Purutassi to Perfection!!! The P's of Purutassi

 

 

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Thursday heralds the month long fast that is predominately undertaken by the South Indian community. The auspicious period is dedicated to the worship of Lord Narayana, affectionately known in the south regions as Perumal or Srinivasa. It is rather disappointing that over time the focus has shifted from transformation to diet. This very auspicious period which has the necessary components to speed up your spiritual transformation and growth has been unjustly relegated to a diet phenomenon. Lets look at the P’s of Purutassi:

Pause: Do we ever take the time to stop and ask ourselves some very relevant questions. Who am I? What am I doing here? Why do I lie? Why do I hurt people? Why am I envious? Why do I possess anger? Why do I want more than I need? The questions can pile up a mile long and the astonishing thing is that we don’t have the answers. Essentially, we are ignorant people living in the information age. Within our inner being we know what truth is, yet we continue to deviate from it with impunity. Hence our lives tend to border on the animalistic side where the facility of discrimination is non-existent. We have allowed our senses and base instincts to run havoc upon us. The senses are like starving animals ready to pounce upon any prey without discriminating its capacity and consequences of its hunt expedition.  

Prayer: Undeniably, man has made some significant advances in science but is still completely deluded to see the limitations of his discoveries and thinking. There is still a vast area of unknown that man is struggling to explain with his science. There is a power and consciousness that keeps this creation ticking and for those of us that are born into religion and have faith based upon our experiences and interaction with this force, we reference it as GOD. There is nothing in this creation that can be undertaken without the grace of GOD. It is therefore important if we have decided that we want this Purutassi to be a transformative experience which must yield answers to the many unanswered questions we must develop a sankalapa or intent in this regard. Therefore, we must offer our sincere prayer to Lord Perumal or Srinivasa for His grace, support and blessings for this journey.

Prepare: Motivational Gurus and coaches have advanced evidence that success is reached through positive attitude and cultivating the correct mindset. It is therefore important to prepare oneself mentally and physically to ensure that the entire being starts to veer and gear towards a sublime and motivated mood to achieve. It is within these ambits that special cleansing of the environment takes place to help generate this mood. We should prioritise our goals so that we choose battles in which we can achieve victory. We don’t want to create obstacles but rather achieve our goals and victories in stages, instead of setting insurmountable goals and ejecting the process despondently.

Purify: It is said that friction is necessary to make metal shine or to make a diamond sparkle... therefore it is not going to be easy to purify the mind which essentially entails curtailing all that the senses lust after. Things like good food and the elements of good character are abrasives that help in the purification of the mind and heart. This is an important process because our journey becomes clear with purity of mind and heart.  However, the most important abrasive in this process is daily meditation and communion with the divine within to develop courage and strengthen the will to achieve our objectives. Keeping the company of the pious and noble is also important as they inspire and help maintain your path rather than distract you.

 

Practice & Perseverance: When actions become habitual, they are mechanically executed. The status quo has been sedimented as a way of life, therefore any intention to disrupt it is going to be confronted with a barrage of resistance. Your sadhana and new routine needs to be practiced daily with intent and one must persevere against all odds until it becomes the new normal. The more you practice the easier it becomes to persevere.

Perfection: Our goal of life is perfection. Although it is a tough ask, taking small steps in the right direction will bring us closer to perfection and in this world of varied influences and circumstances the idea would be to move as near towards the locus of perfection as one can.

Sri Ramakrishna said that the grace of God is always blowing... it is up to us to unfurl our sails. Purutassi is this opportunity to attract the grace of God into your life and initiate transformation from pain to paradise. The most recent pandemic upon the world that brought the entire world to a standstill was a rude awakening to man that our purpose is beyond the rat race that we are preoccupied with. The efforts we are investing into controlling the world is futile. That very energy and time should be invested in self transformation. The ten avatars of Lord Vishnu are the perfect example of evolution and transformation which is the basis of life. From the Fish to Srinivasa - the most adored and loved in the world... this process should be internalised and emulated. We should not remain as fish and boars but ensure that we manifest the potential divinity within us as encouraged by Swami Vivekananda.

I take this opportunity to pray to Lord Srinivasa to guide and help us on our spiritual transformation and to make this Purutassi fruitful for all those sincerely undertaking a spiritual journey and transformation towards the ultimate perfection. May we all have a blessed and rewarding Purutassi by Lord Narayana's grace, is my prayer.

