The Dangerous World Of Emojis

 

The two friends had many things in common; they came from the same state, had similar family and cultural backgrounds and upbringing during childhood. They spoke the same language and were of the same age. Rama Murthy and Govinda Bhat met when they were in their late fifties in a faraway city, away from their home state. Rama Murthy hailed from Bangalore and Govinda Bhat was from the coastal city of Mangalore. The bank for which they worked had transferred them to handle senior administrative positions to give a boost to its expansion plans in a northren state. They worked together for three years, had their final transfer to their home cities before retirement. Last posting at home towns before retirement was a luxury some bank executives got as a compensation for spending their most productive years in far-flung areas earlier. It was one way of banks to provide an opportunity to settle down smoothly after retirement.

Having worked for three years in one place and having families with similar background, it was natural for members of their families also getting closer and friendly. They enjoyed their leisure time together, traveled and entertained as one well knit group.

Being successful bankers and with the professional experience, they joined a highly reputed organisation that trained young and budding bankers. Govinda Bhat and his family had to move to Bangalore, but it was as if moving to the next house, given the cross country transfers earlier. They enjoyed their work and happy days were back again. Weekends were eagerly looked forward for rest and relaxation for recharging the batteries for the next weeks endeavours.

On a Sunday afternoon, Rama Murthy's family had a great Bangalore style lunch with Bisi Bele Bath and Aambode. There was also some "Hayagreeva", a special dish made from Kadale Bele or Chana Dal with jaggery and a liberal spraying of coconut pieces. Rama Murthy wanted to have a good nap after the heavy lunch. The food in the stomach was doing its job and no great efforts were required to sleep. He was about to proceed to take a nap when the door bell rang. Govinda Bhat was standing smilingly when the door was opened. There were usual exchange of pleasantries and Bhat was invited inside.

"Special lunch is ready. You can wash your hands and move to the dining table" said Mrs Rama Murthy to Govinda Bhat, with the freedom derived from years of close family times together.

"Oh, lunch! Aayitu (ಆಯ್ತು)", Govinda Bhat said seating himself on his favourite comfortable chair in the drawing room.

For the next half an hour there was the usual exchange of fun and information between the guest and the family of the host. To the annoyance of a hungry Govinda Bhat, there was no sign of Mrs Rama Murthy serving any lunch. To the even greater annoyance of Rama Murthy, there was no sign of Govinda Bhat leaving and thus spoiling his Sunday nap after such wonderful heavy lunch.

An exasperated Bhat now shouted, "Your hospitality is only in words or do you really mean to serve lunch?". Mrs Rama Murthy timidly said, "Anna, you said Aayitu (ಆಯ್ತು). I thought you meant you already had lunch. I was about to pack the items to handover to you when you were taking leave of us!".

They all had a hearty laugh over the confusion. Of course, Bhat was served his lunch quickly. A parcel bag was also handed over for other members of his family.

*****

The word "Aayitu" (ಆಯಿತು) in Kannada usage in Bangalore generally means over or finished. The same word in Mangalore usage generally means "Ready". When Bhat used the word he meant he is ready for lunch. Mrs murthy thought Bhat already had his lunch and is not hungry. The word "Tindi (ತಿಂಡಿ)" in Bangalore usage means items for eating whereas in Dharwad usage means Itching!

When this type of misunderstanding can happen between two friends who personally know each other, speak the same language, have similar backgrounds and upbringing, what would be the situation when there are interactions between two totally unrelated and unknown persons and entities? 

There was a story in our school text books. An Indian went on an Europe tour and wanted to have lunch in an Italian restaurant. He wanted to eat Mushrooms. He did not know Italian and the bearer in the restaurant did not know any language other than Italian. The wise Indian took out a piece of paper and wrote the picture of a mushroom and showed it to the bearer. The face of the bearer lit up and he nodded his head and went inside. The hungry customer was waiting for the delicious Italian mushrooms and the bearer brought an umbrella. 

In international transactions, the buyers and sellers of goods and services are separated by distances which may extend to different continents. They speak different languages and live in different time zones. There are cultural differences, contradictory social and commercial practices, and so on. There is a continuous need for a system that is uniformly used all over the globe in which all the trading parties understand the terms used in trade in the same sense and there is no confusion or misunderstandings leading to endless disputes. International Chamber of Commerce has come out with a document titled "INCO TERMS" giving various terms that are generally used in trades. These terms give precise meaning for each term, enumerate the rights and responsibilities of the trading parties and also help in defining the point at which title to the goods shifts from the seller to buyer. All the trading parties, others participating in the execution of relative contracts as well as arbitrators in case of resolution of disputes use these terms. The INCO TERMS have facilitated development of trade and commerce by volumes of smooth commercial transactions and helped solve many disputes. They are regularly upgraded from time to time to meet the demands of changing times.

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In the present world of Digital Communication and Social Media, use of Emoji is a very common thing, Emoji is a Japanese word and said to represent a pictogram, logogram, ideogram or smiley embedded in a text and used in electronic messages and webpages. History also tells us that Emoticons were initially used in 1990s and later on evolved into Emojis. Probably further research is being done by Darwin's followers about "Evolution of Emojis".

Almost everyone has a smart phone today and most of them believe that those who don't have them are not smart enough. Governments have not yet started taxing forwards messages and hence we have people who are known as "Straight forwarders". They may not be straight forward in their other dealings, but immediately forward messages though they may not have themselves read them. Absolutely no selfish intentions but following the principle of living for others. 

Then the receivers have an obligation too. They have to let the sender know they have seen these messages. Otherwise there may be unnecessary misunderstandings and hurting digital feelings. But there are problems in responding. First, they may also be straight forwarders and may not read the messages. Secondly, they may not have time to read. Thirdly, even if they read, they may not understand them. Fourthly, even if they understand, they may not know how to react. Fifthly, it may be something else. Emojis solve all these problems. Pick an Emoji and click on it. Done! Then move to the next message and possibly the next Emoji.

There are probably hundreds of Emojis and there are possibly regular additions to the already vast Emoji treasure. But there are some Emojis which are regularly used. 💔👍👌🙏😐😏😀 are some of the most commonly used Emojis. Use one of these and click. You have achieved many things by this one action. You have now freedom to go to the next message. The sender is now happy that you have seen the message. That opens the gate for sending many more! The social media owners or managers are happy because the traffic keeps on increasing. And so on....

