For septuagenarian, Paravati Mohanty, educating small children is a passion. Since 1964, she is pursuing her mission with a zeal at Patapur village under Aul block headquarters. Free services rendered by her come in handy as the school is often hit by shortage of teachers. Many of her students are established in life and that includes Pitambar Das, now officiating as the headmaster of the village school. She is loved and respected by all in the village. She is an excellent teacher and expert in handling children. She arrives on time and teaches standard-1 and 2 students, said Pitambar Das, Headmaster of Patapur primary school.In fact, she taught me. I learnt Oriya alphabets and grammar from her. That was in 1968, he said. As per school and mass education department rules, no outsider is allowed to teach in government-run schools. But we had sought permission. The department was impressed with her act of benevolence and promptly accorded permission, he said. I have read up to class 6th. Early marriage stopped my study. Despite discontinuing, I read at home. As my study was discontinued, I had resolved to teach children who are deprived of education. Since 1964, I am doing this when the school was running in a thatched house", reminisced Parvati. "An inherent urge drove me to teach children. I derive intrinsic pleasure out of it", she said. I feel I have somehow succeeded in my mission. My two daughters are graduates and are now married off. Many whom I taught are settled in life. My husband is no more. But he was a source of inspiration for me to take up such work", Paravati narrated.
Wednesday, February 2, 2011
Unsung Heroes Part-1 72 year lady on a Literacy Drive
Monday, January 31, 2011
Inspiring article by Sri Ravi Shankar पंखों को खोलते हुए
हर वर्ष हम नववर्ष की शुरुआत दूसरों को खुशी और समद्धि की शुभ कामनाएं देकर करते हैं। समृद्धि का सही लक्षण क्या है? समृद्धि का लक्षण मुसकराहट है। समृद्धि का लक्षण संतोष है। समृद्धि का चिह्न है- मुक्ति, मुस्कान तथा जो कुछ भी अपने पास हो, उसे निर्भय होकर आसपास के लोगों के साथ बांटने की मन:स्थिति। समृद्धि का लक्षण यह आस्था और आत्मविश्वास है कि जो कुछ भी मेरी आवश्यकता है वह मुझे मिल जाएगा।
2011 का स्वागत एक वास्तविक मुसकराहट के साथ करें, एक ऐसी मुसकराहट, जो भीतर से हो। कैलेंडर के पन्ने पलटने के साथ-साथ हम अपने मन के पन्नों को भी पलटते जाएं। प्राय: हमारी डायरी स्मृतियों से भरी हुई होती है। आप देखें कि आपके भविष्य के पन्ने बीती हुई घटनाओं से न भर जाएं। बीते हुए समय से कुछ सीखें, कुछ भूलें और आगे बढ़ें।
आप लोभ, घृणा, द्वेष तथा ऐसे अन्य सभी दोषों से मुक्त होने की कोशिशकरें। यदि मन इन सभी नकारात्मकताओं में लिप्त है, तो वह खुश नहीं रह सकता। समझें कि नकारात्मक भावनाएं भूतकाल की वजह से हैं। वर्तमान जीवन के अनुभव को आपका भूतकाल नष्ट न करने पाए। बीते हुए समय को क्षमा नहीं कर पाएंगे, तो आपका भविष्य दुखद हो जाएगा।
पिछले साल, जिनके साथ आप की अनबन रही है, इस साल आप उनके साथ सुलह कर लें। भूत को छोड़कर नया जीवन शुरू करने का संकल्प करें।
