Life is an illusion

I was trying to pluck a mango. Not from neighbor's house. Nor from someone's house on the way. The mango had grown in our own garden. Because my husband worked hard and built a beautiful house. Planted two mango trees. Religiously watered them. Fanatically protected them.   Now the trees are 20 feet tall almost and have blossomed into hundreds and hundreds of sweet wonders.  Which made me busy this year. Since the last 3 months, I have been screeching, roaring, shouting at little kids who love the taste of raw, sour mangoes, which are luring them while they innocently were walking like little angels. No, no, I still could not reach the decibels of news anchors of our nation. But almost there. See, I would sit by the window, which was kept open for the sole purpose of keeping an eye on little thieves. The moment I see the leaves of the tree shake a little bit, I run to the window, strengthening my vocal cords. "Yaarada" (Who is there). Children run away. With the stick...

 This is how the dog had curled up in front of a house. Except for the fact that it was not looking so healthy. As it was a street dog.  I could understand. In the last few days, Bangalore summer has suddenly changed to cloudy, rainy, cold winter. So for warmth, it has to sleep like that. Who will give it a blanket or even  4 walls? I paused and thought of clicking its photo. But then I had no permission by the said dog. Sorry, I was afraid, the people inside the house may observe a stranger taking photos in front of their house and may come for verbal attack. I would have done that in their place. So I just observed, but he sensed my presence and sat in alert - who the hell are you? And why are you disturbing my sleep. He would have said that - if he was not feeling so sluggish.  Another thing which attracted me was his eyes - sad, dejected look. Like those of a child, after being reprimanded by mother. What happened - did the kind lady who would feed you daily shoo...

 That dog certainly has anxiety issues, I decided. It was continuously wagging its tail - left to right, right to left. The way I swing myself when I am more agitated than usual.  It was sitting right in the middle of the walking path of the park. Where the humans were walking busily round and round and round and round. A walk to nowhere. A walk which they hope will some how take away all the calories they consumed yesterday and will again consume today. A walk which they hope will melt away their bellies and make them slim like models. Or a walk which they hope will make them younger, healthier, will make their legs stronger, their knees pain free, their feet lighter.  And it was sitting in the middle of all their hustle bustle, without a worry in the world. Not exactly a sign of an anxious soul.  Had it finished its morning walk? Or did it plan to do after a tiny bit of breakfast? Did it hope that any of these kind people will feed it?  I as anxious as ever, w...

The weather is hot, suffocating and unbearable with a few drizzles of solace. Well, the weather at least is our own doing. We plundered the resources of earth and still continue to do so. We are, all of us wantonly destroying our planet.  Did the dinosaurs of ancient days, were as arrogant and as ignorant as us? One wonders.  And then there are few rays of hope here and there. Despite a rat burrowing a hole, despite the scorching heat, despite me being a very bad gardener, the jasmine delights us with its heavenly fragrance and ephemeral beauty.                      P.S. Since then, it has rained few days and weather is bearable. But the jasmine does not bloom. May be the rats have dug the roots, or may be it's blooming season is over. Or it might need fertilizer.         

