Mahabharat 1: Status Anxiety

There is a very interesting study in management called Howthorne Effect. In the study, a group of employees were allowed to work under various light intensities. An interesting  result was obtained. Howthorne Effect has shown that the productivity of a particular set of people will increase if they are given proper attention irrespective of the fact that whether the facilities are being improved or reduced.

The same is the case with the character of Karna in the epic of Mahabharat. He was a low borne son of a charioteer. His whole life was about trying to be someone! He became one of the greatest warrior of his time (even better than Arjuna, son of Indra, god's king). He learnt from the great sage Parashuram, Guru (teacher) of Arjuna's Guru. He even lied that he was a Brahmin, just to be Parashuram's disciple. He became so benevolent that he won't return anybody empty handed if confronted during his morning prayers. This also became the reason for his death.

image courtsy: hinduhumanrights.info

So, what is it that forces people to be someone, to do something worthwhile? Why is there a status anxiety among people? Why do we have to prove ourselves in the eyes of others? Pavan Verma in his book 'Being Indian' calls it the strong tendency of upward mobility that is also being cited as one of the reason for India's unprecedented growth in last 20 years.

Karna's status anxiety forced him to look away from the real Dharma, the reality, the righteous path. He allowed Draupadi, the queen of Pandava's to be humiliated in the open court of Kuru. His whole life, he tried to be someone who is worthy of respect. Duryodhan, prince of Kuru Dynasty, anointed Karna the king of Anga. And by doing so, he earned the most loyal friendship of Karna. Karna refused to look at the faults of Duryodhan. He vowed to be with Duryodhan, no matter what. And this is what made him cynical.

As for what I think, it is not always important to be of matter. One don't need to be better than others. He just need to be better than what he was yesterday. If a sweeper does his work perfectly and without feeling disregarded, then he will give best outputs. The problem of this world is that everybody is pretending to be somebody else. How beautiful this world would become if we just try to do what we do best. It may be cleaning, or washing, or studying, or may be, just trying to put a smile on others face!

The epic chose to prove its point of reducing status anxiety by creating and demeaning the character of Karna. The irony is, in the course of epic, people came to know that Karna was actually a high borne- the true heir of Kuru dynasty!!!

Mahabharat : My take

The epic battle of Mahabharat (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mahabharata) took place more than five thousand years in the Indian sub-continent. The best thing about Mahabharat is its treatment of the characters. Nobody is perfect in the complete course of epic. At certain points of time, one can see a Brahmin killing people, a Kshatriya claiming the honor of a royal queen, a brother killing own brother, a student killing his own teacher, a God asking a devotee to kill. One has to wonder what this story wants to convey! People call it a book that teaches the subtleties of Dharma, the way of living a perfect life. And look at the irony! It teaches so by showing the harsh imperfections in every single individual that comes to pass. But I think, it is what makes this epic a 'Book of Life'.

 Through these posts, I will try to look at what can be learnt from this great epic. Why is it important to go through the great history of Indian sub-continent! I will take references from Gurcharan Das's "The Difficulty of Being Good- on the Subtle Art of Dharma". This book gives a stark comparison between the epic and our present day to day life.

Lets relive and re-examine the Book of Life...

X- Wo/Man

It is a moment of shame for us, as a society, as a country, and as a human being. We, humans, consider ourselves to be at the helm of evolutionary process. But are we really that evolved. These heinous acts that we come across at a regular basis are just a reminder that we are not yet evolved!