इस बार नववर्ष के आगमन पर हम इस पृथ्वी के लिए शांति और संपन्नता के संकल्प के साथ सभी को शुभकामनाएं दें। आर्थिक मंदी, आतंकवाद की छाया, बाढ़ तथा अकाल के इस समय में और अधिक नि:स्वार्थ सेवा करें। इस संसार में हिंसा को रोकना ही हमारा प्राथमिक उद्देश्य है। समाज के लिए कुछ अच्छा करने का संकल्प लें, जो पीड़ित हैं उन्हें धीरज दें।
जब भी आप लोगों के लिए उपयोगी हुए, तो उसका पुण्य भी आपको मिला। वह लुप्त नहीं होता। आपके द्वारा किए गए अच्छे कर्म हमेशा पलट कर आपके पास वापस आएंगे। आज आपके पास यह पूरा विश्व एक परिवार जैसा है। यह हमें महसूस करना है कि हर कोई आपके ही परिवार का हिस्सा है। पूरे राष्ट्र के लिए जिम्मेदारी लें। फिर कोई दुख नहीं होगा।
जीवन का आध्यात्मिक पहलू हमें संपूर्ण विश्व और संपूर्ण मानवता के प्रति और अधिक अपनापन, उत्तरदायित्व, संवेदना तथा सेवा का भाव विकसित करता है। सच्चा आध्यात्मिक पहलू जाति, धर्म तथा राष्ट्रीयता की संकुचित सीमाओं को तोड़ देता है तथा सभी में व्याप्त जीवन ऊर्जा से अवगत कराता है।
अपनी आंखों को खोलें और देखें कि आपको कितना कुछ मिला हुआ है। इस नववर्ष पर यह ध्यान दें कि आपको क्या मिला है। इस पर नहीं कि आपको क्या नहीं मिला। यह कृतज्ञता लाता है। आप जितने कृतज्ञ होंगे, उतना ही अधिक आपको मिलेगा। इसके विपरीत आप जितनी शिकायत करेंगे, उतना ही आपसे वापस ले लिया जाएगा। यीशु मसीह ने भी यही कहा था कि जिसके पास है, उनको और अधिक मिलेगा और जिनके पास नहीं हैं, उनके पास जो भी है, वह उनसे ले लिया जाएगा। इसका यही अर्थ है।
जो हम से कम संपन्न हैं, उनके पास पहुंचें और आभार की भावना के साथ उनकी सहायता करें। आप यह अनुभव करेंगे कि जब आप नि:स्वार्थ सेवा करते हैं, तो आपको कितना अधिक संतोष मिलता है। इससे आपको यह भी पता चलेगा कि आपकी अपनी समस्या बहुत छोटी है। बार-बार मन में कहना कि 'मुझे क्या मिलेगा' मानसिक अवसाद का सबसे बड़ा कारण है। 'मुझे क्या मिलेगा' समृद्धि की कमी का लक्षण है।
इस वर्ष पंछी की तरह मुक्त हो जाएं। अपने पंखों को खोलें और उड़ना सीखें। इसको स्वयं अपने भीतर अनुभव करना है। और कुछ भी नहीं। यदि आप अपने को बंधन में महसूस करते हैं, तो फिर आप बंधन में ही रहोगे। मुक्त हो जाएं। आप अपनी स्वतंत्रता को कब महसूस करेंगे। मरने के बाद? अभी इस क्षण मुक्त हो जाएं। बढ़कर तृप्त हो जाएं। कुछ समय ध्यान और सत्संग में बैठें। यह आपके मन को शांत तो करता ही है, साथ ही संसार की चुनौतियों का सामना करने के लिए आपकी चेतना को आंतरिक बल भी देता है।
जब मन विश्राम करता है, तब बुद्धि तीक्ष्ण हो जाती है। जब मन आकांक्षा, ज्वर या इच्छा जैसी छोटी-छोटी चीजों से भरा हो, तब बुद्धि क्षीण हो जाती है। और जब बुद्धि तथा ग्रहण क्षमता तीक्ष्ण नहीं होती, तब जीवन को पूर्ण अभिव्यक्ति नहीं मिलती। नए विचार नहीं आते। तथा हमारा सामर्थ्य दिन-प्रतिदिन कम होने लगता है। इस ज्ञान से हम अपने छोटे मन के दायरे से बाहर कदम निकाल सकते हैं और यह कदम जीवन की कई समस्याओं का समाधान देगा। केंद्रित रहने से हमेशा खुशी पास रहती है। इसी शांति से प्रतिभाएं उभरती हैं। सहज ज्ञान मिल जाता है। सुंदरता आ जाती है। शांति आती है। प्रेम प्रकट होता है। समृद्धि आती है।
Courtesy: www.amarujala.com अमर उजाला, देहरादून, शुक्रवार, 31 दिसंबर 2010
ध्यान का विज्ञान Dainik Hindustan 310111
