Inspiration from a fellow blogger
I was idly siderfing (getting side tracked when I was surfing for information I needed), when I came across the blog of a Tam Bram (Tamil Bramhin just like me) resident in Mumbai - Nandita of Saffron Trail! I loved her quote from the puranas.
One who plants one peepal, one neem, one ber, 10 flowering plants or creepers, two pomegranates, two oranges and five mangoes, achieves the greatest good.
Varaha Purana
The zeitgeist is we have too many options and not enough direction.
I could achieve good at the least by just being a good mother (then again how do you define what is a "Good Mother"?!), leaving the onus of actual action to my hopefully vastly more capable son;
I could achieve the most good (probably, after all the way to hell is paved by good intentions) by a drastic change in lifestyle: Leave home and hearth and join Green Peace or Narmada Bachao Aandolan or any other flavour of choice.
Just thinking about the many choices available induces a lassitude and I do Nothing!
The quote signified Tranquility. At last. Something specific. Something do-able and do-worthy.
I promptly quoted it to my man-of-action hubby and my floriculturist sister.
He started speculating about where we could find so much land and how we could take care of the trees after planting them.
My sister sniggered. She said what about caring for those trees and plants? Just plant and forget? Thats what people would do anyway.
I wonder if she is right. If the puranas say something is worth doing do we take the trouble to do it right or do we just offer lip service? Are we insincere? Is that what holds us back as a nation or is it a more global phenomena? Will improving living standards change that?
I live in a flat with limited planting area. For now, I am going to plant one mango tree and one pomogranate tree downstairs. Watch it grow for sometime and then worry about doing the rest
One who plants one peepal, one neem, one ber, 10 flowering plants or creepers, two pomegranates, two oranges and five mangoes, achieves the greatest good.
Varaha Purana
The zeitgeist is we have too many options and not enough direction.
I could achieve good at the least by just being a good mother (then again how do you define what is a "Good Mother"?!), leaving the onus of actual action to my hopefully vastly more capable son;
I could achieve the most good (probably, after all the way to hell is paved by good intentions) by a drastic change in lifestyle: Leave home and hearth and join Green Peace or Narmada Bachao Aandolan or any other flavour of choice.
Just thinking about the many choices available induces a lassitude and I do Nothing!
The quote signified Tranquility. At last. Something specific. Something do-able and do-worthy.
I promptly quoted it to my man-of-action hubby and my floriculturist sister.
He started speculating about where we could find so much land and how we could take care of the trees after planting them.
My sister sniggered. She said what about caring for those trees and plants? Just plant and forget? Thats what people would do anyway.
I wonder if she is right. If the puranas say something is worth doing do we take the trouble to do it right or do we just offer lip service? Are we insincere? Is that what holds us back as a nation or is it a more global phenomena? Will improving living standards change that?
I live in a flat with limited planting area. For now, I am going to plant one mango tree and one pomogranate tree downstairs. Watch it grow for sometime and then worry about doing the rest
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