Mother

[Guest guest]

HAPPY BIRTHDAY

 

Yesterday I turned sixty-one

And someone long forgotten

Sent me a mail wishing hundred and one,

An expression of habitual sentiment.

 

He knew I loved our Mother,

For he cared to attach Her snap*.

Her lips were a bewitching smile,

Folded hands were soulful prayer

For us all who have no time for Her.

 

Viewed the picture, a glance sufficed,

Oh, my disc has no more space.

The mail found its way to trash,

Who has time for wishing farce?

 

Another day of dreary chores,

Frenzied phone calls, business talks,

Ceaseless standing on the toes

Back to PC at the close.

 

The old always guides.

I look for a document saved,

For help in having a new one made.

Don't we always retrieve the buried!?

 

Lo! What could be this, a new file?

In `My Documents' saved,

Without my knowledge?

Curiosity's finger clicks.

 

The smile brightens the screen

Like the dawn of spring-time sheen,

Hands fold again to greet

A careless son so discrete.

 

For all I know I pressed " Delete " ,

Nevertheless She refused to retreat.

At the bottom of our being, isn't it,

" My Documents " - Her sacred retreat?

 

A tear-drop tiny grows and wells

In my erstwhile blinded eyes

To spark an insight so very bright

" No Mother ever leaves Her kids " .

 

OM PARASAKTIAH NAMAHA

 

* of Mata Amritanandamayi Devi

____________________

 

PraNAms.

 

Madathil Nair

[Guest guest]

hare krishna,namaskarams.

 

with out reference to scriptures a mother is a mother poornam for she gives

birth to a poornam.the whole world has come from a mother poornam and she had

come from that Poornam.no substitute for a mother even when an illegal child is

left at the cradle outside a childrens home for she cared still.the way the

birds,the animals and every living being brings its offspring is uncomparable

nothing equal to it-a mother everywhere -the mother adhiparasakthi in

everybeing.

 

baskaran

 

 

BASKARAN.C.S

 

 

 

Explore your hobbies and interests. Click here to begin.

 

 

[Guest guest]

All,

 

I wonder what references our scriptures have to mother-in-law and the

conflicts that come up between being a mother and a m-i-l? I have seen

such conflicts make a monster out of what should be a good domestic

relationship. The unwillingness of the mother to give up and share

leads to constant conflict and unhappiness and makes life unlivable

for the participants.

 

Apologies if this practical problem is the wrong kind of question to

post to this list. But I feel that philosophical solutions that cannot

address real world problems are very difficult to implement and are

simply idealistic solutions looking for ideal problems of the kind

that don't really exist in this world.

 

Sai

[Guest guest]

Dear Sai-ji,

 

The purpose of the list is to discuss advaita philosophy as laid down

by Shankara. 'Problems of the world' are not really an appropriate

topic for discussion because the world is mithyA - it does not exist

as an entity separate from brahman. Neither does the mother-in-law! By

all means introduce such topics but only to the extent that any

discussion may act as a pointer to the truth of advaita.

 

Best wishes,

Dennis

 

> Apologies if this practical problem is the wrong kind of question to

> post to this list. But I feel that philosophical solutions that cannot

> address real world problems are very difficult to implement and are

> simply idealistic solutions looking for ideal problems of the kind

> that don't really exist in this world.

>

> Sai

>

[Guest guest]

Namaste Saiji,

 

You have brought up an important issue. Vedanta or Vedic scriptures do

no handle this issue directly but it gives a good idea as to how roles

can be managed. For example, duties are enjoined for each of the roles

we play. In the Bhagavad Gita, Krishna exhorts Arjuna to do his duty

from the standpoint of the role he was playing. Likewise as a

mother-in-law, Daughter-in-law etc.. we have roles to play. Playing

these roles wisely without crossing one's boundaries and at the same

time not being given to inaction is a great advice from the Bhagavad

Gita. Playing these roles perfectly is what the Gita says by Yoga

(yogah Karmasu kausalam). For example, with reference to the mother in

law (MIL), the son has gained a new role as a husband. That requires

the MIL to be sensitive to the new duties the son has to perform and

allow the daughter-in-law to take on some of the duties the MIL used

to perform. This understanding, accommodation and sensitivity are key

values in the pursuit of Vedanta. This is one of the many practical

values we can learn from Vedanta. Perhaps other members can contribute

further.

 

While all Vedantins would agree that the roles we play are nothing but

centred on Upadhis which are mithya, it is this discretion

(kausalam) that allows the mind to purify itself. Therefore, Vedanta

not only allows us to play our roles well, but also purify our minds

while playing the roles well. And this purified mind paves way for the

assimilation of knowledge.

 

On Dec 5, 2007 8:25 PM, Indian Rediff <indianrediff wrote:

All,

>

> I wonder what references our scriptures have to mother-in-law and the

> conflicts that come up between being a mother and a m-i-l? I have seen

> such conflicts make a monster out of what should be a good domestic

> relationship. The unwillingness of the mother to give up and share

> leads to constant conflict and unhappiness and makes life unlivable

> for the participants.

>

> Apologies if this practical problem is the wrong kind of question to

> post to this list. But I feel that philosophical solutions that cannot

> address real world problems are very difficult to implement and are

> simply idealistic solutions looking for ideal problems of the kind

> that don't really exist in this world.

>

> Sai

>

>