Monday, August 6, 2007

The first lesson in the philosophy of life from The opening Sloka of Srimad Ramayana.

తపస్స్వాధ్యాయ నిరతం తపస్వీ వాగ్విదాం వరం
నారదం పరిపప్రచ్ఛ వాల్మీకిర్మునిపుంగవం.

tapasswAdhyAya niratam tapswI vAgvidAm varaM
nAradam paripapracCha vAlmIkirmunipungavam

This sloka teaches the humility with which one should learn, however great / scholarly or even if he is a Brahmajnani. Though Valmiki was himself a Brahmajnani, he was requesting another Brahmajnani Narada with utmost humility to clarify his questions.

Learning is endless even to the so called well-read person. He should continue to learn from others view points even though he is an adapt in that subject. By doing so one expands his horizon of knowledge.

One can learn from any one. one should listen to other, who ever he be, but analyze it with a cool mind and decide for himself the truth /helpfulness or the untruth /cheating in what the other man said.

Keep your Prejudices away!

This is what is stated in a stanza in Sumati Satakam by Baddena :

vinadagu nevvaru cheppina
vininantane vEgapaDaka vivarimpadagun
gani kalla nijamu telisina
manujuDe pO nItiparuDu mahilO sumatI.

Telugu Version:

వినదగు నెవ్వరు చెప్పిన
వినినంతనె వేగపడక వివరింపదగున్,
గని కల్ల నిజము తెలిసిన
మనుజుడె పో నీతిపరుడు మహిలో సుమతీ.

It is to be listened to who so ever may say but it should be analysed without hurrying soon after hearing any thing.
One who analyses without haste,and finds the truth/untruth in what who so ever had said, is a disciplined man.

This is the right way to learn from others.

Sunday, August 5, 2007

Philosophy of life from Srimad Ramayana of Valmiki Maharshi

Srimad Ramayana of Valmiki Maharshi is a great epic and is known as Aadi kaavya (The first poetic work) in Sanskrit. It is of great value for each reader from what ever view he / she looks at it. It is always the perception of the individual that makes him look at it in his own way and get his experience as he likes. There are no standard answers for the questions that one raises arising out of ones own experience(s) in life. One can derive his own answers after studying Srimad Ramayana of Valmiki Maharshi. This is precisely the reason why this Blog is being created - to attract views from various serious readers for a proper understanding of the philosophy of life to make every ones life a happy and enjoyable one.

Every one looks at everything in life from an applicable philosophy that makes him happy with what he has. For example a person purchases an attractive and automatically playing doll for a throw away price. If he finds that a child had spoiled it in a few minutes of use he would apply the philosophy " After all a good one would have cost me much more; even that would have been spoiled any way. It is good that I lost only a little money."

Some one used to say any thing happening to him or to any other person as " it is happening only for our good and well being".See the story of a minister of a king who followed this philosophy to keep his life comfortable under all odd conditions as well, even to the surprise of the king.

The story goes thus:

One day a king along with his minister went out into a deep forest for hunting. They hunted for quite some time. Accidentally the king lost one of his fingers. The king told his minister that he lost his little finger of his left hand. The minister tried to console the king by saying that it is for our good and well being only. The king grew angry with him for his foolish comment and imprisoned the minister. The minister said this imprisonment is for our good and well being. The king thought that his minister became a nut and is incurable. He hoped that this imprisonment will help the minister to rethink and realise his folly that all things cannot be occurring only for our good; some are bad as well.

A few months after the king got cured of his injury caused in losing his little finger, one day the king went for hunting - this time without his minister as he was in prison. Though the king was accompanied by his henchmen, he lost himself in the thick forest. Suddenly he was caught by the tribals living in that area. They overpowered the king and took him to their leader. They told the leader that they brought a well built man to offer him to their Goddess in sacrifice. The leader was happy. He ordered them to examine his whole body if any part is lame. They carefully examined and reported that he is lame as he lost his little finger. The leader shouted them out for bringing a lame person to offer to their Goddess. He ordered them to leave the person safe.

The king was thus saved. He was still afraid. He took to heels and recollected his minister's words when he lost his little finger. He then appreciated the wisdom of the minister that every thing that occurs in our life is for our good and well being . He still had a question that was haunting him. He wanted to put it to his minister. After he reached home he wanted the minister to be presented before him. The minster was brought from the prison and was presented before the king. The king narrated his escape from near death and how he was saved by losing his little finger.He appreciated the minister for having said that it was for our well being that the king lost his little finger.

The king then asked his intriguing question of why the minister accepted his imprisonment saying that it is for our good and well being. The minister clarified to the king that it saved the minister his own life. He explained further that had he not been imprisoned by the king , the king would have asked him to accompany him for this hunting. The tribals would have left the king but would have taken the minister and sacrificed him. Having explained this the minister once again thanked the king for the imprisonment. The king was mused by his minister's wisdom and practical philosophy. He released the minister from his imprisonment and learnt his lesson that things happen for our good and well being.

Thus to live happily under all odd and testing conditions it is one's own understanding of life and the philosophy he follows alone would help.

By carefully studying the various events depicted in Srimad Ramayana of Valmiki Maharshi, each can draw his/her own lessons of great importance in life and can live a happy life under difficult situations. We get consoled when we notice others suffering from worse adversities than ours. We then will apply a new philosophy " it could have been worse for us". Some one used to jocularly say, " Could have been worse" in response to any one who asked " How are you?".

Let us study Ramayana with all seriousness and draw our lessons and practicable philosophies of our own. Bloggers are invited to interact to make this a live and attractive forum of the intelligentsia.