Well known Tamil and Sanskrit scholar P. N. Parasuraman talks about‘envy’- the evil emotion.
There is an old saying in Tamil which says, “That house will not prosper in which there enters a tortoise” ( Amai in Tamil). There is a deep inner meaning to this saying. The house referred to in this house does not mean the place we live in it refers to our body and the ‘amai’ refers not to the tortoise but ‘poramai’ ( jealousy)!
Envy, jealousy call it whatever name this strong negative feeling has a big impact on one’s health. “ I have known him struggling to earn even a morsel of food, but look at him today, cars, mobile, posh flat and whatnot, I simply cannot digest this,” haven’t we all heard these type of dialogues at some point of time or the other?
Rich or poor, man or woman, old or young there is no exception, all fall prey to this emotion and the character of Gandhari in Mahabharatha depicts this clearly. Gandhari and Kunthi were pregnant and both were expected to deliver the baby at the same time. While Kunthi was in the forest without any comforts Gandhari was at the palace living an absolute royal life. But this never comforted her.
The moment she came to know that Kunthi had delivered a baby, She became terribly jealous and in a rage hit her stomach with a huge stone. This has been narrated in “Villi Bharataham”. Recent studies say how essential it is for a pregnant woman to have calm and serene thoughts. Meditation is advised to put one’s mind to rest. It has been scientifically proved that strong, negative feelings affect the foetus. Listening to good music, reading good books, being in a relaxed and happy atmosphere are very essential to deliver a healthy baby.
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All of us know the story of Abhimanyu, who knew how to enter the warcircuit as he was intently listening when Lord Krishna was talking about it to Subhadra, his mother. Our ancestors have likened human body to the structure of a building. In the verse “Tholal Suvar Vaithu” Arunagiri Nathar make s a beautiful comparison- Skin is the wall, the ten openings are the foundation, two legs and hands are the beams, the whole body is wound together by nerves which bind things like the nuts and bolts and the flesh which covers the body is like concrete roof top!
The comparison of the human body to a house is to drive home the fact one must not allow ‘poramai’ to enter the house at any cost which spells doom. Drive away this negative feeling and you will be blessed with good health!
Pic courtesy: templepurohit.com