அன்பும் ஆண்டவனும் (LOVE AND GOD)

I was reading “God” by Kahlil Gibran, which was part of "The Madman", which is reproduced here.

God by Kahlil Gibran

In the ancient days, when the first quiver of speech came to my lips, I ascended the holy mountain and spoke unto God, saying, 'Master, I am thy slave. Thy hidden will is my law and I shall obey thee for ever more.'

But God made no answer, and like a mighty tempest passed away.

And after a thousand years I ascended the holy mountain and again spoke unto God, saying, 'Creator, I am thy creation. Out of clay hast thou fashioned me and to thee I owe mine all.'

And God made no answer, but like a thousand swift wings passed away.

And after a thousand years I climbed the holy mountain and spoke unto God again, saying, 'Father, I am thy son. In pity and love thou hast given me birth, and through love and worship I shall inherit thy kingdom.'

And God made no answer, and like the mist that veils the distant hills he passed away.

And after a thousand years I climbed the sacred mountain and again spoke unto God, saying, 'My God, my aim and my fulfillment; I am thy yesterday and thou art my tomorrow. I am thy root in the earth and thou art my flower in the sky, and together we grow before the face of the sun.'

Then God leaned over me and in my ears whispered words of sweetness, and even as the sea that enfoldeth a brook that runneth down to her, he enfolded me.

And when I descended to the valleys and the plains, God was there also.
The following attempt in Tamil poetry is a product of inspiration from Kahlil Gibran (Of course conceptually it takes a different line). While we are trying to approach god through various means - rituals, yoga and what not, the poem stresses that Love is God in simple Tamil and you may like reading this.

கடவுளை நானும் காண 

கரியவனின் கருணைப் பேண

ஆற்றிலே  நீராடல் செய்து 

நன்மலர்கள் பதமாய்க் கொய்து 

தூயாடையும் மடியாய்ச் சூடி 

மும்முறை சந்தி ஆடி 

பூஜையும் யாகமும் கண்ட

படைத்த நல்லவிர்பாகம் கொண்ட

யாகத்தின் தலைவன் நின்னை 

நாடினேன் நலம்செய் என்னை!
 

பூஜையில் மகிழ்ச்சிக் கொண்டு

பரமனும் வந்தான் முன்பு 

அக்னி பிழம்பாய் நின்ற

அண்ணலும் என்னைக் கண்டு 

காந்தமின் பார்வைக் கொண்டு 

புன்முறுவலும் பூத்தே நன்று

வார்த்தையும் மொழியாமல் ஒன்று

என்னையும் கடந்தான் சென்று! 

கடவுளை நானும் காண 

கரியவனின் கருணைப் பேண

யோகமும் நீயே என்று 

சிரசிலே நின்றேன் நன்று 

முதுகுத் தண்டினை நட்டி

மூச்சினை நன்குக் கட்டி 

நாசியில் உன்னைக் காண

வாடினேன் நின்னைப் பேண

ஆதலால் அடியேன் நின்னை 

வாசியென ஏற்றுவேனே

வாலையின் பதியே உன்னை

நாடினேன் நலம்செய் என்னை!
 

யோகத்தில் மகிழ்ச்சிக் கொண்டு

பூரணனும் வந்தான் முன்பு

நிர்மல வடிவாய் நின்ற

முதல்யோகியும்  என்னைக் கண்டு 

காந்தமின் பார்வைக் கொண்டு 

புன்முறுவலும் பூத்தே நன்று

வார்த்தையும் மொழியாமல் ஒன்று

என்னையும் கடந்தான் சென்று! 

ஓமெனும் மெய்ப்பொருளும் நீயே

ஒமுறை மறைப்பொருளும் நீயே

நான்மறை முதற்ப்பொருளும்  நீயே 

நான்மறை மேற்ப்பொருளும் நீயே

நான்மறை கருப்பொருளும் நீயே 

நான்மறை இறைப்பொருளும் நீயே 

ஆதலால் அடியேன் நின்னை 

அப்பிரணவமென ஏற்றுவேனே

நாதத்தின் நாதன் உன்னை

நாடினேன் நலம்செய் என்னை!
 

