Counting the Countless… or The Craft of Communication, as Homo Sapiens do it!

“Counting the Countless” or “The Craft of Communication, as Homo Sapiens know… oops, do it!”

Let’s say the next great fad is going to be “Counting the Countless”, i.e. counting the number of stars in space and grains of sand on earth. While some will attempt it in the real universe, many will give it a try in the metaverse. Before you pick your choicest expletives and launch them in this direction, please spare a few moments of your forever-busy daily grind and read on. Please…

‘Fact’

Stars are in space and grains of sand are on earth. 

‘Information’

There are countless number of stars in space and innumerable grains of sand on earth.

‘Education’ 

There are x*y types of stars in z galaxies & n^a(b+c)/m*p grains of sand.

…of course, you’ll have to attend additional tuition classes offline or online – Byju’s is waiting with an offer you can’t resist – to understand and vomit, err.. write this, exactly as it is, in the exam paper.

‘Training’ 

‘All The Stars and Sand’ – the 3-day program that will change your Life.

Objective: To know how to count the number of stars and grains of sand.

Outcome: You count the number of stars & grains of sand, 3 times faster than before in 1/3rd the time taken by your peer group.

Session 1: What is a star? (23 slides, 1 self-explanatory questionnaire followed by group debrief).

‘Knowledge’

It’s practically impossible to count the number of stars & grains of sand.

…and any Training isn’t useful for practice, as for anything else. 

‘Belief’

It is true that many learned men from the age of Zeus have tried and failed to count the vast number of stars and grains of sand. As we know, the counting of celestial things is prohibited by the Gods and anyone trying to do that will have to face the wrath of Zeus himself. 

‘Faith’

The innumerable number of stars everywhere in the universe and grains of sand all over the planet show how magnificent the Creator is.

‘Religion’

On day n, he said let there be stars and sand and lo & behold they were there everywhere, in the blink of an eye.

‘History’ 

It was in 210 AD that humans first started counting the number of stars and grains of sand. But the first breakthrough didn’t happen until after 400 BC, when Gautama Buddha was able to visualise the entire universe within himself, right from the moment of creation, leading to his Enlightenment. The rest, as they always say, is history.

…of course it is, since that’s how it has always been and shall continue to be! 

‘Archeology’

Though historically 210 AD and 400 BC are considered significant, as far as counting the stars and grains of sand is concerned, the remains found during the excavation of Keeladi and the palm leaf manuscripts found in the original Nalanda University (that’s a certified miracle, btw, since it was burnt down by an invader), remain inconclusive about when the counting actually started or who started the counting.

…this once again decisively proves that the Aryan invasion theory is a long silk yarn spun by, umm… some grossly over-educated Aryans, perhaps!

‘Astronomy’

42 of the 88 modern constellations look like animals and are full of stars in various sizes, just like the countless grains of sand.

‘Astrology’

The reason for the delay in your promotion isn’t because of your boss who you obviously hate, but the position of Jupiter during this phase when entwined twins Rahu & Kethu compete with each other to block career growth of all people whose birth star is Jupiter. And that’s just one star. Imagine how complex Life can be with millions of stars in the galaxy, as much or more than the grains of sand on earth. But trust me, there’s a parihara (remedy) to get around the blockade and get your promotion.  

‘Rhetoric’

The number of stars and grains of sand are so numerous that counting them is impossible even if the entire humanity joined together to do so, for the next decade or two, knowing full well that’s well-nigh impossible. Yet, that’s exactly what humans are going to do. Humans, after all, are the only intelligent species in the whole universe, who can effortlessly pull off something like counting the stars and sand, with incredible ease.

‘Media’

*Breaking News* ~ Tom, Dick & Harry have been awarded the Nobel prize for creating the prediction model to count the number of stars and grains of sand. But, as we all know already, it’s a conspiracy by the economic super powers to claim all scientific inventions and prizes says Prof Vigyan Ashlesha.

NewsNow brought this to you first, even before Nobel prize was founded. Don’t miss the explosive debate tonight to expose the most earth shattering conspiracy never known to humanity since it evolved from ape – only on NewsNow! Tweet your views with #StarSandConspiracy to @NewsNow. 

‘Science’

If we start counting the number of stars & grains of sand from today, it’ll take x000 years to count 1/nth of the total, which will require y^n computing power.

Scientific Galactican got an early preview of this breakthrough formula, from the upcoming book containing the snail-mail communication between Einstein & Ramanujan. 

‘Technology’

We need newer, more powerful devices with far higher number crunching ability that relies on big data and stores every bit of information in the public cloud and daily counting trend available on mobile platforms using analytics.

Global chip leader Wintel corp said, “though the computing power and speed that’s available now is inadequate to count the number of stars and grains of sand, our upcoming TryzenLake super processors will provide the power on-demand, by chip load.” 

‘Business’

As the pioneer in space and earth technologies, the combined power of all our satellites in orbit and earthmovers on planet earth gives us a head start in counting the number of stars and grains of sand. And we’re proud to say Ubicorp is well equipped and ready to launch twice that number within the next decade, to make headway in this adventure to help humanity’s quest for excellence. 

…naturally, Ubicorp’s shares have risen almost threefold within four trading sessions, forcing SEBE to stop trading in that counter.

‘Management’

With x000,000 resources working n hours a day at y$ per hour, we will count the number of stars and grains of sand in z years, in a phased manner to transform our organisation’s vision to reality. 

Agile is the chosen methodology to manage this ginormous project and we’ll start immediately hiring Scrum Masters and Agile Coaches globally.

‘Analyst’

The star and sand counting is the next big thing in Digital. It’s set to exponentially grow from just 3 million counts a decade to over 22 billion counts a month, within the next 4 years. Though there are only about 3 enterprises in the world with the money, technology and manpower to leverage the growth  in this exciting space, we expect a six-fold increase in that number by this time within the next two years. 60% of that growth will come from Asia and the rest from China. We expect the size of this business to be Euro 12.6 billion with an assured annual growth of 62.8%.  

‘UN’

Asia has already started with the MilkyWay and Europe has voted for Andromeda. We’re hoping USA will soon agree to pick a faraway Galaxy to start counting the number of stars, right after the Presidential election.

China will supply all the devices required along with any amount of manpower required. South America will start counting the grains of sand from 2050. Africa is expected to join from 2085. Australia is still smarting from the Ashes loss and yet to decide which one it wants to do.

We’re unable to confirm Russia’s participation at this time, but we remain hopeful.

All nations participating in this global project are advised to allocate 3% of the budget as donation for the rehabilitation efforts in Ukraine. A 1% cess is recommended for sustaining the Covax program.

‘Government’  

We’ve reduced the number of forms to be filled from 19 to 17, simplified them from having 89 fields to just 83, brought all the 13 departments for approval into a single window system, appointed an IAS officer exclusively to liaise between business and government and given a tax holiday for 3 years with the possibility of retrospective MAT applicable only from the 4^th year for all stars and sand grain counting businesses that operate within S3EZs (Special Star and Sand Economic Zone). The standard quota system must be strictly adhered to however, for any and all employment.

‘Bank’

For loan at the best rates for stars and sand counting business start-ups, don’t look any further than GlowStar Bank. Our rates start at 3.99% for the first year, with free property and intellectual insurance and optional rider for health. Use code HappyStar and get 0.1% discount when you apply through paisagrain.com.

‘Retailer’

Telescopes, Microscopes, Lenses, Hourglasses, Sieves, Tents, double strong Coffee for those long nights and TripleBull Energy drink for the longer days and lots more – starandsand.sky – for all your needs to start your star and sand counting business today. Get a free Star&Sand designer mug free, for a limited period only. To win designer T-shirts, please check our weekly giveaways on social media.

‘University’

You don’t want to miss the star and sand counting revolution. Sign-up for our acclaimed MSSA (Master of Star and Sand Administration) program, exclusively designed for busy executives and accredited by ISSCF (International Star and Sand Counting Federation). Our 5-star rated course guarantees accelerated growth in what you always wanted to do – count how many stars and grains of sand are there in the universe. Universal placement assistance is available.

‘Publisher’

“How many stars will you count!” – the seminal book by international bestselling author Rohan Karma offers practical advise and step-by-step guidance based on his own personal star and sand counting experience of 17 years.

Expert review: One word – Glowing!

‘Gen Z Activist’

That so many number of, you know, stars and grains of sand have been, like, created by God is fine. I get that, really, okay. But I just can’t believe you still say God is a, well, you know… older and bigger MAN. And he lives in, like, the sky, beyond those, umm.. what are they.. oh, stars. Are you sayin’ man, uh, God, whatever… created woman too then! Yeah, right… How is that even possible bro? Can you believe that $h!t, like, really!

‘Rationalist’

There are stars, grains of sand and you and me. To say that all of these were created by someone somewhere above at will isn’t just preposterous but incredibly irritating. 

‘Pessimist’

Just look at the number of stars seen at night. And the grains of sand on just one beach or playground. It’s not just impossible to count them, but improbable to even think about counting.

‘Optimist’

Just imagine the number of stars that are there beyond what we can see at night. And all those glorious grains of sand on all the beautiful beaches and playgrounds full of joyful children and friendly people. It would be really wonderful if all of us join hands to count all those glittering stars and grains of sands.

‘Elders, aka Boomers & beyond’

Have told you from the time when your mother still changed your diapers that it’s not possible. Anyone who thinks about counting the number of stars and grains of sand should get his (or her) head checked. But the bloody millennials are so cocky that they think this can be done. And kids these days won’t just listen to anything we say. Ah, wish I could leave this godforsaken planet behind!

‘Wife (or Spouse-F, to be socially correct)’

Why don’t you find something useful to do and earn some more for our child’s education than wasting time thinking about counting the number of stars and grains of sand. Did they ever ask anyone to count them. And for god’s sake, stop playing that stupid Stars&Sands game on phone. 

‘Husband (or Spouse-M, to be socially correct)’

Look, given a choice, I’ll quit this hopeless job today and start counting the number of stars and grains of sand instead. Do you happen to know what kind of skillset and experience is required to switch my career path? Are any openings already listed on Naukri? I should probably check a few LinkedIn profiles to keep mine relevant. 

‘Child’

Whoa, there are so many number of stars above and grains of sand around. Aren’t they so beautiful! Can we play count the star & sand puhleeese?

