A for Agape (unconditional Love)

Agape-  An unconditional love, so committed, that it sees beyond your beloved’s flaws and shortcomings. It is about loving someone very deeply and yet expecting nothing in return.

Today’s tale is one such story from Mahabharata, that tells us about unconditional love. I hope you enjoy reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it.

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“It is time for all of us to give up this earthly body and begin our ascent to heaven,” announced Dharma Putra Yudhistir to his brothers and their common wife Draupadi.

The four brothers and Draupadi nodded their heads dutifully and followed him as he led the pathway to heaven atop the Meru mountains.  As they began climbing, Yudistir warned them, “If anyone of us falls down or is unable to climb higher, the others must not look back. They must continue climbing the peak. However, if you look back, you will forfeit your own position in heaven and will perish too.”

The Swargarohini peak on Mount Meru was steep, and the snow made it even more difficult to climb. As they climbed higher, Bheem looked at the beautiful Draupadi. She was an epitome of grace and beauty. She was fiery, courageous and strong. Yet she could be incredibly child-like and stubborn. He had fallen in love with her at first sight. But he had never told her that, for he knew, that she loved Arjuna the most. Now as they took the last strides of their lives, he was filled with a desire to know if she had loved him as much as he had.

He had always fulfilled her every wish, her every desire, be it bringing her flowers from the garden of Kuber or ripping open the heart of Dushasana and bringing her his blood  so that she could wash her hair with it. He had torn apart Keechaka for casting his evil eye on her with the same ease as one would tear a piece of cloth.

He had loved her all his life, unconditionally, unquestioningly and unwaveringly. It had never mattered to him that she did not reciprocate. She was his wife too, and he did not suspect her devotion towards him even for a minute.

Suddenly there was a sound. 

Draupadi had fallen. 

Bheem’s heart sank the minute he realized this. “Parth,” screamed Draupadi as she fell, calling out to her beloved Arjuna. 

But oblivious to anything around him, Arjuna continued climbing. Tears filled Draupadi’s eyes as she saw Arjuna, her husband, whom she had loved the most, walk away without even a glance.  

Hearing Draupadi’s cries, Bheem could walk no further.  “How can I walk away when my beloved in is so much pain, can I let her die before my very eyes?” 

Unheeding of his brother’s warnings, he turned back and walked towards her and picked her up in his arms.

Nesting in his strong arms, Draupadi looked at her four husband’s walking further away from her and then she looked at the mighty Bheem. His eyes were full of love for her. She had been so overwhelmed with her feelings for Arjuna that she had never recognized Bheem’s love for her. She thought of all the times Bheem had stood by her fulfilling her every command. He was the only one who had roared like a lion when Duryodhana had attempted to outrage her modesty, even as her other husbands sat with lowered heads. She had seen his monstrous and unrepentant side when he avenged her humiliation by slaying Keechaka, but she had also witnessed his soft side that been torn and in pain and had shed tears when Draupadi had to serve as a maid to the queen of Matsya. He had indeed loved her the most.

As she gasped for breath, she whispered, “Oh Bheem, I have never told you how much I love you, but at this very moment, I love you the most.” And then she signaled for him to leave, “Go, and join your brothers.”

Not willing to leave her behind, Bheem carried her in his arms, even though he knew she was dying. He tried to climb again, but he collapsed soon and died holding his beloved Draupadi’s hands till their very last breaths.

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 Hope you enjoyed reading this little-known story from the great epic. Have you experienced or heard of such unconditional love? Do share it here.

Linking back to the A to Z challenge

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This day, last year...A for Appreciate.

April A to Z Challenge!

The April A to Z challenge is back again. The year just seems to have flown by. When I did the challenge last year, it was more a catharsis of my feelings, a note to myself, and a clarity about what I wanted in life. I did the challenge more as a dialogue with my inner self and it did leave me with a lot of thought for rumination.

This year, my theme is "Love."

Love.

A four letter word.

Simple and yet so complicated. Touches your heart but is firmly wired to your brain. It could be as myriad as the hues of a rainbow and yet could be pure and white, or black and muddy or in multitude shades of gray. 

