Of Their Needs and Our Wants and Akshaya Tritiya

In school, we had a lesson on the short story by the world-famous Russian author, Leo Tolstoy. The story was called “How Much Land Does a Man Need?” Many of you may have studied this, too. If not, you can read the entire story here. (Link to story)

Here’s the gist of the story. A farmer Pahom goes to the land of the Bashkirs who have a startling offer – by paying 1000 rubles, he can begin walking at sunrise and cover as much area as he wants, and it will all be his, provided he returns to the starting point by sunset the same day.

The delighted Pahom starts off and in his greed to cover a huge area, doesn’t realize how the time is running. Exhausted and on the verge of losing his breath, he somehow manages to drag himself back to the starting point even as the sun sets. The Bashkirs cheer at his feat, but Pahom drops dead, and is buried in a grave that measures a mere six feet – that’s all the land he finally needed!

That story gives us a window into the difference between a want and a need. In the good (?) old days, people slogged all their life to meet their needs, rarely having the resources to fulfill their wants. Yet, life was relatively more peaceful. 

In today’s times, people have grown more prosperous and we find that the line between “want” and “need” is growing more and more blurred by the day. No wonder then that peace has flown out the window.

We are bombarded constantly by stimuli that drive us to consume, without any pause, to contemplate over what it is that we are consuming, and whether it is something we truly need. “I buy, therefore, I am,” has become our mantra. Consumption is good for business; and business drives the economy and of course the economy has to be on the up and up.

During this lockdown, when access to goods has been forcibly curtailed, many people have begun re-discovering that they can actually make do with very little. And this realization has led them to ask a pertinent question, which this image so eloquently asks.

The English novelist Matt Haig has an answer to this question.  Read and contemplate over the connection he points out between the economy and happiness.

Today is Akshaya Tritiya - an auspicious day. The word ‘Akshaya’ means ‘that which does not diminish or end’. Unfortunately, the significance of this day has been hijacked by a segment that is believed to be a major ‘driver’ of the same ‘economy’ that we’ve been discussing.

In the cacophony created by these drivers, we have forgotten that Akshaya Tritiya is a day meant to be spent on performing rituals for the ancestors, and in doing ‘daan’ or donation and charity. People now pride themselves on their ability to while away this day in hoarding wealth in the form of gold. 

If you wish to celebrate Akshaya Tritiya in the real sense, especially in these times which are difficult for so many who are less-blessed than you, here are a few genuine causes to which you can donate any amount of your choice.

1. Indic Collective is providing monetary help to the needy persons who are part of the temple ecosystem – the flower sellers, the musical instrument performers, the servitors, and the temple priests - and whose livelihoods have been disrupted by the lockdown

Donate here: https://www.indiccollective.org/temple-support-covid-fundraiser/

2. Youth for Seva is serving food (Annadaana Seva) to the needy who are unable to earn their livelihood due to the lockdown.

Donate here: https://www.youthforseva.org/COVID-19-Annadana-Seva

3. As announced by the PM of our country, the PMCARES fund is dedicated to providing quality treatment and for research on ways to beat COVID-19

Donate here: https://www.pmcares.gov.in/en/

I've always heard my elders say that on the day of Akshaya Tritiya, one must do things that one wishes to have/keep doing in plenty for the rest of the year. So, now you know why I've written this blog today! 😄😄

Overcome the Hanuman complex!

We all know that in the Ramayana, it was the mighty Hanuman who jumped across the ocean, reached Lanka, and located Sita who had been captured by Ravana. What is less commonly known is the part that went before he took that great leap.

Seeing the huge, unending ocean, all the vaanaras felt dejected. Not a single one thought himself capable of the energy to cross it and come back.

Then, the eldest of the party, a bear called Jambavan, turned to Hanuman and asked, “You too feel you’re incapable of this feat, Hanuman? You have amazing powers; you’re Pavan Putra - the son of the Wind God – but you’ve forgotten these powers. Now is the time to remember and make use of them!”

Saying so, Jambavan narrated the story of Hanuman’s birth and childhood prowess.

Anjana was an apsara, who, through a curse, had become a monkey maiden. She was married to the monkey King Kesari. When Raja Dasharatha had performed the putrakameshti yagna for begetting children, as per Lord Shiva’s instruction, a portion of the payasam was carried by Vayu (the Wind God, also called Pavan) and delivered to Anjana. After consuming the sweet, in due course, Anjana gave birth to a son who was courageous, strong, intelligent, and also extremely naughty.

When still a child, Anjaneya (the son of Anjana) flew high into the sky, intending to eat up the Sun which looked like a ripe fruit. Afraid of what would happen, Indra hurled his thunderbolt at the child, breaking his jaw – giving him the name Hanuman.

Vayu was angry at how his son had been treated, and stopped the winds from blowing over the world; life came to a stop. Indra apologized. He and the other deities all came to bless the child Hanuman with many boons that made him even more powerful.

