Difficulty of being good

The sun in the eastern horizon struggled behind the dark clouds......the alarm clock on the mantle lazily clucked as it touched six.......but Ravi was already up......

With the neem twig in his mouth, he looked listlessly at the somber morning light.

As he dressed, he saw the visage of a man in his early thirties......he picked his bag, gave a cursory glance at the mirror and started walking towards his office. 

Anybody on the road would have mistaken him for a young stooge giving away the best years of his life to remain as a cog in the corporate machinery, but Ravi was not one among those.

He worked for a renowned astrologer, who fate had very kindly provided with a rich clientele.Nature'a balance compensated for their opulence with enough psychological maladies. 

Ravi's boss had realized the importance of a soothsayer in today's world. 

His job was to alleviate people's fear by blaming the stars, after all everybody he spoke to were happy to hear that there was a reason for their unhappiness.....and you just need to wait for the tide to turn in your favour.

His first client for the day, an elderly man with jowls for his jaws....a heavy gold strip round his neck gave him the look of  a peculiarly rich bull terrier.

He came to Ravi's desk and barked "Who's the chief astrologer here....I need an appointment and I don't have time....so look snappy"

Ravi knew how to deal with such people....."Please wait here.....Guruji is doing his puja, he doesn't start his day without his puja"..

The elderly man scowled at him "You think I am an idiot, I want the best....I am here to get an opinion on a particular problem"

Ravi smiled to himself "I can look at his horoscope though guruji will have the final word on it, I have to say I have modeled myself on the techniques he uses..."

The old man gave him a cynical smile "Alright boy.....but I need to test you, read mine first and then we will see"

Ravi looked at him intently....."Will do"

The old man stiflingly took out a sheaf of paper from within the recesses of his robe....Ravi glanced at it...."This horoscope belongs to a much younger man.....you are lying...."

The old man glanced at him "Who does it belong to?"

"This has to be your son's horoscope" Ravi suggested cautiously

The old man guffawed "very good......it is my son's horoscope...how did you know?"

Ravi smiled condescendingly....."I am an astrologer , it is my job to read a person from the chart"

The old man smirked "Well Mr.Astrologer , I think I will let you read my son's horoscope....he is in love with a girl......and I don't think they should get married, but he is adamant, the only way i can convince him is to tell him that the marriage will lead to my death"

"Very well......so you don't want a reading.... you want me to lie" Ravi glared.

"Its a service, I pay you money . You do what I want" spoke the old man ....matter of factly

"Can I atleast see the girl's horoscope" queried Ravi.

"Yes , I think you will see for yourself she is not a right fit for my son"

Ravi looked at the sheaf of paper ......he stared long at it as if trying to see the tragedy and not having the guilt of saying a lie.......

"There is a flaw in the horoscope....the girl will bring misery to your son"Ravi declared.

"Aaha.......you see how I judged her right.....I won't need to see your Guruji after all"

The old man shuffled out into the corridor..."I have placed my card on your table...it has my son's number...call him and convey the message , I will send your fees once my son confirms that you called".......Ravi sat long at his desk.....evening came to take away his cares..he trudged back hom......sleep would not touch him that night...

The morning did not bring relief.....his eyes bloodshot Ravi reached his office.

A young woman came knocking at his door .....she was modestly dressed.....her eyes downcast......she sat in front of Ravi.....He knew the face.....it had tormented him for years.....

"Why did you lie?" she queried

"I had to ....I am in love with you.....one look at the horoscope and I knew it was you.....how many times have I pored over it trying to make sense of what went wrong....."he gnashed

"why did you lie?" she asked again

"I had to.....I could not bear the thought of you being with some one else....."

"why did you lie?" she asked again

Ravi looked at her...."I wanted to hurt you"

It was an eternity before she said "I am sorry"...... her eyes pleaded.....

Ravi looked deep into her eyes......he picked up the phone.... dialed the phone number on the card.....

"This is Ravi....I spoke to your father yesterday......Guruji went through the horoscopes...he wants to say something"

Ravi changed his voice.....made it more gruff....."My assistant told me what transpired yesterday.....he was wrong...I checked the horoscopes.......the girl would bring immense luck and fortune to your household....don't delay the marriage....."

His hand shook as he kept the phone slowly back on the stand......the lady rose.......her form shimmered.......and then there was nothing......

