Pitru Paksh, or the fortnight of the ancestors, is an annual event in the Vedic calendar. The purpose of this fifteen-day period is to offer gratitude and remembrance for our departed family members. Various rituals and prayers are performed as well, aimed towards the liberation of the departed souls.

Just like there are days to honor historical personalities, epochal events in history, anniversaries, mom, dad, veterans, and pets (even comic book characters, for goodness sake)—the concept of keeping a period for ancestors is quite remarkable and endearing.

I say this because many of the said ancestors may not have any direct link or impact on the lives of present-day human beings. For example, I may not have met my great-grandfather, seen his picture, or even remember his name, but his contribution to my life is immense. I am carrying his genes and indirect blessings as well that allows me to express myself in this world.

Whether or not our ancestors intended to do good, whether or not they even thought that their respective actions could have an impact across generations, the fact remains we are here because they were here before us. In fact, it is not just our direct ancestors but everyone who has lived on the planet has had a contribution to what we experience right now.

The roads that I drive upon, the park where I go for a run, the school building where I studied, the recipes I get to taste, the trees that I get to admire, and so on— all these are contributed by innumerable nameless, faceless human beings who helped in manifesting them out to the world. Pitru Paksh is another useful period to cultivate gratitude and remembrance of even these nameless and faceless individuals who may not have had a direct link to us but end up contributing positively to our lives.

You may wonder, what spurs such a sudden spurt of sentimentality for the ancestors, Kushagra? (and a spurt of words starting with S)

I will tell you it has more to do than just concluded Pitru paksh period of 2023. Let me share more on it in the next section.

PRIVILEGE TALK

Recently, my first book was published. This was a long cherished goal, and I feel grateful to Krishna/universe for making it happen.

One key theme and aptitude (how I define it) of my life that I have worked to develop is the attitude of gratitude. It has been one of the most potent tools in my armory to deal with both the victories and setbacks, joy and pain.

Upon announcing my book on social media and amidst the kind and encouraging support I received from friends and family, I humbly reflected on how truly blessed I am not just to receive this encouragement from people around me but to even be in a situation to receive this support.

In other words, I thought of the struggle of the generations before me. To be in a situation where I got the time, education, resources, and affirmation to work on a long-cherished desire is no small thing.

Generations before me could not think beyond sustenance to venture into what may be defined as refined interests and creative pursuits. As I look back on my parent’s generation and that of my grandparents, I observe how, for them, the biggest deal was to be able to provide education to their kids, put food on the table, and more often than not compromise on their personal goals and needs to provide.

To get a book published is a huge deal, and I do not diminish my work of over three years or so to collect various ideas and make a book out of it, no. But the privilege that is being bestowed is not lost upon me either.

How has that privilege manifested?

Let me share a few examples:

• The merits of the generations before me put me in a state of ease where I did not have to worry about food, sustenance, and resources to get my work out there.
• I, for all I know, am the first of my generation in my family, which hails from small towns of Uttar Pradesh, to get a public school English medium education from one of the best schools in New Delhi. And English is the language I choose to put my message out in the form of my blogs and now the book.
• One thing is to be in a situation that enables one to work on their goals and dreams. It is quite another thing to receive active encouragement from a parent to work on your goal— that I received in abundance from my father.
• While trying to learn about writing from those authors whose (for example, Stephen King, whose book On Writing was a fantastic resource and inspiration) books have been perpetually successful and enduring, I realized that for one even to attempt to write something worthwhile, one must be an avid reader. Once again, I am alive in an era where access to books was not restricted through availability or purchasing power.
• Being single, no kids (or pets) to deal with is also a blessing. Haha. Though this silly joke is actually a sad joke on me as it belies my learnings from the Gita where my master Shri Krishna gives out the message to a warrior on a battlefield to a complete family man like Arjuna. Even the most successful authors and the ones I admire have been married and have children as well. inserts embarrassed smiley followed by one crying smiley

Let me take this reflection and expression of my gratitude for the era I am in a step further.

Time In History

It is not an arduous task to get published anymore. Especially if one is not fixated upon publishing their book by a particular publishing house. And I am not feigning humility when I say this. Getting a book published is not a big feat owing to the influx of several publishing houses. If you have even a half-decent piece of work, it will most likely be accepted.

Please note I do not take away the effort it takes to write even a single piece of paragraph, but then, by the grace of Krishna, even a 40,000-word book is made easy.

I feel astonished as I read about the experiences of successful authors and often the struggle they had to face to get their books published. These days, even if, say, one does not find a single publishing house to publish their book, advancement in technology has made it possible for any ordinary person like me to self-publish via Kindle. Technology is such a great leveler. One does not need to be famous or spend even a penny to get their work visibility.

Speaking of technology, another merit I find about the era where I exist is how easy it is to promote your work and also for friends and family living far away to access it as well. Amazon, Flipkart, and even this excellent new start-up called Padhega India deliver books to every nook and corner of the country and even the world.

I feel extremely indebted to all those whose efforts and work in advancing technology have led to a state where ordinary people like me can also share their voice.

I will tell you, I feel successful just to be able to get my work out. The response, reaction, and so on will be based upon its merit and, of course, the will and grace of God.

My intention behind sharing these personal reflections and anecdotes, dear reader, is to present one key idea essentially:

Our (relative) success is never just our own.

As I grow older and (hopefully) wiser, I find how unfounded the expression ‘self-made’ really is. There are always, always innumerable factors contributing to our success and gains in life.

I think of Bhagavan Krishna’s words in the Bhagavad Gita, where He implores Arjuna to be an instrument in the hands of the divine— निमित्तमात्रं भव सव्यसाचिन् (BG 11.33). Shri Krishna reveals to Arjuna that all human beings can do is take part in the cosmic play, where factors beyond one’s efforts and hard work lead to results.

So whenever we witness success— be it our own or that of another, we can do well to cultivate gratitude towards the obvious and the subtle factors leading to that success.

I hope this piece gives you fresh ideas on living a holistic life. Thank you for reading this until the end.

Kushagra