Sarabham!

My visit to Sarabheswara temple yesterday made me think of life from a few different perspectives. The belief goes this way: on request of people from all over the world including Devas, Shiva took Sarabheswara form - a combination of bird, animal and human with goddess Shakti as his wings - to pacify Narasimhar after he destroyed Hiranyan.  When you are mentally or physically disturbed, if you worship Him, He will hug you too and pacify you is the belief.

Hiranyan was a very powerful person with a lot of magical powers and almost immortal; he ruled the world. But he was killed by Narasimhar - who could lift him just like that, put him on His lap with such an ease, pierce his body with just nails. And such a powerful Narasimhar was lifted by Sarabheswara just like that, He hugged Narasimhar like a mother hugging her child and cooled off His anger. And, Sarabheswara had to have Shakti as His wings. This story clearly shows that however powerful you are, there is always someone more powerful than you.

In life, many times we end up expressing anger in such a ferocious manner as Narasimhar. This anger, even if it is righteous, scares off people who we try to protect (or at least believe to protect) and they fear coming near us. On the other hand, though the anger makes us act, it also prevents from coming back to normalcy. It affects us very badly - much worse than the impact on those who receive the anger. If we get a Sarabheswara to cool us off and bring back normalcy at the right time, we are lucky. What would have happened in this case if Shakti did not come along as His wings? What do we do if we do not have a Sarabheswara? Can we be our own Sarabheswara? Hmm…

Narasimhar, the manifestation of the Protector destroyed, and Sarabheswara, the manifestation of the Destroyer, protected. In highly tensed situations, roles and expressions can change, will change looks like. 

The Protector decided to appear for a child and destroyed his father out of love. Strange it sounds, when you say this statement!

I don’t know if worshiping Sarabheswara will pacify us; but I am sure, thinking about the lessons from the story can  certainly do the trick. I think, it is the power of this civilization, that thought thru principles, values and translated them to stories! On 2nd May, there is a dance drama in Music Academy on Prahlada - the child for whose love the Protector manifested. I am thinking of an hour long drama, I acted as Prahlada when I was 11 years old! I am happy that I am born in this country, that taught me / keeps teaching me the deeper meaning of life!!

அணில் குஞ்சு!!!

என் பரணில் ஓர் அணில் கூடு. அதிலிரண்டு அணில்குஞ்சு... கண் திறக்கவில்லை இன்னும்! வெளியில் எறிந்துவிடலாம் கூட்டோடு; விட்டால் உங்கள் விலை உயர்ந்த சூட்கேசுக்கு ஆபத்து அக்கா என்று வேலைக்காரியின் ஆலோசனை. எனக்கு சூட்கேஸ் முக்கியம்! அணிலுக்கு அது கட்டிய கூடு முக்கியம்! குஞ்சுக்கு வாழ்க்கை முக்கியம்! 15 வருடங்களுக்கு முன் இந்த இடத்தில் வீடுகளில்லை! மரங்கள் மட்டும்தான்!! 

வழக்கம்போல விடை தெரியா எனது வினாக்களுடன் நான்! இரண்டு உயிரை விட 10000 ரூபாய் முக்கியமா? மரம்வெட்டி வீடுகட்டி இப்போது கூடுவெட்டவும் தயங்காமல் திரிகிறோமோ? யார் வீட்டில் யார் இப்போது? யார் குடி கெடுத்தது யார்?

கொக்கென்று நினைத்தாயோ?