With love and prayers always

Yogan Naidoo

 

Adapt Adjust Akshaya( all the time)

Adapt Adjust Akshaya !!!!( all the time)

Aum Sri Ramakrishna Sharanam

Aum Namo Narayanaya

I cannot but ponder at times if God has turned a deaf ear to the pleas and cries from Africa. Evidently non bis in idem or double jeopardy as we know it does not apply to the masses of African people. Persecuted for centuries via various agencies, the continent now must face an unknown enemy that has moved the goal post of development miles off.

Ironically when a step is taken to rise from the ashes of oppression, subjugation or unleash economic emancipation on the fallen morale of the nation we are reset to the start on the backfoot. Strangled and left for dead, African nations have further suffered haemorrhaging through graft and corruption leaving African people desolate and isolated save of taking aid, baited with herds of conditions that once again leave us rendered fresh bait in a shark infested tank. As South Africa commemorates Freedom Day tomorrow, we acknowledge the vast amounts of work and effort put into addressing the plight of the people, yet 26 years later it has still remained mere electoral freedom for many.

When one is fully absorbed in the body consciousness and when the pangs of hunger, pain and suffering have burdened the body for such an extended period of time, it becomes involuntary to adorn blinkers on utilitarian ideals and see to the needs of one’s own body comforts. Coupled with greed, this dangerous combination has been the achilles heel in positioning Africa as a force to reckon with despite her abundance of natural wealth. Therefore, it is of vital importance in how your consciousness is developed. This provides an understanding on how you would address challenges in front of you.

Let’s not make the mistake to think that when we are devout congregants of God that no challenges will present before us. That is why Vedanta as a practical religion or should I say Vedanta as a skill set, enables one to diligently and confidently pass through the phase of life breaking down challenges piece by piece.

Swami Vivekananda who through my lens is the crown prince of modern Vedantic thought said: "In a day, when you don't come across any problems - you can be sure that you are travelling in a wrong path." A little reading tracing history since civilisation would easily provide evidence for the above statement. Great things are simply accomplishments against the backdrop of challenges. Challenges are a reality and the way they are manoeuvred determines the character of an individual or nation.

Conquering challenges requires innovative and lateral thinking underpinned by boisterous confidence in yourself and in your ability to outsmart the circumstances. This leads my thoughts to an exhilarating episode within the plethora of Hindu literature. In the ensuing week or two we will be observing the appearance day of Lord Narashima - an incarnation of Lord Narayana. This most enigmatic yet mighty form of the Lord is a direct result of a challenge placed by Hiranyakashipu in order preserve his life and prominence in the world. He acquired out of severe penance the boon that he could not be killed by human or animal, from inside or outside, by day or by night, and that no weapon could harm him. Thinking that he had constructed a failsafe way to protect his life and maintain his dominance over the earth, he began to wreck unrelenting havoc upon the earth.

So, there is the dilemma - how does the Lord eradicate this menace from the Earth without dismantling the rewards he had honestly and sincerely earned. This is where the concept of innovative, inventive and inspired unorthodox thinking comes to play. The Lord did not collapse into despondency but having analysed the challenge at hand devised a solution that resulted in unadulterated victory. Lord Narayana descended upon the Earth in the form of Lord Narashima - a half man, half lion form - and grabbed Hiranyakashipu to the centre of the doorway and using only his claws he killed Hiranyakashipu in twilight (neither day or night). Without dwelling too much on the literal aspect of this scene, one much try to derive the profound message of heightened thinking.

Incidentally today is the holy Akshaya Tritiya wherein we also celebrate the birth anniversary of Lord Parashurama who is also an avatar of Lord Narayana who appeared in a time the Earth was overwhelmed by military forces owned by ruthless kings. As his name literally means 'Rama with an axe', he had to use force at a time when required, and the same Parashurama appears as Lord Rama in another time armed with a bow and arrow and later as Lord Krishna with a highly evolved mind and diplomatic skills - so the adaptability of the Lord during the different circumstances guides us to evolve our own consciousness to a point that we can also clearly identify the challenges and conquer them with relative ease. We should never back down from a challenge. Swami Vivekananda said: “Face the brutes." That is a lesson for all life - face the terrible, face it boldly. Like the monkeys, the hardships of life fall back when we cease to flee before them.

