Though, still, this might not be quite as awesome as the time that we spent a couple hours arguing how psychic paper works.
The most EPIC husband & wife quarrel ever!
FINALLY,
Janmashtami's over! Seriously, we's got so many festivals that our nation should be subtitled "
Nation of Festivals"! What's even more awesome is how this particular one conforms with the values of the
Springtime of Youth!
See, Krishna is usually like the Jesus of Hinduism (a more badass Jesus, mind you), but when the guy was young he was also the Prince of mischief, an annoying brat that goes around breaking people's pots from the furthest reaches just to satisfy his hunger. In his childhood, one virtue he lived by was that if you want something bad you gotta face the might of the whole world for it; basically, he was a master in his
Springtime of Youth, so much so that everytime I say "Krishna" I imagine a 10-year-old
Kamina from
Gurren Lagann.
The final event of Janmashtami was celebrated with similar zeal (
dang, I wanted to show you guys pictures, but I don't have a cam...); a pot of butter hanging so
fucking high it's ridiculous, and the guys have to form a human pyramid to reach the apex and break that pot. It's all about teamwork, basically, and if one guy gives in the rest topple. A whole evening went by but no one was able to break it, until quarter past ten in the night when everyone started to get hungry. Oh, no, the guys
still wouldn't give up in the name of honor. One of them even screamed (in Marathi):
"I ain't goin nowhere, and ain't gonna have single grain of rice until I or someone else breaks that
fucking pot!" (Note: He never said
fucking, rather a Marathi slang which is much, much horrible)
And they tried, and fell, got up and tried, and fell again; men of all ages were reduced to shame as the most daring of them faltered, but a teenage kid climbed and did the impossible, breaking the pot. Hah, he's bound to get some respect there!
To end the day of this
awesome festival, here's a quote from Wikipedia:
Sri Krishna taught us Karma Yoga. He strongly dictated in Gita that a man is bound to get the fruits of his actions. If he has done good actions/deeds throughout his life, he will get good results. The real meaning of Janamashtami vow is to become Karamyogi like Krishna. One should always follow the right path and never tolerate injustice. Karma yoga is action (karma) performed without expectations or thought of reward. This selfless service of karma yoga is the path by which the mind is most quickly purified and its limits transcended. The karma yogi works hard, both physically and mentally. He seeks to eliminate the ego and its attachments, to serve humanity without expecting rewards, and to see unity in diversity . This enables him to tune to the one underlying divine essence that dwells within all beings.
I hope most of you understand what this means
(although I can judge who probably misunderstood this quote). Allow me to simplify this for some Atheists (I repeat, some), because I need to translate it to their language for them:1)
Karma Yoga -
Karma basically means
Actions / Deeds;
Yoga has a broader meaning, which could range from
Unity, Wisdom, Discipline, etc. 2)
Karamyogi - A disciplined and wise person who has learned to judge his deeds and actions well, such as knowing which actions would trigger what kind of consequences.
3)
"...underlying divine essence that dwells within all beings" - Beyond spirituality, this "Divine Presence" concept is taken for broader and much more complex meaning here than in Christianity, as it binds quite a lot of related concepts together in spirit of good nature and well being; thus, it can mean a lot of things. Empathy, love towards humanity, an ability to see the world in a much more beautiful light, realizing events or things much more important than yourself, maturity, open-mindedness, selfless potential, dreams of philanthropy, ability to harness happiness, the spirit to tackle odds even in the worst situations, ability to change yourself and the world, etc.
That last bit is something, I believe, is so close I can feel it (at least to me). It is a strange feeling that lies dormant in the hearts of every human being but is strangely untapped for some strange reason; that feeling doesn't have a word for it in any language, which is why people don't know what it is (hence the "Divine Spirit / Whisper") or realize that it's even there, but whatever it is it conforms with the most basic, instinctive nature of empathy and has the power to make the world a better place.
