The Early Bird

[Guest guest]

Srimate SrivanSatakopa Sri Vedanta Desika Yatindra Mahadesikaya nama:

 

 

 

The Early Bird

 

 

 

"Please, five more minutes!"-this is the standard request I hear from my son and

daughter, whenever I wake them up in the morning. And when they say five

minutes, you shouldn't take it literally and expect them to be up and about

after three hundred seconds. One block of five minutes naturally leads to

another and before the kids actually get up, it is anywhere from 25 to 30

minutes from the time they were woken up. I am sure that my experience is not

unique and must be shared by many a parent. Though we expect our children to

rise and shine early in the morning, they invariably tend to disagree, reluctant

to forego their beauty sleep.

 

 

 

When you come to think of it, this disinclination for early rising is not

confined to children-many adults too are equally guilty. "Guilty!-is that the

correct word to use for merely enjoying a few more minutes or hours of sleep!" I

hear you saying. Well, I leave you to decide for yourself, after going through

the following.

 

 

 

Coming back to getting up early, many of us tend to wake up only when the

sunlight falls on our face, forcing us to open our eyes and blink. Yet others

wake up when the milkman sounds his bell, while some sleep on, oblivious to the

chirping of birds or to the shrill tones of the proverbial cock, heralding the

imminent sunrise. (Incidentally, it is quite some time since I heard a cock-the

urban environs appear to have taken a toll on this species too, which used to

faithfully function as an effective alarm system, waking us up in time). In any

case, even if a dutiful alarm clock were to emit loud rings, we are accustomed

to snuggling back into the bedcovers after stifling its strident tones. Somehow,

the hours and minutes just before our waking appear to be especially precious

and we are prone to resent any intrusion into our slumber more at those times

than at others. Like the "Maamaan magal" in Tiruppavai, who is loathe to leave

her bed of swan feather_-("Toomani maadatthu suttrum vilakku eria, dhoopam

kamazha tuyilanai mel kan valarum maamaan magale!"), we too are deep in slumber

in our comfortable beds, with a "Good Knight" battling valiantly to drive away

mosquitoes.

 

 

 

"Kousalya supraja! Rama! Poorvaa sandhyaa pravartate

 

Uttishtta nara saardoola! Kartavyam daivam aahnikam"

 

 

 

This is a slokam from Srimad Ramayanaam, with which all of us are familiar-so

much so that in cinemas and TV serials, this couplet finds a place whenever

daybreak is depicted. It is Visvaamitra Maharshi who utters this slokam, urging

the young Sri Rama, who is sound asleep, to rise and shine, the time for

performance of morning prayers being at hand. (My son murmurs with indignation,

"So, it appears to be an age-old practice for elders to torment kids, forcing

them to get up at unearthly hours!"). The point is that Visvaamitra attaches so

much importance to early rising, that he doesn't mind waking up the obviously

tired Sri Rama, whom he (Visvaamitra) had taken by walk all the way from

Ayodhya into the inhospitable forests, paying scant attention to the Prince's

tender years and the creature comforts to which He was accustomed. We are faced

with a question-Why? Why should the Rishi urge the young Prince to rise early,

knowing full well that the latter must have been tired by the long journey by

foot?

 

 

 

As in everything else, here too, Srimad Ramayanam is a guide book for human

conduct, telling us how we ought to live our lives.

 

 

 

The Shastras are emphatic that barring invalids, all others ought to be up and

about pretty early in the morning. What exactly does "early morning" mean?

 

 

 

The day is divided into eight "Yaamaas", each consisting of 3 hours, four of

them accounting for Day and the remaining four constituting the Night. However,

half of the first Yaama of the night and the latter half of the fourth Yaama of

the night are counted along with the day, which really leaves the Night with

just three Yaamas. Thus the last part, of the last Yaaama of the night, roughly

corresponding to around 4.30 a.m., is the ideal time prescribed for our rising.

This is the auspicious hour known as the "Braahma Muhoortam" --"Yaaminyaa:

charamo yaama: Braahma eerita:". It is at this hour that we should rise, say the

Smritis-"Braahme muhoorte utthaaya".

