Miscellaneous Facebook posts & comments in or around August 2021

When author of post or comment is not mentioned, it should be assumed that it is me (Ravi S. Iyer).

To save time, I am usually not providing my FB post links but only contents. I am also not hyperlinking links. So readers will have to copy-paste links from this post onto a browser link box and then browse to that link.

==========================================     

This Hindi film oldie song (from 1974 movie Badla) captures the spirit of Bombay/Mumbai Krishna Janmashtami pot breaking fun in apartment complexes/colonies of the 1970s (and 1980s as well). While the singing & dancing part is a filmi add-on, a lot of the rest of the video seems to really capture how it would be in those days, as per my memories. The apartment flat people crowding in the balconies and throwing water, the way the matka or handi (pot) would be tied with banknotes and some vegetables tied to it (I think the matka would have curd or butter in it but I am not sure), the human pyramid formation to try to reach the matka and break it and how the pyramid would collapse a few times before eventually succeeding - all seem to be captured well in the video.

Enjoyed watching the video. I had heard the song many times but I don't recall having seen the song-video.

For those who do not know the symbolism of this event, I should add that it recaptures the boy Krishna stealing butter from pots which would be tied at a height to make it difficult for the boy Krishna to reach it. But Krishna with his mates would still reach it. One of the boy Krishna's names is butter thief (Makhan chor in Hindi)!

There is a wiki page describing it in some detail: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dahi_Handi .

[Shared post shares this video: Shor Mach Gaya Shor - Shatrughan Sinha, Kishore Kumar, Bhagwan Dada, Badla Song, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zgu6KY5WSmA , around 5 mins.]

-----------------------

Awesome Marathi song on Lord Krishna by Lata Mangeshkar  (audio with still pics of Lord Krishna): keshava madhava marathi song.wmv, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fa2SFPB0CTY , 2 min. 40 secs.

----------------

Bada Haridas prabhu extatic kirtan. Barnaul 18.04.2018, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AzPSHbyQcEU , 1 hr. 47 mins

----------------

Nice live rendition of Chhup Chhup Meera Roye by Sanjeevani Bhelande and team, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7WiW6QysKMI , 6 min. 25 secs.

------------------

Anandmurti Gurumaa singing Meera Bhajan | Mere To Giridhar Gopal, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JrR8r0m0_Zo , 6 min. 55 secs.

----------------

Awesome live rendition: Vani Jairam Live Mere To Giridhar Gopal, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2YLjyQBWduI , 4 min. 5 secs.

-----------------

The recording quality is not great but I still enjoyed it due to Anup Jalota's singing genius: Achyutam Keshavam | ANUP JALOTA | Krishna Bhajan | सत्संग लाइव, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZZoeWIAKpMM , 6 min. 22 secs.

--------------

Mainly flute rendition: Achutham Keshavam - Rasika Live, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8IAjG5lQihc , 1 min. 53 secs.

-----------------

Bhajan created as modification of famous Hindi oldie film song, Ke hum tum chori se ...

Sung with great energy and devotion by Shri Vinodji Agarwal with the audience enjoying it. I too enjoyed watching the video.

Video is 11 min. 39 secs.

[Shared video: Radhika Gori Se Bhajan By Shri Vinod Ji Agarwal - Guna M.P, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fvgp1GPNNA8 , 11 min. 39 secs.

-------------

https://www.facebook.com/ravi.s.iyer.7/posts/3198314267051795

Good to see Puttaparthi MLA garu pay his worshipful respects at Penukonda dargah (Islamic mausoleum) and pray for well being of all people of Puttaparthi assembly constituency.

Sabka Maalik Ek! Allah Maalik! Easwar Maalik! Yesu Maalik!

[Shared post has pics of the event.]

----------------------

https://www.facebook.com/ravi.s.iyer.7/posts/3197191860497369

Memory, Consciousness & Coma [Full Talk], Sadhguru at Harvard Medical School , https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w7irEcQHChw , 1 hrs. 27 mins

Quite an interesting talk though I do feel that some topics like Near Death Experience are treated rather dismissively by Sadhguru. I have seen quite a few videos on Near Death Experience and I have formed the impression that some such experiences are genuine out-of-body experiences - not hallucination or imagination.

