This blog is created for those who are interested in Indic studies. i keep posting my poems and short essays in this blog. viewers are welcome to comment.

Tuesday, January 3, 2023

NEW YEAR GREETINGS IN PALI BY PROF. C. UENDRA RAO, JNU


नववस्सस्मिं होतु मङ्गलं

 


लेखको आचारियो चौडूरि उपेन्द्ररावो

सक्कत-पच्चविज्जज्झयन-संथानम्

जवाहरलाल नेहरू विस्सविज्जालयो

नवदिल्ली, भारतम्

नववस्सस्मिं होतु मङ्गलं ।

नववस्सस्मिं होतु मङ्गलं ॥

मा कुरु दप्पं मा कुरु गब्बं

मा भव मानी मा भव कोपी।

मा भज दुक्खं मा भज सोकं

पमुदितचित्तो होहि पसन्नो॥

नववस्सस्मिं होतु मङ्गलं ।

नववस्सस्मिं होतु मङ्गलं ॥

मा वद मिच्छा मा कुरु हिंसं

मा पिब मज्जं वद सच्चं त्वं।

पालय धम्मं कुसलं कम्मं

कुरु निच्चं त्वं रतनवन्दनं ॥

नववस्सस्मिं होतु मङ्गलं ।

नववस्सस्मिं होतु मङ्गलं ॥

दानं कत्वा मुसं जहित्वा

सीलं लोके वित्थारेत्वा।

अकुसलकम्मं छड्डेत्वा त्वं

निब्बानत्थं पयत सब्बदा ॥

नववस्सस्मिं होतु मङ्गलं ।

नववस्सस्मिं होतु मङ्गलं ॥

ईती गण्डो उपद्दवो खो

रोगो सल्लं भयं खयं ।

दिस्वा एते कामगुणेसु

निब्बानं सर सुखप्पदं॥

                             नववस्सस्मिं होतु मङ्गलं ।

नववस्सस्मिं होतु मङ्गलं ॥

कामा चित्रा होन्ति सब्बदा

मधुरा कामा मनोरमा।

कामा पुरिसं मथेन्ति निच्चं

चज संसग्गं कामानं ॥

नववस्सस्मिं होतु मङ्गलं ।

नववस्सस्मिं होतु मङ्गलं ॥

सब्बे सत्ता सुखिनो होन्तु

पालि होतु च  पभस्सरा।

नववस्सस्मिं सब्बे जीवा

होन्तु खेमिनो निरामया॥

नववस्सस्मिं होतु मङ्गलं ।

नववस्सस्मिं होतु मङ्गलं ॥

Monday, October 5, 2020

COLLAPSING ANCIENT TEMPLES IN CAMBODIA

 

            Many of us have experienced that the Kingdom of Cambodia glitters with the old temples. Visitors of Angkor always appreciate the Ta Prohm temple, which was built during the time of King Jayavarman VII in the 12th century to honor his mother, now situated in jungle ruins, and famous for its giant banyan roots, which tightly grip the temple walls. This image was a most favorite one, which could capture in several paintings and photographs. But today almost all temples in Cambodia have collapsed and fallen down. No temple is perfectly standing today and no temple is functioning today, with its past glory. Very few temples may be the exceptions for this.

 

 

            Though Cambodians possess the great legacy, they are not the masters of temple preservation. They hold the keys but not the essential resources. China came to help Cambodia but it couldn’t play a considerable role in conservation of Cambodian old temples. The Chinese government was handed control over Chau Sey Tevoda, because it is generally assumed, that the China maintains close links with Cambodia's monarch, King Norodom Sihanouk, who spent at least half his life time in a government villa near Beijing.

 

            Anyone who loves ancient Indian culture, which was spread across the Cambodia, becomes extremely happy to see the great ancient temples of Cambodia, but feels astonishing to observe the present pitiable condition of ancient Hindu and Buddhist temples, which were the shining places of social gatherings and number of arts, in ancient Cambodia. These temples were undivided part of Cambodian culture and inspiring places for all Cambodian people.

            The L'École Française d'Extrême-Orient, the top French research institute, enjoyed 100 years of supremacy in Cambodia. It meticulously restored around 50 monuments, but had no worries about predatory artifacts, which it treated its patrimony for French museums. The French had left a number of projects unfinished due to the rise of Khmer Rouge in the early 1970's. Cambodia, under the Communism in the 1980's, had invited a few ''friendly'' countries onto the site, like Poland and Russia and it is not difficult to expect what they might have suggested for the preservation of ancient Hindu and Buddhist temples.

