Live to change, change to live

Perched on a chain that binds me not

I look around for company to keep me happy and alive.

When I look at the world that lay ahead, vast and wide

I realise that I am a mere dot!

Should I move on to a new place

Where the likes of me love to flock and make merry?

Or should I live on with memories that bind me here?

It is a tough question, which I must face.

Looking forward I can hear the world’s call.

But an invisible chain binds me to my own thoughts.

And I know that it is not the outer chain that enslaves me,

But the inner one, that must fall.

For my wings to catch the higher air,

I have to look ahead at the path that beckons me.

I know that my past is only a reflection and not reality.

Future, here I come without a care…

My past is a mere reflection...

Author's note:

Have you ever felt that being tied to a place is stagnating you? When such thoughts enter the realms of your mind, it is time for a change. As they say, change is the only constant thing in the world.

The great poet Subramanya Bharathi, in one of his poems wrote, and I translate:

That which does not change, does not grow

And to this universal rule there is no exception…

Every growth is a product of change. A change brings in a new perspective. Sometimes it helps you by reiterating your thoughts, giving it a boost. The confidence thus derived goes a long way in building your self-confidence and self-esteem.

Be ready to fly to different vistas, in this one beautiful life that you have. Conquer the visible boundaries by taking the first step of conquering the limits set by your own mind!

The green chilli

She sat there not knowing what to do. She had a party to organize the next day and a bandh was called today by some unknown political party for some unknown reason. Before she could learn further on the news from her son, the line went dead.

What was she going to do? Her son was coming home the next day to be with his mother on his birthday. She was paralysed.

Her neighbour knocked on the door to check if she could spare a green chilli.

For the next one hour the green chilli was a lost cause, as the two women cursed every single politician that was born thus far on this green planet.

“The state that we live in determines the state that we live in”, she told her neighbour. “These things don’t happen in the state that I hail from. The 20 odd years that I lived there, there was only peace and happiness. But the state of affairs here is pathetic” she complained to the potential chilli borrower.

The neighbour simply nodded in agreement, more out of her need for the green chilli.

Encouraged by the silent listener, she continued, “If I were given power I will arrest every single person that calls for a bandh. They are actually public nuisance. In fact the law does not permit such protests called for by small parties. This is illegal, you know.” She felt better after sharing her knowledge with her friend.

“What are you going to do now” inquired the worried neighbour? “How many people have you invited? Will the hotels be shut down too? Don’t forget the return gifts, huh”, she gently reminded her. Her green chilli occupied her thoughts completely as hunger took over.

“I will borrow a green chilli from you and finish my cooking first. Then let me see how we can salvage the situation. Don’t worry, you can count on me” the neighbour had successfully presented her case.

"I will borrow a green chilli from you..."

Once the neighbour borrowed the chilli and left, she picked up the phone and tried calling her son once again.

This time the call went through. “Yes, ma” sounded a tried voice on the other side.

“There is a state wide bandh and I do not know what to do for your birthday tomorrow. Looks like the hotels will be shut down”, she was quite concerned.

“I cannot hear your voice clearly. I wanted to speak to you since morning, but there is a lot of noise here”, said her son from wherever he was.

“Can you speak louder”, she strained her auditory nerves to the hilt. The background noise was preventing her from listening to her son’s voice. “Move away from the noisy place that you are in. I can’t hear you”, she wanted to tell him to buy some ready-made food from the supermarket. They may keep the supermarket open for public convenience. That was her last hope.

And yes, she had to remind him about the return gifts too!

The phone rang and this time she could hear her son’s voice better.

“Ma, I will not be coming home tomorrow. We have called for a bandh. Please switch on the television and you will know why. Watch the news channels that I watch, not the serial channel.”

The line abruptly went dead!

Before you set out on a task, worship Ganesha

Two things which are common between Lord Ganesha and an elephant are the wisdom and memory power associated with both of them.

