Growth

We often hear this word. Indian economy grew at so and so rate... Pune is growing very fast... Our company offers great growth oportunity... You must learn to grow in your life... falana dheekana... But do we know the answer to the basic question? What is meant by growth? Growth in terms of age, money, information, knowledge... what? Age growth stops when we die. There is no end for growth in monetary terms. One can always earn more money than what one is having at any particular moment. What is interesting is the growth in knowledge. But knowledge of what. I feel the most exciting part would be the most sought after question The very reason for our existance. The difference between death now and say some years down the line (phony name given to it is 'natural death'.) I guess growth means the closeness to the answer to this question. And basic necessities are the ones which help human being find answer to this question. or rather than help, keep them alive so that they can find an answer to this question.

Suicide

This song can be the ultimate suicide note...

Life it seems will fade away
Drifting further every day
Getting lost within myself
Nothing matters, no one else

I have lost the will to live
Simply nothing more to give
There is nothing more for me
Need the end to set me free

Things not what they used to be
Missing one inside of me
Deathly lost, this can't be real
Cannot stand this hell I feel

Emptiness is filling me
To the point of agony
Growing darkness taking dawn
I was me but now he's gone

No one but me can save myself
But it's too late
Now I can't think
Think why I should even try

Yesterday seems as though
It never existed
Death greets me warm
Now I will just say goodbye

~Metallica

Why suicide is considered such a bad thing. We do not have any control over our entry into this world. Shouldn't we have a choice for leaving this world. Is it not possible that you are bored with living? If nothing interests you then why would you want to go through the motions just for the sake of living. I know suicide brings a lot of sorrow to your near and dear ones but nobody lives forever. Some day we are going to die. So what is the difference between death now and say some 50 years later?(This is not a rhetorical question... ) Doesn't the word 'freedom' include the freedom of choosing your death? We have many such cases in our mythology. In Mahabharata Bheeshma had power of choosing the moment of his death by the blessings of his father. Isn't 'samaadhi' a similar situation?

Master stroke !!!

Recently many news paper and news channels were running this story. They were all going gung-ho about this blatant discrimination. If you look at this issue closely you will notice the genius brain behind this 'controversy'. Haagen Dazs (the ad agency actually) used entire Indian media, virtually for free, to advertise their new franchisee in India. Creating a controversy seems to have become the best way to advertise now a days. We have seen this with (auto)biographical books written by the likes of Jaswant Singh, Om Puri, Andre Agassi. All you have to do is make some controversial statements and you have got free advertisement in the media. It would have taken that ice-cream chain millions to convey the opening of their store in Delhi. Now it has taken just an apology for choosing the wrong words. Talk of media power...