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The world was a very happy place with free and unabated use of Emojis. But a recent judgement by a Court in Canada has changed the way Emojis are now looked into. A judgement delivered on 8th June, 2023 by a Saskatchewan Court in South West Terminal Limited Vs. Achter Land and Cattle Limited, relating to a Deferred Delivery Purchase Contract has turned the world of Emojis upside down. 

The Plaintiff sued the Defendant for breach of contract when a promised delivery was not made on the due date. The item covered by the contract was Flax (Linseed or extracted Linseed oil), used in making fibre (linen) yarn. The Defendant denied entering into a contract as there was no "Memorandum of Contract" at all. The Plaintiff produced a text message sent to the defendant covering the contract which was responded by the Defendant by a 👍sign. 

The Seller (Defendant) argued that the Thumbs Up sign on the message only meant that he had received the message, it was not a digital signature and hence not valid. The Buyer (Plaintiff) contended that the Thumbs Up sign meant that the contract was concluded. Though it was not a digital signature and a non-traditional mode of signing a document, but nevertheless it was a valid way of conveying acceptance.

On hearing both the parties, the court ruled that "Thumbs Up Emoji is as valid as a signature" and ordered the Defendant to pay CAD 61,442 to cover the default under the contract.

There is another report that a US District Court Judge in New York has ruled that Emojis like Rocket Ship, Stock Chart or Money Bags means "a financial returns on investments".

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The world of Emojis has suddenly become very dangerous. Days are not far when a court in India may rule that a "Growing Heart" emoji affixed by a girl on a message by a boy is as good or even better than a "Marriage Certificate". Similarly, a broken heart emoji may be construed as an approval of "Divorce". A set of three broken hearts may be held as equal to a "Triple Talaq", though there may be another case questioning its validity.

Emoji lovers and Straight Forwarders are in a fix now as they may not be able to use the Emojis as freely as before.

It is also time for ICC to come out with a document similar to UCPDC (Uniform Customs and Practices for Documentary Credits) or INCO Terms for "Standard Meaning and Understanding of Usage of Emojis in the Digital World" or something else with an even more attractive name.

The Lord's NEFT and RTGS Systems

I was eight years old then. It was around the time a war was being fought in the Himalayan Region. Things were pretty difficult, in various ways. Life goes on nowadays almost uninterrupted even with wars being fought in various parts of the world. Not in those days. Fighting wars as well as fighting to lead a decent life were both manned by human beings with technology not in prominence as of now. Incomes were low, commodities used to disappear from the market and prices used to skyrocket. The friendly neighbourhood shopkeeper would hoard items and smilingly tell you that there is no stock of daily necessities.

We were on a short pilgrimage to some places in the nearby state, some 400 miles from our town. Those were the days of unscheduled travel by unreserved buses and trains. The group consisted of my parents, sister, aunt and grandmother. We were almost finished with our tour and returning to our native town. During the last leg of the journey, in the crowded train, someone picked my father's pocket. We were stranded in a big Railway Junction with no funds to buy tickets on the last train and reach home. No online transactions and credit cards in those days. Cash was the one and only King. We halted in a Dharamshala in that big city. My father managed to send wire (telegram) to his two friends in our town requesting for sending money to cover the expense for the remaining journey. As we were in the middle of the frugal lunch on the third day, a postman shouted TMO. Telegraphic Money Order was received from one of the two sources and facilitated the journey back home.

That is the first time I heard of how money can be sent through Post Office and by wire in case of an emergency. Banks were only for the rich and affluent and most people did not have bank accounts. Sending money by way of Demand Draft (DD) and MT (Mail Transfer) through banks was mostly confined to business transactions. But today, remittances are instantaneous. Our country is making records in UPI transactions. NEFT, RTGS and IMPS etc. are used even by street vendors. QR Codes are displayed on cows as well seeking donations. Beggars (?) display QR codes prominently. Technology absorption is so fast and wide spread nowadays that everyone uses it for transfer of funds then and there. "Fund Transfer" has well and truly replaced "Remittance".

While working in the bank and handling international business some fifteen years later, in the 1970s and 1980s, we handled several voluminous code books for transfer of funds and authenticating documents between our banks and overseas correspondents. Each system was different and working on them was a real thrill. Things are simplified now with computerisation and one system handles all remittances and messages real time, then and there. Money that took days or even months to reach the destination now is done in a few minutes. There are instances where the recipient informs the sender that money is received before the sender advises that it has been sent!

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NEFT and RTGS are two of the popular tools for transferring funds in India nowadays. Similar systems are available in all parts of the world, may be with different names. In USA they are called ACH (Automated Clearing House) and Fed wire transfers. The basic difference is that one is a "Net Settlement System" while the other is a "Gross Settlement System".

Before introduction of advanced technology, bank representatives used to meet at an appointed time each banking day in a designated place known as the "Clearing House", and used to exchange cheques presented by their customers drawn on other banks. All banks had an account with the bank running the clearing house. The net difference payable or receivable for each bank was accounted by debit or credit to the respective individual bank accounts. As the settlement used to happen for the net amount payable or receivable, this is known as the Net Settlement method. 

In present day net Settlement Systems like NEFT, the same clearing house system is followed but not by physically meeting by bankers. Advanced computer systems handle the transactions round the clock. In Gross Settlement Systems like RTGS, each transaction is recorded in the systems and happens real time (then and there). This gives the name RTGS which stands for Real Time Gross Settlement.

Thus settlement can be one on one or for a batch of transactions. Handle each issue separately as RTGS or dispose off a bunch of issues like NEFT!

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Asura Hayagreeva or Hayagreevaasura was a demon with the body of a human being and the face of a horse. The word "Haya" means horse and "Greeva" is neck. (Ravana was also known as Dashagreeva as he had ten necks/heads). Asura Hayagreeva was the son of sage Kashyapa and Danu. Being the first ruler of the Danavas, he did a long penance and got a boon from Brahma that he cannot be killed above the sea water and that he can be killed only by someone who was also like him, with the horse form above the neck. Once the boon was granted he became all powerful and snatched away the Vedas from Lord Brahma himself. Snatching Vedas does not mean stealing the books as they show in films. It actually means preventing the eligible ones from learning them and dispersing wrong meaning among the others. He  harassed all the devas and righteous people endlessly.

