"Gray hairs are signs
of wisdom if you hold your tongue, speak and they are but hairs, as in the
young."
—Rabindranath Tagore
(Indian, 1861-1941)
Word for the day
Contextomy (n)
The practice of misquoting
someone by shortening the quotation or by leaving out surrounding words or
sentences that would place the quotation in context.
Malice towards none
What Imran Khan might have
meant is "you take one step toward PoK, we'll take two steps towards
Kashmir".
First random thought this morning
Recently Mr. rakesh Kaoor, Global CEO of Reckitt Benckiser was
quoted having said that his company has been aggressively leveraging the
government’s Swachh Bharat programme to push its brands, including rolling out low-priced
smaller packs of Harpic cleaners and Dettol soap to penetrate rural markets and
accelerate change in consumption habits of consumers. Does that mean Swach
Bharat program has been designed to benefit "corporate friends" of PM
Modi?
If Congress truly wants to be a serious contestant in 2019
election, it should come out of its Modiphobia and try to present a
constructive agenda for the sustainable inclusive growth. Modi can't be
defeated with just frivolities.
Who will consume this poison
In Hindu mythology, once the forces of good (Sura) and evil
(Asura) had a protracted battle. The battle lasted so long that both the groups
exhausted all their resources and valor. Completely tired, wounded, frustrated
and exhausted, they approached the savior Lord Vishnu. The Savior advised them
to go and explore the great ocean to find new resources and vigor to make a
fresh beginning.
Following the advice, both the groups went to the great ocean and
explored it extensively. During their exploration mission, they discovered huge
amount of wealth and resources that included the nectar and venom.
The venom was discovered in the lunar month of Shravan, two months
before the nectar, which was discovered in the lunar month of Ashwin.
When the venom was extracted from the ocean, the whole universe
was threatened by its radiation. Sensing the apocalypse, Lord Vishnu requested
the almighty Lord Shiva to absorb the venom so that it does not harm anyone and
the balance of the universe is maintained. Obliging, Lord Shiva drank the
entire venom and preserved it in his throat.
The legend goes, after consuming venom, the body of Lord Shiva
started emitting radiation and he was in great pain due to the negative energies.
In Treta Yug, seeing his Lord in pain, his staunch devotee Ravan, the Asur King
of Lanka, brought the holy water of Ganga and poured over his Lord's body. It
released all the negative energies of poison Lord Shiva had consumed from his
body and relieved him of all pain.
The Hindu month of Shravan (or Savan as in film songs) has started
last week. This month is traditionally known as month of Shiva, the Lord of
Asceticism. During this month, the devotees are advised to abstain from all
material pursuits and pleasures, observe fast & abstinence, and pray to the
Lord for the welfare of the entire mankind, rising above the self.
Following the legend, people walk of hundreds of miles to bring
sacred Ganga Jal to the constituent of Shiva, resident in their locality. The
purpose behind undertaking this arduous journey is to commit oneself to the
ideas of universality of the human being, selflessness, devotion and surrender.
A journey on the highways from Haridwar & Rishikesh, used by
millions of devotees to bring Gangajal for offering to their respective local
Shiva temples, during this fortnight, does not evoke much positive feelings
amongst people. To some extent, it even raises a sense of disgust and derision
towards traditions and cultures. The holy annual event has largely been reduced
to frivolous celebrations and hooliganism. The devotees of Lord Shiva, who
consumed venom to save the humanity, leave a long trail of venomous pollution
behind them. A deeper study is needed urgently to identify the causes of this
cultural degeneration and to suggest remedial course. Else we risk losing our
culture and traditions; and trust me nothing will be left of India if so were
to happen.
No comments:
Post a Comment