तमाम धर्मो में ध्यान का महत्व बहुत शुरू से ही रहा है। सभी धर्मो में ध्यान की कुछ विधियां प्रचलित रही हैं। बौद्ध धर्म में तो ध्यान का केंद्रीय महत्व है। महात्मा बुद्ध ने ज्ञान को प्राप्त करने के लिए ध्यान ही किया था। बुद्ध धर्म का स्थविर यान या हीनयान संप्रदाय ध्यान पर ही आधारित है। महायान में भी ध्यान संप्रदाय चला, जो जापान में 'जेन' के नाम से विख्यात हुआ।
भारत के षड्दर्शनों में से एक 'योग' में भी ध्यान का बहुत महत्व है। ध्यान को धार्मिक रूढ़ि मानकर काफी वक्त तक नए जमाने के लोग इस पर ध्यान नहीं देते थे, लेकिन पिछले कुछ बरस में यह पाया गया कि नए जमाने की 'लाइफ स्टाइल' बीमारियों में ध्यान काफी उपयोगी है।
कई शोधों में ध्यान के फायदों के सुबूत मिले हैं। पिछले दिनों अमेरिका में हुए एक शोध ने यह बताया कि ध्यान से दिमाग में कुछ फायदेमंद संरचनात्मक बदलाव होते हैं। इस शोध में आठ हफ्ते तक कुछ लोगों को नियमित रूप से ध्यान कराया गया, जो कुछ विपश्यना जैसा ध्यान था। शुरू में इन लोगों के दिमाग के एमआरआई स्कैन किए गए और आठ हफ्ते बाद फिर एमआरआई से जांच की गई।
जांच में पता चला कि ध्यान करने वाले के दिमाग में हिप्पोकैंपस नामक भाग में ग्रे सेल की संख्या काफी बढ़ गई। हिप्पोकैंपस का संबंध याददाश्त और सीखने की प्रक्रिया से है यानी उनकी याददाश्त और सीखने की शक्ति बढ़ गई। यह भी देखा गया कि तनाव से संबंधित भाग, जिसे एमाइग्डाला कहते हैं, उसमें ग्रे सेल की संख्या में कमी आ गई थी।
जिन लोगों ने ध्यान नहीं किया था, उनके दिमाग में ऐसे कोई परिवर्तन नहीं देखे गए। 2009 के एक शोध से पता चला कि ध्यान से हृदय रोग से पीड़ित लोगों का ब्लड प्रेशर कम हुआ और 2007 का एक शोध बताता है कि ध्यान करने से एकाग्रता की क्षमता बढ़ती है। 2008 में हुए एक शोध से एक और दिलचस्प बात सामने आई।
शोधकर्ताओं ने पाया कि जब ध्यान करने वालों ने किसी व्यक्ति को तकलीफ में देखा, तो उनके दिमाग के टेम्पोरल पेराइटल संधि स्थानों पर सामान्य से ज्यादा हलचल हुई, इसका अर्थ यह है कि ध्यान करने वालों में दूसरों के प्रति संवेदनशीलता और सहानुभूति भी बढ़ जाती है।
ये नतीजे बताते हैं कि ध्यान करना खुद के स्वास्थ्य के लिए भी अच्छा है और दूसरे के लिए भी यानी ध्यान सिर्फ हमारी सेहत ही नहीं सुधारता, बल्कि हमें बेहतर इनसान बनने में भी मदद करता है। कई अस्पतालों में हुए शोध यह बताते हैं कि नियमित ध्यान करने वाले मरीज बीमारियों से जल्दी उबरते हैं। यूं हम मान लेते हैं कि आधुनिक जीवन में तनाव ज्यादा है, लेकिन प्राचीन काल में तो जीवन ज्यादा कठिन था। प्राकृतिक आपदाओं से सुरक्षा कम थी, चिकित्सा विज्ञान भी उतना विकसित नहीं था, युद्ध, महामारी आदि के खतरे ज्यादा थे।
असुरक्षा और अनिश्चितता तब ज्यादा थी, लेकिन तब मनुष्य ने अपने अंदर झांककर अपनी आत्मा में शांति और ठहराव का सतत झरना खोजा। हमें आधुनिक समय में ऐसा लगा कि विज्ञान और तकनीक ने हमारी काफी सारी समस्याएं हल कर दी हैं, लेकिन वास्तव में ऐसा नहीं हुआ, जीवन में तनाव और बढ़ गया। अब हम समझ रहे हैं कि अपनी प्यास को बुझाने के लिए हमें उसी झरने तक जाना होगा। यह भी विज्ञान ही बता रहा है कि ध्यान पर हमें ध्यान देना चाहिए।
Thursday, June 10, 2010
How to be happy By Osho (TOI Spkg Tree)
The very idea that one would like to be happy forever is stupid, and the idea will only create unhappiness. You will become more and more miserable in your greed for elusive eternal happiness.
