Newton's Third Law- a holistic view

We, all Bharatvasis, can lift up our collar.

For, no where else in the universe, would you have heard such all embracing:

"Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam";

"Let noble thoughts come to us from every side."(Rigveda 1-89-1) - आनो भद्राः क्रतवो यन्तु विश्वत: | ऋग्वेद – 1.89.1

Why these Vedic references? 

Oh!,

Let's go right away to:

Newton's Third Law: - For every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction. 

Newton may or may not acknowledge it.  Maha Periyava cites the premise of this Newton's third law was our timeless theory of Karma.

But, to anyone not aware of, not in entirety, even a glimpse of our Vedas, there is every likelyhood that one may take Newton's Law literally.

Supposing one is doing a good deed, going by Newton's law it may mean opposite effect, bad one has to happen.

It's not so with Karma theory. When one does a good deed, it only adds to his/her punya, good effect.

Time we look later centuries theories through the prism of our timeless Vedas. 

May All live blissfully.

A Hindu's Gospel... தெய்வத்தின் குரல்.

A Hindu's Gospel 

The problem is every other Religion has its Holy Book to go to. Alas!  Where can a Hindu turn to? 

Is there a dearth? 

No. 

The problem is problem of plenty. 

We have 

Veda

Upanishads 

Bhagavad Gita 

Thirumurai 

Divyaprabandam

Plus Maha Epics 

Ramayana 

Mahabharata 

And etc.,  etc. 

Which one in particular out of above will you single out and say this is my Gospel? 

With all reverence to myriads of all spiritual,  divine literatures all on the Religion Hindu,  Hindu philosophy,  innumerable Deities, I'm afraid even if a Hindu can't turn every single leaf of all Hindu scripts,  texts, surely there always is  தெய்வத்தின் குரல்   -Divine Voice of Maha Periyava. The compilation by Shri Ra. Ganapathy. Wow! His meticulous compiling is superb.  Maha Periyavar's  தெய்வத்தின் குரல் Title is in 7 volumes. His Title has been running into multiple editions. Evidence that people are finding their Gospel. Don't reserve it for your read-list - post retirement. It has everyday life lesson. It's not a page turner. To be taken like you consume honey. You just take a spoonful. A few pages,  a few paragraphs, a few lines. It may take quite long to complete one volume. Don't worry. 

Just having completed reading of volume 2, felt like sharing a few profound lines. About invoking the blessings of Lord Hanuman.  Before that a bit of context. 

Many would have gone to Rameswaram. 

The first you do after settling down is your visit to the sea to have and start your ஸ்னான் bath.   The 22  தீர்த்தம் ஸ்நானம் is after the sea bath only. 

You wouldn't have missed the Sankara Math on the sea front. There has been a small shrine for Lord Hanuman in the entry point to the Math,  with Lord Hanuman facing the ocean. This shrine has been there even before Maha Periyava established the Math in 1963.

Well,

let's move over to the last paragraph in Volume 2 and be showered with Lord Hanuman's blessings :

ஆஞ்சநேய ஸ்வாமியின் தூக்கிய கைக்குக் கட்டுப்பட்டு ஸமுத்ரம் அடங்கி நிற்கிறது. நாம் ஸம்ஸார ஸமுத்ரத்தில் தவிக்கிறவர்கள். நம் மனஸ் அலையடங்காமல் ஓயாமல் அடித்துக் கொண்டேயிருக்கிறது. ஆஞ்சநேய ஸ்வாமிதான் மனோஜயம் பண்ணினவர்; இந்திரியங்களை ஜயித்தவர். “ஜிதேந்த்ரியம் புத்திமதாம் வரிஷ்டம்” என்று சொல்லியிருக்கிறது. தூக்கிய கையோடு அவர் நிற்பதை தரிசனமும், தியானமும் பண்ணினோமானால் அவர் நமக்கு அபயம் தருவதோடு இந்த ஸம்ஸார ஸமுத்ரத்தை, மனஸின் அலை கொந்தளிப்பை அடக்கி ஸெளக்யமும் சாந்தியும் தருவார்.

May God bless. 

The Path to Stillness….

 

The Path to Stillness….

Conscious, deliberate effort is needed

To attain that effortless

State of STILLNESS.

 

-          Bhagavan Shri Ramana Maharshi

-          Day by Day – 11/01/1946

Yes.

 

The way has to be conscious.

Does it mean you have got to push yourself?

No.

No Effort of Herculean sort is required.

 

Gentle shift suffices.

What holds you back from that gentle shift?

 

Maha Periyava reasons it out and attributes the same to the past birth – purva janma.

