the acid test..

the acid test..

धर्मात्मा सत्यसन्धश्च रामो दाशरथिर् यदि

पौरुषे च अप्रतिद्वन्द्वः तदैनं जहि रावणिं॥

श्रीमद्वाल्मीकीये रामायणे युद्धकाण्डे ८७-- ३१ 

dharmātmā satyasandhaśca rāmo dāśarathir yadi

pauruṣe ca apratidvandvaḥ tadainaṁ jahi rāvaṇiṁ||

śrīmadvālmīkīye rāmāyaṇe yuddhakāṇḍe 87-- 31

The star-fight in the entire scenario of the war for defeating Ravana and retrieving Sita from Lanka is considered by many as the fight between Lakshmana and Indrajit.. Indrajit, the valorous son of Ravana, in facts exceeded his father in his physical prowess and adroitness in war-craft..

The arrows and other weapons and missiles possessed by him were without match .And it was Lakshmana, the young prince and the darling brother of Rama who led the fight against the young Rakshasa prince..

Lakshmana had valour, and to condition himself for the fight, he had done penance of taking no food, and observing strict celibacy for fourteen years..

But when the fight started, the victory appeared to tilt in favour Meghanadha the Indrajit, and with each arrow being sent, each missile being hurled, the wily demon appeared to gain the upper hand.

Lakshmana was completely exhausted and was at his wits end..

Then he thought of the glory of his own elder brother, Rama, the Divinity standing in the battleground just to establish truth and order.. He takes an arrow, and as the invocations before mounting it on the bow he says

" If it is true that Rama, the Son of Dasaratha, is the embodiment of Dharma, if He is always truthful, and if he is without any match in valour, may this arrow hit and annilhilate the son of Ravana."

And the nature is truthful.. The universe is truthful.. And words loaded with truth cannot be contradicted.

Hence the arrow found its target effectively,

and

Indrajit fell lifeless on the battleground.

Here we have to ponder over the various underlying factors that ultimately decides human action and success thereof.

1.. The faith of Lakshmana in the greatness of his elder brother and master..was limitless..When everything else had gone out of his control , still he has the confidence that the mere assertion of the greatness of Rama could gain back anything for him..

And such faith stems out of reality.. Rama represented all that his younger believed him to be..Even the mention of such potent truths can control the balance of Dharma in the universe.

In fact this is basic psychology guiding the chanting of mantras and other intonations.. as we find in all religions..

2. Earlier in the epic, we find that Lakshmana, on the face of mounting obstacles leading even to a state of virtual death for himself and Rama, the mock killing of Sita, etc, had got depressed for some time and had even spoken in contempt of Dharma, and the righteous path followed by the elder brother..But ultimately he had to come round to trust in the efficacy of dharma and then alone he could vanquish his enemy.

3. Lakshmana was not a rabbit..He was a very astute person, a well-educated prince and an eminent warrior himself..

And he had lived with Rama all his lifetime but for a single day.. because he was born the next day after Rama..

Still, even after so many years, Lakshmana could have complete faith in the loftiness of Rama's character and valour..We look at icons, and form our views on them without adequate data and observation..Our judgements can be faulty.And usually a younger brother is programmed with jealousy for his elder sibling even as the former is born..

But Lakshmana could assert the greatness of Rama his elder brother with no doubt whatsoever.. This should speak volumes for the greatness of Rama.

4. It has to be noted that Lakshmana did not assert that he was Bhagavan Sehsa himself or that Rama and Sita were Narayana and Lakshmi., the supreme Divine Couple..Lakshmana asserted the glory of the race of Dasaratha and the personal qualities of Rama. adherence to Dharma, Truth and Valour.

Maybe such great qualities in men put them even above the Godhead.

without comparison..

without comparison..

नास्ति विद्यासमं चक्षुः नास्ति सत्य समं तपः।
नास्ति रागसमं दुःखं नास्ति त्यागसमं सुखं॥

nāsti vidyāsamaṁ cakṣuḥ nāsti satya samaṁ tapaḥ|

nāsti rāgasamaṁ duḥkhaṁ nāsti tyāgasamaṁ sukhaṁ||

There can be no eyes better than knowledge

There can be no greater penance than truth

There can be no deeper grief than attachment

and

There can be no sublimer comfort than sacrifice..

this is love..

this is love..

दर्शने स्पर्शने वाऽपि श्रवणे भाषणेऽपि वा।

यत्र द्रवत्यन्तरङ्गं स स्नेह इति कथ्यते॥

॥सुभाषितं॥

darśane sparśane vā'pi śravaṇe bhāṣaṇe'pi vā|

yatra dravatyantaraṅgaṁ sa sneha iti kathyate||

||subhāṣitaṁ||

Real love is that sublime thing which melts our heart

when we see the one whom we love

when we touch the one whom we love

when we hear the one whom we love

when we talk to the one whom we love

Just think of Mother's love...An infant cannot survive without the sight, touch, and talk of Her..

Just think of Krishna's Love,

Just think of a friends's love

Just think of the love of one who is close to us.

