the investment in faith he made just sustains us.

What I really did not realize all these years.. all these six decades and more.. makes a lot of meaning to me now..

My father was a simple person.. 

He was a staunch believer in God, and he was a stickler to rituals as a brahmin, but he was not much learned in Vedas or Sanskrit..

I remember, he would perform Ganapathy homam at home every Friday, all days during Navarathri, and on all the days in Karkitakam.. and he would try to find some excuse to perform Ganapathy homams on other days too citing some auspicious occasion...

The finances for the family were not encouraging and to spare cash for a coconut and ghee and jaggery and other things so often for that ritual was a real strain.. and I have in fact heard other family members(including me) protest about it many a time..

And from the first day of Thulam every year, till the Thaipoosam day in Makaram, he would wake up every day in the morning at least two hours before sunrise, and chant Gayatri manthram thousand times and also the moolamantrams of our family deity.. the Pazhani Andavar. ..

Till his last year of life, he continued the tradition of carrying adimai kavadi to Pazhani for Thai poosam..

His health was indifferent, and he knew, and we did not know that he had a heart condition.. Still he would climb the whole steps upwards and downward while visiting the hill temple of Palani..

He was alive till I was about thirty four, and his finances never really improved nor he was materially blessed during his lifetime.. In fact he left a very young family of three girls too when he passed away..

And sadly, though it must have been my duty to continue his traditions, I could never hold on to them.. An occasional pooja or a homam or a temple visit was that all I could do..

I have been wondering.. what did he achieve in his life?

So possessed of blind faith in God, even to the extent of neglecting his own health and other comforts..?

In fact life was a daunting task for me and my middle aged mother when he left..

I have to confess that I used to curse his neglect of material things, and the callousness of God when he took my father away at a very awkward stage for our family..

But was it really waste.?.

He left behind fine children, who have risen fairly well in life and now he has seven grandchildren who are all doing well, some on their way to brilliance..

We the children were rather worldly, though the basic faith that God was there to watch us and even preserve us through thick an thin always clung to us, and it was not at all bad.

He did never see any of his grandchildren, and did not even see his own children doing fairly well in life..

Now, looking back after a lapse of almost twenty-eight years, I have no choice but to believe that his unshakable faith in God has worked for us. his family..

When compared to him, we the children would appear to be materialistic and lacking in faith..

But the investment in faith he made just sustains us..

Faith in God is really rewarding.. if not for us, then for the generations to come after us..

Do I need more evidence for that? I think it is not necessary..

When adverse circustances arrive (with old age), even your body would become a dead weight

 

अद्यैव कुरु यच्छ्रेयो वृद्धः सन् किं करिष्यसि।

स्वगात्राण्यपि भाराय भवन्ति हि विपर्यये॥

योगवासिष्ठे

adyaiva kuru yacchreyo vṛddhaḥ san kiṁ kariṣyasi|

svagātrāṇyapi bhārāya bhavanti hi viparyaye||

yogavāsiṣṭhe

Do good, now, be active, be useful for others and for yourself too. Act today itself and do whatever you can do today or even now itself. What are you going to do, what on earth can you do once you are advanced in age and you are weak and doddery?

When adverse circustances arrive (with old age), even your body would become a dead weight for you and you would find it difficult to carry it along.

यद् what श्रेयः for the welfare, for the good of all तद् that अद्य today एव itself कुरु do वृद्धः old manसन् becoming किं करिष्यति what are you going to do, what can you doविपर्यये when adversity arrives, स्वगात्राणि own body अपि even भाराय for heaviness भवन्ति हि become just for that

