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Thursday, September 16, 2021

Stress ! Mental health ! - kainkaryam .. .. காவடியேன் பட்ட கடை.

 How are you ? – how is life ? – do you have simple answers or complex words !! – are you accustomed to new phrases like ‘new normal’, ‘hybrid working conditions’ and the like – do you feel, it is very stressful these days ? Humanity has seen and faced worse crises – there have been many pandemics and wars that threatened to wipe  out humanity ! – last century saw both pandemics like flu and two major World Wars – yet, these times are described as more stressful !!



It has been more than 18 months since the Covid-19 pandemic stuck the Globe. When will it end? Even after so many restrictions, lockdowns, curfews, social distancing, mask-wearing, and vaccines, there is still no clear answer. But, there are a lot of signs/evidence from which some realistic expectations can be made on how the Coronavirus pandemic will progress over the next year so.  After reporting below 40,000 new Covid-19 cases for the past 7 days and less than 30,000 for the past four days, India witnessed 30,570 new Coronavirus infections in the last 24 hours, taking the overall Covid-19 tally to 3,33,47,325, according to data from the Union Health Ministry on Thursday.  According to weekly analysis of Covid-19 cases, except four, all states/UTs have seen a decline in their seven-day average of cases.   Reading the top of the chart – Maharashtra contributed 3783 in the last 24 hours; while Kerala had 17681!!; Karnataka 1116, Tamil Nadu 1658, Andhra 1445 and Uttar Pradesh – 18 – yes, two less than twenty !!  

In 255 BC, during the First Punic War, the Roman Republic attempted to evacuate remnants of its defeated expeditionary force from Carthaginian Africa. A large fleet commanded by Servius Fulvius Paetinus Nobilior and Marcus Aemilius Paullus successfully evacuated survivors after defeating an intercepting Carthaginian fleet, but was struck by a storm while returning, losing most of its ships. The Romans had invaded the Carthaginian homeland (in what is now northeastern Tunisia) in 256 BC. After initial successes, they had left a force of 15,500 men to hold their lodgement over the winter. This force was decisively beaten at the Battle of Tunis in the spring of 255 BC and its commander, Marcus Atilius Regulus, captured. Two thousand survivors were besieged in the port of Aspis. The Roman fleet of 390 warships was sent to rescue and evacuate them. So thousands of years ago – thousands of people were getting killed in action, perhaps not even understanding where they were and what they were fighting for !  - those days none spoke of mental health and stress !!

Stress is a normal human reaction that happens to everyone. In fact, the human body is designed to experience stress and react to it.  Stress is a natural feeling of not being able to cope with specific demands and events. However, stress can become a chronic condition if a person does not take steps to manage it. When you experience changes or challenges (stressors), your body produces physical and mental responses. That’s stress.  Stress can be positive, keeping us alert, motivated and ready to avoid danger.   But stress becomes a problem when stressors continue without relief or periods of relaxation.

Scientists have studied how the body responds to its environment for years. Stress Trusted Source is the result of pressures or tensions and how the body responds to them  These changes, which are called the stress response, include the release of certain hormones. A new study published in Hypertension, an American Heart Association journal, shows mounting evidence that higher levels of stress hormones may increase a person’s risk of high blood pressure and cardiovascular events.  A growing body of research refers to the mind-heart-body connection, which suggests a person's mind can positively or negatively affect cardiovascular health, cardiovascular risk factors and risk for cardiovascular disease events, as well as cardiovascular prognosis over time.


Probably it is not possible to live without stress – one has to embrace changes and accept life as it is.   For a Srivaishnavaite, life is all about – thinking less of thyself, falling at the feet of Sriman Narayana and doing kainkaryam to Emperuman and to those engaged in such kainkaryam. 

இதோ இங்கே திரு பூதத்தாழ்வாரின் அற்புத வரிகள். : - 

பேர்த்தனை மாசகடம் பிள்ளையாய், மண்ணிரந்து

காத்தனை பல்லுயிரும் காவலனே, ஏத்திய

நாவுடையேன் பூவுடையேன் நின்னுள்ளி நின்றமையால்

காவடியேன் பட்ட கடை. 

எம்பெருமான் ஸ்ரீமன் நாரணனே ! ஸர்வரக்ஷகனே !, எங்களை என்றென்றும் காப்பாற்றும் !  திருவாய்ப்பாடியில்  சிறு குழந்தையாயிருந்து வளரும் வேளையில், பெரியதொரு வண்டியின் உருவில் வந்த  சகடாசுரனை கட்டழியும்படி உதைத்துத் தள்ளினாய்;  இந்த பூமியை  மஹாபலியினிடத்தில் யாசித்துப் பெற்று,   எல்லா ஆத்மாக்களையும் ரக்ஷித்தருளினாய். இவ்வாறெல்லாம் சிறப்பு வாய்ந்த  ரக்ஷகனான  உன்னை மனப்பூர்வமாக எண்ணியிருப்பதனால், நான், உன்னைத் துதிப்பதையே ஸ்வபாவமாகவுள்ள நாக்கை உடையவனாயிருக்கிறேன்; உனக்கு பிடித்தமான, உன்னை அர்ச்சிப்பதற்கு உரிய புஷ்பங்களை உடையவனாயிருக்கிறேன்; உனக்கு அடியவனாயிருக்கும் பெரும் பதவியைப் பெற்றிருக்கிற நான்  வெகுகாலமாக  கொண்டுள்ள தாழ்வுகளை  போக்கியருள வேணும்.  ~ என பிரார்திக்கின்றார். 

                       எம்பெருமான் தெள்ளியசிங்கரது  திருவடி தொழுது, நாமும், உலக நலனுக்காகவும், நம் சம்ப்ரதாயம் சீர் பெறவும், நம் அனைவரும் வளமுடன் வாழ்ந்து - எம்பெருமானின் பல உத்சவங்களை, பற்பல திவ்யதேசங்களிலே சேவிக்கப்பெறுவோமாக !!

Reminiscing the good olden days, here are some photos of  Dharmathi peedam purappadu of Sri Azhagiya Singar  at Thiruvallikkeni divyadesam on day 1 of Brahmothsavam on 19.6.2013. 

adiyen Srinivasa dhasan
Mamandur Veeravalli Srinivasan Sampathkumar
16th Sept. 2021.
  







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