Dear Swamin Very enjoyable posting. Any book on stress management is not complete without a chapter on good night's sleep. The present day lifestyle (materialistic) seldom affords people a relaxing night's sleep. No wonder, early birds are rare. The final line of "Sitram Sirukaale" probably provides a great clue to this. When "Matrai nam kaamangal" are removed, there is perhaps great freshness after a relaxing few hours of sleep. Regards Balajee Thiruppukkuzhi Narasimhan >From: sadagopan <sadagopaniyengar@xxxxxxxx> >Reply-To: Oppiliappan@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx >To: malolan_net@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx, oppiliappan@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx >CC: Tiruvenkatam@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx, ramanuja@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx >Subject: [Oppiliappan] The Early Bird >Date: Tue, 09 Aug 2005 15:05:24 +0530 > >Srimate SrivanSatakopa Sri Vedanta Desika Yatindra Mahadesikaya nama: > > > >The Early Bird > > > >"Please, five more minutes!"-this is the standard request I hear from my >son and daughter, whenever I wake them up in the morning. And when they say >five minutes, you shouldn't take it literally and expect them to be up and >about after three hundred seconds. One block of five minutes naturally >leads to another and before the kids actually get up, it is anywhere from >25 to 30 minutes from the time they were woken up. I am sure that my >experience is not unique and must be shared by many a parent. Though we >expect our children to rise and shine early in the morning, they invariably >tend to disagree, reluctant to forego their beauty sleep. > > > >When you come to think of it, this disinclination for early rising is not >confined to children-many adults too are equally guilty. "Guilty!-is that >the correct word to use for merely enjoying a few more minutes or hours of >sleep!" I hear you saying. Well, I leave you to decide for yourself, after >going through the following. > > > >Coming back to getting up early, many of us tend to wake up only when the >sunlight falls on our face, forcing us to open our eyes and blink. Yet >others wake up when the milkman sounds his bell, while some sleep on, >oblivious to the chirping of birds or to the shrill tones of the proverbial >cock, heralding the imminent sunrise. (Incidentally, it is quite some time >since I heard a cock-the urban environs appear to have taken a toll on this >species too, which used to faithfully function as an effective alarm >system, waking us up in time). In any case, even if a dutiful alarm clock >were to emit loud rings, we are accustomed to snuggling back into the >bedcovers after stifling its strident tones. Somehow, the hours and minutes >just before our waking appear to be especially precious and we are prone to >resent any intrusion into our slumber more at those times than at others. >Like the "Maamaan magal" in Tiruppavai, who is loathe to leave her bed of >swan feather_-("Toomani maadatthu suttrum vilakku eria, dhoopam kamazha >tuyilanai mel kan valarum maamaan magale!"), we too are deep in slumber in >our comfortable beds, with a "Good Knight" battling valiantly to drive away >mosquitoes. > > > >"Kousalya supraja! Rama! Poorvaa sandhyaa pravartate > > Uttishtta nara saardoola! Kartavyam daivam aahnikam" > > > >This is a slokam from Srimad Ramayanaam, with which all of us are >familiar-so much so that in cinemas and TV serials, this couplet finds a >place whenever daybreak is depicted. It is Visvaamitra Maharshi who utters >this slokam, urging the young Sri Rama, who is sound asleep, to rise and >shine, the time for performance of morning prayers being at hand. (My son >murmurs with indignation, "So, it appears to be an age-old practice for >elders to torment kids, forcing them to get up at unearthly hours!"). The >point is that Visvaamitra attaches so much importance to early rising, that >he doesn't mind waking up the obviously tired Sri Rama, whom he >(Visvaamitra) had taken by walk all the way from Ayodhya into the >inhospitable forests, paying scant attention to the Prince's tender years >and the creature comforts to which He was accustomed. We are faced with a >question-Why? Why should the Rishi urge the young Prince to rise early, >knowing full well that the latter must have been tired by the long journey >by foot? > > > >As in everything else, here too, Srimad Ramayanam is a guide book for human >conduct, telling us how we ought to live our lives. > > > >The Shastras are emphatic that barring invalids, all others ought to be up >and about pretty early in the morning. What exactly does "early morning" >mean? > > > >The day is divided into eight "Yaamaas", each consisting of 3 hours, four >of them accounting for Day and the remaining four constituting the Night. >However, half of the first Yaama of the night and the latter half of the >fourth Yaama of the night are counted along with the day, which really >leaves the Night with just three Yaamas. Thus the last part, of the last >Yaaama of the night, roughly corresponding to around 4.30 a.m., is the >ideal time prescribed for our rising. This is the auspicious hour known as >the "Braahma Muhoortam" --"Yaaminyaa: charamo yaama: Braahma eerita:". It >is at this hour that we should rise, say the Smritis-"Braahme muhoorte >utthaaya". > > > >What is so special about this "Braahma Muhoortam", I hear you enquire. The >Smriti Ratnaavali, a comprehensive compendium of rules for good conduct, >tells