Hayagreeva Asura never came out of water and did all his mischief while hiding in the ocean. Lord Vishnu took the form of Hayagreeva, with the human body but horse above the neck, and killed Hayagreeva Asura and returned the knowledge of the Vedas to the custody of Brahma once again. That is why Lord Hayagreeva is worshipped for bestowing knowledge. He is the custodian of all pure and wholesome learning resources. The belief is that worshipping him or even chanting his name will enable a person to have a fluent tongue and enables command over speaking and languages. The flow of words and speech from such a blessed person is compared to the flow of water in the divine river Janhavi (Ganga). He is specially worshipped if a child in the family is unable to speak even after the expected period of growth, or has stammering or deficiency in speech.

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Sanaka, Sanandana, Sanaatana and Sanatkumara were born from the mind of Lord Brahma. They are called as "Maanasaputraas" of Brahna, Maanas meaning the mind. They are believed to be in the form of children even today and devoted their existence to teaching and spiritual living. Once they went to Vaikuntha, the abode of Lord Mahavishnu, to have the darshan of the Lord. Vaikuntha is believed to have four entrance and each entrance covered by two guards. Jaya and Vijaya were the guards and prevented the four brothers from going further. 

• Enraged by the action of Jaya and Vijaya, the Sanat brothers cursed them to take birth as human beings three times since they did not display the qualities of the heavenly guards.
• Hearing the commotion, Lord Vishnu appeared and pacified the four brothers. He also assured the two guards, Jaya and Vijaya, that though they will be born as Demons (Asuras), he will himself kill them by reincarnation or by taking Avataras.
• During the first of the three births, Jaya was born as Hiranya Kashipu and Vijaya was born as Hiranyaksha. (They were twins. The popular belief is that Hiranyaksha was the elder one. It is not so. When twins are born, the practice is to consider the one coming out of the mother's womb first as the elder brother. But the one coming out of the womb first is conceoved second and hence is the younger brother. The one conceived first and stays in the mother's womb longer is the elder brother.) Hiranyaksha was killed first by Lord Vishnu in Varaaha form. Enraged by this, Hiranya Kashipu did a long penance and pleased Lord Brahma. He wanted a boon to be immortal. Brahma said this is not possible. Hiranya used his ingenuity and sought a special boon with many conditions. (These conditions can be compared to the ones impsoed by banks when they lend money to their borrowers). 
• He should not be killed by anyone or object created by Brahma himself. 
• He should not be killed inside the house or outside the house.
• He should not be killed by man or animal.
• He should not be killed by any living or non-living tool.
• He should not be killed during day or night.
• And many such other conditions.
• When Hiranya was engaged in penance, Lord Indra kidnapped his pregnant wife Kayaadu and tried to kill her, to prevent Hiranyas next generation harassing the devas. Sage Narada appeared before Indra and saved Kayaadu for reason that her son will be the cause for the end of Hiranya Kashipu.
• Hiranya Kashipu's son Prahlada was firm in his belief that the Lord exists everywhere. Even under severe threats and all sorts of attempts by his father to kill his own son, Prahlada never wavered and stuck to his belief.
• As Brahma had approved all of Hiranya's conditions and given the boon, it was necessary for Mahavishnu to make it true, by taking a form that was beyond all the imaginations of Hiranya and killing him by meeting all the conditions.
• In addition to all these, Lord Mahavishnu has himself declared that his true devotees will not come to grief at any cost. (न मे भक्तः प्रणश्यति - ನ ಮೇ ಭಕ್ತಃ ಪ್ರಣಶ್ಯತಿ). Here were many, starting from Brahma himself, Sanat brothers, Jaya and Vijaya, Naarada, Prahlada and many others.

Thus there were a batch of issues which were to be disposed off by one incarnation that took care of all these with one settlement.

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Hayagriva Asura's case was a very simple one. it was a direct one-to-one issue. The Supreme Lord settled it in the RTGS method. Hayagriva incarnation made it a straightforward gross settlement.

The case of Hiranya Kashipu and Prahlada was much more complex. There were many events which formed a chain. There wee also other assurances given by the Lord on different occasions. It was not straightforward one-to-one issue. One incarnation had to settle all these complex and intertwined issues. The Lord took the form of Narasimha and used the NEFT system of settlement!

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Bhagavata uses the adjective "Adhbhuta" (अध्भुत - ಅಧ್ಭುತ) for the many incarnations of the Supreme Lord. Indeed they are Adhbhuta. There appears to be no exact word in English to convey this effect, at least I am not aware of. The words that could be used are probably "Miracle" or "Awesome".

The incarnation of Narasimha as he comes out of the pillar to confront Hiranya Kashipu with Prahlada in attendance is described in Srimad Bhagavata as under:

सत्यं विधातुं निज भृत्य भाषितं 

व्याप्तिञ्च भूतेशु अखिलेषुचात्मनः 

अदृश्यत अत्यध्भुत रूपामुद्वहन् 

स्तम्भे सभायां न मृगम् न मानुषम् 

Satyam vidhatum nija bhrutya bhaashitam

Vyaaptimcha bhooteshu akhileshuchatmanah

Adrushyata atyadhbhuta roopamudvahan

Sthambhe sabhaayam Na Mrugam Na Maanusham

ಸತ್ಯಂ ವಿಧಾತುಂ ನಿಜ ಭೃತ್ಯ ಭಾಷಿತಮ್ 

ವ್ಯಾಪ್ತಿಮ್ ಚ ಭೂತೇಷು ಅಖಿಲೇಷುಚಾತ್ಮನಃ 

ಅದೃಶ್ಯತ ಅತ್ಯದ್ಭುತ ರೂಪಮುದ್ವಹನ್ 

ಸ್ಥಮ್ಭೇ ಸಭಾಯಾಂ ನ ಮೃಗಂ ನ ಮಾನುಷಮ್ 

The word used to describe this incarnation is "Atyadhbhuta", which may transalate to probably "The most awesome".

