பிள்ளாய் (O Child), பாவாய் (O Damsel), நங்காய் (O Lady), எழுந்திராய் (wake up)! மணிக்கதவம் தாள்திறவாய் (Open the bejeweled door)

Incredible poetry, beauty and bhakthi! May we all listen to this, enjoy it and wake up :)


புள்ளும் சிலம்பினகாண்; புள்ளரையன் கோயிலில்
வெள்ளை விளிசங்கின் பேரரவம் கேட்டிலையோ?
பிள்ளாய்! எழுந்திராய்

Did you not hear alternate twittering birds making loud noises,
Did you not hear the loud sound of white conch,
From the temple of the king of Garuda,
Oh, girls please wake up,

கீசுகீ சென்றெங்கும் ஆனைச்சாத் தன்கலந்து
பேசின பேச்சரவம் கேட்டிலையோ? பேய்ப்பெண்ணே!
காசும் பிறப்பும் கலகலப்பக் கைபேர்த்து
வாச நறுங்குழல் ஆய்ச்சியர் மத்தினால்
ஓசை படுத்தத் தயிரரவம் கேட்டிலையோ?
நாயகப் பெண்பிள்ளாய்! நாராயணன் மூர்த்தி
கேசவனைப் பாடவும்நீ கேட்டே கிடத்தியோ?

Did you not hear, Oh slow witted girl,
The twittering sound of black birds of the morn,
Which sounds like a talk between them,
Did you not hear the tingling sound,
When the big and small coin like pendants,
Rub against each other,
Did you not hear the sound of vigorous pull,
Of the curd churner being pulled,
By the flower bedecked cow herdesses,
Did you not hear the sound of twirling curd,
When churned using the mixer,
Oh, leader among girls, How can you sleep,
When they sing the names sweetly.
Of Narayana and Kesava,

கீழ்வானம் வெள்ளென்று, எருமை சிறுவீடு
மேய்வான் பரந்தனகாண்; மிக்குள்ள பிள்ளைகளும்
போவான் போகின்றாரைப் போகாமல் காத்துன்னைக்
கூவுவான் வந்து நின்றோம், கோதுகலமுடைய
பாவாய்! எழுந்திராய்

The eastern sky has become white,
The buffalo's are free to walk and graze,
The remaining lasses, have stopped from going,
All those who wanted to go,
And have come to call you,
Oh girl filled with happiness, Please wake up.

தூமணி மாடத்துச் சுற்றும் விளக்கெரிய,
தூமங் கமழத் துயிலணைமேல் கண்வளரும்
மாமான் மகளே! மணிக்கதவம் தாள்திறவாய்;
மாமீர்! அவளை எழுப்பீரோ? உம்மகள்தான்
ஊமையோ? அன்றிச் செவிடோ அனந்தலோ?
ஏமப் பெருந்துயில் மந்திரப் பட்டாளோ?

Oh my uncle’s daughter, who sleeps,
In the soft cotton bed,
In the pearl filled Villa,
Well lit from all sides,
And full of the smoke of incense,
Please open the ornamental door.
Oh aunt, why don’t you wake her up,
Is your daughter dumb or deaf, Or down right lazy,
Or she is in trance of deep pleasurable sleep,

நோற்றுச் சுவர்க்கம் புகுகின்ற அம்மனாய்!
மாற்றமும் தாராரோ வாசல் திறவாதார்?
நாற்றத் துழாய்முடி நாரா யணன்நம்மால்
போற்றப் பறைதரும் புண்ணியனால் பண்டொருநாள்
கூற்றத்தின் வாய்வீழ்ந்த கும்ப கரணனும்
தோற்றம் உனக்கே பெருந்துயில்தான் தந்தானோ?

