ACHARYA, CAN I DIFFER? (3)

Zorba, the Buddha

In philosophy, it is no longer possible to introduce a brand new stream and get universal acclaim. All original thoughts have been presented. No single thought –system can be practiced in these days of “grab-all” mind-set without causing injury to the practitioner. It seems mixing philosophies is the only way-out. 

People should be able to live life with dignity. Nobody should be degraded.  At the same time your mindset should be enlarged so as to encompass all. Nobody should be sidelined. One should possess a burning desire to embrace everything into one’s fold. We know that this kind of embrace is possible only through Love. The Bible says precisely that. However, cultivating Love in a modern-day environment is impossibly difficult. Fear is the block. You have it but somehow you’re reluctant. Now, add the Red Book to Bible. You have a formidable combination there. You’re believing in the Bible and the Red Book simultaneously. One step further, you tend to believe that both are essentially the same! As a result, you can practice the Bible in letter and spirit. Oddly enough, you’re impressing no one with your mix. Anybody can quote Bhagavat Gita and deflate you, the idea is nothing new.

sajitha r. shankar

Osho also mixes philosophies. He introduces a role-model - Zorba, the Buddha. Zorba represents one part and Buddha, the other. The summation of qualities of Zorba –the pleasure seeking ordinary mortal (samsari) and that of Gauthama, the Buddha is taken and offered as the new role-model. Zorba, the Buddha. Osho presents his ‘brave new man’ for us. According to him, the Enlightened Samsari does not shy away from sensual delights! She /he is perfectly balanced between physical  and metaphysical,  i.e., dabbling in the material world with his/her anchor grounded safely in spirituality. He/She welcomes the pleasures experienced through the sense organs keeping the enlightened state intact! The spiritual anchor detaches the body (and its pleasures) and watches the events just as a witness. The sakshi-bhava, that is. In other words, Zorba the Buddha is a ‘brave new Yogi’ who flaunts his various credit-cards to make an easy entry into a floating casino. He disembarks the next morning without his conscience bothering him. He/She celebrates every moment of life but never gets involved. What’s the idea in subjecting your body to torture, after all? 

Get the best of both worlds.

sajitha r.shankar

Osho shuns selflessness. Zorba the Buddha is not the type who practices idealism. What’s the use, Osho asks. In a span of 3000 years, we have fought at least 5000 wars.  Did you ever get a chance to celebrate your life? Abstinence is no answer (for anything).

Fine Sir! Indulge yourself. But, be prepared for the state when pleasures are denied! Pleasure and pain are always packed as a combo-offer. As you become sophisticated, your tolerance level decreases. You can’t take even a minor refusal in your stride. One who derives pleasure from the physical world cannot say         “I have had enough!”. His/her wish-list is unending and ever-expanding. And a stage comes when the body cannot sustain its vitality and the senses become weak. Precisely at this time, the desires keep galloping! Of course, money/ power can get you various objects of desire but you’re unable to consume them. Choicest food is being served on a silver platter, exclusively for you.  What’s the use, you have tongue cancer.

sajitha r.shankar

Pleasure is a poor substitute for Happiness. It should come from within. Zorba the Buddha should learn this primer to avoid ending up as a nervous wreck.

**********

ACHARYA, CAN I DIFFER ? (2)

Fear is Forever

Osho says. Man is born in fear. He continues to live in fear. That’s the characteristic of humankind. Even if you’re an outstanding human-being, there is no ‘fear escape’ provided. Fear becomes a co-traveler. Truly speaking, no one is brave. People appear as bold because they are suppressing their fear. In reality they are also fearful like anybody else. One becomes fearless only by accepting all inherent fears. Fear is so natural. 

valsan koorma kolleri - How goes the enemy? -(detail) - 2007

The whole issue of fear centers on faith. The feel-good factor that faith gives, be it allegiance to god, philosophy, science or anything else, works against fear. It’s nice for you to become a believer unconditionally. Faith in simple terms. Innocent faith, you can call it.


