Nudity

Yes - you read it right :-)

In the month of February, I went to Las Vegas with a bunch of friends to help celebrate a bachelorette party! It was a lot of fun - felt like I was living another life away from my own - devoid of all the stress and pain. It was great in a lot of ways and for those very reasons!

Among some of the group activities, we also went and watched a show that was kind of risque`.

Yes, we did see some men and women with almost close to being nude. And I sat there watching them strip or getting very close to it. Before I write any further, I have to say that I'm perfectly normal and the sight of an almost nude man has it's expected effects on me too.

But as I sat and watched this man (and those topless women too), the thought that came to me was - wow! it must take so much courage to be in that state of undress before such a huge crowd!

How do they see themselves doing this, what are they thinking right now, and what is the image they perceive of themselves were one train.

The other train of though that I carried home with me was - it would take so much humility to be able to do what they do...

We cover ourselves, our egos, and our inner selves with these beautiful clothes - eager to please us, them, they, me, myself - what not. Do we crave to make ourselves look better on the outside when we realize that we are getting the opposite inside? Maybe...I don't know.

I do think about one thing standing before the mirror every morning - why do I do this day after day? Why do I realy on my physical beauty to help boost my self-image? Maybe it is normal and needed - but, one day I want to be able to eliminate it - completely, totally!

There are so many religions in this world that teach this humility. Among all the values taught, this seems to be the most significant one.

Jainism happens to be one of them, where the saints are usually without clothes.I'm sure there are other religions too.

Why is it hard to be in that state before people? Because of the fear of being judged. Once you cross that barrier, for whatever reasons - the right ones or the wrong ones, nothing else maters. It could be because you are confident, you think you are beyond judgement or could simply be that you don't care!

I now have to tell you about this saint from the region of Karnataka in India. She was one of the greatest of her times - Akka MahaDevi.

She was in love with her deity 'Chenna Mallikarjuna' and wrote poetry describing the same and through those very verses, she conveyed to the common man the essence of this very life! In simple words that were easily understood. She roamed from place to place in search of her Lord and in a state of being clotheless - covered by herbs and plants.

Such was her single minded devotion.

Some of her famous 'Vachanas' were:

Mane Mane thappadanthe beduvanthe madayya
Bedidode annavanu ikkadanthe madayya
Ikkidode nelake biluvanthe madayya
Nelake biddode nanettikomba munna shuni ettikombanthe madayya
channamallikarjuna

I'm not a great translator, but the above very roughly talks about how she wants her ego to be crushed. She wants to be turned into a beggar, and go through all the hardships including that of falling to the ground.

Another one is:

beTTada mElondu maneya mADi mrugagaLiganjidoDentayya
samudrada taDiyalli maneya mADi nore teregaLiganjidoDentayya
santeya naDuve maneya mADi shabdakke nAchdoDentayya
chenna mallikArjuna dEva kELayya

Translated, it questions why we are afraid of everything - it questions if a person who has built his house on a hilltop be afraid of wild animals, can he be afraid of the waves when he has built his house on the sea shore, can he be afraid of the noise once he has built it amidst a village fair or a 'bazaar'...she basically questions the intent or the regret of re-visitng a decision once it has been made...

I cannot stop myself from quoting another saint from Karnataka - Lord Basavanna...he emptied the whole meaning of this life into those little verses. He poured out the nectar for a common man to consume - an act as simple as sipping water from one's palms - read one his poems:

"Vachanadalli nAmAmR^ita tumbi
nayanadalli nimma mUruti tumbi
manadalli nimma nenahu tumbi
kiviyalli nimma kIruti tumbi
kUDala saMgama devA
nimma charaNakamaladoLagAnu tumbi "

Meaning: The words spoken (by me) are full of ambrosia of (Your Holy) Name ! The eyes are enriched with the vision of Your Form. The mind is full of Your thoughts. The ears are filled with Your Glory..Oh Lord of kUDala saMgama, in Your Feet lotus, I am there as a bee !

This is love beyond any form or physical boundaries..

Such were some of the great saints and some of their virtues!

Nudity or the state of being clotheless happens to only hold a mirror to the real person in us...are you afraid to face that person? It is something only you can answer.