Seventy per cent of India's population lives in villages, and a vast majority of people solely depend on agriculture. As a result, we find that most Hindu festivals are directly or indirectly linked to agriculture and related activities.
Pongal is one such big festival, celebrated every year in mid January - mostly in the south of India and especially in Tamil Nadu - to mark the harvest of crops and a special thanksgiving to God, the sun, the earth and the cattle.
What's Pongal?
'Pongal' comes from the word 'ponga' which literally means 'boil' and so 'pongal' connotes 'spillover' or that which is 'overflowing'. It's also the name of the special sweet dish cooked on the Pongal day. Pongal continues through the first four days of the 'Thai' month that starts on January 14 every year.
Seasonal Festivity
Pongal is directly associated with the annual cycle of seasons. It not only marks the reaping of the harvest, but also the withdrawal of the southeast monsoons in southern India. As the cycle of season rings out the old and ushers in the new, so is the advent of Pongal connected with cleaning up the old, burning down rubbish, and welcoming in new crops.
Cultural & Regional Variations
Pongal in the state of Tamil Nadu is celebrated during the same time as 'Bhogali Bihu' in the North Eastern State of Assam, Lohri in Punjab, 'Bhogi' in Andhra Pradesh and 'Makar Sankranti' in the rest of the country, including Karnataka, Maharashtra, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar and Bengal.
Assam's 'Bihu' involves the early morning worship of Agni, the god of fire followed by a nightlong feast with family and friends. Bengal's 'Makar Sankranti' entails the preparation of traditional rice-sweets called 'Pittha' and the holy fair - Ganga Sagar Mela at the Ganga Sagar beach. In Punjab, it's 'Lohri' - gathering around the sacred bonfire, feasting with family and friends, and exchanging greetings and pleasantries. And in Andhra Pradesh it is celebrated as 'Bhogi', when each household puts on display its collection of dolls.
Pongal follows the winter solstice and marks the favorable course of the sun. On the first day, the sun is worshipped, signifying its movement from Cancer to Capricorn. This is also why, in other parts of India, this harvest festival and thanksgiving is called 'Makar Sankranti'. [Sanskrit Makar = Capricorn]
Each day of the four-day festival has its own name and distinct fashion of celebration.
Day 1: Bhogi Pongal
Bhogi Pongal is a day for the family, for domestic activities and of being together with the members of the household. This day is celebrated in honor of Lord Indra, "the Ruler of Clouds and Giver of Rains".
On the first day of Pongal a huge bonfire is lit at dawn in front of the house and all old and useless items are set ablaze, symbolic of beginning a fresh new year. The bonfire burns through the night as young people beat little drums and dance around it. Homes are cleaned and decorated with "Kolam" - floor designs drawn in the white paste of newly harvested rice with outlines of red mud. Often pumpkin flowers are set into cow-dung balls and placed among the patterns. Fresh harvest of rice, turmeric and sugarcane is brought in from the field as preparation for the following day.
Day 2: Surya Pongal
The second day is dedicated to Lord Surya, the Sun God, who is offered boiled milk and jaggery. A plank is placed on the ground, a large image of the Sun God is sketched on it and Kolam designs are drawn around it. This icon of the Sun God is worshipped for divine benediction as the new month of 'Thai' begins.
Day 3: Mattu Pongal
This third day is meant for the cattle ('mattu') - the giver of milk and puller of the plough. The farmer's 'dumb friends' are given a good bath, their horns are polished, painted and covered with metal caps, and garlands are put around their necks. The pongal that has been offered to the gods is then given to the cattle to eat. They are then taken out to the racing tracks for cattle race and bullfight - an event full of festivity, fun, frolic and revelry.
Day 4: Kanya Pongal
The fourth and final day marks the Kanya Pongal, when birds are worshipped. Girls prepare colored balls of cooked rice and keep them in the open for birds and fowls to eat. On this day sisters also pray for their brothers' happiness.
Like all Hindu festivals, Pongal too has some interesting legends attached to it. But surprisingly, this festival has little or no mention in the Puranas, which are usually bristled with tales and legends related with festivals. This is perhaps because Pongal is preeminently a Dravidian harvest festival and has somehow managed to keep itself away from the preponderance of Indo-Aryan influences.
The Mt. Govardhan Tale
The most popular Pongal legend is the one associated with the first day of the celebrations when Lord Indra is worshipped. The story behind it is, on this day Indra being honored by all, became proud and arrogant. To teach him a lesson, Lord Krishna asked his cowherd friends to worship Mount Govardhan instead of Indra on the Bhogi Pongal day.
Awfully infuriated, Indra sent forth the clouds to generate thunder, lightning and heavy rains and flood the land. But, as the tale goes, Lord Krishna lifted up the Govardhan Mountain on his little finger and sheltered the farmers, cowherd and their cattle. Indra then begged Shri Krishna's forgiveness and the latter re-permitted Bhogi celebrations in honor of Indra.
The Nandi Bull Story
According to another legend associated with Mattu Pongal, the third day of celebrations, Lord Shiva once asked his Nandi bull to go to earth and deliver a special message to his disciples: "Have an oil bath everyday, and food once a month."