Those accumulations – purva karma  weigh you down.

How will you undo the past misdeeds?

 

By doing good – punya- deeds in this current birth and eschewing any misdeed now.

How do we do?

 

The God shows the way.

To engage in doing good karma, duty now;

To observe prayer and follow the way of devotion- i.e., the Bhakthi Marga.

 

What is punya karma?

The swadharma, the nature of a bee is to collect honey from flowers.  No other creature can do it. It’s unique to Bees.  The same way, Vedas prescribe a particular way of living to everyone.

 

As Mahatma points out there is everything for one’s need but not for greed.

 

Indulgence in greed steers one away from the path of righteousness and the indulgent one keeps adding to accumulation of hate, sorrow and fear.  Even when one engages in one’s own duty to make his own living, still he has a duty to mind the welfare and good of others as well. The bee does not gather honey and keep all for itself. Neither the river flows for itself nor the Sun rises for itself.   It’s here the volunteering for good public causes, helping others play a vital role.  Such engaging keeps the mind pristine pure and leads one to the God Consciousness.

 

Mere cajoling, commanding one to pray, sing in praise of Lord would not work. That’s why there are rituals, prayers, namas in religions.  Involving in this marga, the Godward journey happens.

 

Once born, all are subject to constraints, struggles, obstacles etc.  Only to feel it, there is a           tradition in Tamil community following Tamil calendar from Chitrai to Panguni that at the      beginning of the new year on first day of Chitrai, the neem flower is cooked and consumed      and on first day of the month Thai, sweet pongal is cooked and consumed along with juicy          sugar     cane. This is to indicate what begins with bitterness would end in sweetness.

Maha Periyava blesses:

 

“May everyone follow one’s dharmic – the righteous way in all fairness and be in eternal bliss”.

 

 

 

 

Welcome fast..... to fast.......at least on Ekadashi

Maha Swami never missed to emphasize how and which way we need to lead our life.

He pinpoints Dharma Sasthra. 

He never imagines any deviation and never advocates also. 

But,  citing myriad alibis, it's quite obvious that there's stark reality of obliviousness to live the way Shasthra mandates. 

Well

Is there only hopelessness? 

Thank God. 

Even if we don't live every inch of our life the sasthric way,  I'm afraid if one commits and determines,  one can begin at some point. 

For,  as Chinese proverb bodes, 

'The journey of a thousand miles begins with the first step."

In this piece, let's take one leaf from Dharma Sasthra. That strangely is about  not leafful nor your plateful. 

Dharma Sasthra has room for feasting and celebrating and at the same length stipulates fasting, vrada விரதம்,  உபவாஸம், on various sthithis,  occasions. 

Here our concern is on The Need to Fast and occasions to fast:

○Ekadasi - fasting throughout the day 

○Sunday - fasting at night 

○Amavasya - fasting at night 

○Full moon day - fasting at night. 

○Ashtami - no food during day time 

○Sathurthasi - no food during day time 

○Ramnavami - fasting throughout the day 

○Gokulashtami - fasting throughout the day. 

Besides above, though not in Dharma Sasthra,  in propitiation of Lord Balaji At Tirumala

○Saturday - night fasting. 

Quite common in South of Bharat staunch devotees observe fast on certain other holy days, periods as well like on Shiv Ratri,  Skanda Sashti 6 days as well.   On Shiv Ratri and Ekadasi, we are supposed to stay awake in night and be in Prayers, singing Bhajans, devotional songs, reading Puranas and listening to spiritual discourses et al.

Of all the vratas, the cardinal one is Ekadasi vrada.

Who have to fast on Ekadasi? 

Those between the ages of 8 and 80.

It's not to strain those outside this age gamut,  the Sasthra exempts these children below 8 and seniors above 80 from the vrata. 

Even if I may incur the wrath of everyone, I can't help citing Mahaswami's reference how strict and mandatory it is to observe full fast on Ekadasi :

No redemption at all for the sin of not fasting on Ekadasi. 

Your murmur, question, whisper falls on my ears deafeningly :

"hey,  are you fasting on at least the Ekadasi day? "

My honest answer is  No. 

But once having learnt and known it,  let me make a vow,  shankalp:

Rest of my bonus life,  I would go sans food on my remaining Ekadasis.

Swayambakam - Self help

Swayambakam - Self help

Many would have heard an incident in President Abraham Lincoln's life. 

The story goes that an English aristocrat was shocked to see Abraham Lincoln polishing his shoes. “In England , no gentleman polishes his own shoes,” the aristocrat remarked. Pat came the tit for tat, President Lincoln,  “Whose shoes does he polish then?”

