hunger - post 1

[Guest guest]

Dear sri vaishnava perunthagaiyeer,

 

We struggle in this world to get a mouthful of food first and then a stomach

full. That becomes the main occupation throughout the life of a man, to first

search for food. For the unending 'hunger' just takes the control of the mind

when the stomach is empty. Just to impress this aspect of the hunger, the

proverb is also coined - 'pasi vanthida paththum paRandhupOm' - as soon as

hunger takes over all the ten goes off [viz. ten characteristics or personal

traits takes off from that hungry person].

 

Now just look at the other side - If you don't feel hungry for a few days, can

you afford to feel comfortable and sit at home? Okay, I have got rid of a very

big problem. No, not at all. On the contrary, then only the serious problem

starts. You become anxious. You rush to the doctor, take some medicine, try

everything like medicines, poojaas, etc, make every effort to restore your

natural hunger.

 

What you need is a healthy, right type of hunger. Also you need a solution to

the problem of this right hunger by having good quality food at right time the

hunger. Then satisfaction comes with that food and you are assured of your

normal health. As far as this physical hunger is concerned, it is the necessity

of life, and it is most important and very special.

 

Each one has different kinds hunger, and that makes their personality. The

question may arise, that if someone is busy with his physical hunger, can he say

that his personality is perfect? The answer will be - Of course not. But it is

also true that no one can avoid hunger. No one can neglect it. Bhakthi is also a

type or form of hunger.

 

Nammaazhvaar also has this right type of 'hunger' of bhakthi - the food he

wanted is 'the lord to come and stay in his heart' - and he had the food also

served to him by that lord - aazhvaar's food giver or server - so aazhvaar says

 

thiruppEr nagaraan thirumaalirunchOlai

poruppE uRaiginRa piraan inRu vandhu

iruppEn enRu en neju niRaiyap pugundhaan

viruppE peRRu amudham uNdu kaLiththENE - 10 -8-6

 

Only thing aazhvaar did not desire simple food like us. So he had amudham -

nectar as his food. For the food provider is that supreme lord - that too how he

served - nenju niRaiya - heart full. That is the all that simple difference.

 

We also see many many kinds of hunger. First, in this world, everybody is born

out of the big hunger; viz. hunger of coupling. When a person is born,

immediately and thereafter regularly at intervals, he cries announcing to be

fed. As the person grows, the same hunger is expressed in his / her longing for

toys, education or hunger for knowledge, friends, and competition. This hunger

later finds expression in search for a wife, child, respect, money and more such

things, etc.

 

That is why there is the famous Maslow's 'theory of needs' in the management

science of motivation. This theory also tells about the rising levels of need or

hunger, like

1. Basic need.

2. Security needs.

3. Social needs

4. Esteem needs

5. Self actualization needs.

It is all the same expression of the energy of 'hunger' at different levels.

 

Can we say this is level 1 hunger in the verse above - 'I was having the hunger

- he came entered my heart - that was the food for me- so I enjoyed it' - the

basic need to fulfill.

 

See here another one who says 'even though I do not eat on a particular day, I

do not have the hunger on that day. But if I do not do pooja to you with the

slOkaas of rk, yajur, saama vEdhaas, then, that day is a day of fasting / going

hungry without food for me'.

 

kaNNaa, naan muganaip padaiththaanE

kaaraNaa, kariyaai, adiyEn naan

uNNaa naaL pasiyaavadhu onRu illai

OvaadhE namO naaraayaNaa enRu

eNNaa naaLum iruk yaju saama vEdha

naaN malar koNdu una paadham

naNNaa naaL avai thaththuRumaagil

anRu enakku avai pattini naaLE - 5-1-6 periyaazhvaar thirumozhi

 

So his hunger is in doing pooja or worshipping that lord. Can we say this is

level two hunger - of 'securing' a place or position with the lord by offering

the pooja without break. May be he thinks by missing pooja for a day also may

displease the lord and thereby he may lose his security thread broken.

 

See here another basic need - or hunger - as expressed by thirumangai aazhvaar -

 

uNNum naaL illai uRakkamum thaan illai

peNmaiyum saala niRaindhu ilaL - pEdhaithaan

kaNNanoor kaNNapuram thozhum kaarkkadal

vaNNar mEl eNNam ivatku idhu enkolO? - 8.2-4

 

perhaps aazhvaar was in a different mood - to think of union with kaNNan - in a

tender age - pEdhai stage itself - [girl not yet fully matured is pEdhai] . But

wants a status - a level 3 need - as the wife of that kaNNapuram lord. That also

see the usage of the word - kaarkadal vaNNar mEl ivatku - to this girl - what is

that = idhu = not openly said as 'love' - but indirectly as 'idhu' - oh, what a

usage of words.

 

Now see here a level 4 need - he wants himself to be recognized as a 'high

esteem person' - for - I worship only the lord who can do wonder of wonderful

things - that krishNa. No second level god I will worship. Or a person of my

status can not even think of carrying out such petty thing as to worship

somebody else as his lord except krishNa -

 

vaai avanai alladhu vaazhththaadhu kai ulagam

thaai avanai alladhu thaan thozhaa - Pei mulai nanju

ooN aaga uNddan uruvodu pEr allaal

kaaNaa kaN kELaa sevi - 11 mudhal thruvandhaadhi

 

My mouth will talk about the supreme lord only. My hands will not join in anjali

to somebody else. My eyes will not see any other roopam - figure - than that

krishNa - my ears will not hear any thing else except his name - krishNa's name.

I am such a high level person. He proclaims that my hunger level is different

than you ordinary folks - says aazhvaar in this verse.

 

Now - the level 5 need or hunger - for - as nammaazhvaar says

 

uNNum sORu parugu neer thinnum veRRilaiyum ellaaam

kaNNan emperumaan enRu enRE kangaL neer malgi

maNNinuL avan seer vaLam mikkavan oor vinavi

thinnam en iLa maan pugum oor thirukkOLoorE -- 6-7- 1

 

so his hunger or longing is to see krishNa in all forms what he sees or consumes

- thus wants to become one or identified with that krishNa - that level of

hunger is satisfied with the thought of kannan in every form - the normal food,

the water drank, and the betal leaf eaten after food.

 

Dear bhakthaas - this hunger for looking krishNa in every thing is the real

hunger which we have to develop and the food for us - he will serve - no doubt

in that for he is one who has assured - 'yOga kshEmama aham vahaami' in geethaa.

if that is so why we should not create that hunger in us and then expect the

food to be served by him and him alone.

 

We will have some more food for our hunger of enjoying krishNa in the next post

also.

 

Dhasan

 

Vasudevan m.g.

 

PS: this is just a thought that came to me in a slightly different fashion, of

relating to management science points.