31.5.2001 - No Tobacco Day - Please Do not Smoke

[Guest guest]

My Dear Friends, (Please send this message to all your friends)

 

31.5.2001 is No Tobacco Day. I request all of you not to consume Tobacco in

any form. But most dangerous is "Smoking Cigarettes". It is not only

harmful to the person who is smoking, but also polluting the Environment.

 

It is our duty to keep our environment safe and hand over this World (our

Mother Earth) to the Children and future generation. For the sake of our

Children, let us not to smoke.

 

Not only that, if a person spends minimum Rs.1/- per day, from his age of 20

till his age of 60 (for 40 years), The amount lost by him will be equivalent

to Rs.3,13,386.97 (Rs. Three Lakhs Thirteen Thousand Three Hundred Eighty

six and Paise Ninetyseven only). This amount is on the Cost of living of as

on date. But in future, when cost increases, he will be spending around

Rs.10 lakhs in his life time. (I have attached a excel file which calculates

the expenses of cigarette).

 

Think. If you are able to stop smoking and give that amount to any Orphanage

or Old Age home,(it will help orphans, old age destitutes) that will be

more helpful to the society and also it is more good for your own health,

which is more important to your family.

 

So I humbly request the cigarette smokers to stop smoking as early as

possible and do good thing to himself and his family and society.

 

The youngsters who never tasted the cigarette - I warn - Please do not try

it at any cost - because if it becomes addiction - it will be difficult to

stop and you will also be wasting money in Lakhs.

 

Thank you for reading this message.

 

N Sugavanam

email: nsugavan

 

 

 

[Guest guest]

Namaste:

 

Thanks for the warning regarding dangers of smoking. The dangers of

drinking and smoking are well documented and plenty of scientific

articles are available summarizing their findings.

 

Smoking gives instant pleasures for the smokers but they have

potential ill effects in the long run. May 31 is just to focus the

attention of everyone to understand that smoking should be stopped for

ever and not just for one day. Bhagavad Gita discusses the dangers of

uncontrolled mind and the consequences of going after the

objects (desires such as cigarate and liqueur). The following two

verses in Chapter 2 should be read by the drinkers and smokers on

atleast May 31. If they read and understand the message of the Lord,

they will hopefully stop drinking and smoking altogether.

 

Chapter 2: Verses 62 & 63:

 

Dyaayato visayaan pumsah sangas tesu pajaayate

sangaat samjaayate kaamah kaamaat krodho bhijaayate

 

But the self-controlled man, moving among objects, with his senses

under restraint, and free from both attraction and repulsion, attains

peace.

 

Krohdhaad bhavati sammohah sammohaat smrtivibharmah

smritbhramsaad buddhinaso buddhinasaat prnasyati

>From anger comes "delusion" ; from delusion "loss of memory" ; from

loss of memory the "destruction of discrimination" ; from destruction

of discrimination, he "perishes. "

 

These verses elaborate the dangers of indulging the mind on sense

objects. When we start drinking a cup of coffee in the morning, we

register the taste of coffee in our mind and soon, we get addicted to

coffee. When we miss our morning coffee, we become angry. One of my

friend, was a heavy drinker and his wife had a tough time because he

physically and mentally abused her when he was drunk. The problem with

drinking is twofold. The mind gets agitated with or without the drink

and is a no-win situation. My friend beat his wife if couldn't find

the hidden liqueur bottles beyond his reach and will also beat her if

he finds the liqueur. One day after a heavy dose of liqueurs, he died

in front of his house ran over by a truck!

 

The reference "pranasyati" in verse 63 is subtle. The drunkard loses

his "buddhi" instantaneously due to addiction and when the desire is

fulfilled, he loses his "buddhi" and "identity." When "XXX" drinks and

walks on the road, the reference changes to "drunkard" and an abrupt

death of the original identity - the name given by the parents! The

behavior of such a person changes drastically from rational to

irrational. Those who attend parties where liqueur is served can

easily recognize the drunkard without any ambiguity!.

 

regards,

 

Ram Chandran

 

advaitin, "sugavan" <nsugavan@v...> wrote:

> My Dear Friends, (Please send this message to all your friends)

>

> 31.5.2001 is No Tobacco Day. I request all of you not to consume

Tobacco in

> any form. But most dangerous is "Smoking Cigarettes". It is not

only

> harmful to the person who is smoking, but also polluting the

Environment.

>

[Guest guest]

Namaste:

 

Please make the following correction to verse 62:

 

Dyaayato visayaan pumsah sangas tesu pajaayate

sangaat samjaayate kaamah kaamaat krodho bhijaayate

 

Correct translation:

When a person dwells in mind on the objects of sense (such as cigarat

or liqueur or coffee)attachment to them is produced. From attachement

springs desire and from desire comes anger.

 

The translation that is attributed in my earlier posting is actually

for verse 64 where Lord Krishna emphasizes the importance of

controlling the senses:

 

raagadvesaviyuktais tu visayaan indriyais caran aatmavasyair

vidheyaatmaa prasaadam adhigacchati

 

But the self-controlled man, moving among objects, with his senses

under restraint, and free from both attraction and repulsion, attains

peace.

 

Thanks for your patience,

 

regards,

 

Ram Chanddran

 

Note: I couldn't help admire the great teacher Lord Krishna who gives

the ill effects of attachment and the benefits of self-controll

beautifully by His clever structure of the sequence of verses 62 to

64.