shrI gaNeshAya dhImahi (mp3)
This is my own rendering of the excellent devotional song dedicated to Lord Ganesha, from the movie Viruddh, originally sung by Shankar Mahadevan.
Lyrics here:
gaNanAyakAya gaNadaivatAya gaNAdhyakshAya dhImahi
guNa sharIrAya guNa maNDitAya guNeshAnAya dhImahi
guNAtItAya guNadhIshAya guNa pravishThAya dhImahi
ekadantAya vakratunDAya gaurI tanayAya dhImahi
gajeshAnAya bAlachandrAya shrI gaNeshAya dhImahi
{ekadantAya vakratunDAya gaurI tanayAya dhImahi
gajeshAnAya bAlachandrAya shrI gaNeshAya dhImahi} - chorus
gAnacaturAya gAnaprANAya gAnAntarAtmane
gAnotsukhAya gAnamattAya gAnOtsuka-manase
guru-pUjitAya guru-daivatAya guru-kulastAyine
guru vikramAya guyyha pravarAya gurave guNa-gurave
gurudaitya kalakcchetre guru-dharma sadArAdhyAya
guru-putra paritrAtre guru-pAkhanDa khaNDakAya
gIta-sArAya gIta-tattvAya gIta-gOtrAya dhImahi
gUDha-gulfAya gandha-mattaya gOjaya-pradAya dhImahi
guNAtItAya guNadhIshAya guNa pravishThAya dhImahi
ekadantAya vakratunDAya gaurI tanayAya dhImahi
gajeshAnAya bAlachandrAya shrI gaNeshAya dhImahi
{ekadantAya vakratunDAya gaurI tanayAya dhImahi
gajeshAnAya bAlachandrAya shrI gaNeshAya dhImahi} - chorus
{sarva-rAjAya gandhAya sarva-gAna-shravaNa praNayime} - male chorus
{gADhaya rAgAya granthAya gItAya granthArtha tanmayiye} - female chorus
{gurilE... guNavatE... gaNapatayE...}- chorus
grantha-gItAya grantha-geyAya granthAntar-Atamane
gIta lInAya gItAshrayAya gIta-vAdya paTave
dhEya charitAya gAya-gavarAya gandharvapri-krupe
gAyakAdhina vigrahAya gangAjala pranayavate
gaurI-stanamdhanAya gaurI-hridaya nandanAya
gaura-bhAnU sutAya gaurI gaNeshvarAya
gauri-praNayAya gauri-pravaNAya gaura-bhAvAya dhImahi
ghOsa-hastraya gOvardhanAya gOpa-gOpAya dhImahi
guNAtItAya guNadhIshAya guNa pravishThAya dhImahi
ekadantAya vakratunDAya gaurI tanayAya dhImahi
gajeshAnAya bAlachandrAya shrI gaNeshAya dhImahi
{ekadantAya vakratunDAya gaurI tanayAya dhImahi
gajeshAnAya bAlachandrAya shrI gaNeshAya dhImahi} - lead singer and chorus together
Sunday, September 28, 2008
Tuesday, September 16, 2008
Thou Art Goddess!
Recently, there was a discussion among a few friends about why Rama and Sita are considered an ideal couple in Indian culture and heritage. One Indian friend, who I think is born and brought up here in the US, had something interesting to say. He found it fascinating that Sita addressed her husband Rama as 'Dev', meaning God. Perhaps, he must have read that in a story book or seen it in a movie or TV program based on the popular Ramayana. My friend thought it was very special that they had such a high mutual regard and respect, and that they held one another and their own selves to such high honor.
Being born and brought up in India, I had never given much thought to this manner of addressing between the couples in our ancient stories. After all, I have seen many movies and read countless stories in which the wife addresses her husband as 'Dev' and the husband addresses his wife as 'Devi' (Goddess). So, I had become blind to that. Now, I wish, I hope that when I am eventually married, I can wake up every morning, kiss my wife, look her in the eyes and declare, "Thou art Goddess". I think such a powerful daily affirmation would go a long way in making us and our shared life so much better. And, I would have no choice but to be a matching God.
PS: For those who might think this is just so much empty sentiment, I have an anecdote to share. I once participated in a group ritual, at the beginning of which, the priest and the priestess who were leading the ritual, performed a simple act of affirmation and purification. They made all the attendees pass before them in a line and as each attendee stood before the priest or the priestess, s/he would anoint his/her forehead with cool sacred water, and embrace them with much affection and acceptance while quietly declaring with a whisper, "Thou art God / Goddess". That simple act was so powerful in immediately centering us, making us receptive to and feel worthy of the spirituality of the ritual that was to follow. I was amazed by how effective it was.
