Amma. Mother. Mother’s love. Love. S/he who knows nothing, loves nothing. S/he who can do nothing understands nothing. S/he who understands nothing is worthless. But s/he who understands also loves, notices, sees. . . . The more knowledge is inherent in a thing, the greater the love. Our deepest need is the quest for union, yoga, fusion, to overcome our separateness, isolation, loneliness et al, being useful, relevant. With some minor individualities, meeting the minor differences we have, yet being equal. Demonstrating uniqueness of each one of us. Through role differentiation, complementing, creative actions – works.
As ‘The Art of Loving’ argued. The union begins with the mother and the foetus. Two yet one, living together. Mother is the world. She feeds, protects, enhances its life. Physically independent, psychologically the same, to begin with. This graduates with time into a mature love, preserving one’s integrity and individuality. It lets us unify with other beings. Not passively, not as a reaction; but actively, proactively. With inner freedom, using inherent powers, abilities. It is standing in love, not falling in/for love. This love is visible in giving, overflowing, to experience joy, expressing our strength, wealth, potency, vitality, ability, and talent. Giving is being alive. In love, we cannot help but give. Not to give would be painful. Giving ourselves, our ‘life’, time, energy, knowledge, and resources. Giving is sharing. Giving without the other person asking. In truly giving, we cannot help receiving.
Unconditional love. Bliss. A mother loves. Therefore, she gives. She cares. She is responsible. She has full respect for the life of the child. She understands and knows. We cannot say we love, unless we care physically, mentally, emotionally. Unless we show active concern and act on the concern. Unless we respond to the needs expressed and unexpressed. And we have the ability to respond. If we do not have it, we need to acquire this ability. Unless we accept, respect the unique individuality of the person, and let it grow, unfold. Unless we let the person free. Unless we know various layers, deeply to the core, not just at the periphery. Unless we know what is alive in the person, what is possible, what is the potential, beyond the words.
Mother is the first Guru. She tells, reinforces that it is good to live, to be on this earth. Day-in and day-out. Father may join in, in this. Siblings, family, extended family, intimate friends and so on. Mother communicates ‘milk and honey’ and nurtures. Milk is care and affirmation. Honey is ‘aliveness’, life, growth, and happiness. Mother’s love is the best expression to a growing child, several times more than that to an infant. Her love transcends herself in the child. To that extent, father gets into Mother’s role and becomes the second Guru. Together, they help the child to grow and become into a complete, separate life. After knowing full well that the child would become independent, and may care less and may not give back. She demonstrates hope, faith and courage in letting and helping the child grow. She demonstrates ‘will’. She loves the child because she loves herself at the same time.
Can we love, like the mother? Can we practice it? Can we have the discipline required, ourthe whole life? To practice daily, hourly. Can we have the concentration, focus, intense focus required? While at practice. Being alone if required. Meditative, reflective. Listening. Living fully in the present. Can we have the patience required? Learning requires time, energy, and effort. Never giving up, easily, quickly. Can we have a use for the time we saved? Can we be sensitive to the surroundings inside and outside? Without being unduly affected by the happenings. Can learning and living this ‘art’ be our purpose, the very reason for our existence? Can we become the instrument(s) of this end, whole life? All this without losing our integrity. Within the realm of our core values – hope, faith, promise, love, and coexistence.
Can we reason and nurture the faculty to think objectively? Can we be humble, live humility and show gratitude? Can we be grateful to life, and the people/lives behind this life? Can we have faith? Can we practice faith, rational faith? Faith in our purposes, visions, convictions, commitments, our reason, logic, people, people’s abilities, potential, and ourselves. Only then we can promise. The kind of a faith a mother has in the child, that she would live, grow, walk, talk, love, be happy, be rational, artistic abilities, so on and so forth. The kind of faith to fall asleep. The kind of faith to go in a car. Faith calls for courage, ability to take risks, readiness to accept pain et al. Calls for fairness and equity, at the same time. Not at the cost of others.
Mother shows. Love is an act of faith. An activity. Being active in thinking, feeling, doing, listening, saying, et al. Can we love? Can we practice love? Can we facilitate love, learning, leading, living?
Can we be mindful and present in the now intensely? Can we be aware of ourselves, our bodies, our hearts, our minds, and our egos? Can we go towards intense daily/weekly self-reflection, high humility, and deep empathy? Can we be mentally, emotionally fit, stress free, and communicate, articulate, interact in sync?
Finally, C Joseph Vijay takes oath as the Chief Minister in Tamil Nadu. In the presence of his parents and Rahul Gandhi. At the ceremony, ‘Vande Mataram’ was sung in full, followed by the national anthem ‘Jana Gana Mana’ and state song ‘Tamil Thai Vazhthu’. Nine ministers have also taken oath. These include: ex-AIADMK veteran KA Sengottaiyan; dentist Dr TK Prabhu; trusted strategist Aadhav Arjuna, ex-BJP CTR Nirmal Kumar; grassroots networker Anand; TV and film personality, orator Raj Mohan; ex-IRS officer Dr Arun Raj; Mylapore MLA P Venkataramanan; 29-year-old, five-language-speaking political strategy consultant Sivakasi MLA S Keerthana. His first signatures on government files were to provide 200 units of free electricity for domestic consumers, a special task force to tackle drug menace, and a special force for women’s safety. Ministers from other parties may come in later. Meanwhile, he has to face a floor test by 13 May.
Are Diesel Vehicles on their way out? Small cars are out. With stricter norms, SUVs may also come down. Life span allowed in places like Delhi is now just 10 years for Diesel vehicles. Hybrids are emerging as the natural replacement in larger vehicles. Modern hybrids deliver smooth acceleration, making them feel far more effortless. Is it HyCross over Crysta soon?
Modi in Hyderabad. Modi is hopeful that BJP would come to power in the next elections.
The Iran War is hitting us. Incurred more than Rs.1 lakh Crore in petrol and diesel. Modi urges: conserve petrol, diesel, forex; live responsibly; adopt/adapt work from home, online virtual work; avoid non-essential gold purchases; consume less edible oil; Go for local, made-in-India at least; reduce chemical fertilizers, move towards natural farming; adopt solar-powered irrigation pumps; choose domestic tourism. Can we respond?
Can we take this as an initial cue, and go towards N-farming, N-nutrition, N-living? Consensus?
Yes, we can. If we coexist, flowing. N-movement. In N? prakrtikraantiyoga for 7L.