Oh lady fine, who has entered the heaven,
Due to penance done in last birth,
Won’t you reply,please
Won’t you open the door,please
If we pray the God Narayana,
Having with him the scented garland,
Made of holy basil,
He would give us gifts, many,
He is the same who is holy in times ancient,
Sent Kumbhakarna to his death,
After beating him in the field of war.
Did that ogre give you his sleep,

கற்றுக் கறவைக் கணங்கள் பல கறந்து செற்றார் திறலழியச் சென்று செருச் செய்யும்
குற்றம் ஒன்றில்லாத கோவலர்த்தம் பொற்கொடியே புற்று அரவு அல்குல் புனமயிலே போதராய்
சுற்றத்து தோழிமார் எல்லாரும் வந்து நின் முற்றம் புகுந்து முகில் வண்ணன் பேர் பாட
சிற்றாதே பேசாதே செல்வ பெண்டாட்டி நீ எற்றுக்கு உறங்கும்

Oh daughter of the cattle baron,
Who milks herds of cows,
And wages war on enemies
And makes his enemies loose their strength,
Oh Golden tendril, Oh lass who has the mount of venus,
Like the hood of the snake, Wake up and come,
When your flock of friends,
Have come to your courtyard, And sing of Krishna,
Who has the colour of the cloud, Oh rich, rich lady,
How can you neither move nor talk, And lie in deep trance,

கனைத்து இளம் கற்றெருமை கன்றுக்கு இரங்கி
நினைத்து முலை வழியே நின்று பால் சோர
நனைத்து இல்லம் சேறாக்கும் நற் செல்வன் தங்காய்
பனித் தலை வீழ நின் வாசற் கடை பற்றிச்
சினத்தினால் தென் இலங்கைக் கோமானைச் செற்ற
மனத்துக்கு இனியானைப் பாடவும் நீ வாய் திறவாய்
இனித்தான் எழுந்திராய் ஈதென்ன பேர் உறக்கம்

Hey, sister of the rich one, who owned,
The mooing she buffalo with a calf,
Which took pity on the calf,
And gave out plenty,
Of milk to it through its udder,
And made his courtyard slushy with milk,
We are assembled in thine yard,
In the dripping fog, And sing about Him,
Who killed in anger the king of Southern Lanka,
And who is very dear one,
But open your mouth, you don’t..
At least wake up now,
Why this very deep slumber,

புள்ளின் வாய் கீண்டானைப் பொல்லா அரக்கனைக்
கிள்ளிக் களைந்தானைக் கீர்த்தி மை பாடிப் போய்ப்
பிள்ளைகள் எல்லாரும் பாவைக் களம்புக்கார்
வெள்ளி எழுந்து வியாழம் உறங்கிற்று
புள்ளும் சிலம்பின காண் போதரிக் கண்ணினாய்
குள்ளக் குளிரக் குடைந்து நீராடாதே
பள்ளிக் கிடத்தியோ. பாவாய்.

The lasses have reached,
The place of prayer for Pavai,
Singing the fame of our Lord.
Who killed the ogre who came like a stork.
And who cut off the heads of the bad ogre, One by one.
The venus has risen in the morn,
The Jupiter has vanished from the sky,
The birds are making lot of sound,
Of beautiful one with wide eyes red as a flower.
Without taking bath by dipping
again and again in ice cold water,
Would you prefer to sleep.

உங்கள் புழக்கடைத் தோட்டத்து வாவியுள்
செங்கழுனீர் வாய் நெகிழ்ந்து ஆம்பல் வாய் கூம்பின காண்
செங்கற் பொடிக் கூரை வெண்பல் தவத்தவர்
தங்கள் திருக்கோயில் சங்கிடுவான் போதன்றார்
எங்களை முன்னம் எழுப்புவான் வாய்பேசும்
நங்காய் எழுந்திராய்

In the pond in the backyard of your house.
The lily in the ponds have opened,
The night flowers have closed,
The white toothed sages,
Who wear clothes as red as,
The powder of brick, Are going to their temples.
To sound the conch.
You who promised to wake us up, Please wake up,

எல்லே. இளம் கிளியே இன்னம் உறங்குதியோ

“Hey, little bird, Are you still sleeping? ”

PS: Images from multiple sources
www.sundarasimham.org
http://gayasrikrishna.blogspot.in

Lovely small talks from Eknath Easwaran

Training of Attention

What is Life for?

