HOT WINDS ... weatherly & spiritually

There is something about wind, quite apart from its cooling influence, that directly affects our well-being. Wind when it comes is usually welcome, but not always and not for everyone. An old English proverb says: “When the wind is in the east, it’s good for neither man nor beast.”

For many years it has been suspected that certain weather conditions, notably hot dry winds as the foehn in Europe, the sharav in Israel and the Santa Ana in southern California, affect people's mood and health, even precipitating suicides, crimes and accidents. In North India Loo is a powerful hot and dry local wind which blows in the month of May & June and is dangerous. So what happens is air becomes laden with positively charged ions adversely affecting our mental and emotional well-being. I have been advocating technology of Dr Jadhav from Pune for his negative ion generators for indoors and also units emitting millions of negative ions to bring down pollution levels outdoors. The scientific community over the years have documented psychological effects of unhealthy positive ions and how negative ions are solutions.

Hot Winds spiritually too blow into life no good. SGGS1429 “bal chhutki-o banDhan paray kachhoo na hot upaa-ay”. “My strength is exhausted, and I am in bondage; I cannot do anything at all Says Nanak, now, the Lord is my Support; He will help me, as He did the elephant.”

There is a story of a "Gaj" meaning elephant that used to go across the river taking a flower to the temple. One day he was taking the flower as was his routine and a crocodile caught him by the leg. A crocodile in water is stronger than an elephant, so the crocodile pulled and pulled, till the flower in the elephant’s trunk came to be dipped and the elephant was going to die.

SGGS70 “jaa ko musakal ath banai dtoee koe n dhaee …When you are confronted with terrible hardships, and no one offers you any support, when your friends turn into enemies, and even your relatives have deserted you, and when all support has given way, and all hope has been lost. (but) if you come to remember the Supreme Lord God, even the hot winds shall not touch you. In the end all that the elephant said, "If this flower can reach you, O my lord God, I shall feel liberated.” Death was inevitable but God came and tore open the jaw of the crocodile and freed the elephant so that he could lay the flower down. I am reminded of Draupadis plight in Mahabharat at the time of her Vastharan. She asked lord Krishna what took you so long and He replied you kept calling for others it took you longer in reaching out to me

Hot winds breeze in our life but few, find the way and understanding overcoming them the Guru’s way. There is one very popular verse in Gurbani recited by many in good faith for themselves, their family and wellbeing of others.

SGGS Ang819 taatee vaa-o na lag-ee paarbarahm sarnaa-ee…. “The hot winds does not even touch one who is under the Protection of the Supreme Lord God. On all four sides I am surrounded by the Lord's Circle of Protection; pain does not afflict me, O Siblings of Destiny. I have met the Perfect True Guru, who has done this deed. He has given me the medicine of the Lord's Name, and I enshrine love for the One Lord.

A great wind is blowing and that gives you either imagination or a headache.