If you’re venturing out into an unknown domain, fear is a byproduct. You’re a first-timer. Uncertainty looms large. Still, it’s worth the effort. Life becomes adventurous and satisfying, there is never a dull moment.

Take the case of death. One cannot avoid it but almost all of our worries are centered on death. 

valsan - cornered draw- dry pastel on paper - 2007

Can I have a peaceful death, preferably in sleep? Or death like a whisper, when all my children and their mother by my side? Ha….what if I drop down dead on the public road?

Nothing! A death on the highway is more acceptable. From the aesthetic point of view, that is.

Anyway, fear of death stems from your possessions, material or otherwise. If you have nothing to declare, you don’t give a damn. So, live in this world without getting involved. You’re a part of the world but you don’t belong to it. Such a person is all ready to die at any given time.

Bear in mind that 90 % fears are unwarranted. Only the rest 10 % needs to be tackled. We should accept it as real. We should respond to fears and interact with them.

valsan- new bronze gamma -laterite bronze -2007

Take for example, an elephant running amuck. You can’t take it for granted that it’s the same Brahman as you are. Can you refuse to move away? Address the fear as real and run for your life.

Fear and Love cannot co-exist. Both are derivatives of energy. If energy is used up in the making of fear, the quantum gets reduced accordingly for the generation of love. Hence, better production plan is to utilize the entire inventory for the creation of love. Fear will be a perpetual stock-out.

This may sound abstract but we all know the man-made fear-generators are to be blamed, i.e., religion, the society and the educational system. Religion scares you with its bogey of hell, sin and punishment. Society instills fear of humiliation. The non-conformist will find the going tough the world over. And the education system permanently disables you with the fear of failure.

Break free from these chains and you’ll be fearless, Osho concludes.

The trouble with this postulate is that it is good in parts. Osho puts the onus on external elements. Instead of finding fault with stand-alone fear-generators, one should look inwards for finding the root-cause.

Fear is caused by "the other", the entity which is separate from you. One becomes two. The root-cause of fear stems from duality. If one cuts across this double vision, fear gets dissolved. You realize that the difference between people does not really exist. You’re the same as the other. You start seeing everyone as your own reflection. You become bold. Fear has already been vanished.

One should show his/her manliness in winning over oneself. One should hook oneself on a spear , raise it to his /her eye-level and look straight. One should relentlessly wage a war against ignorance, inequalities and ego-centric desires. This is the ideal antidote to keep the fear at bay.

Ha, what about that elephant running amok? Is it not brahman? Yes it is. But you failed to notice the elephant-rider. The mahout who sat atop and yelled at you to run was also brahman!

Fear is not forever, for sure.

　

ACHARYA, CAN I DIFFER?

In oriental tradition, the Acharya is not just a teacher. Almost always a male, Acharya is the one who is singularly responsible for your education and training. He equips his pupil with various tools so that the student can venture out into the world fearlessly and lead a life beneficial not only to himself/herself but also to others. The Acharya does not impart any self-help tips or escape-routes. He just arms the student with knowledge-processing on real-time    so that the student can deduct viveka (wisdom) as the situation demands at any point of life. Interestingly, the Acharya doesn't consider himself a savant. The main focus of his prayer alongwith his students is the containment of hate. He seeks the Ancient One’s grace so that he and his students can work towards greater common good. He doesn't place himself on a pedestal. He is at par with his students.

Sri. Rajneesh Chandra Mohan Jain (Osho) is definitely an Acharya in his own right. He successfully mixed the best of oriental and occidental philosophies and added flavor to it with modern psychology. The cocktail is so heady that it is practically impossible to feel the bitterness. This does not mean that the drink is to be discarded, it is agreeable of course but certain distasteful ingredients are to be removed.

Ignorance is bliss

Balan Vinod - photograph - nature abstract

Acharya does not use the term “ignorance” in a negative context. According to him ignorance is not the absence of knowledge. Ignorance is a wrapper, impossible to unpack and one should accept it as such. For elucidating his point, Acharya gives the example of water.