അദ്യൈവ കുരു യച്ഛ്രേയോ വൃദ്ധഃ സന്‍ കിം കരിഷ്യസി|

സ്വഗാത്രാണ്യപി ഭാരായ ഭവന്തി ഹി വിപര്യയേ||

യോഗവാസിഷ്ഠേ

നല്ലത്, തനിക്കും മറ്റുള്ളവര്‍ക്കും ഉപയോഗമാവുന്നത് എന്തെങ്കിലും ചെയ്യാന്‍ കഴിയും എന്നുണ്ടെങ്കില്‍ അത് ഇപ്പോള്‍ത്തന്നെ ചെയ്യുക. നല്ലതെന്ന് തോന്നുന്നതെല്ലാം ഇന്ന് തന്നെ ഇപ്പോള്‍ തന്നെ (ശരീരവും മനസും വഴങ്ങുമ്പോള്‍ ) ചെയ്യുക. വാര്‍ദ്ധക്യം വന്നാല്‍ പിന്നെ എന്ത് ചെയ്യും?. അപ്പോള്‍ എന്ത് ചെയാന്‍ കഴിയും?. വയസാവുമ്പോള്‍ ശാരീരികവും മാനസികവും ആയ വെല്ലുവിളികള്‍ തളര്‍ത്തുമ്പോള്‍ നമ്മുടെ ശരീരം തന്നെ നമുക്ക് താങ്ങിക്കൊണ്ടു നടക്കാന്‍ പറ്റാത്ത പാഴ്ച്ചുമടായി മാറും

the relationship get mended by the very nature of the bond

 

यद्यपि भ्रातरः क्रुद्धाः भार्या वा कारणान्तरे।

स्वभावतः ते प्रीयन्ते नेतरः प्रीयते जनः॥

महाभारते शान्तिपर्वे

yadyapi bhrātaraḥ kruddhāḥ bhāryā vā kāraṇāntare|

svabhāvataḥ te prīyante netaraḥ prīyate janaḥ||

mahābhārate śāntiparve

This quote from Shantiparvam of Mahabharatam underlines the intensity of mutual bond that blood relationship and marriage could forge.

The meaning of the sloka is

Even if the siblings or the wife of a person get angry with him or even get estranged with him for some reason, the relationship get mended by the very nature of the bond and they become genial and would carry good will for the person after some time . Other persons would not behave like that.

Of course, very close friendships and other blood realtions could be included in the catergory of sibling affection.

यदि अपिeven though भ्रातरः brothers, siblings भार्या wife वा or कारणान्तरे for some reason क्रुद्धाः are angry ते they स्वभावतः by the very nature of the relationship प्रीयन्ते become pacified and reconciled इतरे other जनः people न प्रीयन्ते do not get reconciled or become friendly once again in the same way

യദ്യപി ഭ്രാതരഃ ക്രുദ്ധാഃ ഭാര്യാ വാ കാരണാന്തരേ।

സ്വഭാവതഃ തേ പ്രീയന്തേ നേതരഃ പ്രീയതേ ജനഃ॥

മഹാഭാരതേ ശാന്തിപര്‍വ്വേ

മഹാഭാരതത്തിലെ ശാന്തി പര്‍വത്തില്‍ നിന്നുള്ള ഈ ഉദ്ധരണി സഹോദരങ്ങള്‍ തമ്മിലുള്ള ശക്തിയേറിയ ബന്ധത്തെക്കുറിച്ചും വൈവാഹിക ബന്ധത്തിന്‍റെ ഊഷ്മളതയെക്കുറിച്ചും അടിവരയിട്ടു പറയുന്നു.

ഒരു വ്യക്തിയുടെ സഹോദരങ്ങളോ ഭാര്യയോ അയാളോട് ഏതെങ്കിലും കാരണം കൊണ്ട് ക്ഷുഭിതര്‍ ആവുകയോ, അവരുമായി അക്കാരണം കൊണ്ട് ഏതെങ്കിലും അകല്‍ച്ച ഉണ്ടാവുകയോ ചെയ്താലും കുറെ സമയം കഴിയുമ്പോള്‍ സ്വാഭാവികമായ ബന്ധത്തിന്‍റെ തീക്ഷ്ണത മൂലം ആ അകല്‍ച്ച ഇല്ലാതാവുകയും അവരുടെ സ്നേഹം നിറഞ്ഞ ബന്ധം തിരിച്ചു കിട്ടുകയും ചെയ്യുന്നു. പക്ഷെ മറ്റുള്ള അന്യരുടെ കാര്യത്തില്‍ അത്തരം അകല്‍ച്ച വിട്ടുമാറുകയില്ല

ഇവിടെ രക്തബന്ധങ്ങളും ചില സുഹൃത് ബന്ധങ്ങളും വരെ ഈ സാഹോദര്യത്തിന്‍റെ പരിധിയില്‍ ഉള്‍പ്പെടുത്തുന്നതില്‍ അപാകതയൊന്നും ഇല്ല.