‘Politician’

Is there any other quest in the history of mankind that’s bigger than counting the number of stars and grains of sand? And who else but humans can accomplish something of this magnitude that has never been even imagined before. History will remember us as the generation that has bravely attempted to do the unimaginable. Something so great yet so hard that made even Ceasar, Genghis Khan, Alexander, Rajendra Chozhan, Napoleon and the East India Company to think twice, before they gave it a miss and went on to conquer the world instead. And do it we will – with all the technology that’s available at our disposal. Not because it needs to be done, but because we can. Yes We Can!

‘Philosophy’

The pointlessness of counting the number of stars and grains of sand lies not in the stars or sand but in the limited thinking of humans, whose centuries evolution hasn’t helped in learning it’s pointless nature. 

‘Digital Era Guru’

Just keep counting the stars and grains of sand, without thinking about the rewards that come after counting. Rewards are maya, because you don’t know if they even exist. Counting is real because you actually do it. Don’t ever think that it is your doing. Always remind yourself that you are useful to get it done. Just as others who are also doing it. Give it your all and just do it, for not doing anything about it is not an option, as Krishna told Arjuna, several millennia ago.

‘Reality’

Stars are all over the space, grains of sand are everywhere on earth and humans still think they can be counted.

‘Truth’

There really are no stars nor are there any grains of sand anywhere to be counted by anyone.

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Hey, your sincere effort to read this post fully is truly appreciated. Now that you’ve read it, do spare a few more moments to ponder, reflect and respond. Ciao.

Be Joyful & Spread the Cheer…

~Swamy | @PrakashSwamy

Two Types of Writing (& Writers)

Two Types of Writing (& Writers) ~a Swamusings post!

When it comes to writing – pretty much anything – there are broadly two types, viz.

1. Writing for the (potential) readers &
2. Writing for the writer.

It’s probably perplexing. But kindly allow me to explain.

Writing for the readers is what commercial or so-called ‘professional’ writers, aka published authors do. Mostly. While that may not be their real preference, there isn’t much choice, once you somehow find a way into some bestseller list. Style of narration is perhaps a leeway they’ve got, offering the writer within them some solace.

The other category is those who write mostly for themselves. Typically (but not necessarily always) non-commercial, many such writers simply remain writers, and don’t get upgraded to authors. At least, not willingly. It’s a conscious choice. May not be the smart choice – in society’s perspective, but such writers will gleefully flip the bird, aka raise the middle finger, towards the society, any given day.

By now, you would’ve guessed which category Swamy belongs to. If not, keep guessing, until you figure it out. Here’s a clue though – though he has written his first short story in a popular commercial magazine in 1990; has been actively blogging & publishing quotes from 2012; got hundreds of classical poetry written through him; is inching closer to the 1000 milestone in QuorAnswers + Quoraவிடை… Swamy is yet to write & publish a book commercially – despite hinting about it from… ummm… the early part of the 2nd decade of the 21st century! Go figure…

Anyway, back to this Swamusings…

While writing a post, be it a blog or Quoraவிடை (Quotes & Poetry hardly ever get many views), sometimes Swamy inherently knows this particular post will resonate well with the readers and get notable response. It’s just a hunch, so let’s not waste time in over-analysing it scientifically. Time is precious, to (almost) everyone, after all.

Sometimes when such posts turn out to be like a well-crafted flop movie, the writer feels like Stephen King, whose books are all mostly bestsellers, but many a movie adaption didn’t turn out to be so. But many a times, the hunch-inducing posts turn out to be blockbuster hits.

Like this one (11200+ views; 144 upvotes)…

உங்களது மாதச் சம்பளம் எவ்வளவு? அதில் நீங்கள் மகிழ்ச்சியாக இருக்கிறீர்களா?

or this one (29100+ views; 9 upvotes)…

What’s the best definition of Communication?

Two days ago, while writing this particular Quoraவிடை, in the few hours between a planned & actual trip (intra-city only, of course), Swamy had such a hunch and it turned out to be a precise prediction (hmmm, how can something precise be a prediction – shouldn’t that be a conviction or conclusion!)
அசரீரி ஒலி: இந்த மாதிரி என்னத்தையாவது மண்டை காயறாப்ல நடுவுல சொறுகுறதுனாலதாண்ணே உங்க எளுத்தை முழுசாப் படிக்கற ஆளுக ரெம்ப கம்மியா இருக்காய்ங்க..!

Based on the 2-days response so far, this could easily be another 10K+ views Quoraவிடை (between crafting that screenshot collage & completing this post, it has already crossed 1500+ views & bagged another upvote)!
யாரும் சொல்லி தராமல் நீங்களே பட்டு தெரிந்து கொண்ட முக்கியமான வாழ்க்கை பாடங்கள் எவை?🤔🤷‍♀️🙃

For a seeker+writer who doesn’t give two hoots about who or how many read whatever he writes, surprisingly it’s the posts related to survival that seem to resonate well with readers. If you haven’t read this one yet, you’ll know why upon reading it fully.

இன்னிக்கு Sunday தானே… WFH கதையெல்லாம் விடாம படிச்சுத்தான் பாருங்களேன்…

https://qr.ae/pG8cAd

P.S: Based on this valuable insight, the upcoming ‘secret’ venture needs to be carefully re-calibrated, if viewer ‘response’ is an important criteria. Hmmm, decisions.. decisions..🤪

~Swamy | @PrakashSwamy

The Rule of Thirds – of a different kind!

~a Swamusings post

If you have ever dabbled in photography, or at least know someone who has, then in all likelihood you would’ve come across the ‘Rule of Thirds’ at some point. It’s a photography composition rule that many a photographer love to hate😖, but can’t escape abiding by – akin to income tax for salary earning employees of all kind. 🥴

Anyway, despite my Swamygraphy© credentials, this one isn’t about that rule.☝️ This one’s a ‘Rule of Thirds’ of a different kind… the GnAna kind 😇 Wait.. wait.. don’t run, err.. click away as soon as you’ve seen that emoji.🏃🏻‍♀️🏃🏻‍♂️ This one won’t be intimidating and most likely will be entertaining, if not interesting. So, please do read on…

The pile of books aka biblio’pile ‘ is probably 1/3rd of my tome collection…
Before you say ‘whoa’ and shoot that inevitable question, let me assure you that the actual number of books that I’ve fully read would be about 1/3rd of that. ☝️
That is, 1/3rd of the 1/3rd of the total books that are loosely organised in roughly 18-20 shelves, along the roof, wall, floor, etc.🤓

… you may feel free to take a break here – irrespective of whether you need a coffee/chai break or not (I just had mine)…😱

Now, the natural question for anyone still reading this would be, ‘why are all these (1/3rd) books lying on the bed and not in a shelf?’That’s understandable, and very explainable. So, let me explain…🗣️

You see, Swamy has this habit of picking up books from unlikely places like the puja saamaan store (ahem, Giri Trading Agency) to the highly likely places like book fairs (chose to skip the annual pilgrimage this time, thanks to a certain vicious virus that’s turned the lives of Homo Sapiens worldwide, almost upside down).😷 So, what happens is the books simply keep piling up. Since the existing bookshelves are already full of books (2/3rd of the 3/3rd), these newly purchased books will inevitably get stacked wherever there’s a flat surface, that’s not the floor – like table or desk.📚

Now, that isn’t the fun part. The actual fun is, whenever Swamy decides to organise these books somehow, he simply looks around and crafts a contraption to hold them in one place. The last time this was done, a couple of long shelves were made out of wooden planks, that are remnants of a massive work table he had in his previous home, which itself was carved out of a bunk bed his aasthaana carpenter created for Jr., when Jr. was still interested in climbing up the ladder to play or sleep (though I doubt if he has ever done that 🤔). Eventually, Jr. grew up and the bed became a table, which eventually transformed into planks and poles, since the tenants wanted to reclaim every inch of space for which they pay the rent, and asked Swamy to take away or dispose the ‘massive’ table.🤨 So those long – actual heavy wooden – planks lying in one of the balconies got positioned on a couple of unused chairs, speakers, another bookshelf tilted from portrait to landscape mode, etc. and so on and so forth.🥵

While this temporary contraption served it’s purpose as some form of bookshelf for several months, Swamy got enticed by the 1000s (literally!) of ‘woodworking’ videos on YouTube and started collecting one woodworking tool after another.🤦🏻‍♂️ Now they started piling up and threatened to snatch away almost 1/3rd of Swamy’s den itself, which is located in the northwest corner of his not-so-sprawling 3BHK apartment.

Though not much ‘wood work’ actually got done, other than a (actually useful) computer table for Jr (made entirely out of scrap / unused wood lying around)👌 and a mobile stand made out of கொட்டாங்கச்சி (broken coconut shell or தேங்காய் மூடி), all the tools bought for that purpose now demanded their own rack / shelf, creating a serious competition for the already wait-listed pile of books.😨

In the meanwhile, Swamy started doing the groundwork for (yet!) another initiative (a secret for the time being, considering the sordid history of past initiatives that failed to take off..🤫 heh.. heh..😆), for which he really needed at least 2/3rd of space in his den, ummm… room. So, it was time for shelf / rack search on Amazon (where else!).🧐

While the search was on (Swamy’s re/search for buying anything can range anywhere from a few hours to even years – his last phone upgrade took nearly an year), one of Swamy’s brother shared the details of metal racks he has purchased for organising stuff in his house. They looked very industrial and also appropriate (can’t explain the reason now – like I said, the initiative must remain secretive 🤫 for some time at least). So, for a change, instead of clicking the ‘place the order’ button on Amazon, Swamy actually set foot inside a furniture store and bought a couple of metal racks, each with six shelves. The store owner must’ve been thrilled beyond belief upon seeing a customer actually visiting the store when the pandemic seems to be on an upswing again and generously offered a tiny discount.🤑

The racks arrived in a day’s time, which was a pleasant surprise. Their assembly wasn’t done properly, which wasn’t a surprise (who cares about ‘customer delight’ in #MeraBharatMahan – it’s always about seller’s delight here,🤷🏻‍♂️ isn’t it). But since Swamy has got the necessary tools and reasonable amount of knowledge on assembling such contraptions, fixing them is a non-issue. But that’s only 1/3rd of the story.🤟🏼

Now we’re back to these pictures with piles of books resting on the bed. It’s that time of the year, i.e. when a book collector has to inevitably take at least 1/3rd of the books off the shelf, not necessarily to read, but to clean the dust that has put a brown cover on top of most books free of cost, and re/organise them in a new rack or same old shelves. Now that the racks are ready, it’s time for clearing the old temporary bookshelf setup, which miraculously held on till date, and actually organise the books – 2/3rd of the collection, perhaps – in those racks. While there are many different ways of organising the books, considering the tight schedule (படம் கொஞ்சம் ஓவராத்தான் இருக்கு!), Swamy has to let go of the dreams to create a pseudo-library and instead just get on with arranging the books as soon/fast as possible. And those woodworking tools as well. And some electronic stuff. And…🥴

Well, you get the drift. Fact is, you may’ve also done this many times in this lifetime, if someone in your family is a bibliophile, who eventually ends up creating a bibliopile inside the home. It might take a day or two (or more) to get everything organised and free up at least 1/3rd or hopefully 2/3rd of space in Swamy’s den – for that secret initiative🤐, obviously.