Lord Ganesha is worshipped worldwide for his wisdom. Before beginning any task we are told to invoke the blessings of the elephant God.

It is not without reason that he is worshipped thus. There is an interesting story that is associated with the practice of worshipping Ganesha before beginning any task. Shiva is worshipped as the destroyer. His wife Parvati, is worshipped for her bravery and courage. The two sons Ganesha with an elephant face and Karthikeya were tested by their parents time and time again.

Shiva and Parvati, set exemplary parenting standards.

One day they called their sons and set a task for them to accomplish. They told their sons to go around the world once. The one who completed the task first will get a mango which was known for its sweet taste.

The brothers wanted the mango very badly and wanted to win the race.

Karthikeya was swift and had a peacock as his vehicle. He knew that he could go once around the world before his, not-so-agile older brother, whose vehicle was a mouse by name Mooshika.

Karthikeya did not waste any time and set off to go around the world once and get back in time to win the mango.

The older, wiser brother, waited for his younger brother to leave. Then he analysed his strengths and weaknesses. His mouse was way too slow to out beat his younger brother’s swift vehicle.

Karthikeya himself was very fit and agile. Ganesha’s physique was not his asset, at least not for this task. After careful consideration of his available resources, Ganesha decide to use his best asset to tackle the job, his wisdom.

He went to his parents and bowed humbly before them.

“Father, I have always been a loyal son and to me, there is no greater world than the feet of my parents”, said Ganesha earnestly.

“I therefore pray before the two of you to stand for a while, while I walk once around you”, said Ganesha to an amused Shiva and Parvati.

His parents could not refuse Ganesha’s request and obliged!

Ganesha completed one round around his world and bagged the coveted mango.

As they say, what followed this episode is history.

Assessing our potential and available resources before beginning a job is a prerequisite to completing the task successfully. In a competitive environment what is crucial in completing a task, is accepting our weakness and acknowledging our competitor’s strengths. These qualities allow you to keep your goals realistic and approach situations in a pragmatic manner.

In every situation what is imperative is being focused on the goal and working smartly towards it!

The act of worship reminds us of these essential requirements to complete the given task. 

The two yellow flowers

The balcony of that house looked beautiful. That day the plant had two yellow flowers, brightening up the whole area. The living room radiated the color of the flowers.

The living room looked lively and colourful...

As the sun’s rays fell on the two flowers, one could see the wrinkles on one of the flowers. It was two days old. The other flower fresh out of its bud laughed merrily, that symbolised youth.

As the gaze of the young flower fell on the older companion, the smile on her face turned into an expression of disgust.

“Oh, look at you, you are all shriveled up”, she said, without realising the hurt she was causing to the older one.

The older flower was silent. She knew that only time can answer certain questions. The younger flower was insistent. She wanted an answer.

The older flower cleared her throat before she answered the youthful spite of the new bloom.

“Why are you frowning at me? Wrinkles look good only on an old flower, not on a newbie like you”, she said.

Instantly the young flower corrected her expression.

“As we age we acquire knowledge and wisdom. These express themselves as wrinkles. When we are young we think we are above the natural process of aging. But as we grow, we know that nature will establish its balance for the benefit of all” she explained in a quivering voice.

The young one became thoughtful. She did not understand what she heard, but decided to leave he older flower to herself and continue in the business of being a beautiful flower that she was.

As the sun grew older by a day, the young flower woke up fresh and strong. The mirror on the balcony wall reflected her elegance, doubling the beauty that she lent to the space that she lived in!

The mirror on the balcony reflected her elegance...

Through the hesitant corner of her eye, she looked at the older flower. The flower had almost dried up and her beautiful petals were closing on her body. The beauty that shone brightly had become history.

Though the younger flower empathized with her, she did not utter a word, until the next day.

She woke up as usual and glanced at the mirror, only to see wrinkles on her body!

She was shocked. She turned towards her old companion.

“I am all wrinkled up. What do I do now”, she sobbed?

