Today's the 150th birth anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi. It's the time to reflect on the great man and the lofty ideals that he stood for. His favourite hymn, 'Vashnava jana tho....' is an all time favourite of mine. Given below is its English translation:-
"Call those people Vaishnavas who
Feel the pain of others,
Help those who are in misery,
But never let self-conceit enter their mind.
They respect the entire world,
Do not disparage anyone,
Keep their words, actions and thoughts pure,
The mother of such a soul is blessed.
They see all equally, renounce craving,
Respect other women as their own mother,
Their tongue never utters false words,
Their hands never touch the wealth of others.
They do not succumb to worldly attachments,
They are firmly detached from the mundane,
They are enticed by the name of Rama,
All places of pilgrimage are embodied in them.
They have foresaken greed and deceit,
They stay afar from lust and anger,
Narsi says: I'd be grateful to meet such a soul,
Whose virtue liberates their entire lineage.
They stay afar from lust and anger,
Narsi says: I'd be grateful to meet such a soul,
Whose virtue liberates their entire lineage".
Tailpiece.
It was a quiet day to begin with and the conversation flowed freely. A laid back breakfast, an interesting combo lunch and a nice dinner. By 2100 hrs, we were off to the airport for the checking in and customs clearance for our midnight Air Malindo flight to Kuala Lumpur from where we get our connecting flight to Bangkok. Suresh Laxman-Sindhu, BR Vijayakumar-Anitha and self-Lekha form the entourage. Missing Mohanachandran and Manju, who were with us in our last jaunt!
"Call those people Vaishnavas who
Feel the pain of others,
Help those who are in misery,
But never let self-conceit enter their mind.
They respect the entire world,
Do not disparage anyone,
Keep their words, actions and thoughts pure,
The mother of such a soul is blessed.
They see all equally, renounce craving,
Respect other women as their own mother,
Their tongue never utters false words,
Their hands never touch the wealth of others.
They do not succumb to worldly attachments,
They are firmly detached from the mundane,
They are enticed by the name of Rama,
All places of pilgrimage are embodied in them.
They have foresaken greed and deceit,
They stay afar from lust and anger,
Narsi says: I'd be grateful to meet such a soul,
Whose virtue liberates their entire lineage.
They stay afar from lust and anger,
Narsi says: I'd be grateful to meet such a soul,
Whose virtue liberates their entire lineage".
Tailpiece.
It was a quiet day to begin with and the conversation flowed freely. A laid back breakfast, an interesting combo lunch and a nice dinner. By 2100 hrs, we were off to the airport for the checking in and customs clearance for our midnight Air Malindo flight to Kuala Lumpur from where we get our connecting flight to Bangkok. Suresh Laxman-Sindhu, BR Vijayakumar-Anitha and self-Lekha form the entourage. Missing Mohanachandran and Manju, who were with us in our last jaunt!
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