Abide with Me

A beautiful poem written by Henry Francis Lyte / Will Henry Monk

Abide with me, fast falls the eventide
The darkness deepens Lord, with me abide

When other helpers fail and comforts flee
Help of the helpless, oh, abide with me

Swift to its close ebbs out life's little day
Earth's joys grow dim, its glories pass away
Change and decay in all around I see
O Thou who changest not, abide with me

I fear no foe, with Thee at hand to bless
Ills have no weight, and tears no bitterness
Where is death's sting?
Where, grave, thy victory?
I triumph still, if Thou abide with me

Hold Thou Thy cross before my closing eyes
Shine through the gloom and point me to the skies
Heaven's morning breaks, and earth's vain shadows flee
In life, in death, o Lord, abide with me
Abide with me, abide with me

Airplane Mode

There are 10 indriyas in our body, out of which 5 are considered as sense organs(sight, hearing, taste, touch and smell) and 5 organs of action(speech, hand, feet, excretion and procreation). These organs are given to us as an aid in living a good life. These organs get in touch with the outside world and let us enjoy the experiences. We can't indulge in sense pleasure for ever  as there is some energy lost whenever these indriyas come in contact with the material world and we need to rest to regain our strength. All the great teachers have advised us to restrain the senses and preserve our energy for doing spiritual practices. In the modern world where technology is the new guru, no wonder even electronic gadgets echo these thoughts. Although we think they are dumb and still long way to go for full AI enabled machines, they can still teach us a few things about how to lead a good life. 

On one occasion I had to put my smartphone in airplane mode for a few days. The phone's battery  was charged almost 95% when i put it in airplane mode and when i brought it out of airplane mode after 3 days of complete radio silence, the battery was close to 85%. If this device can retain most of  its energy by just consuming only whatever is required and not communicating/interacting with the environment, how much energy we can save by stopping unnecessary indulgence of our senses(useless chat, eating without hunger, watching TV/laptop ....). We can instead use this energy for learning new things, developing new ideas... 

Music and Meditation

In traditional Indian classical music, there are several raagas. Each raaga has a distinguishing set of notes, which are supposed to be played in a certain order. In the starting phase of playing the raaga, the artist keeps going from one note to another and then coming back; like Re-Ga-Re, Re-Ga-Ma-Ga-Re. Its like keep emphasizing on particular notes in various patterns and establishing them in your heart again and again. This continues for several minutes and is deeply meditative. The artist is very sensitive during this period and generally won't tolerate any disturbances. Any movement/talk can make him/her lose their focus. Once they are done with the initial phase, then they get in the right frame of mind to start the actual performance.

I find there is some resemblance of this with pranayama and mediation. There are seven chakras(energy centers) in the human body. There are some meditation techniques, where attention is taken to different chakras through breath. You start focusing on the incoming and outgoing breath from the nostrils, then take attention to the center of eyebrows, then gradually from center of the eyebrows to the throat, then from there to the heart and so on. This continuous focus on the chakras through the medium of breath leads to cleansing of chakras. Doing this for few minutes, makes the mind very calm and brings in deep relaxation. Like the alaap in case of classical music, any disturbance can completely unsettle the meditator. However once the meditation is done, there is deep calmness within, which makes him/her ready to take any outside challenge.  

Standing up for truth

There is an interesting legend in ancient Tamil tradition about debate between Nakkeerar and Lord Shiva. Nakkeerar was the royal poet of Madurai and during a poem competition he found mistake in a poem written by Lord Shiva for his devotee(who was participating in the competition). Shiva was enraged and he came disguised as a poet to argue with Nakkeerar. The argument became extremely intense and Nakkeerar refused to budge even after knowing that its Shiva himself whom he is arguing with. Finally, in rage Shiva opened his third eye and burnt Nakkeerar. For more details on the poem and its meaning read  https://ramanan50.wordpress.com/2015/07/14/poem-written-by-lord-shiva-text-meaning/

Now there are two different versions from here on.

According to one view, after Nakkeerar got burnt to ashes, the other poets stood up and told Shiva that you are wrong and Nakkeerar's view is correct. You have to bring him back to life. Shiva had to concede to their demands and bring him back. This view is taught in Tamil schools and kids are taught to be brave and stand up for truth, no matter who your opponent is. There is a famous saying attributed to Nakeerar, "A flaw is a flaw, even if burns me down"

According to another view, everyone prayed to Shiva for showing mercy on Nakkeerar. Shiva obliged, brought him to life and then asked him to learn under Sage Agastya. This view gives a different perspective about truth. Its not uni-dimensional and simply arguing will not help you to find it. You need humility, purity of heart and openness of mind to get a glimpse of it.

