When I was studying for my class tenth examination, Sanskrit was the language that I chose to study. We were lucky to have a text-book which has chosen many excellent pieces from the rich literary wealth of this ancient language. There was one poem from the great epic Ramayana. In that poem (of more than 15 couplets), Lord Rama was describing the beauty of a pond to his younger brother Laxmana.
For those who are not aware of the story, in it Rama, his wife Sita and his brother Laxmana had left their kingdom to roam in forest for 14 years. This was to fulfill a certain vow his father once made. In the forest a demon kidnaps Sita. After that they have sent animals of the forest to find where is she. And he was waiting for any news of his beloved Sita. During this waiting period came the rainy season...
Rain in India comes mostly because of monsoon. Monsoon rainfall is intensely romantic (you have to get drenched in a monsoon rain to feel the effect!). In such a condition, there was Rama not only alone, but also with no information of his beloved one. My dear friend, this condition of helplessness is utterly maddening. When you get a clue and can give your effort, its still OK (even if you are losing). But the moment of helplessness when you are just waiting for some information, when you cannot do anything... It just drives one mad!
During such a mental condition, Rama took a step which I recently found to be really effective. He went on looking at the mundane (or not) beauty around him displayed by mother nature. Believe me, how much the agitation may be, just try looking at a flower and the dew drop on it, you will feel immediate tranquility!
I feel this was a great remedy suggested in the epic by the godly poet Valmiki. Just try it my friend and you can see how effective it is...
Monday, February 28, 2011
Tuesday, January 25, 2011
Picnic and Hospitality!
The event I am going to narrate may be a trivial one, but it had a lasting impact on me! Last Sunday we were going on a departmental picnic. Half way to the spot few guys got a call of nature and stopped the bus. Its common here to just release yourself in any wide-open area. So it was no new thing. However, I marked that after those two guys many more followed the trend. I got curious and went out to follow the trend as well. Coming out, I was surprised to mark that there was no sweet wide open space in sight! So I just followed the flow of familiar faces. That took me to a narrow lane with houses on both the sides. I felt a bit scared! Finally I asked one guy where is the wide-open space? He directed me to a house! I felt very awkward. He understood and told me to use the lavatory of one of the houses! I was quite surprised, and to check it myself I ventured in. To my surprise no one told me anything. The house-owner, who was brushing teeth, just tried to smile at me with his mouth full of froth! I released myself and came back. All through I was wandering what type of people these are! Allowing a bunch of stranger to use your lavatory is something which one can never hope to come across in any country. And in the Indian-heartland this issue becomes really impossible because of caste-issues. But here is a corner of my country where people are still open enough to open their lavatories to complete strangers!!
(PS: A complete stranger is one whom you may expect to meet never again in the future!)
(PS: A complete stranger is one whom you may expect to meet never again in the future!)
Saturday, January 08, 2011
Kanhai painki gAi-guhAla
This is a often cited adage by my father, which literally mean "the cow-shade is because of Kanha". The milieu is from the epic Mahabharata. Mother Yasoda wants the baby Krishna to be fed well and hence she is trying to maintain a good cow-shade with well-looked-after cows. But in her earnestness to maintain the cows properly she sometimes forgets to look after the baby Krishna! So this line tries to remind the Mother that all this cows and cow-shade is to serve Krishna!
In life many a times, we get too involved in some trivia, get tensed and worked out. And in this process we tend to forget the reason for which we might be doing the particular work. Thinking of the cause mostly calms us down and gives us new insights!
For example, the man working hard day and night to make enough money for his family many times forgets the cause for which he is working. And he then tends to give the minimum time to his family!
Or, lets say the lover who is trying to fight the society to get his love. Sometimes he gets so involved in the process of fighting for a tomorrow that he forgets to think about his beloved in the present...
In life many a times, we get too involved in some trivia, get tensed and worked out. And in this process we tend to forget the reason for which we might be doing the particular work. Thinking of the cause mostly calms us down and gives us new insights!
For example, the man working hard day and night to make enough money for his family many times forgets the cause for which he is working. And he then tends to give the minimum time to his family!
Or, lets say the lover who is trying to fight the society to get his love. Sometimes he gets so involved in the process of fighting for a tomorrow that he forgets to think about his beloved in the present...
Wednesday, November 03, 2010
A Story: Applied Marketting
(Prologue: Its been my fervent desire to see if we can apply management tricks and skills to create motivation among the hoi poloi. Because I firmly believe that the problem with developing nations is not the lack of resources; its the lack of inspired and motivated populace. The following incident happened to a friend of mine who works in Kolkata. Still I will narrate the story in first person!
PS: Please don't judge. Judging is easy, doing is difficult and this is the first time in my life that I have seen this involvement and ingenuity!)
Howrdah, the main station of Kolkata, is full of people in any given time of the day. Sitting there, waiting for your train, is a torture. But when you need to do it on a regular basis, you start enjoying the menial happenings around you! I had more or less 30 minutes to wait and a young couple was siting beside me. There came a street urchin, barely five, pestering for some help. I ignored him and the girl of the young couple gave him two rupees! Then the guy started explaining to her, why she should not give alms to such urchins and the argument went on. After getting the money from the girl, the kid patted me and showed me his prize! I became a bit playful and asked him to hit me harder, if he can! And he was game. He went on hitting my palm and his tender hands became tired soon and his fist became red. Once tired, he gave up and I asked him to go and wash his hands properly (washing your strained hands in cold water does help a lot). He went and came back with his hands washed. To linger it, I asked him to wash it still cleaner. And with two more iterations, I was satisfied. I gave him a banana and took one for me. We both sat down and ate on the bench. While eating I asked him, who else are there in his family. His father had ran away long ago. He has one elder brother and a younger sister. Both the guys would beg in the platform to get some money for food. (Don't forget that he is merely five! So asking him to work and earn is out of question!!) Then I asked him how much does he make every day? It seemed he would make 20-50 rupees (~$1) a day and on that day he has made merely 7 rupees. I wanted to test one of my management pieces of knowledge. I told him that I will give him 50 rupees in return of his 7 rupees if only he does what I ask of him. He agreed and parted with his 7 rupees. I asked him to go round the platform and ask for money to each person, but only once. Not to pester anyone. If anyone denies then just leave him/her in peace. He went round and came back in 5 minutes with 20 rupees! And then he made a tour of all other platforms and he was with a total of 75 rupees! He was delighted with this new trick. Then i advised him to go to home now and take rest and then play or study! He agreed readily and left the platform with a wide smile...!!
And I was satisfied with two things. I have tested my management knowledge in field and was satisfied that it works even in a train-platform! And seeing this wide smile on the face of a five year old urchin is a satisfaction only known to those who have experienced it!
PS: Please don't judge. Judging is easy, doing is difficult and this is the first time in my life that I have seen this involvement and ingenuity!)
Howrdah, the main station of Kolkata, is full of people in any given time of the day. Sitting there, waiting for your train, is a torture. But when you need to do it on a regular basis, you start enjoying the menial happenings around you! I had more or less 30 minutes to wait and a young couple was siting beside me. There came a street urchin, barely five, pestering for some help. I ignored him and the girl of the young couple gave him two rupees! Then the guy started explaining to her, why she should not give alms to such urchins and the argument went on. After getting the money from the girl, the kid patted me and showed me his prize! I became a bit playful and asked him to hit me harder, if he can! And he was game. He went on hitting my palm and his tender hands became tired soon and his fist became red. Once tired, he gave up and I asked him to go and wash his hands properly (washing your strained hands in cold water does help a lot). He went and came back with his hands washed. To linger it, I asked him to wash it still cleaner. And with two more iterations, I was satisfied. I gave him a banana and took one for me. We both sat down and ate on the bench. While eating I asked him, who else are there in his family. His father had ran away long ago. He has one elder brother and a younger sister. Both the guys would beg in the platform to get some money for food. (Don't forget that he is merely five! So asking him to work and earn is out of question!!) Then I asked him how much does he make every day? It seemed he would make 20-50 rupees (~$1) a day and on that day he has made merely 7 rupees. I wanted to test one of my management pieces of knowledge. I told him that I will give him 50 rupees in return of his 7 rupees if only he does what I ask of him. He agreed and parted with his 7 rupees. I asked him to go round the platform and ask for money to each person, but only once. Not to pester anyone. If anyone denies then just leave him/her in peace. He went round and came back in 5 minutes with 20 rupees! And then he made a tour of all other platforms and he was with a total of 75 rupees! He was delighted with this new trick. Then i advised him to go to home now and take rest and then play or study! He agreed readily and left the platform with a wide smile...!!
And I was satisfied with two things. I have tested my management knowledge in field and was satisfied that it works even in a train-platform! And seeing this wide smile on the face of a five year old urchin is a satisfaction only known to those who have experienced it!
Sunday, October 10, 2010
’tis love
‘’Tis so,’ said the Duchess: ‘and the moral of that is —“Oh, ’tis love, ’tis love, that makes the world go round!”’ ---Alice in Wonderland
Today morning I was listening to the great Quwaal Sir Nusrat Fateh-Ali-Khan singing a Mira Bhajan in Lahore! People going ecstatic listening to a song telling about love for Ram and Shyam (two of the major Hindu gods)! Without putting much of a logic, I will just say that its "love" which makes all the bonds, and which "makes the world go round"!!
And its a pity that most of us never ever get the scope or chance to experience true "love". Those who have the luxury to fall in love mostly end up falling in lust and those who don't have the luxury to fall in love keep on dreaming about it.
All religion, all philosophy, all questions, all queries lose their existence lest get dissolved when the tide of "love" comes in heart. And the love for humanity, for nation, for world or for God can only succeed the love for the beloved one!
End note (to all those who are or think are in love): May you face all the oppressions of nature and creation against your love! As Gibran states in The Prophet:
"But if in your fear you would seek only love's peace and love's pleasure,
Then it is better for you that you cover your nakedness and pass out of love's threshing-floor,
Into the seasonless world where you shall laugh, but not all of your laughter, and weep, but not all of your tears. "
Today morning I was listening to the great Quwaal Sir Nusrat Fateh-Ali-Khan singing a Mira Bhajan in Lahore! People going ecstatic listening to a song telling about love for Ram and Shyam (two of the major Hindu gods)! Without putting much of a logic, I will just say that its "love" which makes all the bonds, and which "makes the world go round"!!
And its a pity that most of us never ever get the scope or chance to experience true "love". Those who have the luxury to fall in love mostly end up falling in lust and those who don't have the luxury to fall in love keep on dreaming about it.
All religion, all philosophy, all questions, all queries lose their existence lest get dissolved when the tide of "love" comes in heart. And the love for humanity, for nation, for world or for God can only succeed the love for the beloved one!
End note (to all those who are or think are in love): May you face all the oppressions of nature and creation against your love! As Gibran states in The Prophet:
"But if in your fear you would seek only love's peace and love's pleasure,
Then it is better for you that you cover your nakedness and pass out of love's threshing-floor,
Into the seasonless world where you shall laugh, but not all of your laughter, and weep, but not all of your tears. "
Tuesday, September 28, 2010
Gandhi Jayanti Special(!): Gandhi and Indo-Pak Relationship!
Over the years, I have gathered much respect for the Mahatma. During teens, I also hated the Mahatma and it was a fashion of the times to be a Subhas-Bose fan, which implied a hatred for the Mahatma. Things changed during the period when my mother was suffering from cancer. We were in this small shabby hotel room in Bombay waiting for the next appointment. There was not much to do and I went through a vernacular translation of Mahatma's autobiography. (PS: I still think that the English version of Gandhi's Autobiography is not the right kind to inspire people! My vernacular version inspired an instant awe and drew an immediate intimacy with the Mahatma.) Since those days, I have been a Gandhi fan (though not at the cost of losing Subhas as one of my hero!).
It was just yesterday that I was wondering what would have happened to Indo-Pak relationship, had Gandhi been alive and in power! Few years back I was listening to one of Gandhi's speeches in the immediate aftermath of separation. He could never take the separation as real and was saying: "This will all be over soon. And then we all will go to Lahore. We will have sweets and will all crack crackers!" I was wandering how he would have tackled the Kashmir problem (when the King asked for Indian help to secure his Muslim-dominant kingdom!), or the 1972 war over the formation of Bangladesh (when the Bangladeshis were fed up with Pakisthan's imposition of Urdu and when the Pakisthani General was mercilessly massacring Hindus!), or the recent Kargil conflict.
May be if he were in power, none of these would have happened in the first place. For example, be it Jinnah or Nehru, does it matter who governs the nation? Once someone is in power, he/she behaves in an almost typical pattern. Secondly, if the Kashimiris want a separate nation, in what way is their claim less important than then the claim of Bangladeshis (whom we supported)? I would rather have a good and loving neighbor than a rebel in my own home! And those who talk about national integrity, let me be very clear that "India the nation" means very little to many of the peripheral regions and to most of the tribal regions. After 60 years of independence we don't have a primary school over stretches as long as 60-80 km in North Eastern states; and it still takes an officer almost two days to go to his tribal posting from the nearest town! The central/regional government can never be excused for these lapses.
