Back from kerala...

Just back from a trip to kerala…what a great time we had. I got to see three great temples of lord Vishnu. The Sri Vallabha temple at Tiruvalla, The Guruvayur temple and the Dhanvantari temple at coimbatore (which is tamil nadu actually).

We started our trip with a visit to the Sri Dhanvantari temple at Coimbatore. Located in the heart of the city amidst a beautiful and scenic ayurvedic hospital , this temple is supposed to be the only one in the world dedicated to lord Dhanvantari. Lord Dhanwantari is the Upasanamoorthy (Presiding Deity) of Vaidyas of Ayurveda and this temple gives a spiritual background to the Ayurvedic Tradition of Treatment in the Arya Vaidya Chikitsalayam located in the campus.

The Sri Vallabha temple at Tiruvalla enshrines a beautiful Idol of Lord Vishnu. Legend has it that this temple was not built by human hand but by spirits overnight. Whoever did it has done a great job. The name Tiruvalla originates from the presiding deity Vallabha.

Situated in Trichur district, The Guruvayur temple has a cute little Sri Krishna with a mischievous glint in his eyes. The Guruvayur temple has hordes of devotees flocking for a mere glimpse of the lord.

Scavenged from the internet:
GURUVAYUR’ -Dwaraka of south - is one of the most famous Sree Krishna temples in India. The divine idol installed here represents the world–enchanting form of Sree Krishna endowed with the four lustrous arms carrying the conch, the discus, the mace and the lotus. Adorned with the divine `Thulasi’ garland and pearls necklaces, the idol represents the majestic form of Maha Vishnu as revealed to Vasudeva and Devaki at the time of 'Krishnavathara'.

Thousands of devotees from all over the world visit this temple daily for darsan (worship). It is believed that the Lord revels here in the same majestic form as he would at 'Vaikunda' - his celestial abode. Thus Guruvayur is known as `Bhooloka Vaikunda'.

After the departure of Lord Sree Krishna to 'Vaikunda', Dwaraka was submerged in the sea but the image of 'Narayana' at Dwaraka was saved by Udhava the foremost disciple of Sree Krishna. Accordingly, Brihaspathi (preceptor of Gods) accompanied by his disciple, Vayu (the God of winds), arrived at Dwaraka. Sree Krishna had already departed to Vaikunda and Varuna,(the Sea-God), was in occupation of Dwaraka. The image of Narayana itself was being tossed in the sea by the surging waves . At the suggestion of Guru and Vayu, Varuna withdrew. The Wind God carried the image on his head and both began to search for a sacred place for its installation.

They wandered through lands in North and South and finally as they entered Kerala they met Parasurama, who had created Kerala. Parasurama led the way for Guru and Vayu and they all came near a beautiful lake full of lotuses. On one side of the lake were Siva and Parvathi to welcome them. They advised to install the image at this place and they themselves shifted to the opposite bank of the lake known as Mammiyoor temple.(It is belived that those devotees who come for Sree Krishna Temple must visit the Siva temple at Mammiyur). Since the installation was done by GURU and VAYU the place was named as GURVAYUPURA and later on as GURUVAYUR. The deity of Guruvayur is thus called Guruvayurappan, the Lord (APPAN) of Guruvayur.


One of the highlights of my trip was a visit to my dad’s birthplace where we had a great time meeting up with my cousins, uncles and aunts. I got to see the house where he was born, his school and stuff like that. It goes without saying that our trip was a fruitful one. But in dad’s eyes I could see something more than enjoyment. A feeling of joy , a sense of belonging and a certain serenity which could only stem from a deeper satisfaction.

SLEEPY EYES...

  The biggest enemy of my education ( after my fate and ‘open’ category status) has been my sleep. Just touching my books can lull me off to the deepest slumber. The tactile stimulation of those thin white pages coupled with the smell of printing ink does wonders to my nervous system. Instantly I feel as if someone has hit the 'switch off' button and i'm dozing even before I know it. Strangely enough, the effects do not seem to occur when I read novels and comics.
    
 This disease has tormented me to a great extent. I have tried so many methods that I could write an encyclopedia on that topic. “Thousand unsuccessful ways to avoid sleep.” To think that there are people who suffer from insomnia. I would die to suffer from that for a change.

Coffee???? I have already been so overdosed on coffee during my medical college days that nowadays even a intravenous infusion of the best Italian black coffee could do no more than incite a twitch…..a feeble one that too.

Sticking my eyelids with cellotape - That worked for a while until I realised that I could fall asleep with my eyes open too. I tried studying upside down so that the eyelids would droop the other way. Nature showed me that my lower eyelids could just as well droop down. (now I know how bats sleep). Yeah standing helps for sometime, but only till I fall flat on my face and end up with a broken nose.

That’s when realization dawns on me and I find the ultimate solution to my narcolepsy. I throw away my books and grab the pillow and snore away to glory.

……..but wait ….why don’t I fall asleep now? ..here we go again…..

21 Quotes by Swami Vivekananda

This post has been shamelessly plagiarised from the net....i take no credit whatsoever for compiling or posting it....it has been posted by my alter ego ( the pirate)



1.  Choose the highest ideal and live your life upto that. Look at the "ocean" and not at the wave.
2.  That which tends to increase the divinity in you is virtue, and that which tends to increase brutality in you is vice.
3.  He who sees Shiva in the poor, in the weak, and in the diseased, really worships Shiva.
4.  Purity in thought, speech, and act is absolutely necessary for anyone to be religious. Purity is strength. Spiritual truth is purity.
5.  The ideal of the man is to see God in everything. The real evil is idleness which is the principal cause of our poverty.
6.  Everyone should know that there is no salvation except through the conquering of desires.
7.  Death being so certain, it is better to die for a good cause.
8.  Religion is the manifestation of the Divinity already in man.
9.  Your country reqires heroes, be heroes!
10.  To me the very essence of education is concentration of the mind, not the collecting of facts.
11.  Each soul is potentially divine.
12.  Religion is the idea which is raising the brute unto man, and man unto God.
13.  All power is within you; you can do anything and everything. Believe in that .
14.  Work, work, work - let this be your motto.
15.  Now the only way out is to listen to the words of the Lord in the Gita.
16.  Be a hero. Always say, "I have no fear".
17.  Struggle hard to get money, but don't get attached to it.
18.  Feel that you are great and you become great.
19.  To devote your life to the good of all and to the happiness of all is religion. Whatever you do for your own sake is not religion.
20.  At my will mountains will crumble up. Have that sort of energy, that sort of will; work hard, and you will reach the goal.
21.  It is those foolish people who identify themselves with their bodies that piteously cry, 'Weak, weak, we are weak'.