Parabhava(m) means Humiliation

Happy Ugadi

The first two words should bring a smile to you, while the other two—in Telugu and English respectively—may create an eerie feeling of anxiety. But that’s how this year is destined to be, if we go by what the Hindu calendar, or panchangam, portends for us to ponder over.

Every year marks the beginning of a new era, which is how Ugadi is referred to. For instance, 1924–1925 Ugadi denoted Krodha, and this year it will be called Parabhava nama samvatsaram. Recently, we had Krodha nama Ugadi, indicating the presence of anger in that particular year.

This year, as ordained by Hindu priests, it is going to be a year of humiliation. That should not deter us as much as the deeper realization that being born as a human being itself is, in some ways, a great irony—perhaps even a humiliation—in a world filled with forests, animals, birds, rivers, seas, and everything else that we are mercilessly ruining.

God’s creation of human beings seems to have gone wrong somewhere in shaping the human brain. It has evolved over ages, but unfortunately not always for the right reasons—rather, for becoming too smart in ways that harm ourselves. There is nothing more humiliating than inflicting damage upon ourselves through our own actions against this great Earth.

Environmentally, we seem to be destroying things beyond repair, and a day may not be far off when we will have nothing left to annihilate.

Having said that, we need not be ecstatic about a year named after abundance, nor brood over a year named after anger or humiliation. The Ugadi pachhadi—a blend of sweet, sour, and bitter ingredients—signifies the many ups and downs we go through, both holistically and in our day-to-day lives.

It is also a festival when predictions are read out by leading panchangam experts or astrologers, who attempt to foresee what lies ahead for us collectively and individually. Every political party, whether in power or in opposition, serves its share of predictions—some encouraging, others devastating. What is predicted as good for the party in power is, by default, projected as doomsday for the opposition, and vice versa.

These predictions are akin to those made during the Mahankali Jatara, where the ritual called Rangam forecasts nature’s behaviour—be it copious rains, drought, or other natural events.

Such predictions are often taken with a pinch of salt, as they tend to follow expected lines, especially favouring those in power. Likewise, predictions in opposition party offices foresee their own return to power. So, politics inevitably returns to square one.

To sum up, do not fear the word “humiliation.” Move forward—if not brazenly, then at least with resilience. For some global leaders, including Trump and Netanyahu, this year may indeed feel like a Parabhava year. Let humiliation give way to reflection, and let peace return to the world.