DO IT, DO IT NOW

New Year resolutions apart we have so many wishes to start something. Be it morning jog, change to a healthy lifestyle, offer charity, learn a new language and build up your skill at the personal level.  In a more esoteric level, develop your idea into a project plan, implementing a much dreaded but much needed revamp of systems and procedures, etc.  We generally postpone, vacillate, wait for some nudge that won't come but from self.  We take time for granted.

I was listening to a Jain monk whose discourse put time in its right perspective. I quote him here,  'life time already spent is like water flowing in a river. River flowing down the mountain can't flow back and climb the montain. Your breath rising up and down with air flowing in and out is working like a saw, front and back, cutting down your lifetime. Each new day has taken out one more day from you'.

So let us do it, do it now, whatever we have to do.

Jain Fastings - Muktavali

MUKTAVALI  - A Jain Fasting Procedure 

Days of fasting

1. Bhadrapatha Month (Tamil Purattasi) - Shuklapaksha (Waxing Moon) - Sapthami (7th day),    the day is called Nirvana day.  Fasting and abiding by vows on this day leads to Mukthi.

2. Same month - Krishnapaksha (waning moon) - Sashti (6th day), the day is called    "Adithyaprabha". Fasting on this day gives a bright body like the sun.

3. Same month - Krishnapaksha (thriyodasi 13th Day), the day is called "Chandraprabha".    To be born in a glorious family shining as the moon.

4. Asvija (Tamil Aypasi) - Shuklapaksha (waxing moon) - Ekadasi (11th day). The day is    "Kumarasambavam" - Gives the boon of good progeny. 

5. Same month, krishnapaksha (waning month) - Duvadasi (12th day) - "Nadiswaram" day.    Gives the boon of visiting Jina temples on Nandiswara dweepa.

6. Karthika (Tamil Karthigai) - shuklapaksha - thrithiyai (3rd day) - "sarvarthasiddi" day.    Fasting on this day makes on be born in the heaven named sarvarthasiddi.

7. Same month, shuklapaksha - Ekadasi (11th day) - "Pradhiharyam" day. Pradhiharyam is    the shining halo behind the Thirthankara seated in Samavasaran.  Fasting on this day    gives an opportunity to be born as a Thirthankara.

8. Same month, krishnapaksha - Ekadasi (11th day) - "Trilokasaram" - Jinadharma is the    essence of the three worlds (heaven, earth and hell). Fasting austerities on this    day one gets the benefit of gaining or retaining Jinadharma.

9. Margasirsa (Tamil Margazhi) - Suklapaksha - thrithiyai (3rd day) - Asankyadopavasa -    Benefits of innumerable days of fasting.

This method of fasting was propounded to a brahamin lady called Durgandha by Jain muni Manogupti.  Durgandha was born with a malodourous body because of her past karma for having insulted and having vengeful emotions against Jain muni Yasodara.  As a result of such horroenous act and thought she was born in 6th Hell and was resident there for 22 sagaropa period. Later she was born in Jambudweep, poorva videga, kaccha desha in a brahmin family. Lost her parentS soon after her birth. 

Born with stinking body, she suffered untold miseries and sought refuge at the lotus feet of Jain muni Manogupti. Taking pity on her, the sage offered her ways of penance and shedding of bad karma. That is Muktavali Vrat (Muktavali nonbu in Tamil).

On the days of fasting, one has to visit the Jain temple and offer prayers to 24 thirthankaras and perform 8 fold archana to Bagawan Vasupoojya Swamy. After performing the pooja, the vow of fasting should be taken. Whole day should be spent only on reading scriptures, performing meditation and japa.  The mantra japa for these days is "ON HREEM ARHAM SREE VASUPOOJYA SWAMINE NAMA:".

Four months starting Bhadrapatha month till Margasirsa, 9 days of fasting is undertaken. This is carried on for 9 years and on 10th year Bhadrapatha month suklapaksha sapthami (7th) day, Udyapana is performed by installing Jinabimba at the temple and performing abhishek poojas and offering perfect food to muni sanga, aryikas and other sastra dhaan, oushad dhaan, vastra dhaan and abhaya dhan.

By performing such a penance, Durgandha later reachd Soudharmakalpa heaven and from there born as a prince named Padmarathan.  On visiting the Samavasaran of Bagawan Vasupoojya, he was revealed his previous births and he took diksha and became a Ganadhara, attained Kevalagyan  and mukthi.

Hope learning leads to undertaking of "Mukthavali" vrat and attainment of Kevalagyan and Mukthi.

Sree Rastu Shanti Subamastu.

