Why me syndrome

I have a great neighbour. She is full of cheer and whenever she visits home, a large part of the time we spend together is spent in loud guffaws. This happens every time. She is so gifted with the wit of humour.

Last time  I walked past her place, I saw her mockingly shouting at the gardener. One of her favourite plants had died. Stepping in, I realised that the gardner was requesting a ticket to go back home for his leave, (wrong time to ask?).

Upset that her plant had died - ,

she said  'ticket, yes, but straight to jahannam, A380 first class'.

The poor guy undersood jahannam as the name of a place.and recognised that it was not near his home-city, so he insisted, 'Karachi madam, that is near my place'.

She said ' no, tciket to Jahannam'.

The altercation continued a bit longer, and then she burst into a peal of laughter ..she laughed so hard that a cat that was sitting on the compund wall jumped and ran away. We joined the laughter as well ...(BTW, Jahannam means Hell in Arabic)

Being pious and with a good heart, she invited in close friends before going for Haj recently. She said she would pray for all of us. It was amazing as she addressed each one of us with whatever knowledge she had about our big and smalll problems.She said she would pray for an aunts health, a neighbours marriage, Visagan's exams, another uncle's promotions etc.. etc... I could see that she meant it ....such noble thoughts I thought. Suddenly she pointed to a common friend and said, ' I will not pray for you'.

There was a stunned silence and as we looked at this friend who was pretty embarrased, she continued after a pause .. 'for a second wife!!!'.   She then burst out in a roar of laughter. The friend and the rest of us burst out laughing too ... It was like the ringing of bells, It looked that the roof would come down that day, due to the innumerable number of laughters.

Last week, she dropped in and was not her usual self. It was not easy to see the person with such positivity, sulk and be solemn. What was bothering her?

She said that her mother was diagnosed with cancer.

I was incapable of consoling her - her question "Why me" kept bothering me for a long time.

I have heard this before from a few people - 'Why me?, and why is that corrupt politician (or such reference to a person who is seen as willfully harming others and committing sins) enjoying life?

The next serious question, ' if the person who is sinning seems to be reaping all the luck and good fate', why should I continue on the path of righteousness?

So I searched a whole lot of literature, the upanishads and other such ancient scripturs and tried to recollect if there was a simple answer to these complicated questions. I walked through the realms of notes that  had been collected over more than 2 to 3 years to get a succint answer.

Firstly the answer does not start and end with one lifetime.

Reference to kural 339,

Urangu vadhupoalum saakkaadu

Urangi Vilippadhu poalum pirappu

 

This kural is more special as it was referenced by Mahatma Gandhi. Just to give a background on how Gandhiji was greatly influenced by Thirukural here:

Gandhi got introduced to the Thirukural by Leo Tolstoy (irony!) in a letter called 'A Letter to the Hindu' in 1908, which Gandhi published it in his newspaper in South Africa.

Coming back to his home country, Gandhi has made several references to Thirukural at several occasions. In his journal called 'Harijan' in1935 he wrote an article about the 'Tamil Holy Book', and called Thirukural -the sixth veda and the Tamil veda. He had quoted the above Kural in his article. It is not very difficult to see that the injunctions prescribed by Valluvar was practiced by Gandhiji - indicating that Thirukkural is not just utopian ideals but a practical proposition.

 

This kural means:

'Death is like unto sleep and life is like the waking after that sleep'

Two comparisons come to mind - Wordsworth's 'Death is but a sleep and forgetting' and Shakespeare's 

'We are such stuff
As dreams are made on, and our little life
Is rounded with a sleep'

The impermanence and the transitory nature of life is generally known to all of us, but the 'waking after that sleep' bit needs a bit more attention. 

My struggle is to spell out in simple terms and make it understandable  ...

Most of our literature talks about the Atma or the Soul existing beyond the perishable body.

nainam chindanti śastrāni
nainam dahati pāvakah
na cainamm kledayanty āpo
na śosayati mārutah. Anyone further interested please refer to Gita chapter 2, versse 23.

When the Atma (soul) does the 'waking after the sleep' bit - factors such as where (at a palace or on the roadside), to what kind of parents, diseased or healthy, wise or deformed etc. etc. are based what is called "Sanchita Karma".

Sanchita Karma is the accumulation of sins and virtues across lifetimes.

In one literature called Hamsa Geetha, it is explained very clearly that the root cause for happiness or suffereing is one's own action (Karma).

Agnanam (Ignorance) causes Raga Dwesham (likes and dis-likes).

Due to Raga Dwesham one does Karma (Action).

Karma results in Paavam Punyam (sin or virtue).

Pavam Punyam causes Sukam- Dhukam (Happiness-Suffering).

This is the cycle - happiness-sufferings will cause more Agnanam -> Raga Dwesham -> Karma ->Pavam-Punyam->Sukam-Dhukam so on and so forth.

The "secret" seems to be to understand that we are not the 'perishable body' and secondly, understand that the whole life is illusory and hence try our best not to get embroiled into the cycle. In other words - beat the 'Agnanam or Ignoramce'.

It is very categorically stated that if a person is experiencing happiness (even though the person is corrupt or committing sins at present) - it is due to his/her past good virtue only.  The reverse is also true.

So this at least answers one question -

Now the second part of the question - on timelines.

Why does goodness take so long to be rewarded or sins so long to be punished?

