Bits of Life 2

M-11 Words-1100

has come out of the stronghold of the old structures to a considerable extent.

At the same time, quite a number of the young and old are pure traditionalists to this day. There are always two sides of the coin or there are two sides of a situation. There are pros and cons on both sides. Traditionalists and modernists. Can’t we find a happy mean between the two? Yes we can, I would say. How? You may ask.

Give up superstitions small or big. This lends modernity to a great extent. Also, we should mould our traditions to suit our life styles. For example, when I was working I could not fast as required by some festival or the other. As an alternative, instead of consuming whole meals, I could always take liquids such as a lemonade or orange juice.

This practice of fasting is good for the body. Naturally, many of us are apprehensive in undertaking fast even for one day. But this is good for the gut. It is given an interim for a few hours so that the system gets a thorough cleansing. We should not consider fat loss or insulin betterment and such bodily benefits only. This is a kind of test for our resistance levels. Only those who are weak are afraid to undertake fasting for even just a few hours in a day.

I always have been keenly observant of traditional practices such as doing puja or worship in the temple at home. I am the only of our sisters following it today. Not that the they don’t do it, but not with the same commitment. I used to observe while my mother was doing the daily puja. I would sit by her side and see how the procedure goes on. Unconsciously, I developed a liking for this practice and eventually made it a regular habit.
I learnt how to chant certain shlokas in Sanskrit while I attend to the procedure as prescribed in the Vedas. I did it because it must have been a soothing habit and a good start for the day. Now I know it gives one an opportunity of few minutes of not thinking of the daily existential worries, except for concentrating on Shiva or Rama or Lakshmi or Sarasvati and Vinayaka. I had no problem in worshipping all, for they are all symbols of divinity. And each stands for one and all stand for one.

We are also taught that man has a spark of divinity. There is god in everyone. The Sanskrit saying “Aham Brahmasmi” means I am God containing goodness.

Our way of greeting is saying Namaste with both hands folded together in a gesture of paying respect.
The gesture is an acknowledgment of the soul in one by the soul in another. "Namah" means bow, "astu" means I, and "te" means you. Therefore, Namaste literally means "bow me you" or "I bow to you."

Shlokas are ancient Sanskrit verses or hymns, generally composed as a couplet or a four-line stanza, which carry deep spiritual, moral, and philosophical wisdom.

When I was young, say around six years old, one of my aunts used to read the Ramayana, translated from Sanskrit into Telugu from the Newspaper on Sundays. She used to read it aloud for my grandmother. All of us used to gather around her and listened with rapt attention.

Rama, the prince of Ayodhya holds the people of India under sway. What is so great about him that even today his story preserved in the great epic, The Ramayana commands unwavering attention?
He was depicted as a human being with the usual feelings. But the point is that he is a symbol of virtues such as obedience, love, impartiality and mercy to all, wins attention and admiration.

His story moves anyone with a human heart, I mean with the ability to understand why he did certain things and the way he conducted himself under all circumstances, namely, happy, sad or frightening or tragic. His unswerving courage in the face of unexpected tragic events such as losing his wife Sita to the demon king Ravanasura teaches us “grace under pressure.” I think the more we read stories like The Ramayana, the better we become as human beings. This pertains to all great men of all religions.

To this day Srirama is an ideal human being with extraordinary qualities. What we understand is that everyone can emulate him and prove a successful in conquering the dark powers of the mind such as arrogance, lust and attachment.

We had a number of books such as the Ramayana and the Mahabharata at home. Dad used to buy a few nicely illustrated versions of these epics for his children being sold on the platform while traveling by train.

All the above had a lot of influence on my young mind and shaped my faith and belief in the divine power. Atheists must be very strong in their minds not to have faith in God. Whether it is admirable or condemnable I do not understand and am not willing to be judgmental.

Getting up at dawn, finishing ablutions and do the little puja with flowers collected from our patch of garden was immensely pleasing whatever be the season to me. Dawn always had a calming effect on me and while my eyes fly to the colorful east of oranges and blues and grays, my heart is filled with pleasure.

So I would say an individual performs in his life according to his reason and sense of realizing what he wants, be it out of a marriage or of life itself.
Making good choices is thus a rare gift. An individual’s happiness is a matter of personal choice.

In my own personal life I am very clear about my religion.
We were brought up in a Hindu family. I won’t say my parents were staunch Hindus. But, yes they followed customs relating to ceremonies and daily worship. They never insisted that we should do this or that. You see, the atmosphere at home was free of rigid customary practices. Dad and Mom did what was required of them, be it festivals like Deepavali or Sankranti or the number of other Hindu festivals. It was fun and pleasure for me.

For example, if I wanted to fast on Shivaratri and stay awake on that night as tradition says, my parents never objected. I realize now that I have enjoyed this great gift of freedom to follow what I wanted to follow with regard to religious practices. On the other hand, if we, I mean my