Buddhas Right Speech

Nature of Happiness

None but the moon

Modern car,
zipping through a earthly highway!
Ancient moon,
hanging still on the heavenly highway!
Sitting in the car
observing the white disc,
feel the car flowing forward
until there is none but the moon!

See - Observe - Love

"Don't just see. Observe." - Sherlock Holmes
"Don't just observe. Love." - Yogic enhancement of the above statement :)

Some Links

Ten of the greatest: Philosophical principles

A Hanging

The last colony

Flipper furore: Dolphin lands ashore

Eheu fugaces

Eheu fugaces, Postume, Postume, labuntur anni!
Alas, the fleeting years glide away, Postumus, Postumus!

-- from "Eheu fugaces", an ode to Postumus on the futility of hoarding up treasure

Tapas

तदात्मनि निरते य उपनिषत्सु धर्मास्ते
May all the Dharmas extolled by the Upanishads shine in me!


    -- Chandogya upanishad


What kind of tapas would get one there from the normal state of existence?

Links from Damn Interesting

The Pit of Life and Death

"By 1983, the hill was so exhausted that the Anaconda Mining Company was no longer able to extract minerals in profitable amounts. They packed up all the equipment that they could move, shut down the water pumps, and moved on to more lucrative scraps of Earth. Without the pumps, rain and groundwater gradually began to collect in the pit, leaching out the metals and minerals in the surrounding rock. The water became as acidic as lemon juice, creating a toxic brew of heavy metal poisons including arsenic, lead, and zinc. No fish live there, and no plants line the shores. There aren’t even any insects buzzing about. The Berkeley Pit had become one of the deadliest places on earth, too toxic even for microorganisms. Or so it was thought."

The Ethyl-Poisoned Earth

Extents to which corporate greed can blind people to distort information and screw up our biosphere in order to make profits! 

"Upon learning that automotive fuel was the source of the contamination, Dr. Patterson began to publish materials discussing the toxic metal's ubiquity and its probable ill effects... The Ethyl corporation allegedly offered him lucrative employment in exchange for more favorable research results, but Dr. Patterson declined. For a time thereafter, Patterson found himself ostracized from government and corporate sponsored research projects, including the a National Research Council panel on atmospheric lead contamination. The Ethyl corporation had powerful friends, including a Supreme Court justice, members of the US Public Health Service, and the mighty American Petroleum Institute. Nevertheless, Patterson was unrelenting, and the resulting rise in scientific and public awareness eventually led to the Clean Air Act of 1970, and a staged phaseout of leaded gasoline. Ethyl and Du Pont sued the Environmental Protection Agency, claiming that "actual harm" must be demonstrated rather than just "significant risk," an effort which successfully prolonged lead additives' life by another decade."

 

The Sheep Incident

"In March 1968, the toxin under scrutiny was VX, one of the most potent nerve agents in existence. The original compound was created by Ranajit Ghosh, a chemist working at Imperial Chemical Industries. The liquid proved to be an effective pesticide and it was quickly put on the market under the name Amiton. Not long afterwards, however, it was taken off the market for being too toxic to handle safely. The agent's extreme toxicity drew the attention of government weapons research labs, whose scientists were always on the lookout for more efficient ways to kill people."

 

 

In Soviet Russia, Lake Contaminates You

Perils involved in playing with nuclear power!!

"In 1951, after about three years of operations at Chelyabinsk-40, Soviet scientists conducted a survey of the Techa River to determine whether radioactive contamination was becoming a problem. In the village of Metlino, just over four miles downriver from the plutonium plant, investigators and Geiger counters clicked nervously along the river bank. Rather than the typical "background" gamma radiation of about 0.21 Röntgens per year, the edge of the Techa River was emanating 5 Röntgens per hour."

