DUSSEHRA means slaying of demonic qualities

VIEWPOINT

AMITABH SHUKLA

A belated Dussehra, Durga Puja and Vijaya Dashmi greetings. Though this column was written on the day of the festival, it obviously appears the day after being written, so belated.

As I sat on computer to write this column after watching Ravana going down in flames amid bursting of crackers like every year, I was forced to introspect and think afresh. Three decades ago, when I was a kid, I had asked a learned person, my teacher, “Why do we burn Ravana every year?” His reply was simple, which still remains the standard answer to the query. “Ravana symbolises evil”. Since time immemorial, every year, the day is celebrated as the triumph of good over evil.

Evil… he indeed was. Ravana kidnapped Lord Rama’s wife Sita by deceit and forcibly took her to Lanka. But there are different interpretations why he did so. A section of the scholars say that Sita was kidnapped to take revenge from Rama’s brother Laxman who sliced his sister Suparnakha’s nose. Ravana kept the kidnapped Sita in forceful confinement in Ashok Vatika but never ever touched her. There is another interpretation that Ravana wanted to win Sita over and had kidnapped her. Whatever, the interpretation and reasons, obviously no kidnapping is acceptable in any society. But the point is whether the offence is so despicable and unheard of in Indian society to be termed as an evil. 

There are people roaming around with much more serious crime. Why don’t we burn their effigies as well along with Ravana? As compared to these modern days “Ravanas”, the actual Ravana of Ramayana looks like a saint. Kidnapping of course is a serious offence. But what about the incidents of gang-rapes and murders taking place with alarming regularity? Isn’t it time we burnt the effigies of the Delhi gang-rapists and other rapists either languishing in jails or roaming scot free? Isn’t crime much more serious that what Ravana did happening with alarming regularity in and around us?

The Lanka king whose effigy is burnt with much fanfare was also accused of being arrogant. Well, if that is the criteria of terming someone evil, then I am afraid there is an evil lurking in most of the human beings and we need to cleanse ourselves from arrogance and anger.  Then, Ravana was extremely egoist. Again, don’t we all suffer from this? most of us are unable to let go of ego even if it remains a stumbling block for personal development. Ravana usurped the kingdom of his brother Kuber. But don’t we see politicians out of power plotting to dethrone those in power all the time by all means under their command—fair or foul?

Watching a popular television serial recently, I learnt a lesson — a lesson which is now deeply ingrained in me. The protagonist in the serial donates a hefty amount as donation for the local Ramleela management committee and gets the honour of shooting the arrows which would eventually burn the demon king of Lanka. The protagonist is in a joyful mood and waiting for the D-Day as he had emerged as the hero of his colony, given the opportunity to shoot arrows at the effigy of Ravana. But he had a sleepless night a day before Dussehra. Ravana appears in his dream and asks him bluntly, why was he so excited to shoot arrows on the effigy the next day? “Because you have evil qualities,” replies the protagonist. “But do you have qualities like Lord Rama to shoot arrows at me?” asks Ravana in the dream of the protagonist. The poor fellow has no answers and awakens in sweat as he himself is trying to overcome anger, aggression, ego, possessiveness, etc.

As I watch politicians firing symbolic arrows at the effigy of Ravana in the live evening television news, the protagonist of the serial comes in mind. In Delhi, one finds politicians of all hues trying to be the chief guest at the final day of Ramleela when the effigy of the demon king is burnt.

This is not limited to Delhi alone but even in Chandigarh, Dehradun, Shimla and smaller district and mofussil places. In the bigger events, you find the big politicians and at the colony level, you find local and aspiring politicians. People should now ask them bluntly, “You are welcome to shoot the arrows, but first answer one question honestly.  Can you tell us if you do not have the evil qualities which Ravana had — anger, aggression, ego, possessiveness, lust for power and authority?” A majority of them would go away if they are honest to themselves.

The story of the protagonist on TV serial was taken from the life of Jesus Christ. A woman, caught committing adultery, was brought before Christ. Those who brought her to the Christ said the punishment was stoning till death. “Whichever one of you has committed no sin may throw the first stone at her,” was the reply of Jesus. When the crowd heard this, they all left, one by one, the older ones first.

Lord Rama had more qualities than Ravana and that entitled him to slay the demonic qualities of the Lankan king. Obviously the slaying is of demonic qualities of a person and not the person himself. As a person, Ravana had a great lineage, performed intense tapasya to please Brahma and Lord Shiva, was an exemplary scholar, a very good ruler, an accomplished Veena player said to have composed the hymn known as Shiva Tandava Stotra. Above all, he was one of the greatest devotees of Lord Shiva.