What is water? He asks.

H₂O , you answer.

Is that answer adequate?

Will you ever get to know water? The essence of water?

No. You can just play with words but you’ll never be able to grasp the mystery of water.  Our answers are always trying to evade the original question.  Ignorance always remains. Truth is mysterious and elusive. Hence it is beautiful!  So remain. Acharya stops here.

Balan Vinod - photograph -nature abstract
 

Take a closer look. You are inclined to believe that ignorance is nothing but bliss. However, the idea of ignorance as given in our ancient texts is entirely different. Seeing water, you don’t really feel like breaking it into Hydrogen and Oxygen. Instead you start wondering about the perfection of creation. It makes you humble in many ways. You start exploring the relationship between you and the elements. Water, Earth, Wind, Fire and the Sky. You discover the presence of all these elements within yourself. You start correlating the sky inside to that exists outside. You discover that the micro level energy inside you can be linked directly to the macro level energy of the Universe.  This may not be the point of realization but it certainly is the point of exhilaration.  Mysteries start vanishing one by one.

Balan Vinod - photograph - nature abstract

Longing is the prime requisite of any spiritual quest which is undermined by the Acharya.

After all, you are not seeking any answers  in black and white, you’re just seeking a feeling.

*******

REMEMBERING CRUSADERS,FOOTBALLERS AND INDIFFERENT ONLOOKERS

                Office turned a nightmare. I was delinked from every sensible work being carried out there. A kind lady in the personnel department, Mrs.Fernandes took pity on me and gave me this idea of charismatic meditation. A Christian priest was regularly conducting such camps and if I had the inclination, I could attend one of his introductory sessions. If interested, I could stay on for the full session. People who were unwell had shown remarkable improvement after attending charismatic revival. Dramatic recoveries too were not uncommon. People irrespective of religion and background got benefited. I couldn’t rejoice more and I enrolled myself as a camper. One of the mission-run high schools was the venue. The crowd consisted of both young and old almost in equal measures. Women were in majority.  The camp leader was a singer-priest who handled the keyboards with ease. Unfortunately, his talks were a drag though he sprinkled a liberal quantity of wits over the audience. The main theme of his lectures failed to impress me. It was repeated many times over.

Believe…believe …or be damned. You guys are horrible sinners indulging even in incest. Look, fire of the hell is waiting for you…

He was getting on my nerves. Hell’s inferno didn’t scare me at all. Significantly, it never crossed my mind that I was a sinner. But the leader was in no mood to stop. He would convince the world at the top of his voice that we were damned. After ten minutes of vilification, he would break into singing beautifully tuned hymns and we were supposed to join. The chorus was indeed a great experience and I wished the entire session consisted only of group singing. I turned a rebel of sorts and wore the identity card with its reverse side on display. The I-card with the name of the person and place of accommodation was to be worn always. Mine had a strange inscription on it,

CHICK COREA

ON THE ROCKS

I boycotted the morning session and read newspapers. A fat woman was giving Bharatanatyam  lessons in one of the classrooms and I encroached into their privacy and stood there staring. The organizers of the charismatic camp didn’t take my antics very lightly. One evening as I was walking through the front yard, someone shot a football on my back at tremendous force. It pained like hell but I raised the victory sign, turned back to give them a grin and strode ahead. The priest was giving a dissertation on evil spirits. They did exist, he asserted. I didn’t have an iota of doubt, either. I had a feeling that I was surrounded by evil spirits. Even the priest himself was an evil spirit.  His composed face had been used as a mask by the devil. In oriental magic, there is a technique called kooduvittu koodumaral. The occultist takes a subtle form and enters into another person’s live body for a short duration after leaving his original body lying in state.  Devil had been using this method extensively and that was the reason why we see devilish elements under benign faces. Who could imagine the devil masquerading as a priest? The devil was sure to have penetrated into the whole system by the body-snatching route. The devil was omnipresent. I was overwhelmed by fear. It was quite possible that people who were sleeping near to me in the room might endanger my life. The mosquito repellent that they kept beside my bed might contain deadly poisonous substance to maim me for life. I ran out in a jiffy. The open space of the football field beckoned me. Raising my eyes skywards, I broke down. Tears jerked out breaking all barriers of defense. I didn’t think of the sufferings in my life. The thoughts ceased to exist for a moment.