But the baffled bovine failed to deliver the correct message. He told the people that Shiva asked them to "have an oil bath once a month, and food everyday." The enraged Shiva then ordered Nandi to stay back on earth and help the people plough the fields, since they would now need to grow more grains.
Wednesday, January 14, 2009
Monday, January 12, 2009
Human relationship
Sometimes we spend time asking who is responsible or who to blame, whether in a relationship, in a job or with the people we know. We miss out some warmth in human relationship to give each
other support. Treasure what you have. Just a little story for you...
A boy was born to a couple after eleven years of marriage. They were a loving couple and the boy was the apple of their eyes. When the boy was around two years old, one morning the husband saw a medicine bottle open. He was late for work so he asked the wife to cap the bottle and keep it in the cupboard. The mother, pre occupied in the kitchen totally forgot the matter.
The boy playfully went to the medicine bottle and, fascinated with its color, drank it all. It happened to be a poisonous medicine meant for adults in small dosages. When the child showed signs of poisoning the mother took him to the hospital, where he died.
The mother was stunned. She was terrified how to face her husband. When the distraught father came to the hospital and saw the dead child, he looked at his wife and uttered just four words.
QUESTIONS :
1. What were the four words?
2. What is the implication of this story?
Check with the answers only after you have tried to come up with your own.
ANSWER:
- The husband just said 'I Love You Darling”...
- The husband's totally unexpected reaction is proactive behavior. He is indeed a genius in human relationships.
The child is dead. He can never be brought back to life. There is no point in finding fault with the mother. She had also lost her only child. What she needed at that moment was consolation and sympathy from the husband.
That is what he gave her. If everyone can look at life with this kind of perspective, there would be much fewer problems in the world. To be happy with a man you must understand him a lot and love him a little. To be happy with a woman you must understand her a lot and love her with all your heart.
'A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step.' Take off all your envies, jealousies, unforgiveness, selfishness, and fears & you will find things are actually not as difficult as you think.'
other support. Treasure what you have. Just a little story for you...
A boy was born to a couple after eleven years of marriage. They were a loving couple and the boy was the apple of their eyes. When the boy was around two years old, one morning the husband saw a medicine bottle open. He was late for work so he asked the wife to cap the bottle and keep it in the cupboard. The mother, pre occupied in the kitchen totally forgot the matter.
The boy playfully went to the medicine bottle and, fascinated with its color, drank it all. It happened to be a poisonous medicine meant for adults in small dosages. When the child showed signs of poisoning the mother took him to the hospital, where he died.
The mother was stunned. She was terrified how to face her husband. When the distraught father came to the hospital and saw the dead child, he looked at his wife and uttered just four words.
QUESTIONS :
1. What were the four words?
2. What is the implication of this story?
Check with the answers only after you have tried to come up with your own.
ANSWER:
- The husband just said 'I Love You Darling”...
- The husband's totally unexpected reaction is proactive behavior. He is indeed a genius in human relationships.
The child is dead. He can never be brought back to life. There is no point in finding fault with the mother. She had also lost her only child. What she needed at that moment was consolation and sympathy from the husband.
That is what he gave her. If everyone can look at life with this kind of perspective, there would be much fewer problems in the world. To be happy with a man you must understand him a lot and love him a little. To be happy with a woman you must understand her a lot and love her with all your heart.
'A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step.' Take off all your envies, jealousies, unforgiveness, selfishness, and fears & you will find things are actually not as difficult as you think.'
Tuesday, January 6, 2009
The Carrot
One of the most excellent stories told at the Chicago Parliament of Religions was given by a Russian representative.
A woman, who was a thief, a cheat and of generally evil repute, was lying on her death bed, and was now frightened at the prospect of what awaited her after death.
Though she had had, during a long life of evil doing, no thought of religion or of God, yet now she began to cry loudly and more vociferously to God to have mercy on her. So much did she cry that at last she attracted the attention of the angel Gabriel, who came to see what the matter might be.
'Oh Sir,' said the woman, 'what am I to do?'
'What is the matter?' asked the angel.
'Sir, all my life I have done not one good thing, and now, I am about to die. What will become of me?'
'Is there not one good act of which you can remember? Think,' replied the angel.
After much thought the woman remembered that when she was a young woman one day she was almost starving, and then she found a carrot, which was the only food she had had for two days. As she was about to eat it, another woman, as badly off as herself, came to her, begging.
Though it was contrary to her usual nature, the carrot was divided between them. This incident the dying woman apologetically related to the angel, who replied: 'Hold on to that carrot and it will save you.'
The woman held on to the carrot when she died. And as she was being drawn up to heaven by the carrot, many others, who had died after leading a life as evil as her own began to cling to her, in the hope of sharing her escape.
At that, she got jealous and cried out: 'Get off; the carrot is mine.' No sooner after she had said this the carrot broke, and she fell back into the place of torment.
One small deed of unselfishness had been sufficient to outweigh her bad Karma, but her selfishness had undone, in a moment, the previous good.
Bhagavan Baba says, “The worst disease to which one is subject to is selfishness. Only when one has been able to rid oneself of selfishness will one be able to understand the true meaning of life and experience true happiness… Only when one becomes animated by the spirit of sacrifice will one become sublime.”
