What is Heavy?

[Guest guest]

What is Heavy?

 

My nephew came up with a question " Is one kg of steel heavy or one kg

of cotton?is one kg , one kg in moon or little?" What is heavy thus

not just depends upon the metric measure the "Weighing Machine"

depicts but is a relative term.

 

This can be better understood from an anectode mentioned in The EDu.

 

The Lord at Sri Jagannath was very fond of the flower senbagam.

Therefore, it was customary for the devotees to obtain this

particular flower from the shops and decorate The Lord with the

flower. One day, several princes went in search of this flower.

Since, all the flowers but one was exhasuted and by the thory of

demand and supply, the only remaining flower's price got escalated.

Each of the princes' started bidding which resulted in the price

being skyrocketed. One particular prince acquired the flower for an

unimaginable price with his wealthy mindset, overbidding others and

offered it to the Lord.

 

What happened that night? The Almighty emerged in his dream spelling

out that 'HeAy prince , the flower offered by you is very heavy. I am

not able to carry the weight" After all it is one senbaga malar. It

should have weighed a few hundred grams. The Lord mentioning that He

is not able to carry this paltry weight? Does it not sound strange?

Well, the weight is not because of the flower but because of the

mindset of wealth and opulence being displayed rather than devotion

and affection. If an ardent devotee offers any flower with utmost

sincerity, The Lord accepts it as if it was several kgs of weight and

happily don it on His shoulders. On the contrary, if the person gives

this with the attitude of exhibiting his richness, then the flower

resembles a token of weight rather than affection.

 

This is what Sri Nam-piLLai expalins in the Edu vyAkyanam for

" sumandhu mA-malar nEr sudar dhUpam koNdu" Thiru-vAi-Mozhi 3-3-7;

 

Thus the weight depends on the affection and sincerity rather than the

metric measure.Neither the variety nor the numbers make a change to

the Lord.

'pathram-pushpam-palam-thOyam' thus spake Lord KrshNA in the GReat Bhagwad GEthA.

 

'..pirivagai inRi nan-nEr thUi purivadhuvum pugai pUvEa" swAmi nam-AzhwAr.

 

'senbaga malligayOdu sen-kazhu nEr iruvAtchi -enbagar pUvum

koNarndhEan inRivai sUTTa vA enRu.." PeriyAzhwAr Thriumzohi 2-7-10;

 

The Lord does not bother whether the flower is excusively meant for

Him or in wordly term for others. Whether it is soft or otherwise.The

love and affection is the undercurrent that is requirred as vouchsafed

by Sri Thirumangai Mannan

 

"kaLLAr thuzhAyum-kanavaLarum kUviLaiyum,

muLLAr muaLariyum Ambalum mun kaNdakkAl,

puLLAi ore yEanamAi pukkidandhAi pon adikkenRu...' Periya Thirumozhi 11-7-6;

 

'anbinAl arvathAl'--Periya ThriuMozhi-11-7-7-With Love and eagerness.

muLLAr mulari --Dense with thorns;

 

Be it any flower. On seeing it, even if it thorny, should not one

offer it to the Lord who rescued the worlds?

 

dAsan

vanamamalai padmanabhan