15 August, 2014

#SpecialFeature :: #GuestPost on Sonic Archery by Shubha Vilas

Now Presenting:
*** SPECIAL FEATURE - August 2014 ***


Shubha Vilas author of the book “Ramayana - The Game of Life” published by Jaico, holds a Bachelors of Engineering degree in Electronics and Telecommunications. He has also completed L.L.B (Specializing in Intellectual Property Law).
Shubha Vilas began his career with the Tata Group and later joined the international law firm in Bangalore which he quit to serve the society at large by taking charge of a publishing house Tulsi Books which has published over 10 books under his leadership.
Shubha Vilas now counsels and guides students in the area of leadership, overcoming failures, managing stress from various colleges like IISC, Bangalore, BITS Pilani, Goa, Jamnalal Bajaj Institute of Management Studies, Sydnem College, etc.
His leadership seminars are popular with top-level management in corporate houses. He addresses their crucial needs through thought- provoking seminars on themes such as ‘Secrets of Lasting Relationships’, ‘Soul Curry to Stop Worry’ and ‘Work–Life Balance’ to name a few.
Shubha Vilas has also been assisting business leaders as their lifestyle coach, conducting regular classes on Spirituality and Management to help them live a wholesome life.
He also helps individuals apply the teachings of the Bhagavad Gita, the Ramayana and other dharmic traditions in dealing with modern- day life situations.
This book is the fruit of his deep study and understanding of lessons of Ramayan as it applies to life today.

Sonic Archery

In his youth, Dasaratha used to venture out on hunting expeditions, where he loved using the powerful method of sonic archery (shooting an arrow based on the sound) as often as possible. He was in fact looking for one such opportunity when he heard a sound, much like the rumbling of a tiger or like an elephant drinking water from a river. He shot an eager arrow in that direction.

Acting without seeing the reality is a sign of overconfidence.

Little did he realize that the sound was that of a pot being dunked into the river; an eager-to-serve son was filling water for his thirsty parents. The arrow hit its mark. A blood-curdling, agonizing scream followed. It was the dying boy’s cry of despair and misery. Almost simultaneously, reverberating through the forest was Dasaratha’s scream of guilt.


Dasaratha’s pain was probably more excruciating than the pain the arrow caused the boy. The pain of guilt is the toughest to deal with.

He realized that his skill had inexorably destroyed him. Dasaratha ran to meet his dying destiny, to offer whatever little help he could, to prove his sincerity and to secure some pardon for his arrogance. Before him was a young boy writhing in pain, an arrow pierced right through his chest. The boy implored Dasaratha, begging to know what could possibly have been his fault to have been fatally attacked this way. Dasaratha tried to offer an explanation only to know of the boy’s predicament.
 
To justify one’s actions is the easiest part of life. Acting responsibly and being accountable to others who may have to pay for your actions (foreseen or unforeseen) is very difficult. Being able to respect the predicament of each individual, not judge and shoot arrows of harsh words or unkind deeds is a sign of maturity.

The boy was the only child of his old, blind and invalid parents. His life was dedicated to serving them, and they lived a life of gratitude, dependent on their only son. Even as he was dying this very moment, further down the banks, the old couple was waiting with parched throats for their son to bring them some water. As the boy began to inch closer to death, his pain became more excruciating at the thought of who would look after his parents after he was no more. No sooner than he told Dasaratha about his concern, he passed away.

A heavy-hearted Dasaratha carried water in that pot to the eagerly waiting ill-fated parents. When the old couple heard the rustle of the footsteps of a stranger and not their son’s approach them, inexplicable fear gripped them.

When Dasaratha told the couple of his dreadful mistake, their wounded hearts let out a curse: Dasaratha, too, would die of the pain of separation from his son. Dasaratha fell at their feet, begging for forgiveness.
 
One begs forgiveness for a mistake one commits. It is extremely important to think before making that mistake. Passion makes reasoning difficult. Dasaratha’s passion for hunting made him overconfident; before shooting the arrow, he did not use reason. Now that the consequences of his action were waiting for him, he resorted to reasoning. If we allow our passion to prevail over reasoning, we are in for a curse instead of a blessing.

Alas, those were the old parents’ last words before they joined their son in his pyre.

A despondent Dasaratha returned to Ayodhya. He had learnt a very important lesson: Never to let passion prevail over reason. He vowed that day never to practice sonic archery, lest it bring upon another painful curse and even more painful memories.
 
To lament for one’s mistake is important, but far more important is to learn from that mistake. To make mistakes does not imply lack of intelligence but a lack of foresight. Not repeating mistakes is a sign of intelligence.

Were the boy’s parents justified in cursing Dasaratha? Was this Dasaratha’s costliest mistake? Are we accountable for acts done unintentionally?

What do you think?



Contact the Author

Epics like the Ramayan have been recounted infinite times. Is there a need for another chronicle in the presence of so many? How is this one different? And is it relevant to our ever-changing modern lives? 
Yes there is a need; yes, this is different; and yes it is most relevant! This new series of books, each following one volume of the original Ramayana, decodes the eternal wisdom of that poetic scripture through gripping narrative and thought provoking instruction. In the time-honored custom of spreading wisdom through tales, every fascinating story in the epic is retold here and every character unfolded to captivate your heart and open your mind to life’s deepest questions. 
The narrative closely follows Valmiki’s Ramayana, gently weaving in folk tales as well as the beautiful analogies of the Kamba Ramayana. The first of the six-volume series, Rise of the Sun Prince, takes you through the divine story of Lord Rama from His birth up to His marriage. 
Through these pages are revealed the tales of  Dasaratha’s leadership, Vishwamitra’s quest for power and the intriguing story of a little-known stone maiden. Ramayana – The Game of Life has all this and much more – food for contemporary thought drawn from an enduring masterpiece. 

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