“Just remember my words. This is nature and in your place a beautiful flower will bloom and from wherever you are you can see her and smile. We all give way to younger things, so that the world may be as vibrant as it always was”, said the older flower before withering away. She fell into the mud that had given her life, albeit for a few days, grateful and contended.

The next day saw a new flower blooming besides the older companion. As her gaze turned towards her older companion a sense of disgust brought wrinkles on her beautiful and vibrant petals.

“No, those wrinkles look good on me, not on you”, the older flower heard herself say!

"Those wrinkles look good on me, not you"

Nature best explained

Once there was a competition between Lord Vishnu and Lord Brahma wanted to know, who between them was greater. They decided to take their argument to Lord Shiva.

Lord Shiva immediately told them that the one who finds his feet or his head first is greater than the other.

The two Gods set out to find the beginning and end of Lord Siva. Brahma decided to go north to find the head of Lord Shiva, while Vishnu travelled southwards to find the Lord’s feet.

Try as much as they would, the two Gods failed as Siva took the form of fire and kept growing in both directions.

Shiva is the symbol of the ever expanding universe and therefore to find the beginning and end of the universe is deemed an impossible task.

Shiva also is depicted as a form that supports life. He has the river Ganga flowing out his head. The moon adorns his head on the other side. One half of him is devoted to his wife Parvati. A snake is shown around his neck.

Shiva is depicted as a form that supports life

Lord Shiva is the form and name given to the diverse universe. Lord Brahma, on the other hand represents the directions. He has four heads each facing one the four respective directions.

Lord Vishnu denotes the evolution of life on earth. Taking his place rightfully in the oceans, his ten avatars represent the process of evolution of life forms on earth. Beginning as a fish in his first avatar, Lord Vishnu progressively assumes the form of a pig, half man, half lion, pygmy, and the tribal man and so on.

The various elements of nature are best explained through stories. The characters of the story assume the characters of the element explained. Nature's power is immeasurable and that is well explained through this story. 

The tradition of worshiping nature must also have evolved over a period of time in order to protect the ecology and the other life forms that co-inhabit this green planet.

Worshiping these Lords, is a way of worshiping nature and giving each life form its due respect!

Tenali Raman's reward

Tenali Raman had a unique way of warning King Krishnadevaraya. Raman was uncomfortable, as the guards in the King’s palace were becoming corrupt. The king was unaware of what was happening behind his back. Raman knew that it was up to him to expose them to the King.

But he also knew that they had earned a good name and it would be difficult to convince the King.

Raman decided to wait for the right opportunity and luckily for him the opportunity presented itself very soon.

One day the King and the Queen were watching a dance drama by a special troupe and the King did not want to be disturbed. He told his guards not to let anyone inside.

Raman arrived at the court late and did not know what was going on. He decided to meet the king and approached the first guard. He told the guard that the King had promised him a reward. If the guard allowed him entry, Raman promised to share 50% of what he got.

When greed enters you, it turns your world upside down. Tenali seemed to be standing upside down to the guard as he let Tenali in.

Near the entrance of the hall, there was a second guard, who, very soon saw Tenali standing upside down! Another 50% from Raman’s rewards was allocated to guard number 2, towards gaining entry into the hall.

Raman walked into the hall and before anybody realised what was happening, Raman took a stick and hit the dancers.

Krishnadevaraya was furious. He ordered 100 whip lashes as punishment, since Raman refused to explain why he hit the dancers.

Just as the attendant was about to hand out the punishment to Raman, Raman whispered something in his ears and he stopped.  Tenali Raman turned towards the King and explained that he had two friends waiting for him outside. They would most willingly share the whip lashes that Tenali was about to receive.

The King was surprised. He ordered the attendant to bring the two fools.

Without realising what gift Tenali was about to receive, they told the King that they were ready to accept 50% of whatever Tenali was offered.

For a long time thereafter their world remained upright! King Krishnadevaraya thanked Tenali for exposing the corrupt guards.