Office for Granted

My previous blog, eons??  before talks about time.  The time in between went swiftly without notice.  March 31, 2013 -   I have to bid farewell to my office on superannuation.  Nearly 37 years.  The journey had tumultuous periods inter-spread with joy, disappointments and frustrations.  On the brink, I recongnise the job gave me, without my request, the social ineraction that sustains human spirit.  Friends, sworn rivals, janus faced friends, proverbial exploitative bosses - all these entertained me on all working days, live.  Bereft of these, I have some apprehension in travelling further.  I had taken all these friends and foes for granted, never  realising the temporal nature of the relationship.  God willing, it is time for seeking new co-passengers for the journey ahead.  Now I will be holding new friends and foes in the right perspective.

People, Clock and Time

There are people who keep their watches always 10 to 15 minutes ahead. They want to conquer time. Little do they know, by setting their clock ahead, they have lost 10 minutes of precious time of their lives. Clock may stop, man may stop, but time keeps running. You can neither fast forward it nor rewind it. So cherish every minute, maximise the utility of every second. Look forward for that nano second of BLISS.

Pain : Real and Imaginary

You have met an over assertive person. He refuses to listen to your reasoning. His attitude towards you and the world in general is supercilious. You had a tiff with him. You are well brought up, you don't normally react vehemently. But your mind starts a torrent of profane abuses. You are so angry that your mind becomes violent. Now it starts hurting you physically. Your Blood Pressure has shot up, your pulse rate has risen, you start trembling. You realise that this man has in fact punished you physically using your own anger.

On such occasions your spiritual learning and practices should come in to play and help you. If you realise that without the help of your own mind, such a punishment cannot be metted out to you.

I witnessed a medical procedure called FNAC wherein very fine sharp needle was inserted deep inside the throat of a patient and the doctor rotated the needle inside the throat probing tissues. No anaesthesia and the patient felt the probing needle inside his throat. He was punched thrice in the area of examination. First think of the courage one has to summon when told that a fine needle will be inserted inside the throat. It will only be a small pricking, assures the doctor. But the pain is patient's. It is real. He has to endure the pain. Here also his mind has played a vital role. It has assured him that the doctor means no harm. It has helped him by distancing itself from his body. The doctor, the technician nurse, the ultra sound equipment, the bed he was lying in, the room, the pastel coloured curtains, air vent above blowing cool air pumped from a distant air conditioning plant; all looked surreal. So did the pain. It pained as though in a dream.


Here I recollect the advice of a jain monk. He advised not to have fear while facing problems for fear confounds the problem further. To have courage and faith to accept things that happen as it is which helps in overcoming the problem.

What I see is not What You get to see

Last Friday we had a hectic day. Woke up 5,30 am, daily chores, dropped my wife at school (she teaches physics 10+2)had a depressing day at office picked up wife from school and caught up in traffic jam while returning home. It was too late to prepare dinner at home. We entered a restaurant on the way. Both of us were totally exhausted. Waiting for our order to materialise, we started reflecting on life. To make her come out of the dark mood, I took the salt & pepper pots and told her she is not seeing what I am seeing. She grew even more irritated and hissed, "what are you talking?".

The pots exist as matter and recognised through our sense and perception. Added to that are individual's mental formation and consciousness about articles of matter around them. For instance, if I say there is a table behind a closed door to a group of people, each one will perceive a table differently. As men are different from women I truly do not know how your mind is truly perceiving the pots.


The Physics teacher chipped in, "even as matter, the pots are different from as they existed few minutes back because particles in matter are constantly get changed as the electrons are shared between atoms".

Then I told her about an article I read in the newspaper about people who are left handed (the physics teacher is left handed) that they have diametrically opposite views from right handed people, which I said is not news to me! Well my temperature dropped down to 0-deg by the icy glare. I was saved by the arrival of the dishes we ordered.

I checked whether the dishes are same as we ordered. The taste of the pudding is in eating it.


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Grief

I was driving upto my office. It was about 8.30 early morning. Lazy sun and cool wind made traffic negotiation bearable. I was appreciating the majesty of two imposing structures, one on the right and other on the left side of the road. On the left stood the Southern Railway HQ building, built with grey sandstone during the colonial era. On my right stood Government General Hospital and Madras Medical College estabilished in 1664 and 1835 respectively. The Govt. Hospital is one of largest in South Asia and the Medical College was where one of the first European women student , Mary Scharlib was admitted in the year 1878. With these thoughts in my mind I stopped my car for the signal. Suddenly a shrill wailing sound jolted all the motorists. Those who regularly use the road know that the Hospital mortuary's outgates are right on at the signal intersection. I turned to see and was instantly agrieved to see two teenage girls inconsolably wailing. Their relatives' efforts could not calm them down. I felt heaviness in my heart and tears welled in my eyes. Long after arriving at my office I felt sad at a person's death whom I did not know, the gender, age, occupation, family, nothing was known. My sadness perhaps was only for the two wailing frail children who lost their dear one and not for the dead person, for whom all the worries have ceased to exist.