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