my childhood or youth ,though we are first cousins , and were born and brought up in the same home, by the same grandmother. The reason is , when I was about 1 ½ years old she was married and left to Mumbai with her husband and came back to Nalapat , just to have her children delivered. The first of its kind (Monu’s birth) happened when I was 3 years old . Not an age to be influenced or to remember a grown up cousin. But I do remember Monu well . The young kid who sat in my grandmother’s lap which I thought was my own rightful place. As a three year old child, I was naturally envious and made a scene , for which Amy Oppu used to call me Asura janma .(The envy and cry was natural for a 3 yr old, but calling a child of that age an Asura is not natural for an adult woman of her age , I realized later on when I studied Psychology). When I wrote a poetry in Mathrubhoomi children’s page about a bird, stoned to death by boys in my school, her prompt reply came (I was 10-11 year old then). She wrote that she is proud of me as a sister with poetic talent and cried for the plight of the bird. That was the first meaningful communication she had with me . I have written this in my spiritual Autobiography Paatheyam.(page 51-52 D C Books Kottaym 2003) In late 70’s , I wrote a novelette in Malayalam “Story of a River”(Puzhayude Katha) and sent it to my Valiyamma, mother of Kamala Das. At that time Valiyamma was staying with Kamala Das in Mumbai. she read my book and wrote a letter to me. It was evident that Valiyamma had told her that I write poetry , but do not publish it, because Kamala Das expressed her wish to read my poetry .Translation of that letter : My Dear Suvarna, Read your book with wonder.There is no need to say that it is good. I read the ending lines on page 95 again and again. I wish to read your poetry. Namaskaram to Bhanu and Abhilash With Love Amy Oppu 23 .3 .1980. What were the ending lines on page 95 ? I eagerly opened and read them . “ Death is not something to be feared. Sun immersing in the ocean knows , that a sunrise will come again. Twilight embracing night , knows that there is a new day. Death is not the end. It is a beginning. The snowcap never disappears. The nectar flowing out of it has merged in me. From me, to newer branches.. The form changes. But the Bhaava never changes. It is the sanskrithi of Love , neverending, everlasting. Tomorrow the peak will wear it again on its head , in a new model !!!” (Page 95 Puzhayude katha . M M Publications Kottayam .Novelette) These were the lines which she loved and read again and again. Several years after that event when I saw an article in Mathrubhoomi about her written by Bina Govind , I wrote to her and she wrote a piece about Death, in our College Magazine of which I was staff Editor. We met at Calicut twice, the second one was when she came home hearing that I had lost my Husband. She wrote in her column that I am able to withstand the grief without crying because of my philosophical wisdom. In late 90’s she invited me to Sahitya Academy for a Function (She was Vice President of Academy then) and from 1995-1998 we were occasionally meeting and contacting over the phone. In 1998 I had moved to Ernakulam and it was then that we had really contacted each other and known each other. She used to call me and my son on Sundays , and we used to have hilarious intellectual sessions on everything under the earth in her residence . Both of us enjoyed the sessions and knew each other through them. Sometimes she will ask me to read out my poetry and I would recite them sitting at her feet, while she reclines on a cot. When a catching line comes , she will suddenly sit up and ask certain lively questions. She said I am the most intelligent person in Nalapat family and my gene is possibly from Chittanjoor Kovilakam ( C.Kunjan Raja etc) of my maternal grandfather. She was fond of my creations in her own way and asked me to translate a few poems of Valiyamma, because only I can do that without doing injustice to her mother. She said , even herself will do injustice to her mother if she translates them. When I translated them, she handed it over to Prof M Leelavathi . Kamala Das thought that no woman can write beautiful poetry without a secret love within. She once asked me : “ Are there no men in your life ?” I said ,Ofcourse ,Yes. First one is Krishna. She said , no woman can love a impersonal God Krishna and there must be a personal man. This idea seemed crazy to me, because I had started to love Krishna, before age 3 and there never had been a man in my life at that time except Ammaman (Nalapat Narayana Menon) and I was born when he was 60 years old. Mine had always been a impersonal God Krishna .She said I am the luckiest woman to have had that experience, and also to be popular without making any effort to be popular. Yet at times when I recite my poetry, she will fall back into her old belief that I have some unknown Krishna in my life on whom I am writing . Her life and writing shared a common quality. They could each be described as a simultaneity of co-existing incompatabilities. Younger generations of women thought that she is an emanicipator of their modern minds , and a free-thinker .Others thought she is a irresponsible person, a leading intelligence of her age, or an erudite show-off. A witty person, a clever misanthrope and a romantic woman. (I share none these opinions). But for me she had always been the child brought up by my dearest grandmother who had taught me the secret of true unconditional love to an impersonal God Krishna . And I knew that , though she too had the good luck to be brought up by that grandmother, she didn’t learn that lesson. That was what I understood in those few years in Ernakulam and I felt a sort of compassionate love which draws me to her . She too sensed that when we came in contact and a invisible bond was working between us , through our grandmother . She had gone deep into my ideas by her probing intellect and I had gone into her deeper emotions naturally. Both understood our resemblances and differences and had a good time for a short while. Both of us have not tried to influence the other and remained as such . I believe , just as her mother Nalapat Balamani Amma did: സത്യം ബ്രൂയാത് പ്രിയം ബ്രൂയാത് ബ്രൂയാത് സത്യമപ്രിയം പ്രിയം ച നാനൃതം ബ്രൂയാത് ഏഷധര്മ്മസനാതന ഭദ്രം ഭദ്രമിതിബ്രൂയാത് ഭദ്രമിത്യേപവാവദേത് ശുഷ്കവൈരം വിവാദം ച ന കൃത്യാത് കേനചിത് സഹ Satyam Brroyaath Priyam brooyaath Brooyaath styamapriyam Priyam cha naanrutham brooyaath Eshaddharma:sanathana: Bhadram bhadramithi brooyaath Bhadramithyepavaavadeth Sushkavairam vivaadam cha Na krithyaath kenachith saha Say only truth,Say only that which brings auspiciousness and happiness to all. Do not tell untruths and words which hurt others. A truth becomes untruth if it brings injustice in society and hurt other people. One has to be truthful to one’s self in writing and life. But if something you say, do , or write will hurt another one’s feelings, that truth is not truth but a lie. For me personal desires are not very important when compared to the needs of the ailing people and society. Being a Doctor and a philosopher ,I had crossed the desires of this small physical body and mind quite early in life, and I always felt that she needs to cross that even at that old age when we met in Ernakulam. Being my elder sister, I could not hurt her saying that , but I could not hurt the younger generation and the society too . If I say I approve and like her ideologies and writings I will be hurting the next generation of youngsters in our society, who might take her as an example in personal life . That was my dilemma. When she asked me to write on her , I was torn between this dilemma , yet I wrote an article (The only article I wrote on her). What I wrote was on her childhood dream of Krishna and a Dream analysis of it by Nalapat Narayana Menon. I had read it in one of her memoirs. She had dreamt of Krishna . She saw him with a retinue of Gopis, gopas and cows in a procession walking along her cot on the wall and when they disappeared a middleaged woman was cleaning the floor under her cot with a broom.Then she opened her eyes and saw neither procession nor the cleaning woman. when she announced that she had seen Krishna, her father said , she is a lier. Her friends made fun of her. She was upset. (She is easily upset for such matters). Then philosopher –poet Nalapat asked her: Amy, How did he look like ? Was he like the photograph hung in the house ? She said: No. Ammaman asked: Then how did you know that it is Krishna? She said: I saw a procession of cows and Gopis. Hearing the bells of the cows , I knew it was Krishna coming. With those two simple but very pertinent questions Ammaman analysed her dream and announced : Who is there to say that Amy has not seen Krishna ? If somebody say so, let them say their reasons. This episode is very important from my point of view. 1. she has seen or rather heard Krishna through the Omkara made by the Bells , and that was a truly impersonal Krishna not attached to any physical body and that had happened in her infancy/childhood. 2. Nalapat being a shrewd person has assessed the inner consciousness of a child with a Theosophist’s intellect . 3. With such an impersonal dream vision in childhood, she yet thinks that impersonal love for Krishna is impossible. This is the controversy in her life and writing. 4. Poetry is impersonal. All art and science are impersonal.We love them impersonally .God is just like that, an impersonal aesthetic experience. 5. If we project Krishna to a ordinary human being and his Physical form, we are doomed. This had happened to her over the years and she could not get over it. 6. The sound of a middle aged female cleaning the floor beneath her cot may be related to prediction of this impurity of physical love created out of projection. 7. This is a psychological analysis of her childhood dream vision. 