Saddest Vishu of my life!

Happy Vishu to all Malayalis. This year's Vishu has been the saddest one ever. Not kidding! I woke up feeling yellow, with a terrible neck sprain that still hurts like crazy. My sister joked about it saying that I probably look like actor 'Cochin Haneefa' in the funny roles that he used to when he had to show a neck sprain! Yeah, right. Well, there was just no Vishu celebration at all and we had also lost elderly members of the family, which means that we are in mourning.

[Image: Pixabay]

Then came the news update that the lock down has been extended to May!

Tough, right?

While all of us understand and respect the gravity of the deadly pandemic, I can tell you honestly that this year's Vishu festival has been the saddest one ever. It is painfully sad that everyone across the world is struggling so hard to save lives and the uncertainty all around is quite overwhelming.

This lockdown has established the Vedic teaching of 'Vasudaiva Kutumbakam'.

We are all interconnected beings. Now we are witnessing the reality of it.

What happened in Wuhan can now affect every village and city across the world.

Maybe you could even call this situation a 'life-altering' experience of sorts.

There is no other way to describe this almost unreal phase that we are navigating right now.

Living with uncertainty has shown me the impermanence of the world we inhabit and the fragility of relationships.

Somewhere along the way, we forgot the purpose of our existence.

We raced ahead only to find that so many things that we had raced for had no real meaning.

So many things, so many people and so many initiatives that were the result of weeks and months and maybe decades of sincere and consistent hard work may have just gone for a toss right now.

Then what happened?

Did your life come to an end?

Did you lose a grip over your existence itself?

Nothing happened. Then, aren't you the lucky one, huh?

Now all of us are forced to confront the Truth.

We come with NOTHING and we go with NOTHING.

The Coronavirus pandemic has shown us that we are NOTHING but interconnected beings.

That the world can move perfectly without any of the activities that we believe makes it go round.

Nothing matters. This mad rush we believe is essential to our existence amounts to....NOTHING.

But our egos, our inflated sense of "I" is kicking in and not letting us accept this with grace.

This Vishu is the saddest one ever. But this has also been the most profound one.

After all, Vishu is not just a festival, it is a gentle reminder that our source of joyous abundance comes from within us - the indweller of the Heart - Lord Krishna Himself.

With all my heart, I hope and pray that your Vishu was happier and better.

Let me know in the comments below, alright?

Comments

Most LOVED Posts

The Ugly Truth about Caste in Kerala

Many years ago, when I wrote this post on Kerala's caste system, I had not considered that people would start sending in abusive comments about one caste over the other. It baffles me that this is how Indians, all of us, continue to judge each other on account of caste differences. [ READ: Guru Kripa: Powerful Lessons at the Lotus Feet ] My question is - why do you ABUSE any caste or community? I suggest that you read about the lives of great Masters and their stories - none of them judged anyone on the basis of caste. You can read the life stories of Sri Adi Shankara Bhagawadpada, Tulsidas, Jnaneshwar, Namadev, Sri Aurobindo, Sri Ramakrishna, Swami Paramahansa Yogananda, Shirdi Sai Baba, and many more Gurus in Sanathana Dharma. NONE of them endorse these caste hierarchies in Bhakti Marga. Assuming that Guru Sampradaya does not appeal to your sensibilities, do read this new book 'Ants among Elephants' written by Sujatha Gidla, who writes about herself as being bor...

Best time to light diya

Want to know when is the best time to light diya or deepam at home? In most Hindu homes, 'deepam' or 'diya' is lit at least twice - once in the morning and then in the evening. For both times, brass is considered to be auspicious for lighting deepam or lamp at home. Clay diyas are also considered auspicious for lighting at home. When lighting diyas on Fridays, it is better to use ghee than oil, if possible. [ Connect with Svara on Facebook ] [Read: Vidyarambham - The Labyrinth Within] When Should I Start Lighting Diyas? The symbolic shift begins from darkess to light. Therefore, in the evenings, light diya before sunset to usher in divine blessings into your home. At what time should we light diya today? Every morning at sunrise and every evening before or at sunset. An ideal time would be to light the diya at least half an hour before sunset. Can we light diya after 12 PM? In Hindu homes, the diya is lit early morning at around sunrise and towards evening sunset. Can ...

Gayatri Mantra as Panchamukhi: Get it right or let it go

Most people do not understand the importance of chanting the Gayatri mantra because they are not aware of its power. It is only when I began to read Bhagawan Sri Sathya Sai Baba's teachings that I learned how sacred and powerful the chanting of the Gayatri mantra is. [Subscribe to my weekly newsletter now] The Vedas represent the breath of God. The Gayatri mantra is the very basis of the Vedas. Try not to undertake chanting the Gayatri mantra as a light endeavor or as a hobby. It has to be chanted with faith, discipline and purity of mind and body. Be steady with your sadhana if you want to reap the spiritual dividend associated with the Gayatri mantra and never once hesitate once you decide to do it. Bhagawan Sri Sathya Sai Baba said that the Gayatri Mantra is referred to as Pancha Mukhi, the Goddess with five faces that represent the five pranas or life forces. Here's more on it. . Also read: The Power of OM and Dark Night of the Sou...

Mumbai Police Movie Review: Prithviraj breaks the typical 'hero' mold, challenges sexual stereotyping

Exploring a completely different dimension in his latest film Mumbai Police , Director Rosshan Anddrews delivers a fast-paced, thriller film after his award winning fims such as Udayananu Tharam, Notebook and others. To flesh out the script written by Boby Sanjay, Rosshan Anddrews ropes in actors such as Prithviraj, Rahman and Jayasurya to portray three police officers: Antony Moses, Farhan and Aryan respectively. The story begins with a phone call that Antony Moses (starring Prithviraj) makes to Farhan (starring Rahman) saying that he has solved the murder mystery of Aryan (starring Jayasurya). Just as he says this, there is an accident and Antony Moses loses his memory. From then, Farhan's attempt is to take Antony through people and places that are likely to trigger his memory so that they can solve the murder of their close friend and colleague Aryan. A series of events happen, almost hurtling us towards it. And I am taking the liberty to hand out troph...

How do you light Deepam at home?

How do you light deepam at home? As a child, I loved watching the ritual of my grandmother lighting the deepam or the traditional lamp at home in the evenings. A sense of serenity accompanied her frail figure as she would carefully straighten every wick, dip it into the tiny puddle of oil and light the lamp. [ Let's Connect on Facebook ] As my grandmother would read out the scriptures and chant the prayers, the fragrance of incense sticks and flowers added depth to the experience. In many Hindu homes nowadays, the lighting of the lamp (or the nilavilakku, as Malayalis refer to the traditional lamp in their homes) is not a regular practice. A lot of people have many questions around how to light deepam at home and which oil to use and so on. An important point to keep in mind - Maintain physical cleanliness and hygiene while lighting the lamp. Wear clean clothes while lighting the lamp. The most essential factor is unwavering focus and concentration when you light the lamp every eve...

Petals!

Search This Blog