Parasitical approach

“We need not 'reinvent' the wheel now...”

I heard it as an adult... not when I was a kid!

But I heard the opposite of it, when a kid. It was a 'brilliant' teacher! Somewhere in between the lessons, that teacher made a very very 'casual' reference to the 'need' for 'reinventing' the wheel!

I guess, it was sheer good-fortune, that made me, that nudged me... to 'keep' this advice as a very deep embedded design of my mind itself! To this day, I worship that teacher, whose face does not visit me too often (in my memory), but the feel of that teacher's being never seems to have 'ever' forsaken me!... And thanks to 'Maya Madam', one more teacher gave a hint, and it was his inspiration that helped me score a unprecedented score in 'jurisprudence' when I was a law-student.. He said, a 'law is better understood, if we imagine the situation in the absence of such a law'!!! Yesss... it does rhyme with 'reinventing the wheel'! The concepts get embedded a lot more deeper, and then, if by any chance we end up tied into a verbal conflict before a judge in the court of law, interpretation of statutes would take us to 'step into the shoes' of the very framers of the legislation!

I asked a very close person, 'what is an itthi-kanni? (itthi kanni, is a 'malayalam' word for parasite creeper that thrives on huge trees... usually 'cared about' in a mango tree, because its very presence sounds an 'alarm' in a farmer... it means, next year the yield would deteriorate, along with taste and quality!)... That person explained! “Good,” I said, and continued “now, what is a cancerous growth?”... That person could 'get' .. what I am 'getting-to' (say)... and said, “Well same thing... a parasite/an-itthi-kanni on a human body!”... I was not prepared to be 'pleased' so soon! Even a parasitical mind can solve these queries!

“Then what about a mind, that survives, thrives like that parasite?”... I tried... making it as gentle as possible (that person is going to immediately become 'defensive' within the mind!... We know why!)...

I left it at that, not waiting for a reply...

What happens, when we approach 'spirituality' with a parasitical mind?

Let me try out with examples of the 'way' our people narrate the epic stories...

Most popular ones are 'Ramayana' and 'Mahabharata'...

We know, minus the main heroes, Rama and Krrishh... these stories are going to mean nothing (it would be almost like the black & White news reel, which was 'compulsory' in our Indian Cinema houses, even long after 'kalarr/colour' fillum/film .. 'came'!)...

We get to hear a 'lot' about character of Krishna, and the bulk of it consists of 'critical analysis' about his character! It does appeal! Our mind would say, “yahan tou ek ladki ke peeche pado, tou 'mostly'... vaat lag jaata hai... aur woh tou dus centuries ka score leke ghoomta phirtaa hai!”...

And , almost nothing about the actions of our Krish, rhymes with what he tries to suggest to others, (advices)...

When it comes to Rama... there is not 'so-much' of a controversy.. ... It is almost 'deducible' that he was a 'Yeda' at times... forsaking his 'good' wife, merely because some stupid+irresponsible fellow spread some rumour somewhere, so-casually, in the midst of washing 'other's' dirty linen in 'public'! Or there can be a slight controversy, that he was not 'so-upright'... when he hid/stood behind a tree, and shot at Vaali, the death-arrow! Very few would 'think' of the subtle aspect that no 'human life' was lost from 'his-side',....in that big-war against Ravana! Monkey-army! Simpal/simple!

A very close person sent a 'forward' to me (not with a parasitical-approach, for sure, at least this one time!.. He must have been a little 'concerned' to see, if that material was worth it!.. It was 'drafted' by a person very close to him...). It contained an analysis (an attempt), about incidents where Krrishh did things that did not look 'exactly-ethical'! Like, beheading of Bhishma using a woman as a shield... hinting the vulnerable spot to injure Duryodhana... conniving the exit of his brother out of the 'great' war... sacrificing the demon-son of Bhima... even as 'bad' as placing his own army on the other side of the battle!

I did not try to 'explain' the secret-phenomenon behind each of these instances, trying to bring out the mystic-aspect, by way of justification! It would not only be a futile attempt, but a 'too-laborious' exercise too!

But, it did make me wonder! How come, the 'bulk' of modern 'story-tellers' end up with such an approach, where these stories end up churning out a very wrong result? It merely evokes more-confusions, instead of evoking trust?

That was where I felt, may be the very 'approach' of the mind is perhaps, a flawed one! It is much safer to dwell upon character analysis of a 'Raama', than to try and 'do a dissection' on the 'actions' of Krishna! The 'why-so' is a bit difficult to explain... We do not find too many 'quotes' authored by Raama... He just lived a certain way... It is up to us to find use of that 'style', for ourselves.

Krish, on the other hand, was quite charitable with advices, suggestions etc... (not that it was quite easy to 'understand' what he said... but, to understand his 'style' through his actions, is far more complex, if not complicated!)

I shall reproduce my reply (a part of it), to that friend, who had forwarded the 'finnesse or manipulator' wala article, about Krishh...

quote:

“That is perhaps the problem.. "It is just a character analysis of Krishna, with reference to Krishna as a human being!"

The stories give ample clues, that Ravana got a concession, to be killed only by a 'human-being', and hence Raama!

Krishna is to be understood, (as elders/ancients suggest), with a little bit of 'Krishna-ness' in us....

This is true even about the 'quotes' that we get to see as said by Krishna...

Usually, Rama's quotes are not too many (Rama doesn't seem to have 'assumed' any advisory role, where as Krishna never seemed to have 'assumed' any exemplary role!)...

psn” (unquote)...

It is so easy to 'observe' the Valour of a brave soldier when he dons the uniform and fights in a 'declared' and open war, aamne saamne... where as, it is difficult to appreciate a spy from the same army who 'infiltrates' into enemy country, and does a much more difficult job, and mostly, dies as an unsung hero!

I am now tempted to remind ourselves... whether a 'parasitical-approach' would do any good on a spiritual path? I 'guess'... perhaps, Aadi Shankara felt the 'need' for a reminder about such parasitical approach towards scriptures... one of the slokas in Viveka choodamani does dwell upon the futility of such-approach.. the few slokas of BhajaGovindam too hints towards this.. (but sadly, it only evokes 'more-controversy' in the present day!)...

Even in the west, a very famous philosopher (Objectivistism), made a reference to 'second-handers'... I was amazed! I felt an 'awe' at such beautiful understanding about the 'true' potential of a 'human' mind... It is entirely an another matter that this person did not 'make-it' further into spirituality, having reached the very 'edge' of it, as far as logic would take it! (Perhaps, the death and the manner of it, of that great person, is a testimony for that!)...

It is not that we the common people are entirely 'oblivious' to the subtle difference! A very close friend of mine, does mention at times, about my 'original' approach in some of my blogs (probably, he is too fed-up with that sour taste of going through 'copy-paste' materials too often!... When it is about 'sour taste'... we might, 'tolerate' or even 'like', .... the sourness of butter milk stored for too long, but not that of a rotten vegetable which has outlived its shelf-life! )

Parasitically yours,

psn (9th January, 2015)