george martin

                The revival camp was in doldrums. The final day programmes had been called off. The priest never ventured outside his room. In spite of all my mischief, an elderly nun was very kind to me. She was particular that I received the blessings and had put the Eucharistic on my tongue after the prayer session(kurbana). I was reluctant to move forward, but she waited.

I wrote a long letter to the priest. We had disagreed on several counts and I thought my views, especially on god, could shake him off his follies.

        Love is god

                                Selflessness is god

                                Humility is god

                                Courage is god
                                You are God.

                               

george martin

I knocked gently on the door. The priest was inside but there wasn’t any response. After a while, I slipped the manuscript into the room and bid adieu quietly. 

                My condition deteriorated very badly after attending the charismatic revival. Evil spirits surrounded me on all sides. My neighbours and sub-engineer Pathan were not the only ones. Everybody around me was a devil. The world was no more a safe place. I remembered an old practice of my village. Mustard seeds were spread around to ward off evil. I would resort to the old method to counter yet another attack. I reviewed the situation from the balcony and found an unnatural movement at a distance, approximately two furlongs away. I was not mistaken. The devil was visible to me but he was without a form. He might be under the impression that if he were formless, it would be impossible for me to recognize him. The fool didn’t know that I had the expertise to identify him with or without form.

Come

I challenged the devil.

I don’t give a damn about you.

I touched the tip of my nose with my right thumb and spread my other four fingers. A conversation between the devil and me started in sign language. People who walked past stopped for a second to watch the drama being staged at the first floor balcony. They were either disinterested in a lunatic or didn’t have the time to gaze at him. An old Muslim man who had his hair and beard bizarrely dyed and eyes lined wanted to have a ringside view of the spectacle. He squatted at the side of the road itself. As soon as I had the first glimpse of him, a lightning flashed across. The formless devil adopted the shape as a strange looking Muslim and had moved in closer. He was obviously taking the fight to my doorstep. My senses were put to maximum alert.

The final combat was on.

Don’t ever think that you can defeat me. You’re never going to win.

I shouted at the old man. Actually, he was enjoying my madness. I retreated into my room and closed the door to balcony. I jumped over the bed and looked out through the window.

Was the devil still there?

Yes, he was. The plan was to surround me from all sides. What the heck! Who is bothered? As long as Shiv Nair was in my room, nobody could do me a fig. Standing firm on the bed, I resumed conversation with the devil. The bugger seemed to be in a belligerent mood. I had all my ire directed against him. My feet grew strong and there was the irresistible urge to do a graveyard dance over him. I started tandava on the bed. Just below the window, the employees of the fuel pump raised their head with the usual abandon to have a glimpse of the dancing man. Their interest was not sustained beyond a moment and they retreated to their work.

********

SOME GEMS -8

THE TRAGEDY OF MILLENNIUM MEN

The unique contribution of Sree Narayana Guru is to change the concept of Sanyas. We have the image of the Sanyasi from times of yore - saffron robes,  rudraksha adorned neck, kamandalu in hand and contemplating on Aham Brahmasmi without break. Sree Narayana Guru, though he doesn’t invalidate this model says there is more to sanyasa than meets the eye.  One can’t, sanyasi included, stay aloof like an island in ocean.  

 

Om Soorya

Everybody seems to be having a single-point agenda, i.e., to amass and sustain what is dear to us. Needless to say, the interests/stakes of others are adversely affected by the process. A sanyasi cannot sit idle. He should be a kripalu , a selfless and infinitely compassionate  soul  and  his first priority is to give weightage  to others. He works out ways for others happiness thereby attaining his.   

