"The Cow Jumped Over The Moon!"

A fun post from Incognita:

Krishna milking a cow - sculpture at Krishna Cave, Mamallapuram. She looks ready to take off doesn't she?

This post wasn't planned for at all. I had completely different ideas for today. But sometimes there comes an unexpected tug at your sleeve. This one came in the shape of a comment from Karan on our Freetravellers post.
"obstacle sounds like such a small, ordinary word, but this code of a word simulates one to somersault through one's memory, similarly triumphs takes us to that happy place where mishti appears on but a click of fingers :) "
All these words fell into a jumble and then somersaulted themselves into a pattern from which emerged the theme and the title.

I have often wondered about the proverbial milk boiling over. My mother would make a sprint in the nick of time and all but  leap over the moon  to save it (the milk, not the moon :) )from spilling on the stove, just as it rose in all its cloudlike glory to reach for the heavens and come down fountain-like. She was pragmatic and mostly didn't let it overflow into a mess! It rose to its fullness but she got away with all of her milk intact!
The "creator" of milk too takes this challenge the whole way and surmounts it, presumably doing a not-so-graceful free fall!!

 If  The Cow could jump over the moon - and maybe land with a splash in the Ksheerasagara :) itself - making a not-so-pretty picture of herself as she somersaults through the air and plops down,

Ksheerasagara? Picture of Bay of Bengal at Puri, by Incognita

 we too can somersault over our obstacles to actually land in our coveted pot of mishti doi. (picture the three of us splashing around in a HUGE earthen pot and licking our fingers if not our whole selves)  Perhaps it is the only way we actually get to reach The One that is meant for us, delicious and nourishing like no other.

This seeming obstacle, this diversion from the planned route, are today's gift from my mother Rajam who has been adopted by many after her migration to a world beyond. Today is her 93rd birthday.
Happy Birthday Dear Rajam! Well Rajarajeshwari Tripurasundari Kamakshi to be precise! Neatly compressed into short, sweet, gender-neutral Rajam by her teachers from foreign shores as well as her lazy relations and friends! You always enjoyed a gentle and loving prank on your near and dear. Thank you for this one.

May it be a day of Coalescence!
Let the Kheer bubble!

                            A sacred swirling pool of kheer in Incognita's kitchen!

Coalescence - ready for offering and enjoyment!

"

PS - Bet nobody thought that nursery rhyme could find a connection with something profound in Indian lore :) Such is the working of Indra's net and such is the nature of "maya"

PS2 - Thanks dear Sue Forman for "coalescence." it is taking us places! Words words words - with all their mystical powers!

PS3 - I don't often make personal posts. This one however I dedicate to my mother. Wherever you are in the Alterverse, this one is for you Rajamma!

PS4 - To those of you who haven't already visited this is our Facebook Link - Give us a Like! We cherish each one of your Likes, we love having you drop by and interact, we look forward to the energy you all bring to the pool. Thank you in anticipation!

We'll leave you with a treat:  Kim Raikes making kheer - she has strict instructions not to let it boil over. Rajam's orders!

Freetravellers .. An Intersection of Lives

 “Aaahh I loved the tiny earthen pots filled with soft melting curd ...sometimes flavored with cardamom...at other times with Saffron..”

   Incognita photographed by Karan, enjoying a singara - you can see earthen pots of Mishti Doi in the glass case

These words from Sridevi Datta reminded me all over again of silken silt from the bed of the Ganges,

                           Karan Vohra standing on the banks of the Hooghly.You can see the silt uncovered near the steps.

 sand from the shores of the Bay of Bengal 

   Bay of Bengal - sands at Chilka Sea Mouth

and all things sacred. 

                                                 Durga Puja clay image in the making - clicked by Kim Raikes at Kalighat
They reminded me that it was time to continue on the journey with our fellow travellers! And this post wrote itself.

Yes – Karan, Kim and Incognita have been missing from view. Each of us was on our own Imramma. But the first tinge of autumn gold in the sun’s rays, the first hint of chill in the air, the gentle turn of the wind,  have once more drifted our coracles  (a word that came to mind subconsciously because of this connection (our namesake and a sacred historical place like the one in Orissa that inspired our name) - towards Chakratirtha.

New energies have entered from new events and surprise  people we’ve come across. Indra’s net is indeed electrified!

