New proposal for Hindu Birthday celebration -Comments invited.

New proposal   for  Birthday celebration  -Comments  invited.

       Generally all of us  are attracted  by  the   way   the westerners celebrate   their birthday. Even though we consider  putting out a lamp is a evil omen , we do blow the candle. Even though we know that  cake contains eggs  , We try not to bother about it . We prefer to sing in chorus   the happy birthday song  , which has been taught   to  us by   the westerners. My friend Sri. P.R.Chandran chanced upon a  birthday celebration advocated by the Balagokulam, which is trying to spread  the Hindu culture  among   the children in USA (http://www.balagokulam.org/teach/other/celebratingbirthday.php

)   and wanted  me to translate it .I have made minor  modifications  and not given the very exact neaning  but the  simple meaning which may appeal to our kids .

I.Lighting of the lamp

     The celebration begins  with the lighting of the lamp   by  the birthday boy(girl) , with assistance of elders if need be.

  Then birthday boy(girl)  along with all guests  pray   to the lamp by reciting  two slokas.(It can be recited in Sanskrit  or English

1.Shubham karothi kalyanam  , Aarogyam   dhana SAmpada ,

SAthru budhi vinasaya  , Dheepa jyothi namosthuthe

I salute  the flame of the lamp  , for performance of good deeds,

For health, wealth  , riches and for destruction of enemies

2.Dheepajyothi  Parabrahma , Dheepa jyothi Janardhana ,

Dheepo  harathe may paapam  , sandhya dheepa namosthuthe

The flame of the lamp is the divine Brahman,

The flame of the lamp is  Lord Vishnu  ,

The lamp will destroy my sins , I salute this lamp of dusk.

II.Chanting of Gayathri by the Birthday boy(girl). (If the elders either feel that the boy without upanayanam   or girls  , should not recite Gayathri, then they can recite  the simple English meaning  only)

Gayathri Manthra

OM  Bhoorbuvasuva  Thath savithur varenyam  ,

Bhargo devasya  dhemahi  , dhiyo yona prachodayath

Om The earth ,  the astral world ,  the world of thinking   have chosen the Sun,

Who is the God of wisdom  on whom we meditate   and let  him illuminate my intellect

III.Cutting  of sweet  and distribution

     Instead  of the cake  we can  fill up a  pretty  vessel   with   Sweets like  Kesari/Halwa   etc  give a top coating   eith sugar as they dp  to the cake , write  Happy birthday/Shubha Jamothsava/Magizhiyana  Piranthanal   and request   the  birthday  boy(girl) to cut it , While  his friends and  well wishers  wish him a happy  birthday  by singing the following slokas either in Sanskrit or English.(Another option is to   make Kutti   of the favourite filling  of the birthday boy or girl  in the shape of a cake   and proceed as above . But then it may not be possible to cut it )

1,Om Tryambakam yajamahe

Sugandhim pushtivardhanam

Urvarurkamiva bhandhanam

Mrityor mukshiya yama-mrtat.

We salute and respect,
Him who is naturally scented,
Him who looks after his devotees with mercy,
And him who has three eyes.
And pray and request,
To move us away from the catch of death,
Like the cucumber separated from its stalk,
And firmly put us in the path of salvation

2.Sathamanam Bhavathi

Sathayu Sathendriya  Purusha  ,
Ayusvendriya prathishathi

Let Him live  hundred percent for hundred years ,

Let all  his faculties be alive  for  that  life of hundred years

Janmadhinam ithi Priya sakhe  ,

3.Sam   thanothu   thet sarvadhaa mudham,

Prarthayamahe   bhava SAthayushi  ,

Easwara   sadhaa   thwaam cha rakshathu

Punya karmanaa   keerthim aarjaya  ,

Jeevanam   thava bhavathu   Sarthakam,

Swasthysthu   yjey kusalamasthu,

Kruthi  kousala sidhirasthu ,

Aiswaryamathu  , Balamasthu  ,

Rashtra Bhakthi sadathu  .

Vamassadeiva  bhavathani   sudheepthosthu,

Ayushyam thoubya thaam

OH dear friend, Your birthday has come now  ,

And  please accomplish with peace  all time happiness,

Let God   always  protect   you,

Let your life be meaningful always and forever.

Let   you be healthy  , let you be happy

Let you have ability   to carry out your actions,

Let you be wealthy  , Let you be strong  ,

Let always devotion to country be there  in you  ,

Let the God of your clan   lighten  your life ,

And let your life be without fear

4.Jevema SArada ssatham

Please live  and see hundred autumns

5.Shubha  thava janmadivasa   sarva mangalam  ,

Jaya jaya jaya   thava  Sidha sadhanam

Sukha  , santhi samrudhi   chira jeevanam

Let  your birthday  be illuminating  ,Wish you all  auspiciousness ,

Victory , Victory  , victory  be the property you have earned,

Let pleasure , peace  , plenty  be for a long  time be yours.