மோனத்தில் மகிழ்ச்சிக் கொண்டு

என் நாயகனே வந்தான் முன்பு 

நாதத்தின் வடிவாய் நின்ற

நாதனும்  என்னைக் கண்டு 

காந்தமின் பார்வைக் கொண்டு 

புன்முறுவலும் பூத்தே நன்று

வார்த்தையும் மொழியாமல் ஒன்று

என்னையும் கடந்தான் சென்று! 

அன்பிற் பிறியதொன்றில்லை

அன்பிற் பெரியதொன்றில்லை

அன்பினால் இழிவொன்றில்லை

அன்பினால் அழிவே இல்லை 

அன்பையே அம்பாய்க் கொண்டு

அன்பனை அடிமைக் கொள்வேன்  

கருணையை வாளாய்க் கொண்டு

கரியவனின் கருத்தை வெல்வேன்   

ஆதலால் அடியேன் நின்னை 

அன்பே சிவமென ஏற்றுவேனே

அன்பற்கு அடியவன் உன்னை

நாடினேன் அணைப்பாய் என்னை!
 

அன்பனும் அன்பு கொண்டு எனை

அணைக்கவே வந்தான் முன்பு 

கருணையின் வடிவாய் நின்ற

கரியவனும் என்னைக் கண்டு 

காந்தமின் பார்வைக் கொண்டு 

புன்முறுவலும் பூத்தே நன்று

அணைத்தனன் ஆவல் கொண்டு

ஆத்மனும் பகர்ந்தான் ஒன்று

அன்பென்னும் அறிவைக் கொண்டு 

எனை நீயும் அறிந்தாய் நன்று

அன்பும் உன் என்பில் தோய 

அன்பிலே உன் மனமதி ஓய

அன்பின் நான் வேறு அன்றே 

அன்பிலே நாம் கலந்தோம் இன்றே! 

Happy Reading!

The Yang side of love! - Part 5/5

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Now coming back to our original topic of canning and admonishments, let’s understand what we accomplish when we do this to a kid who is in school just living their abundant energies in an intense and innocent way.

• When we or our kids are engulfed by a sense of fear then we pollute / congest our throat chakras. That stems higher creativity importantly among other visible effects that are known to us.
• Kids generally love everything by default and hate things that are not in tune with their frequencies. When they develop a sense of hatred for either the teacher in the class or the school itself, the heart chakra gets polluted or congested. It equally applies for adults too for relevant situations.
• Now let’s come to most interesting part. As individuals depending what stage of life we are in and what our nature is we all have abundant energies in the lower chakras, and now if the upper chakras are congested then how do these move up?
• In my opinion per the theory I explained so far, Terrorists and sadists are bunch of helpless souls whose heart chakra is full of hatred and their basic chakra is full of energy to be utilized for destructive purposes. It is important to highlight that their Ajna chakra which is their seat of will, should also be very strong for them to stick to what ever they do.

One of the best explanations I have ever heard on admonishing students is from the Yoga guru BKS Iyengar (he is the Kaliyuga Patanjali) few years back. In one TV interviews the interviewer asked him that “Do you beat your students during Yoga classes if they are not doing the asanas correctly?”

If you are student of martial arts you would have noticed that your master comes and kicks your thighs if the weight is distributed on your knees and heals and not on the thighs. Though painful, this increases awareness on the thighs and the posture gets corrected.

The response from the Yoga Guru was as follows: (Not verbatim, something like this)

”My consciousness is trying to reach my student’s consciousness through my words and his/her ears and since its not reaching in the right way and quickly, my consciousness is trying to reach theirs through my hands.”

When we are angry at our kids then we pollute our heart chakra and pollute our kid’s throat and heart charka with the fear of admonishment we instill in this. So should the admonishment be avoided?

Not at all. But this should be rightly balanced. And how can that be balanced? Some pointers as below:

• The admonishment should not be an intemperate outburst of our anger or impatience.
• It can’t be an expression of our inability to control the situation or them.
• It can’t be the manifestation of our ego “I have told you something and you are not listening”.
• The intention should not be to punish or control them but to correct them. Instill a sense of self esteem in them that they voluntarily repent for their mistakes. After scoldings give them lots of love so that they still feel loved. 

