musings 107

When people who are too close, and those who are related by blood cause bleeding injuries, one cannot even complain to God, or mentally curse.. because one cannot think of any harm visiting those who are close friends and blood relations..

But human mind, by nature cannot help reacting, and one would cry and curse when he is hurt, especially when the hurt is by someone who is so dear..
"You too brute.."


But then one has to pray...nurse the injured heart , and forgive and pretend that nothing has happened..
.Law is merely for courts,
Tests of right and wrong cannot be applied strictly when there is an issue in the family or with a friend one loves..
Leave to Krishna the duty to heal.. and Pray. And just wait..

even the Lord has to play his disguises...

त्रिविक्रमोऽभूतपि वामनोऽसौ स सूकरश्चाटपि स वै नृसिम्हः।

नीचैरनीचैरतिनीचनीचैः सर्वैरुपायैः फलमेव साध्यम्॥

चाटुचाणकः

trivikramo'bhūtapi vāmano'sau sa sūkaraścāṭapi sa vai nṛsimhaḥ|

nīcairanīcairatinīcanīcaiḥ sarvairupāyaiḥ phalameva sādhyam||

cāṭucāṇakaḥ

One may have to assume the forms or play the roles of the best among the best and the lowliest among the lowly too if he has to achieve the best results..

He may have to put to use plans which are of high qulity, and of lowly qulity..

See how Lord Vishnu the Narayana ahieved his action plans..

He manifested Himself as Thrivikrama who pervaded the whole univers..

He took the shape of the tiny dwarf Vamana too.

He appeared as a pig,

as a fish,

as a tortoise,

He also appeared as Nrisimha the fierce combination of a man and a lion

It is evident that even He, the Narayana has to appear in so many disguises to generate the right results..

That is the way of the world..

Mahasannidhanam of Sringeri on translation ...

This is a transcript of a speech in Sanskrit by His Holiness Mahasannidhanam, Sringeri Sri Sri Sri Bharathi Theertha MahasvaaminaH..

तादृशाः सन्ति विषयाः ये भाषान्तरैः अनुवदितुं न शक्यते। तादृशान् विषयान् कथं वा वयं अनुवदितुं पारयामः॥

There are many subjects which cannot be translated and explained in another language through translation.. How can we be capable enough to make such translation?

कालिदासस्य शाकुन्तलनाटके एकः प्रसङ्गः आयाति। 

There is an incident (to illustrate this ) in Kalidasas Drama (Abijnana) Shauntalam. 

शकुन्तलायाः पुत्रः सर्वदमनः इति तत्र प्रसिद्धः अस्ति। 

Shakuntala has a son who is famous as Sarvadamana ( the one who is capable of subduing everything)

अग्रे स एव भरतः इति नाम्ना चक्रवरित्वेन प्रसिद्धः आसीत् यस्य नाम्ना इदं भारतं वर्षं जातम्। 

Later on he became famous by the name Bharatha, who became the emperor. And this Bharatha Varsha obtained its name from that Emperor.

स सर्वदमनः बाल्ये वयसि महान् पराक्रमी आसीत्। 

That Sarvadamana was extremely bold and powerful even in his boyhood

यदा सः पञ्चवर्षवयस्कः आसीत् तदानीमेव सिंहशाबकान् गृह्णन् तेषां वदनानि विस्तारयन् आसीत्।

When he was a boy of just five years, he was capturing the cubs of lions, prying open their mouths

शाकुन्तलस्थं सर्वदमनस्य मुखात् निःस्सारितं वचनमिदम्। जृंभस्य जृंभस्व दन्ताम्स्ते गणयिष्यामि। 

In the Drama Shakuntalam the following words are shown as uttered by Sarvadamana.. 

(He is telling the lion cubs after opening their mouths) Stand Still, Stand Still, Let me count the number of teeth you have.

अत एव सर्वदमन इति सार्थकनामा महर्षिणा कण्वेन तस्य अकारीत्।

It was for this reason that Sage Kanva gave the name Sarvadamana, which was appropriate in every sense (as the boy was really bold and powerful.. he was the victor over all things around )

तादृशं सर्वदमनं दृष्ट्वा आश्रमवासिनः अहो अयं नितरां दुष्टोऽस्ति अत्रत्यान् सर्वान् अपि सत्त्वान् अयं पीडयति।

(Shakuntala and Bharatha the Sarvadamana were residing in the hermitage of Sage Marichi) The occupants of the hermitage, watching the naughty Sarvadamana exclaimed.. “Oh, this boy is so tough and naughty, he is putting to torture all the animals here”

इति कृत्वा तस्य क्रीडार्थं मृण्मयं एकं मयूरं आनीय तस्मै ददुः आश्रमवासिनः।

So deciding,( and in a bid to divert the boy’s attention) the inmates of the hermitage brought the clay doll of a peacock to the boy and gave it to him for playing.

तद् मृण्मयं मयूरं दृष्ट्वा काचन आश्रमस्था वदति भरत शकुन्तलावण्यं पश्य॥ 

Seeing that clay peacock some lady of the hermitage, tells the boy, Bharatha, see the beauty of this bird.. see the Lavanyam(beauty) of this Shakunta(bird)

शकुन्तः इति पक्षिणः नामः।

Shakunta is the name of the bird

तस्य लावण्यं पश्य इति शकुन्तलावण्यं पश्य॥

The boy is asked to see the beauty of the bird, by the words Shakunta Lavanyam Pashya..

