Page 37 - Bhakthinivedana 2012 January English Magazine.pmd

SUBHA:SHITHA
Contributed By Ramakrishna Toopurani
mu:kaha para:pava:de parada:ra
niri:skhane:pyandhdhaha|
panguhu paradhana harane
sajayathi lo:kathraye purushaha|| it is to get carried away in loose
‘He who stays dumb while
blaming others, blind while
seeing the spouses of others,
lame while stealing the treasures
of others—shall conquer the three
worlds!’
The subha:shitha or the wise
saying, is quite crisp and to the
point. It has three don’ts in it. The
three mentioned behaviours, if
indulged into, degrade a person’s
human nature, make the minds
restless and impel one to harm
the society. When desisted from
the same, one evolves oneself,
saves one’s energy and builds
trust with others. By mentioning
only the don’ts, the poet leaves
space for us to pursue the do’s
according to the circumstances
and temperaments.
The first ‘don’t’ is: ‘Do not cast
blame on others.’
To criticise is one thing, to
blame is yet another. Blaming is
often an emotional response to
cover up our own mistakes or to
THE 3 DONT’S
make others solely responsible
talk. It hurts the dear ones, robs
one’s credibility in a group. One
strategy to overcome the habit of
blaming is to find goodness in
others, though minimal, magnify
it and then speak of it before
others with a sincere heart. One
striking example of this is found
in the ayo:dhya ka:nda of Sri:
Ra:ma:yana. Though exiled into
forests, by Kaike:yi, just before
his coronation, Sri: Ra:ma does
not wildly blame her. Instead he
points out to Lakshmana that
Kaike:yi of perfect temperament
and motherly love must have
exiled him due to the influence of
destiny.
The second ‘don’t’ given by
the verse is: ‘Do not cast
your looks on the spouses of
others.’ The poet asks us to be
careful of the subtle thought-
currents that flow in our minds.
Motives in our minds are to be
carefully observed as we deal
with men and women around
us. Watching men and women
for mere pleasure of sight is
indeed time-consuming and
for the happenings. To indulge in energy-draining. Diverting senses
towards worthy objects, training
our minds to focus on essential
issues is an urgent requirement
of the day. A prominent example
that we have is of Lakshmana
Swami, the brother of Sri:
Ra:machandra. When asked
by Ra:ma to identify the jewels
of Si:tha in the presence of the
va:nara:s, Lakshmana could
identify only the anklets of hers. In
utter spontaneity, he reveals that
he would watch them every day
on Si:tha’s feet when he would
bow down at her feet. He could
not recognise any other jewels of
hers. Let us not however forget
that Lakshmana accompanied
and served both Si:tha and
Ra:ma every day for more than a
decade. Nevertheless, Si:tha was
his mother and Ra:ma, his father.
Then are we to become blind
towards the wonderful qualities
that people around us possess?
To be sensitive towards people
around us, to applaud the
greatness of others, to adore any
special talent that a person has -
these qualities enhance our own
Jan 2012• Bhakthinivedana 37