It simply called as the “Yang side of Love” as it is done in the right measure, balanced with advice but more importantly it is for the betterment of the receiver.

May I also suggest that both the parents and teachers should practice "Thoppu karanam" daily - not as a sense of punishment but as a yogic exercise.

As long as this spirit is seen in every teacher and parent I think we can avoid loosing another kid to this sort of stupidity. 

Yours Yangly!

Happy reading :)


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The Yang side of love! - Part 4/5

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Have you heard about “Thoppu karanam” in tamil nadu and “Kaan Dhand” in hindi. This is the 60 second program to balance the energies. Here one is asked to hold the ear lobes with alternate hands (right hand should hold left ear lobe and vice versa) and then do squats. (sit down and get up). This is a very simple and effective technique to clean the chakras and balance the energies. If it is done properly as per procedure (see links for the correct procedure to do this) then the energies in the lower chakras move up and vice versa, balancing the chakral system.

Now let’s understand the history of this Kaan Dhand as per Hindu scriptures. It is said that Lord Vishnu once was visiting Kailash, the adobe of Lord Shiva and on the way he sees Lord Ganesha. Lord Ganesha, who is a kid then, takes Vishnu’s chakra (one of the weapons of Lord Vishnu) and swallows it. Lord Vishnu requests Lord Ganesha to return the Chakra but Lord Ganesha refuses to do so.

Lord Vishnu tries every trick in the book and finally performs the first “Thoppu karanam” or “Kaan Dhand” in front of Ganesha. Lord Ganesha who is a kid then laughs uncontrollably on seeing this funny squatting by Lord Vishnu. When he laughs uncontrollably the chakra which is swallowed by Ganesha comes out of his mouth and falls out. Lord Vishnu takes it and walks away. It’s a Sanskrit term called “Dhorbihi Karanha”. Karan – means ears.

Now look at some of the parallels to this story and the actual science. Lord Ganesha is always represented as the Lord in Muladhara Chakra…. Auviyaar’s Vinayagar Agaval in Tamil says ”Mooladharathu moondezhu Kanalai Kaalaal Ezhuppum Karuthu arivithu”… When the ‘Thoppu Karanam” is done properly it activates muladhara chakra and this energy from basic chakra has one way to move and that is upwards.

What is ever astonishing is the fact that most of the Hindu rituals are a sublimed and well blended action of spiritual development and yogic science with a practical application for common man. The sad part of this is that most of us don’t understand the reason behind the rituals and most of them are labeled as superstitious

How has this ritual / funny practice come back to light and is a topic of discussion now? A noble soul, Maste Choa Kuk Sui, a Chinese Philippino understood the secrets of Yogic science and tried to explain the benefits to the larger public. As you can imagine this was ignored since it was given free of cost. Then he branded this as “Super Brain Yoga” and charged about $12-15 per session to teach this and Yo!, there are many takers.

Check out here:

http://www.pranichealing.org/SuperBrain/SuperBrainYoga.html

http://www.youtube.com/watch?hl=en-GB&v=KSwhpF9iJSs

Check the testimonials here:

http://www.superbrainyoga.org/

Google about Super brain Yoga and you will get some You tube videos also where they have discovered that this simple exercise / ritual also mitigates issues of Autism, memory loss etc.

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....Continued in Part 5

The Yang side of love! - Part 3/5

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So one of the secrets of happy and healthy living is all about first cleaning them and balancing the energies in all these chakras. How can we balance the energies in these chakras is there an easier way to do it?

Would you be surprised if I say that there is program to do this in 60 seconds? Yes. In just 60 seconds clean the chakras and balance the energies. Interested? Then Read on,

All the fitness programs like Yoga, Martial arts, work out in the gym typically cleans and balances these chakras without us knowing it. Walking is a great way to balance the energies. One of the greatest learning for me recently is the understanding that the first step to conscious living is in being aware of this aspect that manifests in every action of ours.