A woman, who was a thief, a cheat and of generally evil repute, was lying on her death bed, and was now frightened at the prospect of what awaited her after death.
Though she had had, during a long life of evil doing, no thought of religion or of God, yet now she began to cry loudly and more vociferously to God to have mercy on her. So much did she cry that at last she attracted the attention of the angel Gabriel, who came to see what the matter might be.
'Oh Sir,' said the woman, 'what am I to do?'
'What is the matter?' asked the angel.
'Sir, all my life I have done not one good thing, and now, I am about to die. What will become of me?'
'Is there not one good act of which you can remember? Think,' replied the angel.
After much thought the woman remembered that when she was a young woman one day she was almost starving, and then she found a carrot, which was the only food she had had for two days. As she was about to eat it, another woman, as badly off as herself, came to her, begging.
Though it was contrary to her usual nature, the carrot was divided between them. This incident the dying woman apologetically related to the angel, who replied: 'Hold on to that carrot and it will save you.'
The woman held on to the carrot when she died. And as she was being drawn up to heaven by the carrot, many others, who had died after leading a life as evil as her own began to cling to her, in the hope of sharing her escape.
At that, she got jealous and cried out: 'Get off; the carrot is mine.' No sooner after she had said this the carrot broke, and she fell back into the place of torment.
One small deed of unselfishness had been sufficient to outweigh her bad Karma, but her selfishness had undone, in a moment, the previous good.
Bhagavan Baba says, “The worst disease to which one is subject to is selfishness. Only when one has been able to rid oneself of selfishness will one be able to understand the true meaning of life and experience true happiness… Only when one becomes animated by the spirit of sacrifice will one become sublime.”
Wednesday, December 24, 2008
What makes a person do the wrong thing, even when he/she knows, it’s wrong and don’t want to do it?”
Desire: Simple meaning of desire is to crave for worldly pleasures of all kinds. But in philosophy, "Desire" has been identified as a philosophical problem since Antiquity. As per Plato, individual desires must be postponed in the name of the higher ideal.
As per the teachings of Siddhartha Gautama (Buddhism), craving is said to be the cause of all suffering that one experiences in human existence. The extinction of this craving leads one to ultimate happiness, or Nirvana. Nirvana means "cessation", "extinction" of suffering. It is also known as "Awakening" or "Enlightenment". As per the teaching of Gautama Buddha, suffering is an inevitable part of life as we know it & the cause of this suffering is attachment to, or craving for worldly pleasures of all kinds. The suffering ends when the craving and desire ends, or one is freed from all desires.
In "Bhagwat Gita" Arjuna asks "Lord Krishna" a very pertinent question,“What makes a person do the wrong thing, even when he/she knows, it’s wrong and don’t want to do it?”
Lord Sri Krishna tells Arjuna that: It is Desire & Lust only which makes a person do the wrong thing, even when he/she knows, it’s wrong and don’t want to do it.
When we desire something then we are empowered by a powerful emotion to get it which clouds our reasoning. Our passionate desires clouds our mind and senses & it distorts our perception and reasoning. It is our relentless passionate desire to enjoy the material pleasures that it leads us to commit Sin. Desire covers our reasoning like smoke covers fire, or dust covers a mirror. Due to this blurred reasoning & our passionate hankering for desires, we do commit Sin in our life.
Below are verses of "Bhagwat Gita" in which "Arjuna" asks "Lord Krishna" about the same:
"arjuna uvacha
atha kena prayukto ’yam
papam charati purushah
anicchann api varsneya
balad iva niyojitah" (Bhagwat Gita: Chapter Three verse 36)
"Arjuna said: O Sri Krishna, by what is one impelled to sinful acts, even unwillingly, as if engaged by force?"
"sri-bhagavan uvacha
kama esa krodha esa
rajo-guna-samudbhavah
mahasano maha-papma
viddhy enam iha vairinam" (Bhagwat Gita: Chapter Three verse 37)
"Sri Krishna said: It is desire & lust only, Arjuna, which is born of contact with the material mode of passion and later transformed into wrath, and which is the all-devouring sinful enemy of this world."
"dhumenavriyate vahnir
yathadarso malena cha
yatholbenavrto garbhas
tatha tenedam avrtam" (Bhagwat Gita: Chapter Three verse 38)
"Sri Krishna said: As fire is covered by smoke, as a mirror is covered by dust, or as the embryo is covered by the womb, the living entity is similarly covered by different degrees of this lust."
"avrtam jnanam etena
jnanino nitya-vairina
kama-rupena kaunteya
duspurenanalena cha" (Bhagwat Gita: Chapter Three verse 39)
"Sri Krishna said: Thus the wise living entity’s pure consciousness becomes covered by his eternal enemy in the form of lust, which is never satisfied and which burns like fire."
"tasmat tvam indriyany adau
niyamya bharatarsabha
papmanam prajahi hy enam
jnana-vijnana-nasanam" (Bhagwat Gita: Chapter Three verse 41)
"Sri Krishna said: Therefore, O Arjuna, in the very beginning curb this great symbol of sin (lust) by regulating the senses, and slay this destroyer of knowledge and self-realization."