Those involved in financial settlements for commercial transactions are familiar with an instrument or method of settlement known as "Documentary Credit" or "Letter of Credit" or its popular short form LC. Under this settlement method LC issuing bank will make payment only when all the conditions mentioned in the instrument, whether one considers them as major or minor, are fulfilled. Even with slight deviation (known as Discrepancy in banking language) payment may be rejected. A set of documents presented exactly in accordance with the terms and conditions of the LC will entail "Clean Negotiation". LC issuing bank is bound to pay. 

Narasimha incarnation fulfils all the terms and conditions set by not just by Hiranya Kashipu, but by the supreme Lord himself in various utterances. There cannot be a better set of compliance. It is indeed अत्यध्भुत - Atyadhbhuta.

Three Levels Of Learning

Everyone knows about the relationship that existed between Shri Krishna, Pandavas and Kauravas. Kunti was the sister of Vasudeva, Krishna's father. Her name was "Pruthaa" at birth and she came to be known as "Kunti" after she was adopted by her uncle, King Kuntibhoja. The first three Pandavas were Kunti's children and also known as Kaunteya. The other two Pandavas, Nakula and Sahadeva were Maadri's sons, but after Maadri's death Kunti brought them up as her own sons. Thus Krishna and Pandavas were first cousins. Krishna was the Mentor for the Pandavas. Whatever they did was with Krishna's permission and guidance. 

Kauravas were always distrustful of Krishna and looked upon him as a stumbling block in their designs to deny Pandavas of their Kingdom or its share, whatever. Shakuni was Kauravas Mentor and all his calculated steps were to remove Krishna from the scene, as far as possible, so that he succeeds in executing his plans. The hostility between Duryodhana and Krishna is as much well documented as the warmth between Arjuna and Krishna.

Arjuna is said to have ten names. Krishna had many names. Keshava and VAsudeva were the most common names used for Krishna. 

It was quite natural that Pandavas would feel sad if Krishna was in trouble. It was also natural that Kauravas would feel elated whenever Krishna was in difficulty. 

There is a beautiful sloka that shows the reverse of this. It is very interesting as well. It goes thus:

केशवं पतितं दृष्ट्वा पाण्डवाः हर्ष निर्भराः 

रुदन्ति कौरवाः सर्वे हा हा केशव केशव 

Keshavam patitam drushtvaa Pandavaah harsha nirbharaah

Rudanti Kauravaah sarve Haa Haa Keshava keshava

Having seen fallen Krishna, Pandavas became overjoyed.

All the Kauravaas started crying shouting how bad, Keshava has fallen.

Anyone who has some understanding of the language can read the above verse and understand the situation. And the meaning coming out of the verse.

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A school boy is reading "Mahabharata". A college student is also reading the same epic for his examination preparation. A PhD scholar too is preparing a thesis for submission on the same subject. A saint who gives regular discourses on various spiritual topics is also reading the same work by revered Veda Vyasa. 

Is the learning derived by all the four the same? Is there any difference in the level of their learning? If there is any difference, why is it so?

Four visitors go to "National Gallery of Arts" in Washington DC. It is a magnificent building with many rooms and galleries displaying arts. At the reception they receive a brochure giving the details of the building, rooms in it and various important art works displayed therein. It also gives indications as to highlights of the collection. Most of the visitors would not be able to spend considerable time at the museum as they usually have a day to cover the various other parts of the city and its heritage. The brochure therefore gives indication as to what areas can be seen in one hour, two hours or half a day as well. The first three visitors go by this guidance and finish their museum visit accordingly. The fourth visitor has no such restrictions and as a student of arts spends two full days viewing and studying each artefacts in the museum.  

When you ask each of them whether they have visited and seen the National Gallery of Arts, all of them answer in the affirmative. They have all visited the place and seen the museum. But is the viewing experience and learning they derive therefrom the same?

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There are many people who claim that they are self taught and have learnt many things on their own, without any support or guidance from others. After all, one knows the language and can read and write. There are books available in the market or library or other sources. Buy the book or borrow one and just read them. You can understand the contents. It is as simple as that. 

There is a strong opinion that one should learn subtle things, especially abstract and spiritual issues, through a Guru. But it is not easy to find a proper Guru though there are plenty of self proclaimed Gurus around us. This is the era of Jagadgurus. What happens if the Guru himself has not reached a level befitting the status of a true Guru? What if his own understanding is imperfect? Then it becomes a classic example of a blind leading another blind person. Many ancient texts give guidelines and indicators to identify a genuine Guru. A real Guru does not impose his dictates on a disciple. He would only give sincere guidance and advise the seeker-disciple to accept things only after his own verifications and experiences.

What are the pitfalls of self learning? 

Many abstract and spiritual texts, especially Vedic literature texts are amenable to multiple interpretations. This is because the rich language used in these source text have words that carry multiple meanings; not just the words, even the passages or the whole text can be explained in totally different ways and often entirely contradictory.  Many stalwarts have used their versatility and ingenuity to give their own version of meanings to many of the texts. .An example for this is available in “Brahma Sutra Bhashyas” of the various Acharyas. Each one of them has given his own interpretation of the sutras and when a layman reads them each one of them appears to be perfect. Only a “Jignasu” devoting his life for a thorough study of these texts and commentaries can make out any deficiencies. 

There is also the issue of a reader understanding what he reads in accordance with his own background, knowledge and desire as well. We know from our experience that when a passage is given to different persons and ask their understanding of it, the answers differ.

Nevertheless, all learning must ultimately end with self study and culminate by finding the true meaning as the seeker sees it in the light of guidance received from time to time, and his own experiences during his spiritual journey.

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It is said that "Language" used in various texts has three levels of meaning. They can be summarised(?) as under:

1. Samadhi Bhasha (समाधि भाषा - ಸಮಾಧಿ ಭಾಷೆ): This is the language that is commonly understood by everyone. A simple reading of the written words will give out this meaning and the world at large accepts this as what is intended to be conveyed. A study of the valued texts by one who just understands the language and does not have a proper guide will understand the contents at this level.