Some scholars even say that his description as a ten-headed person is a reference to him possessing a very thorough knowledge over the four Vedas and six Upanishads, which made him as powerful as 10 scholars. But his evil qualities did him in. Though his skills far outweighed his negative qualities, still the message is that if you possess even a single quality which is evil in nature, this would lead to your downfall. If this could happen to a person of tremendous qualities like Ravana, it could happen to anyone else. According to my understanding, this is perhaps the greatest lesson from the Lanka Kand of Ramayana. (October 14, 2013) 

http://www.dailypioneer.com/state-editions/dehradun/dussehra-means-slaying-of-demonic-qualities.html

http://www.dailypioneer.com/state-editions/chandigarh/2013-10-13-26010.html

DEATH and BEYOND....

Amitabh Shukla

I have been a rather reluctant person to visit funerals and prayer meetings for the departed soul. But as I have started getting white strands in the hair and death seems more imminent than it seemed in the prime of my youth, a decade ago, I make it a point to share the sorrow of my friends whenever in town. The other day, I went to a prayer meeting and returned richer – spiritually.

A friend’s father-in-law had expired at the age of 95, after living life to the hilt and leaving behind a legacy which his children, grandchildren and relatives fondly cherished. I got an SMS about the prayer meeting being held at the Sai International Centre, Lodhi Road, New Delhi. I reached when devotional songs were being sung by a group of three on tabla and harmonium in the huge auditorium. The underlying message in all the devotional songs was the impermanent nature of life – the futility of collecting worldly goods and riches, the need to make God your constant companion and shun abhorrent practices which take you farther from the Supreme Being.

Kabir so dhan sanchiye jo aage ko hoye, sees charaye potli le jaat na dekha koye (Collect only the wealth that you can carry forward in your next life. Have you seen any person walking to meet God with a bundle of his money and worldly goods on his head). The Bhajan singer brought this out beautifully.

Also Maya mui na mai mua mar mar gaya sareer, asha trishna na mari kah gaya das Kabeer. (Maya (hallucination and desire) and mai (igo) did not die even as the physical body is on the verge of extinction. Hope and desire for worldly goods never dies, thus said Kabeer)

The gathering of a thousand odd persons in the hall was listening with rapt attention. Though there were some people who were scanning their mobile phones for that non-existent call or SMS and still others for whom talking business in that serene moment was more important than learning a lesson in life, but largely the singers got the attention they deserved.

I closed my eyes to connect to the devotional songs. Three-four minutes later, I could see myself perched onto a tree top, then on the top of snow clad mountains, I started flying like a bird, the body seemed without any weight. I also found myself in the middle of an island, on a boat traversing the sea and also moving around in dense forests. I forgot I had a body and was wandering everywhere. There was no consciousness for a fleeting moment.

Was it a hallucination? Was it a dream? Was I sleeping? Was it the soul wandering everywhere sans the physical body? I do not know. The answers are not easy to find.

A few years ago, I had undertaken lessons in Yoga Nidra in which the instructor (a Swami) of the Bihar School of Yoga, guided me to relaxation through this ancient practice. For a few fleeting moments, I felt that I am not the body but something different. The same feeling came again after a long time when the body ceased to exist momentarily and I found what could possibly happen as and when the physical body dissolves into nature from where it sprang.

The importance of looking within was once again underlined. I remembered the wisdom of our saints that God was within every living being – you just have to discover by looking within. That is why our saints asked us to practice “maun” or silence at any convenient time of the day. At that time, the dialogue (if any) should be with the self and not the outside world.

“You have to leave this world and everything which you have appropriated or misappropriated all your life but the self (soul) would never leave you. It is this self with which you have to connect,” I remembered a Swami giving sermon on the banks of river Ganga in Rishikesh.

The Beggar and his dogs...

Amitabh Shukla

Life has plenty of surprises in store for us. Every moment of life has a surprise element and no one knows when a new surprise springs up and overwhelms you.

The other day, I was walking to my house after the morning walk in the nearby park. It was quite late for the walk and the clock read 9 am in the morning.

I saw a beggar on his tricycle surrounded by at least half a dozen street dogs. Initially I thought that the street dogs had found a stranger and were about to bark incessantly at what they thought was an intruder in their territory.