Hmmm… at last count, 1/3rd or 2/3rd and even 3/3rd has been used many times in this post, justifying the title (no clickbait whatsoever there sir/ma’am).🤙🏼

Oh btw, in order to decipher that secret mentioned somewhere in this post, you’ll have to wait for some more time. So, stay tuned earthling (that’s most certainly a clickbait, ha.. ha..🤪)…

Be Joyful 😌& Spread the Cheer 🌻
~Swamy | ‘@PrakashSwamy

Annaiyarumai ARidhal – அன்னையருமை அறிதல் ~ a special ‘exceptional’ dedication

Annaiyarumai ARidhal – அன்னையருமை அறிதல்

~ a special ‘exceptional’ dedication

I’ve never been someone who’ll do முகஸ்துதி anyone… on any occasion. Not my parents… better-half (she truly is)… child… family… boss… friends… political leaders… celebrities… This has ensured me being kept away from many ‘inner circles’, on purpose, pretty much all my life – in this lifetime. I’ve even missed awards at educations institutions and on-time promotions at the workplace, despite having all the necessary credentials in place. I’m now actually immune to exclusion and rejection.

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People love to pleased. That’s the norm in the society we’re part of. I’m someone who brazenly shows the middle finger to the norms of the society, while diligently remaining a law-abiding citizen and an ethical, kind (as much as it’s possible at my level) human being. I have never attempted to ‘please’ anyone, ever. And don’t see myself changing during the remaining part of this lifetime. But people haven’t gotten used to this in-your-face fact. Even those who (probably!) knew me for almost five decades now. Yep, it’s just a few more days folks… for yet another utterly pointless lifetime ‘milestone’ – a golden one at that! BAUHumbug.

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That kind of attitude hurts people. And I know it hurts. Despite the honesty of not having two faces – a fake one for the society and the real one that’s carefully masqueraded. And people remember only hurtful things. Kind things, however frequent (or infrequent) they are, don’t count. ‘Being nice’ is grossly overrated, while ‘Being kind’ is greatly underrated in this world. Aghast at seeing someone not even pretending to ‘be nice’, people carry the ‘hurtful’ load till they can’t carry it anymore, ahem, when they have to be carried away by others to you-know-where.

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Anyway, let me stop the rant here and get to the point (man, this is already four paragraphs long… when am I going to learn to write kural-long posts..!).

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Here’s a hymn (it’s different from a poem, even though it’s also a kind of poem) I’ve written sometime ago (October 2016). That was when the Dhinam Oru Pathigam hymns were flowing almost uncontrollably, racing towards the 2-ton mark, unpredictably (they’re somewhere near 240 now, as I redirected my attention to writing ArutkuRaL ~ Gnaanappaal couplets, which is at 111, so far). I’ve consciously flipped that hymn-flow switch now, so that I write hymns only when I really like to. Talk about ‘control’ – another fav topic loved by the herds in the society. Ha.. Ha.. (oops, I’m digressing once again).

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This hymn is obviously dedicated to mothers, though I would’ve never written any such thing for my own mother, not because she’s not special, but because to me that would be an attempt ‘to please’ her. But the hymn doesn’t care about my perspectives or preferences, just as the Corona virus doesn’t care about who it infects. So, it flowed from within anyway and I simply wrote it down. But when I wrote the explanation for it (that one’s always been in my ‘control’ ;), I had to pause for a moment and reflect. I simply couldn’t help it.

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The reflection flashed the images of illustrious seekers (and Spiritual Masters – needless to say) of the past such as Adi Shankaracharya, Pattinathar and Bhagavan Ramana Maharshi in my mind. What do all three have in common – they all performed the final rights of their mothers, despite being renunciates. A sanyasi has already given up everything – family included. All of them were sanyasis, without a doubt. Yet, they made an exception to their mothers. Adi Shankara came all the way from somewhere far in the north, all the way to the south, to perform his mother’s last rites. Pattinathar went one step ahead and sang a heart-wrenching hymn on her and performed the cremation with wet wood (or plant). Ramana Maharshi went further ahead and simply dissolved her and told everyone around him that ‘she’s gone for good!’

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Of course my mother is still reasonably healthy (thank you my Lord ‘Kudikaakkum Kumaramalayan’) and I’m just another nondescript seeker, who isn’t worthy of even dreaming about such stalwarts on the spiritual realm (despite having an awesome Guru who can simply walk into such company any day, without even trying). Wonder why then so much build-up for a mere re-publishing of a hymn (that’s as much a question to myself, as it is to you)? Because mothers are not just exceptions, but they are exceptional beings. They are the only ones who actually create Life – a brand new life – in this world, which automatically elevates them to the level of a SaguNa Brahmam, i.e. a God with form and guNaas (attributes, characteristics, quirks… you get the drift). Our problem is we’re stuck with the SaguNa part of everyone – including mother (and father as well, but which child has ever given a damn about father anyway). Mothers are human too and naturally are full of flaws like any other human being. But there’s no taking away the fact that they are special, despite their flaws. They are exceptions. Period.

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Anyway, so why am I writing such a long – obviously controversial & most likely to be debated, within the family at least – post and re-publishing this hymn on this auspicious Panguni Uththiram day? Today happens to be Swamy’s mother’s nakshatra (birth star) birthday (she doesn’t celebrate ‘english’ birthdays, btw, which I completely agree with – surprisingly). She was born on this star, a little over seven decades ago. And she absolutely deserves such a hymn to be dedicated to her.

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Not just her btw… I’m going one step ahead, despite the fact that this is me not being myself, at least for this moment, and dedicating this hymn to every single mother in my extended family – my better-half (who has always been a super-mom to my one child with two legs and the other two with four), all my sisters-in-law, every அத்தை, மாமி, சித்தி, உடன்-பிறவா-சகோதரி and other such அம்மாs that I know of. Well, having come this far from my முயலுக்கு மூணே கால் position about not pleasing anyone, come what may, why stop just there? The “Annaiyarumai ARidhal – அன்னையருமை அறிதல்” Dhinam Oru Padhigam hymn is dedicated to all mothers of this universe, including the mother of the universe Devi Parashakthi herself. Jai Mata Di!

https://www.facebook.com/photo/?fbid=10210647018522357&set=a.10209199712060600

Hymn explanation (for those who need it, which is probably most of you):

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Dhinam Oru Padhigam – தினம் ஒரு பதிகம் ~ 138

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Annaiyarumai ARidhal – அன்னையருமை அறிதல் ~ a hymn on the magnanimous motherhood , which goes unnoticed until the end , without realising the Grace of the divine Mother, residing within any & every mother.

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Annaiyarumai ARidhal – அன்னையருமை அறிதல் (realising the value of Mother) ~ hymn explanation

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When I was within (your womb), you carried me for 10 months

After I slid out (of your womb), you hugged and kissed me and fed me with the milk from your soft breast (mother’s milk)

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In the clear light of the moon, you sang lullaby for me to fall asleep

When I played around merrily, you clapped your hands in joy and cherished

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When I was studying, you prayed for me to do well, all along

After offering another woman’s hand (in marriage) to hug / hold me, you moved aside / away

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Since my stupid mind was always focused on the thorn (the rough / sharper part of you – like harsh words)

I failed to see / realise the soft fragrant flower, where Mother Goddess UmA Devi’s magnificent kindness resides (divinity within each being – especially mother)

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As the silver hair spreads on your head, you look forlornly at the entrance and long (for me) O’ Mother

Will I realise your value only on the day of lighting the (your) funeral pyre, crying inconsolably.

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*Annaiyarumai ARidhal is a tribute to the selfless motherhood & mothers of all beings – not just humans – who are the manifestation of the divine Mother Goddess Shakthi.

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P.S.: After all this COVID-19 lockdown pressure is over and the roads open up, my first road-trip will most likely to be to see the two mothers – my biological one at Madurai and the universal Mother at the Ashram of my Master! May Grace make it happen. Shambo.

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Be Joyful & Spread the Cheer 

~Swamy | @PrakashSwamy

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Lockdown Learning #1 – On Gautama the Buddha and his Path!

~a SwamyView insight

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Lockdown Learning is a new series of articles, through which #SwamyView on all things about ‘Life, the way it is’ is shared as insights, based on Questions raised by fellow humans, either seeking to comprehend something or simply expand their knowing.
This is the first article of the series.

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Questioner: Why was Buddha not convinced with any of the existing religions at that time? He did not choose to find enlightenment through Hinduism or even Jainism. He went ahead and created his own path… What could have made him feel that other religions don’t offer? I tend to agree that he did not start his own cult for fame or personal benefits.

First of all, let’s sweep aside all the misconceptions about Gautama the Buddha (he isn’t the only Buddha btw, every Realised Master that has ever been is a Buddha). We’ll refer to the great Master as GB from now on, to conserve some screen space.

GB didn’t start a new organised religion. And no, it wasn’t a cult either. In fact, none of the Realised Masters to whom an organised religion’s founding is attributed to, ever actually intended to seed / start a new religion. That mostly happened after their time.

Vardhamana Mahavira (also a prince and grihastha with a child, his father’s name is ‘Siddhartha’ – not known to be related to GB though) didn’t found Jainism – he is just one of the Thirthankaras (not too different from Guru or messiah or prophet) in that religion, albeit one who is revered as God incarnation by the jains.