Both views are right in there own respect. Its good to stand up for truth but also need to understand that truth is much bigger and no single view point is correct. The vedas say "ekam sat, tad vipra bahuda vadanti" There is only one truth, but wise people call it by different names. This understanding is very much required in current times, where people have strong opinions and don't have time to investigate the other valid interpretations of truth.

Motorcycle Diaries

Passion for riding bike strangely came quite late in life. I don't remember ever discussing with friends about bikes during the college years. So when the desire came to get a bike I had no clue which one to go for. I don't recall what made me to like Bullet but soon i was looking for a second hand. Was not sure this passion would last even one season, so didn't want to invest in a new one. The search soon ended when i found someone selling his Machismo.



The initial learning period was interesting as i came to understand a lot about my bike when i made multiple rounds to mechanics and spent time and precious money there. On one occasion i took it to mechanic only to find that the fuel tank was empty. The first road trip was in about 2 months time and it was a wonderful experience. The rush of cool air hitting your face at 80Kmph, the background music generated by the thump and the feeling of being so close to the road is something all bike lovers live for. The first big trip was a ride to Badrinath, that was when i realized the real advantages of riding an Enfield. It is always given priority when roads get blocked for other traffic and it always helps in opening up conversations with complete strangers. In the villages and small towns of India Enfield's are like legends, there would always be someone who has a story to tell about his (mis)adventures with Enfield.



Moving on bike helped in seeing and meeting real people. Many a times I was astonished by the helping nature of people. Strangers stop over and spend time with you till help comes in, sometimes also taking you to the nearest mechanic even though its not on their route. A long bike ride gives you enough time to contemplate. The blow of wind on the face helps the mind to get rid of useless thoughts and reach a state of trance. Nothing like going out on bike for a ride when mind is in a disturbed state. A long drive in a car doesn't match with a bike ride as usually a long drive is no fun if you are alone :) and then there would be constant chatter. There is always a strong urge to turn on the music and then windows have to be pulled up to prevent the sound of wind disturbing the music. So you reach your destination without getting a feel of the surrounding air. In a bike like the Royal Enfield, if you want to talk to the pillion rider, you need to shout at the top of your voice. After a few torturous attempts, its generally given up and any further communication is only for urgent topics and that too by gestures.



The best roads for bike riding in my experience have been the country roads or the state highways. They have comparatively less traffic and are more close to humanity. This gives enough opportunity to look around and also move at a leisurely pace. Royal Enfields are not  to be driven like typical Japanese bikes which can go from 0-100 in under 5 sec. These beasts are to be ridden like royalty as if you own the whole world and have all the time in the world. The way one rides the bike, shows their character. More on that later....

Seekers

The process of seeking is a beautiful journey which takes a mumukshu to various places. He/She discovers unexplored spaces/aspects in the process and keeps learning. This journey brings a variety of experiences, some of them filled with joy/ecstasy while others are bitter. The bitter experiences are the one which brings the greatest learning. In spite of the experiences the journey must be continued till the destination is reached. As with all journeys there is lot of excitement in the beginning, new experiences come every day, everything looks rosy and there is great enthusiasm. Over the time the newness is all gone and it appears that nothing worthwhile is happening. This is the time when doubt sets in and comes the first real test, to continue or give up and search/seek something else. A true seeker will continue inspite of everything and will not be swayed by these doubts.

Everyone of us is a mumukshu, some know what they seek and are on the path while some search for the path itself and while the rest just exist.The journey must be completed by everyone, some might take few days while some many years. 

Rivers

Rivers are traditionally viewed as feminine. When it starts from a glacier high up in the mountains its a very narrow stream of water, very delicate like a new born baby. Then slowly as she descends from the lap of mother nature, she starts to grow in size, as water from other streams gets added to her. She runs here and there, like a small playful girl who is exploring things on her own. As she moves further down she starts to take shape, her banks are quite narrow like the slim waist of a beautiful young girl. She is very attractive, full of raw energy and ready to explore any new path. Even the best of swimmers find it difficult to resist her current and anyone who is careless would be swept away by her force.

As she leaves the foothills and enters the plains,her banks widen and now her gait is like that of a beautiful young woman. In due course she meets several other small and big rivers which add to her experience and give her depth. Moving further downwards she acquires maturity and now moves with very gentle pace with the grace of a family matriarch. She becomes the lifeline of millions, like the lady of the house, she takes care of her household and her children. Her life giving waters are used for drinking, irrigation of fields, transportation etc. At times she do gets angry when her children stop respecting her and then she also punishes her errant children. She shows her wrath on those who have encroached upon her space., but like a true mother her fury is short lived and in few days she's back to her usual self.

As it moves towards the ocean, its final destination, it carries with itself the burden of millions of people. Its long journey ends when it finally merges into the infinite to be reborn again as the daughter of the mountains.