Mitra (Friend)

ॐ मित्राय नम:

Happy Friendship Day, my readers.

Have been receiving so many messages wishing a happy friendship day that am overwhelmed. A day when your ex students too wish you, is like a fulfillment for a teacher like me. Fulfillment because even after these many years they remember and consider me their friend. Students from my first batch to the ones who just passed out 10th/12th. Aptly it’s a day, this year, celebrated a month before Teachers day (celebrated on 5th September in India). I think it’s a journey from being a teacher to a friend for myself. They all enter as students (expecting the worse) and part as friends.

Today wanna dwell upon an aspect which I have been thinking about since morning. I started with the mantra “Om Mitraay Namaah”. It is a prayer to The friend. And we earthlings have only one true friend, “The Sun”. It is one of the 12 mantra’s to be rendered before performing Surya Namaskaars in which Sun is referred to as Mitra (friend).

We all know that Life on earth is not possible without the Sun. As science says today that even if the earth moves a little towards or away from the Sun or even tilt half a degree more or less, life on earth would not be possible. The atmosphere around earth would not exist. The earth would go into a phase like any other planet, lifeless and maybe just a globe of gases. But due to the force of attraction between the Sun and the earth, we are, where we are placed in this solar system. The only planet on which life exists as of now.

Photosynthesis takes place in presence of sun. And it sustains animal life through food. Sun helps in evaporation of water and it rains. And we sustain ourselves with this sweet rain water.

Sun is even helpful in synthesizing Vitamin D under our skin. And that is the reason that our seers have asked us to perform Surya Namaskaars or yoga or excercises in the open so as to help the process of synthesising. Even staring at the rising Sun is suggested in some schools of Yoga to maintain good eyesight.

The Sun kills the bacteria which are harmful for living world. It helps in keeping ourselves disease free. And so our seers in the olden days have forbidden us to eat food after sunset. As it can pollute our food in turn harming our digestive system and health as a whole. Even today many Brahmins and Jain’s have their food before sunset.

Can we imagine one day without sunlight? I truly remember my childhood days when in Monsoons, it used to rain the whole day and for days together. And I was so happy to see the sun rise into the sky after a few days. One of the most beautiful phenomenon in nature, the Rainbow, is possible due to The Sun. Am reminded of that story of Moses when. He challenges the Pharoah to let go his people or the sun would not rise in his kingdom. It was complete darkness and people could not go anywhere. We can imagine the plight of the Egyptians then.

The moonlight too is nothing but reflected sunlight. The moon coming between the sun and the earth is another phenomenon which has enthralled mankind from beginning. The famous story of Krishna getting the sun to set on the 13th day of the Mahabharat war so that Arjun can kill Jayadrath is nothing but an eclipse.

The sun is revered equally in Egypt as Ra and in Africa too. Rather ever civilisation from Mayan to Roman to Vedic have revered The Sun. Our ancestors know the importance of this friend in our lives. And so “Om Mitraay Namaah”.

Then how can we have just one day for this friend. It is everyday. We are incomplete without Him. One who does not leave us even in distress. One who teaches us to work hard even in adverse conditions. One who is with us in thick and thin. So let’s celebrate every day rather every moment as friendship day.

Wishing you all a happy friendship day again.