We are often reminded that there is a lesson to be learned in everything. What are we to learn from this current pandemic? As much as I try to stay away from washing dirty linen in public, bringing up dark and negative narratives, or instill fear but it is a fact that only when the dark is encountered that the light is known. Where darkness prevails we know that there is light too. If only when one is jailed and put behind prison bars and his freedom caged, that he knows the true value of freedom. It is only when one is immobilized that he knows the might of his limbs. It is only when one loses his sight or hearing and regains it that he appreciates these organs. Similarly, it is only when we list the dangers out there that we know what to avoid.
And so it seemed that we understood the reasons for each individual's sufferings in an earlier post. Having witnessed the suffering of individuals and people we know we were brought to know of the sufferings of nations through history. When nations were plundered and the innocent killed; when wars were fought over greed for want of more and to gain possession and control of land, sea, treasures, and subjects; when ethnic cleansing and many such horrors took place, we were moved to tears. We shed tears that man has yet to learn a lesson in compassion and love. How do we justify and accept these man-made horrors?
When the tsunami, hurricanes, and tornadoes, earthquakes, etc lashed us with their full might how did we justify and accept these tragedies? We blamed God and nature failing to acknowledge that we were party to the devastation. Even places of God and worship are not spared. We have seen stampedes and their accompanying death tolls in places of worship. No one seems to be spared. No place seems to be safe forever. The moment man sets foot there he brings his habits and destroys these Shangri-la.
Now we are forced to see the Corona pandemic of this magnitude that the world had never seen before, that has enveloped individuals, families, communities and societies, nations, and the world at large in a dark blanket of uncertainties and fear. If we were indifferent to the sufferings of others earlier just because it did not happen right before our eyes, the current state of the pandemic that has plundered the whole world into a state of confusion, jeopardy, and fear and that just refuses to go away, has placed extreme strain and stress on every individual. It doesn't make sense at all and remains unanswered. We have never seen something of this magnitude that has come to cover the face of the earth. If initially, we thought we had control of it, we have to admit that we are lost. Lost for answers and means. Friends and foe alike, young and old, the healthy and sick, the rich and poor, day by day are becoming victims of this virus. Are we next on the list? But the scientists and the medical profession have never given up on us. Their love for humanity and a better, healthier world is proven over and over again by their relentless efforts to curb the pandemic.
We are all looking for answers. So is this an act of God? If this is the will and act of God, why is he so angered and punishing his subjects? Is God telling us that he is still in charge? When man threatened the ecosystem by his stupidity and greed; when man thought he could manipulate fellow man and God too; when man thought he was in charge; is God dealing him a blow?
Is it collective karma? Though the Siddhas spell out in detail the consequences of our past acts and their repercussions and we could accept it as an individual, only after much thought and for the fact that nothing else explains our pain, but we find it hard to digest and accept that it is collective karma that is taking hold of us and that the human race is paying for it in total. Has the bad deeds of a few overridden the good deeds of the world's population?
Or is the pandemic a result of a premeditated act on the part of humans, as many chose to believe and has nothing to do with God? If yes, how inhumane can a man be to bring on untold suffering to fellow humans? But history does tell us that there are indeed such people. In the movie based on a true-life story, "Let Me Go", directed by Polly Steele that aired on CinemaWorld, we see "the trauma and scars of the cruel past return to haunt three generations of women." They decide to face their nightmares that revolved around the horrendous act that the great-grandma had done to humans while serving and taking orders from her superiors in times of war. When we have seen elsewhere where many have regretted their brutal actions and either owned up for their crimes or have been convicted of their war crimes, the grand lady admitted she did the atrocities, and feels proud of having served her nation though. The movie "Hidden Figures" directed by Theodore Melfi that carried emotional tones, shows us the sad state of affairs where segregation by race and sex was in place. It brought tears to my eyes asking how could man see and treat another differently. Gandhi too went through the ordeal that was brought to the silver screen by Sir Richard Attenborough. These master storytellers who brought these stories to the silver screen deserve to be praised for they have kindled compassion and love in the hearts of the viewers. Let us all take a resolution today that we shall not look down on another, ridicule him nor hurt him.
Or could it be an experiment that went wrong? We shall never know.
Then we are told by the philosophers of the past that it is all a dream and brush everything aside. As in a Role Playing Game, we take on a chosen identity, put on an outfit, and take on a challenge walking through the game figuring out the next step and direction to take are we similarly playing out Lord Shiva's game, giving life and action to it?
