Wednesday 10 April 2019

DEALING WITH THE PRESENT LIFE 2

The wise say that the past is History; the future is a Mystery and the present is a Gift. The only real thing is the ever-fleeting present moment, that waits for no man. The rests become a dream. The present recedes becoming the past while the future remains a dream. Only the present moment is real. This is where we are given full freedom to live the life we wanted living out the karma and bringing the desired change to our future. Tackle the present well, then your past settles. Tackle the present well and it shall take care of your future, preparing you for it. The present is the only moment available for us to work on, to bring the much-awaited results in the future and settle the past dues.

Only this moment is real - the present. But then time is a chain of present moments. The body is real, the pain is real, the suffering is real for us. But for a gnani who has transcended the mind, who is master of his mind like Yogi Ramsuratkumar and his disciple Supramania Swami, nothing bothers them. Nothing is a cause for concern. Nothing needs to be mended. Nothing needs to be changed. If at all they desire to move the chess piece it is with the approval of the divine. Otherwise, they rest in their place fully aware of all that goes on. Obvious to all that takes place they opt not to intervene and interfere. 

All our troubles stem from and are a result of working towards our individual desires. If we switch these desires for that of Erai's and compliment the divine will, not intruding or disturbing the divine order, everything shall fall into its place beautifully. Ramalinga Adigal stands before Erai with folded arms waiting for his Guru to instruct him on what to do in the first verse of his Arutpa, "Tirupalli Yezhuchi."

பொழுது விடிந்ததென் உள்ளமென் கமலம்
பூத்தது பொன்னொளி பொங்கிய தெங்கும்
தொழுதுநிற் கின்றனன் செய்பணி எல்லாம்
சொல்லுதல் வேண்டும்என் வல்லசற் குருவே

முழுதும்ஆ னான்என ஆகம வேத
முறைகளெ லாம்மொழி கின்றமுன் னவனே
எழுதுதல் அரியசீர் அருட்பெருஞ் சோதி
என்தந்தை யேபள்ளி எழுந்தருள் வாயே.

Mahakavi Supramania Bharathi in his "Ninnai Charanadainthen" sings to Erai that the restlessness in thinking about the outcome of his acts stopped the moment he carried out the desires of the divine.

நின்னைச் சரணடைந்தேன் — கண்ணம்மா!
நின்னைச் சரணடைந்தேன்!

பொன்னை உயர்வைப் புகழை விரும்பிடும்
என்னைக் கவலைகள் தின்னத் தகாதென்று 
நின்னைச் சரணடைந்தேன் — கண்ணம்மா!
நின்னைச் சரணடைந்தேன்!

மிடிமையும் அச்சமும் மேவியென் நெஞ்சில்
குடிமை புகுந்தன, கொன்றவை போக்கென்று
நின்னைச் சரணடைந்தேன் — கண்ணம்மா!
நின்னைச் சரணடைந்தேன்!

தன்செய லெண்ணித் தவிப்பது தீர்ந்திங்கு
நின்செயல் செய்து நிறைவுபெறும் வண்ணம்

நின்னைச் சரணடைந்தேன் — கண்ணம்மா!
நின்னைச் சரணடைந்தேன்!

துன்ப மினியில்லை, சோர்வில்லை, தோற்பில்லை,
அன்பு நெறியில் அறங்கள் வளர்த்திட 
நின்னைச் சரணடைந்தேன் — கண்ணம்மா!
நின்னைச் சரணடைந்தேன்!

நல்லது தீயது நாமறியோம் அன்னை!
நல்லது நாட்டுக! தீமையை ஓட்டுக! 
நின்னைச் சரணடைந்தேன் — கண்ணம்மா!
நின்னைச் சரணடைந்தேன்!

We have been continuously told not to have likes and drop desires. If these are dropped what is there in life to look forward too then? Dwelling deeper into these statements we begin to understand better. We are always told to live without attachment just as the drop of water on a lotus leaf. While there is a need to provide for a comfortable life, we are told to never become addicted to these pleasures in life. Agathiyar says he placed us here in this land that he terms as Sukra Bumi and Bhoga Nadu to feast on the pleasures it has to offer. But we need to let go if the calling comes. Similarly, the sufferings and misery too are only temporary and we shall come out of it, wiser. He tells us that both the joy and sufferings are his doing. Gaining these experiences is essential for the soul to develop.

Life is all about interpretation. So are the scriptures interpreted vastly with different understandings. The Nadi readings that did not make sense to me earlier are all beginning to take shape now. Lord Muruga told me to look at things from a different perspective, away from the norm. He is asking us not to be a flock of sheep but to take the bold step towards bringing change. Bharathi chose to be different and gained the brunt of his community. But he dares Erai to disagree with his actions as his society did, stating strongly that if he had wronged in his thoughts and behaviour, she was to be blamed for he tells her that the very thoughts were from her too. As she drives him to move, hence how could he be wrong? he questions her.

We are told that the world is not real and it is all an illusion. We are here to realize this, we are told again. If it's all false why did the Siddhas venture into all the sciences and bring forth and document their experiences and knowledge and truth attained and gathered through of these numerous sciences? What we need to know is that, as much as the physical world and joy, sufferings and pain is real, with the assistance of the mind using it as a switch or a lever we can leave all these behind and go back into a state of the void and silence, returning to the source - the origin. Mind acts over matter then. The mind-matter that resides in the soul leaves the physical body that drops once it has served its purpose. But if his purpose is universal and if one dedicates his life to the upliftment of mankind his physical body is maintained for a longer duration for his purpose now is holistic.

We are told that we are spirits in the real world. We are here to live out our desires and experiences. The right thing for us to do would be to live a fruitful life, not dropping our desires in its entirety, but replacing them with the desires of the divine and live out our lives without any attachments to its results. No karma gets attached to actions done in accordance with the divine will. Actions performed for the good of the masses carry no karma. On the contrary, it carries the respective karmas, good and bad, if done for the self and with selfish motives and purpose. The idea here is to drop individual desires and take up the desires of the divines. We then become apostles of Erai doing his work in society - doing his cause.