Nellai Suresh puts in black and white

There is a general feeling that scriptures are for old age, especially those which teach philosophy. At the best, we recite them daily, weekly or monthly or in some special months. We proudly claim that we have finished one round of Ramayana within 3 weeks or so. We arrange the recital in a single day (called Akhand Path). Instead, if we follow or even attempt to follow 1% of what is said and increase it by 1% periodically, the world would be a better place. Bhagavadgita is one such scriptures which suffers this. If only one chooses to glimpse into it and see what is said, one will understand that it is for day-to-day living. I was fortunate to attend to Swami Chinmayananda's and Swami Parthasarathi's Geetha Gnana Yagnas from 1988. The principles I started learning then are guiding me for more than 2 decades and I am happier than I was. More than anything else, I realised that happiness is controlled by me, it does not come from outside. If only I choose to be happy, I will be. There are many treatises on Gita and I am not attempting one. I would like to share my experiences with the great scripture. In fact, it is the essence of all Vedas and Upanishads and one one need not swim through the latter if time is a factor. I divide it into the following parts:

1. The problems we face in life as exponentiated by the despondency of Arjuna and his various questions during the chat

2. The symptoms Krishna gives to identify the state we are in and the progress we make

3. The solution and the technique he gives to implement it.

For instance, Arjuna expresses his mind's wanderings like a cloud and his inability to fix it on one object. We face it everyday. Let us sit, close our eyes and start meditating. One would be amazed at the train of thoughts that passes through the mind all except the object of medicine. Every now and then, we have to bring back our mind to the meditation. But Krishna gives simple techniques to concentrate.

His assertions are simply exquisite. He tells Arjuna that the latter is just an instrument and Krishna has already killed all the warriors in front of them.

Another beautiful truth he narrates is when he says that one can be uplifted only by one's self and can be retained at the elevated position only by one's self. Self is the friend and foe of one.

Gita should be understood and relished and then should be adopted in life. No amount of chanting is going to help a bit.

Indian systems and ways of living are exquisite. This celebration of Sathabhishekam is one. Lord Vishnu says that among the 6 types of people who are close to him, these Sahasra Chandra Darshis ( those who have seen 1000 new /full moons). It is a privilege for the elders and their children. My father is fortunate to have 4 children who are a closely knit group. All of us joined together to celebrate this Sathabhishekam on 13th May. It was grand. Many relatives and friends joined us in paying our respects to the parents. We will relish it for a few more years and the parents for their entire life time.

Good that BJP is making an entry into the South through Karnataka. At least Congress will now wake up. The best corollary of this was that Deve Gowda was decimated. He is a misfortune to Indian politics like Raj Narain and V P Singh. Such people should never have been encouraged. They are the perpetrators of the divisions in the society like the British and Brahmins did earlier.

A surpise. BJP has lost heavily in coastal Karnataka which is considered to be an RSS stronghold.

A concern. Now that Yeddiyurappa is becoming the CM, what will be his stand on Hogenekkal project? He was the prime culprit for the disturbances that killed a few lives in Karnataka.

Yes, the government and bureaucracy here work though a wee bit late. I have been complaining at all possible forums for the road condition of my street. Probably, I have been doing this for the past 4 years. Now there is light at the end of the tunnel. The road before my apartments is being dug and a new road is being laid. Now my colony floor will be above the road level and so water will not flow inside during rains.

Can I claim credit? Yes, I can, because the contractor openly says that there were complaints from this apartment and so it is being done. And mark it, this is unique because even now other roads are not relaid this way. It is time that residents of each road should start objecting like we did.