 

the most powerful people when they are forced to reside in someone else’s house

 

अयममृतनिधानं नायकोऽप्योषधीनां अमृतमयशरीरः कान्तियुक्तोऽपि चन्द्रः । 

भवति विगतरश्मिर्मण्डलं प्राप्य भानोः परसदननिविष्टः को लघुत्वं न याति ॥१४॥ 

 महासुभाषित संग्रहं २६९० चाणक्य राज नीति

ayamamṛtanidhānaṃ nāyako'pyoṣadhīnāṃ amṛtamayaśarīraḥ kāntiyukto'pi candraḥ । bhavati vigataraśmirmaṇḍalaṃ prāpya bhānoḥ parasadananiviṣṭaḥ ko laghutvaṃ na yāti ॥14॥ 

 mahāsubhāṣita saṃgrahaṃ 2690 cāṇakya rāja nīti

The moon is the storehouse of all medicinal herbs and ambrosia or amrutham too. In addition he is a divine being without death and is glowing in his immortal body. However, when the same moon enters the region of the Sun during daytime he loses all his glow and glory. This happens to even the most powerful people when they are forced to reside in someone else’s house

अमृतनिधानं the reservoir, storehouse of ambrosia..amrutham औषधीनां नायकः the master of all medicinal herbs अमृतमय शरीरः a body which would never perish, a person with eternally living body कान्तियुक्तः having very great shine सन् अपि even though being अयं चन्द्रः this moon भानोः of the sun मण्डलं the area where someone holds absolute power and authority, area of influence प्राप्य having reached विगत रश्मिः weakened, shorn off of all the rays भवति is. पर सदन another mans house निविष्टः being placed,being forced to enter and stay कः who लघुत्वं न याति do not become weak, do not become powerless

അയമമൃതനിധാനം നായകോഽപ്യോഷധീനാം അമൃതമയശരീരഃ കാന്തിയുക്തോഽപി ചന്ദ്രഃ ।

ഭവതി വിഗതരശ്മിര്‍മണ്ഡലം പ്രാപ്യ ഭാനോഃ പരസദനനിവിഷ്ടഃ കോ ലഘുത്വം ന യാതി ॥൧൪॥ മഹാസുഭാഷിത സംഗ്രഹം 

൨൬൯൦ ചാണക്യ രാജ നീതി

ചന്ദ്രന്‍ അമൃതത്തിന്‍റെ കലവറയാണ്. എല്ലാ ഔഷധങ്ങളുടെയും ഔഷധ സസ്യങ്ങളുടെയും ജന്മസ്ഥലമാണ് ചന്ദ്രന്‍. ഒരു കാലത്തും നാശം സംഭവിക്കാത്ത ശരീരം കൊണ്ട ദേവനാണ് ആ ചന്ദ്രന്‍. ആ അനശ്വരതയുടെ പൂര്‍ണ്ണ പ്രഭാവലയവുമായി നിലാവ് വെട്ടിത്തിളങ്ങുന്നു. ഇത് രാത്രിയിലെ കാര്യമാണ്.

അതേ ചന്ദ്രന്‍, പകലില്‍ സര്‍വശക്തനായ സൂര്യന്‍ ഉദിച്ചു നില്‍ക്കുമ്പോള്‍, സൂര്യന്റെ പ്രഭാവലയം പറന്നു നില്‍ക്കുന്ന ആകാശത്തില്‍ പ്രവേശിച്ചാല്‍ ആ ചന്ദ്രന്‍റെ രശ്മികളുടെ തിളക്കം നശിച്ച് ആര്‍ക്കും കാണാന്‍ പ്രയാസം തോന്നുന്ന വിധം വിളറി നില്‍ക്കേണ്ടി വരും. ഇതാണ് വേറൊരാളുടെ വീട്ടില്‍ കയറിപ്പോകാനുള്ള ഗതികേട് വരുന്നവന്‍റെ ദുരവസ്ഥ.

Yes, the old Kandappan is always Kandappan

I have often laughed at myself in derision finding myself posting many silly things in Social Media  just minutes after making pious declarations to the effect that I would never participate in frivolities there..

I am relieved to see that many of my friends and foes who appear to be very sensible otherwise, make loud declarations that they are taking a few days off, or are leaving  permanently and all, and are found to be posting, singing and dancing  just within the next few minutes... with redoubled vigour.. Therefore   I am in excellent company..

