Towards understanding Hindu Culture, Rituals and Traditions Part Eleven : KARMA
31 Mar 2012 2 Comments
in Perspective, Sanatana Dharma, Spirituality Tags: illusions, importance of thoughts, indian fable, karma, richard bach, thoughts, valley of humility
( “Every person, all the events of your life, are there because you have drawn them there. What you choose to do with them is up to you.”- Richard Bach, in ILLUSIONS )
Among the many factors that determine Karma, THOUGHTS are the most important. What kind of thoughts we have determine everything else in our life.
A popular Indian fable told and retold in different versions, illustrates the importance of thoughts : Two friends, shared a common journey. Along the way, there was a dispute as to where to spend the night. One wanted to spend the night in a temple, and the other wanted to spend the night with a prostitute. They parted ways to rejoin and resume their journey the next day. The one in the temple was having unkind thoughts about his friend, and the one with the prostitute was full of repentence, and was having very high thoughts about his friend who went to the temple. That very night, an earthquake occurred and both the friends died. In the other world, the friend who went to the temple was sent to hell, and the one who went to the prostitute was sent to heaven. The one who spent the night with the prostitute, protested, saying that he was the one who sinned, and the one who spent the night in the temple, should be sent to heaven. He was told the nature of thoughts of both of them – while with the prostitute, he was full of repentence and held very lofty thoughts of his friend, whereas, while in the temple, his friend held very low thoughts about his friend, and self righteous thoughts about himself - about how right he was in staying back at the temple!
The story illustrates the power of one’s thought. Also, the one who thinks superior of himself or herself, and does not possess humility, somehow relinquishes the right to God’s Grace…. (the rivers of God’s Grace gather in the valley of humility…)
The law of karma helps the evolution of the soul – and each and every thought of ours gathers the powerful effect of good or bad karma which, accumulated over a period of time, becomes “destiny” and “fate” – Hence in essence, it is we who determine our destiny by our thoughts……Which is why, thoughts are held paramount for spiritual progress…..
(to be continued….)
Towards understanding Hindu Culture, Rituals and Traditions Part Ten : KARMA (contd)
07 Mar 2012 11 Comments
in Perspective, Sanatana Dharma, Spirituality Tags: complexity of karma, death, fate, Garuda, inevitability of karma, karma in context, law of karma, Lord Yama, rigidity of karma
(There is an interesting Arab story of a servant in Baghdad who goes to the market and gets startled to find the messenger of death looking at him – He then rushes back to his master, and asks for a horse. When the master asks the reason, he tells that the messenger of death is there in the market, and he suspects that he is looking for him, and to avoid him, wants to borrow the master’s horse so that he could go to Samarah, another town, and thereby avoid the messenger of death, and his fate. So saying, he grabs the horse, and mounting it, gallops out of Baghdad to Samarah in full speed. The master then had to go to the market for the provisions himself. He too, saw the messenger of death at the market, and he enquired as to why did the messenger of death startle his servant in the morning. Says the messenger of death, “I was very surprised to see him here at Baghdad because I have an appointment with him at Samarah later today”)
In the Hindu mythology, there is a similar story of how Garuda, after he brings Lord Vishnu to Mount Kailash for a visit, is waiting for the return of Lord Vishnu when his eyes fall on a small bird sitting on the gate of Lord Shiva’s abode. Just as he was admiring the bird, in walks Lord Yama, the God of death – he looks intently at the bird, and goes inside. Garuda, instantly comes to know the reason for Lord Yama’s look – that the bird’s time is up – he then decides to save the bird from its fateful destiny since Lord Yama had “marked” him by his look, and hence, taking the bird in his arms, flies many hundreds of miles and leaves it next to a pond, and comes back just in time to see Lord Yama come out of Lord Shiva’s abode. Unable to contain his curiosity, Garuda asks Lord Yama as to why he looked at the bird before he went in – Answers Lord Yama : I was surprised to see the bird here, as it’s destiny is to die near a forest pond, swallowed by a snake, hundreds of miles from here”
Both these stories illustrate the inevitability of fate, karma, or destiny. The law of Karma operates mechanically, with mathematical precision – “justice be done, at any cost” is the theme of Karmic law. It is unrelenting in its pursuit of justice.
But the law of karma operates without fear or favour or prejudice, and is often misunderstood because of its rigidity. This very rigidity has often been adroitly exploited by wise men, saints, astrologers, and others who have learnt to circumvent the law of Karma by satisfying it – the relief one gets may be temporary or permanent, depending on various factors.