8. Desire is a dangerous emotion whether it be for food,luxuries,erotic experience or power .It creates problems in society and in personal life. The desire to create a child needs two people as participants.The desire to create art and science need just one person as Creator . Spiritual experience or Godly (Divine) experience is of the second kind akin to artistic creation. It doesn’t need a second participant . Every artist,poet,philosopher ,scientist creates with his/her own brain/mind .This is Amaithuna Sargam , opposite to Maithunasargam of a child out of wedlock. Where and why little Kamala das lost her impersonal love for Krishna is unknown.But it had happened somewhere in her life’s sojourn. And, the fact is that , she knows her path is lost very well and has written it several times . When English and Malayalam Literature students in Classrooms of colleges and Universities read her Autobiography and teachers teach that she had been the victim of a Lustful marriage , the guilt consciousness in her makes her wince . But words once written cannot be taken back. A poet’s creation is not only the effect of his/her thoughts. But also the function of thinking. The emotions created by experiences in us may have flowers and thorns and when life’s storms are over and when we look back , we may find that the thorns were unnecessarily and unknowingly created by us.Drama of thought of Kamala Das contains emotions, thoughts and guilt consciousness created by her own experiences and it is the life of her as such. When we look out through a window we find all leaves moving. Is one leaf moving because of movement in another ? When a wind passes through, all leaves are moved .The movement of thoughts of all poets and philosophers happen with touch of the same wind. The equality in pattern of movement is because the leaves are leaves . But the movement of a banyan leaf differs from that of a coconut leaf.That of a paddy and bamboo are different. In the same way, the thoughts and drama of thought of Nalapatan Poets (Including me) have similarities but are different from each other. One quality common to Nalapatan Poets may be as Coleridge said : “Selfmoving energy of consciousness is no doubt conditioned by historical and personal circumstances.”( The work and the relevance .Coleridge .William Walsh). Our most ancient infancy experiences , our physical experiences even , are coloured by our past and our beliefs. Creativity of Kamala Das is also of that type. Therefore , I cannot negate Kamala Das simply because she has different type of personalized physical love for Krishna. We have saadharmya in our childhood impersonal Krishna Consciousness. But we are having Vaidharmya (difference) because I carry it to old age (as an Advaithin) and she has lost it somewhere during her youth. There is music in our souls.But it is sung in different styles,rhythms and raagaas. The first sign of life is Rhythm. It is inner quality of cosmos and of art. The rhythm of life is rhythm of language; Rhythm of Life breath; Rhythm of cosmic fields and starry heavens. To awaken it within is the desire of all poets, and artists. When it is awakened we try to communicate it through languages, to rise in the wings of imagination with rhythmic words .It is a blessing. Rhythm is breath of poetry . It is inspiration , not perspiration. She has it in her stylish language and presentation of themes. Read her English poems , this will be evident for any casual reader. But why did she write an autobiography about which she had to go back on her own words and try justifications for writing it ? People say that it is a fancy.Others say that it is truth and that is why she is depressed. I must say that any autobiography is a sort of Narrative medicine for her as an Author. As T S Eliot said , her poetry is “Not a turning loose of emotion, but an escape from emotion. It is not the expression of personality but an escape from personality. But ofcourse , only those who have personality and emotions know what it means to want to escape from these things. There are many people who appreciate the expression of sincere emotion in verse ,and there is a small number of people who can appreciate technical excellance. But very few know when there is an expression of significant emotion, emotion which has its life in the poem and not in the history of the poet. The emotion of art is impersonal. The poet cannot reach this impersonality without surrendering himself wholly to the work to be done. And he is not likely to know what is to be done unless he lives in what is not merely the present, but the present moment of the past ,unless he is conscious ,not of what is dead ,but of what is already living”. • To reach the impersonal from personal, she used the path of the Physical , the personal. Physical saguna experience can take us only to a certain limit . That was the only problem with her. She knew there is one more step.She was intelligent enough to know,cognize,that.That is why she told me that I am lucky to have chosen the impersonal path of love to Krishna. Our goals had been the same. But our paths diverged. The consciousness that throbbed in us was same. But it was sung in different raga,thala as if wind moving a banyan leaf and a bamboo leaf. Fame and popularity does not bring happiness and wisdom. Happiness and wisdom does not bring fame and popularity either. We are thus these two sides of the same Nalapat Coin. She represents fame,popularity and I represent the unpopular wisdom and internal happiness. One has options to decide which one should follow. I had the good fortune to get educated as a Medical post graduate and I married only at the mature age of 26. She