' Love vs Desire '

‘Anbu (love) & Desire (aasai)’ :- P.Natarajan.

To understand the term Anbu or Love, we may have to raise our thoughts with a vision to the level of  ‘Prapancham’ or ‘Universe’ and the living beings in it. Please understand that it is one and the same ‘Paramatma’ who has transformed himself into all other living entities in the world. In the process of transformation himself into many lives, his hand of Maya plays a role in the differences created between one life to the other. In other words, the entity ‘A’ is different from ‘B’or ‘C or ‘D’... and so on. No one is same as the other person. Even in this repelling drama, Paramatma plays an unique role of integration between the dissimilar or contrasting characters. It is an unifying force which creates a bond between the people however different they may be. That is the defining force called as ‘anbu’ or ‘love’. ‘Love thy neighbor’ - the phrase tells everyone to live in harmony with the other or in short the peace prevails whole over the world in love. It is because of the grace of God there prevails unity between contradicting entities. Love plays a catalyst and an equalizer !

What is desire?. There is a subtle difference between the two terms ‘ Anbu’ ( love) and ‘Aasai’ (desire). The tendency of every one is to obtain something or other from the other person. This state of affairs is known as ‘desire’. The person who gets something, feels he is in a vantage position. In contrast, when a person gives himself to the other, he achieves a sense of fulfillment. It is called ‘Anbu’ or ‘love’.. This is how aasai and anbu differs in principle. Desire drives a person to beget something to make himself happy’. It is a process of receiving only. The term anbu can be described as an attribute to make others happy. It is in the process of giving oneself to the other. The desire describes the process of receiving where as the ‘Love’ is explicit in  the process of giving.

We get attracted in others by different qualities he possesses, to mention a few -  the knowledge or wealth or good looks or skill and the likes. We show interest in such person. It is a mistaken notion if we say we love that person. It is only a state of desire, attracted by the other person’s wealth or by such other good qualities.

‘Anbu’ can be compared to a natural ‘spring’ that swells on its own from the good earth. The water found in such a spring is tasteful, wholesome, plenty, copious and never drying. When the mind and intellect act together at the helm, the heart realizes the force of love or ‘Anbu’. It is one way of understanding how ‘love’ is born in the heart of hearts like a spring. ‘Lalitha Parameswari ‘ or ‘Ambal’ showers immense grace and renders even a cruel person to possess love at sometime or other. God is Love or Worship is love.

It is by virtue of accomplishment or by acquired knowledge or by gaining wisdom, one would see good reason to be of help to others and render his services with love. He gets complete satisfaction in the process of giving himself and rendering service in good faith to the humanity.

Desire is insatiable. There is no limit to the desires. The more you have, the more you want. It leads to trouble. We all know the story of Abu Hussain who lost himself in wants. He never realized ‘ less is more ‘. The moral of Abu Hussain story:- “Be content in what you have. Rejoice in the way things are. When you realize there is nothing lacking, the whole world belongs to you.”

Will Rogers says how desire leads to a state of unreality :- “Too many people spend money they have not earned to buy things they don’t want, to impress people they don’t like “

“Three rules to work. Out of the clutter find simplicity; from discord harmony; in the middle of difficulty lies the opportunity “ -  Albert Einstein

Leonardo Vinci emphasises “ Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication”.

Love rules supreme over desire and the quotes below outline this phenomenon:-

Love is powerful enough to transform you in a moment. Love offers more joy than any material possession could.

” Love can transform an enemy into a friend” - Martin Luther King.

We are shaped and fashioned by what we love. The touch of love makes everyone a poet.

( The face of loving children - a gift of God.)

Love does not dominate. It only cultivates. We are most alive when we are in love.

“It is better to have loved and lost than never to have loved at all”- Lord Tennyson.

There are other words in Tamil for ‘anbu’ (love). ‘ Anandam ’ refers to the state of bliss.

Lord Nataraja of Chidambaram is a known destination for devotees to have darshan of Nataraja in ‘Ananda Tandava’ pose - Nataraja exhibits  a state of ‘Supreme Joy’ when he dances (thandavam).He is the father of that art.. Lakhs of devotees had ‘Arudra dharshan ‘this year on wednesday, the 11th of January 2017 at Chidambaram.

There is another Temple by name ‘Uttarakosamangai’ in Ramanathapuram in Tamilnadu where a  6 feet tall ancient Maragatha Nataraja idol carved out of emerald, being the one of its kind. The temple is considered sacred along the lines of Ramanathapuram Sethu Madhava Theertham and Lakshman Theertham.The temple built by Pandyan Kings between 1529-42 AD, has been glorified by the hymnes of 9th century saint Manickavasagar and 15th century saint Arunagirinathar. The darshan of Idol Lord Nataraja in green emerald is open only once when Arudra star prevails in Dhanurmasam (11-01-2017). Let us worship Nataraja and the temple Gopuram (below) to have immense joy and peace at all times.

     

Love to all.

Wishing A Happy 2017 !

pn