As a mortal always needing love and nurturing, I have often wondered if God really loves me? If yes, why do I have to go through so many agonies, metal and physical? May be my definition of love is confused.
I will narate the following story which I often remember when I think about God "liking" me. I do not know its origin.
One day sage Narada went to Lord Narayana with a query - "Who is a beloved devotee of yours?" Now, Narada muni, as we all know, is a foremost devotee of Lord Narayana. Always repeating the Lord's name, Narada muni moves about the three worlds, stringing his veena.
Lord Narayana, immediately pointed the sage to a farmer on earth. Narada muni became curious as to what this farmer did that made him the Lord's beloved. So, sage Narada came down to the earth.
The farmer was poor, he had a wife and children to support. He toiled all day long in the farms to make ends meet. In the evening he came spent time with his family and had supper with them. Then at night he lay on the bare earth with only his hand for a pillow. Just before going to sleep, he repeated the name of Lord Narayana a few times.
Narada muni was shocked that repeating the name of Lord Narayana just a few times a day made the farmer one of the Lord's beloved devotees. He went back to Vaikuntha (Lord Narayana's abode). He asked the Lord, what made the farmer his beloved devotee. The Lord said repeating his name just a few times qualified the farmer to be one. Narada muni argued that if that was the criteria, then he should be the Lord's beloved devotee because he repeated the Lord's name infinte times.
The Lord then gave sage Narada a pot of water filled upto its brim. He asked the sage to take it to Mount Kailasa and come back without a single drop of water falling. Narada muni did not understand the reason for this. But nonetheless he accepted the Lord's wishes. Narada muni went to Kailasa and came back. All along he made sure that the water did not fall out.
Sage Narada handed the pot of water to the Lord and pointed out the fact that not a drop of water had spilled. Then the Lord asked him one question - "All this while did you take even a minute to think of me and utter my name?"
Now sage Narada understood what the Lord was trying to teach him. The poor farmer, in his whole day of work thought about the Lord at least once, which the sage in is preoccupation to prevent the water from being spilled did not do even once.
Thinking about God even once without any condition (like wanting something to work out etc) makes one a beloved devotee of the Lord!
Wednesday, March 12, 2008
Thursday, February 21, 2008
South-Indian Nomenclature
I don't recall the exact time, but I do remember being asked by somebody - "Why are you South Indians named after Gods?"
At that time I didnt have any answer. I knew I was named after my paternal grandmother and my sister named after my maternal grandmother. My mother was named after her grandmother and so on....
May be today I have a better answer. The following is a story that I came across in the Bhagavatham (ok that happens to my favorite book! :) )
There was once a very noble brahmin called Ajamila. He lived his life very piously. He was a good husband, good father and good son.
One day when Ajamila went to the forest to collect fuel wood, he saw a women of low morals and fell in love with her. Taken up by her, Ajamila abandoned his family and his righteous life and went to live with her. He made a living by theft, fraud and gambling. He had ten sons with her. The last one was named "Narayana". Ajamila was very fond of his son, Narayana. He only thought of Narayana, day in and day out, while eating and sleeping.
This way he passed many years of his life. Finally one day, he saw two hideous looking creatures with nooses in their hands. They were coming towards him with great speed to cast their nooses around him. These were the messengers of Lord Yama - the God of death. They had come to take Ajamila. Ajamila did not realise that he was about to die, he was so scared that he called out to his son Narayana. That very moment there appeared two beautiful godly figures, with mace and discus in their hands. They were the messengers of Lord Narayana himself. They heard Ajamila call Narayana and immediately came to his aid.
Then there was a great debate between the messengers of Lord Yama and Lord Narayana. Finally, the messengers of Lord Narayana declared, that though Ajamila had forgotten his divine nature, he had uttered the holy name of the Lord at the time of his death. The mere uttering of the Lord's name is enough to absolve one of all sins. Hence, Ajamila had been rid of all his sins. The messengers of the Lord of Death did not have any answer to this. So, they left Ajamila. Now, Ajamila realized what happened and led the rest of his life piously, in the constant thought of the Lord.
When I read this story I understood why we have God's name. Parents are most attached to their children. So, naming their children after God at least makes them repeat the name (Nama Japam) which itself is enough to purify one's mind.
