Do seaside residents go on a vacation?

It's so nice to walk

Along the beach

On the soft ‘n’ wet sand

Or along the seafront

Enjoying the sight of the sea

The sound of the waves

And the refreshing breeze

In the mornings

And in the evenings

But this lovely experience

Cannot last long for me

Because I live far away

From the sea

And I am just on a vacation.

Being from the plains

And a landlocked province

For me the sea

The Ocean

Are a great attraction

The first choice

For a vacation

But then I must return home

To lead and live my life

In my accustomed city

And in the comfort of my home

Amidst my family, friends

And all loved ones.

I think

Lucky are the people

Who live by the seaside

To behold the sight

And the sound of the sea

Day and night

And enjoy the breeze

From the sea and land

Round the clock

Uninterrupted.

But do they truly enjoy

Their seaside life

Because familiarity

Breeds contempt

And I think

They desire a vacation

To a place like my hometown

In the plains

Or the hills!

- N. Lalitha Raghu.

A weekend puzzle for the youngsters in the family!

 

GOOD MORNING!

A WEEKEND PUZZLE FOR THE YOUNGSTERS!

Can you tell for which day is this ‘Sankalpam’? According to the Gregorian (English) calendar?

All elderly ladies in the family can easily guess the date, but can the rest of the family, men and children do so?

You may click on the attached video to listen to the puzzle:

 

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The Answer:

‘Plava Nama Samvatsaram’ - is the current Telugu year which started on 13th April 2021.

‘Uttarayana’ - is for six months after the Sankranti festival that is the present period starting from 15th January 2021, which would continue beyond June 2021.

‘Grishma Ruthuvu’ – means summer season, the present season.

‘Chaitra Masam’ - is the ongoing first month of the Telugu year that is from 13th April 2021 to 11th May 2021.

‘Bahula Pakshe’ - the waning period of the Moon, that is the period starting from the Full Moon Day, 28th April 2021.

‘Thrayodashi’ - is the 13th day after the previous Full moon day. The Telugu month is of 28 days, so 9th May would become the 13th day.

‘Aadhi varey’ - it means Sunday.

SO THE ANSWER IS: Sunday, 9th MAY 2021.

 

Somasila Vacation – Vlog.

 

In these times of COVID-19, a few days ago I and my wife dared to be with nature, by going to a place in the Nallamala forest area, a distance of 200 km from our house. A very small place called Somasila where there is a Telangana State Government’s - Resort, overlooking Krishna River, Srisailam Dam’s reservoir area, surrounded by hills and trees. It was a 3D 2N trip which brought about a nice feeling, a great relief from the lockdown situation in our city.

Nature, as we approach Somasila and at Somasila itself is very beautiful, but being summer the greenery was not at its best. And the Krishna River water which reaches the foundation of our resort’s cottages has receded but still, the trip was quite enjoyable.

Somasila is a popular pilgrimage place for the 7th century Sri Lalitha Someshwara Swamy temple. The presiding deities of this Temple Complex consisting of 15 temples are of Sri Lalitha Devi and Lord Shiva, including 12 Jyotirlinga temples. I wrote an article on this temple with photos and a video which you may see by clicking on the link below:

https://srisrilara.blogspot.com/2021/03/sri-lalitha-someshwara-swamy-temple.html

I drove a total distance of 430 km for this lovely experience and every moment was quite enjoyable.

Here is another video from this trip:

Evergreen “Kinnerasani Patalu”

“Kinnerasani Patalu”, is a spectacular evergreen free-verse/poem written by Sri Viswanatha Satyanarayana (10 September 1895 – 18 October 1976) in the year 1924. He was a great and prolific 20th-century Telugu writer. Among many awards, he was awarded the Jnanpith Award in 1970, the first for a Telugu writer, and Padma Bhushan in 1971.

I was prompted to write this article on Kinnerasani Patalu because yesterday as I was browsing through an old collection of books, most of my father, I found this book consisting of Kinnerasani Patalu and Kokilamma Pelli. I read this book in my childhood and remember it very well and have narrated it to many persons. This lovely book has been with us since the 1950s, it is a 1954 edition book. 

Kinnerasani River is an important tributary of Godavari River flowing through Warangal and Bhadradri Kothagudem Districts of Telangana and it drains on the right bank of Godavari in Telangana very close to the holy town of Bhadrachalam,

Kinnerasani River is close to my heart perhaps more than it was to Sri Viswanatha Satyanarayana. Right from my childhood, we had many picnics along this river, mostly at the Kinnerasani Dam as part of family outings and the annual Yellandu Club - Dasara Picnics. I wrote an exclusive article on my connection with Kinnerasani which you may read by clicking on the following link:

https://srisrilara.blogspot.com/2010/03/kinnerasani-river-reservoir-dam.html

Sri Viswanatha Satyanarayana was so fascinated by the beauty of the river, the forest and the mountains along the river and the hillock amidst the river that he wrote Kinnerasni Patalu, describing Kinnera as a beautiful lady and of her life.