Case Study : Shri Z is a clerk in a govt office. He often goes late to office, and is never bothered about his late attendance. One day, his son was injured in an accident, and he rushed his son to the local govt hospital, where, the doctor was not there. On enquiry, Shri Z learnt that the doctor always comes late. He suffers the late coming of the doctor in painful repentence of his own late coming – his very act of immediate repentence, sets the law of karma in action – the doctor arrives, and saves his son – but the lesson for him is to come to office in time – in future – but has he learnt his lesson? If he mends his ways of coming late to office, he may escape further karma – but if he gets back into the old habit of coming late, another incident may come up where his repentence may NOT work the magic it did earlier.
In this case study, even though the late coming alone of Shri Z seemed to attract the karma of the painful wait for the doctor, other factors such as past karma of Shri Z, his son, and the doctor, will also have a say, and has to be taken into account. It is precisely because of this complexity, that understanding of karma is very difficult and has to be seen always in context.
The law of karma has one basic purpose – to teach some valuable lessons to us. Once we learn the lesson, the effects of the law of karma may become less or sometimes, due to God’s Grace, altogether fades away….
( to be continued….)
KARMA – Towards Understanding Hindu Culture, Rituals and Traditions…..Part NINE
14 Oct 2011 8 Comments
in Perspective, Sanatana Dharma, Spirituality Tags: Boy George, cause and effect, karma, Karma chameleon, karmic escape, law of karma, prarabhda karma, reaction, reincarnation. astrology, sanchita karma, Sir Isaac Newton, Third law of physics
(The great physicist Sir Isaac Newton discovered that “For every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction” – This third law of Newton is best explained by a rifle firing a shot and the rifle recoiling – however, the recoil is not so huge as the firing of the bullet since the mass of the rifle bears down upon the recoiling acceleration. Even though various forces such as mass, density, volume, gravity, etc act and influence on the physical nature of a substance when it is subjected to the laws of physics, the fact that there is a reaction for every action, could never be ignored…..)
The third law of Sir Isaac Newton, when applied in the world of metaphysics and life, becomes, the LAW OF KARMA. Boy George’s song of two decades back, titled, “Karma Chameleon” is a good definition of Karma’s effect on individuals, since Karma “changes” the personality of a person according to the weight and intensity of the karma, good, bad or neutral.
The Hindu way of thinking is deeply entrenched in the belief of Karma. “What one sows, one reaps” is the central thought of such belief. Among the various definitions of Karma and the theories of Karma, the simplest understanding of Karma is conveyed well by the law of Cause and effect.
Karma is nothing but the law of Cause and effect acting on our lives. We reap what we sow. But such simple definitions are able to give us only the basic understanding of Karma. Even though the concept of Karma is simple, its functioning is very complex. And understanding Karma in its fullest sense is very difficult for any of us since our ego does not easily permit understanding and knowledge to blossom from suffering. But then, to overcome the ego and understand Karma is to unlock the mystery of life, and living itself.
Karma is of many types. Sanchita Karma is the stockpile of karma from many lives – Prarabdha Karma is the karma that we have undertaken to undergo in this life. An apt analogy would be : A bank Account. Just as we have a bank account, and we take small amounts of the bank account in daily doses, and when we don’t exhaust the entire amount withdrawn for a day, put it back in the account, similarly, the Sanchita Karma of an individual lies in the Karma Account of that individual – and for each life, he/she withdraws a particular amount of Karma for spending in that life – according to the will of the person, the karma gets expended – if the Prarabdha Karma is exhausted much before one’s lifetime, one can even withdraw from the larger Sanchita Karma Account and spend it in this life or, if by that person’s will, the karma does not get expended much, at the end of that life, that person puts it back into the Sanchita Karma account, as the case may be.
Even though the analogy is simple, the working is not. In this diverse world, the complex interlinking of the karma of various individuals is done at various levels, that if one looks at the overall picture, one understands that NOTHING happens by chance.
