ஆத்திச்சூடி # 4: ஈவது விலக்கேல் (EE-vathu vi-lak-kEl)
Translation: Never stop giving.
Rumination: The term, "ஈவது," refers to acts of charity. Our minds are still afresh with the cataclysmic tsunami devastation. Tragedy unfolded; humanity responded. The farthest epicenter of the tsunami quake evoked a response from the closest epicenter of one's own heart. Numerous aid-agencies thankfully acknowledged the record amounts donated for a single tragedy. Such humble acts of generosity reminds us of our closeness to each other. Many who contributed would have experienced that inner peace of partaking in other peoples' sufferings. The sublime nature of charity enriches both the giver and the taker. However, such charitable acts must never cease. More than tsunamis, innocent lives are being lost, every single day, all over the globe, due to poverty, hunger, disease, terrorism, racism, infant mortality, genocides, etc. Such evils can be eighty-sixed only by our sustained giving. In other words, our charitable donations, however small they may be, must never cease. Auvaiyar, precisely asserts that with the term, "விலக்கேல்," that is to say, "never cease."
Note: One can only cease something that is already in motion. Therefore, one can infer that charity is innate in a human heart and those rivulets of mercy that gush forth must never be stopped.
Quote: Charity is good only when it comes as a true sacrifice. Only then the receiver who receives the material gift receives the spiritual gift too. If it is not a sacrifice, but a mere discharge of superfluous excess, it will only irritate those who receive it. -- Leo Tolstoy.
Monday, January 17, 2005
Sunday, January 16, 2005
Maxim # 3: இயல்வது கரவேல் - Never hoard that you can afford to give.
ஆத்திச்சூடி # 3: இயல்வது கரவேல். (e-yal-vathu kara-vEl)
Translation: Never hoard that you can afford to give.
Intended Translation: Never hoard more than you need.
Rumination: Here Auvaiyar's reasonability comes to the fore. The term, "இயல்வது," refers to the affordability of the donor and she doesn't get uppity in demanding anything more. Hoarding beyond one's affordability constitutes avarice or greed. Avarice is a real vice for a growing child, who perceives every other kid to be a pillager of its own belongings. Certain parents stash all their children's toys when guests with children visit them. Such actions do corrupt the immaculate minds of children. Auvaiyar's advice is clear. Never stash or hoard (கரவேல்) more than what you actually need. Teach the child the art of giving.
Quote: Virtue and charity start at home. If you got to go somewhere else to display it, then it is not a virtue. -- Leo Tolstoy.
Translation: Never hoard that you can afford to give.
Intended Translation: Never hoard more than you need.
Rumination: Here Auvaiyar's reasonability comes to the fore. The term, "இயல்வது," refers to the affordability of the donor and she doesn't get uppity in demanding anything more. Hoarding beyond one's affordability constitutes avarice or greed. Avarice is a real vice for a growing child, who perceives every other kid to be a pillager of its own belongings. Certain parents stash all their children's toys when guests with children visit them. Such actions do corrupt the immaculate minds of children. Auvaiyar's advice is clear. Never stash or hoard (கரவேல்) more than what you actually need. Teach the child the art of giving.
Quote: Virtue and charity start at home. If you got to go somewhere else to display it, then it is not a virtue. -- Leo Tolstoy.
Saturday, January 15, 2005
Maxim # 2: ஆறுவது சினம் -- Anger simmers down.
ஆத்திச்சூடி # 2: ஆறுவது சினம்.( AA-ru-va-thu si-nam)
Translation: Anger simmers down.
Extended Translation: Anger must always be simmered down.
Rumination: Have you ever seen a person impervious to anger? Sorry, I haven't yet. Even Scriptures and Vedas are replete with Gods being roused to anger. I love Auvaiyar's pragmatism when she talks about "simmering down" (ஆறுவது) anger, by which she implies subtly that you cannot totally get rid of anger in this earthly life. Anger will die only when I die. Even the Bible exhorts one to refrain from escalating a situation of anger when it says, "Irascimini et nollite peccare" (Never sin when provoked to anger). Anger is akin to an earthquake. It releases too much of an energy, within too short a time that can hardly be harnessed for the good of humanity. Unbridled anger provokes 'aftershocks' too. A good thing about anger is that it is evanescent as an earthquake. It never lasts for long. However, it is within that evanescence that we can wreak the greatest havoc with our unbridled emotions and power to inflict damage on others. Anger intoxicates a human mind that often results in an irreversible and permanent damage. Great men and women have carved their niches in the history of immortality by positively channelizing their anger over their oppressed societies and cultures. Uncontrolled anger has only given rise to terrorists, criminals, and leaders rushing to unjust wars. Therefore, anger by itself is not a vice; uncontrolled anger is. Therefore, Auvaiyar stresses the aspect of simmering down or subsiding down one's own anger. A literal translation of her maxim asserts the innate quality of anger -- Anger simmers down. Anger is capable of subsidence. The extended meaning behind that maxim is that anger must always be simmered down, i.e, one must work hard to douse one's anger. Ergo, a child must be taught the art of letting it go.