शन्कुन्तलावन्यं पश्य॥ शकुन्तला इति तस्य मातुः नामाक्षराणि आगतानि। Obviously, Shakuntala is the name of the boys mother . The letters in the name of his mother Shankuntala occurs in the sentence "Shakuntalavanyan pashya"

तद् श्रवणानुपदं स कथयति। 

So when he hears about Shakunta lavanyam, he thinks of his mother Shakuntala 

मम माता कुतः॥ 

He asks, Where is my mother

शकुन्तला इति अक्षरचतुष्टयश्रवणेन तस्य मातुः स्मरणं आगतम्।

In fact, on hearing the four letters Sha kun ta la, the boy is reminded of his mother. 

मम माता कुत्र इति ब्रवीति।

So he is asking about his mother 

कस्माभिः इदम् अस्माभिः भाषन्तरे अनुवदितुम् शक्यते।

Who can translate this situation into another language and( bring in the same effect )

शकुन्तलावण्यं पश्य इति भाषान्तरे अस्माभिः अनूद्यते चेत् तस्य मातुः स्मरणं कथं आयाति? तथा नायात्येव। 

When we translate the sentence "shakuntalavanyam pashya" to another language ( see the beauty of the bird.. would be the translation) how can the boy get the memory of his mother (Shakuntala)?

No such memories can be evoked in translation

अतः केचित् विषयाः तादृशाः अस्माकं सम्स्कृतभाषायां सन्ति ये सर्वेथैव अनुवादकैः अनुवादेषु आनेतुं न शक्यन्ति॥

Therefore, it has to be noted that there are some subjects in our Sanskrit Language whose meaning and sense cannot be brought out effectively by any translator or through any translation..

Quest for knowledge is great.. but we should understand the limitations too..

It has become the fashion of the day for some people to just read up some text or commentaries on a particular subject, and then, without appreciating the fact that no subject is dealt with in any text or by any scholar in a perfect way, just to cling on to what they have understood, and accuse others of lack of knowledge and clarity..

I received a query on the techniques of reckoning of time… The complaint was that no one was able to give clear-cut answers.. 

All I have to answer is that many questions in life have no clear-cut answers.. so no one can give such perfect answers..

My detailed reply…

Time is infinite.. perhaps without beginning or end.. 

We just float like tiny, tiniest particles in that infinite terrain.. 

Nothing is really added when we try to add something to that infinity, nor anything is removed even if we try to do so.. 

The calendar conventions we apply while reckoning time are just like pegs or handles some particular seeker or traveller places or fixes on an imaginary medium, just for his own guidance..

And each person thinks that his own peg or indicator is the most valid one.. Often he presumes that his indicator is more important than the continuum which holds him.. 

Anyway the infinity is inscrutable for all of us.. even though some may claim they know better than others..

When we are standing on a hall a million kilometers tall and trying to comparing whether a person of 150 centimetres or 180 centimetres is really tall, we are just being absurd. 

The ascending order of the calendar, placing a zero reference point, are all just conventions..

Each set of people have their own way of doing it.. 

No one can say for sure which convention is right.. because, there are only conventions, and there are no right or wrong conventions..

Even in Indian Astronomy and Astrology, and cosmology.. as given in Vedas, Mahabharatham, Some Puranas including Harivamsham, there are varying perceptions.. 

And the language used in various texts are amenable to opposing interpretations too..

So talking of research and talking in accusing terms that scholars or preachers or teachers or bishops or purohits are not able to answer your question only highlights your lack of attention or care to appreciate the basic issue..

The location is defined by various persons or groups or cultures according to their standardized measuring tools or calibration techniques and such techniques are not universal..

So each can measure time or for that matter any material according to the calibration techniques devised by him and units defined by him.

Someone can measure length in metres, some in feet, and so on..

Everyone is right..

No one is wrong..

If you think that only the techniques known to you, or techiques you have come across in life are the right ones, then your progress stops there.

Calendar techniques vary according to conventions.. Even modes of planetary calculations vary in the so called standardized forms of astrology and astronomy in India..

Here, there are many texts with different perceptions, there are different modes like Drik Ganitham, Vakya Ganitham, and many hybrids in between.

So BC, AD, BCE etc are just conventions devised by some group of men..

Others come to know of them through texts and publications and many versions are seen.. There is no right or wrong in it

Conventionally the end of Dvapara Yugam and start of Kaliyugam is reckoned with the Swargarohanam of the Lord..

But the exact moment of Swargarohanam, the exact mode etc are not uniformly documented in any of the texts.. be it Mahabharatham, Srimad Bhagavatham, Harivamsham.. etc.. and if some attempts in that direction are made some some self appointed experts later on, such attempt lack authenticity..

If Malayali follows Kolla Varsham, there is some peg devised for that computation.. All astrologers know about it.. 

But there is no purpose served by comparing that computation qualitatively or quantitatively with any other system

No two systems, no two things are amenable to comparison in absolute terms.

We are human beings, with lot of imperfections.. 

Our purpose and merit depends entirely in surviving such imperfections.. 

We can impress others by raising queries, and pointing out even to scholars that they are not able to answer the queries...

There are more questions, many more questions than anyone can answer...

And we are here to live in this world and not to raise questions and demand answers..

Quest for knowledge is great.. but we should understand the limitations too..

musings 106

It is nothing new..

But my new year resolution is to control and if possible kill the imp and the cynic in me... before the combination kills me..

