Asia's greatest MEGAPLAY

Today we watched Asia's greatest, world's second largest, megaplay - जाणता राजा.
It is based on the life of the greatest Hindu warrior, leader, statesman and icon Shivaji Maharaj.
"Jaanata Raja" is being performed in Nagpur from 18th to 28th December this year.
It has a cast of about 300 artists. Only the key roles are fixed and artists for other roles are chosen from the local talent pool. The show is full of colours and the acts with horses and elephants receive an obvious thunder of applause.
But the most happening event is the coronation of Shivaji Maharaj.
The presentation, the sound effects, the fireworks - the entire ambiance takes you three centuries back and you tell yourself that this is how the real rAjyAbhiSheka must have taken place - this is how the world must have looked when the first Hindu simhAsana came to existence after centuries of Islamic invasion.

The play - as the title goes - is more about Shivaji the ruler, than Shivaji the warrior. Hence there is more emphasis on events like -

• a patil being punished for misbehaving with a widow
• hundis full of jewels found while constructing a fort, being deposited to the treasury by the workers - and their refusal to take prizes for this act
  
• Shivaji's letter to his officers on how an ideal administrator should behave with citizens
• Shivaji punishing his own maternal uncle for corruption
  
• Aurangzeb's speech before his courtsman why it is difficult to defeat Shivaji (because of his good administration and people's faith on him) ... etc

The well known battle-events of Pratapgadh (Afzalkhan defeated), Paawan Khind (Bajiprabhu Deshpande's martyrdom), Lal Killa (attack on Shaistekhan), Kondhana (Tanhaji's martyrdom) etc find relatively lesser share.

The day we went to watch the megaplay witnessed a turn-out of 19200 spectators. People from neighboring districts of Vidarbha and Madhya Pradesh had come to Nagpur to watch the show.
Many schools had organised free or discounted passes for their students.
One could find people who have watched the megaplay every time it visited Nagpur.
"Jaanata Raja" is more than a play for lakhs and lakhs of people here.


The megaplay is written by "Shivashahir" Babasaheb Purandare, who is a phenomenon in himself. If there is a single man who deserves the credit for taking Shivaji to every home in Maharashtra, it's him. He has been doing this one job tirelessly throughout his life (of 86 years now). That's what is called one man - one life - one mission.
Incidently yesterday (Dec 24) was his 86th birth annivarsary.
राजमान्य राजश्री शिवशाहिर श्रीयुत बळवंत मोरेश्वर तथा बाबासाहेब पुरंदरे यांना मानाचा मुजरा ...


Could the timing be more apt for recollecting the life and times of Shivaji Maharaj ?
The nation is yet to emerge from the shadows of nov-26 terror attacks..
If Shivaji cannot inspire us at such a moment, then who can ?

Note: The picture in this post is taken from "Flickr" (http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2240/2219271152_3cc6265b7d.jpg?v=0)

Gita Jayanti

मार्गशीर्ष शुद्ध एकादशी (mArgaSIrSha Suddha ekAdaSI) was the day on which Lord Krishna told the bhagavad-gItA to Arjuna on the battlefields of Kurukshetra. The day is celebrated as गीता जयंती (gItA-jayantI) all over the world.
This year it falls on Dec-9.
I have been fortunate enough to have heard/read a little bit about gItA in last few years.
A good orator with some depth of understanding in gItA can possibly go on unfolding the beauty of this devine song for hours together, but some one of my stature should only quote some of the observations etc made by them.

1.
gItA holds the entire dharma (not to be confused with religion).
Its first sholka starts with ध dha:
धर्मक्षेत्रे कुरुक्षेत्रे समवेता युयुत्सवः । (1.1)

And the last one ends with म ma:
यत्र योगेश्वरः कृष्णो यत्र पर्थो धनुर्धरः ।
तत्र श्रीर्विजयो भूतिर्ध्रुवा नीतिर्मतिर्मम ॥ (18.78)

2.
It is a relatively very small text (only 700 shlokas-18 chapters), but has attracted many philosophers for many a thousand years, who keep on interpreting the text as it suits themselves - right from Adi Shankara to Mahatma Gandhi and beyond. Lokamanya Tilak interpreted it as the karmayoga, Gandhiji as the anAsakti-yoga. But the gItA herself is both and beyond the both.