विठ्ठल

तीर्थ विठ्ठल, क्षेत्र विठ्ठल ।
देव विठ्ठल, देवपूजा विठ्ठल ॥१॥

माता विठ्ठल, पिता विठ्ठल ।
बंधु विठ्ठल, गोत्र विठ्ठल ॥२॥

गुरू विठ्ठल, गुरुदेवता विठ्ठल ।
निधान विठ्ठल, निरंतर विठ्ठल ॥३॥

नामा म्हणे मज विठ्ठल सापडला ।
म्हणुनि कळिकाळा पाड नाही ॥४॥

-------------------------

आनंदाचे डोही आनंद तरंग ।
आनंदचि अंग आनंदचे ॥१॥

काय सांगो झालें कांहीचिया बाही ।
पुढें चाली नाहीं आवडीनें ॥२॥

गर्भाचे आवडी मातेचा डोहाळा ।
तेथींचा जिव्हाळा तेथें बिंबे ॥३॥

तुका म्हणे तैसा ओतलासे ठसा ।
अनुभव सरिता मुखा आला ॥४॥

--------------------------

अजि सोनियाचा दिनु ।
वर्षे अमृताचा घनु ॥१॥

हरि पाहिला रे हरि पाहिला रे ।
सबाह्याभ्यंतरी अवघा व्यापक मुरारी ॥२॥

दृढ विटे मन मुळी ।
विराजित वनमाळी ॥३॥

बरवा संतसमागमु ।
प्रगटला आत्मारामु ॥४॥

कृपासिंधु करुणाकरू ।
बाप रखमादेविवरू ॥५॥


जेव्हा जेव्हा हे अभंग मी ऐकतो तेव्हा तेव्हा मनात एक अनामिक भावना येते. ते काय हे मला ठरवता येत नाही. मनाला एक प्रकारची हुरहुर लागते. यात त्यातल्या संगीताचा वाटा मोठा. पण ते शब्द...पहिल्या अभंगात नामदेवांना जळी स्थळी काष्ठी जसं म्हणतात, तसं त्यांना विठ्ठल दिसतो. त्यांच्यासाठी सर्वकाही म्हणजे विठ्ठल. ह्यातला विठ्ठल मला काहीसा प्रतीकात्मक वाटतो. विठ्ठल म्हणजे तुम्ही ज्यासाठी जगताय ते. असं काही की ज्याच्यासाठी तुम्ही सर्व काही विसरु शकता ते. तुमच्यासाठी सर्व काही तेच होतं. नामदेवांसाठी ते तीर्थ होतं, क्षेत्र होतं, बंधु , गुरू पिता सर्व काही विठ्ठल. असा विठ्ठल नामदेवांना सापडला. तो काय़ हे मला माहित नाही. (पण तो विठ्ठल एखादी मुर्ति खचितच नसणार.) असा विठ्ठल खरच असतो का? मला तो सापडेल?

तुकारामांच्या भाषेत ह्याच अवस्थेला ते 'आनंदाचे डोही आनंद तरंग' अस म्हणतात. आणि शेवटचा अभंग म्हणजे तर सगळ्याचा कळस...लता मंगेशकरांचे भैरवीचे स्वर ऐकताना खरच अमृताचा घनु वर्षतोय अस वाटतं.... हे तीनही अभंग एकाच अवस्थेचे वर्णन करतात. ती अवस्था काय ते नाही मला सांगता येणार.

नास्तिक

एक खराखुरा नास्तिक जेंव्हा देवळाबाहेर थांबतो
तेंव्हा खरंतर गाभाऱ्यातच भर पडत असते
की कोणीतरी आपल्यापुरत्या सत्याशी का होईना
पण प्रामाणिकपणे चिकटून राहिल्याच्या पुण्याची….

एक खराखुरा नास्तिक जेंव्हा देवळाबाहेर थांबतो
तेंव्हा शक्यता होते निर्माण की
देवाने आपला आळस झटकून देवळाबाहेर येण्याची….

एक खराखुरा नास्तिक जेंव्हा देवळाबाहेर थांबतो
तेंव्हा कोऱ्या नजरेने पाहत राहतो
सभोवतालच्या हालचाली, भाविकांच्या नजरा
कोणीतरी स्वतःचेच ओझे स्वतःच्याच पायावर
सांभाळत असल्याचे समाधान लाभते देवालाच….

म्हणून तर एक खराखुरा नास्तिक जेंव्हा देवळाबाहेर थांबतो
तेंव्हा देवाला एक भक्त कमी मिळत असेल कदाचित,
पण मिळते अखंड समाधान, एक सहकारी लाभल्याचे!!....

देऊळ बंद झाल्यावर एक मस्त आळस देउन
बाहेर ताटकळलेल्या नास्तिकाशी गप्पा मारता मारता
देव म्हणतो, दर्शन देत जा अधून मधून....
तुमचा विश्वास नसेल आमच्यावर;
पण आमचा आहे ना!!!!!....

एक खराखुरा नास्तिक जेंव्हा देवळाबाहेर थांबतो
कंटाळलेल्या देवाला मोठ्या मिन्नतवारीने परत पाठवतो देवळात
तेंव्हा कुठे अनंत वर्षे घेऊ शकतो आपण दर्शन
अस्तिकत्वाच्या भरजरी शालीत गुदमरलेल्या देवाचे......
एक खराखुरा नास्तिक जेंव्हा देवळाबाहेर थांबतो........
- संदीप खरे

Questions ...Questions !!!!

Is there any definition for the word or concept 'unnatural'? We use this word very frequently. But I have never been able to define it clearly. There is no such thing as 'unnatural'... Also what is crime? why murder is crime? And even further why suicide is considered a crime?? questions questions.... many of them...

Good people !

Those who think that good people do not exist in this world surely don't know about Wikipedia, youtube and torrents :)