One thing is for sure. The Mahatma would have continued with his work of "village Swaraj" (real independence of the villages) and "Sarvoday" (rise of all). And may be he would have done it in all the neighboring nations (even if we were divided into 10 smaller nations). Its the cultural heritage that binds (or can bind) us together, not any political boundary or force. And of course, if he were in power we would not have fell into the trap of Lord Mountbatten and would still have had a single nation (at the cost of a delayed independence and may be a different first PM).
We have missed a complete different thought process. We have completely missed an opportunity to be developed. And I don't think we will get a second chance!!
It was just yesterday that I was wondering what would have happened to Indo-Pak relationship, had Gandhi been alive and in power! Few years back I was listening to one of Gandhi's speeches in the immediate aftermath of separation. He could never take the separation as real and was saying: "This will all be over soon. And then we all will go to Lahore. We will have sweets and will all crack crackers!" I was wandering how he would have tackled the Kashmir problem (when the King asked for Indian help to secure his Muslim-dominant kingdom!), or the 1972 war over the formation of Bangladesh (when the Bangladeshis were fed up with Pakisthan's imposition of Urdu and when the Pakisthani General was mercilessly massacring Hindus!), or the recent Kargil conflict.
May be if he were in power, none of these would have happened in the first place. For example, be it Jinnah or Nehru, does it matter who governs the nation? Once someone is in power, he/she behaves in an almost typical pattern. Secondly, if the Kashimiris want a separate nation, in what way is their claim less important than then the claim of Bangladeshis (whom we supported)? I would rather have a good and loving neighbor than a rebel in my own home! And those who talk about national integrity, let me be very clear that "India the nation" means very little to many of the peripheral regions and to most of the tribal regions. After 60 years of independence we don't have a primary school over stretches as long as 60-80 km in North Eastern states; and it still takes an officer almost two days to go to his tribal posting from the nearest town! The central/regional government can never be excused for these lapses.
One thing is for sure. The Mahatma would have continued with his work of "village Swaraj" (real independence of the villages) and "Sarvoday" (rise of all). And may be he would have done it in all the neighboring nations (even if we were divided into 10 smaller nations). Its the cultural heritage that binds (or can bind) us together, not any political boundary or force. And of course, if he were in power we would not have fell into the trap of Lord Mountbatten and would still have had a single nation (at the cost of a delayed independence and may be a different first PM).
We have missed a complete different thought process. We have completely missed an opportunity to be developed. And I don't think we will get a second chance!!
Saturday, September 11, 2010
Deja Vu: Insignificant vs. Significant
(PS: Deja Vu blogs are the blogs from a while ago and are not new and fresh!)
In my last few blogs, I have been talking about how insignificantly insignificant is life, creation and all that's here around. Yesterday I came across a wonderful notion. I was reading through an essay by Swami Vivekananda, where he was talking about how creation is created by the merger of Prana (energy) and Akasa (mater); how it comes into being, goes through a cycle and again vanishes, just to reappear again. Even modern astrophysics to some extent supports this view. I.e. the universe was created because of big bang and there are ultimately two possible ends to it, viz. it will expand for ever till it becomes energy less and hence dark; or it may contract again and merge into a black-hole yet again. Its the second possibility which has been supported by Advitik philosophy.
Anyway, my point was something different. Given that its a cycle and given that this world follows a strictly cause-n-effect rule, where is the notion of significant or insignificant? When I breath, I just do it subconsciously without counting and without thinking which breath is better or worse than which other one. Its childish to compare one breath with another. Similarly its childish to put epithets against events. Events are just events. Lives are just lives. Creations and just creations! Neither significant nor insignificant. We are helplessly parts of it. Whatever we are doing, thinking or speaking, has no novelty to it, all these are just events with no adjectives whatsoever.
In my last few blogs, I have been talking about how insignificantly insignificant is life, creation and all that's here around. Yesterday I came across a wonderful notion. I was reading through an essay by Swami Vivekananda, where he was talking about how creation is created by the merger of Prana (energy) and Akasa (mater); how it comes into being, goes through a cycle and again vanishes, just to reappear again. Even modern astrophysics to some extent supports this view. I.e. the universe was created because of big bang and there are ultimately two possible ends to it, viz. it will expand for ever till it becomes energy less and hence dark; or it may contract again and merge into a black-hole yet again. Its the second possibility which has been supported by Advitik philosophy.
Anyway, my point was something different. Given that its a cycle and given that this world follows a strictly cause-n-effect rule, where is the notion of significant or insignificant? When I breath, I just do it subconsciously without counting and without thinking which breath is better or worse than which other one. Its childish to compare one breath with another. Similarly its childish to put epithets against events. Events are just events. Lives are just lives. Creations and just creations! Neither significant nor insignificant. We are helplessly parts of it. Whatever we are doing, thinking or speaking, has no novelty to it, all these are just events with no adjectives whatsoever.
Thursday, August 12, 2010
Art of Communication
Disclaimer: First of all sorry that I have been OFF for such a long period. I mostly write my blogs when there is some sort of pain in the heart or mind. When I am silent, you may presume that I am content :)
Few days back I was talking a very close friend of mine, who mostly is pretty cool even in adverse situations. He suddenly told me about his life's philosophy! This is what I heard! (PS: If you look at the Buddhist scriptures, they have been narrated by Ananda the arch-disciple of Buddha. Ananda never says "Buddha told" this or that! He always says "I heard the Buddha telling...". A simple difference in words but it actually means a lot. The day people realize this, much of the fundamentalism will disappear! E.g. while reading the Holy Quoran, if I always keep in mind that this is what I am reading or understanding from the holy book, then there is no problem! Problem comes when people say "this is what God has decreed"! )
The greatest art of communication lies in controlling the other person and not getting controlled. Try to take him/her in surprise. Act in just the opposite way as what he/she would have expected to react. Lets say someone gives you a really bad abuse, he/she subconsciously is prepared to see you all angry and blasting or tearful. If you don't act like that, you are hurting him/her in a very bad way! He/she is instantly defeated! So the secret lies in seeing through what the other person is expecting and of course if you want him/her to feel defeated! If he/she is your beloved one, there is no point making him/her feel bad. If he/she is abusing you, you react and shout and may be shade tear. But if you are trying to confront the other person, then be ready with the shock therapy! React just the opposite way of the way he/she would expect you to react!!
PPS: This reminds me of the sayings of Krishnamurthy as told to me by my father: "Most people go on reacting all their life and they never actually perform any action! Try to look at the world without any precondition and then you will stop reacting and start acting! Thats the joy of meditation!!".
Few days back I was talking a very close friend of mine, who mostly is pretty cool even in adverse situations. He suddenly told me about his life's philosophy! This is what I heard! (PS: If you look at the Buddhist scriptures, they have been narrated by Ananda the arch-disciple of Buddha. Ananda never says "Buddha told" this or that! He always says "I heard the Buddha telling...". A simple difference in words but it actually means a lot. The day people realize this, much of the fundamentalism will disappear! E.g. while reading the Holy Quoran, if I always keep in mind that this is what I am reading or understanding from the holy book, then there is no problem! Problem comes when people say "this is what God has decreed"! )
The greatest art of communication lies in controlling the other person and not getting controlled. Try to take him/her in surprise. Act in just the opposite way as what he/she would have expected to react. Lets say someone gives you a really bad abuse, he/she subconsciously is prepared to see you all angry and blasting or tearful. If you don't act like that, you are hurting him/her in a very bad way! He/she is instantly defeated! So the secret lies in seeing through what the other person is expecting and of course if you want him/her to feel defeated! If he/she is your beloved one, there is no point making him/her feel bad. If he/she is abusing you, you react and shout and may be shade tear. But if you are trying to confront the other person, then be ready with the shock therapy! React just the opposite way of the way he/she would expect you to react!!
PPS: This reminds me of the sayings of Krishnamurthy as told to me by my father: "Most people go on reacting all their life and they never actually perform any action! Try to look at the world without any precondition and then you will stop reacting and start acting! Thats the joy of meditation!!".
Monday, March 15, 2010
DejaVu: Empathy!! (Thursday, June 29, 2006)
One of those nice words, that I like in English! "Empathy", word which says so much,.....well at least to me. Putting oneself into another's position. Putting your foot in another's shoe!
I was watching a French movie (name was something RED). European movies are quite nice, a different world from the American movies! Anyway, in it there is this psychopath retired judge, whose neighbours did not like him, and once a while one of the neighbours would throw a stone at his house. Peacefully he was collecting all the stones, ....there were six of them till that day. He was saying to his friend, "I think they must be hating me like anything. I am sure I would have done the same at their place". His friend gets surprised and asks, "you would have thrown stones??". He answered, "Its so natural; given those conditions, anyone would have behaved exactly the same!".
What we call as ourself, our morales, our principles, none of them actually belong to us. We have picked them up in our journey called life. We are bad or good, its as much natural. Philosophers sometime say, its natural to be happy. Its our nature to be "Anand". Then why are we not? Are "WE", different from nature?
If someone is bad its natural, if someone is good, its equally natural. Put yourself in his/her shoes, you can not become anything else! So where is the reason to be happy that I am good or to be sorry that I am bad (or have bad feelings)?
I was watching a French movie (name was something RED). European movies are quite nice, a different world from the American movies! Anyway, in it there is this psychopath retired judge, whose neighbours did not like him, and once a while one of the neighbours would throw a stone at his house. Peacefully he was collecting all the stones, ....there were six of them till that day. He was saying to his friend, "I think they must be hating me like anything. I am sure I would have done the same at their place". His friend gets surprised and asks, "you would have thrown stones??". He answered, "Its so natural; given those conditions, anyone would have behaved exactly the same!".
What we call as ourself, our morales, our principles, none of them actually belong to us. We have picked them up in our journey called life. We are bad or good, its as much natural. Philosophers sometime say, its natural to be happy. Its our nature to be "Anand". Then why are we not? Are "WE", different from nature?
If someone is bad its natural, if someone is good, its equally natural. Put yourself in his/her shoes, you can not become anything else! So where is the reason to be happy that I am good or to be sorry that I am bad (or have bad feelings)?
Saturday, March 06, 2010
Bug, society and individual
Just now I was having coffee in a languid lonely coffee corner and marked a big-bug steadily progressing towards me! I am eternally scared of bugs, especially because of the way they walk! My first reaction was to smash it :) But I controlled my flooding temptation and just marked it scrolling on. It was more like a six-legged Mars-rover, moving on and on and on. It has hardly any memory. Hence it cant learn from its past failures. It just moves on. I put an obstacle on its way, it tried a lot and finally changed its course. Not that it was in a course, it was just moving and now it moved in another direction. May be life is like that? We just need to keep on moving, adapting and changing. Then end of the day we have moved a lot! Not that it makes us any achiever or loser. Just that we have moved a lot.
Then I tried to think like the bug! For it there is no past no future... may be no present. Its not bothered about what others will say. Its not bothered about what will happen. It just moves on thinking of its own self and its own immediate surrounding! Then I realised that the reason of all pain and emotional problems for we human-beings is society! If for once we can truely forget the "others" and just keep crawling, then it will give rise to a much steadier and much smoother flow. And that will end all our goals, aspiration, aims etc. etc. I think this is true individualism. A man staying in society or in forest or in hills; keeping on moving and discovering news things all the time... May be this is what they call being like a lotus leaf (staying in water and yet not getting wet). Hmmmm... I am yet to experiment doing this...
Then I tried to think like the bug! For it there is no past no future... may be no present. Its not bothered about what others will say. Its not bothered about what will happen. It just moves on thinking of its own self and its own immediate surrounding! Then I realised that the reason of all pain and emotional problems for we human-beings is society! If for once we can truely forget the "others" and just keep crawling, then it will give rise to a much steadier and much smoother flow. And that will end all our goals, aspiration, aims etc. etc. I think this is true individualism. A man staying in society or in forest or in hills; keeping on moving and discovering news things all the time... May be this is what they call being like a lotus leaf (staying in water and yet not getting wet). Hmmmm... I am yet to experiment doing this...
Friday, February 19, 2010
Infidelity and food!
I was talking to an old friend of mine who got recently engaged. He was disturbed. Its because even after his engagement, he felt physical attraction towards other girls! And mind that he is engaged to someone he loves. I have full faith on the love of each of them for the other. And because he loves her a lot, he is disgusted with such feelings and was quite disturbed. This left me ponder...
Why do we put so much importance on physical attraction? Why do we always try to say that sex is not at all important, but in this process make it a "class apart". Sex is just another physical need for us, like food or water. Do we always eat our dinner at home? Does eating in a hotel or at a friend's place puts a question on our love for our mother/wife? Then why the same rule can't be applied in the case of sex? Why should we mix up love/attachment and sex?
Why do we put so much importance on physical attraction? Why do we always try to say that sex is not at all important, but in this process make it a "class apart". Sex is just another physical need for us, like food or water. Do we always eat our dinner at home? Does eating in a hotel or at a friend's place puts a question on our love for our mother/wife? Then why the same rule can't be applied in the case of sex? Why should we mix up love/attachment and sex?
