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Friday, July 08, 2011

We have the opportunity to show true grit.

आयुर्वर्षशतं नृणां परिमितं रात्रौ तदर्धं गतं।
तस्यार्द्धाय परस्य चार्द्धमपरं बालत्ववृद्धत्वयोः
शेषं व्याधिवियोगदुःखसहितं सेवादिभिर्नीयते
जीवे वारितरङ्गचञ्चलतरे सौख्यं कुतः प्राणिनां॥४९॥
भर्त्तृहरेः वैरग्यशतकात्
āyurvarṣaśataṁ nṛṇāṁ parimitaṁ rātrau tadardhaṁ gataṁ|
tasyārddhaya parasya cārddhamaparaṁ bālatvavṛddhatvayoḥ
śeṣaṁ vyādhiviyogaduḥkhasahitaṁ sevādibhirnīyate
jīve vāritaraṅgacañcalatare saukhyaṁ kutaḥ prāṇināṁ||49||
bharttṛhareḥ vairagyaśatakāt

aayurvarSashataM nR^iNaaM parimitaM raatrau tadardhaM gataM.
tasyaarddhaya parasya chaarddhamaparaM baalatwavR^iddhatwayoH
sheSaM vyaadhiviyogaduHkhasahitaM sevaadibhirniiyate
jiive vaaritara~Ngacha~nchalatare saukhyaM kutaH praaNinaaM..49..
bharttR^ihareH vairagyashatakaat

a quote from Vairagyasatakam  of Bharthruhari

The normal lifetime allotted to man by God is supposed to be hundred years.
Out of this half the time is spent as night without doing anything.
Of the remaining half , the waking time, half is spent as boyhood and as old age. 
We have to plan the rest of the time for illnesses, mourning, griefs, and other personal calamities also,
and
 at the same time we have to toil hard to eke out our livelihood. 
This life as a whole would look like the ever flowing and ebbing waves that go in circles in a mass of water. 
Where to find welfare and pleasure in this life?

At first,  this sloka would appear to give a negative message, that this whole life is useless.  
But the master poet is only pointing out the fate of a person who would not spend properly the time available in this earth for a single life. 
In fact the idea of hundred years of lifetime has been only an ideal target which is not yet achieved by any set of people and the modern maladies stemming out of faulty lifestyles have only contributed in reducing such span of life.
The poet indicates that sleep, boyhood and old-age make serious inroads into our meaningful span of life.  
This trend can be reversed, and has been reversed to substantial extent. 
 By material standards, t he child of the current generation  learning the alphabets and numbers in a few languages at about one and half years of age and goes on to continue with his studies till early twenties can never be accused as wasting his boyhood. 
 Even the senior citizens in advanced ages do great service, 
and many of the rulers and policymakers around the world become senior enough only at that ripe age.  
The path of life is not strewn with rose petals.
  We encounter roadblocks, disappointments, and bereavements .  
If we are prepared to proceed with grit we can surely find some meaning to our existence. 
If we get shaken mentally or physical somewhere  en route and do not recover quickly life can become meaningless.  
This advice of Bharthruhari can be taken as a challenge for us to show our gritty nature to overcome any odds.  
If we simply think that nothing is to be done as we will simply die one day, 
our lives would become insipid.  
We have the opportunity to show true grit., can take it or leave it

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