In our ashram, apart from the monthly salary (ten thousand) , if we include other beneficiaries that they get (free two wheeler, bonus, medical help, holidays, interest free loan, etc. etc.) it will be on average 15,000/- per month. Do you know how many hours they (both husband and wife) come and work. Just ONE HOUR in a day. Now the husband also stopped saying that as there is a serious drought, he has to take his sheep two times to graze early in the morning and evening. So only his wife comes and works for an hour. However ,you ask, they won’t do even that regular work properly—won’t give water regularly to the plants and coconut trees, won’t clean outside regularly. Even after they washed the vessels, if we want to use them with hygiene again we have to wash one more time to remove the soap left inside the vessels. The same with the cloth. We have to soak them with soap powder before they come. They will take it and one time rinse in water and wrench and dry. If you wrench after they left, you can still see soap water coming from the cloth.
I have seen with my own eyes in the North. The servant will apply soap or ash that too not to every vessel. Then she will put it in a bucket full of water. Then she will take it dip in another bucket of clean water and leave it in the vessel’s basket. When the vessels dry, one can clearly see the white soap or ash on the surface of most of the vessels. Those which receive soap or ash are fortunate to escape from it. The list goes on.
In the past they had some fear about the consequences of karma. Now as everyone’s conscience is almost dead—even our own, no one has fear about anything. The situation in rural areas is the worst. As laborers are not available for any kind of work, we have to learn to survive accepting this reality. Going to an old age home won’t solve the problem. Unless you have a huge amount to spend (average 45 thousand per head) you cannot live with basic needs in any old home. So better go and live free old age home—though life would be hell there (though there are few exceptions, where they provide good seva compare to paid old age homes), still you can live with peace of mind thinking, ‘at least here I can experience some true love, kindness and seva’. Otherwise, old age becomes a punishment now in India—everywhere.
Secular Song 614 கலிகாலம்
சாபம் போட்டால்
ஒன்றும் ஆகாது
சண்டை போட்டால்
வேலை நடக்காது
பணிந்து குனிந்து
பாதத்தில் விழுந்து
கெஞ்சிக் கேட்டால்
காரியம் நடக்கலாம்
யாரைச் சொல்கிறேன்
என்று கேட்காதீர்
எவரென உமக்கும்
நன்கு தெரியும்
வேலைக்கு வருபவர்
செய்யும் செயலை
எண்ண எண்ண
கண்ணீர் பெருகும்
அடிக்கடி சம்பள
உயர்வு கேட்பார்
ஆனால் வேலையை
குறைத்துக் கொள்வார்
ஏன்இது இப்படி
என்று கேட்டால்
வேறாள் கிடைத்தால்
பார்த்துக்கொள் என்பார்
வயதான காலத்தில்
தனியாக இருப்பவர்
இவரிடம் சிக்கி
பட்டிடும் பாடு
எடுத்துச் சொல்ல
வார்த்தை இல்லை
எண்ணி மாய்ந்து
பயனும் இல்லை
ஓடம் ஒருநாள்
வண்டியில் ஏறும்
வண்டி ஒரு நாள்
ஓட்டத்தில் போகும்
என்ற முதுமொழி
வாழ்வில் என்றும்
ஒருகாலும் பொய்யாய்
போனது இல்லை
இவருடன் பாடு
வேண்டாம் என்று
முதியோர் இல்லம்
சென்று சேர்ந்தால்
காசையும் கொடுத்து
காண்டு படணும்
இதனினும் தொல்லை
அதிகம் ஆகும்
வாழவும் முடியாமல்
சாவும் வாராமல்
தனிமையில் வாடும்
முதியோர் நிலைமை
எப்படிச் சொல்வது
என்பது புரியலை
எவரிடம் முறையிட
என்பதும் தெரியலை
பிள்ளைகள் இருப்பார்
தொலைவு தூரம்
பக்கத்தில் இருந்தால்
பயனும் காணும்
காலம் கலியுகம்
வேறென்ன சொல்ல
யாரை நொந்து
பயனுமே என்ன
குருகுலம், 25-1-25, மலை 6.30
Secular Song 614 Kaliyug
Curse won’t
Do anything
If you quarrel
Work won’t be get done
Bowing with humility
Falling at their feet
If you beg them
Sometimes work might be done
Don’t ask about
Whom I tell
You all know well
Who they are
If you think about
All the servants do
Tears will flow
Continuously
Often, they will ask for
Increase in salary
But proportionately
They will reduce the work
‘Why you are doing
Like this,’ if asked, they will say:
‘if possible, get
Someone else’.
The way old people
Trapped with them
And go through
All kinds of suffering
There are not enough
Words to explain
There is no use in
Lamenting about it
The boat will be carried
By the cart one time
And the cart will sail
In the boat one time
This old proverb
Never failed
In our life
For sure
Thinking that
Enough this suffering
And if we go and join
In an old age home
There suffering
Will become many fold
And we have to even
Spend extra money for that
Unable to live properly
Death is not also coming
The condition of the senior people
Living alone
How to tell
I don’t understand
To whom shall we share
We don’t know that also
Children will live
In faraway places
Even if they live close
There is no use in it
This is Kaliyuga
What else is there to say
What is the use of
Blaming anyone else.
Gurukulam, 25-1-25, 6.30 pm.
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