There is a huge explanation about another concept called "Agami Karma" on this - this will take long to explain - just to  briefly state-  The literature states - Yes it would take time to be compensated - but will be definitely be compensated and that the Sanchita Karma would be calibrated every time  a person wakes up after the big sleep (death) - refer back to 'Death is like unto sleep and life is like the waking after that sleep'.

So it would be very Stupid to move away from Dharma or the path of righteousness - as this will result in more sufferings only (answer to the third question).

I end with a small simple maxim from Kabir Das - which I read in school. He is one of my favourite poets - A simple saint poet -

Maati kahe kumhar se, tu kya rondhe mohe

Ek din aisa aayega, mein rondhugi tohe

Maati means mud/Earth - Kumhar is a potter. 

The earth says to the potter, “why are you treading on me”

One day will come when I will trample you.

Adieu, until we meet again.

'I can' is better than I.Q

We were getting late for Visagan's classes and I was pulling the car out of the garage. Realising I was spitting feathers I said, 'Visagan, please can you me get a glass of water'.
The next minute I was offered a a huge glass of water. However, I had to exercise a few acrobatic skills to avoid spillage, as the glass was filled up to the brim. Believe me or not, not another drop could have made it into the glass.

Amizhdhinum Aatra Inidhedham Makkal
Sirukai Alaaviya Koozh

The above kural means - The rice in which the little hand of their children has dabbled will be far sweeter (to the parent) than ambrosia. Water was indeed Ambrosia at that point of time, As I gulped it down, I remembered the 10 beautiful kurals related to Children, about which I will catch up some other day.  Today's topic is about Hard Work and Perseverance.

'Don't you know mama likes only small servings', I asked.

There was silence for around 2 mins, so he must have thought and then chose to reply, 'How is that then, that you do not like small marks (in exams)?'

After a minute of silence came another remark , 'you know xxx (name told) has an I.Q of 167, he has the highest I.Q in the class'.

It was slowly dawning upon me that the exams fever was catching up at home, although a bit earlier than usual.

'I can' is better than I.Q, .... Son ....

How can the Thirukural, the book of Ethics for the ordinary man and for administrators not talk about hard work. This great epic, often called "Ulaga Podhu Marai (common knowledge for the world) has 3 chapters, dedicated to the topic, namely - Possession of industriousness, Avoidance of laziness and Perseverance.

Oozhaiyum Uppakkam Kaanpar Ulaivindrith
Thaazhaadhu Ugnatru Pavar

"Oozh" means fate or destiny in ancient Tamil. Many people say that fate can't be defeated. But this Kural says, one who strives with undismayed and unfaltering mind will leave the opposing fate defeated.

They who are industrious and persevere, without fear and without fainting from goals, will see fate put behind their back while they race ahead.

Theyvaththaan Aakaa Theninum Muyarsidhan
Meyvaruththak Kooli Tharum            

 This kural glorifies "Muyarchi" or  labour probably even to a higher degree. Theyvam means Divinity.

Even if Divinity cannot make it possible, though destiny decrees one's deeds will fail, the reward for deeds will surely be paid.

I cant help but draw parallel to the great Bhagwad Gita here, one of the key messages of which is as below -

Do your duty in life ¾ to the best of your ability ¾  without any regard for the enjoyment of the fruits of your work.  Fear of failure, caused by being emotionally attached to the fruits of work, is the greatest impediment to success be­cause it robs efficiency by constantly disturbing equanimity of mind.
Hard work will yield its reward, without fail.

Here's another kural on the same topic.

Muyarsi Thiruvinai Aakkum Muyatrinmai
Inmai Pukuththi Vitum
This simply means ¾ Perseverance will produce wealth; idleness will bring poverty.

And to end with another kural (it is always so difficult to choose....between these pearls of wisdom, however, I need to - to avoid the risk of writing too long .....)

Netuneer Maravi Matidhuyil Naankum Ketuneeraar Kaamak Kalan

Procrastination, forgetfulness, idleness, and sleep, these four things, form the vessel which is sailed by those destined to destruction.

Vazhgha Tamil, Vazhga ThiruKural

Bye

Sattva Rajas and Tamas

A call from an Aunt back home got me thinking about FDI. It is good that the calls now-a-days revolves around national and international affairs ranging from Mitt Romney's chances to the latest buzz on foreign direct investment in India. It is really a relief as it takes the focus out of the usual tittle-tattle on second cousins and the whinging about fourth uncles. Her narration was a clear indication that the neighbouring grocer had excellent influencing skills, she believed that FDI would instigate another colonial rule and that our future generation would be undertaking freedom struggles like our forefathers.

After the call ended, I recollected about  my previous visit to her place. During my short visit there, she had a visitor, who was the pharmacist from a nearby shop. He had come to hand deliver her medicines at home. The conversation that followed was something as below:

"Madam, your BP medicine would get over in the next 7 days, here is your repeat medicine"

She replied, "I know, just wanted to check if you would forget. Another medical shop  (name was mentioned) has offered to come home and give me periodic checks on Sugar and BP, as well as deliver as per my schedule. So was really giving you a chance"

"We will be rolling out similar service to our customers as well Madam, we will give you the best offer and will never slip a schedule" said the pharmacist.

"Good, you better do that", was the reply.