Friday, February 12, 2010
Strong feeling!
Many times we use this phrase "strong feeling" in a pretty casual way. Today I was writing something in my diary and used the phrase. Then I realised though I had a "strong feeling" on whatever matter I was refering to, at the moment of writing my diary the feeling was not that strong! On contemplation I realised that a strong feeling is always associated with a subconscious desire to defy it!
Lets take a more explicit example. When do you think/realise that something is strong? Strength is validated only in adverse conditions, when there is a sufficiently strong opponent. Applying this analogy to thoughts/feelings, when I say I have a "strong feeling" about something, it inherently implies that there is an under current of feelings/secret-desires against my feelings. Then only my feelings become strong, rather we appreciate them as strong. And mark that the opposing under-current of feelings mostly will not be conspicuous or easy to tell apart!
PS: (Spin-off) The V-day enthusiasts, reconsider your line of thoughts when you think that " I gotta "strong feeling" that this gotta be the person made for me!"
Lets take a more explicit example. When do you think/realise that something is strong? Strength is validated only in adverse conditions, when there is a sufficiently strong opponent. Applying this analogy to thoughts/feelings, when I say I have a "strong feeling" about something, it inherently implies that there is an under current of feelings/secret-desires against my feelings. Then only my feelings become strong, rather we appreciate them as strong. And mark that the opposing under-current of feelings mostly will not be conspicuous or easy to tell apart!
PS: (Spin-off) The V-day enthusiasts, reconsider your line of thoughts when you think that " I gotta "strong feeling" that this gotta be the person made for me!"
Wednesday, February 10, 2010
"Promise"
Infinite space and infinite time;
Infinite faces to recall;
Infinite length of paths and
A finite length of awaiting! 1
The beautiful face with curly hairs;
Hazy gaze in the smiling eyes;
Mind running in infinite directions;
Awake just for a finite second! 2
That curly haired face,
Stamped on memory so brightly;
Couldn't force it out of the infinite faces;
Couldn't pin it in the infinite time. 3
For sure we have met,
Know her do I for sure;
I'm also sure of her love for me;
Just cant remember when was it! 4
Ah! it was here a while ago;
A while can mean any finite time;
We met here I am now sure.
And she told she would come for me! 5
Today is the day I suppose,
Now is the time she promised;
But still cant figure out where is she;
The infinite number of faces.... difficult to see! 6
A wait and wait and further did I wait.
Finite time stretching to infinite duration;
Thoughts running amok in all directions
And finally came that moment! 7
The moment did come finally!
The moment when anger caught hold of me;
Boiling blood and sanguine thoughts;
Without relevance or perseverance! 8
Again the same story repeats,
Finite time stretch to infinite durations;
Blood gets tired of running so fast;
I observe that my finite time is over! 9
Why did she not keep her promise?
Why did she make me wait for ever?
In infinite time among infinite faces;
Why she forced me to look so awkward?
To force a finite time and a finite face?
Or was it some other day she promised?
How can I know?
With infinite time and infinite faces... I am lost!! 10
Infinite faces to recall;
Infinite length of paths and
A finite length of awaiting! 1
The beautiful face with curly hairs;
Hazy gaze in the smiling eyes;
Mind running in infinite directions;
Awake just for a finite second! 2
That curly haired face,
Stamped on memory so brightly;
Couldn't force it out of the infinite faces;
Couldn't pin it in the infinite time. 3
For sure we have met,
Know her do I for sure;
I'm also sure of her love for me;
Just cant remember when was it! 4
Ah! it was here a while ago;
A while can mean any finite time;
We met here I am now sure.
And she told she would come for me! 5
Today is the day I suppose,
Now is the time she promised;
But still cant figure out where is she;
The infinite number of faces.... difficult to see! 6
A wait and wait and further did I wait.
Finite time stretching to infinite duration;
Thoughts running amok in all directions
And finally came that moment! 7
The moment did come finally!
The moment when anger caught hold of me;
Boiling blood and sanguine thoughts;
Without relevance or perseverance! 8
Again the same story repeats,
Finite time stretch to infinite durations;
Blood gets tired of running so fast;
I observe that my finite time is over! 9
Why did she not keep her promise?
Why did she make me wait for ever?
In infinite time among infinite faces;
Why she forced me to look so awkward?
To force a finite time and a finite face?
Or was it some other day she promised?
How can I know?
With infinite time and infinite faces... I am lost!! 10
Saturday, January 30, 2010
Patriotic songs!
I don't remember how, today I bumped into a video clip in you-tube of the song "rangde basanti chola", a patriotic song from an old Hindi film. Then I browsed through a few more such songs. The songs are amazing. The lyric with awesome music makes your blood run amock! You feel like doing something!! Then I thought about the condition of the Jehadis of Kashmir or the Naxals of Koraput. I think they are also running a rebellion with no less ernestness. If we shun those efforts, lets also shun the effort of our Indian patriots. If we call them terrorists, then lets not hesitate to brand Rajguru and Sukdev as terrorists. If we call theirs as unfair armed moment, lets also call the "freedom struggle of 1857" as "sepoy mutiny". Why this hypocrasy, why this discrimination?
Then I wondered about the reason for which such songs and ideas make our blood boil? As Nietzsche put it,"He who has a why to live can bear almost any how". May be such songs are trying to inculcate in our mind that "why" to live. I feel we human beings are always in search for a higher thing, a higher being, a higher goal, a higher aspiration, a higher spirit... And if we can be made to believe in any such "higher stuff", we are actualy in a hurry to do just about anything for that!
Then I wondered about the reason for which such songs and ideas make our blood boil? As Nietzsche put it,"He who has a why to live can bear almost any how". May be such songs are trying to inculcate in our mind that "why" to live. I feel we human beings are always in search for a higher thing, a higher being, a higher goal, a higher aspiration, a higher spirit... And if we can be made to believe in any such "higher stuff", we are actualy in a hurry to do just about anything for that!
Thursday, January 07, 2010
Armed rebel, war and liberty: physical ahimsa!!
Last month I was in one of the tribal districts of Odisha. I met people there from whom I got some second hand accounts of what's happening in the land in the name of Naxal moment. All these days I am also reading a book named "The Guns of August", an excellent account of the happenings of the first world war. With all these things in mind, suddenly I came to realise something:
It has become utterly futile these days to wage a war or an armed revolution. The days of heroism and martyredom are gone. The races which realise this sooner will be the winners! Days are gone, when you could by arms and force occupy a foreign land and get loots. This may still happen today; but its a very short term benefit. Days are gone when people would rise with a new idea, take up arms and get liberated from the old rules. This may still happen these days; but these again are a waste of time and lives. Now has come a time of globalization and commercialization. If you think you are free, then you are. If a race thinks it ought to be liberated, then it has to fight its own stigma and establish itseld economically. If you think of occupying a foreign land, then sutly control its economy. The way its happening these days. Foreign companies, invest in India. Its Indian resources, Indian manpower and Indian consumers. But the profit goes to the foreign lands. So they have made us work for their purpose and made us give them money as well. And it all is happenig so smoothly! You wanna reverse it, then you gotta make a better company with better strategies!
Similarly, the naxalites who want to liberate their land and get the benefit of their own resources, have to rise beyond the level of money and oratory. They have to think big, use their own resources, invest in man-power and skill enhancement, generate public openion and force the government to start developmental programs, and in a few decades they can beat any damn developed state of the nation. May be this is neo-Gandhism? Dont know. But it certainly is not physical-violence. So it can be called physical-ahimsa!
It has become utterly futile these days to wage a war or an armed revolution. The days of heroism and martyredom are gone. The races which realise this sooner will be the winners! Days are gone, when you could by arms and force occupy a foreign land and get loots. This may still happen today; but its a very short term benefit. Days are gone when people would rise with a new idea, take up arms and get liberated from the old rules. This may still happen these days; but these again are a waste of time and lives. Now has come a time of globalization and commercialization. If you think you are free, then you are. If a race thinks it ought to be liberated, then it has to fight its own stigma and establish itseld economically. If you think of occupying a foreign land, then sutly control its economy. The way its happening these days. Foreign companies, invest in India. Its Indian resources, Indian manpower and Indian consumers. But the profit goes to the foreign lands. So they have made us work for their purpose and made us give them money as well. And it all is happenig so smoothly! You wanna reverse it, then you gotta make a better company with better strategies!
Similarly, the naxalites who want to liberate their land and get the benefit of their own resources, have to rise beyond the level of money and oratory. They have to think big, use their own resources, invest in man-power and skill enhancement, generate public openion and force the government to start developmental programs, and in a few decades they can beat any damn developed state of the nation. May be this is neo-Gandhism? Dont know. But it certainly is not physical-violence. So it can be called physical-ahimsa!
Sunday, January 03, 2010
AAll izz well
Its precisely the point when I was looking around for the writings of existential philosophers like Sartre and Nietzsche, that I came across this movie "3 idiots" and its song "all izz well" (AIW). Outwardly they seem to be two different principles. The AIW philosophy professes that try to relax and put up the fake notion on your psyche that all is well! It wont solve the problems, but will just make you relaxed. Its like taking a peg of whiskey to feel relaxed! At the other extreme are the existentialists who tell you to face the truth. They are too blunt to handle... to the point of making you bleed. They try to free you from the effect of any tranquilizer and force you to think logically and then try to conclude that life has no higher or greater purpose! There is no morality, there is no right-n-wrong, there aint anything! Its just a show, with no prelogue no dialogue and no epilogue.
On my second thought I realized that though these two ways diverge in the beginning, at the end they give you the same experience! You are relieved of any tension. In the AIW philosophy, you forget tension for the time being because you are self-mesmerizing yourself to believing that all is under control. In the existentialistic way of thought also you finally are void of any tension or excitement, not because they don't exist, but because they no longer pose any importance. It becomes a part of the game, just to be enjoyed, not to be taken seriously!
Very interesting, how different routes lead to similar conclusions!! But there are subtle differences as well. Its like a poor man eating simple food because he cant afford anything better; while a rich man taking simple food because he cant digest anything different :)
On my second thought I realized that though these two ways diverge in the beginning, at the end they give you the same experience! You are relieved of any tension. In the AIW philosophy, you forget tension for the time being because you are self-mesmerizing yourself to believing that all is under control. In the existentialistic way of thought also you finally are void of any tension or excitement, not because they don't exist, but because they no longer pose any importance. It becomes a part of the game, just to be enjoyed, not to be taken seriously!
Very interesting, how different routes lead to similar conclusions!! But there are subtle differences as well. Its like a poor man eating simple food because he cant afford anything better; while a rich man taking simple food because he cant digest anything different :)
Thursday, December 31, 2009
Friday, November 20, 2009
Naxalism-Terrorism
Yesterday home secretary gave a statement that in government's eyes Naxalites and terrorists are one and the same. I am sure most Indians share his openion. Let me put my two pennies worth comment here.
** What is terrorism? Its the act of terrorizing common people. They kill or bomb common unarmed people to reign terror. If you try to remember all the naxal attacks in the last few years (as reported in newspapers) you will mark that almost all such attacks have been on police, paramillitary or millitary personnels. So if attack is against armed forces, my simple conviction is that it is not terrorism rather its civil war!
** I dont know much about other places. However, as far as tribal districts of Orissa is concerned, the first proper rail started running in those areas only a few years back. And till now there is only one express (Hirakhand Express) running through the tribal areas. Train is the heart throbe of modern world. One train for 1/3rd of the state: you can imagine to what extent government has neglected these areas.
** With no train, no communication and loads of minerals, these areas have been ranshacked by our power-bearers. And with this went expiation of the tribals.
** With all these ground work, there came arms and new philosophies from our neighbours. Hence, do you blame the naxals?
Those who still blame the Naxals, please try to imagine yourself in their place. With no land, no source of income, no health care, no schools, with your parents being treated as slaves by local businessman, your sister raped by the local police........ what would you do? Go and talk to government? Do you think we have such a system where a poor can talk and complain?
Lets stop fooling ourselves. Lets first accept that "our" (not of any government or anything else) negligence is the cause of this problem. Secondly lets stop fooling around and accept that this is NOT terrorism, this is a bloody civil-war! And lastly, lets make system so that they will feel that its risky to lift the gun, its risky in the sense I will lose a good life, its risky in the sense I may lose my family, its risky in the sense I may lose my food-or-hood! That will automatically stop it. Without this, there is no stopping the flow. And remember my frineds, with the flow none of us is safe and none our lives is worth living...!!
** What is terrorism? Its the act of terrorizing common people. They kill or bomb common unarmed people to reign terror. If you try to remember all the naxal attacks in the last few years (as reported in newspapers) you will mark that almost all such attacks have been on police, paramillitary or millitary personnels. So if attack is against armed forces, my simple conviction is that it is not terrorism rather its civil war!
** I dont know much about other places. However, as far as tribal districts of Orissa is concerned, the first proper rail started running in those areas only a few years back. And till now there is only one express (Hirakhand Express) running through the tribal areas. Train is the heart throbe of modern world. One train for 1/3rd of the state: you can imagine to what extent government has neglected these areas.