Be it recent shooting in Connecticut, USA or the brutal rape case of a 23 year old girl in Delhi, India, aren't these all events pointing at a bigger issue? Is it not the time to act? We definitely need X- men or I should say X-Wo/men. No no.... It doesn't mean people with extraordinary powers, like flying, mind control, etc... All I am saying is that we need to evolve as human beings. We need to show compassion.
His holiness the 13th Dalai Lama always talks of showing compassion. Compassion is sharing feelings, sharing the sad and happy moments of others, helping others in the time of need, taking help of others, feeling complete- mentally, physically and spiritually. This compassion can come only by realizing God in every single living body.
We don't need X-wo/men outside us. We have to develop it within us. Not one person, not a group of persons, but we all have to do this. Then only, we, humans, can evolve to next levels.
I feel hatred and agony at the same time to see news headlines full of these discomforting cases. Hatred not from the people who commit these crimes but from this society that has created those people. I feel hatred against myself because I am also the part of this very society.
Newspapers say that the person who brutally killed 26 people in USA might have been suffering from a mental disorder called Asperger’s Syndrome. 'It is a psychiatric disorder usually noted during early school years; characterized by impaired social relations and by repetitive patterns of behaviour.'
Have a careful look at the definition of the said syndrome. This might have happened during his school days where people were reluctant enough to talk to him about his problems. We, the people around him created the monster within him. So, who is the actual culprit?
Having strong laws and regulations is not the ultimate solution to the problem we are facing. Yes, strong rules will definitely reduce the crime rate, but the number of mentally retarded people, people who can't channelize their potential (and move towards crime, rape, etc) will keep on increasing. The need of time is to develop a society where people have equal rights to learn, grow and implement. A more humane society is needed. A society where people rush for help when they see a brutally raped and naked girl lying on streets and don't just stand there to see the 'drama'. A society where people have somebody to talk to, someone to share their feelings and problems with.
I can imagine a world like that. The main concern is can you and can this whole society?

My birthday

Today, I completed 21 years of my life. These years, not many though, have given me so much that I don't even have words to express it. In Hindu mythology, its said that the things that happen to us in the first 20 years of life are in direct relation to our karma of past life. Now having completed these years, I have a great feeling that I must have done something wonderful in past life that has resulted in this beautiful life, full of people I love and who love me back.
I have always cherished relations over anything else. I am blessed to have a great family that love me a lot. My mum, papa and my sister....they all complete me. Friends have been more than family to me. I have a bunch of great, naughty, stylish, critical, philosophical and caring friends. Today on my birthday, I am really blessed to have five of them with me to share my happiness. There are some others too who may not be physically here but I know they think of me and bless me.
The birthday started with showers of eggs on my head. It proceeded with some unexpected birthday celebrations.

      

This post is to thank all of those five dearest friends of mine who complete me in many ways. They care for me; they scold me; they motivate me; they humiliate me (yes, they do!!!, not publicly though!:D :D). But above all, they love me for who I am. People come in one's life for many reasons. They come to teach us, help us, or use us. I don't know why you people came to my life and I really don't know for how long you will be there. But I always wish to have you for my whole life, coz I am 'me', when I am with you. I don't have to wear any mask. You know my strengths and you know my weaknesses.
I also want to apologize for every time I had lost my temper. I never meant to hurt you. You people are the best. Happy to have you with me!

Santa Claus (Merry Christmas)

One of the problems we have in this world is that too many adults believe in Santa Claus, and too many children don’t
Lee Lauer 

A critic is a man who found out when he was about ten that there wasn’t any Santa Claus, and he’s still upset.
James Gould Cozzens 
 
Santa Claus has the right idea: visit people once a year
Victor Borge 

I stopped believing in Santa Claus when I was six. Mother took me to see him in a department store and he asked for my autograph.
Shirley Temple

Christmas is a time when kids tell Santa what they want and adults pay for it. Deficits are when adults tell the government what they want and their kids pay for it.
Richard Lamm

Alas! How dreary would be the world if there was no Santa Claus! There would be no childlike faith then, no poetry, no romance to make tolerable this existence.
Francis P. Church

Santa Claus is anyone who loves another and seeks to make them happy; who gives himself by thought or word or deed in every gift that he bestows.
Edwin Osgood Grover

Let me see if I’ve got this Santa business straight. You say he wears a beard, has no discernible source of income and flies to cities all over the world under cover of darkness? You sure this guy isn’t laundering illegal drug money?
Tom Armstrong

There are three stages of a man’s life:
He believes in Santa Claus.
He doesn’t believe in Santa Claus
He is Santa Claus.