Shut up and practice

There are many concepts and terms associated with quantum mechanics and its interpretations. Schrodinger's cat, wave function collapse and multi-verses are just a few of them. These terms and their varied interpretations are usually highly intriguing and interesting. Consequently, there are many interpretations for them which serves to confuse the layman. Amongst the popular interpretations, there is one that caught my eye. It is called the instrumentalist interpretation which is also referred to as the 'shut up and calculate' view. The primary concern of the physicists who subscribe to this view is to be focused on the physics and not be worried about interpretations. This does not mean that they do not know the interpretations. It is just that they are agnostic to the interpretations.

Like always, one can draw analogies between physics and Yoga. Like the mind boggling terms in quantum physics, Yoga also has its own set of terms that serve to guide and confuse. Most often, even serious practitioners are caught up in the terms - kaivalya, brahman, self etc. Analogous to the 'shut up and calculate' view in quantum physics, one can easily formulate the 'shut up and practice' view in Yoga. These terms like 'sunyata' and 'aham brahmasmi' intrigue beginners and are living truths in the enlightened (and who are one in a hundred million by the way). Hence, for all serious non-amateur practitioners, the best view on the highest philosophy would be 'shut up and practice'. It is useful to know these terms enough to be not disturbed by intellectual challenges but not more. The practice then involves rigorous adhering to basic principles and continuously eliminating all impurities from the lower aspects of oneself. The actual practice can take various forms depending on the individuals needs and inclination but will most certainly involve personal physical and mental health practices, compassion and responsibility etc.

My personal practice is centered around these three statements. For the purpose of expression, they have been split into three although it is one continuous whole - the grossest being expressed first and the most subtle expressed last.


1.) At the external level it is captured by this statement from Yoga Vasishta.

शुबाषुबाब्यां मार्गाब्यां वहन्ति वासना सरित
पोउरुषेण प्रयत्नेन योजनीया शुभे पथि!
Tendencies flow on healthy and undesirable paths. Men of wisdom put in the right effort to direct them along the healthy paths!


To me this emphasizes proper asana / pranayama / dietary / sleep routines on the personal front. It also implies continuous vigil against anger / insensitiveness etc which crop up easily when one is placed in tough situations.


2. At the internal level, I have this statement adapted from the Yoga Sutras.

श्रीराम प्रपत्ति क्लेश कर्म निव्र्त्तिहि!
On surrendering to Ram, one is liberated of impurities and consequences of action!

This involves following the path of Ram of sincerely attempting to be perfect and correct always. To accomplish this, the basic necessity is the subjective conquest of matter aka indiscipline (earth), insensitivity (water), lack of motivation (fire), lack of imagination (air) and lack of acceptance (space). When one accomplishes this, naturally, the state of inner purity is recognised and pure action automatically flows. Then one takes total responsibility for all dimensions of ones life. Personal, social, national and world issues all become equally important. Cleaning ones egoic relations become as important as cleaning up the garbage produced by ones life style.


3. At the deepest level, the only practice for everyone is neatly summed up by this statement from the Ashtavakra Gita.

असङ्गोऽसि निराकारो विश्वसाक्षी सुखी भव!
Rest in peace as the unattached formless witness of all of creation!


Relentless adherence to these three statements covers my definition of 'shut up and practice'.

The Yoga of moving from gross to subtle

There are many definitions of Yoga available in many sacred books. It is very good and useful to know them, especially for those whose intellects have been trained to analyse things relentlessly. Having been on that path for a while, I really respect and value the formal definitions given in the yoga sutras, gita etc. But, over a period of time, one also evolves an informal definition based on ones life experiences. This evolved informal understanding is very important as it is the solution that one produces by oneself through ones life.

For me, right now, Yoga is the process of moving from gross aspects of things to more and more refined and subtle aspects. A few examples will help communicate this clearly.