us that this hour belongs to the Deities. Devas and Pitru devataas >visit our homes at this auspicious hour, says the Smriti. When we have >distinguished visitors, it is only courteous on our part to be up and >about. The Smriti is very specific that these celestial visitors deem it a >great insult if we remain in bed, with predictable consequences. In fact, >the Smriti goes to the extent of terming such a home, where the residents >are asleep at the Braahma Muhoortam, as a "Smasaanam" (burial ground). In a >rather wholesale condemnation of sound sleepers who know not what sunrise >is, the Smriti calls them permanently impure and ineligible to undertake >any vaidika karma. We may well slumber on irrespective of sunrise, but we >do it at the risk of all our merits (Punyam), accumulated through lifetimes >of good deeds, being destroyed. Such inconsiderate slumber is considered >not merely a minor misdemeanour, but a veritable sin, warranting atonement >or Praayaschittam. One who sleeps on beyond sunrise (known as an >"Abhyudita") can wash off the sin only through Gayatri Japam for the whole >day, while remaining on fast. Failure to atone in such a fashion leads to >accumulation of great "Paapam", says Manu. > > > >Aapasthamba Maharshi adds to the difficulty of the aforesaid >Praayaschittam, by saying that it should be done while on one's feet-no >sitting or lying down is permitted during the entire day, which is to be >spent in Gayatri Japam and fasting. > > > >Frightening, isn't it? And all for merely sleeping! Well, we must keep in >mind that Shastras are guidebooks fashioned by our kind Lord, indeed His >helping hand, extended for lifting us up from the mundane morass-"magnaan >uddharate lokaan kaarunyaat Shastra paanina". Shastras are indeed the voice >of the ever-merciful Emperuman, enunciated through venerated seers, to >guide us in this world and others. As such, the Shruti and the Smritis have >nothing but extreme benevolence towards us-- all that they say are indeed >for our good, even if some of their injunctions may sound unpalatable and >inconvenient. Remember, medicine may be bitter, but it cures us of our >ills. > > > >And it is not only what the Smritis lay down, but is also what the Doctor >ordered. Ask any doctor, and he will list for you the advantages of early >rising. The mind and body are fresh and compliant and the hour is extremely >conducive to all good deeds. The Biological Clock which nature has endowed >us with at birth, comes with the alarm set to the early morning hours. It >is hence natural for us to get up before sunrise. Our body and mind are >designed to function at their peak during the early morning hours-if a >survey of inventions and discoveries is undertaken, I am sure we would find >that many of the sparks, which ignited the ideas, occurred during the wee >hours of the morning. And as the day wears on, so do our strength and mind >power, till they reach their nadir at night, when rest is prescribed in the >form of sleep. With peace and quiet reigning within and without, isn't the >early morning the ideal time for all creative work? Only those who have >savoured the pre-dawn serenity would be able to appreciate the beauty of >the hour and its conduciveness to all endeavour, especially spiritual. > > > >The references in Tiruppavai to early rising are numerous and noteworthy. >Of these, the most poignant is "Chittram chiru kaale vandu unnai sevitthu". >The venerated commentators wax eloquent on the auspiciousness of the >Braahma Muhoortam, as signified by the words, "Chittram chiru kaale". They >point out that it is this time of the day/ night which is ideally suited >for worshipping the Lord, as it is then that all the noble qualities of man >come to the fore. Sri Nammazhwar too advocates paying obeisance to >Emperuman in the wee hours of the morning-"Kaalai nal gnaanatturai padindu >aadi". > > > >With all these in favour of early rising, is it a wonder that all the >Smirtis exhort us to be early birds? Admittedly, before it becomes a habit, >early rising does tend to torment one, the natural instinct being not to >relinquish the comfortable warmth of the bed-however, once we brave the >first few days, grit our teeth and get up at the golden hour, once we >experience fully what it has to offer in terms of peace, tranquility, >productivity and concentration, once we restore our biological clock to its >original settings, the elation you experience is a commensurate reward for >your efforts. Clarity of thought, creative sparks, good resolutions and >spiritual inclination-all these automatically follow, when you rise early. >Even black swallows get up early, so why not we human beings, hints Sri >Andal- > >"Kaalai ezhundirundu karia kuruvi kanangal > >Maalin varavu solli marul paadudal meimmai kolo!" > > > >For those who are still loathe to leaving their bed, all that we can do is >to despair, along with Sri Kodai Naachiar-"Elle! Ilam Kiliye! Innam >urangudiyo!", stopping short of Her more uncomplimentary epithet, "Pey >Penne!". > > > >Srimate Sri LakshmiNrisimha divya paduka sevaka SrivanSatakopa Sri Narayana >Yatindra Mahadesikaya nama: > > > >Dasan, sadagopan >Internal Virus Database is out-of-date. >Checked by AVG Anti-Virus. >Version: 7.0.296 / Virus Database: 265.5.0 - Release Date: 12/9/2004 _________________________________________________________________ Logon to MSN Games http://www.msngamez.com/in/gamezone/ Enjoy unlimited action ------------------------ Yahoo! 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