Being born and brought up in India, I had never given much thought to this manner of addressing between the couples in our ancient stories. After all, I have seen many movies and read countless stories in which the wife addresses her husband as 'Dev' and the husband addresses his wife as 'Devi' (Goddess). So, I had become blind to that. Now, I wish, I hope that when I am eventually married, I can wake up every morning, kiss my wife, look her in the eyes and declare, "Thou art Goddess". I think such a powerful daily affirmation would go a long way in making us and our shared life so much better. And, I would have no choice but to be a matching God.
PS: For those who might think this is just so much empty sentiment, I have an anecdote to share. I once participated in a group ritual, at the beginning of which, the priest and the priestess who were leading the ritual, performed a simple act of affirmation and purification. They made all the attendees pass before them in a line and as each attendee stood before the priest or the priestess, s/he would anoint his/her forehead with cool sacred water, and embrace them with much affection and acceptance while quietly declaring with a whisper, "Thou art God / Goddess". That simple act was so powerful in immediately centering us, making us receptive to and feel worthy of the spirituality of the ritual that was to follow. I was amazed by how effective it was.
360 Shenanigans
At first, the idea of a 360-degree evaluation seemed like the best thing in the world, when compared to the top-down boss-reportee evaluation. It is indeed better than a single track top-down feedback. But a 360-degree evaluation is not easy to administer. The reality is that, most people are not trained to give feedback. Even if trained, most people lack the maturity and perception to give good useful feedback. So, the evaluation for the entire year or half-year, could hinge on the most recent experience or the single worst experience during the evaluation period. The usefulness of the 360-degree evaluation is lost.
A 360-degree evaluation can also be a two-way feedback. It not only says something to the person being evaluated, it also says something to his/her supervisor/boss. It not only reveals something about the person being evaluated, it also reveals something about the people who are evaluating and the system in which they all function. If the ratings for the same person, on the same criteria, given by different people range all the way from 1 to 10 (on a 10-point scale), while touching almost every score-level in-between, what is going on? If two evaluators, give diametrically opposite scores and feedback, for the same person, on the same criteria, what does that mean?
A 360-degree evaluation can also be a two-way feedback. It not only says something to the person being evaluated, it also says something to his/her supervisor/boss. It not only reveals something about the person being evaluated, it also reveals something about the people who are evaluating and the system in which they all function. If the ratings for the same person, on the same criteria, given by different people range all the way from 1 to 10 (on a 10-point scale), while touching almost every score-level in-between, what is going on? If two evaluators, give diametrically opposite scores and feedback, for the same person, on the same criteria, what does that mean?
Mediocre = Happy & Content
Humans are extremely social beings. What this means is that those who are closer to the average in smarts, skills, sensitivity are the ones with the highest chances for happiness and contentment in the socialized human life. Success and popularity is pretty much assured if you are slightly better than average. Not too much better. Just enough that you can do better than most average people and the average people can recognize that you are better than them.
If you are too far above the average, your efforts will be sabotaged by a system which tends to favor the average, and your effectiveness will be cramped by the average people who can't find resonance with you. If you are too far above average, you will not be appreciated or recognized simply because your efforts and ideas are beyond the comprehension, understanding and acceptance of the average majority. If you are too far above average, prepare to live a life of compromise (settling for less than best), frustration and daily defeats while you try hard to explain, convince and work with mediocre colleagues, bosses, friends, relatives and acquaintances, stuck in teams and social situations full of average pedestrians. And in the case of really unlucky geniuses - stuck for life with mediocre partners.
There are only a lucky few geniuses who -
Even these lucky people may not avoid the daily compromises, frustration and defeats.
There must be a large number of 85-to-95 percentile people, who go through life frustrated and less than happy, being forced to live and work with the vast, oppressing majority of 45-to-75 percentile people. And the 76-to-84 percentile people? They are the lucky 'slightly above average' types who have a high chance for success and popularity, happiness and contentment.
If you are too far above the average, your efforts will be sabotaged by a system which tends to favor the average, and your effectiveness will be cramped by the average people who can't find resonance with you. If you are too far above average, you will not be appreciated or recognized simply because your efforts and ideas are beyond the comprehension, understanding and acceptance of the average majority. If you are too far above average, prepare to live a life of compromise (settling for less than best), frustration and daily defeats while you try hard to explain, convince and work with mediocre colleagues, bosses, friends, relatives and acquaintances, stuck in teams and social situations full of average pedestrians. And in the case of really unlucky geniuses - stuck for life with mediocre partners.
There are only a lucky few geniuses who -
- possess the skills to beat the system which is stacked in favor of mediocrity and/or
- whose success is so great that the world simply can't ignore them and/or
- who manage to end up in places where they are surrounded by others of equal or greater evolution and/or
- whose work and interests don't need much social interaction and recognition.
Even these lucky people may not avoid the daily compromises, frustration and defeats.
There must be a large number of 85-to-95 percentile people, who go through life frustrated and less than happy, being forced to live and work with the vast, oppressing majority of 45-to-75 percentile people. And the 76-to-84 percentile people? They are the lucky 'slightly above average' types who have a high chance for success and popularity, happiness and contentment.
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