was married at 16, an age when a girl is not ready for marriage and became a mother next year, not mature enough to be mother of a child. It is possible that those experiences were the reasons for her negative outlook towards her husband and his behavior. People come and ask about her and her work expecting either a negative or a positive answer from me. I cannot say that I have the same opinion as her in many matters. I cannot praise her since my ideologies differ from her. . When I cannot praise or voice my difference of opinion, I choose to be silent . Silence is better than hurting people . Balamani Amma , her own mother had been silent about such matters. If my grandmother was alive she too would not have criticized her , but she would not have praised her too. I am doing just that. I am looking at her from the position of her mother and grandmother, and have only a compassionate understanding of a highly emotional , artistic, intelligent child within her which never matured beyond a 16 year old girl . May be in some of her books (Madhavikkuttiyude Diarykkurippukal) she has matured into a mother. The loneliness in her writings has been compared to an Involutional Melancholia state by some critics. I do not consider so. I just see a helpless child who was misguided by several childhood experiences and circumstances, especially a very early marriage and motherhood , which was no body’s fault in particular. The exceptional style and structure of her writings have to be commented upon , though there may be difference of opinion about the texture and ideology of her writings .Her texture and ideology/message are not useful to society or to younger generations for a happy healthy living. We need not glorify her texture , but we can enjoy that artistic structure and stylish language any time, anywhere. India is a democratic country. Anyone can say their opinion on any matter. Some people speak of her , as if they know her well, but do not understand her at all. May be by writing on a celebrity , they expect to be noticed by the public. For me, there are no such intentions. I have loved her as she is, and do not need to write on her to be read by public. My subjects and my ideologies in life are too divergent from hers . Therefore , I do not write and hurt her or those who are dear and near to me and to her alike. Unconditional love like that is misunderstood by many . Now that Mr Satpal Singh says he needs a personal account of mine on her to complete his PhD work, I am sharing this personally with him. Just because it might help him in his Research work . But, I am not the person to approach on Research work on Kamala Das, since I have never considered her Biography writings very serious , except as a Narrative Medicine Record . |
| Question Maam as my study is related to music, i would like to study the effect of a particular raga like mohana in dealing with psychological issues like loneliness, depression, anxiety etc. What is your opinion maam ? Will you be able to help me being a beginner in research ? Sorry for all my ignorance. |
| Reply: You are also a trained psychologist.Music therapy is also social psychology and educational psychology. If you want to take just one raga as study material , what you have to do first is to make a social survey in at least 2500 people with the same raga before you do it in a hospital situation. Collect as manuy krithi/keerthana , or even popular songs in that raga sung by different people and by you as well , and witha structured questionnaire take a survey in the cross section of society.Tabulate your data and analyse yourself All ragas have healing powers. People coming to a hospital may feel better with different raga.In a hospital situation what we doctors want is a resultoriented clientoriented approach . The best available only should be given to the client . Since all ragas are healing, first take a MLP of pateint , find out the raga of his/her choice and then start with that first and procedd according to the need ( depending on system involvement /severity/need in any particular situation) is the only feasible way to achieve good results. The experiments with one raga can be done in a healthy society only to study the effect of it . music and music therapy research are related.Yet in their aims they are different.If you want to approach a client , you will have to approach from the point of view of a therapist , not from the point of view of a musician. The raga is important ,and the way of its singing, its nuances and rendering by differnt people vary and what the client takes from one may not be taken from another musician singing the same raga ,the same krithi. Therefore if you want to approach as a music therapist , whetehr you are a musician or not, you will have to approach from a therapeutic point of view( resultoriented and client oriented and NOT Raga oriented ).This is a basic principle for all music therapists. Suppose in your career ,after practicing as a music therapist in a hospital situation, you get evidence that one raga is better than another in a particular type of situation ( disease) then you can report it in a seminar/discussion and get it into a metascience level .These procedures have to be accepted by all music therapists. These are the usual research methods used in therapy situations.Remember .All raga are having healing powers.Depend on how it is sung and how it is received by client. Even mohana can be intolerable to people if sung intolerably!!!!! |