“അപരസുഖം ആത്മസുഖം”.  Now he is experiencing the non-dual state by virtue of his karma.  Extrapolating this, one can reach at the core of adwaita.    “ എല്ലാവരും ആത്മസോദരർ “

Om Soorya

Everyone and everything is blood-related. Even an electron is not alien. In fact, adwaita is rooted in Love.  One who practices it can feel the pain as well as happiness    of others as that of his own.  One need not go to Himalayas to get the right ambiance.       One can do the nine-to-five grind and still practice adwaita.  Of course, the ultimate aim is self-realisation . The first step for that goal is to do some real good work for the benefit of others. Wherever there is a manifestation of divisive tendencies, one works towards its nullification by  applying the principles of adwaita pragmatically.  (It need not be entirely non-violent. Remember the famous advice of Narayana Guru to the volunteers of  Vaikkom Satyagraha . In contrast to that of Gandhiji, the advice of Guru was to force into the temple compound by jumping over the barricades). 

Om Soorya

Love, if confined to limits, can be counter-productive. You are treating some people as blood-relations and all others as aliens. People-Like –Us (PLU) Syndrome is the ideal body for the cancerous growth of hate.  One takes false pride in one’s caste, religion, language, nation etc. Everyone outside the PLU bracket is an enemy.  Hate might take a subtle form, might not be visible but it shows its ugly face from behind the veil. 

What does that mean?

The life and times of Millennium Men,  a failure?

We can’t say either ‘Yes’ or ‘No’. Surely, one can make a private heaven for himself / herself following their teachings. It may require a slight alteration as per the need of the hour.   However, the tragedy exists for all gurus who changed the course of history. 

Millennium Men don’t matter as history is written well in advance. 

The end-point of evolution is already projected.  Sri. Aurobindo defines evolution as an “Ascent in Consciousness”.  You and I are racing towards this goal.  We’ll all become  Super Humans  (Perfect Masters) in our own right. Just a matter of Time.  The retarders (negative elements in evolution) will be ejected out periodically. Prior to the ejection, it can be seen that the retarders reach its peak! We are living our (mundane) lives witnessing one such peak and that explains why we are at each other’s throat!

Now cheer up ! This can’t go on forever.  The cleansing starts just after the peak period.

All bad things must come to an end.

************

Acknowledgements

1.       “Maharshi Sree Narayana Guru “ by Dr.T.Bhaskaran

2.       “Sree Narayana Guru “ by Dr. Geetha Suraj

3.       “Guruvinte Dukham” by Dr. Sukumar Azheekode

4.       Sree Narayana Guru , Collected works with commentary  - Vol I, by Prof.G. Balakrishnan Nair

SOME GEMS - 7

On Environment

"മനുഷ്യരുടെ അത്യധികമായ ലോഭത്തെപ്പറ്റി അവരെ പറഞ്ഞു മനസ്സിലാക്കുന്നതു നന്നായിരിക്കും . ഈ വിഷയത്തിൽ മനുഷ്യ മൃഗം മറ്റെല്ലാ മൃഗങ്ങളേക്കാൾ മോശമാണെന്ന് തോന്നുന്നില്ലേ ? ഒടുങ്ങാത്ത ആവശ്യങ്ങൾ മനുഷ്യർക്കല്ലാതെ വേറൊരു മൃഗത്തിനുമില്ല".

People should be sensitized about outcome of greed and self-centeredness. The two-legged animal is the worst-affected. All other animals are far better.  They don’t have never-ending desires.

