Seasons

 

Srimad Bhagwadgita, Chapter 2, Verse 14 : The contact between the senses and their objects, which give rise to the feelings of heat and cold, pleasure and pain etc. are transitory and fleeting; therefore Arjun ignore them.

Thus spake Lord Krishna in the Chapter 2 which is called Sankhayoga or the Yoga of Knowledge. I have had the privilege of being exposed to Gita. In school we were made to learn Chapter 12 and 15 and recite 5 sholkas from them as a part of our morning prayer. So in the true spirit of the school education system followed across India, was imparted the great teaching through rote. It sometimes amazes how the land which originated the concept of guru-shisha tradition has completely lost its grounds and instead replaced it with an out-dated, out-of-context system of education which was create by Lord Maculay with the sole purpose of preparing a breed of clerks for the British Administration.

From the very start of education the entire focus is on the process of effective memorizing and reproduction, its like binge drinking and puking. Or as one of my prof use to put it - the " Jug-Mug" system, where something in the name of knowledge is passed from teacher (jug) to student (mug). And then we talk about knowledge, learning and gyan.

Then again as we tend to grow older more and more options are entrusted upon us by parents/peers to do things for the sake of social conformity. And hence contributing your part in the vicious circle.

I know the way I am putting these things, i may come out to be a very strong headed person; but the fact is that I am not so. I have also done and still doing so many things with the motive of not hurting the feelings of my mom. I know that at times she has pushed me real hard into things that I have been unwilling and reluctant to do; but with the only intention of my sole well being in her mind. Also, its only off late that I have been able to appreciate and realize that enormity of the pressures that she has to face. The straitjacket which has been transfixed on both her and me by the whatever way life turned out is a Catch-22 for both, we are both stuck in our own universe. Cant help but again draw a parallel with "Wish you were here" - Pink Floyd ; " We're just two lost souls swimming in a fish bowl, year after year, running over the same old ground. What have we found? The same old fears ....." .

Interesting some times be a third-party and observe your thought process wander and you to the by-lanes which you thought never existed. In one of my earlier posts, I mentioned the fact how at times I have felt uprooted from a  place and a time which I keep referencing all to often; but what was even more amazing was the feedback I got from one of my dear friend; she said "The fact that you want to dis-associate from your home, home town and the memories attached is more than sufficient proof of your home sickness and yearning." I was initially a bit startled by what she said and hated to acknowledge this as a fact. But again having slight bit of faith in her prudence and emotional intelligence over period of time (an overnight sleep) I finally was able to accept that as true.

I was hit a funny kind of analogy this morning when I was rushing to the college on Monday morning. My current condition is similar to that of a water-hyacinth which floats over ponds and has its roots just hanging loosely in water, with nothing really to "grasp" hold of. And a contrast to this will be and young plant being directly uprooted from soil and then sown at a new place. The plant may or may not adapt to the new environment and has to go through a complete process of adaptability. Now coming back to my previous example of water hyacinth, this is one plant I empathize with for the fact that its ordained for a life of driftlessness in which its in a constant state of flux but at the same time the greatest advantage it has is of having got the opportunity to experience the tide and the flow first hand and to experience. This is what according to me should be the ultimate objective of life.

Honestly, I have hated uncertainty which has been a constant companion through all my ups and downs. There has not been a single phase wherein I had the luxury to think/ assume my baselines to be true and enduring. I have taken a long time accepting this as a preordained fact of life. And the very acknowledgement has made life so much easier for me. Now after the agony of self torture has gone I can accept things as and when they come to me and live/experience every moment in its entirety with neither the hang-ups of the past nor the stoneful expectations of the future. Living for the moment is the most crucial and vital sign of being alive. As goes the song " Kacche rang  utar jaayege, mausam hai badal jayege…"  

Everything in life changes, whatever be the reason and whatever be the consequence, resultant of the change, we cant control it not matter how hard we try. What we can change is the way we look at it, and relish whatever life has to offer, with full and open heart. There is enough sunshine in the morning to brighten the day and enough calmness in the moonlight to replenish a weary soul.

P.S : Thanks Jay.

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