| Question Role of music therapy in promoting patient care. Is this a good title maam ? In this case i guess we can do the research with few samples of various types of patients and the physical and emotional changes they undergo by music therapy. |
| Reply: No Soumya.That has lost all focus from a research.If you had already done a lot of research on the subject and if you were writing a textbook on the subject as an expert , the title would have beem ideal.But yours is a PhD research and you have to specify the area of your study and stick to that focus. Suppose you are dealing with terminally ill clients from a paliative care unit as you proposed earlier , the title could be that itself. Effect of Music therapy on terminally ill patients in a Palliative care unit ( you can even suggest the timespan -like from 2012-2015 or so ).That timespan depends on your chosen field and the time limit you have at hand. |
| Question Maam dont i have to be specify which aspect we are going to study because is a recovery or cure possible through music therapy. In that case the extend to which we are able to deal with the anxiety or pain, is that what we will study about ? |
| Reply: 4 books have been brought out on music therapy for research students like you , so that the new discipline of music therapy develops.They are 1.without a stumble ,a book on spirituality of music 2.Music therapy in education administration and management 3 Nadalayasindhu (ragachikitsamrutham) 4 Ragachikitsa. The anxiety scales ,pain scales and how to correlate between teh subjective feelings of clients and the objective data collected are all mentioned in these books. Any research student should go through these books before choosing a subject and planning a project . For details of these books,publishers ,yr of publication etc go to published books icon, click on the desired book icon.You will get such details. |
| Question Maam I need your help for my research. How can the title be ? Effect of music therapy on cancer patients in palliative care. But here too i think i have to be more specific because there are different types of cancer and also various stages. I have heard that music therapy is possible only with those in the beginning stages. And also dont we have to be specific about the age group or the sample we are going to take ? Please give me your suggestions. Soumya |
| Reply: The Title is your message to someone who is really interested in the subject. You have to be very specific about the Title.Use minimum words ( economy in words) and express maximum of your focused area. Effect of music therapy in Palliative care is a very broad way of giving a Title. You can focus it a little more depending upon the availability of the clients . For clients in th eterminal stages music therapy ( especially devotionals ) are very effective to give a quality life. Many problems associated with anxiety,insomnia etc can be reduced both in clients and their caregivers so that it becomes part of a family medicine. I have given music to many such clients and the feedback I got from them and caregivers is that they could face all consequences more boldly and live a peaceful life with music . Death is a truth.We cant prevent it.But we can give quality life even in terminal stages of the illness and a person nearing death wants that type of help ,When you come to such fields ( where death and terminal stages of illness, are considered ) you may not be able to restrictage factor.Even yiung adults and children succumb to terminal stages of cancer. The problem you are dealing with is not age factor but the way how music helps the people to tide over any situation, even death of oneself or of a beloved one. |
| Question Mam once yu told about the eeg signals for a person in coma state or totally unconscious state. Was it indicating the independent nature of consciousness over matter. ? HK |
| Reply: In a way. But for that we have to first define what consciousness we are talking about ? Is it the Jagrath, swapna or sushupthi state of consciousness or the thureeya state ? It had been found that patients undergoing surgery , in deep unconscious state has EEG waves , yet could tell the surgeons exactly what they were talking and doing . Similarly many patients coming out of coma could remember not only the near death experience but also what the doctors and the relatives in bedside were speaking and doing. That shows even if the brain seems to be totally non-functioning , including the evidence of the EEG waves , the client is conscious , even of the immeadiate physical world-jagrath.Then what was functioning , if not the brain which is matter ? The ancient Upanishadic tradition tells the Athman as independent of matter , mind and intellect and the all-seeing and all knowing Saakshi/witness of all these . This truth is being proven by science slowly and steadily. But unfortunately many scientists ( doctors ) are unable to understand this , because they are not aware of teh discussions in ancient literature .The sakshi/witness of jagrad, swapna,sushupthi is Thureeya .The Athman is independent of matter , but it takes a form /matter as its vehicle for expressing it to others./for revealing its nature to all. |