** With no train, no communication and loads of minerals, these areas have been ranshacked by our power-bearers. And with this went expiation of the tribals.
** With all these ground work, there came arms and new philosophies from our neighbours. Hence, do you blame the naxals?
Those who still blame the Naxals, please try to imagine yourself in their place. With no land, no source of income, no health care, no schools, with your parents being treated as slaves by local businessman, your sister raped by the local police........ what would you do? Go and talk to government? Do you think we have such a system where a poor can talk and complain?
Lets stop fooling ourselves. Lets first accept that "our" (not of any government or anything else) negligence is the cause of this problem. Secondly lets stop fooling around and accept that this is NOT terrorism, this is a bloody civil-war! And lastly, lets make system so that they will feel that its risky to lift the gun, its risky in the sense I will lose a good life, its risky in the sense I may lose my family, its risky in the sense I may lose my food-or-hood! That will automatically stop it. Without this, there is no stopping the flow. And remember my frineds, with the flow none of us is safe and none our lives is worth living...!!
Monday, November 09, 2009
Each as per his capacity!
Like most middle class families in the 80's, mine was also a believer in socialistic philosophies. One of the socialist quotes which attracted me was "work as per your capacity; take as per your need"! Utopian saying. Last night while looking at the approaching train under the bridge, I was suddenly reminded of this quote, in a different context. I think the way we grow, we are always at the edge of chaos. We have exactly the amount of happiness or sorrows that we can endure or need. A bit more happiness, we will lose our sense and a bit more sorrow will make us suicidal. Its not that there is some god out there assigning happiness or sorrow for us. Its rather like any other thing in nature. A stone is at a particular place, just because that's the most optimal position that has come in its course. Similarly we are still alive implies that our pain and pleasure have been balanced. Its a process of elimination! That gave me my philosophy for that night "pain and pleasure come to each as per his capacity!" Pain or pleasure in your life has got nothing to do with what you did right or wrong. May be its a socialistic world all the way...!
Sunday, October 25, 2009
Playboy's poetry!
She loves me, she loves me not;
The dilemma runs wild in my heart;
I used flower, I used pendulum and many more;
Still about her heart could not be sure! 1
Days followed evenings and followed other days;
On and on I waited for the faintest of her says;
I told my friends, and I told her pals;
If anything or anyone can help me win that gal! 2
Months followed months and some more months did went;
One day I could really see her looking at me!
My heart thumbed and my palms perspired;
Finally she came and confirmed that she loved me! 3
I was in seventh heaven,
My mind was blank, and noisy and overflowing with joy!
I told my friends and I told her pals;
It was party-n-park time for next few weekends! 4
Then suddenly I felt an ache,
A vacuum, a strange stagnating coldness in my heart;
Would gaze at her lovely face and
Knew nothing to tell or talk or sing! 5
She loves me, she does love me;
The dilemma did dissolve long back;
I used no flower, nor pendulum nor nothing more,
Yet about my own heart could not be sure! 6
May be she is not the one,
May be this is not really true love!
May e this is just infatuation;
I knew not how to tell this to her. 7
I knew not what love was;
This much I could be sure;
I told so to her and she wept;
And I was free again to put for sale my heart! 8
Girls followed girls and more girls did come;
Each one's entry extravagant, yet exit equally damp!
Each time I was sure it was true love and true joy!
Still it broke, and again came the dilemma of a playboy!! 9
The dilemma runs wild in my heart;
I used flower, I used pendulum and many more;
Still about her heart could not be sure! 1
Days followed evenings and followed other days;
On and on I waited for the faintest of her says;
I told my friends, and I told her pals;
If anything or anyone can help me win that gal! 2
Months followed months and some more months did went;
One day I could really see her looking at me!
My heart thumbed and my palms perspired;
Finally she came and confirmed that she loved me! 3
I was in seventh heaven,
My mind was blank, and noisy and overflowing with joy!
I told my friends and I told her pals;
It was party-n-park time for next few weekends! 4
Then suddenly I felt an ache,
A vacuum, a strange stagnating coldness in my heart;
Would gaze at her lovely face and
Knew nothing to tell or talk or sing! 5
She loves me, she does love me;
The dilemma did dissolve long back;
I used no flower, nor pendulum nor nothing more,
Yet about my own heart could not be sure! 6
May be she is not the one,
May be this is not really true love!
May e this is just infatuation;
I knew not how to tell this to her. 7
I knew not what love was;
This much I could be sure;
I told so to her and she wept;
And I was free again to put for sale my heart! 8
Girls followed girls and more girls did come;
Each one's entry extravagant, yet exit equally damp!
Each time I was sure it was true love and true joy!
Still it broke, and again came the dilemma of a playboy!! 9
Tuesday, October 13, 2009
"Free to fall in love"
The day broke,
May be a bit early today!
"Alas" told the dew drop,
And fell down in silence! 1||
May be it was the tempest,
That broke havoc last night;
That made the twigs so weak;
The green leaf fell with no sound! 2||
May be the throbbing heart missed a pace,
Or, it was lost in some contemplation;
Or, was it broken beyond repair?
Yet, it could dare to love again! 3||
The bleeding heart waited earnestly,
Till the blood drops traversed their course;
And touched did they with no sound,
Then there fell the blanket of silence! 4||
The lost heart waited...
And waited...in case it could bleed more;
Ah! there was no blood left to bleed off!
Then befell a wonderful solace on it. 5||
The most wonderful symphony of silence,
Emerged from the blood-less heart;
The broken and empty heart which was so light,
And glad that it is free to fall in love again! 6||
May be a bit early today!
"Alas" told the dew drop,
And fell down in silence! 1||
May be it was the tempest,
That broke havoc last night;
That made the twigs so weak;
The green leaf fell with no sound! 2||
May be the throbbing heart missed a pace,
Or, it was lost in some contemplation;
Or, was it broken beyond repair?
Yet, it could dare to love again! 3||
The bleeding heart waited earnestly,
Till the blood drops traversed their course;
And touched did they with no sound,
Then there fell the blanket of silence! 4||
The lost heart waited...
And waited...in case it could bleed more;
Ah! there was no blood left to bleed off!
Then befell a wonderful solace on it. 5||
The most wonderful symphony of silence,
Emerged from the blood-less heart;
The broken and empty heart which was so light,
And glad that it is free to fall in love again! 6||
Tuesday, September 22, 2009
Gandhi jayanti special I: Sach ki rahon me chalta chal (satya)
One of my old time favourite song is "madhuvan khusvu deta he", a song glorifying the idea of self-sacrifice for the purpose of others. It was a sweet melody because it sang Utopian stuffs. And anything Utopian, including communism, however infeasible it may be, always sounds so sweet! In that one line it said: come whatever keep on walking on the path of truth. I have never thought of this deeply. But contemplating on it now, I am wonder-struck at the deeper meanings it can bear. What is "truth" or "satya" (as Mahatma Gandhi will coin it)? Is it the bare unpleasant fact about things or is it the Utopian idealistic notions that we think are the best? Talking about the life Gandhijee himself, what was satya? Was it satya that he got craving for sex and went to a brothel or was it satya that he thought of morals and left it? Was it truth that he wanted to have meat or was it satya that he thought of his religion and "successfully suppressed" this craving? I think we are confusing here between "satya" and "morality"! Satya is the barest fact about nature. And my mind my dear friend nothing about nature is utopian! Nothing here is idealistic.Let's say I feel like having alcohol or spirit. Is this craving not "true" or satya? Do you think I will be called truthful if I think of religion and tradition and morality and suppress this feeling? Or let us imagine that my neighbour is a too much irritating for me. It happens sometimes. Some people just stand on your toes anyway! Is it not true that I feel angry when talking to him? Will I become more truthful or satyavan if I control my anger and try to appear calm even though I am really really angry in the heart of my hearts? Is not bigotry or self-deception the worst kind of crime against "satya"? Is not self-control the greatest mockery of the oath taken to keep on walking on the path of truth? Gandhijee himself has told again and again that non-violence in mind is much more important than the same in external actions. And this can never be thrust upon oneself! Then this thrust action simply becomes non-truth! Let's be bold and stand up to face our own selves! If I have short-temper let me accept it first. Everything else and all other lofty feats come after this simple acceptance of truth. If I have some cravings which the society calls taboos or evil, do the hell with society! Let me accept my very own self first, my own self as it is, not the utopian scripture-prescribed self! Let me not try to cremate my own self. Self-acceptance and self-glorification is the first and only step towards a mature society and mental peace. And this is certainly the first and firmest step on the path of truth or "sach ki raah"!
Gandhi jayanti special II: "make love not war" (ahimsa)
Funny though it may sound, this line which I read in a make-shift shop in Hamburg, gave me an instant food for thought. From my limited experience, I am pretty sure that you speak this in India or any developing or undeveloped country, you will get angry and puzzled stares. Why? Why are we scared of "making love"? Why the very word "sex" makes us hyper? So much so that we lose sight of the second part of the line, i.e. "not war". May be because we have not seen a proper war for long? May be because we have lost sight of the importance of living and enjoying life? May be we have had just too much of this culture and customs! May be...
This brings my flow of thought to the next step: what is more dangerous or undesirable: a so called unchaste society or a society in war? And may be we can expand the paradigm of war to mental and psychological war as well, including the war between our own split personalities. I have seen many a so called good and decent family guys, who down their heart of heart still cherish some hidden desires!And our society is full of such people, who are at war with their own selves, who are in the so called morale dilemma. Virtually our society is in deep war internally. Why? May be because we are trying to follow morale or standards which have been set by someone else. We are trying to emulate someone, trying to follow someone, all the time forgetting the simple fact that there is no free-size morale which will fit us all!
Why can't we just forget everything and 'make love'?!? Just mark here that by 'making love' I am trying to point at all the social taboos, all that which stop us from being what we actually are! I will choose making love to making war on any given day and under any given circumstances. May be this is the real definition of 'ahimsa'! "Allow people to do whatever they want to!" "This will cause in anarchy!" Most of my friends react like this when I speak of such ideas. My logic is simple. The more freedom you give, the more individual-space you create, the more mature the society becomes. The society is no play-school needing rules and regulations and above all regulators! Let me take a very tricky topic. Lets say we don't taboo incests. Will it increase the number of incest-cases? I doubt. It may raise for a period but it will dwindle down soon after. I remember to have travelled in Germany in early 2005 when gay relations have recently been given equal place in their society. I could find virtually innumerable gay couples displaying their passion in public. It was like a fashion I suppose. Few years after I was having my recent visit in Hamburg. I was living few streets off the gay-centre of the city. Still I could come across not a single gay couple kissing around! This strengthened my conviction that individual independence and faith give rise to a society more mature and evolved. Lets stop policing around. Lets stop being at a perpetual war or himsa (violence) and start making love!!
This brings my flow of thought to the next step: what is more dangerous or undesirable: a so called unchaste society or a society in war? And may be we can expand the paradigm of war to mental and psychological war as well, including the war between our own split personalities. I have seen many a so called good and decent family guys, who down their heart of heart still cherish some hidden desires!And our society is full of such people, who are at war with their own selves, who are in the so called morale dilemma. Virtually our society is in deep war internally. Why? May be because we are trying to follow morale or standards which have been set by someone else. We are trying to emulate someone, trying to follow someone, all the time forgetting the simple fact that there is no free-size morale which will fit us all!
Why can't we just forget everything and 'make love'?!? Just mark here that by 'making love' I am trying to point at all the social taboos, all that which stop us from being what we actually are! I will choose making love to making war on any given day and under any given circumstances. May be this is the real definition of 'ahimsa'! "Allow people to do whatever they want to!" "This will cause in anarchy!" Most of my friends react like this when I speak of such ideas. My logic is simple. The more freedom you give, the more individual-space you create, the more mature the society becomes. The society is no play-school needing rules and regulations and above all regulators! Let me take a very tricky topic. Lets say we don't taboo incests. Will it increase the number of incest-cases? I doubt. It may raise for a period but it will dwindle down soon after. I remember to have travelled in Germany in early 2005 when gay relations have recently been given equal place in their society. I could find virtually innumerable gay couples displaying their passion in public. It was like a fashion I suppose. Few years after I was having my recent visit in Hamburg. I was living few streets off the gay-centre of the city. Still I could come across not a single gay couple kissing around! This strengthened my conviction that individual independence and faith give rise to a society more mature and evolved. Lets stop policing around. Lets stop being at a perpetual war or himsa (violence) and start making love!!
Sunday, August 23, 2009
Can bad people have good future?
The other day I was considering this interesting question. Can bad people have good future? Can bad people aspire to become spiritual? Can bad people fit into the quota for nirvana? Well, by bad people I mean really bad buggers doing terrible sin. I am not just talking of those committing some social taboo without harming anyone. I am not also just talking of gays or incests having sex secretly and silently without bothering anyone. I am also talking of those who are causing serious harm and trouble to others. Even those who hurt and harm even their near-n-dear ones. And even those who ditch their friends or lovers! Can these people have any share of the pie we call enlightenment? Are they doomed for ever? Sorry for taking so much of space-n-time to just explain the question. I felt it important to make the question and point as clear as possible. In answering the question, I will answer from a first person point of view (presuming myself to be that bad guy!).