Before I go on to explain the 60 second program let me establish the link between the overactive kids and the chakral energies. Children typically have highly activated Muladhara chakra and as they reach the puberty, their Swadhistana also becomes highly energized. Does not matter what we say they have to expend their energies and hence they become very naughty and troublesome at times. This over energized basic chakra typically helps them find our weakest nerve and make them step on it at the weakest moment J.

Another interesting aspect I read is about the linkage between Visudhi chakra and the swasdhitana (sex) chakra. Visudhi in the throat represents higher creativity (active in artists, poets, painters, designers, engineering experts, software professionals (not the programmers but the architects) etc) and swadhistana is the center of lower creativity and procreation as explained. So a person who is highly creative - by default and by god’s design should be very active in sex life too, since the energy channels are connected and shared. This perhaps explains why artists have a very active sex life.

For my rational friends who are adamant about proof, let me tell you this. _There is no proof scientifically (it cant be shown as a physical entity) that the chakras exist but of late there are kirlian scanners which scan and give the energy level and the quality of energy in human body just like X-ray machines.

So what is the 60 seconds program?

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....Continued in Part 4

The Yang side of love! ....Part 1/5

Disclaimer:

This is a 5 part blog and hence don’t waste your time on this if you are not interested in any of the below.

• How Chakras / psychic centers in human body, influence your psychology and hence an essential sub-system of your “mind”?
• If you are interested to know why artists also have a great sexual drive?
• How to manage the excess energies in your child or how to manage the excess sexual drive in teen just reaching puberty?
• How to balance the energies in your chakras within 60 seconds?

If you find this little slow paced, blame it on "Few rounds of Singapore sling", as much of it is written at 30K feet above sea level in SQ flights under the influence of the blamed.

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News clips in the last few days about how a young boy committed suicide after his school admonished him for his mistakes probably canned him, was probably disturbing me for 2 reasons:

• When a young boy decides to sacrifice his life for such a trivial thing I am just wondering where are we headed and this disturbed me a lot.
• Punishments / canning were so common during my school days and what has changed so much in the last 2 decades that this drives suicidal tendencies among kids. I am still trying to figure out this aspect.

“Good living is in balancing the extremes”, said one wise man. Everything in life needs to be balanced and this is the secret to happy life. I believe, like everything else the love and affection we shower on our kids also needs to be moderated. This moderation starts from the day the child is born.

It is believed that a child's psychological development in the initial years is largely due to the “touch” sensation it receives from its parents especially its mother. As we understand excessive affection (excessive physical contact) increases the dopamine levels in the kids and makes it disobedient and selfish. On the other hand excessive retribution and absence of mother’s touch actually increases the levels of nor-adrenaline in the child’s body, making it feel insecure, depressed and unmotivated.

Importance and emphasis on moderation is stressed in many areas in Bhagavad Gita and many other Hindu scriptures. My friend Thiruvallular, who lived 2000+ years before in his Thirukural has mentioned that "நகுதற் பொருட் அன்று நட்பு....மேற் சென்று இடித்தர் பொருட்டு..." This highlights that friendship is not about laughing and agreeing with your friends always but when required, to differ in opinion and censure the friends if they are wrong.

You also would have probably read that Buddha realized that excessive self mortification and ascetic life would not lead to enlightenment and accepted the rice porridge offered by a lady named Sujatha to recover from fatigue. His disciples, who thought that Buddha has abandoned the path for enlightenment, deserted him for some time but joined him later. This again highlights the importance of balance and moderation.

So if there has to be a balance between showering affection and admonishment then that should be at right times and at right levels. How as a family and as a society can we do this in the right measure?

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Continued in Part 2....

The Yang side of love! - Part 2/5

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I tried to answer the following questions:

·        Have I been admonished / canned at school and did it have a positive impact on me?

o       I vaguely remember getting canned in primary school but don’t know / can’t remember if that had a positive impact on me.

·        Have I been admonished / canned by my father and did it have a positive impact on me?

o       Definitely yes for both the questions.

·        Would I agree if my kid’s school admonishes / canned them for potential situations?

o       Admonishment – Yes.

o       Canning – Definitely no.