I confess I have attempted it many times but somehow the urge to point out others mistakes and shortcomings and to pass comments ranging from those which are openly hostile and therefore hurting to apparently sweet but venomous and again hurting, has been my habit.. and idle mind amply provided by retirement has in fact run the workshop whose owner the devil and which has been taken on a cheap lease by me and is churning out lots and lots vitriol.. It has to be stopped.

All, and each one, has the right to express his own views, in his own style and the only golden rule is that he should not cause hurt to others..

No one is appointed as a social reformer ex-officio, nor as a social critic even if you are retired, and you have nothing else to do.

Kanfusion, learn not to poke your nose in the direction of stinking gas, and never try to sneeze to spread virus..

God help Kanfusion.

musings 105

We just think or presume there is a golden rule.. right things only would be happening to good people and bad things alone would be happening to sinners and all..

Are there any such rules? 

Most of the things happening in the life of an individual or any group or nation or even the universe are happening at random..

We are simply trying to analyse things by classifying them into definable niches.. but such definitions are not there or if such definitions are there they are not realistic..

To live a righteous and honest life is good for the society.. more for the society than the individual..

If faith in the justice of the Divine would fairly keep the world in track that is nice..

But just because that is nice, we cannot take it as the law..

We know nothing about God, Serendipity, Providence..

Every religious text is based on so much presumptions which are unfounded and unsubstantiated.

I do not say we should not live a righteous life,

I do not say we should not pray,

I do not say we should not love all our friends,

I do not say we should not live a moral life..

all these are great beyond words..

But if we expect that good alone will happen if we do good, and that good will not happen to the people who transgress the limits of decency, then we have no concrete basis to believe so..

Best thing is, we can choose to be good, for the goodness in it, without much expectation..

Accidents and unexpected interruptions do happen in any life, irrespective of whether the life was lived according to a certain set pattern of morality or not..

musings 104

jaathasya hi dhruvo mrutyuH...

anyone born has to die.. krishna said..

nimittamaatram bhava savysaachin..

oh Arjuna, be just the incidental cause alone.... also said the same Black youth..

Both in His Gita

So death will have to come according to His will

and

that Cunning Flautist has programmed everyone to be just causes and not excecutors..

So Govinda decides...

Gopala executes..

musings 103

There was a statement by a friend that the vedic hymns and invoking certain hymns indicate that such hymns are addressed to the "Super-conscious"

The idea is nice.. But to assert that such understanding alone is the right one, is just a matter of personal choice and interpretations.. The individual has the right to perceive any idea in his own way.. But to generalize it for all is not right.

there is no mention of super-conscious or whatever you call it in Vedas or related texts.. Later interpreters assign so many meanings to slokas and mantras according to their perception.. The slokam as such does not mention about any super-conscious.. You appear to have received this idea or understanding from some philosopher or guru whom you consider great.. Nothing wrong in it..

But your understanding need not be the only meaning.. 

Sanskrit is the medium used here, and the language has a meaning for every word and every syllable.. So the statement or Mantram has a plain meaning.. Thistathu .. means may stand.. Prajanana menas the one which leads to sort of creation.. When you do an anganyasam that is touching the parts of the body and invoking the presence of the divine in your limbs, you have to understand such limbs as  parts of your body which are responsible for such action.. It is as simple as that..

You can have philosophic, esoteric, spiritual, symbolic, and many interpretations.. If you subscribe to any particular interpretation that is good enough for you..

But if you say the mantram is addressed only to super-conscious etc then that is not correct..

Someone might have interpreted it like that too.. And that may be true in the context of that interpretation... That is all..

Human beings have many levels of perceptions..

And the perceptions might lead to interpretations which might vary according to the extent  of cognizance and states of mind of the subjects.

What a child perceives, what an adolescent perceives, what an adult perceives what an old man perceives, what a saint perceives, what a devilish person perceives.. All are right for that individual.. and we cannot challenge any perception as long as such perception does not cause physical or mental distress to others.

We have to see ideas and interpret them according to the plain normal grammatical and linguistic rules of the language in which the idea is presented..

Interpretations without too much of assertion  are okay.

It is even right to say that I understand it in a particular way.

But if the assertion leads to the next step.. of saying and believing that what I understand is the only right one,, that would lead to conflict and can lead to unhappiness for all around..

for ever in the darkness..

दिवा पश्यति नोल्लूकः काको नक्तं न पश्यति।

अपूर्वः कोऽपि कामान्धः दिनं नक्तं पश्यति॥

सुभाषितरत्नभण्डागारे॥

divā paśyati nollūkaḥ kāko naktaṁ na paśyati|

apūrvaḥ ko'pi kāmāndhaḥ dinaṁ naktaṁ paśyati||

subhāṣitaratnabhaṇḍāgāre||

divA pashyati nollUkaH kAko naktaM na pashyati.

apUrvaH ko.api kAmAndhaH dinaM naktaM pashyati..

subhASitaratnabhaNDAgaare..

Some people are just blind .. blind in mind and perception too for ever.. For some others the blindness is only partial..

The Sanskrit Saying reveals that 

The owl cannot see during the daytime

The crow is blind during night 

However, strangely, the person who is filled with lust and carnal desires is always blind.. 

Here we need not argue over the zoology and physiology of certain birds to see during day or night.. It was generally believed that the crows did not move about during night because they were renedered blind then and similaraly owls were on prowl during nights because they could see only in darkness and could not see anything during the daytime.. Here a smart reply that absence of eyesight for crows or owls during some part of the day is not validated by zoology is just irrelevant.. 

