Kannadasan – A Realized Master (Part 34)

 

You may think, "Sir, you promised to share ways to mold our five-year-old children, yet here you are asking fifty-year-old parents to bend and shape themselves? Won't we just snap in two?" That very question was a spark born out of self-awareness. What is the great philosophy shared by Xerox shop owners across India? "The copy will turn out exactly like the original, Sir!" If we parents are the 'originals,' is it realistic to expect our children—who grew up by copying us daily—to emerge as 'improved versions'? Besides, are these children Ramana Maharshi, capable of 'awakening' while they are still growing? 

When did WE gain self-awareness? Only after being battered and submerged by the waves of worldly life and finally retrieving the pearl of wisdom, right? It is only when we reach our 30s, 40s, 50s, or 60s—and our worn-out bodies stubbornly refuse to keep going—that we realize that the ‘runway ahead’ is shrinking and that 'take-off' could happen at any moment; that is when we truly 'wake up.' Like the poet Pattinathar, wisdom dawned on us only after we had suffered the hard knocks of life. Driven by that sense of responsibility, we naturally desire to create the right family environment for our children as they grow, don't we? 

So, what should we do? Let us ask the poet-sage. "If you know yourself—if you truly know yourself—you can battle the world," (“Unnai arinthaal nee unnai arinthaal”), he says (Film: *Vettaikkaran*). In the same song, he asks, "Do those who know themselves and share that wisdom with the community not become leaders?" Never mind becoming leaders of the town or the nation; aren't we the leaders of our own homes and families? That settled, then, how does one know oneself? Clarity comes when we focus a mind that is otherwise tossed about by the waves of worldly existence. "Oh, my foolish heart—you simply won't listen to a word I say!" Thus sang Pattinathar in a lament. If the audience so desires—and if the opportunity arises—we too shall embark on that noble quest of 're-discovering ourselves.' Now, let us return to Kannadasan. 

In the above song, Kaviyarasar shifts the emphasis from fate to self-knowledge. Know yourself to understand yourself and create the family world around you as the (family) leader, he says. He sang, “There is no life without asking the question ‘Why?’” (“Yean endra kelvi ketkaamal ingu vaazhkai illai”) (Film: *Aayirathil Oruvan*). This was a song that urged the use of one’s intellect. That was the message for us. But what advice did he give our children? He said, “One must truly live life and evolve into a person of wisdom” (“Vaazhnthu parka vendum”) (Film: *Shanthi*). He instilled courage, telling them not to fear the world: “The world is delightful; the heart is ever-new; in this precious youth, gaining experience is a matter of pride” (“Iniyathu Iniyathu Ulagam”) (Film: *Thangai*). He also offered a conclusion to the debate of ‘Fate versus Intellect’ with these words (“Selvangley, deivangal vaazhu nenjangaley”) (Film: *Shanthi Nilayam*): 

“Oh, treasures—hearts where the divine resides—

Cultivate wisdom in your youth and conquer the world.

Time is like a fruit waiting for your arrival,

A fruit that is sweet and wholesome;

‘Tomorrow’ is like a flower

Blooming for your own well-being!” 

Let us now turn to the Western wisdom for their verdict on the debate of whether it is 'Nature or Nurture', and which is to be valued. In their book "Living with Our Genes: Why They Matter More Than You Think", authors Dean Hamer and Peter Copeland say, "So what about free will? It’s alive and well, and probably genetic. Free will means taking control of your life. This is only possible when you understand who you are. As humans, we are born with instincts to survive, to love, to reproduce. As individuals we are born unique, each of us a variation on the human theme. 

Genes play an essential role in the overall theme and the individual variations; genes make us human and they make us unique. People cannot be mass-produced, even if we tried. Every individual has too many choices and too many possibilities to ever predict the future. You are born with a pen and paper in hand, but you have to write your own story." The famous and best-seller book of its times, "The Secret" by Rhonda Byrne, concludes, “Our body is really the product of our thoughts. We’re beginning to understand in medical science the degree to which the nature of thoughts and emotions actually determines the physical substance and structure and function of our bodies.” 

Bruce Lipton, who did path-breaking biological experiments in his lab decades book, records in his book, "Biology of Belief": "The science revealed in this book defines how beliefs control behavior and gene activity, and, consequently, the unfolding of our lives. Learning how to harness your mind to promote growth is the secret of life, which is why I called this ‘The Biology of Belief’. Of course, the secret of life is not secret at all. Teachers like Buddha and Jesus have been telling us the same story for millennia. Now science is pointing in the same direction. It is not our genes but our beliefs that control our lives. DNA does not control biology, and the nucleus itself is not the brain of the cell. Just like you and me, cells are shaped by where they live. In other words, it’s the environment, stupid. 