Jesus Christ didn’t found Christianity. And why would a ‘son of God’ propagate his own path, instead of his father’s, anyway? Jesus was in fact a jew, which means his religion (by birth and practice) was Judaism. And he was persecuted and executed by the Romans, who had their own belief system, with many a God. Incidentally, many jews don’t consider Jesus – referred to as Yeshu – as a messiah, let alone son of God, in Judaism. The organised religion attributed to him was founded by his disciples / followers, who believed his teaching, and the path based on those teachings, could offer salvation to the people.

Whereas, later day Gurus like Arutprakasa Ramalinga Vallalar, Ayya Vaikundar and Meivazhichalai Andavar actually ended up founding their own organised belief system akin to existing religions – Samarasa Sanmarga Sangam, Ayya Vazhi and Meivazhichalai, respectively. But even their systems have their roots firmly entrenched in Sanatana Dharma, which has been the ‘way of life‘ for several millennia, in this ancient culture. Vallalar’s magnum opus Thiruvarutpa actually has many verses in praise of Lord Shiva. He is known to have worshipped and sung the Lord’s praise in Kandhakottam, a popular Murugan temple in Chennai. Post his realisation, Vallalar simplified God as ‘jyoti’ (light), perhaps with the objective of eliminating the confusion caused by the vivid imagination of various God forms by devotees.  

GB chose the path of sanyasa, i.e. seeking the Truth through renunciation – of all materialistic attachments and worldly connections. It’s very much a path in the ancient culture of Sanatana Dharma, even now. Having been around two-and-a-half millennia ago, he must’ve certainly tried the methods and Sadhana (spiritual practices) of that time, which must’ve included severe penance, aka தவம். But at some point in time, during his journey along the spiritual path, he realised – to his utter dismay, most likely – that none of the known processes were offering the answer to what he was looking for (we’ll get to that in a few moments).

Shri Bhagavat Ayya, a contemporary living Master (in Tamilnadu), says that contrary to popular belief, Gautama the Buddha didn’t attain enlightenment by meditating under the Bodhi tree, but actually self-realisation happened to him when he sat under the tree in an almost despondent state, after realising that none of the sadhana he tried yielded the result he desired. This is not that different from the enlightenment experience shared by many other Gurus. Self-realisation, aka enlightenment, happens by its own volition, to/within a sadhaka. All sadhana is just preparing the sadhaka for that happening. 

GB did indeed show a different path to his followers, based on his experience of Reality. In fact, that’s exactly what any other Realised Master (Guru) too has done. Every single one of them offered a path that’s a variant of the original, where the tailoring or refinement is based on his/her own experience of realisation.

For example, the core sadhana offered by Swamy’s Master Sadhguru is the Shambhavi Maha Mudra. It’s said to have originated from Adiyogi Shiva himself. Yet, Sadhguru’s version is tailored to eliminate the step(s) that will rekindle the sadhaka’s memories of past lifetimes, because most humans of this era simply aren’t ready to or capable of handling the stark facts about their past births. Sadhguru also emphasises the importance of knowing / realising the Truth (about Creator, creation, existence, et al, or ‘Life, the way it is’ as he terms it) through intimate direct experience and not based on how the scriptures or preachers describe it, since that’s the way he himself attained self-realisation, in this lifetime.

Incidentally, GB’s teachings such as ahimsa, renunciation, non-attachment, etc. are all very much part of Sanatana Dharma as well, one way or another. For example, the ‘yama and niyama‘ of Ashtanga Yoga (they are the first two stages of the eight-stage yogic path to realisation) elucidated by Patanjali Maharishi’s Yoga Sutras are nothing but a list of dos and don’ts, in terms of virtues essential for a seeker. Similarities such as these can be found in Mahavira’s jainism teachings as well.

GB didn’t include any kind of Gods in his teaching, possibly due to two reasons. And that’s purely speculation, of course. First, he didn’t find any God helping him attain enlightenment. That probably sounds pretty trivial, but it’s also a fact that none of the trinity, nor Devi, actually appeared to offer him self-realisation or salvation. But that isn’t surprising at all, since the manifest forms, i.e. Saghuna Brahmam of creator is typically left to the seeker’s choice. There are paths to realisation, using any form of God as the Paramatma, i.e. the supreme soul, with which the jeevatma (the individual being) aspires to attain union. So, a Devi upasaka chooses the path of Devi Shakti (the path of Tantra); a Subrahmanya upasaka chooses the path of the six-faced Lord Shanmukha (the choice of Siddhars such as Boghar and Pamban Kumaragurudasa Swamigal); a Vishnu upasaka chooses the path of the preserver among the Trinity (such as the path of Bakthi, chosen by the Azhvars); and the sadhaka who considers Adiyogi Shiva as the supreme soul chooses Shaiva Sidhanta or Yoga abhyasa (not for nothing is Lord Shiva known as both Adiyogi and Adi Guru – he predates all Realised Masters in this ancient culture). Alternatively, one can choose the formless ‘unmanifest’ form, i.e. the Nirghuna Brahmam as well, if one has got the guts and iron will to choose the abstract path to realisation. Sidhartha Gautama probably chose the formless or abstract form for his meditation is my guess.

Second, he realised that despite believing in various forms of Gods and performing rituals to all of them diligently, people were still suffering. So he must have decided – most likely after his enlightenment – that it’s quite possible for anyone to be liberated from suffering (not just in this lifetime, but also permanently from the birth-death cycle), without actually having to believe in a(ny) form of God. If so, that would be a truly revolutionary approach to mukti, even during his time, preached by someone who himself is considered as one of the avatars of Lord Mahavishnu. That’s like God himself telling devotees that they don’t have to believe in him, yet they can attain the ultimate state possible for human beings! In fact, a contemporary world teacher such as J Krishnamurti too has eliminated the need for a(ny) God (or Guru, for that matter), in the pursuit of realisation of the Truth. JK neither identifies himself with any religion nor likes being called a Guru, despite the fact that he most certainly is revered by millions as a Realised Master, who isn’t that different from Gautama the Buddha himself!

Also, it may be surprising to know that there are quite a few Gods, or devatas in Buddhism, especially in the Tantric variants. Tara, for example is an important Goddess in Tantric Buddhist versions such as Tibetan Buddhism. Tantra in Sanatana Dharma has always been closely associated with Shakti, i.e. the Mother Goddess, who is considered the foundation or source of creation, according to Devi Bhagavatam and Devi Mahatmiyam. It’s quite understandable as Mother remains the sole source of creation, even in this digital era (even in a family of same-sex couple of two males, none of them can actually conceive, despite one of them being called ‘wife’). Moreover, depiction of Bodhisattva Avalokiteswara, the patron God or deity of Tibetan Buddhism with a thousand arms, quite possibly indicating the Sahasrara Chakra, (the opening, or blossoming rather – since it’s also referred to as the lotus with a 1000 petals – of which is an indication of self-realisation), also includes Sakhyamuni Buddha himself prominently. Oh btw, Buddhism hasn’t excluded karma either, and the reincarnation of beings due to that, unlike a few monotheistic religions. That idea has its roots in Sanatana Dharma goes without saying.

GB is once said to have gone into a deep state of meditation – most likely Samadhi – and narrated who he is, by recalling all his past lifetimes, right from the single cell organism from which possibly all life forms in creation originated. This is in perfect alignment with the teachings of Upanishads and Advaita Vedanta, which elucidate on the source of creation as a primordial energy, i.e. Nirghuna Brahmam, one without form or attributes, or the unmanifest stillness (aka Shiva – ‘that which is not’), which eventually manifested itself into all of creation, i.e. the manifest universe and the beings inhabiting its worlds. In his realised state, GB simply perceived himself as that source of creation itself, from the very beginning of creation, and all its manifestations, till himself. This is exactly what the mahavakyas from Upanishads, viz., ‘Aham Brahmasmi‘, ‘Ayam Atman Brahman‘, ‘Ta Twam Asi‘ and ‘Pragnanam Brahma‘ state. In essence, he was expounding none other than the fundamental idea of Advaita, i.e. non-duality, which itself doesn’t require any reference to a particular form of God or deity.

So, there’s enough evidence to say convincingly that Gautama the Buddha’s findings and teachings weren’t so groundbreaking that they superceded every other religion or path that existed before. On the contrary, it’s quite easy to establish Buddhism as just another branch of the tree of Spirituality, that had been in existence long before GB came around. And that’s perhaps the primary reason why the religion whose founding is attributed to him, did not spread far and wide within Bharatavarsha itself, simply because most bharatvasis of that time must’ve been perplexed as to ‘what’s so new!‘ While he is certainly revered as a great Guru (Realised Master) in this culture, and even portrayed as one of Mahavishnu’s dasavatars (which directly links him to Sanatana Dharma), the fact remains that he is just one of the many Realised Masters who have treaded this land and guided thousands during and after their lifetime, to attain self-realisation and mukti (the ultimate liberation from the repetitive birth-death lifecycle spiral). He just happens to be one of the popular Gurus.

Now to that part of the question regarding why he offered a different path to his followers. The primary reason for that is the fundamental problem for which he set out to find an answer. “Why is there so much suffering in this world?“, upon witnessing suffering in the forms of old age, illness, death, etc., for the first time in his life. Safely assuming that he belonged to some variant of Sanatana Dharma, before his quest to find that answer, he must’ve been familiar with the various religious practices (vedic chanting, homams or havan, elaborate rituals for various deities, learning & contemplation using scriptures, etc.). Though legend has it that his father carefully shielded him from knowing about ‘normal’ life (of human beings) and any form of scriptural learning (since it was predicted by scholars that he will become a renunciate and great teacher, at the time of his birth itself), GB was a prince after all and must’ve been part of, or at the least witnessed, many such rituals sponsored by his father. Even the epics Ramayana & Mahabharata must’ve existed in some form during his time, so he must’ve certainly been aware that even incarnations of Gods go through suffering in human form.

So when he eventually set out to know the Truth, his quest was probably not to ‘liberate’ humanity from the karmic cycle (which he may or may not have been aware of, at the beginning of his quest to realise the Truth), but to find a way to alleviate their suffering instead. Finally, post self-realisation, he concluded and proclaimed that “Attachment is the root cause of all suffering.” So his teaching was naturally tuned to eliminate attachment of all kinds, so that suffering too can be eliminated eventually. This is also why Buddhism is perceived as the path for renunciates, i.e. monks who have taken to sanyasa, choosing to renounce all worldly attachments, just as GB himself did. And it certainly seems to have worked, especially during his time (he did travel and preach his path for many decades post attaining enlightenment), when he had thousands of monks as disciples, including his own child Rahula. Incidentally Mahavira also did the same thing (walking out of a life of luxury and family of wife and child), though his path is inclusive of both sanyasa and grihasta ways of life.