** First of all, as we have already discussed, everything and every happening is predestined. Individual choice is but an illusion. Its like reading a book. We discover a page every day. But that page is written long back. So, did I have any choice but to be bad? Was it really under my control to be or not to be bad?
** Every novel has heroes and villains. But for villains heroes are worthless. But for bad things good things lose their charm. So, if I have been chosen to play villain is it my fault?
** Lets say I hurt (physically or mentally) my friend. I did something which hurt him. Or is it that he was destined to get hurt, and I just acted as an instrument! He was destined to get hurt because of his karma! And I was destined to be the instrument in hurting him because of my karma.
** Coming to scriptures, the Bhagwat Gita is one of the most authoritative scriptures of the orient. What I understand from there is that, the God is trying to explain Arjuna to do two things. First of all understand his swadharma. And second perform your swadharma with all detachment. Arjuna's case was simple. In his case his caste and his swadharma concided (he was a kshyatriya, the warrior class and his natural disposition was to fight). But dont make the mistake of taking your social responsibilities as your swadharma. I may be born in a good family with good parents and with good friends. But if my natural disposition is towards the so called bad things, what am I to do? I still choose my natural bearing and interest as my swadharma. And then I perform it with detachment. Detachment here means detachment from the views of others, detachment from the thought of merit-or-sin, detachment from thought of past-n-future. So if I feel my natural inclination is to hurt people, I should do the same with all detachment. Its easy to play hero and get all applause. But it takes real talent to play villain! So am I at fault?
** First of all, as we have already discussed, everything and every happening is predestined. Individual choice is but an illusion. Its like reading a book. We discover a page every day. But that page is written long back. So, did I have any choice but to be bad? Was it really under my control to be or not to be bad?
** Every novel has heroes and villains. But for villains heroes are worthless. But for bad things good things lose their charm. So, if I have been chosen to play villain is it my fault?
** Lets say I hurt (physically or mentally) my friend. I did something which hurt him. Or is it that he was destined to get hurt, and I just acted as an instrument! He was destined to get hurt because of his karma! And I was destined to be the instrument in hurting him because of my karma.
** Coming to scriptures, the Bhagwat Gita is one of the most authoritative scriptures of the orient. What I understand from there is that, the God is trying to explain Arjuna to do two things. First of all understand his swadharma. And second perform your swadharma with all detachment. Arjuna's case was simple. In his case his caste and his swadharma concided (he was a kshyatriya, the warrior class and his natural disposition was to fight). But dont make the mistake of taking your social responsibilities as your swadharma. I may be born in a good family with good parents and with good friends. But if my natural disposition is towards the so called bad things, what am I to do? I still choose my natural bearing and interest as my swadharma. And then I perform it with detachment. Detachment here means detachment from the views of others, detachment from the thought of merit-or-sin, detachment from thought of past-n-future. So if I feel my natural inclination is to hurt people, I should do the same with all detachment. Its easy to play hero and get all applause. But it takes real talent to play villain! So am I at fault?
Saturday, August 08, 2009
The clock work!
Last night I was discussing with my guru on some random thoughts. He shared a wonderful idea with me. I am just rewriting it here.
If you have opened a clock, especially the mechanical clocks, you would have seen numerous tiny gears and wheels working in enchanting unison to make the clock tick. Our life is like that of a tiny mini wheel of the clock. We keep on rotating. We tend to think that our rotation is in our hands, or may be its me who is rotating. However, for the clock maker he knows that the whole clock has to work perfectly and in unison to make that tiny mini wheel rotate.
There are two aspects to this simile. One is that we may think our actions to be independent or determined by our own free will. But its all determined by a complicated set of wheels, gears and spring systems surrounding us! Secondly, we may think that we are menially insignificant. But again as a matter of fact, if at all we succeed in stopping our own rotation, the whole clock stops!
If you have opened a clock, especially the mechanical clocks, you would have seen numerous tiny gears and wheels working in enchanting unison to make the clock tick. Our life is like that of a tiny mini wheel of the clock. We keep on rotating. We tend to think that our rotation is in our hands, or may be its me who is rotating. However, for the clock maker he knows that the whole clock has to work perfectly and in unison to make that tiny mini wheel rotate.
There are two aspects to this simile. One is that we may think our actions to be independent or determined by our own free will. But its all determined by a complicated set of wheels, gears and spring systems surrounding us! Secondly, we may think that we are menially insignificant. But again as a matter of fact, if at all we succeed in stopping our own rotation, the whole clock stops!
Friday, August 07, 2009
Climb of an insect
Few days ago I was enjoying a short afternoon siesta! Suddenly I felt a tickling sensation on my arm. Looking closely I discovered a tiny insect riding happily or sadly (for you see I could not see his/her face) on my arm. At first I felt like crushing it for disturbing my slumber. But then I was already in a bad mood that afternoon and did not want to make it worse! Gently did I lift the tiny one using my fingers and placed it on floor. It took the least heed of what change has happened just then. It went on crawling with a sage like indifference! I was amused and amazed. First of all it did not crawl because it had to go anywhere. It crawled because that's what its made to do and that's what it can do. It knows that food and whatever luxury you may want or need will ultimately come to you as long as you keep on doing whatever you can. Secondly, what drastic changes may take place, it was the least bothered. It knew only one thing to do and it did it irrespective of all the changes that may happen to its surroundings! May be I am not able to express my feelings properly, but believe me it was ecstatic to observe the attitude of the insect!
Monday, July 27, 2009
Thursday, July 23, 2009
Passitheism
Let me first revise my established idea on causality or the rule of karma. Precisely speaking, it says no cause no effect; i.e. all events are preceded by a long chain of cause-n-effect vents starting from the very beginning of time. Tomorrow is determined completely by today and today by yesterday. This means that all the events occurring are predetermined and nothing is out of blue or because of any "free-will". Free will is but an illusion.
Given the above mentioned thesis, what is the role of god in our own life or in this creation? If everything is determined then what is the use of praying a god? Indian scriptures say that even gods are not beyond the rule of karma! So should we pray god? At the outset it may seem that if god is also a follower of he karmic laws and can not change a cause-n-effect chain, then he also is helpless. But there is a very nice catch here. God is helpless if its only your karma that determines your future! I.e. you as an individual do good work, then you get good future and vice-verse. But this is no the case! Karmic rules are applicable for the creation as a whole; its a holistic rule. The creation as a whole follows the cause-n-effect chain. And that's the reason for so many anomalies to he local karmic rule! You never exactly know why you might have a good future tomorrow or a bad future the other day. It surely follows the karmic rule but you can no longer pin-point the cause. Its more or less like the chaos theory! A cat crossing the road in 200BC in Rome might be the reason for which you faced the accident yesterday! Hence, may be, a distant may-be, you had a good luck yesterday because you prayed a certain god a month back. Gods might also have some power. But that's again an illusion as our own supposedly free-will. The bottom line is pray god or whatever power you feel like. But there is no guarantee of any result. And the future is predetermined all the same. This I what to term as passive theism or passitheism. Neither do I deny the existence of god; nor do I accept the same. Its just part of the flow and with no extra power whatsoever to change any predetermined event.
An interesting allegory to this is reading a novel. When you are reading a novel, everyday you come across certain new happenings. To you the reader, its new and fresh. But actually its all written down already. Its just a matter of discovering the event by uncovering the pages of the novel. You may call god as the writer of the novel who has written it and hence knows it all. But once written and passed on to your hands, the writer has no control over the happenings in the novel. Its a god who is passive in our lives, thought he might have created us all!
Given the above mentioned thesis, what is the role of god in our own life or in this creation? If everything is determined then what is the use of praying a god? Indian scriptures say that even gods are not beyond the rule of karma! So should we pray god? At the outset it may seem that if god is also a follower of he karmic laws and can not change a cause-n-effect chain, then he also is helpless. But there is a very nice catch here. God is helpless if its only your karma that determines your future! I.e. you as an individual do good work, then you get good future and vice-verse. But this is no the case! Karmic rules are applicable for the creation as a whole; its a holistic rule. The creation as a whole follows the cause-n-effect chain. And that's the reason for so many anomalies to he local karmic rule! You never exactly know why you might have a good future tomorrow or a bad future the other day. It surely follows the karmic rule but you can no longer pin-point the cause. Its more or less like the chaos theory! A cat crossing the road in 200BC in Rome might be the reason for which you faced the accident yesterday! Hence, may be, a distant may-be, you had a good luck yesterday because you prayed a certain god a month back. Gods might also have some power. But that's again an illusion as our own supposedly free-will. The bottom line is pray god or whatever power you feel like. But there is no guarantee of any result. And the future is predetermined all the same. This I what to term as passive theism or passitheism. Neither do I deny the existence of god; nor do I accept the same. Its just part of the flow and with no extra power whatsoever to change any predetermined event.
An interesting allegory to this is reading a novel. When you are reading a novel, everyday you come across certain new happenings. To you the reader, its new and fresh. But actually its all written down already. Its just a matter of discovering the event by uncovering the pages of the novel. You may call god as the writer of the novel who has written it and hence knows it all. But once written and passed on to your hands, the writer has no control over the happenings in the novel. Its a god who is passive in our lives, thought he might have created us all!
Saturday, July 18, 2009
Flight of a crow
From the very outset let me confess that this essay is inspired by an essay by J.D.Krishnamurthy, an essay named “Flight of an eagle”. During my last three years' of stay in one of the interior parts of the nation, I have seen a huge variety of birds starting from humble Indian Maina to some unique variety of migratory bird. I have seen them flying, dipping in water and praying on their food. Let me confess that I really found nothing special, attractive or grand about the flight of an eagle. Rather, I found the awkward flight of a house crow quite interesting. Crow is a menial bird with almost no extra or feature to attract your attention. Its light is awkward, clumsy and noisy. But so is ordinary life of yours and mine. Our lives are awkward, clumsy and noisy as well! This is not any high pitch thrilling sound attached to our lives, like that made by the eagle. Nor is there any magnificently smooth glide in our lives, unlike that of the flight of an eagle. But look at crow. How similar is our life to the flight of a crow: short spanned, erratic, unpredictable, jumpy and attached with cacophonous irritating sound! But this is what it is: our lives. And good or bad, our lives are our lives. There is no single justified logical point in trying the least to change it an iota. That will be like going against nature. I have never seen any crow trying to look, envy and then imitate the flight of an eagle. So just be what you are. Bad or good is a matter of perspective! Like is a drama where there are no audiences! So why toil to be somebody else There are no bouquets or brick-bats in store for you. Nothing gonna affect you. And even-if anything is affecting you, let it! Who care? As long as we are crows, we have a natural way of flight, I.e. the crow's flight. Lets stop being someone else. Lets embrace our very own crowness! Lets enjoy the crow's flight, and just remember that everything gonna change!
Pretending to be someone
Life is monotonous and mundane; its more so when you go on living the same life for ever. You never exactly come to realise when the life has just slipped off your grip. Not that I have any objection to life sliping off your sleeves. I just am a bit curious to see life from different points of views. But, its always been extremely difficult for ordinary human beings like you and me, to live different lives in the same life time. I have observed in UK that they particularly get this habit of experiencing different lives, or rather life in different set-ups, quite early in their lives. For example most of my British friends would go on vacation at least twice a year. And during that period they will not take their cell-phones with them, nor would they check their emails. Well, let me highlight these two luxuries of today, namely cell-phones and Internet, which have almost made it impossible for us to leave our lives aside even for a split of a second.
Tracking on the same trends, unintentionally of course, I am currently experiencing a new life today. Sitting in a lonely shabby tea-corner in a corner of the Science College of Kolkata University, I am experiencing a strange new life. Before I meet the professor, I am no body here. I know no one and no one knows me. For them I am a decent looking stranger with a particularly familiar broad smile. And for me, they are all my alter-egos. I have been in Kolkata for last two days, in a guest-house where again no one knows me! I have also hidden my identity to some extent , except for the extent which is needed to get some basic things done. Its nice. And I have been traveling in local town bus. More exciting and thrilling. My cell phone, luckily has no roaming facility and luckily again, there are no Internet parlours near the guest-house.
Big cities like Kolkata, London and Bombay have a life of their own! They have a certain strange mass psychology where you soon find your own psyche and ego engulfed. All the people, all the egos, all of them seem to have some strong similarity, similarity that is unique to that particular city. Hence, I find it very exciting to travel alone in such a big city, trying to soak in a bit of its personality. Its a nice feeling, feeling of stopping what you are and getting submerged in a unique personality pool. Its enlightening to live a different life. Its breathtaking and magnificent, to pretend to be someone else, who you can never be in your real life. Well, yes, you may say its self-deception; you may also say its blank pretension; or running away from reality. Say what you may, this is the type of break I would really look forward to again and again in my life. The joy of a vicarious life in real-life is a joy of its own kind!