The point to be noted is that persons filled with lust just lose their sense of right perception and jump into wrong and sinful actions.. That blindness is for the mind, for the soul..

ദിവാ പശ്യതി നോല്ലൂകഃ കാകോ നക്തം ന പശ്യതി। 

അപൂര്‍വ്വഃ കോഽപി കാമാന്ധഃ ദിനം നക്തം പശ്യതി॥ സുഭാഷിതരത്നഭണ്ഡാഗാരേ॥

കൂമന് പകലുകളില്‍ കാഴ്ചശക്തി ഇല്ല 

കാക്കകല്‍ക്കാകട്ടെ രാത്രികളില്‍ ഒന്നും കാണാന്‍ കഴിയില്ല 

പക്ഷെ അത്ഭുതമെന്നു പറയട്ടെ ,കാമാസക്തിയും വിഷയസുഖത്തോടുള്ള ത്വരയും നിറഞ്ഞ മനുഷ്യനു രാവും പകലും എപ്പോഴും അന്ധതയാണ് 

കൂമന്‍റേയും കാക്കയുടെയും കാഴ്ചശക്തിയെക്കുറിച്ച് ഉള്ള വിശ്വാസം പഴമക്കാര്‍ അന്ന് കണ്ടറിഞ്ഞതില്‍ നിന്ന് ഉടലെടുത്തതാണ് . ഒരുപക്ഷെ ചില വിദ്വാന്മാര്‍ക്ക് അതിന്റെ ശാസ്ത്രീയതയെക്കുറിച്ച് അഭിപ്രായവ്യത്യാസം ഉണ്ടാവാം.. 

പക്ഷെ കാമം നിറഞ്ഞവന്‍റെ മനസ്സില്‍ എപ്പോഴും ഇരുട്ടാണ്‌. അയാള്‍ക്ക് നന്മയുടേയും യാഥാര്‍ഥ്യബോധത്തിന്‍റേയും പ്രകാശം ഒരിക്കലും കിട്ടാറില്ല. അവര്‍ക്ക് ഉള്‍ക്കാഴ്ച തീരെ ഇല്ല 

musings 102

A fairly intelligent person with knowledge of different languages can easily switch his thinking process to the language he was to use for communication and

 expression .

There is no such hard and fast rule regarding thinking that one should think only in his mother tongue and then translate..

People who are fluent with many languages can switch over their thinking process among the languages..
I personally do it..

I think in Malayalam when I read write or speak Malayalam, likewise I switch to the respective languages when I write in 

Tamil or in English ..

But if I use Sanskrit, I may have to think in Iyer Tamil and then translate.. because thinking in Sanskrit requires so much erudition which I never can hope to achieve..

The faults and errors in expressions come or stem out of improper learning of the language, and rarely it would happen as a result of translation.. provided the person is reasonably facile with the respective languages..

Study of languages too involves a lot of dedication and hard work..
We should learn with mind, heart and brain and tongue too,

 but not merely by tongue..
That is all..

funny indeed is the world..

funny indeed is the world..

some share ideas based on personal experiences..

and mostly experiences which in general have provided relief to themselves

and were found to give relief and even was pleasant to others too generally..

Immediately some wise guys oppose the idea.. saying it is not my view..

For me it is just the other way ..and all..

I just want to add .. the individual views.. I do not mean experiences.. cannot mean anything to anyone included the vithandaa vaadi.. the wisecrack himself.

Many indulge in such counter comments just to show off..

When everyone says that it is hevenly to hear the music of MS or BMK or SPB or Bhimsen Joshi

When everyone would agree that to watch Kohli, Ashwin or Jaddu in action is heartening

When everyone says it is fulfilling to sing the praise of God, to live is the company of nice friends.

If one says,

" I disagree, my view is that giving out a bellly full fart at the decibel level of a shivakasi bomb cracker is the most fulfilling thing in my life.."

And we find many agreeing nods too.

Whom to pity more.. the fan of fart of the shouting crowd?

Cricket, Music God and Friendship were quoted as nice experiences as would be agreed by most around..

Besides

There are many things which can be included in the company of the none too pleasant but sonorous gaseous substance..

Musings 101

every transaction has at least two vital ingredients..

every person indulges in an activity because he likes to do it or at least he has to do it..

And in a society, such actions will have to be regulated according to the positive or negative responses such actions evoke in other constituents of the society Individally or collectively or both..

A sensible person would be very quick to draw a golden balance between his likes and the likes of people around..

Such persons who can achieve the dynamic balance or equilibrium with ease, would become leaders and visionaries..

Those who stick on to their own views become despots and crankies..

Those who just dance to the tune of others losing all their individuality become simple clowns and jokers..

Life in a nutshell is this..

maximum benefit at minimum cost

शुष्कोपवासो धर्मेषु भैषज्येषु च लङ्घनम्।

जपयज्ञस्तु यज्ञेषु रोचते लाभशालिनाम्॥

चाटुचाणकः

śuṣkopavāso dharmeṣu bhaiṣajyeṣu ca laṅghanam|

japayajñastu yajñeṣu rocate lābhaśālinām||

cāṭucāṇakaḥ

A person who is alway eager to make positive material benefit

would prefer the vow of eating little or no food as the best ritual

would prefer the medication of complete fasting as the best medicine

and

would choose the yajna of chanting divine names for ever as the best yajna..