"evam buddheh param buddhva
samstabhyatmanam atmana
jahi satrum maha-baho
kama-rupam durasadam" (Bhagwat Gita: Chapter Three verse 43)
"Sri Krishna said: Thus knowing oneself to be transcendental to the material senses, mind and intelligence, O Arjuna, one should steady the mind by deliberate spiritual intelligence and thus—by spiritual strength—conquer the desires & lust which is the insatiable enemy."
From the above verses of "Bhagwat Gita" it is very clear that it is the individual's Desire, Lust & constant feeding of one's senses that a person commits sinful activities. Due to such constant craving for desires, one's intelligence gets covered with ignorance, just like a mirror is covered by the dust & one is not able to see the things in right perspective. So we should not constantly hanker to satisfy our desires, rather we should control these desires.
Labels: arjuna, Bhagwad Gita, Buddhism, Chapter 3, desire, Gautama, Krishna, Lord Krishna, lust, Siddhartha
As per the teachings of Siddhartha Gautama (Buddhism), craving is said to be the cause of all suffering that one experiences in human existence. The extinction of this craving leads one to ultimate happiness, or Nirvana. Nirvana means "cessation", "extinction" of suffering. It is also known as "Awakening" or "Enlightenment". As per the teaching of Gautama Buddha, suffering is an inevitable part of life as we know it & the cause of this suffering is attachment to, or craving for worldly pleasures of all kinds. The suffering ends when the craving and desire ends, or one is freed from all desires.
In "Bhagwat Gita" Arjuna asks "Lord Krishna" a very pertinent question,“What makes a person do the wrong thing, even when he/she knows, it’s wrong and don’t want to do it?”
Lord Sri Krishna tells Arjuna that: It is Desire & Lust only which makes a person do the wrong thing, even when he/she knows, it’s wrong and don’t want to do it.
When we desire something then we are empowered by a powerful emotion to get it which clouds our reasoning. Our passionate desires clouds our mind and senses & it distorts our perception and reasoning. It is our relentless passionate desire to enjoy the material pleasures that it leads us to commit Sin. Desire covers our reasoning like smoke covers fire, or dust covers a mirror. Due to this blurred reasoning & our passionate hankering for desires, we do commit Sin in our life.
Below are verses of "Bhagwat Gita" in which "Arjuna" asks "Lord Krishna" about the same:
"arjuna uvacha
atha kena prayukto ’yam
papam charati purushah
anicchann api varsneya
balad iva niyojitah" (Bhagwat Gita: Chapter Three verse 36)
"Arjuna said: O Sri Krishna, by what is one impelled to sinful acts, even unwillingly, as if engaged by force?"
"sri-bhagavan uvacha
kama esa krodha esa
rajo-guna-samudbhavah
mahasano maha-papma
viddhy enam iha vairinam" (Bhagwat Gita: Chapter Three verse 37)
"Sri Krishna said: It is desire & lust only, Arjuna, which is born of contact with the material mode of passion and later transformed into wrath, and which is the all-devouring sinful enemy of this world."
"dhumenavriyate vahnir
yathadarso malena cha
yatholbenavrto garbhas
tatha tenedam avrtam" (Bhagwat Gita: Chapter Three verse 38)
"Sri Krishna said: As fire is covered by smoke, as a mirror is covered by dust, or as the embryo is covered by the womb, the living entity is similarly covered by different degrees of this lust."
"avrtam jnanam etena
jnanino nitya-vairina
kama-rupena kaunteya
duspurenanalena cha" (Bhagwat Gita: Chapter Three verse 39)
"Sri Krishna said: Thus the wise living entity’s pure consciousness becomes covered by his eternal enemy in the form of lust, which is never satisfied and which burns like fire."
"tasmat tvam indriyany adau
niyamya bharatarsabha
papmanam prajahi hy enam
jnana-vijnana-nasanam" (Bhagwat Gita: Chapter Three verse 41)
"Sri Krishna said: Therefore, O Arjuna, in the very beginning curb this great symbol of sin (lust) by regulating the senses, and slay this destroyer of knowledge and self-realization."
"evam buddheh param buddhva
samstabhyatmanam atmana
jahi satrum maha-baho
kama-rupam durasadam" (Bhagwat Gita: Chapter Three verse 43)
"Sri Krishna said: Thus knowing oneself to be transcendental to the material senses, mind and intelligence, O Arjuna, one should steady the mind by deliberate spiritual intelligence and thus—by spiritual strength—conquer the desires & lust which is the insatiable enemy."
From the above verses of "Bhagwat Gita" it is very clear that it is the individual's Desire, Lust & constant feeding of one's senses that a person commits sinful activities. Due to such constant craving for desires, one's intelligence gets covered with ignorance, just like a mirror is covered by the dust & one is not able to see the things in right perspective. So we should not constantly hanker to satisfy our desires, rather we should control these desires.
Labels: arjuna, Bhagwad Gita, Buddhism, Chapter 3, desire, Gautama, Krishna, Lord Krishna, lust, Siddhartha
Tuesday, December 23, 2008
The Wedding Ring
Why should the wedding ring be worn on the fourth finger?
There is a beautiful and convincing explanation given by the Chinese Legend...
Thumb represents your Parents
Second (Index) finger represents your Siblings
Middle finger represents your-Self
Fourth (Ring) finger represents your Life Partner
& the Last (Little) finger represents your children
Firstly, open your palms (face to face), bend the middle fingers and hold them together - back to back secondly, open and hold the remaining three fingers and the thumb - tip to tip.
Now, try to separate your thumbs (representing the parents)..., they will open, because your parents are not destined to live with you lifelong, and have to leave you sooner or later.
Please join your thumbs as before and separate your Index fingers (representing siblings)...., they will also open, because your brothers and sisters will have their own families and will have to lead their own separate lives.
Now join the Index fingers and separate your Little fingers (representing your children)... ., they will open too, because the children also will get married and settle down on their own some day.
Finally, join your little fingers, and try to separate your Ring fingers (representing your spouse).
You will be surprised to see that you just CANNOT....., because Husband & Wife have to remain together all their lives - through thick and thin!!
Please try this out.....
ISN'T THIS A LOVELY THEORY?
There is a beautiful and convincing explanation given by the Chinese Legend...
Thumb represents your Parents
Second (Index) finger represents your Siblings
Middle finger represents your-Self
Fourth (Ring) finger represents your Life Partner
& the Last (Little) finger represents your children
Firstly, open your palms (face to face), bend the middle fingers and hold them together - back to back secondly, open and hold the remaining three fingers and the thumb - tip to tip.
Now, try to separate your thumbs (representing the parents)..., they will open, because your parents are not destined to live with you lifelong, and have to leave you sooner or later.
Please join your thumbs as before and separate your Index fingers (representing siblings)...., they will also open, because your brothers and sisters will have their own families and will have to lead their own separate lives.
Now join the Index fingers and separate your Little fingers (representing your children)... ., they will open too, because the children also will get married and settle down on their own some day.
Finally, join your little fingers, and try to separate your Ring fingers (representing your spouse).
You will be surprised to see that you just CANNOT....., because Husband & Wife have to remain together all their lives - through thick and thin!!
Please try this out.....
ISN'T THIS A LOVELY THEORY?
Monday, December 22, 2008
mother
This story begins when I was a child. I was born poor. Often we hadn't enough to eat. Whenever we had some food, Mother often gave me her portion of rice. While she was transferring her rice into my bowl, she would say 'Eat this rice, son! I'm not hungry.' This was my mother's first lie.
As I grew, mother gave up her spare time to cultivate vegetables on a small patch of land near our home. She hoped that she could give me some nutritious food for my growth. She would make delicious soups from the best of the seasonal crops she was able to grow.
While I was eating the soup, mother would sit beside me and eat what was still left in the bowl. My heart was touched when I saw it. Once I gave her half my share but she immediately refused it and said, 'Please eat this soup, son! I don't really like soup so much.' This was my mother's second lie.
Then, in order to fund my education, mother went to a match factory to bring home some used matchboxes, which she filled with fresh matchsticks. This helped her get some money to cover our needs. One wintry night, I awoke to find mother filling the matchboxes by candlelight. So I said, 'Mother, go to sleep; it's late, you can continue working tomorrow morning.' Mother smiled and said, 'Go to sleep, son! I'm not tired.' This was my mother's third lie.
When I had to sit for my final examination, mother accompanied me. After dawn, mother waited for me for hours in the heat of the Sun. When the bell rang, I ran to meet her… Mother embraced me and poured me a glass of tea that she had prepared in a thermos. The tea was not as strong as my mother's love. Seeing mother covered with perspiration, I at once gave her my glass and asked her to drink too. Mother said 'Drink, son! I'm not thirsty!' This was my mother's fourth lie.
After my father's death, mother had to play the role of a single parent. She held on to her former job and somehow had to make ends meet alone. Our family's status was precarious and many a time we suffered from starvation. Seeing our family's condition worsening, my kind Uncle, who lived near my house, offered to help us solve our problems, big and small. Our other neighbors saw that we were poverty stricken, so they often advised my mother to marry again. But mother refused to remarry saying, 'I don't need love.' This was my mother's fifth lie.
After I had finished my studies and found a job, it was time for my old mother to retire, but she carried on going to the market every morning just to sell a few vegetables. I kept sending her money, but she was steadfast and even sent the amount back to me! She said, 'I have enough money.' That was my mother's sixth lie.
I continued my part-time studies for my master's degree. Funded by the American Corporation for which I worked, I succeeded in my studies. With a big jump in my salary, I decided to bring mother to enjoy life in America. But mother didn't want to bother her son; she said to me: ‘I don’t want a comfortable life.' That was my mother's seventh lie.
In her dotage, Mother was attacked by cancer and had to be hospitalized. Now, living far across the ocean, I went home to visit mother who was bedridden after an operation. Mother tried to smile, but I was heartbroken because she was so thin and feeble. But mother said, 'Don't cry, son! I'm not in any pain.' That was my mother's eighth lie!
