Paalaguttapalle (Dalitwada)
Eashwaramma tells me that the rains are failing because people are violating dharma. That the poor beggers are not fed with respect, and cows not protected like family itself. She does not rave at the God for failing rains. And what she says, I hear repeated in the Geeta, and Vedanta.
I do not know other religions, but In Hinduism, there is a clear line of thought of Ishwara being the Karmaphaladaata, the Law and the Lawgiver of a clear process of consequences. There is freewill when it comes to actions, and a suggestion that one acts as per Dharma. There is no control over the results, as that is the consequence of many past actions of many people, beyond our grasp sometimes. The present is the result of past actions. But the future is in our hands, as based on our present actions based on freewill. Eashwaramma and Sri krishna say so.
...
I was talking to eashwaramma about how the drought and the difficulties were making some close friends in the village different - less generous, and smaller minded. i said the difficulties of the times explained it.
Eashwaramma was clear - 'No, at all times on one needs to stay generous. Then God will be with us.'. I realized that Dharmam has a clear unconfused stance. One can forgive and empathize with the wrongdoer, but the wrong does not need to be be explained as right.
I see this again and again in the village. there is complete clarity.
'Devudu chooskuntaadu' - The God will take care.
'Dharmam kaadu' - That is not Dharmam
'Ade dharmam' - that is Dharmam
These are phrases that are part of normal talk in Palagutaapalle Dalitwada. Every third sentence is such a phrase. Referances to the Mahabharatha stories are similarly very common.
Light, jyothi, represents godhood. Even when the electric light comes on, my village people bow to it, a quiet reverential bending of the head. This is a culture. Reverance is built into simple daily acts. But the urbanite blows out light - candles are lit on a cake, and puffed out.
"Dharmam is to do a good job even if no one is watching.", Annasamy anna tells me.
The mantrasayani, midwife, helps deliveries, she does not charge. She says it in 'punyam' to serve. This is the philosophy behind all 'vaidyam', or healing.
Eashwaramma, "If we wish for the good of others, god looks on us also with grace ('with a cool gaze'). If we envy others, then the god pushes us also down ..."
Eashwaramma, when I commented on Simhadri not giving enough to his sister Varalu who was deserted by her husband she said, “Don’t comment on others. We don’t know their constraints.”
Swamiji - Bhakthi is about surrender. Sharanagati. To cast ones
worries at the feet of God, and work on in peace. Accepting all that comes.
Eashwaramma,
about Sasi, her gransdon, when I asked her when and how things took a turn for
the better.
"I went to
the Kasi nayana Ashram. I said 'I lay the entire burden at your feet, and what
you give me is OK.'
I gave up
worry, and did what I could. Whenever I have a few hundreds, I give money for
annadaanam at the ashram. Or I give a sack of rice if I can where there is
coolie work, or when I get my pension"
The wisdom of
the scriptures is woven into the day to day living of the peoples of this land.
This ancient land.
The Indian ethos breathes religiousness - in a very simple and natural manner. If one denies that, one cannot relate to, or engage with the people. One may oneself be far less religious, that is accepted - as the Indian philosophy accepts all. But the religiousness of the ordinary Indian one cannot deny.
And then I learnt civilied behavior... - Paalaguttapalle (Dalitwada)
Once the village bore also dried up, people had to run to distant fields and get water. One day someone took away the stored water from Sarojamma’s home when she was away. She was shouting in general about this while in the que to collect water, and after sometime Doraisamy anna intervened saying that when someones takes away water one should not complain, as giving water is daanam. Munneshwari interjected saying that one cannot steal water carried with such difficulty. But still that statement from Doraisamy anna again pulled people back to an awareness of a truth larger than the present.
When I was away Eashwaramma had taken away much water which I had kept in the bathroom for when I came next. I was very annoyed realizing that the village water had run dry and that she had used my 'store' also, and had shouted at herin much annoyance for a long time.
At this observation of Doraisamy Anna's I realized that there is a code of behaviour - and i had well transgressed that.
Dharmam Sharanam Gachchaami - Paalaguttapalle (Dalitwada)
Eashwaramma says, when in times of drought, ill feeling and jealousy was showing up faintly. “Manam okkari manchidi korukunte, devudu choopu challaga petthindhi, ledu kindhaki thokuthundhi.”, meaning "If we desire good for others, the God turns a kindly glance on us too. Otherwise he pushes us also down."
I was talking to Eashwaramma about how the drought and the difficulties was making some neighbours less generous, and smaller minded. i said the difficulties explained it. Eashwaramma was clear - 'No, at all times on one needs to stay generous. Then God will be with us.'.
I realized that Dharmam has a clear unconfused stance. One can forgive and empathize with the wrongdoer, but the wrong does not need to be be explained as right.
Lakshmamma told me, "Every act we do is because of the thought that god gave us."
