vamsa vrudhdhi varam aa illai vedhanai yaa??

[C RAVI]

Share:

Facebook X (Twitter) LinkedIn WhatsApp Email Share Link

We all want to get married (for many personal and social reasons) and yearn to have at least 1 male child so that we can claim continuous existence of our generation. The continuity of our generation seems to give us pleasure and pride......Isn't it?

Other than above, we also believe that we in the present generation bear the sins and subsequent punishment/remorse for the wrong deeds done by our ancestors.

Based on both of the above facts & believe, I would like to discuss on some of my own doubts/questions (highlighted in bold) and some of my own answers (in green color) that I am pondering about for the last 10 years.

1) If it is believed that WE need to bear the brunt for the wrong deeds (knowingly or unknowingly) committed by our ancestors, is that our present birth is nothing but the rebirth of one of our ancestor?

- I had my own answer for this. I started believing that (the idea just came to me when I started exploring within myself) an innocent person in his/her present birth should not be punished for the sins committed by an ancestor and that would be absolutely unfair. This made me to think that a person in this present life faces physical/emotion/social problems without a single mistake on his/her part only for the reason that the same person is some one among his/her ancestors. That is, the soul has taken re-birth to fulfill his duties and bear the brunt of his/her mistake in the previous birth.

I concluded myself that the soul takes re-birth in the same "VAMSAVALI".

2) Correlated with my above doubt and my own answer, I got second thought in my mind. And that is, whether couples with no children need to be considered Cursed or Blessed?

- I had my own conclusion for this as well based on a feedback from my MOM. I strongly started believing that a couple who don’t have any children are the blessed couple in the point of view that their soul has no more journey in this land of survival.

- My MOM gave me the above clue and told that she believes, seeking blessings from such childless couple would be very much auspicious as their soul would be considered purified and blessed to have completed the cycle of birth and death and would no more return in any form having any sort of bondage with any one and any thing.



I would like to receive various views and opinions on the above interesting points.

 

[Sabesan Narayanaswami]

Human race has to go on...and not every one will adopt sanyasa ashrama...Varnasram attaches great importance to Grihasthasramam which plays a vital role for the other ashrams to execute their sphere of activity...
As I have heard we only carry forward our purva janma karma and neither enjoy the fruits nor suffer the sins of our ancestors...we carry on taking births till we achieve a stage of liberation(a state of no birth).

Quality of the Blessings do not depend on the state of the person(having child or not),It is the on the purity of their heart,compassion,wisdom etc..

It is not correct to assume that having no child denotes the end of cycle of birth!!!.

 

[C RAVI]

Sri Swaminathasharma ji,

I am not married. I am still a bachelor and a male virgin.

Believe you know that I am a bachelor.

I have the tendency to strive for and enjoy the life filled with human desires and satisfactions and the Life as God offers as our destiny.

I like to take the maximum effort to balance the emotions and have positive mind set for any of the above that God offers.

Just considering myself I have initiated this thread thinking that it would not be offensive in any ways.

However I would like to request Mr.Praveen to delete this thread if the subject of this thread found to be abnormal....I certainly would not feel for it.

 

[suraju06]

We all want to get married (for many personal and social reasons) and yearn to have at least 1 male child so that we can claim continuous existence of our generation. The continuity of our generation seems to give us pleasure and pride......Isn't it?

Other than above, we also believe that we in the present generation bear the sins and subsequent punishment/remorse for the wrong deeds done by our ancestors.

Based on both of the above facts & believe, I would like to discuss on some of my own doubts/questions (highlighted in bold) and some of my own answers (in green color) that I am pondering about for the last 10 years.

1) If it is believed that WE need to bear the brunt for the wrong deeds (knowingly or unknowingly) committed by our ancestors, is that our present birth is nothing but the rebirth of one of our ancestor?