            Several European countries including Japan came to restore the Cambodian temples, but the restoring a Khmer ruins is like attempting terrifying puzzles, with almost all collapsed or collapsing structures. How to fill the gaps with newly recycled stone, and how much to decorate them, are some of the crucial questions. The Ta Prohm's big trees present another question: to cut or not to cut them.

            Today several temples in Cambodia have collapsed. Many temples are dilapidated and not functioning today as temples. They are just tourist visiting spots, where every foreigner has to pay several dollars to enter into these sacred premises. There was a seven percent growth in tourist arrivals in the year of 2018 and visitors from 193 countries visited the temple of Angkor watt. Angkor Archaeological Park continues to generate the bulk of tourism revenue from its ticket sales. The income could be $117 million annually, with about 2.6 million foreigners visiting the Angkor Watt, located in Siem Reap. But citizens or any world citizen shouldn’t put a question how much money is being spent to rebuilt these temples. Authorities or researchers are not bothered how several temples in Cambodia have collapsed? Many temples are dilapidated and not functioning today as temples.

            Several temples were also constructed in India, during the same time i.e. from A. D. 10th to 14th centuries. But the temples constructed in the same time period in India are still sound and also functioning in India, even today. Therefore the question remains, what made these temples to collapse in a large manner ! I tried to know the reason for this phenomena from the Cambodian monks and scholars but they said, it happened due to bombing during the wars.

            There can be other reasons, one of the reasons may be the shifting or transforming of temple function. Ancient temples changed from Hinduism and Mahayana Buddhism to  Theravada Buddhism. The other reason may be, temples were not provided the frequent action of protection by the government. Some scholars say, this might have happened due to wars with Thailand, and thereby due to the abandoning of the temple cities. People escaped from the temple area to find the safe refuge, so the temples are completely abandoned, then covered up by the forests. But the question remains,  if the temples are completely abandoned, do they collapse?

            The role of some temples in Cambodia is only "Nak ta", which means the spirit of ancestors. People only celebrate the ceremony annually and eventually, some temples are abandoned due to the migration of people. As we know, the ancient temples constructed by the stones are very heavy on the earth, so they can stand according to the reservoirs, which were constructed  around them. The mud has to be removed from these reservoirs from time to time, but if they become gutters, then the temple may collapse. The other reason may be the quality of stone, which was used for the construction of the temples.

 

            Whatever may be the causes, the fact is, today almost all temples in Cambodia have collapsed and fallen down. No temple is perfectly standing today and no temple is functioning today, with its glory. Very few temples may be the exceptions. A Buddhist temple under construction in Siem Reap, which is the home of Cambodia's famous  Angkor temples, collapsed on Monday, Dec 2nd, 2019, killing at least three people and injuring 13 others, including two monks. Workers were pouring cement for the ceiling of the temple when it suddenly collapsed, trapping the workers and two monks who were helping them. This was an unfortunate incident, which occurred due to the collapse of temple. But several people who are lovers of ancient culture of Cambodia wish that these temples of Buddha, Vishnu, Shiva and Ganesh must be restored and they should function and opened for the devotees, the way they were functioning and opened for the devotees in ancient Cambodia. 

 

Prof. C. Upender Rao,

Jawaharlal Nehru University,

New Delhi, India.

 


(This article is written to show the empathy over the collapsing ancient temples, not to criticize anyone, so try to understand the issue with the positive spirit.) 

 

Thursday, July 2, 2020

WEBINAR


वेबिनार्
प्रो. चौडूरि उपेन्द्र रावः
संस्कृताध्ययनसंस्थानम्,
जे. एन्. यू. नवदिल्ली, भारतम्

बहोः कालाज्जनास्सर्वे स्वगृहाभ्यन्तरे स्थिताः।
यापयन्त्येव कालं हि पिधानसमयेऽधुना ॥

विचित्रमेव गेहेषु जायते सकलेष्वपि ।
समाना दिनचर्या नः पाल्यतेऽद्य दिवानिशम्॥

भोजनं शयनं मध्ये काफीपानं तथा जनैः।
व्यायामश्च प्रभातेषु सायं चायेन याप्यते॥

दूरवाण्यैव सर्वेऽपि यापयन्त्यद्य जीवनम्।
विरलाः पुरुषा एव पुस्तकाध्ययने रताः ॥

एवं स्थिते जनैः कैश्चिद्दूरदर्शनकाम्यया।
वीक्ष्यते चेत्करोनायाः कथैव दर्श्यते पुनः॥