       

2. Darshana Bhasha (दर्शन भाषा -  ದರ್ಶನ ಭಾಷೆ): This is the meaning given to the texts as conveyed by the exponents of different schools of thoughts and summarised truth as found by them. This meaning is often different from the first level Samadhi Bhasha. Examples of this type are Jaina, Bouddha, Adwaita, Dwaita etc. Here, the texts are to be understood in the meaning as conveyed by the authors. Whether the seeker accepts that school of thought is an entirely separate issue and left to his own spiritual experiences.

 3. Guhya Bhasha (गुह्य भाषा - ಗುಹ್ಯ ಭಾಷೆ): This is the real meaning of the words or texts that is intended to be conveyed and understood. The messages are covered in a language that is commonly understood differently, but have special inner meaning. Guhya means hidden. This is similar to coded messages; the outward reading conveys a simple meaning as understood by the world at large. But a person who has the key to the coded message will understand the hidden and deeper meaning. 

"Smiling Buddha" can be an example. Anyone who heard this in the year 1974 would link it to the Smiling Buddha often quoted in Buddhism. But those involved in the Pokhran nuclear tests understood the real meaning then.

How does one get hold of the key to the code? It may be given by a revered Guru or derived by deep contemplation by the seeker himself. These hidden meanings themselves may extend to multiple levels and may open up one after the other as the seeker travels along his spiritual journey. Some of these meanings suddenly flash in the mind on some day and the seeker may wonder why this did not occur to him earlier! "It was there all along, yet I did not see it", he may exclaim!

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In the background of all this, learning should happen with the following basic structure:

1. The texts chosen for study are themselves authentic and removed from the common impurities like Interpolation, Deletion, and Disorder. Interpolation is additions by the editor, which was not there in the original text but got added during transit. Deletion refers to the parts removed by the editors as they considered these parts as unwanted but has real importance in the overall context of things. Disorder is a defect that creeps when the editors change the sequence of communication by the original author or are modified by the subsequent handlers of the texts. Eagerness to reinforce one's own philosophy often are the causes of these defects.

2.  A detailed study of the related texts from beginning to end and not mere parts of them or their summaries. Fruit juice is good but does not substitute the experience of eating the whole fruit. It is common knowledge that the summary contains what the summariser considers as important. There is every possibility that the true essence is lost while summarising the content in the original text. It is often like reading a few pages of a book and trying to make out the meaning of the entire book. This is a very dangerous path for the seeker.

3. Analysing and evaluating all learning in the light of the seekers own experiences. Unless this step is adopted, the seeker will only get the truth as someone else saw it, but not by himself. It may be the truth as seen by some big achiever or saadhaka, but even then, it is not one's own learning. The food prepared may be delicious, tasted by many and its qualities explained by many more. But the true taste comes only when one eats and appreciates it and not by hearing from others or reading about it. Otherwise what the seeker gets is mere words; not the food itself.

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Let us get back to our example of Krishna's fall and the reactions of Pandavas and Kauravas. A reader with limited understanding of the language will come to the conclusion that Pandavas were overjoyed but Kauravas felt very bad when Krishna fell. Here the fall may be just a fall on the ground or even the end as happens in a war. We all know what a fallen soldier means in the context of a war.

The words Keshava, Pandava and Kourava can have entirely different meanings. When the quoted verse is read in this context, its meaning dramatically changes.

The word "Shava" means a dead body or a part of it. It may refer to a piece of meat as well as it is the part of a dead person or animal. "Ke" also means water. The word "Pandava" also means animals living in water, like fish etc. The word "Rava" means noise especially made by birds. (Remember कल-रव ಕಲ-ರವ)  The crows make noise "Ka" "Ka" continuously. So, a group of crows making such noise is Kauravas.

When this is applied to the verse refered above, the meaning dramatically changes and is read and understood as under:

    "A bird was flying carrying a piece of meat in its beak. The piece of meat slipped from its beak and fell in a water body on the ground. The fish living in the water body were overjoyed because they can eat it. The group of crows observing this were sad and cried about the lost piece of meat as they lost the chance of eating it (if it had fallen on the ground)."

    

*****

The above example amply illustrates the different levels of learning and dangers of self learning, especially in the context of abstract and spiritual issues. There is absolutely no doubt that any learning should ultimately be evaluated by one's own experiences, as discussed above. But self learning cannot be the beginning and end in itself.

The Missing Blue Suitcase

This was probably three years ago.

The flight from London to Bangalore was on schedule and uneventful. Arrival and landing was just perfect. Everything from boarding the first flight in USA till landing in Bangalore went like clock work. Immigration was fast and the efficient Bangalore Airport ground handling ensured that our luggage was on the conveyor belts as we arrived near it.

When things go well, we compliment ourselves for perfect planning, diligent execution and bask in the glory of a task done very well. When things go wrong, search begins to identify someone to blame. If a proper scapegoat is not readily available, blame the Lord. You can blame him as much as you want. One great thing about the Lord is that he neither protests nor question you!

We had four suitcases to arrive from the aircraft. There was natural eagerness after the long journey to pick them up and proceed to the exit. Our suitcases were the first to arrive. Wow! The Red one came first, closely followed by the Yellow one and there was the Green one too. The moment the Blue one arrives, we were all clear to go.

We propose and airline companies dispose. One after another pieces of luggage came on the belt. Big ones, small ones, beautiful ones, ugly ones, odd-size ones, musical instruments, bags, walkers, and so on. The procession reminded of the rats following "The Pied Piper of Hamelin".

Our Blue Suitcase was nowhere in the procession.

*****

Subhadra Kumari Chauhan is a famous Indian poet, and well known for her poem "Khoob ladi mardaani wo to Jhansiwali rani thi". Born in Prayagraj (Allahabad) in UP, she moved to Jabalpur in MP after her marriage to Thakur Lakshman Singh Chauhan. She joined the freedom movement and was jailed many times. She was an MLA in Madhya Pradesh (then Central Provinces) after Independence. Her statue has been placed in front of the City Corporation offices in Jabalpur, as a mark of respect for her contribution to literature and public life. 

In one of her poems titled ठुकरादो  या प्यार करो (Thukaraado ya pyar karo) she describes the plight of a poor old woman who goes to the temple empty handed when all the people were coming with many colourful offerings.