In a positive way.. the idea is very noble..

A man is entitled to earn profits.. And Upavaasam or restricting food is a nice religious vow.. The best route for recovery when one is sick is to starve.. And among yajnas, chanting the names of the Lord is accepted as the best even by the Blessed lord Krishna..

But take the case of a miser..

His eye is always on profiteering and spending as little money as possible.

If he is asked to observe some ritual.. he would select only the ritual of Upavasam.. For him that would mean no expenditure on food.. But no other expenditure on poojas and rituals.

If he is asked to take medication when he is sick, he would prefer to starve and wait for recovery.. Because this process does not involve fees to doctor and expenditure on drugs.

If he is asked to select a yajna, he would select Japayajna.. He can just sit in the corner of his house and chant the names of God.. For other yanjnas, a lot of money would have to be spend on rituals, dakhinas, food and so on.. But Japayajna is practically free of cost..

So the miser always wins..

Musings 100

it is said that when a venomous snake injects venom on a victim, what actually it does is to fill the veins of the affected person with the nourishment the snake has stored up for its own growth and sustenance ( snake venom is nothing but a sort of protein)..

And when a session of such eruption of venom is over, the snake become weak and drained off.. and it has to hide itself from enemies for long periods, to replenish its bag of poison..

So, it is believed that a snake avoids attack with its poison fangs to the greatest extent possible.

Some write-ups of some quality given out by us in social media or otherwise are also somewhat like this..

At first we produce beautiful , melodious, idyllic and imaginative pen-pictures that evoke appreciation and empathy.

Encores or repeated success at short intervals are nearly impossible because we actually run out of imagination and creativity and have to get the battery recharged..

But the kudos gained make us oblivious to reality, and even if we sense the depletion in creativity, we continue to churn out abracadabra expecting the same response.. and invariably we fail and look like fools..

This is nature's law..

But we tend to apply such laws to others but forget to remember that we ourselves are also part of the same nature..

when in large quantity or large numbers...

बहूनामल्पसाराणां समवायो हि दारुणः ।

तृणैरावेष्टिता रज्जुस्तया नागोऽपि बध्यते ॥ १,११४.६६ ॥ 

गरुडपुराणम्/आचारकाण्डः/अध्यायः ११४ 

bahUnAmalpasArANAM samavAyo hi dAruNaH | 

tRRiNairAveShTitA rajjustayA nAgo.api badhyate || 1,114.66 || 

garuDapurANam/AchArakANDaH/adhyAyaH 114

Some objects or people, would be of no strength or value when considered individually.. But when they come together in sufficiently large numbers, they can pose a lot of challenges, and they can cause real damage too.

A single blade of grass may be so weak and brittle but when many shoots of grass are bunched together as a rope, such rope can be used to tie even an elephant into captivity.. 

ബഹൂനാമല്‍പ്പസാരാണാം സമവായോ ഹി ദാരുണഃ । 

തൃണൈരാവേഷ്ടിതാ രജ്ജുസ്തയാ നാഗോഽപി ബധ്യതേ ॥ ൧,൧൧൪।൬൬ ॥ 

ഗരുഡപുരാണം/ആചാരകാണ്ഡഃ/അധ്യായഃ ൧൧൪

ചില വ്യക്തികളും ചില വസ്തുക്കളും തനിയെ ഉള്ളപ്പോള്‍ അവയ്ക്ക് ഒരു വിലയും ഉണ്ടാവില്ല. പക്ഷെ അവര്‍ തന്നെ ഒരു കൂട്ടമായി വരുമ്പോള്‍ മറ്റുള്ളവര്‍ക്ക് വെല്ലുവിളി ഉയര്‍ത്താനും എതിര്‍ക്കുന്നവരെ നേരിട്ട് പരാജയപ്പെടുത്താനും വരെ അവര്‍ക്ക് കഴിയും

ഒരു പുല്‍ക്കൊടിക്കു ഒരു വിലയും ഇല്ല.. ഒരു പ്രത്യേക കഴിവും ഇല്ല... പക്ഷെ ധാരാളം പുല്ലുകള്‍ ചേര്‍ത്തുവച്ച് കയര്‍ പിരിച്ചാല്‍ ആ കയറുകൊണ്ട് ഒരു ആനയെപ്പോലും തളയ്ക്കാന്‍ സാധിക്കും

good heart comes so naturally...

उपकर्तुं प्रियं वक्तुं कर्तुं स्नेहमनुत्तमं ।

सज्जनानां स्वभावोष्यं केनेन्दुः शिशिरीकृतः

महासुभाषितसङ्ग्रहम् विक्रमार्कचरितम्

upakartuṁ priyaṁ vaktuṁ kartuṁ snehamanuttamaṁ |

sajjanānāṁ svabhāvoṣyaṁ kenenduḥ śiśirīkṛtaḥ

mahasubhaashitasamgraham 7002

vikramarkacharitam 

Being nice and good is the natural state of mind and body for noble souls.

This idea is clarified in the above subhashitam

The meaning of the Slokam

It is the basic nature of nice and noble persons 

To be of help to others, 

To speak nice words

and 

To show immense affection towards all

The moon is cool and soothing by nature.. No one has made any special efforts to make him so..