At that time I didnt have any answer. I knew I was named after my paternal grandmother and my sister named after my maternal grandmother. My mother was named after her grandmother and so on....
May be today I have a better answer. The following is a story that I came across in the Bhagavatham (ok that happens to my favorite book! :) )
There was once a very noble brahmin called Ajamila. He lived his life very piously. He was a good husband, good father and good son.
One day when Ajamila went to the forest to collect fuel wood, he saw a women of low morals and fell in love with her. Taken up by her, Ajamila abandoned his family and his righteous life and went to live with her. He made a living by theft, fraud and gambling. He had ten sons with her. The last one was named "Narayana". Ajamila was very fond of his son, Narayana. He only thought of Narayana, day in and day out, while eating and sleeping.
This way he passed many years of his life. Finally one day, he saw two hideous looking creatures with nooses in their hands. They were coming towards him with great speed to cast their nooses around him. These were the messengers of Lord Yama - the God of death. They had come to take Ajamila. Ajamila did not realise that he was about to die, he was so scared that he called out to his son Narayana. That very moment there appeared two beautiful godly figures, with mace and discus in their hands. They were the messengers of Lord Narayana himself. They heard Ajamila call Narayana and immediately came to his aid.
Then there was a great debate between the messengers of Lord Yama and Lord Narayana. Finally, the messengers of Lord Narayana declared, that though Ajamila had forgotten his divine nature, he had uttered the holy name of the Lord at the time of his death. The mere uttering of the Lord's name is enough to absolve one of all sins. Hence, Ajamila had been rid of all his sins. The messengers of the Lord of Death did not have any answer to this. So, they left Ajamila. Now, Ajamila realized what happened and led the rest of his life piously, in the constant thought of the Lord.
When I read this story I understood why we have God's name. Parents are most attached to their children. So, naming their children after God at least makes them repeat the name (Nama Japam) which itself is enough to purify one's mind.
Thursday, February 14, 2008
Astrology
Should I or should I not believe?
For starters I must admit that I do believe astrology is a science. I know many people will disagree. But, if you consider predicting weather to be scientific, then astrology is science too.
Weather "scientists" predict weather based on wind and pressure patterns. There are a fixed set of rules that say that if there is high pressure over an area, then the weather would be sunny and clear (a prediction). If there is low pressure over an area it could rain depending on the moisture in the air (again a prediction). It is not always that the weatherman is right. Now you could take the risk of not taking you umbrella when the weather "scientist" says its going to rain.
To me astrology is similar. Astrology has a fixed set rules. Predictions about a person's life are made based on interpretation of the placement of the planets. Of all the basic components in a birth chart, only the houses or bhavas in a birth chart were "created" by ancient astrologers. The rest is a map of the sky at the moment of birth. That is astronomy another "science" !
I have seen three types of views towards astrology.
The first is the cynic view(an extreme). The cynic says "Lets see how it happens" (challenging the prediction) and sits back. For example, the birth chart indicates that the person will attain a high administrative position. Now, the cynic sits back and tries to see if a miracle happens - testing the prediction. Obviously not! Unless you put in the effort, the prediction is not going to come true. "As you sow so you reap". So the cynic usually declares that astrology is a waste of time.
Then there is the weak minded. He thinks everything that happens to him is because of astrology. He needs something to put the blame on - something other than himself. So whats better that blame the poor planets and they won't even complain!
The third and the most practical person is he that accepts that certain things happen in life due to some strange force. But this doesnt stop him from working hard. This is the middle approach. Yes, astrology does provide some insight into hte future but it is not everything. There is still the unknown. If everything could be predicted why should we live our lives?
So as with the weather, if astrology predicts tough time, prepare yourself mentally, may be it won't be so tough in the end. Like if the weather man says its going to rain, take your umbrella!
For starters I must admit that I do believe astrology is a science. I know many people will disagree. But, if you consider predicting weather to be scientific, then astrology is science too.
Weather "scientists" predict weather based on wind and pressure patterns. There are a fixed set of rules that say that if there is high pressure over an area, then the weather would be sunny and clear (a prediction). If there is low pressure over an area it could rain depending on the moisture in the air (again a prediction). It is not always that the weatherman is right. Now you could take the risk of not taking you umbrella when the weather "scientist" says its going to rain.