குடிகாரன் பேச்சு விடிந்தாலே போச்சு

the declarations of a drunkard would disappear overnight..

Elders used to talk about Smashaana Vairagyam...श्मशान वैराग्यं

It means thoughts about the fleeting nature of life and a sense of detachment that arises when one visits a burial ground accompanying the mortal remains of a loved ..

There we feel that all the pomp and gaiety and all our snobbishness and silly intolerance are just of no value, as we too have to be in the burial ground sooner or later..

Anyway  we return home, have a meal or a good lunch, and become the old selves again, with all the bickerings, faction fights, comparisons and so on..

പണ്ടത്തെ കണ്ടപ്പന്‍ കണ്ടപ്പന്‍ തന്നെ

Yes, the old Kandappan is always Kandappan.

the books are there always,

the books are there always,,

the mind is there always

the eyes are there always

the eagerness is there always

the guru is perhaps waiting ever to bless and give knowledge

but we discover,

read,

learn,

understand,

and impart only when the right time comes..

the time is

and must be

decided by that Supreme Being..

He must be knowing His job..

We need not pretend that we are His agents..

Maybe it is an obsession.. Anyway that is all my life is

I had occasion to see some minor error in usage somewhere.. 

I could have simply kept quiet.. But then the odd fellow inside me prompted me to criticise.. 

I did not mean to hurt the one who committed the error.. 

But then discretion is not the best part of me..

My rejoinder to that friend..

'Please do not take it as a personal affront..

I posted that in the interest of the languages and the scriptures and basically the spirit of divinity that we are expected to observe while dealing with the subject on hand..

I am in love with Sanskrit and Malayalam from the age of six or seven years and I got a crush English during my teens. Therefore  it is a love affair of more than half a century.

And therefore any injury suffered by these languages would somehow make me very uneasy..

If you see my track record. you will find that . I have written.. written and continue to write for the past four or five decades.

I use the language of law as a taxation professional.. 

And use the language of the academics as an analyst of Sanskrit literature..

I commit so many errors, I read, re read and correct myself.. 

Honestly I never spare myself or permit myself any concessions.

Even to this day I cannot treat a day as well spent unless I read at least hundred pages of printed material..

Maybe it is an obsession.. Anyway  that is all my life is.."

the use of water is in drinking it

 

 

मा कुरु गुरुतागर्वं लघुरन्यो नास्ति सागर त्वत्तः।

जलसङ्ग्रहमन्यस्मात्त्वयि सति कुर्वन्ति पोतस्थाः॥

सुभषितरत्नाकर

mā kuru gurutāgarvaṁ laghuranyo nāsti sāgara tvattaḥ|

jalasaṅgrahamanyasmāttvayi sati kurvanti potasthāḥ||

subhashitratnaakar

The poet is addressing the Ocean

Oh Ocean, do not feel too big, or brag about your size or huge collection of water. 

 There is no one meaner or siller than you. See, when people are navigating in boats across your surface, they collect and store drinking water from other sources, and not from you.

The water in the sea is not potable because of its salinity, even though the sea is having immense amount of the liquid. Therefore the navigators have to store water from elsewhere. Here, the poet says that the ocean is mean and is not ready to part with even a little water for the use of the travellers.

Even if a person has accumulated a lot of wealth and is in possession of huge cash, if he is not able to use it and enjoy and is not having a mind to share it with others, then his life is without any meaning.

सागर Oh se मा do not कुरु feel do गुरुता गर्वं show haughtiness of being big and rich (in water)त्वत्तः apart from you लघुः meaner, sillier अन्यः anoter being न not अस्ति there त्वयि सति when remaining in you ( when floating on your surface ) पोतस्थाः those who occupy the boat, अन्यस्मात् from somewhere else जलसङ्ग्रहं collection of (drinking )water कुर्वन्ति do

മാ കുരു ഗുരുതാഗര്‍വം ലഘുരന്യോ നാസ്തി സാഗര ത്വത്തഃ।

ജലസങ്ഗ്രഹമന്യസ്മാത്ത്വയി സതി കുര്‍വന്തി പോതസ്ഥാഃ॥

സുഭാഷിതരത്നാകര

കവി സമുദ്രത്തോടു പറയുകയാണ്‌.