The more I thought about this, the more I am convinced that the problem lies some where else. The issue is in improper emotional and psychological development of the child for which the parents are largely responsible which manifests and drives them to the extremes like this. I could not understand any other way to explain the problem. I believe, it is wrong to fully keep teachers or school responsible for such incidents. Let me qualify that I am not passing the opinion for a specific incident in news but sharing a larger perspective.  

Let’s also look at the Indian Yogic way on the root cause and the solution to the problem. Let me explain the concept first and then identify the root cause and the solution to this.

Human beings are psycho-somatic organisms and our western medical science is still in the nascent stages of development to understand the psychology of a being. They are largely obsessed with brain and central nervous system as the components of human mind and our energies are devoted to unravel them.

Indian philosophies, in my opinion have a very comprehensive view of this and one of the subsystems of the human mind that is elaborately discussed are our seven chakras which apart from having a spiritual dimension has a significant psychological dimension too.

Without going into too many details let me highlight the following:

·        There are 7 Chakras in the body they are the Basic / Muladhara chakra, Swadhitana / Sex Chakra, Manipura / Navel chakra, Anahata / heart chakra, Visudhi / Throat chakra, Ajna Chakra and Sahasrara chakra.

·        These are the psychic and energy centers in the body. They generate, store and distribute life force energy for various systems in the body and each of them is responsible different psychological aspects. You can google about chakras if you need more details.

·        It is said that typically human beings like us constantly live in the lower 3 chakras which deals with survival (Muladhara), procreation (Swadistana) and seat of lower emotions (Manipura), which means bulk of energies revolve around these chakras.

·        The path to enlightenment is all about recognizing the potential, subliming the energies and taking it to the higher chakras from the lower.

·        So typically when some one has lots of physical energy then it is attributed to overactive Muladhara chakra. Athletes typically have a very strong basic chakra. This chakra is also related to prosperity and hence people who are poor would have under activated / weak basic chakra.

·        The results of over active swasdhistana / sex do not require any explanation. When teens reach puberty they tend to have more energy concentrated in their sex chakra.

·        Typical egoistic, adamant personalities like me should be having over activated manipura chakra.

·        When the Anahata has more (pure) energy then love, kindness, compassion manifests in a person and so on.

·        Our day today life style significantly congests energies in the chakras, pollutes them and makes it either over or under activated.

·        Hatred and anger congests heart and solar plexus chakras. Fear congests throat / Visuddhi chakra.

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....Continued in Part 3.

Noble, Nobler, Noblest?

Disclaimer:

Its Priya's birthday today and i had to travel to Delhi on work. This is probably 2nd or 3rd birthday of hers i am missing and staying away due to work, in a row. Her rumblings started the previous day reaching the peak in the night and the today monring at 5 in the morning i saw a disappointed look, but nothing registered in me as i was filled with "professional preoccupations". It was around 8 Am in the morning when i started having lonely breakfast in flight that her feelings sunk in so deep in me that felt a sudden rush of emotion which turned into this blog. The blog is about who is noble, nobler and noblest in this world and i end up very unpredictably. Its into 3 parts .......For a guy who is so unromantic like me, this is probably the best gift she can receive from me! Enjoy this!

Who is noble?
Who is nobler?
Who is noblest?
Just as I kept thinking
Stranger things I am discovering!
Noble is the monk whose mind is in his heart
For he is the meditation in action
Nobler is the philosopher whose mind is on the truth
For he has his life in his thinking!
Nobler is the priest whose mind is on the holy
For he is the ritual in action!
If cleanliness is next to godliness
Nobler is the garbage cleaner whose hand is on the holy
For he is duty in action!
Nobler is the reformer who fights injustice
For he is a rebel in action!
Nobler is the soldier who fights enemies
Nobler are his deeds forsaking his life for others!
For he is the commitment in action!
Nobler is the king who governs the land
For he is justice in action!
Nobler is the farmer who tills the land
For he befriends nature and offers us life
For he is productivity in action!
Nobler is the doctor who fights death
For he is benevolence in action
Nobler is the giver who fights poverty
For his living is in loving and loving is in giving
For he is sacrifice in action!
Nobler is the teacher who fights your ignorance
For there is no doctor, no farmer
For there is no priest, no soldier
For there is no knowledge if there is no teacher
For the willing and the thirsty
For the humble and needy
Joy is a teacher, sorrow is a teacher
Life is a teacher, Nature is a teacher
Time is a teacher, every moment is a teacher
For a teacher is knowledge in action!
A teacher is nobler!