The story in brief goes as follows: Kinnera is a virtuous and devoted housewife and an obedient daughter-in-law. However, her mother-in-law is constantly ill-treating and blaming her and complaining about her to her son. Her husband is helpless; he can neither control his mother nor effectively console and comfort his wife. One day, unable to bear the torture of her mother-in-law, Kinnera runs away into the forest crying. Her husband goes in search of her, finds her, embraces her and pleads with her to return. She weeps in his arms expressing that things would not change at home. Unable to part ways both weep holding one another for long and Kinnera melts into water and flows like a stream and the helpless husband weeping inconsolably turns into a stone, a hillock. Shocked and unable to leave her husband, she flows like a stream around the hillock, that is embracing her husband, and afterwards, she flows like a river.

Hearing about the beautiful Kinnera and her plight Kadali Raju, the Ocean/the king of the Ocean desires her. Taking pity on her plight, her sorrow, her loneliness and the danger of her being carried away by Kadali Raju – a Parapurushudu, the animals and birds of the area seek help from far and near. Hearing of this, the Godavari River paves way for protecting Kinnerasani by taking her into her fold at Bhadrachalam close to the abode of Lord Sri Sita Ramachandra Swamy. And this brings about peace and comfort to Kinnera.

The topmost picture is of the Kinnerasani River and you can see the hillock amidst the river, that is the husband!  

You may now listen to the entire narration of ‘Kinnerasani Patalu’ in the voice of the author, as rendered by him on AIR – All India Radio, several years ago:

Below are some photographs of us at Kinnerasani River, Kinnerasami Dam and the Kinnerasani wildlife sanctuary and a video of us at Kinnerasani:

Our video at Kinnerasani:

When will the world return to normalcy… to the good old days!?

 

The modern world, in countless ways so great

Has since a year come under a deadly clout

An undying disease has taken over

People have lost peace and are living in fear.

This super-spreader affliction

Has spread to every nation

Bringing death and suffering

Unabated and ever-growing.

Medical experts

And governments

Implemented preventive measures

To save lives.

Curfews are being imposed

Lockdowns are enforced

All the time we wear face masks

Wash and sanitise our hands.

We also maintain social distancing

Yet the disease is not relenting

Vaccines as a cure have arrived

But how long will it take to immunise the world?

Businesses are in loss

Many jobs are lost

Daily wage earners are stranded

Every Nation’s economy is devastated.

A lucky few can work from home

And continue to draw their income

Thanks to the internet

So much can be achieved through it.

There are travel bans

Within and outside nations

People can’t reach out to close ones

However essential the reasons.

Schools are closed

Exams are not held

Classes and exams are online

I wonder how every activity can be online.

I am afraid that it will be a long struggle

For the Governments and the people

To eliminate coronavirus

And become victorious.

May my fears are incorrect

May our success be at the earliest

So world normalcy is restored sooner

And we live happily ever after.

As flows the river, full of music and song…

As flows the river,

Full of music and song,

So may your future glide,

Shedding happiness on every side!

- N. Lalitha Raghu.

Obeisance to Lord Narasimha - Sri Narasimha Maha Mantra.

 

Lord Narasimha is the fourth Avatar of Lord Maha Vishnu. As you all know Lord Narasimha is depicted as half-man and half-lion, as you can see in the above picture. Lord Narasimha is one of the most powerful manifestations of Lord Maha Vishnu, the protector in the Hindu Triad. A number of Mantras in Sanskrit herald praise and prayers to Lord Narasimha and chanting any chosen Narasimha Mantra with due reverence, diligence and devotion can remove fears and bestow all good on the devotees. This article is about Sri Narasimha Maha Mantra, the most beneficial one and a very easy one to learn and recite.

The benefits of praying to Lord Narasimha are plenty. Lord Narasimha is said to protect his devotees from all types of misfortunes in life and give successive successes in all endeavours. It is believed that he is also a boon giver in Kali Yuga when he is worshipped with utmost devotion. It also provides peace and tranquillity. It reduces mental agony, relieves stress, and depression.

The Narasimha Maha Mantra I have furnished below will also help to avert enemies and the problem caused by them. This Mantra can also be chanted to prevent misunderstandings that can cause arguments, disputes, and hate between people.

This Mantra can be chanted at any time, 3 times or 9 times in a row, and one can even chant it for 108 times counting with the help of a rosary.

I have provided below the Mantra in Telugu, English, its meaning in English and  a Video to help you in the recitation:

ఉగ్రం  వీరం  మహా  విష్ణుం

జ్వలన్తం  సర్వతోముఖం I

నృసింహం  భీషణమ్  భద్రం

మ్రుత్యోర్ మృత్యుమ్  నమామ్యహం II

Ugram Veeram Maha Vishnum

Jvalantham Sarvathomukham I

Nrisimham Bheeshanam Bhadram

Mrithyormrithyum Namaamyaham II

Meaning: I bow down to Lord Narasimha… who is most ferocious, brave and the incarnation of Lord Maha Vishnu, and who is full of effulgence, omnipresent (having his face everywhere), terrible, auspicious, and the (personified) death of death.

VIDEO: