A Song of Nature

Rhythm in the sway of trees,
Humming of birds, splashing of water,
Wafting of the wind; Oh! My god of light,
What a welcome she accords you, for making her look bright.

The white of your light shows as
Green in trees, blue in sky;
Red, yellow, purple and pink
Myriad are they on the petals of flowers.

Flutter of wings, chirping birds
In the backdrop of an ocean filled with life
Accompanied by such percussion filled with melody,
Oh! Mother Nature, how well you sing the song of life in all its glory.

Thirumal Rao R

Sojourn

In the galaxy of beings, lived an old haggard
Revisiting his vivacious youth, reclined in his backyard.
Basking in the glory of his past, strengthened his weak nerves,
Reminding him of his long lost verves.

Had arrived with shine and shimmer
On a sunny day of a bright summer.
The first outburst of his shrill cry,
gave near and dear, plenary of joy.

Sun rose in the east and set in the west,
Never did it ask for a day of rest.
Joys of childhood just passed by,
The boy was now a little coy.

Grey had peeped out of his dear mom's head
before he knew how to earn his bread.
The newly budding youth filled with vigor
Realized success in life depends on rigor.

Lust and love appeared limpid in his life
Made him crave for a beautiful wife.
Ensconced in his illusory pleasure
Lead his life in quite good measure

Vigor and rigor was nowhere in his near
Swelled from his eyes, rolled a drop of tear.
A gracious smile did his face adorn
Knowing well, it is the last in this sojourn.

In Praise of Mediocrity

Majority has always taken precedence in the topmost policy making body all over the world. It means to say that the larger mass and their opinion in general should be respected. Majority is the single most deciding factor to elect the ruling class in almost all parts of the world barring few exceptions. The root of democracy is a belief that millions of people cannot be wrong over a single issue at a single time. Complete belief in the working of human’s mind is the reason behind proclamation of democracy as the noblest approach to decide the people’s mandate. Belonging to the world’s largest democracy, I was always taught that democracy is the noblest way that can be adopted to form a fair governing body. Having been brought up in this environment, my mind has always given utmost respect to the opinion formed by majority or public in general.

Communism, Socialism, Democracy, fascism and many others have a common factor. Does it strike the mind? Yes. They are all relevant only in a collective set up. Democracy doesn’t make any sense to an individual as such. So do the others. But the men who propounded such concepts were heralded as geniuses. They were considered to be living on a higher pedestal from the rest of us. But if we analyze this scenario rationally, we can observe a strange phenomenon. These concepts were meant for the mass. But the fathers of such concepts were individuals. So, if the relevancy of these concepts relies on the collective obedience, then why is it that the very founders are exempted from it?
It is in the background of the mediocre that the abnormal get extra credit. A flower looks more beautiful in a green background. Candle light looks elegant in the dark room only because of its contrasting back ground. Similarly, any deviation from the collective thinking will get credit only because such an individual will stand out of the crowd. The background being mediocrity, the individual gets the limelight. Just imagine that there were no people leading normal lives and possessing normal intelligence just enough to live. Imagine a society filled with Newtons and Einsteins and Ramanujans and Gandhi s. Would they achieve what they have achieved whilst being amongst the mediocre? To whom would Gandhi preach non violence? Who would have applied Newton’s laws in daily lives to reduce their efforts? Who would benefit from such profound truths? But the irony is all these great personalities contributed more to the benefit of mankind as a whole, rather to benefit the Common Man or the mediocre. Gandhi vowed his life for his people, Nelson Mandela followed him. Einstein feared misuse of nuclear energy for destruction and played a pivotal role in nuclear non proliferation treaty. All such great people were directly or indirectly concerned about the mass or the commoners. But would they be inspired to do so if everyone amongst them were pursuing truth and science. Well, it’s a hypothetical situation and I cannot even imagine what would have happened in such a situation. Ironically, there is a strange mutual admiration between the elite few and the mediocre. The elite vow their life to the benefit of a society filled with mediocres and these mediocres almost worship such people for what they are.
The biggest epics and the holiest texts addresses to a common man. It is not for the intellectuals who think that their accepting or following the gospels is derogatory to their ability to think. Gita teaches us how to lead a normal life, Bible and Quran is no exception. Deeds were considered noble only if they had a positive impact on the society at large.

Coming to the concept of common man. Who is a common man? Who is a mediocre? What constitutes a mediocre? What separates the so called genius from the mediocre?
Too many questions to ponder. Some should be pondered and others should be left to wonder. The brain of a human being is a product evolved over a period of billions of years polished by time and nurtured by nature. So, all humans almost have a similar brain biologically with a few variations based on the genetics of the individual’s ancestral race.
The ability to think is a common factor to all living beings with a brain as present in humans.
With such a level ground, how is it that some are considered special and separated from the crowd? Isn’t it ironical that all these so called special people worked and spent all their lives for the improvement of these very collection of people.
Let us take an analogy. All of us have almost the same life span. So, how is it possible for some to achieve more than others? I do agree that we can achieve something BIG only if we compromise on other mundane stuff like leading a life normally. But, if we take the holistic view of the total tasks carried out by man in his/her lifetime cumulatively, disregarding the repetition of the task, then we end up with almost the same number for every one of us. The only difference would be that few would skip some tasks to pursue a task of their choice which gives them joy and a strange feeling of accomplishment which is a mirage in whose influence many have lived a life of ignorance. Doesn’t this imply that mankind has only one kind of species and they all are equal?
I would say the world has only mediocres. Some pursue studies and forsake other mundane tasks, others live their life like they are supposed to. I feel it is this kind of people to whom we should be grateful if mankind is still surviving.
Newton, of course propounded wonderful mind boggling theories. He taught us that the force causing the fall of apple on our head and the force keeping the moon from falling on earth is the same. Its undoubtedly an insightful discovery and we give him due credit for letting us know the truth. But he remained a virgin till his death. Now, can the world afford a society of Newtons? Just a food for thought, in such a situation, who is more important for survival of mankind? Newton or a bunch of commoners who lived their lives as nature taught them to. I would like to contend that nature likes diversity and hence it has made small differences in us. It could be good or bad. Its based on our perception. But such a diversity should be accepted and glorification is uncalled for.

I strongly feel that no event that has occurred so far is as significant as we deem it to be. Also, no accomplishment by mankind has ever been so important as to be a saviour of mankind. Man is just another species evolved from more primordial forms. Evolution is a process where neither its origin nor its end is known. I do not know if it is a limitation of human mind or the eternal truth. But empirically we can understand and deduce that evolution is still active and human is still evolving. So, there comes a day when the entire species of mankind might get extinct or evolve further into a different species. Inspite of being cognitive of such a truth, we tend to place a few on a higher pedestal in the name of recognition and appreciation. But all this looks so trivial and immature. Of what importance is our laws if we are not capable to change the way our universe works? How does it matter whether stars are made of hydrogen or helium when we cannot change its composition? Who cares what is Newton’s law if we perish due to a catastrophe akin to dinosaurs?
The very concept that man has a purpose in his life is a pretext to develop the brain. The more we tend to look for purpose, the more we exercise our brain and the better it gets over time owing to the theory of evolution.
In short, we are just aiding ourselves to improve our brains and thus the ability to think.
In reality, there is no purpose in life, but to live. Since we have the brain and it needs a function to do, we think.
What different can the purpose of life be for humans from other species? Man is after all made of the same elementary particles of matter as a log of wood. Atleast let us not accuse nature of favoritism for a particular species.

If I made any of you think, then thank me if your posterity is born with a higher IQ.
But let me confess, the maximum impact of this article is on me, it has definitely increased the entropy of my mind.


To be yourself requires extraordinary intelligence. You are blessed with that intelligence; nobody need give it to you; nobody can take it away from you. He who lets that express itself in its own way is a 'Natural Man'.

- UG Krishnamurthy


Thirumal Rao R

EGO and the SELF

“One may understand the cosmos, but never the ego.” -- Anonymous

Ego has remained as the biggest enigma of mankind. None can fathom the origin of ego or the end of it if any. The funniest part is everyone is aware that it exists in everyone and also it could be detrimental to the elevation of mankind. Ego is one of the few mysteries which have attracted attention of many mighty brains of all times. Before hunting its origin or contemplating its effects, we should first understand what is EGO. A zillion dollar question or even more. Comically, it can be regarded as a mistress of the internal moral judge called conscience.

Ego is to date predominantly understood as a reverence for individuality. The respect and regard we like to give to our selves. But it is not the reverence for individuality, but the feeling of importance attached to the individualism to an extent till its masks the need of logic or reason behind any thought. The bitter irony is once we start respecting our egotistic mind, we tend to respect its decision. Once we tend to respect the decision of our mind, then it blinds our contemplative eye and we start believing that we are right. We tend to ignore the logic behind the decision or choice. This is nothing but akin to blind belief. It is like a black hole. Once enough mass is accumulated, then it shrinks on its own gravity. When we dare to condemn the concept of blind belief socially, I wonder how do we keep ourselves mum when it comes to condemnation of blind beliefs of our own mind. Human mind has always been irrational. Mind should be given utmost importance. The logic or the thought behind the choice of action should be of paramount importance. The body which houses the brain which could be causation for any noble thought or deed is just a mere coincidence. It in no way has a right over the idea or thought or its implications. It is important to note that the individual’s brain which gave birth to a noble thought would also be the mother of other detrimental thoughts. So here the thought is more important than its cause. The effect of thought is purely a function of the nobility and relevance of thought, and completely independent of its causator.

