SOUL OVER ROLE

Cherish your happy moments; they make a free cushion for old age

--- Booth Tarkington

'Old age is the crown of life; our play's last act! ' (Cicero).  So, when a 'soul' ponders over its 'role' played in the human body donned on this earth, what is the outcome? Without hesitation, the answer is, it all depends on the way one 'lived' prior to the 'autumn of life'!

‘Winter/Autumn of one’s life’ is the time of brooding over the performances during one’s spring time.  And of course, my oil painting on 'Winter Life' below perfectly reflects the way of my present graceful and enlivening 'Winter Life'! Thankful to the Almighty within! You are all aware of the reasons also for my present state on account of opening up of my heart to you in the earlier scribblings.

For some people however, when embarking on a long and tedious journey, if the destination is still not within the visible horizon, even after covering most of the distance, a day will come – when they feel to give up, being tired of the journey and with moaning, lament over the past by way of reminiscence.  For these people, who did not open their eyes in time, the lack lustre fag end stage is replete with repentance about the divinity pushed in to the oblivion at the haughty, self- centred phase of their life.

Annamachaarya subrogates in to their garb and depicts their feelings vividly as if his own!   In his pursuit for realisation of the Almighty, feeling desperate, on one occasion he groans with pathos, about being liberated from this earthly human body, in the sankeertana, “Enta Kalamo Kada Yi Deha Dharanamu”......

‘O Lord!   How long still, shall I have to live in this human body?  What is the benefit do I get from this?  Thoughts, desires and attendant problems are incessantly coming, pushing me through inveterate hell.  Being immersed in sensual pleasures, I could n’t open my eyes.  I had to bear this human body fraught with dangers.  Had to live with illusions. Ignoring to serve the Almighty, I had fallen into hellish pit.  Loitered aimlessly…..

‘O Lord! I don’t know how much more time I have to live in dragging with this human body (as I grew old).   What is the benefit from this accruing to me now?  I had to pull along all the way by being entangled in problems arising out of incessant desires.

‘Is it not due to being ensnared in the net of un-ending passions that I had to fall in the inveterate hell and wade through the foul place!  Is it not because of being  over -whelmed  by the windfall sensual pleasures that I had to push through ignoble narrow bylanes!

‘Is it not because of being bound by the ropes of sins that I had to don this human body prone to frequent dangers!  Is it not due to desiring for the pleasures generating from the intent looks that I wandered like fly attracted towards lamp!

‘Is it not because of not serving the Almighty that I had to be mangled by falling in to the abysmal hell!  Is it not because of non-obtention of the grace of the Lord that I had to drag this life by now by pleading to the people around for my help!......'

How much gratefully we shall show our gratitude to the poet savant, Annamacharya for passing on such a divine knowledge for being cautious and awake!  'Have regular hours for work and play, make each day both useful and pleasant, and prove that you understand the worth of time by employing it well.  Then you will be delightful, old age will bring few regrets and life will become a beautiful success!' (Pindar).

So, let us pursue righteous path in our 'spring' time to make our lives a 'pleasure trove' even in our 'autumn' !

                                                  "Enta Kalamo Kada Yi Deha Dharanamu"

"Winter Life" (13.08.2009)

Om Shanti!