Who is noble?
Who is nobler?
Who is noblest?
Just as I kept thinking
Stranger things I am discovering!
Brothers are nobler!
For a brother is a soldier, brother is a teacher!
For a brother is strength in action!
Nobler is the father!
For a father is teacher, also a soldier
For a father is a priest, also a philosopher
Father is a farmer, also a reformer
For a father is wisdom in action!
Nobler is the mother!
For she is the nature, a priceless pasture!
Carrier of boundless love and nurture
Deliverer of hope and future!
She is the producer! She is the deliverer!
For there is no priest, no philosopher!
For there is no king, no soldier
For there is no farmer, no reformer
For there is no doctor, no giver
For there is no cleaner, no teacher
For there is no father without a mother!

For father is wisdom in action!
But mother is love and sacrifice in action!
Realize mother is nobler!
For love and sacrifice is nobler!

Who is noble?
Who is nobler?
Who is noblest?
Just as I kept thinking
Stranger things I am discovering!
Someone is nobler
Sharing my life as a partner

From 72 for twenty nine
I wined & dined - a life so fine
No alarms to beep, No appointments to keep
It’s my decision to eat and where I should sleep

Like a free bird that flies high
Been living life without a sigh!
Aimless & boundless, Careless & fearless
Mindless yet mindful that it can’t be endless

When my parents asked - I said nay!
Till 2001 I had my way
No one else to share my pay
Till 14th Feb, the Valentine’s Day!
We thought by May we may
We made it by May – what to say!

Anchoring & Bordering, Caring & daring
Teasing & Talking, Talking & touching
Physically, mentally, socially & spiritually
Nagging & ragging, ragging & shopping
Fighting & drifting, drifting & uniting

She isn’t a philosopher
But made me think deeper

As a priest of my confessing heart
Warding off my evil thoughts
Distancing my devilish leans
Lifting me from mundane means

A garbage cleaner that she is
Often dusting off my dirty mind
But cleaning too my dirty linen

A reformer at the formative stages
A soldier protecting family values
A farmer tilling my barren mind
A greenist seeding sprouts – hard to find
A doctor curing needless endure
Softly enduring endless chore

As a wholesome giver, wonderful lover
As a loyal partner, & a home science Gartner
As an energy sucker being my hormonal shelter
An energy giver as a fine “cooker”
Sometimes a teacher, sometimes a preacher
Sometimes a bouncer yet a fine balancer
Sometimes a lawyer but always as judge
For every injustice incurred I hold no grudge

As a sister of my beloved brother
As a mother of my wonderful kids
For she made me work harder
For she made me twice nobler
As she made me a father!

Call her worries invited for ever
Call her wisdom ingrained from errors
Call her wealth inherited from eternity
Call her wish incurred from earlier life
A real partner is the noblest
For all of us a nobler when we are a partner!

Happy reading !

Musings: Does hatred beget Strength?

Does Hatred beget strength?

Priority begets time
Time begets passion
Passion begets value
Value begets thoughts
Thoughts begets words
Words begets deeds
Deeds begets habits
Habits begets character
Character begets destiny
Character begets friends
Character begets foes
Friends beget emotions
Foes beget emotions
Friends beget love
Foes beget hatred
Hatred begets adversity
Adversity begets endurance
Endurance begets Experience
Experience begets learning
Learning begets strength
Experience begets strength
Endurance begets strength
Adversity begets strength
Hatred begets hatred
Hatred begets strength

Looks like hatred begets strength!

But,

Strength begets strength
Strength begets restraint
Restraint begets love
Love begets friends
Friends begets friends
Friends begets strength
Love begets strength !
Yes, Love begets strength !

Looks like this is an easier & pleasant option!

Happy reading!