But this was not the case. The beggar was feeding the canines biscuits which he had received as alms in the morning. The street dogs were very friendly and this was reflected in their benign looks and wagging of tails. After giving them a biscuit each, the beggar opened his polythene bag and found a packet of bread. Now, he gave all the dogs a bread each to eat. He continued to look at them like a fatherly figure, an image of calm, composure and immense satisfaction.

Curiosity got better of me as I watched the scene, something which I had not witnessed earlier. Someone who was himself helpless, reduced to begging and surviving on alms, was on a giving spree.

I began a conversation with the old man. Pyare was his name and he was a resident of Anand Gram or what is known as the Leper’s colony in Tahirpur, east Delhi. The disease had practically left him without his feet and was reduced to begging to keep his body and soul together.

“I am always there in front of the Shani temple for two hours in the morning and another two hours in the evening. There are noble souls in the city who contribute a lot in alms, more in eatables than money. I cannot eat it all alone and share the surplus with the dogs. Life is so uncertain, why should I or anyone store anything for tomorrow,” Pyare told me.

Continuing, he said the dogs are shooed away by everybody and there was hardly anyone who stopped and thought about them.

“Tomorrow is another day. I will see what design has God got for me for tomorrow. I want to make my present happy and feeding the dogs gives me happiness,” the beggar, who now seemed like a philosopher, said.

Talking to the beggar was a revelation. “It could be my mistakes in my previous birth that I am in this state. I want to improve my karma,” Pyare said, slowly putting pressure on the handle of the tricycle and moving to his house.

The street dogs gave him a silent farewell for the time being. There was a promise in the eyes of the canines and also Pyare to meet again the next day for the same ritual.

(March 2011)

ashukla.mail@gmail.com

GANGA....

OFF-TRACK

Amitabh Shukla

Whenever I find time and manage a leave from work, I escape for a couple of days to the cities of Hardwar and Rishikesh – the gateway of the mighty Ganges. The aarti at the Har ki Pauri and the sylvan surroundings of Rishikesh amidst the chant of slokas and blaring of bhajans attract not only someone like me who wants to escape the monotonous routine of a metro but hordes of Indian and foreigners alike

When friends and relatives ask me about my infatuation with the two places and the reasons for my visits, I have a one liner – the Ganges beckons me for a bath every few months. To others who persist – the experience is personal and cannot really be explained.

Spiritual pursuits of the Indians and the foreigners aside, what strikes me most in these towns is the role of religion in the livelihood of the people. Almost the entire work force of both Hardwar and Rishikesh depends on religion for its day to day earning.

Nothing is sold in the two towns if it does not concern religion. Every mundane activity has some religious meaning or the other. Even if nothing exists, the local pandas and priests have coined something to make their respective shrines historically ancient.

Even a simple boating experience across the Ganges has been spiritualised. The hoarding near the boating facility proclaims that this was the method and the transport used by Lord Rama. As the devout wander around, they read the notice board and rush towards the counters selling the tickets for a boat ride to relive the experience.

Almost every temple in the vicinity of the Laxman Jhoola proclaim their association with Lord Rama's brother, Laxman. He is said to have done a penance here after the killing of Ravana, a Brahmin, to get rid of the curse of "brahm hatya" (slaying a Brahmin).

The entire stretch from Laxman Jhoola to the Ram Jhoola has shops selling only religious momentos, photographs and cassettes of devotional songs. If someone does not have a capital to start a business, he sells small balls of flour so that you could offer it to the fish and satisfy its hunger buds. The auto wallas depend only on the pilgrims, the book seller sells mainly religious books and even the cloth shop has an entire row of shirts, kurtas and towels with Om and other mantras inscribed on them. The hotels too serve only vegetarian menu and the clients – the pilgrims.

As the pilgrims come on a charity mode, begging has become a lucrative profession. On one side of the sprawling Geeta Bhawan sit around 100 beggars. They do not ask you for any alms as most of them already have a few polythene bag full of fruits, other eatables and loose change. The hymns and bhajans praising daan (charity) forces the devout to donate liberally. The beggars who haven't found a place here roam around everywhere and at the end of the day change their coins for paper money.

As begging is quite remunerative here as compared to other towns and cities, the ratio of number of beggars to the common citizens must be one of the highest in the country. In fact, they have a separate colony on the other side of the Ganges though the colony still resembles a city slum rather that a middle class colony as some would believe.

"Commercialisation or not, the place would continue to attract the seeker of truth and those in need of spiritual help. You only have to look around, you would find a true spiritual master to help you out," summed up a Swami after his routine religious discourse when I posed him the question which only an ignorant like me would dare ask.