The concept of selflessness was revered by most of the well known thinkers of all eras. Albeit the bitterness in the truth exists, it is the Absolute truth and will cease to change whatsoever the circumstances or situations be created by lesser mortals. As most of us agree that truth is the only energy that prevails, the very prevalence of this truth even after being despised by many big and materially powerful die-hard egotists testifies the words itself. The ill effects of ego are innumerable. It is interesting and devastating to know that ego manifests in various myriad forms. Pride, malice, avarice, spite are some of the various other possible forms of its manifestations. It is like a fatal virus which eats away all the naivety present in the mind during our infancy. Society carries out its duty to infest this virus into every mind with a priest like precision. Despising the convention and reasoning out every action of ours at the same time testifying the nobility of each action is the only way to rid ourselves from such a fatal attack.

We have a rich history wherein the great sages and all the great thinkers of that time made “Self Realisation” or the “Enlightenment” or the “BrahmaGyan” as their goal and the singular purpose of their life. Renunciation is nothing but renunciation of the self or the feeling of ‘I’, realization is nothing but the realization of our ignorance, BrahmaGyan is the gyan that is selfless and the knowledge of the omniscient. The first step towards these is to realize the ill effects of our ego. The second being the conscious decision to forego this monstrous evil and the rest is self revealing.

To understand the harmful impact of ego, it will become easier if we try to emphasize the joy of the egoless mind. A man devoid of ego is a man in a blissful state. It can be easily deduced. When ‘I’ don’t exist, then we think as ‘we’. When I cease to exist, then everyone starts to think for the benefit of others. Overall, it becomes a collective thought wherein every thought or action will intend towards the benefit and the upheaval of our mankind. When we participate in such events, our benevolence brings joy to us. We tend to float in the state of ecstatic joy where in individuals lose all significance, still enjoy the fruits of collective benevolence. All conflicts which are in the status of likelihood will even cease to remain as a possibility. It’ll be a total annihilation of the very root of ego. Once this is achieved, then the state will be in the self sustenance mode.
The presence of ego as it is now, will devoid us of all the pleasure of collective benevolence.

It is only possible when man begins to think beyond the mundane, when he gradually realizes that the excessive regard for self or the ego is a trap laid by ourselves which was further encouraged by the largely ignorant society. It is a challenge to swim against such a high tide and reach the shore of selflessness and bliss. But if we hesitate to make an attempt the possibility to reach will remain zero. A ship is always safe in the harbour, but it is not built for that.

“Only a life lived for others is a life worthwhile.” --Albert Einstein

THIRUMAL RAO

FAITH

New born child cries as soon it is born
Afraid of the wordly scorn.
It chuckles when it sees the mother
As it knows there is no need to bother.
No more do they share umbilical cord
But they feel bound by a magical word.

Man concedes all to his wife
Even at the cost of his own life
Reason behind this is what I strive
to unravel while I'm still alive.
Logic needs to scutter
While I stand to Utter.

Mountains and moors have no remorse
for the difference in their course.
I stand and wonder at their peaceful gaiety
and try to fathom who's their deity?
All I gather from my wonder
is its the same which works from under.

Farmers sow their seeds on the earth
Hoping to fill in all their dearth.
I wonder at their decision to sow
as I fail to comprehend what they know.
Once I got it, I'm ever so astonished
that all my fears are forever perished

I now stand to face thine
To accept the decree of divine.
I shout for all to hear
that Faith will remove all our fear.
As I realised the power of faith
My mind became free of myth.

The child was bound by faith and love
Man and wife lived with trust filled trove
Mountains and moors had faith in Lord
as the Farmers who trusted in god
Faith and love, trust and belief
Will always give you lot of relief.


THIRUMAL RAO R

Ignorance

Ambrosial meals, elysian nights,
With calisthenic thoughts and euphoria all around.
My life went by without any brights
like An idle mind on a hazy ground.

Time had passed by, right under my nose
in presence of my ignorance through the course.
Seems like aeons since i had a cerebration,
And I long for it with adjuration.

Genesis of thought is still unknown
Fuelling the desire to make it known.
The glittering stars foster hope in my mind,
that a dawn will herald light on human mind.

Abhorring hedonism was merely not a dauntless act,
preached my mind when I had to face the fact.
Garbled thoughts garnered in mind,
never left me free even to unwind.