Intriguingly, the removal of attachment that is considered essential to alleviate suffering in humans, isn’t new either. If one goes back a few millennia before GB’s lifetime, to the time of the great Yogi Krishna Paramatma (an avatar of Lord Mahavishnu, no less – the eighth one, preceding Gautama the Buddha), one of the most popular shlokhas of his teachings (enshrined in the eponymous Bhagavad Gita – considered the holiest of Sanatana Dharmic scriptures by many, even now) elaborates on how one must perform ‘actions’ without any attachment to either the actor or the outcome. It’s none other than the verse

“Karmanye vadhikaraste Ma Phaleshu Kadachana,

Ma Karma Phala Hetur Bhur Ma Te Sango Stv Akarmani.” 

Lord Krishna basically told Arjuna to get on with waging the war (of Mahabharata, at Kurukshetra), without being overtly concerned about the outcome. He also emphasised that not participating in the war was certainly not an option. Arjuna was hesitant to do so, since those who he had to face, and beat – most probably kill – were actually family. His decision making was obviously clouded by emotions and his subjective intellect was on overdrive, projecting a dreary future scenario, based on the vast repository of past information stored in the mind. In other words, he was ‘suffering’ due to the ‘intellectual thinking’ arising out of his mind, based on the past data, projecting a future scenario, preventing necessary action in the present. Krishna Paramatma’s way out for Arjuna’s ‘suffering‘ conundrum was to consciously ‘not getting attached to the doership and the outcome of the action.’ In essence, he told Arjuna to get rid of his attachment in order to alleviate his suffering. GB seems to have merely repackaged that teaching a bit, to suit the needs of people of his time.

In a letter to one of his disciples, Swami Vivekananda quotes the Bhagavad Gita verse and says,

‘Despair not; remember the Lord says in the Gita, “To work you have the right, but not to the result.”‘ ‘To work‘ essentially means to perform an action. Actions can be performed effectively only if the actioner takes the responsibility to perform them. Both responsibility and performance are shaken when the actioner worries more about the outcome than the action. The cause for this is attachment. Objectivity requires detachment. And objectivity is essential for staying focused on the action, until completion. To put it differently, performing an action is akin to being in a state of meditation. Meditation, unsurprisingly, is one of the primary tenets of GB’s teaching as well.

During his lifetime, GB’s followers seem to have comprised predominantly of monks (of both predominant genders), who have renounced material life and chose the path of sanyasa. This is known as the Sanga, one of the primary tenets of GB’s 3-fold teachings (the other two are Buddha and Dhamma). He is said to have had thousands of disciple monks around him, many of whom are said to have attained enlightenment as well.

Sanyasa isn’t an easy path to choose, yet it is very much present as a choice in Sanatana Dharma as well. Post the Brahmacharya stage, one can choose to be a Grihastha (life of householder) or Sanyasa (life of renunciate). Alternatively, even those who choose to be a Grihastha, can later choose Sanyasa, after completing their Grihastha duties and going through Vanaprastha. Therein also lies the clue to why GB’s path didn’t find many grihastha followers in Bharatavarsha. Interestingly, there have been many Gurus in this ancient culture who remained Grihasthas, even after their enlightenment, and continued to teach and guide seekers.

Today, during the nationwide lockdown enforced to protect the masses from getting infected by the deadly virus pandemic known as COVID-19, we come across many a news article or visual crying out loud about thousands of migrant workers walking or transported back to their hometown, highlighting their misery and suffering all along. It’s quite obvious that they endure a lot of suffering during their existence – not just during pandemics or natural calamities. Yet, a significant portion of such poor population hold dearly on to their ancient belief system, passed on through many generations, i.e. Sanatana Dharma in one form or another, and not willingly shift en masse’ to a different faith such as Buddhism (for example), which was founded from the quest of a great Master who set out to find the cause of such suffering and alleviate it. It’s a fact that they do find solace in their favourite form of God and trust their faith to survive their existence filled with one form of suffering after another. One need to only witness the millions (literally!) of padayatris who walk hundreds of kilometres, year after year, to Rishikesh and Gangotri, chanting ‘Har Har Mahadev‘ fervently, to comprehend the sheer power of their belief.

Have GB’s teachings eradicated suffering from the world? Obviously not.

Were there not such teachings aimed at alleviating the suffering of people, either before or after the Buddha’s existence? Of course there were many – by many a Realised Master, not too different from GB himself (though many may not be that well known – limited to a certain region or even a particular place).

The reason why so many belief systems and paths of seeking coexist only in this nation is that all of them lead the seeker (or believer) to the realisation of the same / singular Truth (about the Creator, creation, existence, et al) and the ultimate liberation (from the suffering of repetitive birth-death survival spiral). Gautama the Buddha’s path and preaching were based on his own quest (to find a way to eradicate suffering) and ways of attainment (renunciation, meditation, etc). So are all the paths that were and still are in existence. Each Master teaches differently, yet they all guide their followers – seekers and believers alike – towards the same end state, that of realisation and liberation. That hasn’t changed for several millennia that have come and gone, and isn’t expected to change for several more to come. Teachers come and go, but their teachings continue to resonate with newer generations of seekers and followers. That’s why Gautama the Buddha is as relevant today as he was two-and-a-half millennia ago. Yet, the suffering that he tried to alleviate still pervades all sections of humanity even today, for which he (or any other Master, for that matter) can’t be held responsible.

Before we conclude this learning, two incidents in GB’s life are worth recalling, in order to truly comprehend this long-form response.

The first is a famous, oft-quoted, tale of a widow who requested GB to bring her only child back to life. Buddha, the ever-compassionate yet pragmatic realist, told her it can be done, adding an ‘if’ clause. He told her “If you can fetch a handful of grain (till or something similar) from at least one family in this village/town, which hadn’t seen any death whatsoever, and bring it to me, your child shall be brought back to life.” That poor grief-stricken woman went around, from door to door, seeking a handful of grain, but was left empty handed by the end of her seeking. For, there was not a single household in that place (or anywhere else, for that matter) that hasn’t seen death of a beloved member of the family. Everybody dies. And everyone connected to them grieves. That’s the harsh reality of existence. The woman realised that and became a disciple – monk, of course – of GB himself. This tale highlights one noteworthy aspect of the great teacher – his teaching was direct, bereft of any hard-to-comprehend fantastic expositions of Truth (typical of scriptures, puranas and ithihasas), and based on direct perception / experience of reality. That’s the primary reason it was so effective.

The second, less known tale, has been shared by Sri M, a contemporary living Master, of the Nath yogi order (founder of ‘The Sathsang Foundation’). In his autobiography (two volumes titled ‘Apprenticed to a Himalayan Master’ & ‘The Journey Continues’ – highly recommended, even for non-seekers), while recalling his many past lifetimes, Sri M narrates his experience of being in the presence of Gautama the Buddha. This happens during GB’s now-famous first sermon at Saranath, when the world was about to hear from the new Realised Master, for the very first time. Sri M in that lifetime belonged to a lower caste and GB passes through his place. Sri M offers him water, which GB accepts and drinks. Then he invites Sri M to be part of his sermon. Sri M, being a lower caste person, sits away from the crowd of curious people who assembled for the sermon, and listens to the Master. The crowd for the epic first sermon of the Buddha was less than twenty people or so, apparently. And Sri M says, in all his lifetimes (which includes him being part of the epic Mahabharata battle at Kurukshetra, witnessing the great Yogi Lord Krishna himself in action, as a woman then) he has never seen a being that was as compassion personified as Gautama the Buddha, the great Master who taught his path to less than two dozen people in his first sermon. Swamy had tears rolling down his eyes, involuntarily of course, while reading this passage in that book. But GB certainly fared better than Adiyogi, who as Adi Guru Dakshinamurthy, had just 7 sages to transmit his teachings, which is the firm foundation of all spiritual seeking, till date. Yet, look at how much Adiyogi is revered, worshipped and fervently followed even now. Size doesn’t matter, after all, certainly not in the spiritual realm!

So, in conclusion (at last..;), there’s no question that Gautama the Buddha is one of the greatest Gurus (Realised Masters) of this ancient culture. The fact that his teachings still prevail is proof enough for their effectiveness. But there’s no denying the fact that his teaching, and thereby the path which is based on his teachings, have their roots in Sanatana Dharma. Just as there are many tributaries to the mighty Ganga Maa, there have always been many spiritual paths / organised belief systems that branched away from Sanatana Dharma. The beauty of this culture is its acceptance of all such tributaries as well, alongside the eternal mother river. That’s why teachers such as Gautama the Buddha and Mahavira were neither persecuted nor prosecuted here, but accepted and revered as a Gurus, and had scores of disciples who chose to follow their paths and put their teachings to practice. That in essence is the greatest aspect of our culture, highlighted in the saying ‘unity in diversity!‘

Be Joyful & Spread the Cheer 🙂

~Swamy | @PrakashSwamy

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What’s In A 1000 Names ~ musings on Sahasranamam!

What’s In A 1000 Names!

~ musings on Sahasranamam (LalithA & VishNu)

A recent share by a family member on conducting ‘VishNu SahasranhAmam PArAyaNam‘ session at their home triggered an interesting discussion thread. Sharing it here, which hopefully offers some enchanting insights into two of the most popular Sahasranhamam sthothrams, i.e. LalithA SahasranhAmam (1000 sacred names of DEvi LalithA ParamEswari) and VishNu SahasrahAmam (1000 sacred names of Lord MahAVishNu).