Then who is the happy person? The happy person is not one who is always happy. The happy person is one who is happy even when there is unhappiness. Try to understand it. The happy person is one who understands life and accepts its polarities. He knows success is possible only because failure is also possible. So when failure comes he accepts it.
I remember one incident of my childhood. A great wrestler had come to my town. Everybody was interested in wrestling, so the whole town had gathered. I have seen many people and many wrestlers in my life but he was really rare. He had something of Zen in him.
For 10 days the wrestling continued, and every day he defeated a famous wrestler. Finally, he was declared the winner. That day he went around and touched the feet of all the 10 persons who he had defeated.
Everybody was puzzled about why he did it. I was a small child, I went to him and asked him, "Why did you do that? This is strange."
He said, "It is only because of them that I am victorious. If they had not allowed themselves to be defeated, I would not be victorious. So I owe it to them. My victory depends on their defeat, so really I feel greatly thankful to them. There was only one possibility: either I was to be defeated or they were to be defeated. And they are good people, they accepted defeat."
Then what should the attitude be? When happiness comes, enjoy happiness; when unhappiness comes, enjoy unhappiness. When there is happiness, dance with it; when there is unhappiness, cry with it. That's what I mean when I say 'enjoy'. If you can accept unhappiness as smoothly as you welcome happiness, you will transcend both. In that very acceptance is transcendence. Then unhappiness and happiness will not make much difference to you, you will remain the same. When there is sadness you will have a taste of it; and when there is joy you will have a taste of it. And sometimes bitter things also taste beautiful.
And sadness has something of depth in it which no happiness can ever have. Happiness has something shallow. Laughter always looks shallow, tears always look deep. If you want to be happy always you will become a superficial person. Sometimes it is good to fall into dismal depths of sadness. Both are good. And one should be total in both. Whatsoever happens, go totally into it. When crying, become the crying, and when dancing, become the dance. Then the ultimate happens to you. By and by you forget the distinction between what happiness is and what unhappiness is. You enjoy both! So by and by the distinction disappears. And when the distinction has disappeared, there arises something which is eternally there, which remains always there. That is witnessing.
Talk: Osho
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/home/opinion/articlelist/articleshow/6008519.cms
Change Your Thinking (Story to Inspire You)
Change Your Thinking
It will take just 37 seconds to read this and change your thinking..
Two men, both seriously ill, occupied the same hospital room.
One man was allowed to sit up in his bed for an hour each afternoon to help drain the fluid from his lungs.
His bed was next to the room's only window.
The other man had to spend all his time flat on his back.
The men talked for hours on end.
They spoke of their wives and families, their homes, their jobs, their involvement in the military service, where they had been on vacation.
Every afternoon, when the man in the bed by the window could sit up, he would pass the time by describing to his roommate all the things he could see outside the window.
The man in the other bed began to live for those one hour periods where his world would be broadened and enlivened by all the activity and colour of the world outside.
The window overlooked a park with a lovely lake.
Ducks and swans played on the water while children sailed their model boats. Young lovers walked arm in arm amidst flowers of every colour and a fine view of the city skyline could be seen in the distance.
As the man by the window described all this in exquisite details, the man on the other side of the room would close his eyes and imagine this picturesque scene.
One warm afternoon, the man by the window described a parade passing by.
Although the other man could not hear the band - he could see it in his mind's eye as the gentleman by the window portrayed it with descriptive words.