Thursday, July 02, 2009
Insignificant vs. Singnificant
In my last few blogs, I have been talking about how insignificantly insgnificant is life, creation and all that's here around. Yesterday I came across a wonderful notion. I was reading through an essay by Swami Vivekananda, where he was talking about how creation is created by the merger of Prana (energy) and Akasa (mater); how it comes into being, goes through a cycle and again vanishes, just to reappear again. Even modern astrophysics to some extent supports this view. I.e. the universe was created because of big bang and there are ultimately two possible ends to it, viz. it will expand for ever till it becomes energy less and hence dark; or it may contract again and merge into a black-hole yet again. Its the second possibility which has been supported by Advitik philosophy.
Anyway, my point was something different. Given that its a cycle and given that this world follows a strictly cause-n-effect rule, where is the notion of significant or insignificant? When I breath, I just do it subconsciously without counting and without thinking which breath is better or worse than which other one. Its childish to compare one breath with another. Simillarly its childish to put epithets against events. Events are just events. Lives are just lives. Creations and just creations! Neither significant nor insignificant. We are helplessly parts of it. Whatever we are doing, thinking or speaking, has no novelty to it, all these are just events with no adjectives whatsoever.
Anyway, my point was something different. Given that its a cycle and given that this world follows a strictly cause-n-effect rule, where is the notion of significant or insignificant? When I breath, I just do it subconsciously without counting and without thinking which breath is better or worse than which other one. Its childish to compare one breath with another. Simillarly its childish to put epithets against events. Events are just events. Lives are just lives. Creations and just creations! Neither significant nor insignificant. We are helplessly parts of it. Whatever we are doing, thinking or speaking, has no novelty to it, all these are just events with no adjectives whatsoever.
Saturday, June 06, 2009
Suicide: the philosophical question!
My last blog got a few nice and interesting comments. Some say its the bold decision, the decision to suicide. While some say if you cant do any good while alive what good will you do by being dead?
May be I was not clear in my last blog. Or may be the topic was too touchy in the first place. Because no where did I say that one should commit suicide. Its more about thinking of suicide. Its more about realizing the utter futility of the air we give to our menial silly lives. Its about the folly of our lives.
"Butterfly effect" is a term coined by many who discuss the chaos theory. They say that the flapping of a butterfly in Uganda can cause a super cyclone in Orissa! But the other way is also equally likely, i.e. the flapping of a butterfly in Uganda can stop a super cyclone from materializing over Orissa!
Similarly, from my last blog I wanted to make both the sides clear. There is no big benefit of you staying alive. Neither is there any benefit of you committing suicide. It really makes no sense at all about what you do. Just zoom out (either in space or in time or in both) and you realize it hardly matters if you live or you die or kill or rob or rape or meditate!
May be I was not clear in my last blog. Or may be the topic was too touchy in the first place. Because no where did I say that one should commit suicide. Its more about thinking of suicide. Its more about realizing the utter futility of the air we give to our menial silly lives. Its about the folly of our lives.
"Butterfly effect" is a term coined by many who discuss the chaos theory. They say that the flapping of a butterfly in Uganda can cause a super cyclone in Orissa! But the other way is also equally likely, i.e. the flapping of a butterfly in Uganda can stop a super cyclone from materializing over Orissa!
Similarly, from my last blog I wanted to make both the sides clear. There is no big benefit of you staying alive. Neither is there any benefit of you committing suicide. It really makes no sense at all about what you do. Just zoom out (either in space or in time or in both) and you realize it hardly matters if you live or you die or kill or rob or rape or meditate!
Tuesday, June 02, 2009
Why should you live?
I read somewhere many years ago, "the only truly philosophical question is suicide!" At that time I did appreciate the line. "Why should a man continue living", is a truely amazing question and occurs to most of us some time or the other in our lives. Mostly we avoid or ignore or postpone the question. I did the same. We mostly do so, I think, because we are scared that in case we find the answer to be in affirmative, then we may commit suicide. And that will stop us from enjoying our lives. Life, though confusing, has its own charm. So people discover all types of nonsense rules to stop us from thinking of suicide, e.g. "suicide is sin"!!
Few days back I read "What is Maya", an essay by Swami Vivekananda. So lucidely he has explained about "maya" and how life is interesting. My last blog reflects some of the after thoughts of that essay. As concluded there, life is interesting. But this aint any cause to continue living this life! Do you try all things that seem interesting; like trying weed?
So huge is the world. And so insiginficantly minial is our existence. Its like the life of some bacteria. You remember those scenes in some shows where they zoom-out the camera... till they show the globe! Many times I do the same in my thought process and try to go till the level of galaxy. Who really cares what you do to your friend or how to cheated your brother? Neither it matters how you helped the old blind man. Its all insignificantly insignificant.
One of my friends told, after much of discussion, "man lives for himself". OK, very well. This is like some circle then, "you live because you are alive". Let me cut the circle! If you are dead you are saved the effort to live!
PS: Well, dont think that I am gatehring suicidal tendency! Its all genuine enquiry!!
Few days back I read "What is Maya", an essay by Swami Vivekananda. So lucidely he has explained about "maya" and how life is interesting. My last blog reflects some of the after thoughts of that essay. As concluded there, life is interesting. But this aint any cause to continue living this life! Do you try all things that seem interesting; like trying weed?
So huge is the world. And so insiginficantly minial is our existence. Its like the life of some bacteria. You remember those scenes in some shows where they zoom-out the camera... till they show the globe! Many times I do the same in my thought process and try to go till the level of galaxy. Who really cares what you do to your friend or how to cheated your brother? Neither it matters how you helped the old blind man. Its all insignificantly insignificant.
One of my friends told, after much of discussion, "man lives for himself". OK, very well. This is like some circle then, "you live because you are alive". Let me cut the circle! If you are dead you are saved the effort to live!
PS: Well, dont think that I am gatehring suicidal tendency! Its all genuine enquiry!!
Wednesday, May 20, 2009
Discussion with a friend: 1000 lives or 1000 years!!!
sudhansu: Control the controllable, don't worry about the uncontrollable
me: this is a good thing, where you learn it from?
sudhansu: Coach of one IPL team told, "we try to play with new youngster, so that they can play with confidence and give their best"! Hence I thought, we too should give the best shot of whatever is with us.
me: I feel we all give our best shot all the time. In the given conditions anyone of would have acted the same way as somebody else acted. Knowingly why should someone take the second best option? Better or worse; whatever we did was the best we could have done.
sudhansu: I think if one has the "striving for better" attitude, that's the best.
me: But the attitude also wont come to all! Because of history, past, and breeding etc.
sudhansu: Who so ever has not got the attitude, haven't yet realized his best.
me: who defines the "best"?
sudhansu: he Himself
me: If he himself defined the best, then why did he not work for it?
sudhansu: If he thinks later that he could have done that way or this way...means that that was not his whole hearted effort.
me: Once it is "later" its all done! Exactly at that instant he did not do it. Thinking of it "later" is like commenting on cricket live matches: the player should have played like this or should have taken that shot etc.
sudhansu: That's how he learns, next time he knows where he did the mistake.
me: Yes thats all fine; but at a particular instant still he is doing his best.
Lets say i am short tempered. After a spree of anger i think i shoud not have got angry. Then I can do meditation etc etc. But at that moment i did not do anything wrong!
When air flows through leaves no one says its right or wrong; I think our actions are like that.
Each moment we do the best. Even a dog wont take the second best path if he knew tat its the 2nd best.
sudhansu: If he knows that it's the best, then he should gracefully accept the results of his action.... and he understands everything he is going through is for his actions only... and... that's his best action
me: Yes
sudhansu: Then he is always happy!
me: Happy... may be may not be!
But he is certinly not unhappy
sudhansu: Is it, then there shouldn't be any sorrow and happiness!!Some are in that state, but many are not... they feel sad,
me: Yes; but surprisingly we all can be happy... somewhere I read "if u want to be happy, be".
sudhansu: I read somewhere that we are naturally all happy but we created misery around us.
me: That too is a problematic thing! Its basically blaming us, which i don't feel comfortable with!
But one thing I marked: life is interesting :)
sudhansu: People are living as rich and the poor. There must be something. Otherwise all the poor would have drowned in indian Ocean!
me: still they live! Why they live?
sudhansu: Because life is interesting!
me: yes :)
Because we think that their life is not worth living! But that may be true for us; not for them! Even a daily beggar with one eye goes on living...what for?
sudhansu: we have taken so much of a burden to think about others lives rather than ours
our standard is by our means
me: I think yes; this is a good phrase "life is interesting"; I cant say life is blissful or bad or good... yes... life really is interesting! Sometimes i feel very much amused; so much so tat i wish i could live 1000 years just observing life and people and creation :)
sudhansu: But there are 1000 lives around you every year!
me: yes :) That bargain is also fine with me; if i could live all the lives at a time...
sudhansu: that's equivant to 1000 years!
me: 1000 lives either in space or time :) ... Yes; very interesting concept! Great!!
me: this is a good thing, where you learn it from?
sudhansu: Coach of one IPL team told, "we try to play with new youngster, so that they can play with confidence and give their best"! Hence I thought, we too should give the best shot of whatever is with us.
me: I feel we all give our best shot all the time. In the given conditions anyone of would have acted the same way as somebody else acted. Knowingly why should someone take the second best option? Better or worse; whatever we did was the best we could have done.
sudhansu: I think if one has the "striving for better" attitude, that's the best.
me: But the attitude also wont come to all! Because of history, past, and breeding etc.
sudhansu: Who so ever has not got the attitude, haven't yet realized his best.
me: who defines the "best"?
sudhansu: he Himself
me: If he himself defined the best, then why did he not work for it?
sudhansu: If he thinks later that he could have done that way or this way...means that that was not his whole hearted effort.
me: Once it is "later" its all done! Exactly at that instant he did not do it. Thinking of it "later" is like commenting on cricket live matches: the player should have played like this or should have taken that shot etc.
sudhansu: That's how he learns, next time he knows where he did the mistake.
me: Yes thats all fine; but at a particular instant still he is doing his best.
Lets say i am short tempered. After a spree of anger i think i shoud not have got angry. Then I can do meditation etc etc. But at that moment i did not do anything wrong!
When air flows through leaves no one says its right or wrong; I think our actions are like that.
Each moment we do the best. Even a dog wont take the second best path if he knew tat its the 2nd best.
sudhansu: If he knows that it's the best, then he should gracefully accept the results of his action.... and he understands everything he is going through is for his actions only... and... that's his best action
me: Yes
sudhansu: Then he is always happy!
me: Happy... may be may not be!
But he is certinly not unhappy
sudhansu: Is it, then there shouldn't be any sorrow and happiness!!Some are in that state, but many are not... they feel sad,
me: Yes; but surprisingly we all can be happy... somewhere I read "if u want to be happy, be".
sudhansu: I read somewhere that we are naturally all happy but we created misery around us.
me: That too is a problematic thing! Its basically blaming us, which i don't feel comfortable with!
But one thing I marked: life is interesting :)
sudhansu: People are living as rich and the poor. There must be something. Otherwise all the poor would have drowned in indian Ocean!
me: still they live! Why they live?
sudhansu: Because life is interesting!
me: yes :)
Because we think that their life is not worth living! But that may be true for us; not for them! Even a daily beggar with one eye goes on living...what for?
sudhansu: we have taken so much of a burden to think about others lives rather than ours
our standard is by our means
me: I think yes; this is a good phrase "life is interesting"; I cant say life is blissful or bad or good... yes... life really is interesting! Sometimes i feel very much amused; so much so tat i wish i could live 1000 years just observing life and people and creation :)
sudhansu: But there are 1000 lives around you every year!
me: yes :) That bargain is also fine with me; if i could live all the lives at a time...
sudhansu: that's equivant to 1000 years!
me: 1000 lives either in space or time :) ... Yes; very interesting concept! Great!!
Wednesday, April 22, 2009
Necessary and sufficient conditions for friendship!
A question cropped into my mind yesterday.
Who is a real friend: one who feels for your in your happy moments or one who feels for you in your moments of need?
Answers were many. Someone also gave the example of how when she was under distress, only a few friends would call her every evening. And that made her feel so much better. I also have my own life-experience, when during one of my calamities I suddenly opened my door to discover three of my long-forgotten friends standing. That did made me feel so much better. Hence, it seems the question is baseless and has but one equivocal answer. A friend is one who stands beside you during your hour of peril.
However, I always believed that a real friend is one who can be heartily happy for your happiness! I thought a bit more and discovered a nice observation!
Agreed that; a friend is one who stands beside you during your hour of peril. But not all those who stand by you during your calamity are your friends! During your moment of calamity many will come out to help you. This is the natural human tendency! We feel pity for one in calamity. Most (not all) will feel an ego-boost to find someone is calamity. Thats why we all get a feel-good tango when we do some social work! It may sound blunt, but this is the fact. We dont feel intimidated by seeing someone in trouble.
Whereas, if someone is prospering our ego feels belittled! We may feel that logically he is my friend and I should be happy for his prosperity. Hence most of us show that we are happy when any of our friends is having more happiness than we have! But in our heart of hearts we know that there is a tinge of jealousy!