Consider some dimension of ones life - say entertainment, the kind where you want to spend a few hours without having to worry about the regular mundane things. The average person seeks such entertainment in cinema, sports, television, company of friends etc. The varying kinds of such entertainment can be placed on a scale where one end is gross and the other end is subtle. B-grade cinema can be considered to be grosser than classical music. Singing / dancing oneself can be considered to be subtler than listening to others performing. Sitting silently and being in bliss can be considered to be the subtlest form of entertainment. Of course, the exact ordering of the varying forms of entertainment depends on the individual. But, in general, that which consumes more energy from the individual can be considered to be gross while that which energises the individual, can be considered to be subtle. Based on this, one can come up with ones own ordering.

Like entertainment, there are many other dimensions of ones life where the same principle can be applied - physical fitness, relationships, inner peace / compassion when under stress, ones contribution to society, self knowledge etc. For example, knowledge of ones body (what foods are agreeable and what one is not etc) is gross level self knowledge. Realisation of ones essential nature is self-knowledge at the subtlest. The more dimensions of life we move from gross to subtle, the less energy is dissipated and the more energy is retained within the individual. For example, eating regularly at a road side eatery will have health consequences and more energy (physical / mental / financial) will have to be spent to deal with these consequences. But, if one pays attention to what / where we eat, energy may not have to be spent in dealing with many of the health consequences. This reserve energy that one builds up can then be used for better and higher purposes. This re-allocation of domains in which ones energy is spent leads to a tremendous transformation in the individual and this leads to that higher states of consciousness that many of the sacred books describe. For most of us, in my opinion, there really is no other way but to do this - continuous transformation from gross to subtle on many dimensions of ones life!

This movement from gross to subtle will take lot of effort only for the first few dimensions we embark upon. After that, the momentum / energy already gained will help do this transformation much easily in other dimensions.

Some Buddhist poetry I liked

Source: http://www.accesstoinsight.org/


Wandering for alms -
weak, leaning on a staff,
with trembling limbs -
I fell down right there on the ground.
Seeing the drawbacks of the body,
my mind was then set free.

Calmed, restrained,
giving counsel unruffled,
he lifts off evil states of mind -
as the breeze,
a leaf from a tree.

See this:
the discernment
of the Tathagatas,
like a fire ablaze in the night,
giving light, giving eyes,
to those who come,
subduing their doubt.

My hut is roofed, comfortable,
free of drafts;
my mind, well-centered,
set free.
I remain ardent.
So, rain-deva.
Go ahead & rain.

Just as a fine thoroughbred steed,
with swishing tail & mane
runs with next-to-no effort,
so my days & nights
run with next-to-no effort
now that I've gained a happiness
not of the flesh.

Who scatters the troops
of the King of Death -
as a great flood,
a very weak bridge made of reeds -
is victorious,
for his fears are dispersed.
He's tamed,
unbound,
steadfast in himself.

Some awesome tamil poetry!

துறந்தாரின் தூய்மை யுடையர் இறந்தார்வாய்
இன்னாச்சொல் நோற்கிற் பவர்.
Those who bear with the uncourteous speech of the insolent are as pure as the ascetics.

-- Really wish I could develop this quality perfectly!!


வானாகி மண்ணாகி வளியாகி ஒளியாகி
ஊனாகி உயிராகி உண்மையுமாய் இன்மையுமாய்
கோனாகி யான் எனது என்று அவரவரைக் கூத்தாட்டு
வாளாகி நின்றாயை என் சொல்லி வாழ்த்துவனே!

As sky, as earth, as wind, as sky
As body, as life, as truth, as negation
As boss who destroys the ego
You stand as light, how shall I praise you!



குனித்த புருவமும், கொவ்வைச் செவ் வாயில் குமிண் சிரிப்பும்
பனித்த சடையும் பவளம் போல் மேனியில் பால் வெண்ணீறும்
இனித்த முடைய எடுத்த பொற் பாதமும் காணப்பெற்றால்
மனித்தப் பிறவியும் வேண்டுவதே இந்த மாநிலத்தே!