On many topics, I was quite impressed with Sadhguru's knowledge and articulation. One topic in particular ( 06:50 - Sadhguru's explanation on difference between consciousness and jaagrithi (wakefulness) ), helped me better understand a jargon issue about the word 'consciousness'. What I have learned is that allopathic doctors view consciousness as wakefulness (jagrithi in some Indian languages), whereas in spiritual literature in English, the word 'consciousness' has a different meaning. Sadhguru says (at 17:45) "And the next one is called as Turya. This is consciousness, where there is no memory involved of any kind. Essentially in the yogic sciences, we are looking at consciousness as an intelligence beyond memory".

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Consciousness#Spiritual_approaches has an interesting explanation of spiritual view of consciousness :

To most philosophers, the word "consciousness" connotes the relationship between the mind and the world. To writers on spiritual or religious topics, it frequently connotes the relationship between the mind and God, or the relationship between the mind and deeper truths that are thought to be more fundamental than the physical world. The mystical psychiatrist Richard Maurice Bucke, author of the 1901 book Cosmic Consciousness: A Study in the Evolution of the Human Mind, distinguished between three types of consciousness: 'Simple Consciousness', awareness of the body, possessed by many animals; 'Self Consciousness', awareness of being aware, possessed only by humans; and 'Cosmic Consciousness', awareness of the life and order of the universe, possessed only by humans who are enlightened.[185: Richard Maurice Bucke (1905). Cosmic Consciousness: A Study in the Evolution of the Human Mind. Innes & Sons. pp. 1–2.]

--- end extract from wikipedia ---

[I thank Wikipedia and have presumed that they will not have any objections to me sharing the above extract(s) from their website on this post which is freely viewable by all, and does not have any financial profit motive whatsoever.]

...

In response to a comment, I wrote: The name does not ring a bell. So I guess I have not viewed his videos. Just had a quick look at his youtube channel: https://www.youtube.com/c/AnthonyCheneproduction . Seems to have lot of NDE videos. Right now, I am not into NDE in particular. Maybe later I will view them.

Let me repeat what I wrote in the post (in slightly different words and in slightly more detail): In the past, I have viewed quite a few NDE videos and I am very convinced about out-of-body experiences that some people have had, with all the videos I saw of NDE experiences being of ordinary people not mystics, who suddenly had these NDEs. I mean, they did not do any spiritual sadhana (efforts) to get into an out-of-body state. It just happened to them.

--------------------------------

https://www.facebook.com/ravi.s.iyer.7/posts/3194011894148699

I salute the courage of this Hindu priest who continues to do his worship functions in his ancestral Hindu temple in Kabul.

May God protect him!

[Post shares related article.]

------------------------

Interesting! Sadhguru Vasudev answers the question posed to him about whether he is 'aware' when he is sleeping. In his response, Sadhguru differentiates between mental alertness and awareness, and says, as per my understanding, that he is not mentally alert when he is sleeping (unless he is sleeping in the wild) but that he is alive and so is aware.

The distinction between mental alertness and awareness is a little fuzzy here, IMHO. But I very much appreciate Sadhguru's willingness to respond to such questions. It gives us some insights into life of a mystic who is living amongst us now.

Sadhguru also talks about other related matters.

Is it Possible to be Aware in Sleep? | Sadhguru Answers, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fc9xk2S7wcU , 8 min. 41 secs.

----------------------------

Sri Sri Ravishankarji is asked frank questions on sensitive topics by youngsters and he responds with straight-talk which I liked. Most of the video is in English but there is some Hindi too.

Gurudev on Love, Sex, Drugs & The Meaning Of Life | Ask Gurudev Anything, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HV1_Efm1tmU , around 20 mins.

-------------------------

Nice Russian Hare Krishna street kirtan video presentation - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xQVAyCjQ6q4, 7 min. 28 secs., published in 2018

----------------