- I had my own answer for this. I started believing that (the idea just came to me when I started exploring within myself) an innocent person in his/her present birth should not be punished for the sins committed by an ancestor and that would be absolutely unfair. This made me to think that a person in this present life faces physical/emotion/social problems without a single mistake on his/her part only for the reason that the same person is some one among his/her ancestors. That is, the soul has taken re-birth to fulfill his duties and bear the brunt of his/her mistake in the previous birth.

I concluded myself that the soul takes re-birth in the same "VAMSAVALI".

2) Correlated with my above doubt and my own answer, I got second thought in my mind. And that is, whether couples with no children need to be considered Cursed or Blessed?

- I had my own conclusion for this as well based on a feedback from my MOM. I strongly started believing that a couple who don’t have any children are the blessed couple in the point of view that their soul has no more journey in this land of survival.

- My MOM gave me the above clue and told that she believes, seeking blessings from such childless couple would be very much auspicious as their soul would be considered purified and blessed to have completed the cycle of birth and death and would no more return in any form having any sort of bondage with any one and any thing.



I would like to receive various views and opinions on the above interesting points.

Dear Mr. Ravi,
I do not know what is the basis of your presumption that we suffer for the sins of our forefathers. We suffer because of our own sins.The sins(karma) are two types sanchitham and prarabtham. Sanchitham is the bag of karma which has been accumulated over so many births. Prarabtham is the karma which we bring into this world with our birth to be suffered and exhausted. Whatever we acquire in this janma will get further added to the sanchitham to be cleared in the coming janmas. But according to the Vaishnava tradition, the sanchitham as well as the prarabtham are immediately cleared by God if we surrender to him. How do we surrender? This is explained in detail in various granthas of Vaishnava tradition by acharyas and alwaars. It is too large a subject to be presented here in limited space. One key factor for surrender is what is called Mahaviswasam which is the most difficult requirement to be met for surrender. You can consult literature on this or attend to lectures of learned acharyas to know more about this.
Now about issueless couples--In our religion we consider every action as a yajna. Marriage is an enabling provision for doing an yajna. Here the yajna is preserving knowledge (Vedas)in its purest form and handing it over to the unbroken chain of generations so that jeevas realise their nature , the nature of God and the nature of the relationship between the two. This noble effort of continuing the knowledge preservation is broken if the lineage gets broken. That is the reason why having a child is considered important. Issueless couples need not worry toomuch because there are others who are taking care of the knowledge preservation. Of course they loose the pleasure and pain of bringing up a child but I think you are not bothered about it here. So I am not sure whether the blessing by a issueless couple is more effective than other couples.
As I said for us every thing is a yajna. Giving birth to a child, teaching knowledge to the child and other deserving people,eating, sleeping everything is a yajna. If you think about it a little deeply you will understand and agree with me. So i think you have the tips to the answers. Best wishes.

 

[C RAVI]

Sri Sabesan Narayanaswami ji,

I fully agree with you for the fact as you stated - "Quality of the Blessings do not depend on the state of the person(having child or not),It is the on the purity of their heart,compassion,wisdom etc.."

I have stated that the blessings of such people supposed to be considered auspicious expecting others to read between the lines that would reveal the social behavior/mind set towards childless couples that may exist from the view point of the couples considered to be blessed with SANTHANA PRAPTHI.

 

[DURGADASAN]

Dear Ravi

Everything here is karma-bound (karma bhumi). Here, we should not escape from our responsibilities. What is the meaning of kasi yathra in marriages? A guy should not live without any ashrama dharma. He finished his studies (I mean he has completed his bramacharya dharma) and now he has to enter into the grihastha ashrama dharma. Since, he couldn't get a girl for him to act according to the dharma, he decides to skip that dharma and chooses the third one "Vanaprastha" ashrama dharma. Then the father of the girl stops him and provide his daughter to him.

What it actually means here? You should always act according to the ashrama you entered in. In gruhastha dharma, you should produce your offspring so that you can maintain the chain of god to next generation. The dharmas of each ashrama varies. The act prohibited in one ashrama will be the main act to do in other ashrama. (For example, using "Thambboolam" is prohibited in brahmacharya ashrama, at the same time it is allowed in gruhastha dharma).

