Sunday, January 19, 2020

THE DIARY OF MRITYUNJAY - PREFACE




THE DIARY OF MRITYUNJAY

PREFACE

For more than a year, after my third book ‘Autumn Leaves – Seasons of Life’ was published, I did not write much. Even the postings in my blog were few and far between. A certain listlessness had taken hold of me and I found it difficult to break out. It was as if I had exhausted myself and was bereft of any new thought that I could transcribe into the written word. Some would term it as ‘Writer’s Block’ and maybe that was what it was. When I was once asked how I would deal with Writer’s Block, my answer was that I would wait for it to pass and engage myself with other interests - painting and music, for the more we bother about it, the more it blocks one’s creativity. I did nothing and waited. Writing has given me immense satisfaction for in the process I transport myself to an alternate world through the characters I create. It was then that I happened to see a documentary on the Kedarnath disaster that took place in June 2013. That rekindled the angst I had felt reading about it at that time, especially so because a colleague and his wife never returned. I was aware that friends and relations still hoped for a miracle that would bring them back, even months after their disappearance. Six years have gone by and though the scars would have healed by now, the memory of those traumatic days will continue to haunt.
This was the trigger that made me write this book. It has nothing to do with any particular person or event and is a fictionalized account of one man’s journey through the midst of this disaster and coming face to face with his own mortality. This is a story of one man’s search for a meaning in life, and the redemption of a woman traumatized by past relationships.
This time I have consciously avoided including an introduction as a separate section for that would defeat the purpose of the book, which by itself is a chronicle of self-exploration seeking answers to the existential questions that arise within each one of us. Dr. S. Radhakrishnan in his book ‘The Hindu View of Life’ says -
Life is like a game of bridge. We did not frame the rules and we cannot control the dealing. The cards are dealt out to us, whether they be good or bad, but we can play the game well or play it badly. A skillful player may have a poor hand and yet win the game. A bad player may have a good hand and yet make a mess of it. Our life is a mixture of necessity and freedom, chance and choice. We may not change events but we can change our approach to events.
A brief synopsis of the book is given here -
On the 16th June 2013 the temple town of Kedarnath was devastated by the flood waters of the Mandakini and the Saraswathi due to heavy rains in the area and the overflow from the Chorabari lake. Hundreds of people lost their lives and more were reported missing, not to talk about the near total decimation of what was once a thriving temple town. It’s in the backdrop of this disaster that the story of Mrityunjay is set. Mrityunjay who is on a search for a purpose in life, comes face to face with his own mortality and ends up realizing that ‘the purpose of life is a philosophical question. We spend our lives trying to find an answer. The ultimate answer eludes us time and again. When you think you have found an answer, a new dimension opens up. So, there is really no end’.
 It’s also the story of Ahalya who suffers from the trauma of betrayal in her earlier relationships and finds in Mrityunjay the redeemer, who pulls her out of the morass she had fallen into and gives a new direction to her life.
Apart from the slew of characters who form part of Mrityunjay’s journey, the river forms an important part of the book. The creative force of its serenity and the destructive nature of its turbulence, on its journey to merge with the ocean are but allegorical representations of our journey through life.
Life is just a river that flows,
On its way it winds and grows,
To settle down in tranquillity,
To finally merge with the sea’.

5 comments:

kerala said...

Interesting synopsis that's a guarantee for the quality of the book. The backdrop is tumultuous, and the two protagonists demand our attention. Let's hope Ahalya finds her purpose in herself and not in her relationships.

sundar said...

Good. EsB His Wife Plus His friend and.wife will be happy. haunt you.your headgear scary Ride Along Sir. Sundar

sundar said...

An interesting thing. A Guy given up for dead at Kedarnath ,returned last month. He could not remember what happened_ MRITYUNJAY

sundar said...

That's all for the day, Sir

RAMKI_MYTH said...

अनायासेन मरणं विना दैन्येन जीवनम् ।
देहान्ते तव सायुज्यं देहि मे पार्वतीपते ॥

Transliteration:
anāyāsena maraṇaṃ vinā dainyena jīvanam ।
dehānte tava sāyujyaṃ dehi me pārvatīpate ॥

Meaning of the subhAShita:
Death without exertion, life without affliction, your proximity (attainment of your abode) upon leaving the body - grant me these, O husband of Pārvati!

Commentary:
Upon being asked 'what do you want?', there may be a plethora of wishes one wants to ask for. A big house, a bigger bank balance, plentiful youth, good children, lots of friends, good health..... The list can be endless!

But, the author of this verse has very simple, yet profound and eternal wishes to ask for!

No matter how many riches one is showered with if he is enduring a painful existence in his body, who would not want to be liberated from that pain?! The best ambiences and the greatest food will prove repulsive for someone who is suffering from pain of any kind - it could be physical pain, being on life support, etc., or a mental affliction as well. Everyone wants to live a fruitful and satisfying life and pass away peacefully without much effort, exertion or toil. This is certainly something to pray for!

While living, there can be multitudes of scarcities - there are places where there is not enough drinking water, enough food to eat or a shelter to sleep under. Such scenarios are not pleasant and one would want to be released from the affliction of any kind of poverty. This is surely something to pray for so that goals can be pursued without strife.

Throughout our lives, we are taught to engage in good deeds so that we are liberated from the bondage of birth and death. Attaining this is the final goal for everyone. If one is granted the abode of the Lord Himself, a merger with the Lord of Pārvati and being one with Parashiva Himself, what more would one ever want?!!

Think about it... Aren't these the aspects one should contemplate upon and ask for?!

pada vigrahaH:
अनायासेन मरणं विना दैन्येन जीवनम् ।
anāyāsena maraṇaṃ vinā dainyena jīvanam ।

देह-अन्ते तव सायुज्यं देहि मे पार्वती-पते ॥
deha-ante tava sāyujyaṃ dehi me pārvatī-pate ॥

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