Case studies can help the understanding of the complex concept of karma, better. A certain individual, used to steal pen/pencil/papers/ etc from the tables of his colleagues in office. Many a time, the colleagues will suffer the tension of having lost something like a pen or pencil because of the activities of this individual. But nobody suspected that he was the cause of this problem, and he himself guarded this truth safely from others. But every time someone lost something, he used to secretly feel happy and he derived a sadistic pleasure out of it. This went on for years, and one day, suddenly, he had kept a bag containing a few lakhs on the table, and somebody had stolen it! Karma, had caught up with him. Like that, in quick succession, he lost a number of things – he kept lamenting, and when he confronted his own self one day, he was distraught with what was happening. And yet, he could never understand that he was the victim of his own Karma when he used to filch small things like pens and pencils. But, the question arises, whether the loss of a pen or a pencil and the loss of a few lakhs of rupees be the same? On the face of it, it appears that a losing a pencil and losing a few lakhs are two different things. But if we take into account the pain that is caused when one loses the pencil or money, it is the same. So, the pain is the same even though the physical value of each, differs. The law of Karma would not be bothered about how big or small the value is – it only sees that the pain of losing a few lakhs of rupees equals the pain of losing a pen/pencil – for if the person loses a pencil or a pen, he may not feel the intensity of pain that was originally felt by the person who lost the pen/pencil – thus, the law of Karma has to be understood in its entirety and by the amount of pain/pleasure caused, and not by physical or material value.
Karma can also be interpreted in terms of astrology, and astrology is often used to manipulate/deviate/regulate/lessen/escape from Karma. But such use of astrology without understanding and unlocking the actual reason as to why the Karma is there in the first place, actually increases the overall karmic burden of an individual, even if it is lessened by astrological tools in this life…..
Even animals have Karma…..
(To be continued….)
Of Garbage Islands in the sea and why we should carry our own cloth bags for shopping
29 Sep 2011 4 Comments
in Environmental issues & Global Warming, Perspective Tags: biodegradable, chemical sludge, environmental pollution, garbage, garbage island, oceanic currents, pacific trash vortex, plastic island, plastic waste, polymers, thermoplastics
- Plastic Pollution has to be seen to be believed….
A few years ago, when we used to go shopping, we could never go without taking proper bags. Mostly it would be cloth bags and occasionally, even jute. And then, the plastic boom arrived, and now plastics have inundated the environment – in every conceivable way. Today, even traditional textiles and cloth merchants have shifted to plastics to pack the purchases. Plastic is cheap, weighs less, and is easy to use. Plastic, derived from the Greek word, Plastikos, are basically polymers of high molecular mass. One of the key problems of plastic is the disposal. They can’t be disposed easily and plastic pollution is the most terrible thing to have happened to planet earth. There are two basic types of plastics. Thermoplastics and thermosetting polymers. Thermoplastics like polypropylene, polyethylene, polystyrene, etc, are reusable again and again. But themosets do not undergo chemical change when heated and can take shape only once – and therein lies the problem.But due to the low cost of plastic and the easy availability of plastic, combined with its dynamic functionality, plastics have progressively displaced more traditional materials such as iron, steel, and wood in many appliances and machines. But consider this : in the great pacific ocean, there is a huge garbage island, filled with plastics like bottles, plastic sheets, films, fibres, plates, tubes, boxes, cables, plastic gadgets, plastic machine parts, wires, and much more.Called the Great Garbage Island or the Pacific Vortex Trash, the floating island of plastic flotsam has confounded environmentalists and scientists alike. Spread over a huge area, the estimates of the size of the garbage island differ as it is not easily detected by satellite images.
The recycling of water and waste done by the underwater oceanic currents which has been going on peacefully and regularly for thousands of years, has suddenly developed a bottleneck: the floating garbage which refuses to leave.The floating plastic patch of the Great Pacific Ocean has an identical cousin in the Atlantic Ocean to – These floating plastic patches are made up of exceptionally high concentration of pelagic plastics and chemical sludge and other debris.
It is estimated that 80% of the pelagic plastic waste comes from the land mass of the 8 continents, and the remaining 20% of the waste comes from ships. Interestingly, the size of the patch is still being debated as the patch is not easily visible in satellite imaging and is constantly moving and shifting position. Even though a definite estimate is not available, some conservative estimates put the patch at 700,000 square kilometres. Something to set the scientists and environmentalists worrying.
Due to various effects of the water currents, the entire patch is characterized by a huge volume of smaller plastic particles just beneath the floating plastic debris which are not easily visible.
The reason why we should go in for more biodegradable sunstances like paper wood and earthern ware, is that plastic disintegrates into smaller and smaller pieces in a continuous process till the molecular level, over a long period of time. These small particles becomes so small that they are ingested by the acqua/marine life in the seas. So, when we eat seafish from highly polluted waters, we could be unknowingly consuming the very plastics (in some form) we discarded in the sea! (The law of Karma at work!)