Understanding Love can be difficult yet it is the only thing that we crave to understand. This is a journey of love. All through April, let me take you through the various manifestations of love, from one form of love to another, from one story to another, all from another time and era.

26 Alphabets, 26 days, and lots of posts from friends and a lot of fun. That is what this challenge is all about. For those of you who are new to the concept, you can get your answers to the what's and how's here at A to Z challenge and of course, sign up if you feel up to it.

So see you on the 1st of April. 

A Letter...

This post has been published by me as a part of the Blog-a-Ton 52; the fifty-second edition of the online marathon of Bloggers; where we decide and we write. In association with Metro Diaries by "Namrata". To be part of the next edition, visit and start following Blog-a-Ton.

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Dear Present Self,

Happy Women’s Day!

        It seems like an eternity since you were me, and it seems like a miracle that I became you. Little did I imagine that a geeky, bespectacled, girlish, me, would one day turn into a philosophical, mature, you. On this women’s day, here’s what I want to say to you-

        At times, I am mighty pleased with what I see and at times I wish there would be more, but I also know that things indeed happened for the best. That, my love, is the first lesson I want you to keep in mind. Things always happen for the best. If you thought you took the wrong course of study and ended up in a wrong profession, it happened so that you could meet the man you eventually fell in love with and married. All events of your life were destined to be and so learn to accept them with gratitude.

       Don’t be afraid to do what you want to do, because you are in charge of your life and you can radically change your life whenever you want to. Don’t be afraid to try new things. Learn to sing, take salsa lessons, take those vacations, spend some solo time, go around the world, and do what makes you happy. When your future-self writes to you I hope she has no regret. I hope your future-self says, I am glad you enjoyed your life.

       Don’t worry about what people will think and say. People will always have something to say, and there is no reason why you should try so hard to please them. The ones, who truly love you, have been with you through your thick and thin and will always be there for you. I hope you realize who they are. Value them. Spend time with them. Love them.

      The scores on your school mark sheet don’t mean a thing today, so don’t push your kids too hard to get that perfect score. Let them have fun and let them have memories. I am sure that today you remember the memorable times you had as ‘me’ more than the marks you scored. Give them memories that they will cherish for their lifetime.

      Stop beating yourself over mistakes you have made. It is one thing to be self-critical, but quite another to lose sleep over it. Forgive yourself for your mistakes, forgive others for the hurt they might have caused you, and learn to move on. That’s the only way you will be peaceful. Be kind to yourself.

      Value your life. When you were me, I am sure you did not think you’d go so far. Be thankful for every glorious morning you have had since then, and every soulful breath you have taken, for, you don’t know how many you have left. Listen to the birds sing, soak in the sunshine, count the stars, get drenched in the rain, and be a child all over again. These are the only things that will matter. Life is not a race, so you don’t really have to compete with anyone else.

      Several years later when your future-self writes to you, I want her to be happy. I want her to tell you that she has no regrets. I want her to thank you for living well.

     Remember that you are a brave, confident, kind and beautiful woman, and I want you to be that way, always.

With lots of love,

Your Past self.

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The fellow Blog-a-Tonics who took part in this Blog-a-Ton and links to their respective posts can be checked here. To be part of the next edition, visit and start following Blog-a-Ton. Participation Count: 09

Role reversal..

Today is United Nations World Day of Social Justice, and over one thousand bloggers worldwide will join their voices to speak through their blogs about compassion. I am one of them. Let’s flood the blogosphere with compassion, kindness, non-judgement and good! Please use hashtag #1000Speak to help spread the word.

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Parents are supposed to be role models for their kids, but often kids teach us some valuable lessons too! I attended a parent-teacher interaction at my elder’s one school. His exams had got over and the discussion would be about the child’s performance and other things. When my turn came, I introduced myself and the teacher’s eyes kind of lit up when I mentioned my child’s name.

“Oh, so you are S’s mom? I have been waiting to meet you”, she said.

My son is hardly the mischief monger types and the expression on the teacher’s face clearly was happy, so there was no reason to be concerned!

“You have an adorable child,” she said. “And I must complement you on bringing him up so well.”

Felt good to hear, but I didn’t think I had done something extraordinary. Perhaps she was trying to be pleasant, I thought as I thanked her.

