Philosophy. Fair warning.
As much as I epitomize kannadasan for his
I found that this is not without precedent, as I found in the text of pattinathar. He is a poet who connects with the people who are trying to seek a fundamental understanding of spirituality by way of cynicism of our discontent and futile existence. He says,
'After death, my own mother has shunned me as a corpse. My wife has grieved as much more than she could, my sons have circumambulated my dead body and broken the pot(performed the funeral rites). From now, it is only you I have, and only you I shall seek.'
A very simple paraphrasing(but brilliant, nonetheless) of this philosophy has provided everyone of us(familiar with kannadasan's works) an insight into the impermanence of everything else other than infinite bliss.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
All these concepts of a dvaita, advaita and how the jivatma and paramatma are different/same stems only after the agreement that we should rise above ego and understand the permanence of our original self. The first step is to realize that ahankaaram is the root cause of all misery. After we have risen above this, we can then decide on the relative merits and demerits of each of the philosophical theories, but until then, arguing over them seems futile, if not pointless.(from ramana maharishi's conversations, but not verbatim)
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
'We would all like to make progress instantly, but there are no shortcuts. In auto racing, for example, designers struggle to make lighter cars. The best way to trim 100 pounds, is find 1000 places to trim a tenth of a pound. Similarly, for most off us, the best way to improve our lives is to find numerous small ways to change for better...'-Extract from Mean Genes
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------As much as I epitomize kannadasan for his
வீடு வரை உறவு, வீதி வரை மனைவி,
காடு வரை பிள்ளை, கடைசி வரை யாரோ,
I found that this is not without precedent, as I found in the text of pattinathar. He is a poet who connects with the people who are trying to seek a fundamental understanding of spirituality by way of cynicism of our discontent and futile existence. He says,
என்பெற்ற தாயரு மென்னைப் பிணமென் ரிகழ்ந்துவிட்டார்
பொன்பற்ற மாதரும் போவென்று சொல்லிப் புலம்பிவிட்டார்
கொன்பற்ற மைந்தரும் பின்வலம் வந்து குடமுடைதார்
உண்பற் றொழிய ஒருபற்று மில்லை உடையவனே...
பொன்பற்ற மாதரும் போவென்று சொல்லிப் புலம்பிவிட்டார்
கொன்பற்ற மைந்தரும் பின்வலம் வந்து குடமுடைதார்
உண்பற் றொழிய ஒருபற்று மில்லை உடையவனே...
'After death, my own mother has shunned me as a corpse. My wife has grieved as much more than she could, my sons have circumambulated my dead body and broken the pot(performed the funeral rites). From now, it is only you I have, and only you I shall seek.'
A very simple paraphrasing(but brilliant, nonetheless) of this philosophy has provided everyone of us(familiar with kannadasan's works) an insight into the impermanence of everything else other than infinite bliss.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
It has become our habit to dilute the significance of religion, by reducing it to a mere palliative for everyday problems. This reductive approach has very little meaning, and it keeps perpetuating a dualistic tendency wherein the important things that have to be taken away from the situations are not. A simple example of what we miss is recorded by kanchi maha periyavar in his deivathin kural, when he quotes thirumoolar's brilliant lines:
மரத்தை மறைத்தது மாமத யானை
மரத்தில் மறைந்தது மாமத யானை
A little boy does not differentiate between a elephant made of wood and a real elephant-to him, a wooden toy is real. We are all the same, looking for meaning in a illusionary worldly elephant, missing it for the permanence of blissful elephant toy!
There are quite a few saint poets who add that no amount of worship is eventually going to stop anything from happening, or the converse. There is a casual dismissal of the events around us as mere trivialities in the search for the supreme. This has to be read in consonance with ramana maharishi's take on how we already have realized the self, and the goal is only to cast away the ignorance.
மரத்தை மறைத்தது மாமத யானை
மரத்தில் மறைந்தது மாமத யானை
A little boy does not differentiate between a elephant made of wood and a real elephant-to him, a wooden toy is real. We are all the same, looking for meaning in a illusionary worldly elephant, missing it for the permanence of blissful elephant toy!
There are quite a few saint poets who add that no amount of worship is eventually going to stop anything from happening, or the converse. There is a casual dismissal of the events around us as mere trivialities in the search for the supreme. This has to be read in consonance with ramana maharishi's take on how we already have realized the self, and the goal is only to cast away the ignorance.
All these concepts of a dvaita, advaita and how the jivatma and paramatma are different/same stems only after the agreement that we should rise above ego and understand the permanence of our original self. The first step is to realize that ahankaaram is the root cause of all misery. After we have risen above this, we can then decide on the relative merits and demerits of each of the philosophical theories, but until then, arguing over them seems futile, if not pointless.(from ramana maharishi's conversations, but not verbatim)
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
I saw an old lady argue, fight, swear and curse the gods for taking her son before her. She had prayed to the gods all her life, and now they have made her question her beliefs. Grief is a reaction that is biological and not a product of the ego. On a contrasting note, a spiritual passage is manifest only by way of suffering. There is no pain beyond that, but infinite bliss.
Grief, though, does not accept philosophy or spirituality(on the normal plane). My heart goes out to that lady wailing in grief, trying to hold on to her belief.
Your 'vairakkiyam' has simply made my philosophy repugnant, and my skepticism cowers in front of your rage. To you, and to the million others who feel abandoned and let down, my prayers. Ironically.
God bless.
ps:
#I am not trying to reduce kannadasan's poem's stature. Simplicity, as da vinci(?) said, is the ultimate form of sophistication. His elegance is unparalleled. Respect.
#This might not qualify as philosophy. Unfortunately, I could not fit this into any other genre. Apologies for disappointing.
#I read the blog post once, and I could sense a strong sense of didacticism with a dose of insensitivity. apologies again.
#The initial italicized extract might strike a discordant note with the rest of the blog. It was interesting, just an fyi.
Grief, though, does not accept philosophy or spirituality(on the normal plane). My heart goes out to that lady wailing in grief, trying to hold on to her belief.
Your 'vairakkiyam' has simply made my philosophy repugnant, and my skepticism cowers in front of your rage. To you, and to the million others who feel abandoned and let down, my prayers. Ironically.
God bless.
ps:
#I am not trying to reduce kannadasan's poem's stature. Simplicity, as da vinci(?) said, is the ultimate form of sophistication. His elegance is unparalleled. Respect.
#This might not qualify as philosophy. Unfortunately, I could not fit this into any other genre. Apologies for disappointing.
#I read the blog post once, and I could sense a strong sense of didacticism with a dose of insensitivity. apologies again.
#The initial italicized extract might strike a discordant note with the rest of the blog. It was interesting, just an fyi.
1 comment:
It has become our habit to dilute the significance of religion, by reducing it to a mere palliative for everyday problems.
^^^ Very true
Post a Comment