My Country, People & Culture : Fish, thirsty in water

pic : google.com

Underlining Question: What made me dropout the Permanent Residency of Europe?
          When I took ticket back for Nepal, every one was surprised, shocked, amazed, and were asking ; what made me leave this land ? They were murmuring " every one dies to be here, people pay huge sum of money just to appear in this land, and stupid you, what happened to you? are you ok ?" And I answered " I am missing the dust of Kathmandu, chaos, strikes, and beautiful sunshine that would wake up Mt. Everest, worlds fast running rivers, streams, and plane tarai.  My peoples who are fighting in name of race, cast, religion: I miss them. Though its chaotic but its my land and my people. A conscious being like us who have seen the world and are aware and act like universal citizen, we are the one who needs to be there and act to make a change. I have not much to do here, my people need me". And I kissed that beautiful land of Sweden, tore the paper of permanent residency and silently left for Nepal. As Osho Says "Home is where the heart is, and my heart is with you".  Here I'd share the insight that enlightened me and made me come back home, where I belong.

           Candle enlightens the world but can't delete the darkness beneath it, as if fish remaining thirsty in the water. I had the same feeling for my country, people and culture, when I went far-far away from my land. Until we are in the land of origin we think the world out side is more better then ours. Money is flying in the air, just here where I am is not perfect, rest of the world is perfect. And that reminds me of many tragedy out there : When I saw a children leaving home after being 18 and feeling ashamed to live with parents, when I saw peoples living just alone with cat and dog, begging and putting pamphlet in street asking  for some one to come and celebrate Christmas with them, when I saw old peoples given full care by government but not out of love but just as a job without compassion, when I meet hundreds of friends having breakups more then 15 times and still not satisfied and in search of new one, when I saw people in Europe can only farm and grow for 3 to 5 months, when I saw whole country being dark and gloomy for more then 7 months, covered with snow and reaching the peak of development, that reminded my warm and bright country with great culture, And that was moment I got an Epiphany of me as fish thirsty in water.  

When I saw the whole generation of Europe and America chanting hare Krishna mantra and more then 71% of college graduates doing yoga & meditating, when I saw tear rolling down when they heard I was from the country of Himalaya, Shiva, Krishna, Rama & Buddha and saw the dyeing passion to touch this secret land where river is praised as mother ganga, stone are worshiped as Shaligram, Pipal & Tulsi plant are worshiped, monkey are worshiped as lord Hanuman, cow are worshiped as mother Laxmi, birds are worshiped as Garuda, where every thing is just holy, life to death and hence have a great mystery and science behind it. And that was moment I got an Epiphany of me as fish thirsty in water.

In one hand I heard the song "Imagine" by John Lennon to unite world and stop war, discrimination, and hatred rather create a Utopian society of love, harmony & compassion which resembles the Vedic mantra "Vashudhaiva Kutumbakam" meaning the world is one family. Having this feeling underneath in my heart I felt to heal the wound of my peoples and society where more then 40 thousand energetic youth leave this country per month and is growing by huge amount. I was wondering can I heal this big wound of our society being empty without any youth and left aside with old and sick generation without any new thought and ideas. And inspired my self with a feeling of Is it right to run far-far away saying there is no opportunity and political instability to the comfort zone of abroad? That would be wrong decision rather being in this panic zone of instability in every sector and instead of blaming other uniting together and sharing the knowledge of entrepreneurship would enlighten us. One can feed, cloth, shelter but will it be enough for whole life? But by educating how to create food, cloth and shelter many can grow above. And collectively we make a change.

When I am reminded that the last structure build in Patan Durbar Squire was on 1618 A.D. when there was no such country called USA, and pitiful thing is that now to repair this Squire we are asking grant from USA, in 1924 Nepal abolished 62 thousand slaves were abolished using fund from Pashupatinath Temple, at that time, there was no such UNDP (1950)  in existence. In business we learn that for a success first thing is location, and just when I looked at the map of Nepal a country of 1.38 billion people in north whose economy is growing 11% per annum and of 1.31 billion people in south whose economy is growing 9% per annum, and I wonder is that a bad location to be for success? If we place two glass of hot water and put a small glass of cold water in middle how long will small glass remain cold? Whether we like it or not three glasses will reach the same temperature in a while. How long will Nepal claim to be a poor country. Its not possible to surround by growth and remain not growing . One small candle can show the path of mile, there is no need of light to show hundred miles at a time, small-small tiny steps will make change gradually, by sharing knowledge one can't be small rather will grow more wise and will create the great collective consciousness of awareness.  Until and unless we stop blaming          other will never solve the problem, As Anil Chitrakar says "rather stepping in Panic Zone from Comfort Zone will lead us to Magic Zone". We must not try to fallow other rather find new ways matching our own nature and circumstances. As Einstein quotes "Everyone is a genius, but if you judge a fish on its ability to climb a tree, it will live its whole life believing that it is stupid". We can abolish the poverty, develop country, but to do so only one essential thing is we should unite and from individuality to collectivity  and do things collectively. And this wisdom made me come home. Home is where the heart is my heart is with Nepal. 

Cultural and Scientific reason for having Shikha / Tuft of hair at the back of head

Cultural and Scientific reason for having
 Shikha / Tuft of hair at the back of head  Pic:Google.com

Shikha is a tuft of hair at the back of head specifically kept by Vaishnavas and Brahmanas. According to the Vedic culture, when a person undergoes the cuda-karana-samskara (hair-cutting ceremony) and upanayana (Vedic initiation), he must shave his head, leaving a tuft of hair called a sikha.