THE SANYASI...

By Amitabh Shukla

Those who have surrendered their ego at the feet of the Lord undergo penance and endure all physical hardships to begin a fresh chapter of life. I came to learn about this while travelling in Uttarakhand hills recently to cover the elections in the state.

The Garhwal Hills, called Devbhumi, as four of the most sacred shrines of Hinduism – Kedarnath, Badrinath, Yamunotri and Gangotri – attract thousands of people from across the country after the winters when the doors of the temples after opened after the snow melts.

While going up the hill from Rishikesh, I saw at least six different groups of pilgrims on their way to the holy shrine on foot. They had walked all the way from Rishikesh and had planned to cover the entire journey on foot. The taxi driver, a local, told me that several pilgrims trek more than 300 kms during the pilgrim season. Curiosity got better of me and I stopped at the wayside to talk to a group of two men, bearded and wearing the gerua clothes which signifies abandoning the worldly comforts.

“Baba, where are you going?” I asked. The sanyasi replied – “To the char dham yatra”. But the temple doors must be closed at this time of the year and it is still two months away before it opens. “I will go upto the place where nature takes me to on the banks of the Bhagirathi,” said the Sanyasi, pointing to the holy river at a distance. Then he said: “I will wait at the temple gate and would be one of the first to offer flowers to the Lord,” he said.

“But why walk all the way when you can get a bus service for a small fee?” I insisted. It was here that I realised that the person to whom I was talking was spiritually evolved. “The abode of the gods is so beautiful. He wants his devotees to appreciate the mountains, the forests, the clouds and the snow and there is no better way of enjoying god’s hospitality than by walking to his abode,” said the sanyasi, who must be in his late 30s.

“People speak lies all year round and then go to God once a year thinking that he will be forgiven. They repeat it every year till the body becomes too old and the soul parts company and finds a new body. If one cannot even walk up to the abode of God and dedicate a part of the life span to selfless service of the Lord, how will the sins be written off?” the Sanyasi asked me.

I had no answers.

Then he broke into a melodious bhajan. His companion did the chorus and suddenly a truth dawned on me.

Hardwar and Rishikesh

Amitabh Shukla

Roaming on the banks of the holy river Ganga in Rishikesh sometime ago during a break from office, a question came to my mind. How can an office goer, who is into the daily grind of a metropolitan city keep a balance between his internal (spiritual) and external (material) growth?

With the religious and spiritual impact of the twin cities of Haridwar and Rishikesh deep on my conditioning at that point of time, the question kept troubling me in the ashram where I was putting up for 3 days. The next day itself, I got talking to a Swami of the Ashram. “You don’t have to look anywhere else. Just read the Bhagwad Gita. I am sure, you do not understand Sanskrit. Go for an English translation and explanation,” said the young Swami who was doing a three-month course on Yoga in the Ashram.

“I have read Gita a few times. The teachings does affect me for a while but when the problems around me manifests, I react from my conditioning and forget the teachings. The subconscious remains worried due to something or the other and sometimes without any reason,” I told the Swami honestly.

It was at this point that the young teacher, perhaps younger to me in age but much more qualified in spiritual matters, taught me the theory of doing your duty irrespective of the results. This was what Krishna taught Arjun on the battlefield of Mahabharata. I had read it but the way it was put before me was an eye and mind opener.

“There is no harm in action but dependence on the fruits of action is dangerous,” quoted the Swami from the Gita. “You cannot control anything of the world, you cannot change the world. Why bother about something on which you have no control at all,” the Swami continued. Referring to attachment, he said: “You only have control on your work, the type of work you do and how much you do. Just do it honestly to the best of your ability. You cannot control the rest – the fruits and the rewards which come along.

“You plant a sapling. You can just water it and put manure. You cannot decide how many branches would come out and how many leaves would be there on the grown up plant. This is the theory of nature”.

The example of the sapling immediately connected the theory of karma as enunciated by Krishna in all its myriad variations with my doubts. “The law of nature demands that you should not worry about the results if you have done your work honestly and best of your ability,” the Swami said. “Live life full, enjoy it to the hilt but maintain a distance from desire and ambition,” was his parting advice.

(2010)

ashukla.mail@gmail.com

THE TANTRIK

Amitabh Shukla

The year was 2001 and the month March. I was posted in Ranchi in Jharkhand and was on a professional assignment to cover the life and problems of the primitive Asura tribe, living in the newly formed state.