Days, weeks and months passed.
One morning, the day nurse arrived to bring water for their baths only to find the lifeless body of the man by the window, who had died peacefully in his sleep.
She was saddened and called the hospital attendants to take the body away.
As soon as it seemed appropriate, the other man asked if he could be moved next to the window. The nurse was happy to make the switch, and after making sure he was comfortable, she left him alone.
Slowly, painfully, he propped himself up on one elbow to take his first look at the real world outside.
He strained to slowly turn to look out the window besides the bed.
It faced a blank wall.
The man asked the nurse what could have compelled his deceased roommate who had described such wonderful things outside this window.
The nurse responded that the man was blind and could not even see the wall.
She said, 'Perhaps he just wanted to encourage you.'
Epilogue:
There is tremendous happiness in making others happy, despite our own situations.
Shared grief is half the sorrow, but happiness when shared, is doubled.
If you want to feel rich, just count all the things you have that money can't buy.
Thursday, December 3, 2009
Experience The Fullness Of The Universe -Sri Sri Ravishankar TOI30XI09
In the Isha Upanishad, Isha represents the "I" or energy and "sha" is the completeness: the full, silent, vast, divine. The invocation begins with an exclamation of fullness, or "That is full". What is that fullness which is being invoked? It is the state of meditation, a state of being that is neither the state of dreaming, sleeping nor waking. After the experience, the master tells the student: "That is fullness." The invocation ends thus: "Om Shanti, Shanti, Shanti." No happiness or knowledge can happen without peace. The first step to peace is to realise that everything is complete.
The world that we see, of the senses, is but a small part of totality. Completion is like the zero, full and complete. Completeness settles the mind so you can reflect and this turning of the mind inward is spirituality
Isha the divine permeates the whole universe and is addressed as energy, not as a person. Everything is permeated in that one consciousness. Wake up and see that the whole universe is infinite and that your inner space is as complete as this universe. See that the universe is permeating your spirit; nothing is dead. Honour your body and enjoy this world by renouncing it. Just step back. Clinging to it brings you misery. Renunciation is protection for your soul. Pleasant and unpleasant events, though they may appear different, are both made of the same divinity. Unpleasant events make you stronger, while pleasant events expand you. Renunciation is being in the present moment totally. Realise that the universe is permeated with love and abundance and that your needs will always be taken care of.
Cultivate the strength to renounce in misery and be willing to do service when happy. Aspire to live for 100 years doing your work. Life here is to get over your karmas, which you can do only in this body; and the knowledge you get, impart to others. Do your action 100 per cent, but don't be feverish about it. Whatever you have not given or loved, you will come back to do it. Keep doing your work and keep renouncing.
We cannot really know the entire universe and its magnanimity because of our limited ability to perceive. The brain works on a frequency channel; our sense organs have limited capacity but the universe, like the divine, is limitless. In this limited time we call life we keep on doing our work.
Those who do not realise or attend to the self in life live in darkness and when they leave the world they will be in darkness also. When you leave the body in meditation, you achieve a higher plane.
How do you know if you have realised the Self? The atma is motionless; it is the substratum of the universe and everything is in it. It is space that is faster than the speed of light, faster than the mind; you can never comprehend the Self through the senses. The seer, the one who sees, who feels, understands, is the Self. This cannot be comprehended through the senses, yet every action in the universe is run through consciousness. A seed sprouts because there is consciousness in the seed. The entire universe is filled with this prana or life and you are the container of this, not the content.
An excerpt from commentaries on the Ishavasya Upanishad.
Friday, July 3, 2009
The Sound of Solace SLS Class Material Present Tense (TOI 030709)
MASHA HASSAN, Speaking Tree, The Times of India
The vibrating strains of Azaan always have an enchanting effect on me; they resonate in my mind, filling my soul as well as the atmosphere with their sound of solace .
I don't offer namaz (being too young for it). Yet, the prayer makes me feel like surrendering myself submitting to the spirit of Islam that stands for peace and purity, humility and discipline. The term 'submission to God' is a deep and divine term when it is followed in true spirit. We are not expected to visualise God but to worship Him and adore Him as a Protector.