It is an established rule that anyone who recites Vedic mantras should not have hair on face and head. So, those who need to perform Vedic rituals are advised to remove their hair.

Our human body has seven energy centres, or chakras, starting from the first at the base of the spine (Mooladhara Chakra) to the seventh and last one – the Sahasrara Chakra. The kundalini is the snake like subtle energy lying coiled at the base chakra, which through yogic exercise can be made to uncoil and rise up through the chakras, finally to the top one, the Sahasrara. The master, one who has achieved the final goal, or enlightenment or perfection or union, is one wherein the kundalini  would have reached the Sahasrara chakra.

A Brahmin is one who after all his interim intellectual pursuits, is in ultimate search of this final union or state of perfection. At this point he is said to be one with the Brahman. This is the brahmin’s final goal.

The shika covers that part of the skull wherein lies the final chakra – the Shasrara Chakra. He retains the hair to protect it. Then the question would arise, why shave of the rest of his head?

One of the main rituals of the brahmin’s practice is the Surya Vandana, and Sandya Vandana. It is believed that the sun is the primary source of clean energy not just to the physique, but also to the mind. He wants the uninterrupted rays of the sun to fall on his brain and soak in. (Remember, hair, like our nails, is dead matter.) He stands in the sun three times a day to pray, chant his mantras and meditate – facing the sun.

However, there are many reasons for having Shikha:

1.) When a devotee leaves his body Krishna pulls the soul from the top most chakra which is on the head under the shikha.

2.) It is said that according to the karma of a soul, the living entity at the time of death leaves the body from different places, from mouth, nose, etc… But a devotee who leaves this body from that chakra (sahasrara at the shikha) attains high planets of the Spiritual world.

3.) Also hair is needed to protect that chakra. Women do not cut their hair, because their other lower chakras are not protected well, but if they have long hair they protect them with their hair.

4.) Shikha is also like a spiritual antenna on the top of the head meant to show to the Lord and that we are aspiring recipients of His causeless mercy.

5.) One must have a sikha to perform any kind of yajna. Therefore in Indian tradition all the brahmanas, Vaisnava or otherwise, keep a sikha. Although there seem to be no sastric injunctions regarding the size of the sikha, Gaudiya Vaisnavas traditionally keep the sikha about the size of a calf’s hoofprint, approximately 1.5 inches (5 – 6 cm.) in diameter.

6.) Srila Prabhupada mentioned this in a conversation with some of his disciples in Hawaii (6.5.1972): “Gaudiya Vaishnava shikha is an inch and a half across — no bigger. Bigger shikha means another sampradaya…. And they have to be knotted.”

7.) The shikha may be any length, but it should be kept tightly knotted and only untied when you are washing, The Hari Bhakti Vilasa observes that members of the upper classes even tie the sikha before taking the final ablutions of a bath. This particularly applies when bathing in a body of water such as a river or a lake, in which case to not tie the shikha prior to bathing is considered low class and disrespectful to the sacred rite of bathing.

You may tie it in a simple manner for bathing, retying it more carefully after the bath. Also, when going to sleep, attending funeral rites, or observing a period of mourning, you should keep the shikha untied. Since an untied shikha is a sign of a death in the family, it is inauspicious to go about one’s daily duties with an untied shikha. It is also said that if one keeps the shikha untied, the body may become weak.

While tying your sikha after bathing, chant the Hare Krishna mantra, or, if initiated with Gayatri mantras, silently chant the Brahma-gayatri (first line of Gayatri). The shikha should not be braided (traditionally only women braid their hair), nor should it be kept long and disheveled. Naturally, if the shikha is too short to be tied, it is all right to leave it open, but it should not be disheveled.

8.) Significance of Shaving head – It is a symbol of renunciation. If you see materialists, they are extremely fond of hair. Decorating hair etc pulls us into bodily consciousness. This is not good for practicing spiritualists. So as an indication of renunciation from material consciousness devotees shave head.

9.) Significance of shikha – Another view: It is a symbol of duality of souls and supreme Lord. Impersonalists believe that there is no duality between the supreme and the living entity and they are expected to shave their heads completely. Vaishnavites believe in the philosophy that there is clear and eternal distinction between supreme god Krishna and living entities. The shikha is symbol of Krishna which is large and the remaining very little hair is the symbol of insignificant and innumerable conditioned living entity

10.) Scientific Reasons for Having a Shikha:

(A) A person who keeps Shikha attracts cosmic energy which imparts enlightment.

(B) The small portion of hair that hangs from behind our head applies little pressure on our brains that helps one to improve concentration and mind control and improve memory.

From the time of the Vedas, the shikha was a distinguishing feature of the Brahmins, Kshatriyas and Vaishyas. It signified the ‘twice-born’ or all those Upanayanam has been performed. At the time of Chudakarana, a tuft of hair was left on the head, never to be cut. This shikha covered a large part of the brain. According to Sushruta, the reason that a few tufts are left on the head is that at the crown, an artery joins a critical nerve juncture. Since an injury to this part of the head is believed to be fatal, it was considered necessary to protect the area by keeping a tuft of hair over it. The shikha was a symbol of superiority and of cleanliness.

Any religious or auspicious ceremony required the shikha to be tied in a knot. The knot was tied to the accompaniment of the Gayatri Mantra. An untied shikha was a symbol of disgrace, impurity and mourning.