“No, I mean it,” she said, as if she had read my mind, “It is rare to see such compassion at this age.”

Now, I wanted to know what she was talking about! But I didn’t have to ask.

“I have a differently-abled boy ‘A’ in class”, she said. “He sometimes tends to get violent, throw things around and create quite a racket. Sometimes it gets difficult to contain him. No one in class wanted to sit next to ‘A’. Every time I put someone next to him, a parent would come requesting that their child not be made to sit next to the boy. It was almost as if they thought his problem was contagious.

 It was quite a dilemma for me, because making ‘A’ sit alone, would make him feel alienated and I didn’t want that to happen. That is when your son stepped in. He volunteered to sit next to ‘A’. I saw him help ‘A’ with little things, like turning to the correct page while reading, helping him to work out a difficult sum, or sharing lunch with him.  He even spoke to the class one day, explaining how things are already so difficult for ‘A’ and asking them to stop making fun of the poor boy. The bouts of temper and his tantrums have gradually come down and if he listens to anyone in class, it is your son! I am so proud of him.”

I did not know what to say. But I felt incredibly proud of my boy too! He had just taught me a lesson in compassion!

Compassion. Isn’t that such an important value? When we stop making negative judgment about people we encounter. When we look for good in everyone we meet. When we know that everyone’s journey is different and we must learn to respect their journey. When we realise that we know nothing about the battles they fight. When we know that life cannot be too kind or too fair to everyone, and hence taking time to be kind and courteous to all we meet. When we wish to see that people around us do not suffer.

More than anything, being compassionate is a statement of love. 

Pure unadulterated love.  

 Thank you my little one for one of life’s greatest lessons!

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Read many more stories of compassion via a linky at Roshni's blog and at #1000Speak.

Weirdly wired..

Once upon a time, very long ago, people visited each other when they wanted to connect. They would go to weddings and functions, meet up during festivals and when they thought about each other. Alexander Graham Bell then gave the world a magical gadget, called the telephone that helped people stay connected when they could not physically meet each other but so badly wanted to. And then all the smart Alecs in the world kept improvising it giving the world smart phones, smarter phones and the smartest of phones, stretching the very limits of imagination.

While people like ‘yours truly’ were still gushing about and making a big deal of how they could access the internet, make presentations, and enjoy video calls, the world zoomed past by their beautiful long noses into a more fantasy filled realm, which by the way, was more real than you could ever imagine.  

People could now not just take pictures on their smart phones but also print it super quick just by connecting to an app and a printer. Another app could convert their smart phones into remote controls and switch on the TV, or the music system. Yet another could connect their fitness bands to their smart phones, race cars, fly drones, or play legacy games. 

People could now glue themselves to their seats and yet know who was at the door, just by looking at their smart phones. When on a journey, they would not have to ever bother about losing their luggage, that they had just locked using their smart phone which also gave them a GPS update should it lose its proximity to them. Their smart phones also connected to their cars, telling them what was wrong with their cars should it develop a snag. Their smart phones were always at their beck and call should they need anything from mechanics to doctors, an app for everything.

But amidst all this, the true magic of the gadget was lost. A G Bell lay turning and twisting in his grave, thinking if he did indeed the right thing in giving the world his invention. People could print pictures but memories were becoming jaded. People could live stream the visitor at their doors, but the joy of opening the door to an unexpected guest was gone. Maybe, there would be no unexpected guest visiting their home after all, in the era of the smart phone, whatsapp and facebook had them all covered. An app could double up as their doctor, but could never compare to the love of being tended to with care.

Everyone had turned into solitary little islands connected to the world only with the smart phones they held in their hands. A phone that was smart enough to connect to everything in the world except to the hearts and minds of people for whom it was originally intended. Bell wished that someone would invent an app to actually connect to that. 

Maybe then, a son would know how his mother pined for him, a man would know the anguish in the heart of his beloved, or a friend would know how sorely he was being missed, just by connecting to an app.  Or better still; the app would miraculously bring their loved ones together even as they thought about them. Exactly like in the times of yore, when all they had to do when they thought of someone, was just go and meet them.