Telling me this, her eighth lie, she died. Yes, my mother was an angel!
It is for this reason that they define Mother this way –
M - O - T - H - E - R
'M' is for the Million things she gave me;
'O' means she became Old as she gave her life for me;
'T' is for the Tears she shed to save me;
'H' is for her Heart of gold;
'E' is for her Eyes with love-light shining in them;
‘R' means the Righteous and exemplary life she lead.
Put them all together, they spell 'MOTHER' - a word that means the world to me.
The author of this story in unknown, but it can be anybody on this Earth who has had the fortune of being brought up by their mother. For those, who have been blessed with their mother’s presence in their lives, this story is surely beautiful. For those who aren't so lucky, this is even more beautiful!
Bhagavan Baba has time and gain exhorted everyone to adore their mother as their first God. During the Ladies Day celebration on November 19, 1999, Bhagavan started his Divine Discourse with this moving poem:
More fragrant than the sweet-smelling flowers
like the Jasmine and the Champak,
Softer than the cheese and the butter,
More beautiful than eye of the peacock,
More pleasant than the moonlight,
Is the love of the mother!
Again, on the occasion of Easwaramma Day on May 6, 2006, He said, “There is no love greater than mother’s love in this world. It is imbued with immense power... Love your mother. Then you will be loved by all… It is the foremost duty of children to fulfill the wishes of their mother and make her happy.”
Curtsey by unknown
As I grew, mother gave up her spare time to cultivate vegetables on a small patch of land near our home. She hoped that she could give me some nutritious food for my growth. She would make delicious soups from the best of the seasonal crops she was able to grow.
While I was eating the soup, mother would sit beside me and eat what was still left in the bowl. My heart was touched when I saw it. Once I gave her half my share but she immediately refused it and said, 'Please eat this soup, son! I don't really like soup so much.' This was my mother's second lie.
Then, in order to fund my education, mother went to a match factory to bring home some used matchboxes, which she filled with fresh matchsticks. This helped her get some money to cover our needs. One wintry night, I awoke to find mother filling the matchboxes by candlelight. So I said, 'Mother, go to sleep; it's late, you can continue working tomorrow morning.' Mother smiled and said, 'Go to sleep, son! I'm not tired.' This was my mother's third lie.
When I had to sit for my final examination, mother accompanied me. After dawn, mother waited for me for hours in the heat of the Sun. When the bell rang, I ran to meet her… Mother embraced me and poured me a glass of tea that she had prepared in a thermos. The tea was not as strong as my mother's love. Seeing mother covered with perspiration, I at once gave her my glass and asked her to drink too. Mother said 'Drink, son! I'm not thirsty!' This was my mother's fourth lie.
After my father's death, mother had to play the role of a single parent. She held on to her former job and somehow had to make ends meet alone. Our family's status was precarious and many a time we suffered from starvation. Seeing our family's condition worsening, my kind Uncle, who lived near my house, offered to help us solve our problems, big and small. Our other neighbors saw that we were poverty stricken, so they often advised my mother to marry again. But mother refused to remarry saying, 'I don't need love.' This was my mother's fifth lie.
After I had finished my studies and found a job, it was time for my old mother to retire, but she carried on going to the market every morning just to sell a few vegetables. I kept sending her money, but she was steadfast and even sent the amount back to me! She said, 'I have enough money.' That was my mother's sixth lie.
I continued my part-time studies for my master's degree. Funded by the American Corporation for which I worked, I succeeded in my studies. With a big jump in my salary, I decided to bring mother to enjoy life in America. But mother didn't want to bother her son; she said to me: ‘I don’t want a comfortable life.' That was my mother's seventh lie.
In her dotage, Mother was attacked by cancer and had to be hospitalized. Now, living far across the ocean, I went home to visit mother who was bedridden after an operation. Mother tried to smile, but I was heartbroken because she was so thin and feeble. But mother said, 'Don't cry, son! I'm not in any pain.' That was my mother's eighth lie!
Telling me this, her eighth lie, she died. Yes, my mother was an angel!
It is for this reason that they define Mother this way –
M - O - T - H - E - R
'M' is for the Million things she gave me;
'O' means she became Old as she gave her life for me;
'T' is for the Tears she shed to save me;
'H' is for her Heart of gold;
'E' is for her Eyes with love-light shining in them;
‘R' means the Righteous and exemplary life she lead.
Put them all together, they spell 'MOTHER' - a word that means the world to me.
The author of this story in unknown, but it can be anybody on this Earth who has had the fortune of being brought up by their mother. For those, who have been blessed with their mother’s presence in their lives, this story is surely beautiful. For those who aren't so lucky, this is even more beautiful!
Bhagavan Baba has time and gain exhorted everyone to adore their mother as their first God. During the Ladies Day celebration on November 19, 1999, Bhagavan started his Divine Discourse with this moving poem:
More fragrant than the sweet-smelling flowers
like the Jasmine and the Champak,
Softer than the cheese and the butter,
More beautiful than eye of the peacock,
More pleasant than the moonlight,
Is the love of the mother!