பக்தியோகம், கர்மயோகம் இரண்டையும் ஒப்பிட்டு, என் மனோபாவத்துக்கு பக்தியோகம் சரிபாடாது என்று முடிவுக்குவந்த போதிலும் கர்மயோகம் கடினமானதாக இருக்கிறது. பஞ்ச காலத்தில் விரதம் இருப்பதாய் அலட்டிக்கொள்வதில் என்றுமே எனக்கு உடன்பாடு இருந்ததில்லை. சந்நியாசம் என்பது உறவறுத்துப் போவதிலில்லை! உறவுகளோடு இருந்தாலும் பற்றின்றி இருப்பதே சரி என்று முயன்றாலும் சறுக்கத்தான் செய்கிறது! அகந்தையின்றி, பற்றின்றி ஆனால் முழு அக்கறையுடன் கடமைகளை நிறைவேற்றுவதே சரியான வழியென்று ஏறத்தாழ இருபது வருடங்களுக்கு முன்பே ஏற்றுக்கொண்டுவிட்ட போதிலும், அதைக் கடைபிடிப்பதில்தான் இன்றும் எத்தனை சறுக்கல்கள், எத்தனை குழப்பங்கள்! எது கடமை என்று உணர்வதிலேயே முதல் குழப்பம் ஆரம்பித்து விடுகிறது. குலத்தொழில் என்று இருந்திருந்தால் இந்த குழப்பம் இருக்காது என்று கொள்வதற்கில்லை. பெற்றோர் செய்த தொழிலை அதே அளவில் செய்வது மட்டும் போதும் என்பதில்லையே! புது உத்திகளை, புது கருவிகளைச் செய்து குலத்தொழிலை முன்னேற்றுவது தேவையா இல்லையா என்ற குழப்பம் அப்போதும் இருக்கத்தானே செய்திருக்கும்? ஆனால், விஸ்வாமித்திரர் கொண்ட கோபம் ஏற்படுத்திய திரிசங்கு சொர்க்கம் போலாகாமல், பகீரதன் கொணர்ந்த கங்கை போல முன்னேற்றம் அல்லது மாற்றம் ஏற்படுத்துவது எப்படி என்பது இப்போதைய கேள்வி!

பல யாகங்கள் செய்வதைவிடவும் தனது கடமைகளைச் சரியாகச் செய்தல் உயர்ந்தது. சரி. அதேசமயம் கொல்லவரும் பசுவையும் கொல்லும் சலனமின்மையையும் கைகொள்ளவேண்டியிருக்கிறது. எது கடமை என்று அறிந்து கொள்ளவே வாழ்வின் பாதி கழிந்தால், அதை, சரியாகச் செய்யக்கற்பதெப்போது? கர்வம் கழிப்பது எப்போது? கொக்காய் நினைத்து கர்மயோகியை எரிக்கத் துணியும் அகந்தையறுப்பது எப்படி? எப்போது? எதிரிலிருப்பது பசுவா, கொக்கா, வாசுகியா? உருவாக இருப்பது திரிசங்கு சொர்க்கமா, பொங்கி வழியும் கங்கையா? அப்படியே கங்கை வந்தாலும், அவள் வேகம் தாங்கி ஜடாமுடி விரித்துக் காக்கும் பேரன்பும் உரமும் வேண்டுமன்றோ?

Little drops of water….

This is the continuation of my earlier article "Color Color What Color?" I got varied response from my readers/friends. Key points were (for and against) about why did we fail, are/were we really better than the western world . While I accept that these are good questions, I do not want to speculate on how India would have fared if Brits did not rule us and Moguls did not invade us. Neither do I want to prove that Indian philosophy was/is better than western philosophy nor it is flawless. We definitely had dilutions of the concepts and several misconceptions. Though I have talked about the individualistic nature of three gunas, I want my readers to recognize the fact that we do have proverbs like "குலத்தளவே ஆகுமாம் குணம்" (The general disposition of a person reflects his caste/breed) and we are not all that pure as we wish to believe!!!

I do not agree fully with the "glory of India" mail (which made several rounds in the past and mentioned by a couple of you) that claims that India did not invade any other country!! Rajendra Chola invaded far east countries and established several Shiva temples. Cholas invading Pandiyas and Pandiyas killing Cheras etc. were there always. There are evidences of these wars and killings in literature, excavations, stone inscriptions etc. Let us not glorify ourselves too much!!!

So, what is my intention behind the article? What do I want? I want us to think about ways to make this country a better place to live. If countries that are covered with snow most part of the year or that do not see even one centimetre rainfall in a year could do better in providing safe shelter, food and better quality of life to the citizens, how can a country that enjoys sun all through the year, decent rainfall, and has 110 billion people (of supposedly intelligent race) not have any of these?