ഉപകര്‍തും പ്രിയം വക്തും കര്‍തും സ്നേഹമനുത്തമം ।

സജ്ജനാനാം സ്വഭാവോഽയം കേനേന്ദുഃ ശിശിരീകൃതഃ 

മഹാസുഭാഷിത സംഗ്രഹം 7002

നന്മ ചെയ്യുക എന്നത് സജ്ജനങ്ങളുടെ സ്വാഭാവികമായ പ്രവൃത്തിയാണ് 

ഈ സുഭാഷിതം അക്കാര്യം വ്യക്തമാക്കുന്നു

നന്മ മാത്രം മനസ്സില്‍ സൂക്ഷിക്കുന്നവരുടെ നൈസര്‍ഗ്ഗികമായ ജീവിതചര്യ മാത്രമാണ് 

മറ്റുള്ളവരെ സഹായിക്കുക,

എപ്പോഴും നല്ല വാക്കുകള്‍ പറയുക, എല്ലാവരോടും കലവറയില്ലാതെ സ്നേഹം വച്ചുപുലര്‍ത്തുക 

എന്നതെല്ലാം 

നിലാവിന്‍റെ ശിശിരത്തിലെ എന്ന പോലുള്ള കുളിര് എന്നും എപ്പോഴും ഉള്ളതാണ്. 

അത് ആരും ഉണ്ടാക്കിയെടുത്തതല്ല

musings 99

my roadmap For a full living and dying and thereafter..

Maybe it is hallucination,

you can say,

but I have always depended on the guidance of some dear departed persons for my movement forward in life, especially regarding what they left unfinished perhaps to leave somewhat in haste..

They have guided me in dreams, actions, signals and so on..

I know what all I have learned, contemplated, witten, experienced.. all in this life of about six decades till now was not just acquired in this life..

And another thing, the comparison is the quality and quantity of output and standard of action in living persons, many even so young and other too aged.. reveals lot of variation..

Those gifted or helped by unseen hands too can achieve.. and sustain.. and I trust they have achieved more..

That is what I have experienced..

And all said and done I am not exactly an idiot..

The way deep cognition and realization dawns upon me when I read or think of some particular subjects and personages confirms my hunch that I have had ideas about those things much earlier, though I would have been exposed to those things for the first time in this life..

I have received guidance. sometimes at short notice and sometimes with sufficient notice.. on every thing happening..

I have ignored many warnings and suffered.. That is a different issue..

And I have been helped by some hands unseen to effect miraculous repairs when everything seemed lost.

Being human, I have tried to indulge in minor sins.. and every time I tried to tilt my direction from the straight one I have been punished and led in the right path like a horseman correcting the course of his horse, using spurs and whips..

I do not know about major sins.. I must have committed them too.. But the retributions may be in waiting..

A small court can decide on a petty case in a jiffy, but if a murder case has to be tried at Sessions.. and in some country by jury even.. So the punishment can be delayed..

So I want to make it clear that the ways of living has much more dimensions that a mere birth, death and some silly conversations and posts in social media..

I really need not be bothered about what others know or not, or whether anyone agrees with my experiences and opinions..

I have no reason to lie for publicity or anything..

My experiences arevgood enough for me..

Many of my friends have read and interacted with me for decaded.. They must be knowing that I never make empty shots in the air.

musings 98

What we find most often in discussions on any issue is digression and deflecting the issue in a tangential way.. That is in very bad taste..

There is absolutely no compulsion that the views expressed by a person should be accepted.. All are free to oppose and attack the view, and criticise that too.. Even welcome to criticize destructively..

But to pick up some angle which does not follow from the topic under discussion and offering comments gratis is simply unbecoming .. but then that has become the fashion..

If one is discussing about the strength and habits of an elephant and if people start commenting on the size of its dropping or objecting to the discussion pointing out that the curve of the tusk of a particular elephant was omitted to be discussed.. where can such discussions end?

substance inside....

मलयाचल संसर्गात् न वेणुश्चन्दनायते।

अन्तःसारविहीनानां रसः केनोपजायते॥

नित्यनीतिः ४८

चाणक्य नीति

malayācala saṁsargāt na veṇuścandanāyate|

antaḥsāravihīnānāṁ rasaḥ kenopajāyate||

nityanītiḥ 48

chanakya niti 

A thought provoking subhashitam..

-------------------

A piece of bamboo will not become a log of sandalwood just because the bamboo too grows in the valley of the Malaya mountain.

Just like that a fellow who is empty inside can never become a man of substance just by his location or status by birth.

------------------------

The valley of the Malaya Mountain is where sandalwood grows so naturally.. The tall bamboos too grow there.. The sandalwood grows thick inside and with such growth its value too increases

The Bamboo just grows very tall but empty inside.. And it has only its trifling value in comparison.

Of course some people value the empty bambo alone and cannot understand the value of sandalwood..

That is a different issue..

മലയാചല സംസര്‍ഗാത് ന വേണുശ്ചന്ദനായതേ।

അന്തഃസാരവിഹീനാനാം രസഃ കേനോപജായതേ॥

നിത്യനീതിഃ ൪൮

ചാണക്യ നീതി

ചാണക്യവചനം ആണ് ഇത് എന്ന് ചിലര്‍ പറയുന്നു. 

മലയപര്‍വ്വതത്തിന്‍റെ താഴ്വരകളില്‍ ചന്ദനം വളരുന്നു.
 മുളന്തണ്ടുകളും ധാരാളം തഴച്ചു വളരും.  പക്ഷെ  മലയമാരുതന്‍ താഴുകിയതുകൊണ്ട് മാത്രം മുള ചന്ദനം ആവില്ല.
 