I wake up everyday, my eyes opening to the serene sound of the Azaan, every word finding its way into my consciousness as the new day dawns with the promise of a new beginning. I don't know Arabic, but the words and their impact are so evocative that it is easy to recognise and submit to the One Power that protects and guides us, and surrender and submission to the Almighty is but an expression of Divine trust.
The day goes on with nothing but a daily routine. My holidays are going on, but with the 10th boards ready to occupy my mind, I tend to frown a lot, worrying about the future. The evenings are meant for tuitions but the brighter side is that on my way I can hear the beautiful sound of the evening prayer. The sounds of solace give me a feeling of protection and this prayer tells me that someone is out there to hear and know. It takes me to a different world, a world that may not be real in this day and age but is still alive and these prayers have kept it alive in a conventional kind of way.
Salat or Salawat is the name given to the formal prayer of Islam that serves as a formal method of remembering Allah. The prayer, one of the obligatory rites of the religion, is performed five times a day - at dawn (fajr), noon (dhuhr), in the afternoon (asr), at sunset (maghrib) and nightfall (ishaa). Prayer is also cited as a means of restraining a believer from social wrongs and moral deviance.
These prayers are a medium and it helps us to remind ourselves of a God who looks over us. Whatever we do, we will receive compensation or otherwise in the here and now. Heaven and Hell are not places to which we are destined to go, but they are states of our own mind. Any religion, which can successfully help us overcome material influences, has to be scientific, and spiritualism is just that.
For me spiritualism is not a compulsion or a daily routine. It is a feeling I get when I smell a flower or look at the clouds. For me helping an animal is spiritual. I remember the day when I helped a cow with a broken leg. It was hard to move her from the middle of the road but my father, determined, called the Sanjay Gandhi hospital and meanwhile we gave the cow water to drink. Seeing her being rescued from pain and the maddening summer heat I felt liberated as it brought me closer to the Almighty and His Creation. It was like offering a prayer and being rewarded, too. The happiness and joy I felt at that time was immense. That is spiritualism to me; that is my namaz.
(The writer is a tenth class student in a Delhi school.)
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/articleshow/msid-4729763,prtpage-1.cms
Saturday, June 27, 2009
Take a leap of faith in total surrender TOI-ST 250609
C V R Joga Rao
"Please recite Gajendra Moksham for me." We get occasional SOS calls from our daughter software professional in the US whenever she is faced with a
persistent illness or an intractable situation at the workplace.
My wife and I sit down in prayer and recite the celebrated Bhagavatam story of the Elephant King. We believe in the efficacy of this prayer, for it has seen us through many a crisis in our nearly four decades of family life.
The story is well known: King Indradhyumna is a devout Vishnu Bhakta. Vanity over his devotion to God brings upon him Saint Agastya's curse and he is born as Gajendra, the proud elephant king. In order to redeem His devotee entangled in mundane pleasures, divine play is enacted by way of Gajendra getting caught by a crocodile while playing with members of his royal household in a forest lake. He fights the crocodile with all his might but in vain. Weary, anguished and helpless after struggling to free himself for long, the elephant laments why no one has come forward to save him. He prays to God, in the context of his past sanskaras :
"God is the Universal Self which is eternal and has no beginning or end. He is the cause as well as the effect for the universe that is but His illusory play with Himself playing all the roles like actors on a stage. He is omnipresent, omniscient and Almighty. He is beyond speech and thought and can be realised only by the yogis who have exhausted all vasanas and steadfastly see Him in their mind's eye..." But there is no Divine response.
Gajendra is distressed why the omnipresent and Almighty God who is said to come to the rescue of the destitute is not answering his prayers and has not granted darshan or given him relief. He now begins to doubt His existence. As he deeply contemplates over this, realisation occurs within him that God alone is the protector for the universe; all his doubts vanish like mist before the Sun and he entreats Him for ending his agony in a spirit of total surrender. The Supreme Lord soon appears, kills the crocodile with His Sudarshana Chakra and releases Gajendra.
Similarly, man, egoistic and proud of his power and pelf, struts about the world unmindful of God until defeat and dejection make him realise his limitations. He turns to God for instant solution to his problems and when it does not happen, he loses faith in Him. Instead of surrendering to His will and praying for relief, he specifies solutions and action plans without realising that God being Almighty and Omniscient will give relief in His chosen way.