   Cris-crossing strings of colored bulbs to celebrate Diwali

                                  

In the course of these meanderings we ran into the magazine "Consolidation," which Kim and Incognita had co-edited back in 2008. And it was déjà vu! The story of Consolidation matched word for word that of CTT which tells you that we are part of the eternal swirling tirtha, the inevitable spiral. The moment Sridevi mentioned the earthen pots, we decided to adapt a piece of writing from the magazine – “The Little Clay Cup” -  to tell our story here.

Read on.

Like a river carving its own course.

                       Mary Raikes at Diamond Harbor near Kolkata - see the river winding away!

 Turning up out of nowhere, disappearing and reappearing like the ancient, mystical River Sarasvati of Indian mythology whose lost course has been rediscovered by archaeologists. Our Triple Spiral is always there - in the mind, the heart, the imagination and we hope now in “person.” These have been months of recovery from old hurts and emergence from fresh ones followed by action, discovery, growth and fresh thinking.

Through Incognita’s chance connection with Kim in 2007 was born the idea of interfacing with a larger world through a coalescence rather than through separate gateways. Back in 2008,  Kim's footprints were left on the sands of time - and the sands of timeless India - while timeless India left her imprint on Kim’s mind and heart. As the most fitting symbol of this meeting she carried back with her a little piece of earth in the shape of a tiny clay cup from which she drank. 

                                Clay cup in Kim Raike's palm

One out of the hundreds of thousands that are drunk from over the length and breadth of India by all regardless of station in life, and returned to the ground to crumble and integrate with the soil: the "chosen one," picked as if at random from its countless anonymous brethren, to travel across the ocean and become an ambassador for this ancient civilization and for CTT's philosophy of travel.

While this little mascot  accompanied several other representatives of India in Kim's baggage, a collection of exquisitely colored little yaatris (yaatri is traveller in Sanskrit) who are usually happier sailing and have sailed countless miles across oceans, were airlifted to take up residence in my home. They have been whispering the secrets of their voyages to me over the years. Yes, they are a collection of sea glass pieces from the beaches of Maine where Kim lives.

Both the clay cup and the glass pieces reached destinations they didn’t expect to. And this was only the start of several such journeys and chance meetings. 2011 brought dear Karan into our lives through his wonderful blog. 2012 was a year of meetings again – first between Kim and Karan and then Karan and Incognita.  We are now waiting for the magical coming together of three in one physical place.

 This puts in me in mind all over again of the words in our former magazine team-mate freetraveller's signature:
“Travellers are those who find what they were not looking for...”. 
 They represent the unforseen discovery, the unexpectedgift, the unusual in every good sense. They also represent the transcending of time and space barriers, the universal human spirit and creative energy. They have dropped anchor in unexpected places, hopefully found homes.  It is akin to the spirit of Imramma that the ancient Celts have inspired us with.

We leave you for now with a quote from Karan from our last post on this blog.

“"I see a journey unfolding filled with the direction of a lighthouse, the sweetness of mishti and the optimism of the sun. I also see splashes of colour on different canvases singing a story like no other. I see a dish of words* that offers us obstacles and successes in equal measure. I see courage and beauty in Durga. In short I see the lives of three people intersecting rather than one."

Here then are the three people, a bridge across the Ganga,  feet crossing thresholds!

The Four-F Festival tranformed itself into the free travels of the Triple Spiral’s members.  We are at the magical intersection again and we will come back to you with the  "Dial-M for Mishti" post and much more, as we enter the Devi Paksha in a couple of days.  

*we will tell you about that special dish in the coming days*

Type "Mayalakshmi Rao" to find "Mishti Doi" !

And what do you find along with the Mishti Doi?
This!

A sure sign of the how the essence and energy of Chakratirtha Travels, are starting to permeate the internet. Look carefully and you'll spot our foot emblem, Kolkata's iconic  Durga,  the Mamallapuram Lighthouse at sunset, a plate of sweets, neem-flower chutney from the Tamil New Years' feast, some beautiful paintings by Karan Leo Arts and the 150 year old Butter Dish from Maine, whose secrets are waiting to be revealed!.

In the words of Karan Vohra our Creative Head:

"I see a journey unfolding filled with the direction of a lighthouse, the sweetness of mishti and the optimism of the sun. I also see splashes of colour on different canvases singing a story like no other. I see a dish of words that offers us obstacles and successes in equal measure. I see courage and beauty in Durga. In short I see the lives of three people intersecting rather than one."

Intersection of Three Lives - symbolized as a Tirtha or Crossing Place, indeed a Triveni Sangam.