Out of curiosity I asked him about how he managed to maintain the periodicity of delivery of his many customers.  He showed me his smart phone which had an app that maintained his customer details and provided him the needed alerts. My Aunt's for example was set up with details for a repeat cycle of 2 months. Wow impressive, the gadgets have indeed started reaching grassroots and are adding value.

Now thinking about FDI, I wondered, if she will be able to demand this service or boss around with Carrefour when it comes around in her vicinity.

Again I also wondered if people like her would change their lifestyle from buying fresh vegetables and milk on a daily basis, being delivered at their doorsteps to travelling distances to stock for days. The vegetable and flower vendors who come home daily for example have been doing this for the past 30 years - every single day they deliver garden fresh greens, spinach, tomatoes, bananas, etc. So the impact on her or anyone belonging to her market segment should be minimal, unless the MNCs have localisation strategies (that indeed they are so good at) to capture all market segments.

Anyhow the poor lady was petrified on the phone over FDI, not impressed by the benefits this may bring to the country and it's promise to steer growth back on track. Out of the many concerns raised, one stood out and is the theme of my blog today. She said that the people of this great country would turn "Tamasic"  due to the dumping of Tamas food that people may adopt to in course of time.

Food has a great bearing on our nature (Guna), according to our scriptures.

Called as the Three Gunas, these determine the quality of thoughts, emotions and actions in a person.

These effectively are binding forces of the higher oneself to the worldly matters (if this is difficult to understand, - leave it for now). 

It is said that each human being has all the three gunas - at at any state - one of the gunas will be in a predominating state.

Sattva guna is associated with clarity, awareness, presence of mind, learning ability, friendliness, joy, happiness, knowledge. Harmony, peace, truth and love are all sattvic qualities.

When Sattva guna dominates, we tend to be happy, humble, content and not easily prone to anger. Our mind remians alert and  perceptions are clear. We are creative, with a learning intent, inspiring and pleasant.

Rajasa guna is associated with activity, restlessness, desire, sadness and when this nature dominates and depending upon the amount of domination (and the suppression of the other 2 gunas) results in secondary level of symptoms such as aggression, fear, anxiety, pride, jeaslously, anger. It is said that most of us predominately have Rajas as the dominating state and hence tend to value and chase power, prestige, success and material pleasure.

Tamo guna or Tamas is associated with laziness, dullness, physical sluggishness, ignorance, disorientation and confusion . When Tamasa guna dominates, we tend to have a dull mind, would like to sleep or stay inert, lazy and depressed.

It ia told that we should try to develop Sattva guna over the other gunas. And finally go beyond the three gunas and get liberated (if this is difficult to understand at this stage, - leave it for now).

Let us look at the first objective only which is to increase Sattva guna. According to the scriptures there are several factors that can be followed to achieve this objective. For example, having clarity and peace through meditation, doing service and having appropriate/limited amount of Sattvic food.

Here we will look at the food factor only. In my subsequent blogs we will explore other factors one by one.

Connection between the food we eat and the Nature or Gunas is given below:

1) Sattvic food that promotes Sattva guna is usually soft and easy to digest, it nourishes body and mind. examples are: fresh food (should not be refrigerated), most of the fresh vegetables, fresh fruits, milk, grains, nuts, lentils, rice, wheat etc. Such food promote calmness and clarity in mind.

2) Rajasic food that promotes Rajasa guna increases the activity levels of the mind and body. If consumed in excess they would cause an imbalance of Gunas leading to aggression and emotions. Examples of rajasic food are: onions, garlic, peppers, tomatoes, radishes,  chillies, corn, spices, eggs, fish etc.

3) Tamasic food causes heaviness and sleepiness in the body and mind. Food such as meat, mushrooms, deep fried food, excessive oily food, fermented food, refrigerated/ frozen food, cheese, aged food is supposed to cause mental dullness, confusion, disorientation, physical lethargy and sluggishness. Alcohol and drugs also belong to this category.Tamasic food also act as catalysts to rajasa nature as they impede clear thinking.

Now I get connection from my Aunt's message and also see her overwhelming love and forethought towards future humanity.

Adieu

Self Awareness

Visagan completed a project recently related to Attitude. Being a grade 12 psychology student, his analysis on emotional intelligence based on Daniel Goleman's thoery taught me a few bare truths. At the corporate world, people with high IQ and high technical skills have failed when promoted to "real leadership" positions. Whilst real leadership is also a debatable topic, let us for simplicity purposes say positions whose success is not based on historical learning’s, incisive/analytical acumen and smart ideas. These are the People who succeed based on original thoughts - though the intention of this blog is not to replicate Goleman's theory (you can well read about it widely in public domain), what is interesting is that technical skills (IT, accounting, marketing etc. etc.) and cognitive skills (analytical, big-picture thinking, visioning etc. etc.) are not sufficient for success at leadership positions. These are without a single doubt, ingredients for excellent performance - but what is needed for true success is emotional intelligence (self awareness and self regulation, motivation, empathy and social skills)

Thiruvalluvar's chapter "To identify and avoid one's faults"  is a wealth of wisdom on Self awareness. The following Kural is quite famous and I have seen this used in the family very often.

Varumunnark kaavaadhaan vaalkkai erimunnar
Vaithaaru poalak kedum

The good fortune of a man who does not anticiapate and guard himself against upcoming untoward developments, is as vulnerable as a haystack kept before an advancing fire.