Like the Ramayana's Sundarakanda and the Hanuman Chalisa , recitation of Gajendra Moksham is a common ritual among Hindus as it offers solace for the distressed. It is particularly dear to people in Andhra Pradesh because of Bammera Pothana's soulful rendering in Telugu of Vedavyasa's Bhagavata Purana. Pothana was a gifted poet but led a simple farmer's life. His intense devotion to Rama and a divine vision impelled him to undertake this gigantic task. He faced many a hurdle as he declined royal patronage. Legend has it that when he reached an impasse in describing the Vaikuntham scene in Gajendra Moksham and rested for the day, Rama Himself took the form of Pothana and completed the poem.
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/articleshow/msid-4697194,prtpage-1.cms
Tuesday, March 31, 2009
Soundarya Lahiri And Inner Beauty TOI-ST
Consciousness is beauty and Creation is an expression of
consciousness. Beauty is present in all creation. Eastern philosophy
believes beauty is the nature of things, while western thought sees it
as perception. Perhaps beauty is both subjective and objective.
The East emphasises subjectivity; it sees beauty as the nature of
existence — as Satyam, Shivam, Sundaram, an objective phenomenon. In
the West, where objectivity is emphasised, beauty is seen as a
subjective phenomenon. But as the old proverb goes, beauty lies in the
eyes of the beholder. Beauty bridges the subject-object divide.
Be calm and serene; turn within and you can get a glimpse of beauty.
Every experience of beauty is happening within, and is superimposed on
the object outside. Beauty is a state of mind. If your mind is calm
and collected, it perceives beauty everywhere. If agitated, even the
most beautiful things can annoy. Perception of beauty varies with the
level of intelligence. For an average person, garments and accessories
are the symbols of beauty. For the more sensitive, the sparkle in your
eyes or a smile on your face is beautiful. Others see beauty in
innocence. A child captivates your attention with its innocence and
smile.
For the intellectually inclined, beauty lies in intelligence. However
good looking a person is, she will not be found attractive for long if
she lacks wit and intelligence. Whenever the mind is captivated, it is
close to the Self or pure consciousness. That's why temple idols are
decorated with clothes and jewellery and the room is enhanced with
incense, flowers and food is offered to lure the mind away from the
five senses and make it still.
Dispassion to one's Self, dedication to society and devotion to God is
the secret of undying beauty. Without dispassion, beauty is
short-lived. But possessiveness turns beauty into a mirage. Devotion
and wonderment is simply appreciating beauty without possessiveness.
You see a beautiful painting and you want to own it, you want to take
it home with you, but then you hang it on your wall and after a while
you don't even look at it.
Adi Shankara in the Soundarya Lahiri — 'Waves of Beauty', speaks of
the god of love, Kama, aiming at you with five flower arrows which aim
to awaken the five senses, giving rise to a 'wave' of beauty which
creates bliss — you start appreciating everything from a thorn to a
snail to even a sea urchin. The rishis have always adored beauty and
made it a characteristic of the Divine. Satyam or truth, Shivam or
benevolence, tranquillity and divinity, and Sundaram or beauty.
Shyness enhances beauty while shame kills it. Valour enhances beauty;
arrogance des-troys it. There is a certain beauty in maturity — so
looking beautiful is not the sole prerogative of the young. Often
beauty is recognised only when it is uncommon. But to nature lovers,
everything in nature is beautiful. Beauty is not just in the flowers;
it is in the thorns of a cactus, too.
Beauty creates a thrill, it wakes up the sleeping consciousness.
Beauty can also bring ecstasy and draw you into deep meditation.
Beauty is not limited to excitement and activity, it also permeates
sleep. Look at a sleeping baby, Buddha or Vishnu. There is un-
fathomable beauty there. Not just knowledge but even ignorance,
foolishness has a certain beauty.
To be able to perceive truth or beauty in creation, calmness is
essential. An agitated mind can neither see the truth nor appreciate
beauty. That's why Satyam, Shivam and Sundaram always go together. The
whole of Creation is nothing but 'Waves of Beauty'.