Off-track Thanks!

 Off track “thanks”

I recall a typical scene.

My dad was poised to punish me with a  cane…. And, suddenly there appeared a guest at our door. 😜

It was customary to instantly_show a surprise overflowing with smile & happiness ( otherwise,  that fellow starts thinking ‘twice’ from next time, whether to visit us.). That is when….I feel a very different kind of “thanks” to that guest, who might be a total stranger to me ,  and….if he thrusts a small sugar candy wrapped in a cheap plastic paper, that is a bonus, and I magnify my thanks with articulation( he might even misconstrue my over-exaggerated ‘thanks’ to be a subtle taunt at the inexpensive sweet which he sheepishly thrusts into my tiny palm.

I escaped a severe caning, thanks to that guest.

Alfred Nobel has a similar “uncommon” reason to thank two nations at war. He sells dynamite to both. The Nobel prize is funded by such wealth 😜🙏

At this age, I thank rains for a very-different reason. The small overhead tank upstairs, has a rimmed lid, which collects an inch of rainwater in its 9 square feet area, and when it spills over, the water finds its way into-the tank through a quarter inch perimeter left uncovered by the rid.

This rainwater, was about 100 liters due to a downpour yesterday afternoon. Mixed with the tap water, it came via tap into the washroom, where I was manually washing clothes. The white towel turned unusually bright-white. That-is-when I remembered my kid age at village pond in kerala. Soon after rains, elders would enjoy washing their white dhoties using lesser soap. The rain water floating on the pond, whitens the clothes uniquely-bright!  ( I belong to a city dwellers tribe, where I miss the gift of rain water to brighten my clothes. This accidental percolating of rainwater turned me into that kid age fellow who thanked the guest for a reason, about which the recipient himself id destined to remain ignorant😜😜🙏🙏

Spiritual people feel that “thanks” to hurdles in life, where commoners lament “why me?”, to the gawd/Godji.  जैसे जिसकी सोच! 

खैर, yours

psn ( 19 may 2024)

Retired life

 At some point of time, we all retire.

Most of us retire from physical & professional activities, either by some man-made rule, or nature's rules…

Premature retirements abound.

Those who happen to be healthy, have a choice of how-best to utilize their retirement.

Psychiatrists prescribe only-what-they-were-taught. ( most of their suggestions hover around mind games, and as a consequence, its positive effects on aging physical frame).

Desi way of looking at withdrawal from “routine” life, coincides only at one point with modern minds. That age-of-retirement 😜 ( how to handle ‘post retirement’,  differs almost diametrically 🙏) which is agreed as 60.

Ancients said “it is   middle age, 120 is a cycle...... Now pursue spirituality,  and seek the purpose of life, your birth and reach moksha( salvation, liberation, ultimate freedom)".  Forest was an ideal place for mature and wise ones at their middle age🙏…. ( today, we relocate closer to a multispeciality-hospital, with 24/7 facilities.  This decides the “direction” of our mind. Zero scope for deep abstract truths, related to “basics of life itself”. Anyway,  no point extolling the “merits” of modern lifestyle. I was intending to share my experience and the perspective thereof🙏)

By 60, when the very(ancient) design-of-lifestyle 

would-have ensured a minimum-basic-level of spiritual wisdom ……

60 is a ripe stage to explore deeper into past 60 years & farther past,  using super-scientific techniques like “synthesis”( a very poor substitute for sanskrit term samyama)... 

This exploration process, if performed under certain controlled conditions of a mind, can afford a deeper level of virtual-reality, by which the strong kaarmic-residues of past & far past, can be conclusively-dissolved. 

That conditioning of “mind” being very crucial, the ancients decided upon vanaprastha as a most-feasible option 🙏….

Away from routine( civilized society), so easier to break stubborn addictions to some routine! Alertness is ensured by the very ambiance of a forest (😜)

Equipoise of mind, is ensured by vulnerability of mind being consciously tamed, after realizing the fact that other fierce life forms( in that dense forest) react violently to a disturbed/turbulent/prejudiced mind😜… Yes… even a street dog “looks” , reads and decides how-to-react…. )

Thus, a reasonable ‘silence' descends into a person and unresolved past resurfaces by itself 🙏….

The mind, with an emotional equipoise…… carefully +responsibly uses the available “sense of discrimination” at a “never-before-level” of depth and clarity!  ( first 60 years of stringent disciplined adherence to that “Hindu way of life” would have polished the rarest-tool called ‘sense of discrimination’. Once the body gets abandoned, this discrimination-ability is unavailable 😔😰…

Hopefully, a person who makes use of all the 4 stages of life to its fullest extent ( vanaprastha being the 4th & final,) gets liberated 🙏…. Obsequies weren't possible for a forest dweller(😜…. A question, that doesn't-even-occur to “modern- sanatanis” 😳🙏🙏) …. Anyway, forest-dwelling wasn't  a thoughtless stupidity🙏…. I just wanted the minds to consider this!