‘Vishnu SahasranhAmam’ (விஷ்ணு சஹஸ்ரநாமம் ~ 1000 sacred names of Lord MahAVishNu) chanting for Swamy was initiated by his Upa Guru Sohamanandaji, during the ChAr DhAm yAtrA (YamunOtri-GangOtri-KEdArnAth-BadhrinAth). 👣

A daily practice at many Vaishnavite households (along with the ubiquitous SuprabhAtham), Vishnnu SahasranhAmam chanting continues to happen at SwamyHome, which, per religious / social norms (and spiritual practices, needless to say) is a Shaivite household (with the help of ‘பெரிய எழுத்து’ ~ bold letters edition by Giri Trading Agency, of course) every Saturday, after the daily chanting for Lord SkandhaGurunhAthan (Swamy’s Kuladheivam [குலதெய்வம்] ~ worshipped in the form of VEl [வேல்]). 😌 On Fridays, it’s the turn of Sri LalithA Sahasranhamam (ஸ்ரீ லலிதா சஹஸ்ரநாமம்), needless to say 🔥🙏

Incidentally, ‘ஸ்ரீ லலிதா சஹஸ்ரநாமம்’ (Sri LalithA SahasranhAmam) is said to have been chanted by Lord Hayagreevar (ஹயக்ரீவர் ~ Horse-faced Lord), who is an amsam or manifestation of Lord VishNu (not an avatAr, like Sri RAmA or Sri KrishNA). So it’s essentially a sthOthram by the elder brother praising younger sister (who was given away in marriage to Adiyogi ShivA)🙌, which is practically unheard of, but truly awesome. For those on the path of ShAktham (சாக்தம் [அ] சக்தி வழிபாடு [அ] தேவி உபாசனை ~ worship of the supreme reality as Shakthi, i.e. Mother or DEvi), it’s the child praising its mother, as all three primary Gods (and their consorts as well) are said to be created by the Divine Mother, for the sake of creation, with specific responsibilities, viz. Creation (Lord BrahmA), Sustenance (Lord MahAVishNu) and Transformation / Salvation (Lord ShivA).

The place where Lord Hayagreevar is believed to have chanted LalithA Sahasranhamam is enroute to Mount KailAsh, along the trekking path from the base camp. 👣

Swamy’s Upa Guru Sohamanandaji is a DEvi upAsakar (the form worshipped by him is DEvi ChinnaMasthA ~ தேவி சின்னமஸ்தா), so he has naturally started chanting LalithA Sahasranhamam during the trek to KailAsh (he was part of the same Isha SacredWalks group as Swamy, but hasn’t yet become Swamy’s Upa Guru, then), while crossing a particular spot. A Buddhist Monk who was going the other way stopped for a moment and told him “Horse face God chanted it here,” and pointed to some form of identification at that spot. 🙌 ShambhO 🙏

However, the origin of LalithA Sahasranhamam is said to be DEvi herself 🔥, since it’s practically impossible for any other being in creation to express Adi ParAshakthi’s (ஆதி பராசக்தி) magnificence in full🙏. With the possible exception of her other half, of course! 😂

Naturally, there’s an enchanting sthOthram on DEvi by none other than Lord ShivA himself, which is known as ‘Soundharyalahari’ (சௌந்தர்யலஹரி), which is essentially a husband’s praise of the enchanting beauty and virtues of his wife, with intimate details about her physique, mind, nature, etc.

The version of Soundharyalahari sthOthram that we’ve now is said to be an abridged edition, offered to us by Jagadguru Adi ShankarAchArya ✍

According to mythical lore, when the Jagadguru had the privilege of listening to the entire hymn (while having the darshan of அம்மையப்பன், obviously), he wanted to naturally share it with humanity. But when he was leaving KailAsh with the entire hymn (in which form is unknown, but that’s just a trivial detail), NandhikEswara (நந்திகேஸ்வரர்) apparently intercepted him and removed a whole bunch of verses that are considered too privy to be shared with anyone else. That makes Lord Nandhi the first censor board official! 😂🙏🙌

Here’s an(other) enchanting tale about VishNu Sahasranamam…

A lot of devotees know that VishNu Sahasranamam was chanted by Bheeshma PithAmah (பீஷ்ம பிதாமஹர்) while waiting to leave his body at an auspicious time (there’s a tale related to the actual event – of his inability to leave, despite his boon – which is covered well in the insightful Ratha Sapthami video by ஆலயம் செல்வீர் ~ Aalayam Selveer YouTube channel).

But only after the chanting was completed by Bheeshmar, everyone present there realised the significance of the hymn and regretted that no one recorded it for posterity. So, Lord KrishNa himself offered them the solution.

The Lord, the eighth avatAr (incarnation) of MahAVishNu, pointed out that since SahAdEvA (or NakulA, not sure which one, but most likely the former, who is an expert in many ShAstrAs, including Astrology, which alludes to him being the chosen one) is the one wearing a Spatikha mAla (ஸ்படிக மணிமாலை), he should be able to recall the hymn, in its entirety.

Spatikha apparently has memory that enables it to absorb nhAdha (sound / vibrations), which is the insight one can gain from this. 😇 Our limited knowledge is only about the cooling property of the gem. That’s how we ended up getting the enchanting VishNu Sahasranamam sthOthram. 🙏

So, is it any surprise that most (all!) those who do Vedic chanting and chanting of hymns regularly wear Spatikha mAla, in addition to RudrAksha mAla (whose purpose is vastly different)! 🤔🤘

Disclaimer: Swamy is just a seeker on the spiritual path, blessed to be guided by the Grace of a Guru (Realised Master) and experiential wisdom of a Upa Guru, and never claimed to be an expert on SanAthana Dharma. So, if you know more about these Sahasranamam chants, kindly share as comment and Swamy would be glad to learn.

~Swamy | @PrakashSwamy

Lovely Emotion!

“But then what is the definition of love.. emotions reflect love ain’t it?”

The question was raised by an acquaintance, as a response to this quote by the Realised Master J Krishnamurti.

Since humans are proven masters in misunderstanding pretty much everything in existence due to their overt reliance on the grossly overrated extra sense, and it’s a question that might have arisen in quite a few minds, at some point in time, in their miserable existence on the survival plane, I’ve decided to share my response to that acquaintance, with anyone who still cares to read – to know!

Disclaimer: Swamy’s pov on emotions & love is primarily based on his Master’s (Sadhguru) teachings and contemplations based on his own personal experience 🙌😌🙏

When emotional, Humans react to events and people, don’t respond to the situation.

~Swamy

Reaction mostly tends to be harmful, both to the individual who is reacting to an incident or person(s) who may’ve caused it and those at the receiving end. This can be observed anywhere, by anyone, on the survival plane of existence.

Since humans are emotional beings by design, smarter humans effectively exploit this dimension to achieve whatever they desire, from the not-so smarter emotionally charged humans. Examples would be politicians amplifying communal passions to win elections and corporates exploiting employees’ desire for success to rake in profits and even family members getting whatever they want through emotional blackmail.

This is what JK is pointing to in the second part of the Quote.

“An emotional person can be stirred to hatred, to war, to butchery.” ~JK

The love that we generally refer to is the filmy kind that is hilariously superficial, extremely subjective and obviously biased.

~Swamy

So, however emotionally attached a person is to those who s/he loves, it’ll always be limited to only those select set of people. If you find it hard to digest (it really is, trust me), let’s ask these questions to ourselves…

• Will we ever treat a servant maid as an actual family member..?
• Can we ever treat all the classmates of our children as our own..?

• Is there even one instance in our lifetime, when we treated a street dog exactly as our own pet dog..?

For most humans, the answer to all those questions will be a resounding NO. That’s why, even though we may treat the servant maid respectfully as a fellow human and have fun with our child’s classmates during parties and never hurt a stray dog willfully (and may even feed them occasionally), this isn’t true love at all. Despite the significant emotional investment made by us, our love is always conditional, limited and subjective.

That what JK implies in the first part of the Quote. 🤘

However, on the spiritual plane, emotion can be effectively utilised as a path to liberation, known as Bakthi yoga. This Bakthi is not the puja performing, temple visiting kind that’s in practice today, but letting go of oneself in devotion to a God or Guru or even a cause. It’s essence is captured better in தமிழ், i.e. நான் என்ற உணர்வு முற்றிலுமாய்க் “கரைந்து போதல்.”

When one attains that identity-less state, then everything in existence becomes divine in one’s perception and the expression of love towards every being will be pure, unconditional and unbiased. This அன்பே சிவம் state is the true nature of the divine. That’s the kind of love seekers receive from a Realised Master (Guru), from time immemorial. 🙌😇🙏

On a related (and slightly lighter) note, here’s a blog Swamy has published a while ago, on Love of course, on the occasion of Valentine’s Day, one of those typically silly western style day-based celebrations. 🙄

This was certainly after Swamy got initiated into Spirituality by his Master, 😌 but haven’t yet got fully immersed into seeking the Truth. 😂👇

http://prakashswamy.blogspot.com/2012/02/truly-madly-deeply.html

Oh btw, my Master repeatedly says that one of the Guru’s most important actions to the seekers is to constantly deflate their ego. Having experienced it first hand, many times, I know it’s a hard but very effective way to enable the seeker’s progress along the spiritual path. So, it’s no surprise that right after I’ve given my perspective on emotions and love, JK himself responded to not only clarify what he said about emotion and love (through the daily email I receive from the Krishnamurti Foundation), but also to ensure my ego isn’t inflated by my explanation of Lovely Emotion! 🤔😂🙌

👇

~~~~~~~~~~

What role has emotion in life?

~J Krishnamurti

How do emotions come into being? Very simple. They come into being through stimuli, through the nerves. You put a pin into me, I jump; you flatter me and I am delighted; you insult me and I don’t like it. Through our senses emotions come into being. And most of us function through our emotion of pleasure; obviously, sir. You like to be recognized as a Hindu. Then you belong to a group, to a community, to a tradition, however old; and you like that, with the Gita, the Upanishads and the old traditions, mountain high. And the Muslim likes his and so on. Our emotions have come into being through stimuli, through environment, and so on. It is fairly obvious.

What role has emotion in life? Is emotion life? You understand? Is pleasure love? Is desire love? If emotion is love, there is something that changes all the time. Right? Don’t you know all that?

… So one has to realize that emotions, sentiment, enthusiasm, the feeling of being good, and all that have nothing whatsoever to do with real affection, compassion. All sentiment, emotions have to do with thought and therefore lead to pleasure and pain. Love has no pain, no sorrow, because it is not the outcome of pleasure or desire.