Likewise, one of the major "to do" of grihastha dharma, apart from Pancha yagna, is to produce off spring also. At the sametime, getting a child is totally in the hands of god. So, we cannot balme anyone in this issue. Whether they are cursed or blessed, we cannot determine by just this single issue I think...

Pranams

 

[renuka]

dear Ravi ji,

regarding bearing karma of ancestors, we do not bear their sins, we are not entirely innocent either .we are born to work out our own karma.
we have chosen a family (to be born in) with compatible karmic blueprint pattern condusive for working out our own karma.
so it looks as if we are paying for their sins but in reality we are only paying our karmic debt.

 

[C RAVI]

I thank all of you to respond to my query and explain me some of the facts from our Shastra/Dharma

Bramacharya dharma, Grihastha ashrama dharma, Vanaprastha ashrama dharma are all different types of Dharma established for human beings to understand the life, its purpose and to fulfill ones duties and responsibilities as per his choice of life and live perfectly in a society.

Majority of people would certainly like to adopt Grihastha ashrama dharma. Every one like to have a married life and enjoy all the charm that such a life offers to both men and women.

Every one has the desires in almost all the available forms that all has been offered by nature/God that alone can serve the purpose of this land of survival created by GOD.

Owing to this wish and desires of human beings the majority of the people would adopt Grihastha ashrama dharma that would fulfill the nature’s purpose as per God’s wish.

This concept has not been narrowed to a particular community of the world. It is the universal concept.

We call these concepts as Dharma and have set of code of conduct for each type of Dharma to refine our self and have a healthy social setup without hurting each other.

Grihastha ashrama dharma has its own set of code of conduct that explains the duties and responsibilities of married men and women. The code of conducts and principles were laid down to make this concept sensible and make each individual responsible in the society.

This Dharma has nothing to do with what God has in store for a couple. Can we say that since a Bramachari has sincerely adopted Grihastha ashrama dharma as per the principles laid down, he would be honored by God as his strict follower and would be blessed with a child? Or only a Healthy Child?


If a man ( very rare in this world) gets inclined towards spiritual activities and remain to follow Bramacharya dharma on his own wish till his end would be considered as some one who had breached the nature’s rule and would be considered an anti social human?

Coming to the point….

When couples remain issueless for long years, they would certainly plead to God to bless them with child. This is quite obvious and genuine as every one wants to make the life meaningful and enjoy the marital bliss in all the forms. At the same time when such a wish did not seem to be fulfilled we are used to complain to God that why God is punishing us, What mistake had we done without our knowledge for which we are been punished now? Why God is so cruel with us? Etc…etc…

I have never read Vedas and have never listened to any spiritual and or philosophical lectures ever in my life. From my mid 20’s I stated thinking all these just as a lay man with the knowledge of basic rule of the nature.

I started thinking about the actual Karma status of the issueless couples and their stand in this society and started discussing with my MOM. Obviously my MOM rejected to respond to me. But gradually I could convince her one fine day to give me some clue about the subject when she could realize that I just have the tendency to think about these meta-physical aspects of life deeply and still have the dream to live a normal life enjoying each stages as every human being.

When we say that by petting a dog we would have the influence of Vasna and would have karmic bondage, then it is quite obvious that such bondage can never be ruled out among human lives.


So I believe unless a person is not relieved from karmic bondage his/her soul can never attain LIBERATION. Liberation of Soul is considered to be attained only if that soul is not dependent to his son (by birth) or son-in-law to perform Vedic rituals upon departure. And this is possible only if a man has not given birth at all.

All The above only as per my assumptions as a lay man which I wanted to put forward. I request all the members not to consider my self having stub burned attitude and keep continuing with feedbacks in a positive spirit.