Ravi leaned back......his mind swirling back...years ago ....the girl he loved......had left him...to marry a much wealthier man.....he had pored for days over the details .....why had he not seen it coming.....why did the stars not tell him.....and today they gave him an opportunity.......it was the same horoscope.....she had a twin sister.......his revenge would have been complete.......
But her specter stopped him.......he smiled to himself......for a moment he thought she was real.....he now understand the intensity of his own desire.....love does make you a better man ....he acknowledged bitterly.....

The phone rang shrilly breaking his reverie.......it was his friend .......there was a long silence ......"when did it happen" asked Ravi in a tight voice.......the voice at the other end just said "Yesterday".........and then added.....her last words were "I am sorry....".......

Thoughts....glorious beautiful wispy realities of the mind

As I sit in the office listening to a song, it triggers a portal into my past, I have read that a sound or especially a smell (the olfactory sense is one of the strongest trigger of memory) has the ability to trigger a particular memory.....as per yogic parlance there is no past for a man of wisdom......the sage is like a river.......no two times is he/she the same.......the sound triggered a particular rhythm I was familiar with......... I could feel my consciousness travel effortlessly through the past as clearly as I was living it......making me realise the potential of the brain to store memories......every thought described here refers to a particular shade of mind and I could feel it vividly......the mind had the ability to relive my past.....any past.....my habits .....any habits....my karma....any karma....making me realize the sacredness of every moment.......the holy presence of each second......described below is the flow....of consciousness.....it can make sense to the one who can induce the same trigger in his psyche as he/she goes through the passage...... The girl with the small backpack…….the teacher who makes me feel special by her honeyed words……the joy of seeing my mother coming to the school gates to pick me up………her forehead glistening with beads of pearly sweat…….the day extending to comfort as she lifts me to enquire whether the other children have been horrid………the school corridors which see many an adolescent fights …….cronies huddling together to decide what should be played in the PT period…….the excitement as the hour of play approached…….the pain of being judged by exams...…Falling asleep to endure the hour long journey to my alma mater, waking up seconds before the bus reached the college….the unlit corner at the back of the canteen on Thursdays where dreams would light up the chessboard……the trip to Moonar where the heart was given away at first sight…..the cold hands of reason and prudence which taught patience to a heart…….the dreary existence in artificially lit corridors killing the soul one day at a time…..the luncheon which would never end……..the clock striking 5 which would unleash the tethered beast, my mind…….the weight of existence every morning as the bus drew nearer to the office……..the exhilaration of realizing that understanding and love of a person, given by choice outweighs petty silver………the trepidation in unveiling……….hope outweighing fear…….the disconnect…...…the understanding that it’s easy to buy sex but not love and respect……the ability to not hate even when logic dictates otherwise………the question of existence once more….ever teasing……..the faith morphing into belief…..in myself…….the joy of realizing I am the architect……good or bad , I have to love my construct…….no more fate shall be allowed to intervene………she needs my guiding hand……..the joy of unfettering the hidden embers……..the expectations surpassing the ability……….the humility which urges me to know more……..the will to play the game and best it………..first lesson: rejection………second lesson: acceptance………third lesson: detachment…….4th lesson: motivation…..with no causation……..5th lesson: Stop, reflect, change direction …..last lesson :Patience……. Months of endurance………doors open………..are they real?...........New people….new lessons……..the mind has to understand to let go……..different techniques are tried………some work , some don’t……………surrender to the greatest healer…time………remember the one who has always existed within…..no more anger……..everything melts into joy……….the golden fetter is visible again…..things which have been underneath resurface…….this time I learn……..the joy of existence visible at last………experience, my master has taught me well……..the swan song………unlocking the past…….as it glides into the present…….chiding me for not recognizing its trickery……..laying about its patterns for me to see………karma……..am I yours?............

Sahanavilla

Nearly every other weekend, I flee to my sister's house to spend the time with my nieces......The timing is perfect......if I go every week they don't miss me as much when I go after a fortnight......

Initially the younger dumpling hated my guts as I used to laugh at everything she did, which she misconstrued as me making fun of her......"Not funny" she would fume with her hands on her hips.......making me double up with laughter even more......

As part of extending the olive branch I tried wooing her with chocolates, gifts , flattery but nothing worked.........
One weekend I was busy with my college assignment and did not lavish her with attention as I normally do......which piqued her....

After which I decided to let her be and started playing with her elder sister.......that did it....I was immediately called for and told that the honorable privilege of carrying her on my back had been bestowed on me...:P

She is a hard task master and was not pleased until I collapsed on the floor expressing my inability to move...:P.....but it was a start....