~~~~~~~~~~

So the next time you’re all set to explode into an emotionally charged destructive reaction, take a deep breath and contemplate for a moment what your constructive response could be, to that situation. You’ll be surprised that the outcome could be a ‘Lovely Emotion!‘

Be Joyful 😇 & Spread the Cheer 🌻

~Swamy | @PrakashSwamy

A Root Cause Analysis of Life ~ Part 2/3

A Root Cause Analysis of – an Aspect of – Life! – Part 2/3

~~~~~~~~~~

You may read Part 1 of “A Root Cause Analysis of an Aspect of Life!” here…

https://prakashswamy.wordpress.com/2018/07/13/a-root-cause-analysis-of-life-1-3/

~~~~~~~~~~~

“I still procrastinate. How to overcome this? Is there any guidance for this?“

Procrastinate, by definition means, “delay or postpone action; put off doing something.” So the questioner implies the delay in translating thoughts (remember, there’s no good or bad) into purposeful action. And the source of thoughts, as surmised from the question itself, is teachings from many Gurus, which are essentially experiential wisdom, shared by them for the benefit of seekers.

Let’s take one such wisdom – from Swamy’s Master Sadhguru – to understand the situation better.

“With every breath, we are one step closer to the grave. Now is the time to explore a dimension beyond body and mind.” ~Sadhguru

Sadhguru is a Realised Master with millions of followers across the globe. So drops of wisdom such as this quote have a significant impact – at least at thought level, if not in action – on many of his followers. Swamy’s comprehension of this phenomenal quote is…

“Every moment that is not spent on pursuit of truth (on the spiritual path) is a wasted opportunity, in the brief lifetime of a human being. So, this very moment is the right time to start your sadhana, to attain self-realisation (and liberation, eventually).”

Someone else may comprehend it differently. Irrespective of how it is comprehended, this pristine pearl of spiritual wisdom will immediately trigger some thoughts in the reader’s mind, which will inevitably gain acceleration and travel faster than the speed of light (sorry Einstein, the mind doesn’t give two hoots about physics rules), in all kinds of directions, triggering more and more thoughts in turn. Within a few moments, one would’ve simply forgotten both the trigger and the original thought. As a result, this will become one of those billions of lost thoughts, that never get translated into purposeful action.

So, it’s amply clear that “I procrastinate” isn’t the result of any Guru’s ‘good thoughts,’ but caused by the nature of the mind itself. The mind simply goes about its bus(y)iness of generating wave after wave of thoughts, some of which may’ve been triggered by the sayings of a Guru. By trying to follow the perennial flow of thoughts, the reader / seeker simply loses track of even those thoughts that have the potential to translate into purposeful action. This results in the person feeling remorseful for not doing anything about them.

What’s the way out of the muddy remorse pit? To initiate action, of course.

What should a follower of Sadhguru do, upon reading the aforementioned quote? To start the sadhana (spiritual practice) right away.

How to go about it? The marathon runners* are useful as an example for this. They are typically part of a group or team, members of which run together regularly. It keeps them focused on the activity (long distance running) by inducing discipline through a common schedule and location. Similarly, a seeker could join a group of diligent practitioners, who perform their sadhana regularly. The key is to make it a habit, just like brushing one’s teeth in the morning; taking shower / bath; reading ToI while sipping a piping hot cuppa filter kaapi (coffee) and so on, without being reminded by someone on a daily basis. Over time, one may actually start feeling remorseful for not doing the sadhana daily, instead of not starting it at all.

Social media groups can also helpful in sustaining the sadhana, as many of the spiritual groups share posts on not only the Master’s teachings (blogs, videos, programs…) but also group events for practitioners such as sathsang, which help in staying connected with the Master and his/her teachings and also receive practice corrections from the qualified practitioners.

Though humans are prone to procrastination, they don’t resort to it when it comes to instant gratification. Tasks related to survival always happen on time – sometimes even ahead of time – because they gratify one’s immediate needs and wants. Eating – at least – thrice a day; ordering stuff or paying bills online; sharing opinion on events and people; cribbing about the inhuman boss; offering unsought advice for, well, anything; complaining about service quality… things like these happen on a daily basis, without any kind of reminder from anyone.

But when it comes to one’s own inner well-being, it can always wait, till whenever! No amount of advise can change this, as the change has to be specific action(s) initiated by the individual. A Guru can only show the path and offer guidance for traversing it, based on his/her own experience. It’s entirely up to the seeker to follow that guidance and proceed / progress with the travel. After all, it’s for one’s own salvation and not the Guru’s (who is already self-realised, anyway). So the solution simply is Nike, ahem, “Just Do It.”

If a farmer wants a bounty from his farm, s/he has to tend to the crop regularly, diligently.

If a student has to score high and secure a seat for higher education in a premier institute or gain employment with a prominent employer, s/he must study regularly, diligently.

If an investor plans to gain wealth from the financial market, s/he has to invest regularly, diligently.

If an actor or writer aims at being on top of the trade, s/he must act in blockbusters or write bestselling books, regularly, diligently.

If an organisation wants to be on the forefront of the industry, it must continue to train its employees on the cutting-edge technology and relevant processes, regularly, diligently.

So, for a seeker, there is no other option but to put the Guru’s teachings into practice. That too right away. Now. And sustain the practices, till the purpose is realised!

Mull these musings for a few days and look forward to Part 3/3, i.e. the concluding part!

*Two of Swamy’s younger brothers and a sister-in-law are professional Marathon runners. Swamily also participates in the annual Chennai Marathon, to support the Isha Vidhya rural education initiative.

Be Joyful & Spread the Cheer 🙂

~Swamy | @PrakashSwamy

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A Root Cause Analysis of Life – 1/3

A Root Cause Analysis of – an Aspect of – Life! – Part 1/3

Disclaimer: This 3-parts post isn’t a root cause analysis of Life itself, but just one aspect of it, i.e. inability to translate thoughts into action. Oh btw, unlike in the past^, this time all 3 parts will certainly get published in quick succession, as the post is more-ore-less completed already, but being shared in three parts just to help readers comprehend and – hopefully – contemplate!

An acquaintance of Swamy, who happens to be a meditator, recently reflected thus…
“I read all the gurus, but nothing is hitting the heart and making me to follow the good thoughts. I still procrastinate. How to overcome this? Is there any guidance for this? Due to this character I have lost more but still I do the same…🤔“

This is the natural state of existence, for most humans – seeker or not. Survival is just a series of one insurmountable challenge after another for most, and they invariably end looking up to others (typically those who are successful and popular) for whatever they could get – guidance, advise, counsel, quote, motivational speech, experience sharing, training, books, etc. – to get better, be successful, overcome difficulties, etc. The situation isn’t that different on the spiritual path either, where there are so many choices for a seeker to completely go bonkers.

While there is no specific answer or solution to this conundrum, one of the many possible options is succinctly captured by the emoji that the questioner used, at the end of the question, to indicate the thinking or pondering that’s going on. That so-called sixth sense is the only additional tool at the disposal of the Homo Sapiens, which unfortunately isn’t utilised effectively by them to liberate themselves from the BAUHumbug mundane existence. Unlike humans, who for whatever strange reason consider themselves as a superior species despite their incorrigible destructive nature, the remaining species on this tiny planet are quite content with their simple existence, as their lives remain uncomplicated by unnecessary thinking.

In the IT services industry, in which Swamy too had spent pretty much his entire phase of over two decades of survival, there is a popular process known as the “Root Cause Analysis,” to figure out what is causing a particular problem, with the objective of resolving the issue, by applying a temporary fix first (in order to ensure business continuity) and eventually a permanent fix (for preventing recurrence of the problem) as well. There are obviously many tools to perform this analysis (Ishikawa or Fishbone, 5-Why, etc)  but all of them are aimed at the same aforementioned purpose – analysing, understanding and resolving an(y) issue that impacts business continuity.

Image courtesy: Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ishikawa_diagram

Unfortunately, just like any other myopic perspectives of humans, about anything in life, this root cause analysis process too is focused only on the challenge at hand. Hardly a handful of people who are conversant with the process and the tools, ever use it to gain a larger perspective – at either the business level or at the industry / domain level. That’s why there are so many specialists who keep efficiently utilising the process at a rudimentary level, repeatedly, and very few (if any!) generalists who can effectively use the process to identify, analyse, contemplate, comprehend and craft solutions for real life situations, of which business / work is only a minuscule part.

Anyway, for the sake of the questioner, let’s keep the rant against the incorrigible human nature aside and focus on the situation at hand, by breaking down the reflection / long question into smaller parts, so that each of the components can be analysed to comprehend the whole.

“I read all the gurus, but nothing is hitting the heart“

Why do humans read / hear / view what others have said?
To know what the others are supposed to have already known, would be the obvious answer. After all, humans are self-certified experts in taking the easy way out, for practically doing anything in a lifetime!

A Guru – an authentic one who has attained self-realisation, not one of those self-proclaimed character artists – shares his/her experience of Truth (about creator, creation, existence, et al) and offers ways or methods to seekers who strive to attain the same experience. In ancient times, it used to be done in person (ashrams were created primarily for this purpose) but in the perennially busy times that we are present in, it’s being done with the help of all available modes of communication – books, podcasts, videos, blogs, programs…

Guru PUrNima, a day of reverence to all the Realised Masters who have chosen to show the path to realisation to fellow humans, is celebrated worldwide on 27-July-2018.

Unlike the ‘information is power’ survival where even those without any practical experience can be quite successful with acquired knowledge, spirituality is all about knowing, i.e. the actual inner experience of the seeker.

When a seeker accesses the experiential knowing shared by a Guru, it should be for the purpose of attaining the experience and not merely to know about the experience. So, seeking is not about the activity of reading / hearing / viewing the knowledge shared, but about putting it to use, in terms of actions (commonly known as sadhana), with the objective of attaining the same experience as one’s Guru.

In that context, it’s wonderful that the questioner has mentioned “nothing is hitting the heart.” Irrespective of whether it’s expressed with awareness or not, the questioner is actually pointing out how a Master’s teachings can be really effective. The heart referred here is not the blood pump that keeps the physical form ticking, but the spiritual heart known as the Hridhayam. It’s the seat of the divine aka soul. It’s where the creator is present, within each and every piece of the magnificent creation.

When a Guru’s teachings are put to practice, whatever experience happens is always internal. For example, hundreds of books talk about the primal energy of Kundalini and how to raise the dormant coiled serpent from the MUlaadhaara chakra at the base of the spine towards Sahasraara chakra on the top of the skull. To read any of them would naturally be exciting and the reader will exclaim “whoa, I didn’t know such a phenomenal power is hidden within myself.” But after reading the book, one either moves on to another book (must use Amazon Kindle Unlimited subscription effectively!), may be share a review on GoodReads (which about 3 followers may read on social media platforms and 1 compulsive liker may actually “like”) and then get back to one’s BAUHumbug* existence.