If I am not wrong, this concepts exist in Hinduism - “NAMBA PANRA KARMA (NALLATHU/KETTATHU) NAMBALODIYA SANGADHI KI SERUM”

This makes me to think that after a stipulated time I may born again in my own VAMSAM if the soul has not yet fulfilled his duties perfectly within its capacity and have some more PATCHATHAPAMS to do of the souls wrong deeds. This is again based on the concept that the last cycle of birth and rebirth (if required for the soul) as Human being would be as Brahmin after taking all the forms of life in this world. I think that’s why Brahmins population is meager in this world as I think a soul attains refinement by being born as a Brahmin dedicated to GOD.

 

[SuryaKasyapa]

Sage Valmiki in his poorvaasrama was a robber. When asked by two sages why he was resorting to that,he replied that it was for his family's sake.Sages directed him to know from his family whether they will share his sins, he got reply that he alone has to endure the effects of his sins. This was the turning point.This story most of us have heard.

It points that for effects of one' sin he/she alone has to endure.

 

[C RAVI]

Sri Suryakasyapa ji

I have read this story in my school days…It’s a very interesting story in Hindi

Upon request to remorse for his sins, the two sages asked him to chant the name of RAM (Sri Ramar). Sage Valmiki then being a robber could not pronoun the word RAM and started chanting the word as MARA MARA MARA (In Hindi MARA means “dead”). This repetition of word (MARA, MARA, MARA) gradually started sounding RAM RAM RAM and Sage Valmiki got used to the right name.

Whether I am right or wrong as per my statements, I am advocating exactly the same meaning as you have concluded – “It points that for effects of one' sin he/she alone has to endure.”

If you carefully go through my statements, you would realize that I am focusing on the same point.

Let me explain again my views….

- We all agree that the SOUL is one and it takes birth in a different form. I believe that the last journey of a SOUL in this birth and death cycle would be only as human being until it attains Liberation (as only human life can help a soul to understand and practice the ways to attain liberation)

For example (As per my claims) a Soul took birth in a family (VAMSAM) in the year 1910 and lead a life for 60 years in the name of “A”. Mr/Ms. “A” leaves the body at the age of 60, that is, in the year 1970. This soul if still has to fulfill his/her karma and need to be reborn, would born in the same VAMSAM in some sort of relationship and would be named as “B”

Now this individual named as “B” as per GOD’s rule would not know his past life (that is the life of A) and would grow up exploring every details of life in different stages as if the soul is very much new to this Earth.

Now I believe this soul (B) would bear the brunt of sins of (A) and or would enjoy the fruits of good deeds of (A) simultaneously accumulating Karma of the present Janma as “B” being born in the same VAMSAM of “A”.

Based on my above concept I am claiming that, that’s how the prosperity of the whole VAMSAM is determined and would be apt to the saying - “NAMBA PANRA KARMA (NALLATHU/KETTATHU) NAMBALODIYA SANGADHI KI SERUM”

 

[C RAVI]

Sri Suryakasyapa ji

I have read this story in my school days…It’s a very interesting story in Hindi

Upon request to remorse for his sins, the two sages asked him to chant the name of RAM (Sri Ramar). Sage Valmiki then being a robber could not pronoun the word RAM and started chanting the word as MARA MARA MARA (In Hindi MARA means “dead”). This repetition of word (MARA, MARA, MARA) gradually started sounding RAM RAM RAM and Sage Valmiki got used to the right name.

Whether I am right or wrong as per my statements, I am advocating exactly the same meaning as you have concluded – “It points that for effects of one' sin he/she alone has to endure.”

If you carefully go through my statements, you would realize that I am focusing on the same point.

Let me explain again my views….

- We all agree that the SOUL is one and it takes birth in a different form. I believe that the last journey of a SOUL in this birth and death cycle would be only as human being until it attains Liberation (as only human life can help a soul to understand and practice the ways to attain liberation)

For example (As per my claims) a Soul took birth in a family (VAMSAM) in the year 1910 and lead a life for 60 years in the name of “A”. Mr/Ms. “A” leaves the body at the age of 60, that is, in the year 1970. This soul if still has to fulfill his/her karma and need to be reborn, would born in the same VAMSAM in some sort of relationship and would be named as “B”



Now this individual named as “B” as per GOD’s rule would not know his past life (that is the life of A) and would grow up exploring every details of life in different stages as if the soul is very much new to this Earth.