In concluding, I am convinced that it is our inability to adjust, adapt and be agile in Akshaya( all the time or eternally) that has failed to position the continent at the forefront. Currently in this crisis, I am particularly proud of our President, His Excellency Cyril Ramaphosa, whose utilitarian consciousness and good sound decisions are helping South Africa with limited resources manage this pandemic. It is this type of leadership under normal circumstances that can inspire and elevate a nation out of its dipped morale. Bhagawan Sri Ramakrishna said: "The winds of God's grace are always blowing, it is for us to raise our sails.” As Africans, we need to raise our consciousness to the reality at hand. Swami Vivekananda always said: “Arise! Awake! Stop not till the goal is reached." Raise our consciousness to awaken to the reality and stop not till the dignity and morale of every African is raised through economic and spiritual emancipation.

Rama Rajya

||Aum Sri Ramakrishna Sharanam||

Aum Namo Narayanaya

For those who observed Ramayan Week programmes last week, the above topic would immediately strike a chord. For others to whom this may be utterly alien,  it refers to a period of absolute peace, righteousness and prosperity. In other words, like heaven on earth during the period in which Bhagwan Ramachandra ruled over the kingdom of Ayodhya. 

Today on this Hanuman Jayanthi thithi, it is with a rather melancholic quill that I pen this blog - albeit an auspicious day - but ironically, we find the world forlorn with grief and anxiety during the biggest pandemic to hit us since the Spanish Flu of 1918. 

In an unprecedented move almost, the entire world is in isolation. Even at this distressing time in our lives we find our havens of peace, solace and comfort - our places of worship closed off to devotees. Major temples like Tirumala Tirupathi, Madurai Meenakshi, Palani Murugan, etc. which attract hundreds of thousands of devotees on a daily basis - today stand desolate. Everyone is confined to the four corners of their homes with no way out to venture, but inward. 

In the coldface of a deadly virus that is ravaging the earth, humanity unable to seek divine assistance anywhere beyond the boundaries of our homes seems to be forced into a detour within and inwards. For millions if not billions of people of all religions, an external regiment of attending places of worship, participating in rituals or retreating that has provided spiritual sustenance for many aeons has come to an abrupt suspension. Even the basic offering of fruit and milk has become a challenge with shops not able to  supply some of these items. 

Placed in this helpless situation yet still hankering for a channel of communication with the divine, there is a forced transition from the gross ritualistic religion to the subtle Vedantic religion. Suddenly the words of Bhagwan Krishna start to become practical and rational... offer me a leaf, flower, drop of water, o' child just even think of me and I will be with you. 

We should never discount the central value and role that ritual worship has played in the spiritual sustenance of humanity by  extending hope, succour and strength to those who have engaged it. But that’s just it, it has plateaued and the failure to translate into inner transformation and awakening of our consciousness leaves us in the wake of a world always in chaos teeming with atrocities like murder, rape, fraud, greed, falsehood, hatred, etc.Until the internalisation of our religious practices takes place it would simply be a mechanical practice.

Swami Vivekananda said: "Anything that makes you weak physically, intellectually, and spiritually, reject as poison; there is no life in it, it cannot be true". Many of our ritualistic practices have been weaved with superstition and at our most vulnerable moments failed to arm us with an arsenal effective enough to traverse it. Hence in the past few days amidst the grave challenge confronting the world Swami Vimokshananda through online broadcasts emphasised the need to identify the philosophy in the various puranic stories and practices to equip ourselves to effectively deal with the world. After reading Swami Vivekananda, we are inspired never to just accept anything... it is important to dive deeper and test the matter for yourself before blindly accepting anything.  

It is with this view that I started an inquiry as to why Lord Hanuman is depicted as a monkey. The Lord could have appeared as a human which is believed to be the most evolved being and thus would be practical and efficient form to assist Bhagawan Rama on His mission. Persuaded by Revered Swami Vimokshananda, I travelled deep within to search for the philosophical message in Lord Hanuman.

I put forth the following: 

The depiction of Lord Hanuman as a monkey gives us a wonderful idea. The word Hanuman of Sanskrit origin means one with an enlarged jaw indicating something which is highly expressive. We all have come to know that a monkey can never sit still and is always hopping around from place to another. The story goes that Lord Hanuman's jaw was enlarged after it was struck with a weapon by Lord Indra. The punishment was evoked when Lord Hanuman sprang towards the Sun and swallowed it. In order to restore the Sun and reinstate the balance, Lord Indra acted such. I want you to try a little experiment after you conclude reading this paragraph. Close your eyes and imagine that you have grown into a gigantic form and leap towards the Sun, swallow it, now go forth towards all the planets and devour all of them, then fly around releasing all of them back to their places. 

