Saturday, October 05, 2013

Yuddham thyajatha , Spardhaam thyajatha

Maithreem Bhajata - A beautiful song written by the great saint Sri Chandrashekarendra Saraswati. There are many wonderful renditions of this song - this one by T.M.Krishna is a lovely one


The lyrics clearly indicate this great saints advice to humanity. The title of this note (Yuddham thyajatha , Spardhaam thyajatha) is from the song. It literally translates as
Please forsake war for ever,
Please forsake competition for ever!

The great man requests humanity to forsake competition in the same breath where he asks us to forsake war. I feel, he clearly makes a connection between the two. While the exact nature of the connection may not be obvious, I feel, he may have considered competition to be the seed of war.

When such is the case, should we not pause to look at all the places where competition is cultivated in our lives and then consider deeply if its presence is needed? What do our schools and other educational institutions inculcate in the impressionable minds of our young ones? What spirit do the companies we work for embody? What spirit do they cultivate in their employees? One single truth that permeates all these institutions is competition. What does a country whose economy is based on GDP cultivate in its citizens?

Either we ourselves must be able to see this and act. If not, we must pay serious heed to great saints like him. If not, disaster awaits!

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