A stack of dry straw has no chance of survival in front of a steadily rising wind of fire. Like wise, a man who does not identify his weaknesses (a part of self-awareness) and who does not take action to protect himself against the consequence of weakness (such as unforeseen developments) will have the untoward happenings overtake him, which means he will not be successful in achieving in goals. Thiruvalluvar's style is to be curt and direct, in his words "such a person’s life will be surely ruined".

For a leader, lack of foresight and lack of rightful forethought will not only affect him personally, but also all under his administration (his people or department).

Let’s contemplate for a minute here, are we doing more of - Fire-fighting problems that have happened due to lack of preparedness? or Identifying and preparing towards untoward developments?

Lets us look at another Kural - this is about understanding others (Empathy is one of the pillars of emotional intelligence)

Nanraatra lullum thavarundu avaravar
Panparindhu aatraak kadai

If the nature and needs of beneficiaries concerned are not taken into account,
Even in doing good, one may fall into error

Even when our intentions to do good are pure, the effects may not be correctly realised if we do not consider the unique nature of the recipients

Thiruvalluvar propounds directly modern management theory here.

We tend to do things based on "It worked very well there, so it should work here". We tend to make decisions on what "we" consider is good for people, take a top down approach and thrust it down on people. Only when these decisions do not get accepted, do we start realising the "other side" and look at the reasons for failure with surprise. Meanwhile, substantial amount of effort, money and time is lost that could have been well avoided.

Thiruvalluvar's sound advice is applicable to administrators for public service as much as it is for the C-level corporate leadership.

In every step taken in doing good things for people, there are 4 dimensions - the need (what), timeliness (when),  place (where) and last but not the least the important dimension of "Acceptance" should also be satisfied. This will happen only if we "understand and empathise" the needs of people and tailor make our proposals to suit their acceptances. Only if we spend time and effort understanding people's emotional makeup and make appropriate decisions, the effectiveness of the intentions will be met.

This is a modern management concept, but I'm very surprised at the ease with which Thiruvalluvar has propounded it. I seem to be continuously awestruck by the depth and the applicability to modernity of these verses, a few more will be shared in my next blog.

Regards

Take time to Make time & money

People who have been reading my previous blogs may get a bit surprised by this Title. We spoke about little and subtle things in life, about virtue and happiness, and materilaism (to that effect making money) probably had some discouragement even. This post is probably due the effect of the holidays!

Kidding aside, in my last blog, I wanted to explore Thiruvallur's take on Forethought. Here it comes, Thiruvalluvar's take on "Proper planning" - and its importance before emabarking on executing a mission.

These days, due to the rapidly changing business environment and hyper competition, we are often pressurised to deliver faster and beat others at the market place, adapt and take advantage. With this becoming an increasing trend and is as much required, many times we do not meet with success in our endeavours. Why is that we feel that there is always something that is undone?

One of the reasons probably we have forgotten the old adage “well planned is half done.” What we often fail to see is that planning is part of the work to be accomplished. "No time to plan, we need to deliver!,” or “Things change too much to plan!” or "Too small, planning is an overkill!" are some very common comments heard these days.

The take of Thiruvallur is that Planning is an integral part of success. This is Kural 468 from his 47th chapter dedicated to Right Forethought.

Aatrin varundhaa varutham palarninru
Poatrinum poathup padum

A work done, not based on thorough planning will fail even if supported by large numbers

The energy and effort spent on action, without adequate prior planning, will not produce the desired results, even if a large man-power is deployed in the field during the implementation.

Without a well thought-out plan of action, no venture will succeed, even if supported by considerable strength deployed all round, in quality and quantity.

Heuristically it is stated that for every 1 minute spent on planning, 10 minutes of execution time gets saved. In this busy, hustle-bustle age, time is luxury and saving time leads to making money!

Planning helps in the clarification of goals, assigning roles and responsibilities, estimating work and duration to accomplish the work successfully. More importantly it helps identify and prepare for risks, gives us a reality check;  to state briefy Planing will help us avoid cut a sorry picture in the future.

Benjamin Franklin, one of the greatest statesmen and inventor said,

"By failing to prepare you are preparing to fail"

Abraham Lincoln reportedly once said, “If I had 60 minutes to cut down a tree, I would spend 40 minutes sharpening the axe and 20 minutes cutting it down.”

Another similar story from Dale Carnegie, Two men were out chopping wood. One man worked hard all day, took no breaks, and only stopped briefly for lunch. The other chopper took several breaks during the day and even a short nap at lunch. At the end of the day, the woodman who had taken no breaks was quite disturbed to see that the other chopper had cut more wood than he had. He said, “I don’t understand. Every time I looked around, you were sitting down, yet you cut more wood than I did.” His companion asked, “Did you also notice that while I was sitting down, I was sharpening my axe?”

Planning is as much applicable to professional lives as it is for personal lives. if you have time go through Stephen Covey's "Sharpen your Saw" and "Begin with the end in mind", where you can see the effect of planning on developing oneself, on both fronts.

Cheers until we meet next.

Virtue of Virtues

Today we will again look at Thirukural, which is the ethical treatise belonging to Tamil classical literature.

Interesting I came across two absolutes inThirukkural.

Kural 297

Poiyaamai poiyaamai aatrin arampira

seiaamai seiaamai nanru

For a person who always speaks the truth, there is no need at all for other virtues, he need not seek other virtues.