अथवा चीन-चीनेति श्रुतं तच्छ्रावयन्ति ते।
पाकिस्तानस्य दुष्कृत्यं समाचारप्रवाचकाः ॥

कीदृशी दुरवस्थाद्य सम्प्राप्ता दुरतिक्रमा ।
याप्यते जीवनं सर्वं चातुष्कुड्ये गृहान्तरे ॥

अथवा वेबिनारेति विनूत्नां प्रक्रियां जानाः ।
समाश्रित्य चिकीर्षन्ति गोष्ठीर्नानाविधास्सदा॥

धनव्ययं विनैवैतत्पण्डितागमनं विना।
सभागृहं विना सर्वैर्वेबिनार्क्रियतेऽधुना॥

सेमिनार्तु महत्कष्टं विना वित्तं विना गृहं।
शक्यते वेबिनार्कर्तुं गृहाभ्यन्तरवर्तिभिः ॥

भेदोऽयमेव वेत्तव्यो वेबिनार्सेमिनारयोः।
विश्वविद्यालयैस्सर्वैस्संस्कृतज्ञैर्विशेषतः ॥

उष्णतायाः प्रकोपेण भारतोत्तरवर्तिनः।
शुष्यन्ति मानवास्सर्वे न वृष्टिश्शैत्यदायिनी॥

दिल्ल्यां तु महदेवौष्ण्यं पीडयत्यखिलानपि।
क्षुब्धा हि जनता ह्यत्र प्रकृतिक्रोधशोषिता ॥

एतादृशेऽधुना काले कष्टदायिनि संस्थिते ।
सुदीर्घभाषणान्यत्र श्रोतुं शक्तिर्भवेत्कथम् ? ॥

तस्मात्संक्षिप्तरूपेण वेबिनारस्य चालनं ।
कृतं चेत्कृतिनो भूत्वा विन्दन्ति सुमहत्फलम्॥   

वेबिनारे प्रेवेशार्थं जनास्सर्वे समुत्सुखाः ।
प्रविश्य नैव जानीमो किं ते श्रुण्वन्ति वा न वा ?॥

तस्माद्गुरुमुखेनैव प्राप्या विद्या यशस्करी।
दूरस्था चेत्सदा विद्या दूर एव विसर्ज्यते॥
सक्षाद्गुरुमुखज्ञानं तदैव प्राप्स्यते जनैः ।
करोनाकोविदस्यास्य यदा नाशो भविष्यति॥
                            
देवदेवस्य कारुण्यान्नाशो भवतु सत्त्वरम् ।
लोकसौख्याभिवृध्यर्थं कोविदस्य दुरात्मनः ॥

                                      इति शम्





Thursday, June 25, 2020

“Madhulika”, poetic creativity of Prof. C. Upendra Rao


“Madhulika”,
poetic creativity of Prof. C. Upendra Rao
Book Review by  
Prof. Sushant Mishra, JNU

            “Madhulika” is a pleasant surprise as a collection of poems in Sanskrit, written by Prof. C. Upendra Rao. Prof. Rao is also a Pali scholar yet, he writes these poems in elegant Sanskrit. The metaphorical associations of the poetic style exhibit the matured thinker in Prof. Rao, who has reflected upon the contemporary political situations to a personal emotional outburst, natural to poetic creativity. Prof. Rao himself writes, “Kavih marmikah bhavati” (a poet is touched by the happenings around him, and also is capable of touching the heart of others). In this collection, entitled “Madhulika”, there are fifty-one poems, each with a distinct flavor. 

            The poet sends messages like “chīna nirmitaṁ na kreshyāmaḥ” (Let us not buy the products of China) and equally deftly expressed the emotional being of himself in “Tvayaa vinaa” (Without you), a confessional poem of love. In various poems, Prof. Rao has experimented with the versification and rhyming patterns exhibiting the vivacity of the language of the poems. Written in Sanskrit, the poet has used deftly some of the traditional metres and also has gone to express himself in blank verses. 

            Fore-worded by an eminent scholar, Mahāmahopādhyāya Ramākānt Shukla, the collection entitled “Madhulika” is a collection of beautiful Sanskrit poems invoking pride in the language as well as the matured reflection of the poet on the contemporary social, political and personal lives in our times. 

            It has been a pleasure for me to read these poems. 


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