It is indeed surprising and incomprehensible how four years have gone by in the wink of an eye.. I still vividly remember that crisp afternoon in August when I set foot in this country that I have grown to love. So many seasons, so many memories. Time goes by slowly as the minutes slip past and gallops through the days and weeks.
It has been an interesting few months, with weekends bringing new news and headlines, lots of joy and cheer and a few very sobering moments as well. Through all of it, i feel a renewed sense of faith, a sense of hope and love in the world that surrounds me, the people i know and the forces that i believe in. Human life thrives on hope, and it is the same hope I live by as well.
I have been listening to Bhaja Govindam, one of my favorite religious songs of all time composed by Adi Shankara and sung by M.Subbulakshmi. I do not know if it is her divine voice or the touching meaning of the song, which almost anybody can relate to, but it always calms me and gives me inner peace.
Some of the profoundly deep things that the song suggests are truly beyond religion. They touch on the true nature and meaning of life. I bet every one has felt in some way or the other.
The song suggests that the world we live in is an illusion, and that we have to look harder to understand the true meaning of live. When are people remembered? when do they live on? The people we remember the most are the ones that influence us in some way or the other. The Hindu concept of a chain of rebirth is based on the same idea. To break the chain, one has to attain true knowledge of "Brahman". I can certainly not give proof of rebirth, but I can say for sure that to attain permanence in this life, we have to do something that touches people in one way or more. A writer or a movie maker makes the future generations think. A political reformer paves way for a different way of life. A mother imparts to her children not just her love, but also a sense of morality she lives by.
We knowingly or unknowingly touch so many peoples lives as we go through the course of our own. We can only think about how we can make all those contacts positive, even though they may not always be. We also need to learn to be content with what comes through actions already performed in the past, they cannot be altered, much as we would like them to be.
The song tells us that the life of man is as uncertain as rain drops on a lotus leaf. The whole world remains a prey to disease, ego and grief. We do not know who our wife or son really is. Strange is this samsara. Who are we? Where have we come from?
We are born again, we die again, and are born again to stay in the mother's womb. It is indeed hard to cross this boundless ocean of samsara. Through this endless cycle, we just need to guide ourselves with our inner consciousness or god, to make all our influences positive and all memories happy. It is not an ordinary effort, but it is definitely one we should try to make..