The intention behind this book is to translate the significance of this leading-edge science so that it is accessible to the lay audience. It is my sincerest hope that you will recognize that many of the beliefs propelling your life are false and self-limiting and you will be inspired to change those beliefs. Understanding on a scientific level how cells respond to your thoughts and perceptions illuminates the path to personal empowerment. The insights we gain through this new biology unleash the power of consciousness, matter and miracles. ‘The Biology of Belief’ is NOT a self-help book; it is a self-empowerment book. The information offers knowledge of self and from that knowledge comes the power to control your life. 

Suddenly I realized that a cell’s life is controlled by the physical and energetic environment and not by its genes. Genes are simply molecular blueprints used in the construction of cells, tissues and organs. The environment serves as a “contractor” who reads and engages those genetic blueprints and is ultimately responsible for the character of a cell’s life. It is a single cell’s “awareness” of the environment, not its genes, that sets into motion the mechanisms of life. 

For adoptive and non-adoptive parents alike, the message is clear: Your children’s genes reflect only their potential, not their destiny. It is up to you to provide the environment that allows them to develop to their highest potential. Notice I do not say that it is up to parents to read lots of parenting books. I’ve met lots of people who are intellectually attracted to the ideas I present in this book. But intellectual interest is not enough. I tried that myself. I was intellectually aware of everything in this book, but before I made the effort to change, it made no impact on my life. If you simply read this book and think that your life and your children’s lives will change, you’re doing the equivalent of accepting the latest pharmaceutical pill thinking it will “fix” everything. No one is fixed until they make the effort to change.” 

Beloved Bruce Lipton recommends another author Candace B Pert, Ph.D., who in her fundamental research has come out with breath-taking results in her book, "Molecules of Emotion: The Science Behind Mind-Body Medicine". It is manual on, don’t be afraid and hold your breath, "Psychoneuroimmunology". Besides being a tongue-twister, this subject is NOT my cup of tea. And how about research on opiate receptors or a study of neuropeptides? Fore-worded by the good-old Dr Deepak Chopra, the title is no pep talk on Body-Mind connection but a step-by-step account of unravelling the mysteries of why molecules behave in a way they do to result in good health or disease in human beings. Candace concludes from her own life account and from the laboratory results that ‘our will’ is what gets communicated in the somatosensory network as our destiny. 

Diseases are human created. The author proves through her molecular research that psychosomatic network communicates through peptides our emotions, the blocking of which generates ill-health. In her own words, “The body is the unconscious mind! Repressed traumas caused by overwhelming emotions can be stored in a body part, thereafter affecting our ability to feel that part or even move it. The new work suggests there are almost infinite pathways for the conscious mind to access – and modify – the unconscious mind and the body, and also provides an explanation for a number of phenomena that the emotional theorists have been considering.” 

When a spiritual master says ‘Shiva made his own drugs in his body’, people taunt him with utter disbelief. But this scientist demonstrates through research that “Each of us has his or her own natural pharmacopoeia – the very finest drugstore available at the cheapest cost – to produce all the drugs we ever need to run our body-mind in precisely the way it was designed to run over centuries of evolution. Research needs to focus on understanding the workings of these natural resources – our own endogenous drugs – so that we can create the conditions that will enable them to do what they do best, with minimal interference from exogenous substances.” If you want to know ‘what happens inside your body’ at a cellular level even as you deal with the pulsating everyday life, THIS IS THE book to read. Go on. Enjoy the ‘inward journey’! 

After years of research against all odds such as a male-chauvinistic-scientist community, Candace records: "Emotions. The neuropeptides and receptors, the biochemical of emotion, are the messengers carrying information to link the major systems of the body into one unit that we can call the body-mind. We can no longer think of the emotions as having less validity than physical, material substance, but instead must see them as cellular signals that are involved in the process of translating information into physical reality, literally transforming mind into matter. Emotions are at the nexus between matter and mind, going back and forth between the two and influencing both. 

Meditation provides an opportunity to stop and wait for some feedback before charging ahead on an uninformed course, a chance to let the body catch up with the powerful transforming effects of our natural information flow. The term somatosensory refers to any bodily sensations or feelings, whether it is the touch of another’s hand on our skin or sensations arising from the movement of our own organs as they carry on our bodily processes. Not just opiate receptors but also every peptide receptor we looked for could be found in this spinal-cord site that filters all incoming bodily sensations. 