Under normal circumstances both of my nieces bay for their siblings blood and they consider the day incomplete until one of them has drawn blood..:P....

but sometimes the younger one understands that she is not in a position to settle the differences the way our rugged ancestors did......with her mom nearby she knows that brute force would be looked down upon.......

so she has started reverting to the beautiful art of manipulation which my sister insists has come over to the kid from her uncle....:P

She comes running to me and paints a nice little picture where her elder sister is the mean ugly bully and she is the dainty damsel in distress.....she is frail and dainty and she uses it to the maximum advantage....amid sobs...she looks at me with bamby eyes and pleads for redressal....

This puts me in a fix, though I have a soft corner for the younger munchkin......the elder one also has to be placated......luckily she understands that she is facing a formidable opponent and agrees to the terms only after committing me to a secret pact of playing PS3 with her late in the night after her nemesis has fallen asleep....

Lately they have taken to playing chess......or rather playing with chess.......I was included in the game after an afterthought....since somebody has to lose...:P
There are very strict rules which are subjective and change at a moments notice, the most intriguing one was the respectful greeting reserved for the "horse"......as in I had to ask the horse for permission before I moved it......the knight is respected for his bravery.....not so the king who is lazy and just sits around when others fight for him.....

The game of chess is put on hold to wonder whey the "rook" is shaped like a castle.....obviously somebody without much forethought had designed the game.....why not make them look like humans??
sometimes the pawns are used as missiles against poor uncle, especially when he is being a baby and wants to go have lunch.....what is lunch?, when two kingdoms are fighting for survival....

Lately my elder niece and myself have devised a strategy to play PS3 by which all the parties are kept happy....
There are two joysticks......one used by myself or the elder munchkin and the other disconnected /non functional remote is handed out to the younger daredevil with much reverence....
The elder one positions herself behind the kitchen counter...not too far away so that the infrared remote does work....and also keeps her out of the visual range of the younger one.
We have to time our shots in golf/baseball in such a way so that it coincides with the time the younger one swings her bat/club.......

If she looks behind her, the game is stalled for obvious reasons(none should interfere in the play.....its not about the team ...its more of an individual thing with her).......this takes the game to a whole new level......normal games acquire a complexity which PS3 can never emulate)

In school she is the unfettered bully, since the only person who can daunt her a.k.a her mother is not there.....her principal complained that she questions her and if she is told to share her toys with other kids...she looks incredulously at the stupid suggestion and plainly responds with a resounding "NO"......"Give it to me".....
My sister is worried about her teacher's feedback and scolds the kid for being unruly.....
But she has her uncle for support......an easy wink and secret admiration for her rebellious nature puts her right back on track :P

I have fallen in love with her world though......a world where the only competitor is her elder sister ....a jelly spined uncle as an ally.....a pack of squirts who are at her beck and call in the school.....sadly I have to return to my apartment and put up with people at work even though I would like to shout at them , say "give it to me " and be able to walk away, but thats reserved for sahanavilla alone.....

Let thy Will be done....not mine

Sameer walked down the steps of the temple despondently, his mind in a whirl ......, everything was wrong with the world........his collapsing business, his creditors circling him like vultures.....there seemed to be no way out......

The path leading out of the temple ran past an ashram.......his eyes meandered through the small thatched huts which were built precariously on the edge of the river.....his eyes traced stillness .....amidst nature's rhythmic movement his eyes rested on a sadhu......great peace seemed to emanate from him....his feet of their own accord took him near the holy presence......

The sadhu was lost in himself......his beard snowy white gave his face a gentleness that made people confide their troubles in him......Sameer waited patiently.......
The timeless one gave no sign of acknowledgement.....as Sameer rose to leave....he heard a voice..."Who are you child"?.....

"My name is Sameer babaji.....I live nearby ......"
"What brings you here.....?" queried the sadhu

"I was walking back home, when I saw your ashram.....I felt this irrestible urge to come and meet the inmate of this ashram.....or maybe it was my karma which bought me here...."

"so you are a believer of karma....?" asked the sadhu smilingly....

"Of course babaji.....and I believe I have very bad karma......i am experiencing difficulties all around......what else can this be other than my own karma..."

"what do you want from me?" enquired the sadhu

"I have come to you seeking wisdom , I know that its only people like you who can conquer karma, I want to be one among you......Is it right for me to become your disciple??"

