PERFECT MEDICINE

  This is very old story  and it makes a point and should be taken with the right spirit  and not try to do fact check . There was a King  and he was the ruler and had everything that a mortal man wishes he could have .He had money and a big palace  and servants  and a beautiful wife  and he could do  anything and anything or not do it if he wishes. But he was not happy and felt sick.So the best doctors were called . Every one had some advice  and gave him some medications and he did not get better and so the another one was called  and he tried something else  and he did not feel any better. So doctors were called from other areas and they all failed.
   The king was not getting better and he was convinced that he was sick and no one was able to find out any solution.It happened that a Yogi or a saint came to the town and was visiting and he was considered wise  and had powers to heal anyone of any element. So he was invited by the king to palace . He came in and he examined the king and asked him many questions  and then said he knows the diagnosis  and the solution or the treatment. Everyone was all ears . So he told them that the king needed to wear a shirt worn by a HAPPY PERSON. No other medicines needed . If the king would wear a short for short time that was worn by happy man , he will be cured .
     So immediately  the king sent all the soldiers in search of such a happy man The soldiers went all over the town . Every house that they went, someone was unhappy as they had lost job or someone had dies , or someone was hungry or failed in examination . So the whole day search did not result in finding a happy man . The night started  and the soldiers did not know what to do . They continued to go house by house.In early morning - they had gone all over the town and they had come out of town at the banks of a river. It was dawn and the sun was rising and the birds were singing  and the breeze was nice . They saw a man sitting on a stone enjoying the entire surroundings . They approached him and asked him if he was happy man . He answered that he was till they came in and blocked the sun rays that he was enjoying. The soldiers moved and asked if he was happy now  and the man said 'yes , I am happy , there is nothing to be unhappy , The surroundings are beautiful and birds are singing and the Sun is rising  and he is very happy . The soldiers told him that he has to come with them to the king and that was the order.
   So they all went to the palace  and the king asked him if he was happy. The man answered Yes . So the king asked him if he could give a shirt worn by the man , The man answered ' " I would but I don't have a shirt !"
     The King got the answer to his problem.!

GUNAS AND IT'S COMBINATION

       Due to COVID,I was not going to gym or to eat out or go for movies. So I had more time at my hand  and I did a course on religion from Harvard University .It was on Hinduism  and I was disappointed . One of the misconception that we have ts that the so called learned Professors KNOW . In one of the links to the course was to an article written by one of the Harvard professor on caste system he argued that even in RIG VEDA there is mention of the same - Brahmin is produced from mouth and Shatriya is from hands  and Viashya is produced from thigh and Shudra from feet .So even the Veda which is suppose to be main scripture, had demoted Shudra. This is simply due to lack of understanding on part of this LEARNED (?) Professor.In one of the older mantra called RAMARAKSHA , which is related to Lord Rama and how we should worship or pray the Lord Rama has several shlokas describing the various body parts as related to different personalities in Ramayan. BIBHISHAN who is described as one with feet.Certainly he was not Shudra by any stretch of imagination.So what does it mean?So I though of talking about the Ravana and his siblings  and the GUNAS.
     There was a Rhushi who was trapped by a lady who was RAKSHAS.and when they had children they were Ravan, Kumbhkarn, Bibhishan and Shurpanakha . First 3 are males  and last one is female. We know that Ravana was the devotee of Lord Shankar and he was the same one who kidnapped Sita and also was indulging in all sorts of sense pleasures. Kumbhakarn was full of indulging in pleasures  and slept 24/7 .The Bibhishan was a devotee of God  and Lord Rama and SHURPANAKHA was wicked female. When she saw Rama she wanted to marry him and when Rama told her that he was married , she wanted to marry his brother Lakshamana . So all that she wanted was to have somehow sense pleasure. So now let me try to explain this on basis of 3 GUNAS or 3 qualities. The father VISHAWA was full of Satwic guna but he did marry Rakshasa woman, who is full of TAMASIC Guna.So the combination created 4 children who have combination of 3 qualities. As you know that Satwic is calm and steady  and Rajasic is activating  and Tamasic is inactivity - laziness. So the Satwic Guna was almost 100% in BIBHISHANA and so he was devoted to Gid and he did pray and did penance and hew blessed with Immortality.The Ravana is more of Rajasic  and some Satwic  and some Tamasic Gunas and so he was worshiping though at times for self pleasures  and he is the same one who kidnapped Sita with lust,Kumbhakarna was 100% Tamasic  and he had done some worshiping too But the Satwic  and the Rajasic Gunas were there in very small %. Predominant is Tamasic.Shtpanakha was combination of Tamasic  and Rajasic Gunas so she was attracted to Rama and then Lakshmana  and then when it did not work out, she wanted to take revenge.
    All of us have all 3 qualities  and the proportion of them at a given time our action is determined. But for practical purpose we have one or another one dominant most of the time . But when another one takes over for a short time we behave differently. So we do see Good people do bad things at times  and Bad people do good things at times . These qualities determine if one is Shudra or Bhamhin. Certainly society did make a mistake  and created casts based on Birth rather than 3 Gunas. 
    May be one of these days we can talk of meaning of various parts of body representing different personalities in Ramayana. 

MIRACLE

    The common questions that we get or we think about is , can we change destiny?The answer is yes and no . It depends upon what  one considers as destiny. If I have an examination tomorrow  and I have not studied for the examination till today , may destiny is FIXED  and can not be changed by study for one day. But if I have enough time  and effort  and desire then U=I have some chance of changing the destiny. The question can be answered in little different way also , but the next question is cam GOD change it . The answer is again Yes and NO . If your faith and surrendering God is unconditional then my be it can be changed . That brings me to the story for today.
    Tukaram was a saint many years ago . He was more devoted to the God than even his own family  and that did bring him in trouble. He used to sing the praise of the lord called Bhajan  and people were mesmerized  and used to crowd in the temple for the prayers. The Bhajanas used to put people in trans and one with the God . This path of reaching the God is is called BHAKTI YOGA  and many devotees have followed it, but many a times we have conditional devotion . You do this  and I will do that . People have God of convenience  and they ask for things that are outrageous. We pray God to get us parking spot and also the lottery ticket numbers. So the news spread that Tukaram was great Devotee and his Bhjanas are so intense that one forgets everything and gets one with God. The king Shvaji came to know about this  and decided to pay visit . So he came . He was attending the Bhajanas. The news that he came to visit Yukaram spread to King Aurangjeb a Muslim king -Shvaji's staunch enemy . He sent several soldiers to catch Shivaji.
     The soldiers surrounded the temple  and there was no way Shivaji could escape. Shivaji was inside  and he had few soldiers accompanying him. The news that Muslim soldiers are surrounding the temple spread to the devotees Tukaram also came to know about this . He started praying the God . He did not want the KIng to be caught while attending the devotional service . He prayed the Lord . Not for himself . but for the safety of the King. Shivaji had to find a way to escape . He decided to leave the temple . The Muslim soldiers were waiting outside . But every man who was getting out of the temple looked like SHIVAJI . They got confused as to whom to catch as there were several Shivaji look alike  and so in that chaos real Shivaji escaped. So the prayers worked .
    Was this the destiny changed by the unconditional devotion ?You can decide.