( my previous blog, “life, as it happened”..... happened to have its consequences on my own psychology 😜…. Undigested memories lying as stinking residues started resurfacing a bit leisurely…. And I could “deal with it” being-now-armed better with ripened maturity of a mind trapped into an aging body! I couldn't hold-back my experience…. If for no other reason, I avoid ending up as a BRAHMARAAKSHAS! 🤣😜🙏🙏)

re-tyred (for) yours,

psn (6 May, 2024)

life, as it happened

 I was reviewing my own desire, intensity and involvement in being useful to others around.

Professionally,  as a clerk....I gave my-best....regardless of rate of return in all forms.

As a person, a civilian, it was on situational-basis.... situation decides, how much I can contribute. Mostly it was physical labour, since a clerk can't grow rich😜

1992 became a significant turning point in my spiritual pursuit. I found that abstractions were getting crystallized and an opportunity seemed to arise, to be able to share my experience & mainly, the age-old time tested practices in a structured way. Thus "volunteering"  opened up as a major utilized of my time & energy resources... it peaked for about 8 years.

Situation pushed me out of the physical aspect of volunteering. 

Sharing my experience through writings, replaced the physicality of activity. This, I knew, wasn't going to "produce" much tangible results. But nature surprised me a few times😜.... "mere typed words"( as a seeker had put it) did some subtle magic 🙂....as if trying to spur my desire to express,.

1992...

I was literally "running" alongside a few health-conscious middle aged people who were doing "slow running" in circles along the outer edge of a large sports stadium.  They pause for breath. That's when I speak "sir, there is a program that can enhance the results of your running-for-health phenomenally 🙏... I invite you for the "free talk" of first day of the 13-day program.... if convinced, you can pay 250 for next 13 days! I speak from experience 🙏 "( my son, about 8 then, was eager to sprint alongside me, more out of curiosity to learn "how dad handles his life?" Kids learn from live-examples, not lectures 😜).

Now,

I am naturally getting dissuaded from all kinds of activities involving any kind of interference into the lives of others 😀... ( I think the tradition of forest-dwelling/vanaprastha, was a facilitator to promote this natural tendency. Since going to any forest isn't too practical today, I need a hard-way to replicate it! Confinement, in a subtle way. The diminishing attention span of present day minds supports me a lot, I remaining inconspicuous in the middle of a crowd😜

There is a price to pay, for substitutes and alternatives to "natural" choices🙏.... I am paying that price in deffered installments.

Life is beautiful ( Don corleone said in Mario-Puzo's story "Godfather" , just before he fell dead quietly!)

Just yours,

psn ( 5 may,  2024)

ShashtiPoorti

 

Shashtipoorti

(the concept)


This ceremony was of huge significance in the ancient days🙏


Over centuries, the symbolism has underwent changes at its very basics🤣.... ( we can't help it! We toe the line available! )
Certain basics are still followed ( like, invitation is by children ..... 👍 a few ignorant, try to invite by themselves 😜)




Buzurgi, बुजुर्गी, elderliness (not related to age)
Used to be the primary criteria. ( the couple, heading towards vaanaprastha, forest-dwelling.... choose to continue the togetherness, voluntarily, and therefore that "maangalya" ritual.)
Children try to request " don't go to forest....stay back to guidebus".... but couple like to "merge" into nature. So kids request " well then....bless us in a big way, to last our lifetime and then leave🙏"

So kids seek blessings of "hero & heroine" of the day.
( strictly speaking, 500 yrs ago....i have no bijness in it, bekos, I am supposed to have gone to forest in 2013 ( eleven years ago!😜)...


Even the "vaadhyar" has modified the syllabus to suit "popular demand" 😰🙏🙏🙏


( exception;: a rare few decide to stay back, to be available to guide children.... they are honored with "saptathi, shataabhishekam, and lastly kanakabhishekam)

(the elderly person who sent me the invite for his 60^th, at this stage, expressed gratitude for my foregoing message. So I continued a ‘little more’

[03-05-2024 16:07] PSN: Yes Sir!


Very important for next generation. ( age is not the criteria... criteria was elderliness/buzurgi/muthirmai.... age was "decided upon" as a most suitable muhoorat .....due to planetary influence, inducing Karmic_design to manifest at mid_age .... 60th year, name of birth year repeats. Mid-age, because, life cycle was 120 yrs.... dasha of planets, 120th year, garbhaShista dasha balance repeats 🤣.... The life-style designed was so efficient, that ususally age coincided with ripening of wisdom! )

Each birthday, "nature" gives us opportunity to review our प्रारब्ध कर्म ( it shines better! You will 'notice' small kids get fever etc on nakshatra birthdays😜 )


Fascinating science🙏



I don't have courage to elaborate ( even this much) to everybody around.... very few patronise our "sanatana dharma " related traditions.

Thank you🙏, for your patience!

That was good enough for a blog, I felt.

psn 4^th May, 2024