"You attribute me with powers I don't possess child......its not I who decide .....Its the almighty who is the creator of the play which we refer to as life, if its his will you will be initiated in the path"

"Babaji......If you don't help me then I would be very unhappy....you have to tell me explicitly a solution for my dilemma"

"Are you married , child?? Do you have children depending on you?"

"I have a wife, but she doesn't understand me .....her thoughts revolve around the children.....but I believe that her good karma will protect her in my absence"

"Whats her name?"

"Savitri, babaji......she is a distant relation of mine...I was forced to marry her....
Her mother died young and her father disappeared one day leaving me to fend for her"

The sadhu looked at him intently , as if trying to peer into his soul.....
"Allright child, let karma be the decider.......think of 3 things which if turned around will change your decision .....If by a week's time things are the same ......I will initiate you as my disciple"

Sameer rushed to touch the sadhu's feet....."dhanyavaad babaji......"

The sadhu lapsed into his meditations......oblivious to the surroundings......

Sameer returned home late at night, his wife and kids were already asleep......he slowly crept beside her and tried to fall asleep but could not.......though he had told the sadhu his decision , his mind was not at ease......how would his wife manage.......would she be reviled by members of his caste, his own relatives.......he felt tired asking rhetorical questions in his brain and left it to the morn to give him an answer......

The sun dawned bringing with it uneasy quibbles ......Sameer took a detour to go to his shop , on his way he encountered Mishra, his business partner rushing to meet him......
"Sammer babu.....its a miracle!!!!!!"

"What is the matter Mishraji, is everything allright?"

"It is more than allright , one of our default customer , made a bulk payment of his dues and also has roped in three more customers.....grace be to god.......now if only our creditors give us a bit more time, then we need not lose face in the community"

Sameer looked at him thoughtfully....."It is a miracle, we have been fighting with this customer since 3 years and last time we spoke he was threatening to take us to court, what could have changed his mind"

Mishraji excalimed "Sammer babu, why do you want to go into all that......the problems are over now...." he smiled....

Sameer remained lost in his thoughts........the entire day was spent in settling remaining debts, calling customers , assuring them they will get their supplies on time....

Sameer returned home to find his wife in a good mood........she had cooked his favourite meal .....the kids clung to him.......


The next day his creditors came to his house early in the morning.......
"Sammer babu......we heard that your business is picking up and you have enlarged your clientele now, we would like to apologize for being so persistent in asking for money......"

"Please don't apologize, you people have been kind enough to believe in me and invest money...."

"Thats why we have come today......you need not return the money, but we request you to give us discounts in the wholesale purchase we make from you"

"Definitely Sethji.......I am indebted to you all.....I hope I will be able to return the goodwill you have bestowed upon me..."


"Definitely Sameer babu.....We take our leave....we will sit down one day to finalize the details..."

Sameer escorted them to the street , wondering all the way back......

There was something which did not feel right......he called his wife..."Savitri....."
she came rushing out......he took her by the hand and did not stop until he reached the ashram.....

the sadhu was cleaning his asan when Sameer barged in........
"Whats the problem child, you look perturbed??"

"Did my wife come here and request you to convince me not to take to the holy path....and was it you who convinced my creditors and business partners to help me?."

"I do nothing child......as I said before, 3 things you have to choose to decide your fate...."

Sameer exclaimed...."I will believe if god himself gives me a sign.....if right now it rains , I will believe it as the signal form god that I don't need to take to the holy path and my karma lies with my family"

The sadhu stood unaffected......sameer turned to leave .....Before he could take a couple of steps......the skies overshadowed by a passing cloud and a heavy drizzle swept across the place.....

Sameer waled back slowly , took his wife by the hand and left the place speechless....


Later that night Savitri came to meet babaji.....
"Babaji , Thank you very much for understanding my plight, if only you had not convinced his business partners and the creditor's my children would have become fatherless....it was because of your powers that unseasonal rains were showered upon us..."
Let your blessings be always upon me...."

"You attribute me with powers I don't have......though I could convince people......its his will that swayed the way of nature...."

"whatever may be the case babaji......you are my saviour......bless me "


"God bless you...."


The sadhu retired to his hut.....he opened his old trunk.....a small girl of 5 years peered at him through a black and white photograph......savitri was his only child.....if only he could turn back time and undo his mistakes......He had left her to karma.....today he had to make a choice again and this time he chose wisely.....

