Beloved students of Chennai Govt.Music College

One of the most touching moments in my life happened yesterday in Chennai Govt.music college (Greenways Road, Chennai) on the concluding day of the college's Tamil Music Festival. The students demonstarted their feelings for me by ordering a huge garland of red roses. Decorating me with the garland with their own hands, they reciprocated my sentiments for them by filling my heart with their love for me. I was blinded by tears!!
(CLICK ON PHOTO TO ENLARGE).

Miss you San Diego!

Missing San Diego I browse for youtube clippings of San Diego. My favourite ones are the UTC Mall (Part 1 &2 ) visuals, the place where I stayed. But the audio of both the clippings is below average. The reason why I chose to embed this clipping is because the audio is my favourite, very aptly projecting San Diego in its true colour and spirit.

Food for Chakras

Goddess Lalitha Mahatripurasundari

1)Vishudhdhi Chakra (Throat Chakra):-
"Vishudhdhi Chakranilayaa Rakthavarnaa Thrilochanaa
Khatvaangaadipraharanaa Vadanaika Samanvithaa
Paayasaannapriyaathvaksthaa Pashulokabhayankaree
Amruthaadi Mahaashakthisamvrutha Daakineeswari."

Lalitha Mahatripurasundari as 'DAKINI' in Vishudhdhi chakra is one-faced, three-eyed and fond of rice kheer (payasam made of rice). Meditating on the Goddess in blood-red hues (raktha varna), visualise the offering of "Rice Kheer"to Goddess Lalitha Mahatripurasundari residing in the throat.She resides in the skin tissue.

2)Anaahatha Chakra (Heart Chakra):-
Anaahathaabjanilayaa Shyaamaabhaa Vadanadvayaa
Damshtrokshamaalaadhidharaa Rudhirasamsthithaa
Kaalaraathryaadi Shakthyaughavruthtaa Snigdhaudhanapriyaa
Mahaaveerendravaradaa Raakinyambaaswaroopinee.

Lalitha Mahatripurasundari as 'RAKINI' in Anaahatha Chakra is two-faced and bluish-black hued, fond of ghee-rice ('Snigdhaudhanapriyaa). Mentally offer ghee-rice to Goddess Lalitha Mahatripurasundari residing in the heart. She resides in blood.

3)Manipura Chakra (Solar Plexus Chakra):-
"Manipooraabja Nilayaa Vadanathraya Samyuthaa
Vajraadhikaayudhopethaa Dhaamaryaadibhiravruthaa
Rakthavarnaa Maamsanishthaa Goodhaannapreethamaanasaa
Samasthabhakthasukhadaa Laakinyamba Swaroopini.

Lalitha Mahatripurasundari as 'LAKINI' in Manipura Chakra has three faces and bright red-hued. She is fond of jaggery-rice, mentally offer Her the same. She resides in the flesh.

4)Swadhishtaana Chakra (Sacral or Sex Chakra):-
"Swaadhishtaanaam Bhujagathaa Chathurvakthra Manoharaa
Shoolaadhyaayudhasampannaa Peethavarnaathigarvithaa
Medhonishthaa Madhupreethaa Bandhinyaadisamanvithaa
Dadhyannaasakthahrudayaa Kaakinee Roopadhaarinee."

Lalitha Mahatripurasundari as 'KAKINI' in Swadhishtana Chakra is golden-hued. She is fond of curd rice and honey, meditate on offering Her the same. Proud with four faces, She resides in the fatty layers.

5)Moolaadhaara Chakra (Root Chakra):-
"Moolaadhaaraambujhaaroodhaa Panchavakthraasdhisamsthithaa
Ankushaadi Praharanaa Varadaadi Nishevithaa
Mugdaudhanaasakthachiththaa Saakinyambaa Swaroopinee."

Lalitha Mahatripurasundari as 'SAKINI' in Mooladhara Chakra is five-faced. This glowing Goddess is fond of Khichdi (rice mixed with green grams). Mentally offer Her the same. She resides in bones.

6)Aagna Chakra (Brow Chakra):-
"Aagnaa Chakraabjanilayaa Shuklavarnaa Shadaananaa
Majjaasamsthaa Hamsavathee Mukhya Shakthi Samanvithaa
Haridraannaikarasikaa Haakinee Roopadhaarinee."