See you have done it!!!! 

The human mind is very expressive and at will can manifest or destroy anything, it can travel to far flung places and also help you find solutions to many challenges... but we are warned by Lord Krishna in the Bhagavad Gita that the mind can be man's best friend or greatest enemy. Hence, spiritual practice encourages one to tame the mind and keep it engaged and focused in good work. Meditation is a technique used to reign in the mind. You would have by now realised that Lord Hanuman is symbolic of the human mind.

Referencing the Ramayana, Bhagwan Ram only meets Lord Hanuman in the Sundar Kand before which Lord Hanuman wandered in the forest with the other monkeys (thoughts) without any purpose. Bhagwan Rama in light of His divine, astute and righteous leadership is indicative of the intellect which acts in the interest of the atman (Mother Sita). When the intellect acts in unison with the atman the goal of life is apparent (Laksmana derived from lakshaya meaning goal) and is prominent. When the mind is not focused and is roaming aimlessly in the forest of thoughts it is very easy for desires (Ravana) to play havoc with the intellect. The individual becomes a wreck when the atman is polarised from the intellect by desires. This is referenced in the Ramayan when Ravana deceives Bhagwan Ram by becoming a deer and then capturing Mother Sita. 

Things change when the intellect engages the mind (the meeting of Bhagwan Rama and Lord Hanuman in the forest). The engaged mind starts to become focused and conscious (this is the part in the Ramayan when Jambavan enlightens Lord Hanuman of his capabilities). A conscious and focused mind becomes an envoy and messenger between the atman and the intellect. Thus Lord Hanuman is referred to as Ramadhoota (messenger of the Lord).

Now that the battle is won and Bhagwan Ram and Mother Sita are ruling over Ayodhya - peace, prosperity and purpose have returned to the land. The mind finds no interest in the trivial things of this world and unhesitantly merges with the intellect, which is known as enlightenment. This is referenced in the Ramayan when Mother Sita offers Lord Hanuman a string of pearls as a gift but He completely destroys it because He cannot find Bhagwan Ram in it. Involuntarily, He rips open His chest to expose His Lord and Mother. This is when the distinction of the mind and intellect ceases to exist which draws inspiration directly from the atman. 

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As I was growing up, this picture was very familiar during the times of Ram Naumi, Purutassi and Deepavali - as simple and beautiful as it is, carries a great idea to ensure an ideal world can exist... a world of peace and love free from dishonesty, hatred, crime and suffering. Man must elevate himself to the highest efficiency first for this to happen. The path to this level is possible  when the intellect rules the being with divine inspiration from the atman, with the goal of life in firm sight and  the mind humbled in deep devotion and service at its feet. 

On this auspicious day, I pray Lord Hanuman assists to raise our mind to become conscious and through our conscious minds we lead conscious lives and play our part in restoring Rama Rajya to this world.

With love and prayers

Yogan Naidoo   

Boat to Benares

||Aum Sri Ramakrishna Sharanam||

Aum Namo Narayanaya

Boat to Benares

Sunrise at Varanasi- google images

With much trepidation I stepped out into the narrow, grey and chilly alleyway, as I proceeded to the pavement where animals were scattering on account of the increasing pedestrian traffic. There was a sense of urgency in the gait of everyone but that did not deter many making a brief pit stop at the chaiwala who enticed the lot by waving his urn filled with strongly brewed chai. The exchange was brief though, 2 to 3 swigs and the cup was disposed, upon which the journey resumed. It felt like we were all hypnotised by the notes of the pied piper, a mass migration of sorts to one part of the city. It was not long before hundreds if not thousands from their different pathways arrived upon the ancients ghats. There she was in all her majesty embracing one of the oldest cities in the world, Mother Ganga. It was to seek her compassion and blessing in bounty at the auspicious sunrise that so many fled their homes to the Ghats. 