There are 380 verses on Virtue itself, through which Thiruvallur has explored so many facets of  Virtue:  Possession of self control, Virtuous Conduct , Forbearance, Avoidance of Envy, Avoidance of Covetousness, Avoidance of Backbiting, Non-asperion, Avoidance of Pointless Speech, Avoidance of Anger, Truth, Giving, Dreading evil deeds eic. etc.

As I read and try to understand the meaning of these verses, I am totally awestruck by the depth of wisdom encapsulated in each verse.

The above verse seemed to have a slight slant of comparison and makes you wonder if there was anything called "Virtue of Virtue" then would that be Truth?

Not that Thiruvalluvar would want us to weigh or choose between Virtues, this verse is indicative of the supremacy of Truth, and all other virtue will follow this quality automatically.

The repetition of the word "Poiyaamai" is intended to bring out the invariability of truthfulness, while the second repetition of "Seiaamai" is indicative of the certainty involved.

Let's see Kural 165, so is there a mother of all Vices?

Alukkaru utaiyarkku atucalum onnar
Valukkiyum ketin patu

Envy is the producer of All Evil;  A man's own envy is foe enough to forge his ruin, Even though he has no other enemies.

Thiruvallur says if a person feels jealousy of envy, this feeling will pave the way for all other evil qualities such as anger, hatred and greed that will eventually ruin him.
Envy makes a man lose happiness without having a single enemy in the outer world. It makes for poverty amidst wealth and misery amidst joy.

It makes you think how true !

Next week I am going to write about "Forethought" some brilliant analysis on Planning, Plan of Action and Decision Making by Thiruvallur. When I read these Kurals, I wondered if the modern maagement techniques propounded by Gurus such as Peter Drucker and Herbert Simon, had a few thoughts borrowed from this great saint who lived more than two millenniums ago, or again the fact that great truths remain to be discovered again across periods of time.

Wait for the next blog!

Adieu

Why are things so beautiful?

Earlier this week a colleague who went to Srilanka for deep sea diving, met me at my desk. He was so ecstatic about the deep sea creatures that were spotted during the dive, that he explained about them vividly for more than 20 mins. I listenened with awe about the yellow fishes with blue spots, the perfect orange stripes on silver fish, the purple anemones, the beautiful sea horses, etc. etc. I then asked him simply "Why do you think these creatures are so beautiful ?' He possibly thought that I didn't believe him.

But I was serious- Why are these creatures so beautiful ? that too at such depths in the sea.  Perfect strokes of artwork done in absolute leisure. Being a science student who represented Darwin's theories of evolution in school, this bugged me for a while - if 'beneficial mutation' prevailed - then these creatures would benefit from mulitple eyes, stronger gills and massive fins that would make them even more fitter for survival - but the need for the embossing of flawless, picture perfect, geometrically unblemished, pieces of art in multitude of colours?

Another unanswered question ....

We already have an unanswered question from my previous blog. Let's explore that one first...
This is not going to be easy and probably translating thoughts into meaningful communication without sounding cliched is going to take probably several blogs.

I was reading Mahatma Gandhi's quotes and felt one of them somewhat related to  the answer. We know him as an epitome of non-violence, and his life and works are taken up by scholars worldwide, however he was greatly influenced and intrigued by self - realisation and appeared to be guided by it.

quote
‘The reason why I let myself be totally absorbed in serving the community, was my wish for self realisation. … I felt God could only be reached through service. And service was for me to serve India, because I had the talent for it, and it came to me without me taking the initiative.’


‘What I wanted to achieve, what I have striven for and sought after these thirty years, is self realisation, ...... I live and act for this goal. Everything I do, through what I say and write, and my efforts in politics, is aimed at the same goal.’


‘People say I am a saint who has lost himself in politics. But in reality I am a politician who does my utmost to be a saint.’
unquote

Gandhi also commited to lead a simple life as probably he realised the unworthiness and emptiness of wordly matters - the riches, pleasure from the flamboyant posh villas,  bombastic parties, luxury cars etc.etc. etc. how much, how long and to what extent can these things bring in happiness?

So "what is this Service to Others" that Gandhi mentions? Is the Answer to our ubiquitous Question having a pointer here?

The context can be personalised - Ofcourse for the Mahatma it was the nation -
Each one of us can start somewhere isn't it - within our surroundings - our neighbours, our office colleagues, our train/ bus mates, friends... there are so many people we touch around us everyday in our day to day lives.
Let's try - Maybe we are going to feel much better and more satisfied....


Looking a Tamil literature again

Unnuvadu oru Naazi, Udupadho Naangu Mozam
Ennuvadho 80 Kodi

It is enough for a Man to eat once a day, wear 4 yards of cloth, but the Mind thinks of 80 crores (800 million) matters....

Ennadha Ennam Ellam Enni Enni Yezhai Manam
Punagi ponathu Porum Paraparamay

There is another classic tamil saying - The Mind thinks and chatters away to glory - it thinks about so many different things,  that it finally ends up becoming a huge raw wound - enough ! enough ! says the great poet Thaimaaanavar.


These fishes are really beautiful .. aren't they? Mike I was listening  .....

Cheers

What difference can I make?

There is a small song in Tamil that is seriously quite very funny ..... it has been adapted in movies recently and hence has become quite popular.

I'm not sure if its real meaning is popular though.