Lalitha Mahatripurasundari as 'HAKINI' in Agna Chakra is white-hued and six-faced. Mentally offer Her rice mixed with turmeric (yellow rice) as She is fond of the same. She resides in the brain-tissue.

7)Sahasraara Chakra (Crown Chakra):-
"Sahasradala Padmasthaa Sarvavarnopashobhithaa
Sarvaayudhadharaa Shukla Samsthithaa Sarvathomukhee
Sarvaudanapreethachiththaa Yaakinyambaaswaroopini."

Lalitha Mahatripurasundari as 'ÝAKINI' in Sahasrara Chakra is multi-hued and multi-faced. Mentally offer Her variety of delicacies as She is fond of all kinds of food. She resides in semen.

Body Temple

I am discontinuing the "Body Temple"series due to unavoidable reasons. Kindly refer to "The Brief History Of India" to interpret the remaining parts of "Body Temple".

Mahavatar Babaji

Hazrat Inayat Khan ( The Hindu dated 29/01/012)

Hazrat Inayat Khan

February 5 marks the Urs (death anniversary) of Sufi teacher Hazrat Inayat Khan that will be held at his mausoleum in Delhi. As a part of this event, special Sufi trails are being organised by international tour operators for followers of this Indian mystic who took Sufism to the West.

Abu Hashim Madani's dargah in Purana Pul and Aastan-e-Kaleemi in Tolichowki (both in old Hyderabad) — mausoleums of the great teachers of Hazrat Inayat Khan feature prominently on the list.

It was in Hyderabad that the musician became a spiritual guru. His grandson Zia Inayat Khan, in his work A Pearl in Wine: Essays on the Life, Music and Sufism of Hazrat Inayat Khan, chronicles Hazrat Inayat Khan's stay in the city.

A noted veena artiste and composer, Hazrat Inayat Khan was patronised by the sixth Nizam Mehboob Ali Pasha. He received rave reviews from officials in the royal court and the lofty title of ‘Tansen al Zaman' from the Nizam himself. During his stay in Hyderabad, he penned Minar -i-Musiqar — a treatise on music and had plans to open his own music school on the lines of the Gayanshala in Baroda started by his maternal grandfather Mawlabakhsh, a maestro in Hindustani and Carnatic music traditions alike.

Many would not know that Noor Inayat Khan, the World War II hero executed by the Germans in the Dachau Concentration Camp, was the daughter of Hazrat Inayat Khan and Ora Ray Baker.

Life changing meeting

A chance meeting with his spiritual teachers, Abu Hashim Madani and Syed Mohammed Hasan Jeeli Kaleemi, the latter a Sufi master in the then Tolichowki village, changed his life though.

“Madani was a follower of my grandfather as was Hazrat Inayat Khan. Inayat Khan delved into Sufism during his stay in Hyderabad,” said Syed Mohd. Rasheed-ul Hasan Jeeli Kaleemi, popularly known as Pir Rasheed — the only living descendant of the Chishti order founded by his grandfather Syed Mohammad Hasan Jeeli Kaleemi.

“Hazrat Inayat Khan travelled extensively. He held summer school on Sufism in Suresnes, France and went to Russia and England. The Sufi order founded by him there is now called the Sufi Order International, headquartered in the U.S. He returned to India in 1927 and died after a brief illness. His body was laid to rest near the dargah of Nizamuddin Auliya. His son Vilayat Inayat Khan was my father Syed Mohd. Fakhrul Hasan Jeeli Kaleemi's disciple,” recollected Pir Rasheed, as he got ready to leave for Hazrat Inayat Khan's Urs.

Today Hope Project, started by Vilayat Inayat Khan, takes up community health, livelihood and education-related works in the slums near Hazrat Nizamuddin dargah keeping Hazrat Inayat Khan's Sufi philosophy as a guiding principle.

But sadly for the city that saw Inayat Khan's transformation from a musician into a mystic and then a mureed or disciple, his teacher Madani's tomb in the old city lies in a decrepit condition with the history unheard of by many in its vicinity.

Interview on SVBC/Veena Yoga

Sri.M.K.Thyagaraja Bhagavathar

This old song of late Sri.M.K.Thyagaraja Bhagavathar can never cease to haunt me. While recording this song for the album, "Veena Tharangini" almost 2 decades ago, I strived with all my being to convey the legendary singer's emotions through my fingers and my veena. My life long favourite!!