It's been more than 45 days since my last post. This pause has been the longest this year and the reason isn't that simple, there is always so much to write almost everyday, however, I always wait till all dots have connected into a theme. This theme didn't take 45 days, it took 45 years in fact . I had the good fortune to travel more, this time to the Nilgiri Hills , Coonoor, Ooty, Delhi and above all Amritsar, all in a week. When you visit places like Amritsar and Delhi, some overwhelming thoughts are unavoidable. I always make a point to meet at least one person who knew in my childhood, what that does is, gives you a fair perspective into the whether the evolution and aging are paced differently. I also try and go back to some places which help me recollect the time. Hindu scriptures prescribe four pursuits of human life. The four Pursuits or purusharthas or goals of human life are Dharma, Artha, Kama and Moksha. I looked back at my pursuits, my convictions, my blind spots and my failures.
Dharma : Contrary to general perception, Dharma does not connotate religion actually, it is the writ of righteousness. This righteousness is independent of the religion one is born in . What is right is different to different people based on their upbringing. In Urdu language, there are many words which connotate a meaning which no other words do in Hindi or English, among them are two words "Taleem" & "Tarbiyat" ( Education & Upbringing). Taleem is formal education which is uniform to all students in formal education, same syllabus, same language and same test criterion, however "Tarbiyat" has a much deeper meaning. Tarbiyat is learning by observation and conviction, it is the basic value system that you as an individual absorb and apply. Make No mistake, they are not "Family Values ", all siblings despite being brought up with same values, in the same household, by same parents, and in the same school will turn out to be different. Hence Dharma is an absolutely individual pursuit based on your tarbiyat . Righteousness or the pursuit of righteousness, however, is a key pursuit. When I meet people, I often try and explore the strength of their conviction on righteousness. I often meet people who "adjust" or "accommodate". I, however, feel both adjustment and ignorance of righteousness is a dilution in sense of righteousness, in all aspects of life. I feel that transparency is a strong tenet of Dharma, an openness, whose conviction lies in the fact that you can stare in the eye of your conscience and have a Karma Logbook which is largely in the Public domain.
Dharma is a very complicated word, for which there is no equivalent word in any other language, including English. Dharma actually means that which upholds this entire creation. It is a universal law that is inherent and invisible, but responsible for all existence. Dharma exists in all planes, in all aspects and at all levels of creation. In the context of human life, dharma consists of all that an individual undertakes in harmony with Divine expectations and his own inner spiritual aspirations, actions that would ensure order and harmony within himself and in the environment in which he lives.
I am an unapologetic, temple going, vegetarian Hindu, a breed of people which is disappearing fast, really fast in this country. I am an undeterred Durga Upasak, who relishes every visit to any temple, Gurudwara or Church. It is also a fact that I am alive today because of the selfless medical support of Christian Medical College Vellore. I look back at my Dharma and feel that I am possibly a bit rigid in my conviction about people. I am very unforgiving which is possibly wrong, I have always believed that one's behavior as a Friend and as a Foe must be both unparalleled.You can't be a mild friend or a mild enemy.
Artha: Artha is the pursuit of economic success. Artha means wealth. In this regard, I always feel that pursuit has to be passionate yet not immoral. A reckless pursuit which is anti dharma is a futile pursuit.I believe that both spiritualism and materialism are important for the salvation of human beings. As Swami Vivekananda rightly said religion is not for the empty stomachs. Poverty crushes the spirit of man and renders him chase existence and not the higher consciousness. One should balance the importance of material wealth for the overall happiness and well-being of an individual.
Truth be told, I never gamble, don't go to casinos and even a slot machine doesn't attract me. I am a strong opponent of "lucky draw" speculative kind of pursuits. Artha and Dharma must always have a balance in my life. I had a fair economic success, nothing too enviable nor too uncomfortable. To me, however, my Artha Pursuit always had one qualifier, Is it Dharma? This applies in my decisions to loan, support or donate money.
Kama: Kama, is the fulfillment of biological, physical and material desires. It is however sometimes assumed that Kama has reference restricted to physical intimacy. It actually points to the balance between desire and greed. For example, see what happens when a person amasses wealth without observing dharma or indulges in sexual passion against the social norms or established moral values. The one benchmark I apply to almost everyone I meet, is their ability to walk the balance between Dharma, Artha and Kama.
Moksha: Moksha means liberation from the web of worldly pursuits, achieve experiences of divine happiness. Human life is very precious because of all the beings in all the world's, only human beings have the best opportunity to realize the Higher Self. It is also precious because it is attained after many years of pursuit. Moksha occurs rarely to humans, I always look forward to streaks that a person exhibits
Jigar Moradabadi, writes a good summary of the Happiness of Pursuit
kaar-o-baar-e-jahaaN saNvarate haiN , hosh jab be-Khudii se milataa hai.
Rooh ko Bhee Maza Mohabbat Ka , Dil kee Hum saayegi se Milta Hai Worldly matters are resolved when consciousness meets unconsciousness.
The soul also derives the bliss of love, when the matters of the heart are pursued.
I believe this world is increasingly becoming visible but less and less understood. Distances are smaller, one can fly faster, drive faster, and talk and see almost instantly, does that really mean connect? I feel we are becoming a colony of houses with glass walls, the glass gives you an impression that you can peep into others lives. You are able to have insights in everyone's life but not necessarily into all their pursuits.
The Happiness of pursuit is true happiness and not the pursuit of happiness.
Today's Ghazal ...This ghazal is written by Amjad Hyderabadi about the writ of almighty and Ishq e haqiqi , sung by Jaswinder Singh. He is the son of Kuldeep Singh, music director for Saath Saath , who gave chance to Jagjit Singh ....Small world :)
Yun to kya Kya nazar Nahin aata , Koi Tum saa Nazar nahin aata
Jo Nazar aate hain, Nahin apne, Jo hai apna , Nazar nahin aata
Jholiyaan sab kee bharti jaati hain, Dene waala nazar nahin aata
Dhundti hai Jise meri Aankhein , Bus woh hee nazar nahin aata
Dekh leta hun soorat aaine mein, daag dil kaa , nazar nahin aata
Ho chali intezaar mein umr , koi aata nazar nahin aata
Zehr e saaya hun mein jiske , uska ka saaya nazar nahin aata
Comments
Post a Comment