Nandavanthil Oru Aandhi Avan

Naalaaru maathamai Kuyanvanai Vendi

Kondu Vandha Oru Thondi

Adhai Koothadi Koothandi Pottudaithaandi

The outer (literal) meaning is regaled with humour - it means a poor man in a garden begged for a pot for ten months from a potter. After he managed to get the pot, he did not care about it, he did not use it's worth,  he played and danced so much with it that he utlimately broke it !

However there is an indepth meaning hidden behind the humourous disposition. It is about "Wasting life" or not putting life to its real use.

Lets decipher the song again with a slightly serious slant -

Nandavanam (or the garden) here means the Earth and Aandi refers to a person. As a person is born with nothing he is referred to being a "poor man". He comes into existence after a period of ten months (refer to Naalaru maathamain means 4+6 months). The point here is that human life is not easy to obtain  - the poet says it comes only after begging the potter (the Creator). The pot (life) can be used usefully or can be wasted away/ broken.

It is said that human existence is one of the best forms of existence, when compared to other existence forms (plants, trees, insects, animals - recall all the kingdoms / phylums that we studied in biology) - science and philiosophy both agree on one point here  - that - humans are the most advanced forms of existence.

Having obtained such an existence, what difference can we make?

There is this story about Alexander the Great,  Alexander seeked to reach and win the "ends of  the world and the Great outer sea", At one stage his kingdom spread from the Adriatic sea to the Indus river. He invaded as far as parts of India and it is said that he was one of the greater amasser of wealth. However illness struck him quite early in age and he could not execute further planned invasions. It is told that he realised the futility of all his conquests and his fame, when death seemed inevitable. He told his General that he wanted his coffin to be made in such a way that his hands would extend outside the coffin, and he should be carried with his palms outstretched. This, was to show the world, that he, Alexander, who had conquered many lands, but when his life ended, took away nothing with him. We come with nothing into this world, and so will we leave.

So if it is not fame or fortune that will matter, & life's impermanence is reaslised,  what are we worth at the end of it all?

I would like to finish with the following sentence that we can ponder upon:

"Kaadharantha Uusium Vaardhu Kaan" -  by another great Tamil saint Thaimaanavar,

"Even a needle whose eye is broken will not accompany you".

 

 Great are the people who emphasise great meaning in a humourous context.

I finish this blog, with unanswered questions asked -  lets reflect until we meet again.

Ciao

Return Great good for evil

Innasey thaarai oruthal avarnaana
Nanmayam seydu vidal - Kural 314

 is one of my personal favourites, and hence is quoted out of turn here

Let us again see the ubiquotous nature of all great teachings.

The above means
The best punishment for those who do evil to you, is to return great good for the evil, the goodness being to an extent that their heads will hang in shame.

The expression about "putting to shame" is not with an intention to disgrace the person/s, but rather it is about awakening the positivity and goodness based on "Kallukul eeram" - even a rock will have moisture in its depth. This will not be possible by vengeful act.

This reminds us of  Lao Tse, the great sage of China who coined the famous phrase 'Requite injury with kindness'.

Another parallel that probably most of are aware is from the Bible,

'Whoever strikes thee on the right cheek,
turn to him the other also.'

Isn't is strange that the messages are so common, yet the following of it is so uncommon?

This Kural is complete in all sense - even the last word 'vidal' is apt and complete. 'vidal' means 'leave it or let it go' with a sense of ultimatum. This means once you do your act (of goodness) do not dwell upon it - move forward.
How relevant is this, as we are all reluctant of let go the past and focus on the future.

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Let us come back to our topic of discussion  - communication.

Such is the greatness of this treatise EPIC that it's application is on a broad spectrum of life (be it the inner most core of values or be it about sensible tips that can be applied to one's daily life script for everyday mudane matters). The theme stays the same - to understand and master one's self.

The necessity of eloquence was emphasised in my previous blog.

Kurals 713, 718, 719  and 720 are in the form of advice to the speaker - your subject of  speech should be well researched and equally important is to know the nature of the court of assembly (audience).

Avaiariyar Sollalmer Kolbhavar Sollin
Vagaiariyaar valladoovum il

Those who undertake to speak without knowing the nature and the intellectual capacity of the audience, and tend to use the same quality of words at each audience (without tailoring to each audience) cannot achieve much out of the meeting or elsewhere.

Unarvadu udaiyaarnum Sollal Valarvadan
Paathiyul Neersorintha thatru

"To speak before a learned audience is like sprinkling water on a well prepared patch of growing grain" is the literal meaning.  This directly references the discussions and the great ideas that spin off in a meeting of minds. A great meeting benefits the speaker as well through the quality of discussions that arise from the audience, resulting in an enriching experience to both parties.

Pulavaiyul Porchandum Sollarkka Nalavaiyul
Nangu Sela Solluvaar

This is an interesting observation. Those who are knowledgeable and have the capacity to speak persuasively and put forth good ideas in an assembly of learned men, should not speak in an assembly of fools even by oversight. Here fools refers to belligerant, unlearned or half learned people who refuse to listen. Trying to speak to men who are unintelligent yet not willing to listen is a waste of effort and time, hence avoid it.


Ankana thulukka amuzhaatral thankanathaar
allarmun khoti kolal

The same sentiments are expressed in the next kural as well - well learned men who speak in detail and with passion in the company of ignorant people is compared with the futile act of pouring ambrosia into a gutter or drain.


