Onam - the day the king returns

I am just back after celebrating Onam in Kerala and I am delighted to say the least.

The myth:

Mahabali was a king of the rakshasas. He had a very prosperous organized kingdom and he was very just and popular for a Rakshasa.His fame makes the devas feel insecure and they beg Vishnu to curb his freedom and put a stop to his ambition before he conquers their kingdom.
Vishnu decides to humour them and is born to a powerful rishi and his wife as their son. He grows up and goes to Mahabali the day he is performing a yaga and asks him for a boon. A king is bound to his word and he agrees to give the boy whatever he asks. The boy asks for three feet of land. The king is humoured and wonders how that would be enough as the boy is very tiny. He tries to dissuade him and offer him something instead but the boy is insistent. He agrees much to the chargin of his guru - Sukracharya. Sukracharya is convinced that the boy is not a human and is going to be the downfall of the good king. The king does not pay heed to his guru's advice and gets ready to give the boy his hearts desire. When everything is ready, the boy grows in size and becomes the "Thiruvirkraman". The puts one feet on the sky - to protect the devas, another on the earth and lovingly looks at his devotee and asks him where he should put the third feet. Mahabali offers his head. The lord agrees as to him a devotee's head is as big as the universe itself. Bali is pushed to the ground and before the final surrender, he asks the lord for a boon. That he come back to visit his subjects again. His boon is granted and he comes back every year during Onam to visit his subjects over whom he governed over wisely.

The philosophy :

1. Dont mock at what you think is smaller than you for all you know, you will miss the divine when he comes visiting. Bali was just and he was also a devotee of the lord. For all his goodness, his pride led to his downfall. Still, his goodness saves him as he becomes one of the immortals.
2. Pay heed to the advice of those around you for when you fail to see through deceit they might. Dont let your perceived greatness cloud your vision and your senses.
3. To someone who surrenders himself to the divine, he becomes a part of the universe - thats what I choose to infer from where Vamana says that a devotees head is as big as the universe itself.
4. On a funnier note - in places you dont fit in, dont over deliver for there will always be those who are much senior around you, who might not like what they perceive as threat (you) and gang up with bigger heads to nip you in the bud.

The moon and Ganesha

There are lot of interesting mythological references and legends around Ganesha but one of the better known ones is of him and the moon.(you can see the image below in this link)

 

The legend : 

Ganesha is heading back home after a feast from his devotees in his vehicle the mouse. (The legend varies here - one says he falls down from his vehicle and then hears a laugh and the other says that he hears laughter) He hears someone laughing and looks around for the source. He realises that it is the moon. The moon continues to laugh and Ganesha asks for a reason. The moon points out how funny Ganesha looks - a huge creature on top of a tiny one and continues giggling. An angry Ganesha curses the moon saying that, "Your vanity has made you blind to even my divinity. You are but a reflection of the sun and still you dare to mock me. May no one see you again."

The moon is very upset as he realises that nobody is going to be able to see him and begs Ganesha for forgiveness. Ganesha cools down and offers him a boon as he cannot take his curse back - "You will wane for 14 days and come back thereby going through a 28 day cycle."

That is one of the mythological explanations behind the moon's cycle. 

The philosophy :

1. Vanity, even in one so radiant is extremely unbecoming. When you are vain, you start by mocking those you consider beneath you, but overtime you forget to realise even the divine because you are so blinded by vanity. You have to grow beyond plain vanity, for even someone as high up as the moon forgot to acknowledge the divine
2. Do not be deceived by appearances. In something seemingly ridiculous, there may lie a power far beyond mortal comprehension.
3. Anything that wanes also has an inherent power to bounce back except when it is in the natural order of things to not do so (like old age, sickness etc. ) Do not be bound down by supposed shackles when you watch yourself wane due to some reason or the other - it could be obvious or not so obvious. Remember the moon and you can be inspired to bounce back.