Failure to find an intention to my fate
Found respite in the haven of altruistic slate.
While Creeping on the beach smoothing a sandstone,
Dawn came upon and my ego brightly shone.

Thirumal Rao R

Agony and Human Mind

‘Mera jeevan, kora kaagaz kora hi rahe gaya…..’ Very captivating? Enchanting? Of course. But what makes it golden song even decades after it was composed. Music? I do agree the music was fantastic, but was it just the score of music which has enthralled millions for decades? What does it have that makes millions to relate them with the song?
Isn’t it the agony the lyrics depict which binds us?
Merry making and gaiety seem to attract us, but it is very short lived. Shakespeare’s tragedy is still more famous than his comical plays. Isn’t it ironical that man has always wanted success, wanted to be happy, but has glorified sorrow, sacrifice, agony. If we observe, a soothing music depicting an ironical life with a pinch of sorrow will always capture our attention regardless of taste for music.
But the question is, why does man relate well to agony than gaiety, despite the fact that every endeavor undertaken by man is to make himself happy?

History is evident that agony and grief has churned great minds. Tagore became impregnable with the number of bereavements he faced in his life. Madam Curie became addicted to her work when she lost her parents and sister in a small period of time. Einstein too has confessed to have been a victim of insecurity, not belonging to any country or state. His famous statement “I am by heritage a Jew, by citizenship a Swiss, and by makeup a human being, and only a human being, without any special attachment to any state or national entity whatsoever.” reinforces his opinion and the mindset.

Having made the above observation, let us try to objectively dissect the meaning of agony and its root cause.
Dictionary says agony is a state of acute pain. But what is pain? It can be described as a somatic sensation of acute discomfort. It is a human tendency to constantly make himself comfortable. Comfort level increases with every new invention/discovery of man which aides in reducing his effort and achieving his motive. But human mind is irrational, comfort is a very subjective word defined by every individual according to his/her culture of mind.

Ideally speaking, every man is supposed to have a goal in his life so that his energy and effort is channelised towards a constructive and a noble cause aimed at the upliftment of mankind. But it is possible to achieve such a goal when his/her personal interests are in coherence with the noble cause. Friction between interests will just lead to unwanted energy loss. So it is important to formulate a goal for our life which is noble at the same time is in sync with our interests and bent of mind. Any successful man’s life can be traced back to a date when he would have his goal visualized with utmost clarity.
Now the goal is set, in other words the destination is known. So, the journey starts now. Even a 1000 mile journey starts with a single step.
But like the human body, human mind also tends towards complacency unless there is a constant motive power to push it forward. Though a clear goal acts as an engine, a tinge of discomfort will add as a fuel. Lamp emits light only when a wick tolerates the discomfort of heat. It is a universal fact that extended periods of relaxation or very low disturbances leads to stiffness in both physical and mental domains. And we also know that universe is dynamic and it is a characteristic property of the universe. Since we are an integral part of the same universe, it should be our characteristic property as well. Hence, by nature man should be dynamic, if he needs to be in harmony with nature. Normally what discomfort does is, it tends to disturb the complacent mind and gets it ticking. It alerts the mind and constantly reminds us of our destination. It will help us concentrate more and put more efforts in the right direction. The only requirement from our side is to keep our eyes wide open. Ironically, majority of us will shut our eyes and wait for miracles. This is the reason why we had only one Einstein, one Tagore , one Subhash Chandra Bose, One Gandhi, and one Madam Curie, inspite of millions of people who had the potential and also faced similar situations as they did. These great souls had just one thing in common. They believed that ‘The only real prison is fear and the only real freedom is freedom from fear’.

Agony is in fact the wick which burns itself and lights the dark. It is an opportunity to testify individual’s endurance and stretch beyond what we had previously thought possible. Agony is the fuel which burns to push the vehicle of thought in the direction of our goal. Discomfort is a state of mind which we have developed over ages due to the incessant feeding to our brain on what we consider as comfort. Pain will never go in vain. It will always help us gain! Now, what we have gained is for us to introspect.
So, people who value their journey more than their destination relates more to agony
as that is the state of mind they would be for most of their life.
Agony becomes more lovable to those who experience exhilaration instead of exhaustion.
“Man is an animal like other animals, wants food and success and women, not truth. Only if the mind Tortured by some interior tension has despaired of happiness: then it hates its life-cage and seeks further, and finds, if it is powerful enough. But instantly the private agony that made the search muddles the finding. Then search for truth is foredoomed and frustrate? Only stained fragments? Until the mind has turned its love from itself and man, from parts to the whole.”
– Robinson Jeffer


Thirumal Rao R