In fact, we have found that in virtually all locations where information from any of the five senses – sight, sound, taste, smell and touch – enters the nervous system, we will find a high concentration of neuropeptide receptors. We have termed these regions “nodal points” (or, colloquially, “hot spots”) to emphasize that they are places where a great deal of information converges. The information is carried by axons and dendrites from many nerve cell bodies that are passing near or making synaptic contact with each other." Surprisingly, these nodal points which the author points exactly match with the seven chakras of Indian yogic system! (Moolaadhaara, Swadishtana, Manipooraka, Anaahata, Vishudhi, Agnya & Sahasra Nodal Centers in human bodies). This fact she incidentally comes across while travelling, in an airport when an Indian was seen reading a book on Yoga & Meditation and she was startled to see the exact points/chakras where she was finding the concentration of neuronal activity! 

Our friend Bruce Lipton earlier referred to, takes the discussions to a higher level by saying that we control our health through thoughts. He says, "In ‘Molecules of Emotion’, Candace Pert revealed how her study of information-processing receptors on nerve cell membranes led her to discover that the same “neural” receptors were present on most, if not all, of the body’s cells. Her elegant experiments established that the “mind” was not focused in the head but was distributed via signal molecules to the whole body. As importantly, her work emphasized that emotions were not only derived through feedback of the body’s environmental information. 

Through self-consciousness, the mind can use the brain to generate “molecules of emotion” and override the system. While proper use of consciousness can bring health to an ailing body, inappropriate unconscious control of emotions can easily make a healthy body diseased." The same bad-habit of human minds that spoil the human body fact is pointed out in the book, "Quantum Leap Thinking: An Owner's Guide to the Mind" by James J Mapes: "Medical research indicates that we are partners in creating our own illnesses. We eat unhealthy food, refuse to exercise, and stay in destructive relationships, but we refuse to admit that it has any effect on our health." 

In the song "Devane Ennai Paarungal" (Oh God, look at me!) (Film: *Gnana Oli*), the poetic sage Kannadasan aptly pointed out: 

"Does the ailment lie in the body or the mind, Oh God?

Should I weep or should I laugh, Oh Lord?" 

The body, a creation of nature, possesses the ability to heal itself; however, the restless mind frequently disturbs it, thereby giving rise to illness. In yet another song, he identifies the human mind as the source that creates and compounds sorrow, while reassuring humanity that Time will eventually do its work and show the way (“Kaala makal kan thirappaal chinnaiyah”) (Film: *Anandha Jothi*): 

"The Maiden of Time will open her eyes, my friend;

What use is there in shedding tears and worrying?

There are doorways on all four sides, my friend;

Is there not a path for us among them? 

Small sorrows multiply the more when we dwell on them;

Let what must happen, happen—find peace within;

Joy comes in one moment, sorrow in the next;

A path reveals itself even in darkness—why this yearning?

Brother, find your peace and sleep!" 

For those wondering, "Sir, we started out looking for some lighthearted fun, yet things have turned serious with talk of science, research, yoga, and meditation"—let us turn back to 'Kaviarasar' himself and listen to him discuss philosophy in a playful manner (“Vedikkaiya pozhuthu pokanum”) (Film: Anandhi): 

"One should spend time playfully,

Live life with a touch of sportiveness,

Sing, dance, and savor the experience,

While letting the intellect slumber a little;

We should walk the path that everyone else takes,

Climb the ladder of progress just to take a look,

Lie down wherever there is space to rest,

And unburden the heart of any heavy load;

If telling a lie is deemed the right thing to do, then lie,

But if you realize the truth of it, try to mask it with a smile,

Speak proudly of yourself,

But ensure there is a grain or two of truth mixed in!" 

As devotee of Kannan—the eternal playful youth—Kannadasan casually articulates a profound truth. He observes that the mind takes shape during the tender teenage years, yet one gains the clarity to realize it becomes a source of trouble only in one's sixties (“Theeratha villayaatu pillai ivan”) (Film: *Netrikkan*): 

"The mind takes shape at sixteen,

But goes astray once past sixty;

It remains a source of strength for a time,

Yet later, wayward desires gain the upper hand." 

The poet-sage also advises us not to hold back on experiences (“Iravinil Aattam, pakalinil thookam”) (Film: *Navarathri*): 

"Revelry by night, slumber by day—this is our world;

You do not know what existed before birth,

Nor do I understand what happens after death;

We are here for but a few days—let us experience life; what could we possibly lose?" 

Let us gain further clarity and wisdom from the experienced sage Kannadasan... in the next episode. 

-Jeyes (www.jeyes.in)