Curved brows, lips as red as the little guard holding a tender smile
Snow draped hair, pearl like body showered with milk,
Along with the attractive golden feet when I get to see
Having a human life indeed becomes worthwhile!

Balu thevar moment

Someone remarked in some random context - "One must face many 'dharma sankata' (ethically/morally tricky) situations in life, struggle with them, do many mistakes and learn that one is not the great person that one thinks oneself to be".

Hearing it was an intense slap on the face. :)
Balu thevar moment :D

Rest in inner peace

Gently chant ram ram
see the crows elegant flight
rest in inner peace!

Formal expositions of simple truths

All high end philosophical works (like yoga sutras / brahma sutras / gita etc) are merely formal expositions of simple truths like honesty, sincerity, love, compassion, discipline etc. Formal expositions are great to have and know for complex life situations make our simple truths simplistic leading to delusion. Knowledge of formal expositions will guide us then. But, one needs to guard against craving to have scholarly understanding of these works and / or looking up to anyone having it. That simply isnt the point.

Lower self and chakravyuha

Every desire of the lower self is an invitation into a chakravyuha. Entry possible but no exit. But that is ok. Only when we get caught in one or two such chakravyuhas do we truly understand the nature of duality and appreciate the subtler higher self and grow to be able to access it.

More disappointed with KYM than with Kausthub

I finally got around to digging into the now well known accusations (sexual / emotional / mental) against Mr. Kausthub Desikachar. I write this with great disappointment and with a very heavy heart. In this entire episode, I am more disappointed with KYM than with Mr. Kausthub.

If you are not well acquainted with this issue, here are some links. They will provide you most of the information that you need. Some of the links are also opinion pieces. Hence, take everything in the links with a pinch of salt. Some of the facts in these links are not very precise but they are mostly immaterial to the discussion at hand. Hence, kindly ignore these minor inaccuracies.

•     YogaSentinel
•     Grimmly
•     Maththew Remski
•     Awakening is not genetic

Despite all the obvious flaws that were evident in KYM's functioning from my day one there (like authoritative hierarchy, unwanted secrecy, fawning on guru etc...), KYM was always one institute that was close to my heart. Despite their weakness, they still had lot of good things about them (which are difficult to sustain in an Indian context). For example, it was a public trust but still had the efficiency of private firms. For more than 25 years, they functioned out of a hut, they have trained countless number of people in yoga thereby directly contributing heavily to the well being of countless families and individuals. This was quite impressive to me. But, all this has now changed. KYM, in an obvious attempt at mere damage control, are trying to sever all contact with Mr. Kausthub and by doing so, they have the gumption to claim that they are upholding the principles of Yoga.

In a recent announcement sent to many people on their listserve, they have claimed

"The Krishnamacharya Yoga Mandiram has never had and never will have any involvement with any activities of the KHYF."

They may choose to never have any relationship in the future but the part about not having any relationship in the past is a blatant lie. I have personally seen many teachers from KYM teaching at KHYF. Not just teaching at the KHYF office in chennai, but also travelling abroad on behalf of KHYF. In addition, all students who finished the teacher training course at KYM were asked to register as a yoga teacher with KHYF by paying $200 (was made $170 for us-  which urs truly paid to KHYF). In fact, the studies department and vedic chanting classes at KYM were brought to an end (except for therapeutic purposes) and were all set to be moved to KHYF. I have witnessed these things personally and hence I am not sure what to make of such a blatant lie.

All the more worrying is the attempt by KYM to amputate Kausthub from itself and claim that the gangrene has disappeared. This is simply day dreaming. KYM is the process that has the produced Kausthub with all his problems in his present state. The attempt to separate the end result from the process is verily anti-yoga. Kausthub is indeed a product of the authoritatively hierarchical and guru-fawning culture at KYM! If a sincere attempt is to be made to cleanse the system, then KYM must be a part of the cleansing process.