The place, close to Netarhat on the border of Chhatisgarh, where the tribe lived, was completely secluded. There were no roads to boast of and our vehicle could not take on the rogours of what passed off as a road. It broke down. Three of us – an anthropologist friend and a local teacher decided to walk the remaining 3 kms to the Asura village.

After getting to know the tribe from close quarters and taking notes for my write-up, we decided to wind up and proceed back to the state Capital. It was then that, I noticed a non-tribal, sitting on a chair and enjoying the natural beauty of the place. Journalistic curiosity and the odds led me to his modest government accommodation.

He was a clerk working in the rural bank located in the village – the only sign of any government presence apart from the slogans to eradicate pulse and polio on the walls. He soon revealed that he was a Tantrik. Getting to know a tantrik, who looked like a normal person, instead of skeletons in hand, led our small group to ask a series of questions.

“I roamed in all places, including the cremation grounds for several years. Then my guru ordered me to become a normal householder and bear children. I got a job and settled down in this place,” said the tantrik. He added: “I am in tantra and also a grihasth. Being a householder is a divine order for me and has to be complied”.

As the conversation blossomed, I asked him about the negatives associated with Tantra - skeleton worship, liquor, sexual rituals etc. “There are several schools of tantra. The one I follow is the worship of the female power in the form of Durga,” he said.

“I am her child, she is my mother. I cry before her. I dance with ecstasy before her. I laugh with her. She advises me, helps me and my disciples out of the problems,” said the 40-year old tantrik.

The tantrik answered my spiritual queries with such simplicity and humbleness that I immediately believed him. “A son can become wayward but a mother never abandons him. You just have to ask the divine mother with a true and pure heart and she will fulfill what you ask for,” he reasoned.

What led to a true and pure heart? “Concentration and meditation,” replied the Tantrik. “When a heart is cleansed after years of struggle, it never yearns for the worldly goods and physical pleasure. Whatever you ask the mother, is for your disciples and your surroundings, never for yourself,” he continued.

But what is Tantra then? “The intensity of devotion which makes one closer to the Goddess. Extreme penance and detachment. Following the divine directions and using the powers bestowed by the mother for welfare,” he summed up.

We had another meeting at a different venue when the Tantrik had gone to his disciple’s house for spiritual counseling. The discussion was more intense and the answers satisfied my spiritual quest. Why don’t you publicise yourself and reach a wider audience. “You reached me at an inaccessible place. This was ordained by the divine forces. “Those who truly seek the mother’s blessings never go unblessed,” said the Tantrik.

New Year resolution

Amitabh Shukla

I tried various New Year resolutions over the years. I could not stick to any one of them for more than a fortnight. None of them worked as the basis of taking the resolution was a “New Year” which merely changes the date, calendar and the diaries. All days are the same, including December 31 or January 1.

Only a firm resolution from the inner self is going to work. And this requires practice and training of a much longer duration. Keeping the five senses in their right place – in the firm grip of the individual after all is no mean task and only the enlightened have managed to do so.

A friend casually asked, “what would be your New Year resolution this time?” I had no simple answers. “My resolution would be to gain control on my five senses which go astray at the slightest provocation,” I told my friend. “I have been trying to manage them unsuccessfully for quite sometime now”. My friend now got confused.

But, you seem to be a reasonably balanced person! These was a question hidden in his conversation. “Everybody is born with a balance. Only the conditioning and untrained senses makes him different,” I told him, quoting from a book which I had read recently. The book was the source of my acquired wisdom.

Everyone likes to hear good things about himself or herself, likes to touch soft things in life, see the beautiful face of the earth and nature’s creation, taste the best cuisine from around the globe and finally smell the perfumes from international houses. “Breaking this routine and acquiring mastery over them is the biggest challenge for the human being,” the book said and I quoted it to my friend.

“I see no harm if you want good things in life. Why for god’s sake would you eat dal and roti if continental cuisine too were available at the same table? Why would you take bath with plain water of cologne too was available in the bathroom?” he had a series of questions to challenge my thoughts on the issue.

You could still take a vow not to lie, not to hurt anyone, control anger etc etc,” the friend continued. “Why go for such vague things?” he finally asked.

I could not convince my friend with my answers, acquired from books. “There is nothing wrong in enjoying what you get in due course but yearning for them and becoming a slave to your five senses is problematic. I have a simple resolution, this New Year – Help me overcome the dominating role which my senses play in my life”. My friend promised to get back to me after a month and ask how much I had succeeded.

(January 2, 2011)