Happy pondering on what you have read ..until we meet again.

Eloquence

In my earlier post, when I wrote that Thiruvalluvar lived 2100 years ago, a few of you corrected me about the period, I was off by a few centuries - he lived even earlier - probably 2500 years ago. Whilst I leave it to the good scholars to research and debate about his age - I accept whatever the results will be, as this will not change my bewilderment on the applicability of the penned thoughts to this age.

It appears even in the days of Thiruvalluvar (which is now agreed with my blogmates to be between  2100 years and 2500 years), meetings and conferences of learned people were held. Thiruvalluvar has written 3 chapters (30 couplets), giving guidelines for speakers who address meetings, which holds good even today in our corporate lives.

Solvanmai (Eloquence), Avai Aridhal (To know the audience) and Avai Anjaamai (How not to fear the assembly) are the 3 chapters.

Kural 643
Kaetar Pinikum Thagayevaai Kelaarum
Vet  Mozhivathaam Sol

It is eloquence that attracts and binds the minds of the listeners and holds them in rapt attention, in such a way that even the people who are antagonistic will show desire to listen to the speech.

Kural 649 is about being relevant, short and sweet.
PalaSol Kamuruvar Manra Masatra
SilaSollal Thetratha Avar

Those who are not deft in their thoughts, will use instead of few crisp words in a clear manner, verbose and bombastic words in their speech.

Further in the next kural, Thiruvallur says the speech of the people who are not to the point in delivering what they have learned is "like a bunch of blossoms without any fragrance".
Enairuzhunthu Naara Malaranaiyar Katrathu
Unara Virithuuraiyatha  Aar.

How relevant, my meeting in the coming week will be based on these learnings !

Speaking Sweet Words

"Theeyinal Sutrapun Ullarrum Aaradhae
Navenaal Sutta Vadu"  -  Kural 129

Thiruvalluvar gives much importace to the words spoken by human beings. He says that a wound caused by burning fire will heal in course of time, but a wound caused by caustic words uttered by the tongue will  never heal.

Moreover words once uttered cannot be repealed or annuled in true sense.
Just like how once the tooth paste is out of the tube, there is no way to push it  back into the tube, so are words. So think before you speak and exercise self control on what you speak....

Let's see Kural number 127

Yagava rayenum nakaaka kaavaakaal
Sogappar sollizukhu pattu.

Let men govern their tongue - Thiruvalluvar says. If they fail to control it, their words will lose their weight, and beware - grief will overwhelm them.

Let's see Kural 100

Eniya Ulavaaka Ennatha Kooral
KaniErukka Kaaikavarntha Tatru

When the choice of words is entirely under one's control, and when sweet words are readily available, using bitter and harsh words is like eating unripe tasteless fruits when sweet ripe fruits are available.

Thirukual on VIRTUE

The first 38 chapters of Thirukural deals with Aram (Virtue).

The first Kural (Kural is a couplet) is probably one of the most popular kurals - " Agara Mudal Ezuthelam Adi Bhagvan Mudatrai Ulagu"

Just like the first letter in any language is pronounced "Aa" and different shapes are given in various languages to otherwise what can be realised only in mental imagination, similarly the creator of the universe is given different shapes and names only to make us realise the "oneness theology", the shapes and names stay only a medium of expression of the universal truth.
This Kural promotes the unity of Mankind.


So what is VIRTUE?
"Azukkaru AvaVeguli  EnnaSol Nangum Ezuka Eyandrathu Aram"

Virtue is AVOINDANCE of ENVY, GREED, ANGER & UTTERING HARSH WORDS" - these four.

It is interesting to note the importance Thiruvallur attributes to "Speaking". By placing "uttering harsh words" as one of the four pillars of vices, he has emphasised the power of speech. How timeless is this wisdom and how relevant is it to all times and to all cultures, recently Susan Cain had written about how the world cannot stop talking - Talking has indeed taken over "Sensible Talking" in our lives today.

Thiruvalluvar has dedicated several chapters to this subject. Just to name a few:

Speaking sweet words (Eniyave kooral),
Idle talk (Payanila Solmai),
Non aspersion, back biting (Purankooramai),
Truth/true words (Vaaymai),
To know the audience (Avai Arithal),
Not Fearing the assembly (Avai Anjamai)
many more....

Let us dwell and explore more on this subject in the coming days

THIRUKURAL

Thirukural (SolOviam)  - A Tamil Epic 2100 years old
Tamil is a very ancient language which is widely spoken and written as it was done centuries ago by people of southern India, parts of Srilanka, Malaysia and few other countries. Several poets and saints have enriched the language with literary contributions in the form of poems.

It is estimated that Saint Thiruvallur lived in Tamil Nadu more than 2100 years ago. His unique contribution to Tamil and to mankind in general is a great masterpiece of literary brevity consisting of 1330 couplets. Each couplet is only 7 words long.  These couplets give an insight into the realms of human sentiments, knowledge and wisdom. You will find hardly any adult in TamilNadu (whatever be his literacy level) who does not know Thiruvallur or exemplary piece of work created by Thiruvalluvar  "the Thirukural". Thirukural represents a beautiful garland woven with pearls of wisdom.

