Mother sleep was holding me close to her bosom for the past four days , since I landed in my eldest son Ananth’s house in Baltimore . What a heavenly bliss sleep is !
Had an enjoyable and refreshing shower bath in warm water and opening the glass-window entered the deck, with bare chest and brass vessel full of chill water from the fridge for performing sandhya . The chill wind, trying to reach the bones with a soft chisel and the salient Sun trying to supersede and brighten the shivering clouds, led my mind to the sacred shore of the River Ganges Gangotri or Yamunotri but definitely not Kasi as I do not see the sakthi of desolation. What a change, I feel. The sunken body surrounded by surplus clothes has suddenly become sanctified with a shower bath and sacred ash painted over it and exposed to the winter sun and the velvety winds. This lovely wooden platform exposed to the sun, on which I have spent several days carving story- characters and several moon-lit nights telling stories to my grand children has suddenly turned into the sacred river bed. It was on this platform that my father met me in the form of a crow and we had a lively conversation * My imagination spread out its silver wings and flew high above from here after flopping from the maples and oak tress around here. I am lost in the thoughts of the Divine Force and feel shouting as the ancient Rishy did when he was overwhelmed with immeasurable transitional tranquility of mind , **’Madhu vada ridayadea—‘
The panchpatram, copper vessel slips from the hand and rolls on the floor; no need for any sandhya vandanam today. It is over ,without uttering a word of the sacred Gayatri mantram. Mind has turned into the mahamantram.
That was for a moment . I am back to myself . I look around. Get inside, unable to bear the cold and come out again after donning some winter clothes,
Oh, my dear maples, oaks and cherry trees ! How barren and bony you, the maples look now ! The winter has, mercilessly, removed your dazzling jewels and apparels and how pathetic is this sight before me, your standing with a parched stomach and sunken face ! Did I come all the way from Hyderabad where the mango trees bid me farewell , with their flower-lavish head and diamond -decked neck and growing bosoms , looking a bit tired but lovely like a pregnant woman, to see this pathetic sight !
I am sure that you are not dead, as I see you moving slowly responding to the wind. I see hope in your sunken face .
‘Death ‘ what is it ? The end of life ? What is life ? The product of sexual intercourse according to the law of reproduction ? Simple. And when the life so generated extincts due to the failure of vital organs and stoppage of breathing , that is the end of the story . The door is closed for ever, the chapter has ended for ever, Right ? No, I do not want to end like that . I love life and I want to live for ever . Even the animals have the instinct of fighting for their life and resist annihilation.
Man, who possess the ability of thinking, went a step beyond that and that was the starting point of philosophy of thinking, inquiring and investigating on death. This led to the discovery of a new element , an external one, called Atma or soul , which enters the body when it is still in its mother’s womb and leaves it when death occurs . The body dies but not the soul, which keeps entering new bodies depending on its ‘karma’ or deeds and ultimately embraces the super soul, Paramatma, in final union with the Ultimate reality. The belief that I live even after I die which in fact is only the death of my body, gives me a great relief and added to that is the hope that I will continue to live many lives and will get amalgamated with the Ultimate gives me immense relief which rejuvenates my spirit, rekindles my interest in life.
Death is not the end but part of life.
Death is not the ultimate end but only a door opening to the next life-Abba! What a relief!
Love and regards,
sperinkulam
Baltimore
9th March 2011
* See my ‘My dad a crow’ story.
**
In the sixth chapter of the Brihadaranyaka Upanishad , Swethakethu and the Panchala king Pravaahanajaiwaly discuss about the ways to reach the non re-traceable Divine path . How the entire Universe is a sweet honey , ‘madhu’ for a Brhamanan, who is cognizant of Brahmam, the truth Ultimate , is the ‘bavana’ in this ‘Madhumanthi mantram’ ;
Madhu vadha ridhayathe, madhukshranthi sindhava:
Maadhveer na: santhoshadhee:
Madhunaktha mudhoshasaha:
Madhumath parthivagum raja;
Madhudyorasthuna pithaa
Madhumaanno vanaspathy
Madhumakum asthu Sooryaha:
Maadhveer gavo bavanthuna
Sweet wind blows; rivers flows madhu; Let the oushadhess be madhu for us; let the day and night be madhu for us; let the dust be madhu for us; let the Sun be madhu for us; Let the cows be madhu for us.
Such exultation of mind is possible only when one is absolutely free and fully sunk in the Divine tranquility. We do achieve such state sometime or other in our life , however short-lived it might be depending on our circumstances and vasanas.
comments
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From: |
Sundari Kannan <[email protected]>
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To: | Siva Subramanian Perinkulam <[email protected]> |
Dear siva,
while reading this i just read after reading the title but half way felt i know this style is is siva and yes it was you, in your own inmitable style u bring out the best of the scenes of your mind for others to visualise too….
with kind regards
sundari kannan
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From: |
ashok k <[email protected]>
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To: | [email protected] |
A K Iyer
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