देव तुम्हारे कई उपासक कई ढंग से आते हैं 

सेवामे बहुमूल्य भेंट वे कई रंग के लाते हैं 

मै हूँ एक अभागन खाली हाथ चली आयी 

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

_________________

When I was four or five years old, my mother used to take me to the nearby temple, a few minutes walk from our house. The practice then was never to go to a temple empty handed. The usual offerings were flowers, fruits and coconut. Onion was rarely used at home and hence coconut was a must in daily cooking. Coconuts were liberally given by the village folk as every house had at least one or two coconut trees. The item will go to the temple and the priest will take it inside the Garbha Gudi (sanctum sanctorum), break the nut into two parts and offer to the Lord, along with other offerings. At the end of the puja he would bring a container with all the coconuts and ask those who had brought the nuts to take them home. 

The practice differed from temple to temple. In some temples they gave away the big part of the nut holding back the small part. In some other temples they gave away both the parts. Once i asked my mother why this different practices was among temples. She gave a logical answer. There were no refrigerators in those days. Priests of small temples had a small number of devotees at their temples. They would hold back the smaller part and divide among the temple staff for their use. In big temples the number of devotes was also big and there was a large inflow of coconut pieces. They did not need that many pieces of coconuts and hence gave away both the pieces! The Lord never got anything, of course. 

As a small boy I was concerned about getting the right piece of the nut, especially when our offering was a big one. When the priest brought the container of the broken nuts, those in front would jump to get the big ones and small boys like me used to get the left over small ones. I used to feel very disappointed. My mother would advise me not to worry, but I was upset about the injustice (?) especially happening before the Lord.

*****

The crowded belt area thinned out as the happy ones receiving their luggage left the area. Four groups were left while some suitcases were still rounding on the belt. A staff of the airport came and removed the remaining three suitcases from the belt, kept it in a separate place and made place for the next batch of items from another aircraft to start the fresh process.

Among the three suitcases left unclaimed was one pale blue suitcase, much travelled and battered one. My companion grumblingly said someone has taken away our new blue suitcase and left their old one for us. She reminded me of myself standing before the container of coconuts in the temple, several years ago.

The situation in the temple was much better because I could pick up the remaining coconut piece, however small it was. We had no such option of picking up the battered old blue suitcase at the airport!

When we complained to the airport staff we were advised to meet the British Airways staff at the customer service counter. British Airways has a single flight every day at the Bangalore airport and hence the waiting was minimal. There were three passengers like me who had missing luggage. We were given a form to fill in the details like flight number, name of the passenger, tag number of the missing luggage item etc. and the address at it is to be delivered when found. The customer service executive assured that the item would arrive on the next flight and will be delivered to our house in two days. Being familiar with the sweet promises of such executives many times in the past, we still had no alternative but to move to the cab with the other items of luggage and reach home, three hours beyond the normally expected time.

*****

The issue of concern was that since British Airways had only one flight to Bangalore and three pieces of luggage missing, would they really invest in tracing and delivering the item to our doorstep.

The next day afternoon I received a call from a representative of a company called Carterporter Private Ltd. He informed that our suitcase has indeed arrived and will be delivered the next day morning, 48 hours after we landed in Bangalore. I asked further questions but he did not answer any of them except advising the approximate time of delivery and alternative place of delivery if we were not at home. 

Around the promised time, a mini truck arrived with many items of luggage and our Blue suitcase was one among them. The item was duly delivered against acknowledgement.

*****

The riddle was indeed solved when we opened the suitcase. There was a pamphlet of the US Customs inside the suitcase indicating the item was opened by them for verification. The suitcase was opened at the airport of first loading as the customs probably wanted further check after looking at the x-ray image before loading on the aircraft. The suitcase had a metal round item that was big enough (a frying pan) to raise their suspicion. By the time the inspection was over and the item cleared for loading, the aircraft had left. Hence the item had to come in the next flight thus taking an extra day to arrive in Bangalore!

The number of flights served by an airline has no connection with delivery of the missing item. This job is entrusted to an agency like Carterporter Private Limited by the airlines. They handover the late arriving item to this agency. This agency pools all the missing items of luggage of the previous day and takes care of delivering them to the bonafide passengers on the next two days.

*****

The Blue suitcase taught us that there is no need to panic if an item of luggage is missing when you arrive at the destination. It will most likely arrive with a time lag, but much before you are out of the jet lag.

If you still don't get it, it is like the piece of coconut offered by you to the Lord, but missing in the container when the priest brings out at the end of the ritual.

The "Other Number"

 

We all have to depend on others for many things; big or small. Issues may be important and urgent. They may be trivial but irritating. The mind does not rest until the issue is sorted out. The one who can help us solve them must be willing and free to attend to it. The helper may be willing but not free. He or she may be free but unwilling. Things have to fall in place to sort the issue and remove the irritants.

All families have general handymen who are problem solvers and skilled in removing obstacles. Such persons are usually extremely busy, but find time for others as well. Queries are answered smilingly. They make time to attend to others despite their own busy schedules. They are in great demand but seldom disappoint those who trust them. May their tribe increase!

We have one such "Go to" man with us as well. A young entrepreneur with own business that provides employment to many others as well. Working round the clock with a smiling face. Today's world runs on mobile phones. The fuel for this mobile world comes from Passwords and OTPs. There was a joke going around about the Holi festival last year. A young man went out and played Holi with his friends. When he came home he was not recognisable due to the colours on his face and body. Less said about the dress is better. When he wants the assistance of his wife for coming out of the jumble of colours, she asks for his Aadhar card. "Show me your Aadhar card. Last time I gave a bath to a person and later realised it was not you. I don't want it to happen this time", she says. Now we can replace the Aadhar card with OTP. Supreme Court of India has given a judgement that banks, mobile companies and private parties cannot ask for Aadhar authentication. Even today all these parties ask for Aadhar and people also give. OTP is the most essential thing these days. 

Air, Water and Food, followed by clothes and house (Roti, Kapda and Makaan) were the basic requirements. Now OTP precedes even air. Without a proper OTP you are choked. Finance Minister is in a good situation due to GST. The inflow of funds due to GST is enabling the FM to manage the financial affairs somewhat smoothly. If there is shortage of funds during the next budget, a one rupee GST on each OTP will make the budget a surplus one. In the near coming days, children may ask for payment and OTP for calling their parents dad or mom. 