അകത്ത് കാതല്‍ ഇല്ലാത്തതൊന്നും വിലയുള്ളത് ആവാന്‍ സാധ്യതയില്ല. 

( പക്ഷെ മുളന്തണ്ട് പാടുന്ന സംഗീതം പാടാന്‍ ചന്ദനത്തിന് കഴിയില്ല.. അത് വേറെ കാര്യം.)

aiding and abetting

कर्ता कारयिता चैव प्रेषको ह्यनुमोदकः ।

सुकृतं दुष्कृतं चैव चत्वारः समभागिनः॥

समयोचितपद्यमालिका।१४

kartā kārayitā caiva preṣako hyanumodakaḥ ।

sukṛtaṃ duṣkṛtaṃ caiva catvāraḥ samabhāginaḥ॥

samayocitapadyamālikā।14

a very wise observation in Samayochtapadyamaalika about the benefits arising out of and accountability attached to a deed, either good or bad.

The benefits or good deeds should be equally shared by the following four classes of people

The consequences of a misdeed, or the accountability for failure of a mission too should be shared by these four in equal quantity.

1. The person who physically performs the operation

2. The person who supervised and kept company with the performer in action

3. The one who instigated, or commissioned the action

4. The one who encouraged and talked in approving and encouraging terms about the deed..

The ancient judicial wisdom in India was clear in this perception

Even modern law which holds the instigators, the abettors and cheer leaders as shareholders in the responsibility and liability for punishment, follows the same idea

കര്‍ത്താ കാരയിതാ ചൈവ പ്രേഷകോ ഹ്യനുമോദകഃ ।

സുകൃതം ദുഷ്കൃതം ചൈവ ചത്വാരഃ സമഭാഗിനഃ॥

സമയോചിതപദ്യമാലികാ।൧൪

ഏറെ പ്രസക്തമായ ഒരു നിയമനിര്‍ദ്ദേശം ആണിത്.

ഒരു കുറ്റം ചെയ്യുന്നവന്നു ഉള്ള അത്രയും തന്നെ ഉത്തരവാദിത്തവും ശിക്ഷാര്‍ഹാതയും മറ്റു ചിലര്‍ക്കും കൂടി ഉണ്ട്. അതു പോലെ നല്ലത് ചെയ്യുന്നതിന്റെ പങ്കും മറ്റു ചിലരുമായി തീര്‍ച്ചയായും പങ്കു വയ്ക്കേണ്ടതുണ്ട് 

സമയോചിത പദ്യമാളികയിലും പിന്നെ ഒട്ടേറെ ഗ്രന്ഥങ്ങളിലും കാണുന്ന മേല്‍പ്പറഞ്ഞ സുഭാഷിതതിന്‍റെ അര്‍ത്ഥം

ഒരു കാര്യം അതു നല്ലതായാലും ചീത്തയായാലും അതിന്റെ ഫലങ്ങള്‍ താഴെ പറയുന്ന നാല് പേര്‍ തുല്യമായി വീതിച്ചെടുത്തു അനുഭവിക്കേണ്ടാതാണ് 

1 ആ കൃത്യം ചെയ്യുന്ന ആള്‍ 

2. ആ കൃത്യം ചെയ്യാന്‍ മേല്‍നോട്ടം വഹിച്ച ആള്‍ 

3 ആ കൃത്യം ചെയ്യാന്‍ പ്രേരിപ്പിച്ചു, അതിനു വേണ്ടിയുള്ള സഹായം എല്ലാം നല്‍കിയ ആള്‍ 

4 ആ കൃത്യത്തെ പുകഴ്ത്തിപ്പറഞ്ഞ ആള്‍ 

musings 97

the connection between peripheral thoughts and the tongue is very strong and without any circuit breakers..

The peripheral mind is impulsive and does not care a damn about anything and if this idea is flashed to the tongue, the showy and loud organ adds its own picturesque nonsense to the dirty garbage it has received and spews it out with great elan..

Usually this happens with all of us..

But there is a parallel circuit.. the output of the mind is carried to the discerning intellect, which, albeit slowly, separates sense, half-sense and nonsense, and controls the output through built in circuit breakers, and the purified output alone is allowed to reach the tongue.

As our age and position in life goes up, and we are given opportunities of learn lessons from life, the circuitry in the intellect should get stronger, and the thoughts modulated therein and given expression by the tongue gains weight and respectability.

The persons who understand this parallel circuitry and succeed in putting it to best use are the great ones..

But then for some, the upstairs is vacant.. For them the circuit must be dead.

If a child or an imbecile blabbers, no one cares..

If an idiot wags his tongue, people just laugh at it.

But if people who are senior in age, who hold high officers or who wield moral of physical power, and whose voices are heard, fail to use the circuitry of discretion while churning out speeches or write-ups, the whole humanity suffers.

We can see people who would post only lewd words and pictures in social media as a matter of habit.. If we see some sensible post from them, we may feel that something is strange..

Is it a cut and paste? Or has the fellow got a few screws loosened..

Then there are people who make sensible posts..

If such a person suddenly published a photo showing the naked bust of a beau, we would be dumb-folded..

But such things too happen..

The glorious uncertainty of life..

musings 96

my answer as to who is to decide if anyone has "the stuff " in him or not

here are two tests

1. Just read or revisit what you have written or done after giving an interval of a few days or weeks or years..

Just give an honest answer to yourself whether what you had done earlier was worth it .. or requires revision or improvement..

