Sanskrit Writing Practice #4

Not too long after the pandemic began and we were told to stay home, I started writing one of the 108 Names of Amma ten times in Devanagari (the script used to write Sanskrit words) each day. Many of the “names” are events in Amma‘s early life or one of her characteristics. The list was written by a devotee decades ago and is frequently used as a chant before meditation or singing.

I have been having health problems, not related to covid, so it has been a week or more since I last wrote any Sanskrit. I finished line 78 last night. In this post, I will share lines 71 and 78.

I frequently make errors when I write. Usually by the 10th time I write the line, it is correct but not always, I still slip up. I also have discovered there are occasionally discrepancies between the transliteration and the Devanagari versions. Since I don’t know which is right, I just write it the way it is in the various books I am using. I also do not differentiate between the different kinds of “a”s, “i”s, “u”s, “n’s, “sh”s (and a few others) when I write the transliteration in blog posts. And last, there are occasionally times when letter combinations I use when I write the Devanagari script are different than the keyboard I am using for the post.

Line 71
सुप्रसन्न मुख़ाम्भोज वराभयद पाणये नम:
suprasanna mukhambhoja varabhayada panaye namah
… who has a bright, beaming face, as beautiful as a lotus flower, and who holds her hand in the posture of blessing

Line 78
प्रेमभक्ति सूधा सिक्त साधू चित्त गूहजूषे नम:
premabhakti sudha sikta sadhu citta guhajushe namah
… who resides in the cave of the heart of the pious that are drenched with the nectar of devotion

Sanskrit Writing Practice: Post #3

It has been 58 days since I started writing one of the 108 Names of Amma in ten times in Devanagari (the script used to write Sanskrit words) each day. Many of the “names” are events in Amma‘s early life. The list was compiled decades ago and is frequently used as a chant before meditation or singing.

In my last Sanskrit post, the lines related to Amma having had a vision of Lord Krishna. In this post I am using three lines that follow the one about Amma having had a vision of the Divine Mother holding an instrument called the veena. So these three lines are about what happened once her vision disappeared.

Day 48

देवी सद्य: तिरोधान ताप व्यथित चेतसे नम :
devi sadyas tirodhana tapa vyathita chetase namah
…whose heart was burnt in the fire of sorrow on the Divine Mother’s sudden disappearance,

Day 50

त्यक्तान्न पान निद्रदी निद्रादि सर्व दैहिक धर्मणे नम:
tyaktanna pana nidradi sarva daihika dharmane namah
… who gave up all bodily activities like eating, drinking, sleeping, etc.

Note: In doing this post, I see that I didn’t write pana in any of my sentences. Whoops.

Day 51

कुररादि समानीत भक्ष्य पोषित वर्ष्मणे नम:
kuraradi samanita bhakshya poshita varshmane namah
whose body was nourished by the food brought by birds and other animals

Note: I only wanted to use three lines in this post. Day 49 was “… whose sorrowful wailing was rending the ears of the four quarters.”

Gigantic Rhubarb

A few days ago a neighbor asked if I wanted some rhubarb from her garden. I enthusiastically said “Yes”!

She put the rhubarb on my porch and let me know it was there. I was astounded by how big the leaves were.

I put a nickel on one of the leaves to give you a better sense of its size.

I wonder if the leaves are this big because the air quality in the city is so much better since there is decreased traffic due to the stay at home orders. Everything in nature seems more healthy and more beautiful this year.

Crying Again!

When I woke up this morning, I had two What’s App notices on my phone. The first was an American Idol audition from three months ago. My heart was touched both by the performers innocence and talent, and by the way the judges treated him. My eyes filled with tears as I watched the video.

The second one was from last night’s America’s Got Talent show. By the end of that video, tears were pouring from my eyes.

As I was writing this post, another performance from last night caught my eye. It touched my heart for a completely different reason so I decided to include it too.

I’m Not a Cook!

I’m not a cook, so this stay at home order is a real challenge. And when I do cook, I create a big mess. I made some zucchini-banana bread last week and it turned out well. (The two cupcakes are missing because I ate them while they were still hot!)

This is what my kitchen looked like when I finished making the bread! 😒 ❤️😧