Monday, September 22, 2008

We need to be judicious

Dear friends, Vanakkam (Namaskar)

Our Tamil pals, need no introduction of the subject given below. For the sake of others, Thirukkural (திருக்குறள்) (తిరుక్కురళ్), also known as the Kural (couplet), is easily one of the best ever written scriptures on human values and ethics, not only for India but for the whole world. Thiruvalluvar (திருவள்ளுவர்) (తిరువళ్ళువర్), is the master creator of this timeless treatise. It is a classic of couplets or Kurals (1330 rhyming Tamil couplets) or aphorisms organised into 133 chapters. Each chapter has a specific subject ranging from "ploughing a piece of land" to "ruling a country" expounding various aspects of human life. This week's post is taken from the Thirukkural

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யாகாவார் ஆயினும் நாகாக்க காவாக்கால்

சோகாப்பர் சொல்லிழுக்குப் பட்டு

యాకావార్ ఆయిణుమ్ నాకాక్క కావాక్కాల్

సోగాప్పర్ సొల్లిళుక్కు ప్పట్టు.

yakavaar aayiNum naakaakka, kaavaakkaal

sogaappar sollizhukkuppattu.

Purport or Bhaava

Anything else you may be careless to guard, but not the tongue;

for, even a slightest slip of it, sure drowns you in misery.

This is what its meant in brief.

I see here an interesting point for all of us to take note of.

Our tongue is endowed with two great powers, one is the speech and the other is the taste sense. Of course, we need to guard this wonderful apparatus of ours both while we utter some thing and while we taste some thing. If we are not careful in what we eat and are lured by the extraneous taste of food, setting aside the nutritive values of food, I am sure we end up in eating all unhealthy, oily, crunchy, crispy food. If we do not guard the tongue from improper and unhealthy eating, needless to say we will be tomorrows victims of the deadly diseases of this era - the heart attacks, stokes, diabetes, hypertension, cholesterol problems, obesity and what not!

So, by these two aphoristic lines, Sri Thiruvalluvar urges all of us to be judicious in using this great asset of ours, the tongue.

Let us ever remember, its the tongue which begets us excellent health and also wins us friends everywhere, provided we are good masters in controlling it and in using it to derive all the benefits.

Bye for now. See you all next week.

Love

Sarma


Tuesday, September 16, 2008

Today is the best day to act

This week's poem is a sankeertana from Sri Annamacharya. Sri Annamacharya is easily one of the all time great masters. He is a great saint, philosopher, scholar, composer, poet, musician, musicologist and above all a true teacher of human values - all in One. He composed about 30,000 songs of which about 12,000 only are now available. In this song he just echoes the meaning of the slokam which we have seen in the previous post, the slokam from Adi Sankaracharya. For people who know Telugu, this song is self explanatory. For non Telugu brethren, I have given below the brief purport.


కడలుడిపి నీరాడగా తలచు వారలకు

కడలేని మనసునకు కడమ యెక్కడిదీ?

దాహామణగిన వెనుక తత్వమెరిగెదనన్న

దాహమేలణగు తా తత్వమేమెరుగూ!

దేహంబుగల అన్ని దినములకునూ పదార్ధ

మోహమేలుడుగూ తా ముదమేల కలుగూ !!

ముందరెరిగిన వెనుక మొదలూ మరచెదనన్న

ముందరేమెరుగూ తా మొదలేల మరచూ!

అందముగ తిరువేంకటాద్రీశు మన్ననల

కందువెరిగిన మేలు కలనైన లేదూ !!

Kadaludipi neeraadagaa thalachu vaaralaku

kadalaeni manasunaku kadama yekkadidhee?

dhaahaamaNagina venuka thathvamerigedhananna

dhaahamaelaNagu thaa thathvamaemerugoo!

dhaehaMbugala anni dhinamulakunoo padhaarDha

mOhamaelaNagu thaa mudhamaelaAO galugoo !!

muMdharerigina venuka modhaloo marachedhananna

muMdharaemerugoo thaa modhalaela marachoo!

aMdhamuga thiruvaeMkataadhreeshu mannanala

kaMdhuverigina maelu kalanaina laedhoo!

The Bhaava or Purport

Will there ever be an end for those who wait for the waves in the ocean to stop to take a dip? Will there ever be an end for the various modifications and turmoils created in our minds?

If we say, let us first quench our sensual thirsts and desires, then we can think of realizing our true poetntial, will there ever be a day by which all our worldly and bodily desires come to an end? Will we ever realize our true potential and focus on true ascent? How can there be no craving and clinging towards all the mundane things as long as we are body-centric? When will we experience the peace by pursuing these means?

If we say, let us know all about that Bliss Absolute now and experience it without any special effort, then we may probably consider relinquishing our craving and clinging; - how can in such a case we experience the Infinite Bliss? How can we shun the body-centric attachments?

(These various differences in the name and form of beings are man-made and these divide and further divide us infinitely and leave us alone and never allow us to understand that everyone is great as us, if not more. Once we cast off our Ego and the Body concept, then, what way we can claim our superiority or grieve for our inferiority?

Best wishes and bye till next week,

Love,

Sarma


Tuesday, September 9, 2008

It may be too late, wait not

Dear all,

Greetings and best wishes to you. This week's slokam is from Sri Adi Sankaracharya. We need no introduction to this all time greatest saint, Adi Sankara, the Genius. No age is too early to start realizing the Real Truth. Let us wait not, until we are old and infirm. These teachings are not for the retired and armchair men. In fact, their impact will be greatest, if we start putting these in to practice as early as we can, no matter what is our chronological age.

समुद्रे शान्त कल्लोले स्नातुमिच्छति मूढ धी ।

सम्सारे शान्त कल्लोले ङ्ञानमिच्छति दुर्मति ॥

samudre zAnta kallole snAtumicCati mUDha dhI

samsAre zAnta kallole GJAnamicCati durmati

సముద్రే శాంత కల్లోలే స్నాతుమిచ్ఛతి మూఢ ధీ

సంసారే శాంత కల్లొలే ఙ్ఞానమిచ్ఛతి దుర్మతి

samudhrae shaaMtha kallOlae snaathumichChathi mooDa Dhee

saMsaarae shaaMtha kallOlae GnYaanamichChathi dhurmathi

Purport or Bhaava

Only, the utterly foolish wait for the waves in the sea to stop, in order to take a peaceful bath by a good dip in the waters. Will it ever happen so for them? They will be eternally waiting without cleansing up. Similarly, the innately wicked minded only will wait until all the turbulence of the samsaaram or mundane life, comes to a perfect stop, before they can aspire to ascend up and gain the real knowledge about their Self. Will it ever be possible to attain realization for them? They will be drowned in their worldly sensual gratifications and never realize the True nature of the Self within and attain to its potential.

Thus, in these two pithy lines the Jagad Guru Adi Sankaracharya urges all of us to rise above the material outlook and realize our inner power to accomplish greater tasks, being gifted with this wonderful apparatus - our human body.

Next week we shall see an echo of this message from another all time great master, Sri Annamacharaya, composed as a sankeertana in Telugu. Till then, bye and best of everything.

Love

Sarma