musings 263

I go through thousands of pages of Sanskrit literature, poetry, shastras etc..and try to spot some subhashitams..

I am not a master in anything, and I have never claimed mastery over anything.

Noble ideas are so common, so also not so noble ideas.

For that reason itself, many subhashitams or aphorisms would reflect more or less the same ideas.

And anyway, subhashitams do not say things which are not known to people with some common sense.

However, to re-iterate some noble ideas I do send posts quoting a subhashitam which is normally not quoted by me already but at the same time could reflect an idea similar to one already canvassed. Of course on rare occasions, I might repeat a slokam which I might have used long ago, say ten or twelve years ago. Actually I take all efforts I could manage to apply to ensure that there are no such repetitions. But still repetition can happen once in a blue moon.

To read something and to say ”I know that already “ is too easy for anyone.

I feel completely out of sorts and feel as if I am insulted when I get a response stating that the idea is known already, or the slokam is already known. Yes, the slokam is in circulation for thousands of years and many many people know about it. I too know. I have not written the slokam anyway.

Normally, if I get from a friend a reference or post of which I already know and about which my understanding and study is far deeper than the reference received, still I do not reply that I know that already, unless the data is extremely irritating.

I know that if I reply like that it is discourteous.

It is very difficult to be in the receiving end of such replies. My position is already a no win situation. I do not gain anything by sending any message to anyone.

If I get replies which would imply that I am a moron or bore, what am I to do.

One can have one hundred subhashitams on the same issue. That is not the mistake of the poet, or the writer.

Sure, I am not spending my valuable mornings to receive veiled smirks.

We know so many mantrams and stotrams but repeat them every day many times morning midday and evening. No one would complain to God that it is repetitions. Even the Gayatri Mahamantram or panchaksharam or ashtaksharam are repeated millions of times. No one would say I know it, I have repeated it and all.

To tell on the face of someone who has toiled a lot to canvass the idea that the idea is already well known to you, is discourteous to say the least.

Why should I communicate with anyone to ensure that hot water is thrown at my face ?