To me astrology is similar. Astrology has a fixed set rules. Predictions about a person's life are made based on interpretation of the placement of the planets. Of all the basic components in a birth chart, only the houses or bhavas in a birth chart were "created" by ancient astrologers. The rest is a map of the sky at the moment of birth. That is astronomy another "science" !
I have seen three types of views towards astrology.
The first is the cynic view(an extreme). The cynic says "Lets see how it happens" (challenging the prediction) and sits back. For example, the birth chart indicates that the person will attain a high administrative position. Now, the cynic sits back and tries to see if a miracle happens - testing the prediction. Obviously not! Unless you put in the effort, the prediction is not going to come true. "As you sow so you reap". So the cynic usually declares that astrology is a waste of time.
Then there is the weak minded. He thinks everything that happens to him is because of astrology. He needs something to put the blame on - something other than himself. So whats better that blame the poor planets and they won't even complain!
The third and the most practical person is he that accepts that certain things happen in life due to some strange force. But this doesnt stop him from working hard. This is the middle approach. Yes, astrology does provide some insight into hte future but it is not everything. There is still the unknown. If everything could be predicted why should we live our lives?
So as with the weather, if astrology predicts tough time, prepare yourself mentally, may be it won't be so tough in the end. Like if the weather man says its going to rain, take your umbrella!
Thursday, February 7, 2008
Rebirth
Can we really control what we are born to be?
I had this discussion with my mother. There are a few people in this world who think the grass is always greener on the other side. So, all they do day and night is talk about people who are sucessful. You and I may be their favorite topic of discussion. "Oh, she is so lucky to have her daughters settled!", "That girl is so lucky to have such a husband", "They live in the USA, so life must be really good!", "She earns so much money for no work", "She has a grandson!!(Her greatest achievement in life!)"..... a few things you might hear from such people. Lets call these people "mongers".
These mongers get into our skins to such an extent that we cannot but help think of them day and night. So, now we have mongers thinking about us and we thinking about them.
The Vedas say that a man will be born as that thing in his next birth about which he was thinking most at the time of his death. Therefore wise men advise people to think about God as much as possible during their daily life, so that the mind gets conditioned enough to think about God at the time of death.
The following story appears in the Bhagavatam (Bhagavat Mahapuranam):
There was a King Bharat, who was the son of King Rishabh of the Solar dynasty. King Bharat ruled the earth for a long time in a just manner. The country India or "Bharatvarsha" is named after this king. The king had five sons. When the time came, the king divided the kingdom among his sons and retired to the forest to perform tapas.
One day when the king went to the riverside for his prayers, he saw a pregnant doe that had come to quench its thirst. Suddenly, there was a huge roar. The doe got frightened and jumped into the river to get to the other side. But, because of shock, the doe gave birth to a fawn in midstream and itself reached the other side of the river and died. King Bharat was moved to pity at the plight of this fawn and rescued it from the river. He started taking care of this fawn like his own child. He was so attached to the fawn that he forgot his spiritual pursuit. Day and night he was absorbed in the thoughts of this fawn, now a deer. Even so when King Bharat was about to die he was thinking about the deer. As a result, as soon as the soul left King Bharat's body, it was born as a deer in a nearby forest.
The story goes on to say how the deer(King Bharat in his previous birth) had to earn a human birth and then in the human birth (as Jadabharat) had to live without any attachment to any material thing in order to attain moksha.
Now, back to my discussion about the mongers....So if the mongers think about us day in and day out, they will be reborn as somebody like us. The world surely will be a better place to live in.
Having said that, if we keep thinking about them, we may have to be reborn as them. This won't make the world a good place. So for the good of this world, we have to shut out such people in life. Whenever the mind wanders to them, "switch off", think about God. You then at least have a chance to think about God at the time of death!
I had this discussion with my mother. There are a few people in this world who think the grass is always greener on the other side. So, all they do day and night is talk about people who are sucessful. You and I may be their favorite topic of discussion. "Oh, she is so lucky to have her daughters settled!", "That girl is so lucky to have such a husband", "They live in the USA, so life must be really good!", "She earns so much money for no work", "She has a grandson!!(Her greatest achievement in life!)"..... a few things you might hear from such people. Lets call these people "mongers".