| Question In the story of harishchandra he tries to give shoonapesha the son of a brahmin as sacrifice for instead of his son who ran away. Was it also symbolic or any reality behind that? |
| Reply: Ans:- The killing of animals is not symbolic. It existed in the prevedic inhabitants of India , as we discussed earlier in the question on ahimsa. There we also discussed the Sunasepha story and how Viswamithra stopped the bloody sacrifices of the Rakshasa tribes and of the Ikshawku kings like Rohitha and Harischandra and how he adopted the Ajigarthaputhra Sunasepha as his son and disciple. It is not symbolic. After such reformations of the prehistoric people , the present practices of the veda evolved during the time of Vasishta, Viswamithra and Agastya (Ramayan period)and after that the rites were only symbolic and ahimsa prevailed . The time of Rishabha, of the trinity of Vasishta,Viswamithra and Agastya as older contemporaries of Parasurama and Srirama is a marking point when Indians started the vedic ahimsa as a mass programme of educating the public.This , as I said earlier corresponds to the last ice age and the era just after that. |
| Question Is purushamedha described in yajurveda and human sacrifice same? what is the reality behind that? HK |
| Reply: The term Purushamedha has two words in it. Purusha and Medha . If you know the correct meanings of these two words in the Sanskrit language , all doubts will be cleared. Does Purusha in vedic literature mean human being or the Athman/Brahman ? All definitions point out that Purusha is Athman/Brahman and it exists in all living (even nonliving things being cosmic in nature)beings . Medha is the greatest intellect and the manthras for Medhadevi ( highest pragna or intellect as devi Saraswathi) in veda and Upanishad show that the medha of the purusha is our own greatest intellectual faculties and the ego of our intellectual achievements . Unless one is able to sacrifice this ego of intellect and surrender everything at the feet of a higher power , and forget all achievements in the total bliss of Swaanubhoothi , one doesn’t become satisfied eternally.It is that greatest bliss veda and vedantha , yoga etc speaks about. So self and its ego , especially the ahamkara of a superpower intellect that I am the all knowing is the hindrance to blissful existence. An athman which surrenders this surrenders everything , and purusha manifests in that person in whole . Our modern scientific knowledge has given us a very big ego , which makes us inhumane in several respects in our scientific pursuits , whether it be medical or astrophysics.In future , by evaluating the folly of this view, humanity will learn to surrender that pride in scientific achievement and then a new epoch arrives . The concept of killing a being is there in all unsophisticated methods of worshipping God as a lower being .But , in veda , all rites are for the cosmic purusha , for attainment of that state and in eternal life , killing or death, birth etc does not exist.The sophisticated scientific approach of the ONE and only energy which is origin , abode and merging place of all is attained only by sacrifice of our little egos and selves. This is the real meaning of purushamedha and aswamedha too. We had discussed the aswamedha in the sudhasindhu discussion part on Orkut, if you remember .Aswamedha is sacrificing of all worlds(lokas) and purushamedha is sacrifice of one’s self /ego for attaining the wisdom eternal. |
| Question How does Jainism came into existene? Was it before the vedic era? How vedas are connected to it? Harikrishnan |
| Reply: Jina means the Great person who has conquered all his senses by yogic practice. The first of such person with a title Jina, is Rishabha, a royal king who was the contemporary of King Yadu of the Yaduvansa. Rishbha belonged to the Ikshawku vansa . The sons of Rishabha (the Navayogins) met king Yadu at the coast of Kaveri in south India and had a discussion with him about spiritual matters and the detail is given in Vyasabhagavatha . Therefore, we have to first consider the time of Rishabha as before Krishna and Rama and he lived in a past which starts with Yaduvansa (as contemporary of Yadu). Vedic rites were practiced even during the time of Yadu and Rishabha . But , at that time the concept of Ahimsa was not that developed and people were following the atharva type rites . Rishabha is the first of the avathar of Vishnu , who started the Bhagavathadharma of Vaishnavism in India followed by several royal families who accepted yogins and sages as their Guru. Chronologically , vedic rites with Himsa in it was there when Rishabha was born, and he as the first avathar of Vishnu was the founder father of vaishnava bhagavatha dharma and concept of ahimsa in our ancestor’s life and thought. Mahaveera etc are like Buddha , social reformers who appeared very late in history .But Rishabha is very ancient.His name is mentioned in the Vedas , which shows the oral ancient tradition of veda existed before him as well. |