c.b. bahuleyan - untitled

"മനുഷ്യനറിഞ്ഞുകൂടാ അവനെന്താണ് ചെയ്യുന്നതെന്ന് ! അവൻറെ  ചെയ്തികളുടെ ദാരുണഫലം മനുഷ്യവർഗത്തെ മാത്രം ബാധിക്കുന്നതായിരുന്നെങ്കിൽ തരക്കേടില്ലായിരുന്നു .വനത്തിലെ വാനരന്മാര്ക്കും പക്ഷികൾക്കും മനുഷ്യൻ കാരണം സ്വൈരതയില്ലാതായിരിക്കുന്നു .മനുഷ്യൻ തനിക്കു വരുത്തിക്കൂട്ടുന്ന വംശ നാശത്തിൽ മറ്റുള്ള ജീവികളെക്കൂടി പെടുത്താതെ നിശ്ശേഷം നശിച്ചു വെണ്ണീറായിപ്പോയിരുന്നെങ്കിൽ മറ്റു ജീവികൾ അതൊരനുഗ്രഹമായി കരുതുമായിരുന്നു . അവർക്ക് അവരുടെ ജന്മാവകാശമായ ശാന്തി അനുഭവിക്കാമായിരുന്നല്ലോ."

Man can’t care less these days. If the after-effects of man-made disasters were limited to human-kind, it would have been justifiable. Unfortunately the birds and animals too get the loop. They are being denied their share of tranquility. If human-kind were to perish in the petty rat-race, it would have been a boon to other species. Then only they can experience ‘shanti’ which is their birth-right.

c.b. bahuleyan

"മനുഷ്യൻ ഭൂമുഖത്തെല്ലാം സംഹാരതാണ്ടവം ചെയ്തു നടക്കുന്നു. മരങ്ങളെല്ലാം വെട്ടി നശിപ്പിക്കുന്നു . പച്ച നിറഞ്ഞ പ്രകൃതിയെ വികൃതമാക്കി  ശൂന്യതയിലാഴ്ത്തുന്നു . വൃത്തികെട്ട പുകനിറഞ്ഞ പട്ടണങ്ങൾ മെനഞ്ഞു കൂട്ടുന്നു . ഭൂഗർഭത്തിലേക്ക് തുരന്നുകയറി ഈ ഗോളത്തിൻറെ  കെട്ടുറപ്പ് തകർത്തു കളയുന്നു .നോക്കുന്നിടത്തെല്ലാം കൽക്കരിയും ഇരുമ്പും തന്നെ . അവനൊരു വ്യവസ്ഥയുമില്ല."

Human-beings are on a destructive run. Trees are being felled. The greenery is mutilated day by day. Dirty, smoke-filled towns are coming up all over. The Earth is ravaged mercilessly and its cohesiveness is lost. Just look around, you can see coal and iron everywhere.  Man seems to have lost all self-restraint.

"രണ്ടു കാര്യമാണ് വലിയ പ്രയാസം . മലവും ശവവും .സകല ദിക്കിലും ദുർഗന്ധമേയുള്ളൂ . മനുഷ്യനുള്ള പ്രദേശമെല്ലാം മലമായിത്തീർന്നിരിക്കുന്നു.  ഇതിനൊരു മാർഗവും ഇല്ലേ ? നല്ല വളമാണ്.  പക്ഷേ , ദുർഗന്ധം സഹിക്കയില്ല . മൃഗങ്ങൾക്കുകൂടി ഇത്ര നാറ്റമില്ലല്ലോ . മനുഷ്യൻ വല്ലാത്ത ജീവിയാണ്."

It’s difficult to manage two things, sludge and waste.  The air is all stench. The human-habitat is more of a dumping ground. Is there a way-out? Even animals harbour a better sense. But humans are truly grotesque.

c.b. bahuleyan -seeds

"മനുഷ്യന്റെ നന്മയിൽ താൽപര്യമുണ്ടെന്ന് പറയുന്ന രാഷ്ട്രം ഒരു കുഷ്ടരോഗി ദുരിതം സഹിക്കാനാവാതെ മരിച്ചു കളയുവാൻ ശ്രമിച്ചാൽ അത് മനുഷ്യത്വത്തിന്റെ പേരിൽ തടയും .അതേ സമയം ഒരു മനുഷ്യ സമൂഹത്തെ ഒന്നായിത്തന്നെ തുലച്ചുകളയുവാൻ സമൂഹനന്മയുടെയോ മതത്തിന്റെയോ പേരിൽ തീരുമാനിക്കുകയും ചെയ്യും."

