Bhogi
Today is Bhogi, the day before Pongal. It is the custom here in Tamil Nadu to burn wll the wastes in the household. Early in the morning, at about 3 o'clock, people start lighting fire to the unwanted things outside their houses. Of late, this custom is facing opposition from the environmentalists for the pollution it causes. The air gets filled with smog, and one gets the feeling that one is in a fog-filled Delhi.
Although the festival has undesirable effects on the environment, and consequently the health of people, the principle behind the burning is worth considering. First of all, we get reid of what we do not want. Our house therefore becomes cleaner. I am not quite sure why we should burn it off, but I think the funda behind burning is to return the wastes to the elements, i.e. the Pancha Bhootas. This is the same funda of burning dead bodies in Indian custom. Burning also eliminates the possibility of the waste going elsewhere and causing harm. One might say pollution is a harm, but pollution is a phenomenon seen only in cities where there is a high density of houses in a given area. Traditionally, people lived in small communities, where pollution was, and still is, an unfamiliar concept.
The concept of Bhogi can actually be extended to other aspects of life, particularly the heart or the mind, which is used synonymously here. All through our lives, we have a lot of unwanted things accumulating in our minds. This causes a lot of disturbance in us. It also leads to the development of negative traits. In fact, all negative traits are due to the presence of dirt in our hearts. Just as we cleanse our houses on Bhogi, so that we have a cleaner house, where we can live in happiness, it is necessary to cleanse our minds as well, on a periodic basis. We need to do this so that we have only those qualities that are needed for us to live happily. In cleaning the mind of all its impurities, I create a chance, a space for the real ME as opposed to my ego, to reside inside in peace and happiness. Even if we do not do this for ourselves, we need to do this for each other because one dirty house can make the whole street stink, and the dirt can spread to other houses as well.
Although the festival has undesirable effects on the environment, and consequently the health of people, the principle behind the burning is worth considering. First of all, we get reid of what we do not want. Our house therefore becomes cleaner. I am not quite sure why we should burn it off, but I think the funda behind burning is to return the wastes to the elements, i.e. the Pancha Bhootas. This is the same funda of burning dead bodies in Indian custom. Burning also eliminates the possibility of the waste going elsewhere and causing harm. One might say pollution is a harm, but pollution is a phenomenon seen only in cities where there is a high density of houses in a given area. Traditionally, people lived in small communities, where pollution was, and still is, an unfamiliar concept.
The concept of Bhogi can actually be extended to other aspects of life, particularly the heart or the mind, which is used synonymously here. All through our lives, we have a lot of unwanted things accumulating in our minds. This causes a lot of disturbance in us. It also leads to the development of negative traits. In fact, all negative traits are due to the presence of dirt in our hearts. Just as we cleanse our houses on Bhogi, so that we have a cleaner house, where we can live in happiness, it is necessary to cleanse our minds as well, on a periodic basis. We need to do this so that we have only those qualities that are needed for us to live happily. In cleaning the mind of all its impurities, I create a chance, a space for the real ME as opposed to my ego, to reside inside in peace and happiness. Even if we do not do this for ourselves, we need to do this for each other because one dirty house can make the whole street stink, and the dirt can spread to other houses as well.
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