Armed with these special powers, Hanuman’s antics increased. He would play pranks on innocent persons but one day he went too far and a meditating rishi was his target. Angered by this mischievous behaviour, the rishi cursed Hanuman, saying he would lose all his special powers including the power of flying huge distances.

Aghast, Hanuman and his mother Anjana prayed for the rishi’s forgiveness. He relented, and proclaimed that Hanuman would not lose his powers, but would lose his knowledge of his own powers; at the time when they were desperately needed, he would be reminded of them by some wise person.

Now, on the ocean shore, Jambavan gave the timely reminder to Hanuman. Assuming a gigantic size, he flew to Lanka and the rest….is the remaining part of the Ramayana. 

Pic courtesy: Quora

One of India’s famous psychiatrists, Dr. N. N. Wig, dubbed this lack of knowing one’s true potential as the “Hanuman Complex.” 

He would encourage the patients who came to him, by explaining how, like Hanuman, they are inherently capable of overcoming the problems they face; only thing is that their illness has temporarily made them feel weak, so they have forgotten their own capability. In other words, the power to change their lives rests within themselves; all they need to do is re-discover this power and make the necessary efforts to change.

I first heard of Dr Wig in the year 2011 when I was writing an article about 10 famous doctors of India. This idea stayed with me ever since, and I realized that it applies to not just patients, but to most common people.

During all these years of teaching youngsters, I have made use of Dr. Wig’s “Hanuman complex” and indeed, found that it works miracles for their self-esteem and confidence.

Today, as I watched this awakening of Hanuman happen in the Ramayana serial on TV, I had the impulse to write this post. And some parts of our country are celebrating Hanuman Jayanti today, so what better occasion for this post?

I’m definitely not as wise as him, but I’m trying to be a Jambavan to all of you reading this.

“You are capable of great things! Awake and realize your true potential! Grow and do good to yourself, and to the whole world!”

To read Dr. Wig's article, click here   https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2912672/pdf/IJPsy-46-25.pdf

Lockdown TV-inspired Gyaan!

Since the past week, I’ve been doing something I do very rarely – watching TV. No points for guessing what are the programs that have caught my attention!

The last time Ramayana and Mahabharata played on TV, I was just stepping into my teens. Thanks to my mother’s narration, and my own reading of Amar Chitra Katha comics, I already knew stories from these epics. So the appeal of the serials, then, was in watching the action actually unfold on the screen.

When DD started airing these serials again during this pandemic-induced lockdown, I was moved to watch them purely by a sense of nostalgia. But as the episodes air day after day, I realize that they’re giving me insights like never before.

I first realized this during one of the Mahabharata episodes.

Satyavati’s father negotiates with Raja Shantanu and later, with his son Devavrata, asking for his word that only Satyavati’s children would ascend to the throne of Hastinapur. 

Then came an episode from the Ramayana.

The ill-advised Rani Kaikeyi misuses her 2 boons due from Raja Dasharatha to reserve the throne of Ayodhya for her son Bharat and to banish Rama to the forest for 14 years.

Just yesterday was the episode where Ravana, hearing of Seeta’s beauty, dismisses words of wisdom from his well-wishers and hatches a plot to carry her away.

As I ponder over these three events, it strikes me that in each case, the protagonists thought they had everything figured out to achieve their selfish motives. Theirs was a perfect and fool-proof plan. But life went ahead and struck them the most unexpected of blows.

The persons who were at the receiving ends of these protagonists were caught unawares. Devavrata didn’t have any ‘plan’ to commit to brahmacharya; Rama didn’t dream of being banished by his dear ones; Seeta had no clue that she would be kidnapped and placed on a faraway, inaccessible island.

None of these persons expected such terrible situations to be thrust upon them and yet, they were able to recover. I’ve been wondering, ‘What was that special quality that helped them cope?’

· Was it their ability to truly live in the present moment, not hanging on to their idea of how things must be?

· Was it their willingness to adapt to the rapid change in their circumstances, with alacrity, never blaming others even for their obviously unfair behaviour?

· Was it their preparedness to face any personal discomfort that came their way, without EVER compromising on what was their dharma at that point in time?

Perhaps it was all of these, and some other factors I haven’t yet understood. But these are enough for me for now. I realize that trying to adopt these 3 qualities alone is going to keep me busy for quite some time to come.

In these unpredictable times we are living through, there is bound to be some sense of anxiety for what the immediate future holds. We are so used to planning for things, and having things (mostly) going as per our plans, that we feel lost in the face of uncertainty like this.

• Can we learn a lesson from what this blog post has talked about, and focus on taking life just one day at a time; maybe even one moment at a time?

• Can we look upon this period as one to cultivate a sense of surrender to the wish of the Universe/Nature/God – whatever you choose to call it?

• Can we start trying to go deeper within our own selves, and use this time to introspect and grow?

When you light a lamp tonight at 9 pm and sit for 9 minutes in quiet contemplation, please remember to feel grateful for all the things you’re blessed with. And send out a prayer for the world to be protected and healed. And for yourself, ask that come what may, you should be guided to always tread and never stray from the path of Dharma!