Having delved into the dark side of the pandemic at length, is there a silver lining or a ray of hope or light at the end of the tunnel?
In "BBC Earth - The Planets S1 - The Godfather" Professor Brian Cox explains that "without Jupiter (the planet) we would not be here." Once in the distant past "the young planet went on a rampage. The giant planet embarked on a voyage of destruction across the solar system that transformed the destiny of the planets and the cause of life on earth. Jupiter is the Godfather of the planets. The Godfather of the planet paved the way for us to inherit the earth. Although it flings rocks from the asteroid belt our way it also protects us. Jupiter intervenes becoming an effective shield. Rocks are captured by Jupiter's gravity and forces tear it apart - its journey cut short." In astrology, planets are known to either favor or harm but Agathiyar says with the grace of the Siddhas they become guru or mentor. Is Lord Siva or his form of the mentor, guru and Godfather - Dhakshanamurthy - on the rampage again?
The only consolation for a man who has tried and exhausted all means to survive and yet fails, is to look up towards the divine or the prapanjam if he prefers to see God without form, name, and gender. If worship was more of a drive-through or a dine-in, with the pandemic surging on and all places of worship either closed or restricted, we are forced to sit and talk with God in the confines of our homes and our families. Although the pandemic is threatening our lives, it has brought us closer to God. There is never a day where we do not pray for it to end. We pray for our safety and that of our family members. We pray for relatives and friends. And we pray for all the people out there.
Maybe we have forgotten to live. Maybe that is the reason the pandemic arrived to make us awake to the reality that life is short and that we need to appreciate birth and all that is perceptible with the senses. Man is so concerned about himself that he fails to look up into the skies and appreciate its vastness and the millions of blazing stars that look down upon us. We have forgotten that they ever existed. When was the last time we came out into the open and looked up at the open skies and watched the moon? Yes, we go through the panjangam or calendar to determine when the next full moon comes but have failed to look at the beauty of the moon on a full moon night. We fail to appreciate nature and its gifts because we are forever embroiled in problems of our own making. Forget the distant moon, when was the last time we smiled at our neighbors who share the space, the air, the water, and the environment with us? When did we give a loving gesture to another?
I am indeed blessed. I had Sri Krishna and his wife Sri Dewi prepare cook and deliver food whenever I was alone at home. Later they roped in their Food Rangers to send me food. Recently when my neighbor of the Christian faith, Augustine observed fasting for 40 days, they shared their food with me too.
In Lent, many Christians commit to fasting, as well as giving up certain luxuries in order to replicate the account of the sacrifice of Jesus Christ's journey into the desert for 40 days; this is known as one's Lenten sacrifice. (Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lent)
Now when my wife is back in her hometown to care for her aging parents during these times of trial, Augustine offered to cook vegetarian meals for me although they had ended their fast of observing vegetarian. Previously I had diligently and without fail placed the food they sent over before Agathiyar thanking him for the food, before partaking it. But after the short gap after Lent ended I kept forgetting to place the food before him and began to consume it. Only after having had a few morsels of food would I remember that I forgot to place the food before him! In the face of hunger, I forgot Agathiyar! I would plead for forgiveness as I genuinely forgot and would promise to offer it to him the next time. But as I kept forgetting, he came to remind me of my promise on the fourth day in a surprising manner. when Mrs. Augustine apologized for a slight delay in delivering the food, mentioning that as they did not want to serve the leftover rice from yesterday's meal that everyone else was to consume, they waited for the rice to cook. Hence the delay. I told them that we were used to taking leftovers and it was not a big deal. She then surprised me, saying, "But you are serving Agathiyar before you eat!" I was reminded that day to not forget to serve him first. I never forgot after that.
All things said I know that just when we think we have all the answers, he shall come to break up the completed puzzle and throw in new pieces that do not fit. We shall then look towards another terrain to assemble the new pieces and complete another jigsaw puzzle.
Let the fire of the Divine's tapas quell; let the anger of the Gods quell; let the homa and Yagam done by his subjects quell the fire of the sacrificial pit and appease the Gods; let the individual and collective prayers specifically placed before Lord Siva quell the raging fire of the pandemic that consumes every soul that comes into its path, and let the hunger pangs of the unfortunate be quelled too.