These mongers get into our skins to such an extent that we cannot but help think of them day and night. So, now we have mongers thinking about us and we thinking about them.
The Vedas say that a man will be born as that thing in his next birth about which he was thinking most at the time of his death. Therefore wise men advise people to think about God as much as possible during their daily life, so that the mind gets conditioned enough to think about God at the time of death.
The following story appears in the Bhagavatam (Bhagavat Mahapuranam):
There was a King Bharat, who was the son of King Rishabh of the Solar dynasty. King Bharat ruled the earth for a long time in a just manner. The country India or "Bharatvarsha" is named after this king. The king had five sons. When the time came, the king divided the kingdom among his sons and retired to the forest to perform tapas.
One day when the king went to the riverside for his prayers, he saw a pregnant doe that had come to quench its thirst. Suddenly, there was a huge roar. The doe got frightened and jumped into the river to get to the other side. But, because of shock, the doe gave birth to a fawn in midstream and itself reached the other side of the river and died. King Bharat was moved to pity at the plight of this fawn and rescued it from the river. He started taking care of this fawn like his own child. He was so attached to the fawn that he forgot his spiritual pursuit. Day and night he was absorbed in the thoughts of this fawn, now a deer. Even so when King Bharat was about to die he was thinking about the deer. As a result, as soon as the soul left King Bharat's body, it was born as a deer in a nearby forest.
The story goes on to say how the deer(King Bharat in his previous birth) had to earn a human birth and then in the human birth (as Jadabharat) had to live without any attachment to any material thing in order to attain moksha.
Now, back to my discussion about the mongers....So if the mongers think about us day in and day out, they will be reborn as somebody like us. The world surely will be a better place to live in.
Having said that, if we keep thinking about them, we may have to be reborn as them. This won't make the world a good place. So for the good of this world, we have to shut out such people in life. Whenever the mind wanders to them, "switch off", think about God. You then at least have a chance to think about God at the time of death!
Wednesday, January 30, 2008
Realized Souls
The other day I watched a Rajni movie - Shri Raghavendra. There were a couple of questions that came to mind. The foremost being that why should a realized soul lose material things rather than give it up. Isn't renunciation all about giving everything up? I am not questioning the greatness of the saint. He did give up his wife and son. That is my other question. Why should great souls neglect the resposibility they undertake. The movie justified it as the saint's previous birth karma. Shri Raghavendra is considered to be an incarnation of Prahalada. But doesn't the unwritten law of karma say for every action there is a result? So what is the result of abandoning resposibility?
Are these great souls born again after they take samadhi? May be.... Prahalada was one of the greatest devotees of the Lord. He was reborn! Even God takes birth in every yuga, then what for us insignificant parts of the whole?
Why is it that most of the great souls end up in the body of a man? Why not a woman? May be it is more difficult for men to give up all that they have. For women, they give up something at every stage of life. That sounds feminist. But that is the only explanation I can come up with.
Anyway I am yet to meet a realized soul in this life...may be he/she would be able to answer these questions....
Are these great souls born again after they take samadhi? May be.... Prahalada was one of the greatest devotees of the Lord. He was reborn! Even God takes birth in every yuga, then what for us insignificant parts of the whole?
Why is it that most of the great souls end up in the body of a man? Why not a woman? May be it is more difficult for men to give up all that they have. For women, they give up something at every stage of life. That sounds feminist. But that is the only explanation I can come up with.
Anyway I am yet to meet a realized soul in this life...may be he/she would be able to answer these questions....
Tuesday, January 29, 2008
The First One
I thought and thought and thought even more....but did not see the sense in starting a blog. Why should I start one? Because everyone has one? Well that stopped me for a while. And then the other thing that stopped me was the face of my dear 10th grade English Language Teacher Mrs. Biswas. She never gave me a score greater than 40% (thats just the "naiyya paar" type of score). But then my little brain thought again (its going to burn one day!) , I need a place where few of my golden thoughts ( out of the too many I have) will be saved for a time long after I am gone.... also a place I can safely store some of my recepies and finally a place I can practise my AW for GMAT.
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