This our general handyman has two mobile phones. No, to be accurate, it is only one mobile with two sims. We have heard innumerable stories wherein two souls live in a single body and act in turns giving beautiful situation opportunities for films. Dual sim mobiles are just like this. If you send a message to one of his mobile numbers, it automatically says that messages are to be sent to the other number. Many big shops have two doors. One for delivering the sold items and another back door for receiving supplies. If the supply person goes to the delivery door he will be politely told to go to the other door.

*****

Taking various roles in life and accepting responsibilities has been the norm in life. But not accepting responsibilities and desiring to be a free man or woman is also a fact of life. The number of such persons was believed to be small in the past years. Old timers claim that the number has increased over the years. One of the important social institutions that create and nurture responsibilities is "Married Life". Marriage brings with it many responsibilities, whether one likes it or not. Present generation often does not want to get bogged down by the responsibilities of married life. Responsibilities on the one side and beig tied down to one pole on the other side have led to "Live-in" relationships. Such relationships give the luxury of a mobile phone with multiple Sims. 

Our Supreme Court has become very busy nowadays with laying down guidelines and regulating such aspects of life. When does a Live-in relationship crosses the line (?), whether same sex marriages are to be allowed or not, what can be a reason for divorce etc. are consuming most of the time of the courts. One often wonders whether this is the real duty of courts. On the other side we read and see in videos the gory details of persons in relationship or refusing a relationship being attacked and even killed in busy streets. Things have gone even farther nowadays. When the first case of chopping the body of the partner into several pieces was received it was indeed shocking. It was a butcher at work putting an end to a relationship the bloody way. Such cases are now reported on daily basis from different parts of the world and they are only a passing news item now.

*****

In our childhood days we have seen some examples of dual SIM life among the village elders. There were some who married twice or even thrice due to various reasons. These wives lived in the same house with their husband. There were families with perfect harmony and the society also accepted it as a fact of life. Of course, thre were many families with their eternal feuds and fights, many times in the open. 

Then there were innumerable instances of prominent men having a regular wedded wife along with a parallel family life with a unwedded wife. The dual Sim life was known to everyone in the town or village. There were many instances where the other woman had been given her own house and properties as well. Such relationships were grumblingly accepted or tolerated by the wedded wife. Either due to the status enjoyed by the concerned men in society or their financial strength, such happenings were accepted as a way of life. These people were living a very religious and pious life in the big house during the daytime. Other activities were directed to the small house in the after hours. Dual Sim life is not a new phenomenon after all. 

*****

In Mahabharata, one can find reference to the word "Soota" many times. "Daasya" or being someone's slave was an accepted way of life in those days. A Daasa or Daasi led a life as pe the dictates of the master. It was very common for Kings and Aristocrats to have children from such Daasis. Boys born to such Daasis were known as Soota. A Soota was generally not accepted as equal in status as the children of duly wedded wife, and were carrying on life by activities and professions supporting the main activity of being rulers. Being a charioteer was one of the common professions of the Sootas. 

Even in such a society, a person's qualities were recognised and respected. Many charioteers were held in high esteem by the ruling class due to their own exalted wisdom and way of life. They were entrusted with delicate and responsible tasks and treated with utmost respect.

*****

S L Byrappa's novel "Parva" is an effort to present Mahabharata without any supernatural events or personalities. A close look at Parva shows that whenever Dhritarashtra mentions about his hundred sons, Gandhari retorting that the hundred are his sons but not hers. The full number of hundred was made up of a combination of her own sons and those Dhritarashtra had through various Daasis, she asserts repeatedly!

The Hidden Enemy

 

"Ajatashatru" is a very lucky person. The word literally means "a person whose enemy is not born". There are many friendly people around us. Some may claim that they have friends everywhere and they have no enemies. Yudhishtira, one of the Pandavas, was considered an Ajatashatru. It is said that even Duryodhana was well disposed towards Yudhishtira and would not have minded his becoming the King, but for his brother Bheemasena who was Duryodhana's sworn enemy. History tells us that there was a King by name Ajatashatru, son of King Bimbasara, who ruled a large area of our country some 2500 years ago. This Ajatashatru fought many battles and had many enemies as well. He was an Ajatashatru only by name.

Having enemies is thus a reality for most of the people. The number of enemies and intensity of enmity may vary, but enemies would always be there. Once a person knows there is an enemy, identifies the enemy and level of hostility, some remedial action can be taken to protect one's own interests. What happens when there is an enemy lurking behind, but it is not known? The situation indeed turns dangerous.

The above position is true of an external enemy. What happens when the enemy is from within? When someone expected to be our protector turns and betrays us? A close friend or protector turning into an enemy and taking us by total surprise? 

People hire watchmen to protect their houses and properties from outside forces and enemy elements. The one who has hired the watchman feels secure and relaxes in the comfort that the watchman takes care of the attackers or intruders. But we often read in the newspapers and media that the watchman himself has turned hostile and brought tremendous misery to the master. There are instances where watchmen or security guards have turned out to be responsible for various undesirable happenings in the area they are expected to guard and take care of!

*****

The three letter sentence from the play "The Tragedy of Julius Caesar" by William Shakespeare is often quoted when an enemy strikes from within. The date was March 15, 44 BC (nearly 2066 years ago). There is the mention of Ides of March as well. Act 3, Scene1 of the play gives out the details. Julius Caesar is attacked by a group of senators and stabbed to death. At the moment of being stabbed Caesar identifies his associate and friend Marcus Brutus as one of the persons in the conspiracy to stab and kill kill him."'Et tu, Brute" he says and falls. The Latin sentence meaning "Even you, Brutus!" has become immortal and often used to represent betrayal by someone who was expected to protect in the normal course. Decimus was much more trusted by Caesar and was the only one to who could be called close to Caesar. But the reference of betrayal is done to Marcus Brutus as the three words in the play have made history.

*****

Present generation may not concern with Caesar and Brutus, but they certainly remember Kattappa and Amarendra Bahubali. Kattappa ws a slave and initiated into serving the Royal family of Mahishmati. The internal politics of Mahishmati conspires to utilise Kattappa to kill Amarendra Bahubali. Amarendra is killed by a trusted lieutenant Kattappa, though Kattappa later realises that he was fooled and used as a tool to kill Bahubali. Kattappa was an unwilling element in the big scheme of things, but he did kill Bahubali in the most unexpected circumstances. Kattappa did repent later but the action was irreversible by then.

