I do not have any fancy for frills

I said I liked intellectual activity, but never have I claimed that I am a superior intellectual..

I meant that I did not have any fancy for frills..

It is a personality trait.. born with me and perhaps will only die with me..

I do not propose to flaunt it as a virtue or superiority I possess over any other being..

Then to guide and render advice to others, I should know, and I should have the confidence that I know at least a little, and then there should be persons who will care even for a wee bit about my views..

I do not think I have any such advantages..

Who am I to don the garb of a guide or guru?

I am not qualified in any way..

And even if I, in my idiocy or arrogance or vanity,assume that I am superior, who will accept it?

My thinking process and my limited faculty of analysis are the only two things that I possess.. both may be imperfect and faulty, but that is all that I have..

If I have a choice to wear all the costly clothes and I have the money to purchase them too, I can wear and shine..

If I have only tattered and dirty clothes, and I am not capable of even washing them, all I should do is to wear them..

I cannot remain naked just because I do not have costly apparel..

And I am neither jealous or critical of persons who acquire and wear clothes, rightfully owned or stolen, or even about people who prefer to remain naked..

It is their choice..

I am neither capable of nor bound to correct anyone..

My control, limited as it might be is confined to this body of five feet seventy five kilos.. Nothing else..

I have no reason either to be jealous or critical of anyone else..

I can only try to ask myself what I am..

And I am a clumsy learner..

To learn even a little and present it even to the limited contentment of myself takes a lot of labour and tears..

So how can I communicate effectively with any other person, and present my ideas to his satisfaction?

My writings come sporadically, without any premeditation or deep thought..

The thoughts get generated in the brain, flow to the fingertips in a jiffy, and appear as impressions or posts, and once that process is over, I am completely dead to my thoughts..

Neither I nor anyone else, I think, has any use for fellows like me..

genuine knowledge can exist only in the company of patience and tolerance

 

नरस्याभरणं रूपं रूपस्याभरणं गुण:।

गुणस्याभरणं ज्ञानं। ज्ञानस्याभरणं क्षमा॥सुभाषितरत्नसंच्चयं

narasyābharaṇaṃ rūpaṃ rūpasyābharaṇaṃ guṇa:।

guṇasyābharaṇaṃ jñānaṃ। jñānasyābharaṇaṃ kṣamā॥subhāṣitaratnasaṃccayaṃ

Attractive appearance and charisma adds real value to a man

The genuine attractiveness for a man is his praiseworthy qualities.

The praiseworthy qualities originate and gets further embellishment when there is an eternal inflow of knowledge

In addition, knowledge, the genuine one, can exist only in the company of patience and tolerance.

a careless blow by a rod can shatter the pot in a split second

दीर्घप्रयासेन कृतं हि वस्तु निमेषमात्रेण भजेद् विनाशम् ।

कर्तुं कुलालस्य तु वर्षमेकं भेत्तुं हि दण्डस्य मूहूर्तमात्रम् ।।

सूक्तिमुक्तावली – 84

dīrghaprayāsena kṛtaṃ hi vastu nimeṣamātreṇa bhajed vināśam ।

kartuṃ kulālasya tu varṣamekaṃ bhettuṃ hi daṇḍasya mūhūrtamātram ।।

sūktimuktāvalī – 84

It takes very long periods to plan, organise and actualise projects or to give the right shape to objects we strive to create. However, the prolonged dedicated creative process would become futile through some sporadic, careless indiscrete action. A potter toils with meticulous care for one year to give shape to a clay pot. However, a careless blow by a rod can shatter the pot in a split second. Good Morning K V Ananthanarayanan

दीर्घ prolonged, spanning over long periods प्रयासेन work, exertion कृतं done वस्तु object निमेषमात्रेण within a second विनाशं destruction, shattering भजेद् हि may face भाण्डं a pot made of clay कर्तुं to create कुलालस्य for the potter एकं one वर्षं year अवश्यं भवति is required . तं भेत्तुं to shatter that दण्डस्य for a log or staff एकमात्रं only one मुहूर्तं split second हि अलंindeed is sufficient

the definition of happiness also undergoes sea changes

the definition of happiness also undergoes sea changes.

First we are happy with even small things. But we tend to ask more as time advances and only things not easy to get can make us happy.

It is something similar to taking some intoxicant.

First small dosages would give us heaven but as we get addicted we would crave for huge doses..and we proceed to points from where there are no comebacks

Initialky we manage to get happiness without making others unhappy..we do not grab and snatch.

But as our demands grow we grab snatch steal or even loot.

If our pursuit for happiness does not deprive others of their welfare pursuit of happiness is okay.

Upon God, I do not want any happiness for myself won at the cost of the tears of my neighbour

It is better to be unhappy all my life than making others miserable.

that a true friend, will not do anything which could not be forgiven

It is very difficult to get a friend in this world..

we have to coin the word friend-in-law for many of our so-called friends, especially with the spate of friendship in social-media..