With seven words used in each of the 1330 couplets,  4 words in the first line and 3 in the second, the rhyming makes it easy for reading,  Thirukural has hidden indepth meaning which is indeed very difficult to comprehend. Example:

Karka Kasadara Katravai Katrapin
Nirka Adharku Thagai

7 words, easy to read, easy to memorise, having a wealth of wisdon. Literally it means "Learn whatever you learn thoroughly, without doubts or defects and then apply the learning and act in consonance with it"

Thirukural is free of sectarinism and religious beliefs.
It spreads universal benevolence, purity of thought and action. It promotes ways and means of developing a rationalistic, broad minded, kind hearted mental thinking in mankind.

It will be my endeavour to select and explain a few couplets of this great masterpiece in poetry in the days to come,

The Land of the Salt Tea

“Would you like to have some salt tea? Very delicious”  asked  Lakpah, our  Sherpah  offering a cup of tea containing rock salt and yak butter. This was the first day of our parikrama at Mt Kailash and we had camped in a place called Diraphuk Gompa at 4900 mts. It was minus17 degree C and we were in a cold tent with icy wind sneaking in from all edges. The tent swayed madly in response to the wind, and with every bone aching and the mind wondering what was in store for the next day – it wasn’t easy to fall asleep.

We had trekked around 28 kms for 10 hours at an altitude of 4900mts. The journey was extended unexpectedly due to a hailstorm. We probably would have sustained serious injuries if we had not heeded to the advice of our Pittu (Pittus are local tibeten tribesman/woman who carry luggage of trekkers). Hailstorms in the Tibetan Himalayan ranges are common, what was novel to our experience was that the hails were about the size of cricket balls or bigger. Do not open your eyes – warned the pittu in the local dialect which we understood from her gestures, as she herself curled into a ball and gestured us under a rock. We followed her and stayed under the shelter of a rock for more than an hour to let the storm pass.

“Why did we come here” – my son asked?,  We pondered too, why? We were trekking at 5600m at Dolma La Pass, breathing very heavily and walking on a frozen glacier. The Kailash- Manas Sarovar pilgrimage is the most arduous and enchanting pilgrimage in the world – and for a Hindu, the ultimate one. Our destination, Mount Kailash in the Tibetan Himalayas, is the abode of Lord Shiva. The 6740 mts tall mountain is also holy for Buddhists, who identify it with Mount Meru, the cosmic centre of the universe. The Manas Sarovar lake is the highest fresh water lake in the world. A dip in the icy waters is revered to provide consciousness and enlightenment to the soul according to the Hindu mythology, and to look at life beyond the physical body-mind complex. Geographically, this region is the source of four great rivers, the Brahmaputra, Indus, Karnali and Sutlej. After the Chinese invaded Tibet, and after the Indo Chinese War of 1962, the route was closed for 23 years. More recently, the route from Katmandu through Nayalam, Saga, Prayang and Darchen is being used.  

Reaching Nayalam by road is a adventurous journey. According to Lakpah, we were lucky to have encountered only 3 landslides. “Sometimes, people have to wait for days for the mounds to be cleared” , “Cross quickly, more rocks can fall” – he said. We trampled tree roots and walked on riverluts and knee deep slushes.  Before this enviable encounter with nature, our belief was that mountains are an epitome of strength, massiveness  and immovable creations of Nature. We realized that this was not absolutely true; mountains move, give birth to new mountains and have a mind of their own. “This place, took 4 lives last week” Lakpah said. It was now another small mountain right in the middle of what was a footpath. There are no earth movers here, so it may not be possible, to recover the lost.

Tibet is called the roof of the world for the right reason. Some of the regions we covered are parts of the world’s longest and highest plateau. These areas are very sparsely populated.  Sometimes we travelled hundreds of kilometers without sighting a single sign of human life.  We get glimpses of the Chinese military might occasionally on the rugged roads – heavy military vehicles with neatly dressed military personnel, donning artillery. We encounter military posts and small hamlets along the way. These hamlets have on an average 10 to 12 mud huts, and a group of people who herd sheep and collect herbs for a living. Whenever a vehicle stops by the road, people from these huts quickly gather around the vehicles, readily accepting money and food that the visitors offer. These people look ill nourished. The children tag alongside elders, with a shy smile breaking through the heavily frost bitten cheeks and lips. The children look endearing, but it appears that they have never had a bath and never changed clothes. These people have never seen or heard of schools or toilets. One need not be a sensitive journalist to draw the contrast between the well uniformed military personnel and these poor people who were lacking bare necessities! It is a testament once again to the elite discussion on primary health, sanitation and education versus military valour.

Humbled and awestruck by the magnanimity of Mt Kailash, I reminiscenced my mother’s voice, “Lord Shiva lives as a saint at Kailash”. As a kid, I was never tired of hearing these bed time stories, that transcended the mind into world of beauty and fantasy. My mother told “There are beautiful shrubs, creepers, flowering and fruit bearing trees, rivers, birds and butterflies. Raaj Hamsas that can separate milk from water and feed on pearls live at Manas Sarovar,”. Now, after more than three decades, while taking a icy dip in the pristine turquoise waters of Manas Sarovar, I search for the Hamsa, the flowers and the trees, that did not exist. I realize that the dip and the parikrama can well cleanse the mind and soul, the arduous journey through the nature in its rawest form and the exposure to extreme paucity to reach there, in fact brings out the life altering change to appreciate even the smallest joys in life.