Thoughts on Akshayathritheeya

16.5.2010


I was reading the two volumes of “Rare facets of Ancient Indian History and culture”by S.SankaraNarayanan which I received from the Theosophical society’s bookshop in Adyar.Then ,my nephew called and asked: “What is Akshayathritheeya?”

I said :”That is birthday of Balarama,the Seshnaag ,during Dwaparayuga.
He asked:“Then why do people buy gold on that day?

I replied.:The practice in India was to give alms to people .Usually clothes,money and valuables or whatever they need ,according to one’s ability.The sacrifice of everything ,or something for others is the principle,because Anantha,the Seshnag was a great Yogi who sacrificed everything for Yoga and Gnana.


My nephew said: But now,everybody rushes to buy gold,not to give away.

I laughed .It is only part of our consumeristic society culture which developed quite recently and it has nothing to with our heritage or religion.People misunderstand such consumerist business techniques for religion and run after that superstitiously without thinking logically .That is a common human psychology of the modern times.

He said: Why don’t you write something on it ?
I told him: I have lived my life in the Gandhian way ,but with a modified 21st century outlook ,because of my profession.I have seen the plight of thousands of poor patients in the general wards of Calicut Medical college and how they struggle to get the money for medicines,food and for even the busfare to go back from hospital.The people who had become just thin skin and bone,people with torn old dirty dress,and people with cankerous growths bringing out even the bone and flesh out ,and without a single person to help and women who after delivering twin baby girls request the house surgeons with tears in eyes to take away at least one of the kids so that she will be relieved of future economical problems of rearing them .
I have seen parents struggling with poverty to rescue children from grip of Leukemia ,and selling whatever they have for treatment ,at last succumb to the law of death and loose everything .I remember a very sad incident from Ernakulam.I remember the child’s name because it was Vishnupriya.The girl was diagnosed as having cancer and the parents were not very poor .They tried their best to make the child live but failed.Then next morning in the Mathrubhoomi daily ,I saw a report that the parents ,had ended their lives together to be with the child.What is the use of money and luxuries in life when these are all fleeting and temporary?Just to help others .
My experiences with such people have made me strongly against all women and men who show vulgar display of wealth ,in front of such poverty/in front of such sad incidents.One has to be aware of what is happening around .It is this gross gaps in wealth which makes our consumerism thrive and also our revolutionary movements thrive.(These are only two sides of the same coin).Only if the people understand that their acts have social repercussions they will become real responsible citizens of India.But that is said easily.To make them aware of it one have to adopt a lifestyle which has a model in it .To create that model,individually and by our own life principle is what makes us different from each other.My article 20 years back titled “Gandhi in the land of Ravana”was a satire about such occurrences.(It had appeared in a daily called Express from Trichur).

I have modeled my life on the principle of learning and teaching by giving a life model.But how many will understand that?And even if they understand that how many will feel that this is a good model for our nation?And how many will have a desire to serve the nation ?How many will think that it is worth sacrificing their luxurious ornamental and silky exhibitionistic ways of living for the sake of millions of poor people?Human nature is too selfish and the consumeristic society is exploiting that selfishness for their benefit,and the fault is placed on religion .How sad it is that a ancient culture is made to look like a pack of superstitions in the name of consumeristic religious exploitations?

I am a deeply spiritual individual and have my own sadhana,dhyana,and spiritual experiences ,but I never succumb to the propaganda of consumeristic religions of any sort .But being a person following principles of vedantha,I also realize that majority of people are not like me .How can I expect all of them to be like me? World is not a monoculture plantation.But ,I do expect all people to develop some sort of logical self-analysis and give away what they have in surplus (if not all, as Gandhi did) to others who are needy.This may be Vidya(knowledge),wealth,ornaments,clothes,job opportunities,social service of any kind according to what one can offer ,in one’s own sphere of activity.That would give a socialistic equalitarian or nearly equalitarian concept and lessen the gap between haves and have nots .This is what I try to create with my books,speeches,life and all my integrated educational systems based on values for a enlightened citizenship.
When my nephew asked what Akshayathritheeya is I just remembered that in my youth as a young professional in Medical college ,Calicut ,I had decided to sacrifice all luxuries (ornaments etc) for the sake of helping the poor patients which my husband had in plenty in his general wards.Together we had tried to help as many people as possible.I don’t even know them personally.They are all unknown faces,unknown names from all over North Kerala and Malabar ,most of them Adivasis whom my husband helped .If I insisted on having gold jewellery,diamonds and silks for myself he could never have helped them as he did.But how many women will think that way ? That is the problem.Unless we are able to introspect and see ourselves no one can help us . .

The four Purushartha are Dharma,Artha,Kaama and Moksha.The kaama or desires if more than necessary make us consumeristic fools and we will go on increasing worldly pleasures which are temporary.Therefore as Gita says ,one has to control desires of senses with a intellect like a efficient charioteer ,holding and harnessing the horses so that he leads it to the goal.If not the senses like mad horses will crash the chariot(the body)and create harmful effects.The artha is not bad,provided the wealth accumulated is not spent on selfish motives but for unselfish developmental activities of one’s society.That economic strategy is needed for any nation.And a nation means its individuals,its citizens.If the citizens have no desire to make the nation grow and develop who else will have it? The people say : The people in power.Yes .They have great responsibility.But we,who are not in power also has great responsibility.We are the people who elected those in power.If we don’t know who is who and who will help nation and who will not ,we are not doing our duty efficiently.And if we are not responsible how can we expect the people whom we have selected will be responsible?The people deserve the type of leaders they have ,because it is the people who select them.If people are donkeys,(Pothujanam Kazhutha,says a Malayalam proverb)the rulers are bigger donkeys only selected by lesser donkeys.If rulers are lions,the people are also lions because birds of the same feather flock together.
Society is made by individuals .The nature of the individuals reflect upon society.So what each one of us has to do is to make the society develop,by developing ourselves.Make us grow into fuller personalities,mature in outlook and compassionate to others and unselfish .This total personality development,which is value-based has to be the aim of each one of us .
The life of giving alms and sacrifice is not for one single day .But for entire life .It is a Thapasya each one has to adopt with one’s available resources and needs .
Let us grow physically,mentally,intellectually and spiritually.That growth will definitely enrich the nation since we are the precious “Golden diamonds”of our nation and nothing is more valuable for a nation,than its citizens ,its human resources.

Lalithajeevitham ,Udaathachintha(simple life,highly noble thought processes).Let that be our motto.

Thanks to my Nephew Vijay Nalapat for stimulating these thought processes as a message on this day to my blog.