| Question Nowadays there are so many discussions on the year 2012. What is the significance of this year personally and globally? How Mayan calendar becomes important and do their calculation has acceptable accuracy? How are they related to India? |
| Reply: I will answer your last question first. Mayans and the ancient ancestors of Mayans in south and central America were related to Indians by sea trade and by marriage as per our scriptures and the evidences of these cultures. Indirect evidence from Herodotus also show that the Phoenicians ( South Indians) knew Americas because they used to tell the Greek that when one is rounding the cape of Goodhope , the sun changes position .(because they are crossing the tropic of Capricorn). But Herodotus and the Greeks of that time thought the Phoenicians were mad or were telling lies. And only when the Europeans in the modern world started to go across the cape ( after Vas co da Gama) the truth of the Phoenicians words became tested by modern men. The astronomical evidence is very strong.The calculation of Kaliyuga of India and the fast age of Mayans are the same as I have pointed out in Panchasidhanthika and only a difference of 10 yrs exist between them . The planetary revolutionary periods used in Indian astronomy and Mayan calculation is the same. The Vaasthu has very close similarity and the Kethumala of Indian scriptures exist as Chethumal and Gualemala in Americas and Thulaa (180 degree from Lanka in Indian Astronomy) exists in the city of Mexico as the sun’s city with the same name (Thula) .In Indian astronomy Lanka is Medam 0 degree and Thula is Thulaam 0 degree and the corresponding points on surface of earth do exist still .This discovery of mine I have discussed in Panchasidhanthika in detail. Mayans knew integers, and calculated time in short and long cycles just as Indians did. The year 2012 is the end of one of the bigger cycles and beginning of a new one.The predictions that the world will end this year is not true. But an old order ends and a new order begins is true. I do expect a spiritual upheaval in the world for a better world after December this year. May be some natural calamities might occur but the entire world will not be lost. The world will continue as ever , and each change in the world will make human beings realise their folly and lead them to the correct path. Such a spiritual upheaval can take place at personal level and global level is what I do expect .The astronomical cycles, just as the circadian rhythms, the seasonal and ecological cycles do exist and both Indians and Mayans knew this . That makes the evidence for accuracy as well as the relationship of these two people millennia before the new world was invented by the west . |
| Question Mam, I would like to know abt references abt vallabhi. Which book says abt kerala origin of vallabhi. and whcih part of rigveda says abt ship building techniques. Thank You Harikrishnan |
| Reply: Valabhi is mentioned in the Mooshakavansakavya of Athula (Tholan in regional language) .It is mentioned in the travelogues of Huen Tsang and other Chinese travellers . In many copper plate grands of Brahmadeya also it is mentioned. The books of Radhakumud Mukherjee has given some of the details of Valabhi University .Valabhipathanam or valarpatanam in North Malabar, Valabhanchery in South Malabar , and Valabhi in Gujarath were some of the centers famous for Valabhi vidyapeeta which brought out scholars in all branches of knowledge.During Budhist period chinesse travellers say that Valabhi sent out 3000 scholars to various parts of the country and abroad , every year to teach different subjects . About Ship and its journey in high sea we see how Bhujyu travelled and underwent a shipwreck and from deep sea how the Aswins rescued him and brought back safe. The mention of this story made me explore the possibilities of shipbuilding techniques unique to Indian coastal areas. The Thriratha of Aswins are mentioned and their structure also in Rgveda. The structure is exactly that of trireme of phonecians . The name thriratha and trireme also sounds similar. So are the Aswins the Phoenicians ? This question and its answers are vast collections of references which I have given in my book corridors of time (which I expect to give you through my website at least by the end of this year – if God permits). The shipbuilding techniques of India as different from other parts of teh world is discussed in detail by many historians . The fact that eventhough Indians know mettullurgy , they do not use nails on shipbuilding but only wooden nails show their knowledge that metal in salt water will undergo oxidation and the ship will last only for a short period.The durability and prolonged life of the ship was also taken into consideration. The verses in Rgveda about the trireme /thriratha of Aswins speaks of these wooden pieces used as nails . This I think is very important and tells us that the shipbuilding of India is older than even the Rgveda. |