But still I do hope that a true friend, if there is one, will not do anything which could not be forgiven..

If a situation has arisen where the question of forgiving comes, the friendship must have lost its sense and content.

Forgiving of course comes for inadvertent and innocent offences.. and if a friend is really considerate, then normally such situations may not arise..

But innocent damages do occur...like Dasaratha killing the only son of a blind ascetic couple and incurring their curse..

More than the story, the purpose behind the story should be the concern

 

Ultimately, the purpose of any literature, religious or secular, should be that its contents should give messages for the welfare and wellbeing of all and at the same time, the narration should be pleasing and lucid.

More than the story, the purpose behind the story should be the concern.

That way Mahabharatham, in whatever form or version it has been has served its purpose quite well.

The questions as to whether Vyasa or whoever said or wrote it did so facing east or west, whether it was written with a tusk, whether a character had leprosy or another character was blind, whether five fellows had one wife and such trivialities are just trivialities.

How miserable Lord Shiva is..!

 

एका भार्या समररसिका निम्नगा च द्वितीया

पुत्रोऽप्येको द्विरदवदनो षण्मुखश्च द्वितीयः ।

नन्दी भृङ्गी च कपिवदनो वाहनं पुङ्गवेशः

स्मारं स्मारं स्वगृहचरितं भस्मदेहो महेशः ॥

चाटुचणक

ekā bhāryā samararasikā nimnagā ca dvitīyā

putro'pyeko dviradavadano ṣaṇmukhaśca dvitīyaḥ ।

nandī bhṛṅgī ca kapivadano vāhanaṃ puṅgaveśaḥ

smāraṃ smāraṃ svagṛhacaritaṃ bhasmadeho maheśaḥ ॥

How miserable Lord Shiva is..!

One of His wives is Durga, ever engaged in fighting and killing Demons. She is an inveterate fighter.

Second wife is River Ganga, and by Her very nature she flows along low places, keeping company with lowly fellows.

One son is having the funny face of an elephant-Ganesa.

The other son Skanda is having six faces where normally an attractive person should have only one.

Therefore, both the sons are intolerably ugly.

His vehicle is the old doddery Vrushhabha (Bull) by name Nandi. His chief protocol officer Bhringee who has the face of a monkey.

So what can he have in His house to feel happy or proud about?

Therefore, Lord Shankara decided to run away to a burial ground where he is residing permanently. His body smeared with ashes collected from the funeral pyres.

we mix things with lies, more lies and utter lies

 

We lack originality. Not that many things we claim as created by us could be original. We copy, adopt, adapt, alter, mutilate, mix, join and so on. In addition, often we join square and round edges together and produce funny results.

Of course, originality is a quality given by some higher power and that power does not deem it fit to distribute that endowment evenly among us all.

However, to be honest is a very simple activity.

Normally if we accept things as they are, we are just being honest. However, we mix things with lies, more lies and utter lies and in the process, even a semblance of good in what we have taken for processing gets lost.

Moreover, when contaminated with lies even the good things become completely toxic.

I am at a loss.  I am aghast.

more on fiction than facts

Literature thrives more on fiction than facts.. Even the best of writers stress more on the immediate effect of the words.. There is an alankaram called Apahnuti in Sanskrit.. The real facts are substituted by imaginery symbols.. One of the definitions for pure apahnuti.. नायं सुधांशु किं तर्हि व्योमगंगा सरोरुहं.. a poet says looking at the moon.. " this is not the moon, but it is a lotus blooming in the celestial Ganga river." This in no way means the moon has become a lotus flower.(Appayya Deekshita has cited this in Kuvalayanandam).

It is only poetic licence..

. In absolute terms, we cannot attribute luck and lack of it to either Vishnu or Shiva.. As Kalidasasa said.. AkinchanaH san prabhavaH sa sampadaam... Lord Shiva stands like a destitute but He is the source of all the wealth of the universe..

But this sloka has to be viewed from the homily statement.. often luck is more decisive in life than our other qualities.. Many rulers politicians and ministers never deserved to be in those positions but for their luck.. And we, who suffer them are really unlucky..

do not presume that you are superior to others

 

न विस्मयेत तपसा वदेदिष्ट्वा च नानृतम्।

नार्तोऽप्यपवदेद्विप्रान् न दत्वा परिकीर्तयेत्॥

मनुस्मृत्यां

na vismayeta tapasā vadediṣṭvā ca nānṛtam|

nārto'pyapavadedviprān na datvā parikīrtayet||

manusmriti

Do not get arrogant and careless and get the illusion that you are superior merely because you have been observing penance.

Do not tell lies or distort facts on the presumed position of strength that you have performed many superior rites like yajnas.

Do not venture to insult learned persons even if you are in a rundown condition physically or mentally. You should not take your misery as a licence to behave rudely with respectable persons.

In addition, never announce loudly or brag about the charitable activities conducted by you or the valuable gifts given by you.