Now I believe this soul (B) would bear the brunt of sins of (A) and or would enjoy the fruits of good deeds of (A) simultaneously accumulating Karma of the present Janma as “B” being born in the same VAMSAM of “A”.

Based on my above concept I am claiming that that’s have the prosperity of the whole VAMSAM is determined and would be apt to the saying - “NAMBA PANRA KARMA (NALLATHU/KETTATHU) NAMBALODIYA SANGADHI KI SERUM”


And as per the exact subject to the thread I believe, the last Sangathi of a VAMSAM does not have a child that would mean that none of the Souls of the VAMSAM has any more to remorse on this earth to go through the trails of Past Karma and need not to be tested and to be judged for its purification in order to attain liberation.

 

[kr subramanian]

Pranams. Is it not correct to think that grihasthasramam is given more prominence because it is othe only ashrams where two individuals are involved both physicallyand mentally. Also I think that carrying over sin from previous generation and to next are given only to console us at the time of difficulties and refrain us from doing sins (accepted by society as sin from time to time) Is not it true that new bride made cause for any untoward incident in groom`s house within a year or two of marriage?

 

[SuryaKasyapa]

Grihasthasram is given prominence, because, it is grihasthas who's duty to take care to sustain the other ashrama members.

 

[kunjuppu]

ravi,

perhaps, if i may, give here, a different but essentially non religious, but reality aspect.

personally, i think children are a gift. natural, our own blood, children with good health.

most of us who have children, the first thing, that we verify on birth is the physical aspects. later within months, the mental aspects come to the fore. normality in both is the biggest gift that we can be bestowed.

i have several friends with handicapped children. each one has dealt with it in different ways, some seeking the path of religion, and others looking at it inwardly and retreating into shells, from which it took years to emerge.

for others on the outside i think there is no way to console these folks. support groups are there, who start off by defining these parents as 'God's special parents', for these are the chosen ones by God to handle handicapped childre, as most normal parents cannot.

my heart sinks when i see handicapped children and their parents.

compared to that, i wonder if not having children is a better option.

when i was young, it was a natural malfunction which caused childless ness. today, in the canadian society where i live, it is not uncommon to find healthy couples opt to live without children.

most of them cannot be bothered with the hassles of child bearing & raising. others have had bad child hood and do not want to consider parent hood, as this is their way of retaliating against a care less society or abusive parents.

some, childless by natural laws, have broken this status, by adopting. to me, adopting is one of the most noble acts of mankind. westerners who go 3rd world to adopt, are among the best of their breed, i think. even though these kids, thanks to the liberalism of their adopted homes, grow up confused and wanting, in many cases.

but that is not to say, adoption by itself is wrong. it takes again, a different skillset to be an adoptive parent than a natural one.

anotherr new phenomenon, increasingly popular, is those who are for many reasons, single - by choice or circumstances such as inability to find a suitable spouse. these too adopt, many from 3rd world countries, and i think, do a good job overall, from what i have heard.

so dear ravi, there is more than one way to skin the cat. i think to bind ourselves within the confines of scriptures, to me, appears to be a claustrophobic way to walk through life. i am more comfortable living and leading my life, primarily on my, spiritual and harmless terms.

hope all this ramble, from the other side of alice's mirror, makes sense. somewhat atleast. or perhaps a wee bit?

thank you.

 

[srinathmkce]

My view is,

we have to consider the positive part of it. If there is a new child in the family then all will be happy. so vamsa vridhi will be a boon.

 

[Nara]

......Now this individual named as “B” as per GOD’s rule would not know his past life (that is the life of A) and would grow up exploring every details of life in different stages as if the soul is very much new to this Earth......Based on my above concept I am claiming that, .....