His solitary life had taught him the power of choices over the power of destiny.....
He felt complete.....his job done....he lapsed into silence....

Eye of Garuda---III

"My lord has taken so many forms.....I adore him for his versatality......but If I had to make a choice, it would be Raam, the scion of the suryavanshi clan......As with all the god-men he was misunderstood.....

As I see today his name has become the banner for politicized fights between groups, reviled by feminists for sowing the seeds of Sati into the already chauvinistic Indian society.....and for letting go of his wife when she was pregnant......

I was with him when he lived his mortal existence, though you may not see my name mentioned by the robber turned saint Valmiki , I was very much a part of the epic......for every time He descends we too follow him, not to support but to learn.....

He came to teach acceptance of the moment......surrender....surrender to the present moment....neither judging nor rejecting the present moment but take it because the moment right now is life itself......

Enlightened by his kulaguru vashishtha on the secret of life....Raam was already in a state of surrender before his life unfolded.....when his stepmother insists on his exile into the forest for 14 years, there is no inner resistance within Raam......He accepts the moment .....living it fully without much drama......the drama is created by the people around him and who deny the present.....IF Raam had a 20th century intellect he would have obsessed about his decision on days together and would have carried a grudge against his stepmother for the rest of his life....

But he accepts.....lives his life fully in the sylvan surrounding....for him it was an opportunity life had given him to explore the wild......bought up in luxury he never knew how to tame nature for ones own survival......this experience humbles him, making him a better king when he comes to ayodhya after 14 years, as he has seen life from the eyes of the lowliest member of the society......

Separation from Sita threatens nay tests his equilibrium.........it is as if the universe tests him throughout to be dramatic ...to carry a sorry picture of himself as a victimized man......He realises this when sita is taken away from him........It is the monsoon season......he sits morose in a cave contemplating the horrors his wife would be enduring.....there is nothing he can do ...the Monsoon prevents him from enabling his forces to search for sita.....he is left alone with his own mind.....the inability forces him to trace the source of his angst......awakening blossoms.......there is nothing to feel sorry about ......there is no one to feel sorry about.......whatever has happened is what life is at that moment..."takshani" ..."at that moment".......He surrenders.......to the moment.......suspension of thoughts.....stillness envelops him......psychological time stops.......there is no future, no past.....no Sita no Raam....neither monsoon neither the absence of it......neither friend nor enemy.......


In that state ...Brahman is revealed......he sees Brahman smiling at him through Sita and through Raavan......the seed that Vashishtah had sown takes root.....it grows....he realises his role in the scheme of things.....he stops fretting and fuming....when the time comes in the form of the present moment he will do what is right at the moment....he taught me never to hold on to any concept as right or wrong , as each moment brings its own knowledge and to make a decision prior to that would be faulty logic.........accepting the enemy's brother as a commander in chief when his counsel suggests otherwise reveals that Raam lived in the present moment......not judging ....he sees reality as it is and this decision of his becomes a crucial factor in his winning the battle...

We adore him not because he killed Raavan.......if not Raam , Raavan would have died a natural death or would have taken to ascetism like parashuram sick of his own wild ways......the gods praised and eulogized him because of his ability to keep the drama out of his life and react to the moment as it is.....

He is a symbol for the average man.......to reduce drama and increase living .....for only when you have lived each and every moment, have you lived life and not merely existed...."

Old memories......

Something I saw on facebook triggered this.....

My childhood is so vague in my memory.....maybe I was not very attentive as a child.......Those were the days of "chitrahaar" and pepsi cola....:P

It is said that smell is the best trigger of memory ....the smell of "vibhuti" (sacred ash) triggers the vision of my mother in the small enclave in my house in mumbai....
I remember my mother ...fair....beautiful......looking fresh in her 9 yards saree......murmuring incantations ......after the worship she used to force consecrated "prasad" down my throat....and push my head in obeisance towards the laminated photo of our family deity.....

I remember the fights I used to have with my sister......unrecognizable now as a stern matriarch disciplining her children as once my mother did.....
Our fights were legendary......she never backed down and I remember hitting her with my small fists screaming "Dishum" with every wallop I packed....

