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.