കടലേ, നീ വളരെ വലിയതാണെന്നും നിനക്ക് സ്വത്തായി ഒത്തിരി വെള്ളം ഉണ്ടെന്നും കരുതി അഹങ്കരിക്കുകയൊന്നും വേണ്ട. നിന്നെക്കാള്‍ വിലകുറഞ്ഞവനും പിശുക്കനും ആയി ഈ ഭൂമിയില്‍ ആരും ഇല്ല, ഇത്ര അധികം വെള്ളം നിറഞ്ഞു നില്‍ക്കുന്ന നിന്‍റെ മുകളിലൂടെ തോണികളില്‍ യാത്ര ചെയ്യുന്ന ആളുകള്‍ കുടിക്കാനും മറ്റ് ആവശ്യങ്ങള്‍ക്കും ആയുള്ള വെള്ളം (നിന്നില്‍ നിന്നല്ലാതെ) വേറെ ശേഖരിച്ചു വയ്ക്കുന്നു.

കടലിലെ വെള്ളം ഉപ്പുരസം നിറഞ്ഞതാണ്‌. കുടിക്കാനും മറ്റും അത് ഉപയോഗിക്കാന്‍ പറ്റില്ല. അക്കാരണം കൊണ്ട് തോണിയില്‍ യാത്ര ചെയ്യുന്നവര്‍ കുടിക്കാനായും മറ്റും വേറെ വെള്ളം കരുതുന്നു. കവി ഇതിനു കാരണമായി പറയുന്നത് എത്ര വെള്ളം ഉണ്ടെങ്കിലും പിശുക്ക് മൂലം സമുദ്രം ഒരു തുള്ളി വെള്ളം പോലും തോണിയില്‍ ഇരിക്കുന്നവര്‍ക്ക് കൊടുക്കില്ല എന്നതാണ്.

എത്ര സ്വത്തും സമ്പാദ്യവും എല്ലാം ഉണ്ടെങ്കിലും അവയൊക്കെ ഉപയോഗിക്കാനും ആസ്വാദിക്കുവാനും മറ്റുള്ളവരോടൊപ്പം പങ്കു വയ്ക്കുവാനും ഒക്കെയുള്ള കഴിവും മനസ്സും ഉണ്ടെങ്കിലേ ജീവിതത്തിനു എന്തെങ്കിലും അര്‍ത്ഥം ഉണ്ടാവുകയുള്ളൂ

Even ordinary dumb persons like me can write something on their own, at least once in a while

 

Some people have some strange notion that only whatever  is quoted in some text or by some published work is worth reading.

Today I circulated an article written by me a few years ago, on Indian Foods etc.

A rejoinder came from a reader stating that it was a nice Subhashitam.. and the reader wanted to know the source from which the Subhashitam was taken.

Basically it is an article .. not a Subhashitam.

And I had collected the material  the material  from various standard sources, and I have analyzed   the citations and the contents  and had  commented on them and compiled the data as a write up.

The reader seems to have a notion that write ups which are copied from some other sources alone are authentic and worth reading.

That is simply a wrong notion, and it is an  also an insult to me.. a slap on my face for all the labour I have undertaken  in compiling such an article.

Such comments pour cold water on my face. In fact, I withdrew from social medial because of similar funny rejoinders.

Unfortunately, even in my privacy, some friend tries to give a slap on my face. It is indeed sad.

It is even worse than simply ignoring my message.

My reply to that friend is reproduced below.

"It is an article written by me and published in many periodicals..

I do not understand the meaning or the context of your question as to the source of the Subhashitam.

It is not a single subhashitam, it is an article prepared after going through many texts and as a result of prolonged study of many issues.

The present source I can cite is " myself".

And wherever I have quoted slokams in the article, I have indicated the source for the slokams if they are available.

Some slokas are just in circulation for centuries or even millenniums as wise sayings, or gnomic literature, that could be seen in any major compilation of subhashitams.

However, such compilations are not the primary source for the slokams.

The only source that can be cited without hesitation or equivocation is " ancient Indian Wisdom."

Is there any rule that I should not write something myself or that all that is prepared as messages should be from some source ?"

Even ordinary dumb persons like me can write something on their own, at least once in a while.