 ಬಹಳಷ್ಟು ದಿನ ಕುಮಾರವ್ಯಾಸ ಭಾರತದ ಈ ಸಾಲುಗಳು ಮನದ ಮೂಲೆಯಿಂದ ಬಂದು ಕಿವಿಯೊಳ ಹೊಕ್ಕು ಏನೋ ಒಂದು ದುಗುಡವನ್ನು ಉಂಟುಮಾಡುತ್ತವೆ. ಕೃಷ್ಣ : ಏನು ಹೇಳೈ ಕರ್ಣ ಚಿತ್ತ ಗ್ಲಾನಿಯಾವುದು ಮನಕೆ ಕುಂತೀ ಸೂನುಗಳ ಬೆಸಕೈಸಿ ಕೊಂಬುದು ಸೇರದೇ ನಿನಗೆ ಹಾನಿಯಿಲ್ಲೆನ್ನಾಣೆ ನುಡಿ ದು ಮ್ಮಾನವೇತಕೆ ಮರುಳುತನ ಬೇ ಡಾನು ನಿನ್ನಪದೆಸೆಯ ಬಯಸುವನಲ್ಲ ಕೇಳೆಂದ (ಉದ್ಯೋಗ ಪರ್ವ, ೧೧ ಸಂಧಿ, ೧೩ ಪದ್ಯ)  ಅದಕ್ಕೆ ಕರ್ಣನ ಉತ್ತರ   ಮರುಳು ಮಾಧವ ಮಹಿಯ ರಾಜ್ಯದ ಸಿರಿಗೆ ಸೋಲುವನಲ್ಲ ಕೌಂತೇ ಯರು ಸುಯೋಧನರೆನಗೆ ಬೆಸಕೈವಲ್ಲಿ ಮನವಿಲ್ಲ. ಹೊರೆದ ದಾತಾರಂಗೆ ಹಗೆಗಳ ಶಿರವನರಿದೊಪ್ಪಸುವೆನೆಂಬೀ ಭರದೊಳಿರ್ದೆನು ಕೌರವೇಂದ್ರನ ಕೊಂದೆ ನೀನೆಂದ    ಎಂತಹ ಸನ್ನಿವೇಶ ಕರ್ಣನಿಗೆ ಅವನ ಜನ್ಮ ರಹಸ್ಯವನ್ನು ಹೇಳಿ ಅವನನ್ನು ಪಾಂಡವರ ಪರ ತಿರಿಗಿಸುವ ಪ್ರಯತ್ನ ಕೃಷ್ಣನದ್ದು. ನೀನು ಕುಂತಿಯ ಜ್ಯೇಷ್ಠ ಪುತ್ರ. ಯುದ್ಧ ಗೆದ್ದ ನಂತರ ನೀನೇ ರಾಜನಾಗುವೆ ಎಂದು ಮರುಳು ಮಾಡಲು ನೋಡುತ್ತಾ ಇದ್ದಾನೆ ಕೃಷ್ಣ.  ಜೊತೆಗೆ ಆನು ನಿನ್ನ ಅಪದಸೆಯ ಬಯಸುವನಲ್ಲ ಎಂಬ ಭರವಸೆ ಬೇರೆ! ಆದರೆ ಕರ್ಣನ ಉತ್ತರ ನೋಡಿ - "ಹೊರೆದ ದಾತಾರ - ಎಲ್ಲರೂ ಸೂತಪುತ್ರ ಎಂದು ಹೀಗಳೆದು ಅವಮಾನಿಸಿದಾಗ, ಸಾಕಿ ಸಲಹಿದ ದುರ್ಯೋಧನನ ಋಣವನ್ನು,  ಅರಿಗಳ - ಶತ್ರುಗಳ ತಲೆ ಕಡಿದೊಪ್ಪಿಸಿ ,  ತೀರಿಸಕೊಳ್ಳುವ ಭರದಲ್ಲಿದ್ದೆ. ಆದರೆ ನೀನು ಅವನನ್ನು ಕೊಂದೆ."

 Having completed ashtavakragita translation (ctrl c and ctrl v from English translation and then using google to translate to kannada), I needed something to write.  I considered Atmabodha but was not feeling it. Then I took up Shivananada Lahari of Shankaracharya. It is a work in praise of Shiva, has 100 verses and is poetic.  As I started working on each verse, I felt they were so familiar. Looked into archive, to check if I already had translated it.  Why were these verses so pleasing to me? (priya) Is it because they have both rhyme and reason - literally. Or is it because I am able to understand the words without much problem? Poetry, songs are pleasant to the ears because of the rhyming words. If they have deep, profound or pleasant meanings, we love them.  Many of Shankaracharya's works have both rhyme and reason. So love them - if not as a religious prayers, as  wonderful works of Literature. This concept I am copying from Nehru. He opines that Ve...