This is the highest Vedanta. Lived in every village.
Where God is not up in the clouds. But antaryami, and sarvavyapi. Immanent and all omnipresent.
To act in a way that the action is dedicated to the god. Whichever god.
To act in humility as the instrument if God. And to relinquish both the sense of doership and the fruits of action.
My India
Eashwaramma, landless coolie labourer, saves and donates a sack of rice to the village temple. For annadaanam for all. It is her Dharmam.
The swami if the small temple accepts with humility.
And says to me, "Yes everyone has the duty to give what they can. The sun shines for all, the rain falls for all."
Everyone is a giver. And a receiver.
In the Bhagavad Gita class, the swamiji teaches us of the pancha mahayagnas, the duties of each householder to contribute to society.
In my village I see it lived.
Development vs. Dharmam.
What sounds like abstract philosophy is living truth to village people. Today.
In these times of unemployment and drought, when people from a distant village come and request contributions for annadaanam, Chinapaapakka gives rice, and says to me, 'One has to give. That is dharmam. If we eat a time less, thats OK'. She also says, 'god will show the way to one meal, if not three'.
Every mendicant who comes, 'Bhavati bhiksham dehi', is fed. Respectfully.
Development, and even a full stomach, seems a very small thing in the face of what they possess - the richness of soul.
There are two strengths, two courages.
The courage to claim one's right.
The courage to give up one's own right, for him who has greater need.
Unless, the second courage accompanies the first the battle will not be won.
We give of our surplus. My village people give food to the mendicant at the door when their meal for the next day is uncertian in drought.
And this strength is found in every Indian village, and they term that Dharma. And it is in this strength to face even death for the Right Action present in the heart of Indias, that we need to understand and draw on. For every struggle for every social cause.
Satyagraha was based on this understanding.
Annasamy Anna said how in these times some people close doors when they eat, and how some others keep the door open so that they may see some hungry soul and call them in to eat
And i remember my city existance, where each family eats with doors closed in secure isolation. In soulless isolation.
Chinnapaapakka
• “Ekkuva aalonchincha koodadhu” (“Should not think much”), she said, referring to Eashwaramma’s health deteriorating with all her worries. She told me, “Anybody, even you, should not think too much”, meaning the endless worrying was pointless and damaging.
• “What good we do to others returns to us through someone else.” Referring to how when she took Vanamma for her delivary, a young pregnant lady came to the hospital unprepared and alone, and had an unexpected delivery. Chinapaapakka gave her her almost-new saree and petticoat, which was all she had with her in her bag. Years later when Vanamma went for her pregnancy checkup, she had a sudden, unexpected delivary, and other women there gave her cloths and towels and whatever she needed.
Rinam, dharmam are very powerful concepts. On this soil.
Our debt, our duties towards the creation, life and non-life, that sustains us.
This I learnt in my village. Seeing the poorest give of their very little. Without a sense of doing anything except their duty. Their Dharmam.
(The root of Dharmam is Dhr : that which sustains.)
In my village two of the three commonest words are dharmam,runam and karmam. The fourth is devudu.
Our acheivements are not our acheivement. "What we do is because of the thought that God gives us", Eashwaramma.
Ishwara arpanam, surrender of each action,
Ishwara prasadam, acceptance of each result.
Vedanta.
Thit simple truth is easily understood by the simple people of this land. In a simple step bypassing ego and false pride. Ahankara and Mamakara.
Others need lifetimes to reach there.
Eashwaramma also told me the same thing, "We do what we do because of the thought that the god puts in our mind."
Ramana Maharishi, "Till you reach the state of jnana and thus wake out of this maya, you must do social service by relieving suffering whenever you see it. But even then you must do it, as we are told, without ahamkara, i.e., without the sense ‘I am the doer,’ but feeling. ‘I am the Lord’s tool’."
In festivals, the offerings are taken and offered at the village temple, and distributed to everyone along the way on the return. Even strangers are called out to, and the offering given. This distributing and sharing is a typical feature in many festivals.
Here the giver feels blessed that he can give. A community that has understood that it is the giver who is blessed, is a community that has reached the final goal. The taker takes with humbleness, but the dignity of the giver and the receiver are the same. Each is equally indebted to the other.
Roopa, as we sat to our meal of rice and drumstick leaf curry, a simple, tasty, wholesome meal, got up and opened the doors,
"One should never close the doors and eat.
If the doors are open, we can call out to someone passing to share our meals.
Otherwise when we are hungry someday, we will find ourselves also facing only closed doors."
This is my India. These are our villages. This is the Karma understanding. This is Dharmam.
Eashwaramma, "Manam okkari manchidi korukunte, devudu choopu challaga petuthindhi, ledu kindhaki thokuthundhi."
("If we desire good for others, the God turns a kindly glance on us too. Otherwise he pushes us also down.")
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