My question is not to some unknown "they"! It is to you and me!! What are you going to do as an individual? I am not interested in justifications and excuses. You do not even have to feel patriotic! (BTW, patriotism is not same as supporting Indian cricket team!!) This country has invested in you by giving you the food, water, shelter and education. What are you going to return? Indian government spends a lot on giving you safety - think of Army, Air force, Navy, Border Security Forces, Police and all the scientist community working in ISRO, DRDO and the like. Though per student spend may be less than that of other countries, there is considerable amount of money spent on your education by the government. It is just that we recognize only the fees we pay. How are you going to repay this debt? Just paying tax is not enough!

OK, you do not want to treat it as a business deal and you think, as son/daughter of this country, you are entitled to get these from the country. You may argue that water only goes from the lake to the paddy field and not vice versa. Even going with that argument, you are the lake for the next generation - your own sons and daughters!! What are you giving them? Hmm, ok, you do not have to think about next generation too! Don’t you want to live in a better place? Won't you clean the house you live in or you own (if you are not living in this country)? You may argue, one person's contribution alone will not change the large nation! சிறு துளி பெருவெள்ளம்!!! Little drops of water make the mighty ocean!!!

What is your action plan? With due respect to all the CSR activities where one spends a couple of days in a year at a school or a hospital or an orphanage, I am challenging you - is that sufficient? In the relay race of life, if you think that India was put in a disadvantageous position by all the invasions, don’t you also agree that we need to cover more distance in the same time to make it to the winning post?  And aren't we, the current generation Indians, the ones to run faster with the baton to make this country win?

We don’t have to be better than other countries - we just have to be a great country to be in. What are YOU going to do to make it happen?

Why Sukanya?

A young lady quit her career and went back to her home town. If she had quit the IT career because she did not enjoy it or she found a better profession that gives her more satisfaction or she just wanted to be with her family, I would have felt happy for her. But she left her responsibilities halfway, quit a potentially bright career just because of her gender! Not because of younger men! But because of an old man - a dirty old man!!

A few questions are haunting me since the day I heard of her resignation. 

1. Don’t men grow up? One of my colleagues, told me that men discuss about girls during their informal chats at the smoking zone etc.! I was stunned to hear that because this person was married and a proud father of two boys. Of course, people do get attracted to the other gender - every species is designed that way to sustain the population. However, what I am surprised with is, how can you keep thinking about gender attraction even after you cross that age. When an adult behaves like a child he or she is considered as mentally challenged or retarded. But if an adult stops growing beyond teens, why are they not called as retarded? Why do men feel proud to be retarded?

2. What is the society going to do? When would we stop penalizing the Akalyas for the mistake of Indran? Are we expecting a super hero like Rama to come and release Akalyas from stonehood? Isn't there a different explanation for the story? If all men are like Rama and be with one Sita, women can cherish being women without fear, they do not have to be stones is a better explanation I feel. What are the fathers teaching their sons? None of the pancha kanyas fought for themselves. Consider Sita - as a little girl, she could lift the shiva dhanush with ease which many kings failed even to move. But she waited for Rama to help her. If her mother in law went to war and helped winning the war, why could she not fight for herself? Kaikeyi is despised for her ability to fight the war and her ability to negotiate the deal she wanted but Sita is worshiped.  Is this why women wait for someone else to act on their behalf? Why are we not teaching our girls about Mahishasura mardini more than Akalyas and Sitas?

3. Don’t women have guts? If young fawns, the poorest of poor creatures, can jump high to give an impression to their predators that they are not an easy prey and put them off, why did you not try to scare the old man? Is it social conditioning? Even an ant bites back when you try killing it. Are you weaker than an ant my dear good girl? Don't you remember, we belong to a civilization where a woman chased away a tiger without any powerful weapons! Couldn't you scare this ass away?

4. Has India got freedom? Is it 1947 already? Isn't this incident a shame on us? Do we care? Oh yeah, we have bigger shames to handle! Why would we bother about an young girl resigning and being "safe" at home!!!