Quote: In times of stress and adversity, it is always best to keep busy, to plow your anger and your energy into something positive. -- Lee Iacocca, American businessman.
Translation: Anger simmers down.
Extended Translation: Anger must always be simmered down.
Rumination: Have you ever seen a person impervious to anger? Sorry, I haven't yet. Even Scriptures and Vedas are replete with Gods being roused to anger. I love Auvaiyar's pragmatism when she talks about "simmering down" (ஆறுவது) anger, by which she implies subtly that you cannot totally get rid of anger in this earthly life. Anger will die only when I die. Even the Bible exhorts one to refrain from escalating a situation of anger when it says, "Irascimini et nollite peccare" (Never sin when provoked to anger). Anger is akin to an earthquake. It releases too much of an energy, within too short a time that can hardly be harnessed for the good of humanity. Unbridled anger provokes 'aftershocks' too. A good thing about anger is that it is evanescent as an earthquake. It never lasts for long. However, it is within that evanescence that we can wreak the greatest havoc with our unbridled emotions and power to inflict damage on others. Anger intoxicates a human mind that often results in an irreversible and permanent damage. Great men and women have carved their niches in the history of immortality by positively channelizing their anger over their oppressed societies and cultures. Uncontrolled anger has only given rise to terrorists, criminals, and leaders rushing to unjust wars. Therefore, anger by itself is not a vice; uncontrolled anger is. Therefore, Auvaiyar stresses the aspect of simmering down or subsiding down one's own anger. A literal translation of her maxim asserts the innate quality of anger -- Anger simmers down. Anger is capable of subsidence. The extended meaning behind that maxim is that anger must always be simmered down, i.e, one must work hard to douse one's anger. Ergo, a child must be taught the art of letting it go.
Quote: In times of stress and adversity, it is always best to keep busy, to plow your anger and your energy into something positive. -- Lee Iacocca, American businessman.
Friday, January 14, 2005
Maxim # 1: அறம் செய்ய விரும்பு - Desire to perform acts of virtue.
ஆத்திச்சூடி # 1: அறம் செய்ய விரும்பு. (aRum sey-yuh virum-bu)
Translation: Desire to perform acts of virtue.
Rumination: Poetess Auvaiyar must have been a brilliant optimist who understood child psychology well. She deems it fit to approach her first maxim on the topic of virtue in a very positive light. By not exhorting the children to disdain from performing acts of vice, she only exemplifies the need to approach them positively. Many parents and elders do have a pessimism when it comes to dealing with children and they must be keen to imbibe this subtlety from Auvaiyar. Also, it is interesting to note that she didn't explicitly say, "desire to earn virtue." Rather, it is clearly implied. She might have thought that whatever little virtue a kid may already have, it would suffice if it is encouraged to perform it. The more you dig the soil, the closer you are to a spring of water. A kid, when encouraged to perform acts of virtue automatically learns to inculcate more virtues.
Quote: The man of superior virtue is not conscious of his virtue, and in this way he really possesses his virtue. The man of inferior virtue never loses sight of his virtue, and in this way he loses his virtue -- Lao Tzu, circa 604 - circa 531 B.C.
Translation: Desire to perform acts of virtue.
Rumination: Poetess Auvaiyar must have been a brilliant optimist who understood child psychology well. She deems it fit to approach her first maxim on the topic of virtue in a very positive light. By not exhorting the children to disdain from performing acts of vice, she only exemplifies the need to approach them positively. Many parents and elders do have a pessimism when it comes to dealing with children and they must be keen to imbibe this subtlety from Auvaiyar. Also, it is interesting to note that she didn't explicitly say, "desire to earn virtue." Rather, it is clearly implied. She might have thought that whatever little virtue a kid may already have, it would suffice if it is encouraged to perform it. The more you dig the soil, the closer you are to a spring of water. A kid, when encouraged to perform acts of virtue automatically learns to inculcate more virtues.