A country, said to be interested in the well-being of its citizens will stop a leper from committing suicide. Poor fellow is already fed up with the sufferings and decides to put an end. The authorities spring up on its feet and the leper is whisked away to prevent the act.  All in the name of humanity. Oddly enough, the same decision-makers will resolve in favour of annihilating people for the sake of religion or social justice.

************

some gems - 6

On Education

"വിദ്യാഭ്യാസം കൊണ്ട് സ്വതന്ത്രരാകുവിൻ"

Education is the stairway to Freedom.

A stepping stone on which one takes a giant leap to knowing. A tool for drilling through ignorance. Knowledge is the ultimate. Sree Narayana Guru doesn't use the word in the conventional sense. Knowledge is not the kind of stuff which can be imparted through teachers and classrooms. Neither is it transferable from a container to empty smaller vessels. Knowledge is about knowing oneself. Is it the same for all, the fundamentals of human character that make people happy? Is there a common denominator for deriving happiness? If you could find that through education, you’re brilliant! You realize that the difference between people does not really exist. You’re the same as the other. You start seeing everyone as your own reflection. You become bold. Fear has already been vanished.

Leon K L, - embryonic - soft pastel on paper -2010

Unfortunately, nobody is worried about the higher purpose of education and it has been reduced to a mere certification for bread-winning. One is uploaded with chunks of outdated knowledge to become job-worthy It gets you an address and nothing more! Peace and happiness are still out of bounds! If this is the case, where is the difference between educated and uneducated? Faced with a crisis, both are jittery. The information mugged up for exams doesn’t come for one’s rescue. One becomes desperate end up as an alcoholic or put a full-stop in suicide.

Leon K L -  Trans location - 2009

 When one uses education for attaining freedom, one starts processing knowledge on one’s own. The knowledge acquired from various sources – science, history, music, literature, visual arts, travel etc. – are processed to sift the chaff from the kernel. One gets a pretty good idea of what’s real and what’s not.

Such a person will have a smooth sail through life. Just no one can take his/her freedom away!

The ungraspable phantom of life has been tamed.

Leon K L - Earthbound - 2010

 "വിദ്യാവിദ്യകൾ രണ്ടും

കണ്ടറിഞ്ഞവർ വിദ്യയാൽ

മൃത്യുവെത്തരണം ചെയ്തു

വിദ്യയാലമൃതാർന്നിടും"

SOME GEMS - 5

The Right Attitude

You’re polite. You’re soft-spoken. You have an “I’m OK you’re OK” mind-set. You’re happy with the copper you're earning. Power doesn’t make you arrogant. When you wield it, you utter the mantra “ഇദം ന മമ :” (this too is not mine). The success that follows doesn’t go to your head either.You’re thankful to your household god for all those blessings showered.

Is this the Right Attitude?

No. The Right Attitude is ‘letting it go’. Whenever you’re in doubt whether to keep it or leave it, always let it go. 

Become a loser, happily.

sathyanand mohan - "F for sale" -abecedaire series-2012 -photograph

Sree Narayana Guru says

ത്യാഗം എല്ലാ മനുഷ്യർക്കും ആവശ്യമാണ് . വിദ്യാലയങ്ങളിൽ കുട്ടികളെക്കൂടി ത്യാഗം പഠിപ്പിക്കണം 

(Practice selflessness. Even the kids need be sensitized about it. Let it be taught in schools.)

This doesn’t mean one has to shy away from comforts and lead the life of an ascetic.

sathyanand mohan - "Y - you know why?" -print on archival paper -2012

" ത്യാഗബുദ്ധിയോടുകൂടി കർമം ചെയ്യണം . പണം സമ്പാദിക്കാനും വിരോധമില്ല . എല്ലാം ചെയ്യാം . പക്ഷേ ത്യാഗബുദ്ധിയോടുകൂടി ചെയ്യണം ."

