SELFIE THOUGHTS: Sit on your EGO

SELFIE THOUGHTS: Sit on your EGO: WELCOME        Welcome to my selfie thoughts.I was having this crazy idea of putting my thoughts in to words for some days."Let i...

SELFIE THOUGHTS: Pakkanar and Rumours

SELFIE THOUGHTS: Pakkanar and Rumours: "Kallam Paranjal Kannu Pottum" is a popular idiom in Malayalam. Its literary meaning is If you tell lies you will become blind. ...

Pakkanar and Rumours

"Kallam Paranjal Kannu Pottum" is a popular idiom in Malayalam. Its literary meaning is If you tell lies you will become blind. If this is true most of us will be blind by now. Another idiom says "pasham chollil pathirilla" means old sayings are all true. When one tells lies he is actually distorting others perception .He is intentionally blocking others from a clear/neutral view of the situation or matter or whatever it is. In-turn his perception will get distorted. That is law of Karma. His perception or understanding will be blared or inaccurate. So he will become internally blind. He will not be able to see things as it is. Half Truths are more dangerous, because people tend to believe it. Same for bad rumours as rumours also have a tint of truth. I will tell you a little story.

The famous and incredible revolutionist Pakkanar of the "Parayi Petta Panthirukulam"  (believed to be an avatar) was chatting with his wife. His wife told him about a rumour spreading in their village at that time. Suddenly Packanar exclaimed "only one Atta was left, and you got it", for which his wife asked for an explanation. A Karanavar (Elder of an aristocratic family) arranged a feast for the elders and important people of his village. During the preparation an ATTA (Centipede) fell on the Payasam. To save his embarrassment the Karanavar asked the chief cook to remove the Atta and serve the Payasam for the gathering. The feast went well and everyone appreciated the Karanavar.

Every night before falling to sleep the Karanavar used to pray to Chithra Gupthan ,the assistant of King Yama who was authorized to keep records of all doings of humans-based on which only rewards and punishments were decided by gods. That day also the Karanavar prayed as usual. Lord Chithra gupta was fond of this Karanavar and wanted to save him from the intending punishment for that day’s deed. So he appeared in Karanavar’s dream and told him about the intending punishment -He has to eat a bucket full of Atta.The Karanavar became miserable-he could not even think of it. He with the help of Chitra guptha devised a trick. He knew that if someone is telling rumours about you that one is sure to get a share of your papas . So the Karanavar temporarily stopped helping his farmers and respecting the elders. He pretended to be a drunkard and womaniser. The villagers slowly started telling rumours about him and Chitra guptha started distributing the Attas. Finally only one was left and you got that. Pakkanar finished the story.

Brother or Sister

We were going to Thiruvannamalai. Me and Sabu in his car, just after Karthigai Deepam  to be in Ramanasramam and if possible have darshan of Annamalaiswar and Amman .My aim was to sit somewhere in the Asramam and look at the thiruvannamalai hill as Maharshi does and get absorbed in the divine grace of the hill –which is believed to be lord  Siva himself.

On the way we saw a father and his kids (boys & girls) riding in a two wheeler. There were three or four of them-squeezed themselves in the front and back of the TVS 50, laughing, playing and licking candy, a marvellous scene .Their happiness was overwhelming- which took me to my childhood days. Suddenly Sabu asked “Manoj did you read that story- The twist in the tail by Jefry Archer-the story of a rich man who wanted to test his family’s love of him”.” I don’t remember Sabu” -I said.

John a very rich man towards the fag end of his life got cynical. He thought that the world doesn't really love successful and rich men. They, including his family were only attracted to his money. So he decided to test the loyalty of his family. He declared bankruptcy and asked his manager to put his assets for auction to pay his imaginary dept. Among the assets there was a Chess board and coins of antique quality and its real price is imaginary and only John knows it. John was very much attached to the chess board-which he used to play with his brother’s son – an young man John was very fond of and all his family members were well aware of his attachment to that board. John had a sister and a brother. His sister approached him and consoled him and offered help. Her feelings were genuine and she really felt sorry for him.  John thanked her and assured her that he would accept her help if required. John’s brother’s son also expressed his concern, but the young man was not in a position to offer help. After few days John approached his sister and sought some assistance. She said “oh John I am so sorry. John, you know my husband Michael, he is not considerate and I can’t blame him also because with much difficulty only he was managing our affairs. Sorry John I can’t help you this time”. John came back disappointed.

John inquired about the auction with his manager and wanted to know whether the chess board was auctioned .The manager assured him he will come back to him once it was done. After few days the manager called John and informed him that the chess board was auctioned for a few dollars. John wanted to know who the purchaser was. Your brother purchased it ,the manager told him and the delivery address given was John’s. John exclaimed “fool, he doesn't know the real value of that property”. “No actually he knew.” retaliated the Manager.

Sabu finished the story. I got engrossed in the story, thoughts over flowing. The scene of the happy siblings makes you think that it is going to be like that forever. We do generalize things often and used to jump to conclusions. But it may not be. Tomorrow the same may fight over or even may kill for a piece of land or property. The scene on the way to the temple town holds good only for that space & time. The closeness or attachments that we think everlasting may bust in a moment or two on some comments we inadvertently made or believed/conveyed to be made by us. As great people say” live in this moment". So love this moment. Enjoy this moment. Forget everything else.

I was very much attached to my sisters. Being the youngest and only brother my sisters were also very much fond of me. But later I found that their love is emotionally charged and not heart felt. They are incapable of understanding the finer feelings .At times you require a brother to understand you. You can love your sister but don’t expect anything .A brother may be capable of retuning your love in trying times but not a sister.

Sit on your EGO

WELCOME

       Welcome to my selfie thoughts.I was having this crazy idea of putting my thoughts in to words for some days."Let it be a blog" my wife suggested.So I created this blog to share my inner thoughts to a bigger audience than my wife during bed time and to close friends & colleagues during mid day break. I tried different names for this blog but in vain as none are available.My wife came to my rescue with this innovative name.I readily agreed  as this is a season of selfies.

      Yesterday I read in the intranet of our company , under the heading beautiful advises

 ' Sit on your Ego' - one of many advises listed by the contributor of the article.

      I was reading this out to my senior colleague & friend Giri. He interrupted me and asked "whatttt!! Sit on your EGO.Suddenly I remembered a story about Mahaveer -the great saint in Jain tradition.Before attaining  Sainthood he was an emperor.He sacrificed everything-his kingdom,his people,his family and relatives.He sacrificed even his cloths and became Dikambara- one who has only Dik (directions east,north etc) as ambara (dress).There is a statue of him in Sravanabalagula.

This great thapasee & spiritual scholar  did not get realization even after doing all these sacrifices-he was at the verge of realization,but not realized.He continued his thapas with more determination

but in vain. One day he heard an assariry (voice without body-treated as divine voice)."Dismout from the elephant". He was standing on a rock and there was no elephant in his vicinity. Still he climbed down from the rock.Again he heard the same sound "Dismount from the elephant"This time with more clarity.

Suddenly he got realized- the elephant means -the EGO.He was having this spiritual ego that he was a great sacrifice r. And the divine voice was asking him to dismount from that ego on which he was riding.Once he understood the meaning he got realized and became the Great Mahaveer.

I was narrating this story to Giri,but I found him dozed off half way to the narration.Hence I am here and doing the blogging for many to doze off.