*****

Mukunda Rao was unable to see things clearly and went for an eye check up. The Optician identified that cataract had developed in both eyes and surgery was required. As the first step in the direction of surgery, the retina of the eyes had to be scanned. He was directed to the optometrist for this purpose. The Optometrist asked Mukunda Rao to place the eye in place on the scanner and open the eye widely for a proper scan. As the scanning was in progress the eye got narrowed and closed. Optometrist tried three times but each time the eye drooped and scanning stopped. The Optometrist got frustrated and harshly told Mukunda Rao to keep the eyes wide open. Mukunda Rao said he wants to keep the eye open but it is getting closed involuntarily. The Optometrist summoned an assistant and made her hold the eye open and finished the scanning!

*****

Scanning was done, date for surgery was fixed and completed successfully. After the post-operative care was completed and the time came for prescription of glasses Mukunda Rao sat again before another Optometrist. As the examination of eyesight was in progress, Mukunda Rao asked the Optometrist which of the two images he should concentrate on. Optometrist was baffled and asked whether he was seeing two images all the time. Mukunda Rao said it happens sometimes and he can see a single image clearly at other times. Optometrist said the vision will stabilise once the spectacles are used regularly. Mukunda Rao paid a heavy amount for the fancy new spectacles and started using it. He was now seeing fancy double images and could not understand how many steps are there on the stairs or whether the footpath was even or uneven. The problem of double vision remained despite cataract surgery and the new fancy spectacles. Mukunda Rao now knew a new word - Diplopia. Diplopia is the name for double vision.

*****

Vamana Murthy attended all social and religious functions in his circle. He was often called upon by his friends and relatives to speak to the gatherings on such occasions. Being a teacher and trainer, he was comfortable in such roles and could speak extempore and keep the gatherings occupied during such events. He was also invited as a speaker or chief guest at many functions. Of late he started feeling that the spoken words were not clear sometimes and the speeches were slurred on occasions. This was more pronounced towards the evenings. Vamana Murthy now started to avoid attending the social and cultural gatherings.

*****

Madhusudana Rao took fancy to the new generation of smart watches and purchased a premium model that recorded various daily activities. The watch spurred him into longer walks in the morning at the friendly neighbourhood park. The statistics on walking show that the average number of steps taken by people allover the world is about 5000 in a day. Madhusudana Rao started with this goal and progressively increased the daily limit. He crossed 15000 steps on most of the days and took pride in his achieving daily goals. He observed that things were not the same of late and he got exhausted and felt shortness of breath even with small walks. Walking that was such a pleasure now became a tedious exercise.

*****

Narendra Rao was fond of savouries with a liberal spread of cashew nuts, almonds and groundnuts. A small quantity of mixture would accompany the evening cup of tea or coffee. All the teeth were in good shape and chewing these items leisurely and enjoying with coffee or tea was a pleasure especially on weekend afternoons. Things changed suddenly and Narendra found it difficult to crush and chew the almonds in his jaws. Groundnuts were alright, but harder nuts like almonds were a different nut to crack. He slowly started to remove the almonds and throw them away when other members of the family were looking elsewhere. Swallowing the chewed food also became difficult in due course. When he tried to push the liquids through the gullet, instead of going through the throat the liquid came out through the nose! Quantity of food consumed came down drastically and weakness in the muscles set in slowly. Swallowing the daily dose of tablets also became a big task.

*****

Kumaran was very active and would get ready to go to office or outdoor visits in a jiffy. The process started taking more time now. Buttoning the shirt sleeves needed more efforts. Picking things kept in the higher shelves also started posing problems. Spreading cloth for drying and similar chores took more effort now. Hours spent in sound sleep got reduced and there was a general dullness in the routine. Breathing became a strenuous exercise and would disrupt the sleeping pattern.  

*****

With the increase of awareness about physical fitness and health care, one would normally run to a doctor when confronted with the above problems. These symptoms are generally treated as originating from stroke or ENT issues. Ophthalmologists are expected to identify this promptly, but that is not always the case. Treatment for cataract is often confused for setting right double vision which is not true.

Myasthenia Gravis (MG) is a disorder that worsens after periods of activity and improves with rest. The symptoms mentioned above are worse as the day progresses and the persons dealing with these are better off in the mornings. But the situation would aggravate if not diagnosed early and remedial action initiated.  

MG is an autoimmune disorder, in which the immune system of the body that is expected to protect the body from outside organisms mistakenly attack the body itself. This is similar to the situation where the watchman attacks the master. Myasthenia Gravis is caused by an error in the transmission of nerve impulses to the muscles. It is said to occur when normal communication between the nerve and muscle is interrupted at the neuromuscular junction, where nerve cells connect with muscles they control. Technical details are  available on the internet and medical journals.

The typical symptoms of MG are:

• Drooping f the muscles of one or both eyes.
• Double vision or Diplopia.
• Impaired speech, especially towards evenings.
• Difficulty in chewing and swallowing.
• Shortness of breath even in cases of short walks or physical activity.
• Difficulty in breathing and shortness of sleep.
• Weakness in hands, legs, fingers and neck muscles.

Myasthenia Gravis cases are rather rare and only some 15 to 20 cases per million population are said to carry this disorder. It is not contagious and does not run in the family. It can happen at any age group or gender. Though the disorder is itself rare, extensive research is done on this and advanced treatment is available.But unfortunately many cases go undetected and patients suffer silently and lead to what is known as Myasthenia Crisis.

When the muscles that control breathing weaken Myasthenia Crisis develops and the person requires ventilator support to breathe. Infections, stress or surgeries may trigger this crisis. Care must be taken to prevent slipping into such crisis.

Despite the issues relating to MG, people can lead a normal life by suitably changing life style and proper medical care. There are many prominent personalities with MG disorder and yet managing successful lives and leading in their respective fields.

*****

Anyone suffering from the symptoms mentioned above would do well to take a precautionary test after getting suitable medical advice.

The hidden enemy can be managed and controlled once identified!