3.
Today's engineers and enterprenuers are looking for the seeds of management in it.
While in Bengaluru, my friend's roommate was asking about it - she was told that gItA can teach her management. When I was asked, I said that I see the best way to manage your activities being told in a single shloka :
यत्करोषि यदश्नासि यज्जुहोसि ददासि यत् ।
यत्तपस्यसि कौन्तेय तत्कुरुष्व मदर्पणम् ॥ (9.27)
Meaning - Whatever you do, whatever you eat, whatever you offer, and whatever austerities you perform - do that, O Son of Kunti, as offerings to me !

What better motivation for doing each of your tasks in the best possible manner, than that of offering it to the Almighty ?

4.
Is gItA the best book on psychology/psychotherapy ?
Of course yes.
These two shlokas summarize the very chain of how one loses his/her own mental health:
ध्यायतो विषयान्पुंसः सङ्गस्तेषूपजायते ।
सन्ङ्गात्संजायते काम: कामात्क्रोधोऽभिजायते ॥
क्रोधाद्भवति संमोह: संमोहात्स्मृतिविभ्रम: ।
स्मृतिभ्रंशाद्बुद्धिनाशो बुद्धिनाशात्प्रणश्यति ॥ 2.62-63
Meaning - While concentrating on the objects of the senses, a person develops attachment for them, and from such attachment desire develops, and from that (due to non-fulfilment) anger arises. From anger arises complete delusion, and from that, bewilderement of memory. When memory is bewildered, intelligence is lost. And losing intelligence, one perishes.

5.
And psychotherapy?
Again, yes.
gItA starts with Arjuna in a state of a shock - limbs quivering and mouth drying up. (सीदन्ति मम गात्राणि मुखं च परिशुष्यति । - 1.28)
And ends with him stating that "I am now firm and free from doubt and am prepared to act according to Your instructions" (स्थितोऽस्मि गतसन्देह: करिष्ये वचनं तव ॥ - 18.73)

But this change is not easy to bring. At times Krishna shows him the carrot - you shall reach heaven if you die or else rule the earth if you win (हतो वा प्राप्स्यसि स्वर्गं जित्वा वा भोक्ष्यसे महीम् । - 2.37). And at other times the stick - by showing the Vishwaroopa, looking at which Arjuna says he is disturbed with fear (भयेन च प्रव्यथितं मनो मे । - 11.45)
At times Krishna discusses the eternity of the AtmA to dissuade Arjuna from the concept of killing and sin of killing (नैनं छिन्दन्ति शस्त्राणि नैनं दहति पावकः - 2.23).
At other times he simply tells him as a friend to 'be a man and fight' (क्लैब्यं मा स्म गमः - 2.3)

Most interesting is his reaction after Arjuna is convinced and is ready for the war.
After telling entire gItA, Krishna says - deliberate on this fully, and then do what you wish to do (विमृश्यैतदशेषेण यथेच्छसि तथा कुरु ॥ - 18.63)
Is this not the best way of motivating someone ?
Instead of simply ordering him to do what he should, Krishna increased Arjuna's level of understanding, removed any doubts he had, and then asked him to behave according to his conscience.

...
Thus, gItA is like the holy river of Ganga. How much of its water one carries back home depends on the capacity of the container s/he carries ...

Paying homages to Dr. Ambedkar

December 6 is the death anniversary of Bharata Ratna Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar, the main architect of our constitution.
He had to face a very hard childhood due to one of the most sinful practice of those days - untouchability. Still, he worked hard to acquire best possible education (he was awarded PhD by Columbia University in 1927), and more importantly, used it for the upliftment of the deprived and the poor.
Looking at the hurdles he overcame to complete his education makes me feel ashamed if I crib about not getting some small facilities which I think I "deserve".
He was a true nationalist leader, and led the masses through peaceful agitations like Mahad satyagraha.
He was the finance minister of the first cabinet of Independent India.
He lived in a palace-like bunglow during his last years.
But his own stay used to be in a small room towards the end of the palace. Explaining this, he used to say, the glamour of the palace is to emphasise on my brothers that even an untouchable like them can achieve all this wealth by acquiring education; but my heart has no peace in this wealth. It is satisfied in the Baba's kuti. [Ref. Deepastambha (Marathi), Prof. Shivajirao Bhosale]

Let's pay homage to this great soul who showed a path of education and equality to the nation.