Intersections that happen as we each wander our own path as a yaatri (traveller) on life's journey.

The pictures you see in this montage are all representative of our venture, those crossings and the synergy of the Triple Spiral.

We invite more people to look us up and be surprised at where their paths lead them.  In the words of a dear friend, writer and Yaatri par excellance - Freetraveller as she is best known -  "Travellers are those who find what they are not looking for." The title of our post says just that! Lives will intersect unexpectedly, journeys will chart themselves out. 

And the first step - Look East!

Her eyes are looking eastward. So ask us more?

Our ambassador Jigyasa (meaning curiosity in Hindi) invites you through a series of posts starting with "Look East," to join in this happening and happy crossing of paths. Join the Four-F Yaatra that we're currently on.! Many readers are familiar with her personification in Karan's painting, through our Facebook Page.  Jigyasa - personified here as the inquisitive and adventurous Yaatri - will travel with you.

But first a Sweet Welcome to readers with a quintessentially Eastern Indian dessert that sums up the essence of our shared experiences. Over to Karan and The Curious Case of The Elusive Mishti. We promise you mishti and more. This post is  the starter. Stay the full course with us. 

And keep a look out for our upcoming post:  " Dial 'M' for 'Mishti' "

"Her India is my Egypt"

I received this wonderful tribute from my dear friend Gar in Texas and I thought it deserved to be a post in its own right. Gar is widely traveled and has gone deep into Egyptian history and civilization. He feels a strong sense of identification with Egypt and he refers to that. He is also an expert on Hawai'i, not to speak of his native Texas and Germany. Gar has powerfully influenced my thinking and Kim's in the six odd years we have known one another. So here goes.

"I am in awe of all the thought and creativity that went into your explanations and insights.

As you are well aware, Indian thought, religion or what have you is beyond my grasp. I simply don't relate, however beautiful I may find much of it. Guess I've never had an experience there. Kim obviously is very much at home with it. Her India is my Egypt. Egyptian thought make sense to me, though to others it might as well be the dominant culture of Saturn.

However, as I read your words I am again for the millionth time reminded of a similarity with Egypt, Greece, Rome, all ancient cultures. The gods acted as humans or something akin to humans. The gods had every emotion known to man. The gods were related like ruling families. The gods fought and plotted, killed, grasped power. I can not prove it but there has to be an explanation for the similarity. And I believe that the simplest explanation is usually the closest to truth. They acted like people. People with powers and abilities light years beyond the common folk, but people still. Who in all your experience have emotions and behavior exactly like people? Hint: It ain't Indian elephants or Egyptian hawks or Greek sheep....

I'll reread and with it wish you great success and pleasure. A beautiful, loving thoughtful creation. Great graphic, too by the way."

Thank you Gar on behalf of the three of us - myself, Kim and Karan who is behind the graphics among other things. Your words went straight to our hearts.

And yes, Indian elephants do count. We have amazingly human-like animals in mythology!

First and foremost, we have our elephant headed Lord Ganesha - the obstacle remover - without whom no event commences, so Salutations to Him!

To our readers:

I came across this link "India and Egypt," which appears interesting. It quotes diverse sources for the information presented. I have not personally delved into it in depth as yet, or authenticated the details for myself, but thought it was worth sharing in the context of these similarities across civilizations.
And one on the lotus in ancient Egyptian culture. The author takes care to point out the difference in species between the Indian lotus(Nelumbo nucifera) and Egyptian water lily aka Egyptian lotus(Nymphaea lotus and Nymphaea caerulea a distinction often lost sight of due to use of the term Egyptian lotus.

We would love to generate a good conversation around the interconnections of all our civilizations. What are your own experiences? Do feel free to share.
We look forward to your comments on all our posts. We believe you will find this a warm, welcoming, comfortable space in which to create bridges and cross thresholds .

Crossing the 100 Threshold

Painted by Karan Vohra for Chakratirtha Travels

We just crossed the 100 Threshold!

Yes our Facebook Page got the first 100 Likes!!!

The Century has a mystique around it and an elusive power over the mind. So we decided on the magic number as a milestone at which to untie the ropes and formally release our ship on its journey, with this post. We have been informally on the road for quite a while now and had some rewarding journeys in the physical realm, apart from ongoing energy exchanges across cyberspace with a whole range of people from the world over. Understandably we found people asking us what we were "launching" this time. I'd say the past year involved some testing times for our team. We made it through with the phenomenal support of all our well wishers and we can now declare our ship truly seaworthy!

