Musings of a Senseless Mind

“Let’s spare some time for the moon before sleep” – had a chance to listen to this lyric of Vairamuthu yesterday. At that time I thought when was the last time we saw the moon just for the joy of seeing it – Last night? Last week? or Last year?

Relationship between man and moon starts from the day he is born. It goes on from mother feeding the baby by showing the moon, family having "nilachoru," – having dinner in the moonlight, and so on. Of late, just like Pongal, Chitra Pournami (full moon during the Tamil month of Chitirai that falls during April and May) and other traditional functions, it seems the moon also has gone into the villages leaving the cities.

Moon doesn’t differentiate anything. Moon reflecting on the river Kaveri, moon reflecting on the water of the evening rain, moon reflecting on the drainage – all the moons seem the same. Thinking of this, an incident in the life of Adi Sankarar comes to the mind.

Once Adi Sankarar was on his way to perform ablutions to Kasi Viswanathar in the sacred waters of the Ganga and he encountered a man who belonged to a lower caste. On being asked to move aside to give way, the man asked “Is it the Atma or the body that comes in the way? Why is there doubt and confusion based on caste differentiation? Is there any difference in the reflection of the moon in the waters of the Ganga or in the waters of a canal, or in the water that is stored in a golden vessel or in a mud pot?” The man turned out to be Lord Shiva. How true!!! Only man gives the value to all things. Only man gives a higher value to gold than mud, moon doesn’t.

Once had a chance to see the temple at Perur in moonlight. Moon gives a mysterious light. That night it was spreading a mysterious cool light in the temple. Aren’t we seeing the same moon which Buddha, Jesus, and Gandhi saw. Columbus when searching the route to India and Krishnadevarayar when building Hampi saw the same moon, right?

Moon which seeps through the leaves of a coconut tree is never boring to see, no matter how many times and how long you see it.

Thinking of this, I wanted to see the moon again and went to the terrace. Water had puddled here and there on the terrace from the evening rain. There was a moon floating in each puddle. My neighbour’s cat was licking water from one of the puddle. Was it drinking water or the moon?

Cat or any animal is able to express it emotions anywhere, man is not. Is this because except man no species thinks so high of itself and makes boundaries?

I wanted to jump in joy on seeing the moon, but I was afraid whether my neighbour will see me, I came down silently to home and slept.