Battles with my sister were always a lose-lose situation...though I would win the battle by making my mother side with me(I was the younger one so my mother was possessive about me, much to my sisters chagrin). After the fight she would go into the other room and lock herself up.....and how could I let her have all the fun alone...I would knock the door and ask in a gruff voice "what she thought of herself??"......No response....I would then use a more gentler enquiring tone to find out whether she was playing without me and having fun in the process!!!
I can imagine her giggling with suppressed glee while retorting that I may as well say goodbye to the toys which we both shared........Mute rage used to take over me and I would run over to my mother who by this time would have lost interest in our fight and just retort by saying that nowadays I need to pay attention to my studies......I remember thinking how stupid grown-ups were....no sense of priority...the toys were at stake and there was a very good chance my sister may be wreaking havoc with them or worst marrying off He-man and Evelyn....(the He-man doll was my favourite....I had stolen it from my friends house and his sword was moth-eaten)


I specifically remember the clock striking 8:15 p.m......that was the time my father arrived after a punishing day on the Mumbai train.....The moment the bell rang we both would rush for the door........there was a reason for that......my fathers office had a canteen from where he would get us biscuits........that was all he could afford.....he would smile in tired satisfaction as we ruffled through the "red bag" ( He always bought the goodies in the red bag)....Now as I look back I can see the tired eyes of my father.......tiredness from a life which gave him no freedom.......bound him to a chair for 30 years.....he always liked to travel.....A history buff and a naturalist at heart.....he detested being tied to a spot.......someday I hope to take him on a Eurotrip.....

Sundays were good......there used to be Ramayan on TV......and at 2 in the afternoon my friends would call me for playing box cricket.....
I was mortally afraid if someone would suggest over-arm bowling or playing in the ground...since I was very good at thrashing them at under-arm bowling........playing in the ground would mean losing to the guys who I used to make mincemeat of in underarm cricket....:P...
sometimes I would feign stomach ache just to escape playing in the field....
I remember one specific incident which my building friends still refer to......on one such day when I was trying to evade playing in the field...one of the bullies in my building held me the scruff of my shirt and asked me why the little imp thought the field was not good enough for him...
I responded by saying that I am prone to "summer boils" and my mother has strictly prohibited me from playing in the sun.....After 8-9 seconds of stunned silence all of them burst into peals of laughter....because it was winter in Mumbai..:P

Eye of Garuda--II

The rise of Dhanvantari changes the group dynamics.........as he emerges from the "ksheer sagara".........both asuras and devas vie for his attention......representing the dilemma of an intellectual when he is transforming....
The transformation has been wrought by a balance between the extremes , but the psyche is not sure which side should dominate when the first results of the transformation are seen...

Should the mind wait patiently for the nectar to pour down or rush ahead as this may be the last chance for redemption from the mind.......should the mind drown itself in the bliss of deep meditation giving up day-to-day existence or should it continue the same practice which till now has borne fruits....

When the tussle between the two extremes reaches a point of stalemate......my lord appears.....
His presence soothes everyone.................Vishnu the protector, my master.......the one who worships my lord sees my lord in everything "vasudeva kutumbakam"......because thats what my lord wants them to see......he wants the mind to share its joy......with others.....


My master is for the masses........he believes that every soul has an innate responsibility towards the whole.....he does not want any one overshooting the spirituality curve.........grace shall descend on the individual when he has completed his divine responsibility of helping others.......he will not let the asuric qualities win.......they stand for personal upliftment without thought for the whole......shiva's way.....very personal,aloof,detached.....though there will be followers of this path too......the majority of the masses will have to follow my master's lead........

He transforms into desire , the most instinctive desire that man has known......mohini.....which translates to "that which attracts".....Mohini was a multi-hued goddess , she stood for what each man desires the most according to his stature in life and she is the golden shackle that ties the mind to the earthly existence...she influences both the devas and the asuras......in the devas she is the desire to do good, which is still a desire......a construct of the mind to justify its existence......a last ditch effort by the mind to prove that it is important.....


For the asuras she represents possession....the desire to become overlord of all..... The temptation is too much.......the asuras are smitten by her.......they have to be...they represent instinct.....instinct does not allow contemplation....it forces action.......they try to possess her, each one for himself.....they don't want to share.......my lord does not favour them....if even one of them gains the elixir , he will not share.........


The ones who resist their instinct and stay focussed represent the devas.......tempering their instincts by will they represent the people who vishnu has a bias towards.......the ones who will share their bounty......and who have enough sense to not act instinctively making them better than animals.........

Desire tricks the instinct but helps the strong-willed mind grasp the elixir.........since in the strong-willed mind the desire represents vishnu and not mohini.......the desire to do good.....a good desire......
(to be continued)