Last night I received this beautiful message from Kim in response to an Irish blessing I shared with her "May the road rise to meet you..."

"All these pics(on our Facebook Page and blog) feature roads (at least by implication) but they're united by the one road which unites us all, Irish or not: the road of our journey to meet and understand one another's cultures and lives. Thanks for the beautiful reminders of the views along the way!"




So journey with us, be part of our creative collaboration, wish us luck!

Love from our Triple Spiral - Kim, Karan and me!

By Divine Design

It is no accident. For the simple reason such miracles have to be from a Mastermind. That mind is the Universal Muse. We think we understand the bodies we are gifted with and the "bodies" we build... the apparently static but constantly growing, changing, decaying and rejuvenating structures that we live in... the futures we carefully plan and  craft for ourselves and try hard to enact. But through all of Creation runs a subtle power and it is gifted to us individually as our own subtle body and the auras of everything around us.

These are the dynamic entities through which "divine" energy and "divine" plan are communicated to us, the channel through which we connect with that power and talk to it as it talks to us.

We forget this and we forget to trust in these forces. Vishvakarma Puja is dedicated to reviving and energizing that channel and nourishing the subtle bodies of ourselves, our dwellings and our creations - our works of art, our writing, the assignments we have perforce to submit and be assessed for and the survival skills we practice as long as we are alive. It’s a day I love so much because it binds me through that invisible thread to the humblest of artisans, workers, craftsmen – all seamlessly woven together into that divine plan that we understand so little of.

Vishvakarma is depicted in most places as an old, bearded man riding a swan.


In Bengal, however he comes to life in every humble corner as a swashbuckling young man riding an elephant. The elephant is synonymous with stability as well as ancient wisdom. Resting on that strength he rises in resplendant colors.

I am always reminded of the cool, grey-tinged, sleeping, wise old earth on whose rim appears the divine gold disc at dawn.

A legend in tune with this occasion on the Sudarshana Chakra's creation.

"Chakra Azhwar"
According to one legend, the Sudarshana Chakra was created by Vishvakarma.
“Viswakarma's daughter Sanjana was married to Surya, the Sun God. Due to the Sun's blazing light and heat, she was unable to go near the Sun. She complained to her father about this. Viswakarma took the Sun and made him shine less so that his daughter would be able to hug the Sun. The left over Sun "dust" was collected by Viswakarma and he made three things out of it. The first one was the famous aerial vehicle Pushpaka Vimana, the second being the Trishula (Trident) of Lord Shiva, and the third was the Sudarshana Chakra of Lord Vishnu.”
“Pushpaka was originally made by Vishwakarma for Brahma the Hindu god of creation, later Brahma gifted it to Kubera, the God of wealth, but was later stolen, along withLanka, by his half-brother, the demon king Ravana.”

In Kim's words:
"Vimanas (aerial vehicles) can only remind me of the prophet Ezekiel's vision of the heavenly chariot with wheels within wheels. The wheels all had eyes around the rims of the wheels. The chariot could go anywhere, in any direction, and it could always see where it was going.

"Our subtle bodies are somehow more mobile than our physical bodies. They have the ability to turn and see in all directions. It's fortunate that they do, because our physical bodies are mired in the limitations of time and space.

"Vishvakarma Puja for me is the day on which those limitations are dissolved, and we can see the grand design of the universe "face to face," instead of "through a mirror, darkly" (Paul, New Testament)"

Here's to the fruition of that divine design within all of us!

19th December 2012

I ran into this while searching for sacred chants today so here is Sudarshana Gayatri

Embrace The Moment!

"There is No Place like Here, There is No Time like Now!"
When the aromas of the earth burst forth this morning in the form of a myriad golden blooms in a flower pot, I felt the message clear and powerful. This moment is the most auspicious. So on an impulse I unlocked the blog and I have an eager visitor. I trust the spirit itself to be the guide for our journeys, for our places and moments of crossing.


A few words of ancient wisdom in welcome from our team!

“OM – Purnamadah Purnamidam Purnat purnamudachyate.
Purnasya Purnamadaya Purnamevavashisyate.”


Vicki Hansen's Sanskrit is quaint but she creates a wonderful mood.
There are a few translations as comments posted under the video. I think "This moment is perfect" does capture the spirit better than the literal translations.

Here however are more erudite posts, elaborating on the meaning of the verse.
OM – Purnamadah
and
Gita Study