| Question Was ahimsa part of vedic tradition or it came after buddha? Eventhough mahabharata says ahimsa paramo dharma, vedas and all mention about "bali" or animal sacrifice. Was it really killing of animals or something else? |
| Reply: Ahimsa was part of vedic tradition.The first sage to say and insist on ahimsa in sacrifice was Viswamithra and he with his sons and disciples form the major part of vedic rishis . Bali is sacrifice of your wealth, ego and everything. Everything sacrificed one becomes MAHABALI. The wealth sacrifice, when cattle is the wealth of people might have ended up in mrigabali , at one stage of vedic peoples life but they corrected it with advent of Viswamithra and others like him. Budha was a reformer much late in history.Hailing from the same Ikshwaaku family as Srirama, he was taking up the heritage of his ancestor Rama . |
| Question 2. When and where and in which language did the vedas were composed and compiled? Some says aryans from outside bharat created vedas and they migrated to India; Is that true? Were the Indus and Harappan people knew Vedas? If they knew in which language they used it.? |
| Reply: Vedas were composed in Indian dialects (language had not developed fully at that time. )The compilation of knowledge available in the entire subcontinent started before the last ice age itself, since the remnants at Mehrgarh show a wellorganised educational/knowledge system during BC 7000-8000 itself. Last ice age being BC 10000. The need for preserving what is available probably arose due to the bare necessity of protecting knowledge for posterity.Aryans were never a race outside India. They were the noble educated beings who survived in India even after the floods of last ice age . The migration theory does not have any logic in it- either historically, archeologically,genetically or by scriptures.The Indus people knew veda .Because the sapthamathru seal and the somayaga were known to them and Dhishna were excavated from Harappan and Indus sites . When the knowledge was codified , the people of India might have found the different spoken dialects and their meanings a hindrance to understanding and preservation and thus from the existing prakrith languages the new educational language might have originated and hence it is called Sanskrit and its albhabet as Brahmi, the synonym for Saraswathy . |
| Question 1. When and where did the university system of education started in India? What was the need for it? Before Nalanda were there any universities in existence? Please give an account of Vallabhi also |
| Reply: The need for a common language of instruction, the need for preserving all departments of knowledge came afer the floods of last ice age. The first universities as far as we know after the time of Parasurama, Srirama and Karthaveerya were called Valabhi and existed in the territory of Mooshakavansa in Valavipattana or valabhipathanam . The Nalanda uty was a branch of Valabhi until the Vicechancellorship was lost to Kerala Mooshaka kings and Pala Bengal kings took over Nalanda. From that time Valabhi gradually declined , yet it is still in Kerala the oldest vedic traditions are still preserved for entire world .Valabhi uty and its history I have given as a book for publication to DC Books and it has not yet come. It is a complete history of Uty education in India , on the model of which Cambridge and Oxford departments were established in 16th century Europe .Till the modern times India only had an organised Uty type education, with different departments and each studying the subject in depth and transmitting it in Gurukula style to generations of people throughout the land .Valabhi even sent translators to other countries . Entire west coast of India from tip of India to Gujrat and Sindh had centers of Valabhi at one time and without the consent or test taken from Valabhi scholars no one could enter a sabha of scholars .Chinese and Tibetan books have spoken about Valabhi . And several archeological evidences are there for its existence . |
| Question Dear mam I would like to ask a doubt regarding the origin of an organized living. India is believed to be the cradle of civilizations. We can see a common link in all branches of thoughts developed in India. What is that which binds or links all fields like religion, philosophy,music,astronomy etc.? What is the oldness of an organized living which existed in kerala and how it contributed to the vedic civilization? |
| Reply: The common link is always the concept of Naada and NaadaBrahman . It binds and embraces every branch of knowledge and every living and nonliving object in the cosmos. The life in a great biodiverse tropical rain forest with its silence and sounds made human beings capable of cognizing and understanding naada as well as organised living in such biodiversity ,as a single unified whole . Such basic organised societies developed first in the forests ( the Aranyaka ) and only later on the people started to live in villages. Veda also has the most ancient branch as Aranyaka, meaning created in forests in Thapovans by sages. I will try to post a short video session in the news column of this website soon. So that you can listen to the process of creation of Nada, Nadantha, Veda and Vedantha by Indian ancestral races . |