Blessing or benediction

I received an invitation to attend a wedding. It was in Hindi language, since the host was from a traditional north Indian community, and steadfast about ancient values.

The words requesting the invitee’s presence was “Aap Saha parivaar upasthith hokar nav-dampathi ko subh Aasheervad pradaan kar hamein anugrahit karein”

I struggled to translate the two words “Aasheervad & Anugrah”. The nearest I found was Blessing & benediction!

Before I delve into details, another sentence in the same invitation card surprised me pleasantly! It was..”Preethibhoj samaaroh (date) raat 8 bajey sey AAP KE AAGAMANTAK” (meaning the gathering for dinner is on (date) , from 8 pm UNTIL YOUR ARRIVAL!!

I instantly called him over long-distance-phone-call, to verify as to how he happened to choose these two set of sentences. He explained that he picked up the best suited one from various ‘proforma-models’ that the printers usually kept in an album for customers.

The translation for the former sentence roughly means “You are requested to bestow a benediction on us (the hosts, the bride’s parents) by your presence and blessing the newly wed couple”.

Benediction is also used to signify that ‘grace’ at the dinner table, before or after meals.
Blessing seems to have a deeper significance. I am not sure whether English language attempts to attribute so much magnitude of difference as the Sanskrit language, when it uses “Aasheervad” and “Anugrah”.. Benediction, seems closer to ‘benefit’. Similarly, “anugrah” seems closer to “anukool” (favourable, beneficial etc).

Curiously enough, in Kerala, ‘anugraham’ is more frequently used than ‘aasheervaadam’ in Malayalam language (which has the maximum number of Sanskrit words, compared to any other language. Hindi too ranks perhaps second to Malayalam, in this aspect, and it is therefore that Malayalees find it easier than other south Indians, within the non-Hindi belt to learn Hindi faster!). Despite such liberal use of Sanskrit words, I was wondering how they happened to use “anugraham” even in places where “asheervadam” would have been appropriate!

To me, things seem to fall in its place! Kerala is known as “God’s Own Country”(so, Blessing ought to be Gross, Whole-sale, and like a benediction)! The spiritual Giants of ancient times in Kerala used ‘Tantra’ as a ‘tool’ of evolving spiritually, whereas towards north, ‘Mantra’ was preferred. Mantra requires mastery over sound form. Whereas Tantra depends on a Yantra (a tantric design, a gross physical object). If we get caught up due to a ‘judgemental-attitude’ we may tend to take sides, forclosing the possibility of further theories percolating into us. A person seeks only what he lacks. For example, we on earth spend most of our energy in trying to ‘get out of’ the clutches of gravity. My spouse, abruptly asked me recently, if I could get up from the floor without placing the palms on the floor, to prop-up my weight. She had started to ‘feel’ the age, when her legs requested the help of arms to get up from squat-seated position on floor.
It then occurred to me, that she would not have ‘challenged’ my agility, if we were on moon (at least until another 6 times our present age. No basis for this “6” times , except that I read somewhere that Moon’s gravity is 1/6th of that on earth, so roughly our wear and tear is delayed by six times…. Please bear with my crude calculations! ). But essentially, if we were dwelling on a ‘zero’ gravity planet, our energy would be to ‘ground’ on the surface of that planet, rather than trying to pull away from the surface like on earth, in most of our routine physical activities. Lifts (if at all needed) would not be compulsory, if the building is more than 4 floors! (the only contrast might be that the phrase ‘Oh Shit! ‘ would be used all-the-more commonly, since it would float everywhere if we do not take care! So like this grave-gravity problem, perhaps, Kerala is ‘blessed’ with capability to pass on, as a benediction, a topography which naturally supports spirituality. Once in a spiritual plane, people tend to float (like at zero gravity atmosphere), and they have to ‘ground’ themselves with efforts. That seems to explain the ‘preference’ of Yantra, and earthly-looking-physical form. Many things seem to support this theory that the topography naturally ‘supports’ spiritual evolvement. The very soil, the porous stones, coming out of ‘belly’ of deep volcanic under-surface, carrying with it rich rare minerals which cause mystic radiations, affecting human brains neurologically a lot! The ancient Namboodiris of Kerala were experts in chess, but with a unique distinction! They used the ‘chess-men’ out of the similar-looking material, the banana-stem, making out the difference between pawns, king, queen, bishop, rook etc, only by the slant-cuts at the top of the banana stem. Everyday, fresh pieces had to be made since banana stem decays overnight! Half the brain of our present-day chess players would be ‘diverted’ to distinguish the pieces ( I admit here, that the rare-breed of blind-chess experts are an exception). The brass-alloy-cooking vessels are sold at an extra- premium, because of certain rare minerals found embedded, when melted. The mud-packs used when these vessels were moulded, after that wax models were emptied, might have contained the mineral wealth from the volcanic soil! Certain mountain tops, also considered as holy, are ‘warning-zones’ for low flying aircrafts, because of some kind of magnetic effect! Such is the terrain, with lots of rare herbs, curative properties, magnet-therapy-oriented mountains etc! Ayurveda system of medicines flourishes most here even today! Certain ayurveda medicines are said to contain high doses of mercury (considered as lethal, by allopathic system, but liberally used by expert physicians, under their direct supervision, very successfully, to cure even cases of ailment ‘abandoned’ by allopathic systems!). Such is the power of other ingredients, out of herbs grown in Kerala! We may have to perhaps wait, till that nano-technology develops adequately, to ‘scientifically’ understand as to how these wonder herbs work miraculously, blending the harmful-looking ingredients as a catalyst, to cure the internal negative-life form, and then quietly disappear, when the parasite-growth is arrested. Something like that ‘Terminator’ getting ‘self-destructed’ after a successful mission!
There are many such ‘mystic-looking’ aspects about Kerala! No wonder people are very particular to ‘hold’ even a bit of land here (fragmentation & sub-division of land is more here, so also is the per-acre population!). I am only attempting to discover if they need the benediction(anugraham) more than blessings(aasheervadam). Literacy rate is high, despite poverty, unemployment etc.
It would be nice, if we could somehow learn how to bless! All we know is to just show the palm over the head of the person bowing to us. What ought to happen while doing so is still very elusive! A few centuries ago, the touch on the head was deeply understood by our people, and it was adapted in a unique way to symbolize the ‘marital-knot’ by ancient Telugu-speaking people in Andhra (again a unique culture that learnt to look at life in a subtle & beyond-sensory-level of perception!). When I look back, I feel very fortunate to have had a glimpse of their ancient rituals, it’s brilliant & highly evolved cultural heritage, when I had my schooling amidst classmates who hailed from traditional families there! Some things that we happened to notice experientially, might look to far-fetched, if I dare to narrate here! I feel ‘blessed’ to have had been amongst a group, that spent our leisure hours to discuss, and experiment with such traditional values, it’s hidden or mystic aspects!
So, I request you to favor me with an ‘anugraha’ by your response, clarifying the difference between “aasheervad” and “anugraha”, while also simplifying with a “how to bless—for dummies” (like those computer books for dummies!). Right now, to me I can only look at it in a very primitive way, like, for example, I think that a being like that Dracula cannot ‘Bless’ somebody, he can at the most grant ‘benefit’(a favor, if anugraha means so,) by sparing a few of his close followers, from his fang bites, for serving him loyally(the only service he might need is ‘supplying’ innocent victims by seducing them, like in those ‘Dracula’ movies.
Yours “favorably”
Psn (5th May, 2009)