Divinity in the air

     We are just a week away from the most divine and joyous period in the year and when you happen to be in mumbai this period transports you to unprecedented heights...the period during which the " most loved" and the "most worshipped" of all divine forms"our beloved ganesha" simply transcends into our lives...needless to say that He brings along with Him immense joy and happiness,peace and prosperity,serenity and tranquility that infuses into our lives ever so deeply... lasting throughout the year until the next ganesha festival.

     There is almost a magical and mesmerising effect that lord ganesha has on His devotees,driving each and every one into a frenzy...a phenomenon equal only to the mesmerising effect that lord Krishna had on his gopis...the way men and women,children and adults,families and communities,people from all religions and walks of life come togetherduring this festival, is truly phenomenal and overwhelming...very infectious indeed!I am sure if Bal gangadhar Tilak was to come down today even he would be touched to witness the level of enthusiasm and the feeling of brotherhood generated amongst the people of mumbai during these days,more than he had probably ever envisaged at the time he planned and proposed this great idea of 'Sarvajanik Ganesh Utsav"

     I came to mumbai 14 years back and was caught in this frenzy instantly...in the first year i did wonder how the level of enthusism could be maintained over the years..today several years later i still feel myself being gripped by the same enthusiasm and excitement that i felt in my first year in mumbai and i am sure millions of mumbaikars would vouch for this...such is the infectious charm of our dear lord ganesha...in my school we have the tradition of taking our tiny tots to the ganesh idol making workshops which come up in every nook and corner of the city,few days prior to the ganesha festival...last week for the sixth consecutive we took our children to two such workshops and their excitement was so evident in their gleaming eyes and beaming faces...it is indeed a pleasure to watch these idols being made in all shapes and sizes and also to see them right from the raw stage to the final stage of completion...in fact these workshops set the mood for the coming festival.

   Another amazing and awe inspiring aspect of this festival is the huge variety in the forms, sizes and colours of lord ganesha that are witnessed in various pandals...and each year there are more and more innovative forms that are visible...it seems ganesha brings out the creativity and imaginative power of these artistsin full gusto by showering His blessings upon them...and as if the variety in the beautiful forms and colours is not enough,the various pandals come up with inspiring and thought provoking themes for the pandals to both entertain as well as educate the public...the city is ablaze with lighting and festoons and the beat of the drums sets the mood for celebration in each and every heart...such is the mood and mania and the euphoria of this festival that no amounts of words could do justice to describe it aptly...

     the fever has just begun and soon it is going to spread and reach its crescendo...let us soak in this wave of devotion and rejoice with our family and friends...jai ganesha!!!!!!!!!!

DIVINITY AROUND US...

Divinity or belief, faith, religion, spirituality, call it what you may…is the most intriguing and awe- inspiring topic for all human beings…more so if you belong to a country like India…where right from the time of birth and throughout your upbringing… right through your formal and informal learning experiences… you are exposed to the rich culture and heritage, that’s only getting richer and richer through the ages. So much is written and discussed about this that it is deeply ingrained in our psyche and becomes an integral part of our thinking process.

   Not just the Indians, every other nation has its own beliefs in divinity… the customs and traditions may vary, the principles and paths may differ, the religious deities and scriptures may be different but the common thread of “belief or faith in the divine” exists without any doubt. It is also clearly seen that this faith, irrespective of the depth or intensity, becomes far more pronounced in times of peril…and it takes up astounding proportions when a family, community or a larger chunk of humanity is involved. Is this not proof that “we believe in the divine forces around us” more than we care to admit to ourselves or the world.

 Our belief in divinity is not just strengthened when humanity is endangered but also when we look at the other living beings around us. There is so much to learn from the plants and animals, more than we can ever imagine…animals, specially, pets give unconditional love and their striking memory can put even a genius to shame! Specially when it comes to remembering acts of kindness these animals do take the cake…even after years, they instantly warm up at the sight of just about anyone who has showered love on them anytime during their life. Can we  humans ever match up to this kind of loyalty and compassion…there are innumerable examples of humans forgetting what others have done for them, almost instantly, in times of need.

 Not just that, so many of the yoga asanas are inspired by the animals…ask your yoga guru and he would rattle of names such as….garudasana (inspired by the eagle),matsyasana (inspired by the fish), gomukhasana (inspired by the cow) ,makarasana(inspired by the crocodile) and bhujangasana (inspired by the cobra) to name only a few .If we can learn the art of breathing and meditating from animals does it not reflect the divine state they are in...they are perhaps more in sync with divinity than we humans!

  Also the sixth sense of animals gives us an indication of their highly elevated state…it is said that much before a fire sets a forest ablaze, the animals start moving away to a safer area and as they do so they keep on warning their fellow animals of the impending danger in their own language. Who has not heard of the howling dogs and wailing cats before a loved one’s or even a commoner’s death and even before a tragic accident? In addition there are several examples of pet animals coming to the rescue of  their owners or taking cue from their premonition and preventing an untoward incident. It is said that we humans also possess the sixth sense, only it gets camouflaged as we move away from our divine connections and gets more pronounced with the awakening of our inner selves.

 Why only the animals, even the plants give ample proof of their being divine…as a biology teacher for so many years I always inform the students that plants are more superior than animals, including us humans…only they possess the miraculous power of combining inorganic substances such as carbon dioxide and water and producing the life supporting organic substance-glucose .Also the truly divine value of ‘give and take’ that not only helps to maintain the balance in nature but also brings to light the strong connections between all living beings- the oneness in all living forms- is displayed by these plants through their use of carbon dioxide and release of oxygen-the life sustaining gaseous form.

I could go on and on about these evidences of divinity around us, which we sometimes acknowledge and sometimes ignore but if we ponder over these little -little but definite proofs of divinity around us, we would surely understand these strong connections much better and start truly recognizing and respecting the divine forms and miracles around us .It is this recognition and realization that brings us more understanding of divinity within and around us than any of the scriptures would do. In fact much of what we have read, heard or spoken of, even remotely related to these basic and eternal truths and principles of life,  becomes far more meaningful and real on experiencing and realizing this divinity all around us.