"അപ്പോൾ കർമവും ശരിയാവും .ധൈര്യം ഉണ്ടാവും . മരിക്കുവാൻ കൂടി ഭയമുണ്ടാവില്ല  ."

(Nobody is against making wealth. However it should be done with a selfless bent of mind. Never be driven by greed. The selfless seal should prevail in all your activities. And you become bold. 

Fear withers away.  Death no longer scares you.

sathyanand mohan - "Q for Death" - abecedaire series - 2012 -print on archival paper

With this kind of attitude, your actions are bound to be right.)

 ത്യാഗിക ൾക്ക് മരണത്തെ ഒരു ഭയവുമില്ല .അവരാണ് ശരിയായ മനുഷ്യർ . ധൈര്യവും ത്യാഗവും ഉള്ളവർ ഇറങ്ങി പ്രവർത്തിക്കണം

ആളുകളുടെ ദുരിതം ഇല്ലാതാക്കുകയാണ് നമ്മുടെ ലക്ഷ്യം .മനുഷ്യനെ സേവിക്കുന്നതിലൂടെ മാത്രമേ ഈശ്വരനെ പൂജിക്കാൻ കഴിയൂ .

(Such people should take up the lead and work for the betterment of human-kind. Manavaseva is nothing but Madhavaseva. One cannot offer pooja to god without doing service to one’s fellow-beings. Our objective is to eradicate human misery. )

 നരനും നരനും തമ്മിൽ സാഹോദര്യമുദിക്കണം .അതിനു വി ഘ്നമായിട്ടുള്ളതെല്ലാം ഇല്ലാതെയാകണം

(One’s sincerity does matter,for the changes to happen. Brotherhood between Man and Man. Everything running against it should come to naught.)

മനുഷ്യരെ സ്നേഹിക്കുന്നത് കള്ളുകുടിയന്മാർ മത്സ്യം കൂട്ടുന്നത്‌ മാതിരിയായിരിക്കണം . അവർ ആദ്യം തന്നെ മത്സ്യത്തിന്റെ മാംസമുള്ള ഭാഗം കഴിക്കും .അതവസാനിച്ചാൽ എല്ലും മുള്ളും ചവയ്ക്കുവാൻ തുടങ്ങും അതുകഴിഞ്ഞാൽ തല മുതലായി  

അതുപോലെതന്നെ സജ്ജനങ്ങളെ സ്നേഹിക്കേണ്ടത് ആവശ്യം തന്നെ.  പക്ഷേ കാലക്രമം കൊണ്ട് മറ്റുള്ളവരെയും സ്നേഹിക്കണം .ഒരാളെയും തീരെ ഉപേക്ഷിച്ചു വിടരുത്

 

(See the way drunkards eat fish. They consume the fleshy parts first. Afterwards they take up soft bones.  Evenif there isn’t anything left after the flesh and soft-bones, the drunkards eat up the head as the final take!  Likewise when you serve people, serve the good people first who are in dire straits, then you serve others who need love, and nobody, even the worst should be left out.)

 അറിവുള്ളവർ ഉപദ്രവിക്കാനോ ദുഷിക്കാനോ ഒരുങ്ങുകയില്ല . അറിവില്ലാത്തവരോട് നാം അനുകമ്പ യോടുകൂടി പെരുമാറണം .നാം പകരം ദ്വേഷിക്കരുതു

(There will be resistance to your actions. Wise ones will never put spokes on your wheel but the less knowledgeable ones do. You should never retaliate in the same coin. Hate them never. Have some consideration instead.)

Z for....(you can fill up) 

 ക്രിസ്തുവിനെപ്പോലെ ക്ഷമിക്കണം എതിരുകാരുടെ അറിവുകേടിനു മാപ്പ് നല്കുവാൻ ഒരിക്കലും മടി കാണിക്കരുത്

(People who are against you may not be in the know of things. They are ignorant .You must bear it like Jesus Christ. Forgive them.)