Celebrate Away!

Dear Srama,

Needless to say each and every snippet of yours is filled with right emotion and love.
Loved the sage kashyapa story, yes i have seen many such wonderful women in my life too... Thank you for taking me down my memory lane, i was able to see all the lovely i wholeheartedly thank all those lovely ladies who have been there for me always...
I wish someday i turn out this wonderful woman to atleast one human being.

Keep writing dear and big hugs to you.

Love
Nandu

 

Sabitha the story is somewhat regressive. The moral is if you faithfully play the role society has imposed on you you can attain greatness. Both the housewife and the butcher whom Kaushika meets later in the story attain greatness because they don't cross the societal line and faithfully play out the roles conferred upon them. Kaushika crossed the line of his Brahmin identity. Though an ascetic is unable to control his wrath and an innocent bird becomes his victim The story clearly says "Be what you are".

 

As the story goes forward, the lady sends Kaushika to a butcher to attain Gyana (Knowledge of the Truth)!

True, but I feel it is so much more than this, which is why your Yoga teacher is excited even when he repeats it for the 100th time.

Yoga comes from the word "Yuj" - merge with Paramatma.
Imagine it as an interconnected universe (Paramatma) from which the brahmana lady as well as the butcher are able to "see" what happened with the bird.

You do not really need to be a Sanyasi or follow Brahmacharya to be connected to Paramatma - or attain Gyana or Yoga !

You can be a grihasta, follow rules of the Ashramas and still attain Moksha, you can live in the world of Maya, yet not be attached to desires and material possessions.
You can even be a butcher (a Hinsak - job includes violence) and yet be a karma yogi and gyana yogi.

Because what you're inside is the only thing that counts ! Your gender, job, education, wealth, family - nothing counts!

Keep Smiling
HR

 

Dear Sabita,
Yes, we all have memorable women in our lives whose memory lights us up. When they were there they never thought they are either preaching us or teaching some great philosophy. It is observing them we learnt so much and they got imprinted in memory. It is a way of life for them. When we grow into adults we follow them with our knowledge automatically. In little little incidents we remember them. They never celebrated Women' s Day!!!
I also went to nostalgia and remembered my grandmother who was a brave and courageous lady who brought up her four children so well when my grandfather died in early thirties! Can Tackle any situation bravely!
Thank you Sabita.
Syamala

 

Dear Sabitha,

Thank you for sharing your thoughts about the wonderful women you looked up to. I never get tired of listening to women who set an example for the newer generation. Women have such a crucial role to play in building society through their shaping of their own children. Even though men play a role, it is not as much as what women do. Men are work-in-progress whereas women are progressing in work. I had two grandmothers who I loved so much for their simplicity, unconditional love, and tireless devotion to their families. One of them passed away at her young age of 48 (I was 6 years old) while the other lived beyond 80. Luckily, I had a chance to interact with both of them, more with my paternal grandmother. When we visited the village where my maternal grandmother lived, she would literally make all grandchildren sit around her and distribute delicious Sambar Rice to all of us. Even though I was too young, those memories are still with me. I have wonderful memories of spending extraordinary time with my mom as a child even though I lived away from my parents since I was 15.

I was lucky to marry one who contributed so much in transforming me. Most importantly, she taught me to see every human equally and not based on their social status. It took some time for me to build that quality but when I did, it changed my vision forever. I spent more time with my mother-in-law since 2013 (after she migrated to the US) who has a great sense of humor and extraordinary qualities. Like you, I am also lucky to have so many good women in my life.

Viswa

 

quite an interesting observation down the memory lane from @Srama of her brand parents and @Viswamitra .
@balaji & @hrastro for their feedbacks about that brahmin woman story .
I have come across an interesting report of a lady:

Meet Madam Jeanne Louise Calment, who had the longest confirmed human lifespan: 122 years, 164 days. Apparently, fate strongly approved of the way she lived her life. She was born in Arles, France, on February 21, 1875.

The Eiffel Tower was built when she was 14 years old. It was at this time she met Vincent van Gogh. "He was dirty, badly dressed, and disagreeable," she recalled in an interview given in 1988.

When she was 85, she took up fencing, and still rode her bike when she reached 100. At the age of 114, she starred in a film about her life, at age 115 she had an operation on her hip, and at age 117 she gave up smoking, having started at the age of 21 in 1896. She didn't give it up for health reasons; her reason was that she didn't like having to ask someone to help her light a cigarette once she was nearly blind.

In 1965, Jeanne was 90 years old and had no heirs. She signed a deal to sell her apartment to a 47-year-old lawyer called André-François Raffray. He agreed to pay her a monthly sum of 2,500 francs on the condition he would inherit her apartment after she died. However, Raffray not only ended up paying Jeanne for 30 years, but then died before she did at the age of 77. His widow was legally obliged to continue paying Madam Calment until the end of her days.

Jeanne retained sharp mental faculties. When she was asked on her 120th birthday what kind of future she expected to have. Her reply, "A very short one."

Here are the Rules of Life from Jeanne Louise Calment:
"I'm in love with wine."
"All babies are beautiful."
"I think I will die of laughter."
"I've been forgotten by our Good Lord."
"I've got only one wrinkle, and I'm sitting on it."
"I never wear mascara; I laugh until I cry often."
"If you can't change something, don't worry about it."
"Always keep your smile. That's how I explain my long life."
"I see badly, I hear badly, and I feel bad, but everything's fine."
"I have a huge desire to live and a big appetite, especially for sweets."
"I have legs of iron, but to tell you the truth, they're starting to rust and buckle a bit."
"I took pleasure when I could. I acted clearly and morally and without regret. I'm very lucky."
“Being young is a state of mind, it doesn’t depend on one’s body. I’m actually still a young girl, it's just that I haven't looked so good for the past 70 years."
At the end of one interview, the journalist said, "Madame, I hope we will meet again sometime next year." To which Jeanne replied, "Why not? You're not that old; you'll still be here!”

Thanks and Regards

 

... no words i got but just spread a warm smile on my face !! and this

...Extraordinary yet choose to remain ordinary or actually the extraordinary pervades with the ordinariness!!
(something like common sense being most uncommon)
Just beautiful and warm thoughts all the way!!
Know whatever horrible mood and issues I might be having but whenever i chance to read upon your write ups , they just resonate and uplift the world for me

Women supporting women should be the theme for a super year

Just wanted to drop in a short msg here for this glowing post!
You are a charmer

 

#7 upon further research, I find this message a tad controversial when read juxtaposed startling facts in link
Was the World's Oldest Person Ever Actually Her 99-Year-Old Daughter? | Smart News | Smithsonian Magazine

Sorry for speaking at tangent.
Thanks and Regards.