It would be great if the loved one also sees us, touches us, talks to us and listen to us..

Law of Success

Law of Success

अष्ठौ गुणा पुरुषं दीपयन्ति प्रज्ञा सुशीलत्वदमौ श्रुतं च।

पराक्रमश्चाबहुभाषिता च दानं यदाशक्ति कृतज्ञता च॥

aṣṭhau guṇā puruṣaṁ dīpayanti prajñā suśīlatvadamau śrutaṁ ca|

parākramaścābahubhāṣitā ca dānaṁ yadāśakti kṛtajñatā ca||

Eight virtues possessed by a person enables him to become outstanding (and shining) in the society.

1. Prajnaa... Intellect

2. Susheelatwam.. Exemplary character

3. Damam -- Self-control

4.Shrutam -- Knowledge in scriptures, lores and local practices

5. ParaakramaH -- Valour, boldness, physical fitness

6. Abahubhaashitaa-- Capacity to keep words to the minimum, keeping the mouth shut

7. Daanam -- Offering of presents and help for the needy

8 Yadaashakti Kritanjnataa -- Being grateful especially within ones own means

impossible to satisfy..

impossible to satisfy..

सप्तैतानि न पूर्यन्ते पूर्यमाणान्यनेकशः।

स्वामिः पयोधिरुदरं कृपणोऽग्निर्यमो गृहं॥ 

saptaitāni na pūryante pūryamāṇānyanekaśaḥ|

svāmiḥ payodhirudaraṁ kṛpaṇo'gniryamo gṛhaṁ|| 

സപ്തൈതാനി ന പൂര്യന്തേ പൂര്യമാണാന്യനേകശഃ 

സ്വാമിഃ പയോധിരുദരം കൃപണോഗ്നിര്‍യമോ ഗൃഹം 

Seven things which never become full or can be satisfied howsoever much one tries to fill them or satisfy them 

1. Swami or the boss.. A boss will never be happy and satisfied with the work of his subodrdinate, in spite of the best perfromance 

2. Payodhi or the Ocean... The ocean can never be filled and it can recieve any amount of water, in spite of the water reaching it through rivers, rains, floods or deluges. 

3. Udharam or stomach.. Any amount of food eaten by us will give only temporary relief from hunger..Within hours we would be craving for more food 

4 .Kripana or the Stingy or miserly person... The avaricious person never get satisfied with whatever Income or wealth he has earned.. He will be on the lookout for more money and would try to earn more by fair means or foul. 

5. Agni. or Fire...The fire may inundate towns and forests in its wild rage, but it will be eager to consume more an more.. In fact its eagerness to engulf more things increaeses with its activity in progress. 

6. Yama the God of death.. The God of death snatch away innumerable number of living beings to its home every moment, but he is never satisfied.. The more the merrier is his policy and his black buffalo is always eager to carry any extra burden 

7. Griham or House.. Once a person starts building a house, the construction is never completed.. More and more money and material will be pumped in, but for sure, there will be something more by way of improvement or beautification.

the contents.....

the contents.....

मूर्खस्य पञ्च चिह्नानि गर्वो दुर्वचनं तथा।

क्रोधश्च दृढवादश्च परवाक्येष्वनादरः॥

mūrkhasya pañca cihnāni garvo durvacanaṁ tathā|

krodhaśca dṛḍhavādaśca paravākyeṣvanādaraḥ||

മൂര്‍ഖസ്യ പഞ്ച ചിഹ്നാനി ഗര്‍വോ ദുര്‍വചനം തഥാ

ക്രോധശ്ച ദൃഡവാദശ്ച പരവാക്യേഷ്വനാദരഃ

The five prominent and  distinctive features of an Idiotic and foolish person are :-

1. Arrogance

2. Tendency to use foul words

3. Unreasonable rage

4. Asinine tendency to argue emphatically.

5. Contempt for the words and views  of all others.

fishy taste

I remember I tasted non-veg once in my life when I was a boy of 6years, studying in the 2nd class at Parappanangadi.. BEMLP school. fifty four year ago.. 

Gazing at the sky with open mouth was a habit for me then, as it is today too.. 

The school was near a beach and I was sitting on the corner of the playground ( I was never a good sportsman)..

A crow carried a dead fish in its beak and dropped it into my open mouth.. 

I bit into the body of the fish even before realising what had happened. 

True, I spat out the offending thing immediately.

At that age, living among non-brahmins (many Muslims) all around me, and knowing that I was a brahmin( as told by my father and mother) and that the distinctive feature of ours was not to eat fish or meat, the incident meant a great sinful event for me.. 

So I got perturbed.. 

What will my parents do if they knew that I had tasted fish...?
I remember to have shed private tears for expiation from the grave sin...

And I retained the episode as a secret exclusively with me for so many days and months before I could open out my heart to my thatha( grandfather) who had come on a visit, and who was the ultimate authority for me in matters of truth and untruth, right and wrong (He is still so for me, though He is in heaven)..

He said God will forgive mistakes which are beyond our control

But I never had any occasion to change the view that taking fish or meat is not okey for brahmins.