The serpent simply can’t be risen by reading books and needs to be practised under the watchful guidance of a qualified teacher. And those who have actually experienced the rise of Kundalini within themselves, will hardly ever share that experience as a “how-to” guide for aam janata, since the experience could be vastly different for someone else, depending on many parameters, and is potentially dangerous to the person who tries it as DOI experiment.

So, “nothing is hitting the heart” does not mean one being vexed at not having a heart attack, but feeling disappointed at not experiencing something inward. That’s actually a very good feeling to have – especially for a seeker, since the journey along the spiritual path is always about self-realisation, i.e. the realisation of Truth that happens within oneself, as an intimate – and intense, needless to say – direct experience, within oneself.

Unfortunately, the questioner isn’t going to let us remain elated with this revelation for long and instantly deflates us by extending his reflection thus…

“I read all the gurus, but nothing is hitting the heart and making me to follow the good thoughts.”

Now, the second part of this reflection highlights some serious misunderstanding of the practical side of spirituality, which is putting the ancient methods and processes (shared by Gurus, of course) into actual practice, in real life situations. After all, Yoga, the ancient science of Life, isn’t just an austere practice to be done in isolation but is a way of living that needs to be applied in day-to-day living, by the practitioners. That’s why there is so much emphasis on sadhana (practice or performance of a spiritual process) in spirituality. In fact, nationwide missions like SkillIndia should take a cue from yoga, for the practical application part, in order to be really effective.

Inner voice cries hoarse: “digression… digression…”

Thoughts can potentially lead to actions, but not necessarily always. If one tries to translate each and every thought into action, simply surviving in this world itself would become harder than scaling Mt. Everest without oxygen, and sherpas. Thoughts simply keep flowing by themselves, like the waves of the ocean. Over time, one not only loses count of their number, but one also learns that it’s practically impossible to do something with each wave. There are waves that one can let kiss one’s bare feet and then there are those one could surf. Perhaps there are even some that may trigger enchanting poetry. The rest can only be observed. And they never cease to flow.

The questioner smartly chooses to follow only “good thoughts.” Hmmm… but how does one determine a thought is good or bad? It’s still just a thought anyway. Unless it is translated into an action, with a defined purpose, aimed at a specific outcome, it’s impossible to determine the value of any thought. Only when the outcome is experienced, its usefulness can be ascertained, based on the social situation that one is part of. Something that is useful / beneficial for an individual or society, in a harmless way, is deemed good. The opposite of that is branded as bad.

But good and bad are just classifications based on the subjective intellect of an individual or collective. They are mere perspectives and will vary from person to person, just like any other perspective. For terrorists, mass murder is just a means to an end, which makes them believe killing others is good. For the rest, murder is obviously bad and mass murderers are unadulterated evil, personified. While those who are murdered gladly excuse themselves from the pointless debates on their murder, the rest of the populace is always ready and willing to debate the good vs bad of murders and murderers to death, literally (on the multitude of channels that guarantee the proverbial “15 seconds of fame” for anyone who is willing to flex his/her vocal chords to express one’s opinion about anything, relevant or not).

In reality there is no such thing as a ‘good thought’ or a ‘bad thought.’ Thoughts are, well, just thoughts. Everyone has got a boatload of them and some even admire themselves as being “Thought Leaders,” in practically every aspect of living. Irrespective of whether one fancies oneself as a leader or not, one can only translate one’s own thoughts into actions. And thoughts that translate into action are either useful or not. Neither can all useful things be deemed good (e.g. guns) nor can any useless thing be classified bad (e.g. floppy disk).

A Guru has no interest in either regulating someone’s thoughts or making someone follow his/her (the Guru’s) thoughts. And s/he doesn’t really care about the goodness of her/his thoughts, for a real Guru is fully aware of the utter futility of trying to interrupt or control the natural flow of thoughts. A Guru will actually be keen on enabling a seeker to understand that futility, experientially, by offering one or more sadhana (spiritual practice). So, it is obviously left to the individual – seeker or not – to observe one’s own thoughts and identify those that really need to be translated into action and act accordingly. The rest will mind their own business, within the mind itself!

Let’s look at that first sentence one last time, so we can move on to the rest of the question (parts 2 and 3 are waiting to be shared, impatiently)!

“I read all the gurus, but nothing is hitting the heart and making me to follow the good thoughts.”

Here’s the summary of insights that may help you, dear reader, to ignore most of the thoughts triggered while / after reading this and act upon only those that are valuable / useful.

• Listening to what a Guru (Realised Master) shares is wonderful, because it is experiential wisdom
• Knowing that a Guru’s teachings are meant for the spiritual heart and not the silly mind is great and will help the seeker focus inward
• Thoughts simply flow by themselves, like the waves of the ocean, and they are neither good nor bad. They can be triggered by listening to a Guru as well
• It’s practically not possible to follow all the thoughts that arise in the mind, which will only make anyone who attempts that go insane
• One can pick and choose the thoughts and translate them into purposeful action for a specific outcome. The often over-hyped sixth-sense is meant for this purpose
• A Guru is fully aware of the futility of following (any)one’s thoughts and hence will only encourage seekers to effectively utilise some of the thoughts for purposeful action, and enable them with practices (sadhana) for that purpose

You may take a well-deserved tea/coffee/juice break now. But just don’t start another series of waves, ummm… thoughts, by debating this with your break companion(s). Simply enjoy the beverage instead!

^There are a few multi-part blog posts that Swamy has started but yet to complete. Some on purpose and some for no reason. Or, may be it’s just procrastination! ha.. ha..

*BAUHumbug = “Business As Usual Humbug”, a term in Swamyctionary (which itself is another term coined by Swamy, supposed to mean ‘Swamy’s dictionary,’ i.e. collection of words coined by Swamy) that’s often used by him to depict the pretentious superficial survival focused existence of the species to which he too unfortunately belongs to!

… rest of the post will be shared in parts 2 & 3, as soon as at least 1 person cares to read this part and attempts to reflect upon it (thank goodness, that gives Swamy sufficient time to procrastinate :D)!

Be Joyful & Spread the Cheer 🙂

~Swamy | @PrakashSwamy

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Life Math!

Math is fun only for a select few, historically. Even for the great BhArathi, the MahAkavi, it was “கணக்கு, பிணக்கு, ஆமணக்கு,” something that was not just a struggle but even bitter. So, it isn’t that hard to imagine how Math is for lesser mortals. If it’s that complex a subject in the academic syllabus, then how complicated it should be in Life? Is it any wonder the species that never tires of boasting about it’s extra 6th sense, keeps on failing to score even the bare minimum pass score in “Life Math!”

1+1 is never equal to 1.

That’s why lovers who marry, even after several years of being in love, are shocked to find they are still 2 distinct individuals and can’t merge into 1 being, as they’ve imagined. Nor can business or any kind of partners. When neither is willing to let go of one’s distinct sense of identity, the individual will remain as 1 and 1+1 will always be 2.

1/2 + 1/2 = 1

Lord ShivA, aka the One (he’s Mahadeva, i.e. God of Gods, after all) knew this (obviously) and was prudent to merge his spouse (kind of hard to say who is the better half among the PurushA & Prakriti) into himself and become ArdhanhAreeswarA (part ShivA & part Shakthi), when it comes to walking the talk, i.e. offering an experiential learning opportunity on how the Life Math is done (he happens to be DakshiNAmUrthy, the Adi Guru, as well), but the Homo Sapiens aren’t capable learners, apparently.

But even if we take a few lifetimes to elevate ourselves to contemplate & comprehend the Adiyogi’s teachings, t

here are a couple of ways the life math can be made to work

, in this lifetime itself.

1×1 = 1.

But for this math to work in life, both the 1s have to collaborate & work together to create the force multiplier effect. Unfortunately, the individual 1s mostly stop with the force and keep multiplying it.

This works well, at least for a while, in business partnerships, since partners usually bring different skill sets and capabilities to the table. Remember the 2 Steves who created the fruit company (ahem, that would be Apple).

1/1 is also =1.

But for this equation to happen in life, either of the two 1s should be willing to go down, i.e. let go of their individual identity or ego. Every husband & wife knows – by experience, obviously – that’s just a fantasy or fantastic dream.

This is how a Guru-sishyA relationship works though. Neither does a real Guru (Realised Master) show of his Allness, ever, disseminating all that s/he knows to any sincere seeker, nor does the disciple mind getting chiselled pertinently, until s/he loses any sense of individual identity left.

1+0 is always equal to one.

The 1 is the individual, with many an identity, including but not limited to, name, education, status, title, religion, region, etc. S/he imagines being unique & distinct. That’s the mind trap, but it’s a very attractive & deceptive trap, in which the individual is willing to remain, for lifetimes.

Tonnes of Karma keeps piling up and the repetitive birth-death cycle goes on and on…

The 0 is the divine that’s within the individual, not a digit without any value, but one that’s absolute. That’s exactly why the 0 added after any numeral increases its value manifold.

That 0 waits patiently for the 1 to first realise it & then merge with it or dissolve into it. When that happens, when the realisation dawns upon the individual self, when the creation realises the magnificent presence of the creator glowing silently within the creation, every single being in existence – not just the individual, then the 1 becomes the 0. That’s also when, 1 and 0, which were 2 before, transform into 1, i.e. The One!

😇

AUM PUrNam-adah PUrNam-idam PUrNAt-PUrNam-udachyate
PUrNasya PUrNam-AdhAya PUrNam-Eva-avashissyate
AUM ShAntih ShAntih ShAntih

PUrNam-idam PUrNAt-PUrNam-udachyate
PUrNasya PUrNam-AdhAya PUrNam-Eva-avashissyate
AUM ShAntih ShAntih ShAntih

PUrNasya PUrNam-AdhAya PUrNam-Eva-avashissyate
AUM ShAntih ShAntih ShAntih

😇

AUM That (divine / creator / real Self) is complete / whole; This (individual / creation / non-real self) self is complete / whole; Everything (in existence) manifests from that which is complete / whole (all of creation are manifest forms of the unmanifest divine or NhirguNa Parabrahmam).

(even) When (this – individual) whole is taken from (that – divine) whole, that which remains is (still) whole (omnipresent divine that is infinite & all pervading in nature).

AUM peace.. peace.. peace..

Be Joyful 😌& Spread the Cheer 🌻

~Swamy | @PrakashSwamy