Just as Global warming is a phenomenon in which every one of us contribute in some small way, the oceanic pollution too, is a result of all of indiscriminatingly using plastics in our daily lives. Disposal of waste plastic becomes as important as usage of the plastic in the first place.
One of the simplest, easiest, and best ways that we can reduce this plastic pollution is by carrying our own cloth bags when we go for shopping and refuse plastic bags when given……
Towards understanding Hindu Culture, Rituals and Traditions…Part EIGHT
12 Sep 2011 6 Comments
in Sanatana Dharma, Spirituality Tags: aadi, ammavasya, Dakshinayanam, equinox, full moon, horatius, karma, lunar cycle, new moon, offering, pithru tharpanam
(When Ancient Rome was invaded by the Etruscan army, three brave soldiers, led by Horatious Cocles (ref : Lord Thomas Macaulay) fight at the entrance of the only bridge across the River Tiber – At one point of time, when he alone is left defending the bridge, and before plunging into the river Tiber, brave Horatius, tells thus :
“To every man upon this earth
Death cometh soon or later.
And how can man die better
than facing fearful odds,
For the ashes of his fathers,
And the temples of his Gods”
and then plunges headlong into the Tiber river, goes the legend of Horatius. One of the most important thing to note is this – “For the ashes of his fathers, and the temples of his Gods” – for the karma left by his forefathers and for his faith…..)
The Hindu calendar is replete with when to do what – the infamous Rahu Kaalam, and the famous “Kuligai” Kaalam are often consulted when the Hindu does something important. Indian astrology follows the lunar year which is determined by the movement of the 27 stars/planets based on the moon and not the sun.
These 12 lunar months are divided into 6 months of “Uttaraayanam” (when the earth moves towards the sun in its elliptical orbit) and six months of “Dakshinayanam”, when the earth moves away from the sun in its elliptical orbit. However the zodiac signs of Hindu astrology remain the same as that of western astrology – except for the difference in the time periods, since the Hindu astrology follows the lunar calendar and the western astrology follows the Solar Calendar. The Hindus call the twelve Zodiac signs as RASI which are : Mesha, Vrishabha, Mithuna, Kataka, Simha, Kanyaa, Tulaa, Vrishcika, Dhanus, Makara, Kumbha, Meena.
In the vast, vast cosmos, earth is but a tiny speck of a planet and yet, occupies a very important place as it is at the border of the physical and astral worlds. (Reminds one of the Bermuda Triangle – even if the mystery is solved ! ) When the “Dakshinayanam” starts, it is considered the start of the night time for the astral heaven, and this period, known as “Aadi” in Tamil, is considered inauspicious for many activities.
Whereas “Uttaraayanam” is considered very auspicious as it is the day time for the astral heavens. The tilt of the earth’s axis at 23.45 degrees, and the elliptical orbit (rather than a circle) of the earth around the sun accounts for a number of reasons why vernal equinox and autumnal equinox are important in calculating the position of the stars/planets viz a viz the earth in both astronomy as well as astrology.
The basis of the month comes from the lunar cycle of nearly 30 days. (The Egyptian hawk- god is also known as “Monthu”) Calendars based on the moon are used in traditional Indian astrology rather than the SUN SIGNS of western astrology. Because of the various factors like an ellipse instead of a circle, and because of tilts of the planets (even moon’s position is tilted at an angle?) the period of lunation (lunar cycle) ranges from 29.18 days to 29.93 days – which is why the exact period of “ammavasya” and the exact period of “poornima” is taken into account while doing pujas and other rituals. But it is this very accuracy that has made the lunar calendar unpopular since the solar calendar (also the Gregorian Calendar which is used all over the world today) provides a more easily understandable calendar with less calculations. However, for reasons of astrology, the lunar calendar is important.
Many confuse “Ammavasya” with the New Moon – Actually, “Ammavasya” (Ammavasai in Tamil) is the absence of the moon – and only the actual sighting on the second/third day is considered the actual New Moon. During Ammavasya the ritualistic worship of the dead ancestors is done, signifying the ever present bond with the souls that we know on this earth, even after death takes them away. Pithru darpanam is an important aspect of Ammavasya.