 

 

 

What is so special about this "Braahma Muhoortam", I hear you enquire. The

Smriti Ratnaavali, a comprehensive compendium of rules for good conduct, tells

us that this hour belongs to the Deities. Devas and Pitru devataas visit our

homes at this auspicious hour, says the Smriti. When we have distinguished

visitors, it is only courteous on our part to be up and about. The Smriti is

very specific that these celestial visitors deem it a great insult if we remain

in bed, with predictable consequences. In fact, the Smriti goes to the extent of

terming such a home, where the residents are asleep at the Braahma Muhoortam, as

a "Smasaanam" (burial ground). In a rather wholesale condemnation of sound

sleepers who know not what sunrise is, the Smriti calls them permanently impure

and ineligible to undertake any vaidika karma. We may well slumber on

irrespective of sunrise, but we do it at the risk of all our merits (Punyam),

accumulated through lifetimes of good deeds, being destroyed. Such inconsiderate

slumber is considered not merely a minor misdemeanour, but a veritable sin,

warranting atonement or Praayaschittam. One who sleeps on beyond sunrise (known

as an "Abhyudita") can wash off the sin only through Gayatri Japam for the whole

day, while remaining on fast. Failure to atone in such a fashion leads to

accumulation of great "Paapam", says Manu.

 

 

 

Aapasthamba Maharshi adds to the difficulty of the aforesaid Praayaschittam, by

saying that it should be done while on one's feet-no sitting or lying down is

permitted during the entire day, which is to be spent in Gayatri Japam and

fasting.

 

 

 

Frightening, isn't it? And all for merely sleeping! Well, we must keep in mind

that Shastras are guidebooks fashioned by our kind Lord, indeed His helping

hand, extended for lifting us up from the mundane morass-"magnaan uddharate

lokaan kaarunyaat Shastra paanina". Shastras are indeed the voice of the

ever-merciful Emperuman, enunciated through venerated seers, to guide us in this

world and others. As such, the Shruti and the Smritis have nothing but extreme

benevolence towards us-- all that they say are indeed for our good, even if some

of their injunctions may sound unpalatable and inconvenient. Remember, medicine

may be bitter, but it cures us of our ills.

 

 

 

And it is not only what the Smritis lay down, but is also what the Doctor

ordered. Ask any doctor, and he will list for you the advantages of early

rising. The mind and body are fresh and compliant and the hour is extremely

conducive to all good deeds. The Biological Clock which nature has endowed us

with at birth, comes with the alarm set to the early morning hours. It is hence

natural for us to get up before sunrise. Our body and mind are designed to

function at their peak during the early morning hours-if a survey of inventions

and discoveries is undertaken, I am sure we would find that many of the sparks,

which ignited the ideas, occurred during the wee hours of the morning. And as

the day wears on, so do our strength and mind power, till they reach their nadir

at night, when rest is prescribed in the form of sleep. With peace and quiet

reigning within and without, isn't the early morning the ideal time for all

creative work? Only those who have savoured the pre-dawn serenity would be able

to appreciate the beauty of the hour and its conduciveness to all endeavour,

especially spiritual.

 

 

 

The references in Tiruppavai to early rising are numerous and noteworthy. Of

these, the most poignant is "Chittram chiru kaale vandu unnai sevitthu". The

venerated commentators wax eloquent on the auspiciousness of the Braahma

Muhoortam, as signified by the words, "Chittram chiru kaale". They point out

that it is this time of the day/ night which is ideally suited for worshipping

the Lord, as it is then that all the noble qualities of man come to the fore.

Sri Nammazhwar too advocates paying obeisance to Emperuman in the wee hours of

the morning-"Kaalai nal gnaanatturai padindu aadi".

 

 

 

With all these in favour of early rising, is it a wonder that all the Smirtis

exhort us to be early birds? Admittedly, before it becomes a habit, early rising

does tend to torment one, the natural instinct being not to relinquish the

comfortable warmth of the bed-however, once we brave the first few days, grit

our teeth and get up at the golden hour, once we experience fully what it has to

offer in terms of peace, tranquility, productivity and concentration, once we

restore our biological clock to its original settings, the elation you

experience is a commensurate reward for your efforts. Clarity of thought,

creative sparks, good resolutions and spiritual inclination-all these

automatically follow, when you rise early. Even black swallows get up early, so

why not we human beings, hints Sri Andal-

 

"Kaalai ezhundirundu karia kuruvi kanangal

 

Maalin varavu solli marul paadudal meimmai kolo!"

 

 

 

For those who are still loathe to leaving their bed, all that we can do is to

despair, along with Sri Kodai Naachiar-"Elle! Ilam Kiliye! Innam urangudiyo!",

stopping short of Her more uncomplimentary epithet, "Pey Penne!".

 

 

 

Srimate Sri LakshmiNrisimha divya paduka sevaka SrivanSatakopa Sri Narayana

Yatindra Mahadesikaya nama:

 

 

 

Dasan, sadagopan

 

----------

 

Internal Virus Database is out-of-date.

 

Version: 7.0.296 / Virus Database: 265.5.0 - Release 12/9/2004