Hence, its easy to get people who will be sad when you are sad. But to find someone who will be happy (from his/her heart) when you are sad, is a herculean task!
Mathematically speaking the condition 'to feel sad when your friend is sad' is a necessary condition for being a true friend. But the condition 'to feel happy when your friend is happy' is a sufficient condition for being a true friend!
In other words, a true friend need to be sad when you are sad. But just because someone is sad when you are sad, does not make him your true friend. Whereas if someone is happy when you are happy, then he IS your true friend!
I.e. 'being sad when you are sad' is a quality of true friend; whereas 'being happy when you are happy' qualifies a true friend...
Who is a real friend: one who feels for your in your happy moments or one who feels for you in your moments of need?
Answers were many. Someone also gave the example of how when she was under distress, only a few friends would call her every evening. And that made her feel so much better. I also have my own life-experience, when during one of my calamities I suddenly opened my door to discover three of my long-forgotten friends standing. That did made me feel so much better. Hence, it seems the question is baseless and has but one equivocal answer. A friend is one who stands beside you during your hour of peril.
However, I always believed that a real friend is one who can be heartily happy for your happiness! I thought a bit more and discovered a nice observation!
Agreed that; a friend is one who stands beside you during your hour of peril. But not all those who stand by you during your calamity are your friends! During your moment of calamity many will come out to help you. This is the natural human tendency! We feel pity for one in calamity. Most (not all) will feel an ego-boost to find someone is calamity. Thats why we all get a feel-good tango when we do some social work! It may sound blunt, but this is the fact. We dont feel intimidated by seeing someone in trouble.
Whereas, if someone is prospering our ego feels belittled! We may feel that logically he is my friend and I should be happy for his prosperity. Hence most of us show that we are happy when any of our friends is having more happiness than we have! But in our heart of hearts we know that there is a tinge of jealousy!
Hence, its easy to get people who will be sad when you are sad. But to find someone who will be happy (from his/her heart) when you are sad, is a herculean task!
Mathematically speaking the condition 'to feel sad when your friend is sad' is a necessary condition for being a true friend. But the condition 'to feel happy when your friend is happy' is a sufficient condition for being a true friend!
In other words, a true friend need to be sad when you are sad. But just because someone is sad when you are sad, does not make him your true friend. Whereas if someone is happy when you are happy, then he IS your true friend!
I.e. 'being sad when you are sad' is a quality of true friend; whereas 'being happy when you are happy' qualifies a true friend...
Saturday, April 11, 2009
Free will
The way I see it, we can have two schools of thoughts:
1- God-believing: If we believe in God, then that God has to be omnipotent. Hence there is always a preplanned destiny. Because what use is a God who does not have control over time !! I read somewhere in a book by some physicist from UK: our condition is like a fly crawling upon a dusty picture. As its treading ahead, its deciphering a part of the picture. For it, its all new, its all his choice and all that. But for someone who can see the 'big picture' (pun intended), its all obvious!
2- Atheistic view: If our knowledge till the date is fine, then there was a big bang and the creation (including time) started from there. After that things started spreading out. But the origin is one. And we also know that there can be no effect without a cause. Hence with the cause being the same, the effects are all deterministic. Rather its calculable (but may not be predictable).
Hence, free-will is but an illusion! We just feel that we are taking a free-willed decision! But actually we are not... or may be I am wrong somewhere...
1- God-believing: If we believe in God, then that God has to be omnipotent. Hence there is always a preplanned destiny. Because what use is a God who does not have control over time !! I read somewhere in a book by some physicist from UK: our condition is like a fly crawling upon a dusty picture. As its treading ahead, its deciphering a part of the picture. For it, its all new, its all his choice and all that. But for someone who can see the 'big picture' (pun intended), its all obvious!
2- Atheistic view: If our knowledge till the date is fine, then there was a big bang and the creation (including time) started from there. After that things started spreading out. But the origin is one. And we also know that there can be no effect without a cause. Hence with the cause being the same, the effects are all deterministic. Rather its calculable (but may not be predictable).
Hence, free-will is but an illusion! We just feel that we are taking a free-willed decision! But actually we are not... or may be I am wrong somewhere...
Friday, April 10, 2009
Dejavu: Forbidden Love!
(originally written on 28-Jun 06)
Few years back I read a novel in OdiA, "kahibAku lAja" (tale of shame), which described the love between two cousins! Forbidden love. There are societies where cousin love and marriage is accepted. But where they are not, its a shame, its a sin, its a sabotage of culture, to do it. Surprisingly I found recently a friend who had done the sin of loving his cousin! Might sound disgusting to some. But how can you stop the force of love? It just happens. They might have been close. Then they attend puberty. Find that their ideas match. They get closer at a higher level. And before any of them realized, they are in love....or whatever word you chose for this feeling. (It might sound filmy but it IS the fact.) Then what? In the novel, the lovers finally got married, against the will of the society. Here the reality differs from story. My friend was helpless. He knew they could never get married. What they did was forbidden love. He had started a story with no end!
Same way, depending on the society, there can be forbidden loves of so many types. Every society has its own taboos and rules. Starting from extremes of gay-love to simple thing like loving some one from the same neighborhood, love can be forbidden in society.
My point is, what is it like, to be in a forbidden love? When you know that you cant dream of things like "getting married" or "being together for ever"? When you know you cant stake many for one. When you know running away wont be the best option. When you know love is painful, still you cant NOT do it. Does it make love more pure? Or at least as per the conventional philosophy? Because here you love for the present, knowing very well that there is no future! Does forbidden love teaches you the gist of love, to love with no expectations, to work without any desire for the fruit ("mA faleshu kadAchana")?
Few years back I read a novel in OdiA, "kahibAku lAja" (tale of shame), which described the love between two cousins! Forbidden love. There are societies where cousin love and marriage is accepted. But where they are not, its a shame, its a sin, its a sabotage of culture, to do it. Surprisingly I found recently a friend who had done the sin of loving his cousin! Might sound disgusting to some. But how can you stop the force of love? It just happens. They might have been close. Then they attend puberty. Find that their ideas match. They get closer at a higher level. And before any of them realized, they are in love....or whatever word you chose for this feeling. (It might sound filmy but it IS the fact.) Then what? In the novel, the lovers finally got married, against the will of the society. Here the reality differs from story. My friend was helpless. He knew they could never get married. What they did was forbidden love. He had started a story with no end!
Same way, depending on the society, there can be forbidden loves of so many types. Every society has its own taboos and rules. Starting from extremes of gay-love to simple thing like loving some one from the same neighborhood, love can be forbidden in society.
My point is, what is it like, to be in a forbidden love? When you know that you cant dream of things like "getting married" or "being together for ever"? When you know you cant stake many for one. When you know running away wont be the best option. When you know love is painful, still you cant NOT do it. Does it make love more pure? Or at least as per the conventional philosophy? Because here you love for the present, knowing very well that there is no future! Does forbidden love teaches you the gist of love, to love with no expectations, to work without any desire for the fruit ("mA faleshu kadAchana")?
Tuesday, April 07, 2009
Dejavu: Feline Love
(I thought of reviving some of my old blog postings!! This one was written 02 JULY 2006.)
I was walking today from my flat to the university, and saw a black cat sitting in the sun. I went near her; she was not at all disturbed. I sat with her, she took the pain to look at who this god-damn fellow is! I patted her on her head. She rose. I knew what the cats like the best, a cuddle beside their neck. I did that and she was ecstactic! She mewed, came closer, straightened her tail, and purred! This love went on for a few minutes. I stoped cuddling, and rose. She immediately went back to her original position in sun. I started to depart. Looked back once or twice, only to find Ms.Cat happily enjoying the sun, as if nothing happened. Levae alone coming behind me, she even did not bother to give me a parting look (the looks that you get from dogs!).
This is feline love......detached, mature, and impersonal. Love that happens and only cares about present! No past acquaintance is needed for this love, nor does it leave any mark for future. Is this what seers describe as pure love? At the moment, as if there is nothing more to it, as if there is nothing above it. Just the very next moment, as if nothing has happened! Something to learn from my black cat, whom I loved for a few minutes???
I was walking today from my flat to the university, and saw a black cat sitting in the sun. I went near her; she was not at all disturbed. I sat with her, she took the pain to look at who this god-damn fellow is! I patted her on her head. She rose. I knew what the cats like the best, a cuddle beside their neck. I did that and she was ecstactic! She mewed, came closer, straightened her tail, and purred! This love went on for a few minutes. I stoped cuddling, and rose. She immediately went back to her original position in sun. I started to depart. Looked back once or twice, only to find Ms.Cat happily enjoying the sun, as if nothing happened. Levae alone coming behind me, she even did not bother to give me a parting look (the looks that you get from dogs!).
This is feline love......detached, mature, and impersonal. Love that happens and only cares about present! No past acquaintance is needed for this love, nor does it leave any mark for future. Is this what seers describe as pure love? At the moment, as if there is nothing more to it, as if there is nothing above it. Just the very next moment, as if nothing has happened! Something to learn from my black cat, whom I loved for a few minutes???
Tuesday, March 31, 2009
Satyagrah III
This is the third post on this topic, written based on my limited understanding and appreciation of Gandhian philosophy. This time I will give the example of a current day problem prevalent in most of the academic campuses round India. We will try to find a solution to the same following the principle of Satyagrah.
Economy is sluggish, market is down and things are in utterly bad shape. Bad times bring forth the worst in human character! Hence the moral responsibility of the young mass is finding it hard to be up! A common off-shoot of the same in campuses like IITs is found among the final year students. Here, companies come to the campus to recruit students. Lets say you have been selected in a company. Later if a company comes whose salary package is at least 20% higher than the company where you have been placed, then you can appear in the interview of the new company as well. This is allowed once 80% of the students from the branch have been placed. This time companies were few and all wanted to take the brightest few. Lets say Hari is a bright student and have been placed in a company. Given the above situation he has all right to sit for the new company. However when 60% of his batch mates have not been placed, should he sit again and consume one sit? As a matter of fact many do sit. And many others who are sure that they wont be doing job and would rather go for higher studies, are also sitting for the next round. This in my opinion is utterly unethical. Now the question is can we use satyagrah to stop this practice?
Of course while handling this issue the first question that cropped in my mind was is this situation fitting in to the domain of satyagrah? What or which is the 'satya'or truth for which we are displaying 'agrah' or fondness?
I have been thinking on the above question for last two days. But still could not find an answer to it. May be this is not 'satyagrah', rather trying to establish our own vested interest or our own personal idea of morality...!
Economy is sluggish, market is down and things are in utterly bad shape. Bad times bring forth the worst in human character! Hence the moral responsibility of the young mass is finding it hard to be up! A common off-shoot of the same in campuses like IITs is found among the final year students. Here, companies come to the campus to recruit students. Lets say you have been selected in a company. Later if a company comes whose salary package is at least 20% higher than the company where you have been placed, then you can appear in the interview of the new company as well. This is allowed once 80% of the students from the branch have been placed. This time companies were few and all wanted to take the brightest few. Lets say Hari is a bright student and have been placed in a company. Given the above situation he has all right to sit for the new company. However when 60% of his batch mates have not been placed, should he sit again and consume one sit? As a matter of fact many do sit. And many others who are sure that they wont be doing job and would rather go for higher studies, are also sitting for the next round. This in my opinion is utterly unethical. Now the question is can we use satyagrah to stop this practice?
Of course while handling this issue the first question that cropped in my mind was is this situation fitting in to the domain of satyagrah? What or which is the 'satya'or truth for which we are displaying 'agrah' or fondness?
I have been thinking on the above question for last two days. But still could not find an answer to it. May be this is not 'satyagrah', rather trying to establish our own vested interest or our own personal idea of morality...!
Friday, March 27, 2009
Gandhi for current day crisis
The other day I was listening to a welcome address by an octogenarian Gandhian. He was talking about his experience of Indo-Chinease war period. During the 1962 Chinease aggression, he was doing some social work in one of the north-east provinces of India. After the news of Chinese aggression, people started talking of "how Gandhi would have reacted to such a condition". There, this person made a nice remark. "All the time no one ever thought of how things would have been done in a newly independent country had Gandhi been alive. Suddenly when we faced a problem people started thinking of Gandhi."
Hence, in this article we will not talk about how to solve the current generation crisis through Gandhian ways. This will drag down the status of Gandhian ways to that of some pain killer medicine! You have some pain, you take a few pills. Gandhian philosophy is rather like naturopathy, where there is complete thrust on the holistic way of life. This is a way of life, to be led, to be practiced and ,above all, to be enjoyed. This is not a quick solution to some of your personal problem which you have brought across of your own accord!
Still, all is not doomed or lost yet. We may not solve the current problem, but we can always stop making new problems. This reminds me of a nice word from Sanskrit, "sanskara", for which I could find no English equivalent. Sanskara is the set of acquired characteristics that we gather over the years. Sanskara determines our attitude, disposition and our personality. It can be either positive or negative. Building of sanskara takes years and its a Herculean task to break a person's sanskara. However, seers say that with constant practice sanskara can be changed! Similarly, current day problems are acquired sanskaras of our society. We cant suddenly get rid of them. A determined and constant practice can only turn it round.
