My Pet Tiger

I was gifted a Tiger on my last birthday.
It's the stuff real things are made of.... scares the piss out of children.

I'd dreamed of owning a life-size Tiger model for the longest time. And this one looks so real that anyone peeping into my house from the entrance retracts his nutcase immediately. Allows us inmates to sleep in peace - ghode bech ke!. Like Lord Shiva does, meditating peacefully on his tiger hyde in frozen Kailasa.

I was searching for more references on tigers in Indian Mythology. There's one indication in Sant Dnyaneshwar's story. Read on.....

Dnyaneshwar was a child saint born to parents Vitthal and Rukmini. This was around 13th century AD. Indian social laws required each person to undergo four stages in life : Brahmacharyashram (Celibacy & Learning Phase), Gruhasthashram (Householder Phase), Vanaprasthashram (Exile Phase) and Sanyaasashram (Renunciation). One needed to completely fulfill their responsibilities of one phase before graduating to the next. Only someone who had vowed eternal celibacy would be allowed Sanyaasashram without undergoing the intermediate stages.

Vitthal lied about his marital status to his Guru while accepting sanyaas (exile). When his Guru found out the truth, Vitthal was ostracized from the Brahmin community as punishment. Thereon, four children were born to the couple who ultimately committed suicide hoping that their children would be accepted back into the community after their death. However that did not happen. The children had to fight a bitter battle with the erstwhile custodians of social conscience. They had to resort to begging for survival. Amidst all this struggle, the eldest son Nivrutti got inducted into the Nath tradition of Yogic studies. Nivrutti tutored his younger brother Dnyaneshwar in the science of Kundalini Yoga. With this, all four siblings followed the yogic path of life

Tales of these miracle children spread far and wide and ultimately reached Changdev, an accomplished yogi of those times. To test the caliber of the young ones, Changdev sent them a blank chit of paper as message. The children laughed at the blank message and replied with 65 verses summarizing Vedanta scribbled on the same piece of paper. Changdev's ego was challenged as he couldn't comprehend the verses. In vengeance, he set off to meet the children to intimidate them with his yogic prowess. For his visit, he chose to ride a tiger and used a poisonous cobra as his whip. As he entered the village, Changdev was followed by a huge procession raising his ego even further.

On the other hand, when Dnyaneshwar and his siblings were informed of Changdev's arrival, the kids were enjoying their daytime play. Dnyaneshwar gently patted the wall they were seated on and the wall began flying like an aeroplane. With their spiritual energy, the children had made an immobile wall take flight and serve as their vehicle. Changdev's pride crashed at the sight of such unparalleled power. He became their disciple thereon....

This makes me think of all the aircraft technologies mentioned in mythology.... 

We'll talk about that............. in the next post.

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Grihastas Vs Brahmins

 

I am subscribed to SMS updates on India Against Corruption. Something went amiss after the initial euphoria last year. With millions rallying the streets of India to support veteran activist Anna Hazare, today not even a fraction of that figure might be attending the group's regular meetings. I know, for I am one of those guilty. I read the messages, update myself on the on-goings and then resign to my daily schedule. That doesn't mean I have ceased to support the cause. I pay my taxes every year and bluntly refuse to pay a bribe, Always. Yet I wait in anonymity for another mass uprising to take place so that I can lend my support to it. Cowardice? Not really.

There would be some of us who would go about their everyday jobs and businesses to earn money. And this is not a selfish act. The working class earns from doing some service to the nation.. for Nothing useless has ever delivered money. With whatever transactions they carry out every day, they provide their land with some much-needed services, infrastructure and/or money. From farmers to traders to architects to engineers to sweepers to accountants to models to actors to artists to waiters... they're all serving their nation. Ancient texts define this category as the 'Grihasta' - the house-holder.

And then there exists a minority that gains its name, fame and livelihood through social activism.... by studying the laws themselves and then enlightening the working class about them. In ancient days, these would be called Brahman. Then too, the structure of society was similar. A large chunk of countrymen would lead normal family lives, working hard to earn their daily bread and honey. This left them with no time to pursue spiritual search. So this function to balance was assigned to the Brahmans. The Brahmans were yogis, priests and scientists who would make extensive research on the subjects of 'Astitva' (Existence) and 'Dharma' (Righteousness) and then hand-over their learning to the masses. In return for this knowledge, they were protected, nurtured and fed by the Grihastas.

As long as today's Brahmans don't get corrupted by the power of mass support, alike their ancient counterparts, I will support them like a true hot-blooded Kshatriya (warrior) should.

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