Again, on the occasion of Easwaramma Day on May 6, 2006, He said, “There is no love greater than mother’s love in this world. It is imbued with immense power... Love your mother. Then you will be loved by all… It is the foremost duty of children to fulfill the wishes of their mother and make her happy.”
Curtsey by unknown
The First Temple
Christmas, the most special time of the year, is when we remind ourselves of the birth of Lord Jesus into the world. Christ brought with Him a new dispensation of Light and Truth to humanity through His Love and Teachings. Possibly His most profound, yet unheeded, divine teaching is ‘The Kingdom of Heaven is within you.’ Jesus urged us to look within ourselves for the inherent divinity in us and experience the beauty of a heaven nestled within our hearts. We often spend time concentrating on a God as an entity separate from ourselves when in reality He can’t get any closer than where He always resides.
Hundreds of thousands of years ago, God asked one of His chosen saints to find a suitable place where He could build the First Temple. God stipulated that the local people should be virtuous and good, and that they should be in contemplation of the divinity within themselves, thereby, keeping the temple sacrosanct.
The saint did not search for long when he found a village where all seemed peaceful. The place was immaculate, the well was clean, people were polite and civil to one another, and the beggars received enough to eat from kind strangers. It seemed the perfect place to build the first temple. The disciple went to the Lord to say that he found a place, after all.
Ofcourse, the Omniscient Lord knew what was missing in the seemingly perfect place, but He wanted to teach a lesson to His devotee. God lovingly told his disciple, “Look closely, child, can you not see that there is an absence of love in that small village? Though everything seems fine on the surface, I find no love within the hearts of those villagers.”
And sure enough, when the disciple returned and made a deeper inspection, he heard arguments from behind closed doors, saw that the cleanliness of the place was more due to fear of punishment than real care, and that beggars existed only because of broken families and an obvious lack of empathy.
God asked the saint to continue his search relentlessly for the ideal place. And so, the disciple wandered from pillar to post, trying to find that elusive sublime quality of love blossoming within the hearts of the people. His search took him to places far and wide, but it was all in vain. There wasn’t a single place in sight that exuded pure love, compassion, and generosity.
After several weeks of futile attempts, the disciple began to become quite despondent. He did come across people speaking nicely to one another and practicing charity where needed, yet there was no evidence of that spontaneous, absolutely magical presence of selfless love, no signs of joy, not a single trace of humility anywhere, no witness of hearts aflame with devotion.
He was about to give up, and then, one day he came upon a quiet farm nestled in a serene valley. The two farmers there looked like brothers and they seemed to move about with a sparkle in their eyes and a spring in their steps for no apparent reason at all. They wore the warmest of smiles, and seemed to revel in their chores. The disciple was certainly curious now, and needed to know the secret of the spectacle of bliss.
The devotee approached the brothers and asked them why they appeared so joyful. “Oh, he’s my good brother who looks after me so well. There is no need of mine that is uncared for, I have so much to be grateful for and happy about,” effusively replied the one who seemed to be the older brother. Almost immediately, the younger brother looking on gushed, “My brother takes wonderful care of me day in and day out. I couldn’t ask for more from life! Please do come in and share a meal with us, for you must have walked many a mile and must be weary by now.”
The disciple soon realized he had found the place indeed. Here he was in the company of two brothers who knew nothing other than perfect harmony, love, graciousness, noble spirit, caring, sharing, and peace, and if that’s not enough, they even had the time and inclination to welcome a passing stranger in their midst and treat him with utmost warmth and hospitality. It was nothing short of heaven in those moments.
After a few hours of spending time in the delightful company of the two blessed brothers, the disciple decided to take leave of them to go back to God with the wondrous discovery. He couldn’t wait to ask God if his find was the right choice. The Lord was indeed very pleased and congratulated His disciple on finding the correct place to build the first temple. “Yes, you have come to the place. This is the place I wanted you to see. Let me tell you a touching tale about those two loving brothers.”
God began the beautiful story. “You must have observed that they work on a common piece of land and share the produce equally. Well, the older brother has no family of his own, whilst the younger brother has a wife and children.
“One day, the older brother thought to himself, ‘I live alone and my needs are few. Whilst I have only myself to feed, my brother has a family to take care of. Surely, he must live with great difficulty. It is unfair on my part to claim equal share of the produce.’ With this thought, he decided to secretly transfer some of the grains from his stock to his brother's storehouse. He carried out his plan every night when everyone in the house was asleep. It made him immensely happy at the thought of his younger brother having enough for his family.”
“About the same time, the younger brother suddenly realised that his older brother was getting old, and thought to himself, ‘I have my sons to look after me when I grow old. Who is there really for my elder brother? There will be no one to support him when he grows old . He can’t work forever to feed himself; there will come a day when he can’t carry out the tasks of the day.’ So, he decided to secretly transfer each night some stock of grain to his older brother's granary.”
“This went on for some time till one night they came face to face, sacks of grain on their shoulders, on their way to the other’s granary. As a result of their comical but startling encounter, they confessed to each other about their similar surreptitious transfers. Overwhelmed by their mutual unconditional love, tears flowed down their cheeks. They embraced each other in the dead of the night in quiet acknowledgement for what they received from each other. The bond that had tied them together over the years became known to them in those few minutes.”