Hello Ravi,

I suppose this is your personal theory based on selectively borrowing some concepts from the belief system of "hindus", namely soul and reincarnation, and leaving other concepts out, such as the ones propounded by the vedantic philosophical schools.

From the POV of your personal theory, how would you explain the expanding world population? Are these new souls? If so, where are they coming from? What karma would they be enjoying/suffering during their "first" go around in life?

I have a theory too, and I think (surprise, surprise!) mine is a more reasonable theory. I think there is nothing called soul. When we die, thats it. Nothing is coming back. This is the only life. Only our genes survive, that too only half, the other half being that of our sexual partner, provided an off-spring is produced. Our forefather's karma affects us only to the extent we inherit their material wealth and the goodwill or bad-will they have accumulated viz-a-vis other members of the society.

There are 100 billion neurons in the brain. It has the capacity to store, retrieve, analyze data, and decide, and act through the nervous system. The genes supply sufficient information to build systems in a boot-strap fashion. This also supplies the brain with ability to act in instinctual ways. Ability for other actions result from learning, i.e. gathering new data, storing them, and establishing ways for easy retrieval and comparison. As the volume of data gathered increases, at some point in time, it reaches a threshold level. At this point the brain becomes self aware. This state, the state of being self aware and conscious, is misunderstood as an entity, separate from body, called jeeva/soul.

During sleep, the brain is busy with other things and looses the cognition of consciousness. As we get old the brain loses some of its capacity. When it is affected by decease such as Alzheimer's decease, the brain looses certain level of functionality and cognition leading to confused consciousness. There is nothing called jeeva or soul, it is all a trick brain plays on itself.

Emotions are nothing but chemical balances in the brain. This is why drugs can affect it. Over billions of years through the process of random mutation and natural selection that aids gene reproduction and survival, our brains have developed chemical reactions that produce brain states that feel like joy and sorrow. These offer reproductive and survival benefits.

All living beings are nothing but gene survival vehicles. Read Richard Dawkin's Selfish Gene for a thought provoking and compelling presentation of these ideas.

Cheers!

 

[kr subramanian]

Respected Nara, To put it in lighter view I think there is a fixed number of souls (including all JEEVAJALA). Taking into account the requirement one soul is alloted another form. May be the expanding of man kind can be explained in connection with reductionin other Jeeva like trees, ant etc etc Regarding brain decay I would like to know how can you explain a still born baby or a child death or even death of trees or animals?

 

[kunjuppu]

Respected Nara, To put it in lighter view I think there is a fixed number of souls (including all JEEVAJALA). Taking into account the requirement one soul is alloted another form. May be the expanding of man kind can be explained in connection with reductionin other Jeeva like trees, ant etc etc Regarding brain decay I would like to know how can you explain a still born baby or a child death or even death of trees or animals?

somewhat like entropy? total amount stays the same, except the forms change?

good thinking

 

[Nara]

Hello KRS

I think there is a fixed number of souls (including all JEEVAJALA).

The orthodox view is there is uncountable (asankEya) infinity of souls.

Regarding brain decay I would like to know how can you explain a still born baby or a child death or even death of trees or animals?

If you accept the theory I have suggested, then, none of these need any explanation. A specific instance of any life form that is unable to cope with the environment, has to perish -- that is just the way it is. Those who survive are able to procreate and pass on their genetic features to the next generation. That is all there is to it. There is no ultimate creator or brahmman, nirguna or saguna. There is no Sriman Narayana who creates Brhamma by just looking at Mahalakshmi.

Cheers!

 

[SuryaKasyapa]

Hello Ravi,


I have a theory too, and I think (surprise, surprise!) mine is a more reasonable theory. I think there is nothing called soul. When we die, thats it. Nothing is coming back. This is the only life. Only our genes survive, that too only half, the other half being that of our sexual partner, provided an off-spring is produced. Our forefather's karma affects us only to the extent we inherit their material wealth and the goodwill or bad-will they have accumulated viz-a-vis other members of the society.

Cheers!