Quote: The man of superior virtue is not conscious of his virtue, and in this way he really possesses his virtue. The man of inferior virtue never loses sight of his virtue, and in this way he loses his virtue -- Lao Tzu, circa 604 - circa 531 B.C.
Thursday, January 13, 2005
தினம் ஒரு ஒளவையாரின் ஆத்திச்சூடி -- Aathichudi - A Maxim A Day.
Many of my friends had requested me to blog regularly. Due to hectic schedules at work-front, I had to play truant on this one for a long time now. However, on Sunday, January 9th, 2005, while I was at Publix, shopping for my groceries, I got a call from my dear friend Velraja, who with all his inquisitiveness asked me, "Rex, I was playing a Tamil cassette for kids that comprises the moral maxims of our great old Poetess Auvaiyaar, which are rendered as songs. However, I don't understand all those maxims as they are composed and rendered in scholarly Tamil. For example, I do have a confusion as to what ஏற்பது இகழ்ச்சி ('yEr-padhu igazh-chEE') means. In this, what does ஏற்பது ('yEr-padhu') mean?"
The ethical treatise that my friend was referring to was ஆத்திச்சூடி, which is pronounced as 'AA-thi-chOO-di.' It means, "A garland of 'aththi' flowers," probably alluding to the Saivite God of Creation -- Lord Shiva, who use to be caparisoned with this floral garland. Anyway, while we debated and arrived at a consensus on what it means, my brilliant and intelligent friend countered me as to how that maxim contradicts another one in a different place. All of this made me think. After a long time, I felt so good at the level of an intellectual debate we had on a seemingly fleeting and trivial issue. Scholarly Tamil, especially those works that date back to several centuries, always need some probing to understand. Most of those words are seldom used in the contemporary Tamil dialects. Therefore, I decided to start learning at least one maxim a day to understand and share the same with my friends, thereby critically expounding some of these great puranic works of Classical Tamil. I am a mere Tamil aficionado and do not have any scholarly exposure to Tamil. I may be consulting informally with my parents, books, or friends, if I have problems in deciphering the meanings for these maxims. Therefore, should you observe any errors in either my translations or ruminations, kindly do let me know and I will make suitable modifications. Please do jot down your own thoughts and critiques so that it will truly be a learning experience for me.
ஆத்திச்சூடி (AA-thi-chOO-di) comprises 108 single-line maxims. It was composed by the great old Tamil Poetess Auvaiyaar, who belonged to the last Sangam era. Her devotion to Lord Vinayaka (Elephant God) and Lord Muruga (Tamil God) is well known. Her many other works appear in the great epic of Tamils' bravery, namely புறநானூறு ('puruh-nAAn-OOru'), roughly translated as the "Four Hundred Great Anthologies of Tamils' Bravery." Through ஆத்திச்சூடி (AA-thi-chOO-di) maxims (which were part of her 'Ethical Books' collection) she wanted to captivate and inculcate moral and ethical thoughts in the younger minds. 'Catching them young' was her mantra. These maxims are still being taught for the kindergarten, 1st and 2nd grade kids in India. However, my audience for this blog is not kids; rather it is their parents. Therefore, I want to present content in a way that would be more appealing to parents so that they can present it in a way pleasing to their kids. I will present one maxim a day for the next 108 days. I want to make it simple and lucid. Therefore, I will blog each entry with four portions.
Many of my friends are baby-boomers; a few of them are in the family way. On the eve of Tamils' Thanksgiving Feast Day of Pongal, I wish to dedicate this small effort of mine to all my beloved friends and their cute, lovable kids. As a philologist, I specially commend my friend Velraja for inspiring me to take up this work for my own learning, understanding, and sharing. Very many thanks to my dearest buddy Srikanth in Madras, who satiates my Tamil thirst by gifting me some of the rare Tamil books out there in the market. Certainly this exercise is going to be a valuable, healthy 10-minute diversion for me during the next few days.
Wish you all a Happy Pongal. Pongal O Pongal.
Rex S. Arul
Smyrna, Georgia, USA
January 13, 2005.