God went on, “This rare scene moved me deeply.”
God, then, looked at His disciple, beaming a radiant smile, and said to him with untold joy, “Yes, this is where we shall build the First Temple for they have already built the Kingdom of God within themselves. They alone can preserve the sanctity of the new House of God. Now, get some stones and wood together. It is time to start!
Hundreds of thousands of years ago, God asked one of His chosen saints to find a suitable place where He could build the First Temple. God stipulated that the local people should be virtuous and good, and that they should be in contemplation of the divinity within themselves, thereby, keeping the temple sacrosanct.
The saint did not search for long when he found a village where all seemed peaceful. The place was immaculate, the well was clean, people were polite and civil to one another, and the beggars received enough to eat from kind strangers. It seemed the perfect place to build the first temple. The disciple went to the Lord to say that he found a place, after all.
Ofcourse, the Omniscient Lord knew what was missing in the seemingly perfect place, but He wanted to teach a lesson to His devotee. God lovingly told his disciple, “Look closely, child, can you not see that there is an absence of love in that small village? Though everything seems fine on the surface, I find no love within the hearts of those villagers.”
And sure enough, when the disciple returned and made a deeper inspection, he heard arguments from behind closed doors, saw that the cleanliness of the place was more due to fear of punishment than real care, and that beggars existed only because of broken families and an obvious lack of empathy.
God asked the saint to continue his search relentlessly for the ideal place. And so, the disciple wandered from pillar to post, trying to find that elusive sublime quality of love blossoming within the hearts of the people. His search took him to places far and wide, but it was all in vain. There wasn’t a single place in sight that exuded pure love, compassion, and generosity.
After several weeks of futile attempts, the disciple began to become quite despondent. He did come across people speaking nicely to one another and practicing charity where needed, yet there was no evidence of that spontaneous, absolutely magical presence of selfless love, no signs of joy, not a single trace of humility anywhere, no witness of hearts aflame with devotion.
He was about to give up, and then, one day he came upon a quiet farm nestled in a serene valley. The two farmers there looked like brothers and they seemed to move about with a sparkle in their eyes and a spring in their steps for no apparent reason at all. They wore the warmest of smiles, and seemed to revel in their chores. The disciple was certainly curious now, and needed to know the secret of the spectacle of bliss.
The devotee approached the brothers and asked them why they appeared so joyful. “Oh, he’s my good brother who looks after me so well. There is no need of mine that is uncared for, I have so much to be grateful for and happy about,” effusively replied the one who seemed to be the older brother. Almost immediately, the younger brother looking on gushed, “My brother takes wonderful care of me day in and day out. I couldn’t ask for more from life! Please do come in and share a meal with us, for you must have walked many a mile and must be weary by now.”
The disciple soon realized he had found the place indeed. Here he was in the company of two brothers who knew nothing other than perfect harmony, love, graciousness, noble spirit, caring, sharing, and peace, and if that’s not enough, they even had the time and inclination to welcome a passing stranger in their midst and treat him with utmost warmth and hospitality. It was nothing short of heaven in those moments.
After a few hours of spending time in the delightful company of the two blessed brothers, the disciple decided to take leave of them to go back to God with the wondrous discovery. He couldn’t wait to ask God if his find was the right choice. The Lord was indeed very pleased and congratulated His disciple on finding the correct place to build the first temple. “Yes, you have come to the place. This is the place I wanted you to see. Let me tell you a touching tale about those two loving brothers.”
God began the beautiful story. “You must have observed that they work on a common piece of land and share the produce equally. Well, the older brother has no family of his own, whilst the younger brother has a wife and children.
“One day, the older brother thought to himself, ‘I live alone and my needs are few. Whilst I have only myself to feed, my brother has a family to take care of. Surely, he must live with great difficulty. It is unfair on my part to claim equal share of the produce.’ With this thought, he decided to secretly transfer some of the grains from his stock to his brother's storehouse. He carried out his plan every night when everyone in the house was asleep. It made him immensely happy at the thought of his younger brother having enough for his family.”
“About the same time, the younger brother suddenly realised that his older brother was getting old, and thought to himself, ‘I have my sons to look after me when I grow old. Who is there really for my elder brother? There will be no one to support him when he grows old . He can’t work forever to feed himself; there will come a day when he can’t carry out the tasks of the day.’ So, he decided to secretly transfer each night some stock of grain to his older brother's granary.”
“This went on for some time till one night they came face to face, sacks of grain on their shoulders, on their way to the other’s granary. As a result of their comical but startling encounter, they confessed to each other about their similar surreptitious transfers. Overwhelmed by their mutual unconditional love, tears flowed down their cheeks. They embraced each other in the dead of the night in quiet acknowledgement for what they received from each other. The bond that had tied them together over the years became known to them in those few minutes.”
God went on, “This rare scene moved me deeply.”
God, then, looked at His disciple, beaming a radiant smile, and said to him with untold joy, “Yes, this is where we shall build the First Temple for they have already built the Kingdom of God within themselves. They alone can preserve the sanctity of the new House of God. Now, get some stones and wood together. It is time to start!
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