Both beliefs are prevalent. --Soul exists ; ;and there is no soul, all blood and flesh or just material.
I am also many times forced to come to the second belief. But I still cannot ponder to get real answers for the following:

What is life? If we believe that life is also material, then it could be created in lab by certain right combination of Matter—oxygen ,water or something like that. But it appears not so simple. Otherwise somebody could have found the way.
After death where does this “life” go? Or its components? If one knows it exactly , then storage, repair, and replacement will be easy.

I heard one Upanyasam when the speaker logically argued that life exists at the neck. His argument was that , that is why convicts are hanged by neck to death. Then how people die drinking poison? Then can u separate neck and preserve life? What about plant life? Some plants can be replanted by cutting stems etc.Thatmeans life can be split into parts?

These kind of thinking ,a sort of wild surfing , may take one to extremes and may even become mad.

So it is to escape these that , a belief of soul and rebirth was established. So that the questioning and thinking remain in specified confines, and don’t go aimlessly wide.

To escape from the karma effects of parents, why can’t one runaway from that place and establish with only one’s own effort? Or for that matter, two brothers or sisters born to same parents , have entirely different experiences in life ,why? So here the karmic effects of parents do not have similar effect, that means it does not have any effect.

If we believe that life is only material , then after collecting all the materials of cremation in a experimental chamber by laser incineration or some other scientific method without loosing or adding anything produced, can life be brought back by reversal?

These thoughts may haunt the young and old alike. So just an escapism let us mug up what is written and believed by millions. So easy.for the layman. Let researchers continue with their research for our sake.

 

[renuka]

I just want to bring out an important point.

we all say these knowingly or unknowingly.

My body,My eyes, My hand, My house, My spouse, My child, My car , My Job etc.

Who is this "I" person?(denoted by "My" in the above line)

Answer this and you will have no more questions.

 

[Raghy]

I just want to bring out an important point.

we all say these knowingly or unknowingly.

My body,My eyes, My hand, My house, My spouse, My child, My car , My Job etc.

Who is this "I" person?(denoted by "My" in the above line)

Answer this and you will have no more questions.

"I' is the illusion. My body, my hand, my house in these body, hand & house etc are illusins. "I' came to this world with nothing (not even hand, eyes, head etc. They all got developed in my mothers womb). "I" will leave this world with nothing. So, I am doing 'window shopping' in this world. 'I ' build my home; 'I' conned my wife to marry me (my wife will readily agree with this); "I" this, "I" that.... all are illusions. Always "I" stand alone. Adi sankara said that this world is an illusion. world is real, alright; but, since 'I' is an illusion, with respect to 'I', world is an illusion. Where does 'I' go after death? If 'I' passed my gene in reproduction, 'I' pass some of the information 'I' gathered all along. Otherwise 'I' after death join the cosmic energy. if 'I' is not in this body, then undertakers take over the body.
Am 'I' too confused?

 

[renuka]

Dear Raghy,
You are not confusing at all. You clearly understand what this "I" is all about.
"I" is invariably the ATMA.
So when anyone asks us who are you? the best answer would be "I am I"

tat tvam asi.

 

[anandb]

"Since everyone is one's own Self, whoever does whatever to whomever is doing it only to himself." ~ Sri Ramana Maharishi.

The above also leads to the following
1. What you sow you reap.
2. Don't do to others that you don't want others to do to you.

This is nothing but Karma which is a natural Law of Cause and Effect.

 

[Raghy]

Dear Raghy,
You are not confusing at all. You clearly understand what this "I" is all about.
"I" is invariably the ATMA.
So when anyone asks us who are you? the best answer would be "I am I"

tat tvam asi.

Sow. Sri. Renuka,

This body is real. Only when 'I' leave the body, something happens. Until then, 'I' has to identify itself with the body. Remember, although short lived, as long as 'I' is in the body, then the world is real. 'I' do not like to leave the comfort of belonging. That's why 'I' wants to avoid death as long as possible.
tat tvam asi? You are that? I think you are jumping the gun here. We have to define 'that' first. That will be different discussion, I guess.