To begin with, the senior teachers need to own up moral responsibility for their omissions and commissions. Starting from Mr. Desikachar, there is a need for all the senior teachers at KYM to give heart felt true and genuine answers. Unfortunately, Mr. Desikachar may not be in a mental state right now to be able to do this. But, other senior teachers can step in and will have to do some soul searching on the front. The biggest questions that cry for answers from my limited understanding of the situation are:

• What was the action taken upon the letter given by Ms. Saraswathi 5 years ago to Shri Desikachar?
• Despite Mr. Kausthub starting his own private for-profit yoga institute, why was he allowed to continue to be a director at KYM? Is this not serious conflict of interest?
• Why were many of Mr. Kausthubs misdemeanour's not caught at an early stage?

Only at KYM I got introduced to the yoga sutras. One of the sutras in the second chapter says,

te pratiprasava heyah sukshmah

This simply means, nip the problem in the bud. Why were all the senior teachers who are all extremely well versed in the yoga sutras unable to implement this when it came to the actions of Mr. Kausthub?

Will there every be any heart felt sincere response to this episode from KYM? I guess not. From my experience, whenever I have pointed out some issue with some traditional system (not just KYM or Yoga), I have met with response, "Its the systems bad time that even novices like you dare to question them". Obviously, such an attitude will not help. Questions should be dispensed with on the merit of the questions instead of the scholarly aptitude of the questioner.

It is possible that KYM wants to protect themselves in order to preserve the valuable tradition so painstakingly built by Shri Krishnamacarya and Shri Desikachar over many decades of tireless efforts. Hopefully, they are doing all the needed self analysis to figure out why this happened. If such is the case, hopefully they will share with us the details in due course of time. Only when the senior teachers demonstrate such high moral responsibility, will I personally call it upholding the high principles of Yoga!

Jiddu Krishnamurthi had adviced Mr. Desikachar as a young adult, "Sir, dont become a guru, dont exploit, dont become rich.". JK had said this to many countless people of course! I have never met Mr. Desikachar in a personal conversation. But the culture at KYM certainly is not free of the culture of the authoritatively hierarchical guru! Many times in the past, I had taken this culture lightly though there will be some internal resistance from me towards it. But, episodes like this push me towards taking a increasingly blatant anti-guru stand. The hierarchy of guru-shishya comes with a power disparity and that is a healthy breeding ground for such exploitation. This needs to cease if yoga is to be given a chance to guide us towards sanity. This is a very big lesson that I have learnt through observing all that is being played out.

தவறு

தவறே செய்யாதே என்பர் அறிவிலர்
தவறே செய்யாத யோக்கியன் எங்குமில்லை
தவறே செய்யாதது இறையோன்று மட்டுமே என்று
தவறை உணர்ந்து வளரும் வரம் பெற்றேனே!

Space vs Other Elements

Assume you are trying to take the lotus posture and that your knee pains. One possible reason could be the collision between the thigh bone (femur) and the shinbone (tibia). Most probably both the femur and the tibia rotate inwards when we attempt lotus and this causes the bones to collide causing pain in the knee. Most often, the cure could be to rotate the femur and tibia outwards with ones hand. This relieves the stress in the knees for most people.

What happens is that space is created in the knee between the femur and tebia when we rotate the bones outward. This drastically reduces the pain felt inside the knee. This space element is a wonderful way to eliminate pain at both the physical and mental levels. Similar to the knee pain, individuals suffer because their minds do not have enough space to hold both reality and their hopes of reality. First step in such cases is to create space so that the two can co-exist without colliding. When this happens, there is less pain. This lack of pain frees up the individual to creatively and effectively deal with the situation.

Creative dealing with the situation demands the use of other elements. Just space element will not suffice here. A well developed space element protects one from suffering but does little externally. The other elements do that job. Yoga necessarily consists of developing all the elements well!

The seeker was no more!

I sought the truth
with all my might
but nothing was in sight
and nothing was right!

Then came the trickle
one by one they were fickle
until one day
when I heard the rumble!

A bewildering array of
infinite varieties
revealed themselves
until their finite recipient
became silent in awe!
The seeker was no more!