What are "Vasanas" ?

Dear C

I recently came across a collegue who is American but married to a Telugu brahmin. I was awestruck conversing with her. To her now, madi and pathu are second nature( especially when her orthodox MIL is with her ). In fact yesterday, when I asked to help herself with the pongal I took to work, she not only identified the gotsu but also went on and described how it is made starting with roasting brinjal. Contrast this with the plight I had explaining the dish to other Indian collegues. I had my mouth wide opened for a long time and when I closed I could hardly mutter - punarjanma vasana. In the past I was fascinated by a few similar examples( for one - Marisa asking you about Seemantham )

Can we say this person though not born in one, chose a life that is consistent with her vasanas?

-Gayathri.

 

Dear most Chitvish ma'am,

Having been a silent observer all these days (right from the time you had posted the wonderful article); a bit of subconscious thinking instilled the "Vasana" of replying to the same. I will put it very simply on the basis of my understanding. Please do rectify if my "self" has gone wrong any where.

Vasanas are subconscious inclinations that are inherent within us and tends to show its potent nature in our character and actions. The tool to mold our "instinct Vasana" is with (within) us. The subconscious impressions that gets imbibed by our past actions and behavior gives the spark to these "Vasanas". The existence of such powerful phenomenon owes its origin to the "psychic abilities" and the indescribable power of the mind. Going through "Wikipedia's" definition I realized that "Vasanas express themselves through our Body, Mind and Intellect (BMI) in the world of Objects, Emotions and Thoughts (OET)".

The School of Hindu thoughts also lays stress on the fact that Vasanas are "subtle desires" of the mind. It is a Herculean task to conquer our mind and to hold it in a deep meditated state. But once that is achieved, the vicissitudes and fluctuations can be tackled hand in hand. Buddhist Philosophy (I guess) will be more relevant here. It focuses on psychology and ethics where more stress is on the spiritual side. I had read in one website that "We cannot have any kind of aesthetic feeling towards anything when we look into their true nature". And the example that was quoted to understand the above said is what should be highlighted with utmost interest ! Here it goes: "A rose petal is beautiful, but see it through a microscope and you will see something quite different altogether. You will see only small globules of matter revolving and rotating in a hectic manner for purposes not known to us. The whole universe is of that nature, including my own body, your body, and every blessed thing in this world."

Hope I have got something into my head dear Chitvish ma'am. Thus is my understanding on the subject that you had resolved here. This had come from few days of understanding and now I know how fluently and easily you portray the divine aspects of interest colored with your pellet of "experience"!!

This thread calls for another re-visit, as my understanding (I know) is not substantiate enough to walk through my way between the "Legends" here:queen.

Regards and Pongal wishes
RamyaVaradharajan