       

HIdimba Devi the Rakshasi who married Bhima

HIdimba Devi   the Rakshasi who married  Bhima

      When the Kauravas lead by   Duryodhana  try to burn the Pandavas along with their mother  Kunthi(The aunt of Lord Krishna)  , they escaped and wandered all over   the forests of their kingdom.  Once they approached a place in the forest without knowing  the Existence of a Rakshasa  called Hidimba and his sister  HIdimbi (Hidimba devi) . Hidimba who was a man eater   wanted to eat  Bhima and when he saw that  Bhima   was Standing   guard  to the other Pandavas and his mother , He compelled his sister to assume the form of a pretty women and sends her to  attract Bhima and bring him before him so that he could eat him.  But Bhima   declined the advances of  Hidimbi and infuriated  Hidimba attacks Bhima and is killed by him. Since  Hidimbi , fell in love with BHima and had taken an oath to marry any one who  defeats her brother Hidimba  ., She begged  Kunthi to  allow her to marry BHima. Kunthi agreed to that  provided   that Bhima will leave  her once she  becomes a mother of BHima’s child.  She was told that she could carry BHima and wander   all over  during day time and return him to the pandavas   when night sets in.  Hidimbi(Hidimba Devi  ) married  BHima agreeing to the condition. Within a  year a son was born to her and Kunthi named him as  Ghatothkacja( One with head like pot). The pandavas then leave   from there   and after killing Bhakasura   reach   the Kingdom of Panchala and all of them married   Draupadhi, the Panchala  princess  .  Afterwards when  the Pandavas   get established    in their own capital city of Inbdraprastha  , they decided to do a fire sacrifice called Rajasuya , But since Yudhishtra was at that time without a son  , the fire did not get lit in the fire place  and since Bhima had a son, Sage Vyasa  prayed Gods that  all Pandavas were essentially one   and Ghatothkacha was their son   and conducted the fire sacrifice . Ghatothkacha  later helps the Pandavas  in the Mahabharatha war and is killed in the battle. Hidimbi then goes back to the forest    and is made  a Goddess   of the forest people there .

        HIdimbi is worshipped   in her temple  in Manali of Himachal Pradesh  . Near to her temple there  is a temple to her son  GHatothkacha in the form of a tree   and there is a temple dedicated to his son also in Manali , There are  also other small  temples dedicated to Hidimba Devi all over Himachalas .During the Dasara festival the HIdimba chariot escorts  The Chariot of Raghunath   on the Lanka Dahan day  .People believe that Dimapur of Assam is named after  Hidimba   and is the corruption of the  nama Hidimbapur.

Raja’s dream of white mountain of north
By
Raja Thatha
The teacher thundered in the geography class,
There is a white mountain in the great India of ours ,
The nine year old Raja was aghast to hear that,
For he has only seen green mountains and rocky ones ,
And desired to see that white mountain of the North .

Raja not a Raja but a boy from struggling poor home ,
Could only dream about the white mountain of the North.

The giant called time , Ran with the speed of the horse,
Lillle Raja became a lad and lived in great cities ,
Within throwing distance of the white mountain,
But he was not fortunate to see that white mountain of north.
Struggles and struggles were written on his head ,
To pull himself and his family from that state ,
And so he could never even imagine the white mountain of north.
Raja became a Thatha to his sons and daughters who were grand ,
He forever thought his dream would never get fulfilled ,
But one day the angel to whom he was Papa,
Told to him , “Daddy I am going to show you the white mountain of North”
Surrounded and helped by them who loved him a lot ,
Raja Thatha has returned after seeing , the white mountain of North ,
With his mind full of glee and joy and with a dream fulfilled.

Koshish Karne Walo ko Kabhi haar nahi hothi

A remarkable poem by Hariva

nsh Rai Bachan (Father of Amithabh Bachan and its english translation b

LEHRON SE DARR KAR NOKA PAAR NAHI HOTI !
KOSHISH KARNE WALO KI KABHI HAAR NAHI HOTI !!

NANHI CHITI JAB DANA LEKAR CHALTI HE !
CHATDTI DIWARON PAR SOO BAR FISALTI HE !!

MANKA VISHWAS RAGGO ME SAAHAS BHARTA HE!
CHADKARGIRNA GIRKAR CHADNA NA AKHARTA HE !
MEHNAT USKI BEKAR HAR BAR NAHI HOTI!!

KOSHISH KARNE WALO KI KABHI HAAR NAHI HOTI !!

DUBKIYAN SINDHU ME GOTAKHOR LAGATA HE !
JA JA KAR KHALI HATH LOTKAR AATA HE !!

MILTE NA SAHAJ HI MOTI GEHRE PANI ME !
BADTA DUNA VISHWAS ISI HERANI ME!
MUTHI USKI KHALI HAR BAAR NAHI HOTI!!

KOSHISH KARNE WALO KI KABHI HAAR NAHI HOTI !!

ASAFLTA EK CHUNOTI HE SWIKAR KARO !
KYA KAMI REH GAI DEKHO OR SUDHAR KARO !!

JAB TAK NA SAFAL HO NEEND CHEN KI TYAGO TUM !
SANGHARSHO KA MEIDAN CHOD MAT BHAGO TUM !!

KUCH KIYE BINA HI JAI JAI KAR NAI HOTI !!

KOSHISH KARNE WALO KI KABHI HAAR NAHI HOTI !!
KOSHISH KARNE WALO KI KABHI HAAR NAHI HOTI !!

There is no defeat
By
P.R.Ramchander
(A approximate translation of the above poem)

If the boat is ever afraid of the waves,
It can never, ever cross the sea,
Only to those who try very hard,
There is never, ever a defeat.

When tiny little ants carry the grain and climb,
On the steep-soft walls, they fall down hundreds of times,
But their mind filled fully with hope,
Fills up their nerves fully with courage.
Falling after climbing and climbing after falling,
Does never make them stop from climbing,
For they know that hard work never goes waste,
Only to those who try very hard,
There is never, ever a defeat.

The scuba divers sink and rise,
In the sea and return oft empty handed,
For it is very rare to get a pearl in the deep sea,
But they sink and rise again and again,
For they know that sometimes their hands will not be empty.
Accept the fact that every failure is a challenge,
Take courage from defeat and try again,
Till you are crowned with success.
Banish sleep from your eyes at night,
And do not desert and run away from this land of defeat.
For without doing hard work, no success comes,
Only to those who try very hard,
There is never, ever a defeat