In this contemporary era, the IT legend Mr Narayanamurthy is admired as Corporate Gandhi.  For,  we learn he takes care of home hygiene himself. 

Well, 

Our yester years, about 7 decades ago,  may reflect back. Rajaji, then the Prime Minister of Madras Presidency,  washed his clothes himself. 

Maha Periyava cites Sastras that it's not keeping in with Sastra Dharma to leave our basic personal care and depend on someone else to do it. True there would be seniors, aged parents at home who may not be able to handle their personal care. Sastras enshrines on young ones in the family to be of service to them. 

It was at a time when Maha Periyava was in a discourse and time and again emphasized on paropakara,  that's helping others and society.   One day a senior couple walked into the Mutt and were looking to have Dharsn of Maha Swami. Their faces exhibited some hesitation and sadful look. Maha Swami let them pour down. 

The lady began:

"Swami,  we are worried about our only son. He doesn't care for us, the aged parents. He is always concerned about and has been engaging in only social service.'

The accompanying spouse opened up his pent up emotions, 'Swami,  he doesn't mind home needs,  my wife only washes my son's clothes."

The lady picked up and said, "never mind his not washing his clothes. He doesn't buy necessary provisions and vegetables also. It's only my husband in his advancing age takes pains to go to shops and markets for buying home essentials. "

Here is a wrap up with the following lines from தெய்வத்தின் குரல் :

"லோகத்துக்கு நல்லது பண்ணனும் என்றே ஆர்வமிருந்தாலும் நமக்கும் நம் குடும்பத்துக்கும் செய்தேயாக வேண்டும் என்ற நிர்பந்தம் இருப்பதை உணர்ந்து இந்த ட்யூட்டிக்கு ஹானியில்லாமல்தான் லோக ஸேவை செய்ய வேண்டும். "

You May have a heart to do good for society. Yet do it without any hiccups to your responsibility to your family and home. 

Maha Swami has a rider as well :

"சொந்த கார்யம் என்பதையே கவனித்துக் கொண்டிருந்தால், அலை ஓய்ந்துதான் ஸமுத்ர ஸ்நானம் என்கிற மாதிரி பொதுக் கார்யங்களை எவருமே எப்போதுமே செய்ய முடியாது."

It's kind of balancing act. 

The Need to help - பரோபகாரம்

○Regardless of how much one earns,  at least a little out of it one must use to help a needy and any good public causes. 

○When a part of the body aches and you feel the pain,  your eyes shed tears. Isn't it? The same way if anyone suffers in any remote part of the world, we need to be compassionate and it's obligatory on our part to do our bit to mitigate the suffering. 

○There is nothing to take any pride in so doing. Nor do we have to feel any compulsions in doing. 

○The whole universe is the very form of God,  the Almighty. When we realize this, we will with full heart involve ourselves in redressing the suffering elsewhere in the world. 

○In so doing if any strain arises,  we won't feel strained. That kind of selfless service, indeed, would make us feel the fulfillment and bliss. 

○When you see the suffering redressed and his face blossoming smile,  all the strain while serving pales and fades away. 

A little attempt to present an English version of Maha Periyava from His தெய்வத்தின் குரல் -

Volume 3, chapter title பரோபகாரம் pages 251 para last and para continuation on page 252. Edn 27, Nov 2021 Publisher: Vanathy Pathippagam 

Om Sri Gurubhyo Namah

Of all the Saints, 

My gravitation

Was instant 

The moment I

Put my foot 

For the first ever 

Time in 

Ramanashram

About thirty years ago. 

I just stood 

There in the

Entry precinct 

To the shrine of

Matru Bhudeshwar

In front of

About 3 feet

Cloth screen placed

- you can see it even

Today -

On the right side 

Before you enter the 

Inner temple housing 

The Sanctum

Of Matru Bhudeshwar. 

What's so special about 

The screen?

It carries the 

Very narrative of 

Bhagavan's 'aatma vichara'-

Best known to 

All his devotees as

His,  'Who am I? '.

That time 

My comprehension was 

Not up-to the mark. 

Yet I read the narrative from 

The very first to the last. 

Despite this constraint, 

I could feel some sinking in. 

Ever since that, 

Must say, 

Found the Gnana Guru,

Whom Paul Brandon 

Was directed to by

None other than 

The Kanchi Maha Swami.

Nonetheless my going back to 

Is Bhagavan time and again, 

My Bible is

Maha Swami's -

தெய்வத்தின் குரல் -

Now I am in Volume 3.

Om Sri Gurubhyo Namah