If you feel there is no room for improvement, either there is little stuff in you or you have run out of stuff..

If you feel it can be done in a better way or can be improved and you embark upon that , you can congratulate yourself that you have stuff in you

2. If what you produce, in bulk or in retail is seen by at least some who evaluate the product honestly--I do not mean the mass hysteria-- and you get some feedback, you can be sure that you have some stuff..

If the product just sleeps in the box like some flopped film, then you can judge the stuff in you by that.

These are two easy rules..

There can be as many rules of the game as anyone wishes..

But the best judge of the stuff in someone is that person himself..

Praise, adulation, contempt, putting down, cheers or jeers hardly matters to one who knows with reasonable certainty what are his contents.

This is confidence and not arrogance.

Others can misjudge us and our actions , but we ourselves can rarely do that, though we may pretend and even make shows of apology..

musings 95

thousand names of Vishnu can be traced in some other scriptures too.. But the tradition in India is that if we just say Sahasranamam, it is Vishnusahasranamam found in Mahabharatam..

Strangely there is a custom in some parts of India that people will chant this Vishnu Sahasranamam with holy ashes(normally relatable to Shiva) in hand and the sanctified ashes are applied on patients with chronic illness or mental disorder and such problems..

In Kerala, as a primer to study of Sanskrit traditionally we learn Sreeramodantam and the Sree Krishnavilasam..

But the first step in learning Sanskrit in some parts of India is to memorize.. Vishvam Vishnur Vashatkaro etc.. 

Vishnusahasranamam in Mahabharatam has been commented upon by the doyens of all the three schools of Hindu faith... Advaitam, Vishitaadvaitam and Dvaitam.. Shankara, Parasarabhatta and Madhva... 

And many names in this sahsranamam in all openness represent the names of Shiva.. Sharva, Shiva Sthaanu etc.. 

Of course I do not write this to start any controversy...

musings 94

but prayers can harm too..

the ever merciful Krishna might have decided to gift you the whole universe and He can easily do it..

But if you ask for a gold chain in prayer, even His hands are tied..

I love the Christian Prayer.. to the effect..

Let Thy will rule the earth in the same why it rules the heaven..

Kuchela was prodded by his wife to seek financial help from Krishna..

He went to the abode of his lovely friend, no doubt

The indigent brahmin even refused to part with the bundle of half pounded rice he had brought for his Friend..

The Master had to forcibly snatch it, not even beg, and eat it..

For Kuchela he visited Dvaraka only because it was a chance to meet his dearest friend..

Even God can be absolutely helpless with such impractical fellows..

musings 93

Do cycles of good and bad in the life of creatures happen in a continuous frame of rise and fall ..or alternately in disjointed quanta with voids in between? 

It is a daunting metaphysical riddle

You can visualize the progress in the wave form or quantum form. 

In the wave pattern there might not be complete termination but only waxing and waning . 

But quantum system envisages complete blankness in the intervals. 

Physics envisages a sort of uncertainty over these models. 

History too can be so. 

We know too little of history that too of recorded history. 

But the pralaya , yuganthara, kalpantha etc ideas in our epics and puranas and similar testaments in other widespread religions too talk of dissolution of all and fresh creation although perhaps in similar or harmonic cycles. 

Bhagavatham Harivamsham and many other texts give graphic description about such shristi stithi and samaram..and the repetition of the same process.

We are now supposed to be in the 28th kaliyuga in the reign of seventh Manu the Vaivasvatha in the Kalpa of Swethavaraha.

A complete destruction and reconstruction is envisaged at the dividing space between one such slice of time and the next. 

Our concept is that good has the upper hand in the beginning and the evil tries to defeat it but the controller intervenes and restores the good but the good gets debilitated each time and the evil gets stronger. 

When the evil takes the position of advantage in an irreversible way the supreme power destroys the entire system and it is deluge. 

The cycle repeats. 

The above theory is as good or as bad as any other model or theory 

No theory or model can ever be proved right or wrong because the test samples are beyond our reach.

be kind, give everyone a chance...

स्खलितः स्खलितो वध्य इति चेन्निश्चयो भवेत्।

द्वित्रा एवाशिष्येरन् बहुदोषा हि मानवाः॥

skhalitaḥ skhalito vadhya iti cenniścayo bhavet|

dvitrā evāśiṣyeran bahudoṣā hi mānavāḥ||

A quote from the epic Mahabharatham

=================

If we are of the firm resolve that everyone who deviates from the righteous path should be executed then only one or two or even less number of persons would be living in this world..

As a rule, human beings are having too many defects and shortcomings..

=================

Often we tend to bee too moralistic and take extreme views.. We tend to identify the faults in others, and also canvas for very sever punishments and retributions..

The good god in his superior wisdom has deemed it fit to create things far below the standards of perfection..

And the standards of perfection that one person of group prescribe need not be the ideal one

And even if a person wants to live without slipping from strict moral standards, he might slip on an isolated occasion..

Instincts like anger, jealousy, sexual attraction etc can be put under check only with a lot of continuous and persistent effort.

The eternal vigil may snap for a few seconds and even the best may commit the gravest sins..

These are the common attributes inherited by all human being.. or even all living beings..

So if some purveyors of morality just canvas for severe punishment for any slip from the strict provisions of law, then the society would suffer...

Punishments and retributions should be for correcting people from the errant path..

We should hate the crime.. but need not hate excessively the one who committed it...

The worldwide campaign by human rights activists for abolition of death penalty makes a lot of sense..