Finding Nemo

Shri Hanuman Chalisa By RahulKSaini - Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=113402769 श्रीगुरु चरन सरोज रज निज मनु मुकुरु सुधारि बरनऊं रघुबर बिमल जसु जो दायकु फल चारि Please find the links to the previous posts here -  Shri Hanuman Chalisa - an attempt to explanation - 1 -  https://nitswe.blogspot.com/2024/12/shri-hanuman-chalisa-attempt-to.html Shri Hanuman Chalisa - an attempt to explanation - 2 -  https://nitswe.blogspot.com/2024/12/shri-hanuman-chalisa-attempt-to_21.html Today, let us look at the explanation for the second Doha.  बुद्धिहीन तनु जानिके सुमिरौं पवन कुमार बल बुद्धि बिद्या देहु मोहिं हरहु कलेस बिकार In the opening Doha, the poet prepares the mind to be able to invoke Lord Hanuman. The poet uses the blessings from the teacher to cleanse their mind where the invocation of the Lord Hanuman shall happen.  In the second doha (the current one) - the poet requests Lord Hanuman, that consider me as a person with no bra...

 Shri Hanuman Chalisa By RahulKSaini - Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=113402769 In the previous article, I started providing an introduction to Shri Hanuman Chalisa as written by Goswami Tulsidas.  As We understand that Shri Hanuman Chalisa is actually not 40 chaupai verses but 43 - 2 Dohas at the beginning and 1 doha at the end of the 40 verses.  A Doha is a couplet with 2 lines, often conveying moral lessons, spiritual insights, or reflections on life. They are characterized by their simplicity and depth. Each line usually consists of 24 syllables, split between 13 in the first half followed by 11 in the next.  A Chaupai is a quatrain (four-line verse) that can vary in syllable count but typically has a rhythmic and lyrical quality. Chaupai are often devotional reflecting themes of reverence and love. In our daily matters, we often try find ways to start a small talk before getting into the think of the things. And then...

 Shri Hanuman Chalisa By RahulKSaini - Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=113402769 I grew up up listening to Shri Hanuman Chalisa and reciting it alongside others. Though written in Hindi, I have always wondered about its  meaning and the various stories hidden in this poem. I am sure many of you must have recited or even learnt the Shri Hanuman Chalisa at least once in our lives. Even if you may never have recited it, you may have at least heard it. Through this blog post and a series of articles hereafter, I will make an attempt to understand the various aspects of the Hanuman Chalisa and share those thoughts with you. However, please do forgive me where I may make a mistake or may not conform to your story or interpretation. A very apt sentence for this situation is as follows -  हरि अनंत , हरि कथा अनंतः  Shri Hanuman Chalisa was written by  Tulsidas, the same poet who wrote the most popular ram kata in Hindi - "Shri Ram ...

I am sure many of us would have played the game of Snakes and Ladders while growing up. It is a multiplayer game where each player takes turns and throws in the dice and moves the number of squares as indicated on the face of the dice. The first player to reach the finish line wins and the last one to have been left behind is the loser. When I was a kid, the fun was not just the winning  but also  watching how many times and when a player gets bitten by the snake. Though we all played to get the ladder for the easy escape, we knew that getting bitten is inevitable as well.  This is an ancient Indian game which was brought to UK in late 1800s from where it got its world wide acceptance and variations! In one of the Ancient Indian variation, the game had the ladders displaying the virtues that one must aspire to lead a righteous life - Generosity, Faith, Reliability,  Humility, Knowledge  and Asceticism. While the snakes represented the vicious vices that are alwa...

चिता  यह कैसी आग है ? सभी तरफ फैली हुयी, ऊँची लाल तपती लपटें , सब कुछ जलाती हुयी ?                                   बढ़ती उफनती यह ज्वाला ,                                    मेरी तरफ ही आ रही है।                                     और वो मोहल्ले के बाबा,                                    देखो तो कहाँ जा रहे हैं ? और यह पड़ोस की नानी ? सुनती थी रोज कहानी, आज किधर जाती हो ? मुझे दूर कहाँ जाती हो ?                                    देखो तो बालसखा मेरे ,    ...

 We just concluded our Govardhan Pooja 2023 or Annakoot for this year. We displayed Sri Krishna in 4 different forms as he is worshipped in different parts of India and elsewhere. This was an eye opening for many as some of us didn’t realize that these were forms of Krishna! One of the most interesting form amongst all was the Lord Jagannatha! Lord or Bhagwan Jagannatha is any form is depicted as an incomplete form but with big rather huge eyes for its form. The question is why? The Lord has big eyes because he sees it all. He sees you, me and all of us. He sees all of our issues and our problems. He sees and watches each of the hardships we go through and supports us along the same.  But really what does he see? You me, others or our acts, wants, needs, stories and thoughts? Sri Krishna was born to Devaki and Vasudeva in a prison. But he was transported to Gokul and was celebrated by a doting mother and a father –Yashoda and Nandbaba. He was always surrounded by the people of...