Tharpanam/Dharpanam means “Offering” - The basis of this Pithru darpanam is very interesting. It is believed that the Pithru loka or Pithru “world” (astral world) is on the other side of the moon and when it is Ammavasya, the other side of the moon receives sun light and hence they are able to connect to their descendents on earth. Could it be that the position of the moon during Ammavasya enables the frequency of the astral world to match the physical or vice versa so that the connection between the living and the dead are established?
But why are the concepts of Ammavasya/tharpanam/etc important to the Hindu? Because they are deeply connected to the concept of Karma.
(To be continued – Next : Concept of Karma)
Fashionably unconscious…..
22 Jul 2011 6 Comments
in Perspective, Poetry Tags: caracass, cream tube, curious crowd, dead dog, fashion, onlooker, poetry flow, tube on road
The mangled tube of face cream
Lay on the road,
Left by a speeding motorist
Hurry is the name of the game
And one tube of cream lost
Doesn’t matter
As long as he manages to edge out
The other vehicles in the mad race
Visible on city roads of India today….
The small leaking tube of cream
Soon held attention to
Various emotions of
Various hues
Smeared on the faces
Of the curious onlookers…..
Debating to know
What cream
What price
What brand
And wishful looks of
“Oh! If only it was on my face instead of the road!”
While
The caracass of a dead animal
Only a few feet away
From the now famous cream tube
Was begging for attention….
The dead dog did not know
Poor thing,
That this was the age of consumerism
And dead dogs don’t matter…..
To the indifferent city dweller
Especially.
Unless the entrails were saleable….
Towards understanding Hindu Culture, Rituals and Traditions….Part SEVEN
06 Jun 2011 6 Comments
in Sanatana Dharma, Spirituality Tags: five elements, mudras, namaskar, namaskaram, namaste, pran mudra, vanakkam
( Shaking hands often involve touching an other person. Even though it is a very friendly gesture, it can often transmit unfriendly germs. Sometimes, we might be uncomfortable shaking hands with a person who has a sweaty palm, or whose cleanliness we may not trust. But shaking hands in the corporate world is an accepted norm everywhere. Shaking hands is the most trusting gesture that we can see in day to day life, and is part and parcel of our everyday life. But is shaking hands the only way to greet? No. Just the other day, I was visiting a patient in the hospital, and the attendant was telling everyone NOT to shake hands, as it might transmit germs. This is especially true since we travel in buses, touch the doors, knobs, handles, purse, etc, and we do not know how much of germs we may carry….Whereas the Indian way of greeting by doing Namaste is so clean, and…..cool! )
The symbolism of Namaskar and its relevance to Mudras….
The Indian way of greeting, Namaskar, (Pranam, Pronam,Namaste, vanakkam, Namaskaram, swagatham, etc) by joining the hands together is now gradually being adopted in the west. The joining of hands at the level of the heart symbolically signifies the greeting from the heart/soul/atman. Both hands join together at the palms straight across the chest signifies a salute from the soul, or a welcome from the heart.
There are other interpretations of the symbolism, like the right hand representing higher nature and the left, lower nature, and the joining signifying the meeting of the two natures to form a single mind of the person. Some others interpret it as a greeting from one mind to another also. Some others say that it signifies, “I bow to the God in you” or “I bow to you” or “my soul bows to your soul” – Like this, the interpretations for the symbolism of the NAMASKAR is different for
different regions and different beliefs – But what is little known is that the five fingers represent the five elements – this is best expressed in Mudras. Mudras are very common in various dance systems like Bharatha Natiyam, Kathakali and Kuchipudi. One can find various Gods and Goddesses assuming some mudra or the other. Even Lord Jesus Christ is often depicted in India with his right hand in Pran Mudra. In Mudra Vigyan, Namaste or Pranam or Namaskar is known as Anjali Mudra. Anjali Mudra increases the peace and poise of the person practicing it.
The significance of the five fingers is that Thumb stands for fire energy (which is why we have the thumbs up sign for success or victory?) Index finger stands for Air/Wind energy, Middle finger stands for space/Akash/Shunya – the ring finger stands for Earth energy (another reason for putting the ring on this finger) and the little finger stands for water energy.
The true meaning of Namaskar is the neutralization of all the energies by bringing both the hands together so that each finger of one hand touches the corresponding finger of the other hand, to denote that the person does not have any powerful positive/negative energies to affect the other person. Thus, it is a true gesture of friendship and welcome.
Praying Hands. We approach the almighty in this gesture…..
(To be continued)
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