Hence, as far as my understanding goes, there is no solution for the current day crisis. There is no revolution that can give a not-so-temporary solution. We have to depend upon evolution.
Here, we shall discuss about three of the most easily practicable philosophies of Gandhi, viz. Satya, Ahimsa, and Iswar-bhakti.
Satya or truth is one of the most adored principles of Gandhi. Truth not just only means speaking the truth. Truthfulness, as I understand it, is the lack of hypocrisy. Its a condition where your mind, words and action are in unison. Its very interesting to mark here that if my mind, words and action all advocate some so-called-bad action, then also I am a man of truth. In this I am sure many of you will agree to the fact that a hypocrite gentleman is worse than a sincere, if I may use this adjective, goon!
Ahimsa or nonviolence is an excellent ideology of Gandhi, which I could partially comprehend after reading a book called "Vinoba on Gandhi". Its not simply not harming anyone. Its about loving everyone and everything. There is a subtle difference between not hating and loving. Gandhi's Ahimsa springs from the ideology of loving all. And if you love some one then you cant harm him. Even if you harm him, it will be like a father's punishment to his son, meant for his well being only. Interestingly if you really love everyone, then all other principles follow automatically. A loving person can not be a hypocrite. One particular practice helps me a lot in my tryst of loving all, viz. having empathy. With empathy, you try to be the person or thing you are looking at or are interacting with. Automatically love and compassion will flow of its own accord.
Lastly we come to Iswar-bhakti or bhakti for God. And please mark that I am not telling about Hndu or Muslim or Christian God. God, I am sure, has no religion! I have nothing against my agnostic or atheist friends. However, I feel, at my level, that it helps. I don't care if I can not prove the existence of God or not. As a matter of fact I don't have to! You just love God. And if you love God, how can you hate his creation? And once you love God and his creation, there is bliss and only bliss for you under all conditions! Whatever I do, if I shall do for the good of God's creation, then all my action will be purified. I don't have to fear of any failure or expect any jubilant success. I know that whatever I am doing is by the grace of Him and for His creation. Personal success or failure has no position there! Hence as you mark, Iswar-bhakti is the more subtle principle, after which the above two follow automatically.
Out of many original and innovative principles of Gandhi, I found the above three simplest and practical enough to be implemented in day-to-day life. Of course practicing them again needs the building of new sanskars. It by building new sanskaras only, that we can get rid of the old and not-so-good sanskaras.
Till now, I talked about the application of Gandhan philosophy at a personal level. What about the whole society? I think society is well capable of taking care of itself. Lets fix our own sanskaras. If sanskaras are strong enough they will spread like an epidemic! And believe me or not, if you practice the above three principles, you will find nothing but bliss in this creation. Problems will melt down as if they never existed! Hence, there wont arise any need to search for a solution.
Hence, in this article we will not talk about how to solve the current generation crisis through Gandhian ways. This will drag down the status of Gandhian ways to that of some pain killer medicine! You have some pain, you take a few pills. Gandhian philosophy is rather like naturopathy, where there is complete thrust on the holistic way of life. This is a way of life, to be led, to be practiced and ,above all, to be enjoyed. This is not a quick solution to some of your personal problem which you have brought across of your own accord!
Still, all is not doomed or lost yet. We may not solve the current problem, but we can always stop making new problems. This reminds me of a nice word from Sanskrit, "sanskara", for which I could find no English equivalent. Sanskara is the set of acquired characteristics that we gather over the years. Sanskara determines our attitude, disposition and our personality. It can be either positive or negative. Building of sanskara takes years and its a Herculean task to break a person's sanskara. However, seers say that with constant practice sanskara can be changed! Similarly, current day problems are acquired sanskaras of our society. We cant suddenly get rid of them. A determined and constant practice can only turn it round.
Hence, as far as my understanding goes, there is no solution for the current day crisis. There is no revolution that can give a not-so-temporary solution. We have to depend upon evolution.
Here, we shall discuss about three of the most easily practicable philosophies of Gandhi, viz. Satya, Ahimsa, and Iswar-bhakti.
Satya or truth is one of the most adored principles of Gandhi. Truth not just only means speaking the truth. Truthfulness, as I understand it, is the lack of hypocrisy. Its a condition where your mind, words and action are in unison. Its very interesting to mark here that if my mind, words and action all advocate some so-called-bad action, then also I am a man of truth. In this I am sure many of you will agree to the fact that a hypocrite gentleman is worse than a sincere, if I may use this adjective, goon!
Ahimsa or nonviolence is an excellent ideology of Gandhi, which I could partially comprehend after reading a book called "Vinoba on Gandhi". Its not simply not harming anyone. Its about loving everyone and everything. There is a subtle difference between not hating and loving. Gandhi's Ahimsa springs from the ideology of loving all. And if you love some one then you cant harm him. Even if you harm him, it will be like a father's punishment to his son, meant for his well being only. Interestingly if you really love everyone, then all other principles follow automatically. A loving person can not be a hypocrite. One particular practice helps me a lot in my tryst of loving all, viz. having empathy. With empathy, you try to be the person or thing you are looking at or are interacting with. Automatically love and compassion will flow of its own accord.
Lastly we come to Iswar-bhakti or bhakti for God. And please mark that I am not telling about Hndu or Muslim or Christian God. God, I am sure, has no religion! I have nothing against my agnostic or atheist friends. However, I feel, at my level, that it helps. I don't care if I can not prove the existence of God or not. As a matter of fact I don't have to! You just love God. And if you love God, how can you hate his creation? And once you love God and his creation, there is bliss and only bliss for you under all conditions! Whatever I do, if I shall do for the good of God's creation, then all my action will be purified. I don't have to fear of any failure or expect any jubilant success. I know that whatever I am doing is by the grace of Him and for His creation. Personal success or failure has no position there! Hence as you mark, Iswar-bhakti is the more subtle principle, after which the above two follow automatically.
Out of many original and innovative principles of Gandhi, I found the above three simplest and practical enough to be implemented in day-to-day life. Of course practicing them again needs the building of new sanskars. It by building new sanskaras only, that we can get rid of the old and not-so-good sanskaras.
Till now, I talked about the application of Gandhan philosophy at a personal level. What about the whole society? I think society is well capable of taking care of itself. Lets fix our own sanskaras. If sanskaras are strong enough they will spread like an epidemic! And believe me or not, if you practice the above three principles, you will find nothing but bliss in this creation. Problems will melt down as if they never existed! Hence, there wont arise any need to search for a solution.
Sunday, February 22, 2009
idea of doing!
I was talking to one of my friends. We often end up discussing hypothetical and abstract things. Things went in the direction of love and Radha-Krishna. There he made a wonderful remark. "May be they did not actually like to be together; rather liked the idea of being together". Then I pondered over the stuff and realized that its true most of the times. Most of the times we like the idea of doing something rather than doing that thing actually. For example I like the idea of sitting in an evening and reading through some book. But I never could end up doing it! Similarly if we analyze our life, we will find that many times we like the idea of doing something than doing it actually. And in case of love also things are no different! Many times lovers like the idea of being together than actually being together!
Lalita-mAdhava-katha
We all know of the love between Radha and Krishna. The love hat was tainted, short-lived, blemished yet complete. The life of Radha-Krishna love was not more than a few months. However, length of love has nothing to do with the depth of the same. Few months' true-n-complete love was enough to create the inspiration and hope in Radha to live her whole life. How could anyone lead his/her whole life by the help of a few months' love?
Contemporary love has different priorities. We believe that longer the love more is the pain of separation and hence more is the suffering. By the fear of future suffering many never are able to start loving in the very first case. And things are worse in case of marriage! People keep on thinking that they have all the time of a life-time; they take each-other for granted. And again the result is that they can never start living and loving.
Well, the matter of discussion here is not the philosophy of love; rather the life of another Gopi named Lalita! Many of us might have heard of Gita-Govinda, the famous Vaishnav epic describing the "Mana-bhanjana" of Radha by Krishna. The stage for the epic is like this. Krishna has spent a night with Lalita and came to Radha in the early morning. Radha has waited all night long and looking at the condition of Krishna, she could guess a lot. Then stats the epic. But no-one ever has mentioned anything about Lalita. Lalita, who could get Krishna's embrace only for a single night. A single night's love: was that enough memory for a life? After Krishna leaves, Lalita's mind asks few things to her heart. That will be mentioned in a poem in my next blog! In the poem, each stanza ends with two questions. The second question is actually the answer to the first one!
Contemporary love has different priorities. We believe that longer the love more is the pain of separation and hence more is the suffering. By the fear of future suffering many never are able to start loving in the very first case. And things are worse in case of marriage! People keep on thinking that they have all the time of a life-time; they take each-other for granted. And again the result is that they can never start living and loving.
Well, the matter of discussion here is not the philosophy of love; rather the life of another Gopi named Lalita! Many of us might have heard of Gita-Govinda, the famous Vaishnav epic describing the "Mana-bhanjana" of Radha by Krishna. The stage for the epic is like this. Krishna has spent a night with Lalita and came to Radha in the early morning. Radha has waited all night long and looking at the condition of Krishna, she could guess a lot. Then stats the epic. But no-one ever has mentioned anything about Lalita. Lalita, who could get Krishna's embrace only for a single night. A single night's love: was that enough memory for a life? After Krishna leaves, Lalita's mind asks few things to her heart. That will be mentioned in a poem in my next blog! In the poem, each stanza ends with two questions. The second question is actually the answer to the first one!
Thursday, February 19, 2009
prem!
जीवन की सारी स्मृतियाँ, जन्म जन्म की अनुभूतियाँ
क्या इस जन्म के आगे है कोई और जन्म ?
शायद नहीं,
या शायद है अनंत जन्म,
क्या ये सब जी सकते हो, बस इक दो पल के सहारे?
क्या सागर पार कर सकते हो, इक छोटी सी नाव के सहारे? १?
कुछ पल में बने अपने, लम्हे थे या कोई सपने
क्या इससे पहले किया था कभी प्यार ?
शायद नही,
या शायद आज ही किया प्यार का प्रथम आविष्कार
क्या ये सब लम्हे समेट सकोगे, इस नन्हे से ह्रदय में ?
क्या इतनी सारी खुशबू समा सकेगी इक छोटे से गुलाब में?२?
बीता हुआ कल और आने वाले पल, कुछ भी तो नही था उस पल में,
क्या इसी को बोलते है पूर्ण प्रेम की अनुभूति?
शायद हाँ,
या शायद प्रेम है कुछ और कठिन शास्त्र
क्या इतने कठिन पाठ को जान पाओगे, बस दो पल की अनुभूति से ?
क्या इतनी बड़ी किताब पढ़ पाओगे इक छोटे सी दिए की रोशनी से ?३?
तुम न मेरे हो, न मैं तुम्हारा,
हमेशा हमेशा का साथ न हो सकेगा हमारा,
क्या सारा जीवन तनहा और दुखी कट पायेगा,
शायद हाँ,
या शायद इसी से हो सकता है जीवन से असल परिचय,
क्या ये पूरी जिंदगी झेल सकोगे बस दो पल के सहारे?
क्या इतनी अँधेरा लुप्त कर सकोगे एक दिए के सहारे? ४?
आज हो तुम मेरी बाहों में, तो कल का क्या हे फ़िक्र ?
क्या ऐसा प्रेम फिर नसीब होगा जीवन में?
शायद हाँ, शायद नही
या कुछ और प्रेम भी मिल सके,... कुछ शास्वत और चिरंतन,
क्या इसी से होता है ईश्वर प्रेम का आरम्भ?
क्या इसी से खिलती है जीवन के मरुस्थल में प्रेम की कमल की सुगंध ?५ ?
Sunday, January 11, 2009
Pure-milk
This time I was at home, my father told me this beautiful thing. Here is my version of what he told:
Many a time we all must have heard this phrase: pure-milk. Have we ever wandered what on earth does this mean? Try to think of the meaning of pure-milk. Many of us will finally say that, milk that has not been adulterated. There you go. Milk as such is just milk. You do anything to it, you can only make it impure, you can never make it purer.
Same is the case with this creation, our society, this nation and all this. We all complain about all these. Many of us try to change things for better; and ultimately meddling with it's delicate balance.
Hence, the status-quo is always the purest status. You meddle with it, you make it impure! Just relax and enjoy the show!!
Many a time we all must have heard this phrase: pure-milk. Have we ever wandered what on earth does this mean? Try to think of the meaning of pure-milk. Many of us will finally say that, milk that has not been adulterated. There you go. Milk as such is just milk. You do anything to it, you can only make it impure, you can never make it purer.
Same is the case with this creation, our society, this nation and all this. We all complain about all these. Many of us try to change things for better; and ultimately meddling with it's delicate balance.
Hence, the status-quo is always the purest status. You meddle with it, you make it impure! Just relax and enjoy the show!!
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