The ethical treatise that my friend was referring to was ஆத்திச்சூடி, which is pronounced as 'AA-thi-chOO-di.' It means, "A garland of 'aththi' flowers," probably alluding to the Saivite God of Creation -- Lord Shiva, who use to be caparisoned with this floral garland. Anyway, while we debated and arrived at a consensus on what it means, my brilliant and intelligent friend countered me as to how that maxim contradicts another one in a different place. All of this made me think. After a long time, I felt so good at the level of an intellectual debate we had on a seemingly fleeting and trivial issue. Scholarly Tamil, especially those works that date back to several centuries, always need some probing to understand. Most of those words are seldom used in the contemporary Tamil dialects. Therefore, I decided to start learning at least one maxim a day to understand and share the same with my friends, thereby critically expounding some of these great puranic works of Classical Tamil. I am a mere Tamil aficionado and do not have any scholarly exposure to Tamil. I may be consulting informally with my parents, books, or friends, if I have problems in deciphering the meanings for these maxims. Therefore, should you observe any errors in either my translations or ruminations, kindly do let me know and I will make suitable modifications. Please do jot down your own thoughts and critiques so that it will truly be a learning experience for me.
ஆத்திச்சூடி (AA-thi-chOO-di) comprises 108 single-line maxims. It was composed by the great old Tamil Poetess Auvaiyaar, who belonged to the last Sangam era. Her devotion to Lord Vinayaka (Elephant God) and Lord Muruga (Tamil God) is well known. Her many other works appear in the great epic of Tamils' bravery, namely புறநானூறு ('puruh-nAAn-OOru'), roughly translated as the "Four Hundred Great Anthologies of Tamils' Bravery." Through ஆத்திச்சூடி (AA-thi-chOO-di) maxims (which were part of her 'Ethical Books' collection) she wanted to captivate and inculcate moral and ethical thoughts in the younger minds. 'Catching them young' was her mantra. These maxims are still being taught for the kindergarten, 1st and 2nd grade kids in India. However, my audience for this blog is not kids; rather it is their parents. Therefore, I want to present content in a way that would be more appealing to parents so that they can present it in a way pleasing to their kids. I will present one maxim a day for the next 108 days. I want to make it simple and lucid. Therefore, I will blog each entry with four portions.
- Original maxim in Tamil (transliteration in parenthesis).
- Translation of the Tamil maxim in my own English.
- Rumination or discussion on the maxim itself.
- A relevant or random quote for the day.
Many of my friends are baby-boomers; a few of them are in the family way. On the eve of Tamils' Thanksgiving Feast Day of Pongal, I wish to dedicate this small effort of mine to all my beloved friends and their cute, lovable kids. As a philologist, I specially commend my friend Velraja for inspiring me to take up this work for my own learning, understanding, and sharing. Very many thanks to my dearest buddy Srikanth in Madras, who satiates my Tamil thirst by gifting me some of the rare Tamil books out there in the market. Certainly this exercise is going to be a valuable, healthy 10-minute diversion for me during the next few days.
Wish you all a Happy Pongal. Pongal O Pongal.
Rex S. Arul
Smyrna, Georgia, USA
January 13, 2005.
Thursday, October 14, 2004
Letters to the Editor - The Hindu - October 14, 2004 - US Ambassador's letter to the Assam Chief Minister.
US Ambassador to India, Honorable David C. Mulford offers a word of readiness to provide FBI's services to the terrorism inflicted state of Assam directly to the Assam Chief Minister Mr. Tarun Gogoi. Of course he must have made the offer through the Foreign Ministry of the Central Government in New Delhi. Immediately, all hell broke loose with every leading newspaper and magazine making demands that ranged from declaring the Ambassador to be persona non grata to tendering of apologies by the US Government. I honestly did not think that the Ambassador had any mala fide intent, when he made the offer. Hence wrote this letter to The Hindu.
http://www.hindu.com/2004/10/14/stories/2004101403601004.htm
Published in The Hindu, National Edition, dated October 14, 2004.
* * *
Sir, — The U.S. Ambassador, David C. Mulford's direct offer of help to the Assam Chief Minister in providing the services of the FBI to investigate the terrorist attacks was made with bona fide intent. The ambassador's crossing of the diplomatic Rubicon may be a faux pas at best. Spewing scorn on the U.S. for a minor gaffe does not augur well for bilateral relations.
Rex S. Arul,
Smyrna, Georgia
http://www.hindu.com/2004/10/14/stories/2004101403601004.htm
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