Standing tall within the premium inches on the ghats which are sanctified and hallowed by the touch of great and enlightened saints and sages, it’s not long before a wave of solemnness engulfed the banks. Cupping small amounts of water for purification we all then joined our hands together eyes fixated on the horizon in anticipation of  the sun's arrival. This was no flash-mob but a morning regime that inspired hope, confidence and contentment in thousands by placing God at the centre of their beings. That has been the life-buoy of India, through all her difficulties God is always the first port of call. I recall Swami Vivekananda who said:  "Hidden under the ashes of apparent death, the fire of our national life is yet smouldering and... the life of this nation is religion, its language religion, and its idea religion. If you succeed in the attempt to throw off your religion and take up either politics, or society, or any other things as your centre, as the vitality of your national life, the result will be that you will become extinct.”

With the mind deeply lost in contemplation, time seemed irrelevant, a deep connection was negotiated between the earth and heaven by the coursing river. In that moment all differences dissolved and just the vastness and nothingness felt real and then the striking glow of the sun started to claw the mind back in. The rising ball humbled the assembled and in an instant they all bowed their head in reverence ceding all superiority to the divine. The sun now seated on the throne in the horizon signalled the start of the secular day.  My moment of beating with the pulse of India faded with the post midnight darkness. The sun convincingly identified me as an inquisitive tourist who was togged and kitted with a Bisleri in one hand for the morning cruise on the river. 

My tour guide made conscious gestures to lure me towards the chartered vessel lest I remain lost in the bustling assemblage. It was a modest craft powered by 2 oars. My disquieted gaze immediately prompted a response from the oarsman who reassured me through head and hand gestures that he had floated heavier people along the Ganga before. As I stepped on board and occupied my seat, the boat set off with some melodious singing by the oarsman. His singing was set to music by boat cutting through the murky waters.

As the boat made its way from one end to the other, I received a panoramic view of the city from the other bank. It's such a disruptive scene from what I thought would be a seamless run. The view from this side was grim and sulky for the untrained mind. The entire stretch was consumed by cremation grounds. It was a vulgar contradiction that convulsed me into utter bewilderment at how a city teeming with the stench of death can at the same be the epi-centre of bliss and peace. Varanasi or Benares is the terminus station, it's where millions have come to cast off their bodies yet in the very cold face of death everyone adorns a smile and maintains their humanity. Here for certain death is the kind and friendly version!!!

There is space for research and investigation here because to the rest of the world death manifests as the most feared concept so much so that multibillion-dollar industries have thrived making people believe they can fool the inevitable. From tonics, medical procedures, apparatus, miracle crusades -you name it- have had the attention of the world, even extracting substantial financial resources from people but to no avail eventually.

Today, as this blog is being penned - the world is being harassed and tormented by a very micro form of death which ironically within weeks has the entire world in a shut-down. It is not possible to conceive that in the 21st century, not an army or an arsenal of weapons but a microbe has literally brought the globe to a standstill. Death seems to be roaming unleashed upon the earth with many countries succumbing to the virus with lots of fatalities. 

But as I pointed out above, humans have this inherent fear of death, but when placed in a crisis we start to see the extremity of this fear is so great that peoples actions start to defy rationality and logic. When governments of the world ordered a lockdown to create social isolation, it was with the intention to flatten the curve and ensure the containment and spread of the virus to prevent deaths, yet people in the fear of running out of food and dying defy the lockdown and gather in large numbers at supermarkets and stores for long periods to get supplies. This social interaction is counter to the aims and efforts to flatten the curve and brings people closer and in direct contact with infection. 

Whilst this pandemic is ravaging the world Hindus are observing Ramayan Week and in the course of this great scripture we come across an episode where Sri Rama's  brother inscribed what is known as a Lakshman Rekha around the homestead and instructed Mother Sita not to cross the line for her own safety. We are all aware of the danger and hardship the Mother had to face when she defied the order. This valuable lesson is very apt and relevant to us now. 

Governments have ordered a lock down for our own safety. Please adhere to this call for the preservation of your own life and the rest of the country. Stay at home!!!! Be responsible!!! Grab this opportunity to take an intrepid journey inwards, to explore the uncharted territories of the universe within. In this journey you could find that great amounts of joy can be found in the simplest of things like a nice cup of tea in your own garden, or playing with your pet than in the rat race you are used to pursuing. Bring God back to the centre of your life so that He can bear the weight of your burdens, thus freeing you to adorn your smile and sail to Benares because death is a friendly citizen there!!!

With love and prayers always!!!

Yogan Naidoo